• Sprinkles Rankings

  • $15 OFF COUPON

    produce delivery

  • Leftovers (Archives)

  • Popular Entrees

  • Still Hungry?

    See my 300+ reviews on
    Yelp Bay Area Foodie
  • Twitter

  • About Me

    Unknown's avatar© 2008-2017 Nicole (a.k.a. Bay Area Foodie)
    =

Bottle Shock

Posted on August 29, 2008 by bayareafoodie

© 2008 Unclaimed Freight

Mike and I spend a good amount of time in Napa so we of course had to see Bottle Shock. When I saw the previews I was a bit worried that a movie about a 1976 wine tasting competition between the hippies of Napa and the wine snobs of France could get boring fast. Fortunately this was not the case. As it is not heavy on wine mumbo-jumbo those who are not fans of the grape juice will be able to enjoy the film, and those that are will love the film. Check it out before it leaves the theaters. See Mike’s more in-depth review here.

Film website: http://www.bottleshockthemovie.com/

Filed under: Napa Valley, VERY RANDOM THOUGHTS | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a comment »

AeroGarden

Posted on August 27, 2008 by bayareafoodie

Have you seen this gadget on a late night infomercial? Well, my dad did. He gave this to Mike and I for our wedding anniversary this year. The unit uses aeroponic technology which is

a dirt-free growing method where plant roots are suspended in air within a 100% humidity, highly-oxygenated growing chamber. Because the roots are bathed with ideal levels of nutrients, water and oxygen, plants grow significantly faster, are healthier and have a higher nutrient content than plants grown in soil

When we put the contraption together we had many doubts that it would actually work. But take a look, it is going bananas! Now, it didn’t happen overnight. It takes 3-4 weeks until you get something worth eating and the manual says it will continue to grow for 4 months. Our version came with the gourmet herb seed kit which includes basil, thyme, mint, chives, parsley and dill. At the 6 week mark the only herb that hasn’t really made much progress are the chives. The only negative to this appliance is that it has fluorescent bulbs that need to turn on for 16 hours a day and they are so bright that they light up your entire house if it’s dark. It’s like a built in security system. Other than that we love our indoor garden. It’s so nice to be able to grab the herbs and immediately start cooking since they are clean and bug free. Once the herbs are gone we are going to try the salad greens. We will have our own little lettuce patch. Get yours today!

Weeks 1-6 below (click image to enlarge)

Filed under: REVIEWS OF PRODUCTS | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 6 Comments »

Penne with Triple Tomato Sauce

Posted on August 25, 2008 by bayareafoodie

This was the first pasta sauce I have made where you throw everything in a Cuisinart — no stove top cooking involved. When finished it looked like a cream sauce, yet no dairy was added. It was simple and flavorful. Perfect for a hot summer night. This was one of the “30 best fast recipes” featured in the Sept. issue of Food & Wine mag.

Recipe link

Filed under: Main Dish, RECIPES | Tagged: , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Gilley’s Coffee Shoppe

Posted on August 21, 2008 by bayareafoodie

The hunt for the best benedict of the Bay continues… Next stop, Gilley’s, another small diner located in the heart of downtown Los Gatos. Mike and I popped in one Tuesday morning to get some grub. I, of course, ordered the Eggs Benedict. Mike had the French scramble which was scrambled eggs mixed with a herb cheese spread and bacon bits. When the dishes arrived they looked unappetizing. The portion size for the scramble was very small. Mike was lucky if he got two eggs. His toast was stale and his coffee burnt. An all around bad breakfast. Surprisingly my benedict tasted better than it looked. The ham and muffin were cooked nicely but the eggs were a tad overcooked, and the hollandaise tasted like light foamy butter. Interesting take on my favorite morning entree. Then came the hashbrowns which were hard, dry and tasteless. As Mike paid he watched the cook slice open a COSTCO size bag of hashbrowns and dump them on the griddle. If you’re looking for fresh ingredients — look elsewhere. We went in with high hopes for a great meal and left disappointed.

The current standings of the benedicts of the Bay:

1. Lou’s Coffee Shop (Los Gatos)
2. The Diner of Los Gatos (Los Gatos)
3. The Southern Kitchen (Los Gatos)
4. The Los Gatos Cafe (Los Gatos)
5. Bill’s Cafe (Willow Glen)
6. Gilley’s Coffee Shoppe (Los Gatos)
7. Sweet Pea’s (Los Gatos)

Address: 47 N. Santa Cruz Avenue

Filed under: Los Gatos | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a comment »

Elvis Presley’s Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich

Posted on August 19, 2008 by bayareafoodie

I was viewing TV the other night and a show came on all about sandwiches. One place in NY that serves up Elvis’ favorite sando made an impression on my mind. After watching I was determined to make one. I found a version of the recipe and whipped out one of my favorite wedding gifts…THE GRIDDLER!

I love this 4-in-1 grill. It transforms a regular sandwich to a warm, ooey gooey, crispy delight. Instead of following the recipe exactly I decided to kick it up a few notches by adding nutella and honey. I’ve read that bacon is also a good addition.

I personally enjoyed the honey version best and Mike liked the nutella. Next time I would slice the bananas instead of mash. The consistency was a little too babyfoodie for my taste. Overall a sweet sandwich.

Filed under: Main Dish, RECIPES | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Cake Wrecks

Posted on August 17, 2008 by bayareafoodie

I usually keep the content on this blog to restaurant reviews and recipes but when I stumbled on to this site called Cake Wrecks I had to share. The name says it all…it’s a blog about really bad/crazy/weird cake designs. It’s pretty hilarious especially the commentary. Keep in mind these baked goodies are NOT homemade; someone actually paid cold hard cash for these beautiful disasters. Here is a sample:

I have a feeling when the people ordering this cake said "Write Welcome on it" this is not what they meant.

Check out one of the worst cakes. I hope it doesn’t make you lose your appetite!

Filed under: VERY RANDOM THOUGHTS | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Chicken 2 ways – Baked and Braised

Posted on August 14, 2008 by bayareafoodie

Everyone is always looking for new methods to prepare chicken. I challenged Mike to whip up the bird in ways he hadn’t made before. Here are the results:

Meal #1 → Baked Chicken Breasts with Tomatoes, Smoked bacon, and Madeira. This originally called for ham but things are always better with bacon! Served over buttery rice this was delicious. Smokey, salty, sweet — a great treat. Trust me…it tasted a lot better than that photo looks. I was too hungry to make this look pretty.

Meal #2 → Braised Chicken Cacciatore with Polenta. Mike used chicken thighs for this. The meat fell right off the bone and was tender and moist. This was actually better after time. Cook a day ahead and watch the flavors meld. Both dishes will be added to our chicken rotation. You can find the recipes in the Joy of Cooking: All about Chicken cookbook. This book is packed with poultry!

Filed under: Main Dish, RECIPES | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Spanish Tortilla

Posted on August 13, 2008 by bayareafoodie

We were in Napa for a family reunion last month. For dinner one evening Francisco (Mike’s cousin’s husband) prepared traditional Spanish Tortillas. Francisco is from Spain. When I heard tortilla I immediately thought of the Mexican version but this was completely different. It was more like a frittata composed of eggs, onion and potatoes. Francisco let me watch him prepare the tortillas. The prep actually took most of the day since he was cooking for 25 people. He did everything from memory so there was no recipe. The tortilla was served up with a delicious tomato gazpacho. The tortilla was light and fluffy yet hearty. The flavors were very subtle — it would also pair nicely with a simple salad of baby greens and tomatoes drizzled with evoo and balsamic.

Gracias Francisco! Mike and I will try to make this on our own someday soon.

From what I remember (I started drinking beer around the time of the flipping, which is the most difficult part of the process) this recipe is very similar to Francisco’s.

More photos (click to enlarge):

Francisco @ work                       Frying Potatoes                   Potato & Egg Mix

Filed under: Main Dish, RECIPES | Tagged: , , , | Leave a comment »

Joseph Phelps Insignia Blending Seminar

Posted on August 10, 2008 by bayareafoodie

Mike’s kind of a wine connoisseur. Before we met my wine of choice was a glass of Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill or Sutter Home’s White Zinfandel. Growing up in an alcohol free home I missed out on Wine 101. Over the years with Mike’s guidance my palate has changed. These days I find myself liking Red Blends, Cabs and Rieslings. Mike’s favorite winery in Napa is Joseph Phelps. He has been a preferred club member for over 15 years. Whenever we are in the valley tasting Phelps is always on our list because they have informative seminars, friendly staff, reasonable prices, a beautiful location, and most important fantastic wine.

On our latest visit we took the Insignia Blending Seminar which discusses the different elements that make up a bottle of Insignia. For those of you not familiar with Phelps wine, Insignia is its award winning proprietary red blend. The class started off with a tasting of 4 other Phelps wines: ’06 Viognier, ’05 Pinot, ’05 Syrah & ’05 Cab Sav. Then we moved on to the 5 wines that made up the 2004 Insignia. Once we tasted the components we were free to create our own blend of Insignia by mixing the various wines provided. We had lots of fun and wine…but my Insignia concoction didn’t compare to the original!

Tasty Tip: call ahead, all tastings/seminars require an appointment. If you are member pack a lunch and reserve a picnic table.

Website: http://www.jpvwines.com/

Filed under: Napa Valley | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Ad Hoc part II – Fried Chicken Night

Posted on August 7, 2008 by bayareafoodie

THE Fried Chicken everyone goes gaga over

Typical conversation about Ad Hoc:

Have you been to Ad Hoc?
Did you have the fried chicken?
Oh, my gosh it’s the best chicken I’ve ever eaten. It’s life changing bla,bla,bla

Back in May we did go to Ad hoc but not on fried chicken night. We instead had a marvelous pork dinner. If you are not familiar with Thomas Keller’s beloved restaurant in Yountville, Ca read this past post.

Mike and I returned to Ad Hoc to finally try the legendary fowl. We arrived on July 28 super syked and ready to devourer some breasts and wings. Here was our menu for the evening:

First Course - Baby Iceberg Wedge Salad with house cured speck, sweet 100 tomatoes, red torpedo onions, herb-cream dressing

Second Course - Buttermilk Fried Chicken brentwood yellow corn & yukon gold potatoes

Third Course - The Cheese Board with berry jam & medjool dates

Fourth Course - Pecan Tarts with whipped vanilla cream & caramel sauce

The answer to every ones question…Did it live up to the hype? Unfortunately for me – No…as I have stated in the past I like my chicken with a thin salty skin. Keller’s chicken didn’t have either of those components. His chicken has a thick herby skin. Good, but not my style. Mike enjoyed it. At least I can now say — been there, done that!

My favorite parts of the meal were the two sides. The corn was so sweet I didn’t mind the kernels stuck in my teeth and when I die I want to be buried in a vat of that creamy buttery mash. Just because I wasn’t crazy about the chicken doesn’t mean I like Ad Hoc any less. The food is amazing and I love the concept of the restaurant. It still gets 5 drumsticks in my book and I will be back. I look forward to trying a fish and beef menu.

Tasty Tip: If you want to try it for yourself a fellow food blogger has a calendar that lists all the monthly Ad Hoc fried chicken nights. For those of you who can’t make it to Napa Keller’s chick recipe can be found here or to try my version go here.

Filed under: Napa Valley | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Round Pond olive oil tour and tasting

Posted on August 6, 2008 by bayareafoodie

imported Mediterranean olive trees

I read about the Round Pond olive oil tour and tasting on Giada’s Weekend Getaway to Napa recap on the food network website. It sounded like fun so Mike and I went July 26th. The tour was very private with only 6 people. It began outside next to the olive trees with a discussion about the family-run business. Then we moved inside the mill and learned how the olives are processed. I didn’t know this but olive oil is only pressed one time during the year (November) so we didn’t get to see the equipment in action. The tour portion ended and we went onto the tasting which included taking shots of the Round Pond Italian and Spanish olive oils as well as their lemon and orange infused oils. Mike and I preferred the peppery Italian blend to the fruity Spanish and the zesty blood orange over the delicate lemon. Next we tasted their two gourmet red wine vinegars by drenching a sugar cube and sucking out the juice. Odd procedure but deliciously sweet. We enjoyed the Sangiovese vinegar best. To finish things off we were given heirloom tomatoes, mozzarella, bread, strawberries and mixed greens to try all the varietals with food. We had a foodie feast!

Mike and I highly recommend this unique experience. If you’re going to be in Napa for a number of days it’s a wonderful alternative to going to yet another wine tasting. I will definitely go back, hopefully during the harvest.

mill

tasting room

olive oils

(click images to enlarge)

Tasty Tip: Appointments required. 1.5 hours / $25 per person
Website: http://www.roundpond.com

Filed under: Napa Valley | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Fajitas

Posted on August 4, 2008 by bayareafoodie

I was craving Fajitas but didn’t know how to prepare the steak. I ended up using a Paula Deen recipe. The result was displeasing due to the lack of flavor. It probably wasn’t the best idea to look to the kooky southern cook for a Mexican recipe but it was called Gold Medal Fajitas. It sounded like a winner. Oh, well… at least it looked good. Anyone have a tasty Fajita recipe to share with me?

Recipe link, if interested

Filed under: Main Dish, RECIPES | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a comment »

Le Papillon

Posted on August 1, 2008 by bayareafoodie

For our 2 year wedding anniversary Mike and I dined at Le Papillon. Mike’s parents had given us a gift certificate for Xmas and we decided this would be the perfect occasion to use it. Le Papillon opened in 1977 and was one of the first fine dining French restaurants in Silicon Valley. As we were seated at our table the first thing I noticed was that the restaurant was unusually quiet. Although the room was half full you could hear a pin drop. I guess everyone was deeply enjoying their food. I whispered to Mike “Are we allowed to talk?” This would soon change…

The moment we ordered a well organized food parade began. Starting off with THREE Amuse bouches: first cheese and duck, second shrimp in a citrus vinaigrette and third a tomato gazpacho. Three blissful bites. Next came our starters. We chose to share the Pan Seared Maine Day Boat Scallops with Hazelnut Polenta and Preserved Lemon. It was simply fantastic. I then moved on to my Lobster Bisque with Sweet Corn Timbale and Mike dug into his Baby Lettuce Salad. When I have ordered this bisque at other establishments it’s always a light shade of pink this time it was a deep brown. It was super rich and flavorful. Hands down the best bisque I have ever had.

For our main courses we both chose fish. We attempted to keep things light because we knew we were having dessert. I chose the Braised Sturgeon and Mike the Grilled Turbot. Again, both dishes were magnifique. Cooked and presented perfectly. Then came our two beautiful desserts. The Soufflé Grand Marnier with Fresh Berries and the Banana and Chocolate Torte (pass up a banana dessert–no way!) We r-e-a-l-l-y over ate.

The food and service was superb. The only negative for the evening came at 7:30pm when a large family arrived with two kids under age 4. This was a recipe for disaster. The tykes were tired and restless. They spent the night running around the table, clanging dishes and whining. I don’t hold the restaurant responsible for the unruly children but instead of a sign at the front door that says “No cell Phones” maybe it should say “No children under 8”. I like kids but when you are paying $140 per person you don’t expect to view an episode of romper room.

That aside, Le Papillon was an extraordinary eating experience and a grand way to celebrate two years of marriage. I’m sure we will be back for future anniversaries.

Note: Sorry for the lack of pictures but I took the night off…

Rating :

Website: http://www.lepapillon.com/

Le Papillon on Urbanspoon

Filed under: San Jose, Silicon Valley (all cities) | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a comment »