Maya, Asha and the Flytrap

During my two days in San Francisco during this trip, I sampled some new fare from restaurants in and around the downtown 'SoMa' area close to my hotel, the Courtyard by Marriott on 2nd Street.

Maya, located at 303 2nd Street is the creation of chef/owner Richard Sandoval who brought this unique Mexican cuisine to the City that has seen it all when it comes to restaurants. Looking to his native Acapulco for inspiration, Sandoval created an authentic upscale Mexican restaurant to showcase a side of contemporary Mexican cuisine that is rarely seen north of the border.

I directly went to the entree section and ordered the Torre de Huachinango which consisted of pan roasted red snapper on a warm goat cheese stuffed tomato with spinach salad, avocado rouille in balsamic reduction, and julienne of fried onion. The Pinot Noir paired quite nicely with my entree. The Cajeta Crepes dessert which my waiter recommended was absolutely delicious: crepes in caramel sauce with slices of banana and ice-cream.

Asha is a Thai restaurant on 2nd Street, with soaring ceiling and bustling during lunchtime. I needed a hot soup, and ordered that all-time favorite, Tom Yum. This was a big bowl filled with seafood (mussels, shrimps, crab, scallops, etc.) and a spicy mix of lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime, tomatoes, and shitake mushroom.

The spicy catfish rice plate was interesting too: deep-fried catfish stir-fried with basil, kaffir lime leaves, red bellpepper and red curry paste sauce topped with crispy basil.

But the highlight of this trip was clearly The Fly Trap. Becks & Posh describes the ambiance in this 100-year old restaurant on Fulton Street very accurately:

"Flytrap is classic in style. The yellowed walls are papered with old diagramatic prints separated by faux frames, crisp white cloths adorn the tables, there are fresh flowers everywhere, candles flicker at every setting and unusually-shaped, beautiful white china makes a stunning backdrop for your food.

If you are feeling romantic, Fytrap will enhance your mood, especially if you visit between Tuesday and Saturday when live music, courtesy of a grand piano and maybe even a singer, will accompany your meal. Perhaps you will be asked if you would care for a little decoration? As your eyebrows wrinkle up to create a look of puzzlement at the question, handfuls of fresh rose petals are gently scattered on the table in front of you causing you relax into a warm smile. It feels nice here.

A basket of tasty hot breads, swathed in a starched white napkin, with a dinky little spheroid of butter, is promptly delivered by the waitstaff who are perfectly turned out, beautifully dressed and some of the friendliest and most accomodating in town."

I selected the lunch special of herb encrusted sea bass with shrimp laden mashed potatoes, and followed it up with an Exotic Bomba, a cocktail of fruity sorbet locked inside white chocolate crust.

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The Cupertino Weekend

This was a rather quiet weekend at Cupertino. I had a bad cold and had to be frequently on the phone with my family back home. I only ventured out for food and restricted myself to places in the neighbourhood of my hotel. If you stay at the Cypress Hotel in Cupertino, there are quite a few good places for breakfast, lunch and dinner within walking distance of the hotel (that is, if you have tired of the in-hotel restaurant, The Park Place).

Le Boulanger (pronounced Luh Boo-lawn-zhay), a bakery/cafe right next to the Cypress, is a great place for breakfast or lunch. They have very good sandwitches made with sourdough bread, bagels, egg and bacon croissants, etc. There is also a Starbucks right across the street to which I made frequent trips for lattes, mochas, and cappucino. Le Boulanger has lot of seating, both indoors and outdoors, and wi-fi; a better choice to read or browse the Internet than the crowded Starbucks.

One night I had dinner at the Hong Fu Chinese restaurant located in the same block as the Starbucks across my hotel. I sampled their shredded pork in chilly sauce, kung-pao triple delight with chicken, scallops and shrimps, and fried rice. Pretty good Chinese fare, large portions and good service.

On another night, I had a working dinner with a colleague at Armadillo Willy's, a Texas BBQ place right next to the Cypress. I tried their beef brisket which is interesting stuff if you are in the right mood. Make sure you ask for their hot sauce; anything else is for sissies!

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Travel is Not Always Fun

While I am in the US, my daughter fell ill and had to be hospitalized in Pune; today she was doing better and I feel a little relieved. As I complete my meetings in the USA, I am counting down the days before I can be back with my family again.

During the early days when travel took so much longer, how difficult must it have been to leave your loved ones behind, not knowing if they were doing alright for months at a stretch? The most difficult part of travelling on business now is having to answer my four year old angel's questions of why I go away without her so many times.

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Another Day in Universal Resort

I woke up yesterday feeling a little cold and drained of energy. Not a good sign since I still had an entire week to spend in three cities before I can fly home. I had to eventually borrow some Motrin (the American equivalent of the Indian Disprin) to keep me going through the day.

After our 2-day meet came to a close at lunch yesterday, my host took me on a water-taxi ride to the nearby City Walk. This is Universal's version of Downtown Disney. While it is smaller, there is still enough for those who prefer Universal to Disney.

In addition to Universal's theme park and Islands of Adventure with it's roller-coaster rides, the Blue Man Show, celebrity chef Emeril's signature restaurant, a 20 screen AMC cineplex, Hard Rock Cafe and Margaritaville are many of the options available for entertainment, drinks and dining. And of course, there are the ubiquitous shops for gifts, clothes and toys all around.

After a nap in the afternoon, I decided the only thing I was in a shape to do was watch a movie. So I ended up watching Ratatouille which was every bit as good as I expected it to be. However, no fancy dinner today. Instead, I got myself an 'Americana' pizza and a tall mocha from Sal's Market Deli within the hotel; it was actually a darn good handmade pizza (check out the picture of it being made in the wood-fired oven!).

I had to wake up at 5AM so I could catch a United Airlines flight to San Francisco today. Which gave me time to complete one of the most interesting books I have read lately, Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain.

This book is about an insider's story on the restaurant business with special focus on the heroes of the kitchen. A must read for those who wonder what goes on beyond those steel doors. I bet you will learn a thing or two, such as why you should not order fish in a New York restaurant on Mondays, or what you really get when you order a steak well done!

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Portofino Bay in Orlando

I am spending two days at The Portofino Bay in Orlando. This hotel is in the Universal Orlando resort area and tries to recreate the ambiance of Portofino, a coastal resort located in the Italian Riviera. From corridors that resemble cobblestone alleys, a large waterfront with ducks and boats, to artifacts, paintings, and piped music in the hallways, everything is designed to give you the Italian vacation in Orlando!

The rooms are pretty large and the hotel is spread out over a very large area surrounding a man-made bay. Nice touches include scooters scattered around the cobbled streets and the water-taxis that can take you to nearby City Walk, a downtown area with shops, dining and movies.

After a full day's work, we went out for a team dinner at Bice. Soaring ceilings with frescos, polished wood, marble floors and graceful flower arrangements give this restaurant a very fancy air, but nothing about the place is stuffy. The waiters are attentive and the dining room is relatively quiet, even when it's full. Bice is part of an upscale Italian bistro chain founded in Italy in 1926. It overlooks the Portofino Bay offering a fine waterfront view while dining while live piano music livens up the atmosphere in the evenings.

We began with family-style servings of antipasti. The buffalo mozzarella and tomato salad with fresh basil julienne and extra virgin olive was excellent. The Prosciutto San Daniele made of San Daniele's ham with cantaloupe and honey-dew melon with balsamic vinegar was very good too.


I enjoyed the Tartare of Ahi Tuna with avocado, lemon, and basil cream sauce with crispy shrimp. The crispy fried calamari, shrimps, zucchini and bell peppers with a spicy tomato sauce finished out our round of starters.
I went with the recommendation of my waitress for the 'the real Italian experience' in the next two courses. My primo was a half-portion raviolli of braised beef short ribs and spinach in a mushroom and marsala sauce. Excellent stuff, especially with the Amaron dry red wine we had selected!

My main course, the secondo, was Oven-baked salmon in orange sauce with potatoes and zucchini. The veal shank with steamed potatoes and saffron risotto which a few others selected looked pretty good too.

My dessert choice, the dolce, was an perfect end to tonight's dinner: soft chocolate souffle cake with ice-cream and chestnut honey. Very nice ending to a busy day!

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Sullivan's Steakhouse

We were bidding farewell to my earlier boss who is moving on to fulfill his aspiration of becoming a CEO. We had a team lunch with him at Sullivan's. Sullivan's is a 1940's styled steakhouse; the interiors with dark wood panelling and dim lighting gives a warm ambiance that is great for cosy dining. Since we were a large group, we had reserved a private dining area. When I was here the last time, I remember enjoying some of their fine sea-food.

This time we started off with some batter-fried sea-food and shrimp cocktail. I chose a French onion soup that had a thick cheesy crust. My entree was the "Delmonico" boneless ribeye 14 oz. The steak here was reasonably good but Moonshine Grill was better. For dessert, I nibbled on a delicious homemade cheesecake. Great way to spend two hours and add inches to your waist. :-)

A side effect of this heavy lunch was that I don't need to have dinner (I realized that 14 oz = Very Large Steak!). We made a brief detour to a bar in the evening, and one dirty martini later, I was back in the hotel. I have an early morning flight to Orlando and a busy day ahead tomorrow.

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