SPAIN: Barcelona

La Ramblas

Barcelona, Spain

3 days in Barcelona is just not enough.  There’s far too much to eat [and drink] to do this city justice.  From the proliferation of the alien-like formation of Gaudi’s buildings dotting the west, beaches and the Mediterranean Sea spreading across the east, and the rich and vast wealth of food everywhere in between, it’s a city that just doesn’t have time to allow for boredom. 

Regardless of the lack of time, it was all I had so I needed to make the most of it.  First stop was the trek to the Gaudi buildings:

Casa Mila

Sagrada Familia

Casa Batllo

Parc Guell

These structures were so incredibly BIZARRE that I stopped to try and figure out if he was on drugs when he put these building plans to paper.  It’s definitely not my style but I do appreciate his daring and unapologetic style that he introduced into the otherwise homogenous landscape.

Foodie Heaven

As I’d mentioned in a previous post, I had the pleasure of nibbling on some of the tastiest treats in Barcelona!

Cal Pep – As we settled into our stool at the bar in the overcrowded restaurant, our server gave us 100% of his attention. He spotted us for the newbies we were and asked us to trust him.  We were glad we did! He ordered us a feast and the price was very reasonable! My favorite was the shishito [peppers]. 

Inopia – I couldn’t believe I actually waited in line. I was already starving by the time I got here and I was really ready to gnaw off my arm.  It was worth the wait.

Cinc Sentis - This was the splurge meal.  Eight courses of cheeses, Foie Gras, Fish, Pig and on and on...Each taste was better than the one before. All of the ingredients were sourced locally, using the freshest and best ingredients available.

Bar Pinotxo, La Boqueria – I read about the famed Juanito Bayen's legendary charm, but I was ill prepared for just how charmed I would be.  Still early in the morning, I hadn't had a chance to get my appetite up. I had intended to just have one dish.  Mr Bayen talked us into several.  By far, the garbanzo con Butifarra Negra is one dish that is not to be missed. Rich and tasty, these are the best beans I've ever had!

El Xampanyet – no joke, this place is pretty bare bones. It’s a great happy hour location since for a bottle of champagne, it was around $5. The tapas were small but very inexpensive ranging from $3 - $5 or so for each plate.  After consuming 2 bottles of champagne, we proceeded to get lost.  As in, walking in the wrong direction.  The best part of this place was the people watching - I loved the happy hours that I spent here seeing tourists and locals alike enthusiastically catching up over a quick glass of champagne. 

I could spend a week in Barcelona and still not get enough of it. The next time I return I plan to spend more time traveling throughout the country, adding a few extra days to Barcelona!

Casa Mila [La Pedrera]
92, Passeig de Gracia
Eixample district

Sagrada Familia
401, Carrer Mallorca

Casa Batllo
43 Passeig de Gràcia

Parc Guell
Carrer d'Olot

Inopia
104 Tamarit 08015

Cinc Sentis
58 Aribau

Bar Pinotxo
La Boqueria
91, La Ramblas

El Xampanyet
Barri Gothic
Carrer Montcada 22

Hana Ninja: I'm a Food Ninja

The Food Ninja Challenge is being hosted by my friends Rachael [Fuji Ninja], Paula [Bella Ninja], and their friend, Linda [Salty Ninja].  I think it's pretty clear that I'm a Food Ninja. When I first took the plunge to travel internationally, I didn't choose the mainstream vacation destinations like London, Paris, or Rome.  Nope, I chose places like Belgium, Prague, and Vienna.  Why?  I wanted to see what types of food they had going on.  Chocolate, mussels, waffles,  beer, schnitzels - all wonderfully tasty bites of things that I've eaten before but needed to try first hand in the home countries.  

I discovered that the more I traveled, the more I needed to soak up the local culture through the food.  Whether it meant that I ate in a restaurant where no English was written or spoken or eating mussels [something that I really don't care for, a reminder of the dirty, smelly shellfish that clung to the Venice Pier when my brothers and I used to go fishing...yuck].  

My decisions on where I went began to exclusively stem from the question, "What can we eat there?"  Some things I loved more than others [beer vs mussels], but everywhere I went, I found that my enjoyment of the city went up based on the freshness, passion and deliciousness of the food. 

My  friends thought I was nuts [except my travel buddy, Erin - she was on the same track I was on] to base my travel on food.  I thought they were nuts NOT to take food into consideration.  Its never enough to just merely SEE a country, you need to experience it through taste, touch, and smell.

Eventually, I made my way through Italy, France, and Spain but by then my goals were to discover the people behind the food through cooking class, tours of the factories and farmlands, or just getting lost [many, many times] in the region where some of my favorite foods come from.

I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to discover different countries through its food - consuming, making, or learning...something that I hope I never have to stop! The Hana Ninja, coming to a country near you!

TRAVEL: Tulsa Rocks!

I travel to Oklahoma City a few times a year.  When I first started going there, I went to two places - the office and the hotel.  Then I began to realize that I was missing out on a big opportunity to explore some place that I wouldn't normally choose to visit. 

While Oklahoma still isn't my idea of a fabulous vacation destination - it's got its share of exotic and interesting sites.  I decided that my next stop had to be Tulsa for no other reason than the fact that I was told that it was very different from Oklahoma City.  

As you may know by now, I like to eat.  It should come as no surprise to you that the first stop in Tulsa was breakfast.  Blue Dome Diner had come highly recommended by a few acquaintances so I decided that this was the place to go.

Ironically, Blue Dome Diner got it's name from the Blue Dome across the street.

Former 1920's gas station, now the icon of the Blue Dome District

Our server was a handsome and engaging guy.  I told him that I was open to eating ANYTHING and asked him for his best recommendations.  His favorite dish at the diner was a chicken fried steak.  I've heard of such an animal before but have never personally partook of this feast.  I was all for it.  He did explain to me that everything was organic and locally sourced. Amazingly, everything on the menu was under $10.  If LA had a restaurant/diner that had local and organic foods, it would most assuredly be well above $10. 

The chicken fried steak was amazingly flavorful, tender and moist.  For good measure, it also came with fried potatoes and eggs over easy.  I had to physically stop myself from eating the whole thing.

The one thing I could not stop myself from eating was the biscuit.  While I didn't use the gravy [not a big fan of gravy or syrups on my food] the biscuit was amazing.  I was wondering how I could take the whole tray home with me.

After we finished our breakfast, we decided to explore the area and walk off all those thousands of calories.  First thing we came across was a beer festival.  Score.

Unfortunately, it wasn't even 11:00am yet so we thought it'd be pretty wrong to start so early.  We continued on determined to walk off the biscuit and gravy.  As we walked over the bridge over the train tracks I spotted a phrase that rang very true, timely for the upcoming elections [PSA: go forth and vote]:

Ok, so the guy had some problems with spelling.  It's the thought that counted and it was a very good thought. We continued on and noticed another festival a block away...and smells of deliciousness wafting our way.

Seriously??  The Art of Barbeque??  There was no way I was going to be able to resist this - breakfast 15 minutes earlier be damned!  I would and COULD bring my A-game on.  For $10, we could sample every single barbeque submission...of which there were tons.

I stopped by almost every booth.  I think the servers thought I was nuts when I requested just a micro spec of a sample.  Most people had their plates heavily laden with barbeque.  I wanted to sample as much as possible or I probably would have as well.

These kids were so darn adorable.  They made the barbeque taste so much better, just by their awesome antics.  I asked the kid on the left if he had any help with his hairdo.  He said he fashioned it all by himself.

In my opinion, though, my real winner was Big Anthony's. Savory, sweet, tender,  and moist are the best words to describe the barbecued meat.  Big Anthony's wife was busy behind the scenes cooking up a major storm but took some time out when I asked them for a photo.  This was the only booth that I greedily wanted to revisit.

Admittedly the only thing I had time for was food.  I didn't have really have time to discover or explore other things about Tulsa but what I did discover was that Tulsa took pride in and loved its food.  And darned if I don't love them for that.

Blue Dome Diner

313 E 2nd Street

Tulsa, OK 74120

918.382.7866

The Art of Barbeque

Annual event

BlogHer Food 2010: The Final Event, An Event Planner's Point of View

I live in a constant state of panic. It's exhausting. It's thrilling. It's nerve wracking.  It's exhilarating.  It's like a drug addiction [or so I've been told by concerned friends and family members]. 

I love Meeting and Event Planning. I love seeing months of work culminating into one event -  a visual confirmation of all your efforts.  I love the idea that one little mishap, one little screw up can upset the balance of the perfectly organized event and that tens [or hundreds] of thousands of dollars hang in the balance of anything that I may have forgotten to do.  Best. High. Ever.  It seriously makes me giddy.

Assisting three of the most high profile bloggers in the blogosphere is a whole new ballpark of crazed panic. You need to have your act together because if you don't, it's not just hundreds or thousands of people who know...it's MILLIONS.  Right.  "Jenny the F*!k Up" would be your new twitter handle...or at least it'd be mine.

Just between you and me, inside my own mind I'm huddled in a corner, rocking back and forth with my thumb in my mouth, chanting, "no, no, no...this isn't going to work" for weeks months leading up to an event.  Outwardly, I may say to Elise, Jaden and Ree that everything is fantastic and that things just couldn't be more swell but inside my brain is screaming, "LIAR, LIAR, YOUR PANTS ARE ON FIRE!!!"

Luckily, when you've got great partner sponsors and BlogHer making this party THE OFFICIAL party, things are almost guaranteed to be perfect. With the generous support of the piggy goodness of the Pork Board - moist tender bites perfectly seasoned with McCormick spices, how could we go wrong?  

The students and staff at California Culinary Academy/Le Cordon Bleu were so excited to have all the bloggers there that they went above and beyond to be so helpful to us.  Do you realize that they were there prepping from 7:00am??  Most of them left together at 11:30pm.  They wanted this event to be the fete of the year.  I heart everyone here. Chef Michael Weller took everything we threw at him and improved upon it in ways I could never have imagined.  The team recap at the end of the evening was so freaking inspirational that it had me crying off on the sidelines. I saw the  look of sheer exhaustion on each of the students faces, each of their faces beaming with pride at their success that evening. I was so inspired that I had to physically restrain myself from signing up for culinary school right then and there.

Chef Weller with his student [photo from the HP photo booth]

As with last year, we also had the generous support of HP with their awesomely fun photo booth.  I would've stayed there all night long but I didn't want to risk being talked about by all the bloggers who were waiting in line [you know, the fear of millions of people knowing that I hogged a photo booth All.Night.Long].  

Set up by HP

Chefs once again exceeded expectations with their marvelous goodie bags, topped off with their eye popping number of giveaway items. I have to admit, I was almost tempted beyond what I could handle - you could dump $10,000 in my lap and I can guarantee you that it'll still be there when you came back for it a year later.  You dump a Kitchen Aid Mixer there...well, you can kiss that thing a fare thee well.

Each of these suckers weighed TEN [10] pounds. They were packed SIX [6] to a box. You do the math.

Lori Luna, the [sane] planner for BlogHer, provided me with resources that I can only say kicked @$$.  I hope that you will drop her an email thanking her for her hard work!  She's the behind the scenes rockstar and she did a fantastic job managing all the small details that most people don't ever notice, unless it's not there...then there's hell to pay. What? You didn't notice anything? Right, because she's awesome. 

Throughout the weekend, I developed little celebrity foodie crushes - Aida Mollenkamp, Penny De Los Santos, Dorie Greenspan, and Michael Ruhlman.  Thanks to my photographer and longtime friend, Darrell Miho, who was quick on his feet and thought to get this photo [the only picture that I have of myself with one of my celeb crushes] with Michael Ruhlman. So here's my sadly giddy [and gratuitous] photo [don't be bitter kids]: 

But even better than my celebrity foodie crushes, I got to reconnect with my friends whom I've had the pleasure of getting to know over this past year and even make a few new ones.  There wasn't as much time as I would've liked to get to meet and greet but that's what is so great about technology...I will meet, greet, and interact with you all.  The food bloggers are a great, wonderful, supportive group of people and I feel so blessed to miraculously be grouped together with 'em. 

Brooke, FoodWoolf.com; Gaby, WhatsGabyCooking.com; Susan, TheUrbanBaker.blogspot.com; and yours truly

Lastly, no [wo]man is an island unto themselves.  Without the support of some of my BFF's flying up to SF and helping me carry 60 pound boxes, this event would never have been ready in time.  Thank you, Christy and Fuyumi, you guys are my heroes, i love you, love you, love yous!

Christy, me, Fuyumi [photo from HP photo booth]

Portugal: Sintra

Castelos de Mouros, The Moorish Castle.

Last November, I went to Lisbon and Barcelona on a quick trip out of he country.  What a wonderful trip that was!  After spending a couple of rainy days in Lisbon, we thought it'd be a great idea to check out Sintra, just outside of Lisbon, hoping to escape the rain.  No luck.

Our first stop was the Castelo de Mouros [Moorish Castle].  Charming, old, and scared the crap out of me. I've mentioned before that I have a hard time walking without spraining my ankle.  The cobblestones here were almost the death of me [not to mention my fear of heights].  I clutched onto the rocks as I walked through the castle.  

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I actually walked these steps. I cried with every rickety step, praying to Jesus that He wasn't ready to call me home.

But wait. What did I spy from the Castle but a colorful vision across the valley:

It looked pretty colorfully spectacular from where I was standing so I decided to take the bus onto the next location, Pena National Palace.

Pena National Palace was awash in colors and stunning, even in the dreary, rainy day.  The colors popped off of the otherwise grey background.  I was amazed at how many people were out in the rain. I tried to stay as dry as possible, but the kitten hiding in the drainage in the photo above is probably the smartest living thing in town.

One other thing that I noticed while walking around Sintra was the amazing detailed tile work that was done.  I can't fathom making each one of these things over and over, even WITH a form. I felt compelled to take it in and photograph it, especially since someone went through the trouble of creating it!

After we left the Palace, we started meandering through Sintra to find the train station. [that's Jen-ese for I got lost].  It didn't matter how long it took since every path was so charming, if a little wet.  [sorry to harp on this subject but I'm from LA...I don't know what those fat drops of water falling on me really are]

My favorite stop during my "meandering time" had to be the bakery.  Although I never took any photos of my favorite cookies, Broas de Mel, I still have the memory of it to tide me over until my next [non-rainy] visit.

Travel: BlogHer Food 2010, Getting to San Francisco from the Airport

Golden Gate Bridge

Traveling to San Fran for the first time? Unless you have a ton of luggage, I highly recommend the BART! Fast, easy and generally the best [and cheapest!] way to get into the city.

F Line Muni Streetcar from Embarcadero to Castro District; $2 for 90 minutes of travel. Enter from the front door & pay the driver with exact change.

SFO Arrivals:

Upon arrival into SFO, after collecting your luggage, follow the signs to BART, which is located in the International Terminal. You can take the free AirTrain to the BART station. Once you arrive at the BART Station, you will find the ticket machines directly in front of you after you get off the AirTrain.  You may use either Cash or Credit to purchase your tickets[see instructions below].  Proceed to the BART station entrance, slipping in your ticket into the designated slot.  Board the Pittsburgh/Bay Point train to San Francisco [NOT Millbrae]. 

OAK Arrivals:

If you are arriving into Oakland, you will need to take the AirBART bus to get to the Coliseum/Oakland Airport BART Station [travel time is approximately 15 minutes]. The AirBART bus departs every 10 minutes [fare is $3, EXACT change only].  Follow the directional signs to the AirBART [located between Terminal 1 and 2, 3rd curb from the terminal].  You can take either trains that travel to Daly City [make sure it's NOT headed towards Dublin/Pleasanton, Richmond or Fremont.]

How to use the ticket machine:

You will need to already know what your fare is before you actually get to the ticket machines.  Avoid wasting time asking around for what the fare should be - Look up fares HERE: BART Fare Calculator

To Powell from SFO: One way fees will be $8.10, Roundtrip at $16.20.

To Powell from OAK: One way fees will be $3.80, Roundtrip at $7.60.   

1.) Put in your form of payment - either Cash or Credit - in the appropriate slot.

2.) The default amount of the ticket is $20 which will appear on the screen.  Using the buttons A - D, add/subtract the amount needed to get to your destination.  [add $1 = A; subtract $1 = B; add $.05 = C; subtract $.05 = D].

3.) When you are done, hit "E" to print the ticket.

Arrival into Downtown San Francisco:

Powell Street BART station is probably the closest if you're staying at the Intercontinental.  Just two blocks Southeast from Powell Station, it's an easy walk [and thank goodness for "up" escalators to street level!] using the Hallidie Plaza exit.

Embarcadero Station

Event: Sushi 101

Rachael's amazing sushi rice.  I have to admit the Zojirushi rice came out spectacularly - there was no burn or browned spots that I normally get from my rice cooker.  The Induction Heating rice cooker did everything but dry my hair!!   I may actually breakdown & buy one...but please don't tell Rachael, or I'll have to hear her telling me that she told me so.

I was a spoiled brat.  When I was growing up, there was a period of several years where we had sushi Every. Single. Sunday.  Most people would be jealous of that fact. Being the Contrarian that I am, I would roll my eyes and sigh, "Sushi?? AGAIN??" 

How times have changed.  I actually PAY for sushi - something I never thought I would do!  I was so excited when Rachael first told me about Sushi 101.  I saved the date even before I was actually invited.  I love that Rachael brings Japanese cuisine to the people in a non-threatening/non-overwhelming way.  I was all in for her party.

Greg offered up his beautiful house for this event.  I wish I had taken a photo of his kitchen.  It's drool worthy, almost larger than my house.  Such a generous host, when I asked him for his sink & spare dishwasher, he just said, "yes."  Unfortunately, neither item fit into my small coupe.

Rachael, madwoman at large, had so many items on her menu - artisan tofu, sunomono [cucumber salad], shoga [marinated ginger], marinated daikon, temaki, makisushi, and miso soup.  Rachael's homemade tofu is actually how we became friends.  Her recipe is easy and amazing.  No store bought tofu can come close to it.  

I have found over the course of the year of our friendship, that I learn something new from her all the time.  As she presented each course, her confidence in her knowledge [along with random tidbits of information that I never knew] shined through!  Everyone had a blast and enjoyed each course of the meal. 

Discussion about seafood sustainability

I Love Blue Sea drove down from San Fran to bring down the sustainable seafood for the event.  The fish was so amazing - yellowtail tuna, albacore [the belly tasted like Avocados], Alaskan King Salmon [so sweet], and Dungeness Crab [my favorite!!!]. As Martin cut the fish, I was like a puppy dog waiting for scraps.  It was that good.  To top if off, they were so incredibly helpful offering up any assistance large or small, I just thought how proud their mommas must be of them.  I haven't informed my family yet but I've decided that we're ordering our New Year's Day seafood from these guys.  I can't sing enough of their praises - check them out when you get a chance.

Josie put together an amazing dessert bar.  A Fuji Apple ice cream, a matcha ice cream, and a Yuzu Plum Wine granita filled the wine glasses [yes, I had all three.  I was taste testing and acting as a Quality Control Officer.  It's my job] along with two types of macarons, one of my favorites being a spearmint and white chocolate macaron.

Everyone left stuffed and full...and the question, "when's the next party?"  I can't wait for the next one, either!