Rubio's Coastal Grill - Grand Opening - San Jose

We are never disappointed when we dine at Rubio's Coastal Grill. I prefer Mexican dishes with seafood in it and Rubio's offers healthy options. We were recently invited to soft opening for the newest San Jose location on Brokaw. We dined on our favorite dishes and tried a new burrito we never had before.

($8.99) The Cilantro Lime Rice Bowl is my favorite because it has no tortillas, cheese, and uses black beans rather than refried beans. These are the ingredients which often feel too heavy for me in Mexican food. The fish this season is Mahi Mahi with the option for blackened or grilled. Mine is blackened. The cilantro lime rice is light with delicate flavor and the fish was done perfectly. 

($10.49) Cabo Plate - this is my husband's favorite and one of the best sellers for Rubio's. What's not to love? It's probably the best value too. There's the original fish taco with delicious fried fish. Then a full sized shrimp burrito, chips, and refried beans. 

There's no better way to spice up a Wednesday night dinner than a Modelo. And for the health nut in me, an antioxidant drink from Bai.

For the baby, we ordered a grilled salmon burrito because he loves salmon. He filled up on the chips and guacamole instead. Toddlers...

The waitress came by with a tray of desserts, which are all available in store regularly, and we got to sample all their cookies. Snickerdoodle and chocolate chips are always a hit.

The new Rubio's is in the same complex as the latest Sprouts Farmers Market. The plaza is really going to be bustling once all the stores open. I think Rubio's picked a great spot and the residents nearby are in for a treat. 

Rubio's Coastal Grill

1078 E. Brokaw Road

San Jose CA, 95131

Austin 2016 Photo Diary

Two years ago, I went to Austin, TX for the first time to attend my first BlogHer Food Conference. It would be my first of three BlogHer conferences. The experience was my first exposure to the business of blogging and seeing how people can make money doing what they love. I came back daydreaming about an alternative career where I call the shots in my daily life. Since then I've decided not to blog full time but now I know what the pros and cons of this lifestyle would be. I highly respect professional bloggers.

A few weeks ago, I returned to Austin just to have a good time with some girlfriends. The city is still great and especially more so when I come without a schedule of events. Here are a few shots.

From the Westin Hotel downtown

The Capitol Building at night. It's a yuge Pokestop.

Chicken and fried okra from Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken

On one of our strolls through the city, we discovered this art installation made from lobster rope and paint by Orly Genger at Waller Creek Trail.

The following are from the uber cool Hotel Van Zandt

We loved hanging out at the pool side bar of this hotel so much that we came back the next night. This hotel is absolutely gorgeous and has such a unique decor.

And now for all the food we ate. First we had to try authentic Austin style barbecue at Terry Black's Barbecue. The ribs and brisket were especially tender and juicy.

Before our hike the next day, we ate brunch at South Congress Cafe. 

This beautiful caprese salad tasted only just ok. Everything else was great.

More barbecue ensued at the fancy Lambert's Downtown Barbecue. It was all good yet not as authentic as Terry's because this seemed to be a more fancy place.

Great iced latte at Irie Bean Coffee Bar on Lamar.

After a late night out, we had cravings for burgers and P. Terry's was the only place open. It happens to be an Austin original. It was alright. Not as good as In N' Out.

Before going out on one of the nights, we had a happy hour dinner at Hightower on 7th Street. It's actually not up high at all so I'm not sure where this name comes from. The food was just ok. 

After dinner, we stopped by Prohibition Creamery for dessert where they served boozy ice cream flavors or ice cream in a boozy float. Yums. Here we chatted up the waitress and her friends who eventually recommended us to Hotel Van Zandt.

J Pop Summit 2016 - San Francisco

Every year, fans of Japanese culture are delighted by the JPOP Summit, which is a festival of all things Japanese. Events can last all week (film screenings) but the bulk of activities is on one weekend. Last month, I attended one day of the event to sample the foods offered there. 

The tasting started with an introduction of the 5 ramen vendors.

Iza Ramen: Started as a pop-up in Lower Haight. They specialize in tsukemen (dipping ramen).

Naruto Ramen: This brand from NY sticks to the classic tonkotsu broth cooked for 24 hours.

Hinodeya Ramen Bar: Specializes in the bonito broth which is popular in Japan.

Orenchi Beyond - This restaurant is located in San Francisco and is from the same owners at Orenchi in Santa Clara.

Ramen Taka: This brand from Santa Clara has a menu that covers various regions of Japan.

My tsukemen ramen from Iza Ramen came in this very convenient tray. The broth was rich and thicker than the noodle soup form. It coated the chewy noodles well and I got a mouthful of flavor with each bite.

Our next step was to Shige Sushi for their triangular shaped sushi-wich. Shige has a brick and mortar store but they also sell at events like this. There were four flavors: Alaskan, spicy tuna, California, and natto with kimchi. 

The flavor of the natto wasn't so bad but the texture is slimy. I couldn't finish it. Natto is definitely an acquired taste. 

The California tastes just like a California roll.

Here's the spicy tuna wich that I didn't get to try. Looks yummy.

Next up was takoyaki from Hirotako, a catering company specializing in Japanese cuisine. Their fried takoyaki balls were crispy and flavorful with some pieces having pickled red ginger inside.

Sapporo samples were also being handed out. I helped myself to some. ;)

Inside the pavilion, we did a quick tasting of Iichiko shochu in ume (plum) and yuzu citrus flavors. It was very light and fruity and doesn't need mixing although you can mix it with other fruit juices. Shochu is different than Korean soju. It can be distilled only once while soju is distilled multiple times. Korean soju is also lower in alcohol content. The Iichiko was much easier to sip than Korean soju though.

Coming up next, a recap of my interview with Chef Tsuo Saito of popular Japanese NHK broadcasting network cooking show, Dining with the Chef. His beautiful cohost was Japanese celebrity Yu Hayami.