111 21st Pl, Newport Beach, CA 92663
Pricing - $$/$$$ | Dining - Dressy Casual | Cuisine - Italian
www.ilfarro.com

I love it when you walk into an Italian restaurant and the staff there is all speaking Italian. I wish I remembered more from what I had learned, so I could be a better conversationalist with the staff. Oh well. It was date night for Duc and me since we hadn't gone out in a while (or so it felt like), and he had a Groupon he needed to use. The restaurant's right by the Newport Beach pier which is pretty awesome. We were welcomed right when we came in and seated promptly. It wasn't too busy on a weeknight.


Just as Yelpers had mentioned, the complimentary bread was delicioso! Well the herb & garlic infused olive oil was what made it extraordinary. We were quite hungry and munched on this with such gusto that the waiter brought us another plate right away. Props!


Since we had missed out on getting calamari when we went to San Francisco, we decided it was necessary to get some here. We got a good portion to start off with, and it was quite good. I only wish they had been a tad crunchier and the marinara sauce a tad chunkier. Nevertheless, good fresh starter.


After a long time pondering, I ended up choosing their crab & lobster ravioli which was topped with scallops and shrimp. My oh my does their fresh pasta taste wonderful! The texture in my mouth of the ravioli pasta was awesome - I actually ate a bit of the "skin" before even delving into the filling. The filling itself was plentiful and delicious. I enjoyed the sauce because it didn't overpower the taste of the lobster & crab. Loved it and it wasn't even too pricey!


Duc got the "fili con gamberoni alla diavola" - "farro spaghetti pasta with tiger shrimps, white wine, garlic, red pepper, tomatoes, basil." So the place is called Il Farro because of the farro wheat they use (similar to spelt); we wanted to have at least one of us try it out so he opted for it. Great texture to it as it has got a bit more yield than semolina. Everything else was perfetto.


The best part was that we didn't feel overly stuffed with the food we had had, so we opted for their hazelnut gelato which they served cutely to use in a single large glass cup to share. Buttery biscotti topped it off. Smooth gelato with very much hazelnut punch, it was the best way to end the meal. Il Farro, I'm coming back for you and your delicious eats!

If lime bars aren't quite your thing, then maybe you're a fan of good ol' classic lemon bars? Lemons are definitely a lot sweeter than limes naturally so you'll have to cut back on the sugar if you're using my lime bar recipe. Lucky for you, I've decided to make lemon bars too and have an adjusted recipe to curb your desires. I cut these up into tiny bite-sized pieces after the photographs to make it easier for people to eat (and get rid of for me). As I may have mentioned before, I'm not a big sweets eater so whenever I bake, I want the stuff out of the kitchen as soon as possible, heh. Check out the recipe!

Step 1: Ingredients (yields 12-16 bars)

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar (and more for topping)
• 1/2 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 tbsp + 2 tsps lemon zest, fresh
• 1.5 cups granulated white sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, cold
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs

Step 2: Making the crust
I love how few ingredients lemon bars use. Zest your lemons first. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Then in a bowl, mix together your 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and the flour. Add in 2 tsps of lemon zest. Cut in your cold butter straight from the fridge until you have a nice crumbly mix. Press into a greased 9" x 13" pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.


Step 3: Making the lemon filling
Beat eggs on high in another bowl until pale yellow. Mix in the sugar, 1 tbsp of zest, and lemon juice. Continue on high. When the crust is done, take it out of the oven and pour the lemon filling over it. Stick it back in the oven for another 20-25 minutes.


Step 4: Finishing
Remove from the oven when the crust is turning a tad past golden brown. Sprinkle on powdered sugar to your liking and then cut into bars once it has cooled a little. Enjoy!

1210 E Imperial Hwy, Brea, CA 92821
Pricing - $ | Dining - Casual, To-Go | Cuisine - American
www.thehat.com

For some reason, after having a dinner of sorts, my friends still decided they want to go to The Hat down the street. I knew that it was well-known for being an indulgent type of place and famous for their pastrami but had never made it until now. I mean, I love pastrami so I figured I ought to give it a go. Because we were all pretty full, we split three different things amongst the 7 of us. 


The first was the famous pastrami sandwich, a towering packed sandwich of meatiness. However, I was very unimpressed by both the meat and the bread. Maybe it was all the hype that I had heard that gave me high expectations. Usually when I think of pastrami, I think of a peppery-ness and a textured fattiness in the meat. This pastrami was fairly flat and smooth as a meat, almost as if it had been a paste that was sliced. I'm not saying it was terrible but it definitely wasn't what I had wanted in pastrami. I've had better.


We also got a small order of onion rings which were pretty good. They had a nice amount of crispiness to them but the batter was a tad salty in my opinion.


The chili cheese fries were ridiculously enormous - the very representation of American indulgence. It took us a very long time to find the tray itself that was holding these together. They had piled average thick-cut fries with general chili and shredded cheese that melted from the heat of the gigantic thing. Fairly good but again, have had better. Not sure if I'd go out of my way to visit The Hat again to be honest since it doesn't hold any prize item in my eyes. I can, however, see lots of people coming here to stuff themselves or for hangover food.

Duc and I had agreed to make jambalaya the first dish we'd make in the slow cooker we had recently purchased. So we got all the ingredients and had a fun time making delicious food.

Step 1: Ingredients (serving size: 8-10 servings)

• olive oil, for pan 
• salt, to taste
• ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme (or 1 tsp freshly chopped)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp ginger, freshly minced
• 1.5 cups white rice, long-grain
• 2 dashes Tabasco sauce
• 2 tbsps parsley, freshly chopped
• 2 brown onions, diced
• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 3 cups of chicken stock, boiling
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 6 oz. Louisiana hot link sausages, sliced
• 8 oz. tomato sauce

Step 2: Prepping the ingredients
Though cooking in a slow cooker where you can just throw everything together, you have to first prep the ingredients! Lots of dicing, chopping, crushing, and cubing. I decided to separate my ingredients by what all had to be together. The celery, chili powder, garlic, ginger, and thyme will go in altogether at one point so you can set that altogether aside. You can prep all the ingredients and let the chicken stock come to a boil in a saucepan. For the chicken, flavor with salt and pepper during the prep.


Step 3: Cooking the chicken & vegetables
In a large skillet (or if you have a slow cooker like mine, in the crockpot), start cooking the chicken with olive oil. It is done once it has become a slightly golden brown. In a separate skillet, cook the onion until nearly translucent. Then add the celery, chili powder, garlic, ginger, and thyme to the onions. Mix for 2-3 minutes before adding to the chicken pot.


Step 4: Starting the slow cooker
Place all the ingredients in your crockpot if they aren't already. Mix tomato sauce into your boiling chicken broth & add the two dashes of Tabasco sauce; put liquid mixture into crockpot and cook on high for 1 1/2 hours. After such time, add in the 1.5 cups of white rice and cook for 35-45 minutes (don't let rice get mushy). Check the rice near the end to see that most of the stock has been absorbed; if it's too dry, add more stock.


Step 5: Finishing
Check the rice and if it is done, add in the sliced sausage and fluff the mix with a fork. Cook for another 15 minutes before adding in the chopped parsley and fluffing again. Enjoy your delicious dinner! You may also garnish with some more chopped parsley if liked.

520 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133 (Neighborhood: North Beach)
Pricing - $ | Dining - Casual, To-Go | Cuisine - Gelato
www.gelaterianaia.com

I happened upon this place by accident really. Duc and I had been talking about gelato since we were in the Italian area of SF but weren't actively looking to get any. However, on our last night there, we had finished dinner and were walking back when we saw a bunch of people walk into a store. I gave a cursory glance before pulling him to a stop and pointing out that it was a gelateria (and we hadn't had gelato that weekend yet!).


We stepped inside the modest place - nothing dolled up in there. It just had its two lighted displays with its unique flavors. I've worked at a gelato place before where there were traditional flavors & I've been to Rome to see many others but this had some neat ones I hadn't seen before. We decided we'd get two separate ones with two flavors apiece - he got pineapple (so fresh and very pineapple-y) and papaya lime (talk about tart!) while I got the cassia cinnamon (quite strong, just like the raw sticks or hard candies rather than the ground sweeter type) with nocciolo (hazelnut...just magnificent). We also tried some of their other flavors and man, when she tells you that the green tea is strong, she's not kidding. Good stuff though. I'd want to come back for more since there were so many interesting flavors! If you go, keep in mind that it's cash only!

565 Green St, San Francisco, CA 94133 (Neighborhood: North Beach)
Pricing - $/$$ | Dining - Dressy Casual | Cuisine - Wine Bar, Small Plates
www.delluvasf.com

The last night we had in San Francisco, we wanted to make sure we weren't overstuffing ourselves. After searching around on Yelp for nearby places that would have small dinners/plates, we came across Dell'Uva. It was a wine bar but there was food on the menu so hey, why not? Just a few streets down from where we were staying!


We sat outside when we got there since everyone inside was pretty much there for the wine. It gave us a street view - we unfortunately didn't think ahead though because there were some smokers who hung around or walked past. Anyhow, we ordered the Pesto Pizza and the Mac & Cheese (per Yelp suggestions), mushroom and truffle oil variety. Our waitress was very curt with somewhat of an attitude with people around; it wasn't rude but I immediately thought New York in my head. So yeah, staff was nothing to rave about. The food we got was exactly what we wanted in terms of sizing (didn't stuff ourselves!) but it wasn't anything particularly amazing. The pizza had fresh ingredients and was what I preferred of the two since I thought the pasta in the mac & cheese was overdone. The dish was cheesy, yes, but could've done with better preparation. Overall, a fair meal but not a place to rush to again.

1029 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133 (Neighborhood: Chinatown)
Pricing - $ | Dining - To-Go | Cuisine - Bakery

After dim sum with my friend, she suggested dropping by here for the "best dan ta" around. They're apparently famous for their egg tarts (and Yelp confirmed so!). She said that there's normally a line wrapping around but we came at a good time when it wasn't too busy. We only ended up waiting a long time because they ran out of egg tarts right before us so guess what? Egg tarts FRESH out of the oven! It's a cash only place so keep that in mind when (not if) you visit. The dan ta were so amazing when hot and later on in the day too when they settled/cooled down. The flaky crust was spot on and not too buttery. The egg part was silky smooth and just the right hint of sweetness that wasn't overpowering. Easily the best dan ta. I'm salivating in my mouth thinking about them again...

649 Jackson St, San Francisco, CA 94133 (Neighborhood: Chinatown)
Pricing - $$ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - Chinese, Dim Sum

Since I was vacationing in San Francisco for a weekend, I knew I had to meet up with a friend I hadn't seen in years who had moved to the area. We agreed on dim sum and this was her suggestion for sit-down dim sum in Chinatown (there are mostly to-go dim sum places there). It wasn't hard to find at all but there was definitely a line when we went in on a Sunday morning around 10:30. Lines usually mean everything's great right? My friend told me while we were waiting that instead of traditional dim sum carts being pushed around, we would get a menu and order (sushi bar style almost). That was pretty interesting - it was a good thing there was also a picture page so we weren't lost by the translations.


We actually ordered a ton of food but managed to eat it all; hoorah for having a guy eat with us eh? I really liked everything except for the shrimp rice noodle which is my favorite of the typical dim sum dishes. It was probably BECAUSE it's my favorite that I was so critical. The fried crab balls were very juicy and delicious. I introduced the two to the taro and meat crisps, and we all tried fried shrimp paste. Great stuff. As for more traditional/steamed foods, the shu mai and har gow were great. There was also a shrimp & cilantro dumpling that I tremendously enjoyed for the bursts of flavor it gave me. Overall, a somewhat crowded place (hence the lack of carts being pushed around) but delicious food and quick service. My only real beef is that it was much more expensive than I'm accustomed to dim sum being!

2824 Jones St, San Francisco, CA 94133 (Neighborhood: Fisherman's Wharf)
Pricing - $/$$ | Dining - Casual, To-Go | Cuisine - British, Seafood

Since my friends at NomNomCat had recently been to San Francisco, a quick Tweet sent Duc and me in the direction of Codmother Fish and Chips per their suggestion. So glad we took them up on the thought - it was a great find! It looks like a food truck that decided to stay put in the area and why not? The food's worth it. Suzanne, the owner, was so sweet about everything and made the experience even better than we had expected. Love her British accent too!


So of course we had to get the Fish and Chips. It had been so long since I had had any, so I was glad to be going somewhere where that was the signature dish (and which had good ratings on Yelp!). I didn't care too much for the chips part because I was really hankering for the fish. So good! The batter had ground black pepper mixed in before it was fried so it gave a nice, dare I say, peppering of flavor throughout each bite. The fish was so fresh and tender - I liked seeing its juicy whiteness just peel away in chunks in my fork. This was probably the best fish and chips I've ever had; most places have too much batter, oil, and/or salt.


Seeing as we were eating for two, we also had ordered the crazy chips/fries. I know I said I didn't care much for the chips with the fish & chips order but these...these were crazy fries! Smothered in what was called the Baja sauce and freshly minced garlic (and cilantro methinks), they were absolutely addictive. The sauce was a cool, tangy but sweet topping that was nicely complemented by the fresh spice of the garlic; healthy-feeling heaven in my mouth considering they were fries after all.


To combat that healthy sentiment, we had checked in on Yelp so we got free dessert. What's the dessert? Uh, the glorious, probably heart-attack inducing wonder that is fried Oreos. My goodness, look at the cross-section picture. It was like a sweet, sweet donut. I'm not a fan of Oreos but if I had to have them, please have them be deep-fried in this way.

Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA 94111 (Neighborhood: Embarcadero)
Pricing - $/$$ | Dining - To-Go | Cuisine - American

We had wanted to go to Mama's for breakfast considering the high ratings on Yelp but when we got there and saw that the line wrapped around, we figured we'd get our breakfast at the Farmers Market that we were heading towards anyhow. Luckily Yelp helped us find breakfast in the area which happened to be one of the booths at the Farmers Market itself. There was a long-ish line there already (usually a good sign!). Apparently Rose Pistola is a brick-and-mortar restaurant located in North Beach which decided to set up a booth at the Farmers Market on Saturdays.


I decided to go with the breakfast & eggs part of the menu; my choice was the plate of wild mushroom scramble with Stracchino cheese and basil. Nicely enough, the egg breakfasts also came with toast and roasted potatoes/peppers/onions. I quite liked mine because there was quite an abundance of wild mushrooms in my eggs. The cheese wasn't nearly as detectable as I would have liked nor the basil but the potatoes were delectable and many. Duc got the grilled flank steak sandwich with carmelized onions & Bleu cheese. We both agreed that the cheese was quite overwhelming and took away from the other flavors of the sandwich. However, the steak was done well and deliciously (once we had scraped off the cheese). Delicious breakfast that had us both quite full but man, wish we could've had a bigger stomach for the other things at the Farmers Market!

Following delicious pictures taken by Duc: