Double Pizza Night: Chicken, Pesto, & Mozzarella and Potato, Leek & Bacon

Catherine, Josh, and I made these two pizzas last night (9/21/11). We used recipes from The Pioneer Woman Cooks as well as a pizza dough recipe that Catherine got from The Food Network. Both pizzas were SO DELICIOUS, but Catherine and I agreed that the potato, leek, & bacon one was better (I think Josh chose the chicken one). This was the first time all three of us had cooked leeks, which are pretty much like giant green onions. I've eaten potato leek soup topped with truffle oil in Chicago on a food tour, and that was amazing too. That bacon and cooking the leeks in bacon fat made this first pizza. All three of us agreed that the potato pizza tasted better topped with sweet potatoes rather than regular potatoes. Anyway, here are the pizzas we made!

I thought this leek chopped up was so pretty! Too bad I realized later that I hadn't included the rest of the dark green part. Next time.

 Delicious, garlic-y homemade pesto - made by Catherine & Josh:

 Chicken, pesto, & mozzarella pizza BEFORE:

  Chicken, pesto, & mozzarella pizza AFTER:

Potato, leek, & bacon pizza BEFORE:

 Potato, leek, & bacon pizza (AFTER):

 

Part of the work area:

Vermicelli Salad (Bun) @ Pho Vinam - Riverside, CA

Pho Vinam
1201 University Ave, Ste. 107
Riverside, CA 92507

Alex ate a pork vermicelli salad, and I had a chicken one. Both of us enjoyed our salads (I LOVE vermicelli salads!! They're extra awesome on hot summer days...kind like Japanese somen salad). I'd go there again (this actually was my third time there), but it's not one of my favorite places. This was one of the better v. salads I've had, but it wasn't the best. I need to discover more Vietnamese places. I only know of two, and the second one was closed when I tried getting dinner the other day for Alex and me.

I've had their vermicelli salad and pho. Their pho was too salty when I had it, although it's possible that that was a fluke. Catherine said she liked her pho. Anyway, their vermicelli salad was pretty good, although the best I've had were at Pho Saigon in Berkeley and at the little Healthy Asian Foods (I don't know what the real name was) place in the Bear Cave on UC Berkeley's campus. I don't even know if that's still there or not. When I was just leaving Berkeley, they were having protests (typical...lol) about whether or not they should move this small business out and move a Panda Express in. I hope that little place is still there. Anyway! Off topic. Pho Vinam is always busy, so maybe that says something, although out of 132 Yelp reviews, the average rating is three stars out of five. To me, that's not good. That's like...average. I'd say that I'd give their pho two stars out of five and their chicken vermicelli salad four stars out of five. The pho places in Fresno win hands-down for best pho. It's the cheapest, tastiest, fastest-served pho ever. Wow. I don't think I've ever talked about Fresno, Berkeley, and Riverside all in one food post.

Pho Saigon

Pho Saigon
1450 University Avenue
Riverside, CA 92507

10/23/10

I love pho...and was so happy when Catherine and other people in our program wanted to eat some too! Lisa, one of my classmates, loves getting these fried wonton cream cheese things at Asian places, and I honestly had never even known about them before I met her. haha I've seen them sold here, at Pick Up Stix, and Panda Express. Weird! They're good though.

My pho: Good, but I've had better. lol Reminds me of that line from Liar, Liar. I won't describe the conversation here. You just can't beat pho from the shady areas of Fresno. :P They're safer during the day, of course.