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Leena Eats: NYC with a baby!

Leena Eats: NYC with a baby!
My trip to NYC started as all my trips to NYC do–with a trip to the Doughnut Plant. This is a yeast-raised donut in fresh raspberry glaze.

Ah, NYC. I’ve only visited you twice before, but each time, you’ve rocked my stomach three ways to Shang-hai. So I was incredibly stoked to be introducing this awesome city–and a few very close friends of mine–to baby Ella. Although traveling with a baby is never easy, we made sure to hit up all the food stops on my list, even if we had to carry the stroller up the subway stairs in the rain. Which we did. It was worth it for some kick-ass dumplings, but I’m getting ahead of myself. First, a little more donut porn.

Leena Eats: NYC with a baby!
The daily flavors at Doughnut Plant. Yes, they totally had my coconut cream pie filled donut!! Holla!

I was first introduced to The Doughnut Plant on a food tour of NYC’s Lower East Side given by The Enthusiastic Gourmet in 2005. What’s not to like about artisan donuts with creative, seasonal flavors? The owner, Mark Israel, opened The Doughnut Plant in the basement of a Lower East Side Tenement Building in 1994 using his grandfather’s doughnut recipe, and bicycle to deliver the donuts to local shops like Dean and Deluca. After perfecting his techniques, he opened the shop in 2000, where he’s been ever since. The shop has expanded to Tokyo, where there are nine shops today.

I particularly enjoy his filled donuts, which are square with a hole in the middle, yet filling is in every bite! So creative. So delicious. In addition to the raspberry glaze donut, we also had a coconut cream pie filled donut and a pistachio glazed yeast raised donut.

Leena Eats: NYC with a baby!
Flavors of the day at The Doughnut Plant. See how some of the flavors are translated into an Asian language? The shop sits right next to Chinatown, so I assume this is for their Chinese patrons.

More food porn after the jump!

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Leena Eats: A16 SF’s Marina Hood (photo essay)

Leena Eats: A16 SFs Marina Hood (photo essay)
Just a sampling of deliciousness I devoured at A16 restaurant in SF. Green olive pizza served with chile oil? YES, please!

One of my pre-baby jaunts to a restaurant I haven’t tried–A16 in San Francisco, known for their wood-fired pizzas and homemade pastas. More food porn after the click!

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Leena Eats: Her last baked goods at Tartine Bakery!

Leena Eats: Her last baked goods at Tartine Bakery!
One of the last sweet things I ate–coconut cream pie tart at Tartine Bakery in San Francisco.

One of my last sweet treats before being diagnosed with gestational diabetes was a trip to Tartine Bakery in San Francisco with a friend. And even though I’m sugar-free for the time being, this was an awesomely sweet way to go.

We started with this coconut cream pie tart, which sounds decadent enough on it’s homemade tart dough and filled with luscious coconut pudding. But the bottom of the tart shell is filled with caramel and topped with a crunchy chocolate shell, and the whole shebang is finished with whipped cream and big old flakes of toasted coconut.

YEAH. I know.

THEN…

Leena Eats: Her last baked goods at Tartine Bakery!
I went for my personal favorite, an almond frangipane croissant.

This was the single most flakiest pastry I have ever–EVER had. Ugh. So damn good, and that’s before I even got to the middle.

Leena Eats: Her last baked goods at Tartine Bakery!
The innards were spread with frangipane (an almond mixture), and topped with flaked almonds.

Ohmagah. The sweet, nutty filling was the perfect surprise for me in the middle, amidst all that flake and buttery goodness. I seriously had flakes of pastry covering me from head to toe, even a bit in my hair. But it was so worth it.

And as soon as I give birth, I plan on making this my first treat back into the world of sugar. Hit up Tartine Bakery if you can!

~LTG!

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Tartine Bakery

600 Guerrero St
San Francisco, CA 94110

(415) 487-2600

 

Leena Eats: Dopo – Italian for Pork in Oakland

Leena Eats: Dopo   Italian for Pork in Oakland

To start at Dopo: Freshly baked (and slightly burnt) bread with pork fat-laced butter. Yes. Pork butter.

This winter in the Bay area is a wet and rainy one, one where you either long to cook up a big pot of warming food, or you long for someone else to do it for you. Not as a bitterly cold as Chicago, mind you, but enough to warrant complaints and the occasional dinner out.

Enter Dopo– a lovely little Italian restaurant in my neighborhood that is always packed, even on a weeknight, and of course, does not accept reservations. Lucky for my husband and I, we slipped in just between the early night rush and the late night rush on a busy and wet Wednesday night. We were a bit bummed the bread was so burnt, but once we tried the pork butter, it was easy to forgive.

They made butter with pork, people. Dopo can do no wrong in my book.

More food porn and commentary on Dopo after the jump.

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Leena Eats: Woodhouse Fish Company–Crabs you can be proud of!

Leena Eats: Woodhouse Fish Company  Crabs you can be proud of!

A whole lotta crab at Woodhouse Fish Company in SF.

Friends were in town and craving seafood, and it was late November–the start of the local crab season, so we headed to Woodhouse Fish Company in San Francisco to get our hands on some (affordable) delicious local crab. Heaps of crab porn after the click. Read the rest of this entry »

Leena Eats: Vedas Indian restaurant in Milpitas, CA.

Leena Eats: Vedas Indian restaurant in Milpitas, CA.

Complimentary app: pappadums with two chutneys at Vedas.

I joined a friend to review an East Bay Indian restaurant, and this is the food porn from that event. Vedas restaurant tries to come off as more than just your average Indian restaurant with their modern Indian decor and slightly modern food plating. For me, most dishes were either hit or miss. Check out my opinion and food porn after the click.

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Leena Eats:Thanksgiving 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

Leena Eats:Thanksgiving 2010

My Thanksgiving turkey, lookin all brown and Norman Rockwell-ish.

A day late, but isn’t it pretty?

~LTG!

Leena Eats: Getting my pork on at Fatted Calf Charcuterie in Napa

Leena Eats: Getting my pork on at Fatted Calf Charcuterie in Napa

A taste of pork heaven from Fatted Calf Charcuterie in Napa.

I like to think pork is proof that God exists. Why else would we have this magical meat that you could roast/smoke/cure/stuff and eat? It sure as hell didn’t appear out of thin air, I can tell you that much. And if you dig pork or pork products (okay, really if you dig ANY kind of meat), Fatted Calf Charcuterie in Napa is the place to go.

Not quite a Disneyland of meat, like Paulina Meat Market in Chicago, but definitely a Coney Island of meat. More food porn after the jump.

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Leena Eats: Kitchenette in Dogpatch, SF

Leena Eats: Kitchenette in Dogpatch, SF

The daily menu at Kitchenette.

I love that living in the Bay area means that there is literally a new food surprise around every corner…or in this case, in every loading dock. Meet Kitchenette, a food stand open Monday through Friday at a loading dock in San Francisco’s Dogpatch neighborhood.

This place’s menu changes daily, and always features locally sourced, organic, gourmet food that is surprisingly good. Like pork belly and fried oyster sandwiches, chicharones, and The Buster- a sandwich stacked with fried green tomatoes, bacon, peaches, aioli and arugula.

Kicks the crap out of McDonalds if you ask me. More food porn after the jump.

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Leena Eats: Artisan Ice Cream Goodness- Mr. & Mrs. Miscellaneous in SF

Leena Eats: Artisan Ice Cream Goodness  Mr. & Mrs. Miscellaneous in SF

Just another day in Dogpatch.

Ah, Dogpatch. An up and coming hood on the southern end of San Francisco, a mix of trendy eateries and factories turned into work spaces. To be honest, I never would have stumbled upon this hood if I didn’t work in it, but I am so glad it happened.

Artisan ice cream is clearly a food trend the Bay area is obsessed with, and frankly, I have no problem with that. From Ici in Berkeley to Humphry Slocombe in the Mission, from Bi-Rite Creamery all the way to the newly opened Mr. & Mrs. Miscellaneous in Dogpatch, I’ve made it my personal responsibility to try them all.

Come. Drool at my food porn.

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Leena Eats: Bakesale Betty’s Fried Chicken Sandwich, Pays For It Later, And Vows to Do It Again

Leena Eats: Bakesale Bettys Fried Chicken Sandwich, Pays For It Later, And Vows to Do It Again

The famous fried chicken sandwich from Bakesale Betty's in Oakland's Temescal hood.

I’ve heard about it since I moved here 10 months ago. I’ve seen the massive lines daily outside the shop. And finally…I got to taste the famous Bakesale Betty’s fried chicken sandwich.

What’s so great about it?

Find out and peep more food porn after the jump.

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Leena Eats: End of the summer raspberries!

Leena Eats: End of the summer raspberries!

End of the season raspberries!

~LTG!

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