Hidden Treasures- Dallas

Zaguan Latin Cafe and Bakery is DEF my favorite restaurant in all of Dallas. It's wonderful! The one I always go to is on Oak Lawn in Uptown literally around the corner from my aunt and uncles house and I have yet to make a trip to Dallas without eating there. It offers a wide range of Latin American dishes that are sure to satisfy everyone in your family!

When you first walk in you will see two big glass show cases filled with every Latin bakery you could think of and even some you did not know about. The greatest thing about this place is that it is Latin Food, meaning there is a dish from just about every country in Latin America. It's not just Colombian food or Argentinian food, its all that and more! From the Breakfast (which is my favorite), Lunch, Dinner, Specialty Cakes, Sweets, and Breads.

The food is great! My favorite thing to eat, especially for breakfast, are cachapas. This is a traditional Venezuelan dish sold as street food and made from corn, these are sweet, and they are flattened like a bigger thicker tortilla and filled with any ingredient you can think of. For breakfast I like scrambled eggs, cheese, black beans, plantains, and salsa. This way I get sweet and savory in the same bite! For lunch they fill them with either beef and cheese or chicken and cheese. They also have arepas which are to the Venezuelans and Colombians what the tacos are to Mexicans. They are a sort of sandwich also made from corn. This is what I had for lunch filled with shredded beef and tastey melted white cheese, that tasted to me like panela or queso Oaxaca.


The eating damage had already ensued here

 Other dishes include pabellon, empanadas, milanesas, aroz con pollo, hallacas and much more. Some of their breads and sandwitch options are ham and cheese cachitos, guava and cheese bread, dulce de leche cheese bread, and so on... The choices just gets more and more tastey.

aroz con pollo

Something that I recommend trying are their "aguas" or "smoothis" which are made from fresh fruit and mostly there is no sugar added because it is not needed. In the latin culture we drink a lot of "aguas" which means "waters" and they are basically just water of fruit, agua de guayaba (my favorite), agua de mango, agua de sandilla (watermelon). They are delish and great for kids! My 2 year old cousin Wesley Bird or "Birdie" loved her agua de sandilla. And her rice, and her beans...

So  next time you are in Dallas go check out Zaguan!

http://www.zaguanbakery.com/

Hidden Treasures- San Antonio

                             

San Antonio holds a great secret, even though if you are from San Antonio it is no secret. This place is Chris Madrid's.

I have searched high and low and have yet to find a burger place quite like this one. Chris Madrid's is a San Antonio landmark! It opened in January of 1977 as a burger and taco place but the burgers were such a hit that they lost the tacos all together. The atmosphere is unlike any other with indoor and outdoor seating and a bar. The windows in line are filled with bumper stickers (we added a bumper sticker from my Uncle's Campaign for congress so look for it! Its blue with white writing and says "Tucker Anderson Republican for Congress"). The walls have t-shirts hanging, news articles and more to look at while you wait. One trip I saw a bio on a famous chef who runs one of the nicest restaurants in San Antonio and all he talked about was Chris Madrid's! 

You stand in line, order your burger, get your number and find a seat, be mindful, this place is always crowded but that is part of the fun! If you show up and there is a line out the door don't worry! I have never seen anywhere as organized and good at moving people like Chris Madrid's. When they are really crowded employees will take peoples order from the line and you never have to wait too long. Even if you are in line for 30 min it won't take more than 10 to get your burger.

The options are few and that is because there is no need for a big menu, the burgers are amazing! The crowd favorite is the Cheddar Cheezy. It is a delicious burger with cheddar cheeze oozing out the sides! The patty is peppery, the bun is the right size to get your mouth around and the toppings are fresh. The fries come separate and are the perfect size for sharing.

So if you are in San Antonio visiting or live there and still have not gone you HAVE TO CHECK IT OUT! This place is an institution and you won't be disappointed I promise!

Chris Madrid's is located on Hollywood and Blanco and their website is http://www.chrismadrids.com/.

State Fair of Texas

Everything is bigger in Texas so, everything has to be bigger at the Texas State Fair! Just ask Big Tex:

Cotton Bowl Stadium and Big Tex are the symbols and center of Fair Park in Dallas, Big Tex even talks! Equipped with his boots, cowboy hat and Texas accent why would he not be the perfect symbol for such a location as Fair Park? Late September through mid October the festivities begin! Rides, Auto Shows, Livestock, and yes, lots of food!



The State Fair is the deep fried capital of Texas for sure. The most famous being Fletcher's Corny Dogs, the birth of all corny dogs. These are def over the top! With a semi sweet cornbread coating and a hot dog in the middle, these need no mustard or ketchup.

Although there are many attractions at the fair most people come for the food. Because of this, Big Tex Choice awards were born in the 2005 fair year. It is a competition between the concessions at the fair and must be food the fair has never seen. Past winners have been: Viva Las Vegas Fried Ice Cream, Fried Coke, Fried Latte, Texas Fried Cookie Dough, Chicken Friend Bacon, and this years Fried Beer™ andTexas Fried FRITOS® Pie !




Fried Beer

 For more details, tickets, attractions, past food winners, dates and more check out their website at: http://www.bigtex.com/sft//index.asp

Wrapping Things Up in Tokyo

When it comes to eating in Tokyo I have 3 pieces of advice, 1) eat where the people are, 2) be a tourist and 3) try everything!
Eat where the people are means, if you are hungry and you are walking around trying to find a place to eat go in somewhere that is crowded. The reason I have not specifically named the places I have eaten (besides Vampire Cafe and other theme restaurants I will talk about soon) is because I don't know the names. If there is even a visible sign it is all in Japanese. If you see a place that looks hoppin, it is because the food is good! This has not failed me once. Around 6 pm here in Tokyo the locals begin to get off work and go straight for food and drinks. This will allow you a window between 6 and midnight (you don't want to miss your subway home) to mix it up with them and eat where they eat. Something I recommend for late drinks and "finger goods" are these small stand up bars. The idea is to stand at a small table, drink, eat, get a little loud, and hang loose . They are a lot of fun, the food is amazing, and they are always packed.



fried octopus balls at a standing bar in Tokyo 



Be a tourist means, go to places that are recommended in travel books, online or on TV. See what is popular in Tokyo and go check it out! This is where I discovered the 3 theme restaurants I visited, Vampire Cafe, Ninja Restaurant and Cat Cafe. The Ninja Restaurant was amazing! When you walk in you are greeted by a hostess who claps her hand and a ninja appears from the wall! You are led through a maze of narrow corridors where you come upon a small surprise, I wont give too much away. Once you are inside the dining area it is a wonderland of dark stone halls, ninjas, private dinning rooms, green smoke, and calming fountains. Our table was in a private room, closed off with beautiful thin wooden sliding doors. We took off our shoes in order to sit in the traditional room of bamboo floors and padded chairs on the floor, they even offered you arm rests! We had a beautiful view of green smokey tunnels under the walk ways above and a bamboo fountain. The food matched the ambiance, pricey and delicious! We had duck carpaccio, octopus, and beef cheek disguised as a fish.

The cat cafe was not really a "cafe" more of a place
to go play with cats and have a drink and maybe a snack. But they are very famouse here in Tokyo and if you are a cat person  I reccomend you checking it out. It is cheep and a good way to pass an hour in the afternoon.

And try everything means, try everything! I am not big on seafood and that did not hold me back in Japan. The people here live on seafood and me being such a food person, how could I say no? Well I was pleasantly surprised. I ate delicious shrimp at a restaurant from Okinawa (I really and truly recommend the food from Okinawa, esp their signature pork dish! It is by far the best thing I ate on my trip), spicy squid with onions at a restaurant on the street, octopus at least 3 different ways, sushi, and so much more. So even though you are sure you don't like something, try it anyway. One ingridient, such as shrimp, is prepared in comepletely different ways in different countries, you may end up likeing it. So say yes, take a bite, and if you don't like at least you tried it but, I'm sure you will like it.

Kyoto

What a beautiful city! Though much of the city is modernized it is not uncommon to turn off a busy street and be right in the middle of traditional Japan. From the hotels, restaurants, architecture, and temples this city is where to find the Japan we foreigners imagine it to be. My friend Eriko and I stayed at a traditional Japanese hotel with bamboo matted floors and paper sliding walls. As a westerner it was a bit strange when i first walked in. There was a separate room at the entrance where you take off you shoes and the room looked like a place to eat lunch not sleep! Except that the table was low and there were small pads on the floor. At 8 pm sharp a member of the hotel staff came to the room, pulled the tabel to the side, and layed down our mats to sleep on. What an expirence!

Breakfast was also quiet special. The room was similar to the hotel room with the bamboo mats and the low tables with pads to sit on. Our food was already on the table with a paper sheet cover to keep it fresh. We were served baked salmon, rice, pickled cucumbers and other vegetables, some sort of tofu and egg cake, and we each had our own pot of miso soup. The waitress lit a burner underneath the pot to heat up our soup, similar to fondu. I have found that a traditional, as well as still common, breakfast here in Japan consists of baked fish (usually salmon), rice and salad.


One of the best lunches I have had in Japan was on our second day in Kyoto. Entering the restaurant, shoes removed, it was hard to tell what the place was going to be like or what they served. We were guided up some steep and narrow steps and the room at the top was small and traditional. Again, bamboo mats and floor seating. The options of the day were either fish or chicken. I ordered chicken and this is what I got:

The chicken was thigh cooked perfectly, bathed in teriyaki sauce, with bell peppers and a salad. To the left is white rice, to the right is miso soup. In front of the miso is a mixture of pickled vegetables and in front of that was some sort of jelly dessert. On the upper left hand corner is tofu and in the center is tempura fried pumpkin and a red pepper. This type of pumpkin is served all over but looks like a cantaloupe and taste nothing like pumpkin. The Japanese even flavor cookies, cakes, ice cream and many other sweets with this. There is also a purple sweet potato that is used to flavor sweets. If the pumpkins and sweet potatoes in the US tasted like these I would eat a lot more of them and I love sweet potatoes.

Here is a picture of me eating a sweet potato waffle we bought in the train station. You can more or less see the deep purple color. These sweet potatoes come from the Island of Okinawa and are either called Hawaiian Purple Sweet Potatoes or Okinawan potatoes.

Here are a few pictures of the beautiful temples I visited in Kyoto. Afterall, there is more than just good food there!

Girls Night Out In Japan

The food and food scene in Japan is something to talk about. Here I am with Eriko at a few of our restaurant picks in Tokyo. The first is called Gyu-Kaku, Gyu meaning beef. At these restaurants you have a hole in the middle of the table, or counter, in which the waiter inserts a mini grill of coles and a grate. This is a picture taken off of google because I feel it shows it a bit better than the ones I have:

They givee you your meat raw, marinated or not, tongs, chopsticks and have at it! We ordered a bowl of rice mixed with seaweed and a fried egg on top, beef tongue and some other cut of beef. Let me tell you, the beef tong was my favorite thing I have eaten so far here in Japan thus making it my #2 must have: Beef Tongue at a Guy-Kaku Restaurant. They give you two sauce options, a lemon and a soy sauce with sugar, the soy sauce is the way to go.

Vampire Cafe

Tokyo is known for its theme restaurants and Eriko and I checked out Vampire Cafe in Ginza and it is awesome! Located down a narrow street in a colorful and vibrant neighborhood Vampire Cafe is just a short elevator ride up into the imagination. As the elevator opens you are greeted by a vampiric host, if you are lucky like we were he is the owner too. You are escorted through a small tunnel of red tapestries and at this point you are probably wondering what in the ******* you have gotten yourself into. The booths are cozy and private due to a curtain of red cloth. The view from our table was especially goolosh because it was a life sized coffin with, well, I'll let the pictures speek for themselves. Our food was seemily normal: raw salmon, friend cheese and crackers, risotto, chicken, chocolate cake and ice cream. Or was it...

BUAHAHAHAHA HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Eriko and Me in Tokyo

WOW! What a city! Let me start off by saying it is not what I expected. Sure i figured I'd see most of the high traffic areas electronically lit up like time square, it is Japan after all. I also expected the business men to be walking around in short sleeve white button downs with black pants and ties because after all, I am a big fan of Heroes and that's what Hiro wears. But what I did not expect was the boundless subway systems, the relatively clean streets and honestly, the lack of chaotic chatter. There seems to be a silent order to all things in Tokyo. Men and women just know where they are going and what side of the escalator or street to be on. Stay to the left if you are standing and to the right if you are moving, it is simple and ubiquitously known.

I personally have been very impressed and overwhelmed by the subway system here. There are so many lines that we have switched trains multiple times just to get from one place to another.There is not one level underground the way I remember it in New York but many levels as if it were am airport. However, they have maps in English posted next to the Japanese maps as well folded paper maps you can carry with you. Also the subways have a digital screen that tells you what station you are in upon arrival in both English and Japanese.

Ok now on to food! Here are a few pictures I took randomly at a pretty nice fruit store we passed on the street.

My favorite place so far in Tokyo is Asakusa which is famous for the Senso-ji Temple. The #1 stop for visitors, Senso-ji is a Buddhist temple erected in the 17th century. Destroyed during WWII, the temple was rebuilt and the market and architecture has made it my choice of where to stay in Tokyo. There are many Hotels as well as Hostels just minutes away. The entrance, Kaminarimon, or the Thunder Gate is composed of huge red columns and a traditional black Japanese roof. At the center is an enormous red lantern with the ferocious guardian deities on either side.

Between the gate and the temple is a large cauldron looking piece where you will find many people standing around bathing in the smoke of incense. It is said that the smoke gives you beauty and health.

The market within the temple brings us to my #1 pick of must-haves for Japanese food, tempura friend sweet bean cakes. I am not sure what they are called but trust me, they are amazing! The flavors this stand sells range from original to pumpkin to sesame. The women of the stand understand English so make sure and ask for whichever are fresh and still warm, you will NOT be disappointed.

Here are a few pictures of the relics and sautes around the temple that I thought were fun to see. Also there are a few more pictures of the market.

  

colorful dipped bananas

mmmmm noodles