Sea Salt plus New Doors

Hellooo! So today is a fun post for me to write because I am talking about one of my favorite restaurants I have ever eaten at. As I wrote last time, I recently went to San Jose. The first night I was there, my friend and I drove down to Berkeley and ate at "Sea Salt". 

A picture of the outside of Sea Salt. It is located on a fairly busy street with hardly any parking, but still very worth it. On the inside, it's very cute and quaint. 

A picture of the table settings. We were sitting in a really nice corner booth tucked away from everyone else. 

Sea Salt's menu. The one thing I do have to say about Sea Salt is that it's not for the meat lover. While they do have a couple of things for the non seafood lover, almost everything on their menu IS or has something to do with seafood. While I love it, I know many that don't, so there's a heads up.

Bread and butter. The bread was good, though it is very floury and powdery.

I started with a bowl of clam chowder. For a cold night in Berkeley, this really fit the bill. It was warm, and the easiest way I find to describe it is "soulful". It had beautiful chunks of potatoes, clams, and garnished with bacon and parsley. The bacon really gave it a smoky flavor that was a really nice touch.

My main course was a BLT: Bacon, Lettuce, and Trout Sandwich. I love this sandwich. It's on a roll with sun-dried tomatoes, mizuna and tartar sauce. The trout is juicy, and delicious, I just love it. On the side is what I would describe as a coleslaw, I guess, though it is more vinegary. The greens are bitter, but a strikingly good contrast to the smooth flavors of the sandwich. The pickles add a nice little bite of sweet, salty, and sour.

Here is a picture of the sandwich without the top.

Overall, this meal gets a four point five. If you are in the Bay area and like good seafood, I seriously recommend trying this place out!

Now onto kitchen updates:

Last time I updated they had framed out the cabinets and added the new paneling. This time it looks basically the same, though they have added the doors to all the cabinets.

Doors on some cupboards where the future dishwasher will be.

The bar cabinet, and where the future bar sink will go.

Inside one of the new drawers.

A cabinet under the counter. Very nice because now it's easier to get into the back of the cabinet.

The new light panels and outliner - it matches the cupboards which is nice.

A picture of all the cupboards. 

A microwave we are using to eat some semi-normal food. Yes, it is on top of the stereo system. Gotta do what you gotta do.

Besides all the cabinets being done, they've mostly been doing interior work, which is nowhere near as fun as the exterior work! It's all necessary though. They hooked up some gas today, did some plumbing, that kind of thing. They've also been working on the bathrooms a lot; doing the floors, putting in cabinets, etc.

Tomorrow they are supposed to be putting the tile flooring down, so we'll see how that goes! Until next time, best wishes and dishes!

The Bay and Day Eight

Hello everyone! This past weekend I was in San Jose for an ice hockey tournament, which is why I haven't updated about food or the remodel. In the span of Friday - Tuesday, the amount the kitchen has changed is amazing!

Basically what's happened is that all of the cabinets now have the panels on them, and are their new color. They are really gorgeous.

Here is the framing of the cabinets under the sink.

Another framed cabinet.

The new panels on the back of some cabinets, and the wood that will go under the granite.

More cabinets and the space where the fridge will go.

The drawers that will go in the cabinets. No more shelf paper!

A picture of all of the cabinets framed, and ready for some doors! 

Tomorrow they will be putting up some doors, as well as making a template for the countertops.

Also, on Tuesday I got to go to the granite store and check out the slabs of granite that will soon be our countertops! The color is absolutely beautiful. I would describe it as very warm.

Now onto food!

Breakfast eaten at the Holiday Inn in San Jose, California.

Orange Juice, and water. Good start, though the orange juice was much too pulpy for me.

Sourdough bread! No butter, thanks.

Bacon, scrambled eggs, and potatoes. It was really just a down home breakfast. Tasted good. I have no idea what the lettuce and orange were doing on the plate, as I would never have eaten either. 

Overall, decent, it was breakfast. It hit the spot after a hockey game. Two stars.

In my next post I will be reviewing one of my favorite little places called Sea Salt in Berkeley, California. Until then, best wishes, and best dishes!

Cheesecake Factory/Remodel Day Two and Three

Hey, everyone. So today was day three of the Kitchen remodel, and it's been going pretty well. Overall day one was the most exciting and busy, but days two and three were pretty good too. 

Day Two:

Day Two was alllllll about flooring. They ripped up the old floor in the Kitchen, and in all three bathrooms (we are getting them re-done too!). I am very excited to see the yucky plain white tile going adios! 

The first strip of tile coming up. Cute little machine. 

After a little more of the tile is coming up.

After all of the floor is up. Goodbye, nasty!

Day Three:

Pictures in all the spots where the appliances go. Here is the picture of our future refrigerator. They even had a picture for the faucet on the sink! Super cute.

Pictured above is the new frame work for the cabinets. It's so nice that it's real sturdy wood. 

That is all that's been happening these last two days. Until Monday all that is going to be done is frame work and some shelf-fixing in the kitchen and bathrooms. 

One thing about remodeling a kitchen is that it is not easy to cook anything. We do still have our refrigerator which is good, and soon we also plan on making a little "kitchen" with a mini griddle, our fridge, and a pizza maker. Until that's done though, we have been eating out a lot.

Cheesecake Factory - Riverside, California

The meal starts off with a sourdough bread roll, plus a delicious brown roll with oats that is not shown because it was eaten so fast!

I ordered the "Santa Fe Salad". It has grilled lime chicken, cheese, corn, black beans, tomatoes, and cilantro. I really like it. It's not a sissy salad, it is hearty and filled with delicious tastes, and textures. 

On the side, the dressing for the salad. The brown is peanut, and the green is cilantro. Delicious mixed together!

I also got the chips on the side so that they wouldn't get soggy when I brought some of the salad home. 

My mom and I also shared a plate of Chicken Potstickers which were really delicious, though the chicken fell out after only one bite!

Overall, 3 stars. I think I'll go eat my left over salad now!

Until next time folks, best wishes and dishes.

Kayla

Kitchen Remodeling: Day One

Hello, all.

Today and for the next couple of weeks, in addition to my posts and reviews on the food I eat, I will also be posting pictures and updates of the remodeling that is currently taking place in our kitchen. 

Though it is only the first day of the remodel, so much has already been done and I can't wait for everything else that is in store for our little kitchen. 

Here are some pictures:

Pictured above is our old cabinets, our old fridge, old dishwasher, and countertop/backsplash.

Our microwave that I accidently burnt a hole in (that little fireball like thing), plus something my Aunt Robyn painted on the wall.

Our old plain white countertops with the nasty grout lines.

Picture of the entire kitchen, with it's out of date oven, to it's dinosaur time period cabinets.

The hardest part about getting the kitchen remodeled, besides the fact that you can't cook in it, is that you have to find a place for everything that was in your cabinets. Pictured is just some of what filled our cabinets. It's not exactly glamorous living. 

Pictures from day one of the remodel:

They took out the stove and microwave, and ripped up the countertops and backsplash, plus they took the sink and the garbage disposal out. 

Here they are taking out the old light frame, going to be replaced with a nicer one. Also, the bar countertop is now gone, as well as the sink. 

I will really be keeping up to date with all the new stuff that is happening in the kitchen, because as a lover of cooking, I find this to be an exciting time in life! 

Tomorrow: new flooring!

Mom's Retirement Party

My mom retired this past Friday, so on Saturday my Aunt Cindy had a little party for her down in Carlsbad, California. It was a great time to spend with Cousins, Aunts, and Uncles, as well as my Mom, and best friend Ashley. It was very fun, and I am glad we could take a day to honor my mom and all that she achieved in her years of working. In honor of the occasion, my Aunt decided we would eat a meal themed around the food my Grandma Vivian (RIP, I love you) used to make all the time.

There were tons of hors d'oeuvres (pictured above) including almonds, sourdough bread rolls and butter, cranberry sauce and cheese, m&ms, Godiva chocolates, and my personal favorite pepper jack cheese and crackers.

There was a lot of food at this bash:

Salad with green bell pepper, cheese, tomatoes, and crutons, with choice of Ranch or Italian dressing. This was a nice starting point.

Deviled eggs with smoked paprika from Spain. My Aunt had some paprika from Barcelona, which was a really neat way to perk up traditional deviled eggs! Saying the paprika you sprinkled is from Barcelona is, in my opinion, much cooler than from here. 

"I love the eggs"

"Ohhhh yesss, the paprika is from Barcelona"

"Oh my!"

Just a really nice touch. 

Nachos with ground beef, salsa, olives, and beans with chips and cheese. This was actually a recipe in a fair cookbook from my mom that my cousin Scotty made. It was great! You can't really much but the chips, but basically there were beans layered all over the dish, topped with the meat, salsa, olive mixture, and then around the sides and on top is chips and cheese. Once this came out of the oven, everyone dug in like savage beasts. I mean, seriously, it was gone in like five seconds. 

You can't completely tell what's in the crock pot but it's roast beef. So, we used to rolls to make our own roast beef sandwiches, but with all the tasty liquid, it was basically like a beef dip. It was tasty.

Bbq'd bean sidedish. Classic.

Zucchini Casserole. My Aunts, Uncles, and Mom raved on and on about Grandma's Zucchini Casserole, and I must say at first I was a bit skeptical. However, I was pleasantly surprised. It was like cheesy gooey zucchini madness, but it was good!

Here is a full plate of the meal I had, although really, this is only part of what I actually ate. Pictured on my plate is some nachos, salad, deviled eggs, beans, zucchini casserole, and my sandwich. 

With how much I love fancy foods and exotic ingredients, it was nice to just eat what I would consider classic down home cookin'. It was a really great time, and I loved it! 

Grandma, thank you for some great recipes. We had a great day as a family; eating, sharing stories and pictures. It was great to spend time together, and we were all thinking of you. I know you and Grandpa were smiling at us from above and were with us in spirit. I miss you and love you! 

Four stars