Gastro Monkey // 美食家

I have always been fascinated by Cuba. As the largest island in the Caribbean, known primarily for rum, cigars, and classic cars, I have always wanted to visit but didn’t know where to start.  I had been following Film School Road Trip for a few years, but the Cuba workshop seemed seemed so unattainable. I reached out before to ask for more details and of course it wasn’t cheap. It's an investment, but as someone who has retired from photography, was it really worth it for me to go? I had talked to The Boyfriend about it before, and after meeting Jon IRL, he told Jon that I was definitely interested in going. Next thing I know, Jon reached out to me with more details, and I take the plunge and pay that deposit to save my spot in the workshop. The group sizes are very reasonable, and the expectation is that we all will have one on one time with Jon with any questions we have as well. Travel to Cuba as an American citizen is intimidating and going with a group like this makes it tha...

Nestled between Rick's Dessert Diner and Biergarten (two of my Sacramento haunts), is the relatively recent newcomer to the Sacramento bar/dining scene, Midtown's Cantina Alley. They advertise as offering a cantina experience similar to those found in Mexico. I can't speak for all of Mexico, but it definitely did remind me of the cantinas I went to in Guadalajara. Open, airy, great beer, and great food. The biggest difference would be the price. I ordered a good portion of the menu and it added up. That said, everything I tried was pretty fantastic. The ingredients seemed very fresh and care was taken in the plating.  Tostadas de Ceviche - huachinango/red snapper marinated in lime juice, pineapple, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and topped with sliced avocado on crispy tostadas. The tortilla shell was loudly crispy, the fish fresh and cold. This one was one of my favorite items. At the end, there were a few pieces of fish that had fallen down and I happily scooped it...

Belated, I know. On Cinco de Mayo, we ended up at Tight Tacos for... tacos. In Portland. It always feels weird to me getting tacos up North but you know what? Portland has some serious tacos that rival many a taco truck and restaurant in California! Feel free to assume that I don't know my tacos, but try some of the good places in Portland and then get back to me. There isn't much seating in the tiny fenced off area by Tight Tacos, but I think on a regular day it might not be an issue. As it was Cinco de Mayo, there was quite a crowd. The cooks worked steadily and efficiently. While there was a wait, it wasn't bad. I just gave us time to knock back a few ghetto chavelas. While I don't agree with the name, it was pretty good. There was a little bit of hot sauce and lime juice squeezed into the opened can, and then rimmed with some Tajin chile piquin. It didn't take long for us to devour our tacos before moving onto Pip's , which was parked along the stre...

Every summer that I went back to Taiwan was spent with family. The best part of being with family and just letting them take me everywhere. While there are a lot of people who don't really explore, my family loves food and loves trying new places along with their tried and true favorites. The bad part is not being really able to go off and do things on my own at farther locations. Keelung was one of those farther away locations I never had a chance to visit. Although, I have to say, I wouldn't trade the other places I went instead (Taroko Gorge, Hualien, and a good chunk of the East Coast).  Now, when I go back to Taiwan, I stay a few days in Taipei which leaves me time to pop over to Keelung. Keelung's Miao Kou Night Market is arguably, one of the best night markets in Taiwan. The seafood alone is already a huge draw. Most of Taipei's fresh seafood comes from Keelung. Aside from seafood, they have a plethora of other options based on rice, pork, or beef. There is ...