Prime Pork Chop Dinner at Pub's Prime Rib in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Prime Pork Chop Dinner at Pub’s Prime Rib in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

One of the best times of year to order a pork chop meal at a locals’ favorite restaurant like Pub’s Prime Rib in Salinas, California is October when the weather turns from very hot to very cool. 

This is the time when areas with strong animal husbandry traditions separate the spare, weaker hogs and cattle for slaughter from the animals that will be kept for breeding over winter. What this means for the consumer is the abundance of pork products in fall like brats, sausage, bacon, and pork chops. One classic example of how this seasonal abundance was used in Germany is the Munich Oktoberfest, which was started to celebrate a wedding with many guests. 

Pork chops made from freshly killed hogs are very tender and some say more flavorful than pork that is preserved in various forms to last throughout the winter. What is true for hogs is traditionally true for cattle as well. 

With that backstory told to my family, my husband Laurent, our daughter Florence Paget, and I set out for a delicious meal at Pub’s Prime Rib downtown. Pub’s was established in the 1940s, and I like to think that John Steinbeck ate there. 

Our favorite family writer, Florence Paget, and her dad began their meals with French onion soup that was full of savory onions with gruyère cheese melted over the top of the bowl and down the sides just like you see in French cookbooks. It was a golden delicious stew. 

I started my meal with a wedge salad made with cold and crunchy iceberg lettuce with lightly salted blue cheese dressing, chopped fried bacon, and chopped, succulent tomatoes from the blistering hot summer even in Monterey County. I like this salad, because it is a nice contrast in texture, taste, and cooking method – raw. Good appetizers are supposed to contrast in this way with a main dish. 

For our main dishes, Florence had the prime rib with baked potatoes and vegetables. Laurent had lobster ravioli. Both of these dishes came with a large dinner salad beforehand. Laurent ordered seafood in a month with an “r” in it, which the French say are good months for seafood due to colder water. Florence was getting prime rib from freshly killed October cattle. 

I ordered the pork chop dinner, which I considered a German hauptgeriichte, or main dish from elite cuisine: 

 -a one-inch thick, large pork chop that came with caramelized apples, roasted baby potatoes, and sautéed spinach in a rosemary-mustard red wine sauce. 

The pork chop was easy to cut and the lovely side dishes filled me up, so I did not order dessert, but the crème brulée and New York Cheesecake both looked tempting. 

Pub’s Prime Rib in Salinas, California is a cozy place for dinner with a full bar in front and a good choice of meat and seafood dinners. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Grown-Up Kid at Earthbound Farm in Carmel Valley, California by Ruth Paget

Grown-Up Kid at Earthbound Farm in Carmel Valley, California by Ruth Paget 

When my daughter Florence Paget was a child, my husband Laurent and I liked to take her to the pumpkin patch at Earthbound Farm in Carmel Valley, California, which features farm-to-table organic produce that you can buy or eat in the café. 

We would take pictures of her and buy two pumpkins – one to carve as a jack-o-lantern and one to use for roasted pumpkin seeds and soup. 

At home, I would cut a hole out of the top of one pumpkin and pull out the seeds that are entwined in slimy membranes inside the pumpkin. I separated the seeds from the slime and rinsed them clean. I put the seeds in a bowl and poured in peanut oil and sprinkled salt on them. I turned the seeds to fully coat them in oil and lined a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

I baked the seeds at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes to an hour depending on the color and tuned them once. Florence liked the crunchy seeds with a chewy inside. (I know I can buy these, but the roasted seeds project is a low-cost STEAM activity.) 

For the soup, I cut the pumpkin into eighths and roasted the pieces in the oven till soft. I cut between the flesh and skin and scooped out the flesh. I sautéed onions in a Dutch oven and added vegetable or chicken broth along with the pumpkin flesh and a potato for thickening. 

I let the soup boil for half an hour and then mixed it with an immersion blender till it was smooth. Florence and Laurent do not like pumpkin soup, so I ate it all. I like this savory version that is full of Vitamin A from the pumpkin and Vitamin C from the potato. Vitamin A helps with vision and the immune system and Vitamin C is an antioxidant. (This is another low-cost STEAM activity.) 

Now that Florence is older, she is the one who takes me to Earthbound Farm in October for lunch. I like the organic Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato sandwiches with sweet, juicy, and bright red tomatoes; delicate baby greens; and lean bacon on grilled brown bread with a baby greens salad on the side. 

The vinaigrette at Earthbound Farms keeps people coming back for their spa cure – yellow Anne raspberry vinaigrette, which is full of antioxidants and makes salad taste like dessert - almost. 

I discovered a great drink to go with my lunch: Goat Rock Hard Cider made with rosé and passion fruit from Sonoma Valley. It registers at 6.7% alcohol and costs $6.50. It makes you pucker at first, but goes well with the raspberry vinaigrette. 

We had chocolate chips cookies and soft serve ice cream for dessert. 

The 2024 Pumpkin Patch Outing was fun for Big Kid Mom. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Labyrinth Walk with Pastry in Carmel Valley, California by Ruth Paget

Labyrinth Walk with Pastry in Carmel Valley, California by Ruth Paget 

A low-budget cultural outing I used to do with my daughter Florence Paget when she was a child was to visit the free, outdoor labyrinth walk at the Community Church of the Monterey Peninsula. 

Our first stop on the way to the labyrinth was the Carmel Valley Roasting Company in the Barnyard Shopping Center. They pride themselves on fine coffee roasts and smiled when I requested a creamy and fatty latte. 

They had other beverages I liked that Florence liked as well, which include: 

-Rishi Chai Latte – a spicy black tea infused with what seems to be star anise and cloves. The spices made it seem sweeter than it was. This drink originated in Central Asia. I took some to work with me everyday when I sold Persian carpets in addition to Tibetan art and Russian icons to set the mood as an art dealer of the exotic and wonderful. 

-Ghirardelli hot chocolate – San Francisco’s primo merchandise was one of Florence’s favorites to go with a pastry. 

 -Mexican hot chocolate (probably Ibarra brand or Abuelita) – I knew chocolate originally came from Mexico, so I just had to try this for variety. Mexican chocolate is flavored with vanilla and cinnamon in the modern day, which makes it sweet and exotic and a perfect brew for the art gallery job where I also sold milagro miracle crosses. 

Carmel Valley Roast Company smells buttery and sugary – all good scents to go with strong coffee. Florence ate a plain croissant or a chocolate croissant. I opted for a large bear claw filled with marzipan, almond paste. I ate half of the bear claw and gave the other half to Laurent at home. 

With our provisions in hand, Florence and I would go down Carmel Valley Road from the Barnyard Shopping Center to the labyrinth located at the Community Church of the Monterey Peninsula. 

The labyrinth is a small model of the floor labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral in France. We would walk through it doing a pilgrimage in Carmel Valley with mountains on either side of us on the valley floor. 

Florence was young, but I did tell her that people still went on pilgrimages to Jerusalem, Rome, and Santiago de Compostela in Spain. 

I was happy to teach a little church history as Florence munched on a croissant and drank Italian hot chocolate. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Pistachio Crusted Chicken Salad at Elli's Diner in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Pistachio Crusted Chicken Salad at Elli’s Diner in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

I usually order Cobb Salad when I go to Elli’s Diner in Salinas, California on South Main Street. However, when I want a treat, I order Elli’s Pistachio Crusted Chicken Salad. 

Both these salads remind me of the kinds of salads you could get in fancy department stores when I was growing up like Hudson’s in downtown Detroit (Michigan) – now closed. 

For the Pistachio Crusted Chicken Salad, Elli’s rolls a flattened chicken breast in crushed pistachios and grills it before chopping it up into strips. 

These strips are then placed on a bed of mixed organic greens with chunks of Granny Smith apples, diced cranberries and cherries, sliced almonds, roasted onion, and goat cheese. Honey-mustard dressing and a slice of grilled flatbread come on the side. 

I feel like I am in a show biz entourage with a delicious and elaborate salad like that. If I sit in the glassed-in terrace, I could eat the Pistachio Crusted Chicken Salad with my sunglasses on and feel like a movie star myself at Elli’s Diner in Salinas, California. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Georgia Mountain Trout Amandine at Atlanta Fish Market by Ruth Paget

Georgia Mountain Trout Amandine at the Atlanta Fish Market by Ruth Paget 

You can enjoy fish from all the US including lobster just 15 minutes away from joint base Clay-Dobbins Air Force Base at the Atlanta Fish Market in the ritzy Buckhead neighborhood. 

My husband Laurent and I started our meal with raw oysters from Maine. Cold water supposedly creates the plumpest and most delicious oysters, which is why we chose the Maine oysters. 

The oysters arrive with seafood sauce and crushed garlic on top and a sauce mignonette on the side. Sauce mignonette is made with red wine vinegar and minced shallots. “Ette” is a suffix meaning “little” and “mignone” is a French word for “cute.” All together mignonette means “little cutie sauce.” I tried some with my oysters and thought it was great for dipping. 

For my main dish, I ordered Georgia Mountain Trout Amandine for $29. “Amandine” means the fish comes with sliced almonds that have been sautéed in butter. The almonds are spread across the top of the fish. The fish itself came with brown butter made with emulsified herbs and seasonings. 

The trout was served with thin green beans and whipped mashed potatoes and butter. Both vegetables soaked up the excess brown butter and greatly enhanced the fish. 

The local catch trout amandine and Maine raw oysters at the Atlanta Fish Market were delicious, rather French, and a great deal for Georgia’s Buckhead neighborhood. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Chinese Buffet Strategy at Chow King in Marietta, Georgia by Ruth Paget

Chinese Buffet Strategy at Chow King in Marietta, Georgia by Ruth Paget 

There is so much food available at Chinese buffets on the East Coast like Chow King in Marietta, Georgia that you need a strategy to navigate them, especially as they now have pan-Asian offerings like Vietnamese phô soup, Japanese hibachi grilled food, and sushi in addition to piles of Chinese fried and stir-fried food. 

People from the West Coast should know that before going wild on all the sushi that the white they see in the maki rolled sushi is not octopus, but Philadelphia Cream Cheese. I like sushi and cream cheese, but not together. I ate what I took, but will pass the next time I see them. 

For the buffet offerings, I have taken my cue from Chinese senior citizens about what to eat. Most buffets have mounds of seafood refried rice and lo mein egg noodles that I always head for. The seafood rice is made with seafood broth, which gives it a bright orange color. It is then refried with egg, peas, and carrots. I fill half my plate with this item. 

The other half of my plate I fill with lo mein egg noodles that have been stir-fried in peanut oil with soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil added at the end. 

On top of the rice and lo mein noodles, I fill ¾ of the plate with stir-fried broccoli, mushrooms, and carrots flavored with nuoc nam or nam pla salty fish sauces from Vietnam and Thailand. The remaining ¼ of my plate, I fill with tangy orange chicken, which I consider dessert. 

I do two rounds of this combination and then eat chocolate pudding for dessert. 

Almost all Chinese buffets have these delicious items like the ones at Chow King in Marietta, Georgia by joint base Clay-Dobbins Air Force Base. Chow King has five large rooms, plenty of parking, and air conditioning, which add to the reasons for trying Chinese food. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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The Italian Oven in Stockbridge, Georgia by Ruth Paget

The Italian Oven in Stockbridge, Georgia by Ruth Paget 

On a visit to joint base Clay-Dobbins Air Force Base in Marietta (Georgia), my husband Laurent and I headed south of Atlanta to meet my sister and brother-in-law for a meal at the Italian Oven in Stockbridge.  

I knew I would love the Italian Oven when we entered and good scents of baked garlic and luxurious, warm Parmesan cheese wafted out from the kitchen. 

As soon as we sat down at our maroon colored booth for six, the waiter brought a large bowl of homemade bread with warm, grated Parmesan cheese on the edges and a plate of olive oil for dipping the bread in. 

I ordered meatballs as a starter. They were made with chopped sirloin, pork, Parmesan breadcrumbs, and eggs to bind it all together before baking. The meatballs were served in a marinara sauce made with tomatoes, garlic, and basil with mozzarella melted on top. Those were over-the-top good. I highly recommend them. 

Next, I had a Caesar Salad with a sharp dressing made with crushed anchovies, coddled egg yolk, and white wine vinegar. The salt in the anchovies tasted great in the sultry 90-degree Atlanta heat. This salad is highly recommended as well. 

I was pretty full by this time, but still ordered Mushroom Fettucine Florentine as my main dish. Florentine in a title signals that there will be sautéed spinach in a dish. The spinach and beefy mushrooms in this dish came with a sauce made with tomatoes and cream and juicy shrimp. This was another winner. 

I enjoyed this delicious meal in a friendly atmosphere. I would love to go back to the Italian Oven in Stockbridge on future trips to Atlanta, Georgia. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Thrift books is carrying my book by Ruth Paget

 Thrift books is carrying Eating Soup with Chopsticks!  Thank you for your support.

Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Walmart is carrying my book! By Ruth Paget

 Thank you Walmart for carrying Eating Soup with Chopsticks, my book about living in Japan as an exchange student in high school.

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Laguna Beach Books (CA) is carrying my book!

 Thank you Lagunas Beach Books (California) for carrying Eating Soup with Chopsticks, my book about living in Japan as a high school exchange student.

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Cajun Vegetables at Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen by Ruth Paget

Cajun Vegetables at Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen by Ruth Paget 

Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen is most famous for its deep-fried chicken sandwich combination meals, but I sometimes like going to Popeye’s for a spicy Cajun vegetable meal. 

Louisiana vegetable sides often feature an addition of spicy andouille sausage, whose ancestor is a mild andouille sausage from France. Andouille sausage from Louisiana is made with pork butt, garlic, salt, black pepper, and spicy cayenne pepper according to the Taste of Artisan website. 

This type of andouille sausage is added to a sauté of onions, green bell pepper, celery, tomato paste, garlic, cooked red beans, chicken stock and hot sauce to make a stew according to the Damn Delicious website. Once the stew is cooked, these beans are served alongside cooked white rice. 

Red beans and rice is a Cajun comfort food from the Louisiana countryside. I like to order it with a chilled coleslaw, a chopped salad made with cabbage, carrots, and onions with a cream dressing. 

Popeye’s also offers Cajun fries with cayenne-heavy Cajun seasoning and mashed potatoes with spicy Cajun gravy. 

Monterey County does not have a Popeye’s as of August 2024, but there are two locations within the Congressional district: 

-Watsonville Auto Mall outside Santa Cruz 

-Gilroy Cross Mall by Barnes and Noble outside San Jose 

I like exotic fast food at a reasonable price, and Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen is just perfect for this. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Calamari Steak and Sand Dabs at Woody's at the Monterey-Salinas (California) Airport by Ruth Paget

Calamari Steak and Sand Dabs Combo at Woody’s at the Monterey-Salinas Airport (CA) by Ruth Paget 

Woody’s Restaurant and Bar at the Monterey-Salinas Airport in California is one of my go-to restaurants for delicious and unpretentious food in Monterey, California. 

In August 2024, my family went to Woody’s and sat outside on top of the airport roof and watched planes come and go as Laurent ate the homemade pasta of the day, Florence Paget ate prime rib, and I ate calamari (squid) steak and sand dabs with thick cut fries doused in black truffle oil. 

Black truffle oil has a powerful aroma, which coupled with warm olive oil make heads turn to see who has ordered the French Mediterranean Diet dish. The grand arrival of my combo dinner merited lingering over each delectable fry. 

Sand dabs are the West Coast equivalent of Atlantic sole. The sand dabs are lightly browned in garlicky butter with a dusting of freshly cut Italian parsley. They come with a yogurt sauce and a tartar sauce for dipping. 

Both of these savory sauces taste good with the calamari steak as well. I read in Claudia Roden’s Mediterranean Cookery cookbook that Greek cooks slap squid against a wall for almost an hour to tenderize it. I do not know what Woody’s does to tenderize its calamari steak, but the result is tender and oozy with garlicky olive oil. 

The calamari steak and sand dabs combo with extra black truffle oil fries is a signature dish for Monterey and Salinas, because restaurants can easily obtain these high quality ingredients. 

This combo at Woody’s at the Monterey-Salinas (California) Airport will surely please seafood and fish lovers. 

By Ruth Paget, Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Malai Kofta Dumplings at Avatar Indian Grill in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Malai Kofta at Avatar Indian Grill in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

I tried potato-cheese dumplings with creamy tomato curry sauce at Avatar Indian Grill in Salinas, California and loved saying their exotic name “malai kofta.” 

According to Swasthi’s Kitchen website, malai kofta can also be called “paneer kofta curry.” Paneer is Indian white cheese. Kofta are paneer balls made into oblong dumplings at Avatar Indian Grill. Malai Kofta is a vegetarian dish served in a thick, creamy sauce called a curry. 

Malai kofta is from Northern India and belongs to a family of dumpling dishes common in Central Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and Balkan cuisines according to Swasthi’s Kitchen website. 

The paneer dumplings are made with boiled potatoes, crumbled Indian paneer white cheese, spices, and herbs. Once the dumplings are made, they are served in a curry made of boiled onions, cashews, and tomatoes that is blended to make a purée and cooked further with heavy cream to thicken. The curry is seasoned with cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves. 

The curry tastes fine with plain white rice. I also ordered butter naan, Indian flatbread to go with my meal. For an exotic and tasty lunch, malai kofta from Avatar Indian Grill in Salinas, California is an excellent choice. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Thai Red Curry with Pumpkin and Artichoke Hearts at Ginger Thai in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Thai Red Curry with Pumpkin and Artichoke Hearts at Ginger Thai in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

One of the benefits of living in Salinas, California is that it is easy to eat organic produce in any cuisine, especially Thai dishes at Ginger Thai in Salinas, California on South Main Street. 

I love pumpkin and artichoke hearts and ordered these in a Thai red curry to go with jasmine rice. Both vegetables in this dish were simmered with the red curry to become silken. 

The red curry usually is made with coconut milk, ginger and garlic paste, lime leaves, Thai basil, brown sugar, and red chile peppers according to the BBC Good Food website. 

Ginger Thai allows you to choose the spice level in your dish. There are 4 levels with level 4 being numbing. I choose level 3 for my meals, because I like the tingling sensation that goes with the flavor. Level 3 I think is still too hot for people who like mild food. If you love the flavor of pumpkin, the milder spice levels might be more to your liking.  

At all spice levels, the red curry has Vitamin A and Vitamin C. The orange pumpkin has Vitamin A. Artichokes have Vitamin K. This great tasting dish obviously has a lot of vitamin power, too. 

Diners looking to vary their vegetable routine might be interested in Thai red curry with pumpkin and artichoke hearts at Ginger Thai in Salinas, California on South Main Street. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Modern Mexican Fare at Alvarado on Main in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Modern Mexican Fare at Alvarado on Main in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

I tried two modern Mexican dishes at Alvarado on Main in downtown Salinas, California recently that might interest adventurous diners. 

The first dish I tried was a street corn salad. Street corn is roasted and called esquites in Spanish. The roasted kernels in this salad were mixed with creamy cotija cheese from Mexico. Then, the esquites was mixed with baby salad greens that Salinas is famous for. 

The corn was sweet and full of vitamin C while the cotija cheese had protein and calcium. All good things to go with the fresh salad as a vegetarian delight. 

I order salads, so I do not feel bad about the calories if I get in dessert. I decided to order dessert at Alvarado on Main and had a Mexican hot chocolate pot de crème pudding made with Ibarra chocolate. 

Whipped cream topped off the pot de crème with a liberal dusting on sugar, cinnamon, and powdered hot chile pepper. 

Powdered hot chile peppers are an acquired taste, but the peppers, chocolate, and cinnamon are all good antioxidants made sweet with sugar. 

These dishes can be served pretty quickly for lunch customers and are good take-out items. Both are more winning dishes from Alvarado on Main in downtown Salinas, California. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Scottish Cold Reliever by Ruth Paget

 Scottish Cold Reliever by Ruth Paget

Ingredients:

-1/2 cup whiskey

-Juice of 1 lemon

-2 tablespoons honey

Steps:

Heat until honey melts in the whiskey and lemon juice.

Drink while warm.

Be prepared to use the bathroom.

Source: McFarland Family - Arena, Wisconsin - Elizabeth McFarland - my great-great-grandmother

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Vegetable Green Curry at Ginger Thai in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Vegetable Green Curry at Ginger Thai in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

There is shrimp paste in the vegetable green curry at Ginger Thai in Salinas, California, which gives it a delicious salty and sweet flavor along with many vitamins. 

I consulted True Thai by Victor Sodsook to find out what goes into this perky green curry and loved everything, which includes the following: 

-coriander seed 

-shrimp paste 

-anise seed 

-peppercorns 

-minced Kaffir lime peel 

-cilantro stems 

-lemon grass 

-Siamese ginger

 -garlic 

-1/2 cup green chiles 

-lettuce 

To make the curry, you dry roast the spices first and then grind them in a food processor. The herbs are then pounded in a mortar and pestle and added to the dry spices in the food processor. 

Next, the garlic and shallots are crushed in the mortar and pestle and then added to the food processor. The shrimp paste and green chiles come next and are added to the food processor and whizzed. 

The lettuce leaves go in last to be processed, giving the curry its moist texture. 

Ginger Thai serves its warmed green curry with stir-fried eggplant chunks, zucchini slices, bell pepper squares, and peppery Thai basil for a pungent, spicy meal that is good at any time of day. 

The meal comes with rice so you can soak up every last bit of the delicious curry. Ginger Thai lets you choose the spice level you would like; they have four options. I like the third level, which is spicy. 

The vegetables in the green curry are soft-bodied and soak up oil in the stir-frying process. I like the silken texture the vegetables have, but if you prefer firmer textured vegetables, you might want to try the yellow curry, which comes with potatoes and carrots.

For a huge vitamin boost, I highly recommend the green curry with eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, and basil at Ginger Thai in Salinas, California that really highlight the produce grown in the Salinas Valley in addition to tasting great. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and creator of the games Sommelier, Camembert, Vienna, and Senf

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Glowing Satay Chicken at Ginger Thai in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Satay Chicken at Ginger Thai in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

I tried a delicious Bangkok street food called satay chicken at Ginger Thai in Salinas, California and thought I could make a meal out of double order of this appetizer with a side of jasmine rice and a salad. 

According to the cookbook True Thai by Victor Sodsook, skewers of flattened chicken breast get a full curry treatment to become these delicious appetizers with equally delicious dipping sauces. 

The chicken is first marinated in coconut milk, brown sugar, nam pla fish sauce, coriander seed, and panang curry made with red chiles, coriander seed, shrimp paste, kaffir lime slices, cilantro, ginger, garlic, and shallots. 

When satay chicken is ready to be cooked, it is threaded on skewers and then broiled or grilled. 

The satay chicken comes with two piquant sauces for dipping: 

-curried peanut satay sauce 

-spicy cucumber relish 

The curried peanut satay sauce is made with unsweetened coconut milk, peanut butter, brown sugar, nam pla fish sauce, and massaman curry made with chiles, cardamom, cumin, shrimp paste, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, lemongrass, ginger, shallots, and garlic. 

That pretty spicy sauce is a counterpoint to the spicy and hot cucumber relish made with white vinegar, brown sugar, cucumber, Thai chiles, crushed peanuts, and cilantro. 

All of the delicious curries that go into making satay chicken give it a lemon yellow glow and luxurious albeit easily gobbled taste. 

I love having satay chicken and Ginger Thai Restaurant close to home in Salinas, California. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and creator of the games Sommelier, Camembert, Vienna, and Carnitas

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#26 Best Sushi in US at Sushi Hut in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

#26 in US Sushi at Sushi Hut in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

I just had to try Sushi Hut in Salinas, California when I saw that the sushi restaurant was named #26 Best Sushi Restaurant in the US according to a national YELP poll on a local TV station. 

Prior to visiting Sushi Hut, I had eaten sushi as an exchange student in Japan and as an organizer of the first Japan Festival in Chicago when I would eat sushi at Suntory and Hatsuhana downtown. 

When I walked into Sushi Hut in Salinas, I felt like I was in a neighborhood sushi place in Osaka, Japan, because most of the boxed, ready-to-go sushi was rolls or round maki slices that you find in Osaka. Oval-shaped rice mounds with raw fish on top called nigiri sushi typically come from Tokyo. 

Sushi Hut can make all kinds of sushi on demand for sushi (raw fish and vinegared rice) and sashimi (raw fish alone). 

However, I was so impressed by the boxed sushi at the entrance that my daughter Florence Paget and I focused on trying those on several occasions including the following sushi types: 

-California rolls made with a dark black nori seaweed wrapper, sushi rice, sesame seeds, avocado, cucumber, and crabmeat mayonnaise. 

-Rainbow roll made with a black nori seaweed wrapper, sushi rice, sesame seeds, avocado, crabmeat mayonnaise, cucumber, and for fish – raw tuna, salmon, shrimp, halibut, and yellowtail. 

-Spicy Shrimp with tuna and jalapeño pepper roll with a black nori seaweed wrapper, sesame seeds, butterflied shrimp, avocado, tuna, 1 jalapeño pepper, and a spicy sauce made with mayonnaise, chile powder, hot chile sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, scallions, and dried fish shavings. 

-Shrimp tempura roll made with a black nori seaweed roll, sushi rice, sesame seeds, deep-fried tempura shrimp, avocado, cucumber, crab meat mayonnaise, radish sprouts, and spicy sauce made with mayonnaise, chile powder, hot chile sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, scallions, and dried fish shavings.  

-California creamy roll made with black nori seaweed wrapper, chopped tuna, and creamy sauce made with sesame seeds, rice vinegar, vegetable oil, sugar, soy sauce, and mayonnaise. 

-Crunchy roll made with a black nori seaweed roll, sushi rice, sesame seeds, avocado, deep-fried tempura shrimp, tempura crumbs, and eel sauce made with sugar, water, soy sauce, and mirin sake. 

Everything was fresh and made you feel like you were sitting at an ocean-side sushi restaurant. 

Note: For more information about sushi, diners might have fun consulting the following books: 

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Sushi by James O. Fraioli and Chef Kaz Satao 

Sushi for Dummies by Judi Strada. 

Sushi Hut is customer friendly and offers a wide variety of Asian soda, boba, and teas as well as chips. I like it that customers of all ages are coming in to try the 26th Best Sushi in the Country at Sushi Hut. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and creator of the games Sommelier, Thutmose III, and Bento.

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Grilled Shrimp Banh Mi Sandwiches at Saigon Noodles in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Shrimp Banh Mi Sandwiches at Saigon Noodles in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

Saigon Noodles in Salinas, California has a selection of banh mi sandwiches all priced at $9 as of July 17, 2024 that you can get with grilled chicken, pork, or shrimp. 

I like the grilled shrimp banh mi sandwich at Saigon Noodles. They grill the shrimp with the tail shells on for flavor. I remove the tail shells and reinsert the still hot shrimp quickly for a scrumptious first bite of this Vietnamese sandwich. 

Most Vietnamese restaurants can make their own mini baguetttes for banh mi sandwiches (a vestige of Vietnam’s time as a French colony). The mini baguette at Saigon Noodles was crispy and warm, which made its fillings taste very savory – full of umami flavoring. 

There were about 10 grilled shrimp in my sandwich that came with long strands of carrot, daikon radish, cilantro, cucumber, and one whole shaved jalapeño pepper. Slices of sweet onion with umami savory Maggi mayonnaise lined the baguette sandwich. 

The bread counters the hot pepper taste and made the whole sandwich taste like a surf and turf meal with just the shrimp. 

I thought this tasty sandwich was a terrific deal at $9 and was full of vitamins and minerals. 

If you want seafood at a reasonable price, the grilled shrimp banh mi sandwich at Saigon Noodles on North Main Street in Salinas, California might just be what you are looking for. 

Note: For more information on Vietnamese sandwiches check out: The Banh Mi Handbook: Recipes for Crazy-Delicious Sandwiches by Andrea Nguyen. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and creator of the games Sommelier, Bento, and Thutmose III.

Click for Ruth Paget's Books