Travel
When Jonathan and I were in San Francisco, we stayed in the Mission District. I loved it. It felt just like home. The graffiti, the Spanish, and the small panaderias, it all reminded me of LA so much.
Growing up, my mom would treat me to pan dulce (Mexican sweet bread) in the supermarket if I behaved. It was Jonathan’s first pan dulce, and I was super excited to share a little bit of my childhood with him.
Buena Vista Cafe (Ghirardelli Square - San Francisco)
The Buena Vista is pretty well known for its Irish Coffee. There is a lot of literature on the Internet, so I am not going to belabor their history or popularity. Because it was the first time I was in San Francisco since being 21, and everyone highly recommended it, I had to stop in. Jonathan and I were lucky to find premium seats in front of the production line at the bar, and boy, is it a skill.
I was taken aback when the bartender encouraged us to drink it “piping” hot, but it was the best decision because the fresh, cold cream mixed with the hot coffee and whiskey produced this wonderful well temperate mixture in our mouths.
Apparently, the Buena Vista serves up to 2,000 Irish Coffees a day!
Fish and Chips @ The Crazy Norwegian’s Fish & Chips in Port Orford, OR
On our way down to Crescent City the first day of our road trip, Jonathan and I decided to take the 101 down the Oregon coast. I had no idea that Oregon had sand dunes, and they were so big, too! We drove through small coastal towns with their local art and clothing shops, which reminded me of coastal New England.
The fish and chips were pretty rad. The tartar sauce was the best part, though! Some dill and pickle juice I think… something in it made it taste extra special.
Voodoo Doll, Memphis Mafia, Bacon Maple Bar, and Dirty Snowball doughnuts @ Voodoo Doughnut in Portland, OR
For Fourth of July weekend, Jonathan and I went on a road trip down to San Francisco. On our way back to Seattle, we stopped by Portland and enjoyed ourselves some Voodoo Doughnut. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a Maple Bar donut as fast as I did.
I swear there’s some voodoo magic that makes those donuts taste extra good compared to all the other donuts I’ve ever eaten (except for malasadas, which will always reserve a special place in my heart!). Though there is always a line and a substantial wait, it is totally worth it. More road trip pictures to come!
Seafood is one of Seattle’s highlights: fresh-shucked oysters, fresh-caught salmon, Alaskan king crab… You know those overly-curious diners who want to know everything about their food and where it comes from? This is how the conversation would go down:
"Where do you source your seafood from?"
"Just caught it 20 minutes ago in the ocean."
Yah, it’s that tastily fresh.
Then you have the amazing restaurants and food establishments that make it available to all of us. Enter Taylor Shellfish, one of my new favorite raw bars.
Taylor Shellfish Melrose Market Store in Capitol Hill started as a simple store that sold seafood. The staff got bored of selling shellfish all day, so they decided to turn it into an inviting space to interact with their customers through fresh dining options and lively demos. I had the privilege of meeting Tommy, one of the owners, and he said that none of them had a business background, a plan, or any idea how it would turn out. But everything turned out for the best and they have never looked back since.
Usually, it’s pretty jam-packed, but I was lucky to drop in on a slower day and have a more intimate experience with my food…
Geoduck gonads. Oh yes, we were that intimate.
For those of you who have never heard of geoduck (pronounced “gooey-duck”), it is one of the largest clams in the world native to the Pacific Northwest. If you have never eaten it before, I apologize for ruining your appetite with these photos - it’s definitely not for the fainthearted, but I swear, it tastes much better than it looks. It’s an Asian delicacy, so I’ve grown up eating it from time to time, but I’ve never had to actually prepare it… until I got the complete 411 from Tommy:
Step 1
Boil a huge pot of water and prepare an ice bath.
Step 2
Once water is boiling, drop the whole geoduck into the water and boil for 3 complete Mississippi counts.
Step 3
Remove from boiling water and dunk in ice bath.
Step 4
Remove the outer skin of the siphon (phallus-like looking part) by pulling…
and some more stretching…
…and wallah! It is off!
Step 5
Remove shell by cracking it apart.
Step 6
And now you are ready to slice and dice!
Typically, the siphon area is used for geoduck sashimi (most common way of eating it) and everything else is discarded. But Tommy is resourceful and uses a few other parts in a Geoduck Chowder recipe sold at the store. And then of course, he offers those adventurous enough to try the gonads!
My impression…
I thought the gonads were delicious! Tasted like a seafood version of foie gras, if you can imagine it. Creamy and slightly salty. That’s as far as I am going to go…
Then I got to eat something called the “Crystalline Rod” - beats me on what the heck it is. Tommy didn’t know either. Tasted like a salty spaghetti noodle, but instead, it was in the geoduck.
In addition to the geoduck, Jonathan and I ordered fresh oysters shucked right in front of us and the geoduck chowder. Everything was super delicious and Tommy was awesome. Extremely friendly, welcoming, and taught me so much!
They do live demos from time to time, so definitely drop by and grab some fresh oysters if you are around. They also have a hot Happy Hour deal, so bring your friends and come explore. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!
Gonads only in Seattle. Oh, how you never cease to amaze me…