Shiraz Restaurant

Shiraz is a Persian food restaurant that I regularly have lunch with my friends. This place makes the best Beef Koobideh I've ever had. Koobideh is a Persian kabab of minced lamb or beef. It is usually served with rice and some grill tomatoes. Ordering the same thing over and over again is not my M.O., but the Koobideh at Shiraz is so damn good that I don't bother with anything else.

My friends and I went to Shiraz yesterday. The waitress recognized us and said, "You don't need the menu, right?" We all nodded in agreement until I changed my mind and said, "Not unless you have something new on the menu." Good thing I asked because she had some recommendations for us: Ash Reshteh and Fesenjoon

Ash Reshteh, I'm told by the waitress, means noodle soup in Farsi. The noodles and soup are complemented with lentils, dill, and few different types of beans. It is vegetarian dish, but the way Shiraz makes it I can taste lamb in it - that's a good thing in my book. This dish is so beautiful I don't even know where to begin. I'm so glad the waitress recommended this dish to us. I think this is my new "go-to" dish at Shiraz.

Fesenjoon is a dish that comprises of chicken chunks smothered in a dark brown sauce made from primarily pomegranate concentrate and walnuts. It is served with a side of rice. It looks very similar to the Mexican Chicken Mole Poblano, but it couldn't taste anymore different. The walnut in the sauce gives it a very rich texture similar to seasame paste or peanut butter and the pomegranate concentrate brings an unexpected, but welcomed tartness to the sauce. A very interesting dish. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to the adventurous foodie in everyone.

Whether it's the Koobideh, the Fesenjoon, the Ash Reshteh, or anything else on their menu they never disappoint. Shiraz has proven to be an outstanding restaurant. It is my favorite in the Tri-Valley area. I only wish there's one closer to where I live. If you're ever in the Pleasanton/San Ramon/Danville area, make sure to stop by Shiraz for a meal. You can thank me later.

Address and Contact Information:
Shiraz Restaurant
21314 San Ramon Valley Blvd
San Ramon, CA 94583
925.829.5558
www.shirazr.com

Yetnal Jajang - Noodles! Noodles! Noodles!

My love affair with noodles began when I was able to eat solid foods. I enjoy noodles in all shape, size, and form. Wheat, rice, vermicelli, pasta, in soup, in sauce, stir fried, baked - it doesn't matter, I'll try it at least once so I'm always on the lookout for a good noodle shops.

I recently found one near the Berkeley/Oakland border. It's called Yetnal Jajang. It's a Korean noodle shops. There are no frills at this place. Their menu isn't awfully complex and that's a good thing. They stick with what they're good at - noodles. It's comfort food. The experience is just beautiful.

I highly recommend the Ja Jang Myun from Yetnal Jajang. Most Asian food has it's own version of this famous dish which I believe is all based on the Chinese Zha Jiang Mian. In a nutshell, this dish is basically noodles served with fermented soybean sauce. Though the sauce can vary significantly in look and flavor, the key similarity is the sauce is always soybean based. The Korean version (Ja Jang Myun) of this dish is very distinctive because of it's dark brown, almost black, soybean sauce. It's one of my favorites because of its elegant simplicity. The smoothness of the sauce and well-balanced flavor just blends so well with the noodles that it's hard not to order it every time I see it on any menu. The soybean sauce and the noodles are typically served separately so that patrons can decide how much sauce they want with their noodles. There are a couple other choices for noodles at Yetnal Jajang, but I believe it is an absolute mistake to go there for the first time without ordering their Ja Jang Myun.


Address and Contact Information:
Yetnal Jajang Korean Noodles
4390 Telegraph Ave
Oakland, CA 94620 (510) 652-3900

Leap in the Mouth

I was recently in Palo Alto's Il Fornaio having dinner with a couple of friends. We were looking over the menu trying to decide what to order. I saw Saltimbocca Alla Romana on the menu and I said, "Saltimbocca...I had this before. It's good." One of my friends chimed in, "Yeah, that's good. Saltimbocca...means leap in the mouth."

Well, I can't pass up something so good that it leaps in the mouth so I ordered it. When the dish came I was expecting the Saltimbocca to leap in my mouth by itself, but to my disappointment that didn't happen. Luckily my disappointment ended there - Il Fornaio's Saltimbocca Alla Romana was absolutely amazing.

Saltimbocca Alla Romana is classic Roman dish. It's veal topped with prosciutto and sage. Here's is the recipe. Honestly, any dish with those things as the key ingredients has no reason to be anything less than delicious and Il Fornaio's Saltimbocca is one of the better if not the best I've had. So take advantage of the holiday season - take your family or friends to Il Fornaio for some Roman "leap in the mouth".


Address and Contact Information:
Il Fornaio
520 Cowper Street
(at the Garden Court Hotel)
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Phone: 650.853.3888
http://www.ilfornaio.com

What's your Traveler IQ?

Ever wonder how many places you are familiar with. There's this game that gives you a name of a place and challenges you to mark it on a map - speed and accuracy matters. It will display your "Traveler IQ" once the game is over. My wife and I wasted a good amount of time on this game. Find out how many places you can place on the map. Follow this url to play the game:

http://www.travelpod.com/traveler-iq

It's not Sorbet, it's Sorbetto

I'm shopping in Walnut Creek, CA. I've already walked past Gelateria Naia a few times now and each time I thought to myself I will give this gelato joint a try the next time. I finally did it this time.

Conclusion; Gelateria Naia is place where someone can get some really great ice cream. I ordered Kiwi flavor and I asked the clerk, "So the Kiwi...it's not gelato it's sorbet right?" and the clerk responded, "Sir, it's not Sorbet, it's Sorbetto." Oh, I'm sorry, didn't mean to push you off your high chair Mr. Sorbetto, but isn't Sorbetto just Italian for Sorbet? Well, my lack of familiarity with Italian language forced me to bite my tongue and not be my usual smart-ass self. Turns out there is a subtle difference according to this article - glad I kept my mouth shut.

Gelateria Naia is definitely not your run-of-the-mill great ice cream joint like Loard's or ColdStone. Their gelato and sorbetto are very true and pure to the flavor - meaning the kiwi sorbetto at Gelateria Naia practically tastes like kiwi and their chestnut gelato actually tastes like chestnuts. But the thing that stands out the most for me is the variety of unique flavors offered - here are some examples: Kiwi, Green Apple, Nutella, Chestnut, and Pecan.

If you're expecting traditional ice cream here, you'll probably be caught off guard, though I'm sure their vanilla or chocolate gelato are awesome too (I don't usually get traditional flavors so I don't know first hand). If you're looking for something a little different, Gelateria Naia will knock your socks off.

Gelateria Naia
1245 north broadway
walnut creek, ca 94596
925.943.1905
http://www.gelaterianaia.com/

Hotels do not wash their cups and glasses

My friend came across an investigative report that shows hotels do not wash their cups and glasses. Hopefully such exposure will get the hotels to change this practice. In the meantime, please watch this video and take the necessary precaution when traveling. Here's the video:



[ Original Article: Don't Ever Drink From Hotel Glasses ]

A very unique perspective about the Story of Oedipus

You have to read the essay titled Planes, Trains, and Plantains. It's apparently about the story of Oedipus. The author brings a very unique perspective. Just read it because I don't know how to explain it any other way. It's too funny - the author must have been high.

[Planes, Trains, and Plantains: http://static.scribd.com/docs/iyf3q21g5duht.swf]