Tongue & Cheek

We were happy to be back on land after a whole afternoon of boating and sunsets with our borderline creepy, but kind and considerate captain.  Man was it a PAIN to find a cab to get back to our condo.  We were 8 girls flailing our arms on a major highway in the dark but no cab would stop for us.  That was a big fail on my part as the planner, but everyone was a good sport about it.  We didn't have anything to munch on during the boat tour, so we were preeeeeetty darn hungry by the time dinner rolled around at the early hour of 9pm.  It takes a while for 8 girls to clean up, ok?

Pretzel Bread

We totally destroyed these, which were piping hot, soft and chewy.  I couldn't really figure out what the sauce was, since it looked like ketchup, but was pretty sweet.

Heirloom Tomato Salad whipped ricotta, rye crackers, basil and olive oil

I should have known that good heirloom tomatoes in February would be a challenge.  They weren't what heirloom tomatoes should be, sweet, tart, oozing with ripeness.  The dish had so much potential.

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Tupelo Junction

Santa Barbara is truly an idyllic little town.  Such a contrast to the recent tragedy that occurred there recently.  But I don't want to bring down the mood, so let's stick to what makes most people happy.  The Mom, HemaSh, and I took a quick weekend getaway to Santa Barbara.  We didn't do much, just eating, walking around, and yapping like the besties we are.  I've known these ladies for over 15 years now!

Cinnamon Apple Beignets creme anglaise

HemaSh seemed a bit disappointed with the beignets, which were more like donut holes.  I didn't mind one bit.  I love dense fried balls.  That sounds all wrong, so get your minds out of the gutters folks.  There were bits of apple chunks in the beignets, which brought just a subtle fruitiness.  They were piping HOT that's for sure.

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Ramen Yamadaya

My quest to find a more awesome ramen joint than Santouka always disappoints.  I swear Santouka must use MSG in their broth.  It's just way too tasty.  Somehow that's where every other places seems to fall short.  The Rock Dweller accompanied me here.  Usually when we dine together, it's difficult to pay attention to the food because we are usually talking each other's heads off and get so distracted.  So it was quite out of the ordinary, when it was the food itself that was distracting me from the conversation, and not in a good way!  

Yamadaya Ramen 3 kinds of chashu, dried seaweed, egg

So the ramen here isn't actually that bad.  The noodles were pretty standard.  The broth was fatty, salty, the usual.  Definitely not as tasty as Santouka.  But man oh man, they served me old ass chasu!  Like it had that old refrigerated made who knows how many days ago "aged" taste.  It was not pleasant.

Kara-Age Chicken
The chicken wasn't old tasting fortunately.  It was actually juicy, seasoned and fried well.  Was it the best kara-age I've ever had?  No, not really, but it hit the spot.

Would I go back to Ramen Yamadaya after they served me "too many days old chasu?"  I am a forgiving eater, so probably yes, but only if someone wanted to go here.  Heck, I've been back to places where I've had food poisoning.  For the time being, let's just say good ole food court ramen at Santouka still has my heart.

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