Soda & Swine

I haven't been in San Diego for very long, but I already have my go-to places (obviously). I also already have a list of restaurants that I want to try out (suggestions always welcome!) One of my go-to places, specially to take visitors to, is Soda & Swine.
This first time I went to Soda & Swine I was craving chicken. That is something that never, EVER, happens to me, so I was feeling very weird about myself, but also - craving the chicken. It was the day after our three-day car ride, where we ate a lot of... shit. I don't know how else to put it. We had VERY limited options, some days consisting of only McDonald's, Burger King and Taco Bell. We ate at McDonald's (which was horrible - except for the Oreo McFlurry which was awesome!) once, a bad mistake. Deciding not to do it again, the next day we went to Carl's Jr and I swear to God, Carl's Jr. turkey burger tasted like heaven compared to the quarterpound I got at McDonald's. Ew.

Menu

So, the next day I am craving chicken. As I got to Soda & Swine, I looked at their super-cool menu written on a black chalkboard. And I saw a chicken meatball option! And, AND, it was served with mushroom sauce and provolone cheese! I could not have been happier.
The deal over there is: you can choose one (or more, I guess. I'd never thought about that... hum) out of four options: get your meatballs on a sub (2 meatballs), over pasta (3 meatballs), on sliders (1 meatball per slider) or just the meatballs and the sauce (3 meatballs). Considering the fact that I had just completed a trip where every single meal I had consisted of bread or pasta of some sort, I chose the "a la carte" option, as they put it. Just the largest amount of meatballs, no carbs.

There is also another chalkboard next to the one in the picture with a list of their sides, which must be like 15. So many sides to choose from! You don't HAVE to pick a side. But why not? Why would you not do it? It makes no sense. Anyway, I chose the bacon brussels sprouts because I am smart. Also, because my family decided we should each pick one side so everyone can try everyone's side (we do that a lot.) So, in reality, I had brussels sprout, asparagus and polenta as sides. Hum, where should I begin?

Meatballs to the left and asparagus to the right

So, the meatballs come in this mini iron cast, swimming in the mushroom sauce, with the provolone cheese melted over on top. It's beautiful. And you look at it and you think: "is this going to be enough food?" but what you don't know is that the meatballs are HUGE. They are. They are so filling. But most importantly, they are made of chicken and they blend perfectly - just perfectly - with the thick, creamy mushroom sauce they come with. Seriously. It's so good, I was moaning the whole meal. If you've never experienced chicken meatballs, that is the way to do it. I cannot imagine anyway that chicken meatballs could taste any better. On marinara sauce they would be RUINED. Ruined. Ok, maybe not ruined, but definitely not as good.

Brussels sprouts

The brussels sprouts come with bacon, so there's that. It's not like it's going to taste bad, ever. It's made with bacon. No, but really, they were cooked to perfection and tasted incredible. For realz. The asparagus comes with a little bit of cheese on top and it's also cooked to perfection and delicious in the subtle but unique way that only asparagus can be. The polenta, unfortunately, for my unending sadness, was meh. But just order something else, like, for example, they mac-and-cheese! Or, or, the goat cheese mashed potatoes (yum!). Better yet: order the crispy chick peas. They are divine! They are crispy and salty, and crunchy and delicious. I never knew chick peas could be so... crispy? It's super well-seasoned too, so it's really tasty, and you can't eat just one. It's like popcorn... you eat it and eat it until there's no more to eat.

#crispyanddelicious

After my very pleasant experience, I have made a point of taking everyone that comes visit me there. And it's been approved across the board. Because it's delicious!


Restaurant: Soda & Swine
City: San Diego, CA
Service: Great
Food: Delicious
Price: $

Osteria Acquacheta #tbtmeal

I did it again! I disappeared. No more. NO MORE I SAY. Hopefully coming back for real now, with some new ideas. The first one is the throwback Thursday meals. Basically, #tbtmeal posts will be posts about places I have been to more than six months ago. I know, that was a clever way of keeping from dying of shame for not posting anything. 

Oh well. The first #tbtmeal of this blog will be one that I have been dying to post about... and one of the best meals of my life, from when I was in Italy. 

Montepulciano was incredibly empty. After visiting Siena, Pisa, and other tourist-filled cities, Montepulciano actually looked a little bit like a ghost town. There was no one in the streets! The day was not that pretty when we got there, it was super cold and cloudy, which contributed to my impression. That was the only city we decided to spend the whole day at, I don't even remember why anymore – probably because my mom decided it was the most interesting one.

Wine and cheese tasting

We had a tip going in the city – the best part about traveling with my mom is that we are both suckers for gourmet tips, which means that if someone recommends a restaurant in a city we have never been to we will most likely tailor our visit around finding said restaurant and eating there. It wasn’t very different with Montepulciano, where we were recommended the Osteria Acquacheta. First thing we did was go to the tourism office to get a map and find out where the restaurant was. After spotting it on the map, we went into the city gates (these medieval Tuscan cities almost always have a gate). The day was basically spent going into churches and into wineries, where they provided FREE WINE/BREAD/SAUSAGE/OLIVE OIL TASTINGS. Yes. I would have gone into every single store if we weren’t so easily guilt tripped by free tastings. Since every store we went in we had to buy something, we only went into three or four I think – anyway, it was worth it.

The entrance

And then we reached the restaurant. It was a small little door at the end of a narrow street. We were very surprised noticing a full house, when the city seemed so empty. We asked if we needed to do a reservation – they only had a 2:30pm appointment. Stunned, we accepted it and proceeded to look at old buildings and go to tastings. At 2:15 we got to the door of the restaurant (need I say famished?) and still had to wait around 40 minutes to be seated.

The restaurant had one rule: each person had one glass to drink wine or water. If you want to drink water, finish your wine. If you want to drink wine, finish your water. No fanciness! I was already excited about it – I love simple places. We shared a big table with another group, which never bothers me because I usually speak a language no one understands anyway, so it’s not like I have no privacy (although I don’t think I would be bothered by it if they did, honestly.) The kitchen of the restaurant was at the back and completely open. They had a huge brick oven in there, where they grilled their meat.

Appetizer

The house specialty was bistecca fiorentina. I posted about bistecca before, on the Totò post – check it! – we ate it as part of our New Year’s Eve meal. Well this one was different; better, tastier, more delicious, amazing, wonderful… sorry where was I? Oh yeah, house specialty. But let’s start in the beginning. For some insane reason that I cannot fathom right now – it has been more than a year after all – we decided to have a four-course meal. Maybe it wasn’t a decision, maybe it just happened. All I know is I started my path to happiness with fried goat cheese balls paired with artichoke cream. Fortunately, no one in my family really likes goat cheese, so I got to enjoy all of that amazingness by myself (excuse me for being selfish). It was just... so delicious.

After we had the appetizers (each of us had one), we went into the primi piatti, a.k.a. the pasta. I ordered Pici pasta with duck ragù. Pici pasta is similar to spaghetti, but thicker and with a hole that runs in the middle of it. Doing a little bit more research into it, I found out it’s a hand-rolled pasta that originated in Siena and is typical from that region. HA! Learning about other culture while eating = ultimate goal in life. I ordered duck ragù because I wanted something different from all the truffle sauces that I was eating. I liked it, but I also found it slightly overwhelming – I seem to have had amnesia at the time, since I don’t like duck that much. I don’t really know why I ordered that plate. Well, I did, and it didn’t let me down, I let myself down (drama).

Pici pasta with duck ragù

The owner and the bistecca (whole)

After eating an entire plate of pasta, we said: “Why not have some meat?” and ordered the bistecca. The bistecca is ordered by its weight, and the server (usually the owner of the place) brings it raw to the table for you to evaluate its size. It was a beautiful cut of meat. Beautiful. The owner was so cool too, he walked around the table, serving, talking to people, mocking his friends (I guess) and being nice. He even let me take a picture of him getting ready to cut a piece of the bistecca (oh yeah they’re freshly cut, ahem). Then the meat came in all of its glory and it was raw. It was so raw it was cold in the middle. I am not a fan of raw meat (I order meats “medium”, as opposed to the generally Brazilian preferred “medium-rare”), so I was worried. Maybe I wouldn’t like it after all. And then I took a bite. And then…

I died.

LOOK AT THIS

The meat tasted amazing. I never tasted anything like it. I noticed there was barely any seasoning to it, just a little bit of salt and pepper, but it was extremely tasty nevertheless. It was very quickly seared in the oven, which left the outside almost crispy, but the inside soft and juicy. JUICY AND DELICIOUS! It didn’t matter I was full, I had just eaten a plate of pasta and really, I wasn’t that hungry anymore. That meat was SO GOOD. It was so good, there was no way it would be left behind in my plate. Excuse me for not wasting amazing food.

Get this: the meat came with a side. A side of CHEESE - yeah. Grilled cheese topped with pears. It is a match made in heaven. The sweetness of the pear complements the cheese so perfectly. It looks pretty too!

Grilled cheese topped with pear

Dessert

And then we ordered dessert. I think we got several different things: a ricotta cheese cake thing covered in chocolate and nuts, another covered in caramel and I ordered biscotti and some type of liquor cause I was dying and I needed help making the food go down. After a shot of espresso, off we went to a loooong walk so that we could digest all that amazingness into our bodies’ system.

Honestly, I have no idea how much that entire meal cost. I’m guessing maybe a lot but it was worth it? Dad? Hehehehe

They have a website where you can check out a sample of their menu if you plan to go there (which you should!)… It seemed reasonable to me. It is a small place, so it’s less likely you’re going to get ripped off? I guess? In any case, it’s worth it. Absolutely worth it.

City: Montepulciano, Italy

Restaurant: Osteria Acquacheta

Food: Amazing

Service: Great

Price: €€ (?)

Mamak

It's been forever since I've updated my blog, mainly because I felt like it served a better purpose while I was traveling, and now that I'm not it's pointless. I moved to Houston about six months ago, and then got a job. Traveling became very limited to going to San Diego to visit my boyfriend, and so I thought maybe my food adventures weren't that interesting anymore. Lies!

Houston has many flaws, but lack of restaurant diversity is not one of them. You can find food from everywhere around the world here, along with loads of "fusion" cuisines as well. I admit I appreciate that about Houston. So, to make the most of my time here, how long might it be, I set out from the beginning to try new places to eat. FUN!

It's good that I work at a location that has several other businesses around, while it's also incredibly close to Chinatown (yes, we have one - at least Brazilians call it Chinatown). Now, that part of town can be very overwhelming and scary to go to - there are so many little cafes and restaurants to go eat at, some of them hidden, others with huge signs. Some restaurants don't have English menus, at others the waiters don't speak English. But once you get over your (I don't wanna say fear)... doubts, it is a whole new world and it is amazing.

Roti Canai and tea (left); noodle soups (right)

After being taken to some places, I've been feeling more confident to try out others on instinct. Mamak, however, was not an intuitive choice, because someone recommended it to me (along with what I should order). Mamak serves Malaysian cuisine, although there are other Southern Asian influences - Singapore, Indian etc. It was very cold day in Houston, and my coworker and I were craving some noodle soup. I was told the Singaporean Laksa Noodles were very true to their country of origin, so I was dying to try it.

First, we had an appetizer called Roti Canai. This is some kind of dough that is slightly fried, like a very thin pancake with a little bit of crustiness, that you dip in a curry sauce. So delicious. I mean, the little bread/pancake/crepe/pastry thing (seriously it's a mixture of all of these) by itself is already delicious, but the sauce gives it an uniqueness that I just love so much. Every time I go to a Malaysian restaurant I order this. So, so good.

Then, I got the Laksa noodles, as instructed. It's basically a curry noodle soup with pork, tofu, shrimp and egg. Yes. I know. Sounds amazing, doesn't it? I didn't know if I wanted a whole bowl of it, but because of the price ($7.99) we agreed that it probably wasn't that big and we should just order one each. Oh, the mistakes we make. The bowl was enormous. You can't really tell from the picture, but it was huge. I freaked out a little bit when it arrived and then I tried it.

The enourmous bowl of Laksa :)

Let me just make it clear that I love curry. I love it. And I was very excited for a CURRY NODDLE soup, because it's two things I love in one bowl. And the soup was great. Awesome. The curry tasted different, but delicious, the noodles were yummy, the tofu was squishy but good, the shrimp had great texture and the pork... well. The pork was a little bit of a disappointment. I was expecting saltiness, and it was sweet. It had a very distinct taste and I tried getting used to it, but I have to say I didn't really love it. I mean, I ate it, but compared to everything else, it was just not as good. The first bites were interesting, but towards the end it became too weird so I left a couple of pieces behind.

My coworker ordered a bowl of wonton noodle soup which she loved, except for the pork. All in all, I would definitely go back for that same exact meal, only I would share the Laksa, for sure. I ate all of it, but it was definitely too much food for a working day.


Restaurant: Mamak Malaysian Restaurant
City: Houston, TX
Food: Great
Service: Great
Price: $

Enoteca Corsi

I am procrastinating. 
I haven't been posting lately basically because of the ridiculous amount of work I have for the next month and a week until graduation. But today I had to procrastinate a little. I mean, I needed to. Whatever, I want to. It turns out writing about food is much more fun than writing about Colombia's drug trafficking problem, Cuba's relationship with the U.S. or U.S. intervention in Latin America. And also waaaay more fun than applying for jobs. And less stressful, might I add.

So, today I write about the day I spent by myself in Rome. Beautiful Rome. After two delicious weeks in Venice, Florence and Tuscany, my family and I came back to Rome, where my parents needed to catch their flight back to the US and A. My flight got out of Paris only two days later, so I stayed in Rome for one last day. It worked out perfectly because I would get to see the Sistine Chapel - which I hadn't done five years previously when I had been to Rome for the first time.

The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel

You know what? I was a little disappointed. I must acknowledge that my experience was probably something uniquely disturbing but by the time I got into that Chapel, I was so mad I didn't even enjoy myself. It turns out they only open it during certain times of the day. BUT they don't let you know that. Oh, no! They make you go on and on, always pointing in the same direction, which leads into a circle that never ends BECAUSE THE CHAPEL IS CLOSED. They could've just told me that. Instead, they decided to make me walk the same exhibitions five times! I was so hot from walking around the museum I took off my sweater and eventually LOST IT. So, as I said, by the time I got into the Chapel I was just mad. Plus, you have to look up to see the most famous painting one - which is minuscule! The one of David's finger touching God's? Yeah, small. 

I don't know. Maybe it was the result of hunger (of course) and the being tricked thing, but I saw things that were much more appealing to me. Monet's paintings at the Musée d'Orsay, for example. Or his garden at the National Gallery. Honestly, I am not as moved by art as I probably should be. Live music does it much more for me than art does. Although I do like going to museums, I am not as emotional as I am when there's a band playing. Stop judging me!

But what is important is what happened after I got out of that horrible place and went straight to eat! I went to a place called Enoteca Corsi, right next to the hotel I had stayed with my parents, close to the Pantheon. From the name, one already infers that it is a wine place. I read in an article from the 90s (which was framed and hung right next to my table) that around then there was a move for enotecas to start serving lunch, which were generally homemade meals for a much cheaper price than local restaurants would charge. They only serve meals during lunchtime, however, which is what makes them different from regular restaurants. 

I was there at the right time then (1:30 in the afternoon). From a very appealing list of choices, I decided to go with the homemade meatballs with peas and roasted potatoes, all with extra olive oil to top it off (you can actually see it in the picture.) I have to say one thing first - I don't like peas. After I ordered this dish, I was asking myself what was wrong with me that I just ordered meatballs with stupid peas? Why not pasta?! (probably because I had already been eating pasta every day for the past 3 weeks but shhhh)
Turns out - you guessed right - the peas were actually a great addition to this meal. Since the meatballs had so much flavor and the potatoes were seasoned with rosemary, I would go for the peas almost like they were a palate cleanser. Seriously. The potatoes were delicious. They weren't crunchy nor mushy, and the rosemary worked perfectly with the meatballs. It did taste like a good home-cooked meal. 

The restaurant

The place was small, but not claustrophobic and the service was great. Although I must say I didn't really understand how exactly these places are supposed to have a more agreeable price. This plate, although simple it may seem, certainly wasn't a bargain. From what I remember it was around 14€, which sincerely is expensive.

Hidden little place

After dropping my stuff at the hotel, I decided to go for a walk and then back to a gelato place I had visited when I was with my parents. Happy decision. San Crispino is a small, almost hidden "gelateria" two streets down from the Fontana di Trevi. Their gelatos are divine. Simply divine. 

I decided to get a pistachio (I love pistachio gelato) and grape ice cream. Which were heavenly. Delicious. Delectable. Tasty. The shit. However you wanna put it.

I love Italian gelato.

The inside 

Yes - I took a picture of my gelato. I'm not even sorry.

The rest of the day I spent strolling around and doing sight-seeing. I got to see this around sunset:

Saint Peter's Basilic - NO FILTER 

Great ending for our Italy family trip. I miss it - the food, the time we got to spend together, the picture-taking, the making-fun of my mom, the beautiful cities... But especially the food :)

Restaurant: Enoteca Corsi

City: Rome, Italy

Food: Great

Service: Good

Price: €€

Also featured on this post was Il gelato di San Crispino - holy gelato! 

City: Rome, Italy

Gelato: Divine

Service: Super-friendly

Price: Cheap!!