December 15, 2024
Tacombi y El Califa de León
The night after seeing Suki Waterhouse in DC, I saw that there was a Califa de León pop-up in Arlington. Califa de Leon is the first and only taqueria in the world with a Michelin star. After gaining their first star this year, it seems like there have been several pop-ups across the US. I’m lucky enough to have gone to the one at Tacombi!
I ordered a simple meal: an avocado tostada and beef filet tacos. All I knew about these tacos going in was that they are good enough for no toppings. I tried the salsas it came with but preferred it as is. They were simply delicious, but I wouldn’t have waited hours the way some did. The tostada was a nice warm-up to the tacos.
Writing this, I have learned that the meat for the tacos are simply seasoned with salt and lime. It’s all about the quality of the meat and homemade tortillas. I’d like to recreate these at home myself, but also want to make my own version where I make the steak flavorful enough for the no toppings as well.
Overall, I had a great experience and would like to try tacos straight from Califa de León. Would I go out of my way to try Tacombi’s version, no, but I’m still glad I got to try them.
Recent Eats
Two weeks of meals and some party treats!
Breakfast
Chia Pudding and Whipped Coffee
One of my favorite snacks growing up was microwaving frozen berries because it made the fruit juicy and warm. Now, I like to add chia seeds for an easy breakfast or snack. In this picture, I blended plain Greek yogurt and raspberries to try something new. In the future, I would use my favorite, vanilla Yoplait. I think I used a bitter/sour combination which didn’t work great together.
I don’t usually drink coffee, but this week I was very nappy, so I made my own at home. I put instant coffee, brown sugar, vanilla, and water in a cup and used a frother to whip it before adding ice and milk.
Lunch
Brie Toasts and Tomato Salad
I could tell you all the ways my mom would spoil me for all meals growing up, but the easiest one to recreate is her cheese toasts. Usually, she would put gruyere on since that was the only cheese I liked at the time. It’s the most simple breakfast or snack and is just so delicious.
I paired it with a tomato salad with cannellini beans dressed only with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
This is a yummy meal that is put together in just 5 minutes!
Dinner
Bucatini with Sausage
The only brand of pasta I will ever make for myself is De Cecco, so when I saw that Kroger had their bucatini in stock, I knew I had to grab some. One of my favorite easy sauces is homemade tomato sauce (you can find my recipe here), plus a great protein to throw into pasta is Italian sausage. After cooking the sauce down with some pasta water, I like to turn the heat off, add my cheese, and mix until the cheese is gooey and coats the bucatini well. After plating, top it off with a drizzle of olive oil.
Breakfast
Fresh Mangoes
Growing up with both a Filipino mother and nanny, I was well fed in general, but also with the juiciest mangoes you could find. I get so excited when I find these mangoes when I’m grocery shopping, but they’re pretty expensive so I have to limit myself. This is my favorite way to eat these and a great way to start the day!
Lunch
Spicy Salmon and Masago
After discovering the new Asian market near me, I’ve started making sushi variations at home whether it’s spicy tuna and crispy rice or onigiri. Here, I made my spicy salmon and added masago to give it some texture.
I love using different proteins with this combination of seaweed and rice with Maggi seasoning to create the perfect bites! Bulgogi and plain masago are some of my favorites.
Dinner
Miso Soup with Udon Noodles
Two of my comfort foods, miso soup, and udon noodles, are the perfect cold-weather combination. The chewy noodles and warm broth are irresistible. Miso soup is something that can be whipped up in just a few minutes with water and chicken bouillon or broth, and miso paste. In the background of this picture you can see my first attempt at shrimp tempura as well as some fried green beans that are topped with salt.
This is a quick, simple, but delicious dinner!
Croissant Crack
For a friend's birthday party, I made this snack based on a reel I saw on Instagram and successfully made caramel for the first time. First, I cut store-bought croissants and rolled them out before toasting them in a pan, rolled them again before pouring the caramel on top in a sheet pan, and finished it off with chocolate and salt. It turned out way easier than I anticipated!
I was addicted to eating this all night and days after.
Roasted Garlic Hummus
An easy snack that’s great to share or not.
I got some store-bought hummus and two heads of garlic. After roasting the garlic, I mashed the cloves and mixed them on top of the hummus. This could have used a head or two more, but was a hit at the birthday party with some thin pretzels!
Early Bird Biscuit Co.
I’ve walked past this spot several times but haven’t had the chance to try it for a while. As the name says, this spot is for early birds because the hours are limited to mornings/early afternoon, 5 days a week.
The interior has a very cozy vibe with retro decor, a young staff, and a simple yet great menu with a quick turnaround.
I was excited to try the biscuits and gravy, but my favorite part of the meal turned out to be the raspberry peach jam with a plain biscuit. Based on the color of the jam, I had a feeling there wasn’t going to be a ton of peach flavor, and I was right. But it was still great nonetheless. I wish I got more in the small container they gave me, but oh well. The biscuits and gravy were impressively flavorful. The gravy had a kick to it and was one of the best I’ve had.
I’m excited to go back and try more of their menu!
Shyndigz
In the short time I’ve lived in Richmond, I do know that everyone knows about Shyndigz or, at least, The FANcy Biscuit. Their reputation is well earned.
To my knowledge, this location recently reopened after closing due to Covid. It has such a nice atmosphere with a cute market in the back, in front of the window view of the in-house bakery.
There are several things I want to try on their menu, but I was in the mood for a sweet treat and definitely treated myself a bit! I got a crème brûlée , a half-slice of fresh fruit cake, and two caramels covered in milk chocolate. I was impressed that my crème brûlée was torched to order, and I’m so glad because the crispy top was thick and the custard was creamy. Unfortunately, I wouldn't say I liked the caramels. I am a sucker for caramel and milk chocolate together, but there was an odd taste to these caramels that I was not a fan of, oof. By the time I got to the cake, I was a bit stuffed but still managed to eat some. It was heavier than I expected, but it was still good.
I’m excited to go back and try their savory foods and foods from their market!