don’t you miss these ? because i sure do

outside view of the Bistro Jeanty located in Yountville of California

inside of the restaurant – clean and classic

one hot yummy onion soup

Saumon Fumé au Bistro- Home smoked salmon carpaccio style

beef bourguignon with roasted carrots

Mousse au Chocolat Brûlée – the BEST of the BEST … I love you Brûlée

just look at this Brûlée … after falling in love with this, I decided to name my future puppy a Brûlée

On our way to the restaurant Chiaroscuro …

Chiaroscuro – our favorite new Italian restaurant !

ambient of the restaurant was calm and cozy

loved this small round bread so I had four of them haha

chef’s compliment – this small paste on a crumb of bread had lots & lots of taste

our ANTIPASTI e INSALATE was the Carpaccio di filetto con confettura di fichi -

thin slices of natural black angus beef filet, cocoa balsamic reduction, fig preserves

I had the Gnocchi ai funghi e parmigiano tartufato made by owner’s Italian mother -

tumeric potato gnocchi, porcini mushroom, truffle-parmesan sauce, arugula, long pepper

my babe had the “Trilogia” - tasting of three classic Roman pastas: tagliolini carbonara, rigatoni amatriciana, tonnarelli cacio e pepe, chiaroscuro’s signature pastas. I think these pastas were the one of the best pastas I ever had in my life mmm

* We will be back here next year, until then Ciao *

This was sometime back in April … I had very good dinner here, variety kinds of Japanese dishes … I miss it.

I tried this recipe once couple months ago and it turned out pretty good. Someone (you know who you are lol) approved that it was okay, so I guess it’s alright? Haha : )

Ingredients

4 tbspns (1/4 cup) Olive oil
1 chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 400g tin chopped, peeled plum tomatoes
1 tb Sun-dried tomato paste
1/2 tspn dried basil, or about 12 fresh leaves chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 pt (2/3 cup) white wine (drink the rest!)
2 tbspns freshly chopped parsley
1lb (450g) fettucini (or other pasta types)
1/3 lb Small shrimp (or big shrimp, it’s up to you)
1/3 lb Bay scallops
1/3 lb Mussels
4 1/2 Shallots, minced
1 ts Powdered chile pepper or hot

Instructions

Put the oil in a pan and when it’s hot, fry the onion and garlic until softened – do not brown.
Add the tomatoes and let the sauce simmer gently for about 5 minutes.
Add the white wine and cook a further five minutes. Add the shrimp & scallop & mussel and cook gently for about 5 minutes – taste and add salt and pepper if required. Cook the fettucini according to the packet instructions. Drain and put on plates, adding the sauce on top. Add parsley & basil – Serve with freshly grated parmesan and a twist of black pepper. Enjoy the pasta !

starter

Colourful, delicious and good for you!

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and drop in your green beans. Cook for 4 minutes or until just soft and cooked through. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and drain.

Add the pasta to the water and cook according to packet instructions. Serve it al dente, like they do in Italy – this means the pasta is just cooked, but still has a little bite. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water until cool.

Put the olives on a chopping board and squash them with the bottom of a mug so the stones pop out. Throw the stones away and lightly chop the olives.

Squeeze the lemon juice into a big mixing bowl and add three times the amount of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Drop the cooked beans, pasta, olives, mackerel and halved tomatoes into the dressing and toss until everything’s mixed together. Serve the salad on four plates, sprinkled with parsley leaves.

Tip: Always buy olives with stones and take them out yourself. They taste much better than pitted ones.

• 4 handfuls of green beans, topped but not tailed
• 400g farfalle or other dried pasta
• 2 handfuls of black olives, stones in
• juice of 1 lemon
• extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• a jar of good-quality mackerel, drained and broken into big pieces
• 400g ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
• a small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked

from Jamie Oliver’s website

* I personally enjoy cooking, I’m not good at it but I like making it (I’m more like put everything on the frying pan and just stir it type) :> I had chance to meet Jamie Oliver when I was in London two months ago. I admire his energetic personality and his view on cooking & food. My favorite dishes are pasta, I only can make few pasta dishes but I would like to learn more and be serious about making it one day.

main courses | serves 4

Clams were, and still are, available in Venice by the boatload. So much so that they’re even considered peasant food. Although this recipe originates from Venice, it’s so delicious that it’s now become a classic Italian dish. People can be picky about whether or not it should be made with or without tomatoes, but personally I like the subtle colour and sweetness they add to the dish. The most important thing about it is timing everything so you get perfectly steamed clams and al dente pasta. Once you’ve made it a couple of times your intuition will kick in and you’ll be able to make it quickly and perfectly every time.

Put a pan of water on to boil. While that’s happening, sort through your cleaned clams and if there are any that aren’t tightly closed, give them a sharp tap. If they don’t close, throw them away. Put a large pan with a lid on a high heat and let it heat up. Finely slice the parsley stalks, then put them to one side and roughly chop the leaves. Peel and chop the garlic, quarter the tomatoes and get your wine ready.

Add the pasta to the boiling water with a good pinch of salt and cook according to packet instructions until al dente. About 5 minutes before your pasta is ready, get ready to start cooking – you’ll have to be quick about this, so no mucking about! Put 4 generous lugs of extra virgin olive oil into the hot pan and add the garlic, parsley stalks and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Crumble in the dried chilli and add the chopped tomatoes. Stir everything around constantly and just as the garlic starts to colour, tip in the clams and pour in the wine. It will splutter and steam, so give everything a good shake and put the lid on the pan. After about 3 or 4 minutes the clams will start to open, so keep shuffling the pan around until all of them have opened. Take the pan off the heat. Get rid of any clams that haven’t opened.

By now your pasta should be just about perfect. Drain and add to the pan of clams along with the parsley leaves and an extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Stir or toss for a further minute or two to let the beautiful seashore juices from the clams be absorbed into the pasta. Serve right away. No sane Italian would eat this dish without some fresh hunks of bread to mop up the juices. Beautiful!

P.S. The first time you make this it will be good, but you might find things don’t come together exactly at the right time. But don’t worry, this dish is all about confidence and the more you make this, the more you’ll find the pasta and clams are ready and perfect at the same time. And then it will be great!

• 1kg small clams,
scrubbed clean
• a small bunch of fresh
flat-leaf parsley
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 10 cherry tomatoes
• 250ml white wine
• 400g dried spaghetti
• sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1–2 dried chillies

La Mescita Fiaschetteria: “Is a characteristic hold-in-the-wall just around the corner from David- but world away from all the tourism. It’s where locals and students enjoy daily pasta specials and hearty sandwiches with good house wine. You can trust Mirco; just point to what looks good and eat lunch quickly, well, and inexpensively. The place can either be mobbed by local students or in a peaceful time warp”

This tiny restaurant was perfect for my ideal “back-door traveling” eatery. I wanted to get away from the tourist attractions and see the real people. Entering this place was exciting and welcoming.

No tourist – only the locals …

They didn’t bother to speak English- I managed to use my body language to order “Today’s pasta” and fizzling water.

Seafood fettucini- very soft, filled with flavors, fresh shrimps and mussels.

This was the previous day (Yes, I went to the same place twice) This pasta was holy – so sticky yet moist and mouth watering

One of many Cafe’s in Florence

Cafe’s in Italy are unique. They are bar/cafe at the same time- you can order a hot cappuccino and strong beverages at the same time. There are no chairs, people drink or eat standing up.

This was my breakfast – Cafe latte with chocolate & cream pastries …. ahhh sound of fattening… haha

People say – Florence have the World’s best gelato. I don’t think so … well it’s true, but I guess maybe 10-20 years ago? Now days due to the globalization (what da… I’m talking like a boring Geography teacher) Even a local gelato place down in Laguna Beach California have the similar (or sometimes even better) gelato …

Trattoria la Burrasca: “Is Flintstone-chic. Friendly duo Elio and Simone offer a limited menu with daily specials of rib-stikin’ Tuscan home cooking. If Archie Bunker were Italian, he’d eat at this trattoria for special night out. Everything is homemade and if you want good wine cheap, this is the place”

Another trattoria (A trattoria (Italian pronunciation: [trattoˈria]) is an Italian-style eating establishment, less formal than a ristorante, but more formal than an osteria. There are generally no printed menus, the service is casual, wine is sold by the decanter rather than the bottle, prices are low, and the emphasis is on a steady clientele rather than on haute cuisine. The food is modest but plentiful (mostly following regional and local recipes) and in some instances is even served family-style)

I started off with a house wine – pinot noir. I am not a wine drinker but I definitely tasted raspberry and cherry.

I didn’t know that a “Tuscany appetizer” would look like this … so raw and meaty … eew (but it was good )

Another “eew” looking dish – Grilled slice of beef with balsamic and cheese.

I personally don’t enjoy balsamic but it brought a weird (but good) harmony with cheese and beef. (I’d personally choose the pasta place over this trattoria)

since 1887 … what more can I say

I loved the wooden floor, rugged table and old European atmosphere that the restaurant was presenting

coca cola in the classic bottle !

I was surprised by the cream sauce spinach, it did not taste nasty at all

Peter Luger only has one type of steak . They don’t play around, it is the real deal – pure heavenly juicy meat !

It was worth the experience & money .

• Kosher salt, to taste, plus 1 teaspoon
• 1 pound spaghetti
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 lemon, zested, optional
• Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, optional

Bring a large pot of cold water to a boil over high heat, then salt it generously. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally until al dente, tender but not mushy, about 8 minutes.

While the pasta cooks, combine the garlic, olive oil, the 1 teaspoon salt, and red pepper flakes in a large skillet and warm over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic softens and turns golden, about 8 minutes.

Drain the pasta in a colander set in the sink, reserving about a 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta and the reserved water to the garlic mixture. Mix well. Add the parsley and lemon zest (if using). Adjust seasoning, to taste. Transfer to a large serving bowl or divide amongst 4 to 6 dishes. Serve topped with grated cheese, if desired.