tupac17616

Such a demanding crowd! Well, if I don't get this thing started, I'll never finish, so I'd better get crackin'. It seems ImageGullet fills up quicker than I realized, so I'll be playing with the image sizes a bit in the posts, and this will be the trial run. That also means I won't be posting many of the beautiful pictures of the scenery, the two school campuses, etc. Suffice it to say we both thought California in general was an incredibly beautiful place. Especially Santa Barbara and the drive up the Pacific Coast Highway. We both thought those were the highlights, scenery-wise. Anyway, without further ado, here's our California trip, in a (very big ) nutshell: DAY 1 -- Saturday After an uneventful (and, thankfully, direct) flight from San Antonio to LA, we find ourselves in the City of Angels for the first time. Our first stop is at the hotel in Pasadena to unload our bags and relax for a minute. But we didn't (or at least I didn't ) come here to relax, so pretty soon it's time to hit the LA night. There are dinner options aplenty; the city is our oyster after the 4,000+ different recommendations I feel like I've gotten for this trip. Somehow, we'd narrowed the field for tonight's dinner to four: Providence, Hatfield's, Grace and Table 8. Providence would undoubtedly have been my choice had I been solo. A place whose strength lies in its tasting menu, Saturday was the only appealing night for such a meal, as Sunday we already had plans and Monday would be the night before Manresa. I wanted to be ready for Manresa. Providence will be a definite stop the next time I am in LA, though. Hatfield's and Grace both looked quite good to me. In fact, they looked practically indistinguishable, both serving up very approachable New American food in a somewhat casual setting. My dad thought both menus were appealing as well, but tonight, the man had steak on his mind. Which brought us to... TABLE 8 I knew this place would be a must-stop for us from the moment I read about a certain dish that is not listed on the menu here, but is a house specialty: Salt-Crusted Porterhouse Steak for 2. You see, my dad is a steak guy. Sure, he'll eat other foods. He'll enjoy other foods. But not like steak. Any placement of said meat on a plate before his eyes renders all side dishes futile. Once I'd mentioned this particular steak at Table 8 to him a few weeks back, I knew it would be downrght mean for us not to make this a stop in our LA culinary adventures. So in the end, I left the choice of restaurants up to him, and off we were to Table 8. We walked in a few minutes after 8:00pm. The place is barely 20% full, if that. I'm a bit worried, as a quiet restaurant is one thing, but an empty one is quite another. Brushing my worries aside, we stroll up the the hostess stand and grab a table for 2. A spacious corner table with a nice view of the place. Some bread and tapenade arrive while we peruse the menus. We take a look at the cocktail menu, which skews a bit too vodka-centric, so we pass on the drinks and just stick with water. Several minutes later, our appetizers arrive. Calamari with Clams, Chorizo, Cranberry Beans & Salsa Verde ($12) My dad enjoyed this very much. He also thought the wording of the dish on the menu was important for less adventurous diners. If it had been "Clams with Calamari...", he said he wouldn't have ordered it. Interesting. Clever on the restaurant's part, then, I suppose. After all, the calamari were no more plentiful than the clams. Anyhoo, wanting to save room for the steak that was to follow, he passed off the second half of his appetizer to me. I thought it was decent, but lacking in spice. The chorizo and seafood combination seems to be the restaurant surf 'n turf du jour, but it is one I enjoy. I just thought this presentation of it was somewhat bland, not particularly assertive. When I eat chorizo, I want to taste the spice. Better yet, I want to feel the spice. I was scarcely able to do either with this dish. Not bad, just not great. Lobster Stuffed Squash Blossoms with Oak Roasted Tomato Coulis ($16) My appetizer was the weaker of the two. I rarely pass up the opportunity to order squash blossoms, but this was a disappointment. The tomato coulis was bland. The entire dish was undersalted. The filling itself was fairly tasty, but overall, this dish promised much more than it delivered. Salt-Crusted Porterhouse Steak for 2 ($75) Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the maaaaaain event! This was definitely a hit. They bring a nice thick porterhouse steak to the table on a cast-iron serving piece, and proceed to ceremoniously crack open the salt shell on top, unleashing the most incredible aroma. After a little spiel about what goes in the crust (kosher salt, egg white, coriander, fennel seeds, star anise, black pepper, red pepper, LOTS of thyme, if I remember correctly) and how long they bake the steak (27 minutes...why couldn't they be more specific? ), they take the steak back to the kitchen, slice it up, and return with some vegetables to supplement (escarole, shell beans, mashed potatoes, roasted carrots). I thought the flavor might be lacking since the steak hadn't been seared before baking, but this thing was incredible. Perfectly seasoned, prefectly cooked, tender, juicy. One of the best steaks I've ever had, no question. And at the risk of being promptly kicked out of NYC for saying this, I'll admit it was even better than Peter Luger, in my opinion. (Still love the burgers at PL, though.) Up to this point, we'd considered doing the dessert tasting menu at Providence to follow the meal. But the steak packed a punch, so we figured 5 courses of sweets wasn't the most appealing option at the time. And besides, I knew nothing of the pastry chef's reputation, so I figured the mere existence of a dessert tasting menu was no guarantee of its quality, so we'd better not chance it. Anyway, we take a look at the (limited, boring) dessert menu at Table 8, and end up choosing.. Churros with Dulce de Leche, Milk Chocolate Sauce & Cinnamon Ice Cream ($9) Not a fan. We both thought the churros were dry. Not stale dry, but overly-crunchy dry, if that makes any sense. The milk chocolate didn't really do much for us, either. The cinnamon ice cream was the most flavorful thing on the plate, but unfortunately there was so little of it and it was served at too cold a temperature for it to be easily enjoyed with the other things on the plate. The plating (or lack thereof) left plenty to be desired, too. Call me picky, but for $9, I want the dessert to look good, too. The night is still young, though, and we were both underwhelmed by the dessert at Table 8. But at well past 10:00 in a city we don't know, where are we to go to satisfy our sweet tooths? A word to the wise: Friends don't let friends make choices based merely on convenience or lack of available options. Without knowing of any other nearby options for dessert that are open late (Providence was unfortunately no longer an option by this time), we made our way to... SWEET LADY JANE Ling is right, she warned me. But there was nothing else open at this late hour. The place was just a few blocks from Table 8. And how bad could a bakery be, we thought? Well, don't let the siren song of these neon lights lure you in here late at night when you think it's the only option... I love dates. They are out of date bars. Stay strong. There must be other tasty options. Aha! We spy the our prey in the back of the case, and ask for a slice... Triple Berry Shortcake ($6.50) Dry. Dull. Flavorless. Culinary low point of our stay in LA. I could go on... Next time you're in the neighborhood late at night and looking for a sweet fix, just keep on driving, and hope for some better luck elsewhere... After 2 lackluster desserts, we decide we'll live to eat another day. Taking a stroll down Melrose and La Cienega, we happen upon an Entertainment Weekly Emmy party and spy some TV celebrities. As the people next to us ooh and ahh from across the street, I'm quickly reminded of how little TV I actually watch anymore. I have no idea who most of the people are, aside from the dude from the Allstate commercials. A little more walking down La Cienega and drooling over some nice cars (L.A. has some sick cars, by the way), and we're ready to call it a night. Back to the hotel in Pasadena. And sleep. To be continued. There are many more good eats in California ahead for us...

Back to Texas last night. Back to NYC this afternoon. I am insanely tired. But, oh, what a trip. Reports, pictures, etc, still to come... ← Uhh, the excitement.. We are leaving for Los Angeles tuesday morning and will be taking a route similar to yours. Hope to catch a preview here.... Aww, man. If I was a bit more on top of things, I could provide pictures, commentary, the works for our LA stops. Hopefully the Cliff's Notes version will be of some help: -- Salt-Crusted Porterhouse Steak for 2 at Table 8 was outstanding -- Sweet Lady Jane was incredibly mediocre. I wouldn't go back. -- Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles was delicious. Would definitely return. -- Jin Patisserie in Venice was good, but not great, and not worth going out of your way for. -- Boule bakery was wonderful. Pistacho eclair, pistacho & meyer lemon macarons, a selection of 12 chocolates, all delicious. This was my favorite food stop in LA. -- Lucques was a solid meal, but service and ambience were lacking, IMO. -- EuroPane in Pasadena had wonderful croissants -- Pie n Burger in Pasadena was not bad. Pie was very good. But I thought the burger was inferior to In-n-Out. By the way, if your path takes you anywhere near Los Gatos, I would highly (highly) recommend Manresa. Our grand tasting menu there was simply incredible. Arguably the best restaurant meal I've ever had. Also, Chez Panisse in Berkerley was wonderful. Tartine in San Francisco was also very good, and turned out to be my favorite food stop in SF. I could keep going, but am unsure of your specific path, and don't want to bore you... Wherever your travels end up taking you, have a great trip! And be sure to report back

Back to Texas last night. Back to NYC this afternoon. I am insanely tired. But, oh, what a trip. Reports, pictures, etc, still to come...

With my first ever trip to California just a day away, and my first trip to Manresa right around the corner, I was already excited. But as I scanned this thread again one last time before the trip, all the beautiful pictures and descriptions by people like docsconz, molto e, ulterior epicure and others have surely whetted my appetite even more for what I hope will be a wonderful experience on Tuesday evening. I'll be sure to report back on all the details of the Grand Tasting Menu I've requested for my father and I. Hopefully a few pictures, too

Couple of questions about Providence: (1) Would it be stupid be visit Providence on a Monday? Many chefs take Monday as their day off, and the servers sometimes use this as an excuse for disappointing food. Should I be afraid of this happening at Providence? Would it be equally as foolish to visit on a Saturday night, when they would be at full capacity and very busy, if that were the only alternative to Monday? (2) Is it stupid to visit Providence and not order the tasting menu? I am going with my father, who generally doesn't enjoy stronger flavored (fishy) fish, raw fish, or seared tuna, but rather enjoys lobster, scallops, shrimp, salmon, and mild white flesh fish such as bass or snapper. So while I'd love to do the tasting menu, I'm not sure it would be ideal for him. Would they adjust things accordingly if I made his preferences known beforehand? (3) How is the dessert tasting menu? Is it a good value? Would this be a worthwhile stop after a meal someplace else, or would limiting ourselves to dessert deny us from experiencing what Providence best excels at? (4) Anyone sat at the chef's table? Is it even an option for a party of 2?

You can say that again I am really excited about the trip, as it's just right around the corner. I'm not too worried about planning everything out right now, though. I think we'll mainly just go with our gut feeling about what we feel like eating on a given day. I'll make a few more reservations just in case, but I don't want to give us a whole itenerary or anything. The lack of spontaneity would suck the fun right out of it. Here is my current (way longer than necessary) list of places we may check out: LOS ANGELES AREA Lucques (already have reservation for Sunday Supper) Athenaeum at CalTech (invited by the school) Tacos Baja Ensenada El Parian Langer’s Philippe’s Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles Pie n’ Burger (more interested in the pie than the burger) Hatfield’s Grace Josie Table 8 (salt-crusted porterhouse for 2. My dad is a meat guy.) Jar (not interested in regular menu, but are post-Silverton Mozzarella Mondays still worth it?) Spago Providence (will my dad hate this place if he doesn't like stronger flavored fish or raw fish? He loves shrimp, lobster, scallops, oysters. Enjoys salmon and mild white fleshed fish like snapper/bass. Hates rare tuna. Doesn't like clams or mussels... Also, is the dessert tasting menu any good?) Sona EuroPane Susina Bakery Jinn Patisserie Boule Frances Bakery Bread Bar Sweet Lady Jane La Brea Bakery Kee Wah Chinese Bakery Fosselman’s Cheese Store of Beverly Hills Gioia Cheese Company General question: How far in advance do the top LA restaurants require one to make reservations? I find it odd that here I am less than ten days from the trip and there are tons of options on OpenTable still. In NYC I'm used to many restaurants taking reservations up to a month or two in advance. Not that I think one city's situation is better than the other. I just want to better understand what dining in LA is like. I don't want to think of it as a bad sign or a lack of popularity that many restaurants still have availability, even for a Saturday night. Please enlighten me on this point if possible. Another question: What neighborhood or area of LA would you recommend for a food crawl, where we just pop into several different places and grab something small at each? BETWEEN LA & SF In-n-Out Burger (basically a sure thing) Tacos (breakfast/regular/fish) La Super Rica (doubtful as they don’t open til 11am) -- Santa Barbara Lilly’s Taqueria (ditto) -- SB Taqueria El Bajio (this one looks good) -- SB Rose Café -- SB Minnow Café – SB Pete’s Pierside Café -- Avila Beach Cabo San Luis -- San Luis Obispo Taco Temple -- Morro Bay Chapala Restaurant -- MB Ruddell’s Smokehouse -- Cayucos California Market -- Carmel Pie & Ice Cream Avila Valley Barn -- San Luis Obispo Linn’s Fruit Bin -- Cambria Gizdich Ranch -- Watsonville Doc Burnstein’s Ice Cream -- Arroyo Grande Costa de Oro Winery -- Santa Maria Swanton Berry Farm -- Davenport Love Apple Farm (heirloom tomatoes) -- Ben Lomond Cracked Crab -- Pismo Beach Splash Café -- PB Big Sky Café -- San Luis Obispo Giant Artichoke -- Castroville SAN FRANCISCO AREA Manresa (already have reservation for Grand Tasting Menu) Chez Panisse (already have reservation downstairs) Ferry Building Marketplace (basically a sure thing) Berkeley Bowl Tartine Bay Bread Boulangerie XOX Truffles Citizen Cake Mitchell’s Ice Cream It’s It Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich Tadich Grill Koi Palace Yank Sing Golden Gate Bakery AA Bakery Aziza Piperade Canteen (only considering for breakfast) The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton ("salt-and-pepper" tasting menu) Fleur de Lys Incanto Quince A16 Risorante Milano (only for zabaglione, not for dinner) The French Laundry (hopefully the cancellation gods are on my side) Ad Hoc (if it will be open yet) Couple of questions: What area of San Francisco would be best for a food crawl, popping in at several different places to grab something small? Also, what kind of options for good food are open 24 hrs in the SF Bay area? And where would you recommend for a very early (~7-ish) weekday breakfast?

Definitely agree with those who have posted so far. For a "high-end" lunch, I would definitely choose JG without any hesitation whatsoever.

I've only been to Tempo once, and since it's much more a neighborhood place than a destination (esp. coming from Columbia U), I doubt I'll be back (although I will be back to Al Di La sometime). I did enjoy my meal there for the most part, though. One particular dish stands out in my memory as being quite delicious, and has earned a very regular spot in the rotation of what I cook at home: Bucatini with Sicilian Pistachio Nut Pesto -- fagiolini beans, toasted breadcrumbs, pecorino Really wonderful stuff.

Thanks, ludja. That info about Tartine & Mitchell's is quite helpful. Figuring out where the places on our list are in relation to one another is tough. Lumping the places together in certain neighborhoods would be great, as my dad has expressed interest in doing a "food crawl" in San Francisco, similar to those I've taken him on in NYC, where I just pick a neighborhood and take him to place after place grabbing small bites at each one. The most likely scenario will be one late night, one full day and one early morning in San Francisco itself, with more time in the bay area on the front end. Tuesday night after dinner at Manresa we'll probably spend the night in the Palo Alto area. Wednesday during the day I'll be checking out Stanford. Wednesday night is the 6:30 reservation at Chez Panisse in Berkeley. Then we'll probably drive into our (yet-to-be-booked) hotel in SF. That way, we have late Wednesday, all day Thursday, and very early Friday morning in SF (our flight is at 10:30ish, so we'll be returning the rental car around 9:00, but ideally we'd hit a nice breakfast spot before then ). So the only way we wouldn't have the entire day Thursday in SF is if The French Laundry has a cancellation for Thursday and we do that. There's no way to know the odds of that happening, though, so we're definitely looking at the SF options.

tupac17616, you wrote something completely different in the e-mail you sent me when I wrote to you about La Terza. Are you being ... uhh ... indecisive?? I might have to do a Regis on you and ask: Is that your FINAL answer? Not being indecisive in the least. I had that thought about Italian food in LA from the beginning. Was not really interested in the places that had been suggested (here on eG and elsewhere): Angelini Osteria, Il Grano, Trattoria Tre Venezie, etc. What I wrote you about La Terza was written well after I'd made the post you quoted above. (Both are 100% accurate, btw). And my response that e-mail had much more to do with my recognition of a great opportunity for an enjoyable evening than any desire to eat (or not eat) a certain type of food that night. Now that sounds rather decisive. Are you a Kellerite? My reasoning on that was that if we weren't able to snag a cancellation spot at TFL, we would like to spend as much time in San Francisco on Thursday as possible, since we've never been to there, either, and it's a city we'd like to explore. Your father can have it all, tupac17616: Eat dim sum in Los Angeles and in San Francisco. He doesn't have to participate in the "full dim sum experience." Personally, I order some dumplings from the Chinese deli and take it back home. Besides, you're dragging him all over California (and/or vice-versa), ehh?? Your father deserves a few perks. It's his trip too!! Argh! Why do I feel like I'm on the defense stand in this post?! The idea for no dim sum outside SF was my father's choice, as I stated above, and I felt I should honor that. FWIW, I was interested in NBC Seafood in Monterey Park (with a stop at Kee Wah Bakery afterwards) and Mission 261 in San Gabriel before he made that specific reqeust about the dim sum and I took those off the list.

eGullet itself is all the tour guide we need! Seriously, though, we'll have it sorted out soon enough. The main hindrance to that being finished yet is that there aren't crystal clear standout places I feel like I have to visit in the LA area and the SF area; that, and I have also not reviewed the list much with my dad. There just hasn't been much time. And I don't think either one of us is at risk of losing sanity in trying to make these choices. It's food we're talking about here, people! Having such a wealth of options is a good problem to have. Lucques is definite. Manresa & Chez Panisse (and hopefully TFL) are the places I most look forward to checking out, so those are definite, too. The starting point (LA area) and end point (SF area) are the question marks that remain. They'll get cleared up, though. Just takes time. BTW, a couple of new guidelines that have come up the past couple of days: -- No Italian food in LA. That was my call. I'm not as intrigued with the menus of several places I've seen in LA as I am with a couple of Italian places in SF (Incanto, A16, etc). -- Nothing north of San Francisco that doesn't involve Thomas Keller. -- No dim sum anywhere outside of San Francisco. That was my dad's doing. He's got it in his head that dim sum anywhere else in the state will be inferior to that in San Francisco. I can't say that I agree, but it's a detail I'll adhere to for his sake. I can get dim sum in NYC. But here in San Antonio, not so much. So I'd like for him to enjoy dim sum in California as much as possible. I've updated the lists above to reflect these and some other changes. Thanks for the link, and all the advice regarding some specific places! Very helpful. Can you explain what was so bad about SLJ? I'd seen some kind of berry cake or some sort on their website that looked quite good, but with words like that coming from the Official eGullet Queen of All Things Sweet, maybe I should re-think.

I think I may be officially the most indecisive person in the world. I'm not sure if these lists of LA area & SF area options are getting shorter or longer, but here are the current ones, sort of grouped in (very) rough categories. Whaddya think? CURRENTLY HAVE RESERVATIONS AT... Lucques (have reservation for Sunday Supper) Jar (have reservation Monday, but thinking about cancelling, as I hear Mozzarella Mondays may be on the way out) Manresa (have reservation for Tuesday dinner) Chez Panisse (have reservation for Wednesday dinner downstairs) LA AREA Tacos Baja Ensenada El Parian Langer’s Philippe’s Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles In-n-Out Burger Pie n’ Burger Hatfield’s Grace Table 8 Campanile Spago Providence Sona Sweet Lady Jane Boule Jinn Patisserie Amandine La Brea Frances Bakery Bread Bar Susina Bakery EuroPane Kee Wah Chinese Bakery Fosselman’s Ice Cream SF AREA Ferry Building Marketplace (this one is basically a sure thing) Tartine (this place looks really good) Citizen Cake (My dad and I both have huge sweet tooths) XOX Truffles Bay Bread Boulangerie Mitchell’s Ice Cream It’s It Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich (where to find one?) Tadich Grill (cioppino) Fish Koi Palace Mayflower Fook Yuen Zen Peninsula Yank Sing Golden Gate Bakery AA Bakery Joy Luck Place Aziza (this one looks interesting) Canteen (only considering for breakfast) Piperade Jardiniere Bix The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton (anyone done the "salt-and-pepper" tasting menu?) Michael Mina Fleur de Lys Gary Danko Fifth Floor Incanto Quince A16 French Laundry (still hoping...) Bouchon Ad Hoc (if it will be open yet)

I'd rather do Manresa than take in the scenery of the PCH. And for my dad's back's sake, the shorter the drive, the better. I am guessing a couple of stops would be in order regardless, just to try to keep him as comfortable and loose as possible. Sounds to me like the 5 may be the best bet. Although I'd still like to see some coastline scenery at some point. Hmm... I do hope we end up having the opportunity to start the drive sometime Monday afternoon, but that part is unpredictable, as I don't know the exact schedule yet of when the different CalTech faculty and students will be meeting with me and showing me around. Worst-case scenario, I assumed we'd be done at CalTech at 5:00pm, and there is no way I'd start a drive at rush hour like that. Maybe later that evening, though. Or maybe we'll be done mid-afternoon. I probably won't know this info for a couple of weeks. If we end up having to skip TFL, I am guessing it would be easiest to stay in SF and enjoy the city for the full day on Thursday. I definetely agree with the order-an-appetizer-at-a-couple-of-places thing. That is fun. I do that in NYC often. I know I can get it in NYC, but dim sum was the one specific request that my dad had for the trip (it is nowhere to be found in San Antonio, that's for sure), so I'd like to honor that request if at all possible. I guess I didn't know much about Chef Humm's history. But I do know his food has been getting lots of praise lately at 11MP. I definitely need to give that place another try some time soon (I tried it a couple of years ago, but dropped in just for desserts and that was it). By the way, telling me not to go is extremely helpful. With a list as long as mine, God knows I don't need many more options for places I should go to. He is a great sport, and has given me free reign to take care of the food stuff on the trip. That being said, while he may not be as much of a foodie as me, I am very aware of what he likes and doesn't like (after all, I do cook for all of us every single night when I'm home for the summer). I am doing my best to plan our culinary adventure in California accordingly. (For example: Several months ago we watched a documentary on high def PBS about Alice Waters. That got him excited about Chez Panisse, and he now refers to Alice Waters as "the lady who talks to her tomatoes" after seeing that show. Likewise, when I showed him all the pictures I took when I went to Per Se back in May, he said he's never done anything like that (an extended tasting menu, I mean), and he'd love to try one out sometime. Thus, my attempt to get us a spot at TFL (and Manresa, for that matter, which is a similar style of dining).) Making the driving manageable (and more importantly, somewhat enjoyable!) is definitely a big priority. I am a notoriously lazy planner, so I've surprised myself already by having started even this early. I imagine we'll get the details sorted out here in the next few weeks. I'm not terribly worried about it. Ooh, and believe me, if we could stay in the Bay Area for a couple more days, we most certainly would. Unfortunately, I've got a flight back to NYC to catch early Saturday morning, so I can check-in to my dorm that afternoon. Should make for an interesting couple of days of travel. Indeed. Which is why I am trying to plan things out the right way so that we can eat some awesome food while we're in California, and have a great time in the process! Just takes some time, that's all.

I was thinking the same thing about doing a dinner in SF if TFL falls through. San Francisco is, after all, the city that I most look forward to seeing on the trip. The eG thread on Incanto is enough to make that a very appealing option, and the offal tasting menu might just be the clincher. As for saving my dad a ton of money by not doing TFL, if only it were so. Knowing I have a pretty ridiculous appetite and a typical meal for me could probably sate a normal family of four, he and I made what I think is a pretty fair deal: My parents will take care of our transportation & lodging. And I'll pay for all the food. I figure you only live once, and who knows when I'll be back in California again. So budget (mostly) aside, I just want to have the absolute best food and the best experience possible on the trip, whether that's a $0.60 egg custard tart or a $240 tasting menu at TFL (gotta have that foie gras supplement, you see ). Oh, and don't worry, Chez Panisse isn't going anywhere. I am extremely excited about that one. The way I see it, Manresa, Chez Panisse, and (hopefully) TFL are sort of the "big three" for the trip. Everything else is important, no doubt, but those are the ones I am most excited about.

Reservations booked so far: Lucques -- "Sunday Supper". We have reservations Sunday August 27 at 7:00pm -- West Hollywood Jar -- "Mozzarella Monday". We have reservations Monday August 28 at 7:00pm -- LA I'm thinking I need to cancel this one because I read today that the Mozzarella Monday thing is only done in the bar area. Is that information accurate? Manresa -- Grand Tasting Menu requested. We have reservations Tuesday August 29 at 6:30pm -- Los Gatos Chez Panisse -- 4-course set menu. We have reservations downstairs (the restaurant) Wednesday August 30 at 6:30pm -- Berkeley Any substitutions/additions/deletions you would make? Question marks that remain: Lots LA area: - Dinner (and of course dessert) Saturday - Breakfast/Brunch/Lunch/Snacks/Bread/Sweets/Ice Cream during the day Sunday - Lunch Monday near CalTech (thinking Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles for this one) - Dinner Monday night as possible alternative to Jar (Hopefully the new Batali/Silverton place if it's open then. But doesn't have to be a similar style of food. Doesn't have to be right in LA, for that matter. Can be a short drive there, and then we'd crash in the city for the night.) Between LA & Los Gatos: - Possible dinner Monday night?? - Breakfast/Lunch Tuesday Palo Alto area: - Lunch Wednesday somewhere close to Stanford. Is there an In-n-Out Burger nearby? Or a taqueria with fish tacos perhaps? SF area: - Dim Sum Thursday perhaps - Dinner Thursday if we don't get lucky with a cancellation for TFL - Early breakfast Friday morning so we don't have to eat crappy plane food Places that I'm still considering: Too many I have a massive list I'm slowly trying to whittle down. Some places that look the most interesting so far, though, are: LA area -- Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles -- Tacos Baja Ensenada -- Langer's -- Philippe's -- Doughboys -- In-n-Out -- La Brea Bakery -- AOC (only if we don't do Lucques) -- Jin Patisserie -- Boule -- Spago -- La Super Rica (Santa Barbara) -- Providence In between LA & SF (this list is terribly short, and fine dining is probably not what we're after during the d, but hopefully it will grow once I find some of the places for the "In search of..." things I'll list below): -- Bouchee (Carmel) -- L'Auberge (Carmel) -- Sierra Mar (more for the view than the food) (Big Sur) SF area/Wine Country: -- Ferry Building Marketplace (this is a must) -- Tartine -- XOX Truffles -- Mitchell's Ice Cream -- Aziza (menu is interesting) -- Oliveto -- Incanto (have read good things here on eG) -- A16 (do I really want to try a pizza place if I go to school in NYC, though?) -- Tadich's (want to try a true SF cioppino) -- Koi Palace (are there better dim sum options?) -- Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton ("salt-and-pepper" tasting menu is intriguing) -- Boulangerie at Pine St. -- Citizen Cake -- Michael Mina -- Golden Gate Bakery -- La Folie -- Jardiniere -- Canteen (although perhaps too similar to Upstairs at Bouley in NYC) -- Fleur de Lys -- Fifth Floor -- Gary Danko -- Campton Place -- Redd Napa Valley (Yountville) -- Cyrus (Healdsburg) -- Manka's (Inverness) -- Julia's Kitchen at Copia (Napa) -- Terra (St. Helena) Yikes, that list was long Still in search of...: -- Olallieberry Pie -- Date Shake (I understand this is a SoCal thing) -- Pick-your-own strawberries, olallieberries, etc somewhere between LA & Los Gatos. Or just a place to buy some awesome fresh tiny strawberries (there's probably a French name for them that I don't know ) -- Some good artichokes (Castroville the place to go?) -- Some good avocados Thanks again for all the help everybody. There are so many great options. The hard part now is choosing which ones.

Sounds like you had an awesome feast! Great job man.

A couple more recent desserts at the casa... Cannoli -- The absolute best I've ever made. Whipped a bit of cream first, then lightly folded in fresh ricotta, mascarpone, and powdered sugar. The texture was absolutely perfect. So fluffy. Now if I could just get up the nerve to try making the shells myself... Molten Chocolate Babycakes -- Used E. Guittard 72% chocolate. Very rich, but not overly so. I am no pastry chef, but this is a fool-proof recipe is ever there were one.

Fish tacos are definitely on the to-do list. I've had lots of good tacos both at home in San Antonio and in NYC. But I definitely understand that any fish tacos I've had are but pale imitations of what I can get in California. I saw that article last week, by the way. Very convenient timing. CalTech is indeed the Pasadena stop. Thanks for the specific location. That will almost definitely be our lunch on Monday. Thanks for all of your suggestions. Tartine rings a bell. I think I must have heard some positive things about that place some time before. I have a huge sweet tooth (as does my father), so we will definitely have to make a stop there. Do they have any specific specialities? I may also stop by UC Berkeley. They are also right near the top in my field of interest (mechanical engineering). Basically, I am perhaps the most indecisive people on the planet, so I figured I should limit my options from the start. Right now, I'm only considering MIT, CalTech, Stanford, and Columbia (where I go now). Maybe I should re-consider and add UC Berkeley into the mix... By the way, your recommendation to just go with my gut and take some chances as we drive around is a good one. Having every single detail of the trip planned out would be incredibly lame. I will definitely re-review BryanZ's blog. Thanks for the reminder. I can't call your suggestion about TFL too criminal. I definitely understand that perspective (and believe me, my dad would agree with you 100%. He thinks I'm nuts! ). Julia's Kitchen at Copia looks promising. Isn't that the place that was featured in an episode of Top Chef? I'll be studying Mechanical Engineering, or maybe, just maybe Aerospace Engineering. Thanks for the link to the Palo Alto thread, as well. I'll check it out. Did somebody say pie? Boysenberries: check Thanks for some great tips and the suggestion about saving haute cuisine for Northern California. I'm sure I would love a good French Dip. It's too bad I won't be able to make it to Ferry Plaza on a Saturday. I hear that's the time to go. I've heard of Campanile and La Brea Bakery. Where have I seen the name Nancy Silverton before? Checking out the Campanile menu online, it looks interesting. I'll have to look for the eG thread. Strawberries and artichokes: check Too bad about dungeoness season being over. Guess that gives me a good excuse to come back some time later! On a topic completely unrelated to any of the above responses: Anyone have an opinion of Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles in the LA area? I've had chicken & waffles at Amy Ruth's in Harlem, and loved them. I think it's something my dad might like too, and a friend of mine had been to Roscoe's when he visited a few years ago. He's not a food guy, though, so I figure it's worth asking for the eGullet consensus. Any thoughts? Thanks again, all, for the repsonses so far. Keep 'em coming!

I had no idea such a campaign existed, but if that's the case, are they looking for a new campaign manager? Sign me up. For me, eating a variety of colors is a huge part of what I consider to be good nutrition. Different colors usually connote different nutrients, from what I was taught. (Keep in mind, I'm only 21, so what do I know? ). I always make it a point to have at least two or three different colored fruits/vegetables at every meal. Red tomatoes, yellow corn, orange sweet potato (my favorite vegetable), green asparagus, blueberries, etc, etc. I may be crazy, but cooking and eating with that in mind is definitely doing something right for me. I can't even remember the last time I was sick. And there's a reason I can eat as much as I want without much, how should I say it....horizontal enhancement. It's because I am incredibly aware of the nutrition of the foods I eat. People tell me with as much as I eat I must have a hollow leg, but I know my body better than that...it's full of calcium, and lycopene, and beta-carotene, and...

I have an interesting request, and hopefullty a fun one that will spark some great ideas... First, the facts: -- I have never been to California. I am from San Antonio, Texas, and go to school in New York City. -- My father and I will be visiting some schools in California from Saturday August 26 to Friday September 1. We fly into LA and out of SF. -- We will be renting a car, so mobility won't be much of an issue. The plan is to make the drive between the LA area to the SF area along the coastline highway, which I understand is beautiful. -- The only two places we must go are Pasadena and Stanford, but those will likely be just during the day on Monday (Pasadena) and Wednesday (Stanford). All areas surrounding these cities (say, less than a 2-hour drive one way) and the environs in between are fair game. We are willing to travel for great food. -- Nothing is set as of yet, although I plan to make reservations at Manresa in Los Gatos and Chez Panisse in Berkeley. And I've already been placed on the waiting list at The French Laundry. Also considering Lucques when in LA, but that one's not as certain, it just happens to be one of the few LA restaurants I've heard of). Now, the question: What are the 10 things you think it would be absolutely criminal to leave California without tasting? -- We love all kinds of food, from fine dining to hole-in-the-wall taquerias and everything in between. That being the case, any and all suggestions are welcome. I wouldn't mind, for example, seeing Oysters and Pearls from TFL on the same list as an In-n-Out Burger. That's exactly what I'm after, in fact. Regardless of price, regardless of location we just the best food, period. And and all help is greatly appreciated.

This is interesting to me. How does one get started as a vegetarian at such a young age? How do you think this affected her development? How do you feel is has shaped her view of food now?

Despana on Broome Street in NYC has mojama.

Agreed. Don't know where ya had to be born to like them, but wherever that is, I know I definitely wasn't born there. The texture is horrible.

We just got a small (just 1 qt. capacity, but it was free...) ice cream maker a couple of days ago, so that ricotta-marsala gelato was the trial run. Recipe was straight out of the instruction manual. Good flavor, but I wasn't thrilled with the texture. I can post it here if you'd like, though. As for the buneulo ice cream, you'd have to ask Blue Bell! The stuff is really delicious, though.

Tehuitzingo 695 10th Ave, New York 10036 Btwn 47th & 48th St Phone: 212-397-5956 Looks like they stock much more than the avg bodega but then again I've only partaken in the tacos. (Chicken was the best, pig's ear the worst) ← Amen. Pig's ear taco from there was one of the worst things I've eaten in the city. The sangre (goat tripe) taco, on the other hand, was good.