Norcal Getaway

I recently had a long weekend getaway to Norcal. The reason, or rather excuse for us to make our trip, was to visit UC Berkeley. My sister will be applying for colleges this fall and I was applying for Optometry school, so we wanted to check out the school. I used to think I wouldn't like Norcal, but the more I visit, the more I see myself living there, for a while at least. The weather was really nice while we were up there. This was probably the warmest summer I've experienced in Norcal. Anywho, here are the places I encountered during this weekend. First stop, the Gourmet Ghetto in Berkeley...

Cheeseboard

This place is a lunch hot spot in Berkeley. They only make one type of pizza and one type of salad per day and its completely vegetarian. The only option you have is how many slices you want. They always give you a tiny half slice with whatever order you get. They have a variety of bottled drinks and simple sweets also. On the day we went, the pizza had roasted corn, bell peppers, garlic, and cilantro. The salad consisted of organic mixed greens and a sesame dressing (I think). We sat at a table outside and enjoyed our pizza and the beautiful weather.

 Walking back to the car from Cheeseboard, we saw a sign for a cupcakery and decided to go up the steps to the hidden shop called...

Love At First Bite

Their cupcakes and baked goods at had a really simple and homemade look and feel. I love the fact that they make mini cupcakes. We got a dozen of them with various flavors, red velvet, lemon, strawberry, and chocolate. We also go a regular sized chocolate pistachio. These cupcakes were not a top favorite of mine but they were tasty. They aren't as sweet and decadent as other cupcakes out there. They had a very light flavor and sweetness.

After our first two stops, we left the Gourmet Ghetto and headed to UC Berkeley's campus to explore and check out the school. We stopped by the local Urban Outfitters and American Apparel. From there we headed to an ice cream palor in Oakland called...

Fentons

I was most excited to go here, the original Fentons Creamery. I've always heard lots of great things about this place. I also found out that it was in a scene in Up. Sadly, I've never seen Up, but it is definitely on my to-do list. I could not wait to try their handcrafted ice creams and sauces. There were six of us and we decided to be adventurous and get the banana special substituting the regular chocolate for Swiss milk chocolate and pineapple sauce for cold caramel. Those 3 lbs. of ice cream and toppings were amazing!

Now off to San Fran for the next day, where my sister and I spent the day walking around, shopping, and of course, snacking! We started the day off by meeting up some friends in North Beach for brunch at...

Caffe DeLucchi

It was a nice cafe with outdoor seating. Since the weather was so nice, we sat outside. My sister and I shared the eggs Florentine and the granola and yogurt parfait. Our friends had the eggs Benedict and the crab cakes Benedict. All of it was quite delicious. I still prefer Mama's but this place is a close second.

(Sorry I don't have any pictures from this place)

Our last night in Union City, my aunt took just my sister and I out to dinner to catch up with us. We went to a restaurant in Milpitas called...

Banana Leaf

This place was cracking! There were just three of us and the wait was about 40 mintues. I had never had Maylasian food before this, and the best way I can describe it is that is a hybrid cross of Thai and Indian food. Every dish had lots of flavor. It was a good dinner and good time with my aunt.

(Sorry no pictures from here either!)

We spent the last day of our trip in San Jose. We went to the Great Mall, where I saw the funniest store, 5.7.9.! Immediately, when my sister and I saw it, I turned to her and said, "1. 3. 5." The reference is the movie, Mean Girls. I wish I had gone into the store to see if they really only sold sizes 5, 7, and 9. That would be have hilarious! Later that night a friend took me to a speakeasyesque bar called...

singlebarrel (nope, that's not a typo)

This place has a roaring 20's feel to it. After the bouncer checks your idea, you take a stairway downstairs to a dimly lit bar. All the bartenders are dressed in vests and ties. My friend happen to know everyone that worked there. The staff was super friendly and so where the people at the bar. The first drink I got was an English Cosmo. The bartender recommended it. All I know about it is that is had gin and crushed cucumers in it and it was really good and really refreshing. It was a little on the sweet side for me that night. I wasn't in the mood for sweet for some reason. The other drink I got that night was an Old Fashion, and I definitely liked this one. It's probably one of my favorite drinks. It pretty much bourbon with a little bit of sugar and bitters garnished with a lemon peel. A cool thing they did was put a big ball of ice instead of large ice cubes. I forgot the first drink my friend got but I remember it didn't quite match my taste in drinks. I do remember his second drink was a Pisco Sour, which was nice. The raw egg whites in the drink scare me a bit though. It was a fun night, I can't wait for my friend to come to visit, so we can get craft cocktails in Socal!

(Again, sorry no pictures from this place!)


My trip could not have been any better! I got to go to all these yummy places, see my aunt and cousins, meet up with friends, spend time with my sister away from home, get away from the stresses of my everyday life, and clear my mind. I can't wait to make another trip back up to Norcal soon!

Magnolia Bakery: LA (updated on 8/16)

The article I read to find out about the new location opening had said that Magnolia Bakery was going to be opening on 3rd St. in Santa Monica but it actually opened at the Beverly Center. I have changed this post on 8/16/2010 to reflect the truth. Sorry for the intial mistake!)

I just found out from a friend that a Magnolia Bakery has opened up at the Beverly Center in LA. How exciting! If you didn't already know, the original is in NYC. (There are several locations throughout NYC now also) Magnolia cupcakes are pretty much the starters of the cupcake craze. They are also known for their old fashion desserts. I haven't been to the NYC location, but you betcha I will next time I'm there. I can't wait to check out the new location in Los Angeles!

Banana Foster

I suppose banana fosters are considered to be a fancy dessert. Maybe because of the fact that you can flambé it. I'm not too sure if the procedure of flambéing does anything to the flavor of dish. It might be just purely for visual effects. 

Anywho, it is one of the simpliest desserts to make. I used Alton Brown's recipe (Bourbon Banana Foster) when I made it.


I made the following changes...
bourbon --> rum (that's what I had on hand)
under-ripe bananas --> really ripe bananas (that's what inspired me to make this dessert. I didn't want to be wasteful and throw them away.)


It came out great! The bananas and sauce were nice and caramely. My plating and presentation is not anything spectacular since it was just a normal weekday night and I just wanted to do a quick dessert for my family.  However, you can really dress it up by putting it into a martini glass and sprinkling some cinnamon or nutmeg on top and adding a garnish.