Chio’s today finally. Really liked it. Pulpo should have been more tender but everything else about the dish was great, especially once the sauce was poured on to the sizzling plate.
Also their chicken is perfectly juicy and smoky. Also watching their walk action in the kitchen is impressive
At @Ns1’s suggestion I hit up Lotus and Light tonight. While I depend on @Ns1 to come up with hidden gems in the Valley I was disappointed tonight. Its quite possible I ordered the wrong thing. Lotus and Light has a DIneLA menu but it looked like way too much food so I went with rice noodle salad with charbroiled beef and egg rolls. The presentation was beautiful…
495- and 150-day NY strips from APL. Appreciable difference in flavor between the two (duh). The 150 had more of the “blue cheese” funk and beefiness while the 495 had deep richness to it (not sure of the appropriate words). Both steaks were fantastic and cooked to a perfect medium rare. Overall, a great meal.
based on the dish you ordered, I understand the disappointment. If you choose to go again, let me offer this handy guide based on dishes that I have personally eaten:
Things I would recommend to my mom
Things I would not recommend to my mom:
Things I would not recommend to my mom but I would eat anyway because Little Saigon / 626 is far
Thanks for the tips. I will give them another try since a good banh mi is hard to find in the Valley.
Went over the weekend. How is there no line out the door?! This is objectively the best bo luc lac. Thank you.
Also ordered the eggs on the side per your suggestion for an excellent bo ne. Perfectly juicy and tender with great garlic butter flavor. Will get an extra baguette next time and turn it into a delicious steak and egg sandwich.
that bo luc lac would be 100000% better if they spooned the meat/sauce/garlic on top of the watercress. having said that, the color looks super legit.
Was up early and finally decided to check out Bon Temps before bouldering.
Kouign-Amann & French Grits
Lotus & Light Burbank
I mean, I had to revisit. I took the opportunity to do the DineLA menu and try 3 things I haven’t had before.
This is actually an insane amount of food - about $30 for all this a la carte, for $20. Full notes will be in the L&L thread.
(Papaya salad half eaten in above pic)
Aww yes you went!
It’s a gem of a place! I wish more people would go here for bo luc lac than the others. Did you go anywhere else in Little Saigon? Also down the street is a handmade tofu spot and Vietnamese dessert shop (che)
Ahem @euno
No, we were considering going to Phin Smith or maybe just getting sugarcane juice afterwards but I was too stuffed and sleepy. I’ve tried a few of the Vietnamese pudding/soup/drink things before and wasn’t really into it. Reminds me of Cantonese desserts which I don’t enjoy. Not sweet enough and I’m not a fan of the jellies or beans. I once saw some travel TV show a grilled banana with sticky rice thing that looked like I might enjoy, but no clue where to get it.
Second visit to Chiang Mai Thai Kitchen (thanks @Ns1!). Ordered a Northern Thai curry, Kang Hung Lay, which is pork belly stewed in a curry sauce which bears some resemblance to American bbq sauce. No coconut milk. Had sticky rice as an accompaniment, which was good but steamed rice would have soaked up the delicious sauce better. Unfortunately pictures were way out of focus. They don’t have a liquor license yet so I had Thai iced tea the caffeine in which kept me up past my usual bedtime. I really like this place!
what’s the nothern Thai curry like? Never had that before
the closest viet dish resembling kang hung lay is a bo kho, but with less broth and pork instead of beef.
It actually is something like bbq sauce. Somewhat sweet with some heat - not too much heat its Northern Thai not Southern. The recipe in “The Food of Northern Thailand” calls for tamarind, turmeric, soy sauce, Maggi’s, garlic, ginger, shallots, oyster sauce, ketchup, shrimp paste, and several other things. A lovely complicated concoction.
I looked up bo kho and it didn’t seem like the kang hung lay I had last night. Referring again to “The Food of Northern Thailand” I found there is both a kang hung lay, a Burmese style curry which is very similar to bo kho with lemongrass and fish sauce, and a kang hung lay tai which is a Sung curry with a very different flavor profile. It seems the restaurant didn’t add the final “tai”. Both dishes look intriguing as does the bo kho. I love how liminal regions incorporate the cuisines of the surrounding areas, like Yunnan in China or Alsace in France or Southwestern cuisine here in America.
This salad confuses me. What is happening here?
Oh it’s my favorite! Lotta texture going on
Pink lady apple, pepato cheese (sheep milk and peppercorn), persimmon, mint, hazelnut, lemon juice, evoo, salt
The Cheese Board in Berkeley
this place makes only one type of vegetarian pizza daily is always packed with a line out the door…i wonder why?
cheese & basil pizza
literally just cheese and basil on a thin flat bread like sourdough crust…not a fan of this chewy and flabby crust
i do like their complimentary and self serve pesto-like sauce on the side especially since it has a bit of a kick
blackberry & apricot turnover from the bakery side of The Cheese Board
decently buttery and flaky pastry with jammy fillings that wasn’t too sweet…not bad
Fava in Berkeley
veggie-driven lunch counter that serves salads, soups, and flatbread sandwiches by a couple of chez panisse alums per eater
braised lamb, cabbage & yogurt flatbread
impossibly juicy lamb sits atop a soft, fluffy, and charred flatbread with plenty of fresh herb and pickled cabbage brightening up your bites
yup…i ate it like a taco
Benkyodo Co in Japantown San Francisco - operating since 1906
they trend on the sweet side but i enjoyed the fresh mango mochi, fresh blueberry mochi, and pancake wrap with plain sweet mochi
