Cha Cha Cha, San Francisco

Named after a Spanish dance, Cha Cha Cha is one of my favourite Tapas places in San Francisco. They have two branches, one in the Haight-Ashbury district and another one in the Mission district. The Haight-Ashbury one is a lot fancier but I usually end up going to the Mission one because of the convenient location. I've sampled their entire menu now, that's the beauty of Tapas, it allows you to try several different dishes in one sitting! My favourite dishes here are Fried New Potatoes, Cajun Shrimp, Pork Enchiladas and Jamaican Jerk chicken. They have an excellent veggie choice as well. The portions are pretty big for Tapas and if you compare it with Cascal, its twice the portion size at half the price. They also have a well stocked bar and their Caipirinha and Mojitos are absolutely amazing. They also have very good Sangria, although Charanga's Sangria is slightly better. Be prepared to wait in line for about an hour on a weekend. There are two other wonderful restaurants on the same block as Cha Cha Cha - Bissap Baobab and Charanga. I end up entering the one where the wait is the least...

Ratatouille

Now I know this is a blog about food, but one can scarcely ignore a movie that revolves around food!! Pixar has done it again with Ratatouille and I'm not here to write a review about the movie. For that, visit http://www.rottentomatoes.com/. But to see how all the food in the movie was animated, watch the video below.

Cooking Up CG Food

Mangoes

The King of fruits unfortunately does not reign in the United States of America :(. I hadn't eaten a decent mango in the last 6 years until the US government in its infinite wisdom finally saw it fit to import mangoes from India in exchange for India allowing the import of Harley Davidson motorcycles. Not a bad trade agreement at all especially for the millions of desis yearning for some good Indian mangoes. Coming from Gujarat, I've had the good fortune to have enjoyed the two best varieties of mangoes - Alphonso and Kesar. Having an Alphonso mango last week after 6 years was a thrilling experience!! Recently, I've discovered another reasonably edible variety of mango - the Manila Mango which is available in Chinese stores like Lion Market or Ranch 99. These mangoes are of the Ataulfo type grown in Mexico but not all Ataulfo mangoes are the same. The Ataulfo mangoes that you find in Trader Joe's or Costco are similar to the Langda mango while the Manila Mango is somewhere between Dasheri and Banganapalli varieties available in India. I prefer the Manila Mango as I've never really been a fan of Langda. Nonetheless, I'm satisfied with the mangoes I've been able to eat this year :).

Aki's Bakery, San Jose

I first read about Aki's Bakery in the San Jose Mercury News back in 2003 when it was run by a Japanese family. Never actually went there until they were back in the news recently because the bakery had changed hands and locals were upset that it wouldn't stay the same. I decided to try it out before the predictions of going downhill came true, and ordered their signature Guava Delight cake and found it to be absolutely phenomenal and unique. Not a big fan of Guava, but this was one cake where I had no problems with Guava!! I ended up going to Aki's once again last month and I decided to try the next cake on their menu which happened to be the Mango Delight. Nice moist and light cake iced with mango flavored mousse with small pieces of mango in it. The mango seemed to be one of the Mexican varieties you get in California but in a cake it didn't taste too bad. (I'll rant about mangoes in another post!!). I hope Aki's manages to maintain the quality of their cakes under new management. If you want to sample an Aki's cake, make sure you order atleast a day in advance. They usually do not have cakes for walk-in customers...

The Boilermaker cocktail

Boilermaker is a cocktail made from Whiskey, Vodka and Beer. A friend of mine and I ended up making one today with Weihenstephaner Korbinian beer, and half a shot each of Grey Goose Vodka and Glenlivet Single Malt Whiskey. The mixture turned out to be a lot more potent than we had imagined and after a couple of more beers, we were soon on the floor drunk and listening to some old Amitabh Bachchan movie songs. So, if you want to get drunk on 1 beer, just drop the depth charge of whiskey and vodka in it....

Espetus Churrascaria, San Francisco

Espetus Churrascaria is San Francisco's only Brazilain Rodizio style restaurant. The concept is simple, you pay a fixed price and waiters dressed as Gauchos bring the meat straight from the fire to your table. You can eat to your fill, take a breather and start all over again!! If you're a vegetarian or do not eat beef, don't think of going here because this place serves hardly anything else but meat. They do have a large salad bar and some traditional Brazilian side dishes. I love their garlic seasoned Sirloin and Parmesean Porkloin. Once you've stuffed yourself with the steaks, its time for dessert. They have an extensive dessert menu with some unique desserts like Creme de Papaya. I discovered Creme de Papaya by accident when I ordered a Tiramisu but was served something that did not remotely resemble one :). I decided to try it out anyway and I'm sure glad I did!! If you love steaks, this is one place you simply cannot miss...

Zeni Ethiopian Restaurant, San Jose

Zeni is simply the best Ethiopian food I've had. If you're visiting for the first time, order the Non-Vegetarian or the Vegetarian Combo. This is one place where I do not mind eating veggie food at all !! They have an extensive menu of traditional Ethiopian dishes and some good Ethiopian Honey wine as well. Ye Doro Tibs, Ye Doro Tibs and Alitcha Fitfit are the dishes I love the most. Their Injera is outstanding and they frequently run out of it. So If you don't want to be disappointed, try going here for lunch or an early dinner. Food is spicy and the servers are prompt, friendly and always willing to answer questions from curious guests. To top it all, they have a 10% discount coupon on their website and you really have to try hard to cross 10$ a person. Try going in a big group so that you can sample more of their exotic cuisine!!

Cascal, Mountain View

Cascal is the best Tapas place south of San Francisco!! I've been here on several occasions and each time has been a better experience. Cascal has an excellent decor, good wait staff and awesome food. They have some live music on Friday and Saturday evening and there usually is a 20 - 30 minute wait. I took my parents here last month to sample some tapas and they simply loved it. We sampled some Albondigas (Mexican meat balls), Wild Mushroom Empanadas, Sizzling Shrimp and Banana Leaf chicken and all these were cooked to perfection. On earlier occasions, I've had their Quail in raisin sauce which had become my favourite but unfortunately, they've discontinued it now :(. Their Paella Rustica is one of the best Paellas I've had. And not to mention they have an excellent bar. Their Premium Mojito and Caipirinha are among the best I've had. If you live in the South Bay Area, this is one place you cannot miss. The portions are pretty small though, so if you've got plans to hog, you might end up running a huge tab.