HK images

2011-09-14T23:42:00.000-07:00

Double Food Feature: Seattle & San Francisco

Let's go backwards in time and start off with San Francisco. I must say, I don't think I've eaten this much in such a short frame of time EVER in my life. I had a little less than five days to explore the entire city. Some of those days I spent in Mountain View at the Google campus. That place is a beast monster. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures from there, so I'm going to skip writing about that place.

Back to SF...

I'm going to start off with a quiche from Tartine because this place just doesn't depart from my memory of SF. Until something more revolutionary comes along, I think whenever I think of SF, I shall think of Tartine, amongst other things. But it will definitely be one of the first thoughts that come into mind. I have to put a disclaimer out there that I am by no means a big fan of baked goods. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy eating them, but I simply prefer savory over sweet. Yet, this place truly rocked my conceptions of sweet and savory. My mind was thoroughly blasted. If you only have some fleeting moments to spend in SF, and want to make the most of it, come here. That is a very bold statement when you consider the plethora of amazing food places in SF, but I'm just speaking from experience, albeit very limited, but irregardless, you will not leave unsatisfied. Oh...and come early.

Ready for some crazy, possibly over-the-top description of this beast monster that will leave you either salivating or thinking that this author is redonkulously and superfluously describing a simple quiche? Whatever your thoughts may be, this is one amazing quiche. Here's why...

Quiche = eggs + cream or milk. Simple right?

That's what's so gastronomically magical about this slice of breakfast heaven. The moment you reach for your fork and then take those four prongs on the tip of your instrument of eating destruction, you notice something. First, the auditory whisper of crackles as it penetrates the crust. The fork keeps diving into the quiche until it encounters the thickest layer that is so texturally, magnificently smooth and creamy, you scream like a little girl in your mind with excitement for what kind of party rocking your taste buds are about to do. But, you're a cool person, so you keep calm, scoop up the relinquished piece of quiche from the big slice on your plate, and then feed yourself with it. Then you begin to experience this roller coaster that you wish would never cease. As your tongue rolls around in sheer joy, you begin to experience this creamy indulgence of savory and slight tart from the cheese that they are using in this quiche. Then, your tongue encounters this tougher object. But rather then being stunned in fear for what it is, you are overjoyed that it is indeed a piece of ham that adds a perfect amount of saltiness to the overall experience. As your first piece nears its end, you encounter that marvelous crust that wraps up the entire experience. You then realize there are several more bites ahead of you and then you squeel again on the inside.

Above is the morning bun. But, it is a bun that is good anytime in the day. Trust me. This is what it looks like on the inside.

See all those layers. This is a pastry of layers. Layers of goodness. Layers of fluffiness. Layers of flaky tasty goodness. My personal favorite layer is the outer crust. It is generously covered in tiny crystals of sugar. You look at it expecting it to be overly sweet but it's not. You look at it realizing the deep dark brown expecting it to crunch and oh yes, it does. The greatest thing about this crust is that you get that subtle sweetness accompanied by this orange that came out from nowhere. You had no visual warning of an impending citrus attack, but you give in because it's just so good. Your teeth progress to the middle layer that's gooey and so soft you can't help but look silly as you smile as your face is covered in flakes and crystals of sugar.

A great combination of sweet and savory.

NOPA

Let's visit a great place to go to especially at night. The place is dimly lit whilst being filled with a cacophony of voices. People are eating the delightful morsels of food that Nopa has to offer whilst voicing their opinions on whatever the subject of their respective conversations may be. I'm going to focus on the food here. This is afterall a post about all the great food experienced during my trip to San Francisco henceforth referred to as SF. On my solitary visit to Nopa, I partook in the grass-fed beef burger on a brioche bun married to the most perfectly melted gruyere slice of heaven accompanied by uber crispy fries that dive with much pleasure into a garlic aioli that might as well be crack because it's just that good.

Do you see that?! Look at that! This is what a burger cooked to medium perfection should look like. The meat just beckons for you to take another bite into it so as to not waste that precious juice that is packed with immense beef flavor. Unadulterated beef flavor. Well, until you hit everything else that makes this burger great. Let's start with the bun. I believe the beef and all the innards of the burger are encapsulated in a brioche bun, that in my opinion, was very well toasted. A golden-brown crust let's you know that it's going to be nicely crispy once your teeth sink into the burger. Moving further into the burger you come across the slice of gruyere cheese. It's creamy good. There is nothing more to say about that. It's just simply good. I've personally never come across a burger with pickle onions, but I think it works well here. It gives a slight tart zing to it so that it makes its presence known, but I also thought that it complemented well with the creamy cheese and the savory and slightly salty beef. Overall, a very solid burger. And mind you, that's just the burger. Let's not forget about all the wonderful sides that come along for the ride.

Yes. In the end, it is just a burger. But I do tell you that it is a burger worth trying, and probably one of the better burgers I've had the pleasure of tasting.

Photoshoot in Los Angeles

2010-06-04T02:16:00.000-07:00

My friend visited me from Berkeley and had requested a photoshoot as that was one of her childhood dreams. She wanted to document her youth and vitality while it is still a thing of the present and not of the past. So, I obliged as I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to work with a model, and it gave me a legit reason to go to L.A. We were going to hang out and get some good grub too, which was a plus.

I already knew where I wanted to take her to eat. I really wanted to show her Daikokuya, which is by far one of my favorite restaurants in all of L.A. I've tried a lot of other Japanese ramen restaurants, but this one wins by far. I also included the photos of the food that I was blessed to eat.

Hope you enjoy!

©2010 HK images
As always...
Stay blessed! | God blessed!

Now hold up...you might be wondering why the heck did I take a picture of a salad?! Well, let me answer that question for you my friend. This salad is no ordinary salad. As soon as it hits the lips, it provides such an overwhelmingly satisfying feeling of satisfaction (yes, I'm being redundant) that it deserves its own photo. Go ahead, taste it, and you'll see what I mean. The sauce is very rich and savory, which is why it's so good. Oh so bad for you, but oh so delicious!

El Ranchito

2010-05-26T01:12:00.000-07:00

So my friends and I decide we should go to a place called El Ranchito in Newport for taco Tuesday. If there's one thing about me, Mexican food is my weakness. Now, I'll admit that this may be your typical Baja style Mexican food. Honestly, I can't decipher what's what. It all tastes good to me. I'll be going to Mexico this upcoming weekend so I'll know what "real" Mexican food is like hopefully.
For five dollars, I've got to say that the food is not bad. Don't expect mind-blasting goodness for five dollars. The strength of this place comes from the concept of taco Tuesday + all you can eat + the game is on TV. So overall, it's the experience and ambiance that make up for what can be said was an overall enjoyable time.
Will I be back here? Sure! Just on another Tuesday.

Hanna + Nghieu Wedding

2010-03-11T22:24:00.000-08:00

Hanna + Nghieu | 3.6.2010

Nghieu, the groom, is a pretty relaxed guy as you can see. I had the honor of photographing his wedding. Pictured here are his groomsmen holding him up while he takes care of some business on his Blackberry. I thought this day was really going to be a bad one, not because of the wedding nor the people involved, but because of the weather. It was forecasted to rain on this day, but God blessed us with a big blue sky, and glorious sunlight. Things turned out all right. It was a fun day of shooting.

Hanna was also a pleasure to work with on both the wedding and engagement sessions. She was always ready for the camera as you can see. The wedding dress was absolutely gorgeous and matched her perfectly. The veil was the icing on the cake. Speaking of cake...

Okay. Enough rambling. Hope you enjoy the pictures. Thanks for stopping by!

Hanna + Nghieu Engagement

2010-03-11T21:09:00.000-08:00

I was blessed with an opportunity to shoot both the engagement session and wedding ceremony for two friends of mine: Hanna and Nghieu. We ended up going to Mason Park, which is where Nghieu proposed to Hanna. It was a beautifully, sunny day. It took a while for the actual shoot to come up because of all the crazy rain that we had a while back. But when it came, it was a fun one indeed. I hope you enjoy them.

As always...
Stay blessed! | God blessed!

Saint City Session | 1.4.10

2010-02-10T00:57:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to go to Santa Ana, to visit Saint City Session. My friend Dan, hosts the event, and it basically serves the purpose of reaching out to the community with hip-hop. I think it's a great idea, as it uses something so unorthodox to reach out to the people. A lot of people come to have fun, express their artistic side, and most importantly, to bust a move. I go to take pictures, since I was born with two left feet. Still, I love hip-hop, and all the arts associated with it. If I can combine my love for hip-hop and photography, it's a win-win! I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I enjoyed being able to share them with you.

As always...
Stay blessed! | God blessed!

Jane + Troy | 1.16.10

2010-02-01T22:09:00.000-08:00

I had an opportunity to come along as a 2nd shooter for this wedding. It was a great experience. I look forward to working further with Youkeun Oh Photography in the future. Thanks!

Thank you for visiting!
As always...
Stay blessed! | God blessed!

Cars I will never be able to afford. I still want one!

2009-10-10T00:54:00.001-07:00

Drool...

Thank you so much for visiting!
As always...
Stay blessed! | God blessed!
© HKimages 2009
Herbert Kim
herbzkim@gmail.com

Felipe + Kelly

2009-10-06T22:02:00.000-07:00

Felipe + Kelly
Wedding photos
05.02.09

Taken in beautiful Santa Barbara. Great outdoor wedding. The couple had a warm and friendly personality. Great people. Wish them the best.

Thanks for stopping by!

As always...
Stay blessed! | God blessed!
herbzkim@gmail.com

O'ahu + Kaua'i

2009-10-06T21:12:00.000-07:00

O'ahu + Kaua'i
06.2009

Hands down, one of the best summers of all time! It was good to see all my college friends and spend time in some of the most beautiful landscapes known to mankind.

Prints are available. They can be printed at varying sizes without the framing of course.

Thanks for stopping by!

As always...
Stay blessed! | God blessed!

Herbert Kim
herbzkim@gmail.com

Andy + Hyun 6.20.2009

2009-10-06T12:41:00.001-07:00

Andy + Hyun 6.20.2009
Engagement & wedding shots...

Thanks for stopping by!

As always...
Stay blessed! | God blessed!
Herbert Kim
herbzkim@gmail.com

Fresh 2009 w/ Starfield and Ioannis Gratsinopoulos

2009-09-26T21:15:00.000-07:00

Starfield : Tim Neufield

Starfield : Jon Neufield

Pastor Ioannis Gratsinopoulos

Article One : Nathan Piche

Article One : Matt Piche

Susan Yu

The Nehemiah Band

New Heights : Travis Graham

It was truly a great opportunity to see Starfield perform live. Better yet, it was great to have an opportunity to photograph them whilst performing. It wasn't easy, but it was truly a memorable experience for me. I really learned a lot from this and look forward to what the future has for me.

I was told that Tim Neufield was sick with the flu. Yet, he still managed to perform for nearly 2,000 people AND rocked the house. Tim and his brother, Jon, had presented a video of their trip to Uganda and showcased the life of a teenage girl that is living there. It was sad to hear the horrific stories she had told us of her time as a refugee. It really reminded how blessed we all are to be living here in the U.S. More importantly, I was happy to see that they are walking the walk and not just talking the talk. They are living out the Great Commission. I hope he fully recovers soon as they still have their tour ahead of them.

All the other performers were very talented. I have to say that Nathan Piche is probably one of the coolest and nicest people that I have met. Matt can definitely rock the house with his violin.

New Heights rocked the house. Good to see you all again. Wish you all well in your nationwide tour. Nehemiah band rocked the house. The drummer had some awesome energy. Susan rocked the house.

I have to also thank the people who made this event possible. All their efforts really made this event a success.

Praise God too. Of course.

As always... Stay blessed | God blessed.
Thank you for visiting.
Herbert Kim
herbzkim@gmail.com

Under construction.

2009-09-26T01:59:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the disappointment, but please come back soon for my first official post with pictures, of course.

Thanks as always for stopping by.

Stay blessed | God blessed.

Herbert