1115 Willow St, San Jose, CA 95125 (Neighborhood: Willow Glen)
Pricing - $/$$ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - Breakfast, Brunch
http://www.billscafe.com/

I think it's difficult to avoid "brunch" when you're off for a weekend trip with your significant other in a place that happens to have a few good places that do brunch. Granted, we didn't go during a normal brunch hour (we actually went pretty early in the morning) BUT the restaurant supposedly has a good brunch and dang good breakfast too. With their food being made from scratch, Bill's Cafe is a small "chain" in the sense that there are four of them in the SJ area but local since they stay in the community. They open early and close early. We had wanted to go to this one because it's the original. It was also nice that Monday through Friday you can get half a benny (benedict) and other items discounted in the early morning hours. We met some fun, smiling people outside of the restaurant, and upon entering, we saw old-school decor with some drab pink and other muted colors. Nevertheless, the staff were very nice and food great which let us know that the old-timey feel also hearkened back to respectable dining experiences.
 


Duc opted for the Bread Pudding French Toast (baked with walnuts & raisins, dipped in batter & grilled, topped with fried banana & special bread pudding sauce; served with eggs & bacon/sausage) because I guess he was craving bread pudding again. Wow. It was SO GOOD. The bread pudding itself was of a balanced sweet consistency and texture but covered in cinnamon and other French toast adornments, it was out of this world. The slightly bruleed banana slices on top of the bread added just enough fruity kick to the dish. Alongside it came eggs that were okay and fairly good bacon too.


Popular reviews and demands had me hankering for their Crab Cakes Benedict (two crab cakes, two poached eggs, Hollandaise sauce on English muffin), a dish that many had boasted of as being the best anywhere. I found that my crab cakes were not as flaky as preferred with possibly too much other flavors BUT it didn't take away the taste. I thoroughly enjoyed my dish with its eggs poached well and the sauce making it all delectable. The egg just oozing down onto the crabcakes with well-toasted English muffin tops and bottoms was just perfect. What a great experience!

Photography by Duc Duong. 

That, my friends, is a mouthful! Maybe you can help me come up with a shorter name? Well anyhow, remember when one of the Test Kitchen ingredients was black lava sea salt? I think I may have gone a little overboard in trying to use it a variety of ways. This cookie was actually my first choice when thinking of what to make because I wanted to incorporate the smokiness from the black lava sea salt with something a little more savory or rich, like peanut butter! Of course, you don't have to exactly fill thumbprint cookies with caramel. I'm sure this base would be tasty with jam as well. However, the salted caramel on top really does add a little umph to your dessert. I adapted the recipe from here.

Step 1: Ingredients (yields 30-36 cookies)

• 1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup creamy natural peanut butter
• 1/3 cup caramel sauce
• black lava sea salt

Step 2: Mixing the ingredients
Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt (dry ingredients). In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugars (wet ingredients). Add egg and vanilla extract. When mixed well, add peanut butter.


Step 3: Incorporating
When both mixtures have been well-combined, gently add the two together and mix until a soft dough forms. Lay parchment paper out on a baking sheet. Using a tablespoon, scoop leveled spoonfuls of dough onto a sheet about 1.5" apart. Use a teaspoon to indent each cookie.


Step 4: Finishing
Bake for 13-15 minutes; they will be golden brown along the edges but still soft enough in the middle to redo the impressions. Use the teaspoon again to push down on the wells - you'll need to make sure your filling stays. Cool cookies before adding caramel sauce. Sprinkle with black lava sea salt and let set (~1 hour). Enjoy!


Photography by Minerva Thai.

Are you excited yet? I don't see how you wouldn't be with Provisions Market opening soon in Old Towne Orange. It will be a coming-together of the stars from Haven Collective (Haven Gastropub & taco asylum) and Portola Coffee Lab, favorites in Orange County that I'm sure fans are dying to see in one central location. You may know the spot as its previous stint as The Bruery Provisions which was announced in December to be closing so that the brews themselves could get more attention. Luckily for the regulars who dropped by the Old Towne Orange space, the great beer and food will not be gone for long. With the Haven Collective snatching it up and renaming it Provisions Market, your favorite place to pick from an impressive array of bottled beer will still be available for your perusal.


We were lucky enough to be invited to a preview evening to see what changes were buzzing about behind the paper-ed up windows. Though not everything was stocked at the time of arrival, there was still plenty to be seen. The room was already alive with all of the invited media guests who walked around, looked at shelves of tasty brews, ate samplings of food to be on the menu, and learned a lot about how Provisions Market was doing.


The structural layout of the space may be familiar to those of you who have already been inside the building when it was The Bruery Provisions. Not too much has been altered as a whole picture but there are unique elements that will give the new place a personality of its own. After speaking with Steve who had helped design the layout of the area, I learned quite a bit about how and why they chose to have certain things in certain areas. The old wooden barrels above the entryways will soon be branded with the letters to spell out OLD TOWNE ORANGE, a nice touch to it all. Taking a look at the pictures throughout this post, you'll also see the differences between lighting and beer choices from one side to the other. A spectrum of light to dark beers/offerings is reflected in the set up. When you enter, your left side will show beers in refrigerators that are light and your right side will show the lovely stouts, porters, and other dark stuff (my favorite side for sure!).


The market will practically be the foodie's perfect one-stop shop. With bottled beer aplenty, you can go in to grab something to go. However, if you're willing to stay around this place with its thirty rotating beers on tap, you might find yourself indulging in one of their sixty cheeses, a glass of wine, or even European sandwiches as well (on OC Baking Company bread too!). Maybe you're thinking that you can resist the temptation of sticking around - it's a good thing you will be able to get artisan chocolates on the way out or even a take-and-make meal to enjoy at home. A few weeks after their opening, Provisions Market will also have Portola coffee in-house. We got to try out some cheeseboards, beet habanero pickled deviled eggs (I couldn't stop eating these!), fresh burrata atop bread, and B.toffee. How spoiled we were! Beers were on tap and wines for all the guests milling about as well.


It may have just been a preview for us but everyone involved was still hard at work making sure that everything was running well (as if it wouldn't). If this is just a preview of what's in store for all of their future customers, then you are all in for a real treat. The meticulousness of executing their craft makes every member there admirable in their passion. The food will absolutely speak for itself once you taste it.


We took a look also at their dining area in the back (remember that from The Bruery Provisions?) and the outdoor patio where people can relax and enjoy themselves. A touch of Portola had made its way onto the barstools as the upholstery - talk about creative! Coffee sacks adorn the chairs where your bums will sit. A display-oriented wine rack stood on the other side of the divider between the dining area and bottled beer shelves, showing off a curated collection of tasteful wines which you will easily see when you walk in. I think what Duc found most exciting at the time was the selection of bottled beers ("That is the MOST Parabola I've seen on any shelf!"); you will be surprised yourself when you find all of the gems that Provisions have dug up for its customers. They're expecting to be open by June 1st so are hustling and bustling to get the place ready for such a close date. Visit them at 143 North Glassell in Orange. You won't be sorry.

Photography by Duc Duong. More images available on Facebook.

You've surely heard of P.F. Chang's before (whose full name is P.F. Chang's China Bistro) but did you know that in the span of just 20 years, they've become more than 200 restaurants? It's touted as an Asian-themed restaurant which is to say that they serve American Asian food, not Asian-American food. I was contacted about the Irvine Spectrum location's recent renovation and the early arrival of the chain's summer menu at this particular spot. To give them a shot, I was graciously sent a gift card to try some new items; all opinions below are my own and touch on not only the new items but also existing P.F. Chang's items.


I haven't been to P.F. Chang's in years upon years (think early high school...) and neither had Duc. It certainly has expanded since either of us had been but hearing that the Irvine Spectrum location had gone through a recent renovation had me a little curious. When we came to the place, we both found the decor and environment very charming, adopting a modernized Japanese feel. Plenty of dark wood and black colors adorned the walls and columns as well as organic-looking textures. Enormous windows and open areas presented an outdoorsy indoor feel, especially highlighted by the large bonsai tree in the center of the building.


We stared at the Summer Menu once again after having seen it in my email from them. What I tend to choose to eat depends on the mood at the time so of course, my feelings towards certain items had changed since we last peeked at the list. In the meantime, our waitress brought out dipping sauces and took drink orders. Duc's was their Housemade Ginger Beer ($3 - fresh ginger and lemon juice mixed with pure cane sugar) and mine the Strawberry Cucumber Limeade ($3.95 - muddled strawberries and cucumbers with fresh lime juice). The ginger was quite apparent in the drink but it certainly did not taste like a ginger beer so much as it was a fizzy club soda mixed with ginger and lemon. That being said, if you like ginger, it did pack a kick. The limeade also was a puncher with the tartness and sourness that only pure lime can bring. I'm salivating again just writing about it because I remember how sour it was. The strawberries were a good touch of sweetness to cut through the lime.


Our choices from the summer menu were the Peking Duck Summer Rolls ($8.95 - duck salad with julienned green papaya, snow peas, and carrots wrapped in rice paper and served with a mango jalapeno vinaigrette) and the Grilled Prawns with Red Curry Peanut Noodles ($15.95 - grilled Southeast Asian prawns with chilled noodles, shaved snow peas, crispy shallots, bean sprouts, carrots, cilantro, and lime in a red curry peanut sauce). The rolls seemed a little unbalanced when rolled because some pieces would have plenty of duck while other pieces would have barely anything. The vinaigrette was able to show itself in the pieces with less duck seeing as Peking has a very distinct and strong gamey taste. There was a good crunch to the rolls. The prawns dish took us a bit by surprise because we weren't expecting both the prawns and noodles to be cold, just the noodles. It had a nice heat to it that definitely reminded us that we were having curry. The prawns would have been better had they been hot but their marinade tasted great. The shaved snow peas are a nice touch and texture to this plate.


Menu items had and not on the summer menu were the Ahi Crisp ($9.95 - hand-cut tuna tartare with cucumber, scallions, and citrus soy served with avocado slices on a crispy wonton chip) and Salt and Pepper Calamari ($8.95 - crispy calamari strips tossed with green onions and Freshno peppers served with a sweet chili dipping sauce). The ahi crisp was just about my favorite from the meal as the tuna tartare was very soft and seasoned well. The calamari had the endearing little cup of additional salt and pepper to add more to the experience and name. I enjoyed the alternative style to the typical ringed calamari but felt that it could have been crunchier.


The dessert was their Blueberry Cheesecake ($2.95 - white chocolate cheesecake with swirls of fresh blueberries on a graham cracker crust served with vanilla creme sauce and fresh mint), a letdown of a dessert for its overly soaked crust. Overall, the meal had its ups and downs but there is more to be tried on the summer menu I hear. Perhaps you will fancy a piece from there when you go! Check out the menu below:

• Summer Vegetable Quinoa “Fried Rice”—Wok-toasted quinoa with summer sunburst squash, mango, tomatoes and snow peas, topped with a sunny side egg.
• Grilled Swordfish with Pineapple Chutney—Asian-spiced line-caught sushi-grade swordfish served over a chilled rice and summer vegetable salad with black garlic aioli and a pineapple-pear chutney.
• Korean BBQ Chicken Stir-Fry—Korean-style chicken stir-fry with red peppers, onions and green beans in a sweet, spicy red chili sauce topped with a refreshing summer kimchi slaw.
• Heirloom Tomato & Thai Basil Salad—A starter salad with a refreshing summer selection of heirloom tomatoes and avocado, finished with Thai Basil and a zesty Asian ponzu dressing.
• California Roll—Crab salad, cucumber, avocado and sesame seasoned rice rolled-to-order.
• Spicy Tuna Roll—Spicy Ahi tuna, cucumber, daikon sprouts and sesame-seasoned rice rolled-to-order.
• Long Island Tequila Tea—Featuring 1800 Silver, Reposado and Añejo Tequilas shaken with fresh sour mix and topped with Coca-Cola
• Long Island Rum Tea—With Cruzan Mango, Guava and Aged Light Rums with fresh sour mix and a splash of cranberry

Photography by Duc Duong.

25 years ago, the three brothers Eduardo Lee, Mingo Lee, and Wing Lam decided that they were going to start up a restaurant in Costa Mesa that gave them the freedom to continue surfing (three owners allowed for one of them to be off at the beach at any point, Mingo told us, haha) and put together food they loved. A Brazilian and Asian flair was tacked onto Mexican dishes to create Wahoo's Fish Taco, the first of which was right here in Orange County in Costa Mesa. In 1988 when they first opened their first store, I don't think they were expecting that twenty-five years later, there would be nearly 70 stores nationwide with plans for an international location in mid 2013.


So what was I doing there the other day? I don't think it's often that I write-up about any chain but despite the franchising that has happened, the product and business is still primarily family-own and run. The menu items and Hawaiian North Shore vibe stay constant throughout the locations because of the family's involvement. We went to the Newport Beach Fashion Island location to celebrate their 25th anniversary with them which kicked off with a special event/announcement every month of 2013. This time, we were there for their Citrus Slaw, available on May 25th. That whole weekend, ordering citrus slaw atop your taco in a combo meal will earn you a free fountain drink too, wahoo! This is for every location on the 25th and 26th. Despite this NB location's position in the food court of Fashion Island, it boasted a full bar where we previewers could also see what concoctions were made behind the counter. It also had the familiar walls in the back where people could stick stickers.


With a Mexican Mojito (a bit sweet because of the agave nectar used) and Wahoo's Margarita (tasty!) to lubricate our throats, we looked forward to the citrus slaw on the tacos and the accompanying sides. Fluffy rice both brown and white met with two types of beans served as perfect fillers for a full meal. They would be options for your combo meal when you order it! As for the citrus slaw, well, that's a tasty mix of cabbage, cilantro, onions, and carrots tossed in lime juice and olive oil. It's so timely for this time of the year too. Refreshing, tangy, and bright, this was a slaw to enjoy either atop your choice of protein or alongside anything really. Like I said, it's to be released on the 25th of the month as are all of their other monthly promotions.


The options we got to try with the citrus slaw were the fish, chicken, carnitas, and shrimp tacos. The fish was fantastic with the slaw; seafood almost always goes well with some tanginess. The slaw was light enough to let the fish flavor shine through. The chicken came in well-sized pieces to nosh on in the tacos. The carnitas were a favorite of some at the table with its slow-roasted flavor and slight saltiness. Overall, I think the most favorited though (include my own favorite) was their shrimp in its Wahoo's teriyaki marinade. The shrimp was cooked just perfectly through with enough structure in the flesh and yet softness to the bite. The marinade really added the best flair to the already well-done seafood but paired with the citrus slaw, it made so much sense. That one gets my recommendation if you make it out to try their slaw this weekend. Get the shrimp!


Additionally, we got to taste their green sauce (cilantro, yesssss!) and the Mr. Lee's Chili Sauce. Bet you didn't know what that was, huh? It's not one that is very publicly popularized but boy oh boy did we all enjoy it at the table. Made from the recipe of the brothers' own father, Mr. Lee's Chili Sauce was a thick spicy paste that included sweetness from hoisin sauce (tamarind-based) and went very well with just about everything we put it on. It had a slow burn that lingered in our throats after we finally stopped eating it but not one that was unbearable. Apparently, you can also make your order with the sauce as part of your protein's marinade (whoops - that's a secret but you readers can hear it from me...just don't go overboard and overwork the Wahoo's staff at your location, hah). Give it a shot first before you go ahead and incorporate it into everything though honestly, that wouldn't be a bad idea.


I loved hearing the story of Wahoo's as told by Mingo who graced us with his presence. Keeping to their roots but also expanding and making every location a part of the local community, Wahoo's is a fine example of a success story. They've even branched out to include some vegetarian/vegan options as that lifestyle choice has become more popular (apparently everyone needs to try the blackened mushroom enchiladas with green sauce!). I think that with 25 years under their belt, they've got a fantastic system down pat. Thanks to Wahoo's for having us, Mingo & Kevin for enlightening us with how it all came to be and plans to pan out to be, and the supporters who have allowed this business to thrive. Happy 25th!

Photography by Duc Duong. More photos are available on Facebook.