Six Peaks Grille (Lake Tahoe)

Memorial Day Weekend Getaway 2011

As my first carnivore meal after 8 1/2 months of pescetarianism, I had the 7 oz RIBEYE STEAK at Six Peaks Grille. I know I have been deprived but I have not forgotten how a good steak should taste like. The steak was medium rare, juicy, almost melt in your mouth tender and so full of flavors. ($16)

A PEPPERCORN SAUCE was served on the side but the steak was good without the extra help. That's when you know the meat is of good quality.

Enrique had the same thing. He had the MASHED POTATOES as a side dish while I had the BROCCOLINI. Both were simple but good. ($5 each)

I guess once a seafoodtarian will always be a seafoodtarian. I kept on going back to seafood and ordered DIVER SCALLOPS as our appetizer. Our server warned us that one order might not be enough. Why? Because these scallops were so perfectly seared and deliciously seasoned. They just melted in our mouth. And only 2 came per order accompanied by yummy onion crisp. ($13)

I had the BERRY BELLINI while my guy had the MOJITO. My bellini would have been yummy if not for slightly tasting like cough syrup. It was still good, though. We were not sure if it was because of being in a high altitude or the strong alcohol or combination of both but we both got pretty intoxicated during dinner!

We were full but we were given a "passport" for free dessert for every entree when we checked in:

*FRIED NEAPOLITAN ICE CREAM: Individually fried scoop each of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream and coated with rice crispies. A variety of texture and temperature going on at the same time. Pretty and yummy dessert!

*3 MINI CUPCAKES: We had to take them home. Even after the next day they were still fresh, delish and not dry.

DECOR:
Six Peaks Grille's decor is attractive enough but generic. The designers probably felt like they could not compete with nature's own beauty that surrounds the place. We were seated by the window and dined while fluffy snowflakes were falling. We had a view of the mountains and the outdoor patio with a big fire on the fireplace while it was snowing. As we were eating dinner, our surroundings were being covered in whiteness and softness except for the colors of fire in the fireplace. It was so quiet and serene.

SERVICE:
Our server, Lucci, was top-notch. His services were comparable to fine dining at fancier restaurants.

LOWDOWN:
I appreciate Six Peaks Grille's thoughtfulness in putting together a delicious menu on top of the mountain in the middle of nowhere. Seeing the world slowly being covered in white fluffy snowflakes added to the magic of our meal. A table by the window is a must when dining at Six Peaks. Do not settle for anything less!

Tab: $98 including tax, 2 drinks, 2 complimentary desserts before tip.

Foodie Girl's Rating: 4 Stars

Key:

0 Star: Never again!!! These people should not be in business.
1 Star: Chalk it to bad experience. Live and learn.
2 Stars: Some are good. Some are okay. Some are bad.
3 Stars: Like! I will return!
4 Stars: Love! I will be dreaming of you at night!
5 Stars: Perfection (or close to!)

Marc 49

Saturday Date Night: May 21, 2011 @ 10:20 PM aka "END OF THE WORLD"

Some people probably chose to hide in their basement awaiting the end of the world but I was sipping a very nice bubbly at Marc 49 with  Enrique.

HOW TO FIND:
If you blink you will miss this tiny wine bar on 51st and Telegraph but the fairy lights outside will beckon you to come in to quench your thirst. 

DECOR:
The decor is mixed nostalgic, gothic and speakeasy-ish. Black and white pictures of the generations before us (including the young Elizabeth Taylor) cover most of the wall on the the side. Red velvet curtains framing a huge mirror cover the opposite wall gave Marc 49 the feel that you are in dracula's lair. (There is also back patio that looked like a steam wooden sauna but I did not check it out during this visit.)

SOCIAL SCENE:

The patrons that night were hip 20s to 40s friends and lovers lazily lounging on the low leather benches sipping glasses of vino.

Enrique and I chose the low table and chairs by the window. We were there for the food!

BUBBLY: Reasonably priced at $8 a glass, this champagne was nice, fresh and with a generous taste of honey.

STRAWBERRY FIELDS $6: Greens with blue cheese, candied nuts, strawberry slices and sweet strawberry dressing. A light sweet delicious salad!

BROADWAY PANINI $7: Chicken breast and pesto panini. He added a Monterey Salad (lettuce, pear, candied walnuts, blue cheese) for just $3 more!

SOLOIST BRUSCHETTA $6: 3 generous slices of nicely toasted baguette, crispy but not hard, topped with goat cheese, proscuitto and melon. Eventhough I had to take out the proscuitto slices that were fresh and not even a hint of dry edges, I really enjoyed these toasts sans the meat. Delicious with my salad!

BROWNIE: It looked prettier than it tasted. It was sweet with mounds of whipped cream and a little bit on dry side but it completed the meal.

SERVICE:
The food and drinks at Marc 49 deserve 4 stars. The staff deserves 6 Stars. Only at a neighborhood place can you get the kind of accomodation we received last night. When we walked in at 10:20 at night, the kitchen was already closed. Our server said that it was a bizarrely slow Saturday. She joked "maybe because it's the end of the world but wouldn't you want to just drink wine and run up your credit card instead of hiding?" They decided to close the otherwise open until 11pm kitchen early. Seeing our disappointed faces, they reopened, told us not to apologize and order whatever we wanted on the menu and served us kindly and ungrudgingly!

LOWDOWN:
We wanted a light dinner and a night cap after a family party then watching "Pirates of the Caribbean 3" at the Kabuki before calling it a night. Marc 49 is the perfect spot for either late night dinner and drinks in Temescal, catching up with your friend, a quick weekday date night dinner or going solo.

They also serve tapas aside from what I mentioned above. Extensive offerings of wine reasonably priced at $8 per glass or $26 per bottle.

Marc 49 is a real neighborhood gem and is now added to my short list of favorites!

$40 including tax before tip. With $20 Groupon, this very enjoyable meal was only $27 including a Diet Pepsi, tax and 20% tip.

Foodie Girl's Rating: 4 Stars

Key:

0 Star: Never again!!! These people should not be in business.
1 Star: Chalk it to bad experience. Live and learn.
2 Stars: Some are good. Some are okay. Some are bad.
3 Stars: Like! I will return!
4 Stars: Love! I will be dreaming of you at night!
5 Stars: Perfection (or close to!)

Ajisen

Eating at Ajisen Ramen is like teleporting yourself to malls in Asia where young people bond over a hot steaming bowl of noodle soup. Not only it is very filling and tasty, but the prices won't drain a young student's allowance.

DECOR:
And of course, at the malls in Asia, the decor is very important to attract these young kids. They have to be cute and cool. Ajisen's mascot is a cute Asian girl who is forever winking at you. *Wink Wink*

SOCIAL SCENE:
Ajisen seems to attract the young crowd and Asian. (It must be the cutesy decor since we share a DNA with Hello Kitty.) And of course, pretty much every hungry mall shopper. However, the two times I've been there I was sitting right next to mostly very young Asian kids. There were two teens who were having a lively discussion on what to order based on their budget. They decided to order the cheapest ramen on the menu so they had more money for shopping. I thought that was cute.

SERVICE:
Contrary to complaints of slow and lackadaisical service posted by others, the service was efficient, quick and friendly. There's a lit up menu board but you get seated first and your server will take your order. No need to go up to the counter.

SF SHOPPING CENTER LOCATION:
What I really love about Ajisen is the convenience factor. For someone like me who uses BART as the major public transportation, it delivers me right at Ajisen. It is located at SF Shopping Center's Food Court. I get off BART, slurp my noodles at Ajisen, walk around the mall for a little bit to burn the calories, then jump back on BART without having to step on the streets.

SIGNATURE AJISEN RAMEN:
I've have been to Ajisen twice--first time was on a cold storming day in SF. I had the Ajisen Ramen with pork based broth, meat and veggies. The broth was very "creamy," pork-y, flavorful and nice. I did not eat the thin pork slices but I heard a young person right next to me saying to her gf in between slurps, "I like the meat. It's good!"

VEGGIE RAMEN:
Last Friday, on a super gorgeous day in SF, I came here again after shopping in SF. Since my guy is working a little later I decided to not go home yet. Although the weather was warm and sunny, I had the Veggie Ramen. This was a pretty and colorful bowl. The shoyu broth was lighter than the pork-based one but very nice and flavorful. It was loaded with veggies including shitake mushroom that added a nice earthy flavor to the ramen experience.

LOWDOWN:
Contrary to some of the reviews that the ramen at Ajisen is bland and lacking in flavor, I found the soup to be flavorful, comforting and filling --just like how a bowl of soup should be. The noodles are okay; neither soggy or chewy.

PORTIONS: The portions are generous and enough to satisfy your hunger.

SNACKS: Ajisen also sells apps like gyoza, fried tofu, etc. and rice plates like eel, pork katsu, etc They also sell flavored iced teas and bobbas. I had the Mango Iced Tea ($3.50) with my veggie ramen and it was refreshing.

PRICES: About $8.99 to $9.99 per bowl. A little bit more expensive than pho, but very reasonable for the portions, IMO.

Foodie Girl's Rating: 3.5 Stars

Key:
0 Star: Never again!!! These people should not be in business.
1 Star: Chalk it to bad experience. Live and learn.
2 Stars: Some are good. Some are okay. Some are bad.
3 Stars: Like! I will return!
4 Stars: Love! I will be dreaming of you at night!
5 Stars: Perfection (or close to!)

Camino

SATURDAY DATE NIGHT: May 7, 2011 @ 8PM

Imagine tumbleweeds rolling in front of Camino and it could easily be a venue for the wild, wild West.

However, instead of cowboys slinging pistols and sitting at a rowdy bar where a misunderstandings were often settled by a duel, and women of ill-repute serving the above, Camino is a fine-dining restaurant.

On the list for Top 100 Bay Area Restaurant..........Camino's decor is meant to trick you that you are not having dinner in Oakland anymore but you have been transported to New Mexico. Heavy cast-iron chandeliers are suspended on the high-ceilings. The place is dimmed and lit by Nacho Libre candles lining the brick walls.

The heavy dark wood tables are long and communal-each comfortably sits about 24. Even the chairs were the heavy, mission-style ones. The open brick kitchen with big open fire added to the allure of the place. In other words, Camino is attractive, rugged yet elegant.

A tip-off that you did not time-travel to the 1800s or took a flight to the Southwest in fugue state is Camino's cuisine. Camino (from the Spanish word camino meaning "path"), which by just looking at the name, made me think that I will be feasting on Latin, Tex-Mex or Spanish cuisine but it is anything but. Camino boasts of the fresh and organic New American fare. The menu was the shortest one I have seen: just 3 main entree selections. Our server explained to us that their aim is to magnify the flavors of the food, therefore, focusing all their energies on ingredients that are available at the moment.

After seducing our sense of sight, what came next was shocking our sense of taste and smell with the wonderful dishes placed before us:

DRINKS:
FREEDOM $6: A cold non-alcoholic oolong tea with lemon, sorrel and gum syrup: Tangy, light and refreshing.

APPLE BRANDY $9: Sweet, strong but still feminine. No hairgrowth on my back after sipping on this drink. :)

APPS:

RICOTTA & ANCHOVY TOASTS $4: 2 generous slices of crispy toasts. The ricotta was light but complimented the nicely salty anchovies. I will try to copy this at home.

OYSTERS ON 1/2 SHELL W/ CHILI AND LIME ($6.50): Refreshing, multi-flavored and fresh.

BLOOD ORANGE SALAD W/ PUREED WHITE BEANS AND CRISP $10: A tiny plate but packed with multi-dimensional flavors and textures. Meant to refresh your palate for the main meal.

MAIN:
GRILLED PORK LOIN AND SHOULDER braised with milk, sage and lemon; with peas and polenta $26: My fiance described this like eating carnitas--very tender and moist. I tasted the polenta. The freshness of the corn just wowed my palate. Def freshly house-made!

WOOD-ROASTED ARTICHOKES & TRUMPET MUSHROOMS
with Belgian endive and an egg cooked by the fire $ 22; One bite and the flavors exploded in my mouth! The earthiness of the mushrooms were magnified a 100 times! The salt brought out the flavors of the veggies and the perfectly cooked runny egg.

DESSERT:
HAZELNUT TORTE W/ ORANGE & WHIPPED CREAM: I was comfortably happy and full, and wanting to continue to savor my meal but my fiance insisted. The torte was a nice choice to end the meal on a sweet note. Not too sweet, not dry, just right.

VALUE:
What prevented me from giving Camino 5 stars despite the almost amazing dining experience was the value. Somehow Camio's cuisine reminds me of Wayfare Tavern in SF in terms of the cuisine and ambiance. However, price-wise the two are competitive but Wayfare Tavern's portions are a lot bigger than Camino's. Case in point, I had the mushrooms at WF for $8 as a side dish. At Camino, as a main dish and almost exact portion, $22! And not to mention on that evening Chef Tyler Florence cooked my mushrooms at Wayfare Tavern!

BOTTOMLINE:
Dining at Camino is a feast for the eyes and the palate. It will awaken your senses. The attention to details was evident from the crusty bread with butter and seasalt to the friendly attentive service. The portions were small but adequate enough and delicious! Definitely a sexy dinner!

TAB: $122 including tax and 20% tip

Foodie Girl's Rating: 4.5 Stars


Key:
0 Star: Never again!!! These people should not be in business.
1 Star: Chalk it to bad experience. Live and learn.
2 Stars: Some are good. Some are okay. Some are bad.
3 Stars: Like! I will return!
4 Stars: Love! I will be dreaming of you at night!
5 Stars: Perfection (or close to!)