Chocolate & Beer Festival 2013--Richmond (various vendors)

This event was a great way to end beer week for me. An afternoon of sampling artisan chocolates and enjoying craft beers is my kind of afternoon. This was the 4th annual Chocolate & Beer Festival at the Craneway Pavilion in Richmond, and even though there were a modest number of vendors this year, compared to last year, I still enjoyed it. With my $29 ticket, I got VIP parking, a commemorative pint glass, a poster by a local artist, two tokens for chocolate samples and two tokens for two full pours of beer. Here are some of the vendors I discovered there and will continue to patronize.

Toffeeology
www.toffeeology.com
Candy is one thing I don't tend to make myself. Mostly because you have to babysit it while it cooks and you have to have the right finesse to make it right. One wrong turn and you're left with a burnt mess, something grainy or something that's just inedible. At least there are people who can do it right. I love a good toffee that's not too sweet and doesn't break your teeth when you bite into it. Toffeeology gets it right. This batch of English toffee had the right balance of texture and taste. They also come in very nice packaging.



Bridge Brands Chocolate

www.bridgebrandschocolate.com

I love dark chocolate and Bridge Brands Chocolate's dark chocolate was probably the smoothest chocolate I sampled at this event. This reminded me of the chocolate I tasted in Spain, with no weird aftertaste, graininess, or bitterness. So of course, I had to support them. They have reusable packaging that can be customized for any event or occasion and they've also teamed up with California's Milk Processor Board, so they're (legally) able to use the "got milk?" tagline on their products. As someone who used to work in Marketing, I can appreciate this.



One of their reusable, customizable tins.

Neo Cocoa
http://www.neococoa.com/

Neo Cocoa offers shell-less, handcrafted truffles. Each one was a perfect little treat. Not an overwhelming amount of sweetness, smooth, creamy and enough variety to satisfy any craving. Their Salted Caramel was divine.

Elevation 66 Brewing Co.
http://www.elevation66.com/
This was probably my favorite beer vendor at this event. They were offering a Stout and a Red Ale. I believe they were the Ramble Tamble Red Ale and Esthers Vanilla Stout. The Red Ale was mildly hoppy with a clean finish. Highly drinkable. The Stout had very nice chocolate and coffee tones with excellent body. Very delicious.

This is one event that I will definitely be looking for next year as well.

Va de Vi Bistro & Wine Bar--Walnut Creek (Eclectic, international-inspired cuisine)

Before an afternoon of shopping in Walnut Creek, my friend and I decided to have lunch at Va de Vi. Located at 1511 Mount Diablo Blvd., they are nestled right in the downtown area. They have an outdoor seating area with a relaxing waterfall and heat lamps as well as an indoor dining area and bar. As this is a pretty busy spot, I would recommend making reservations.

http://vadevi.com/

My experience here was very nice as the atmosphere is very modern and somewhat upscale, but also casual enough to go in jeans and t-shirt. The portions are smaller than most places, but I don't mind as long as the food is good. The food was good. Here's what I ate.

Mint Julep. Since I'm on a bit of a bourbon kick, I started off with this bourbon-y, mint-y cocktail and asked that it be made with Bulleit Bourbon. This one was a bit on the sweet side for my taste, but it was still very refreshing.

Bread & Butter. This did not automatically come with the meal, but was included if asked for. I'm so glad we asked for it. The bread was a crusty olive loaf that came with what tasted like a European-style, high-fat content butter. It was so creamy and sweet. I could've had this for a meal.

Trio of Sliders. These little burgers were served on house-made buns, which were very soft and tasty. There were three different kinds. From left to right. Tuna with bacon, pineapple, and teriyaki sauce. Tuna can get a bit dry if overcooked, but this one was very moist and delicious. Next to that was a piece of fried chicken thigh with chile sauce, tomato and pickles. Also a very moist piece of chicken. The last one was crispy pork belly with pickled onions and a spicy aioli. This was the best out of the three. I love a good pork belly, and even though it was a small piece, it was very well prepared and satisfying.

Roasted Butternut Squash. This was a very interesting dish and worked best if each ingredient was eaten together in one bite. The squash was prepared with caramelized onion puree, chard stem agrodolce, fried sage leaves, and calabrian chile macaroons. Each item added a little something to the dish. The squash was fresh, savory and cooked well without being too mushy, the fried sage gave a nice aroma and crispiness and the macaroons were a bit sweet. Very inventive and delicious.

Roasted Alaskan Black Cod. This was probably the prettiest dish we had. A soy glazed, perfectly prepared piece of cod was placed atop a potato cake, then topped with seaweed salad, pickled ginger and pickled fish eggs. Wasabi butter and orange oil was poured around it all and every ingredient was well balanced; literally and in taste. Very nice.

Dessert Tasting for Two. A miniature version of four treats came with this dish. This included chocolate souffle, meyer lemon tart, pastry cream profiterole and toffee bread pudding. The chocolate souffle was definitely my favorite out of the four. It was chocolaty, light and fluffy with oozy chocolate spilling out when cut into. The cream that came with it was also lightly sweet but dense and creamy. A great way to end a great meal.

Va de Vi has a wide selection of international wines as well as delicious food. They offer wines by the glass and also pre-selected flights that are clearly labeled so you know what you're drinking. If in the downtown Walnut Creek area, I would highly recommend stopping in for a bite and a drink.

Spicy Meatball Sandwich (Recipe)

This recipe is reminiscent of a meatball dish I had in Spain. Warm, tomato-y and spicy, this is something I would consider comfort food. Here's what I did.

For the meatballs, I took 1 lb. ground beef and hand-mixed it with 1 egg, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1/8 cup dry sherry, 1/8 cup red wine vinegar, 1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce, 1/8 cup packed dark brown sugar, 1/8 cup bread crumbs, 1 tbsp. dijon mustard, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. dry chili flakes, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper. After everything was well mixed, I made 1-inch sized meatballs and cooked them in a 10-inch pan over medium heat with about 1 tbsp. of olive oil until browned on all sides. I then turned the heat off, strained the grease out and set them aside.

In a separate bowl I made the tomato sauce mixture. This included one 14.5-oz. can of tomato sauce, 1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce, 1/8 cup dry sherry, 1/8 cup honey, 1 tsp. dry chili flakes, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. dry oregano, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon. After mixing well, I then turned the heat back on to medium high, poured the tomato sauce mixture back into the pan with the meatballs, brought it all to a boil and then to a simmer on medium low for about 10 minutes until the meatballs were cooked through. Feel free to cut a meatball in half to look inside and make sure there is no more pink.

I then toasted a couple of rolls lightly brushed with melted butter and topped with the meatballs and some sauce. A sharp cheddar or swiss cheese would go well with this too. Any leftovers can be topped over spaghetti or eaten by itself with toothpicks as a finger food.

San Diego Area, California 2013 (various eateries)

I took a trip down South last weekend to visit a fellow foodie friend and we had a fantastic gastronomic experience. San Diego may have more breweries than people, so of course, I enjoyed many...many pints of beer. Here are some of the things I ate...and drank.

Break of Dawn
24351 Avenida De La Carlota #N-6, Laguna Hills, CA 92653
http://breakofdawnrestaurant.com/
I saw this place on a show called "First Look". The owner is Vietnamese and he puts his own spin on Asian, Soul, Latin and American cuisine. He does a great job of it. Located in a shopping center, this place is a little hard to find and a bit of a drive from San Diego, but once there, I immediately got excited when I saw some of the dishes on the tables of patrons already eating. Here is what I enjoyed.

Passion Fruit Mojito. This was a sweet cocktail that had just the right balance of flavors. It was a bit light on the Soju, which they use in all their cocktails, but it was very refreshing.

Braised Bacon. Two of my favorite words in the English language. "Braised" and "Bacon". I didn't know what to expect with this side dish, but I was completely blown away. This was a thick cut of bacon that was expertly prepared, down to the little tomato sauce on top and the slightly sweet and tangy (perhaps pomegranate?) sauce on bottom. The flavor of the bacon was the star and it went very well with their homemade hot sauce that's on every table. Fantastic.

Mac and Cheese. They gave one of my favorite dishes a breakfast spin by serving a huge cube of mac and cheese with a fried egg over it as well as including sicilian sausage, short rib and a Parmesan Cream sauce over it. All this over another tomatoe-y sauce that was quite tasty. It was delicious.

BBQ Pork. When I saw this dish came with Egg Tempura, I had to have it. Tender pulled pork was on a plate with a moist piece of corn bread, crunchy cabbage slaw and perfectly soft-cooked eggs dipped in Tempura batter and fried. Wow.

Sundried Tomato

31781 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
http://sundriedtomatocafe.com

In the historic downtown area of San Juan Capistrano, there are little boutiques and antique shops, as well as some tasty dining. We visited this establishment during happy hour and took advantage of some of their discounted dishes and drinks.

Pomegranate Martini. A nice balance of tart pomegranate juice and liquor. I couldn't remember what else was in it, but it was good...maybe a little too good.

Baked Brie with Cranberry and Mango. This was an ingenious dish in its simplicity. Crushed pecans encased a block of brie, baked until oozy on the inside and topped with a tart and sweet cranberry mango chutney. Very tasty.

Bacon wrapped Scallops. These scallops were cooked perfectly and the bacon was nice and crisp. The teriyaki glaze was a bit salty for my taste but the dish as a whole was good and paired well with a nice glass of dry white wine.

Heavenly Yellow Toffee Cake a la Mode. Yes, the word "Heavenly" is in the name of this dessert; as it should be. This was a dense and not too sweet toffee cake that melted in your mouth. The Salted Caramel Gelato was also rich and creamy and really pulled the whole thing together. A great way to end a meal.

Triple Chocolate Martini. A nice dessert beverage with vanilla vodka, dutch chocolate liqueur, white crème de cocoa, and whipped cream. Very well balanced between sweet, boozy and chocolaty.

Stone Brewing World Bistro

1999 Citracado Parkway, Escondido Ca 92029

http://www.stoneworldbistro.com/

I was finally able to visit one of my favorite breweries. They also happen to have a restaurant, and the food did not disappoint. We sat outside under heat lamps right next to a beautiful fire pit nestled in the middle of a koi pond. The ambiance of the beer gardens made this place a very relaxing place to visit in spite of being quite crowded.

CoCoNut PorTeR by Maui Brewing. I love coconut and I love Porters. I never knew this beer existed and now it will be something I will have to find back home. Very full-bodied, thick and rich with a toasted coconut flavor on the exhale. Very nice.

The Really Stinky Cheese Plate. Unfortunately I'm not well-versed enough in the world of cheeses to identify each of these cheeses but they were all delicious. They came with a small bucket of Brewer's Barley Cracker Bread that were multi-seeded, thin and crunchy. Everything went very well with the apple and marmalade.

Brussels Sprouts. These were cooked just the way I like them. Sauteed with bacon and topped with Parmesan cheese. Still a bit crunchy and utterly delicious.

Spicy Almond-Crusted Tilapia. Well cooked pan-roasted tilapia coated with mildly spicy lime-infused crushed almonds with organic honey butter sauce. On the side were stir-fried green beans and maitaki mushrooms, and a toasted barley and quinoa tabbouleh. All was fresh and all was tasty.

Artisanal Sausage Platter. Two locally made sausages braised in Stone Smoked Porter with herb-roasted potatoes, braised greens, and a side of Carlsbad Gourmet's Stone Pale Ale Whole Grain Mustard. The sausage was meaty and hearty and everything else on the plate satisfied every craving.

Bread Pudding. The best thing about this dessert was the caramel crisp on top of it. It was nice and crunchy with that toasted buttery flavor that lingered on my tongue. Mmmm-mm. The bread pudding was good too.

It would have been great if I could've stayed here for the whole day eating my way through their brunch, lunch and dinner menus all while washing everything down with their own beer offerings as well as the beer they have from other wonderful breweries. This will definitely be a destination every time I visit San Diego.

Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits

10051 Old Grove Road, San Diego Ca 92131

http://www.ballastpoint.com/whats-on-tap-old-grove/

Ballast Point is another brewery that has gotten pretty big in the San Diego area. They have a tasting room that offers many wonderful varieties of beer. Below are two of my favorites.

Tongue Buckler (left). An Imperial Red. Nice and hoppy with a clean finish. I can drink this beer with almost any food.

Victory at Sea (right). A Coffee & Vanilla Imperial Porter. This is a meaty beer with a great balance of mild hops, a full mouth feel and a nice subtle aroma of coffee and vanilla.

 

Lost Abbey Brewing

155 Mata Way #104, San Marcos, CA 92069

http://www.lostabbey.com

This is also one of my favorite breweries that distribute their beer in the East Bay Area. This was my friend's first time here so we got a tasting of pretty much all of their year-round beers and some of their seasonal beers.

These are:

• Avant Garde
• Devotion
• Inferno
• Judgment Day
• Lost and Found Abbey Ale
• Red Barn Ale
• Serpent’s Stout
• The Ten Commandments

 All were tasty.

Lez Eat (food truck)
Various locations
https://twitter.com/lezeatfoodtruck
This was a food truck that was outside of the Lost Abbey tasting room the day I visited. Of course, I had to try them out and they were super tasty.

Cajun Shrimp Fries. This was an amazing little snack. I really wanted to try their other items like the oyster po'boy sandwich but I had a big day of eating ahead of me. The shrimps were fresh, coated with a cornmeal batter, fried perfectly and were very crispy on the outside. The seasoning they used was what really created the "wow" factor. Very flavorful and a bit spicy. Fantastic.

Flavor del Mar
1555 Camino Del Mar, #322 (3rd floor in The Plaza), Del Mar, CA 92014
http://www.flavordelmar.com/
A short drive from San Diego, this was a very upscale restaurant right next to the beach. The service is exceptional and the two items I had there were very good. I also enjoyed the decor.

Mint Lemonade. Made with gin, simple syrup, muddled mint, lemon juice and soda, this cocktail was refreshing as well as flavorful. Very nice.

Spicy Crispy Shrimp. The description of this dish was spot on. It was spicy and crispy. Lightly battered and fried, this was a hefty portion of shrimp (for an appetizer) that really hit the mark with flavor and texture. A mountain of large shrimp coated with a spicy chipotle, yuzu vinaigrette with a smattering of frisee and arugula underneath. Delicious.

Overall, my San Diego experience was a good one. I will definitely come back to visit. There is still more for me to taste!

Gorilla Barbeque--Pacifica (BBQ)

I had a hankering for some barbeque, and it was also my boyfriend's birthday, so I thought some good smoked meat would be in order. I saw this place on the Food Network a couple years back and thought I'd give it a try. Now I'm a once-yearly regular. It's quite a trek for me but completely worth it.

http://www.gorillabbq.com/

Located right off the highway at 2145 Coast Highway in Pacifica, it's surprising they even have a house number. It's basically a train car with a big smoker in the back and they only do take out. This is not the cheapest place, but they serve high-quality meat with huge portions. Below are a few of my favorite things, which is pretty much their whole menu.

My absolute favorite item here is actually not meat at all. It's their Mac N' Cheese, which is a side. I usually get an extra side of it. The pasta is perfectly al dente, it tastes like it's all cheddar, but it's a sharper one so it has a nice bite and they sprinkle the top with some garlic bread crumbs. It's so cheesy; when I take a fork full, the cheese will stretch a few inches before it breaks. So yummy.

Let's talk about the meat. This is the three meat combo with chicken, hot links, and beef ribs (hot links were buried but in another picture below). Everything is smoked. The hot links taste homemade and had that nice snap when bitten into. The ribs are great. Very meaty, with that wonderful smokey-ness and a good texture. Not falling-off-the-bone moist but just the right pull to get it off the bone.

Chicken can be a little tricky since it can dry out easily but this one was not dry. It also had that nice smokey flavor and any leftovers can make a great chicken salad.

Hot links

They sell their bbq sauce by the bottle and I wish I bought some. It's a little tangy and a little spicy with a very complex flavor profile. This can be poured over anything.

This is a two-meat combo with beef brisket and pulled pork. Each combo includes two sides, beans & rice, a corn muffin and bbq sauce. I opted for mushroom as one of my sides and they were surprisingly good. Also nicely smokey and fresh. The beef brisket has that nice pink smoke ring around it and makes a really good sandwich and their pulled pork is tender and delicious. The corn muffin is also very moist.

I would highly recommend giving them a try at least once, even if it is a bit of a drive. 

King of Dumplings--Newark (Chinese cuisine)

I've found another place that makes great noodles by hand. Located at 39229 Cedar Blvd. in the Quickly milk tea shop in Newark, I would have never known this place existed if not for a coupon I found online. For a place that specializes in dumplings, I was pleasantly surprised to discover everything else was good too. They also deliver on certain days and offer online ordering. This is not a fancy dining establishment. I would say it's more like home cooking, if my mom made noodles and dumplings from scratch all day.

http://www.kingofdumplings.net/

I've visited King of Dumplings a couple times now and here are some of my favorite things.

This is their Green Chives Pancake, which is a stuffed, savory pancake that is pan-fried and filled with fresh chinese chives and dried shrimp. The outside is nice and crispy and I feel like I'm getting a good serving of veggies eating one of these.

An entertaining part of coming here is watching the noodles get made. Each noodle is hand pulled until it's just the right thickness. It's amazing how uniform the noodles are and they have a great chew. This is the Bean Paste Noodle; one of my favorites. It comes unmixed and you toss it yourself. The sauce is savory and has a slight sweetness. Fresh cucumbers give it a nice crunch and the ground pork gives it a good heartiness.

This is the Beef Shank Noodle. Same noodle, just a slightly sweeter and thinner sauce, served as a cold dish. Also delicious. They also serve some really big bowls of noodle soups. I haven't tried those yet, but they look really comforting.

Of course, one cannot visit the King of Dumplings without getting some dumplings. These are also made from scratch. These are the Shrimp & Chive dumplings. The shrimp had a nice snap which indicated freshness and the skins had a nice chew. Nothing is overly salted or bland and each piece is a perfect mouthful. You can also purchase frozen dumplings to go and boil them yourself at home.

They also have regular, non-carb dishes like the Mapo Tofu. This is made with the silky version of tofu and has a spicy sauce with bits of ground pork. Perfect over some steamed rice.

The Mu Shui Pork was also very tasty. Basically it's scrambled eggs with pork, wood ear mushrooms, and cucumbers. Every bite was a little different but all delicious.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to be a "regular" here since it's close to where I live and look forward to many more wonderful noodle (and non-noodle) dishes in my future.

The Ace of Sandwiches--Palo Alto (Sandwich shop)

I seem to be on a sandwich kick lately and I recently discovered this tiny little family-owned sandwich shop at 3864 El Camino Real in Palo Alto. The place is about as big as my living room, but the service was very friendly and the sandwich making fast and delicious.

All their meats, breads and vegetables are super fresh.They also have quite an extensive selection on their menu with pre-set sandwiches or create your own from over 25 different meats and more than 18 different add ons like artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes. For a small additional charge, you can even get six ounces of meat rather than the standard four, widening your flavor options.

Their web site: http://www.theaceofsandwiches.com/

I ended up getting three sandwiches on this visit. This one was "The Sub" with ham, salami, prosciutto, lettuce, tomato, olives, pickles, dijon mustard, mayo, artichoke hearts, oil & vinegar. I opted to have this on Foccacia bread rather than the soft roll that it normally comes with. Delicious and a nice size. Eating the whole thing would have put me over the edge.

Sandwich number two was "The Ace of Clubs" with low-sodium turkey, honey maple ham, bacon, lettuce, tomato, monterey jack cheese, mayo, and yellow mustard on a grilled soft roll. The soft roll was soft on the inside and had a nice crust on the outside. The bacon was nice and crisp too. Delicious.

Sandwich number three was my own creation. I opted to get extra meat. On a soft roll I had cracked pepper turkey, liverwurst, prosciutto, mortadella, mozzarella cheese, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomato, pepperoncini, mayo, lettuce, oil & vinegar. It was fantastic. They should name this sandwich after me (The Chu-wich or The Chu) and have it on a separate "$11 sandwich menu". I think it would be a hit.

Open seven days a week, you can get your sandwich fix any time. And judging from the sampling I had the other day, it will be good.