Surefire Ways to Have the Best Meal Ever

Don't you love that feeling when you know you ordered better than the rest of the table? Or just knowing in general that you ordered the best dish on the menu without a server's recommendation? Well, I'm half joking on both of those questions, but if I see any of these items on a menu, I will generally order that dish. This is my shortcut to achieving the best meal possible at a restaurant:

1) CHEESE...specifically GRUYERE
I truly feel bad for anyone that is lactose intolerant. Adding cheese when a cheese option is given is basically an automatic yes. I had the pleasure of visiting the Gruyere factory in Gruyere, Switzerland a couple years ago. Hands down, every time I go for Gruyere (cheeseburgers, mac & cheese) it's a guaranteed winner. Gruyere has a salty, but sweet taste, and melts perfectly.

2) BACON

A friend of mine recently deemed bacon as "life's greatest ingredient." Need I explain further? Also makes for beautiful food art (aka bacon weave).

  
3) FRIED EGG
I underestimated the power of the fried egg until my roommate, Ian, moved in. Don't worry about the cholesterol levels in runny yoke. Just eat plenty of oatmeal the next day, and you'll be fine.

4) HUEVOS RANCHEROS
 Not so much an ingredient as its own dish. Haven't met a Huevos Rancheros I didn't like. Fried egg on a taco? I'll take it! 

5) BEEF BRISKET
Beef Brisket transcends cultures. Juicy, tender, beefy goodness. Beef brisket in pho, beef brisket over egg noodles Hong Kong style with soup on the side, German beef brisket BBQ, American beef brisket BBQ. All delicious in my book.

6) AVOCADO
  They call it a California burger when avocado's on a burger. In reference to burgers, California is just a really long word that actually means "really good." Throw it in salads, mix it into guac, the versatile fruit can be made into milkshakes, eaten for breakfast with condensed milk (a Philippine tradition), or even made into an Asian appetizer with sweet soy sauce drizzled on top of the halves (heyoo Mooncake Foods!).

7) WILD BOAR/OXTAIL
Never thought I'd be into wild game, but as someone who definitely isn't a vegetarian, it's a natural progression. I generally see wild boar and oxtail on Italian menus as an alternative to Beef Bolognese. Our neighborhood Italian restaurant (and my favorite at that), Il Passatore, has an amazing Pappardelle pasta w/ Oxtail Ragu, which unfortunately is not pictured below.  

8) PORK BELLY

Despite it's fatty edges, there's more to love about pork belly. I tend to not eat the fatty part (it's a texture thing for me), but you can count on pork belly to be equally tasty whether it's German BBQ at Fette Sau or included in Chinese soups and sandwiches.

Little Things in My Morning Commute

Day in, day out, same morning commute. Half-asleep, over-crowded L train. Who needs a cup of coffee? Not me! Get a little morning exercise, transfer to the 6 train. And, since April, no iPod. Just lots and lots of New York mag articles and attempts at writing in my journalist looking memopad. Nope, I'm not blogging about that dry doughnut at Peter Pan! But please, tall peeps, don't read what I'm writing in this thing! It's personal! After taking the same route for almost a year now, I find a lot of enjoyment in the small things that vary in my morning commute.

Anyways, I couldn't tell you why, but all too regularly, The Righteous Brothers' version of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" pops into my head as I'm climbing up the stairs at Union Square from the L train to the 6 train. There's no justification for this! I promise you, I don't listen to this song on repeat, like I have with other songs for which I'm infamous for. This loving feeling occurrence happens in the second set of stairs, right as I round that corner. Keeping my fingers crossed that I don't trip up the stairs, and hummin' this little diddy. That's my morning.

It wasn't until watching this Hall & Oates video that I appreciated the Hall & Oates cover of this song. I have it on one of their "Best of" albums, and always thought The Righteous Brothers do it so much better. Well, this video just proved that theory wrong.

I Want a House on the Beach...I do, I really do

Beach House. I've seen them live twice, both free, both in consecutive summers, both times finding myself bored, but really trying to like them. The only song that really grabbed me in the past was "Heart of Chambers," but gotta admit, the song is pretty heavy and sad. I also happened to favorite it on my hype machine right after Hall & Oates, which makes for an especially low, low. Maybe it's Ed Droste. Maybe he's the one making me feel guilty here for not coming around!

Anyways, I think the problem for me was that Beach House's music never syncs up with the picture in my mind, or my initial reaction, to hearing the term "beach house." Beach house makes me immediately think of some little bungalow on Rockaway or Fire Island on a hot, humid, sticky day; lounging around in yellow flip flops, wearing neon tobacco quit line sunglasses and a sun hat, going out for fish tacos and ice cream, and riding bikes. My mistake! This is more of a Beach Boys kind of fun in the sun.

It wasn't until this morning while listening to "Norway," off of their upcoming January 2010 release, Teen Drama, that I got the visuals right for this band. If you've ever been to the beaches on the Oregon Coast (Cannon Beach/Seaside), then it all makes sense. Or, if you've ever seen The Goonies - it's that beach with Haystack Rock on it. Every time I've been to the beaches in Oregon, despite going there in July or August, it's been cold, overcast at some point, melancholic, lonely, introspective. It's the kind of beach that's more conducive to kite-flying than beach volleyball. The mist sits on the ocean, the fog is dense, and the wind from the Pacific Ocean has permanently bent the trees lining the beachfront neighborhoods at a forty-five degree angle.

I think it's fitting that Beach House is now signed to Sub Pop (PacNW!). From what I've heard of the new album, it sounds like Beach House has found themselves more upbeat, with a stronger pulse. There's a soft energy there, maybe it's the vocals cutting through in a slightly forceful way, while still remaining dreamy and lush. If you can grab this mp3 of "Take Care" I have a feeling it will be my favorite on the new record.

The Modern Toilet, Please Come to NYC!

Today, my co-worker said, "Hey Alexa, I was watching the Food Network last night and I saw something that made me think of you."

What exactly made him think of me? Well, it was none other than THE MODERN TOILET, a Taipei-based restaurant with the over-arching theme of toilets. Of course, this sounds pretty repulsive. I could even go so far as to say VERY repulsive. The name of the restaurant itself is enough to make someone run to the nearest bathroom. However, I can't help but find myself completely intrigued with this restaurant AND hitting myself over the head for not leaving the Taipei airport last year when Gao Di and I were stuck there for 6 hours. We used our long-stop over trying to write knock-knock jokes that we now cannot even remember when we could have been fine dining at The Modern Toilet!

Is it just me or do those two dishes look absolutely delicious?!

And in the end, isn't it all gonna end up in the toilet anyways? 
I'll take Toilet #1 puh-leeeeeze (chocolate ice cream/aka poo).

"Who Knew Queens Could Be So Beautiful?"

I almost felt like I was living in California today. It was 73 degrees, and it's November 8th. After a gluttonous weekend, Char and I decided to exercise. Our initial Greenpoint joyride brought us to LONG ISLAND CITY!

Going to Queens was probably the second best decision I made today after picking Huevos Rancheros for brunch. We found these benches on the piers that were shaped like sine curves and I fell asleep with my sunglasses on to the backdrop of Manhattan, only to be woken up to the excitement of a boy who caught a two foot fish in the East River. I think they dumped it back because of laws...probably for the better. 

 To keep the 5pm sunset a little brighter, I've been listening to "Pet Sounds" over and over on repeat, as well as Hall & Oates "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)." Good for the soul? yep.  

So let me just slip into this lace catsuit...

Just now, I went to read This Recording, when I was distracted by this American Apparel ad for a "Lace Catsuit." I laughed out loud, showed this to Erin, and then we both wondered why it was called a catsuit. Upon further research (heyooo wikipedia) we were greeted with this definition:

A catsuit is a skin-tight one-piece usually stretch garment with long sleeves and legs. Catsuits can be used by both genders, and despite the name they do not in general have feline characteristics.

 I guess this pretty much sums it up. The new American Apparel unisex catsuit. Ayomp.

New York is Not a Pho Town, Unfortunately

Oh, Pho! Delicious, delicious pho! From Junior High through High School, I always crossed my fingers that Sunday lunch would be a pho lunch. My mouth would anxiously water as we drove out to Kent's Great Wall Mall, home to Pho To Chau, my Dad's favorite pho place. I'd order a #6 or #9, whichever is the one that has brisket and tendons (I never eat the tendons, I just like them there for flavor). Throw in some hoisin sauce, basil, bean sprouts, hint of lime, and you pretty much have the tastiest beef broth imaginable. I love noodles. Noodles and dumplings, and spring rolls. Probably my favorite things about Asian food.

After my pho high, I would immediately pass out due to a pho-induced food coma in our Honda accord, and after a 35 minute ride home, I drowsily moved from the car to the nearest couch, upon which I covered myself with big pillows to continue my nap to the sound of the Seahawks football game. My Dad was my twin across the family room, except that he snores, and I don't.

This was pretty much a typical Sunday for me as a teenager. Now that I've lived in New York for almost four years, I'm beginning to think Seattle must have something in the water, because I can't find pho in New York City that compares to the ones that I've had there. One would think, New York, the multi-cultural food capital of America would have the best of the best for each ethnicity, but this is not the case.

I've been to Nha Trang and Pho Bang, the new pho place on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg whose name I can't recall (I had high hopes for this place, and I should have known it would have to succumb to the trendiness of the neighborhood), and Saigon Grill. I've witnessed the grand opening of Pho 32 right across the street from Yoga to the People on St. Marks and have been skeptical to try it. The downfall of all of these places is either the broth isn't beefy enough, the soup is overpriced, there aren't enough selections of pho to choose from, or the ambience is way too fancy for a pho establishment. One could say my standards for pho and pho eating establishments are very particular, but as a simple lover of pho, let's use one of my favorite Seattle joints, Than Brothers, as a prime example:

1) Pho must be around the $5 price point for a small bowl. $7 is probably my limit. It better be damn good if it's $7+...or very large.

2) There should be upwards of 12 choices on a pho menu. Not 2. The soups should not be named "Pho Classic" or "Pho Special." The meats have names! The menu should include Pho Ga (although never order it). And never order the meatball one either...come on people, choose your cuts!  [Menu courtesy of Than Brothers, Seattle].

SMALL            $4.95

  MEDIUM                             $5.75

  LARGE                                 $6.25

  X-LARGE                            $6.95

 

  EXTRA MEAT                   $0.85

  EXTRA MEAT BALL       $0.85

  EXTRA NOODLE             $0.60

 

  EACH TO GO                    $0.60

A.    Pho Ga(Rice noodle soup with chicken)

B.    Pho Bo Vien(Rice noodle soup with meat ball)

C.   Pho Bo(Rice noodle soup with beef as follow : )

1.    Tai

Rice noodle soup with eye-round steak

2.    Tai Chin

Rice noodle soup with eye-round steak and brisket

3.    Tai Nam

Rice noodle soup with eye-round steak and well-done flank

4.    Tai Sach

Rice noodle soup with eye-round steak and tripe

5.    Tai Gan

Rice noodle soup with eye-round steak and soft tendon

6.    Chin Nam

Rice noodle soup with brisket and well-done flank

7.    Chin Gan

Rice noodle soup with brisket and soft tendon

8.    Chin Sach

Rice noodle soup with brisket and tripe

9.    Tai Chin Nam

Rice noodle soup with eye-round steak, brisket and well-done flank

10. Tai Chin Gan

Rice noodle soup with eye-round steak, brisket and soft tendon

11. Tai Chin Sach

Rice noodle soup with eye-round steak, brisket and tripe

12. Tai Chin Nam Gan - PERSONAL FAVE

Rice noodle soup with eye-round steak, brisket, well-done flank and soft tendon 

13. Tai Chin Nam Sach

Rice noodle soup with eye-round steak, brisket, well-done flank and tripe

14. Tai Chin Nam Gau Gan Sach

Rice noodle soup with eye-round steak, well-done flank, marble brisket, soft tendon, tripe

 

3) Pho restaurants should have glass counter-topped tables or plastic covering, as well as a wallpaper of mirrors around the walls. No need to make it classy. You know, half the people eating pho on a Sunday morning on the Ave in Seattle's U-District are there because they're hungover, and pho just happens to be the best cure.

4) Bonus points if the Pho restaurant name includes a pun.

5) Additional bonus points if the pho establishment serves free cream puffs at the end of the meal. (Thanks, Than Brothers!)

Perhaps with all these standards I should start a franchise in Brooklyn?!?