Steaks, hotdogs, and crabs in San Francisco with the family
When you’re with your loved ones, your location or destination becomes secondary. But if you can be in a place that everyone loves, the experience becomes a gift from above. And confirmation of that is you’re surrounded by superb food and ingredients.
I did the same concept with my Japan food tours when I planned my trip to San Francisco. We were surrounded by great food, plus shopping. This could be easily achieved as long as you know where to go.
I love the States because not only do they have an excellent food selection, but they also have some of the best ingredients. I love to cook when I am there.
My daughter Ali planned most of the things on our itinerary. She booked us on a trip to Alcatraz. This place was once a jail to many known criminals like Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, and Bumpy Johnson (American Gangster). Visiting this place reminds one to be a law-abiding citizen. The cells were so tiny and eerie. While waiting for the tour, we walked the streets of the wharf and had hot and thick clam chowder on a sourdough bun. Yummy!
We ate out a lot. We had outstanding meals at House of Prime Rib and Espetus Churrascaria. The latter is a Brazilian restaurant where the waiters come to your table and serve you non-stop with a variety of superior grilled meats until you surrender. It was good but I like to concentrate on a few items at a time. Some meats were better than others.
It also crossed my mind that eating out too often would deplete our “baon” (travel allowance), so I had to cook at home. My sister Mariles brought me to Raymond’s Bakery, which specializes in the most delicious sourdough bread. As soon as I entered the place, ideas raced in my head. Suddenly I was thinking of what to cook. I picked up bags of melba toast and sourdough baguettes and made a pesto dip, which was devoured fast.
One evening, I prepared a dozen French-baked hotdogs for the whole brood of relatives. I boiled Costco hotdogs in water. I then made some mornay sauce to be dabbed on the hotdog. I patted Japanese mayo on the sourdough baguette, placed a slice of crispy bacon on the bread, added the boiled hotdog and a little mornay sauce, then topped it with grated cheese. These, I wrapped in foil and took them to my brother-in-law Louie’s home. When everyone was ready, I baked those babies until the cheese started to brown and bubble. I served the hotdogs with Dijon on the side. Success!
I love the States because not only do they have an excellent food selection, but they also have some of the best ingredients. I love to cook when I am there.
One time, my kids went to the aquarium and were late for a proposed dinner my sister Mariles and I had planned. So, what we did we went to Ranch 99 grocery and bought some live Dungeness crabs. We also grabbed some Sprite, fish tofu, and pea sprouts.
I poured half of the Sprite into the pot, dropped the crabs, and slowly cooked them. While waiting, I sautéed some garlic in olive oil, and added the sliced fish tofu as well as the pea sprouts. I seasoned these with patis and sesame oil and covered them, then waited. After the sprouts shrank a bit, I tossed the veggies and they were done. For the sauce, I just made some crushed garlic on white vinegar with a little magic.
My sister and I ate with our hands and didn’t talk until we finished one crab each. It was so so delicious. We duplicated the meal a few days later. It was one of the most memorable meals of our visit. I plan to do that here in Manila.
I buy my crabs from Rizza of Farmers Market. It's a simple process. I call or text her, and she chooses the freshest crabs for me, I pass by, and she drops my orders inside my Styro, then off I go. Beautiful quality every time. Paid thru Gcash (Rizza | 0917 877 7493)
What a most memorable vacation. Thank you, Lord!
Now I’m back in Manila and I love it!
Happy eating!