Food – Will Bake for Shoes

Food
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- Restaurant

A Taste of Italy with Panino Giusto

Posted on January 12, 2017October 11, 2017by Brandy Saldana

A new year means new experiences, and now is the perfect time to eat lunch at recently opened Panino Giusto in Cupertino. Right before the holidays kicked in, I was invited to a tasting lunch.

Panino Giusto is an Italian restaurant that started out in Milan, Italy. They quickly became known for their artisanal menu and for sourcing fresh and local produce and have opened 22 locations worldwide. Cupertino is their first US location and a big reason why you should make your way over to visit them for lunch or dinner.

For starters, we had fresh squeezed juices, cheese plates, salads and cured meats. Among the cheeses we tried was their well-known 30-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. It was my favorite among the ones we tasted and one I highly recommend. We also tasted a variety of cured meats and my favorite was their 27-month old prosciutto crudo.

We tasted 3 of the most popular paninis from the menu: the Milano 2015, Madras, and Giusto. Each panini paired was paired with a different wine and I would ask a server what they would recommend if you drink wine with your panini. I loved the ambiance in the restaurant and enjoyed being able to eat in the outdoor area. There is a lot of detail in each panini and it is apparent through the taste. Each one had a fresh taste, and the flavors of each one surprised me. I never knew I liked anchovy until I tried the Giusto sandwich.

Of course, my favorite part of any meal is dessert and we indulged ourselves with chocolate pear cake, panna cotta, tiramisu, and apple tarts. Dessert paired nicely with a warm cappuccino made using their espresso machine. Our tasting lunch felt like an all day thing, but that was one of the nice things about it. There is no rush when eating at this spot and it makes a great place to hang out and enjoy the food that has been prepared.
There are plans for this restaurant to open a location in SF and LA, but don’t wait to try a panini or 2 in their first US location!

Food

Macy’s Culinary Council Presents Chef Tom Douglas

Posted on July 17, 2016by Brandy Saldana

If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you’ll know I’ve been off in Japan the past week enjoying delicious food and seeing some amazing sights. I will be in the country for another week but I already have added the next Macy’s Culinary Council event to my calendar to attend when I return.
Chef Tom Douglas will be at Macy’s in Union Square, San Francisco Saturday, July 23 at 1pm.
As always, tickets to the demo are free and you can RSVP to the cooking demo at tomdouglasmacysusq.eventbrite.com. When you check in at the event you’ll be presented with a $10 Macy’s gift card, so make sure to RSVP beforehand!
I can’t wait to learn the secrets from some of Chef Douglas’ award-winning dishes, but primarily for all the delicious samples that will be available. You’ll also receive a free copy of Tom Douglas’ book The Dahlia Bakery that he will sign at the event with any $35 purchase in the home department.
Looking forward to seeing you there if you RSVP and and if you can’t attend make sure you follow me on Twitter for live-tweeting during the event!
This post is sponsored by Everywhere Agency on behalf of Macy’s; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
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Food

Macy’s Culinary Council Presents Todd English

Posted on June 6, 2016by Brandy Saldana

By now I think it should be of no surprise that I am a fan of cooking demos. One of my favorite shows on Netflix is Chopped and I love seeing how creative chefs can be with food. Seeing a cooking demo live is always a treat and with summer get-togethers just around the corner I wanted to let you know that this Saturday, June 11 at 1PM, Chef Todd English will be hosting a cooking demonstration at the Macy’s in the Westfield Valley Fair Shopping Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Chef English will be sharing some of his favorite award-winning dishes for Summer in his demo and plenty of delicious samples will be available to nibble on. No event is complete without a good deal, and any purchase of $35 or more in the Home department will result in a special gift from Macy’s.

This event is hosted by the Macy’s Culinary Council and tickets to the demo are free! All you need to do is RSVP for a seat and to secure your samples. RSVP to the cooking demo at toddenglishmacysvf.eventbrite.com. You’ll get a $10 Macy’s Gift Card to use at the event when you RSVP. If you’d like more information for the event, you can check out Macy’s events page here. I recommend arriving early to get a seat, but also to shop and take advantage of the gift card.
I’ll be away for the weekend and will unfortunately be missing what sounds like a fun event, but let me know if you are attending!

This post is sponsored by Everywhere Agency on behalf of Macy’s; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Food

Mornings with Modern Oats

Posted on February 29, 2016by Brandy Saldana

I’ve never been the biggest fan of oatmeal. Despite knowing the health benefits it can have, I’ve always found the taste either bland and kind of a boring way to start the day.
A few months ago, Modern Oats sent me some of their oatmeal to try and I now wonder if everything I knew about oatmeal was a lie! Modern Oats was founded in 2013 with the goal to “Change people’s perception of “old fashioned” oatmeal.” Besides their focus on taste, Modern Oats oatmeal is gluten-free and and contains Non-GMO Verified oats and artisan selected fruits, nuts and seeds.

To sample, I was sent Chocolate Cherry, Mango Blackberry, Apple Walnut, 5 Berry, Nuts & Seeds and Goji Berry. I was not expecting the fruit in the oatmeal to taste as good as it did. My experience has been that the fruit bits in oatmeal tend to be really small and taste like they have been preserved. The fruit really stood out to me and added enough sweetness to the oatmeal. The Nuts and Seeds flavor did not come with fruit, but I added some fresh strawberries and it totally made my morning.

I enjoyed all of my Modern Oats samples at work. I feel like I am always in a rush in the morning and prefer to sleep an extra 10 – 15 minutes instead of making myself breakfast. I loved that these were conveniently packaged to be a portable (and recyclable) bowl. I kept a few at my desk and used the hot water dispenser in the kitchen to fill the cups before enjoying. My favorites among these samples were Goji Blueerry and 5 Berry.
Each container has a recipe to create 2 oatmeal cookies. While I didn’t have a chance to bake any since I really enjoyed eating these for breakfast, I would like to try making cookies out of the Apple Walnut and Chocolate Cherry flavors.

Since these were really easy to prepare, and tasted really good, I would not hesitate to purchase these to keep in my cubicle and as part of a future camping or hiking trip. Modern Oats proved itself to be the perfect, healthy, anytime, anywhere snack. Their new flavors sound intriguing, Coconut Almond and Vermont Maple, and both sound like they would make delicious oatmeal cookies.

To try Modern Oats, you can search for them using their store locator or order from Amazon. let me know if you have tried Modern Oats and what your favorite flavor is!

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I received samples for review from Modern Oats. All opinions expressed are my own.

Food

Macy’s End Zone with Chef Marc Forgione and Alyssa Milano

Posted on February 2, 2016by Brandy Saldana

There is a pretty big football game happening in Santa Clara this weekend and San Francisco is a hotspot for free events this week leading up to the big day.
Macy’s is Gearing up for Game Day in Union Square this Saturday with guests Chef Marc Forgione and Alyssa Milano.

Chef Marc Forgione will be hosting a cooking demonstration sharing gourmet recipes perfect for you to prepare for your own tailgate or football watching party. The event is hosted by Macy’s Culinary Council and will take place Saturday, February 6 at 1:00 PM in the Cellar Kitchen on the Lower Level. There will be bites and guests that spend $35* or more in the Home Department can receive a $10 Macy’s gift card, a special game day gift, and an opportunity to meet Chef Marc and take a photo with him.
You can RSVP for this event here: http://marcforgionemacysusq.eventbrite.com/.

Macy’s and LIDS will also be hosting a Meet & Greet Alysaa Milano at 2:00 PMat the Locker Room by LIDS™ shop on the 4th floor. If you are one of the first 100 customers, you’ll receive an autographed photo of Alyssa Milano with a minimum purchase of $50 required.
Macy’s will also be hosting Kids Activities on the 5th floor starting at 11:00 AM and a Fireworks Spectacular live show at 10:00 PM.
There will be plenty of fun activities in the city, what event are you looking forward to attending? For more information on any of these events visit http://bit.ly/MacysEndzone16.

I am a member of the Everywhere Society and Everywhere has provided me withcompensation for this post. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Food
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- Restaurant

Oakland Eats: Hopscotch Bar & Restaurant

Posted on January 21, 2016by Brandy Saldana

I had the opportunity to eat with lifestyle and food bloggers at Hopscotch Bar & Restaurant back in November, and am shocked I have not shared this post sooner! I love trying out new places and lately I feel I am venturing outside of Berkeley a lot more often for delicious bites.
Hopscotch Bar & Restaurant is located in Uptown Oakland, 1915 San Pablo Ave., and only 2 blocks from 19th Street Bart Station. It is home to rising star Chef Kyle Itani, winner of Knife Fight and the restaurant “seasonally inspired cocktails and regional American food with Japanese sensibility.”

After being seated, our drink orders were taken and their cocktail menu did not disappoint! In case you are interested in trying what I had, its called the Ectoplasm Cooler, made with St. George Spirits citrus vodka, kiwi ad lemon and is nod to the Ghost Busters-inspired Hi-C flavor. Definitely living up to serving cocktails “with a twist.”

As starters, we were served a mixed green salad and yonsei oysters. The yonsei oysters were gorgeous and although they have a small shell, the oyster takes up most of the space. They were also topped with sea urchin, salmon roe, and citrus soy. I’ve only started tasting oysters towards the end of 2014, but this is by far some of the best oysters I have ever tasted. These are definitely a must-have if you visit Hopscotch.

The main entree of the evening was the buttermilk fried chicken with a side of greens & shrooms. I don’t think I can describe how amazing this chicken was. I wish I had eaten a whole bucket by myself, but we were served a couple of buckets for our table to share with one another. The seasoning was perfect and made me question everything I had known about fried chicken up until that point. It was cooked well and something I would definitely order again.
The greens & shrooms were the perfect compliment for the fried chicken, but I heard the chicken is amazing for brunch when paired with their waffles.

And finally, we came to dessert which was their donuts with butterscotch cream. The donuts are really light and almost reminded me of a beignet. They are coated with sugar and the cream takes these donuts to the next level.
The food I enjoyed at Hopscotch left such an impression on me, that I ordered the Fried Chicken and donuts to share with some of my coworkers last Wednesday through Caviar. If you are in the East Bay, Caviar can deliver some of the Hopscotch goodness to you in less than an hour. You can try it using my referral code for $5 off your first order
On the other hand, you should at least visit the restaurant if you have a chance. The ambiance is great and the food is excellent. I had dinner in their extra space, but I want to go back and experience dinner in their restaurant and potentially enjoy another classic cocktail with a twist at their bar.
Have you tried Hopscotch Bar & Restaurant? I would love to know especially if you have any other recommendations of what to order. Check out my blogger friend Aimee’s post on Hopscotch here for more foodie pictures and details of the restaurant.