Sea World Inspired

Hey everyone! So today was the projected completion date of the kitchen, but it came and went. Our garbage disposal is broken, so we had to buy a new one. The faucet for the bar was the wrong size, so we had to pick out a new one. There weren't enough electrical sockets under the sink for the new water heater, so we had to go buy an extension cord, and an extra socket connector. Then, there were broken pipes under the sink so those also had to get replaced. Basically, it's just been problem after problem. All I want is the kitchen to be finished so that I can get in there and get cooking! The kitchen appliances are supposed to go in on Wednesday, so hopefully after that they can wrap it up.

This past Friday I had the chance to go to Sea World with one of my best friends, Meaghan. Besides being a really fun and educational day, it really got us inspired to go eat some seafood. It's ironic, because you'd think after seeing all those animals we wouldn't go eat them, but we did. We ate shark, but the sharks there scared us anyway so no harm no foul, right?

King's Fish House in Corona, California

Meal started off similar to most in the fact there was bread for us. This bread was particularly tasty - a nice, bold sourdough that really hit the spot.

The bread was especially good dipped in a cup of the clam chowder we both got. It was a relatively cold day, and this warmed me up well. It was creamy, warm, and had decent flavor. No match for Sea Salt but still.

After that, we had some fried farm-raised willapa bay oysters. They were alright. My friend really didn't like them, but I thought they were decent. It was an interesting textural experience because you have the crunchiness of the coating, but then the somewhat gooey, slimy-ness of the oysters. It was good with a spritz of lemon, some cocktail and tartar sauce though.

After that we split a plate of wild local tresher shark, corn, and baked potato. The corn was good; buttery, salty, what more can you ask for, ya know. The baked potato was really good because the skin was super crunchy with sea salt in it's deep cracks. It was especially good with a little sour cream and chives on top.

This was my first real experience eating shark (pictured above). Overall, I enjoyed it. It's meaty and seems to lend itself to spices well because it doesn't have an incredibly powerful flavor by itself.  However, I enjoyed it just being grilled with a little bit of lemon.

Overall, pretty good. 

I hope next time I have better news about the kitchen, and I know next time I will have just as good or better food to talk about! Best dishes to all of you out there**

Kayla

Vapiano and Backsplash

Hey everyone! I just got home last night from Washington DC. I was there on a hockey tournament (we got third place), but now I'm back and ready to talk about the food and the remodel.

The kitchen remodel is finally winding down. This past week they put up the tile backsplash, but as far as major changes go, that's just about the last one! 

On to pictures:

Tile backsplash

Tile backsplash with the socket protectors put back on

Backsplash contrast nicely with the cabinets. The white spot is where the microwave is going to go.

The kitchen remodel is just about finished, and should be completely down in about a week. They just have to finish electrical, plumbing, putting in all the appliances, and then final touches.

I can't wait!

So like I said before, I just got back from a five day tournament in Washington DC. One of my favorite things about traveling is finding good restaurants, little hidden gems. Vapiano's in Arlington, Virginia was no different!

This was not your typical italian place. It was not red brick with huge wooden tables and italian music in the background. Instead, it was a nice modern take on "Italian" with decor and the way you got your food.

You walk in, and they hand you a card. There are three stations you can walk to: Pasta, Salad, and Pizza. I chose Pasta. The card is used to pay for whatever you get from any of the stations. For example, if you wanted a salad and pasta, you would use your card at both stations.

You pick up a little menu for ideas, but basically, you could get anything you want added or taken out of your pasta. 

Then, you pick what kind of pasta you want. They had eleven pastas, including two whole wheat choices. I personally chose Conchiglie. It was not a pasta I was very familiar with, but the chef recommended it, and I thought it looked interesting. 

Picture of the different kinds of pastas you can choose from. 

My pasta being cooked.

I chose a dish off the menu called "Granchi De Fiume". It's pasta, crayfish, lobster sauce, and fresh vegetables. Once you choose what you want, they begin to cook it right in front of you. The cool thing about this is you can watch exactly what they are putting into it, and how much. Then, if necessary, you can tell them to change things, like for example, how much chili peppers, or vegetables, or meat, etc you want.

A picture of my dish being cooked. Carrots, zucchini, crayfish, oh my.

The lobster sauce being added.

A picture of my dish all done and ready to enjoy! After the pasta is cooked, they hand it to you, and you go pick a table to sit at.

They also give you bread, and at each table there is olive oil and balsamic vinegar, as well as a little pot of fresh basil to pick and put on your food as you desire.

I really loved this place. My dish was good, though admittedly it was a bit too creamy for my taste. The real thing I loved about this place was the concept of it. The fact that you get to walk up, watch the chef cook your meal, tell them exactly what you want, and then get it. I hope that more of these types of dining experiences start to pop up, and I sure hope Vapiano makes a restaurant in southern California soon!

Peace, Love, and Creative Eating,

- Kayla

Tile Floors & Countertops

So I know I haven't done a real update in a while, but tonight that's going to change! After taking off a week, the guys are finally back and doing more work. This for me is the most fun stage of the remodel because it's when it really begins to look like our brand new kitchen.

 The new floors have been put in.

Picture of the guys putting in the tile. 

Final picture of the tile all done, grout included! I wasn't too sure about the floor at first, but now I'm really enjoying it because I think it warms up the space with it's brown tones.

So the floor happened about a week ago. Today was the first day the guys came back after a week holiday, and they started it off great by putting in the countertops.

Here's a picture of the new countertop with a plastic wrap on top so all the glue dries correctly. You can't see it very well but also there is our new stainless steel sink. Our new faucet was also put in.

Another picture of the new countertop from a different angle.

Here's a picture of the bar countertop and the stainless steel sink.

I really like the color of the countertops, I think it's warm, and is a good contrast to the dark color of the kitchen cabinets. So that was today, and tomorrow they are supposed to be doing the backsplash. Today they also put in the bathroom sinks and quartz countertop, which looks absolutely gorgeous!

Now on to the food.

Sometimes, I just want pizza. It's not healthy, it's not upscale, it's greasy, and calorie-laden, but sometimes it just fits the bill. 

I am especially a big fan of Pizza Hut's thin crust pizza. It's not too doughy, and not too saucy, it's mostly justttt right.

I'm usually a fan of just plain old pepperoni (except at CPK) but my friend had just tried sausage and red peppers and really liked it, so we decided to get that. I'm pretty open to trying new things, so it was no big deal. Though I will admit after a couple of bites I was missing my good old pepperoni. It's not that this pizza was bad, it just wasn't good. It wasn't the pizza that I love to eat on a cold day while watching television and drinking a good beverage.

Luckily, we bought enough food to feed an army, and also got wings. These wings are from the Wing Street Pizza Hut. They are the Garlic Parmesan wings. They are decent. They weren't like traditional wings, but still pretty good. Very buttery/greasy, as you can see a little pool of the stuff at the bottom of the box.

 

My favorite thing alllll night! It's kind of sad, but it's true! I love Wing Street's tater tots. They're just greasy and crunchy and super delicious when you've got a craving.

Overall, 2.5, maybe a 3.

That's all for now, see you soon foodies!

It's been a while

It's been a while, crocodiles!

Sorry for the lack of posting this past week. It's been an incredibly busy one though not with the kitchen. We did get new flooring, which I will be posting pictures of soon, however, they are taking a week off the remodel while the granite countertops are being made. 

So instead I thought I would just write a food review! 

This is the kind of food we have been eating at home lately. Not much, really. A water bottle, a ham sandwich with mustard on wheat bread, some cheeto puffs, and a vanilla yogurt with chocolate pieces. 

Although we don't eat spectacular food at home, we go out a lot, which is still nice though I do miss a good home cooked meal. 

I will have a better review and blog post next time. Until then, foodies, best wishes, and dishes.

- Kayla

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