Food at 5A5 Steak Lounge... Not quite to my Standards...

Okay...went to 5A5 Steak Lounge for dinner tonight with family. The food and service was not to my standards. :( Well, at first, when we walked in it was okay. Service was great there. The reception ladies were nice. :) Like her. The server was okay. Not like the time when I went to this one American steakhouse restaurant. Those servers, cooks, foods, services, and ladies at the reception was 100% to my standards and it made me felt like a VIP. Which I love being treated this way. :) I feel that eating out at a nice restaurant needed this type of service and attitude and all. Food also has to be good as well. :) Therefore I would definitely go back to that restaurant again. As for 5A5 Steak Lounge, I think this will be the only time. Not that it is not good, but it is just not what my standards are, therefore, to me it is not too good.

Since my camera had no battery, therefore, I didn't take any pictures. But the foods are like the place I went to.

Hamachi Shooter

Seared Foie Gras

According to my tastes these are the best that I have tasted and ever eaten. :) Yummy. I think I will definitely head back to that restaurant rather than 5A5 Steak Lounge. But for those that liked 5A5; that is your personal choice. But to me it is not pleasing to me to like.

Memorial Weekend!

Hi, okay so let's update. For this years memorial weekend, I spent time with my family in Santa Cruz and had dinner at Aquarius Resturant in Dream Inn/ Resort Hotel. It was a great experience. The food at Aquarius was okay. Not as good as the place I went in San Francisco. But as a high-end restaurant in tourist attraction place, it is pretty good already. So, at Aquarius, we tried the lobster roll sandwich, Sweet Gem Salad, seafood was great. Then headed out on the pier to have clam chowder which was good. And if I haven't eaten so full, I would of also tried the oyster too. Looks very fresh and these three men next to me had like about $100 worth of oysters. ;) Wow what a big appetite when it comes to something they like. Anyways, I was so full that I didn't even finish my clam chowder and ended up bring it back to the hotel.Then the next day had breakfast in Santa Cruz downtown which was awesome. The breakfast food was good.

It's Monday!!

Wow, it's the middle of May already. Can't wait until Memorial weekend.. :-) It will be fun, maybe we can have a BBQ if it's hot!

I know it has been a long time since I post more food that I have eaten ever since. I promise that after this week when time comes, I will upload the pictures of yummy food on the website for you all to look at the places that I have been to. Keep waiting, but sorry for the long wait for those that are tired of waiting. I promise. I have a little busier this week, so I will not promise that I will have anything up. But next week will be better. Well, almost done. I am very motivated to get classes done because I want to have fun in July when I head back to china. :-) Well until then, let's get on turbo-power jet and get things done. :-)

Well, food pictures later and I will write more later as well. Got to get back to working.

Take Care,
Harriet Chen

Another Fall day and I'm Back

Wow, I just noticed that it has been a really long time since I put a blog about the food and places I have visited. But I can tell you all that I have been to a lot of great places this past year and I will be sure to definitely update those once I get the pictures edited and all. I would love to share where and what I have been up to this past year. All I can say is that there has been a lot of ups and downs. but I still manage to enjoy my time when I am on vacation.

And that I can say that I am officially graduated and now getting things ready for the other part of my life. As that is going on, I am also having a lot of fun working with graduate students and the professor in the research that we are all working on. It has become a great job for me, and working with a professor on the research and the graduate students have been a good friend and team to me. I love what I do now. Keep it up, I know I can pursue this career type in the future. :-)

Enough of that, all in all, I would like to say that even though a lot has came up in my life this year, I am still in the verge of looking for my prince-charming. Hopefully my dreams will come true this Christmas. May all my wishes be true! Have a great day and stay dry. Bring your umbrella, or rain coats with you when you walk out that door of your house to prevent from getting sick and wet. Personally, I love the rain because I think of yellow duckies... And I love them. My lucky duck...

Take Care.
Harriet Chen

Navio @ Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay

Hello... I am back... :-)
So, where have I been lately? Well, its been a while since I have posted of where I have eaten. I can say that I have been to Navio at Ritz Carlton Resort & Hotel in Half Moon Bay overlooking the Pacific Ocean and enjoying brunch there one Sunday during brunch hours. It was a little expensive where it can be only a one time thing because it is rarely that I may return given the fact that the things I eat is what others may say a waste. But to me... it is good enough to fill me :-) Although, I will only be going there once, but I would definitely recommended to those we like to eat around. The one thing that I had interest in is the place, the fact that it is really nice and there desserts is like a blast, where I can be there all day and just have there desserts. It is absolutely beautiful and the fact that I love trying new things too. :-) That's me. After I have tried a new thing, I move onto another place, since I have hardly ever go out to eat. Therefore, whenever I get the time to go out and eat or do whatever. I love to explore and enjoy. That is what leisure time is for me, besides studying and school work. Got to have some time to explore and have fun too.

Besides the goodness of desserts at Navio, the caviar station and the seafood station is also one of the best stations and the most worthy station of all. If you walk in to Navio, and all you have are plates after plates of caviar, you will have eaten enough for the price that you are paying. The other items that I have yet to explore are the salads, breakfast foods, dim sum, sushi, and fruit platters are also great, but nothing compared to the Bellagio buffet in Las Vegas. So to me, I still think that the Bellagio buffet in Las Vegas, NV is still better, and it seems to me that I like the buffet in Las Vegas better. But it is only my thought. If you ever go, you may like it, who knows.

-Harriet

Michael Mina here I come...

Mmm...mmm...mmm... Yummy :D
On Saturday, July 11th at Michael Mina SF, Westin St.Francis Hotel was an unforgetable time for me because it was a first time tasting for me of sashimi and caviar. I think that it has a very interesting taste to everything I eat tonight.
The appetizer started with 3 sides, tuna on the top of the plate then the American Sturgeon Caviar and next is a "corn dog" with shrimp instead. This was delicious, first time having sturgeon caviar and it was a blast. Well, actually everything on this plate was my first time. Never eaten anything raw or caviar. But I have to say that now I have tried something new. But before starting with that, start with a drink... That should start the meal... :D Besides this plate, Michael Mina has a lot of his specialities to celebrate his restaurants 5th anniversary. There are of course plenty of other foods and specialities in the restaurant, but these are the ones that I tasted. The next course is south africa lobster tail. It was small but the tasting was great pairing with the sauce. The third course is figs with scallops topped with foie gras. This is absolutely a mouth-watering tasting I have ever tasted. Well, its my first time eating foie gras and it just melted in your mouth. I think it was a good pairing with the rest of the course. The fourth is chicken with house-made mac and cheese. The fifth is the medium rare beef that is good with good sauce pairings. Also a tasting that melted in your mouth. I would have to say even if you have went to the dentist that morning and is having this dinner that same night, I think it is no biggy, because the food is so soft and easy to chew that if your teeth hurts from the every 6 months dental cleaning, it is still worth it. :D Well at least for me... hehehe.. :D Then finished off with a great pairing of dessert starting with Michael Mina's root-beer float and warm chocolate chip cookies, then the raspberry tart-like, and lastly an orange-sorbet. Afterwards, you can chat and sip your coffee with your friends/ or family and just chill a bit before heading out to see the rest of the beautiful hotel and take pictures. Oh and if you are lucky enough, you can even see the executive chef; Michael Mina, and maybe take a picture with him too. :D Well, that was my night with my family. I guess it was a great family gathering and it was worth being together and just talk. :D Maybe you can have the same, just sit down with your family and have fun it is great. I am telling you, you will not regret it. And plus you get great food too. :D And get to see what is out there... Overlooking the world. :D Well, I think this is it for now. See you next time with more good food and restaurants. :D Until then, have a great time!

Take Care,
Harriet