Category Archives: Silicon Valley

5 authentic and our favorite PHO, in Silicon Valley/Bay Area

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By Manda Bear

Traditionally a northern Vietnamese breakfast specialty, Beef Pho is now eaten throughout the country at any time of day. And it has become one of the most popular noodle soup in San Francisco Bay Area, especially in Silicon Valley. Chicken Pho is coming in second, a perfect soup for a cold night or to cure a hangover; but don’t we forget our vegetarian/vegan fellows, vegan Pho has become so popular in the greenest state of America. We got you covered!

With almost 400,000 Vietnamese first and second generation live here in Northern California, and over 150,000 Vietnamese in the condensed populated Silicon Valley, no wonder when I want to get a good bowl of authentic Northern style Pho, San Jose is where I go first.

Pho Ha Noi San Jose – Phở Bắc – Northern Style Pho
969 Story Road, Ste #6048
San Jose, CA 95122
Phone: (408) 239-0888
https://www.facebook.com/PhoHaNoiSanJose/

When I crave for Pho Tai Dap (literally mean hand-tenderized or hand-pounded rare beef Pho), and when my mother is too busy to cook, I come here for it.

They use the highest quality of beef USDA prime flank steak that I’ve ever seen at any restaurant in the US. The meat is tender, sweet, topping off with a bit of ginger and plenty of green onion, oh mine! They cook over 180 lbs of bone and bone-marrow just to serve you 200 bowls of beef Pho. There is no place like Pho Ha Noi San Jose serves this kind of Northern region Pho. And you order fresh noodles (wider flat rice noodle to go with it), Whoala, you have yourself a bowl of goodness gracious noodle soup!

The wife and husband team here are the most kind-hearted people I know. They have helped so many people in our communities here, from the recent wildfires in Sonoma and Napa Valley, to the hurricane Irma and Harvey; from the recent flooded victims in Central Vietnam to the recent wildfires in LA; just for that alone, they get my vote for their relentless philanthropy.

Turtle TowerPhở Bắc – Northern Style Pho
645 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
Phone: (415) 409-3333
http://www.turtletowersf.com

Another very authentic Pho place that quite popular in San Francisco.  They are famous for Pho Ga (Chicken Pho noodle soup). This is more noodle house than a restaurant but it is airy, bright and cleaner than when they first opened their 1st location in 2000. They do northern style Pho which is not as widespread as the usual southern Vietnam pho joints most people are familiar with.

If you come here be adventurous, try their Pho Gà Lòng (pho ga with giblets: heart, gizzard, liver, and other organs). They use free-range chicken and freshly prepared daily, you will be in for a treat.

The surrounding area is sketchy-ish but most of the time it’s fine to walk around during the day.

Pho Papa – Phở Nam – Southern Style Pho
1611 E Capitol Expy
San Jose, CA 95121
Phone: (408) 270-0600
www.PhoPapaSJ.com 

Pho Papa is a new place with light wooden tables and chairs, an unusual approach for a Pho place. They even offer few seats at the kitchen reminds me of some Ramen Bar. They offer a reasonable price, friendly, and good service. The broth is yummy, sweeter, darker broth, but not as sweet as typical Southern Pho restaurants in Silicon Valley and they give you plenty of garnish: bean sprout, basil, lime, and jalapeño.

Check out their spare rib bone soup on the side – tender, meaty, and falling off the bones goodness.

Pho King –  Phở Nam – Southern Style Pho
638 International Blvd
Oakland, CA 94606
Phone: (510) 444-0448
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pho-King/117583504934800

Sticky tables, obnoxious menu, hush and rush service, just your typical pho restaurant that gets it, and doesn’t care much about your average Yelp reviews.

Darker and sweeter broth, Southern Vietnamese style Pho, well-priced for this part of Oakland, the East Bay. You definitely get more for your bucks here. you can really stretch your dollar here at Pho King. The Combination Pho is what you go for, besides other dishes such as Bun Bo Hue, another popular dish here.

Don’t expect service here, but if you want a quick fix of piping hot broth and feel like rolling in Pho King in your Pajama, it’s OK too.

Golden Bamboo – Vegan Pho
3245 S White Rd
San Jose, CA 95148
Phone: (408) 270-8350
www.facebook.com/goldenbamboovegetarian

The place is always packed at lunchtime and during the full moon Lunar calendar for Vietnamese Buddhists to eat vegan food. The place is quite small, but the ambiance is warm and inviting. Plenty of exotic tropical flowers and plants decorated throughout the restaurant, Bird of Paradises remind me of Hawaii and always fresh plants here. So if you are allergic to plants and flowers, be careful. Gorgeous lightings at night, soft easy listening music, set you in a super Zen mood.

They offer Vegan Pho or Faux Chicken Lime Leaf Pho, they are both equally tasty, light broth, faux meat, tofu, green veggies, plenty of fresh veggies and herbs, surely satisfy your craving for healthier Pho.

Besides Pho, they have plenty of other delicious dishes for vegan/vegetarian to choose from, check it out.

*************************************
Author: Manda Bear
https://instagram.com/1mandabear
https://twitter.com/1mandabear
Manda Bear has a passion for food and wine as a very young age. She’s currently with Dep Lifestyle Magazine San Francisco Bay Area, as a co-publisher and contributor @DepLifestyleMag @DiningOutVegas @FabMediaSF. She was a contributor for Drink Me Magazine, Viet Press USA, Studio 14 Magazine, DiningOut Magazine in the San Francisco Bay Area.

She’s a certified level II Sommelier @VintageWineSR at www.VintageWineMerchants.com on Santana Row in Silicon Valley and you can find her on YouTube for her “Wine Not” Ruou Cho Nguoi Viet by Dep Lifestyle Magazine

She’s also a PR/brand ambassador for hospitality, food, and wine industry, as well as a Branding consultant for high tech companies in Silicon Valley. She’s also a serial restaurant investor, former restaurant owner and has traveled to dine at over hundred of Michelin Star/James Beard Award-winning restaurants around the world.

pokéLOVE has landed in Palo Alto, California

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pokéLOVE is excited to announce the opening of its first restaurant in June, 2016 located in Palo Alto at Town & Country Village.

pokeLOVE4pokéLOVE has a healthy fast-casual structure with an extensive menu that has been creatively crafted by restaurateur Alex Chan and Executive Chef Colin Long. The concept for pokéLOVE was created based on their passion for creating simple food that is natural, sustainable, minimally processed, and also incredibly flavorful.

pokéLOVE cares about every ingredient and the quality of their
seafood is paramount. Chan is a man of exceptionally high personal standards and values genuine collaboration. With connections to Northern California purveyors and local ingredients, they source their seafood from some of the best sources locally and around the world, such as Wild Isles Organic Salmon.

pokéLOVE’s values are centered on the fact that “Delicious food can pokeLOVE3still be really healthy and good for you, and that you should not have to compromise taste for calories.” pokéLOVE believes in using only the freshest ingredients of the highest quality that are bursting with nutrients, vitamins and plenty of fatty acids.

We got to sit down and interview restaurateur Alex Chan this week. And we also got to try variety of the dishes, endless combination even for the pickiest eater. And if you can’t eat raw, they can can steam or bake the salmon for you. Sous vide chicken and Unagi are also on the protein list for you. Plenty of choices for vegetarian and vegan. All their sauces are gluten-free, no nut, and children friendly place.

DLM:  What inspired you to pursue this pokéLOVE restaurant concept?
Alex Chan: I have a sincere appreciation for all things food and wine.
pokeLOVE5Not counting Antarctica, I’ve traveled to 6 continents in search of the best food. Food is so much more than just 3 stars or 0 stars. I’ve been to best restaurants in the world, but I really don’t give a damn about ratings and stars.  Some of the best meals I have had are in night markets that would not pass any reasonable health inspections. But I’m cool with that. Food is so much more to me than stars.  It’s about sharing, about giving, about experiencing. Why did I start pokéLOVE?  Because I’m crazy about simple food, that is healthy food, that is really tasty.  And because what’s worth doing is worth doing RIGHT. My inspiration for pokéLOVE is create the very best poke experience by serving the best poke, with the best toppings and dressings in a fun place that is chill with a cool vibe. 
 
DLM: Do have a corporate chef to help you with creating the menu? Where have chef worked before?
Alex Chan: Our executive chef is Colin Long.  Colin graduated from pokeLOVE2the Culinary Institute in Florida. From Quattro at the Four Season’s in Palo Alto to Blowfish Sushi at Santana Row, Colin brings a unique culinary background in western and eastern flavors.  He has spent a lot of time sourcing fantastic ingredients and creating dressings that would fit in most fine dining restaurants. There is a purity and sincerity to the food he makes and to the fish that he cuts. The little details do matter to Colin. The subtle nuances of flavor, color and texture do make a difference. Even something as simple as our wakame (seafood salad), is locally sourced and has no artificial flavors or preservatives.
 
DLM: There’s quite a few poke restaurants popping up around the Bay Area recently. Do you think it’s an emerging trend now? Just like Boba drink or crawfish a few years back?
Alex Chan: It is emerging and it currently is a trend. Put good food is never trendy, good food is always “in” and the consumers move to healthy and nutritious food is not going to change.  pokéLOVE brings a unique fast casual dining experience that is exciting to this space.  Inevitably, the crème always rises to the top and some players will fall by the wayside. Our food, our vibe, our brand, our respect for our ingredients and our level of customer service is anti-trendy.
 
DLM: What’s your philosophy here and what set pokéLOVE different than the rest of the poke restaurants in the Bay Area?
Alex Chan: My motto is:” we don’t eat to live, we live to EAT!”  First and foremost, the food at pokéLOVE is so much different than other strip mall poke shops.  We give a shit about our ingredients and we treat it with care and respect.  The quality of our seafood is paramount.  We have taken great pains to source our seafood from some of the best purveyors in the Bay Area and around the world and we are the only ones to proudly offer Wild Isles Organic Salmon.  In addition to the extensive protein selection, customers can select from organic quinoa, organic farro, soba noodles, rice pokeLOVE1noodles, or even quinoa tortilla chips for their base. We offer our customers an unlimited selection of traditional and edgy toppings to build their own bowl, including numerous organic options.  We pickle all our pickled vegetables in house; including our pickled leeks, shiitake mushrooms, and daikon.  We make all our dressings from scratch utilizing natural ingredients and all out dressings are gluten free.  We don’t believe your food should have dressings that come out of a PUMP! At  pokéLOVE , we want our customers to let their creativity and tastes buds roam as we craft whatever they desire, in whatever combination they wish.  Our goal for every customer to help them find that elusive healthy balance of salty, sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and umami in a fun, relaxed and chill atmosphere. 
 
DLM: What does sustainability mean to you?
Alex Chan: Sustainability to me means walking a fine line between eating what we want and giving a real damn about the environment and our oceans. At pokéLOVE, we source all our seafood from highly reputable vendors and we are able to trace the origins of everything we buy.  We have some wild items on our menu, but only when the item is in season and bountiful.  Our farm raised products come from some of the best seafood farmers in the world. In fact, our house salmon is from the Faroe Islands, long regarded as the benchmark salmon preferred by chefs around the world.  Beyond our food, sustainable also means to be environmentally conscious.  All our bowls and utensils are compostable or recyclable and nothing in our operations go to a landfills.  Even the garbage bags we use are compostable.
       
DLM:  How did you get to this restaurant business? What’s your background? Can you share with our readers?
Alex Chan: I was an accountant turned food dude.  After graduating from the University of Southern California, I was a Consultant at Price Waterhouse. I  eventually lost interest in bean counting, and became the Master Franchiser for Cold Stone Creamery in Northern pokeLOVE7California. I developed over a hundred units in less than 5 years.  A wine enthusiast, I jumped into the vino business and started Vintage Wine Merchants at Santana Row (“Best Wine Shop” – San Jose Mercury News Readers Poll).  A few years later, Vintage Wine Bar at Santana Row opened, serving up cabs by the glass, stinky fromage plates and became the “Hottest Wine Bar” in San Jose (METRO San Jose).  I’m also co-owner of several established independent grocery stores in the Bay Area.  I’m happily married to my crazy low maintenance college sweetheart, and has three beyond super cool kids.  
DLM: What do you for fun?
Alex Chan: When I’m not working. I love to get out on the hills and pretend that I’m in the Tour de France, play golf when my old-man shoulder does not ache, watch some USC football with the family, play Iron Chef at home, and will never turn down the occasion to have some good eats and a nice glass of wine with family and friends.
 
DLM:  You’ve emphasized community service in your career and through your restaurant. In addition to being active in many organizations?
Alex Chan: We are still evaluating which community and non-profit organizations we plan to partner with.  As a sign of how serious I am about giving back and being involved, 10 cents will to go charity for every bottle of water we sell. Community involvement is a core value of the company and we give damn about giving back to the local communities that we do business in. 

855 El Camino Real, Suite 9
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Open from 11am to 9pm daily

by Manda Bear

Hyatt Centric Steps up Its Style with First-Ever Drybar Collaboration

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Today, Hyatt Centric hotels announced a new relationship with the Drybar, the premier blow dry bar brand, helping guests look their Hyatt drybar Media Event May 12 2016 Steven Gregory Photography-2852best while shopping, enjoying a taste of the local cuisine and exploring a new destination.

Beginning May 2016, professional Drybar Buttercup Blow-Dryers will begin to roll out in every Hyatt Centric guestroom nationwide. Custom DIY tips and a how-to video from Drybar co-founder and chief creative officer, Alli Webb, will also be available to help travelers achieve the perfect “blowout” for their adventures.

Hyatt Centric guests don’t live in a one-size-fits-all world. When traveling, they look for the personal touches they are used to in their daily lives,” said Jonathan Frolich, vice president of global brands, Hyatt Centric. “Our Drybar collaboration means Hyatt Centric guests will no longer need to pack their own hair dryers, leaving more room to fill their suitcases with what they need to explore the best of what the destination has to offer.”

Hyatt Centric Fisherman’s Wharf is centrally located near San Francisco landmarks including Pier 39, Ghirardelli Square, and the historic network of cable cars. Venture out to the Golden Gate Hyatt drybar Media Event May 12 2016 Steven Gregory Photography-2875Bridge and beyond from your convenient accommodations in Fisherman’s Wharf. In addition to Drybar Buttercup Blow-Dryers, travelers can also enjoy BeeKind eco-friendly bath and body products, Keurig in-room coffee brewing systems and JBL Wireless speakers rolling out in Hyatt Centric locations in the United States in May 2016.

Our team got to visit Hyatt Centric Fisherman’s Wharf San Hyatt Centric DryBarFrancisco for a made over with the DryBar team from Union Square location in downtown San Francisco,  as well as experience the new amenity of the newly remodeled and rebranded. Our team had a great time looking fabulous of our girls night out. We surely felt like a million bucks.

The Drybar Buttercup Blow-Dryers features an ultra-powerful motor to get the job done fast and efficiently. Buttercup was designed for use by stylists at Drybar shops to deliver perfect, long-lasting blowouts to thousands of clients every day. NanoIonic™ Technology helps to break up water quickly for reduced dry-time. Nano beads within the dryer emit powerful negative ions that seal and smooth the hair cuticle, helping to reduce frizz, increase shine, and trap moisture inside for more healthy-looking, hydrated hair.

Hyatt Centric DryBar 4The video tutorial provides Webb’s well-tressed tips for well-traveled guests to achieve the perfect blowout in their hotel room. Webb’s travel style video created exclusively for the Hyatt Centric brand can be viewed above. The video will be available for Hyatt Centric guests to view in their rooms and includes everything from tips to keep hair tame while out of town, to how to freshen up second-day hair and how to protect your hair from humidity and wind.

The Hyatt Centric Experience

Hyatt Centric is a brand of full-service lifestyle hotels located in prime destinations. Created for millennial-minded travelers who want to be in the middle of the action, Hyatt Centric hotels are thoughtfully designed to enable exploration and discovery. The lobby lounge is a launch pad providing guests with information Hyatt drybar Media Event May 12 2016 Steven Gregory Photography-2906about the most sought-after food, nightlife and activities the destination has to offer, sourced from a community of “in the know” local explorers. The bar and restaurant are local hot spots where great conversations, locally inspired food and signature cocktails can be enjoyed. Streamlined modern rooms focus on delivering everything guests wants and nothing they don’t, including environmentally conscious bath products, Bluetooth-enabled electronics and restaurant to-go delivery service. A team of associates are always available to aid guests in their discovery of the destination and make the most of their stay.

About Drybar:

Drybar is based on a simple philosophy: Focus on one thing and be the best at it. For Drybar, that’s blowouts. The idea was a natural one for curly-haired founder Alli Webb, a longtime professional Hyatt Centric DryBar 3stylist, who grew tired of overpaying for blowouts at traditional salons. Named one of the top “100 Brilliant Ideas” by Entrepreneur Magazine and one of New York Magazine’s Boom Brands, Drybar is on track to have over 70 retail locations by the end of 2016. The brand will continue adding to its popular line of hair styling products & tools sold both online and in its own shops, as well as at Sephora and Nordstrom in the U.S. and Canada.

BITE Silicon Valley Grand Tasting Recap

levisThis inauguration Bite Silicon Valley 2015 wasn’t only for foodies + techies get together, but also for a great cause, supporting two outstanding organizations in the Bay Area.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties (SHFB) is the trusted leader dedicated to ending local hunger in Silicon Valley. And the 49ers Foundation mission is to ‘Keep Kids Safe, on Track and in School.’

The two days Grand Tasting fill with food, wines, cocktails at the state of the art Levi’s Stadium, the home of the 49ers. There was food_bite_silicon_valleymore than 60 chefs, 30 wineries, liquor, beer, sake, and more; all come together to showcase a dynamic weekend of exceptional bites, cooking demos, and chef collaborations. Bite SV featured the industry’s leading technology experts and celebrity chefs such as including José Andrés, Michael Chiarello, Roy Choi, Dominique Crenn, Michael Mina, and Michael Voltaggio. And it’s in the heart of Silicon Valley at the newest and beautiful stadium, the host of Super Bowl 50, and the first professional football stadium to have achieved LEED Gold certification. Levi’s® Stadium is predicted Bite Silicon Valley 2015 052to be the first Californian pro sports venue to achieve net zero energy performance. There’s no place better to host Bite SV than here.

The two days Grand Tasting with over 700 guests for the first year. The two afternoons that you can get up close and personal with celebrity chefs for the first hour or so, it’s best if you get the VIP ticket so that you can attend the wine seminars. You got to meet your favorites, TV celebrities, Master Top Chefs, you name it, they were there to greet and hand you food. There was no line on both days. There were plenty of food and drinks, floating all day, except a few stations the dishes were gone after 2.5 hours. There is no place else can do a grander epicurean event for foodies + tech together like Bite Silicon Valley.

The best part of the Grand Tasting was that no food gone to waste. Bite Silicon Valley 2015 087The excellent company Feeding Forward made sure all food leftover was to deliver to feed the less fortunate. A social venture using technology to connect those with excess food to feed those in need through their mobile app. According to @FeedingForward, by saving just 5% of food from being wasted, we can feed 4 million people. Did you know that 365 million pounds of edible food are thrown away every day? Feed Forward goal is to eradicate hunger & food waste in America. Their platform enables businesses with excess edible food to fed communities in need, instantly. Please join the movement. Follow them @FeedingForward www.FeedingForward.com.

Thank you www.BiteSV.com and Octagon Culinary for an unforgettable weekend.

Some of the high-tech dishes that fans loved:

  1. Chef José Andrés used Clean Cook Stoves solar to make that tasty tacos  @CookStoves. Many attendees were wow by it, only in Silicon Valley.
  2. Revolutionary Plant-Based Dairy @KiteHillCheese, healthy, nutritious, and sustainable. The truffle Dill & Chive cheese and 2-3dcream cheese options make out of almond milk is perfect for lactose intolerance.
  3. 3DS Culinary, 3D Printing candies booth was a popular attraction for techies here.
  4. Cracker bite by @Nomiku was a big heat with a lot of home cooks and chefs.

3-motoA few of our favorite vegetarian dishes:

  1. Chef Richie Farina, Executive chef at Moto Restaurant in Chicago, Top Chef Texas contestant, with his stunningly beautiful edible garden.
  2. 2-beyondmeat-burger100% plant base meat, burger, and taco @BeyondMeat was a popular choice for vegetarian and vegan alike.
  3. Vegetarian bite by chef Charlie Parker at happening spot in Oakland @HavenOakland, Furikake Cracker, Smoke Goat Cheese, Sweet and Sour Eggplant, Mint.

Some of the tastiest dishes of all:

  1. Bite Silicon Valley 2015 055The Glazed Pork Belly bite by Michelin Starred Chef Peter Armellino @PlumedHorse, it was our favorite dish on Day 2 Grand Tasting.
  2. Txampis “Bar Soriano” by Chef Jeffrey Weiss @JeninniKWB Seared Mushroom and garlic, it was our favorite 3-mushroomdish on Day 3 Grand Tasting. It was so good that brought many foodies back to the line for second or third bite at Sunday’s Grand Tasting.
  3. Since Foie Gras is legalized again in California, it was 3-ateliercrennpopular at BITE SV. Foie Gras Mousse bite elegantly displayed on a nice wood log by Michelin Starred Chef Dominique Crenn @AtelierCrenn, it was gone an hour before the Grand Tasting over.
  4. Delicious & the most aromatic Minced Lamb Sandwich dish @DosaSF.
  5. 3-spoonbarSimply Tasty Chilled Carrot Broth, Fermented Curry, Shallot, Peanut Granola, and Basils by Top Chef finalist Louis Maldonado @SpoonBar in downtown Healdsburg.
  1. Fresh oyster prepared by Chef Yu Min Lin’s signature dressing and Chef Dan Huynh of @TheSEAbyASH of Alexander’s Steakhouse Group was a perfect dish for 95-degree hot afternoon.
  1. 3-bourbonsteakpubLocal Salmon Crudo, Pressed Caviar, Yuzu Kosho, Crème Fraiche was the most photogenic dish by chef Chris Curtis @Chefcurtiss of @BourbonSteakPub a @ChefMichaelMina restaurant.
  1. Duck and Crab Fritter bites packed with flavor by Chef Dinari Brown @CenterPlate @LevisStadium
  2. Smoked Sea Scallop with Drop Biscuit, Bacon Aioli and tomato jam by Chef Parke Ulrich @Waterbar
    Bite Silicon Valley 2015 065
  3. Have you ever tried Foie Gras Macaron? Michelin Starred Chef Dmitry Elperin @TheVillagePubCA undoubtedly delivered this savory bite.

For sweet tooth foodies, there’re plenty desserts and pastries:

  1. 3-slanteddoorFor sweet tooth Chef Charles Phan @charlesphansf  @TheSlantedDoor served Vietnamese Coconut Rice Pudding dish. We have seen chef Charles Phan countless time at many food festivals, recently at the Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival, but he hadn’t prepared any 3-michaelminasfdesserts before. This dessert spoon bite was a real treat.
  2. Perfect chocolate Jasmine, Hibiscus, Strawberry by Chef Matt Siciliano @MattSiciliano of the Michelin Starred @MichaelMinaSF
  3. Delicious chocolate mousse dessert from chef Veronica Aroyo @BourbonSteakPub
  4. 2-iccChocolates and plenty desserts by International Culinary Institute @ICCeduWebsite: BiteSV.com
    Twitter: Twitter.com/bitesv