burma superstar

Amongst the plethora of Asian establishments that line Clement St, Burma Superstar definitely stands out from the crowd. That's not based on plugs from Food Network or Check Please, but rather because of the food. What a concept, eh? There other outposts in Alameda and Clement (B-Star), be we opted for the original at the corner of Clement and 4th.

Burma Superstar doesn't take reservations, so we were prepared to wait. Fortunately, Sheila and I headed over on the Sunday after Thanksgiving and were being ushered into the small dining area after only 10 mins! As the name indicates, it's Burmese style - influenced by China, Thailand, and India. We ordered several meals to share, which still netted a large doggie bag.

Mu Shu Vegetable Wraps - spicy stir-fried cabbage, carrots, celery, tomatoes, tofu, and mushrooms; rice paper wraps; and plum sauce. We hand wrapped our own rolls which were bursting with Asian flavors. The stir-fried veggies were crispy cooked without being soggy; the plum sauce was a great balance to the saltiness of the veggies; the rice wraps were too thin to keep in the fillings, but that did not dampen our tummy happiness. I game my giddy nod and eyebrow raise of approval which Sheila found quite amusing. Hands down the best fresh wraps I've eaten.

Vegetarian Samusa Soup - a hearty mix of split peas daal, cabbage, beans, and fried samusa (Burmese ravioli filled with potato, lentils, onions). I can only describe samusa as a burmese version of felafel. We ordered a medium bowl which were plenty. Needless to say on a cold Winter day, this hit the spot. There was balance between the broth and veggies, not too chunky and not overly watery. It tasted much like a South Indian sambar, due to the similarities in base spices and lentils. If they sold this soup at our local organic market, we'd have a batch in the freezer for emergencies!

Vegetable Curry Delux - a tomato-based curry with squash, eggplant, onion, tomatoes, and tofu. This was not a memorable dish; very similar to a veggie "shaak" at your local Indian joint. This spice level was fine, the veggies cooked well, but I wasn't ready to ask for the recipe. Sheila's homemade dishes pack a better punch.

Jackfruit Banana Chocolate Fried w/ Coconut Ice Cream - basically a jackfruit and banana spring roll coated coated with some chocolate sauce; then served with a scoop of coconut ice cream and some strawberry slices. It was decadent, especially for someone like me who doesn't like the mushy texture of bananas. The fried coating was not too crispy; the chocolate on paper sounded odd, but surprising worked with the flavors; the ice cream accompanied the dish well, although nothing compared to Mitchell's or Bi-Rite.

In my opinion, Burma Superstar is akin to an India wedding feast. The appetizers and desserts are the best parts of the meal. I would definitely go back for starters and perhaps order a different entree - maybe a tofu noodle dish. All in all, I would recommend a trek to the Inner Richmond for a real taste of Burmese cuisine.

papalote and soyrizo

The Mission, and for that matter all of SF, is a Mecca for great Mexican fare. I could pretty much each a quesadilla or veggie burrito from any one of the local joints and be happy. However, it's Sheila who has a discerning palate. So when our friends The Laffs took us to Papalote in the Mission, Sheila was withholding comments until after the meal.

Papalote recently shot into fame by being part of, and winning, and burrito episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay. In fact, the wait staff still wear shirt proclaiming their victory! The eatery is typical taqueria, order at the counter, get a number, and pick a table. The menu is unique and what jumps out is the soyrizo; Only in SF, right? It's a curious taste for a vegetarian, but I am hooked especially after having it in their soft tacos. Here's my scouting report -

(1) Salsa - Tastes like a mix of roasted tomatoes, queso, and chilies. It's got some kick but won't give you heartburn 30 mins later. It's so good that you can buy a jar from the counter. Bobby Flay even noted that it was the salsa that tipped the scale in Papalote's win. Simply the best salsa I've had.

(2) Soyrizo soft tacos - There is heat from the soyrizo, which is a soy gluten immersed with the flavors of canola oil, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. The two tortillas were thick, freshly made, and the perfect size. The tacos were topped with soyrizo, queso, lettuce, and pico de gallo. I ordered my tacos "super" with sour cream and guacamole to cut the heat. They are heavy so come along with an appetite.

(3) Watermelon agua fresca - a thirst-quenching mix of fresh blended watermelons, water, and sugar. For me the best aqua fresca is lightly sweetened allowing the fruits to naturally add the rest. On a hot summer afternoon, I could drink an entire container full!

It's a value meal of fresh Mexican food that has quickly become one of our places. Don't be scared away by the thought of soy in your Mexican food. I can't say it's for everyone, but I've become a fan. Make the trip over to the corner of Valencia and 24th. It'll be worth your while.

falafel heaven at maoz!

While traversing Europe a few years back, S and I came across several fantastic restaurants. One in particular, a hole in the wall, quickly became one of favorites - Maoz Vegetarian. We stumbled upon it in Barcelona and ended up eating our way through their outposts in London, Paris, and Amsterdam (the original). Recently they opened up a shop on Telegraph in Berkeley near Cal's campus; so we decided to be nostalgic and head across the Bay!

Their menu is simple - couple of meal deals and a la carte options. We opted for a junior maoz meal (falafel in a pita, sweet potato fries, & lemonade) and a regular falafel. The falafels were freshly made and fried crispy on order and served in a warm pita. Ingredients were fava beans, cilantro, and parsley giving a distinctive moist flavor and green color inside. The best part is the unlimited salad bar - filled with garbanzo beans, carrots, cucumbers, carrots, cole slaw, pickles, olives, cabbage, and an assortment of sauce (tahini, garlic mint chutney, yogurt, and spicy ketchup). All the sauces were excellent, but the tahini was my favorite. By the time you take a few bites, it's back to the salad bar to top up!

Overall, the falafel was just like we remembered it; brought back fond memories! The pita was a bit thicker than in Europe, but tasty none the less. As for the fries, they were a bit under-cooked so by the time we were on the last few, they were cold and raw. The lemonade was surprisingly refreshing, not sour and not sweet. Located in heart of a college town with a price point to suit, means there will always be a steady stream of hungry students for years to come. In my book it's on par with the famed Falafel Drive-In of Santa Clara/San Jose. My vote when in Berkeley (or in the East Bay), check out this place for a fast, healthy, vegetarian meal and you won't be disappointed.

serious pie

Tom Douglas is Seattle's celebrity chef - won a James Beard award in the mid-90's and opened a slew of popular eateries across the Emerald City. One of those is Serious Pie in the Belltown district. Just like the name, Serious Pie is all about the pizza!

This place doesn't take reservations, so after putting our name on the list, we headed next door to Dahlia Lounge (another Douglas joint) for drinks. 45 mins later it was our turn. The restaurants is cramped full of bar height and standard communal tables spread amongst multi-level rooms. The wood fired pizza oven takes center stage along with providing some warmth on those cold Seattle nights.

We ordered three pies in total for four people - two buffalo mozzarella with san marzano tomato pies and one chanterelle mushrooms with truffle cheese pie. Meant to be shared, they came out of the oven on wooden pizza peels piping hot with golden brown/charred crust. As expected, the mozzarella was amazingly fresh and mild flavor. The tomatoes were on the sweet side, but were perfectly offset by the sea salt sprinkled over the top. My one complaint was that the salt was overpowering when only tasting the crust. As for the mushroom and truffle cheese, it tasted like an above average herb-infused flat bread more suited for an afternoon snack at a bakery then Saturday night dinner. That night, their veggies pies on the menu and we opted to not try the potato one for fear it would be too heavy.

To end the meal, we shared the tiramisu. It was rich in flavor with a hint of bitter from the dark chocolate and balance by the rum infused fingerlings - probably one of best and I've had 40 - 50 tiramisu in my lifetime. I wish it was about twice as big though, especially since we shared it amongst four. To recap, Tom Douglas does make some serious pies. However when we go back to Seattle, I'll be hitting up the other two venerable pizza joints - Via Tribunali or Tutta Bella - in order to proclaim the best in the Pacific Northwest.

curry on a taco truck

If you've watched Food Network lately, it's easy to see that the food truck craze has gone mainstream. With Nom Nom, Grill Em All, Spencer on the Go all appearing on TV, gourmet cuisine can now be found in a parking lot near you! The latest one is Curry Up Now.

Based in San Francisco, Curry Up Now sells a short menu of fusion Indian street cuisine - kati rolls, deconstructed samosas, and punjabi burritos. A few Friday's ago, the truck made a stop for lunch in FiDi and I couldn't pass up the opportunity. Arriving at 12:05 at the corner of Sansome & Bush, the line was circa 15 deep. By 12:15 when we at the front of the line, it's was 45 deep; proof positive that social media does really work!

I ordered the paneer tikka masala burrito and mango lassi. First the lassi - smooth, rich, and not overly sweet. But I could tell it was made from the standard canned mango pulp you find at any Indian grocer. At 12 oz it ended up being too small for the burrito given that I needed its coolness for the rest of the afternoon.

Next the burrito - made with paneer, tikka masala sauce, basmati rice, garbanzo beans, and cucumber raita. On first bite the spice hits you - not in the mouth on fire way; rather in the heart burn after two hours way. S noted that it's caused by a heavy hand of garam masala. To be honest, I thought the food would be more fresh - paneer chunk were from the grocer and tikka masala from a bottle; especially if you've tried Kasa in the Mission. The rice and gabanzo beans were cooked well, but their taste was lost over the garam masala.

However with all that said, I would rather go back here than the other Indian joints in the Fidi (Naan & Curry, Gaylord's, India Oven, Clay Oven). This time it'll be the smaller kati roll (made using a paratha rather than tortilla) and the deconstructed samosa (inside out).

the third wave

Seattle is the undisputed capital of coffee houses and birthplace of the "second wave" with Starbucks, Seattle's Best Coffee, and Tully's. However there is a new crop of private gourmet coffee houses that is forging the "third wave".

Third wave refers to a current movement to produce high-quality coffee in which coffee is considered an artisanal ingredient (i.e. wine, cheese) rather than a commodity (i.e. wheat, sugar). This has driven improvements in all stages of coffee production: from bean growing, harvesting, & processing; to stronger relationships between growers, traders, & roasters; to higher quality & fresh roasting. Some examples would be Blue Bottle and Ritual Roasters in SF.

With that intro, here's a culinary tour around some of Seattle's coffee house hot spots...

Starbucks (the original location & a second wave member)

It's definitely a tourist "distraction" as the line stretched 30 deep along the sidewalk of Pike Place despite the rain. They were joyfully taking pictures of the original mermaid logo, buying tumblers & mugs, and of course drinking their favorite grande double shot caramel macchiatos with low fat milk, extra foam, no whip, add hazelnut. We opted for the in-season pumpkin spice latte. I have stay - go once to say you did. The coffee is standard Starbucks, heavy handed on the syrup which makes it too sweet, coffee grinds at the bottom, milk tends to be too rich / creamy. With such brand recognition the original Starbucks has certainly become a "check it off my tourist itinerary list" spot. I would go there for my morning cup if living in the area though, even if there wasn't a line.

La Panier (a third wave sleeper disguised as a fantastic french bakery)

A few storefronts down from Starbucks on Pike Place is La Panier, the quintessential french bakery with decadent pastries and surprisingly delicious lattes! By virtue of being in every Seattle guide book (at rightfully so), it can certainly be a challenge to land the first come first serve tables and bar areas. We did after 10 minutes or so. S opted for the amondine and I took the waitress' recommendation for the pain au chocolat. Both were flaky (sign of the right balance of butter and dough kneed / preparation) and extremely fresh. However the best part of our quick french breakfast experience was the latte. The espresso was mild (i.e. not bitter) and the milk smooth / rich. In it's raw form with added sugar or syrup, the latte was a perfect compliment to our pastries. A recommended place in anywhere near Downtown. It's place along Pike Place Market draws in the tourist, but I saw an equal number of locals which says a lot give the location. One of the best french bakeries we've been to outside of the France; and one of the best latte we've ever had!

Zeitgeist (the third wave cool kid)

Tucked away beyond Pioneer Square in an exposed red brick façade building is the Zeitgeist Kunst & Kaffee. It a local joint that serves up one of Seattle’s best cups. The clientele are locals, with a sprinkling of tourist who enjoy taking pictures of everything around (entry doors, menu, tumbler, logo). Okay I lied; only one tourist was snapping photos. Bet you can guess who?!?!

You can tell that the others in front of us are fiercely loyal to Zeitgeist and have made a habit of turning the coffeehouse into their third place. The space moonlights as an art gallery with local pieces hanging on the wall for purchase under a high ceiling loft-like space. The seating and layout are inviting with an 80s ambiance, less Starbucks and more airport lounge. Enough of the architecture, let’s get to the good stuff.

We ordered a latte. It was strong, better yet bold. The aroma and flavors shined through with our frothy smooth milk. The overall mix was not too sweet, not too bitter. However, it was not as memorable as others we’ve had. I don’t know if was the fact we ordered the latte to go or just the overload of lattes drank of the few days in Seattle. S my advice, stop in for a latte to go if in Pioneer, then lose yourselves in the labyrinth of art galleries around Zeitgeist, but don’t make a special trek just for the latte.

the flagship of the emerald city

Our friends CGNV and PV, who have visited Seattle on several occasions, told us not to miss out on Beecher's amazing mac & cheese. So on their recommendation we ventured over to Pike Place Market for a sampling. We ordered the "world best" version and a herb bread twist.

The mac & cheese was made with penne, which for someone who grew up on Kraft, was a pleasant surprise. The cheese, Beecher's flagship, had a nutty flavor with being overly oily. The storefront also acts as working factory, artisans were on display working through large stainless steel vats of cow's milk while curious tourist acted like paparazzi, including me.

I have to say, Beecher's mac & cheese does live up to the hype. The cheese had the right balance of salt and cream and the penne was cooked well. I can see why the America Cheese Society and Martha Stewart are singing its praises. Only if I had room for the grilled cheese with basil and tomato displayed in the sandwich window. Alas, I'll have to come back to Seattle soon!