Journeys With GG

Chocolate + Salt = Pure Genius!

I was probably first introduced to the concept of combining chocolate and salt about four years ago when I went to visit my friend Robin in Seattle.  "Try this!" she said to me and handed me a chocolate covered caramel topped with sea salt. 

While it was pretty good, I think that at the time, the combo of caramel, salt and chocolate was too much for me to appreciate. 

About six months ago, my sister and I popped into a local chocolatier, Michael Mischer Chocolates and tried one of his salted caramels.  It was in the shape of a heart with red tinted swirl, and better yet, the inside was soft and gooey versus hard and chewy, it made all the difference to me to really enjoy the trio of flavors.

However, a few months ago when SD and I went to dinner at his sister's she used pieces of a Vosges Barcelona chocolate bar  to garnish her lemon mousse.  Oh..My..God.  Seriously, one of the most wonderful things I've ever tasted.  The chocolate with even more of a salt sensation was even better than the caramel to me.   Sadly, the Vosges bars run about $8 dollars a piece, which  means you're paying $1 for a Ghirardelli-sized square (maybe slightly smaller) of chocolate.

So, I have to say I was pretty thrilled when I saw a dark chocolate and salt bar at Cost Plus World Market today for like $3.  While definitely not the quality of the Voges, a few pieces made for a nice treat at the end of the day.

Do you know of any other salty chocolate sensations?  If so, let me know!  It's seriously such a good combination I don't know why those clowns on top chef don't find a way to bring some type of salty chocolate dessert recipe with them to the show.  Just like when they add bacon to a dish they make, how can they lose?  Oh, that's another thing.  Voges does some type of chocolate bar with salt and bacon too.  As weird as that sounds, I've heard it's pretty sensational.

Starbucks Sucks

So, a week or so ago Starbucks shut down across the country for three hours in order to retrain all of it's baristas to make better espresso.  And, they also announced they would discontinue the breakfast sandwiches over the course of the year.  On both fronts, this is not good news.

First of all, Starbucks espresso will not get any better by training people to make it, it will only get better if they start using better coffee and cleaning their machines more regularly.  The reason they sell so many overpriced froo froo drinks is because no one can really tolerate the taste of their coffee on it's own.  What if they cut the number of crappy flavor-with-whip (and folks, adding the whip adds nine grams of fat to your drink) instead and offered a slightly more expensive cup of coffee that was actually good coffee?  My friends, let me tell you this.  The froo froo Starbucks drink is why local coffee shops will survive, and make a comeback.

To me, Starbucks saving grace has been it's food.  The fruit and cheese plate, the yogurt parfaits, the maple nut scones and last but not least, the breakfast sandwiches.  Frankly, over the past year, I've really only been going to Starbucks in the morning for the breakfast sandwich or wrap.  I only get the coffee if I'm really desperate.

In addition, since this new "training" that was supposed to change the face of Starbucks, I think service has declined.  The day after I gave it a shot and tried a new honey latte, no whip, and was presented with a hazelnut latte.  My sister regularly orders non fat steamed milk with sugar free hazelnut (yes, without coffee) and has not only had her order messed up twice since this grand event, but once when her order was made wrong, was beratted by a barista for not ordering a "skinny" steamer, but a non-fat one.

Starbucks, I appreciate all the good you and your CEO try to do, but until you actually try to sell decent coffee, well, you suck.

Asian Tapas

This weekend my sister and I tried out a new Asian Tapas restaurant that is less than a mile from the house.  While not technically in Dogtown, it's worth noting because it's a great example of how my neighborhood and the surrounding areas are changing (you know - gettin' gentrified).

The ambiance and decor of the restaurant is what impressed me the most.  It's very tiny, snugly seating only 24-26 people max, but it's beautiful inside - almost completely candle-lit with beautiful vintage posters of Asian women.

The menu is changed on a monthly basis, horomone-free meats and organic and fresh-from-local market ingredients are used in the fare.  We ordered the crab eggroll with sweet chili sauce, the daily greens (green beans), sashimi, honey ribs with thai basil and curly mustard, and the porkloin and orange stir fry.  After spending a day in wine country my sis decided not to drink, but while not ususally a white wine fan, I've become very fond of New Zealand Sauvingon Blancs and since they had one on the menu I couldn't resist.

The best items by far were the crab eggroll (the sauce is what made it) and the honey ribs.  The greenbeans had great flavor and were ultra fresh, but for my own taste could have been cooked a little more.  On the flip side, for sashimi one is better off going to Mijori on Grand Avenue in Oakland (the best Sushi I've had anywhere - including Nobu and Sensei in Maui), and honestly, the pork orange stirfy just really lacked something - I've made better ones at home.

That said, I'm eager to check Furenzu out on a monthly basis to see how the menu changes and if they fall into a patter of adding more hits - like those honey ribs- to the menu long term so they have the stability of some specialties and favorites.  The cost was very resonable as well.  The five plates and two glasses of wine came to only $40 - a great cost savings over other small plate establishments in the area, such as A Cote.

To note, because Furenzu's space is so small, if you really want to go call to make a reservation if possible, or get there before 7:00 p.m. or you'll be facing a 25-30 minute wait at least.

Check it out at http://restaurantfurenzu.com/home.html

The Best BBQ in Oakland

Tuesday wasn't just any ordinary Tuesday, it was Fat Tuesday.  Being raised Catholic my sister and I thought we'd celebrate by having some of our favorite BBQ for dinner at Everett & Jones at Jack London Square in Oakland.

I tend to go for the combo plate of chicken and link with hot BBQ sauch, while my sister went for chicken and briskett with media BBQ sauce.  The one thing we both agreed on the other night were the sides; cole slaw and candied yams.  I'm not a normal fan of coleslaw, but tend to like it better when it's got a vinegary tang, and the chopped up dill pickle these guys add to it does the trick for me.  Also, the candied yams - the best EVER.  There's a chicen and waffle place two doors down from E&J and while it's a cool concept, the candied yams they serve there are really obviously from a can (yuck).

So, if yo live in the Bay Area, or if you plan to visit, and love good BBQ, a trip to Everett & Jones is a must.  There are two parking garages with low rates nearby and if you're coming from the city, you can either take the ferry to Jack London Square or the BART to 12th street and walk a few blocks.

Everett & Jones - http://www.eandjbbq.com/index_everettandjones_main.html