Sesame Beef and Broccoli at Saigon Noodles in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Sesame Beef and Broccoli at Saigon Noodles in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

When I lived in downtown Chicago (Illinois) after I graduated from the University of Chicago, I ate sesame beef with broccoli at Chinese restaurants like Szechuan House and House of Hunan and felt like an empress doing so while working at my entry-level job in sales. 

Later when I lived in Wisconsin, I bought a wok at a garage sale and restored it. I made broccoli beef myself to cook my own empress meals. 

In my new town of Salinas, California, I tried sesame beef and broccoli at one of our local Vietnamese restaurants, Saigon Noodles, located on North Main Street by Grocery Outlet. 

The Vietnamese stir-fry shallots in peanut oil and add in the beef with soy sauce and oyster sauce. The hot beef is finished with drizzles of sesame oil and sprigs of cilantro. The beef sauce is thick but not cloudy from the addition of cornstarch. 

Many Chinese restaurants add cornstarch to stir-fry dishes at the end of cooking to add a glistening sheen to meat and vegetables. I think cornstarch “slurries” add calories and dull flavors a bit. 

Fortunately, the stir-fry beef sauce at Saigon Noodles is savory, salty, and clear of cornstarch. I dipped my rice and steamed broccoli that came with my meal in the sauce and loved the rich flavor. 

Saigon Noodles also offers this dish with chicken. 

For a regal treat, I highly recommend the sesame beef with steamed broccoli and rice from Saigon Noodles in Salinas, California. 

By Ruth Paget, Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Seafood Sizzling Rice Bowl at Korea House in Seaside, California by Ruth Paget

Seafood Sizzling Rice Bowl at Korea House in Seaside, California by Ruth Paget 

On my last visit to Korea House in Seaside, California with my daughter Florence Paget, we ordered shrimp tempura as our appetizer. The tempura arrived warm with delicious panko breadcrumb crust.

Florence ordered dak gui, Korean grilled chicken with soy chile sauce, while I ordered seafood dol sot bimibap, a sizzling rice bowl with seafood and egg. 

The seafood dol sot bimibap came with octopus, shrimp, mussels, squid, zucchini, and eggplant and a fried egg on top of it all. You are supposed to mix everything together to evenly spread the spicy gochujang sauce in it.

Gochujang sauce is made with red chili powder, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, and salt. Red chili powder contains Vitamin C, an antioxidant, which removes free radicals that can cause cancer from the body. 

My food was hot and deliciously spicy. At the end, I ate the crispy rice that had baked on the sides and bottom of the stone bowl the dol sot bimibap was heated in. I love this Korean dish, which you can also eat with bulgogi, Korean BBQ beef. 

I drank lemonade with my meal, but barley tea is the more traditional beverage. 

For a pleasant afternoon lunch with some perky and exotic food, I highly recommend Korea House in Seaside, California. 

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

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Glass Noodle Soup Packed with Seafood and Meat at Chopstix in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Glass Noodle Soup with Seafood and Meat at Chopstix in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

The glass noodle soup with seafood and meat at Chopstix Restaurant in Salinas, California located at the Northridge Mall on North Main Street tastes great and is also a great value for the amount of seafood and meat in it. 

Shrimp and squid along with sliced pork and beef and pulled chicken breast sit atop a large mound of glass noodles made from mung bean starch in the delivery bowls. To this diners can add Thai basil leaves, jalapeño peppers, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and bean sprouts. 

Finally, diners pour on shrimp broth that tastes like it has been made with shrimp shells that are discarded after the broth has reduced and the shrimp flavor concentrates. 

The lemony shrimp broth is the constant flavor for all the different flavors and textures in the soup. This soup is a wonderful recharge in the middle of the day. 

The clear glass noodles made from mung bean starch surprisingly contain some calcium and iron. Iron helps transport oxygen throughout the body, and calcium is used to help build bones. The mung beans are flavorless and take on the shrimp flavor of the broth while adding nutritional value. 

The Vietnamese name for this delicious soup is Hu Tien Tim Thit, which I will learn for international flair.  

This value packed glass noodle soup with seafood and meat is a great deal at Chopstix Restaurant in Salinas, California. 

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

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Education tutors for summer and school year posted by Ruth Paget

Education tutoring services - one local and tw others offering online instruction:

Sylvain Learning in Salinas, California

Mathnasium Tutoring Services in Monterey

Kumon Education Services

Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Bol.com of the Netherlands and Belgium is carrying two of my books posted by Ruth Paget

Thank you Bol.com of the Netherlands and Belgium for carrying two of my chapbooks about Asia - China Hand and Eating Soup with Chopsticks.

Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Reliably Fresh Turkey-Provolone Subs from Jersey Mike's in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Reliably Fresh Turkey-Provolone Subs from Jersey Mike’s in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

I like reliable, no-surprises, fresh, and delicious turkey-provolone submarine sandwiches from Jersey Mike’s in Salinas, California located in the Northridge Mall on North Main Street.

The submarine sandwich, or sub, gets its name from the poofy, soft bread that the sandwich is made from that looks like a sub. My daughter Florence Paget and I share a “giant” sub when we order. It comes cut in four sections.

The turkey tastes as if it is roasted in-house, because it does not have a sour taste from preservatives. Provolone cheese is often bland, but Jersey Mike’s has a pronounced dairy flavor, which I like. 

The sub comes with crispy, chopped romaine lettuce, sliced juicy tomatoes, lots of sour dill pickles, and creamy mayonnaise. When you do a basic turkey-provolone sub right, it is delicious and will fill you up for four or five hours. 

To go along with your sub, Jersey Mike’s sells nice and salty Lay’s potato chips. I really like chips and think the turkey-provolone sub with chips is perfect for watching sporting events.  

So, does Jersey Mike’s. They are sponsors of the National Football League and the National Hockey League. For a headache-free game day party, Jersey Mike’s subs from the Northridge Mall in Salinas, California might be a heart-healthy option as well. 

(Note: There is also a Jersey Mike’s in the Gilroy Outlet Mall by Barnes and Noble.) 

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

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My chapters on blogging and restaurant reviewing are in The Librarian’s Handbook by Ruth Paget

My chapters on blogging and restaurant reviewing are in The Librarian’s Handbook sold by Barnes and Noble.

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France