Week in California

My Spring break was this past week, so I decided to go home to visit family and friends in California. I went to two new restaurants-Three Seasons and Calafia.

Three Seasons is an upscale Vietnamese restaurant in downtown Palo Alto, which I wanted to go to for years but never had the opportunity. My dad and I went and split a number of different dishes. To start, we ordered the Summer Roll Spring Roll. This Vietnamese roll comes with crab, avocado, a ginger soy vinaigrette, mint, cilantro, and lettuce. It was a cross between a California Sushi Roll and a traditional spring roll. It was light and refreshing- perfect for an appetizer. We also ordered a Honey Quail Satay, which was seasoned with lime juice and pepper. I thought it would be fun to try something new, but alas quail tastes exactly like chicken. Nonetheless, the satay plate was very tasty!

Summer Spring Roll with Crab, Avocado, and a Ginger Soy Vinaigrette
Honey Quail Satay

For the entree, we split Pork Ribs and Tamarind Prawns. The pork ribs were small and fried, with a thick tamarind and green onion sauce. They were crispy and covered in the sweet but tangy sauce. The prawns were sauteed with pineapple, scallions, chili peppers, and a special tamarind sauce. They came with brown rice, and were crunchy and succulent although the sauce was on the sweeter side which was slightly overwhelming. The pineapple and shrimp went very well together.

Pork Ribs with Tamarind Sauce Tamarind Prawns with Pineapple and Brown Rice

Overall, Three Seasons lived up to my expectations. I hope to go back to try their famous Roasted Crab with a side of garlic noodles.

I also had the chance to go to Calafia, which recently opened in Palo Alto. I was excited because it was started by the former Google chef, so eating at Calafia partially fulfilled my dream of eating at the famous Google cafeteria. This restaurant prides itself with its "slow food" cuisine, which is quality local organic food. Calafia was adorable, with wooden floors and clean white tables. My little sister and I went for lunch, and we ordered Duck Dumplings, a Chinese Chicken Salad, and the Daily Omelette.

The Duck Dumplings were recommended by the waiter, and they exceeded our expectations. We enjoyed them so much that we ordered a second plate to split. The dumplings were fried, and were filled with shredded duck, shitake mushrooms, scallions, garlic, ginger, sake and tamarin.

Duck Dumplings with Special Sauce

We split the Chinese Chicken Salad, which was a deviation from the typical Chinese Chicken Salad. It came with a five spice chicken, toasted almonds, crispy rice noodles, pea shoots, and shredded lettuce. The dressing was a very light rice wine vinaigrette. The salad was light and crunchy, with the nuts and rice noodles. The dressing was very plain, so the focus of the salad was on the fresh ingredients.

Chinese Chicken Salad

We also split the Daily Omelette, which came with ham, mushrooms, and swiss cheese. The omelette hit the spot, as it was packed with the creamy cheese which complemented the smokey ham. The omelette came with a side citrus salad, with blood oranges and a tangy vinaigrette.

Swiss Cheese, Ham, and Mushroom Omelette with Side Citrus Salad

Calafia was great from the ambiance to the fresh food. It is a great option for lunch.
Overall, my week in California was a success!

Restaurant Week Part 2: Agraria

I was apprehensive about going because Agraria did not have the best reviews, according to Yelp.com (My favorite review website, where I find all of my restaurants!). My friend, Ruth, assured me it would be delicious because she had been before. Agraria is a spacious restaurant on the waterfront in Georgetown. The atmosphere was nice as it was right in front of the Potomac River, and the tables were lit by candle light. Agraria offered the Restaurant week 3 course prix-fixe menu this week, but I decided to order off of the regular menu. I ordered the grilled salmon with sauteed mushrooms and wild rice. Ruth ordered off of the prix-fixe menu and she got fried green tomatoes, New York strip steak, and the carrot cake.
I tried Ruth's appetizer, and it was very tasty. She had the fried green tomatoes, which came with a goat cheese flan (which was essentially a cube of mild goat cheese), a creamy basil pesto, and a tomato jam. The tomatoes were coated in cornmeal and Japanese panko breadcrumbs (Side note: if you ever coat anything in breadcrumbs- try panko and you will never go back! They are the best!). I have always wanted to try fried green tomatoes, especially after seeing the movie, but this was my first time and I was very pleased. They were sweet and crunchy. My favorite combination was the tomatoes with the tomato jam and a bit of arugula on top. These filling savory bites are a must-have.

Fried Green Tomatoes with goat cheese, tomato jam, basil pesto, and arugula garnish

Moments later, our entrees arrived. My salmon had a very basic seasoning comprised of only salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of parsley. The salmon was satisfactory, but nothing to call home about. I like a kick in my food, whether it's sweet or spicy, but the only word I can think of to describe this salmon is plain. I wish it had another ingredient to make it a little more flavorful. It sat on top of wild rice and sauteed mushrooms and a creamy, white sauce. The rice was moist, but like the salmon I think it could have been better if it had a little more flavor.

Grilled Salmon with Wild Rice, Sauteed Mushrooms, and Cream Sauce

Ruth's steak was very juicy and enjoyable. It was served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and a house steak sauce. The serving was huge! Ruth could barely eat half of it.

New York Strip Steak, Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and House Steak Sauce

Overall, our trip to Agraria was a positive experience but not necessarily worth the steep prices. I would not mind going back and getting some of those tomatoes, but I do not think I would order the salmon again. This restaurant seems ideal for people, like Ruth, who enjoy simple uncomplicated dishes. For those of you like me, who like innovative variations of traditional dishes, Agraria won't blow you away.