Plantain Omelets

Inspired by the Plantain Omelet I had at Cafe Habana while I was in New York, I decided to see if I can make the delicious dish myself.

Ingredients (serves 1):
- 1 Ripe plantain
- 1/4 Vadalia sweet onion
- 3 Eggs





Turned out really well! The flavor combinations play together really well and the crunchy texture of the onion gives a contrast to the starchy texture of the plantain.

Definitely will be making this dish again. Next thing I wanna try to make... Cafe Habana Mexican Corn on the Cob.

East Coast Adventures: Day 7 & 8

Photos from the end of the trip are posted: here


Alas, all good things must come to an end. I had to run some errands before I could really start the day yesterday. I went to pick up some coffee/tea to take home. I stopped by a hand-made biscotti place, Bis.Co.Latte Hand Made Biscotti (yelp review: here).


Yummy biscotti, but my attempt at starting to drink coffee failed miserably. I absolutely did not feel good. Probably because I only a puny biscotti with the coffee.
My head was pounding and I felt really dizzy, but I trudged on. To the Metropolitan Museum of Art we went.
I started feeling so bad that I had to take a nap at the cafeteria to help me feel better. I also got some food in my stomach.


This was a pricey Rigatoni but man, it was exactly what I needed.

The Met is huge. Not The Louve huge but there are a lot of art work/historical pieces in this place. I wish I had more time and energy but after about 2 hour your brain just gets tired absorbing all this material.

Then we got some rush tix for Laurence Fishborne's one man show, Thurgood. We rushed down Broadway (not something I recommend during rush hour) to meet up with my friend Shawn for dinner. He took us to a really interesting restaurant called Kati Roll Company (yelp review: here).


Its like an Indian burrito. Nothing like Indian food wrapped up and ready to go. However, as you can tell from the pic, this is one greasy roll.

Shawn took us up to the top of one of the sky scrapers and got an amazing view of mid town Manhattan.

As for our show... Thurgood was a good change from all the musicals I've been watching. A one man show following the life of Justice Thurgood Marshall, had a ton of history that held the audience captive. Amazing to watch one man run the whole show for an hour and a half. Absolutely not a flashy show but one that stimulates your brain and exercises your American History.

I hate packing... it stinks even more when you know you have to wake up in 3 hours to begin your travels. I woke up at 4am this morning to be able to walk down to Penn Station to catch the train to Long Island. I get to the airport 3 hours ahead of my departure. So, what do I do? SLEEP! Mmmmm... I loved every second of it. I got on my flight and my journey home began. First stop, Chicago. I don't remember much of the flight as I slept most of the way. Onward, to Las Vegas. Again, I don't remember much of the flight but what was interesting was that during both of these flights, they passed out nabisco snacks! Not only that, you can take as much as you want. I wasn't sure if it was just a long flight thing, but we didn't have that on the short west coast flights. I haven't been to Vegas in over 12 years. And haven't been since I turned 21. So, I really wanted to try the slots in the airport.

I found my slot of choice and sat down. These slot machines are so flashy. All the lights that really don't mean anything but make the machines sparkle. I set a limit. Not spending more than $5. I put in my $5 bill. Pushed the buttons... the machine spins, lost. Spin again, lost. Spin again, win... woohoo.. $1. Spin again.... 7... 7... 7... I had no idea what was happening but the bell kept ringing and my total winnings rose quickly. Before you know it I was at $65! Woah... I won a big jackpot! CRAZY! Should I stop? I mean, maybe I can win again... ok... new limit $50... My money dwindled down toward $50... ding ding ding... there it goes again! This time though, I win up to $75. OK.... I need to stop when it hits $60. I win a little here and there and I went down to $60. I cash out and get a look at my winnings. Wow... $60 from putting in $5... pretty good eh?

I got back to San Jose around 5pm and I must admit, its pretty nice to come back to normalcy. Well, the end has come on this trip... but I've already started thinking about the next. I will be going to Mexico on a missions trip in a month, so I have that to look forward to. Back I go, back to the daily grind. Till next time...

East Coast Adventures: Day 6

Photos from today's adventures can be found: here


Day 6 already?!?! man.... time flies.

Happy Memorial Day everyone! Lets start right off... breakfast a little hard to find since most places were closed due to the holiday. I did find one. And boy, what a find. I went to Sullivan St. Bakery (yelp review: here), which later I found out, has "the best bread in town".

I began with the Chocolate Torte... I was amazed. The crust was crispy and the inside... mmmm... soft and gooey. Reminded me of a really dang good brownie. I kept glancing at their other offerings and my eye was drawn to... the Potato Pizza. Woah, I thought to myself, I've got to try this...

And I did. And it was marvelous! Like scalloped potatoes on top of the best bread in the city. Rosemary was sprinkled on top to really gave this slice a real topper.

Off to Brooklyn we went. We crossed over the Brooklyn Bridge to get to the other side of the East River. The bridge is truly a thing of beauty. So simple yet structurally a thing to admire. The bridge was definitely built to be walked on. The wooden planks lead you right underneath the massive stones supporting the bridge up. You get to see the precise wires run up and down these stones to provide geometric wonders for your eyes.
Over the bridge you're dumped into DUMBO. No. Not the elephant, the district underneath the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridge. I stopped by a cute little cafe called DUMBO General Store (yelp review: here). It looked nice, but the ice tea was mediocre at best. We stopped and rested in Brooklyn Bridge part and took in the beautiful view of the island of Manhattan. We had such a beautiful day today and we were enjoying every minute of it.
We walked along the water into Brooklyn Heights. I've decided that if I could live in any part of NYC it would definitely be Brooklyn Heights. Much less busy than anywhere in Manhattan, family friendly, yet close enough to the excitement of Manhattan via subway.

After exploring a bit more of Brooklyn, Randy and I headed for the northern most tip of Central Park. He had never been so I wanted him to get a glimpse of how vast and confusing the park can be. Yeah... we got lost in Central Park and that pretty much showed Randy how confusing it can be. A friend of ours had just moved to NY to attend Columbia University and we walked over to her place to meet up for dinner. She took us to Hummus Place (yelp review here)... the place changed my life...

I've never considered hummus as a meal before. But man, it works really well. There were a variety of hummus to choose from and we ordered three different ones from the menu. The one that stood out the most was the Shakshuka - Mediterranean tomato and vegetable and 2 eggs over easy with Halumi Cheese, that combo of stewed tomatos and cheese.. yum!
We rounded dinner off with a stop over at the Moishe's Kosher Bakery (yelp review: here).

I got a bag of Hamentaschen - glorified jelly cookie.

Off we went to Blue Note jazz club. Supposedly this is one of the most popular and expensive clubs in town. Grrr... both are true. There were a TON of people there and man a $10 cover/set and $5 purchase minimum/person? The $5 was taken care of real fast as nothing on the drink menu was less than $8. I had a Swiss Coffee and that on its own was $10. Geeze. Must admit though the talent that come through that club is legendary. We saw Juan-Carlos Formell and he was amazing. There was a jazz violinist that blew my mind. I haven't heard jazz violin played sooo well.

The show ended around 9:30p and the night was young! So we started wandering around NYC, toward the general vicinity of my friend's apt. on the upper west side. Surprises along the way... Korea town, the Empire State building and a lady singing mariachi using her whistle piano toy on the subway.

My last full day in NYC tomorrow... things to look forward to...
- The Met museum of art.
- Another broadway show.... either Chicago or Passing Strange...

Sadness.. last day...

East Coast Adventures: Day 5

Photos from today's adventures are posted: here


Sorry for the lack of pictures today... Randy and I went show hopping! Ya know... people movie hop or bar hop but in New York we took the opportunity to hop from one broadway show to another. I know... we're big dorks but hey, we had fun doing it!

I really wanted to see RENT before it closed out in NY, but there was no way I was gonna pay full price for a ticket. So, we headed to the theater to put our names in a lottery for 34 front row tickets for $20 each. I won one of these lotteries before when I saw Wicked in Chicago and I was REALLY hoping for a similar result. The theater staff began to draw names from a bucket... several names were read and we were dwindling to the last few seats. The staff picks up a card... is silent... oh gosh... that might be my name... there is always a strange pause before someone tries to pronounce my name... D..ddd... dan... van.... ra..ungg... I stopped him. One to relieve him from his misery and two, I was excited I got the tix!! $20 for FRONT ROW seats.... wow...

We had two hours before the show started, so we headed over to East Village for some grub..
I wanted some ramen from Go! but they weren't open. We settled for pizza at Ray's (yelp review: here)

Isn't that interesting? Chicken and broccoli pizza! It was aight...

Afterward we stopped by a cafe called Abraco (yelp review: here)...

I picked up a cured olive cookie. Thats right, olive! In a cookie! A lil' weird at first but definitely an interesting taste. In a good way.

Back to the theater we went. Sufficiently fed. We handed our tickets over to the usher and he congratulates us for being a lotto winner and escorted us to our seats. We... went... up... to ... the ... front... holy moly... I have never seen so much of the expression on an actors face before. And what a cast this was too! They were absolutely amazing. Blows the touring cast I saw OUT OF THE WATER. I teared up twice :) It was that good. My favorite though, has to be the guy who played Roger. MmmMMmm that boy has got an awesome voice.

We left the theater at 4:30p... the lotto for In the Heights is in 30 mins... should we do it... AH sure why not!? Walked 5 blocks down to 46th street to put our name in another lotto. This time the tix were $25 for again, front row seats. Nervously we watched as more and more people place their names into the bucket. The moment came. Names were being drawn one by one... RANDY WOO... yessssss! We got it! How amazing is that!?! Two front row seats in two sold out show for an amazing price! wow...
Before the show we stopped for a quick light dinner at Amish Market (yelp review: here)

The interesting bit was the apricot with mascarpone cheese. Eh... it was aight... the apricots weren't that sweet.

Now, I've heard a little bit about this show, but mostly for its choreography. But when that first beat hit and the cast stepped on stage, the energy didn't let up till the last note. Seriously... this is probably one of my favorite musicals. First, the music... oh my... it is GOOD. A mix of latin flavor with a bit of a hip hop beat. Its so good, I pre-ordered my soundtrack. The dancing was amazing. Modern hip hop moves are mixed with sensual salsa sway to give this show a very energetic beat. Lastly, the story is intriguing, although a tiny little bit light, but I can look past that :) This musical is up for 13 Tony awards, including best new musical, and I can see why. If you are ever in NY, go see this show!

Randy and I were pumped up after the show and not ready to call it quits yet. We wandered around town a little more, stopping by Radio City Music Hall and another quick stroll over to Rockefeller center. I remember it looking a lot bigger in pictures and on TV though...

After such an exciting day, it was time for a midnight snack. On the way home we stopped by Garden City Deli (yelp review: here)

Mmmm... falafel. I must admit I didn't expect much from this place but came out pleasantly surprised.

So many ideas for tomorrow, being a holiday I'm not sure what will actually happen. We'll find out... One this is for sure though, I'm going to see a latin jazz show at Blue Note tomorrow night!

East Coast Adventures: Day 4

Photos from today's adventures are available: here


What a day... Randy got in last night so I gave him a crash course on what I've learned about NYC so far. We did A LOT today... we started of with a subway ride to China Town for some good ol' Asian style breakfast at Dumpling House (yelp review here)...


Would you believe it if I told you I got everything you see in the pic for $3.50? Well, you better believe it! It was delicious and absolutely affordable. My arteries shudder every time I see the picture of that greasy, oily goodness.

Then off we went down to the TKTs office in south port where we heard the lines were shorter for the discount broadway tickets. After about 40 mins of waiting in line we grabbed two tickets for Avenue Q. More about that show later...

Since we were in the neighborhood, we stopped by Wall St. next. Walking over, the neighborhood felt absolutely different than anything near the apt. I'm staying at in Hell's Kitchen. Streets are clean, buildings reach to the skies and Tiffany & Co. is housed here. We knew we were in the financial district. Wall St. is HEAVILY guarded. Makes sense considering Wall St. is the heartbeat of America whether you like it or not.

We continued walking down the street to Trinity Church. It older gothic style building definitely stands out amongst the fancy shmancy sky scrapers surrounding it. Inside, it is a haven from daily life. Hard to imagine this place is down the street from Wall St. Totally different atmosphere. Surrounding the church was a cemetery with tombstone from the early 1700s, some even from the late 1600s. Old stuff.

Walking around the block you come to the site of the former World Trade Center. The area, now widely known as Ground Zero, is very solemn and reflective. There isn't much, if any remnants of the original building or the physical damage left behind from 9/11. Still, there is an air of disbelief as you look at the massive amount of earth that has been cleared away in the area that the buildings used to stand. There really isn't much there, but a really great place to reflect upon events that lead up to where the world is today.

South of Ground Zero is Battery Park. It sits right along the Hudson River looking toward the Statue of Liberty. Everyone (and their dogs) were out at the park today. It was simply gorgeous, or as us Californians would say, a normal day :)
I couldn't justify waiting in a humongous line and paying a ridiculous amount of money for a ferry over to the Statue of Liberty just to stare at it from close proximity. So I stared at it from far away.

After all that, my stomach was asking for food. One place many people have been raving about to me has been Cafe Habana (yelp review here). And come to find out, it is worth all the rave. The restaurant is situated near SoHo and Little Italy, just down the street from NYU. Everything about that area reminds me of SF. All the hipster 20 somethings walking around with their tight jeans and clever T-Shirts. Now for the Cuban food pics...



Everything was absolutely amazing. Especially the roasted corn on the cob. This is going to be a dish I need to replicate. The combination of corn, chili powder, cheese and lime just creates a fiesta in your mouth. And the plantain omelette... what a combination of flavors... man. it was great! Oh, surprise of the day... we were walking to Little Italy and there was a carnival! And next thing you know we're in the middle of a parade. If you thought that was random... on the subway ride home, two guys in cowboy hats jump in our car and next thing you know... they're playing mariachi music in our car. I was surprised at first but after a while I couldn't stop smiling - just thinking of how random this was. I guess anything can happen when you're in NYC.

I could've gone back to California a happy man after that. But this is really just the beginning... the other exciting I had been looking forward to in NY was broadway...

Saw Avenue Q for the first time tonight. It was hilarious. Just imagine an adult version of Sesame Street. At first I found the puppets, actually the actors behind the puppets, a bit annoying but quickly adapted. The musical is definitely light and fluffy, telling it to you in face value, not watering down any racist jokes or adult humor. I liked it. A good laugh, but not sure if I'd see it again.

I was starving after the show. Randy and I walked up and down 9th Ave. from 42nd to 47th looking for a place to eat. Not that we couldn't find anything, but there was soooo much to choose from. OH, moment of the night... we were looking at this Brazilian restaurant and we hear this beautiful female voice sing "At Last". We glanced over... umm... it wasn't a lady singing it... it was a guy... yeah.... at first we were definitely shocked. I mean, even if it was a girl, it was an AWESOME singing voice. But now that we knew it was a guy... it was something else.... wow... I've seen/heard a lot of things in my life. But I've NEVER seen/heard anything like this.
Anyway... we chose an Indonesian restaurant called Bali Nusa Indah (yelp review here)


I had the Veggie pre-fixe menu and Randy had the Meat pre-fixe menu. It was good. Not great. A little bland compared to other Indo food I've had. The desert was good though! I think it was called a banana island? Fried banana with vanilla ice cream.

Boy... what a day... I just realized I'm half way through my trip :( sadness... I've done so much, but this city still has a ton of things to offer. What to look forward to the next couple of days...
Tomorrow: Broadway - RENT, more Central Park, Brooklyn?
Monday: The Met? Jazz at Blue Note.
Tuesday: Some other museum? Broadway - In the Heights.

And ofcourse a ton more foods to try and taking photos for you guys to enjoy.

East Coast Adventures: Day 3

Photos from today's adventures are up: here


New York City... center of the universe... and home to a bajillion people who all walk on the street at the same time. Other than that, its great! I slept sooo incredibly well last night given the fact I was in a strange place and traffic noise didn't let up all night. Crazy...

Woke up and was determined to get a NY breakfast, whatever that means. Headed down 9th to see what I could find. I stopped by a coffee shop called the Empire Coffee & Tea Co. (yelp review here) for a drink. I was greeted with Beatles music and rows and rows of coffee beans lined up against the wall. Needless to say, it smelled magnificent in there. I grabbed my Chai and headed down the street to find something solid to eat. A friend of mine had mentioned Amy's Bread (yelp review: here) to me and it just happened to be down the street. This is a baker's dream come true... Piles of fresh baked goods coming in from the kitchen in the back. All you had to do was point to what you wanted but see, thats the problem... there were a TON of things I wanted to get. From apple scones to tomato focaccia, they had it all. I settled for a sticky bun...

There you are... chai on the left, sticky bun on the right. That bun was OUT OF THIS WORLD. The crust peeled like a warm croissant and the middle was warm and soft like a baguette. Simply amazing... I hear their "Monkey Cake" - banana bread with walnuts and a cream cheese frosting - is really good too, I'll have to go back and try some.

Alright, had my NY breakfast. I'm ready to conquer this city! To start off... Time Square... Talk about a lot of people... this was tourist capitol USA. I know, I was adding to the numbers too, but geeze it was packed. The lights are pretty. I'll have to go check them out at night for the full effect. Cool. Conquered time square... now... Central Park.
Took 6th Av. all the way down to Central Park and made a quick stop at the Apple Store on 5th Av. This is a thing of beauty. Full glass enclosure and its cubed, I mean, you can't beat a clear cubed structure :)

Made a quick stop for lunch at Viand Coffee Shop (yelp review: here)


This place was TINY. Maybe... tables for 15 people? Thats it. Mr. Boss man was a little pushy so instead of getting my meal togo I sat down to appease him. Had the Western Omelet. The highlight was actually the potatoes and not the omelet itself. It was bland but it was kinda cool that they served the omelet a little undercooked so it was still a little runny.

I quickly downed that "omelet" and headed to chill in Central Park. Boy, was I lucky. There was a jazz quartet playing in the park around some benches. Nothing like letting your stomach do its digesting thing while some free jazz is buzzing through the air. Marvelous.
It was time to head back to home base to plan my afternoon excursion... Harlem.

I took the A train down to Harlem, since it is the quickest way there. (If you understand the song reference, 10 million points for you) Harlem is pretty awesome. I love the feel of the neighborhood. Absolutely tight knit with beautiful Queen Anne style town homes lined up and down the street. It amazing to be walking down the same streets where decades ago the Harlem renaissance was a buzzin. Now, a tour of Harlem wouldn't be complete without some soul food to top it off. I found a place called Amy Ruth's (yelp review: here)...



Mmmm... I ordered the "Al Sharpton" 1/4 Chicken and waffles. It was so good, it deserves two pictures :)
Just look at that fatty, gooey goodness... yum!

Welp, I'm back at the apt. waiting for Randy to show up. I really want to try to go to Time Square tonight and take some shots. If successful, this blog will be appropriately updated :)

UPDATE: Randy made it! Hopped over to time square. Its amazing to see how many are STILL out at night.


Randy hadn't eaten yet so we stopped by one of the local 24 hr. joints in the neighborhood. Papaya Dog! Strange name, cheap food (yelp review: here)

A spicy sausage with everything on it... except mayo :/

East Coast: Day 2

Photos from today are available: here


I tried to wake up early today, I really did - just didn't happen.
When I eventually woke up around 8, had my Cliff bar and I was out the door.

Took the Metro down to the Capitol area and headed into my representative's office for my Capitol Building tour. Since no one else showed up for the tour, I got a one-on-one personal tour of the Capitol by a staff member. The Capitol building is impressive. Absolutely beautiful interiors with intricate decorations that would rival any Cathedral or Church in Europe. Everything about the Capitol has been kept as close to the original as possible. So, you'd have to duck going through short staircases and deal with your balance as most of the steps have worked a dent into them from years of wear. The best part was probably watching a live session of the House of Representatives. There is something about grown men and women formally and properly arguing with each other that is so intriguing.

After my tour was complete, I walked out onto the Mall and see it stretch alllll the way down to the Lincoln memorial. Pretty amazing.

For lunch I had Indian food. No... probably not what you're thinking... I had American Indian food. :)



I had the banana leaf short ribs with guajilo peppers and huitlacoche (what those are, I have no idea) with a side of rice and "wild" greens; to drink I had a glass of Prickly pear and cactus juice. Wow. It was interesting, in a good way. :) The meat pretty much melted off the short ribs to reveal a striking, yet not overwhelming or bold taste. The prickly pear and cactus juice was vibrant in color but was not too sweet and proved to be a really refreshing pick me up.

Check out my (elite) yelp review: Mitsitam Cafe

After refueling, I continued down the Mall for a quick stop by the Air & Space museum. I wish I had more time to check out all the other really cool other museums but unfortunately I had to hurry to catch some more monuments.

The Washington monument is tall, by no means a record breaker in that area but its structure really stands out against the rest of the Mall. The white sandstone is absolutely beautiful when hit with sunlight or spotlights at night.

The World War II Memorial is a newer addition to the Mall but doesn't fail to impress.

My most familiar memory of the Lincoln Memorial is from "Forrest Gump". That one scene where "Jennayy" runs across the reflection pond to meet Forrest on stage. Yeah... the Lincoln is just like that, plus more! The statue of Lincoln is quite impressive, gives me the same feeling of vastness and awestruck wonder that Michaelangelo's David gave me. Its just so unrealistically BIG. The words of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation are engraved on the sides of the monument, surrounding you with his legacy.

The Vietnam War memorial is truly emotional. Walking down into the ground, you get a glimpse of all the flowers, letters and flags others have left behind underneath the names of friends, spouses and family members. Reaching out my hand to feel the name on the dark granite made my heart sank. Its these names and others that have given up their lives that I can stand here and enjoy the great freedom and liberty that I have. Sorry for sounding like a total American citizen but with this place (along with the rest of DC) gives you a glimpse at how insane the founding fathers were to consider a government such as ours and the immense amount of sacrifice that goes into defending those ideals.

Okay, I'm done sounding like an American History teacher...

I wish I had more time in DC because there is so much more I want to see and experience beyond the 24 hours I did spend in the city.

I'm currently on the 7pm Acela train from DC to NYC, riding FIRST CLASS baby! woohoo! I'm livin' it up while I can :)
I'm digging the amenities that come with first class like a first class lounge before you board (with free snacks and wifi), pre boarding privileges, unlimited drink on-board and complimentary dinner.

Speaking of dinner, I had...


Braised chicken thighs in a white wine and green grape sauce, served with yellow rice and wilted spinach with a glass of Mirassu Chardonnay topped off with a Ghiradelli chocolate.

Well... I should be arriving in Penn station NY in about an hour. Hopefully, I'll have internet tonight to get this and the pics from today up.

EDIT: I've arrived safely in NY... I got out of Penn station and everyone and their mother is walking around the streets... what the... I guess they really mean it when they say New York is the city that never sleeps...

East Coast, here I am...

Pics from today's adventures are up at: danvin.smugmug.com

And.. I'm off!

Today started early as I headed to SFO to catch my 7am flight to DC via Chicago. Pretty much slept all the way to Chicago. Thank goodness I have one of those donut pillow thingys for my neck, it came in super handy.

First food joint experienced on this trip, Potbelly Sandwich Works in Chicago.

I got the Turkey Breast sandwich, extra spicy :)

Check out my yelp review... here

Scarfed down my sandwich and jumped right back on the plane headed for DC.

My second meal... :)


I headed out of the terminal in DC and bam... I got a face full of rain. Not just rain, but it was one of those where the wind was blowing the rain it so hard it came in sideways. Yeah... wasn't prepared for that. Got on my bus and headed in for the city.

Man, I thought Cali traffic was bad... DC traffic is just equally bad, if not worst. We were stopped for a while.

Transfered from the bus to the Metro headed for the heart of the city. When I got out of the subway, I noticed... man, this city is clean... Walked a couple of block down to the hostel I was staying in and checked in. I wasted no time. I put my stuff down in my dorm room and ran back down to join a group of people going on a walking tour of Georgetown.

Georgetown is the quintessential yuppy town of America. Absolutely beautiful with antique colonial style homes lined up and down the street. The area is surrounded by the likes of Ralph Lauren, Banana Republic and the United Colors of Benetton. Made a quick trip through Georgetown University. Again, gorgeous architecture. The last stop of the night was a the "Exorcist" stairs - where they filmed the last bit of the movie where someone gets pushed down the stairs.

Dinner was had at the "Third Edition":

I had the Portabella Mushroom and Peppers sandwich.. it was eh...

Check out my yelp review... here