Kem: Ice Cream in Vietnam

At Công Trường

So I haven't posted about it much, but the fact is I am an ice cream monster. Matt likes to joke about my "ice cream stomach," which is how I find room for ice cream even though I am otherwise full (the best part of being a grown up is that I don't have to finish my dinner to get dessert!). Naturally, before going to Vietnam I did a little research on ice cream and sweets. Most of what I read suggested that the Vietnamese don't really do dessert the way we do here, or that they usually have fruit for dessert. That may be true, but it was not hard to find sweets there. I learned to spot kem, the Vietnamese word for ice cream, very quickly.

In Hanoi, we went to Kem Tràng Tiền, which we read described as a "motorbike drive-in." I can honestly think of no better way to describe it.

Teenagers dig this joint, based on what we saw. Many of them seemed to be on dates. It was really quite cute. They apparently do sell cones, but they were out. We tried their popsicles instead, and honestly, I found the flavor to be just okay and the texture to be grainy and completely disappointing. At least the atmosphere was good.

Kem NZ was a place I read about quite a bit before our trip. As near as I can tell, it's a New Zealand chain, so I wasn't planning on trying it because it wasn't actually Vietnamese. However, our hotel in Hue had a Kem NZ at the hotel, so we had some. I tried the sticky rice flavor, which was interesting. I don't remember what Matt had, but I remember his dad had the durian flavor so I tried a bite and learned that WOW, durian is not for me (his dad loved it though; durian is nothing if not polarizing). Overall though, the ice cream was pretty good, with an atmosphere more like what I would expect to see in the States (bright colors, trendy design).

Note the sign is even in English

On our second night in Hue we had some really good sorbet at the restaurant where we had dinner. Unfortunately I don't remember the name of the place but the "lemon" sorbet was wonderfully refreshing with an intense flavor. Notably, everywhere we went in Vietnam limes were referred to as lemons. I don't remember if we ever saw what I would call a lemon there. So it was really lime sorbet. I need to try to make lime sorbet sometime, because I do love it.

In Ho Chi Minh City, it was hot so Matt and I shared a scoop from a street vendor selling cones from the back of his bicycle. As with many of our street food experiences, we just held up a finger (as we were just getting one) and took whatever they guy gave us. It appeared to be chocolate, which I tried to stay away from, because I'm sorry but Vietnam just doesn't seem to have quality chocolate. When I tasted it, I was glad we only ordered one cone because it was chocolate with durian swirl. Fortunately, Matt likes durian.

Moments before discovering the flavor.

The best ice cream we had though, and my favorite eating experience in all of Vietnam, was at Công Trường. In researching places to eat, I discovered the Gastronomer, who has a food blog that was incredibly useful for our trip. Based on her reviews of San Diego restaurants, I felt pretty confident she was a reliable source so we took her advice on a few dishes and places. One such place was Công Trường. I found nothing about it anywhere else, but after reading her review I made Matt hunt it down with me. It was not near our hotel but we walked to find it. We ordered the kem dua, which was recommended by the Gastronomer. It's coconut ice cream, served in a coconut, with the juice on the side, and with bits of fruit and nuts on top. It is amazing.

The consistency of the ice cream itself was wonderfully smooth; the addition of the nuts and dried fruit and the fresh coconut from the bowl adds a textural element that complements the ice cream perfectly. The flavor was intense and sweet. The whole experience was made better by the hot weather, which made the ice cream doubly refreshing. I recommend checking out the Gastronomer's post for a better description, as she puts the experience into words very well.

Flushed from walking in the heat but happy.

Pennsylvania Part 2: Pittsburgh

Continuing our the chronicles of our trip to Pennsylvania, after leaving the Poconos, we arrived back in Pittsburgh late Tuesday afternoon, after one slight mishap in which I got confused about East and West because THE OCEAN IS TOTALLY ON THE WRONG SIDE OVER THERE.

Anyway, we drove straight to the house of his mom and her husband, where we had a small snack before heading to the Mattress Factory on the North Side. The Mattress Factory is a museum that focuses on installation pieces. Personally, I am not as into Modern or contemporary art as I am into more traditional paintings and sculptures. However, I do really enjoy installation art, because it usually involves some level of interaction on the part of the viewer. The Mattress Factory had a lot of okay pieces and a lot of neat pieces. My favorites were all part of the permanent collection: the works of Yayoi Kusama, Greer Lankton, and James Turrell.

On our way to the Mattress Factory we also discovered Randyland, a collection of unique and colorful buildings on the corner of Jacksonia and Arch. It was a strange sight, so after our visit to the Mattress Factory we walked over to inspect the oddity. Every surface is painted in a bright color, and decorated with odds and ends that seem to be scavenged from all manner of sources. Curious, I looked for information about this eclectic corner online and found a Post-Gazette article that lead me to a Today show segment (which I'm only really linking to because it has good views of the building and uses Explosions in the Sky for some of the background music). Both describe the Randy behind it all, so if you're interested follow one of the links.

We needed to drop off the rental car, and Matt's brother Mike was kind enough to pick us up from the airport and join us for a trip the ballpark. I'm told by the Ruben boys that PNC Park is arguably the prettiest ballpark in the country, and while I have only been to three in my adult life (I went to a Dodger game once as a kid but was so bored I blocked it out), I can see that it really is a beautiful park. I was treated to a rain delay, which is so rare in San Diego that it felt like a fitting event to welcome me to town, so to round out this authentic Pittsburgh experience Matt and I purchased a Primanti Brothers capicola sandwich and shared it, standing over a trash can, huddled under a covered walkway with the rest of the crowd. The crowd was small, but the size was welcome given that there's only so many places to get out of the rain. We sipped beers and enjoyed the drizzle. The Pirates defeated the Reds that night, but since it got a late start and we hadn't actually had a proper dinner, we didn't stay for the whole game. Mike took us to the nearby Six Penn, where we had drinks in the bar and shared a few appetizers. Mike dropped us off at their mom's place, where we were staying.

Something you don't see much in San Diego.

Wednesday called for sleeping in because we were, after all, on vacation. We took a lengthy walk via Beechwood from our hosts' home near Point Breeze to Matt's old stomping ground in Squirrel Hill. We ducked into the library, bought a smiley cookie from Eat N' Park, and I saw a fraction of Frick Park, where Matt's mom Sue and her husband Peter picked us up for lunch. We ordered sandwiches at Kubideh Kitchen, the first and current incarnation of the Conflict Kitchen, an art project/take-out restaurant that features one menu item at a time inspired by the cuisine of a country the US is in some way in conflict with. The item/country in question changes every four months. We had a completely delicioius Iranian wrap style sandwich served in an informative wrapper, but by next month the kitchen will be serving an item from Afganistan. The intention is provoke thought, but they also happen to serve an extremely tasty sandwich of beef, basil, mint and onion wrapped in flat-bread. It may have been the best thing we ate this trip.

After lunch Matt borrowed the car, and we went to the somewhat newly reincarnated Penn Brewing. The trouble with travel, is that so much of what I want to do in any given city involves consumption. I do not have a huge appetite, but by sharing a single Kubideh sandwich Matt and I managed to save room for a shared bowl of saurkraut soup and a potato pancake each. We washed them down with a couple of beers and enjoyed the atmosphere of the place, which was nice although quiet since it was a weekday afternoon.

We then went for a walk around Carnegie Mellon University, and checked out the Carnegie Library before a thunderstorm interrupted what would have been a longer walk. We stopped by East End Brewing for some free(!) tasters and to fill Matt's mom's growler for our then upcoming weekend trip to the country. The East End employee was very friendly, their beers were good, and thanks to their Illustration Ale, we learned about the Toonseum, which I'll describe in a few paragraphs.

Because Diners, Drive-ins and Dives has featured a number of Pittsburgh establishments, we would have been remiss not to check one out. For dinner Wednesday we ate at Big Jim's in the Run. It was fun, about what I expected: large portions of decent food served by a waitress that calls you "hun."

Meatball sandwich at Big Jim's.

Thursday was our big day. We walked all around downtown, beginning with a farmer's market with free food sponsored by Toyota. Then we got some hot dogs from Franktuary (a hot dog joint in the basement of a church) and ate them at the August Wilson Center, where they were having a line dancing event on the patio. We also checked out the exhibit there, and saw some very nice photos by Charles "Teenie" Harris. Across from the Wilson Center is the Toonseum, a modest but totally awesome museum/gallery focused on cartoons of every variety, from animation and comic strips to comic books and graphic novels. Their current exhibit featured dogs, including Snoopy, Scooby, and many others.

The August Wilson Center

Cool statues at the building next to the Toonseum.

Then we crossed one of the many bridges to the North Side, where we climbed into the lap of the Mr. Rogers statue (Fred Rogers was born in Latrobe, essentially Pittsburgh, and when my boyfriend was a kid they attended the same church!), and then had beers at Rivertowne, where they had a handful of San Diego beers on tap, and oddly enough, none of them were Stone. Then we walked back to town and just meandered about until we eventually met up with the family for dinner at Yo Rita on the South Side. It was strange eating tacos in Pittsburgh, and they weren't "authentic" tacos, but they were seriously tasty. The folks the run the place are creative and clearly consider the season in developing their menu. I had the watermelon habenero gazpacho and a summer squash taco, with a blood orange margarita to drink. Even though I was pretty full, we ended up borrowing the car again to make sure I got my ice cream fix from Dave & Andy's. Out of the ice cream in options in Pittsburgh, I picked Dave & Andy's because it seems to be an institution. The ice cream was good, not great, but it was ice cream so of course I liked it.

I will totally be your neighbor.

And that's it for Pittsburgh. Friday, we had a lazy morning before departing on the next leg of our journey: Confluence, PA.

Dumplings and Other Kitchen Adventures

Lately Matt and I have been experimenting with filled pasta. A few weeks ago we made pierogi and this week we tried our hand at ravioli. For the pierogi, I did a little research and found this really helpful site. We didn't follow the recipe, but it had some good tips. Some pierogi we filled with potatoes and cheese, some with sauerkraut, and we even got really experimental and added jalapeños to a few (hey, we do live in San Diego).

After making the pierogi, I decided it would be fun to get a ravioli press to make more dumplings. For the ravioli, we followed a recipe from The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles, which I gave him for Christmas with his pasta machine. We haven't actually cooked the ravioli yet, we are freezing them to cook sometime this week. The filling is meat and ricotta with basil, and we plan to serve the ravioli in a basic tomato sauce.

In addition to having fun with dumplings, a few weeks back I made a strawberry rhubarb crumble using an easy recipe from The English Kitchen that delivered great results! Also, Matt bought some darling flower-shaped egg molds, so he whipped up a cheery breakfast this morning.

"With bread and wine you can walk your road." -Spanish proverb

Judging my life solely on my past few blog entries, it seems I do my share of traveling. This actually only reflects my life lately, and not as a whole, but I do hope the trend continues. My most recent trip was to Mexico, my first over night stay, and it was pretty much the most luxurious vacation I've ever had. This will be a long post, but I pretty much can't bring myself to leave anything out.

Matt and I spent two nights in Guadalupe Valley, Baja California's wine county. I'm actually a novice wine drinker; while I've seen Sideways and French Kiss my knowledge of wine and wine culture stops there. In hearing the names of wines, I haven't been good at distinguishing between reds and whites, unless the name includes "noir," or "blanc." Not so with my boyfriend, who isn't the wine snob that Miles (of Sideways) is but does enjoy tastings and employs the appropriate terminology in describing wine. Having been to Guadalupe Valley on numerous occasions, Matt appreciates the region because it is so close (around two hours from our home) and because it is tourist-friendly without being overrun with visitors. So this trip was designed to expose me to the joys of both Mexico and wine.

We left Friday afternoon and took Federal Highway 1D down to Ensenada.  Because it's a toll road, it was actually quite a smooth and pleasant drive, although there are a few military checkpoints, and you get a great view of the Pacific.

Approaching Ensenada

In Ensenada, we had an early dinner at Muelle Tres, apparently run by chef Benito Molina and, like Molina's two other restaurants, much exalted by the Masa Assassin. As a port town, Ensenada is known for its seafood. Now, like Mexico and wine, seafood is something Matt is constantly trying to sell me on. I'm not a huge fan of fish. I like shrimp, crab, and calamari well enough, and I can go for a tuna sandwich now and then. While sushi leaves me tepid, I admit I really enjoy ceviche. But fish served as a fillet, or worse, all scaly and with the head intact, is not for me, and I don't dig clams or oysters. However, I try to be a good sport, and in my experience being adventurous about food can lead to some delightful discoveries. And my meal at Muelle Tres did not disappoint.

The restaurant offers casual dining and is right on the port; in the fact the name translates roughly to "Pier Three." We put ourselves completely in the hands of our waiter and consequently feasted on the "Pescado - Estilo Tartara" (ceviche), the Arroz de Mar (seafood and rice), and the mango mousse, the latter being a contender in the Best-Thing-I-Had-in-My-Mouth-This-Weekend competition. All were delicious, even the Arroz de Mar with its many chunks of mystery seafood. I even tried one of the oysters served with the rice.

From there we headed to our destination: the Villa de la Valle, a six bedroom boutique hotel featuring spectacular views of the valley, landscaping that feels both precise and natural, a serene atmosphere, a totally sweet swimming pool and hot tub, and warm, welcoming staff. Words cannot describe this place, and to be honest, pictures can't either, but I'll try:

Each of the rooms has a woman's name. Ours was Monica.

From our window.

The evening's botana and wine.

The bath products are made with lavender grown on site.

On arriving, we were greeted by the manager, Alejandro, who showed us to our room and offered each of us a complimentary glass of wine and botana (snack). We tried the house red and explored the grounds as the sun set. As the other guests were still dining when dusk arrived, we took advantage of having the hot tub to ourselves and finished our wine in warm, bubbly bliss. I had known that the digs would be fancy, but there was really no way I could be prepared for the experience. I went to sleep in awe of the total specialness of the both the villa and the valley.

We woke the next morning to the crows of a rooster, the valley still clouded in fog. There's a labyrinth at the villa, and after some tea we walked through it and then played a game of boules. I won, which warranted a picture, because I nearly never beat Matt at anything.

It's hard to tell, but this is me winning.

Breakfast was unbelievably delicious. First, there was a buffet of sorts with fruit, yogurt, and the villa's own homemade granola, as well as some small muffins and cookie-like scones. To drink: seedless raspberry juice. I'm pretty sure there's nothing more decadent. But that's not even breakfast. Next came eggs (from the villa, of course), bacon, beans, mushrooms, tortillas, and bread.

Raspberry juice: non-alcoholic beverage of the gods

The hearty breakfast was good, because our itinerary now called for us to fill our bellies with wine. With a little help from a charming and incredibly knowledgeable employee of the villa, Agnes, we devised a loose plan for our day. Our first stop was Mogor Badan, founded by a Swiss family. Another group from the villa was there for a tasting and we basically tagged along, which was nice because otherwise we would not have had an opportunity to visit the winery. Natalia, the proprietress, poured the samples of the two wines they offer, one white, one red. The white was a Chesselas (a varietal), and really nice--very crisp and different, even to my untrained palate. The red was also very good. Although I've been to several breweries, this was my first time in a wine cave, and it was pretty neat. There was also something wonderful about tasting wine with the person who made it. There was also a nice, very small little market with fresh cheese, vegetables, and spreads on the property. I bought some apricot preserves.

Before our trip, Matt made reservations for us at Adobe Guadalupe, one of his favorite wineries in the region. This winery is bigger, with more employees and more wine, and also serves as an inn. Unlike at Mogor Badan, our tasting was not hosted by the wine-maker. However, the woman who served us was very knowledgeable and passionate about the wines, and she even let us taste the new wine, still in the making, from one of the barrels. Not including the one that was unreleased, we tried six wines (one rose and five reds), all named for angels, and a mezcal, called Lucifer. Mezcal is far too strong for me, but I really liked all of their wines, and found the rose to be particularly refreshing on the warm June day, so we bought a bottle for that night, and we also purchased some olives. To Matt's delight, two of the Adobe Guadalupe wines are now available at two locations in San Diego, so I expect we'll be drinking more of it in the near future.

Baron Balche is a large winery located next to Adobe Guadalupe and because of its size, they are open for tastings without a reservation. While this was clearly a substantially larger operation, and was the only place we had to pay for a tasting, it was also the only place we had difficulty communicating in English. While none of their wines impressed me greatly, the young man that served us was very kind and friendly, although any conversation was a challenge given that we don't know the language.

Next, it was time for food. We tried to find a place recommended to us by the staff at the villa, but our map was no help, so we took the turn for Laja, where Matt had been before. Since his last visit, the restaurant opened an outdoor grill with a different menu, so we ate there, under a big beautiful tree. We shared gazpacho and bread and, after asking for a translation of just about everything on the menu, an order of ribs, which were served on a bed of spinach. Both were fantastic. It was nice because we were eating just across the parking lot from their garden, where many of their ingredients are grown. I picked the bones clean.

Afterwards, we decided to try to visit one more winery, and Matt managed to remember how to get to Tres Mujeres, a winery he'd visited during his last visit two years ago. I was pretty excited because we'd recently had the bottle that he purchased last time, and I really liked it. However, as we hadn't called ahead, we had no idea if anyone would be available for a tasting. Luckily, as we pulled up, one of the "three women" came out of the building (a home?) and asked if we wanted a tasting, we confirmed, and a moment later another of the women, Ivette, emerged and led us to an out of use cave, now their tasting room. She was a delightful person, and seemed to remember Matt from his last visit. The three women, Eva, Laura, and Ivette, make one wine each, all reds, and we sampled all three. They were each very good, but in the end we purchased Ivette's wine, a blend, and she labeled the bottle for us with a pen.

A photo of the grounds at Tres Mujeres from Matt's prior visit

We returned to the villa, full and happy, and cooled off with a swim in the pool, where we chatted with a few of the other guests--small talk mostly, but we also discussed the animals that call the property their home. This was actually a very special aspect of the villa, in my opinion. In addition to the birds that nest in the trees and under the tiles of the roof, and the chickens that provide eggs, there are a number of cats and dogs that have adopted the villa and their guests. Another guest explained that only one of the dogs, a black one we rarely saw, actually "belongs" there. However, they all have collars, and they all share the food that is put out for them, and they are all pretty well behaved. The presence of these animals eased our pining for our own cat (although not our guilt for leaving her for the weekend).

That evening we had another botana and tried the house white, then spent a while relaxing in our room before heading down for dinner. While breakfast and the afternoon botana are included in the price of the room, reservations are required for dinner at the villa (48 hours in advance) and there is an extra charge of $45 per person, not including wine. The villa's wine label is Vena Cava, and we bought a bottle of their Cabernet Sauvignon for dinner, and while the meal was pricey, I found the four course dinner, served by Alejandro, to be oh-so-worth it. We started with a ceviche-type dish: halibut in a sesame oil marinade on a bed of avocado and seaweed, topped with fruit and basil. Next we moved to a salad of greens, mango, and pumpkin seeds topped with duck, followed by ostrich in a red wine sauce and Mexican squash for the main course. Finally (and my mouth is watering just thinking about this), we finished with lavender creme brulee.

Evening botana

Lighting in the dining room

Drinking the Vena Cava Cabernet

Halibut

Salad with duck

Ostrich in red wine

Lavender Creme Brulee

The meal was as decadent as it sounds, and I really enjoyed it all, although the first and last course really stood out to me. The halibut was marinated so nicely, with the sesame seeds adding a nice crunch, balanced by the sweetness of the fruit and the richness of the avocado . . . such a wonderful medley of flavors. And the creme brulee! The perfectly crisp top, with its aroma reminiscent of a burning marshmallow, cracked under a gentle nudge from my spoon, revealing the smooth custard beneath. The lavender was just right, not so strong that it detracted from the richness of the dessert. Yes, the mango mouse has some fine competition indeed.

After killing the bottle purchased with dinner, we opened the rose we purchased at Adobe Guadalupe, although it turned out that was a little ambitious, as I was ready for bed shortly after. We shared the rose with the group that had the appointment at Mogor Badan, as a kind of thanks for letting us crash their tasting. I slept very well that night. Sunday, we devoured another delicious breakfast and then said goodbye to the villa, the wonderful staff, and then the valley itself, this time taking the free road, Federal Highway 3, through the hills, past a number of slightly more intimidating military check points, and to Tecate. In Tecate, we made a stop at El Mejor Pan de Tecate for some flan and pastries, because when they call themselves "the best," I'm pretty sure they're right.

Our haul for the weekend

(made smaller by California regulation for wine)

I don't know if anyone will actually suffer through this whole entry (perhaps I should have made a couple separate posts), but even though it was only a few days ago I've had fun reflecting on my trip as I write. It was an incredible experience, and while we'll have to tighten our purse strings for while after this splurge, I am really glad we did it. If anyone is still reading and is thinking of visiting Mexico, I highly recommend you consider Guadalupe Valley.