Food Truck Lunch - Sam’s Chowdermobile

Just because I don’t live in Maine, doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy a good lobster roll.  Sam’s Chowder House’s lobster rolls were once selected as one of the Best Sandwiches in America by The Today Show.  However, the restaurant is located in Half Moon Bay, which is about 30 minutes outside of San Francisco.

Enter Sam’s Chowdermobile.  Carrying a lot of the same seafood offerings that the restaurant is well known for, the Chowdermobile provides the extra convenience of traveling around the Bay Area.

I went with my coworker and we decided to get the famous Lobster Roll as well as their Shrimp Po’Boy.  Both sandwiches where incredibly delicious from the savory seafood down to the buttery rolls.

If you’re ever craving some delicious seafood and can’t afford a trip out to Half Moon Bay, let alone the East Coast, give Sam’s Chowdermobile a shot.

(Special thanks to my coworker Christine for coming with me and not making me eat alone like a glutton)

(Source: edwinzee)

From the High Line

(Source: edwinzee)

Construction from the High Line

(Source: edwinzee)

West 23rd St. from the High Line

(Source: edwinzee)

Sleep well, little friend.
One day we will meet again
and roar in laughter. 

Look At These Bloggers

Sara, Megan, and Jeff at the Warby x Standard party.  I had the pleasuring of meeting these awesome bloggers plus James and Chris last night.  It was a wonderful evening consisting of many drinks, naked women, trademark poses, and the discussion of why beer pong is an unsanitary game.

Shredded Pork Burrito

Baby, Baby, Make Me Loco: Habana Outpost

One of my favorite things about being in New York is having the opportunity to try new places to eat.  Having arrived at 5am after taking the redeye flight, I was pretty exhausted.  I asked my friend Amos for a recommendation for lunch with the only requirements that it be close and delicious.  Luckily, Amos knew just the spot and I found myself outside Habana Outpost in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn.

The restaurant itself is rather tiny, but outside you’ll find a large patio to sit at.  For lunch, I decided to order their shredded pork burrito and their grilled corn, which I found out through Yelp is what they’re known for.  The burrito was delicious in its own right, but the grilled corn was definitely where it was at.  Better known as elotes, the corn is served with cotija cheese, chili powder, and fresh lime.  It tasted amazing paired with my cold beer on this hot summer afternoon.

Grilled Corn (Elotes) - grilled corn served “Mexican style” with cotija cheese, chili powder, and lime

I felt infinitely better after finishing lunch, as if some how the burrito and elotes contained some sort of special recovery properties.  Maybe they did or maybe I’m just trying to justify going there for lunch two days in a row, but in either case, I definitely won’t be forgetting Habana Outpost anytime soon.

(Source: edwinzee)

Talarico Umbrellas: Only Available in Naples

dieworkwear:

Through a bit of luck, I’ve managed to start writing for The Rake. My first two features are on Napoli Su Misura, a relatively new bespoke tailoring house, and Mario Talarico, a third-generation umbrella craftsman who still makes things by hand. You can read both stories in upcoming issues this summer. 

I was able to commission custom-made pieces from both makers last time I was in Naples. From Napoli Su Misura, an unstructured, single-breasted navy sport coat with two patch pockets, barchetta breast, and spalla camicia sleeves. From Talarico, the navy dotted umbrella built on a single, chestnut stick, which you see below. The bark has been left on the handle to retain the wood’s natural beauty, but the shaft has been shaved to give the umbrella a slimmer profile when it’s furled. 

You can read about the umbrella’s construction and Talarico’s shop in the upcoming issue of The Rake. In the meantime, I thought I’d share some thoughts about regional speciality shops. As my friend Réginald-Jérôme de Mans once wrote at A Suitable Wardrobe, “There seem to be fewer desirable items unique to a place […] nowadays almost everything is available on Google for comparison shopping, flipped on eBay by some enterprising parallel importer or made especially for discount sale through Gilt.” 

Not so with Talarico. I’ve been trying to get one of their umbrellas as a gift for Jesse Thorn, my colleague at Put This On, for a full six months. It was supposed to be a Christmas present (yes, it’s now summer, and he lives in Los Angeles). After having discussed the delivery with Mario Talarico Junior in person, over the phone, and through email, I’ve yet to persuade him to make the trip to FedEx and deliver Jesse a black and green block-stripe umbrella decorated with thin orange pencil stripes (surprise, Jesse; now you know what your gift was supposed to be). 

I admit I’ve been a bit irked by the process. On the other hand, it’s nice that there are still a few things left in the world that are unique to a place - things that can only be had if you traveled to the place where they are made. Well, things besides cheap chotchkies. All the best umbrella makers, from Italy to England, sell their products globally now. The only exception is Mario Talarico, who will only sell you an umbrella if you travel to Naples and find his small workshop in that Byzantine labyrinth known as the Spanish Quarter. I suppose I’m dismayed that Mario won’t send my friend an umbrella, but the fact that he won’t is what makes his umbrellas a bit more special to me than any of the other makers. 

Anyway, on to another gift idea. I know a guy in New York …

(Photos below by Edwin Zee)

I’ve seen this umbrella in person (obviously, because I took the pictures) and I have to say it’s quite the piece.  The craftsmanship on it is amazing and it’s a beauty to look at and hold.

Food Truck Lunch: Kung Fu Tacos

I stopped by the Lunch Box last week to see if there were any new trucks and spotted Kung Fu Tacos, a truck that has eluded me for quite some time.  If you see an Asian-Fusion food truck with a clever name in San Francisco, chances are the food served is rather amazing.  Kung Fu Tacos is no exception to this formula offering delicious street tacos filled with a variety of Chinese inspired fillings and homemade salsa. 

Since it was my first time, I ordered one taco in every flavor.  While the steak, chicken, and Chinese BBQ pork tacos were all good, the real money is in the roasted duck, which happens to be Kung Fu Taco’s signature dish.  The duck was incredibly succulent and delicious.  Paired with Kung Fu Taco’s homemade mango salsa, it was pure heaven.

If the truck is ever in your neighborhood, I recommend not playing games and ordering several duck tacos or for the bold, the roasted duck burrito.

(Source: edwinzee)

Fisherman’s Stew: sturgeon, collard greens, hen of the woods mushrooms, green chili

Full review of Bar Tartine here.

Langos: fried potato bread with garlic, sour cream and scallion

Full review of Bar Tartine here.

Bar Tartine or: How I Learned To Always Splurge $5 For Bottarga

When my friends suggested that we eat dinner at Bar Tartine, I responded with a very enthusiastic, “Hell to-the-fucking yeah.”  None of us had ever been there before and I am not one to turn down a new dining experience.  Located in the Mission and with no sign outside, it’s pretty easy to overlook this restaurant while walking on Valencia.  But don’t let the discreet facade fool you, Bar Tartine is not one to miss.

Inside, the restaurant conveys a charming and intimate atmosphere.  The interior is well designed and the acoustics allow people to have a normal conversation without having to scream at each other, which makes it perfect destination for a dinner date.

Our server suggested my party order several dishes to share, which is always fine by me because I am a glutton the more variety of dishes I get to try, the better.  While we waited for our food, we were treated to some fantastic Tartine bread.  A word of caution: this bread is fresh and delicious so you’ll need to resist the urge of inhaling it all before your actual food comes out.

Read More

(Source: edwinzee)

Yaxi and Kai’s Wedding - Dessert Table

The dessert table at Yaxi and Kai’s wedding was absolutely amazing.  It was fun to see a table with a bunch of bite size dessert.  Everything was delicious but my personal favorite were the cake pops.  More pictures can be found here.

(Source: edwinzee)

The Black Key with the Arctic Monkey at the Oracle Arena

Arctic Monkey Setlist:

Brianstorm
This House Is a Circus 
Still Take You Home 
Library Pictures 
Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair 
The View From the Afternoon 
I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor 
Pretty Visitors 
If You Were There, Beware 
Teddy Picker 
Crying Lightning 
She’s Thunderstorms 
Fluorescent Adolescent 
Evil Twin 
Brick by Brick 
R U Mine? 

The Black Keys Setlist:

Howlin’ for You 
Next Girl 
Run Right Back 
Same Old Thing 
Dead and Gone 
Gold on the Ceiling 
Thickfreakness 
Girl Is On My Mind 
I’ll Be Your Man 
Your Touch 
Little Black Submarines 
Money Maker 
Strange Times 
Nova Baby 
Ten Cent Pistol 
Tighten Up 
Lonely Boy (Dedicated to the Beastie Boys’ Adam “MCA” Yauch)

Encore:
Everlasting Light 
She’s Long Gone 
I Got Mine 

How could you not see the Black Keys AND the Arctic Monkeys in the same concert?  An electrifying show.  More pictures here.

(Source: edwinzee)