I have so many good memories associated with food. That’s why I became a food blogger. For some reason, I selectively remember places and events with the food I ate with the experience. Classic example: I cannot name a single pagoda that I have been to in Thailand but I can tell you the specific street corner that sells the most amazing skewered chicken in the country (possibly the world).
Going back to Spinnaker invokes these memories. This is my favorite brunch place in Sausalito. D and I used to take Beans here back when he was just about 5 years old. He loved looking at the kayakers passing under the restaurant. This was also the place where D proudly boasted that he was able to get Beans to eat fish for the first time. The fact that the said fish got puked out in D’s brand news Mercedes later on, makes that memory even more precious.
This is me, Beans, and my mom, circa 2008This is me and Beans, 9 years after!!!
When doing reservations, always try to get a table with a view. In Europe, most restaurants would have you pay extra for that. In the US, all you have to do is ask…Specialty margarita and D with his Syrah, Dumol, Russian River 2012My favorite—BOUILLABAISSE Prawn, scallop, clams, mussels & fresh fish in a rich broth. I have tried (unsuccessfully) to make this at home, I can never make the broth to carry that much flavor. I need a better recipe, or just keep coming here.D had SALMON FILET STUFFED WITH MUSHROOMS Portobello, Shiitake & Crimini mushrooms in a shellfish & cream BesciamellaBeans had QUESADILLA WITH CRAB, SHRIMP & FRESH BASIL Served with tomato-cilantro salsa & French friesDessert – Bread Pudding Cake With a tunnel of Rich Custard … Served with an Old Fashioned Jack Daniel’s Whiskey Butter Sauce. So you know me by now, the best thing about this is the whiskey sauce.
Our favorite dessert here was cherries jubilee. We were informed that they have stopped making it due to some fire hazard decree. For crying out loud. Now I remember why I left California…. hehe.
It was great to revisit our old haunts.Even better to note that not much has changed, food-wise. Quality is always consistent. Progress requires change. But there’s nothing like familiarity that anchors you down to your history and in this fast-changing world, we need that.
Most women relish the idea of breakfast in bed during Mother’s Day. I don’t. The mere thought of what transpired in my kitchen to produce a mediocre waffle, coffee and orange juice makes me cringe. My favorite peeps — Beans and D— know me well enough that I would probably just wolf down the food as fast as I can so I can go clean up the crime scene in the kitchen that they left behind. So we just skip this warm and touching tradition and hop over to do the things I like best—eating and shopping.
This year, I totally forgot when Mother’s Day was. So i picked up a shift at work for this weekend in anticipation of my upcoming vacation for which I have accumulated a grand total of ZERO in terms of paid-time-off. Since I can’t do backsies once I’ve sign up to work, I had no choice but to celebrate it starting a week before while we were at Fredericksburg.
Began the day with my mimosa flight at the Herb Garden.At Baron’s Creek with my favorite portAt Alexander’s Vineyard with another favorite, Sauterne
By noon, Beans was finally up and joined us. We were going to get some boots for me but the selection wasn’t very good, so we went home and I took a nap. Yes, napping is a way of celebration for me. I love napping. And I love it even more if no one disturbs me to tell me that the puppy peed out of the pee pad. So they left me alone.
After a restful nap, it was time to get some dinner. We drove over to Kerrville to dine in 1011 Bistro.
This is gorgeous restaurant sitting right next to Guadalupe River.I just realized I haven’t done a review on this restaurant. Would have to do one next time. I have a better one coming up.
By Wednesday, I still don’t have any Mother’s Day present. It’s time to go to my mother ship—Houston Galleria. It was also a good time to check-out the Michelin star restaurant that my friend from Houston Chronicle was writing about— Yauatcha.
Yauatcha earned one Michelin star last 2005 from their Hawaii restaurant. Technically, the one here in Houston is not starred. But since none of the restaurant here are, this is the closest to the real deal. As a foodie, it is a travesty that I have not eaten at a Michelin starred restaurant. That will soon change when I go to San Francisco next month.
I started out with Hakka— Belvedere vodka, junmai sake, lychee, lime, coconut, passion fruit
There’s a whole bunch of dim sum. They are a lot tinier that what you would normally get. on the flip-side, portions are diet-friendly.
Sticky rice in lotus leaf with chicken and egg yolkHar gau– prawn and bamboo shoot. Not kidding about the prawn. It’s a big-ass prawnScallop shui mai
In my experience, a true measure of a good Chinese restaurant is on how they cook duck.
Crispy Duck shredded tableside.Home-made pancakes on the side! Yum.D had the Seared Red Fish.For dessert – Chocolate pebble Alto el sol single plantation chocolate, brownie, caramelized white chocolate
My verdict—-ugh, so difficult to be honest. I’ve had better. This statement should be taken in a context that I am an Asian whose had an entire lifetime of eating the real deal. If this were a fusion restaurant, I would see it differently. But the dishes we ordered were hard-core Cantonese dishes, so I really have to say, I’ve had better.
Unlike most of the negative reviews I read about this place, I will not balk on price. I hate it when people do that. Their menu and their prices are online. If you find it pricey, don’t go then complain about it. Given their location, brand and decor, I think it’s priced appropriately. The service could use an improvement. I don’t get all the hype that this place generated and I don’t really see how the Michelin was garnered, but should I be shopping at the Galleria and feel like getting some dim sum , I would definitely be back.
Went to Galleria for my present. LV didn’t have my shoe size so it had to be ordered from New York. D, however, found his own present. As of press time, my shoes have not been delivered yet…
