elements kitchen

elements kitchen
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

#25 on my 101 in 1001 list (43/143)
fresh, locally grown produce. quality ingredients. reasonable prices. a beautiful sunny day, we found ourselves on a late saturday afternoon at elements kitchen starving for some good eats. we almost missed the place as the door and "resto" faces a side street instead of the street address. judging from what other diners were having, i was anticipating a beautiful meal at least.

they have a specials menu, from which we ordered a couple items, including a shrimp chile lime ceviche. fragrant, refreshing and perfect for the warm weather, it was one of the best ceviches i've had. sometimes simple is best. the tangy lime juice with the shrimp and little bits of fresh tomatoes, cucumber and avocado were perfect. shrimp is so good as ceviche. partially cooked, it takes on a tender juiciness not found in fully cooked shrimp.

for entrees, we shared the salmon red coconut curry, also from the specials menu, and a quiche filled with mushrooms and caramelized onions. i enjoyed the crunchy exterior texture of the seasoned and seared piece of salmon as well as the sweet and salty, spicy creamy curry with vegetables. it was topped with an eggroll filled with creamy potato. though the dish didn't blow me away, it was prepared well and tasted great. the quiche was excellent. i loved the sweetness of the onions and the texture and meatiness of the mushrooms. it came with a salad of mixed greens with so much variety and a light, sweet vinaigrette.

everything was perfect including service until the end, when our waitress disappeared, and we sat around for a while, waiting for our check. i asked another person working their for the check, and we waited some more. i had no idea where our waitress went. when i had gone inside earlier to find a bathroom, there were no people at the tables inside, and there were maybe 5 other occupied tables outside. finally, the bf had to go inside to retrieve it. i really enjoyed the food, and hope the service improves. the servers are nice, but inconsistent.

bamboodles

bamboodles
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

#25 on my 101 in 1001 list (42/143)
the main attraction for bamboodles is for their freshly made noodles, which they prepare the same day, and the novelty of watching them do it through the big fish bowl window, but you would probably have to go early to catch the show. we were there for dinner, so no show. the restaurant is clean, bright and modern.

as far as their noodles, i could tell that it was fresh, much firmer than most places with a springiness to them. the spinach, translucent green with little flecks, was more interesting than their regular noodle. the one soup i had--the shrimp wonton noodle soup--was pretty dull. i liked that the delicately skinned wontons consisted mostly of shrimp stuffing that was tasty--flavored with sesame oil, and the broth was light and healthy, but as far as broths go, it was a little bland.

the bf had the garlic shrimp noodles, which are pretty much what they sound like--regular noodles and shrimp sauteed with garlic. garlic flavor was good, though preparation was not very creative.

i also tried their seafood delight dumplings, a thick skinned, light (not oily) dumpling that satisfied my craving, but definitely not the best dumpling you'll find in the area. however, shrimp dumplings seem to be less common than the pork variety, so i would say it is a plus here. overall, i enjoyed our dinner and may come back to try different soups, but wasn't overly impressed. the one waitress we had was very personable. one perk is that they offer uncooked noodles, wonton wrappers and premade dumplings for very reasonable prices for those who wish to prepare them themselves.

marche moderne

marche moderne
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

#25 on my 101 in 1001 list (40/143)
marche moderne offers a 3 course prix fixe--$20 during the week and $25 on the weekends--seven days of the week, which is a great deal on some good gourmet food. their prix fixe changes out almost every day.

i came here with a few other foodies. some of us ordred the prix fixe, while a couple ordered off their lunch menu. everything looked amazing and fresh. the prix fixe came with a butter lettuce, pine nuts, watermelon salad. the sweetness of the bits of watermelon as well as the crunchiness of the pine nuts were paired nicely with the lettuce and simple vinaigrette. my only complaint was that they may have mixed the salads with a little too much dressing, so everything was super wet.

the options for the entree were roasted sand dab with sweet peppers, cilantro emulsion and preserved lemon salad and braised pork belly with sauteed rapini and frisee salad. the fish could have been seasoned more, but it was cooked to flaky perfection, and the sweet peppers were a nice complement that added some flavor. the braised pork belly was so tender and moist, a little bit sweet from caramelization and salty. the rapini was a little overcooked but tasty with a simple preparation. one person in the group ordered the maine scallops tagine, which was excellent. the combination of the tender scallops with the earthy, spicy tomato based harissa worked well.

for dessert, i had an espresso gateau with mascarpone cream and tahitian vanilla ice cream. the cake, which was airy and infused with espresso, reminded me of a refined tiramisu, and was made decadent with a little sweet cream and ice cream.

insect sleeves

i can't say i care much for looking like a butterfly or a moth, but i had to laugh at the cleverness of the latest anthropologie concept that came into my mailbox today.

paciugo gelato

paciugo gelato
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

#25 on my 101 in 1001 list (41/143)
even though paciugo is a chain, the mother daughter team that own this franchise--the first one of its kind in california--are so personable and passionate, you wouldn't know it. the unusual flavor combinations are unexpected and worth the visit alone. i came with a group of foodies for a tasting of a variety of gelati and sorbets and liked pretty much everything we sampled, although some i loved more than others. tastings, in order of appeal:

chocolate coconut curry - rich chocolate enhanced by curry with hints of coconut; sometimes plain chocolate just isn't enough. this one's got complexity

black pepper olive oil - the spiciness and complexity of the black pepper was really nice against the backdrop of a super creamy vanilla. olive oil was super subtle, but it added to the creamy mouthfeel.

sweet corn thorntree honey - corn ice cream may be more common in mexico, but it is really good. i love how corn can add sweetness to cooking, and the combination of sweet corn and cream in this one works well. couldn't really make out the honey, but i assume it added to enhancing the sweetness, which was just right.

mango chile lime - first comes sweet, smooth mango, then the spiciness lingers in the back of your throat. mexican paleta or thai green mango salad? you be the judge of this sorbet's cousin. not as spicy as either, but it keeps your mouth engaged through every lick.

strawberry balsamic vinegar - mostly sweet strawberry flavors with a smooth consistency to this sorbet. i couldn't really taste the balsamic, but i think it rounded out the sweetness of the strawberries, which can be tart.

cilantro lime - a tart lime sorbet. the cilantro was barely noticeable, but overall very refreshing

mediterranean sea salt caramel - creamy and sweet, a little too sweet for me, and the salt was a little lost

violet chocolate chip - if you like lavender and other such floral flavors, this one's for you. it had the character of a society brunch at an upscale bistro--elegant, but sweet. tasty but not really my cup of tea.

beer chill - this one is kind of the opposite of the violet chocolate chip. they pretty much captured the flavor of corona and lime. i guess if you like corona, you'll enjoy this sorbet. i personally think they could have found a more interesting beer as the flavor provider. granted guinness is overused, but there's a reason.

i sampled a few other flavors outside of the tasting, and these were smaller samples.
german chocolate - good, but not as interesting as the chocolate coconut curry
wedding cake pannacotta - very sweet and creamy
cheesecake chocolate crunch - too much like an oozy dessert. you might like it, but i thought the chocolate crunch was overkill on the already sweet cheesecake.
ginger vanilla - very nice, light pairing

get a cone or a cup or take some home with you. i highly recommend it. they have styrofoam takeout containers that come in three sizes, all of which are fairly large. with the small, you can get up to three flavors. the medium--four flavors, and the grande--5 flavors.

csa box may 15

- a huge head of cabbage
- lettuce
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- spring onions
- beets
- carrots
- green beans
- apples
- strawberry jam

udupi palace

udupi palace
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

#25 on my 101 in 1001 list (39/143)
its a good sign when you're the only non-indian at an indian restaurant. granted, i've only started eating south indian food last year, but the spinach cheese dosa i had here is the best i've had in my limited experience. dosas are delicate but large crepes usually filled with some combination of potatoes, vegetables and/or spices. what makes the dosa and other dishes we ate here so great is how well spiced and balanced the flavors are. sporting a crispy chewy outside and only available on weekends, the spinach was well seasoned with wonderful curry and great with bits of cheese.

bf & i also shared the thali to try a little of everything, which comes with 2 veggie options--that day it was chana masala and gobi masala (both were good; the gobi was sweeter, while the chana had a tangy tamarind flavor)--, a delicious daal (one of the better i've had--most are usually a little bland--lentils with fennel and mustard seeds), sambar (a tasty lentil soup), rasam (broth cooked from lentils), poriyal which was spicy, turmeric-y cabbage, tomato rice, raita which is yogurt with chunks of cucumber, and payasam which appeared to be a sweet coconut milk flavored with saffron and chopped almonds.

we should have stopped there, but we had to have some baigan bartha, a slow cooked eggplant curry dish with some kick. i was eyeing our neighbors' poori, which are these puffed bread things, and paratha, which are thicker tortilla like bread, and was intrigued by the coconut rice, so will have to return to try other things. everything tasted great, and though there was some heat, it wasn't unbearable, especially if you have a sweet and creamy mango lassi.

service was friendly and fast. utensils are optional.

play me

play me
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

my piece in the show at lbcc

todd bailey @ machine project

todd bailey @ machine project
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

todd bailey gave a lecture at machine project on digital sampling and his 8-bit circuit bending kit this weekend. though i was tempted, i'm holding off on getting a kit until i actually have a project in mind i'd like to use it for. seems like putting the thing together is a project in and of itself. besides todd's natural nerdyness, i was envious of his cool binary watch which unfortunately, he is not selling. sounds like quite a bit of work to make one. he was considering making a hex watch only a geeky web nerd like myself could appreciate. for more info about todd & his exploits, go here.

huge maui onion from csa

huge maui onion from csa
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

only the onion & the cauliflower are from the csa. all other produce came from last week's farmer's market, but i left them in for scale. i thought the onion in the delivery two weeks ago was big, but this i would call ginormous.

- romaine lettuce
- broccoli
- yellow cauliflower*
- maui onion
- green beans*
- zucchini & squash*
- cilantro
- carrots
- apples
- strawberries

as you can see, a few new things in the box this week (*). yay!