Inspector FOOD.

You heard correctly. The best bakery in New York City is in LA. Specifically, Dominique Ansel is located in the Grove, the center of LA shopping and eating destinations. The bakery is accompanied by the restaurant 189, which serves up delicious lobster rolls and burgers for lunch.  Notably, the bakery is always bustling with people. But when we came, the upstairs restaurant was relatively empty.

Excited about the Dominique Ansel approved meal we were about to have, we eagerly ordered our main dishes. I opted for the sirloin steak, topped with squash and zucchini. While the squash and zucchini paired deliciously with my medium rare steak, I noticed that the portions were a little smaller than I’d think, especially for the price. For a steak dish, I actually liked the sides of vegetables better than the meat, which is unusual for me. The color of the meat was definitely medium rare, but the steak was very chewy– much chewier than I’m used to. You can see the lunch menu with the steak description and a picture of the steak below:

I had the restaurant’s 2 for $24 option, so ordered a dessert next. I was a little taken aback seeing only two desserts on the menu, since the bakery downstairs is so well known for it, but ordered the pavlova anyway. Paired with a delicious red wine sauce, the pavlova’s fresh berries and passionfruit curd served as the perfect summer dessert. Needless to say, I was much more impressed with the dessert than the main course, though the desserts I had at the New York bakery were still much more impressive.

The meal itself was perfect for summer, though I was unimpressed with the steak and have seen better from Dominique Ansel with the pavlova. Moreover, our server was inefficient and rude– something I don’t often say about servers. Usually, servers at high-end restaurants like Dominique Ansel are charming, hospitable, and excellent at their job. After we thanked him for bringing us our spoons for dessert, our server sarcastically remarked “well I’m not just a hat rack.” He complained about understaffing at the restaurant, and only came to our table when the next dish was ready: never to refill water, take dishes away, or check how we were doing. The lack of good service at the restaurant combined with my disappointment at the meal compared to New York’s bakery convinces me to give 189 🙂 🙂 🙂 / 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 .

That said, the Grove is a wonderful location for shopping and eating. Blue Ribbon Sushi is across the way from Dominique Ansel, and the area has many other amazing restaurants to offer. To me, the Grove seemed like the Disneyland for adults, complete with high-end restaurants, beautiful fountains and walkways, and charming shops. I’d highly recommend going.

See you all next time in India!

Over and out,

Anya

In the mood for tapas? Look no further than Barvale, San Francisco’s local tapas bar. With options like patatas bravas and paella, the restaurant is a popular destination for local foodies.

With no reservation, we arrived at the restaurant at 5:30, when it opened. We were seated on high bar stools and given a flurry of recommendations, such as the fideua, or squid ink noodles, and the pulpo, a Spanish take on octopus.

The restaurant’s tapas options are limited but traditional, each prepared on small plates and beautifully garnished. We ordered both the pulpo and fideua based on the recommendation, as well as my favorite, the patatas bravas.

The pulpo arrived first, served on a bed of fingerling potatoes and olives. The octopus was rich in flavor and topped with paprika, made delicious by the way it was cooked and the quality of the octopus, not by the garnish. While I’m not particularly fond of olives, the fingerling potatoes were a nice touch to the dish.

It is a well-known fact that potatoes are everyone’s carb of choice. It’s certainly mine, and these patatas bravas filled my desire for both spicy food and potatoes. The brava sauce underneath added that little bit of spice and the crispy potatoes topped my whole meal off.

The fideua proved to be the most instagram worthy of all the dishes, garnished with delicious peppers and paprika sauce. The squid ink noodles did did turn my mouth black, but it was well worth it.

While not quite as delicious as my unbeatable meal at Kitchen Story, Barvale was an excellent choice for Spanish tapas. Their traditional yet simple dishes were well-done, and I’d definitely go again.

🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

My days in SF are numbered, but I’m taking advantage of every moment! I’ll see you next time,

Anya

Thai fusion meets Californian cuisine– that’s Kitchen Story. The restaurant is located in one of my favorite districts in San Francisco, the Castro. Dinner-goers are met with a busy dining area, the smell of bacon, and excellent service.

Kitchen Story’s most famous dish is their millionaire’s bacon, which has swept San Francisco like a storm. It originated in their first restaurant, Sweet Maple, which is open solely for breakfast and lunch. Kitchen story, on the other hand, is available for dinner, and even accompanies another one of their restaurants, the aptly named Dessert Story.

Naturally, we had to start with their most famous dish, the Millionaire’s Way, which comes with two strips of millionaire’s bacon and asparagus. Their bacon was unashamedly the best bacon I have ever had (and trust me, I’ve had a lot of bacon in my humble years). It’s coated in delicious Maple syrup sauce, which they somehow manage to make both spicy and sweet. The bacon itself is perfectly cooked, fatty but crisp. Any Kitchen Story or Sweet Maple goer should definitely give their bacon a try. No regrets!

For entrees, we tried both the Pacific Pad Thai and the Open Faced, based on our waiter’s recommendation. The pad thai was among the best I’ve had, helpfully coming with sides of both red pepper flakes and peanuts. The accompanying seafood– calamari, shrimp, scallop, and crab–was fresh and delicious. Warning, though: do not put all of the red pepper flakes in at once! We made that mistake and our mouths were burning for hours afterward. Luckily, Kitchen Story offers homemade thai tea to stop the burning. Give that a try, too!

See that crunchy side up above? I may be a sucker, but that stuff is almost as delicious as the pad thai itself.

Like I said, our second entree was the Open Faced. Served on a layer of ginger rice, the entree is basically a deconstructed burger with bonus pork belly and fried egg. While a bit on the pricy side, the burger patty is made of Wagyu beef, which stands uncontested as the best kind of burger out there. The entree is also extremely filling, but well worth it for a taste of the combination of avocado, wagyu, pork belly, fried egg, mushroom, spinach, and cheese.

This meal left me more full than I’d been in quite some time– a testament to either the quality of the food or the large amounts of thai tea I drank. It’s probably more of a combination of both, which, either way, speaks to how truly amazing this place really is. Kitchen story is one of the best of San Francisco, and I highly recommend it.

🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 1/2

Over and out!

Anya

Healthy eating is all the rage in San Francisco, from açaí bowls to poke. Located in the inner Richmond district, Heritage Restaurant delivers on its promise to serve farm fresh healthy eats. Its chef, Cameron Lewark, brings in influences from Maui and Wolfgang Puck to create delicious Californian meals.

We came just in time for happy hour, which meant that some of Heritage’s signature dishes were cheaper than normal. While a little on the pricy side, Heritage serves healthy and good-looking meals to its customers. Our server (who was very good at selling the restaurant by the way, and deserves a bonus) recommended almost everything on the menu, but we decided to start out with their spicy salmon poke and avocado toast.

Since Heritage Restaurant changes their menu frequently, I’ll provide a copy of that day’s menu below and leave a link to their changing menu in the comments section.

One would expect that poke and avocado toast would be spread on toast, topped with poke, ready for consumption. Chef Lewark had a different take on the traditional meal, however, scooping out the seed of the avocado, filling it with poke, and toasting the bread with cumin and sesame. While I was skeptical of this modern take at first, it turned out to be both aesthetic for those foodie pictures and delicious.

After that initial appetizer, I ordered their prime beef New York striploin, paired with warm nectarines and sweet corn purée. Although I asked for my meat to be prepared medium rare, it came out of the kitchen a little overcooked. That said, the combination still turned out to be tasty, and I have no other complaints. Their sweet corn purée was perfect for summer and the nectarines were a nice artistic touch.

As a side, I tried their fried cauliflower, which was surprisingly some of the best (and probably least healthy) cauliflower I have ever eaten. Butter, cream, and butter. I would highly recommend it– especially if you’re trying to get your kids into vegetables. VERY successful.

Even shared, this meal left me feeling very full. But I couldn’t resist a taste of their milk and cookies. The dessert comes with four different types of cookies: chocolate chocolate, chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, and vanilla almond. The chef also froths some milk, perfect for dipping. As you can see, it also makes a good-looking picture (check out that ombre cookie spread!)

My meal at Heritage Restaurant definitely exceeded expectations. While I was a little disappointed by my undercooked steak, the rest of my meal was well-done and the service was excellent.

🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 1/2

See you next time!

Anya (@inspector_food)

“I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!”

From vanilla soft serve to nitrogen strawberry buttermilk in a cone, ice cream makes our stomachs do a happy dance and our worries go away. It’s the universal cure for a bad day at work and brings out the inner child in all of us.

Centered in San Francisco, the Museum of Ice Cream does just that. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “a museum? for ice cream? seriously?” But let me stop you right there. The Museum of Ice cream isn’t just a MUSEUM. No, no. Nor is it simply an ice cream shop.

It’s the Disneyland for ice cream lovers. So hot in demand, in fact, that visitors have to book tickets three months ahead of time just to get in.

After all, who wouldn’t be excited about a Museum of Ice Cream?

Before entering the museum, a cheery employee asks each visitor to tell her one of their stresses. The museum of ice cream, she says, requires that each visitor be stress free before visiting… lest the gummy bears stage a revolt!

The first room in the Museum of Ice Cream is the ice cream vault. This time, the employees make you play a pop quiz on the history of ice cream. “When is National Ice Cream day?” they ask. Turns out, it’s in July. The ice cream vault is an interesting place. A converted bank vault, it contains all of the museum’s exhibits, including the sprinkle pool and Marye’s diner.

I’ll only go through the highlights of the museum–after all, I don’t want to spoil it all–but hopefully, this virtual tour gives you some insight on whether you want to visit the next time you’re in San Francisco.

After we passed the ice cream vault, we were brought to the museum’s dance floor, where dancing is required every step of the way! With whipped cream walls and a photo area, the room was filled with dancing foodies.

All that exercise on the dance floor left us hungry for food. And we got some! Marye’s Diner was our next stop, an old-school ice cream parlor with old records and tall pink stools.

At Marye’s, we were served some delicious pink soft serve ice cream, which nostalgically tasted like red, white, and blue rocket popsicles. And of course, I had to get my aesthetic foodie picture (I am a sophisti-teen, after all).

Marye’s Diner was followed by an area filled with cotton candy and cherries. “Who’s your cherry on top? Send them a note of love and appreciation,” they’d say. A heartwarming welcome to the land of cotton candy, accompanied with our very own sweet cotton candy!

Needless to say, the cotton candy was the cherry on top to this room (that was really bad– forgive me).

Afterwards, we passed through the famous gummy bear room to the mint chocolate chip jungle and most importantly, the UNICORN room! Filled with real fake unicorns and a dizzying mirror room, the unicorn room celebrated San Francisco’s beautiful diversity in honor of pride month. As a bonus, we also received some seriously delicious popsicles. I chose coconut– the whole thing was polished off in seconds.

Then, of course, there was the famous sprinkles pool. Filled with plastic sprinkles (NOT edible), the pool was the perfect photo op (though possibly an unsanitary one). This is the exhibit you always see in Instagram posts, where teenagers have there very own photoshoots, searching for the perfect aesthetic posts. Can you blame them?

Here’s my not so instagrammable picture 😉 :

And sadly, that concludes our virtual tour of the ice cream museum. Thanks for stopping by!

While it wasn’t a museum in an educational sense, the Museum of Ice Cream certainly brings smiles to faces. With its selection of ice cream, cheery employees, and photo opportunities, it’s a great way to spend an afternoon in the beautiful city of San Francisco.

Cheers, and see you next time!

XOXO, Anya. (@inspector_food)

Ahhhh, California. The beautiful beach surrounds me, the soft sand warms my skin. The ocean breeze flutters on my cheeks and the sound of the waves touches my ear.

Just kidding.

Today I’m in San Francisco, the home of bustling cars, busy traffic, rushed people, and a rainbow of diversity. Like last summer, I’ll be busy reviewing the best and worst restaurants of San Francisco. Prepare to receive a tsunami of sophisti-kids posts! And as always, remember to check out my instagram, @inspector_food for updates.

First stop: Pacific Catch. A San Francisco chain, Pacific Catch serves up some of the best West Coast seafood in town. From salmon to poke to seafood tacos, it seems like you can’t go wrong. Be warned, however: the restaurant is always busy. If you don’t have a reservation (we did not), getting a seat might be tricky.

We started out with good ol’ crab cakes, topped off with Thai-style mango and tomato salad. The crab cakes were topped with crunchy ponko, filled with the warm, delicious taste of crab. Combined with the tangy Thai salad, the dish proved to be an excellent starter.

For my entree, I decided to go with one of the most popular specials that day, the WestCoast salmon bowl. Definitely one of the more healthy items on the menu, the traditional salmon bowl is served with brown rice (I substituted mine for white rice). The dish also came with cauliflower, avocado, salad, cucumber, and pumpkin seeds. The seeds gave the dish a needed “crunch.” The salmon itself was grilled to perfection, but I do have one complaint. Although the salmon bowl was a delicious healthy meal, it in no way compared to the other entrees on the table. Moreover, the crab cake starter complemented tastes much better than the salmon bowl shown below. That said, this dish is a tasty option for anyone looking for a heavy, healthy meal.

Despite the business of the restaurant and a slight wait for food, the service at Pacific Catch was excellent. The server was helpful and attentive to recommendations. The seafood, of course, was of the highest quality.

🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

Sophisti-kids, out! See you next time at @inspector_food on instagram or right here on our website at www.sophisti-kids.com.

Well-known as one of Scottsdale’s best urban restaurants, Salty Sow is a go-to place for Arizona locals to get their trademark meat, brussel sprouts, and duck fat french fries. Located on 4801 E Cactus Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85032, Salty Sow features an open kitchen, a busy restaurant, a rustic aesthetic, and excellent service.

While a little on the pricy side, Salty Sow serves gourmet and thoughtfully sourced meals to their customers. Since it’s slightly expensive, one of my personal go-to’s at the restaurant is to order several appetizers instead of an appetizer and an entree. In fact, having tasted a large portion of the menu at Salty Sow, I can safely say that the appetizers are far more delicious than the entrees anyway. Some of my favorite appetizers include their crispy brussel sprouts, truffled deviled eggs, duck fat french fries, shrimp firecracker, and green chili pork. Here’s a link to their lunch menu so you can check it out: http://saltysow.com/menus/SSAZ_MenuLunch.pdf.

Although I’ve visited Salty Sow several times before, I’ve never really blogged about it. It’s about time. Over my four-day weekend, I visited the restaurant and tasted those delicious entrees. Of course, I couldn’t resist telling you about it.

The first dish that came out was the shrimp firecracker, followed by the truffled deviled eggs and the duck fat french fries. The shrimp firecracker emphasized a fusion element in the dish, one that I was quite fond of. The outside was crispy, and the warm inside combined with the sweet sauce on the side provided the perfect combination.

The truffled deviled eggs was probably my favorite of all the starters. I’m usually a big fan of deviled eggs, but this one in particular was fantastic. The creaminess of the egg, the touch of truffle, and the bacon to top it all made the dish the perfect taste explosion in my mouth.

In contrast with the truffled deviled eggs, the duck fat french fries were probably the most underwhelming of all the dishes. Don’t get me wrong, I still love my fries, but these ones weren’t quite doing it for me. Perhaps I’ve been spoiled by my papa’s french fries though (your parents homecooked food always comes first). That said, Salty Sow did provide a hefty portion of fries and the duck egg that came with it was certainly a nice touch.

After those initial appetizers, I was getting pretty full, but of course, there’s always room for more! Next came the green chili pork and the brussel sprouts. The green chili pork is a trademark on the Salty Sow menu. A favorite among customers, the green chili pork is served with slow-cooked pork and warm tacos. It’s the perfect warm appetizer, but be warned: it’s quite filling.

The brussel sprouts almost beat the truffled deviled eggs as my favorite dish. ALMOST. Perfectly candied and deliciously crisp, these brussel sprouts are like a mouthful from heaven. Seriously– if you’re ever having trouble getting your kids to eat vegetables, give them these. I could have them for dessert!

And topped with cheese too. How much better can it get?

With the brussel sprouts as my dessert (actually, though) and a stomach full of duck fat fries and green chili pork, I was satisfied. Salty Sow will always remain one of my favorite Scottsdale restaurants, a sophisti-kids trademark.

Overall, 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 1/2

Happy Eating,

Anya

In the bustling city of Buenos Aires, you’ll find a small corner shop in the Recoleta. The shop is always moving. People go in and out, ordering a choripan to go and occasionally staying to eat. Choripan is an Argentinian specialty– it’s traditionally a chorizo sandwich, but comes in vegetarian and curry varieties. The shop is one of the most famous in Buenos Aires, located on Thames 1653, C1414DDG CABA.

The server spoke perfect English, and recommended the Chori de Cancha, Cerdo Classico, Chori San, and El Regional de Cordero. The Chori San is award-winning, and was certainly my favorite. It was spicy, flavorful, and wrapped up perfectly in that baguette-like bun. The Chori de Cancha annd Cerdo Classico were also very delicious. The Chori de Cancha had a side of chimichurri; that additional Argentinian splash made the sandwich a bit more special. The Cerdo Classico reminded me of some American sandwiches at home, so if you’re looking for something more Argentinian, I would recommend the Chori San instead. On the other hand, the El Regional de Cordero was very unique, featuring yogurt and potatoes. Here’s a snap of some of the best sandwiches at Chori:

We finished lunch with full bellies and an eagerness to walk off all the calories we just gained. The service was excellent. By the time we finished lunch, I’d say about 20 different people walked in and ordered meals. And when we’re hungry, we eat quickly.

For newcomers to Argentina, choripan is a must, and I would highly recommend Chori as a stop. Locals come in all the time, and its sandwiches are award winning among tourists as well. (Pro-tip: get the Chori-San).

Bon appetite and a Happy New Year!

Anya

🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

Welcome to Buenos Aires, where the hot, humid air sticks to your skin and the streets are bustling with people.

I’m currently on my way to Antarctica, land of ice and penguins, traveling from the southernmost city in the world, Ushuaia. At the start of my Antarctic journey, though, I was in Buenos Aires for Christmas Eve dinner.

You could hear the noise from the houses– children were waiting till midnight to open presents, and fireworks cracked in the distance. So the streets were empty that day, but the restaurants were completely booked with families looking for a relaxing Christmas eve dinner.

We ate at Roux Restaurant, located at Peña 2300, C1126ABF CABA. Roux had a special Christmas Eve menu: one, paired with wine, and the other, with fewer courses and without wine. Since I’m not drinking age, I of course opted for the Christmas menu without a wine pairing. It’s a good thing too– the food was so much I don’t think I would have been able to finish a few extra courses! It was a four hour meal, but the food was downright delicious, and the company (as usual) fabulous.

Below (Top, wine-paired menu; bottom, regular menu)

Dinner began with gazpacho andaluz and red herring. The gazpacho was especially delicious; the herring reminded me a little of foie gras (though not as creamy). The appetizers were a great way to start our dinner off, setting our taste buds for the rest of the evening.

The first dish was a plate of delicious croquettes, crunchy on the outside, warm on the inside. Croquettes are pretty popular in Argentina; in fact, I’ve seen them at several restaurants already!

For our next course, we were served osso buco ravioli with tomato sauce, mushroom, and saffron. While the osso buco, a veal specialty, was an interesting addition to the ravioli, the tomato and mushroom combination seemed a bit ordinary for a first class meal. That said, the osso buco is what made the dish unique, and its not often that I get to say I had osso buco ravioli for dinner.

Black Angus Steak is one of Argentina’s specialties. Served with a delicious pumpkin puree, the steak was hands-down the best savory part of the meal. The puree was soft and creamy, and the steak was cooked medium rare, just the way I like it.

The presentation was also outstanding. It’s always a bonus when dishes both taste and look beautiful.

After several courses and an enlarged tummy, I was left with only room for dessert (they say that those with dessert stomachs live longer! 😉 Just kidding. They don’t say that. But I wish!). Dessert was a homemade dulce de leche– dare I say, the best dulce de leche I had in Argentina. And I had quite a few, since they were served at almost every restaurant. The dulce de leche was perfectly sweet, and with a side of coconut ice cream, deliciously refreshing.

Dessert topped even the steak. As a steak lover, that means a lot.

While dinner was very expensive, it was definitely worth dressing up for. An amazing Christmas Eve dinner.

🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 1/2

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays,

sophisti-kids

P.S. Over 2000 followers on my instagram food account, @inspector_food! Thank you to everyone who’s supported me, featured me, and took a picture with a foodie trying to make her way in the world.

Here’s a picture with the Chef at Roux to close off the Christmas Holiday. Cheers!

Dominique Ansel is one of the most prominent bakeries in the area– it’s so famous, in fact, that there’s a line out the door every morning. Most people are there for their famous cronuts, but Dominique Ansel also sells other goods, like croissants and meringues and breakfast sandwiches.

This visit to New York was the first time I had a cronut, that’s a half croissant, half donut. Dominique Ansel served as the pioneer of the cronut, and that’s one of the reasons there’s such a long line out the door. But the cronut’s not the only amazing thing at Dominique. I did love it, but their Kouign Amann and meringue were equally delicious.

We ordered an unhealthy amount of pastries, but above all, my favorite thing was this:

Yeah, it’s pretty much the most blogworthy thing on the planet. Not only was it my favorite sweet at Dominique, but it was also probably the best thing I’d had in New York. The raspberry mixed with the meringue was mouth-watering, and the presentation was something else.

The meringue alone convinced me of wanting to go a second time (and a third and fourth and fifth). But combined with the croissants and kouign amann and cronuts, I was sure after that visit that Dominique Ansel was the best bakery ever. Mark my words, the next time I’m in New York, I’ll be visiting at least once a day. The lines are worth it.

Dominique Ansel: 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 (and maybe even a half more)

Signing off,

Anya