You say Obama, they say O'Bama

It's done! Here's our new kitchen!

After two weeks of dust, broken water pipes, many dinners out and general upheaval, our kitchen is done. And we love it!

New kitchen

Old kitchen

Moving back in has been interesting. We discovered that the bottom cabinets are taller than the old ones and the quartz counter top is thicker than the old laminate which is about an inch too much to allow me to keep my big Kitchen Aid mixer on the counter. My older one is able to sit up there though. And drawers that are not as deep as the old ones mean finding new places to keep some of our utensils and other ccoking gadgets. But it's still a great kitchen.

New corner area

Old corner area

Having the extra cabinet space in the corner has been nice and we're just about done unpacking. Now if can just remember where things are!

New Fridge

Old Fridge

We love having an icemaker and a water dispenser in the Fridge! No more ice trays! woot

Bring on the holidays! I'm ready to get baking!

Kalbi Tang

(By Jim)
We haven't written about Gamasot lately. We still go frequently, and I think it's still one of the best places for Korean soups and some other dishes. With the kitchen project underway and Barbara suffering from a cold we decided to head there for dinner to get some restorative soup.
The sollongtang is still fantastic. They add some tendon as well as the sliced beef to it these days. Barbara tried it, and didn't dislike it, but it doesn't have much taste. It's more of a texture food.
My favorite these days is the kalbi tang, beef short rib in beef broth with some egg, green onion, and I think radish. The broth is seasoned with black pepper and is soothing. The meat off the rib is tender, and is supplemented with some thin slices of brisket.
The pan fried dumplings (mandoo gui) are a treat. They can be a little greasy, but I don't care. They're delicious.
The kimchee has been very good lately, having that fizzy feeling on the tongue from the natural fermentation. They've recently added goat to the menu, although I haven't tried it yet.

I'm surprised that the place hasn't been more crowded lately. With fall coming on, it's time to have some soothing, warming soup to sustain us. Go, and go often.

Kitchen Renovation - Part 4 - Light at the end of the tunnel

Since Friday a lot has happened in the kitchen. The walls were cleaned and prepped and painted, the cabinet doors and handles are in place, the new overhead light is up and we got our counter tops!

The side of the kitchen with the sink, dishwasher and stove.

It doesn't even look like the same kitchen anymore. Tomorrow the final electrical work will be done (without the drama of broken water pipes), some touch up work and it will be done!

This is the new corner cabinets we had added. Now I have a place for all my baking supplies and gadgets.

I want to dance around the kitchen but I think I'll wait until we put the blinds back up. Don't want the neighbors to think that I finally lost what little of my mind I have left.

We'll get final pictures up in a few days once we've moved everything back into the kitchen.

Mo' Pho

(By Jim)
After our pho throwdown, I promised to head back to Pho Kim to get what had been our favorite pho so far. We started out with our usual starters, the spring roll and fresh roll. Here, the spring rolls were a little greasy, but crunchy and tasty. The fresh rolls were good, but not as good as the ones at Pho Hot. The shrimp seemed skimpier by comparison.
The pho broth is what I like best about this place. It is well-balanced, combining beefiness, star anise, cinnamon, and other aromatic spices to make a warm, soothing broth. It is served with the usual bean sprouts, Thai basil, lime, and jalapeno pepper.
The meatballs are middle of the road, a finer texture than Viet House, but not as smooth as the ones at Pho Hot.

Barbara got the grilled sesame beef with noodles. The sesame oil reminded me of Korean food, an interesting combination with the Vietnamese style and flavors.
So, after this meal I still think Pho Kim has the best broth. I think Pho Hot has better meatballs, and better rolls, but puts too many noodles in the pho. The noodle bowls are a tossup. All three places had excellent grilled pork, chicken, or beef.

I'll keep Pho Kim as my favorite, because of the broth. But Pho Hot will have a place in the repertoire, because of the superior rolls. They also have chicken wings on their menu, one of my favorite treats. I look forward to trying them next time.

Christening the new stove

What better than one of Jim's pizzas to christen our new stove. While the oven heated up, Jim went to Trader Joe's for the dough, sauce and cheese. By the time he got home the oven was ready.

*burp* It was delicious.

Kitchen Renovation - Part 3

Friday's work was much less exciting (and much drier) than the day before. The contractors reinstalled all of the bottom cabinets then began working on the upper ones. Just as they were finishing the installation of the cabinets over the fridge are, the appliances arrived! Woot!

The fridge went straight into the kitchen while the stove, dishwasher and microwave were left out on the porch. Once the upper cabinets over the sink and stove area were leveled and firmly in place, the rest of the appliances were put in place. It was beginning to look like a kitchen again!We had a list of things we needed to get this weekend like the cabinet hardware, lights, and a new garbage disposal so we schlepped between Home Depot and Lowes to get everything we need. But at least the fridge is plugged and the stove is hooked up. Things are slowly get back to normal.My sister asked me what we planned for our inaugural dinner for the new stove and after a little bit of thought we decided that it had to be one of Jim's pizzas. And as I type this, Jim is busy in the kitchen putting the pizza together.

Coming up next week: The contractors will install the upper cabinets on the other side of the kitchen, finish up the electrical work (replacing the plugs and light switches, installing the under cabinet lights, and the new ceiling light), paint, and install the sink and countertop. They hope they can get it all done by Wednesday. Jim and I are looking forward to that.