*Warning* Genius, at work~

yeah yeah, So I've been busy over winter break ok? I went back to my English home kitchen, then to Porto, then back to my family in California- Manresa. I do miss the kitchen terribly. The warmth of the bonnet.... so comforting! The way everything flows in and out of the kitchen- people COMMUNICATING with each other... why can't all life function this way?

One of the greatest things about coming home was being around Chef Kinch. An artist, a teacher, a mentor and an incredible confident. Thank you Manresa for a wonderful Winter break and letting me come back! Miss you all terribly.

Manresa
320 Village Lane
Los Gatos, CA 95030-7218
(408) 354-4330
Closed Monday and Tuesday

Last Supper..

For my last meal before I headed off to Switzerland, I decided I really needed to get some good mexican grub.

Since Nick's Crispy Taco is in the city and I had a craving for Fish Tacos, this was the instant winner.
Needless to say- this is my favorite fish taco joint in SF. Yes, It is much better then Rubios. Needless to say if you use good ingredients, you just get good tasty grub.
The guacamole is delicious, creamy- everything I love about avocados.
One taco with their sweet, smoky, spicy hot sauce is always enough to fill me up. An obvious delicious last meal choice (besides Stan's donuts...)

Nick's Crispy Taco
1500 Broadway
San Francisco, CA 94109-2516
(415) 409-8226
just past broadway tunnel

The most amazing thing I've ever eaten.. EVER.

As I have become obsessed with finding the perfect Donut, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the best thing I've ever eaten in my entire life is a.. Donut!

Stan's Donut is located off of Homestead and San Tomas Expressway in San Clara, California. It all started when my brother and his fiance were going to come down and visit me for a quick breakfast. I yelped Donut shops and found.. Stan's! After consulting my executive chef (whose eyes lit up like a kid in a candy shop when I mentioned thinking about going to Stan's), I knew I found the right place to go get these delectable morning treats. I also knew that I had to wake up bright and early in the morning to get a fresh, just fried morsel.
I drove by the plaza 3 times before finding the tucked away shop. Pulling up at 7am, I saw the old Donut master, dressed as he does everyday in all white, with a white cap at his work bench through the window.
The smell of fried goodness covered in a crispy thin sweet coating of sugar wafted through the air as I got out of my car. I opened the door to the store and the smell hit me like a brick wall. Instantly my mouth began to water. Beautiful, fluffy piles of yeast dough rest on his work bench as he punched out buttermilk donuts. Looking at how elastic the dough was, I could see that these were going to be really fluffy donuts.. but would it be a pocket of air or real fluffiness?

I patiently waited as a batch of yeast Donuts were just being turned over to finish frying. I sat down at the counter and ordered a hot chocolate. The fried beauties came out of the fryer and onto the glazing station. A minute to cool and a quick glaze and the Donuts were ready to go. A piping hot Donut was placed in front of me. I quickly ripped into the Donut and found.. Heaven.
The Donut was so crisp on the outside by so fluffy in the middle. Steam billowed out of the donut as the soft, cotton candy like dough melted in my mouth. It was bliss. I instantly took another piece and and let it melt in my mouth.
I understood. I understood why when I asked JP if anything else in San Francisco was a must go eat like Stan's Donut's were and he said no. This was more then amazing. This was the best thing I've ever eaten. I bought a dozen more.

I have a confession. I bought a dozen +1. I had to have another in the car on the way home..Shhh don't tell anyone!!!

The best Donut EVER:
Stan's Donut
2628 Homestead Rd
Santa Clara, CA 95051, United States
Hours are 6am to 3pm.

Get there early. Chocolate donuts can be called in and ordered ahead of time. You will never see them sitting out on the rack. Expect to wait for yeast donuts. It is worth it it wait 15 minutes for a fresh batch up just fried donuts- I promise your expectations will not be failed.

*sigh* I want Stan's now!!!

Oyster Shucking in Tomales Bay

I had the great pleasure of going Oyster shucking at Hog Island Oyster Company the other day. I've never been up to Tomales Bay despite having lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for so long.
The drive upto Tomales is a beautiful calming drive that takes you through San Rafael, Point Reyes Station and up the coast of Tomales Bay.

I met the crew at the Hog Island Oyster Company in Marshall- population 50!!!
At Hog Island, numerous different types of Oysters can be purchased in huge sacks. You are giving a glove, a shucking knife, a tray and have at it!

We did bring our own goodies to enjoy with the oysters- bread, cheese, wine, grapes and of course Tobasco sauce.
Besides the traditional raw oysters, we also bbqed oysters

"oyster stew surf and turf" butter, lemon juice and salumi

Michelin Ratings

What does the Michelin Star rating mean? The oldest restaurant rating system was originally created for hotel restaurants as a guide for travelers . 3 stars represents a restaurant that has exceptional cuisine and worth a detour, 2 stars represents a restaurant that has excellent cuisine and worth a detour and 1 star a restaurant that is interesting. After some research, I found it really hard to find the criteria in which the ratings are determined.
Based on the rating system, the assumption would be that a two star restaurant would have superior food to a one star restaurant. I had the opportunity to eat at restaurant Michael Mina in San Francisco ( 2 michelin stars).
Although the food was good (we had the taster menu) I can't say that the food was "excellent in cuisine". Although the food was seasoned well, nothing about the food screamed in my mouth.
One of the dishes that we had was a soft shell crab with heirloom tomatoes. Although the food was seasoned (a little too salty)for my liking- compared to Benares( one michelin star) in London's soft shell crab dish- Michael Mina's could not stand up. Course after course, the food was cooked well and seasoned well but there was nothing spectacular about the food. When paying that much for a meal, I expect the food to dance on my tongue and play with my senses.

The decor of the restaurant was wonderful. Soft sea foam green colors with circle patterns being subtly repeated in the carpeting, napkins, table settings etc. The service was impeccable (I even got a 30 second tour of the kitchen during dinner rush). The most impressive thing about the restaurant was that they did two full turns on a Sunday night! Deep did remind me that the 2008 Michelin star rating did just come out which always helps with reservations!
So how is it that Michael Mina's restaurant gets two stars and Benares gets one if the food in my opinion at Benares was just as good if not better (the service definitely was not.. in my opinion, the maitre d' at Benares should not be in his position that he was in)? Is it the difference in service and decor? If so, then the criteria by which michelin rates should be adjusted to note this. Has Michelin ratings become a money making machine? One must remember ultimately that the michelin star rating guide is some one's opinion and merely that- an opinion.