Perilla DTR

The deets: Five-spice chicken and garlic noodles at Vietnamese spot Perilla in the inner sunset.

It was a pleasant surprise since I always thought I hated five spice. But this tender, perfectly-spiced chicken and garlickly, buttery pile of noodles were the best thing I’ve eaten in a long time.

We went for the aforementioned garlic noodles and chicken, which apparently is heralded enough to warrant it’s own sign (see pic above). The garlic noodles are exceptional - chewy, buttery and flavorful - and I've tried a lot of garlic noodles!

I'd go back for the dish above, in fact I did three times in one month. (See post about my college nickname here.) The imperial rolls were also tasty.

But next timeI'll try to sample other dishes. My friends' BBQ shrimp plate and beef pho looked really good (they seemed to like it!).

Tips and/or tricks? Well, if you have one for parking in that area, let me know.

I left thinking about what exactly is in five spice? And what is a perilla? (It doesn't sound Vietnamese).

SAMIWICH'S TASTE RATING

Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake

makes 1 loaf

recipe adapted from sophistimom

prep time: 20 min / cook time: 1 hr 20 min

INGREDIENTS

1 c unsalted butter, softened

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 c sugar

4 eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp lemon zest

2 c all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 325˚ F.

• Grease and flour one 9x5 loaf pan. Set aside.

• In a mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and ream cheese.

• Add sugar and mix until smooth.

• Add in eggs, one at a time, mixing well until each is incorporated.

• Add vanilla extract and lemon zest.

• While ingredients are mixing, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl.

• Slowly add flour mixture to the wet ingredients.

• Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

* Optional: After cooling, dust with confectioners' sugar or spread lemon curd on each slice.

** ADDIECAKES' NOTES **

• If making smaller loaves, be sure to adjust the baking time accordingly.

• To freeze, wrap pound cake tightly in plastic wrap. Pound cake can be kept for up to one month.

ADDIECAKES' DIFFICULTY RATING

ADDIECAKES' TASTE RATING

Two for Tahoe

There were a lot of "twos" on my last trip to Tahoe where I spent the 4th of July - I saw two nights of fireworks (one in King's Beach, and one near Reno), caught two fish (well, technically MFM caught one of them) and tried two new restaurants that are worth mentioning.

Both were recommendations from friends. First up is Burger Me! in Truckee - a place that was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives a few months ago. Not that it needed it. This is a place that would do great all on its own, even without Guy Fieri's endorsement.

Located at the edge of quaint, rustic town Truckee - Burger Me! reminded me of a big garage, with chalkboards that doubled as menus, and a personality that matched its emphatic enthusiasm (everything on the menu had an exclamation point: Burger Me! Combo Me! Beer Me!).

But despite the high volume - the food is actually really good. They feature seasonal, locally sourced ingredients which really shines through. I went healthy with a turkey burger on a whole wheat bun (but really, who was I kidding?) which was juicy, hearty and flavorful. And MFM's "Truckee Trainwreck" was all kinds of delicious with turkey chili, cheddar cheese, onion rings AND a fried egg.

Next up is all-you-can-eat sushi spot Sushi Pier 2. (I believe there is a Sushi Pier 1, but friends recommended this location specifically). Yes, one might be a little suspicious of sushi in Nevada. Plus, with so many casinos offering all you can eat buffets, is this really worth the 15 minute-from-the-strip drive?

For surprisingly fresh, tasty, made-to-order sushi in massive amounts, yes! As someone who's been to more than their fair share of Asian seafood buffets where the sushi is mass-produced and sitting out on platters, it was a treat to order exactly what you want from a checklist.

The requisite rolls and nigiri are on there, as are some interesting things like quail egg shooters and a sushi "pizza" (basically deconstructed sushi with nori as a "crust"). The all-you-can-eat special also includes non-sushi items like chicken teriyaki and udon, and appetizers like gyoza and spicy mussels. Did I also mention that unlimited hand rolls are also included in this $21 per person for dinner price?

I've blogged before about how I'm a creature of habit, especially when it comes to annual Tahoe road trips, and fitting in two new places to an already packed eating schedule is definitely a challenge. But when it comes to good quality and ingredients (Burger Me!) and impressive selection and value (Sushi Pier 2) - these are two places that are definitely worth squeezing in.

SAMIWICH'S TASTE RATING