Not Your Grandma's Cooking – Shanghai Grandma in Shanghai, China

Just kidding, probably close to it

Their 

So if you've been following this blog, you know that I was trying to find a certain restaurant, walked in and was met with a barrage of bugs. Well, the restaurant I was trying to find was Shanghai Grandma, and it turns out it was right next to the one I went into. Winnie and I were out walking after eating at Da Hu Chun that day when we spotted the real Shanghai Grandma, on the way to the Bund. So the next day, right after getting out of the Oriental Pearl Tower, we ran straight for Shanghai Grandma on the opposite side of the Yellow River.Shanghai Grandma, at first glance, is a classic nice restaurant with velvet chairs and glass topped tables. When we went at about 2pm, it was understandably pretty empty, as it was after the lunch rush. We were quickly seated at a corner table and presented with a menu filled to the top with some Shanghai classics. The first thing I saw on the menu was the chaoniangao (炒年糕), which is essentially sticky rice cakes mixed with veggies and meat, then stir-fried. The flavors were delightfully balanced, as the salty flavor complemented the sticky texture of the rice cakes. That was probably the best dish there, as everything else was very…salty.

So Maybe I Got Spammed – Cha's in Shanghai, China

Not worth it...

Lovable bun, with lovable butter!!!

So maybe I kinda deserve this, but no one deserves to get ripped off, so I'm going to go off on this place. Cha's is not good. I know, I'm in China I was bound to get ripped off some time right? Well yeah maybe I did but that doesn't really make any of this better. Anyway Winnie and I are tired out of our wits, and we see on a website that Cha's is a recommended place! Hey! That's great! I get really antsy about going to a place that isn't recommended online when I travel, so I do a lot of research beforehand to know where I go. Today was the first day that I was forsaken by the food website recommendation gods – Cha's is a no go if you're ever in the area.

Big Burger - Gordan Ramsay Burger in Las Vega, NV // Vegas III

Erika ready to chow down!

Heavenly burger

So after finding our next dinner spot, Erika led the way and got us lost. Luckily, she regained her bearings before we lost too much time. Long story short, we made our way through the sea of people between the MGM Grand and Planet Hollywood where we saw everything from strippers to people biking for charity on the sidewalk. Yeah, it was quite a classic “Vegas” night. The wonderful thing about Vegas is that after you get through the smell of weed and look around you, all the different people really contrast against each other. The city really becomes quite a diverse selection of people, with suited businessmen sauntering in the summer heat alongside scantily clad ladies with nothing covering their upper body except for two strategically placed stickers. There are the men on the bridges playing music and the tourist groups filling the bridge, with reflections of major brand signs on the glass walls around you. Luckily, there wasn’t this many people in line for Gordon Ramsay Burger, where we queued for about a half hour before making our way into the eating space.

Iron Sushi - Morimoto in Las Vegas // Vegas II

Erika!

So after a while, I finally got to hang out with my friend Erika again! You may remember Erika from Get Baked Episode 2, where we went to Mr. Holmes Bakery, Tropiseuno SF, and Lemonade. Well now we're in Erika's home turf - Las Vegas, Nevada. Erika knows the area pretty well, and we decided to take some photos before hitting our main destination: Morimoto Las Vegas.

Grill Talk - Sumika Grill in Los Altos, CA

Miles P. Olson (2017, color)

Smoky

Actually, before we move on to the next parts of Vegas, I have to write about a stellar dining experience I had in my hometown Los Altos, CA. This place is better known as "Steve Job's Hometown", or even "small town next to Mountain View", but the downtown has some restaurants that can definitely hold its own. I'm here this time with Miles P. Olson at Sumika Grill, one of the higher rated restaurants in the town. Miles and I talk often on Snapchat and Messenger, but we only really make the commute to hang out when someone is visiting from outside of the Bay Area. That being said, I was really excited to see Miles again, since we had quite a bit to catch up on since our last time out for food.

Sorry, Vegan Cheese Doesn't Taste Like Cheese - Veggie Grill in Saratoga, CA

Vegan Cheese is bad

Winnie!!!

Once upon a time, this young man was a vegetarian. That's right. From fifth through 8th grade, I thought that vegetarianism was really cool! But starting in freshman year, I decided that I wanted some more protein in the form of meat so I reverted to the good old omnivore lifestyle. I've never considered going vegan though - in fact, being vegetarian was a pretty big hassle in and of itself! But the point is, I've eaten quite a bit of vegetarian foods in the past. And a lot of substitutes, including the all famous Tofurkey which can taste a bit like actual turkey! In my past experiences with substitutes, if it's good and I forget that I'm eating a substitute, then I won't notice a difference. Well Veggie Grill has earned my respect for creating a few Vegan dishes that I ate without noticing the fact that they were Vegan. So a gold star to the salad with bacon substitute and the Koreatown tacos, but a frowny face (like the one your physics teacher puts by a question when you make a mistake) to the nachos.

I Got Baked in San Francisco - The Sequel

So is it habit forming?

Erika!!!

So Erika lets the Carleton GroupSnap (is that a thing) know that she's going to be in San Francisco on January 28th, so guess what happened: Miles and I roll out through BART and CalTrain and meet up with her at Montgomery. So Erika, Miles and I were pretty close friends during the SCSI, and the main thing that brought us together was our shared love of music. Miles likes more underground and new artists, so when he played music off his phone it was always an adventure for me (and probably Erika, I don't really know). But anyway, we're all good friends, and of course Miles and I agree to go to Erika's top choice location: Mr. Holmes Bakehouse. That's right folks, we're back. Let's get baked in San Francisco

Going Psycho - Psycho Donuts and Pho with @winnie.fried

Thought I was going psycho for a second there

Once again, we are back with Winnie (follow her here) and are more determined than ever to experience the food wonders of Downtown San Jose. I usually don't head down to San Jose, but Winnie's robotics lab is in the middle of it, so I arranged for a lunch at Pho 69. Downtown San Jose is a pretty funky place, mostly because of its location and the very, very, very popular convention center. Lots of things go on in there, ranging from volleyball tournaments to even a minor Blizzcon if I remember correctly. Anyway, this weekend was no different, with a bunch of costumed people waiting around.

Only 20th Century Kids Will Remember - SF Day Trip Pt. 3 with @winnie.fried

Proving that I can finish something besides Netflix shows

So here we are - the finale of this series I was supposed to finish two or three weeks ago. Due to it being the day after Christmas, some of the places we hoped to tour were closed, namely the Supreme Court of California and the city hall. So the only thing we were able to do was find another place to eat and figure out where to go from there. During our walk there from Japan town, we walked by this restaurant called Little Gem. At first glance at the menu hanging in the window (big windows by the way), it seemed to be a mostly Asian restaurant, but when we sat down and took a better look, it turns out to be some sort of American-Asian fusion restaurant. So I sat down and ordered the veggie bibimbap, while my friends got some smaller options. Although I recognized the fact that the bibimbap was vegetarian, I was still a little shocked to see it when it was placed in front of me. How did I forget in the span of ten minutes?

Where's my meat??? 7/10 tho

Cutest Crepes Everrrr - SF Day Trip Part 2 with @winnie.fried

These crepes are belly good

So after a much needed sugar boost from Mr. Holmes, Winnie (follow her at @winnie.fried),Jenny and I marched on to our next destination: Belly Good Bakery. As we walked, we were stopped by a nice elderly gentleman who saw us taking some photos in front of the wall across the street from Mr. Holmes, who gently informed us that there are many awesome walls in San Francisco. This included the whale, naked people, and bee walls, all which were found pretty close to each other. I don't know why you're reading this article - I may have forced you to, or you're looking for some food suggestions in San Francisco - but spots in San Francisco suitable for some hipster-ish photos are abundant. Make kissy faces with the fish, or stand near the enormous whale for some cute photos.

I Got Baked in San Francisco - SF Day Trip Part 1 with @winnie.fried

Future employers please disregard title

Winnie and I got baked in San Francisco

This past Monday, I went on a trip to San Francisco with my friends Winnie and Jenny - Winnie also has a food-focused Instagram page, you can follow her at @winnie.fried. So beforehand, we made a plan to visit two bakeries/cafes - Mr. Holmes and Belly Good - and left the lunch option open. Like Miles and Lia, Winnie and Jenny are friends from my time at the Carleton Summer Computer Science Institute, and this is the first time we've met since the trip despite living in the same area. So anyway, our first stop was at Mr. Holmes, which had a deceptively long line. The actual area for customers is small, possibly to force them out into the cold (just kidding), and even though we got there bright and early at 10am, it seemed that their stock of cruffins had either been depleted or not even made yet (you can check this on their website).

Bonchon: The Real K(orean)FC - San Mateo, CA

Lia!!!

A little back story on some of my friends - most of my friends that live outside of California I met during a summer program at Carleton College. It was their Summer Computer Science Institute summer program, and I spent three weeks stuck in the middle of nowhere (Northfield, MN) with a bunch of other teenagers. Here, I met some of the best friends of I've ever made (hanging out 24/7 around someone will do that), and every so often one of them will come visit California BECAUSE WE'RE THE BEST STATE YEAH.