VINO LOCALE’S SHRIMP STROGANOFF — REVIEW
Palo Alto, California
It deserves its own post.
Not a standard stroganoff, this is a family heirloom recipe inherited by the owner from generations past.
Tomato-based, creamy, and spicy, Vino Locale’s shrimp stroganoff epitomizes the term “savory”.
There’s not a bite you will take that’s not packed with rich umami flavor.
Texturally, the stroganoff is generously endowed.
Broad textures are derived from the rice base, tender shrimp, veggies, and fried potato garnish.
I ask for mine “less spicy”, because the original recipe is hot and the restaurant offers spice levels as an option.
I order this every time!
A modern delicacy.
TASTE OF BOSTON — REVIEW
Tampa, Florida
It was early on a Saturday afternoon and I hadn’t eaten yet.
The first time I stumbled across Ballast Point Park in South Tampa, I was looking for a new outdoor office space to add to my rotation.
I was headed toward the jetty when I saw a bunch of people eating at this no-frills seafood joint on the water called ‘Taste of Boston’!
The fact that there wasn’t a single empty table inside or outside piqued my interest, but I had some writing to do so I just took note of it at the time.
Now that it was Saturday and I was hungry with nothing else to do, I thought that I would go back and see what all the hype was about.
Taste of Boston is a seafood restaurant on the water… to me, that location and choice of cuisine alone means that the restaurant absolutely has to serve extra-fresh seafood to be successful.
I wanted to test my theory by ordering the fried calamari because un-fresh calamari is painfully easy to spot— it’s like eating a rubber band!
That’s why I felt like the calamari basket would be the perfect way to gauge the freshness of the seafood served here.
The food came out quickly with an array of chilled condiments— ketchup, cocktail sauce, and tartar sauce. You can also ask for hot sauce or malt vinegar if you want.
The fries were extra crispy. The coleslaw was fresh, sweet, and tangy.
And the calamari wasn’t rubbery at all!
Thanks for lunch, Taste of Boston!
HOW TO FEED THE HOMELESS FOR CHEAP (LESS THAN $4 USD PER PLATE)
Looking to do some grassroots community outreach by giving meals out to the homeless?
Here's exactly how you can serve eight plates of the below-pictured spaghetti meal (plus water and utensils!) for approximately $3.77 USD per plate.
1. Spaghetti - costco wholesale
This spaghetti retails for $16. It's a bundle pack that includes eight individual packs of spaghetti.
You only need one pack out of the eight packs you get to make eight plates.
$16 / 8 packs / 8 plates served per pack
= $0.25 per plate.
2. GROUND BEEF - COSTCO WHOLESALE
A photo of this item isn't available online right now, but as of September 2023 Costco has 4 lbs of American Wagyu ground beef retailing for $15.99.
All 4 lbs are needed to make 8 of these plates. So,
$16 / 8 plates
= $2 per plate.
3. tomato sauce - costco wholesale
This three-pack of Prego tomato sauce retails for $11. You will only need to use one of the bottles to make enough spaghetti for eight plates. So,
$11 / 3 bottles per pack / 8 plates per bottle
= $0.46 per plate.
4. Sweet kale salad - costco wholesale
This two-pack of Sweet Kale salad retails for $5.99. You will only need one of the bags included in this two-pack to make enough salad for all eight plates. So,
$6 / 2 bags per pack / 8 plates per bag
= $0.38 per plate.
5. kirkland brand water bottles - costco wholesale
This case of water contains 40 individual bottles and retails for $5.99 including tax. That's $0.15 per bottle.
6. plastic forks - costco wholesale
This pack of plastic forks retails for about $16.13 including tax. That's about $0.03 per fork.
7. napkins - costco wholesale
These napkins retail for about $13.98 including tax. If you provide 2 napkins per plate, that's about $0.12 per plate.
8. food containers - smart & final
I can't find the exact product online right now, but a 100-pack of large 3-compartment styrofoam containers retail for about $18 at Smart & Final. That makes these containers about $0.18 each.
10. creme savers - michaels
These Creme Savers candies retail for about $4.30 including tax. There are 42 candies in this pack. If you include two candies per plate, that's
$4.30 / 42 candies per pack x 2 candies per plate
= $0.20 per plate.
grand total - $3.77 per plate
Please note that the brackets used below do not signify multiplication:
$0.25 (spaghetti) + $2.00 (ground beef) + $0.46 (tomato sauce) + $0.38 (sweet kale salad) + $0.20 (Creme Savers) + 0.03 (fork) + 0.12 (napkins) + $0.15 (bottled water) + $0.18 (styrofoam container) = $3.77 per plate
Happy community outreach!
BKK78 STREET FOOD — REVIEW
Cabazon, CA
I first stumbled across this place on a casual shopping day at the mall. I was hungry, and the nostalgic comfort of mall food felt like a natural addition to an already great day.
At the time, I was trying to decide if I would have the bacon-wrapped hotdog at another stall, or the noodles from this one.
Stumped, I had both.
Hotdog in hand, I walked up to BKK78’s street food stall. I didn’t want any more protein because I thought it would clash with my double-protein hotdog, so I ordered BKK78’s Mala Noodle dish without protein.
I did NOT expect to enjoy it as much as I did.
The noodles were a chewy al dente. The sauce, spicy and sour, lightly coated the noodles for a pleasant mouthfeel. The veggies, crunchy and sweet after a fast, high-heat sautée completed both the flavor and texture profiles of the dish.
I came back to this outdoor mall at a later date, just for these noodles… I didn’t even shop! My order? Mala Noodle, hold the protein.
Well done, BKK78 Street Food!
COCONUTS CARIBBEAN RESTAURANT & BAR— REVIEW
PALO ALTO, CA
The soft melodies of reggae music met me at the door as I beheld the vibrant world that waited on the other side of the glass.
Perhaps naively, I thought that I was only there to try the jerk chicken and oxtail— the unspoken measure of any good Jamaican restaurant in North America.
I sat on the patio. The limited outdoor space was well-optimized with enough room between tables but enough tables to seat incoming guests.
And according to plan, I ordered the jerk chicken and oxtail combo.
The jerk chicken was prepared to a classic standard: crisp exterior, tender interior, with a faint smokiness and the tangy, peppery punch of house-made jerk seasoning.
The braised oxtail was traditionally prepared to fall-off-the-bone tenderness in a quintessentially delicious brown stew.
The jerk chicken and oxtail combo is served with fried sweet plantains and rice and peas/ The portion is generous.
Impressed, I took another look at the menu.
The flaky, buttery pastry of the Jamaican beef patty paired with its aromatic beef filling was a culinary delight. Upon request, the patty is served with a scotch bonnet hot sauce that strikes a stellar balance between pepper and vinegar.
The mac & cheese is a crowd-pleasing menu item: wonderfully cheesy, creamy and tangy. It is not a traditional Caribbean macaroni pie.
The passionfruit lemonade— a humble lemonade elevated by a passionfruit liqueur— was a joy to experience.
I look forward to my return to Coconuts Caribbean Restaurant & Bar in anticipation of trying the curry goat.
Jerk Chicken and Oxtail Combo: $19
Jamaican Beef Patty: $4
Mac & Cheese: $7
Passionfruit Lemondade: I can’t remember and their online menu doesn’t say, but probably somewhere around $7
VINO LOCALE— REVIEW
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA
It’s a quaint restaurant in a quaint town: dimly lit, its wrought-iron chairs and crisp black tablecloths welcome guests with the fiery embrace of a propane-powered heated lamp.
The din of friendly conversation at surrounding tables envelops you as you scan the thoughtfully curated menu, bursting at the seams with your pick of curious wines and savory accouterments.
You choose a wine whose colorful description intrigues you for a mid-week dinner rendezvous.
As you nurse a glass of wine— careful not to empty it before your food arrives— you notice the faint symphony of pots and pans clanging in the tiny, crowded, diligent kitchen.
You wonder if that rhythmic beating of knife-on-cutting-board has anything to do with the dish you ordered, or if the chef is preparing her blessing for another table.
And then, in the midst of your wistful daydream, the waiter arrives with your order: the neatly-presented “Spicy Bleu” is rested gently before you, complete with a healthy slab of bleu cheese, a tangy, sweet, and spicy tamarind jam, baguette slices, crackers, and a fistful of lightly salted almonds.
As the menage of flavors engages your palette, it occurs to you that this small plate could pair seamlessly with almost any wine on the restaurant’s extensive menu. This is, in fact, the perfect start to a peaceful sunset dinner.
You crunch down on another perfectly balanced bite and take another listless glance at the menu that the waiter graciously left on the table. You place another order and wait for the kitchen to carefully prepare your next dish: “bacon-wrapped dates”.
The rich, unctuous dates are followed by the kitchen’s savory, flaky spanakopita, then its crispy empanadas, sour cherry brie, and its wonderfully tart dolmades drizzled with a pomegranate reduction, walnuts, and feta cheese.
Finally, the sour cherry New York style cheesecake rounds out a meal to remember.
Everyone at the table is satisfied; happy; sleepy.
And as the kitchen’s symphony sings its final notes of the evening, the bill arrives… and to your delight, the fee for this exquisite evening is modest.
VA DE VI BISTRO & WINE BAR— REVIEW
WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA
The hustle and bustle of the pedestrian-ridden sidewalk disappeared behind me as I turned abruptly down the alleyway to find the maître-d. I was in a rush— preoccupied with the task of arriving timely to my reservation.
As I made my hasty turn, I was met with a sudden change of scenery: red brick walls, manifold brush, and the sound of nearby running water transported me into a world of storybook wonder and whimsy.
I was seated on the back patio and presented with a long, narrow food menu as well as a wine menu.
The wild mushroom risotto was perfectly cooked. Luxuriously cheesy, its rice maintained its bite while the mushrooms added their gentle textural and aesthetic input.
The butternut squash gnocchi was savory with a thoughtful aromatic bouquet, pan-seared so that a delicate golden crust graced its wonderfully al-dente cook.
The duck confit cassoulet was prepared to a classic standard with a crisp, chewy exterior and tender interior.
The Va De Vi burger was an unctuous joy, with sweet notes to complement. Paired with the pommes frites, it was simply gone too soon.
The artisanal cheese plate left nothing to be desired. Making a convincing appeal to the entire palette, it was equipped with a well-rounded texture profile.
I look forward to my return to Va De Vi Bistro & Wine Bar as I regret that I was unable to try the spiced honey and ginger carrots, the charred marinated skirt steak, or the Alaskan black cod.