The best Vietnamese cultural export ...

... (besides Paris by Night, of course (note sarcasm)) is Vietnamese iced coffee, or ca phe sua da. It's a dessert unto itself, I think--velvety smooth, sweet, with a kick of caffeine. Unlike regular coffee, it's hard to imagine eating a sweet dessert in addition to this. Any way, I wanted to share this recipe.

What you'll need to have:

• Ground coffee, coarsely ground. Anything less, and the grains would fall through the holes of the coffee press. You can't go wrong with something classic like Cafe du Monde.
  
• A Vietnamese coffee press set (see picture on the right).
  
• Sweetened condensed milk.
  
• Couple of glasses or mugs.

What you'll need to do:

1. Put two tablespoons of the condensed milk into one mug. (I estimate one tablespoon of condensed milk for each tablespoon of coffee, but I wouldn't go above three.)
   
2. Pack two tablespoons of the coffee into the base of the press, and screw the press down, making sure it's tight. You want the coffee to be fairly dense.
   
3. Place the coffee press set over the mug with the condensed milk in it and pour hot water into the press to the brim. You'll see that the coffee will drip slowly--very slowly--into the mug. The slower it is, stronger the punch of the coffee. A spoon can always be used to loosen the press a bit to let the water flow through faster, but admittedly, the process does take some time and patience.
   
4. While you're waiting, take the second glass or mug and fill it with ice. Take your time, young one! There's no rush. Nom on a gio chao quay and read Nguoi Viet while you wait.
   
5. When no more water is dripping through the press (a handful of minutes), stir the coffee and condensed milk well.
   
6. Pour the sweet, heavenly concoction over the ice and enjoy!

Versus, Series 1: North Tahoe versus South Tahoe

North versus South. No this isn't an analysis of the the Emancipation Proclamation, studying the course of Sherman's march, or rote memorization of the Gettysburg Address. This is a heated debate that many Californians go through when they plan a trip to the Lake Tahoe: Go to North Tahoe or South Tahoe?

Though the two towns straddle the same lake, they can't be more different than one another in terms of personality. How you, as a traveler to Tahoe, would choose depends mainly on one trait: Are you a misanthrope?

View from the north shore of Lake
Tahoe in November 2010.

If the answer is "yes," then chances are North Tahoe will be the pick. The communities comprising North Tahoe are bit more remote and have more of that sylvan charm that is associated with the lake's surroundings. North Lake Tahoe Boulevard edges the northern of the lake, through the tiny communities of Kings Beach, Tahoe Vista, Carnelian Bay and others--the lakeview in front and the forest and mountains behind. Perfectly serene, with less tourists breaching your personal space.

Restaurants are independent and local, which I appreciate, and exist to serve the population living there rather than the hordes of tourists looking for a quick bite before their next trip up to the slopes. When we were there in November for a daytrip, we stopped by a place called CB's Pizza and Grill on a whim. Granted, it's no pizzeria in Rome or even Hot Italian in SacTown, but the food was quite tasty and the location was nice--cross the street and you reach the lake. Hell, it's better than CPK, and that's good enough for me.

South Lake Tahoe, on the other hand, is for those that like crowds. (Interact and be around other people? God forbid!) Unlike the north shore where there are a number of communities that comprise "North Tahoe" there is actually a city called South Lake Tahoe. (The city is about 40 miles south from Kings Beach, the community at the northern-most tip of the lake. The drive, though long, is beautiful, at times on the edge of the deep blue lake, other times through thick forest.) South Tahoe always seems to be busy any time of year, with cars filling the streets, zooming around; hikers during the spring and summer, skiers during the autumn and winter; expensive tourist traps, chain restaurants, and hotels and motels.

View from the south shore on a warm,
early September day (2011).

And the casinos. I didn't mention the casinos? South Lake Tahoe butts up against the state line. Literally step across to the other side of the street from the Embassy Suites, and you're in Nevada and gambling heaven, where the clanging and beeps of the slot machines fill the air, with wisps of cigarettes brush across your nose. Yeah ... not so much my thing.

It's pretty obvious what I prefer. Give me peace and quietness anytime over hustle and bustle. But what do you prefer? Take the survey just below and we'll see which Tahoe community more people prefer--South Lake Tahoe, with its larger crowds, more lively atmosphere, or North Lake Tahoe, with its fewer tourists and serenity?

Which Tahoe do you prefer?

Don't judge a book by its cover (or a restaurant by its menu)

West Sacramento isn't exactly known for its "hip" restaurant scene. Perhaps the one place people outside of West Sac are most familiar with is Club Pheasant. There's also a mix of small independently-owned burger joints like Whitey's and the new Squeeze Inn, and ethnically diverse offerings that range from British, Chinese, Russian, Japanese, Laotian, Thai, Indian, Mexican (lot's of Mexican) and Pakistani. The food is good--very good, in fact. But let's be frank: People in Sacramento consider West Sac to almost be a foreign country, if it registers in their consciousness at all, and wouldn't think about crossing Tower Bridge to try out these places.

That's fine. The restaurants are meant to cater to West Sac residents, and Sac has many of the same ethnically-diverse restaurants and has the original Squeeze Inn to boot. But there is one new place that is just different enough and scrumptious enough for Sac residents to make the effort across the river: the newly opened Eatery.

The Eatery has been open for about a month now in a fairly nondescript location and offers what initially seems like a nondescript menu. The cafe is located in the Town Center Plaza, otherwise known to most people as "The Shopping Area Where the Nugget is At" and seemingly blends into the typical "strip-mall" storefronts of Starbucks, Supercuts, mobile phone services, Roundtable, etc.

The menu is concise (a good thing) and offers what--at first glance--looks fairly standard. There's the burger, soup du jour, fish entree, steak, dessert, blah, blah. But, what did your mom say about not judging a book by its cover? Or should I say, not judging a restaurant by its menu? Don't do it! And the Eatery is the best example of that. Of course, I am guilty of that. When my wife and I first walked by, we peeked at the menu and shrugged our shoulders. We were pleasantly surprised, though, when we did go in.

While the items on the menu seem standard American fare, the food itself is fantastic:

• The burger was well-seasoned, a fine balance between introducing interesting flavors into the meat but at the same time maintaining the natural taste of the beef. The patty was perfectly cooked and juicy (formed in-house), sandwiched between artisan bread. The fries were seasoned as well, with a kick, much like Hamburger Patties but not as overwhelming.  
• The soup du jour was an elegant carrot-ginger soup, light and delicate with a slight zing from the ginger.
• Dessert was a very tasty lemon cheesecake, house-made. It wasn't dense like typical cheesecakes, a plus in my book.

The decor was a bit on the non-exciting side, a bland, modern design that looked typical. It reminded me of those designs you find on that Food Network show 24 Hour Restaurant Battle. And the tables can be nicer, or at least covered with white table cloths.

But you don't come to a restaurant for the decor--you go for the food. And the food here is worth the effort, especially if you're already in the area for a River Cats game or shopping at Ikea or Nugget.  The offerings are at the same time elegant, delicious, and accessible. Just don't let the fact that it's in a West Sac shopping area and not a hipster Midtown Sac location prejudice your tastebuds.

The streets of Andalusia

This previous week was very busy, but now that the California Legislature has recessed for the year, I'll have more time to post. But until then, here is another travel article from the Atlantic Monthly, by Conor Friedersdorf, about the Andalusia region in southern Spain, in particular Cordoba.

(Random factoid: Cordovan leather originally comes from Cordoba. The hides of horses are used, as opposed to cow hide--specifically, the hide from the horse's ass. The leather is expensive, then, because 1) the quality is good, and 2) you only get two pieces per horse!)

Andalusia has always been one of the top areas in Spain that I've wanted to see (the other being Barcelona, to which I've already paid homage). Cordoba, Sevilla, Granada, Malaga, Cadiz. Permeating the historic auras of these Andalusian cities is the Islamic call to prayer of Moorish Spain intermingled with the Gregorian chants of medieval Christian Spain; the waft of tapas mixed with the spices of Morocco; and the click-clack of the flamenco dancer's heels and the accompanying strums of the Spanish guitar.

One day ... one day.

James Fallows: How I Know I'm Traveling Outside the United States

A short but insightful post by James Fallows of the Atlantic Monthly, one of my favorite journalists that writes for one of my favorite news magazines. The best quote about enjoying the small things when traveling: "This is part of the surprising joy of life on the road."