"My East Bay Sushi Gem"

This is for all the sushi/Japanese food lovers.....

Humans naturally eat to live.  Most people who know me would say that I live to eat due to my insatiable curiosity for hunting down diverse delicious grub, like sushi.  When Yelp showed me a highly-rated Japanese restaurant in downtown Concord, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. 

  

My first visit to "Happy Roll" was on a random Friday night.  There was a crowd at the door, which is usually an indicator for fabulous food.  I went inside, put my name on the list, and somehow started chatting with a "Happy Roll" regular.  He said, "This place is pretty much the best I've had in the area for fresh sashimi, and I was stationed in Japan for 2 years."  

Subsequently, I was perfectly content to browse the menu while I waited 30 minutes for my seat.  The menu housed a variety of appetizers and entrees, but I zeroed in on "Dax's Roll."  It had spicy crabmeat, unagi, salmon topped with mango, avocado, tempura flakes and house sauce.  I also ordered an appetizer of salmon and yellowtail sashimi.  

I then absorbed the ambiance.  It was clean, modern, and intimately packed with the awkward first dates, families of chatterboxes, and buddies having college reunions.  For about 15 minutes, I jammed to the modern music and ogled over others' food until my pleasant waitress appeared with my mouth-watering meal.

The vibrant sashimi was presented on a bed of fresh Daikon radish, complete with lemon slices, ginger and wasabi.   A rule of thumb is if sashimi ever tastes "fishy" it probably isn't fresh.  Fortunately, the sashimi tasted like it was just caught from the sea; the salmon had the texture of butter and the yellowtail tasted like fresh lemon.  I wanted to order more but I stopped myself when I saw my roll. 

"Dax's Roll" was gorgeous; the thinly-cut pieces were exquisitely arranged on a classy wooden board.  I appreciated how the mango and unagi sauces were artistically drizzled on the sides of the rolls so you can control the amount you want in each serving.  After my first bite, I knew I would return. 

The combination of the melt-in your mouth salmon, unagi and avocado with the sweet mango slices, spicy crab meat kick, and tempura crunch was addicting.  The amount of rice was perfect and did not take away from the essence of the roll.  I devoured my entire meal with a $24 tab. 

After several more visits, “Happy Roll” gradually outranked sushi places that I have sampled in the past and became my ideal sushi recommendation for friends and family.  I believe that the intimately lush ambiance with modern music, amiable staff, and deliciously innovative menu makes this a must-try for all foodies, especially the sushi addicts.   

Some of my other favorites are the "Raider Roll," "Dynamite Roll,"and "Art Special Roll."  The following are some pics from my past visits.   

One of the weird things I found about "Happy Roll" was that there is no "Happy Hour."   Maybe that's something that they should look into.  Even so, I still go there every other week or so for my sushi fix, and trust me, they have NO trouble at all getting customers.  I guess they're hooked like me.

Happy Roll 

2118 Willow Pass Rd. Suite 200 

Concord, CA 94520 

(925) 685-1605 

www.happyrollconcord.com 

Hours: 

Tue-Fri  11 am - 2:30 pm 

Tue-Thu 5 pm - 9:30 pm 

Fri-Sat   5 pm - 10 pm 

Sun        5 pm - 9 pm

Got Food Trucks?

The Bay Area certainly does and they are pretty much every food lover's heaven (minus the long lines).   I have been to some in the bay area and the variety of food never ceases to amaze me.   This blog is definitely dedicated to these "meals on wheels."  

In no particular order, the following pics are from some food truck adventures that I have embarked on in the past, such as the "Eat Real" Food Festival in Jack London Square- Oakland & the "Off the Grids" of Fort Mason-SF, Shattuck & Rose in Berkeley. 

What is your favorite food truck delicacy?

Korean tacos, "Namu." Fort Mason Off the Grid,  SF.  Exotic and unique bites!

Falafel with sweet potato fries, "Liba Falafel." Off the Grid, Berkeley.  Delicious and somewhat healthy!?  I want seconds!

Sisig fries, "Senor Sisig." Off the Grid Berkeley.  All day.

Sisig Burrito- "Senor Sisig." Off the Grid, Berkeley.  Explosive flavor in every scrumptious bite.

Bacon cheeseburger - "Fiveten Burger." Off the Grid, Berkeley.  It was a juicy gourmet experience.  If you want to eat more from the other food trucks, you should split this with a friend cuz it will fill you up!

S'more, PB Choc,  and Strawberry cupcakes. "Cupkate's." Fort Mason Off the Grid, SF. Moist and delectable. 

Classic pork sisig with rice- "Senor Sisig."  Off the Grid Berkeley.  Yea, we were STILL hungry.

Pork cuban sandwich- "Ebbet's." Eat Real Festival, Oakland. Love the Acme bread with this tender flavorful pork!  This was definitely one of my favorites.

Grand Marnier chocolate creme brulee- "Creme Brulee Cart."  Fort Mason Off the Grid, SF.  Rich, smooth and creamy.

Mushroom empanada- "El Porteno".  Eat Real Festival, Oakland.  Crispy and flakiness goodness with mushrooms.

Pork Belly Bun - "Bao Chairman."  Eat Real Festival, Oakland.  The belly was to die for.

Chicken bun- "Bao Chairman."  Eat Real Festival, Oakland.  A nice break from the delicious fat of the pork belly.

Sisig taco, "Senor Sisig."  Eat Real Festival, Oakland. I was tempted to put an egg on top. Next time I WILL.

Popcorn shrimp and rice- "Scott's Seafood Restaurant."  Eat Real Festival, Oakland.  Very fresh!

"STRESSED" spelled backwards is "DESSERTS"

HOLA!  4 months with no update?!  That's what I was afraid of when I started this blog- now I don't even know where to begin- there is so much on the queue list!  But I am still very excited to share what I can.

Since I promised on the last blog that I would put down the red velvet recipe, I shall do so...  and then some.  I've been experimenting in my kitchen several times over the past couple of months.... ranging from dark chocolate chip walnut oatmeal cookies to banana cupcakes with honey cinnamon frosting.  I will share some pics here.

But first things first! 

RED VELVET CAKE

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt



1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk ( I used soymilk)
1 bottle (1 ounce) red food coloring

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract




   

VANILLA CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 box (16 ounces) confectioners' sugar 
Chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS

 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) round cake pans. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

2. Beat butter and granulated sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed 5 minutes or until light and fluffy.

3. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time.
 














4. Mix in sour cream, milk, food color and vanilla.

5. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended. Do not overbeat.

6. Pour batter into prepared pans. 




7. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire rack.

8. For the Frosting, beat cream cheese, butter, sour cream and vanilla in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth.

9. Fill and frost cooled cake with frosting. 

 10. Sprinkle chopped walnuts on it if you're not allergic - it's delicious!

VOILA! Eat your heart out!

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The following are some desserts that I've been experimenting during my MIA months...thought I could give you some eye candy...  If you want to know the recipes to any, let me know! 

Banana Cupcakes with Honey-Cinnamon Frosting

Purple Velvet Cupcakes with Blueberries

 

Almond Butter Cookies

Peach-Blueberry Cobbler

Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry-Buttercream Frosting

Dark Chocolate Chip-Walnut-Oatmeal Cookies

 

Feeling diabetic yet?  =P No worries- the next blog will most likely be a little more savory. Bon apetit!

Eating to Run? Or Running to Eat? Maybe both. =P

Hi all! I'm currently training for the following.

1) May 1- Big Sur Relay (about 5 miles split amongst 5 of us)

2) August 27- Giant's Race Half Marathon (13.1 miles)

Am I excited? Yes
Am I a little nervous? A smidge...ok yes.  
Am I ready? For the Big Sur Relay- for the most part, yes.  For the Half Marathon- hell to the NO.

More importantly, am I still hungry? DAMN RIGHT I AM!  I'm even hungrier now because I'm burning more calories.  But I have found that the fuel that my body needs should be wholesome and nutritious to keep me running mile after mile....after mile.

Have a peek at some of my "training food," which I've discovered is really delicious.  

1) The "PBBBH"  (Peanut Butter, Banana, Blueberry, and Honey) Sandwich

I just ate this today before a 5 mile run along with some cantaloupe on the side.  It kept me energized throughout the whole run. 

Super simple to make and delicious to scarf down.  I usually have the PB Banana and honey but I added blueberries and fell in love with it, and yes- that is multi-grain bread.  Next time I think I will try it with almond butter. 

2)  "Chicken Salad" recipe (that I tweaked from Runner's Magazine)

The original recipe is in "Runner's Magazine" but I worked with what I had in my kitchen and it turned out to be fantastic.  This was my post-run meal and it was fresh and tasty. The buttery avocados, fresh mozzarella, and crunchy almonds just killed me- in a good way.

First, I made the dressing (which actually serves 4) : Shake in a tupperware: 2 tbsps of lemon juice, 1 cup of Silk's Organic No Sugar Soymilk, some fresh thyme, and 1/2 tsp of salt. 

Next, put in a bowl 2 cups of Romaine lettuce, 1/2 a tomato chopped, half a cup of shredded chicken breast, some alfalfa sprouts, a slice of fresh mozzarella and mix with a couple tablespoons of the dressing. 

Lastly, top it with a couple slices of avocado and a handful of chopped almonds and you're ready to chow down! My table was a mess after prepping but it was SO worth the taste. 

The following were some other random yummy and healthy meals that I've digested.

"Pesto Chicken Sandwich with Fruit", Kaiser Vallejo Cafeteria

"Spinach Cranberry Salad, Creamy Garlic Scalloped Potatos, Mixed Veggies, and Beef," Trader Joe's

(I took the pic late hehe)

1/2 a Fuji Apple, Homemade "Pompano Sinigang" with Harvest Grain Blend from Trader Joe's

"Fruit Salad and 1/2 Farmer's Chicken Salad Sandwich on Organic Whole Wheat," Anderson Bakery, Concord - Absolutely scrumptious.

These foods are definitely giving me a lot of energy but (ahem) a little more gas than usual. I blame it on the fiber.  Overall, eating healthier choices has actually been very enjoyable, although I've had the previous notion that healthy foods compromised taste.  Through these meals, I have learned that there is a myriad of healthy foods that taste delicious based on the way they are prepared.  I like to mix and match different foods and create new recipes so if anyone has any favorite healthy recipes to share, you know who to tell. =P

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OK- let's take a break from the rabbit food.  Just because I'm eating healthier doesn't mean that I'm going to cut out the yummy food adventures.  I just had a field day at Boiling Crab in Sacramento last night.   

Quick review: the Sacramento location is bigger than the SJ one; the wait time was an hour, and the food was still on point.  The service was....ok, granted it was crazy busy on a Friday night and the kitchen had a couple of malfunctions with the catfish fryer, resulting in 2 baskets of catfish brought out 30 min late.  However, the workers were very pleasant and did I mention the food was fantastic?  I guess it was because I've been craving the lime-drenched shrimp in the shebang sauce, crispy fresh catfish, and addicting sweet potato and cajun style fries. 

 2 lbs of SHRIMP in the SHEBANG sauce & SWEET POTATO FRIES

 Mid-grubbing- I was counting the shrimps I had eaten so far- I think I was at a dozen.

 Gotta have the FRIED CATFISH and CAJUN FRIES.

Food coma the whole way home.  I'll definitely be back.

The next blog is going to be the process of making homemade red velvet cake with cream cheese vanilla frosting.  You'll definitely want to see/eat that.  Till then-  HAPPY EATING!