Tag Archives: beef

House of Prime Rib

Posted in San Francisco by

My dad loves prime rib, so on his birthday, my siblings and I decided to treat him to none other than House of Prime Rib. Generally, reservations are hard to come by (reservations should be made two months in advance) but we called a week before and were able to get a table for seven. Note: They will not seat you until the whole party is present, even if guests are in the restroom. We had a bit of difficulty from the hostess for this.

Now don’t get HOPR confused with other steakhouses, as they serve nothing but PRIME RIB! The pre-fixe meal includes salad, mashed potatoes or baked potato, yorkshire pudding, creamed spinach or creamed corn, and your choice of cut of prime rib. They offer four different cuts of prime rib: City, House of Prime Rib, English, and King Henry VIII. The City cut is a smaller portion of the HOPR cut. The House of Prime Rib cut is their standard cut. The English cut is multiple thin cuts of meat. The King Henry VIII is a generous extra thick cut. If you have kids, they also offer a children size cut. Or if you don’t want meat, they also offer fresh fish.

The salad is prepared at your table like a show. It consists of romaine lettuce with beets, goat cheese and their unique dressing, which tastes like thousand island.img_0443e
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Porfirio’s

Posted in Cancun by

When people suggest going to nice, fancy Mexican restaurants, I always balk because, to me, Mexican food should always be cheap, greasy, and come from a hole in the wall type of establishment. Of all the fancy Mexican places I’ve been to, I find they are too commercialized and don’t hold that authentic flavor you find from the cheaper places. Porfirio’s, a gourmet Mexican restaurant in Cancun, was recommended to me by the hotel concierge at the Westin Lagunamar. Since this recommendation was coming from a local, I went against my judgment and decided to give it a try. Boy, did it not disappoint!

The decor of this establishment was perfect for a romantic date. The indoor seating is lighted with candles and dim lighting to set the mood. Outdoors, they have seating on the patio next to the water fountains and dock.To start the night, I tried the Josefina de guayaba (guava) and mango. These drinks were made with mezcal, which is distilled from an agave plant. The liquor definitely showed through the mango but not the guava one. Continue reading →

Ijji

Posted in San Francisco by

Ijji recently opened in February but don’t wait too long to snag a spot. This traditional sushi restaurant is small and can seat about 16 people at a time. A credit card is required to hold your reservations. If you cancel, they will charge $100 per person so be certain you can make your reservations. Tip: go early to find parking. Ijji is located on Divisadero so street parking is tough to find. I was half an hour late because I was spending 30 minutes looking for parking. Luckily, I called the restaurant to let them know I was late looking for parking, and they were very accommodating. The restaurant is hard to spot since there is no sign outside but look for the wooden door.

I was seated at the bar and thoroughly enjoyed watching the chefs prepare the fish. I noticed the fish was stored in bamboo boxes instead of lined up on the counter. Every time the chef opened the box, I felt like like a giddy kid trying to peek inside a box of chocolates. I tried not to do this every time since all (chefs’) eyes are on you when you sit at the counter. Yes, even when you’re eating.

 The menu only offers appetizers, nigiri and sashimi. I went with the omakase option. Menu said it came with 10 items and an appetizer for market price. I assumed it was an appetizer and 10 pieces of nigiri. However, it turned out to be an appetizer and 9 pieces of nigiri. Looking back, I would have opted for ordering from the menu instead since the omakase was the same price as each nigiri combined. All the fish was fresh but I personally would have been fine going without a few of the “omakase” selections. I also opted to add a few pieces in the end.

We added the ankimo nitsuke to the omakase. It is ankimo (monkfish liver) marinated overnight in a soy broth. It tasted like salty, soy ankimo. I personally preferred the sweetness of the regular ankimo.

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Kitchen Story

Posted in San Francisco by

Brunch is the most important meal on the weekends, and if you’re in San Francisco, it’s the only meal that matters on the weekend. Expect to wait at least over an hour at the latest trending brunch spot. Kitchen Story is no exception, but it’s worth the wait.

The french toast is two layers with marscapone cream in between, dipped in batter, fried, and topped with fresh fruit. This dish is decadent but not overwhelmingly sweet like most french toast. I wanted to finish it all, however I was sharing, so out of politeness, I refrained.

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Don’t forget to order the millionaire bacon. It’s sweet, salty and spicy all in one bite.IMG_7942- cropped

The belly rancheros with slow cooked Kurobata pork belly, avocado, arugula, and Kimchi pico de gallo over corn tortillas were amazing! The Kimich pico de gallo was more like a green sauce than a pico de gallo, but the flavor burst put this dish over the top. Everything coated with this sauce tasted delicious and helped balance the sweetness of the pork belly. Dreaming of the sauce now!
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The open face breakfast with a Wagyu patty, spinach, mushroom, white cheddar and two eggs sunny side up reminded me of loco moco.  This dish wasn’t bad but the AMAZINGNESS of the other two plates made this one lackluster.
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(3499 16th St., San Francisco, CA 94114)

John Mueller Meat Co.

Posted in Austin by

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The one thing on my Texas bucket list was BBQ. I was starving and drooling while reading reviews of the best BBQ in Austin. They all said to be prepared to wait in line for hours. Not one or two but FIVE. Luckily, but not really, most BBQ joints were closed on Mondays. The only one with good reviews and open on Monday was John Mueller Meat Co. I soon came to learn John Mueller is the heir of BBQ.

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When I arrived, the wait was only 20 mins. For those who have never ordered BBQ in Texas, the cooked meat is sold by the half pound. This can be a pro or con depending on if you order ribs. I followed suit of those in front of me and grabbed an empty tray when I got up to the window. The guy threw down a piece of butcher paper on the tray. He plopped my order of beef rib, brisket, and siracha coleslaw on my tray, and I headed to the next window to pay.

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Piroshky, Piroshky


I didn’t learn of pirozhkies until this trip to Seattle. They are Russian baked buns with a meat or vegetable filing. They remind me of Spanish empanadas. You can find Piroshky, Piroshky a few stores down from the original Starbucks. Be sure to stop by and grab a mid-day snack. You won’t regret it. 

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There will be small line but it moves quickly. They offer sweet, meat or vegetable pirozhkies. I went twice, and each time, I got a savory pirozhki.

The salmon pate is adorably shaped like a fish. The bread was amazing. Its sweetness balanced the smoked salmon and cream cheese filling.

The beef and onion reminded me of Porto’s potato balls but with a flaky crust.

(Pike Place Market, 1908 Pike Place, Seattle, WA 98101)

Karne Garibaldi

Posted in Guadalajara by

Karne Garibaldi is known for its fast service. Once you put in your order, the food appears like magic. I loved their re-fried beans with white corn. They also can it and sell it worldwide. I will be on the look out for this next time I’m grocery shopping.

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They keep their menu simple by offering only a few dishes. Their signature dish is carne en su jugo (meat in its juice), which comes in three different sizes: small, medium, or large. I got the small, which was the perfect size for me. I loved the added bacon. Toss in some onion, cilantro, lime juice, and grilled onions, dip a tortilla in the juice and you’ve got yourself a tasty meal.

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Don’t forget to wash it down with some of Guadalajara’s finest beer. Modelo is brewed and packaged in Guadalajara.

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(Carretera a Tesistán, Av. Juan Gil Preciado 1999, Parques Zapopan, 45138 Zapopan, Jal., Mexico)

Yakiniku Hiroshi

Posted in Oahu by

A hidden gem in Hawaii, this restaurant offers delicious meat varieties from Japan and the US for a wonderful yakiniku experience. We were able to call 30 minutes ahead and book reservations. The restaurant was not packed or loud so you get to enjoy your meal in peace. A personal touch to the restaurant were the walls, which are signed by famous people and past customers.

You have the option to order each cut of meat individually or from a set course. They have two course options: gold ($60/person) or premium ($123/person). We ordered the gold option and had no regrets. 

The meal begins with kimchee (pickled cabbage), nori (seaweed), pickled sides (carrots, radishes, spinach, and bean sprouts), and salad. The house made salad was light and refreshing with the apples

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Next came the juicy USDA prime ribeye.

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The beef tongue was a thicker cut than I have had before but it was delicious.

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The blue shrimp is cooked in a garlic butter sauce in a copper pot. If you cook it wrong, the staff will come over and correct the cooking method.

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I LOVED their deep fried garlic. I even requested to box what I couldn’t finish to take home with me.

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On the left is the toro kalbi (short rib) and on the right is the skirt steak. The skirt steak was juicy, tender and full of umami.  Overall, all the meat just melted in your mouth. 

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The meal ended with frozen cream puffs, but at this point, I was too full to enjoy these. 

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This meal was definitely worth $60/ person. 

(339 Royal Hawaiian Ave #2, Honolulu, HI 96815)

KoJa Kitchen

Move out of the way ramen burger, rice patty burgers are in town. Koja Kitchen features a fusion of Korean and Japanese rice patty burgers. My favorites are the marinated kalbi (short rib), which is pictured above, or bulgolgi (brisket) sandwiches. The rice patties keep you full, and it keeps its shape throughout your enjoyment.

Normally sold in a food truck parked at the Truck Stop in the alley between Mission and First, they now have a brick and mortar shop in Berkeley. You can also pre order online for the Berkeley location. Below is a map of all their locations.

Tsurugyu (蔓牛)

Posted in Osaka by

Kobe beef refers to the Tajima strain of wagyu beef, therefore, only wagyu from Kobe, Japan can be called kobe.

Tsurugyu is known for its grade A Kobe beef. This place is amazing melt in your mouth goodness. Be ready to drool over the following epic food. 

Placing the hot, fiery coals to grill the luscious meat. 

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The most delicious cow tongue, which is then dipped in lemon, salt and pepper dipping sauce.

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Two cuts of rib eye steak full of natural umami. 

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Close up natural beauty shot.

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Melt in your mouth kalbi (short rib).

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Marinated belly goodness.

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Cold handmade noodle soup.

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To end the meal, they provided an ume (plum) tea and matcha green tea.

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Overall, this was the best meal I had in Japan.

We were lucky and got to sit at the counter and watch the chef prepare the meat. He also kept an eye on us to ensure we didn’t overcook any of the precious meat, which was fine with me since I believe the chef knows all. All of the beef was rich and melted in your mouth. Each cut of meat had a special dipping sauce, so it was swapped out with every cut of meat. All of this cost about 60 USD per person, which is cheap for kobe wagyu. A must try when in Osaka.

(3 Chome-5-14 KawarayamachiChuo Ward, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture 542-0066Japan)