The Counter & Kara's Cupcakes

Today Justin and I ate at the Counter at Santana Row for lunch.  It was pretty crowded when we got there, but we were lucky to sit at the bar for no wait.  This restaurant is pretty fun to go to.  The menu is basically a checklist of all the things you want on your burger!

We ordered milkshakes to start off.  I was supposed to get the chocolate one, but Justin ordered a vanilla-chocolate one with Kalua, and ours got mixed up so I ended up getting the vanilla-chocolate with no kalua.  Oh well.  It was pretty good, just not what I wanted.

We also got sweet potato fries and regular fries to start.  Very delicious.  I love the sauce they gave with the sweet potato fries...it was mayonnaise and horseradish combined, I think.  Or it tasted like that at least.

Then our burgers came!  Justin got a whole bunch of toppings, including bacon and garlic sauce from what I remember.  The garlic sauce was amazing!!!!  I will definitely have to get that next time.

For my burger, I got grilled pineapple, miso teriyaki sauce, grille onions, mixed greens and a tomato.  Pretty great, especially drizzled with the miso sauce.  Yum!  I should've taken a side view picture to show how tall it was.  Both burgers were really tall, I remember Justin's was at least 3".

This was our second time to the Counter, and definitely not our last!

Kara's Cupcakes was also right around the corner!  I tried a Smores cupcake.  It was pretty good - marshmallow top, which a chocolate cake, and the bottom had smashed graham crackers.  The marshmallow on top was kind of gooey, but I think it may have been because it was sitting in the hot car on the ride home. 

I think I'll have to ask them what their specialty cupcake is next time.  I couldn't tell when I walked in so I got the smore.  Not sure if I'd go back though.  It wasn't as good as Sprinkles.

Klondike Bars

When's the last time you had a Klondike Bar?

I hadn't had one in a long time, probably like a year, and I kind of craved it.  Lucky for me, Safeway had a sale, they were only $2.99!  Sweet.  I looked at the percent of saturated fat a single bar contains though, and it was not so sweet.  I think it contains about half of what you're supposed to have in one day...pretty disgusting....

...but so delicious!!! How can one resist?  Mmmm....

Bistro Jeanty

Justin and I made a trip up to Yountville so that I could try Bistro Jeanty for the first time.  He loves that restaurant, and really wanted me to experience it.  It's a French restaurant, so I was pretty skeptical.  I don't like French food really.  I've had it a few times, and it didn't stick out to me as something as amazing as other types of food like Japanese or Chinese, or Italian.

They had a really cute store front!  The inside of the restaurant and outdoor seating was so adorable too.

For appetizers we ordered duck fois gras that came with a pear.  I thought it was good, but I couldn't really taste the fois gras.  I've had fois gras one time before, and it was very flavorful.  But this time, it tasted like nothing, but with a hint of something that I can't put my finger to.  It came as a spread, instead of how I imagined.  And the pear was purple!  So strange.  Good, though.

We also got frites (french fries!) which were okay.  Not their specialty though.  Probably wouldn't order again.

Also got pigs feet, which was delicious.  It came super saucy, in a soup bowl, and the meat was very tender, and there was so much fat on it, which was also amazing.  I was skeptical upon ordering it, but it was so great!!!!  I was scared I'd be eating a toe or something, (like in Dim sum when you order chicken feet, it's actually a foot and you see the toes) but it was nothing like that.

For main dishes I think Justin ordered the Epaule de porc, which was slow roasted pork shoulder. 

His was pretty good, but I'm really glad I got my beef stew.  It was just what I wanted!  The waiter told us the beef was braised in the back for 5 hours...and I believed it, because the beef was so tender it broke when I ate it!  Yummy.  That potato chip next to the beef was awesome too.  So were the mashed potatoes it was wedged in...man!

Desserts were phenomenal as well.  We got a pear tart thing, which was so good!  It was served with ice cream which was a great combination.  That sauce under the pear tart was the best part...it really amplified the taste of the pear.

We also got a chocolate creme-brulee...omigod it was amazing.  It tasted like chocolate pudding, but not so thick.

I will be returning to this restaurant one day, when mine and Justin's wallet isn't empty from eating out at all these great places this week!  It will be a while though...

Oh yeah, also got some bouchons from Bouchon Bakery down the block.  I always have to stop by there whenever Justin and I go to Yountville, because they're so special and difficult to make.  I've tried a couple times and always failed.  They're like brownies, but little cakes and a lot richer.  When they're served in the restaurant, they're melted in the middle, so when you cut it, the warm chocolate from the center just oozes out.  At home though, they're just like a brownie.

Vietnamese Sandwich

I ate a vietnamese sandwich today and it was soooooo yummy.  I hadn't had one in a long time, and it really hit the spot.  They're very simple sandwiches, super cheap ($4), and just excellent for what you pay for.  I don't know the name of the restaurant I got it at, but it was this ghetto place on Irving Street with flies in it.  Gross, I know, but I think it adds to the experience of your cheap sandwich.

I got BBQ Pork, and it was great!  I love the side ingredients they put in it too - cucumber, cilantro (a lot of people hate cilantro, but I think it's a necessary part of the Viet sandwich), thinly sliced carrots, and some sauce.  I think they butter the bread before toasting it, so it just turns out super crunchy when it enters your mouth.

Will definitely return to this restaurant when I'm back in the city =)

Sushi Ran

Ate at Sushi Ran with Justin today expecting great sushi, and it didn't fail to meet those expectations!  We ordered Maguro and an Inada,

Crunch Roll, 

Jumbo Scallops, 

Hamachi Kama, 

a Sakekawa Roll, 

and an Omakase Roll.

My favorites were the Omakase, Hamachi Kama and Maguro.  The Maguro was not only fresh but perfectly fatty...probably the best combination ever.  Very simple too.  Omakase Roll was amazing.  Justin and I like ordering this one because it's the Chef's creation - it's always different.  Last time we got this huge eel bone that was fried, totally something we didn't expect, but was amazing.  Anyway, back to the Omakase roll from this time, it was fantastic! It had toro, sprouts, horshradish, and other ingredients that I can't remember what the waitress said.  Some red hot spicy sauce too.  The intensity of all the flavors at once was great...we wanted another one, but it was too expensive.  The Hamachi Kama was a lot better than how other restaurants make it.  I think they broil it to make it crispy, and I guess they broiled it a little bit differently from other places.

I didn't eat the crunch roll because it had shrimp in it, but Justin really enjoyed it.  I thought the Jumbo Scallops were okay.  Pretty good, but not something I would order again at Sushi Ran.  Not their specialty, that's why.  Sakekawa was also alright.  Not something I would order again, but I guess I'm glad I tried it.  Inada was pretty good, but not as great as the Maguro!

Although the food was great, I'm not sure if I would return to this restaurant.  I checked my bank account a few days after, and they charged me $20 more than they were supposed to.  I called them to tell them about their mistake, and the person I talked to was kind of rude about it, and talked to me like he didn't believe me.  I didn't like their service.  Food was phenomenal, but if you don't treat your customers right, you're not going to go so far unless your prices are excellent.