i like to eat.

I was watching Check, Please!, a TV program that reviews restaurants by local residents. This particular episode featured Udupi Palace, a Southern Indian restaurant in Berkeley. Wanting to try a new restaurant and cuisine, this place seemed like the perfect choice.

The menu was hard to decipher. I had no idea what most of the items were and the descriptions were vague. Luckily, I remembered a few dishes that were mentioned in the TV show.

I ordered a sampler type of dish called thali. Not 100% sure what all the dishes were (would have helped if waiter explained). There was some sort of soup, rice, masalas, sweet chickpeas and lentils - all very different textures and flavors. What the most interesting thing was you'd eat all these dishes with a fried "puffy bread (real description)" called batura. It was huge and quickly deflated once I broke a piece off. The taste was mild and served as a utensil to scoop the different dishes.

Jason ordered a dosa, Indian crepe, with spinach and spicy potatoes. The dish came with a cute little vada or lentil donut. It was quite large and filling, enough to feed the both of us.

Udupi was affordable. It only cost us a little less than $20 for the both of us. The food was good and interesting, but my stomach disagreed soon after leaving the restaurant. I think my stomach wasn't used to all the different flavors and spices. :(

     

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Something_New_tag_food_indian_.zip (741 KB)

King DONG.

(snicker).

Immature, I know. I couldn't resist. That's what happens when you hang out with a bunch of guys that make fart jokes all day.

I was craving for Chinese food (very rare), so the boys and I went to King Dong. I've heard of this place numerous times because Jason and Mike go there frequently for lunch. I immediately denied whenever they suggested the restaurant, but I finally gave in, curious to find out why my boyfriend visits this place.

We ordered a set dinner for four which included hot and sour soup, potstickers, mu shu pork, Mongolian beef, prawns and vegetables and Mike's favorite dish, King Dong chicken.

Growing up in a Chinese restaurant, my expectations are extremely high when it comes to Chinese food. It's either bland, too salty, too greasy or just doesn't taste right.

King Dong was no different.

Although I'd have to say, it was a little comforting eating Chinese-American food. I haven't had hot and sour soup or mu shu pork in so long. It brought back memories of my dad's cooking - not the same at all, but just the thought of my dad's food.

If the boys ever suggest Dong again, it'd be a flat no. Do you guys hear that?! Sorry, I'm picky. :P

             

Click here to download:

King_Dong._tag_chinese_food_di.zip (1697 KB)

A few friends and I went to Trattoria La Siciliana in Berkeley to celebrate Jeff's birthday.

Every time we go there, the waiter makes a schpeel about ordering family style (sharing the dishes) since the tiny kitchen has only four burners and it'd be much quicker. I've only been there two previous times and both times, we did not order family style - everyone ordered their own dish.

With six people and a couple of us ordering similar items, we decided to try family style. We ordered three dishes - gnocchi alla fumatore, ragu d'maiale and risotto alla fumatore. I've had the gnocchi and risotto before (see post), still amazing as I remember it. The ragu was excellent. I swear, Trattoria La Siciliana knows pasta. The dish was house-made pappardelle pasta with braised pork, homemade sausage, ribs and hock in tomato sauce. Soooo good. Sorry for the blurry picture, I had wolves waiting to devour it. :P

How did the family style turn out? Meh.There was not enough to go around, everyone only had a few bites of each pasta. The dishes were suppose to be two orders each and it only looked like one and a half. Definitely not worth to get the family style, everyone order their own dish!

Trattoria La Siciliana definitely knows they're hot sh*t. They can throw that stupid schpeel to persuade you, so it'd be easier for the kitchen and they only take cash (seriously?! so inconvenient for the customers), but they know their food is absolutely amazing and you'll come back for more.

Happy birthday Jeff!

       

Click here to download:

Jeffreys_Birthday_tag_trattori.zip (1026 KB)

Have you ever been to Berkeley Bowl, the independently owned grocery store? It's like Whole Foods and Andronico's, with its specialty and organic forte, but with much better, reasonable prices.

The best thing about Berkeley Bowl? They have everything you can imagine! From the mundane flour (many different types, mind you) and sugar, to the exotic green almonds and quail eggs.

And the worse? Horrible parking, narrow aisles and way too many people. It's always a feat going to Berkeley Bowl, you always snake your way through all the people and carts.

Thankfully, Berkeley Bowl listened, heard our cries and opened a brand new store in West Berkeley at Eighth x Heinz.

Opening day was June 4 and I was there to soak up the gorgeous store. Everything was so neat, organized and clean. Like its parent store, the variety of produce, meat, seafood, bulk items, cheese and prepared food is extensive. The aisles are much wider, enabling two carts to pass without bumping into each other. And with over 100 parking spaces, you'll never feel the anxiety of trying to find a spot.

To celebrate their grand opening, they're giving away one free reusable bag with every purchase for a limited time. So green. :)

             

Click here to download:

Hellooooo_Berkeley_Bowl_tag_be.zip (1838 KB)

I really need to start going somewhere else besides Triple Rock, seems like I've been going there too often.

My friends and I headed to Triple Rock for some Monkey Head and dinner. I already ate a little so I didn't feel like eating a big burger. I ordered an ale dog, a hot dog that's steamed in beer and served with relish, tomatoes and tortilla chips. It was nothing special, just a hot dog. I didn't taste the beer, but it was enough food to complement my Monkey Head.

Check out my other Triple Rock posts.

       

Click here to download:

Triple_Rock_tag_food_american_.zip (928 KB)

My friends and I went over to Triple Rock Brewery for some nice, juicy burgers. I ordered the rock climber that came with Swiss cheese and sauteed mushrooms - quite satisfying.

Our friend, Jeff, took my boyfriend and I to Trattoria La Siciliana on College in Berkeley a few weeks ago. It was amazing.

Upon seating, bread and an olive oil dip was served to us. The dip was fantastic. I couldn't stop eating it. The mixture was garlic, rosemary, parsley and red pepper flakes infused in olive oil. It was filled with so much garlic - a little too much, but it was so freaking good.

For appetizer, we shared broccoli rabe cooked in olive oil. The rabe was tender and fresh. It had a slight bitterness that was delicious.

Jeff ordered the gnocchi alla fumatore - homemade potato pasta dumplings with cream sauce, pancetta and baby shrimp. Wow. The gnocchi were like clouds, so fluffy and light. It had the best white sauce, hands down. I couldn't get enough of it.

Jason got a dish from the special menu - pappardelle con saucisse Italienne. The pasta was fresh and had just the right amount of red sauce with Italian sausage. There was a dollop of cheese on top (I forgot the name), that was creamy and went really well with the pappardelle.

For my dish, I barely read the menu and asked Jeff what he recommended. I was torn between two risotto dishes - a vegetarian one that's been highly acclaimed by Bon Appetit magazine and a seafood one that he enjoyed on many ocassions.

I ended up with the seafood risotto and I was happy I had made the right choice. I'm sure the vegetarian one would be good too, but I was already satisfied with the abundance of seafood in my perfectly cooked risotto.

I usually order dessert, but we were all stuffed and even had some leftovers to take home.

Trattoria La Siciliana is highly recommended, but I'd lay off the garlic olive oil just a tad. I went a little crazy on it and still had garlic breath the next morning. The food was amazing and the service was great. But remember to bring cash, they unfortunately do not accept credit cards.

       

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New_Favorite_Restaurant_tag_fo.zip (979 KB)

Yup, that's right. 22 pints of beer for only $22. Plus, enough food to feed 7 people for only $25 more dollars!

As mentioned previously, Pyramid Brewery was launching a new brew, "Curveball," and I was there to reap the benefits. To celebrate the new brew, Pyramid was serving Curveball pints for only $1 and to top it off, it was college night, so all appetizers were buy one, get one half off.

We ordered an array of appetizers - spinach and artichoke dip, fried calamari, coconut shrimp skewers, cheese and spinach quesadilla, onion strings and sweet potato fries. The appetizers weren't all that great, but it was good to munch on some fried food while drinking beer.

Speaking of beer, Curveball was actually pretty good. It's a golden light ale, very easy to drink.

I can't wait until Pyramid produces another new brew. I'll be there to drink more $1 pints.

       

Click here to download:

22_Pints_for_22_tag_beer_food_.zip (984 KB)

After the festival, we headed to Pyramid Brewery in Berkeley. It's huge! The building is amazing with its industrial beams and warehouse-style. I think the Berkeley location is its headquarters, why else would it be so massive?

We started off with the Cajun crab dip with crostini. It was super creamy with a lot of crab, but a tad too spicy for me.

I felt like I was eating a lot of bad food, so I ordered a chopped salad. I know, I know. A salad with beer? I should be getting burger and fries! Meh. I was hoping the salad would be similar to the one I had in Vegas two years ago (see post). Sadly, it was no where close to Wolfgang Puck's and this one was over dressed (even though I said light on the dressing!) and bland.

For beer, I got the Hef - light, refreshing with a little wheat flavor. Delicious.

Pyramid Breweries also has tours in all their locations. I've never been on a beer tour and I'm hoping to check it out one day.

As we were leaving, we noticed Pyramid was launching a new brew called "Curveball" on Thursday. As a promotion, they'll be serving Curveball pints for only $1!! How can I past an opportunity to have $1 beer? I'll definitely be back on Thursday. :)

     

Click here to download:

041809_pyramid.zip (825 KB)

I finally fulfilled my craving for ramen (see post). Well, to some extent.

I went to Norikonoko's last Saturday, ate ramen, drank beer and had some tasty sake. I ordered the cha siu ramen in shoyu (soy sauce) broth. It was OK, nothing fantastic. It tasted like packaged noodles that I can buy at the local Asian market.

The sake, on the other hand, was really good. It was called Ozeki Karatamba and served room temperature. It was light, not too dry and smooth.

The restaurant is small with a three person staff (slow and not the best service). The place is cute with a ton of random Japanese knick knacks - stuffed animals, stickers, wooden toys, large clocks and watches, figurines, lanterns, personal pictures, wooden zodiac animals...there was so much to look at and made the time pass while waiting for the service.

Norikonoko is not horrible, but I wouldn't recommend this place. Although the ambiance is homey, the food is only mediocre.

I'm still on the hunt for good ramen! Fellow posterouser Patrick recommended a blog and unfortunately they ones he recommends are mostly in south bay. :( Someday, I'll trek over there....

               

Click here to download:

Finally_Got_Some_Ramen_tag_foo.zip (1939 KB)