Amy's Kitchen

My friend Amy can cook.  She makes amazing meals and my favorite thing to hear in the world is "when can you come over?  I want to cook for you."  She is so passionate about food and I love hearing her talk about food.  I love going to the restaurants that she adores because I know it is the real deal.  Here is her fabulous blog with some awesome recipes!  Below are some pictures from a recent dinner she hosted.

My eater's list

 

Here's my list of how various people have qualified as "eaters".  I've used initials to protect the innocent, but you guys know who you are.  :)  And not a surprise, but most of the eaters on my list are girls!  For those who are not on the list yet, I look forward to getting to know you better!

A.K.  She has talked about food since she was in elementary school and hasn't stopped.
M.L.S.  She always sneaks the best things from my plate, despite my death threats.
S.O.S   This girl can cook.  And has impeccable taste.  When she finds something she likes, she sticks with it.
V.N.  She can pretty much eat as much as someone that is twice her size.  Seriously.
L.R.  She loves to eat and to eat well - she is willing to go the distance for quality.
M.L.  She's never said no to an eating outing and loves all types of foods.
S.G.  She is the pho queen and has done many things to qualify for this list, i.e. reviewing a menu as she is eating to order more.
M.K.  I've never seen anyone eat so many shrimp balls in one sitting.
R.S.  I've never seen anyone eat so many shui mai in one sitting.  He knows what good food is all about.
R.C., R.M.  Fun people to eat with and they know what's good.
A.W.  She has the best FB food pics and always has new places for me to visit.
P.H.  She is my food twin - we have very similar palettes and we love sharing plates.
V.F.  She is a healthy eater, but she can definitely carry her own when it comes to chowing down.
W.C.  She shares my love for cocktail buns and meat bones.
L.L.  She can write paragraphs recommending places from her hometown, and always has the best research when it comes to the best places for food.
V.W.  We both love roast duck, and can have long conversations about food.  He can kill down his share at a buffet.
S.M.B.  She has the most enthusiasm for good food and I love hearing her describe food.
S.L.  She is game for most foods and being Chinese, she loves some of the old school stuff too.
B.Y. & E.L. Both qualified for the list at the same time - we were at a baby shower, and instead of games, we wanted to stand around the table to eat.
E.W.  He's just warming up when most people are almost done eating.
E.S.  She's game for most things, and always has room to fit in a happy hour, meal, or snack.
B.C., A.Q., R.Q.  Meals are events for them and it's been fun to do japa dog and hot pot nights.

The Seattle Community Church family - have you seen the sunday lunches?  Yeah, the whole church is full of eaters...generous eaters...

The WONG family - put a plate of food in front of them and all bets are off.  They love food and lots of it.

The LEE family - ditto, and we (well, our parents) are pretty darn good cooks.

Our eating motto

A friend summed it up best when she said - "we don't care what we eat, we just care how much.."  I couldn't agree more.  Yes, we have standards for how our food should be, but eating is really to get full, isn't it?  Here's my working girls lunch crew - it's been a tradition that has been going on for years - it was hard to fit in the schedule at times, but looking back, it was all worth it.  Our eating bond was developed instantly and friendship followed soon after.  I love that the group keeps growing as we keep eating.

Din Tai Fung

The soup dumpling, positioned for the slide into my mouth.  It was good, but not mind blowing, as I expect most foods to be, given the amount of hype the restaurant got. 

We got dessert dumplings as well, but the skin was definitely tough, so stick to the dessert buns.  By the time that I went, they had worked out some of their major kinks (most people complained about lukewarm dishes that arrived, etc), but they definitely need more practice to making soup dumplings.

The owner (young!) of the restaurant came to see how our meal was.  He shared his vision of the restaurant - wanting to serve a great meal, in a restaurant that was beautifully designed and had great ambiance.  That vision was achieved with us - we definitely had a great time.

Never a bad meal...

A meal at the Segundo's never disappoints.  This is the most consistent place for a good meal, and good cheer.  There is always plenty of food and they have introduced a complete set of dishes that I've never had, but can never live without ever again - the list is long.. soybean rice, broiled sushi, kalbi, spam musubi, butter mochi, cornflake chicken, chicken sukiyaki, etc.

Ginza

This restaurant is always busy - weekdays or weekends.  The quality of the sushi is always good and there is a great selection of other dishes that are great.  Below is the soft shell crab tempura that a friend had suggested and it has become a must order item for me.

Eel fried rice - smoky, sweet and texture rich, this is a yummy dish.

The pumpkin fried rice has great presentation but lost points for having less flavor compared to the eel fried rice.

The Ginza experience made even more enjoyable with a group of girlfriends that love to eat as well!

Port Orchard

This town is hardly far from where we are, but you feel like you are in a different world all together when you are there.  It's a place that's idyllic and calm, and where the pace is slower.  That is why we love visiting our friends there.

Brunch with the famous cinnamon toast - our friend's specialty!  A highlight to a weekend devoted to relaxing and enjoying the outdoors with great friends.