Joe's Crab Shack

"Eat at Joe's."

The slogan is easily identifiable all over the country.  So what exactly am I doing here?  Am I really spending my money at a chain restaurant...willingly?

To be quite honest, there are just two national chain restaurants that I wouldn't mind having a hearty meal at.  Joe's Crab Shack is one of them.  For those that want to know...::sigh::...The Olive Garden is the other.  Yes..  I said it.  Salad, breadsticks, and never-ending pasta bowls?  Come on people!

This meal was very unexpected.  It was my first lunch while in San Francisco.  Waking up early at my hotel, which was just a few steps from Fisherman's Wharf, I took a long walk through the marina and eventually the Wharf.  Past the few food trucks with awesome names (Kung Fu Tacos.  Yes!), the In-N-Out Burger (eventually will return), crab shacks (mouth watering), pasta houses (why not?), chocolate stores (sweet cavity central!), I came to a sudden stop.  There it was. The large "Eat Crab" wall sign.

Yup, this definitely got my appetite going

Being on the bay and not really knowing my way around yet, I longed for seafood.  In fact, I was dying for it.  This seemed like a good enough place as any to start.  And even better, coupon for free appetizer at the door.  Rachel Ray, eat your $40-a-day heart out.

Tea House at Japanese Tea Garden

On my visit to San Francisco I wasn't planning on doing many "touristy" things.  Many buildings, attractions, and sites that most tourists flock to really don't interest me that much.  When I visit a new city, I get to know it best I can through its food and people.  However, when I read about the Japanese Tea Garden located right outside Golden Gate Park, I couldn't resist making the one hour trek over from my hotel to see it.

The Japanese culture has always piqued my interest.  The architecture, the people, the clothing, customs, traditions, language, and food.  I mean, really, what is there not to love?  Everything about it is beautiful.  Offering a type of zen and tranquility no matter what is it you're gazing upon.

The Japanese Tea Garden in SF is said to be America's oldest public Japanese tea garden.  It was originally created in 1894 as a one-acre Japanese-style garden.  Over the next few decades, a man named Makoto Hagiwara, a Japanese landscape architect, had moved his family onto the property.  Mr. Hagiwara put all his personal wealth, passion, and creative talents into the garden to achieve in what he thought in his own eyes was perfection, and expanding it to about five acres.

In 1942, along with many other Japanese Americans, Mr. Hagiwara and his family were forced to move from their home and live in internment camps.  When WWII was over, he and his family were not allowed to move back into their home, and in subsequent years, many of the Hagiwara family heirlooms were removed, replaced with other additions, and eventually turning into a public space for viewing.

Walking up to the Japanese Tea Garden is very minimalistic.  Open landscape with a few small statues and man-made stools in front of an Asian-style gate.  On one of these stools sat an older Asian male, playing a Japanese flute for passer-by's.  What made him stand out was his engaging smile as he played, saying with it "I am happy, and there is no other place in the world I would rather be than here right now".  As you then walk through the main entrance, you are transported into another world.

The Crab Station at Fisherman's Wharf

Fisherman's Wharf is a neighborhood located in San Francisco's north-east corner.  Back in the day Fisherman's Wharf used to be the area where fishermen settled and fished for Dungeness Crab.  Although it is still used as a port for many of San Francisco's fisherman and their fleet, the area has mainly been redeveloped into a tourist attraction, attracting many people from all over the country.

Crab Houses lining the street along the Wharf

Walking into Fisherman's Wharf you start to see your usual tourist traps.  Small stores selling cameras, t-shirts, mugs with "I <3 SF", museums, and...an In N Out Burger?  Walk even further and you start to see pasta houses, seafood restaurants, and crab stalls that have been handed down from generation to generation.

If you're an avid seafood lover, there is no way you can turn down the idea of eating fresh seafood along the bay.  Seafood freshly caught hours beforehand, boiled, broken down, and served with nothing more than cocktail sauce and lemon.  Heaven.

Onieals

I love hanging out in Hoboken.  The square, mile-long city has plenty of perks.  I consider it "the village" of New Jersey.  Plenty of diverse restaurants and bars, great nightlife, people, and just an overall great vibe to the city.

When given the chance my friends and I will travel to Hoboken not so much for the food, but just to hang out in a fun city.  That being said, you can't expect much from the restaurants in this area.

Onieals is nothing too special.  It's your average neighborhood Irish bar.  They do, however, serve a menu that is slightly a step above than the competition.  In fact, residents in the area rave about the food here, and it sure does fill up quick.  Lets see if they're correct, or if this is just the best of what New Jersey has to offer.

Yes, if I sound bitter toward NJ restaurants, please check out my experience at Casual Habana.

At first impression the waitstaff here is very friendly.  Everyone from the hostess to the two cute, young female servers we had residing over our table gave off nothing short of a happy vibe.  Every time they looked and addressed us they smiled.  They were on point with their service.  They were very helpful in navigating us throughout the menu.  They checked on us regularly.  I would love to have service like this everywhere I go.

BonChon

The freshness, the bold flavors, the passion put into every piece of food that comes out of the kitchens, the unrelenting pursuit of perfection.  That is why Korean food makes my mouth water.

BonChon chicken is one of many Korean fried chicken chains that have popped up in the United States over the past few years.  Like pizza joints across New York, fried chicken restaurants live all over South Korea.  Never eaten as a meal but more as a snack, South Koreans enjoy their wings and drumsticks with hot peppery sauces, garlic-soy sauces, pickled radishes, and beer or soju (think Korean vodka, but VERY strong).

So now their fried chicken lifestyle has made its way over the United States.  But what makes it so different from the fried chicken we all grew up on?  For years what we have referred to as the ultimate soul food?

Southern fried chicken is all about the crust, and cooks that are truly passionate about their chicken spend years trying to perfect their recipes.  Brining, marinating, dredging, and frying.  Size, oil temperature, cooking times, and condiments all come into play.  Most of the time served with skin, and sometimes not.  Arguments can be made for hours going back and forth as to who does it best, and which method is correct.

Saveur Second Annual BBQ Event

Great food, great people, plenty of chef sightings, and grilling bbq on a pier.  Now that makes for a good event. 

Going to a chef event is sometimes hit-or-miss.  Most of the time they are great.  Plenty of restaurants doing what they do best with a hot guest list, serving top-notch food in a beautiful setting.  Others, however, not so much.  Sometimes you can head to one where every restaurant runs out of food within an hour (that's poor planning due to the PR team, not usually the restaurant), and there's not a lot of care put into the food.  This, thankfully, was a major hit. 

This is the second year Saveur magazine threw this event, and it was so discrete from the public that it was invitation only.  Everything was served off of Pier 66 in Chelsea Piers, very much away from the public eye. 



There was no shortage of top restauranteurs and chefs here (yes I was giddy with excitement because these guys are like rockstars to me).  Here are just a few:

Pictured are Marco Canora (Hearth), Marcus Samuelsson (Red Rooster), Merri Lee Kingsley (Saveur magazine), Marc Murphy (Landmarc), and Dan Kluger (ABC Kitchen). 

Craftbar

Before I get into detail with my meal at Craftbar, I want to say that I LOVE the original Craft located in Gramercy.  Craft is by far one of my favorite restaurants in NYC.  I never had a bad meal there.  The large portions and family style set-up, beautiful decor, great service, top-notch fresh and local ingredients picked up straight from the Union Square greenmarket, make it the perfect first-date and every date after that type of destination.  I assure you, guys, if you bring your girlfriend (or boyfriend or however you roll) to Craft, they will fall head over heels for you.

However, I wish I could say the same for Craftbar.  Tom Colicchio, I'm sorry, this place puts a huge dent in your Craft empire. 

Having so much love for Craft I've been wanting to try the smaller and cheaper restaurants in the Craft family for a long time.  I went in this past Saturday for lunch, and expecting a packed house for their brunch hours, walked into a fairly empty restaurant.  Craftbar is located in Union Square.  The foot traffic is incredible, even on a Saturday afternoon.  Why was this place empty?

I sat at the bar, and scanned the room to find a very dismal decor.  There was no life to this place.  The entire FOH team is dressed in gray shirts and black pants, which honestly, is a very uninviting color combination.  The rest of dining room is set in red and white, but placed next to the bar with dark wood and chairs, doesn't exactly make the room pop too much. They were also playing bluegrass music in the background.  How depressing is this lunch going to be?

I'll let the food speak for itself here. What drew me to try out Craftbar was the menu.  Potted chicken liver pate, potted pork rillette, beef tongue, pork torchons, and all served with local greenmarket ingredients.  You're speaking my language here.