Gombei in San Jose JapanTown

My family has been going to Gombei in San Jose Japantown ever since I was a baby. Rightfully so, we went together as a family and ate my last meal there before I departed for Washington DC.

This Restaurant is very classic, and has not changed its menu since it first opened. They believe in the motto "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". They have never expanded their interior size either, and that is why there's anyways a wait to get a table because the place is so small and cozy.

My Usual Dinner entrée is the Gombei, and i usually choose a combination of the Port cutlet with croquet and broiled boneless mackerel. The pork cutlet is very lean meat, fried and breaded to perfection. The croquet is fried vegetable potato mixture with slight curry flavor and is an accompanied with a fried piece of crab meat. Last but not least the Mackerel fish is so succulent and delicious. The broiled flavor is smoked and the meat is cooked well done but the meat is so fatty and juicy that the fish is tender on the inside but crunchy on the outside. The meal also comes with a salad and their famous homemade dressing. Of course this meal would not be complete without white rice soy sauce and their signature orange slice!

I'm Literally missing home looking at this wonderful meal which i devoured 2 months ago! *Sigh*

The Counter at Santana Row

So there is this Burger joint in Santana Row that my friends and I decided to try out. It's called "the Counter" and they boast a new way of having hamburgers by letting the customer mix and match many different ingredient and toppings for your personalized burger.

First of all this place is very pretentious, over-priced and over-rated. secondly its over crowded with yuppies who think they are too good to have a burger from in and out.

Secondly the BAR seems to attract most of its high-end clientèle because they boast very clever happy hour drink specials. this is not good however if you plan to dine inside because the people getting drunk can be very loud.

My friends and I ordered each different burgers. I got a well done burger on onion kaiser roll with 3 different cheeses, (Provolone, Swiss, sharp cheddar), topped with scallions and a side of lite mayonnaise.

The Burger was not bad. but the kaiser roll was a bit dry, and the cheeses mixed well with each other. i would have got more toppings but the place is a bit pricey!

From my experience: the concept of this place was interesting but overly pretentious! Will i ever come back? No Ma'am! Maybe if someone took me there and paid in full, but i'm not spending my coinz on "The Counter" ever again!

Fatty Cajun Cheese-Fries & Hot Link Stir-Fry

Past pictures of some wonderful Quick fix meals:

Fatty Cajun Cheese Fries

Olive Oil & RoseMary, steak cut potatoes. W/ Cajun Crab Dip, Melted Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Topped and Sprinkled with shichimi togarashi (Japanese red pepper mix)

Hot Link Stir Fry

Sliced long hot link sausage. Chopped onions, garlic, and Donne pepper. Soy sauce and pepper for seasoning.

Last but not least the last ingredient is "Yours Lemon Powder" which is a staple in out pantry. It's basically a staple for all people who are from Guam! =)

Unos @ washington DC

I ate at this place called unos in Washington DC and it was pretty good! the website is: http://www.unos.com/

I had the Rosemary crusted chicken breast on a bed of roasted broccoli, with redskin mashed potatoes. They also served it with this bread stick that tasted like Sicilian pizza crust.

Afterwards for dessert I had, this rum bananas with caramel and vanilla ice cream. also hella good!

Mama's Pickled Papaya

Mama's Pickled Papaya:

Ingredients:

Green Papaya

Red Donne Pepper

Heinz White Vinegar

Morton's Salt

Tabasco

Ajino-moto Betchin (MSG)

Directions:

Peel, de-seed and chop up the papaya in fine strips. Its important you make the strips thin so it can absorb the pickling base easily.

When the papaya is all sliced, put it in a strainer and wash it with salt. then let it sit while you prepare the pickling base.

To make the base.. you will need to mix the ingredients together. For 1 jar, the ratio is two big spoons of Tabasco MSG and salt. what you can do is mix it all together in some vinegar and boil it until it dissolves. then mix it all together.

Don't forget to add chopped peppers and two whole peppers. Make sure you poke holes in the whole pepper so the spiciness can be evenly distributed while pickling. Mix base and papaya in jar, and fill to the top with white vinegar.

It should be good after 1 week. the longer it pickles the better it will taste over time.

Spinach Kale Adobo W/ Bacon

Ingredients

• 1 16oz package of Center cut bacon
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 7 large garlic cloves, lightly crushed
• 5 bay leaves
• 4 bunches of kale, stems and ribs removed, chopped fine
• 2 to 3 tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 to 3 tbsp. coconut vinegar or white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 package bag of salad spinach
• 2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Thai or serrano chile, crushed (optional)

Preparation

In a 4- to 5-qt. pan over medium heat, cook bacon, stirring, until extra crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Strain fat and reserve 1 tbsp of bacon grease for later, discard the rest of the bacon fat. allow bacon to drain all fat then crush to bits and set aside.

In the same pan mix olive oil and bacon grease and heat up. Add onion, garlic, and bay leaves and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until onion is pale golden, 5 minutes. Toss in kale; cook, stirring, until wilted. Add 1 cup water, half the bacon, 2 tbsp. each soy sauce and coconut vinegar, the pepper, and chile. Simmer, covered, adding water if pan gets dry, until kale is very tender, 35-45 minutes. In the last 10-15 minuets add the whole bag of spinach then cover and mix. Add soy and vinegar to taste. Serve sprinkled with remaining bacon.

My Review:

This is an AMAZING side dish to have for dinner. It's a real good spin on my usual Adobo Kangkong (water spinach). The Kale has a very nice texture, and mixed with all the flavor its really just a good creative dish. Its also very easy to make. I kinda added too much bacon the first time, but after it cooked down it actually turned out really good. Another tip is to microwave the bacon in increments and drain the fat that way, it also leaves the bacon very crispy. Also at the end I used 1 tablespoon of regular soy sauce to give it more flavor.

Cali Bagel Brunch Sandwich

Blueberry Bagel + Fresh Avocado + Monterey Jack Cheese & Cheddar Cheese + Smoked Turkey Breast meat + Mayo & Mustard = Full Proof