The food was amazing and the view was unparallel to any place I’ve ever been to.

It was heartbreakingly beautiful.

One of the bottles of wine we got on our Napa mini-moon. It was even more delicious than I remembered it to be:

Simple and classic amuse bouche:

I really loved that they used organic and sustainable food sources. I was totally feeling like seafood (I wonder why?) and I’m so glad I went with it:

Btw, everything was fantastic here and I highly recommend this place for special events/vacations/just because you’re loaded and you can eat wherever you want. However, there was one thing that was a bit…unsettling…every time I went into the ladies room (and I went several times during the course of the evening). This thing (it’s like Beetlejuice’s sister!) seemed to look over my shoulder whenever I’m at the sink washing my hands:

And it got scarier and scarier throughout the night because the lights are really dim in that bathroom and I got more and more inebriated from the wine (Rob was DD so I was sorta forced to drink more). P.S. The flash from my camera is making it look less freaky, but I assure you it was!

Some highlights of our trip:

• Seeing my family in Flushing, NY, which was pretty much Taiwantown, U.S.A.
• The Statue of Liberty, minus the two hours in two different security lines.
• New York pizza!
• Seeing Wicked for the first time on Broadway.
• Tuna tartare and the high tech Japanese toilet at Sakagura.
• The view from the Top of the Rock.
• The window displays were redonkulous!
• Straight New York tap water. Seriously.
• Lunch at Jean Georges with Karri and Misha.
• The Met, minus the insane crowds.
• The butternut squash soup and tweed kettle pie (got it b/c of its name!) at Tea & Sympathy with Karri.
• Central Park right after it snowed.
• Junior’s NY cheesecake with strawberries, thanks to my cousin Theresa.
• The Apple store on 5th Ave.
• Blueberry pancakes at Clinton St. Bakery, minus the 1 hour and 45 minute wait  >_<.
• The last minute right before the ball dropped at Times Square, minus the 5 hours and 59 minute wait beforehand.
• 30% off sale-price sale at BR.
• PDT Bar. Really great original drinks made in the old-fashioned way.
• Momofuku Ssam Bar’s fried brussel sprouts (trust me), kimchi apples, and  steamed pork buns. I don’t usually eat much pork, but I’m glad I made the exception this time.

Lowlights of our trip:

• The wait to do practically anything.
• The crowds and lines and more lines, and more lines…
• Did I mention the lines?
• Slow-ass people that take up the entire sidewalk (actually, that’s a running pet peeve of mine so it doesn’t only apply to New York).
• Trying to hail a taxi in freezing weather and they’re all full.
• Rob lost one of his gloves at the Statue of Liberty and it seemed like the entire island sold out of mens gloves. We tried BR, J Crew, Gap, H&M, Armani Exchange, etc.

Overall, a great trip and we’ll want to be back in the couple of years to experience the stuff we didn’t get to see yet. Photojournal to follow when I finally get all 5k pictures uploaded.

Rabbit's Foot Meadery

So after I kidnapped the hubs from work, we headed straight to Rabbit’s Foot Meadery in Sunnyvale. The owner, Maria was sweet enough to let us have a tasting even though it was late in the day. We tried 3 different meads, a chocolate raspberry port, three cysers, and three ales. I liked everything we tried and we made out with bottles of both a sweet and a dry mead.

We then set off to a tea shop and got educated on all the various teas. The shop specialized in Taiwan oolong and aged Pu-erh tea. We got a set of teas to try with the cast-iron teapot we found in Chinatown awhile ago. Since we had a late reservation at Chez TJ, we walked around for a bit and wandered into a fish store. They had some of the coolest fish and other animals to look at including this itty bitty shark:

Shark Purse w/ cute baby shark inside!

Chez TJ Review after the jump

I’ve heard great things about Chez TJ from friends who have dined there. We also know that it has a Michelin star and is well rated on Zagat and Yelp. But admittedly those weren’t the only reasons why we picked this place for Rob’s birthday dinner. It also helped a lot that Rob gets a discount through his work.

I should’ve taken pictures of the front of the restaurant, which really a Victorian house on a nondescript street, but apparently I was more impressed with the inside of their bathroom…

Hello, I'm Sophia. I take pictures of the inside of restaurant bathrooms. Especially ones with Alphonse Mucha prints!

The interior design was a little mismatched. They seem to like green and purple a lot. I totally dug that Italian art glass lamp on our table though.

Amuse bouche

I think the chef was trying to be adventurous with these and the palate cleanser at the end. I wasn’t really a fan.

Toro-Hamachi Sashimi, Eggplant Compote, Pickled Mini Carrot

This was seriously the best thing I ate that night! My taste buds were singing. It was a sandwich of toro and hamachi (the two best sushi fishes ever!) with a yuzu sorbet on top. I dare you to check out the beautiful marbling on that toro.

Slow Poached Organic Egg, Wild Mushrooms, Paddlefish Caviar

This was Rob’s pick. He absolutely loved it. Nether of us could detect the wild mushrooms that were supposed to be in it though. Don’t know if they forgot it or if it’s that foam stuff on top.

Seared Day Boat Scallop, Artichoke Barigoule, Thyme Aioli

Fun interpretation of bacon and scallops. The scallops were delicious, soft, and sweet.

Branzini Halibut Farçi, Bouillabaisse Jus, Fennel Trio

This was supposed to be a bass but I think they ran out so they switched to a halibut. It was cooked very well, the flesh was soft but firm and the bouillabaisse jus was all sopped up with bread by the end of the course.

Mishima Ranch Beef Filet, Cippolini Onion Tarte, Fava Bean, Summer Truffle

This filet was cooked perfectly! It was super tender without being fatty. However, it would’ve been better if it had more seasoning or if there was more of the sauce that came with it. The onion tart was really tastey- carmelized, flakey, and flavorful.

Mignardises

I didn’t know if these were given out to every table or if they were Rob’s birthday dessert. If it was the latter, they didn’t acknowledge or write Happy Birthday on it so I’m inclined to believe it’s the former. In that case I’m a little disappointed that he didn’t receive something special for his birthday even though I informed them when making our reservation.

Overall, we had a favorable experience at Chez TJ. There were a few blips: lack of wines by the glass list, we felt rushed- finished our meal in 35 minutes(!), no birthday acknowledgement, and embarrassing confusion with our check at the end. But these are kinda nit-picky things. The food was excellent, presentation was gorgeous, and the service was nice and polite. The bonus was that the chef came out and greeted us which was a first. He was cool and seemed genuinely pleased that we loved our meal.