In my final post in Hong Kong, I wanted to share a few classic dishes and establishments that highlight the excellence of Cantonese cuisine.

The classic dim sum dish that most people know is shrimp dumplings or in cantonese "har gow".   Go ahead and try saying it at your next dim sum meal.  The ones at Fook Lam Moon are among the best with larger than average prawns wrapped by a delicate wrapper.  These are US$2 a piece which is definitely on the pricier side in Hong Kong but definitely worth it if you are looking for the best.

For my vegetarian friends out there, Fan Tang Restaurant offers the most incredible vegetarian dumpling with mushrooms, carrots, Chinese parsley, chives, water chestnuts, chinese black fungus finely diced and enclosed by an almost translucent dumpling wrapper.  A definite contender amongst the pork and shrimp varieties out there.

In the past few days, I have become acutely aware that Cantonese vegetable dishes are never salads or just sauteed with garlic but rather a complex mix of flavors and textures that have the potential to outshine the main dishes.  I actually learned a lot about different Asian vegetables and their western counter parts whilst researching for this post. Here are a few of those dishes.

1. Fan Tang restaurant's- gai lan (Chinese broccoli) prepared two ways in a hot pot.  The leaves from gai lan are chopped to a chiffonade then flash fried.  The slightly bitter stalks are stir fried with a fragrant mixture of ginger garlic, dried shrimp and dried scallops.  Once the stalks are barely tender, the vegetables are finished in the hot pot (pictured) and tossed with the fried leaves.

2.  Fook Lam Moon restaurant's- Boiled yin choy (like spinach but much tastier!) in a simple broth with salty duck egg, 1000 year old egg, and scrambled egg whites.  Simple yet flavorful.

3.  Chariot Club restaurant- Tong Sang Choy (Chinese romaine lettuce).  The greens are sauteed with garlic, chilis and fu yu- which is a fermented tofu paste and finished in a sizzling hot pot.  Fu yu is another acquired taste but will put you in a league with locals along side the 1000year old egg challenge.

Every time I come to Hong Kong, I insist on eating steamed whole fish and virtually all seafood restaurants will have this option as this is classic Cantonese.  It's simple preparation results in such a powerful and delicious meal, that pairs perfectly with a bowl of white rice. The texture of the fish is soft and flaky like chilean sea bass, steamed till perfection, with the flavor from the bones really shining through.  The final dish is dressed with sliced green onions, ginger, a splash of hot oil, and is swimming in a sea of sweet soy sauce.  I have yet to conquer the eyeball but the fish cheek is the best part!

See you all back in NYC :)

Denver Wrap Up Part III

Well since my plans have changed and I am not leaving for at least another month.  I will be eating my way through the Denver in which case you can expect at least one or two more wrap ups.

Last week at Civic center eats (Tues/Thurs 11-2pm), i sampled Mythos Greek Pork Souvlaki sandwich on a warm pita with tazatziki sauce, tomatoes red onions and FRENCH FRIES! The pita was soft and chewy but the pork was slightly dry and the sandwich could have benefited from alittle more crunch (think romaine lettuce!).  I also sampled the Pabellon Arepa from Quiero Arepas which has shredded beef, black beans, plantains and cheese.  The arepa was slightly too thin and crispy and the shredded beef was oily but i do love plantains.

The spicy tuna burger at Deluxe burger is diced and marinated with asian spices and loads of hoisin sauce and cooked to a nice medium rare.  Topped with a cucumber salad and cilantro leaves, this is a delicious and different burger if you need a break from all those land locked meats.

Snooze, one of my two all time favorite brunch spots (the other being watercourse) in denver has never disappointed me.  I even captured a pic of my bella bella benny, blueberry pancake to share and my roommate's breakfast tacos with hashbrowns inside the tortillas!

On the west side of town lacking a much needed froyo place, my favorite and hole in the wall US Thai Cafe in Edgewater neighborhood.   Delicious plate of pad thai.  They need to decide on what "mild" is because last time it definitely packed some heat, but this time "mild" meant no heat.

A friend suggested Yazoo bbq at the crazy corner intersection of 21st, Broadway and Champa in my quest to find good bbq here in Denver.  Another hole in the wall, this place was packed on a workday lunch, as i decided on the 2 ribs and 1/8 pound of both pork shoulder and brisket.  The ribs and pork shoulder were both standouts in terms of smoke flavor and tenderness but the brisket was just average with too many burnt ends.  I like that there were squeeze bottles of "sweet" "hot" or "super hot" bbq sauce so i could customize the amount of sauce on my meat.

In the 4 years i've been around, i don't remember walking the saturday cherry creek farmers market mostly because i don't care about organic overpriced produce and large crowds.  But somehow there is less grocery stuff and loads of prepared foods and free samples!  We sampled our way through dips, spreads, cakes and breads.  A few memorable ones came from waffle cakes and all of quick breads samples from outrageous baking (pumpkin, lemon poppyseed, chocolate zucchini).  Normally we expect burritos, tacos, sandwiches,  easy foods at a farmers' market but i wasn't expecting paella provided by the stand from le central.  For a mere $8 you got a "small" box of piping hot saffron scented rice cooked with chicken, pork, shrimp, bay scallops, mussels, chorizo and a myriad of classic paella veggies.  Excellent and cheap!

I've talked alot about Dim Sum particularly at star kitchen, an amazing family style brunch of steamed dumplings and super delicious buns stuffed with both savory and sweet fillings.  Classic "har gow" shrimp dumplings (upper right) and "siu mai" pork and shrimp dumplings (bottom right) plus not so classic ones such as tripe stew (bottom left) and tofu skin wrapped with pork and variety of black fungi (mushrooms!).

Then there is one bun the size of your fist that will put a smile on a anyone on their first dim sum experience.  The "pineapple bun" (crust is pineapple like?) is a baked sweet bread filled with an egg custard.  Perfect at the end of the meal or as an afternoon snack but always a winner!

top 10 fast casual

With our lives becoming increasingly hectic, we (including myself) hardly have to time to sit and enjoy a full on meal.  I define fast casual as made to order meals that can be enjoyed in less than 20 minutes, 30 if you are a snail.

This list is in no particular order.

1.  Bombay Bowl-  A southeast asian style chipotle with recognizable sauces such as Korma, Tikka and Saag served with choice of meats (or tofu), basmati rice, chutneys and veggies.  Get the warm chewy naan bread for an extra $1.  The kid size will satisfy an average appetite, too bad there is currently only one location in South Denver off of Arapahoe.

2.  Garbanzos- A mediterranean style chipotle with the crunchy falafel ball to chomp on while you instruct the "food designer" ( i believe that is what they call em these days) to build your wrap or bowl filled with classics such as hummus, tabbouleh, babaganoush and your choice of meats and sauces.  Served with a warm white or wheat pita.

3.  Pho 79 or 95 on Federal
People debate as to which is better, i think they are both excellent.  Softball or basketball sized bowls of steaming beef broth flavored with asians spices with choice cuts of meat including rare beef, brisket, tendon and vietnamese meatballs (note:  this is not like an italian meatball, but more like a chinese fish ball...if you know what that is like....).  Served with a pile of additions such as thai basil, jalapenos, limes and raw beansprouts, these places are amazing on a frigid day.  P.S if you don't eat red meat, this probably isn't the place for you, i don't think the chicken version is quite the same, but thats just me.

4.  Santiagos
Before I moved to Colorado, I had no idea as to what breakfast burritos or green chile were.  But after enjoying many of them during professional development sessions at school,  I am so glad I do.  For $2 you can enjoy this handheld gem of a soft flour tortilla filled with shredded potatoes, eggs, and green chili and the daily meat (ham, sausage or chorizo (my fav)).  The are many locations in the denver area but I've been going to the one on 25th and Federal and it has yet to disappoint me.

5.  Parsley
My former roommate described the odd combination of tuna, miso, sesame seeds and sriracha in this sandwich located off of speer and 11th which certainly peaked my interest the first time around.  Now I am loyal patron of this sandwich shop,  mind you this place is not cheap especially their organic apple and carrot juice which runs at least $4 for 16oz.

6.  Masterpiece deli
A top 10 best new restaurant from a couple years back, this place continues to churn out great sandwiches, salads and soups.  Still a bit pricey but absolutely worth it.  Don't miss the fried egg sandwiches with the roasted wild mushrooms or the popular smoked turkey sandwich with brie, pears, arugula and cranberry honey on toasted wheat bread.

7.  El Taco de Mexico
Not the most asthetically pleasing restaurant, but this yellow shack in the santa fe art district makes authentic tacos.  My favorite is the beef tongue with cilantro and raw onions on 3 corn tortillas.

8.  Dim Sum at Star Kitchen
Yes there are waiters, but don't be fooled by this place.  The dim sum (chinese brunch tapas) sit in bamboo containers ready to be enjoyed by hungry patrons.  Come before 10:30 to avoid a long wait and you can be happy and full on your way out in less than 30.  Promise.

9.  Thai food cart
This unique food cart owned is operated by a tiny asian lady who works in an elevated glass/metal kitchen stirfrying authentic lunch orders for the business crowd.  Yummy pad thai on the go!


10.  Still in the hunt for delicious southern style bbq.....if you have suggestions, i would love to hear them

breakfast east and west

EAST
dim sum at star kitchen this weekend was mostly disappointing, the covering of har gow (shrimp dumpling) was falling a part and the pineapple buns were stiff.  The only highlight was the glutinous rice in a lotus leaf which had nice chunks of pork, mushroom and salty egg.  I hope this is just a phase.....


WEST
$2 breakfast burritos from Santiago's, a homegrown chain famous for their green chile.  I visited the one on 25th and Federal which includes a makeshift drive through.  The tortilla was filled with egg, cheese, chorizo and half and half (mild and hot) green chile.  So satisfying! Westword and 5280 were both right on target for best breakfast burrito!

Plate score:9.5

And we're back

After what I consider a whirlwind of a summer, I am back and officially on the prowl for new and interesting eats in order to maintain my sanity in the midst of AP biology madness.  There is a new feature where my blog can automatically send out updates of new posts.  So I apologize if this is of no interest to you and I will not be offended if you unsubscribe.

To highlight and celebrate the first 2 weeks of school:

Star kitchen for Dim Sum- the closest (well not that close) you'll get to the real stuff in hong kong

Beatrice and Woodsley on South Broadway had great ambiance for those of you who consider atmosphere essential to a memorable dining experience. The interior design reminded me of being in a forest at dawn (not that i've been in that situation many times). The menu is even more eclectic, from dishes such escargot to pimento cheese cheesecake(appetizer) and pork belly. The most memorable dish was the single giant scallop perfectly pan seared served atop housemade cornbread and a pepper slaw. Other things that were just ok include the crawfish beignets (too stiff and had a weird star anise flavor) and the duck 3 ways (too many peppercorns, the breast was overcooked and chewy, and the confit was too salty and less than lukewarm). B&W was a top 10 best new restaurant a few years back....makes me wonder

Plate score: 6.5

Katch next to one of my favorite coffee places in capitol hill serves up casual take out seafood specialties. The prices are on the high end with sandwiches ranging from $8-$15 (the lobster roll) and dinner plates starting at $11. I settled for the catfish po boy and boy I was pleasantly suprised at what I got. The catfish was blackened and cooked to perfection, the seasoning making a statement on the 5oz of fish. Served on a toasted hoagie roll with the angry tartar sauce(little kick) and crunchy coleslaw, it tasted fresh, not fishy at all and certainly paired well with the homemade old bay chips.

Plate score: 9

Taste of Colorado

Great atmosphere, fun as always but not my choice for culinary adventures

Sushi Den- consistently top notch that I went twice in one week. People say sushi sasa has them beat, I disagree and I believe many food editors would concur.

Plate score-10

Marco's coal fire pizza- When Marco's first opened, I thought it was top notch, but on a more recent visit, our specialty pie of provolone, ricotta, mozzarella, tomato and basil pizza was not up to par. There were merely 3 shriveled basils on the entire pie and the ricotta was not evenly distributed. My favorite part of Marco's pizza is the crust, however, the crust on our pie tasted burnt yet the ends of slices were super thin and very flimsy, unable to properly support the large chunks of ricotta. The flavor wasn't terrible, but we definitely both left saying we've had better.....

Plate score 6

Star kitchen

Dim sum at star kitchen off federal and mississippi was AMAZING as usual, assorted steamed dumplings, buns, tripe, lotus leaf rice....delicious. I left full and happy for less than $13 including tip

Plate score: 10!

Crepes n Crepes

Across the street from the cheesecake factory on the 16th street mall, I had a savory crepe filled with ratatouille (veggie mix of eggplant, tomatoes, onions, squash). The ratatouille was chunky but nothing spectacular, but the real star was definitely the wheat crepe. The texture was slightly chewy reminiscent of a thinner naan bread that held up nicely to the liquid from the ratatouille. Overall a satisfying meal for just under $10.

Plate score: 7