Zachary loves Zachary's

Since I was in Berkeley, I decided to pick up a deep-dish Chicago pizza pie from Zachary's Pizza, a Berkeley favorite. My brother, sister, and bro-in-law all went to Berkeley. When I was in high school, I used to go to CAL to hang out with my sis for the weekend, go to college parties, and eat Zachary's. I swear she named her son after the pizza place although she claims she didn't. ;) I love this place - it brings back fond memories (and maybe some not so fond ones.)



My sis always orders the chicken and basil so that is what I got. By the time I got home, it was still warm. I gave a little bit to Zacky, of course.

He loved it!


Zachary's Pizza
1853 Solano Ave
Berkeley, CA 94707
(510) 525-5950

Chez Panisse

After all these years, and hearing about all the hype, I finally made it Chez Panisse with Aaron.

Pizzetta with creme fraiche, roe, chives, and scallions.


I am normally not a big fan of roe but was interested in how this pairing on a pizza would taste like. It was a good choice. The pizza dough here is really tasty and the non-traditional ingredients together were great. I loved getting a bite of potato, cream, and a lil roe. Who knew after all these years, I have (almost) acquired a taste for big roe. (Still waiting for that to happen with raw oysters... *gasp*)

Grilled Laughing Stock Farm pork leg with sauteed greens, olives, and potatoes.


This was cooked to perfection. Seasoned to perfection. So delicious. I thought I wouldn't be able to finish it all, but I did. LOVED it.

Aaron got the fried rabbit.


Not your typical soul food, but fantastic.

Pink Lady apple and quince tarte with fresh whipped cream.


To me, a tarte is a tarte. I have only been blown away by one tarte de fruits that I've had in Bordeaux. Not to say this wasn't good, it certainly was a tasty apple and quince tarte. I loved the whipped cream.

Overall, I think that Chez Panisse has definitely lived up to it's name. Fantastic fresh and local ingredients. Uncomplicated food. Seasoning and cooking is to perfection. Service at the cafe is casual and friendly.

When I walked back to my car, I was welcomed with a parking ticket. But after a nearly 2,5 hour filled with foodie conversation paired with delicious meal, I wasn't feeling as bad as I normally would. (Well, until I realized I could have used those $30 for another lunch at Panisse... And I guess it's been a good 12 years since I really hung out in Berkeley. Is it me or did they really clean up the place???) Anyway ! Can't wait to go back for dinner.

Chez Panisse
1517 Shattuck Ave
Berkeley, CA‎
(510) 548-5525‎

My take on traditional Greek food

Made an attempt to recreate a favorite meal that Rafael and I often feast on at Evvia. Very simple food, but delicious.

Lamb loin chops marinated in olive oil, garlic, thyme, and oregano.


Unfortunately, I don't have a charcoal or mesquite grill.




Olive-oil roasted potatoes. Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside.


Galaktoboureko


And finally...


Unfortunately, I haven't mastered Carlo's fancy digital camera... but you can get an idea here


And Galaktoboureko =)


For the most part, everything turned out pretty tasty. In the future, I will add more herbs to the lamb, and change to semolina flour in the Galaktoboureko.

Love & Children

You've been caught !

Who is that? I guess someone was that desperate for fresh squeezed orange juice.

Lil green trees and fungus

A&J's Beef Noodle Soup

After attending the cupping demo at Barefoot, Luigi and I went to eat Niu-rou mien at A&J's.

Niu-rou mien is a Taiwanese spicy beef noodle stew. I'm normally not a huge fan of Taiwanese food, but I LOVE this dish. Along with the dra-bing (translated into English - grab 'bread/cake'), or thousand layer pancake.



Niu-rou mien. Did I mention they make their own noodles. Hand-made noodles has to be one of my favorite things to eat EVER!


Luigi isn't a big fan of spicy foods so he got the plain beef noodle soup.


I haven't found a better niu-rou mien than here, even though, to be quite honest, most of the people that work here are douchebags. But it's okay because the contact you have with them totals to be about 30 seconds. Besides that, the food here is really good and comes out fast. And it's cheap and fresh. What more could you ask for ?

A & J Restaurant
10893 N Wolfe Rd
Cupertino, CA 95014
(408) 873-8298

Cupping @ Barefoot Coffee Roasters

I finally made it to a free Cupping at Barefoot Coffee Roasters. For those of you who haven't been there, it's a café and roastery located in Santa Clara. I believe they have another one in Palo Alto as well.

We arrived 45 minutes early so Luigi and I decided to grab a pot of Green tea "Tuo-Cha" (which was just okay taste-wise, IMO) and a rasberry brioche donut made by Satura Cakes which was decent. (Satura Cakes makes a mean Kouign Amann though ! Practically better than the one I had in Britanny. Oops, did I just say that?!)


Shortly, we started the cupping. Ummm more caffeine !


Here is Steve, the barista (o?) who is in charge of the cupping demos.


We were given a blind tasting. He prepared three different types of beans.

The silver cup was filled with lightly roasted beans from El Salvador. Apparently it was sweet and savory with hints of sun-dried tomato. (I am not there yet. I just know I found it too acidic).

The blue cup was an Ethiopian Sidamo - arabica beans noted for it's bold spice, chocolate, and/or floral aromas. I preferred this most because of the more bold and woody flavor and less acidic taste. But unfortunately, I haven't been blown away by any coffee here like the espressos I've had in Italy.



The green cup was filled with a decaf Sumatra which I found to be nicely balanced yet a bit bland with a short finish. Apparently it had floral hints of lavendar (again, not there yet).





Luigi !




I've always loved coffee and really want to learn more about it. (Had my first cup when I was 11 !) This cupping demo was a lot of fun. I liked the fact that Steven decided to do a blind tasting first as to not be influenced by the type of bean. Will be stopping by more often.

Barefoot Coffee Roasters‎
5237 Stevens Creek Blvd
Santa Clara, CA‎
(408) 248-4500‎

Chocolate cookies

Was in the baking mood tonight.

Last day of Chinese New Year

Which means huge dinner at mom's house.

Bok choy and mushrooms


Tofu stuffed with ground pork


Bean sprouts and pickled veggies


More veg !


Roasted duck


More tofu


Rice noodles, tomatoes, and mushrooms


Roasted chicken


Bon appetit !

Je pense à la France...

It's been awhile! I hope I will have some more food-related updates coming up in the next few weeks.

In other random news, I think I have personally spoken with at least 30 potential future Ferrandi students. I should receive commission! hahahaha ;)

Loves it !

Take it easy, Andrew !