Tacos Chavez

Sometimes it's nice to relive the feeling of being in LA.

A tripe taco and a cabezas (beef head) taco, each $1.25. The tripe taco was perfect: crispy, beefy, with nice char flavor. The cabezas was juicy but could have used a lot more seasoning. But when you're hungry and tired from walking around, it's all delicious.

I found the taco truck in the parking lot of the Pac N' Save on San Pablo in Emeryville. I was wandering around the neighborhood deciding if J and I want to move there if we win a condo
auction we entered. Based on non-taco related factors, I think we've decided we'd be happy in Emeryvillle.

And for those who don't know, Emeryville is the home of Pixar Animation Studios. Maybe one day they'll offer J a litigation position. One must have one's dreams, you know.

Final Prices for City Crossings Auction (Oakland and Emeryville border)

The auction for City Crossings, a new development of Apgar Developments at 1000-1036 Apgar in Oakland, CA 94608 ended in late April 2009 with the high bids at the following prices:

1034 Apgar : $218,000
1030 Apgar : $212,000
1026 Apgar : no bid submitted
1022 Apgar : $232,500
1018 Apgar : $225,000
1014 Apgar : $275,000
1010 Apgar : no bid submitted
1006 Apgar : $200,000
1002 Apgar : $230,000
1000 Apgar : $271,000
1004 Apgar : $202,000
1008 Apgar : $215,000
1012 Apgar : $231,500
1016 Apgar : $295,000
1020 Apgar : $225,000
1024 Apgar : $200,000
1028 Apgar : $182,500
1032 Apgar : $220,500
1036 Apgar : $216,000

Asking prices and starting bids for all the units started at $179,000 or $189,000. The model unit was located at 1022 Apgar St., Oakland, CA 94608. The developer, Apgar Development Corporation, apparently defaulted on a $8 million dollar loan to East West Bank in January 2009.
The seller chose not to sell any units at the end of the auction, presumably counting on the housing market to pick up in the summer of 2009. Comparable units nearby were asking in the high $200,000's at the end of the auction.

UPDATE 5/11/09

The bank has apparently listed 1022 Apgar -- one of the 19 units in this complex -- on the MLS asking for $520,000. $520,000 was the "suggested value" of the units during the auction so the bank seems to be ignoring the fact that the highest bids at auction were in the high $200's. The bank may be hoping to find a sucker willing to purchase in the high $400's and use that price as the floor for the remaining 18 units. There are plenty of suckers out there but finding one willing to pay almost a quarter million more than the highest bids at a recent auction seems unlikely.

Octopus Tacos

Based on my afternoon snack-slash-test run, dinner is going to be good tonight.


Octopus, simmered until tender and then cut into chunks and tossed in a spicy garlic butter, atop a bed of refried beans and a homemade tortilla. Some limes on the side and a green vegetable dish will fill us up while we watch our Monday night television lineup. Who else loves How I Met Your Mother? Just when I was afraid the sitcom was dead.

Pink is the new Green

I thought I needed a change to welcome spring to the blog, but I'm not entirely sure this is acceptable. I was aiming for much more white with a touch of pink, not overpowering pink bars on either side of the blog.

Plus, food just looks good against a green template. I don't know, we'll see if this grows on me.

Lazy Sunday Snacks

We may have had a light dinner, but the rest of Sunday was not quite so healthy.

I had a homemade currant scone for breakfast, recipe courtesy of Dorie Greenspan. I made mini scones this time and gave everything but three of them to friends whom I don't feed often enough. I hope they're enjoying them!

And thanks to W, we had Costco hot dogs as a snack after spending the afternoon condo browsing! I'm not a hot dog fan, but even I go gaga for these. It's the garlic in the dog, and the snap of the skin. So delicious with just the basic condiments.

Noodle Soup

I believe a well-balanced life is the most enjoyable, which is why after this weekend's many indulgences we had a simple healthy meal for dinner.

Shitake mushrooms, daikon, and chopped octupus in a light broth of rice wine, sesame oil, sesame seeds and green onions.


Clear broth soup with some noodles chicken, pork slivers, Taiwanese lettuce, daikon, and shimeji mushrooms. That, some yogurt, and about a gallon of water is helping flush out all the sodium and alcohol I had this weekend. Thank goodness for healthy foods.

Glorious Sonoma

I always love going to Sonoma, but going with first timers on a perfectly beautiful day is an especial treat. Our trip yesterday was declared by both visitors to be one of the most perfect days of their lives.

Look at this sky over Chateau St. Jean! Now imagine butterflies flitting over the long, wind rustled grass; birds chirping in the trees; children tossing frisbies and kicking soccer balls; and the laughter of people drinking wine and playing bocce ball in the background.

We stayed at Chateau St. Jean a long time because the wines were so excellent and our tasting pourer Matt was so nice. He suggested I go to Mayo and Kunde wineries last time, so I have to make sure not to forget. He also poured us a Cabernet Franc made from the grapes in the field of grapes in the first photo, as well as a beautiful merlot and malbec. Margot, the wine maker at CSJ, is proving that wine making is no longer a man's job. CSJ is a great place to pay $15 to taste seven wines I could never afford ($50-90), and I could be happy lounging about their elegant grounds all day.

Another super fun winery we went to was Ledson. The castle is gaudy and new, but in a fantastic way. They have picnic tables, fountains, and are generous about allowing people to lounge about with outside food. Of the wines, my friends liked the malbec best but I enjoyed a flight of three zinfandels and a merlot. I think Amy's Zin was my favorite!

One Night, Three Dinners

You know how sometimes, when you drink, you just can't stop eating? Well, yesterday I had the most hysterically fun Sonoma trip I've taken in a long time. And even though I was the designated driver and politely sipped and spat my wine all day long, by 5pm I was starving.

So on our way back, we stopped at In N' Out. I was with a first time visitor to California and a native son who's been gone too long, so it was animal style cheeseburgers and animal style fries for everyone. Our Pittsburgh-area native agreed the cheeseburger is the best way ever to spend $2.20.

Not a bit over two hours later, we met J and others for dinner at Tommy's Joynt on Van Ness. I polished off the corned beef and cabbage and J finished the turkey plate. I think everyone was pretty much flabbergasted that I could eat after a cheeseburger. But that's what happens when Pei misses 3:00 snack!

We went to Mad Piano's near Foley's Irish Bar for a few hours of loud singing and drinks, then stopped at Ryoko's for a late night snack. We had a volcano roll, Ryoko's famous peanut butter deliciousness. It's weird, but actually really good. The half empty jar of Skippy proves that everyone else likes it too! We also had some great fish and shitakes.

We ended our night drunk and full at 1am. It's very rare these days for us to stay out that late, both because everyone's trying to save money and because we're just too old to do this often. But when there are visitors in town, it really is fun to show them why SF is America's favorite city!

TWO $2 Happy Hour

Tucked away on Hawthorne Lane sort of behind Thirsty Bear Brewery, TWO offers what I now consider one of San Francisco's best happy hour deals.

We went tonight with some out of town friends and had a really great time. The happy hour unfortunately only lasts from 4-6, but for those who can get there not too far past 5pm it's a low key place to grab a $3 beer and some tasty bites. Our favorite beer on tap tonight was a Leffe Blonde Ale, quite possibly what I consider a perfect beer: smooth, zippy, refreshing, and not heavy.
The bites range from tiny to very generous, like this large cone of piping hot french fries.
The meatballs were more dim sum sized, but very tasty in a nice tomato sauce. I really can't complain for $2, it really is as cheap as bite-sized dim sum snacks.

The liverwurst was my favorite. I like liverwurst in general, but the flavor and texture of this rendition was head and shoulders above any other I've ever had. I complimented it and a server said they like to encourage people to try it who think they don't like liverwurst. And at $2, why wouldn't you?
The coppa di testa (Italian head cheese) pizzeta was the only slightly disappointing dish. I just don't think head cheese should be eaten that warm, and the pizza was a little doughy. But I still had a fabulous time at TWO. For $20 after tax, we had four drinks and four snacks. A rare find in SF for sure!

Treats, Sweet and Salty

Thought I'd highlight a few treats I got myself lately.

My appetite hasn't been what it should be, and I thought a sour candy might help so I got some lemon fizzballs from fiona's sweetshoppe, a really cute English candy store off Union Square. I'm not a big eater of candy, but their lemon fizzballs and strawberry bon bons are excellent. And I love the old timey feel of the store: it's just the type of place one would duck into on a weekend away from boarding school to pick up a bag of dormitory snacks--as if I would know!

The other jar is a beef demi-glace I picked up din the 50% off bin at Williams-Sonoma. I haven't opened it yet, but I'm thinking it'll give a nice kick to risotto or beef stew, or maybe something like a steak and kidney pie (!). You'll just have to wait and see.

Espresso Vivace

What with there being so many coffee shops in Seattle, I've decided for my own sanity to aim for one or two new places during each visit, which makes room to also go to my standing favorite, Victrola Coffee.

The new coffee shop I tried this time was Vivace, a local roaster. I found the brew to be darker than Victrola's, but not as dark as Vita's. A nice choice, with skillful and friendly baristas.

Both my sister and I took sips of our drinks before we remembered to take a photo. I had my usual, a short latte (8 0z). The smaller amount of milk really allows the espresso to shine. I also find that the milk to espresso ratio works best for me in a short cup. L had what they call a white velvet, which is a white chocolate steamed milk. Really delicious, for those who don't enjoy coffee.

Trophy Cupcakes

As promised, photos of the most adorable cupcake shop I've ever seen. The offerings were not any more exotic than any number of cupcake specialty stores sweeping the nation, but I found the decor particularly darling.

V Garden

Having lived in California all my life, I find it hard to be impressed by Seattle's Chinese food offerings. But on Sunday, my taste buds met their match.

Say hello to this handsome fellow, a king crab weighing in at what the waiter described as a middling 8 pounds (!), presented to us before he went off to slaughter during the restaurant's half off special on king crabs. At $11 slaughtered and cooked, it truly wasn't worth it to buy it and cook it at home.

First preparation: garlic pepper fried! Always a hit, this is the most flavorful preparation.

Second: garlic steamed. I think this preparation best showed off the tenderness and flavor of king crab as compared to the more commonly eaten Dungeness.

And the entertainment and filler for the evening: glutinous rice with crab pieces and the head presented as a trophy to your table.

Trophy Cupcakes

I know, I know, $3 cupcakes are so passe. But s'mores and Guinness Bailey's cupcakes at the cutest store ever were not to be missed. Adorable photos are forthcoming. I am posting from the Blackberry.

Glo's

Yay. It feels good to be able to put away a big breakfast again.

*edit: here's a better photo of my eggs benedict, and one of my sister's lemon poppyseed pancakes as well. Brunch at Glo's after grabbing a latte at a local brewery is becoming a little Seattle tradition for me and L.

University of Washington

Lovely cherry blossoms. UW is one of the most gorgeous big universities I've ever seen.

Beecher's Pound Pack

Beecher's No Woman Jamaican jerk cheese is one of my favorite foods. It has an incredibly interesting hint of dill that prevents me from being able to stop once I start eating. The Marco Polo, with green and black peppercorns, is new to me. But I have a feeling it'll make great baked mac n' cheese.

Oil and Vinegar

The name of the store says it all. I love the wall display of dispensers.

Victrola Coffee

It's worth the flight to Seattle just to have a perfect latte.

Scones Two Ways

I love scones, and today I have finally mastered not only the art of making perfectly airy, light, fluffy scones, I have figured out how to make two flavors with one batch of dough. It's a good day, even if my best friend is still Nyquil. At least I have raspberry and chocolate scones to comfort me.

Chicken Soup for the Sinus

The real reason I got married:

So I'll have someone to cook me chicken soup when I'm sick. J called home today to ask what I wanted for dinner, and in my fuzzy-headed stupor I loudly declared that I wanted a buffalo burger and french fries. He dubiously asked me if I was sure, came home with a five pound chicken and a bag of vegetables (and no burger! grrr), and told me to get out of the kitchen. One can always count on J to side with logic over a sick person's irrational demands. Boo.

I still totally want a buffalo burger, but I chicken soup was the right choice to get me back on the mend. Plus, now the house smells like chicken soup instead of greasy fries, which is definitely for the best.

Mmmm, broth. A few matzo balls or chicken dumplings would have made this perfect, but we had no eggs. Maybe tomorrow.

Cucumber and Meatball Noodles

Ever have a sore throat that just won't quit?


I wanted something simple and soothing today, so I threw together a soup of cucumber and pork meatballs, then added Taiwanese noodles and an egg. Topped with a little sesame oil, this always hits the spot. I am lucky enough to still have some noodles from Taiwan, but somen is a good substitute.

In happier news, some friends and I have decided where to vacation this summer! No, not the whole summer, sadly. But we're finally doing a long weekend up in the Russian River Valley. We've been tossing around the idea for years. Maybe once we get this trip under the belt, I can convince everyone to go to New Orleans next year! Want to see the great house we picked? Click here.

Mock Pupusas

I found myself with some beans and leftover dough from making corn tortillas, so I made fake pupusas. Corn dough is harder to work with than four dough, since it doesn't stretch. So I had a hard time filling them, but they are really tasty with some queso fresco and a quick tomato salsa.

Saartje's Booties

Yesterday, a couple gals and I found ourselvese oohing and aahing over baby clothes in Bloomingdale's. No, we're not insane or pregnant. Someone had to send a gift to a friend.

But the result of the trip was that I found a cute use for leftover yarn. Following the instructions on this lovely lady's website, I made what I think is an incredibly precious baby shoe. As cute as it is, I think the shoe needs longer straps so I held off on making another one until I can find a baby to model this one for me. The shoe is about two and a half inches long; I'm having a hard time imagining how a human foot can fit into it.

Menudo My Way

Nothing says Saturday like a slow cooked meal.

Menudo is one of J's favorite foods, so over the years we've made it many times. My version is far from perfected, but I do know one secret is to use a lot of beef or pigs' feet to create a flavorful and unctuous broth, and then add two or three kinds of tripe to round out the flavors and textures.

Today I also tried my hand at homemade corn tortillas. I may never buy corn tortillas again. Homemade tortillas aren't visually appealing, even in restaurants. But what they lack in looks, they make up for in flavor and texture. They are deeply corn-licious, and have a lot of craggy edges that crisp up when pan fried on both sides. Perfect for dunking in menudo, or for making little tacos of tripe, cilantro, onion, and lime.

Apple Oatmeal Pancakes

Take any pancake recipe, add a quarter to half a cup of rolled oats per cup of flour, add a cup of chopped or grated apples for each cup of flour, and cook away! I made dollar pancakes so they would cook more quickly and evenly, then ate them folded over like tacos so I could eat with my hands.

Olivos

Mmm, recession dining out. These pupusas were really great. It reminded me of being back at Grand Central Market in LA.

Vegetable Pecorino Tart on Cracked Pepper Crust

Okay, we're not having rice with dinner. We're having this deliciousness.

It looks complicated, but it's actually an impromptu use of leftovers. I had some onions and parsley that's been sitting around, so I caramelized the onions and added the parsley to make a filling for tart. I then made a basic 50% whole wheat pizza dough (thank you, Mark Bittman) with plenty of salt and cracked pepper.

Folded everything together and topped with a generous grating of pecorino cheese (I keep a wedge in the freezer), popped it onto a baking sheet that had been pre-heated in a 500 degree oven (or as hot as your oven will get) and baked until puffed up and crisped around the edges and bottom. If the folds start to brown too quickly, cover the tart loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil.

Slow Cooked Collard Greens

Yum, greens.

A long time ago, my friend who hails from the great state of South Carolina taught me how to slow cook collard greens southern style. The original recipe includes a smoke ham hock, but over the years both of us have pared down our recipes to healthier, more convenient versions of the original. Any way you cook it, a huge pot of collards is warm, homey, and comforting with some rice and beans or just by itself.

Collards shrink like crazy, so I don't really find it worth my time and money to make this dish unless collards are in season. I got an armload (too much to stuff in a plastic grocery bag) for $2 yesterday, and it shrank down to about a two quarts of greens. Here's the recipe:

• an armload of collard greens, washed, sliced off the stem, and cut into long two inch wide strips perpendicular to where the stalk used to be. You should have a sinkful of greens to start.
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 bulb garlic, peeled and lightly smashed
• 1 can vegetable stock
• 2 cans' worth of water
• a smoked ham hock, two sliced of bacon, or a few pieces of ham. I sliced the butt end of a mini ham into large slices.
  
• salt and pepper
• dried pepper flakes (optional)
• 1/2 sliced onion (optional)
  
• dried spices (optional, I used a little fennel this time)

Heat a large dutch oven or pot with heavy lid, add the olive oil, and cook the garlic and onions over medium heat while you clean your collard greens. When the onions and garlic start giving off flavor, add the stock and water and bring to a simmer. Add the sliced collard greens, stirring and adding slowly until everything fits into the pot. Add a generous crack of pepper and a few pinches of whatever spices you like. Don't add extra salt until later, when you know how salty your stock was. Bring the liquid back to a boil, then down to a simmer.

Cover the pot and let the collards cook for at least an hour and up to three, over the lowest possible simmer. Stir every ten minutes to make sure the collards cook evenly. The liquid doesn't need to cover all the greens, but it should cover them at least halfway. A heavy lid will make sure everything doesn't dry out. Served with some white rice and sliced fruit, this will be how we spend about $5 on dinner for two tonight, with leftovers for lunch.