Friday, August 7, 2009

Scrumptious eats

Food Network started a new show for the summer season called, "The Best Thing I Ever Ate." The half-hour show consists of network stars, chefs and other foodies sharing their best of the best in the category of the day. So far the themes have included barbecue, bacon, pizza and a few others.

I've been taking notes for a few places that are actually within driving distance of me, like Nopa in San Francisco where I was supposed to dine in a week but my friends couldn't get reservations. The RSVPs open one month in advance, and this time booked up in less than two hours. It was featured on the bacon episode for a flatbread pizza.

Though these places have never been featured on the Food Network, I know a few eateries that make my best thing I ever ate list. It starts with the pastrami pizza at My Pizza in Morgan Hill. The pizza parlor is a little hole in the wall place in a shopping center along the back roads to San Jose. The center is mostly filled with little Mexican shops, and the pizza place is easy to miss. Now I know a pastrami pizza sounds bizarre, but for some reason it works. The crust is a thick, chewy one with herbs cooked in. Then there is a mayo sauce, thick layers of mozzarella cheese, pastrami, tomatoes, shredded lettuce, mustard and diced pepperocinos. It's an amazing mix of flavors, but for those who are less adventerous there is also the standard pepperoni, combo and other varieties that taste anything like standard pizza.

Another of the best things I ever ate is also in Morgan Hill and is something I discovered a few months ago. The Cupcake Shop in Morgan Hill has a little storefont on Monterey Road, but their cupcakes pack in big flavor. The Amardillo, their name for a red velvet cupcake is the moistest, best-tasting cupcake I've ever had. Delicious. The shop has a dozen flavors that are in regular rotation, and each day they come up with a new flavor. Some of the experimentations include a rootbeer float cupcake, a banana split cupcake and a pumpkin spice.
I can't get enough of these places, so luckily they are a 20 minute drive from my house or I would be tempted a lot more often.

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