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?

CRAVINGS: Taiwanese Food

Happy early Thanksgiving all! Hope everyone is getting stoked for the eating and the family time and the loose pants :)  I, personally, am taking this day to mentally and physically prepare for the food party (explosion) that will be starting tomorrow afternoon and continuing until Sunday night.  There will be no pauses.  There will be no in-betweens.  It's going to be food food food, and I cannot wait.

How to mentally prepare for such a feast, you ask?  Easy -- look at delicious food pictures! Which I do on a daily basis anyway...but...no, for such an intense eating experience, you have to get HUNGRY.  And the one thing that will get me in a state of all-caps-hunger is looking at pictures of Taiwanese food.  Otherwise known as that delicious stuff I can only eat (DEVOUR) once a year at most.  Nothing I've had in the States even comes close, except maybe my mother's braised pork belly over rice, because, well, it's my mother and she literally has made it once.  My family doesn't ever schedules things to do in Taiwan when we go, we schedule what we have to eat.  There are never just 3 meals a day in Taiwan. Never. 

So let's get to it.  Some of my favorite eats in Taiwan! These are not in order, because, well....they're all number 1 in my heart.

1. Ding Tai Fung

I could just say I miss soup dumplings, but let's be real.  Who eats soup dumplings anywhere else? Yes, Ding Tai Fung always have some sort of wait.  But it's always worth it.  Best food and best service.  Everything you order here is good!  Those noodles!  Those veggies!  Those taro buns!!! 

2.  Mister Donut

Similarly to above, I don't miss donuts in Taiwan.  I miss Mister Donut. Which is so much better than just a regular donut.  Though to be fair, it was started in Japan.  Listen, I don't know what they put in their donuts - crack? - but they have this amazing chewy texture and they're not too sweet, and basically sometimes my stomach physically hurts whenever I think about them because I am so sad these are a once a year treat. 

3. Braised Pork Rice - 滷肉飯

OK, maybe I can say this is my favorite Taiwanese food, if we consider it in terms of volume eaten.  Braised Pork over Rice is like my fuel, my energy.  I can list off a couple of different meals that are must-haves for me mainly due to the inclusion of really amazing lo-bah-png.  Those $4 department store food court meals? Oh my tummy.  

4.  Oyster Omelette - 蚵仔煎

Chewy, eggy, oystery, savory...delicious.  And that's really all there is to say about the oyster omelette.   

5.  Other Street Food

There's no way to numerically go through this and list off all the things I like.  Just off the top of my head...Sausage wrapped in rice sausage, Taiwanese spring rolls, thick intestine/oyster soup, black pepper buns (plural, always), fish ball soup, kumquat juice.  Cuttlefish! 

6. Shaved Ice - 剉冰

Pretty much the best summer dessert ever.  Condensed milk.  Chewy little balls of goodness.  Mango.  Fruit.  Syrups.  Red Bean.  More condensed milk.  You really can't go wrong.

7. Tea Shops/Stands

If I lived in Taiwan, I'm pretty sure I would just turn into one huge human Boba.  I love that bubble tea is so inexpensive and so readily available, though my siblings and I have to drink it on the down low now after the whole thing about it containing chemicals and causing cancer came out and my dad got worried -- though, I would like to point out that nobody has said anything about oyster sauce, soo.... But also, I am a huge fan of the coffee shops there, since they have great mango and green tea drinks.

8. 7-Eleven.....

....is my heaven.  To the point that I get really excited seeing them in the States for like 2 seconds before I remember that they do not sell the almond milk, Supau Supau, or salmon onigiri that is essentially my snack food when on the go.  

9. Beef Noodle Soup - 牛肉麵

Isn't it an everlasting quest to find the best beef noodle soup?  It's a competition that everybody wins, because I haven't had a beef noodle soup in Taiwan that I didn't like (though there was that time I mistakenly ordered one that came WITHOUT beef...and that came pretty close).  

10. Stinky Tofu  - 臭豆腐

Oh man.  The first time I visited, I literally thought TW must be the dirtiest place, since I couldn't escape the sewage smell at night.  What? That's not human waste? That's, in fact, the smell of something that people consume? It took me a while to warm up to stinky tofu, and even now, I can only handle the fried kind.  

11. Japanese Food

Sit down restaurants, conveyor belt sushi.  This might sound silly, but I do, I do miss Japanese food in Taiwan.  Everything is so cheap, so plentiful, and so fresh! 

12.  Family Meals

Nothing beats hanging out with family in TW and sitting around the lazy susan.  And the more people there are, the more dishes you can try! 

Maybe I was a little insane to think I'd be able to fit in all the foods I like in one post.  This is definitely a condensed version.  But I am now sufficiently hungry, and I hope you are, too.  So happy eats, all! And...I'll be needing to plan a trip to Taiwan pretty much ASAP.

I leave you with, not something I miss from Taiwan, but definitely one of the funniest meals I've had...

Curry at the Toilet Restaurant!

Duluth - My Food Heaven: KRNBBQ

It's been a while since I last posted!  I've been pretty lazy, I guess, and have been spending my free time (aka weekends) eating...lapsing into food coma...recovering from food coma...Weekend Over! So I've been taking a lot of pictures, and have lots of them to share, and really haven't been able to choose which ones to tackle first.

BUT.  I came upon the answer because I realized I have been hyping up this one place to ANYONE who's asked me about good places I've tried recently.  Have any of you tried 678?  It's this Korean BBQ place off of Satellite Blvd.  My sister had been talking about this place for a while, but I had never really given it too much thought due to my love affair with Iron Age.

Side note - how many Korean BBQ places are there now in Duluth/Buford Hwy?  I think I've lost count.  I've tried a couple, but for me it's kind of a once you find your place, nothing else tastes as good.  Iron Age used to be that place for me, but lately I've been craving it less and less.  I do think it's a great deal -- there are some shall-not-be-named restaurants out there that are seriously overcharging...that little plate of meat for nearly 30 dollars? With wilted lettuce?  There better be gold flakes in that marinade -- and I do love the side dishes there.

Therefore, I was not exactly hyped to try 678, particularly after reading some Yelp reviews.  The AYCE option there is only for the pork belly, which seemed to be the main complaint.  But pretty much everybody was agreeing that the quality of the meat is good, and the charcoal they use adds great flavor, so that was heartening.

AND YOU GUYS.  It was SO good.  Take it from an AYCE specialist, this place is amazing.  I would actually advise not to get the AYCE since the part of the meal I didn't love the most was probably the pork belly.  Get the beef!  My family of four ordered their $100 platter of beef as well as a plate of pork belly since we thought the platter wouldn't be enough (false. So false.).  It's not inexpensive, but I really feel that for all that you get, the price is worth it.

The Platter of Beautiful:

Cooking:

As you can see, they put the grill over charcoal, and the beef gets so nice on the outside while remaining tender.  Actually, my mom kept frantically trying to get all the meat straight onto our plates once it cooked "Don't let it burn! Don't let it overcook!".  On the outside of the grill, they have kimchi, corn and cheese, and a liquid egg mixture that cooks until it becomes like a chawanmushi (Japanese steamed egg).  Delicious.  We got seconds of all three.

Things I liked: The server grills the meat for you.  I didn't think I would like it, but they're really attentive.  Also, they give a nice medley of "wraps" for the meat, cabbage, different kinds of lettuce/leafy greens, the radishes...very good.  And they make their own soy paste as a sauce which is really nice!  At the end of the beef platter, they brought a huge pot of kalguksoo (we ordered the non-spicy for my mom, but I'd love to try the spicy version).

So, yes, this place is a little pricier, but I think it's well worth it.  Plus, it's a chain that was opened by the Korean comedian/ex-wrestler Kang Ho Dong!  Tons of his pictures all over the restaurant, which I loved.

*Mini break while the Braves give me a second heart attack but WHOOHOO Heyward rocks it out*

Another place I recently tried is Sobban, the Korean-Southern fusion restaurant that took over where Kitsch'n 155 used to be in Decatur.  This is their opening week, so their full menu isn't available yet.  The food is good and the space is nice (albeit a little small, particularly when you take away the outdoor seating). I don't know.  I like it, and I'll probably be back again, but I think my expectations were a little off mark.  I think maybe I don't understand Korean fusion food.  But no disrespect, good food, good service, and considering the amount of people trying to cram in that little space, they did pretty well!

We got the seafood kimchi pancake, the smoked bossam, the chicken kalguksoo, the donkatsu, and the sobban bingsoo.  I hear they will be having a light night menu with ramen and hot dogs, so will definitely have to try that at some point!

Food Explosion - 30th Birthday Style

So my sister's 30th birthday just passed, and considering what a special day that is -- she disagrees -- we celebrated in style.  Meaning, we ate a lot.  A LOT.  To be fair, the eating started pretty early, since our mom was going to paradise (California) and wanted to have a family dinner before she left.  

I'm not really going to talk about that meal, though, because we went to Shoya Izakaya and...I mean, a little short snippet will not really do justice the love and reverence I have for their food.  Serious.  So good.  Sashimi...yakisoba...crispy chicken skin...grilled sake onigiri (!!!!!!)....Mmmm.

But, back to the birthday festivities.  My sister chose to eat at Miller Union for her actual birthday, since both of us had never been before.  We decided to get the farm egg - highly recommended - and rabbit rillette for appetizers, the duck breast and quail for entrees, and the vanilla custard and blackberry pie for dessert.

It was all really good, and I particularly loved that they had blueberries in the duck breast dish and figs in the quail dish.  Typically, I'm not super down with fruits in my salty foods - that pineapple fried rice? Not for me. Hawaiian pizza? I'd rather just have the ham - but these entrees really worked.  The sweetness of the fruit wasn't overbearing, it was a nice complement to the meat.  My one complaint would be on the blackberry pie.  It was delicious, but they served it with some sort of citrus sorbet, and this really bothered me, because all I wanted was some vanilla ice cream to pile on top of the pie! 

Side note: whatever that chocolate cookie thing they had on the side of the custard...it's like crack.  And it's probably best I have no idea what it is.  

Then the weekend came, and the real food explosion happened.  As follows...

1. Parish

Oh, man.  Delicious brunch.  HEAVY brunch.  Between the three of us, we got the fried oysters and grits, the fried green tomato benedict, and the fried chicken benedict.  Also, my sister ordered a single bloody mary that was not even halfway finished (I haven't found a taste for them.  And it was pretty strong).  I don't usually steer towards ordering grits, but I liked theirs.  Lots of texture, and a nice balance for the fried oysters.  

2. Inman Perk

We stopped by here after brunch for some caffeine to help us wake up before heading to the World of Coke.  Great coffee, and they have Jake's ice cream!  I am still searching for that Panda-monium green tea flavor, though, haven't seen it since the actual Jake's stores were still open.

3. Einstein's 

No pictures of the food since the lighting is pretty dim.  But a simultaneous thumbs down/thumbs up for this place.  My sister had made a reservation for dinner here for a big group of her friends, which, as we learned upon arrival, was forgotten.  No reservation.  For a group of 20-some people in Midtown on a Saturday night. Horror! Luckily, they had room to seat us at a couple of different tables, and our waiter was really accommodating.  I remember that my beef was good, but not much else.  We did bring a Sweet Hut taro cake with us, and that was probably the highlight of my meal.  

4. Late night snacks

Yes, late night snacks.  Which included Steak and Shake (unavailable in Cali), swiss chard, rice, turkey and tomato pasta, and Sublime donuts.  Maybe some Sweet Hut pastries.  Three girls.  Yikes.

5. Jang Su Jang

This is one of the go-to places we take out-of-towners.  It's nice and there's something for everyone.  This meal ended up being our 4PM "lunch".  No need to reiterate how much I love this place.  I tried their bossam for the first time, and it was awesome - so meaty, but almost light and refreshing as well with the accompanying pickled radish and cabbage.  

6. VMA's Medley!

Anyone who knows my sister knows we were NOT missing out on that 'Nsync reunion on the VMAs!  Which meant watching TV for a couple of hours late at night.  Which means snacks.  Which means picking up food from Dan Moo Ji and beverages from Bambu.  WHICH equates the best ending to a weekend ever.  

Don't miss out on the tuna kimbap or the chicken wings from Dan Moo Ji.  I knoooow the tuna thing sounds weird. I know it does.  But it tastes awesome.  And they have the best pickled radish cubes and fish cake! As for Bambu....honestly any number you choose for the che will be good.  It will all have a medley of chewy, jello-ey, sweet, possibly fruit-y STUFF that you'll have no idea what it is, but it tastes good anyway.

So....yeah.  I'm still full.

OH MY TORO - Taka Sushi and Passion

Happy Belated Birthday to my adorable, forever-young Mom!

And birthdays in my family mean one thing: awesome birthday dinners.  My siblings and I usually have no trouble whatsoever picking out where and what we want to eat -- this has ranged from Canton Cooks, to the Optimist, to home-cooked kong ba bng (Taiwanese for braised fatty pork belly over rice), all which have been enjoyed fully.  But when it comes to my mama?  I think she's so used to just going along with the food we want to eat - we are a family that does not hesitate in indulging in our cravings - that she rarely ever has something in particular that she wants to eat.

And in those few and far between times?  It's always something kind of weird and short-lived, like the Wendy's fish sandwich, or some sort of vegetable thing they used to have at Chili's.  We joke that if she likes something a lot, it's going to be taken off the menu soon.

For this birthday dinner, we originally had reservations for Tomo, but after looking at a couple of Yelp reviews, we changed our location to Taka.  I was particularly stoked for this, since I've been following Chef Taka's blog for quite a while now.  It's actually a really interesting read.  He talks about a lot of the fish they get in and posts up pictures, while also posting articles regarding health, diet, and exercise. Confession: sometimes I do skip the articles because a.) they make me feel bad about my very sedentary lifestyle and b.) I'm more interested in what treasures he found in Costco or what different Japanese dishes he is preparing.  Or the quality of the tuna for that week!

And I was not disappointed.  Me and my sister opted for the chirashi - "DUH," says anyone in my social media network - and we convinced my mom to go for the Omakase, chef's choice.  Awesome decision.  The chirashi had a lovely, diverse selection of fish, and my mom loved her dishes.  I was worried because the waitress let us know they were going to use a lot of pickled wasabi as the sauce for the fish, and my mom typically can't handle too much of that sinus-clearing sensation, but it was super nice and more flavorful than tingly.  AND THERE WAS TOROOO!  I feel like I have to use all caps/more volume when writing or speaking about fatty tuna to appropriately convey my excitement.  I think at some point my mom was disappointed because the waitress hinted there may be uni (not today) but this definitely took care of that.  It was the last dish of the omakase, and the perfect ending.

I was a little disappointed because the waitresses talked really fast when bringing the dishes (it was pretty busy that night), so I didn't quite catch what everything was.  But it was all delicious, which is what really matters.  Anyway, I'm of the opinion that when it comes to sushi/sashimi, pictures capture much more than words really can.  Enjoy!

 Chirashi $29.  So much fish, and all of it so tasty.  They had the raw sweet shrimp, which I don't even think I've had in Atlanta.  Also, that tamago was. SO. good. So sweet. So smooth.

The following: $50 Omakase, in order

You should definitely check this place out for some quality sushi! They have a lot of sushi rolls, too, if that's more your thing, and I'm sure they're awesome, too.  OH and I almost forget to mention their plum wine sangria! Mm Mm Mm.

I do still want to try Tomo at some point.  Any opinions on that place?