52 Week Project : Week 19
Mourning Sky
Canon 5D MkII / 85mm f/1.8
30 shot photomerge
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Tuna Casserole
It’s been awhile since I stepped into my kitchen for anymore than to use the microwave. I figured I should try to make something new before I get rusty.
Tuna Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 (12 ounce) package egg noodles
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
- 1 cup frozen green peas
- 2 (6 ounce) cans tuna, drained
- 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1/2 (4.5 ounce) can sliced mushrooms
- 1 cup crushed potato chips
Directions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
- In a large bowl, thoroughly mix noodles, onion, 1 cup cheese, peas, tuna, soup and mushrooms. Transfer to a 9×13 inch baking dish, and top with potato chip crumbs and remaining 1 cup cheese.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheese is bubbly.
Uyen Thy Bistro
Uyen Thy is a small quaint French Vietnamese bistro in Westminster. I first came across Uyen Thy when my friend took me there a few years back for their chicken with fried sticky rice. Ever since then, it’s been one of my favorite spots to dine at, especially for Sunday brunch. Their beef stew was pretty good, but I wished they would have cooked it a bit longer. The beef was tender, but it wasn’t exactly melt in your mouth tender. However, their loaves of bread were hot and straight from the oven fresh, which gave the dish some extra bonus points.
Now the main reason I keep coming back is for their chicken with fried sticky rice. I honestly rarely order anything else beside that. The chicken has a nice crispy and crunchy shell which goes really well with the garlic soy sauce. But it’s not until you follow it up with a bite of the fried sticky rice does the flavors really meld together. It’s a really simple dish, but I haven’t found served anywhere else. I strongly recommend this dish if it’s your first time at Uyen Thy.
52 Week Project : Week 18
Mother’s Day Sky
Canon 5D MkII / 50mm f/1.4
Kitayama – Sushi
The last time I was at Kitayama, I didn’t get to dine at the sushi bar, so I was really looking forward to my next visit there. Prior to returning there, I have heard a lot about their sushi chef Yama-san, short of Yamazuki, and on more than one count was referred as one of the best in California. Therefore, I wasn’t a bit least surprises to find out that it would be a 30 minute wait to sit with him at the sushi bar. However, with a fully stock bar and a knowledgeable bartender, those 30 minutes went by quick and soon enough, I was sitting down with Yama-san.
Yama-san style is best described as creative without straying far from the fundamentals. A lot of the dishes that he brought out look really familiar to us, but they all had a unique yet subtle twist to them. The best example of this would be the seared toro draped with seared uni. Another memorable dish was the toro hand roll, which was savory to the very last bite. The wrap up our dinner, the sushi chef present us with a completely new and original dish which appeared to be minced uni wrapped in seaweed and lightly deep fried. The individual pieces look like black wantons, but the taste and texture is simply indescribable. Without a doubt, it was amazing and completed made our wait worth it. And of course, we ended our night with the black sesame crème brûlée again.
Sagami-Tei
I had teppan a few times before. One of the most memorable experiences was when we ate at Kobe Japanese Steak House in Hawaii. So it was only natural that I was cravings teppan after I had nogastic feelings of Hawaii. I’ve driven by Sagami-Tei several times before, but never ventured inside before. However, since I was reminiscing about teppan, I figured I should give Sagami-Tei a try and see if it would satisfy my cravings.
Well, I regretted that decision the moment I walked in. I know they say, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but it was almost unbearable. Their only décor was a string of cheap paper lanterns in assorted colors and two TVs tuned to ESPN. The lighting was uneven throughout the restaurant, but no matter how dimly lighted it was, you still could see yourself surrounded by grease and grime.
Since ambience was out the door, I was really hoping the food and chef would be spectacular since at this point it was going to require something short of a miracle for us to ever come back. Sadly, it wasn’t a surprise that Sagami-Tei left me feeling disappointed in both categories. Not only was the food subpar, the chef was extremely obnoxious, killing what little appetite I had left. His rude and crude jokes made us and the rest of the guest at the counter feeling awkward and speechless. We heard bad and inappropriate jokes before, but the chef was just relentless.
This place was one of the worst experiences we had to this day. We left feeling like we should have stayed home and ate cup noodles instead.
52 Week Project : Week 17
King of the Rock
Canon 5D MkII / 85mm f/1.8
Dr. Import
I use to take my BMW to the dealership every time I need something to be done. Unfortunately, it always felt like they were trying to squeeze early penny out me so I usually dreaded the thought of even going. I knew when I bought my car that maintenance and repairs wouldn’t be cheap, but whenever I took my car into the dealership for something simple, I would end up leaving with a ton of extra stuff to pay for.
However, that was not the case at Dr. Import. Jack was able to explain everything they needed to do when I brought in the car and called me when they found something extra. He broke down all the critical items that needed to be address immediately from the items that could wait. His estimates for every item were right on the dot, so there weren’t any surprise when I was time to flip the bill. Jack at Dr. Import really made my experience pain free.
Shin-Sen-Gumi Hakata Ramen
Shin-Sen-Gumi has been around for some time now, but in recent years, they have been allowing customers to customize every aspects of their ramen noodle soup. Want more toppings? Done. Want your noodles harder rather than soft? Done. Want more or less of anything? Consider it done. Every customer gets a small sheet to fill out as to how they want their ramen prepared. This allows everyone to try a new combination each time they come back in.
Furthermore, if you find a combination that you like, you can always get a second helping of noodles for $0.99. Also, everyone knows that the core essential of any good ramen is the broth, which is where Shen-Sen-Gumi has always been able to deliver well and consistently. Their broth is well balance each time regardless what kind of toppings you’ve decided to add. That’s probably one of the reasons I always go back to Shen-Sen-Gumi when I’m in the area. As a cautionary warning, don’t go overboard with the toppings since it will add up and easily double your bill.
Anjin
The first time my friends told me about Anjin, I thought it was going to be another Korean BBQ but with a little Japanese spin to it. Up until that point, my only experience with BBQ involved either ribs and a bib or an all you can eat buffet. Both were usually good and fulfilling, but always left you feeling greasy and dirty. I remember the first time I walked into Anjin, I scoffed that they weren’t an all you can eat buffet. I had the notion that I would be throwing away my money without feeling full when I leave. All of that changed as soon I had my first bite. It was obvious the cuts of beef were beyond superior to any of the buffet style restaurant I previous dined at. It was a glorious feeling to have the slices of grilled meat melts in your mouth instead of having to chew it endlessly.
Anjn definitely raised the bar for me when it comes to grilled meat. Comparing Anjin to Korean BBQ is like comparing apples to oranges. They shouldn’t have any trouble satisfying any hungry patron.
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