Great Finds, Part I: The Soy Sauce

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LivCookEat Finishing Soy Sauce drizzled on dumplings from Dumpling City in Palo Alto.
LivCookEat Finishing Soy Sauce drizzled on dumplings from Dumpling City in Palo Alto.

When tasting a product that’s billed as superior to another, sometimes you end up going back and forth and back and forth, concentrating with all your might to discern whether truly significant differences do exist.

Other times, all it takes is one taste to know that one completely outshines the other.

Such was the case when I tried a sample of LivCookEat Soy Sauce against my usual Kikkoman Less Sodium Soy Sauce.

Granted, I did not do my tasting blind. However, when I had my husband try the soy sauces, I didn’t tell him which was which. Even so, he immediately guessed which one was the LivCookEat Soy Sauce because it tasted far smoother.

What sets it apart?

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End-of-Summer Sips

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A most unusual wine.
A most unusual wine.

Isabella Gold

If you came across a Chardonnay defiantly billed as sweet, that’s a central character in a seductive romance-fantasy novella full of wine-making, time-traveling, and virginity-losing, and comes complete with a screw cap no less, odds are you would walk on by — fast.

But husband-and-wife Paul Morrison and Carol Morrison are betting that you don’t.

Their Isabella Gold ($19.99) is the first sweet Chardonnay under their JL Wood brand that makes only Chardonnay from grapes grown on their 125-acre in the Arroyo Seco AVA in Monterey County.

The accompanying novella.
The accompanying novella.

I had a chance to try a sample of this intriguing wine that comes in a distinctive cobalt bottle adorned with a label of a winged woman.

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Sponsored Post: Santana Row’s “Taste the Row” Lunch Specials Coming in September

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Crispy skin salmon cooked on the plancha -- part of the special "Taste the Row'' prix-fixe lunch at Augustine in September.
Crispy skin salmon cooked on the plancha — part of the special “Taste the Row” prix-fixe lunch at Augustine in September.

If there ever was a great excuse to take time for a proper lunch, it’s “Taste the Row” at San Jose’s Santana Row.

Monday through Friday through the month of September, 16 participating restaurants will offer special $25 prix-fixe lunches. Best yet, a portion of proceeds will benefit World Central Kitchen, the nonprofit humanitarian organization founded by celebrated Chef Jose Andres that provides nourishing meals across the globe to communities in crisis. So, treat yourself to lunch – and do some good in the process.

Augustine Restaurant at Santana Row.
Augustine Restaurant at Santana Row.
The bar at Augustine.
The bar at Augustine.

I enjoyed a sneak taste of the menu at Augustine Restaurant, where the two-course lunch starts off with a choice between a vibrant Gem lettuce salad with sweet Sungold tomatoes and haricot verts or a creamy cucumber gazpacho poured tableside over husk cherries and levain croutons for that special touch.

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A Savory Mochi Trifecta

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Crispy and chewy, sweet and spicy, these pan-fried mochi bao have so much deliciousness going on.
Crispy and chewy, sweet and spicy, these pan-fried mochi bao have so much deliciousness going on.

You’ve enjoyed it hot and cold, on the cob and off, and in salads, pastas, soups, and sides.

But have you ever had corn stuffed inside chewy, crisp pan-fried mochi?

With gooey cheese and spicy kimchi folded in to boot?

This perfect trio of ingredients make up the filling for clever “Kimchi & Corn Cheese Pan-Fried Mochi.”

This fun recipe is from “Breaking Bao” (Chronicle Books, 2024), of which I received a review copy.

It was written by Clarice Lam, an award-winning New York City pastry chef who has worked at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery, Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Spice Market, and the Chocolate Room.

Toronto-born, Los Angeles-reared, and the daughter of parents who emigrated from Hong Kong, Lam’s creations reflect her heritage and travels, melding Asian flavors with global techniques.

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Palo Alto’s Demi Excels in Japanese Comfort Food

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The omurice at Demi.
The omurice at Demi.

As my knife and fork slid into the lofty, fluffy omelet to reveal a mountain of fried rice inside, I immediately felt like I was back in Japan.

Omurice or omelet rice is one of the many delicious mainstay dishes that I fell in love with while traveling through that country. So, when I read that there was a new place in downtown Palo Alto serving it, I was all over it.

Demi is the recently opened namesake restaurant of Chef Demi Ebara, who hails from Kyoto. She is also the owner of Demiya, which has five locations in the Bay Area.

Both concepts specialize in yoshoku food or Japanese-style versions of Western dishes that are homey and comforting. It’s the type of food that you can find served in Japan not only in mom-and-pop places but on upscale tasting menus, too.

The snug, light-filled dining room.
The snug, light-filled dining room.
A few seats at the counter also are available.
A few seats at the counter also are available.

Demiya is more of a fast-casual restaurant with an emphasis on Japanese curry dishes, while Demi is a kicked-up, sit-down restaurant.

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