Sotto Mare

While we were in the Bay Area, we mostly stayed with relatives in Fremont.  However, we did plan one day out in San Francisco.  I was a bit worried about my car though as break-ins have been commonplace in Downtown (watch some of the Youtube vids).  I did end up parking at this awesome monitored lot at 721 Filbert Street.  This was a central spot to hit up Chinatown, North Beach and also the Embarcadero (we were visiting Alcatraz as well).  So it was also close by to our lunch destination - Sotto Mare.

Now the thing to get here (and also their claim to fame) is the "Best Damn Crab Cioppino" with seafood.  It is advertised that it is enough for 2 and that is no exaggeration.  In fact, it would be fine for 3 people.  Now underneath all that seafood, there was penne, but the plethora of seafood was enough to justify the $49.95 price tag.  We found the dungeness crab to be fresh and perfectly prepared being sweet and fluffy.  The bevy of mussels, clams, bay scallops, calamari, shrimp and prawns was also beautifully cooked and fresh.  Hence, the broth was aromatic and briny from all of the seafood.  I took another picture of it plated to show what was in it.  Can you believe that this barely made a dent into it?  We really enjoyed this and would totally have it again if we were in town.

For no other reason than my daughter loving Clam Chowder that we actually ordered it.  No rhyme or reason to get it here otherwise.  It was okay being thick and creamy.  They proudly state there is bacon in it and we could definitely taste the smoky-saltiness as well as the fattiness.  I would've liked to see more clam brininess but it was definitely there as well as plenty of clam meat.  The little cubes of potato were tender and soft.

For some reason or another, we ended up ordering 2 pastas that were essentially the same except for the protein.  The first was the Fettuccine with Bay Scallops and the second was Fettuccine with Smoked Salmon, both with white wine cream sauce.  The pasta was al dente, but the sauce was only creamy in viscosity and taste.  Yet, the smoked salmon did add saltiness.  The tender bay scallops couldn't add enough flavor on its own.  Honestly, the rest of the food didn't matter to me because the Cioppino was everything I wanted it to be and more.  Good value for the price and best when shared.  I would come back just to have that dish alone.

The Good:
- That cioppino
- Good service
- Simple menu

The Bad:
- Other dishes are only "okay"

 

Telefèric Barcelona

After seemingly an endless barrage of Chinese food in Fremont, we decided to head out to Palo Alto for some eats.  Before that, we took a stroll at Stanford University since the kids have never seen it before.  Viv and I visited the place back in 2003 and as expected, not much had changed since then.  After a 2-hour walk around the beautiful grounds, we were pretty hungry.  We didn't have to travel far though as we hit up Telefèric Barcelona, just outside the campus.  With several locations including one in Barcelona itself, we were looking forward to some Spanish tapas.

Looking over the menu, we were glad that it wasn't too big, so that deciding what to order was simple.  We started with the Iberian Ham Croquetas served with aioli and piquillo pepper sauce.  These little morsels were delicious with a crispy breading that was not greasy.  Inside, it was soft and creamy with bits of ham that were impactful in texture and muted saltiness.  I loved dipping them into the pepper sauce that was sweet and flavorful.

Possibly our most favorite item was the Taquitos de Tuna & Avocado.  These featured a thin crispy wonton taco shell encasing a considerable amount of buttery marinated ahi tuna.  The texture was so beautiful, it literally melted in our mouths.  It was fresh, sweet and seasoned just enough (with some saltiness).  Underneath, there was fresh mashed avocado which added even more smoothness to the concoction.  A bit of spicy aioli completed the taco.

Another solid dish was the Salmon Tatare that was marinated and mixed with avocado.  Seemingly similar to the taquitos, this was its own animal.  I found the salmon much more robust due to the addition of stronger flavors including copious amounts of capers.  In terms of texture, the salmon was buttery soft and was a nice contrast to the airy and crispy gluten-free crackers.  I could've done with less sunflower seeds, but that wasn't a big deal.

When the Roasted Chicken Empanadas hit the table, I was a bit confused as to what they were.  In the shape of round discs on a stick, they looked more like lollipops.  However, rest assured, these were still very delicious.  Featuring a light and flaky pastry, these ate easily.  Inside, the chicken was tender and moist while well-seasoned.  The side of spicy aioli added both moisture and a touch of heat to dish.

As always, we plan to add some veggies wherever we can.  This time, it was in the form of Brussels Sprouts with aged cheese and lemon honey dressing.  Now if you are wondering what that big foamy thing is on top, well, that is the cheese.  Really added a light, yet rich cheesiness to the fried brussels sprouts.  About those sprouts, they were slightly crispy while still tender inside.  Nice balance of sweet, salty and tang offered up by the dressing and cheese.

So it was a given that we would order the classic Patatas Bravas topped with aioli and spicy tomato sauce.  Although the potatoes were cooked nicely with a soft creamy center, the outside was not as crispy as I would've liked.  Maybe if I had requested the sauces on the side, then the potatoes might've retained their crispy texture.  Despite that, these were still decent and the aioli with the brava sauce created a creamy tangy spiciness.

Now the dish we were waiting for - the Paella Mixta with pork, chicken, octopus and gulf shrimp.  We asked for it to be prepared with a socarrat (rice crust on the bottom of the paella pan).  That it did and it was nutty and crunchy along the edges.  As for the rest of the bomba rice was chewy and flavorful from the saffron as well as the meats. Loved the large chunks of pork belly as well as the meaty shrimp.

As if this wasn't enough already, we also ordered the Prime Wellington featuring braised short ribs & Ibérico ham in a puff pastry served with Spanish-style potatoes.  Oh this was so tasty as the short rib was moist and fork tender.  Since it was wrapped in ham, there was umaminess and saltiness.  Puff pastry was on point being light with discernible layers.  Not particularly fond of the potatoes though as they were not crispy and rather dense.

For our sweets, we got the classic Churros con Nutella.  As the name suggests, it was churros with Nutella inside.  Beyond that, they were also sitting in dulce de leche as well.  Yes, these were sweet, but also crunchy and light with only a modest dusting of sugar (thank goodness).  This was an excellent finish to a fantastic meal.  The kids really loved the food and so did the adults.  We also go some sangria to go with our eats and it was a good time all around.

The Good:
- Tasty eats
- Things were fresh
- Service was attentive

The Bad:
- Potatoes could've been better (in both dishes)

Gourmet House

Guess what?  While in Fremont with relatives, we had...  wait for it...  Chinese food again!  No surprise here.  This time, we made it out to Gourmet House, tucked in a corner of a shopping complex.  It has changed hands a few times, but apparently, it continues to serve solid Chinese food at reasonable prices.  Despite having a big menu with all sorts of Cantonese dishes, we decided to mainly go for Dim Sum, especially it was lunchtime.

Since my daughter was longing for some congee (porridge on this menu), we decided to order both the Minced Beef & Egg and the HK Chiterlings.  The bowls in the pictures were regular-sized portions (wonder how big the large is?).  I thought the congee base was decently thick while having that home-cooking feel to it.  Now it was seasoned enough to make it "restaurant-tasting" though.  The beef congee was actually more like loosely hand-chopped beef, so it was quite meaty and naturally textured.  The chiterlings congee featured pork blood, liver and kidney that was generally cooked well.

Keeping with pale-colored foods, we also had the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll.  This featured a fairly thick noodle which wasn't exactly dense, but it was a bit heavier than most I've had recently.  Despite the thickness, there was still some elasticity which meant it wasn't floury.  Hidden inside, the shrimp were of a good size and nicely seasoned.  They were cooked just enough that they still retained a moist snap texture.

Yes, the pale-theme didn't end with the rice noodle roll as we also had the Steamed BBQ Pork Buns.  These were pretty textbook with the cracks in the dough thanks to the strategic pleating process in the formation of the bun.  The bun itself was fluffy and fairly light.  Inside, the ample amount of BBQ pork was generally lean.  It wasn't as saucy as I would've liked, but it was still appealingly sweet.

Let's keep this pale-train going with the Ha Gau (Steamed Shrimp Dumplings), albeit with some translucency.  Therefore, we could see the slightly pink/orange color from the shrimp filling.  These were decent with a relatively thin dumpling wrapper with good elasticity.  The filling was generally moist with a meaty snap.  It was slightly overdone where the shrimp could've been more buttery.

Of course we had to have the Siu Mai (Steamed Pork & Shrimp Dumpling) as well since it is the yin to the yang of the ha gau.  Similar to the ones at Pearl Bay, these featured cooked tobiko on top.  I much prefer raw tobiko on top, mostly for the aesthetics and crunch.  Despite this, the dumpling itself was decent with a rebound texture and tenderized pork.  It was juicy and also had some shrimp that had a good snap.

Back to an off-white dumpling, the Xiao Long Bao (Juicy Soup Dumplings) were served in little metal tart tins.  This theoretically keeps the soup from spilling all over the place if the dumpling punctures.  However, there was no soup to be found in these XLBs though.  Moreover, the dumpling skin was extremely thick and doughy.  Even the meat filling was loose and didn't have much texture.  To be fair, we didn't expect much out of XLBs at a Cantonese restaurant (this is a Shanghainese dish).

Moving away from dumplings, we had the classic Steamed Pork Spareribs with black bean sauce.  Unfortunately, the pieces of spareribs were not very good.  As you can clearly see in the picture, most of the pieces were cut too large and were of the fatty cartilage variety.  In terms of texture, the desirable rib pieces were decent with a rebound texture.  However, the other pieces were tough and chewy.  The dish was seasoned enough though.

Okay, after 2 consecutive below average dishes, we found the much better Bean Curd Skin Rolls.  Although looking oversauced, these were on point with tender fried bean curd skin that still had a nice chew.  Despite the appearance of too much sauce, it was actually welcomed since it helped soften the bean curd skin.  Moreover, the sauce was decently thick and flavorful.  Inside, the pork filling was tender and moist with the crunch from wood ear mushrooms and shrimp.

Now we were on a roll because the Steamed Chicken Feet with black bean sauce were also quite good.  The chicken feet were generally plump with skin that had a bite but was still tender.  The trick is to fry the chicken feet enough so that the skin doesn't break when subsequently braised and then steamed.  Underneath the skin, the cartilage and fat was intact while soft.  There was a good garlicky saltiness to the dish.

Apparently shrimp spring rolls aren't a thing here in Fremont, so we were forced to order the Vegetable Spring Rolls ones instead.  Also, we much prefer Worcestershire sauce rather than sweet n' sour, so we asked for that after the fact.  These were not bad with a crunchy wrapper that was slightly greasy.  Inside, the veggies were still slightly crunchy while not overly wet.

To get some more filling dishes into the meal, we included the Lo Mei Gai (Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf) as well.  However, it took quite awhile to arrive (near the end of the meal).  It was pretty typical with sticky rice, sauced ground pork and cured sausage.  This was also textbook with the rice being soft yet glutinous.  I found the pork to be tender with enough starch-thicken sauce for both moisture and flavor.

Another starchy dish was the Pan Fried Rice Roll with XO Sauce, but it was not really what we were expecting.  This looked more like broken rice noodles than the typical tubes of plain rice noodle rolls.  Furthermore, the dish was really greasy (partially forgivable due to the addition of XO sauce) and ate as such.  There was good spice to the dish though but not much brininess.

For our one sweeter item, we selected the Steamed Golden Egg Yolk Buns.  As you can see, they arrived with the initial round of dishes.  No matter, these were pretty good with a fluffy bun encasing a liquid egg yolk center.  It was sweet, nutty and had the umaminess of salted egg yolk.  So overall, the Dim Sum here at Gourmet House was acceptable, yet not as good at Pearl Bay.  Yes, this is a smaller spot and less expensive, so that needs to be taken into consideration.

The Good:
- Decent eats
- Reasonably-priced
- Friendly staff

The Bad:
- Not enough staff, so service is lacking
- Some duds, be careful what you order  

 

Full House Dumpling

Originally, we were going to hit up some eats in Berkeley once we made it to the Bay Area.  However, with an SUV full of our precious belongings, we weren't too confident in leaving it parked for a few hours on the street.  Hence, we decided to head straight to my aunt's house in Fremont.  That way, we could drop off our valuables and then go for some eats.  As always, we ended up going for Chinese in the form of Full House Dumpling (at least we weren't going to eat here 3x straight like Pearl Bay).

The thing to get here is, of course, the dumplings.  Specifically, we are talking about their Xiao Long Bao (Juicy Pork Dumplings).  We got both the regular ones and the Crab Xiao Long Bao.  I thought these were excellent featuring fairly thin dumpling skin that had some elasticity.  There was plenty of soup to be found inside which was clean and sweet.  I thought the essence of crab was apparent.  The pork filling for both was tender and moist while not crumbly.

Sticking with dumplings, we also ordered the Shrimp Pork Siu Mai.  Somehow I was thinking Din Tai Fung when I saw this on the menu.  However, it really was just Cantonese-style shrimp siu mai.  So no, these were not XLBs with a shrimp plugging up an open top (maybe it was something else on this menu).  These were okay with a fairly loose, yet tender pork filling.  There was a bit too much green onion in it, which didn't make much sense.  The shrimp had a nice sweet snap though.

Moving away from dumplings, we tried their Water-Boiled Fish served in a clay pot.  Typically, this is a Szechuan dish, but it appears the Full House serves a variety of Chinese cuisines (including their main focus - Taiwanese).  Although not particularly Szechuan-like, their version was quite delicious regardless.  It had good spice while not being burning hot.  There was no shortage of tender fish fillets (probably basa) that were flaky.  

One of the more under-the-radar items was the Salted Egg Yolk Silken Tofu.  Each cube of tofu was fried just enough to retain its shape while still being silky in texture.  It was carefully wok-tossed (so nothing broke apart) in salted egg yolk, garlic, green onions and peppers.  Although not really all that salty, the aroma and essence of salted egg yolk did come through.  The nuttiness and also the rest of the ingredients were evident.

I wasn't really sure why I was ordering Spicy Stir-Fried Cabbage but it was a pretty solid dish.  Despite some moisture at the bottom of the plate, there was still decent caramelization due to ample "wok hei".  Hence, the spice from the chilis did announce itself throughout the dish.  However, there was still the natural sweetness of the cabbage coming through.  Also, the cabbage was still crunchy despite being cooked through.

One of the more average items was the Braised Beef Noodles.  Now by looks alone, this was quite good with lots of braised beef and wide thick noodles.  Indeed the noodles were al dente and well-portioned.  However, the beef was a bit chewy and lacking impact.  The soup itself was a bit too mild for my liking as it lacked depth and was rather one note.  Possibly if this was the spicy version, it would've been better.

Now on the other hand, the Garlic Pork was very impactful.  That garlic sauce on top was potent and I wouldn't go near anyone with that garlic breath after eating it.  I personally thought it was fantastic despite some thinking it was too garlicky.  There was enough salt and sweetness to make the sauce complete.  As for the sliced pork belly, it was a touch chewy given that there was a decent amount of fat.  However, it was still easy to eat.

I'm not particularly fond of the Green Onion Pancake, but Viv loves it, so yes we had that too.  Turns out that she should've not ordered it because it was also rather average.  On the positive side, it as nicely browned with a crispy exterior.  There was also a balanced amount of green onion.  However, the pancake itself was rather dense and chewy.  Furthermore, it was pretty much soaked with oil, so every bite was far too greasy.  

For no other reason than we didn't have any rice dishes, we ordered the Shrimp Fried Rice.  I would say this was an okay plate of fried rice.  There was decent caramelization, but the rice itself was more fluffy than nutty and chewy.  It was also rather bland needing salt.  At the very least, the shrimp were done right with a sweet snap.  Overall, the food at Full House was decent with some highlights, in particular, the soup dumplings.  Stick with those and you can't go wrong.

The Good:

- Soup dumplings are legit

- Reasonable-pricing

- Spacious seating

The Bad:

- Other dishes are hit and miss

- Service is hit and miss

Parasio Mexican

Making our way from Portland to Ashland (just past Medford) was quite the drive as it pushed almost 5 hours.  However, we wanted to get as close to the California border as possible.  Unlike my usual M.O. in collecting Marriott Bonvoy nights, I decided to stay at the Holiday Inn instead.  As such, there was a Mexican restaurant right next to it called El Paraiso.  Normally, I'm not one to hit up a place without any prior research, but we were tired and I just wanted nourishment.  So across the parking lot we went...

We started off with some complimentary tortilla chips with pico de gallo.  Yet, for me, that was not enough as I ordered the Queso Dip as well.  Yes, this also included the same fresh tortilla chips.  Eating them plain was already great as they were light and crispy.  However, dipping it into the pico de gallo and in this case, the queso, was even better.  At first, the dip was rather thin and milky.  However, as it cooled, it thickened and was a good compliment to the chips.  It was cheesy and not overly salty.

Not knowing that their portions are big enough to feed a football team, my son selected the Enchiladas Trio with one chile verde pork, one shredded beef and one crema blanca chicken.  Yah, look a the size of the plate!  Suffice to say he didn't finish this, but he came close (growing teenagers!).  His favourite was the chicken and beef as they were tender and there was plenty of it within the soft shells.  Good variety of flavours too.

For my daughter, she went for the Taquitos Plate consisting of 3 fried corn tortillas filled with shredded beef topped with sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, cotija cheese, tomatoes and onions.  She enjoyed these as they were filled with the same tender beef.  The fresh guacamole was a bit mild, but it was still good.  She liked the smooth refried beans on the side topped with shredded cheese.

Viv went for the Baja Fish Tacos with her choice of crispy fish.  It was dressed with cilantro, cabbage, chipotle ranch, cotija cheese, pico de gallo and lime.  These were decent with flaky fish that sported a crispy coating.  I would've liked to see bigger pieces of fish though.  The other ingredients meshed well with the fish providing crunchy, freshness and acidity.  Again, this was served with refried beans and rice.

For myself, I had the Macho Burrito with my choice of shredded beef, beans and rice topped with red sauce, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and cotija cheese. This was absolutely massive!  I didn't finish it but I did like it.  There was plenty of beef inside with a good ratio to the beans and rice.  Loved the red sauce as it was flavorful with only a hint of spice.  Now you might be wondering why I am so positive about seemingly standard Mexican fare?  Well, I've had authentic Mexican food in Mexico and great Mexican eats in Socal.  The food I had at El Parasio isn't it.  However, it is good for what it is and well-priced.  We enjoyed our dinner and I would say it is a good spot to grab a dinner if you were on your way down I-5.

The Good:
- Large portions
- Well-priced
- Decent

The Bad:
- Not the best Mexican I've had, but good for where it is 

 

Life Of Pie

Here we are, 3 years later,  doing a similar road trip from 2019.  Little did we know that that would be that last trip we'd take up until now.  So our first leg took us through Portland, but we only stopped for lunch.  Since it was our first day, we had the energy to make it all the way to Ashland for our first pit stop.  Upon a friend's recommendation, we stopped at Life of Pie (nice take on the name of the movie) for some Neapolitan style pizza.

Before that, we got some greens into our meal (at least the adults) with the Kale & Arugula Salad.  This was dressed with a honey-lemon vinaigrette and tossed with toasted breadcrumbs.  On top, there was a some freshly grated parm.  I found the dressing sweet with plenty of acidity.  There was brightness to go with the pepperiness of the arugula.  Loved the crunch from the breadcrumbs as it added texture to each bite.  Finally, the parm did its nutty salty thing.

For the kids, they scoffed at the greens and started things off with the Fried Ravioli filled with mozzarella.  These were very tasty and well-prepared.  Each ravioli was crunchy, but not so much so that they were tough.  In fact, they were light, crispy and nicely spiced.  Inside, there was plenty of stringy mozzarella.  I thought the marinara was tangy and light, but it would've been better if they didn't serve it cold.

Onto the pies, we started with the classic Margherita with mozzarella, marinara and fresh basil.  Having the basic baseline pizza is always a good idea to get a true taste of the sauce as well as how the crust is meant to be.  This was very good with a nicely leoparded bottom where the dough was adequately seasoned and nutty.  I found the crust to be uniformly crispy giving way to a tender center.  Nice chewiness beyond the crunch too.  As expected, the torn basil on top was added afterwards and provided a bright herbaceous flavour.

Onto something that was much more zesty, we had the Fennel Sausage with Mama Lil's Peppers.  This pizza featured even more leoparding which meant there was additional smokiness.  The most dominant flavor was the sweet, tangy and slightly spicy peppers.  There was no mild moments with each bite.  However, I could still taste the fennel and the meatiness of the sausage.  Nice stringy mozzarella and tangy marinara rounded things out.

Our last pizza was different in the Seasonal Mushrooms with pecorino romano and a truffle EVOO base.  Without an actual sauce on the pizza, this ate much more crunchy with even the center being as such.  Didn't mind it one bit as the nuttiness went well with the truffle and earthiness of the ample mushrooms.  This was probably our favourite of the 3 we ordered.  However, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the choices as the dough is great with proper seasoning as well as leoparding.  Prices are reasonable too.  If you are in Portland, go check it out!

The Good:
- Well-priced
- Good dough and subsequent crust
- Simple, focused menu

The Bad:
- Maybe heat up the sauce for the fried raviolis