Food Trippin' -- Orlando/Taiwan/Japan/Texas Edition

Hey strangers -- way overdue on this one.  This was probably supposed to be several different posts, but life happens! Anyway, there are too many pictures and too many meals to go over from my past three trips, so I'll try to only include the highlights (but really, in Taiwan/Japan, isn't it just a continuous, gluttonous, glorious highlight? Yes.).



First up -- Disney World! The Happiest Place on Earth.  I try to go back every year, and this time was special because it was to celebrate my little nephew's 3rd birthday!

Typically, when my sister and I go, we usually try to snack as much as possible -- yes, a turkey leg is considered a snack.  Preferably followed by a Dole whip -- but this time we actually ate at several sit down locations.

Some of my favorites include the character dining breakfast at Cape May, located at the Beach Club resort and Akershus, the Norwegian restaurant in Epcot that does Princess dining.  Mickey-shaped waffles will always win my heart, and the Norwegian place had a "salad" buffet that accompanied every entree.  I put that in quotes because salad sounds lame, and this buffet was anything but.  It had goodies like smoked salmon - another heartwinner - and cold cuts and awesome cheese..oh my!


We also went to Beaches & Cream to try the kitchen sink, but they wouldn't take us since it was late and we had no reservation.  We got the Mickey sinks instead, which was almost better since we got to keep the little sinks.




Now, for the Taiwan/Japan trip.  I could go on and on about the food, but I'll just hit some of my favorite meals.

OF COURSE, the MUST HAVE meal in Taiwan -- Din Tai Fung.  I dream about those 18-folded little beauties.  I could eat xiaolongbao every day.  And if for some reason, I were ever to get tired of it, any of their other dumplings or noodles or side dishes would do just fine, as well.

By the way.  Japan has the most expensive fruit I have ever seen.  But, it's also the most delicious fruit! I don't know what causes these grapes to be $30 a bunch, but it's worth it.  It didn't even taste like a green grape, it tasted like the sweetest muscadine ever. 

We did a hot spring tour, so we stayed mostly at onsen hotels.  Which was amazing and incredibly relaxing, as we just walked around in our yukata.  It basically is the life I want to live -- neverending Japanese food and no pants, ever. 

I really enjoyed our sukiyaki meal, and the funny thing is, it was at some water park.  It was my first time, usually I eat hot pot shabu shabu style, where you can drink the broth.  Sukiyaki is where you put raw veggies and meat in a broth that's too salty to drink, but it flavors the ingredients really well. We then dipped it in fresh, raw egg and ate it over rice.  YUM.

Also, in Sapporo, the piggy part of my family decided to, after our scheduled tour dinner, go for dinner #2 at Ramen Row.  We walked back and forth and ended up choosing the one with Anthony Bourdain's face outside, and of course it was delicious.  I was the only one to finish my bowl -- it was painful, but worth it :)

And, finally.  For the Texas trip, I'm just going to post up this picture of all the fried goodies we ate at the Texas State Fair.  Luckily, there were four of us, so it was generally pretty easy to try everything we wanted to try!....Until I wanted to get the BACON WRAPPED TURKEY LEG (so good).

Going clockwise: fried spaghetti and meatball, fried red velvet cupcake, mangonata (mango drink with chili powder), sriracha balls, bacon wrapped turkey leg, fried PB & J (favorite)

Going clockwise: fried Thanksgiving dinner, buffalo chicken, fried gulf shrimp boil, fried pumpkin spice oreos, luau chicken, amazeballs (chocolate cake balls with maple syrup and bacon)

Sigh, so hungry.  Hope you all have a delicious and wonderful Thanksgiving!

Taiwanese Eats: Ah-ma's Taiwanese Kitchen

More Taiwanese food love is happening in Atlanta, you guys.  To my surprise, another Taiwanese restaurant (Ah-Ma's Taiwanese Kitchen) opened up in Midtown, and this tiny place has been a Yelp darling ever since it opened. AND a must-go spot on my stomach's map!!

I did make myself go a couple of times (once with the mama) before writing this, and their menu is pretty small, so I've just about tried everything.  General opinion?  Solid place, and I'll be back for some very specific things.  

First, I will state this: I agree with some of the negative things I've heard/read about this place. It is very expensive for Taiwanese food, the menu is limited, they do run out of things, and some of the rice dishes are not quite the right texture (think mushy).  However, I will say that this is a tiny place with, I'm sure, a tiny kitchen, and it's located in Midtown.  And they're fairly new and a little overwhelmed.

That being said.  My dream meal here is a bowl of beef noodle soup (牛肉麵), a side of pickled vegetables, and a plate of fried pig ears.  The beef noodle soup is my absolute favorite that I've had in Atlanta, mainly due to the noodle, which has got that QQ (think chewy) quality that I love.  The pickled vegetables are so good, that I'm not even mad about paying $3 for them -- most Chinese restaurants offer this type of dish for free...I add this statement because I recognize that the previous one sounds SUPER cheap LOL.  And the fried pig ears?  I had never had them prepared that way prior to eating here, only had them braised.  This is my favorite new dish, you guys.  My mom isn't a fan, but I. LOVE. them.  I had a scare reading a Yelp review that said they got rid of them from the menu since there wasn't a high demand, but the last time I went, they were still there.  So help a hungry Taiwanese out and keep that demand high!!

Also, I like the wonton soup and hot and sour soup.  The first time I had the hot and sour soup, it didn't come with any tofu strips or wood ear, but the second time it did, and was much better.  The wonton soup was perfect for me, with a great taste from the radish and really awesome dumplings.  

The baos are decent, though I'd rather save stomach room for my dream meal :) I appreciate that there's another place that sells this now though.  The sausage is good, but I wouldn't order them again at $6.50 per plate.  And I've ordered the lu rou fan (minced pork rice) every time I've gone, but mainly because my stomach feels weird NOT ordering that dish when available.  Oxtail rice was a little sweet for my taste.

Also, side note -- they did say they are planning to change up the menu seasonally.  Can't wait to see what else comes up!

So yes, a decent place to hit up when in the area.  FRIED PIG EARS.  That is all.  

Er...or not.  Don't forget that Midtown Restaurant Week is coming up soon!  Be sure to check out the menus! 

BuHi Eats: Woo Nam Jeong Stone Bowl

I love living where I do.  I moved from the burbs about a year or so ago, and there are many things that have the made the move awesome, but on the top of my list?  Shortening the drive to Buford Hwy down 15 minutes.  I looove my asian food, and Buford Hwy's got a lot of the good stuff!  Plus, the farmer's market there has pretty much got everything a chubby Taiwanese girl could possibly want (except for maybe safety...).

One of my favorite places there? Woo Nam Jeong Stone Bowl.  I first heard of it from my siblings after the mushroom bibimbap was put on the Creative Loafing's 100 Dishes to Eat Before You Die list -- and you already know my first reaction was, "Mushroom bibimbap? No meat? Mehhhh".  But you know what?  It. Is. Amazing.  As is all their other bibimbap variations, such as the spicy squid, kimchi pork, even just the traditional beef one.  I haven't tried their eel one, but must do so at some point.  Just let the rice sit for a bit when you first get the bowl, and you get that amazing crust on the bottom.  Mmmm.  PS, their seafood pancake is pretty much on point.  

But the BEST DISH THERE, and totally worth of all caps, is the Dolsot Bulgogi.  A picture doesn't even do this thing justice.  They set it down for you and it's bubbling, like a witch's cauldron, but of something amazing and good.  And it stays hot for the entirety of your dinner (not for sensitive tongues, unless you want to put some ice cubes in it, or something).  AND you just dip your spoon with some rice and get that sweet, salty, spicy soup, accompanied with some bits of beef or rice cake or glass noodles or pepper and life is good.  Also, you'll definitely have leftovers (unless you have a monstrous stomach), so even at $19.99, it's not a bad deal.  

You have to try this place!  But don't go on Wednesdays, Grandma has to rest...per the sign on the door :) 

Korean Food Dramas -- Cuties and Kimchi

Do you know what is the best combination ever?  Korean food dramas.  Cute actors -- check. Delicious foods -- check.  Sappy romance -- checkcheckcheck!

Here are a few that I've been watching: 

Let's Eat starring Lee Soo Kyung and Yoon Doo Joon

This has got to be one of my favorite dramas of all time.  The plot centers around this 30-something year old divorced lady and her relationships or lack thereof.  But one thing she can always count on?  Delicious food!  What is pretty awesome is that they love to focus on the experience of eating food with others -- the sounds, the visuals, the happy feeling of a full tummy.

And I have to say, I was craving Korean food the WHOLE ENTIRE time I was watching this.  Sometimes after eating dinner, I would watch an episode and suddenly I'm overcome with this feeling that I must order some late night jjajjangmyun (black bean noodles) or hey, wouldn't some raw marinated crab be super amazing right now? (PS -- Jang su jang has it.  I wants it).

Plus, I love YDJ's character's face when the way someone is eating the specific dish (incorrectly, of course) totally offends him...

Feast of the Gods starring Sung Yuri and Joo Sang Wook 

Currently watching this drama though it is 30-something episodes long.  My cutoff is usually 25 and that's pushing it.  But this is the typical switched at birth story, except revolving around a master chef's daughter, who grows up to be this surreal chef despite no formal training.  I don't get as hungry, but it's fun to watch people running around a kitchen and making beautiful, multi-course meals.  Like, the lady makes some stunning steamed layer cake using dried daffodils? 

Any other good food dramas?  

Dat New New

Yikes!  It's been a long while since I've updated this thing.  Not for lack of eating, more like pure laziness.

I figured I'd get back in the swing of things by writing about some newer places that have come up on my radar, both by word of mouth or complete accident -- (such as trying to make a U-turn to head to the cake place you just passed, but instead spotting another delicious post-lunch treat, which was great as the cake place was very much closed).

First --

I was very excited to hear about another Taiwanese influenced restaurant opening up.  TJ House is located off Old Norcross Road in Duluth and is labelled as Japanese and Taiwanese.  We don't have too many Taiwanese places in GA (Bento and Kampai are the two that come to mind), so this was big news for my family -- my mom tasked me and my sister with trying it and coming back with a review.

The verdict? Definitely taking Mom.  We went with some friends and ordered a ton of food, most of which is pictured below.  My favorites, per usual, were the minced pork rice and snow pea leaves, which were some of the best I've had.  Other awesome dishes were the fried oysters with basil, the beef rolls, and the stinky tofu.

As an aside -- stinky tofu.  It's fermented tofu that really, as the name says, STINKS.  I can't even really stomach the non-fried version.  In fact, the first time I visited Taipei, I thought there was something seriously wrong with the sewage system at night -- but no.  That odor was from the night market stalls!  I like it when it's fried and served with pickled vegetables and chili sauce, though.  Which they have here, and it's good.  I wouldn't recommend ordering it if you are sensitive to that kind of thing.  I don't know too many non-Taiwanese who like it.

But yes.  You should go!  I do want to try some of their drinks (which looked huge and delicious) and desserts next time.  We were too full on our visit.

Second --

So I was pretty excited to hear about a favorite college eating joint opened up pretty close to me. Your Pie, a place specializing in personalized pizza, just opened up last week in Buckhead, right near the Whole Foods.  I like this place because it's like a Subway, but for pizza.  And it's fast. The crust is thin (and delicious!) AND they have gelato and alcohol.  I went with a couple of friends the other day and got the Thai Pie, substituting mozzarella cheese for the cheddar.  They stamped our receipts and let us know if we came back within 24 hrs, we could get a free entree.  Not sure how long that deal will be going on, but it's a good one!

Lastly --

My sister and I stumbled upon a treasure today (which helped alleviate the disappointment on that closed cake shop!).  It's called Pink Popcorn (3175 Roswell Rd), and according to their sign, they do over 250 different flavors of popcorn.  The shop itself is adorable, resembling a 50's style ice cream parlor.  AND they serve Morelli's ice cream as well as Hawaiian snow cones.  They didn't have any ice cream today since they had some electrical issues recently, but the sweet popcorn was a nice enough treat.  We tried several flavors, but ended up getting snack sizes of Coconut cream pie, Denver, and Caramel Sea Salt.  Some other interesting flavors?  PB and J, Almond Hazelnut Cheesecake, CRAB LEGS... They've been open for about 6 months.

And though this should probably be under a Kuo Kitchen -- My new go to baking recipe is for Nutella cookies.  The linked recipe is my favorite, and while it calls for chocolate chips, you can leave them out, like I did in my last batch per request.  Just stuck some almonds on top and substituted almond extract for the vanilla extract and BOOM! A Nutella almond cookie.  Very versatile.  Very delicious.  Very consistent!

Anyway.  Happy Sunday! And GO SPURS!

KUO KITCHEN -- Holiday Feasting

Whew.  I cannot believe it's the new year already.  As with the rest of the year, the holidays pretty much flew by.  Just wanted to post a quick snippet at my holidays, particularly the foods that came out of the Kuo Kitchen.  (Because, very, very honestly, I ate wayy too much food to possibly document in the month of December.  Especially in Vegas.  I can't even think about the restaurants in Vegas right now.)

We started with hot pot, for Thanksgiving - a very standard Asian holiday meal.  So delicious.  So easy. And so perfect for the cold weather.  There was a slight hiccup in dinner plans when it seemed the hot pot wouldn't work and we were all slightly deflated just envisioning hovering over the stove top with our dipping sauce bowls....but luckily, it was just an issue with the circuit breaker.  My sister brought some pumpkin bread pudding to make it, you know, real Thanksgiving.   

My favorite ingredients have to be the meat balls, cuttle fish balls, meat, watercress, napa, and clear noodles. What are some of yours?

Thanksgiving round 2 was my sister's annual Potluck (there's a Foursquare checkin for it.  It's very official.) My brother and sister-in-law were in town, so we made green bean casserole, easy biscuit chicken pot pie casserole, and pork with pear.  Yum.  

Here's a little bit of that potluck.  Food kept coming so it was impossible to capture everything without something being 3/4 eaten.  

And what's holiday season without desserts?  I was feeling the cupcakes this year, so my go-to cupcakes made an appearance (white cake from a box made with greek yogurt instead of the eggs and oil, topped with crushed pineapple, tapioca pudding, and an almond whipped cream topping), and I also tried some smores cupcakes using the cake recipe found here.  I tried baking them with some peppermint marshmallows that just ended up kind of exploding and creating a nice sugary crust on the top.  

Lastly, my once-in-a-zillion-years kind of feast, Christmas dinner.  I was pretty happy with the way things turned out, and I got to use the cast iron a lot so things were good.  There was -- duck breast, ribeye, grilled GA shrimp, garlic mashed potatoes, cast iron chicken thighs, brussels, and sesame tomato/avocado salad.  Oh, and chocolate berry pie. I used this pie crust (the same used for the apple pie), and for the filling did some frozen mixed berries and some dark chocolate chips.  It was alright.  I was inspired but the movie Waitress, but I decided that I like apple pie better.  A la mode. Mmmm. 

Now I'm thinking about dessert.  Sweet Hut run, anybody?