Hipster Cuisine Part I

When you think of the word “hipster”, what do you think?

Lens-less glasses?

Boys in skinny jeans? (Ew.)

Music your friends “probably haven’t heard of yet”? (Thanks, Logan.)

Girls who think wearing mustaches is cute? (AWFUL.)

Jef from The Bachelorette? (Swoon.)

You don’t think of food, do you? Well apparently New York magazine does. More specifically, they think of Asian cuisine. As I flipped through this week’s issue of New York, I came across an article titled “Asian Hipster Cuisine.” Until then, I’d never even seen the word “Asian” next to the word “hipster.” But, hey, NYC is way ahead of SC – let’s be honest.

The article basically claims that Asian cuisine is trending. That 2012 “has been the year of ramen and buns, Sichuan and Shaanxi.” They interview several chefs (not all of whom are Asian) who describe this “hipster” cuisine:

“A noodle bar in a dive bar.” “Asian-American.” “Street food.” “Weird Chinese food.”

I thought back to this year’s restaurant openings in Charleston and it hit me. Holy pho, a bunch of them were Asian!

• Co – Vietnamese
• Izakaya Hiro – Sushi/Modern Japanese
• Xiao Bao Biscuit – opening Fall 2012

Why do you think Asian food is suddenly a trend? I always thought it was cool, so I’m pretty pumped that there’s a rise in Asian restaurant openings. Bring on the steamed pork buns, noodles, and kimchee. I love it all.

Have you noticed more Asian restaurants/food trucks/pop-up dinners in your area?

What other trend do you consider hipster? Any foods? Let’s not forget men in scarves, coffee shops, rolled-up jeans, PBR, suspenders, and Skrillex’s hair.

Happy Chinese New Year! 新年快乐

Look at those fancy symbols, you guys! That’s Chinese for Happy New Year. This is the year of the Dragon, so you Dragon babies should have a lucky 2012. Want to know  your Chinese zodiac sign? Take a gander at this chart.

My zodiac animal is the Rat. Lovely.

To celebrate, I hung out with my one and only Chinese friend, Boding. When I told him that I thought I might have another Chinese friend he told me, “Well go ahead and just unfriend them because I’m the only one that matters.” Boom.

Before our celebration, we started off Sunday with a matinee showing of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. When I first saw the preview a couple months ago, I cried, replayed it, and cried again. Wait, what? I cry like twice a year and a movie trailer was making me produce tears? No way. Needless to say, I was dying to see it.

I assumed that I’d become dehydrated from crying so much, but in reality, it wasn’t even that sad. Or that good. It wasn’t a bad film, but I think I set my expectations too high. I didn’t regret spending $7.50 to sit on my behind for 2 hours and 9 minutes though. Especially because I was quite comfortable wearing my snuggie in the theater. Boding was impressed with my “lack of dignity” as I walked back to the car like this.

For dinner we made, oh, you guessed it, Chinese food.

NY strip + bok choy + snow peas + red peppers + water chestnuts + carrots + onions stir-fried in a sesame ginger marinade.

That is one happy Chinese man.

Before cooking, we stopped at a nearby Chinese restaurant to purchase two fortune cookies. I always hope that cracking open my cookie will reveal one of my life’s burning questions, but it never happens. This fortune is 100% inaccurate.

I am an impatient mess. That didn’t stop me from eating the cookie though. It was one of those orange flavored fortune cookies. Have you ever had one of those? They actually don’t taste like crap like the regular ones.

For those of you who have been slacking on your New Year’s resolutions, you can just say you’ve been waiting for the Chinese New Year and start NOW!

Body Attack and Sushi Taro

On Tuesday, Amanda and I planned on going to Body Attack and the Farmer’s Market. Besides the fact that Body Attack is a great cardio workout, I love going for several reasons:

1. Erica teaches the class. She is just awesome. Her energy is contagious and she’s really fun to watch. She’s a billion times more coordinated than I am and honestly, she inspires me to be less twinkle-toed. Did I mention she just gave birth to her gorgeous daughter, Kailyn? Yep, she welcome her peanut on August 1st, and is already teaching classes. See, I told you she’s inspirational.
2. The music! If I’m ever in need for some good tunes, Body Attack has some great tracks. They are usually fast-paced and would probably be great to run to.
3. It’s a good laugh. Honest to God, if I’m ever having a bad day, I need to remind myself that Body Attack makes me laugh a little too much. At what you say? Oh, just myself. My lack of coordination and inability to combine steps is really quite humorous. I always look over at Amanda (who does really well) and then back and myself and think “What are you dooooooooing, Christina? Get with it!” And then I look at Erica and I think “Oh damn, she’s good.”

Seriously though, check out Body Attack if your gym provides the class. It’s an calorie-torching hour of fun!

Our plans to hit up the Farmer’s Market didn’t work out. As we pulled up, we noticed all the trucks packing up! It wasn’t totally dark yet, but I guess that’s what happens when Summer turns to fall. Boo!

But instead of calling it a night, we decided to try a new(ish) restaurant in Mt. P: Sushi Taro. Sushi Taro menu is huge, with options ranging from sushi, hibachi, noodles, and even a few Thai entrees. Amanda and I decided to get an appetizer and share two entrees. This is pretty much the way we always eat together!

After many recommendations from our server (who was so sweet by the way!), we opted for the Gyoza: pan-fried pork dumplings served with ponzu sauce ($6).

Loooooved these. They were slightly crunchy on the outside with a tender, meaty filling. The sweet ponzu sauce was excellent.

Neither Amanda or I can resist a good Pad Thai. I also get really excited when I see Udon noodles on a menu…so that’s exactly what we ordered for our entrees.

Pad Thai: shrimp with rice noodles, bean sprouts, scallions, cilantro, chili paste, lime, crushed peanuts and eggs with tamarind sauce ($11).

Yaki Udon: Shrimp, chicken or beef with special sauce served on hot sizzling plate ($8).

We immediately dug in and loved both dishes…except for the shrimp on the Pad Thai. Something wasn’t right about the smell. And the taste. I’ve had food poisoning from bad oysters before, so there was no way I was taking any chances. I politely sent it back with our waitress who offered to remake the dish with chicken. Both she and the chef were apologetic and more than happy to remake it for us. Every restaurant can make a mistake, but to me, how they handle it is what matters most.

Overall, we were extremely happy with Sushi Taro. The menu prices were very reasonable and the food was just as good as Basil. Think about this: the Pad Thai at Basil is 15.50 and at Sushi Taro it is $11 and tastes the same. Hmm…I think we know where I’ll be revisiting! And if not for the Pad Thai, I still want to try their sushi and hibachi.

What are some of your favorite Japanese/Chinese/Thai entrees?

Have any memorable restaurant experiences? Good or bad?

Welcome Back, Alcohol...and Chinese Food!

Earlier this month, B and I decided to have a no-drinking competition until August. For 3 weeks there would be no drinking at all -- not even on Fridays or Saturdays.  Guess who won?


BOTH OF US!


It's true -- neither of us consumed any alcohol. Brandon was challenged with his little sister's 21st birthday and his cousin's birthday. He was offered shots left and right but turned down anything but water. I was challenged being on vacation with everyone else drinking around me. I turned down wine with dinner and Boston-brewed beer. I was certain that Brandon would crack and I would win just out of stubbornness, but it looks like we're both strong-willed. During the challenge, we made some observations.

Christina:

• I still remembered how to flirt. 
• There were still injuries - bruised hand from volleyball and bruised knee from walking into my bed.
• I weighed 109.6 lbs the first day of the challenge. I weighed 107.4 on the last day of the challenge. Not a big enough difference to be worth giving up alcohol. 
• I really enjoy wine with certain foods. There were a couple times at dinner (with seafood in particular) that I would have liked a glass of wine. 
• I say "Ugh, I need wine." way more than I actually need it. I could have just screamed really loudly instead.
• I only noticed having more energy on the weekends, when I would typically drink more. Other than that, I didn't feel any different.
• Conclusion: I'll keep drinking!

Brandon:

• I felt like I took away from other people's fun to a degree. I still had fun, but I didn't party as hard. I was well-behaved the whole time and didn't make an ass of myself.
• Without a doubt, I saved money. In 3 weeks I saved about $300.
• I worked out more and I had a clearer view on life. I read my bible more. It was nice to see other people wasted and think, "Oh, is that how you are?"
• Conclusion: I'm very glad I did it. It kind of made me want to grow up a little bit more. I'm not in college and don't want to party my balls off anymore. I'm still young and have time to, but it was really nice to wake up every morning for 3 weeks not having a hangover. I never had a wasted day that I sat around hungover. I was always ready to do something and that was nice. 

Our original plan was for the loser to take the winner out for an Italian dinner, but because we both won, we planned something totally different. We decided to try Red Orchids, a Chinese restaurant in West Ashley. I was told by several people that they offer fresh, high-quality meals at reasonable prices. The restaurant is located in a plaza with Big Lots and Burlington Coat Factory. Don't let this discourage you.


The inside of the restaurant is open with lots of red paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling. The owner and hostess were both very friendly. Upon seating we were immediately greeted by our server, Will. He was extremely helpful when we asked for recommendations. He was very happy to answer all of our questions and did a wonderful job explaining the different dishes, wines, and beers.

After seeing steamed buns on Jessica's blog, I knew I had to try them. I was so excited to see them on the menu.

The buns were exactly as I expected - very soft, chewy, and doughy. The pork filling had a sweet sauce that did not overpower the sticky bun. It was really fun to try something new.


Brandon chose pan-fried dumplings as our second appetizer.

We had the option of ordering steamed or pan-fried dumplings. Will told us that pan-fried only meant fried on one side for a little bit of extra crunch, so we couldn't resist. It was perfect. The sauce that accompanied the dumplings was slightly salty and sweet. They were filled with pork and vegetables. 

For entrees, we chose a fish and a chicken dish. Brandon was eager to try one of the house specials: "a pair of 18-22oz of crispy snapper fillet, gently glazed with Chinese sherry, cayenne, and marmalade sauce." Brandon said this dish was very fresh and flaky, however being deep fried with the skin on, every third bite was fishy. I thought the sauce was thick and flavorful and ended up drizzling it on my rice.

We also shared the Hunan Chicken: "sliced chicken stir-fried with mushrooms, peppers, bamboo shoots, and snow peas in Hunan sauce.' This dish wasn't bad, but was lacking complexity. We both agreed that we both enjoy foods with several dimensions. If you're looking for a mild chicken dish, this is for you. The Hunan chicken would be great for those less adventurous or those who can't handle much spiciness. 

Both entrees were served with our choice of white rice, fried rice, or brown rice (for $1 extra). We chose one side of brown rice and one side of fried rice. The fried rice was tasty! Overall, the menu had a lot to choose from. Being that both B and I are not fans of fried food, I think we chose items that weren't pleasing to our palettes. We both agreed that we'd go back to try different entrees. I'd love to try the lemon shrimp, honey-glazed walnut shrimp, or the garlic chicken.  


At dinner, we each had a Japanese beer: Asahi for Brandon, and Sapporo for me. Both were delicious. Brandon's Asahi was a bit sweeter. I figured I would be toasty-faced after this large beer, but somehow I wasn't! I did feel a bit dizzy after half a glass though. When we got home, we popped open a bottle of my favorite white wine: Elk Cove Pinot Gris. Here I am with my wine baby:

And just because I can, I had some red too!!!

Off I go to finish getting my wine on!!!


Thank you all for your encouraging words during this competition! A couple times when I really wanted to drink, I thought about your comments and knew I'd be able to make it. XO!!!