C.J. Olson Cherries in Sunnyvale, CA

In addition to my recent gastronomic adventures in New York, I also have to let you know that I ordered two 10" cherry pies from C.J. Olson Cherries for Thanksgiving, and boy, were they good. Written up a year ago in the New York Times (Marion Burrows, "Stand Aside, Rudolph: The Mouse Will Lead," November 24, 2004), I'd discovered this fruit stand on my own a long time before.

C.J. Olson is one of those old-timey fruit stands (since 1899!) with pastries, fresh and dried fruits, and fruit confections. These types of full-service fruit stands are more prevalent on the East coast than on the West, when I talked to one of the owners, he was delighted that I wanted the pies for Thanksgiving in New England.
Since they only ship the 6" pies, and since shipping costs are "astronomical" - their word, not mine - I decided to pick up the pies myself and to drag them on the airplane (I found out later they weren't available for shipping anyway until this week). When I arrived to pick up the pies, the person manning the counter went into a refrigerated room, and came back with a huge, well-insulated package. I realized I couldn't possibly fit the pies into the airplane overhead bin, so I unpackaged and repackaged everything tidily into a smaller bag. I used a lot less insulation, but the pies made it to the East coast unscathed.

The pies were pricey (about $22/each), but were well worth it. In that 2004 article, Marion Burrows said, "Find summer in December with an old-fashioned flaky double-crust pie stuffed with cherries." That's just the basic description. Made with whole, fresh, bing cherries, these pies are a marvel. They're meaty and rich, and have a flaky pastry crust. They don't have any of that cloying cherry goop inside most commercial pies. Honestly, they're more savory than sweet.

If you're in the area, stop by and get one of those pies. They also generally have a ton of free samples lying around, like chocolate-covered fruits, nuts, dried fruits, etc. Good stuff.

I Love NY

I had a great Thanksgiving weekend in the greater New York area, and had the opportunity to sample a number of delicacies (sweets and otherwise).

First off, I went to two interesting restaurants.

The first stop was Sripraphai in Woodside, Queens. The decor is nothing to look at, but what a feast! We had drunken noodles with ground beef, whole fried red snapper with lemongrass sauce (special of the day), pork with mustard greens, spicy papaya salad with dried shrimp and peanuts, vegetarian spring rolls, crispy tofu and green chicken curry. I most enjoyed the drunken noodles, which were incredibly moist and delicious. The spicy papaya salad was also super, with a great tart, citrusy taste. The spring rolls and crispy tofu were good, but the dipping sauces (sweet, spicy, red sauce) were better. The snapper was flaky, and chewy in all the right parts, but I didn't love the lemongrass sauce (but that's because I don't love lemongrass). The green chicken curry was disappointing; the flavor of the curry was off due to an overabundance of lemongrass (it struck again!). I really wished we had tried the panang curry, as I'd read some reviews that raved about it.

We had everything spiced medium (you can choose mild, medium, or hot). I didn't find anything overwhelmingly spicy, although the one thing I thought had a great balance of taste/spice was the papaya salad. Perhaps if we had gotten the curry spiced hot it would have tasted less like lemongrass and more like curry. Still, if I were going there again, I'd steer clear. And finally, get there early if you want a seat.

I also had brunch with SB/SB at Dos Caminos in New York City (the SoHo location). One thing I find interesting after living in CA for so long is that Mexican food has to have more than a few mild chili peppers to do it for me. Spicy is spicy, and spicy this wasn't. It was, however, decent, and quite the scene, which more than made up for the lack of "flavor," as MH likes to refer to "spice."

The scene: Too-cool-for-school modernist, with wood floors, and minimalist furniture.

The food: We started with the guacamole for two. It was made to order, and had a nice zest to it. It was more than enough to serve three. I ate a lot of chips, since I was really hungry, but they had a great corn flavor, with enough salt to satsify me. After the guac (no salsa, though, which I thought was odd), I moved on to the Farmer’s Market Vegetable Quesadilla. It had grilled vegetables and wild mushrooms layered with tortillas, Chihuahua cheese, and roasted tomato-arbol salsa. Again, the salsa wasn't spicy, and the cheese was quite mild, but I enjoyed the dish. Unlike the other dishes, it wasn't salty at all. It was a lot of food, which was good, because MH's Asada tacos were tiny. The three miniscule tacos came with grilled kobe beef and caramelized onions, and were spiced with cascabel chiles and guacamole. Again, not hot, but tasty. Ironically, the Asada tacos were listed as the "hottest" tacos, spice-wise. I suppose by our heightened standards, they weren't.

SB got the Dos Enchiladas (roasted chicken rolled into hand made corn tortillas, one tomatillo serrano, one mole poblano with Chihuahua cheese), which was a sizeable dish. All dishes came with rice and beans. The rice was surprisingly salty, but tasty. The beans (black) were dense, and barely edible.

While I was in the city, I also visited the Jacques Torres chocolate store. I'd been there before, and had sampled their pretty amazing hot chocolate (regular, not spiced).

This time, I first ordered three confections: Bandol Breeze (a layer of homemade almond marzipan over a thin layer of apricot pate de fruit, covered in dark chocolate); Raspberry Fruit (a layer of raspberry pate de fruit topped with a layer of raspberry ganache, covered in dark chocolate); and Menage a trois (a secret-ingredient chocolate, but which I have deduced is a dark chocolate ganache with chili, finely chopped hazelnuts (almonds), a bit of cinnamon, and a tart fruit, like raspberry or cassis). I really enjoyed the apricot pate de fruit in the Bandol Breeze, but the marzipan left me cold, as it had a dull taste. The Raspberry Fruit was decent, but I felt that the true raspberry flavor came from the pate de fruit, and not from the ganache. The Menage a trois was interesting; nutty, spicy, and dense. I enjoyed it most of all, but was marginally annoyed that the sales staff refused to tell me what the ingredients in it were (they claimed they themselves did not know).

I also got a 72% plain bar which was, for lack of a better word, fabulous. Quite sweet, even at a high cacao level, it had very strong overtones of vanilla and citrus and berry. It reminded me of a cross between the Lindt 85% and the Valrhona Le Noir Amer 71%.

SB/SB kindly got me a metal cannister of the hot chocolate to take home, a gift I will be enjoying during the chilly winter months to come. Excitement is too mild an adjective to describe my delight.

Oh, and I finally sampled the clementine ganache turkey from L.A. Burdick. Tasty, but not worth $3.25 for a tiny morsel.

Chocolate Gobblers from L.A. Burdick

A new confection from L.A. Burdick! Chocolate turkeys with clementine ganache and almond feathers. Clementine ganache!!! I've already planned out my strategy for getting some. After I've tasted, I will report back.

Chocolate: My latest samplings

I have had several decent chocolate samplings in the past few weeks, and thought I'd share them with you:

Cafe Tasse (Belgium) - 77% Cacao Extra Noir - Slightly chalky. Nutty. No discernable vanilla taste. Thick enough so breaking it can be problematic.

Carenero Superior (Venezuela) - Gran Saman 70% Cacao - Grainy. Strong taste of vanilla, and good taste, but not smooth enough.

Carenero Superior (Venezuela) - Apamate 73.5% Cacao - Much less grainy than 70%. Strong, sharp taste of vanilla. Fatty, buttery taste.

Dolfin (Belgium) - Noir 70% De Cacao - Nutty, with a great, sharp final taste of vanilla and cacao. smooth and dense.

La Molina (Italy) - Criollo Ecuador 74% - Good snap to the break. Mild and vaguely milky. Overtone of nut and mild vanilla. Slightly bitter aftertaste.

Maglio (Italy) - Extra Bitter (minimum 72% cacao) - Good tasting, dense chocolate. Overtone of vanilla with marginal nut, but slightly uneven in taste. Smooth texture.

Rechiutti (United States) - 85% cacao - Deep, rich, and slightly sweet. Vanilla overtones. Best taste, and highly recommended!

Scharffen-Berger Gianduja Hazelnut (45%) - Smooth and sweet. Strong hazelnut flavor. Truly a confection chocolate, but I had to include it since it was actually quite good.

Oak City Bar and Grill in Menlo Park, CA

I recently went with a large group of friends (including CHF, SM, BP, MH, and MB) for lunch at Oak City Bar and Grill in Menlo Park. Formerly the site of the now-closed Wild Hare, Oak City is right on El Camino (cross street Menlo Avenue). I've actually eaten here many times, but have not yet had the chance to review the restaurant.

Upon entry, one is immediately struck by the high ceilings, and ample space. This place is really well-laid out. A huge wooden bar is the focal point of the restaurant, with bottles behind the bar stacked high. Lovely photographs of oaks line the walls. A large, open kitchen is opposite from the bar. Tables can be cozy (tucked into banquettes or small booths), or public (in the main eating area near the front window). I like the small booths by the bar, especially for lunch when there's no one drinking at the bar itself.

As CHF said, Oak City has "the most generous and flexible prix fixe lunch ever!" CHF was right. To start, you get both a cup of soup and mixed greens with sherry-shallot vinaigrette. In the past, I've been served potato-leek soup (with tiny shoestring potatoes on top), but this time, it was Sweet Potato with pumpkin seeds on top. It was deliciously spiced, smooth, and quite tasty. Unlike a lot of other winter soups, it really wasn't that heavy.

Choice of main includes a choice of: sliced herb marinated filet mignon, pan roasted local king salmon, grilled herb chicken breast, Sake steamed mussels, pepperoni pizza, meatloaf, penne pasta, or grilled chipotle BBQ pork tenderloin. See? Generous!

You get dessert, too, and all for $12!

For the main dish, most members of our party got the Filet Mignon, which was served with green beans, slabs of potato, and green peppercorn sauce. MH deemed the filet mignon "tasty, but bland," saying later it was obvious the green peppercorn sauce was meant to be smeared onto the beef. However, SM disagreed with MH, saying that "the steak was extremely tender and cooked to the level of doneness that we requested." MB got the duck, which was served with black mission figs, greens, pistachios, and fig balsamic dressing. The duck was moist, but difficult to eat (some bones were still present). The sides were interestingly paired, however.

I got the salmon. During the summer, it's served with a white corn ragout, potato puree, and tiny cherry tomatoes. I must admit that I was marginally dismayed when the salmon came with more wintery vegetables instead (artichoke pieces and carrots). I needn't have worried. It was really tasty (and more seasonal). The salmon was very moist, and well-prepared. It flaked apart on my fork.

The one sad spot (which hasn't been so sad in the past) was dessert. Every other time I've had the prix fixe, the dessert has been two chocolate-chip cookies with a hint of coffee, served warm and sprinkled with powdered sugar. This time, however, instead of cookies gooey and oozing on the plate, we were served hard, cold cookies. Disappointing.

Aside from the prix fixe entrees (which are certainly plentiful and make up the bulk of regular luncheon menu), I've also had the grilled Ahi tuna nicoise salad. Served with red potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, red onions, arugula, olives, and eggs, this salad is pretty hefty.

Although our party was large, we were served with a smile.

If you go, park in the back parking lot. There is usually valet parking at night, but spots in downtown Menlo Park fill up quickly, so unless you can snare a spot in a public lot, try the valet.

I feel like when this restaurant opened a couple of years ago, it was a definite dining alternative to the Left Bank, which is right around the corner on Santa Cruz Avenue. Now I'm not so sure. The food just isn't measuring up that well anymore. Perhaps we just went on an off day?


Oak City Bar and Grill
5.5/10

Fenton's Creamery in Oakland, CA

After heading to Vik's Chaat Corner in Berkeley, my friends and I decided to continue on our eating adventures by going to Fenton's Creamery in Oakland. Getting there was easy (we took local roads), but we drove through some pretty sketchy parts of town. However, Piedmont Street, where Fenton's is situated, is adorable (but parking was a nightmare).

The only thing we had at Fenton's was the ice cream, and I really wasn't that impressed. We sampled several different flavors, and none were truly outstanding. The ice cream was very, very creamy (obviously lots of butterfat), but honestly, not all that tasty. It's almost as if they added all the calories without any of the taste. Pumpkin didn't really taste like pumpkin, mint chip was so minty as to have a bitter aftertaste, coffee chip was more style than substance, and peanut butter chocolate was only so-so. I enjoyed the chocolate ice cream base of the rocky road, but I'm not a huge rocky road fan (the little marshmallows don't do it for me in ice cream). I asked for chocolate sprinkes on my scoop, and I swear I counted 15 of them. Really, not a good coating of sprinkles at all. The only generous thing about our order was the size of the ice cream scoop (enormous), but because I didn't enjoy the ice cream that much, it wasn't such a good thing.

We also had issues with being seated. The hostess gave us a buzzer, saying the wait would be 15 minutes. We walked two blocks down the street, and our buzzer buzzed. We immediately came back, but the hostess had given away our seat, claiming she'd buzzed us 10 minutes prior (it was more like 2 minutes). If you're going, definitely just wait there; don't walk anywhere.

The place seemed like it had a lot of nostalgia. A kid's birthday party was going on, and there were numerous kids in soccer uniforms with their parents, obviously having come straight from practice. Old-timers sat alone, eating grilled cheese and sundaes.

I was really sorry that I didn't like this place more.


Fenton's Creamery
4/10

Milagros in Redwood City, CA

I had a fun dinner last night with a group of friends at Milagros in Redwood City. Situated on the corner of Middlefield and Main, the restaurant is huge; there are three dining rooms, as well as an enormous patio that wraps around the entirety of the space. We came with a reservation, and were seated promptly. At the request of our friends, we asked to be seated in the second of the two main rooms (the one with the bar), which was slightly less noisy. I'd recommend trying to snare the private, third, dining room in back, if your party is large enough. When we were there, it looked as if a party of 10 had taken it over. It is the most private and exclusive of the three rooms.

I must say that the decor is fantastic. The room in which we were seated had some very interesting art hanging on the walls that ran the gamut from masks to paintings. The highlight were the double doors leading into the exclusive back room I mentioned above. They were carved, wooden, and quite stunning. The best part about the second dining room was that it wasn't entirely filled with tables. A large, wraparound bar, and a nook with comfy leather club chairs took up a good portion of the space, cut down on the noise level, and made a great place to relax before and after dinner.

As soon as we were seated, someone came to take our drink order (free refills on sodas). We were also immediately served chips and salsa. The salsa was spicy hot, and had a great flavor. One member of our party asked for slightly less spicy salsa, and was immediately brought pico de gallo and a green tomatillo salsa, which were less hot. This service was typical of the evening. Even though the place was packed and our party was large, we had excellent service; the staff was attentive and pleasant, even when things got very busy.

I ordered the fajitas with chicken, but was able to sample the steak fajitas, as well. The chicken came in a hot skillet with onions, red peppers, and spices. The fowl had been dry rubbed with spices, and had quite a kick. Typical accompaniments of guacamole, salsa, sour cream, lettuce, rice and beans were served, along with a choice of corn or flour tortillas. MH had a chicken burrito, and thought it was fine, saying the salsa to start was superior. The enchiladas del mar (a mix of shrimp, mahi-mahi, swordfish and crab), with cheese and salsa, was a bit much, but seemed to be a big hit at our table.

We were too full to order dessert.

After paying the bill (only $20/person for lots of food and drink), we retired to the leather club chair section of our dining room. We were seated for a few minutes, when we noticed the servers clearing out the dining room of all tables and chairs. Men wheeled in sound equipment. Beautifully dressed men and stunning women wearing high heels began to arrive. A disco ball started to spin. The restaurant had turned into a club. Tired and sated, we quietly slunk out through the side door.


Milagros
5.5/10

Vik's Chaat Corner in Berkeley, CA

I went to Vik's Chaat Corner in Berkeley yesterday with CHF and MH, and let me tell you: it was quite an experience. Vik's is on an unassuming street near the highway in a part of town that is mostly warehouses. Vik's itself is half grocery/distribution store and half "restaurant," divided by a wall. By "restaurant," I really mean warehouse, because that's what it is.

As you walk in, there is a huge whiteboard on the wall with all of the daily offerings. The Chaat (snack) menu is always offered, and there are weekday and weekend specials, depending on what they are making. You give your order and your name at one of two cash registers, and then find a seat in the cavernous eating area. The eating area is set up with plastic chairs and utility tables. We got there just after noon, so it wasn't too crowded and I was able to snipe a seat as soon as we had ordered.

Given the surroundings (and the fact that the food is served on paper plates, and plastic trays), I wasn't expecting much, but the food was actually pretty incredible. Between the three of us, we tried a number of dishes. First, we had Samosa Cholle, which were two large samosas stuffed with potatoes and peas. The samosas themselves were excellent - well-spiced and fragrant (and not too much cardamom, which is a big issue with me), but the real gem was the spicy garbanzo bean curry that came as a side dish. The curry was so good, that CHF, MH and I fought with our plastic sporks to eat it plain after the samosas were finished.

We moved on to Bhatura Cholle, which was a huge puffed puri (a hollow fried bread made of fermented white flour, that is crispy on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside). The puri was served with onions, mango pickle, and more of the excellent garbanzo bean curry. The dish was wonderful, the puri a delightful mix of crispy and chewy, with the delicate smell of good freshly fried food.

Next, we sampled the Aloo Paratha, a whole wheat flour bread stuffed with spiced potatoes. The Aloo Paratha was served with raita (yogurt with cucumber), and achar (a pickled dish). In particular, I really enjoyed this dish. The raita really made it for me. I love raita, and this had a good taste, although it could have been a bit thicker in consistency. While I was eating my Aloo, CHF had Chicken Kathi Kabob, a dish of cubes of boneless chicken with onions and cilantro, rolled into a flatbread. This was served with yogurt and mint chutney, into which CHF repeatedly dipped the Kabob. This dish was excellent, but not as good as the Aloo Tikki Cholle. The Aloo Tikka Cholle consisted of potato patties stuffed with green peas and covered with spicy garbanzo chutney. The potato patties were incredible, with a thin film of crisp on the outside where they had been pan fried. The chutney was a riot of flavor, tart and spicy, and really delicious.

We also tried Lamb Baida Roti, which was spiced ground lamb with onions and cilantro stuffed in a white flour bread. This was served with yogurt and mint chutney. MH said the lamb was well-spiced, and had great flavor. Finally, CHF had a mango lassi, served in a small styrofoam cup. CHF pronounced it "too sweet and Americanized," but this was the one dull spot in an otherwise great meal.

The next time I go to Vik's (and I will definitely be going back soon), I am going to try one of the dosas, a huge crepe made of rice and lentil flour (usually with a slightly sour taste, like that of sourdough bread) that can be served plain with a side dipping sauce, but that usually is stuffed with a potato or lamb mix. I saw a number of customers carrying them by as we waited for our food, and they looked really delicious.


Vik's Chaat Corner
7/10

English Rose Tea Room in San Carlos, CA

I had lunch at the English Rose Tea Room in downtown San Carlos today with my good friend, SM. I had read some unfavorable reviews on Tea Map, and was ambivalent about our luncheon plans, but SM was gung-ho for tea, and so we went. Downtown San Carlos takes up several long blocks of Laurel Street, with lots of boutiques, antique stores, and tiny restaurants. English Rose is on the 600 block, between two stores that had racks of clothes on the sidewalk for sale.

The decor of the restaurant is very kitchy, adorned with chintz, tea cozies, and Christmas ornaments. For sale near the front and on the walls of the restaurant are little crafts, stickers, and tea-related knick-knacks. On each table, a free-standing, frilly tea cozy waits for a pot of tea to cover (SM and I thought the tea cozies looked like the backs of little chickens standing at attention). There were mostly women in the restaurant, and the average age of the clientele was 65. The waitstaff were very pleasant, and although the restaurant was bustling, we were seated in a prompt manner in what I thought was a desirable window two-top.

The highlight were the scones we had first. There were two types of scones offered: cranberry and orange, and pumpkin. Honestly, the pumpkin scones did not really taste like pumpkin, but they were good. The cranberry and orange scones were superior in taste, and quite large. Served on the side were lemon curd and raspberry preserves. Both were decent (but store-bought). We also had Earl Grey served in a pretty decorated tea pot which we placed under our chicken-like tea cozy. The tea was from a tea bag (improperly brewed), but it was fine.

The food is quite different from your more upscale English-style tearoom, in that it is much heartier at the English Rose. On the menu are such English delicacies as "Bangers and Mash," "Cornish Pasties," and "Ploughman's Lunch." There are also salads (the chicken curry looked good), soups (SM had split pea and said it was quite filling), and of course, scones, crumpets, and other tea cakes. I had, essentially, a breakfast, of scrambled eggs (fluffy), fried tomatoes (excellent), and potatoes (not terribly tasty). SM had a meat-and-vegetable filled pastie, and pronounced it quite good.

The portions were huge, and the prices (everything is under $10) were a good value. The food was not upscale, and was more mid-range. This actually made it more true-to-English-life, as most average folks don't have high tea at Harrod's or the Ritz every day. They go to these average tearooms, which are more like luncheonettes that happen to serve tea.

By luncheon's end, the front window had become extremely warm, and we were both flushed with sun and hot tea. Try to get a table in the middle of the restaurant, away from the front door and the window. The window, as noted, gets too hot, and there is no waiting vestibule near the front door, so those tables closest to the door get crowded with waiting customers. The long and the short of it is that the food was decent, the scones were above average, and the value was good. I'd go back (and would bring my grandmother).


English Rose Tea Room
5.5/10