snapshot/mexican: i recommend MACHO TACOS's California fries

Get your forks ready. California fries are a rare find in Taipei, maybe even for most of Asia. For those of you who don't know what Cali fries are, they are like nachos but with fries instead of chips. Carne asada (or in this case, carnitas), pico de gallo, cheese, and a dollop of fresh guacamole piled atop seasoned, crispy fries. Meat and potatoes!

It's one of the pricier things on Macho's menu, but it's a huge portion. It was too much for me as one person (shared with my friend) and definitely on the heavier side (or damn have I been living in Taiwan too long?). Some might nitpick and compare it to the version back home, wanting more meat, more guac or fresh cheese instead of the saucy kind, but it was enough for me, and people, this is going to be as close as you're going to get for awhile (unless Dos Chinos decides to try to get in on it)! California Burritos are available too (yup, burritos stuffed with fries), as well as chimichangas and mini churros since my last review.

chinese: i recommend DIN JEN FONG

DIN JEN FONG 鼎珍坊
No. 1, Alley 219, Fuxing South Rd, Sec. 1 台北市大安區復興南路一段219巷1號‎
(02) 2781-2518‎

MRT: ZhongXiao/Fuxing

website: d-jenfood.com Chinese only

$$ (about NT$600-900/person)

visit reviewed: 3/3/2011 & 9/2/2010

Din Jeng Fong features homestyle Cantonese dishes in a old school restaurant, perfect for large family meals. The first time I went, I was impressed with the variety and flavors of dishes that kept coming out for our large table of 20 people. So when we were deciding where to take some out of town friends from Manila (who had already to been to and loved Din Tai Fung and Shin Yeh 101), we decided to take them to Din Jen Fong.

The sizes of the dishes are quite huge, so I don't know how you would eat here solo or even as a couple. Some of the signature dishes also have to be reserved in advance. The menu is in Chinese only, but has photos for each item, with a lots of fried rice, noodles, seafood, braised meats and stews.

duck tongue

Some of my favorite dishes of the night and must orders were claypot tofu with seafood- the tofu was so silky and melt in your mouth. Perfect with rice.

The panfried dumplings that came with a paper thin crispy bottom and juicy meatfilled center. Everyone squealed when these came out the first time I ate at Din Jen Fong and we had to order a second plate. They weren't as crispy on my second visit, but you could request that they be made extra crispy.

When the Crispy chicken (NT$430/half) comes to the table, be sure to grab a piece with the delicious, crispy skin that crackles as you chew it.

The tender braised beef slices

Needing to be booked in advance, the Claypot sausage rice comes with three types of sausage and is massive. The rice is carmelized and slightly crispy from being cooked in the claypot with sesame oil/soy sauce and a savory accompaniment to the sweet sausage.

Ending the meal with a Chicken cabbage soup.

The prices at Din Jen Fong won't be as dirt cheap as some of other local Chinese restaurants offering up equally delicious food, but the huge family style portions and signature dishes place it on my list of places to consider while taking out family or out of town friends.

CLOSED italian/fusion: i still recommend FORCHETTA

CLOSED a/o 2014

FORCHETTA 叉子餐廳

No. 4, Alley 127, AnHe Road., Sec 1
台北市安和路一段127巷4號
(02) 2707-7776

MRT: Zhongxiao Dunhua (is the closest, but still about a 15-20 walk from the station)

hours:  Lunch 12pm to 2pm

Dinner: 6pm to 10pm

$$$-$$$$ (about NT$1300-1600/person for lunch set menu)

Kid friendliness:  no high chairs spotted, mostly fine dining type dishes

Visit reviewed: 12/28/2012

The last time I visited this cozy bistro hidden behind a curtain of greenery was probably the last time I wrote about it- over six years ago in 2007. But thanks to my Instagram friends, their recent photos spurred my curiosity and appetite to pick it for a lunch meeting with a friend from Hong Kong.

When the weather is nice, Forchetta is a nice place to grab a table near the the front. Or you could have a table in the back with an eye on the semi open kitchen in the back.

Set lunch menus run about NT$880-1500 depending on what main dish you choose. Forchetta sources quite a few things locally and notes it in the menu- duck and chicken from Miaoli, shrimp from Yilan, fish from Keelung. 

The complimentary bread is still wonderfully addictive, served with a garlic aioli and tomato sauce. The last time I came for dinner, they served fresh tomatoes to rub onto the bread. This is a bit less messy, but a bit less fun.

Organic duck gizzard with corn mash, served cold - two spoonfuls and it was gone. Sweet, creamy with the chewy cubes of gizzard.

Local fresh fish from Yilan, daily carpaccio, homemade air dried tomato and black olives - I liked this- fresh, delicate and beautifully plated.

Abalone, milt, fish stomach in duck consomme - this was my least favorite course. I didn't like the gummy texture of the the fish stomach and milt..

Yilan red guava sorbet - palate cleanser in an unique presentation. Kinda frou frou, but so the experience.

Grilled Australian lamb chop with rosemary and nuts (NT$1500) - There were a lot of great options for the main dishes. I considered the beef cheek (but just had it the night before), lamb shank (thought it might be too heavy) or duck confit, but I ended up ordering the lamb chop. Perfectly grilled at a suggested medium rare.

Dessert of the day- crumbled chocolate cookie with pineapple mousse - I thought I wouldn't like this dish because I didn't think pineapple and chocolate would work together and I usually don't like mousse, but it wasn't too acidic or sweet, so it was fine.

The thought of spending so much money on lunch prevents me from coming more often, but hopefully I'll be back before another six years passes by. 

bakery/desserts: i strongly recommend TARTINE BAKERY

TARTINE BAKERY

No. 13-1, Lane 49, AnHe Rd, Sec. 1 

台北市大安區安和路一段 49 巷 13-1 號
(02) 2778-8831

MRT: Zhongxiao/Dunhua

website: Tartine Bakery's FB page (I'd include the official tartinebakery.com.tw link, but looks like someone forgot to pay the hosting bill)

hours: Sundays, Tuesday-Thursday 12PM - 8PM; 

Friday/Saturdays 12PM- 9:30PM

Closed Mondays

kid friendliness: limited seating inside is all on high barstool chairs, but some room for strollers and lots sweets for takeaway.

visits reviewed: 4/3/2012, 4/10/2012 & 9/26/2012

I think I have eaten more macarons in the past year than I have in my entire life... with all the new places opening up, gifts from friends and the addiction spreading to other people. But I'm not complaining! I even took a macaron making class and tried my hand at making them for the first time last week (but that post is to come!)

Tartine Bakery opened up in the beginning of last year in January 2012 by Chef Melissa Chang (who parted ways with Tim and Mel's Bistro, a few alleys away.) 

It has a more cafe/casual feel than TM Bistro and the lunch menu includes sandwiches, wraps and soups. With a few tables and bar stools, it's a cheerful place to meet a few friends for coffee. I was obsessed with it for awhile, but now I can share it with you guys.

What I loved about Tartine was the unusual flavors for the macarons that you might find- some of the other shops might have black sesame, salted caramel and raspberry- but Tartine also has chocolate yuzu, peanut butter and jelly, mango/pineapple.

Pink lemonade!

There are also homemade chocolate chip cookies and brownies and other baked goods. I was tempted by the choco chip, but the price NT$65 was too steep for me.

There's also a ton of desserts, including the popular strawberry mille-feuille. Many of the desserts are too pretty to eat and I could imagine getting a little box full of little cakes and tarts for a friend for a birthday surprise instead of a typical cake. You may have also spotted Tartine's desserts at Mitsukoshi A8 which opened in the fall of last year, and I also spotted a "pop-up" counter at Hankyu Mall last week. (At a passing glance, I believe the prices are higher at the mall locations than at the original shop, but it could be that prices went up at Tartine as well).

Strawberry Mille-feuille

How cute is this? I don't like mousse, but I love the playful marriage of pink and green.

Meringue swirled lemon tarts. 

With so many flavors, how can one decide? Good thing that I have friends who have as big as a sweet tooth as I do. Thanks to my friend L who treated me to this afternoon sugar high for my birthday last year.

In the beginning, I thought it was kind of cute that the macarons at Tartine are different sizes, some tall and some fat. I think it gives it a bit more personality, though some might want the precise exactness of other patisseries? Tartine also informed us that we should wait 5 minutes or so for the macarons to defrost. Tartine and TM Bistro were the first places that I've tried that keeps their macarons at such a cold temperature, that the macarons can be very hard if you can't wait so long for them to warm up. Though on a later visit, about six months afterwards, they seemed to have figured it out and created a level of standard sizes for the macarons. Peer pressure!

My friend loved the chocolate eclair.

On follow up visits, I reordered my favorites- the salted butter caramel and pink grapefruit macarons and gave the banana cream tart a try.

I love the packaging and the font choices in Tartine's signage and boxes. It really does feel like a little bakery or cafe you would find in LA, SF or NY.

Another fun thing about Tartine is that they mix and match their shells in some of their macarons to emphasize the different flavor combos..  At the original shop, the NT$65 per macaron price is one of the lowest in town where I've spotted macarons going for over NT$100 at Taipei 101. Crazy. But at their mall locations, the macaron prices are NT$80.

Pomegranate & Mint, Strawberry & Kiwi, Red Bean & Sesame, Blueberry & Passionfruit Cheesecake!!?! Don't tell me you're not curious.

I love that Tartine have things that I miss from the states like lemon bars and red velvet cupcakes too. Unfortunately, American comfort food has American sticker prices, so pick and choose carefully depending on your budget.. Personally I'd rather pay NT$150 for a rich chocolate grand cru cake topped with a macaron than NT$150 for a red velvet cupcake, but that's because for cupcakes I can make my own or I have my sources. Plus the cupcake is not that much bigger than a regular cupcake and not as sweet or moist as I'd prefer.

If you couldn't tell, I love desserts, so I could probably work my way through Tartine's menu if I didn't have to worry about all the calories and prices.