It's More Than Just Eating

Working & Eating in NYC

2012-02-09T00:37:00.000-08:00

Joe's Shanghai

Yup. These were damn good dumplings. The east coast Din Tai Fung.

53rd & 6th - The Halal Guys

Please don't hate me but it's not the same when eating this sober. The chicken and rice is the holy grail of must eats for NYC but for some reason it wasn't doing it for me. Perhaps it was because I was sober and perhaps I came on an off day because both the chicken and rice were dry. The white sauce couldn't salvage it even if I drowned it. I guess this is best eaten when drunk.

Shake Shack

The Simple Shack & Strawberry Shake

This burger is pretty decadent. It was full of flavor and the bun was pretty buttery. I think that this is better than Cali's In N Out when consumed in small increments. Beyond the means just becomes too much. In N Out of course I can devour the whole thing and not feel like I squeezed a tube of lard down my throat. They are both good.

Actually, Shake Shack is verrry similar to Nancy Silverton's Short Order burger.

Arirang

K-town eats with some Korean pancake, soup, meatballs, and of course... soju!

New York Pizza

Yayuhhh... nothing can beat NY pizza. For me, I prefer the hole in the wall mom & pop pizzerias over the famed ones like Lombardi's or Grimaldi's.

Goose on the Rocks

2012-02-09T00:12:00.001-08:00

So what is this picture about? About me duh. Just kidding. Goose on the Rocks sent me this shirt and I'm showing support.

So what's Goose on the Rocks? They are an event company that offers bartending services. I had the pleasure of working with them when they rocked the very chic and illuminated Ketel One VIP bar at Plate by Plate last year. Not only did they mix up some delicious concoctions, but they put the P in party. Ok that was lame but really.... our guests would not leave! Now that's what I call a success on their part.

Thank you guys for helping Project by Project to bring Plate by Plate to a whole new level in prestige, youth, and sexiness. Giving back to the community never looked so good and fun. I hope to see you guys again this year for our 10th anniversary~!

Complimentary Dinner at Scarpetta

2012-02-09T00:09:00.000-08:00

My first Scarpetta experience was not a memorable one. In fact I was quite disappointed. I expect excellent if the owner/chef is a celebrity chef judging other chefs on television like Chopped. My second experience was compleeteeeelyyyyy different. It was excellent! Not only was it delicious but it was complimentary, and we sat at the chef's table in the kitchen.

Marian the Foodie invited me to come and be her plus 1 at the same time held our Project by Project "transition" meeting there.

Food Turned Art!

2012-01-19T13:39:00.000-08:00

Belgian Food at Little Bear!

2012-01-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

Little Bear

1855 Industrial St.

Los Angeles, CA 90021

(213) 622-8100

(Right across the street from Church & State)

A few of us came to visit our friend Andre Guerrero's new brick and mortar, Little Bear. It opened just a week ago but this gastropub was a full house as if it's an old establishment.

Cilantro Octopus Salad with a Side of Broiled Ribeye Steak

2012-01-16T21:40:00.000-08:00

My boyfriend and I like to call this the "accidental" octopus salad. We just randomly picked up octopus from a Japanese supermarket while we were restocking groceries for the fridge.

Me: Hey cool. There's octopus. *Pokes at it*

Bf: Maybe we should make octopus tonight.

Me: Ok, I'm down. How are we preparing it?

*Thinking*

Bf: Maybe a salad?

Me: With lime like at Girl and the Goat!

Bf: Yeahhhhhh...

*Looks at the bag of edamame already in the cart.*

Me: And edamames!

From then on we just kept adding ingredients and totally winged it.

Chef: My personal Iron Chef aka my love - The boyfriend. :)

Sous chef: Yours truly

Com'on. You would poke it through the saran wrap too if you saw this at the market.

Step 1: Slice the octopus into bite sizes.

Step 2: Prep the ingredients.

1. Wash all of the white corn, cilantro, and lime.

2. Crush the pistachio nuts

You can get these already de-shelled from Sprouts.

I had to de-shell these one by one because we decided to add them after we left the market.

Yay more sous chef work for me.

3. Peeled and separated edamames
Again, you can buy these de-shelled at the market but from a frozen bag full of whole edamames I blanched, de-shelled, peeled, and halved each edamame.

4. Slightly char the corn.

BBQ the corn.

Cut the corn off from the cob.

Set it to the side to be ready to mix into the salad.

5. Mince a few cloves of garlic.

Step 3: Making garlic and spicy olive oil.

In a blender, add olive oil, minced fresh garlic, freshly grind salt & pepper, and S&B Japanese chili powder (the one used for ramen).

Add however taste you prefer.

More garlic to be more garlicky or more chili powder to make it spicier. Your choice.

Step 5: Sautee the octopus

1. In a frying pan, sautee the octopus and add the blended olive oil concoction in.

2. Don't sautee it too long because octopus gets rubbery when it's over-cooked.

Beautiful. :)

Step 6: Make the dressing

1. From the pan that fried the octopus, add that back into the blender

2. Add some fish sauce and sugar.

3. Blend again.
4. Chill the dressing in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to cool down and emulsify.

Step 7: Mix everything together.

1. In a big bowl add the cilantro, edamame, crushed pistachios, roasted corn kernels, and the sautéed octopus.

2. Use a spoon and drizzle the final dressing mix all over. Don't over dress it and drown it.

3. Use your hand to mix it so that every ingredient is perfectly coated.

And that's that for the salad.

Step 8: Make the steak.

1. Preheat the oven to broil.

2. Season the steak with sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, and minced fresh garlic.

3. Put your pan on high heat with some olive oil. Make sure it's super hot where you can visually see it.

4. Add the seasoned steak and sear each side for 2-3 minutes.

5. Put the steak on a sheet pan and place it in the oven for about 2 minutes.

6. After you take it out, let it sit in room temperature for at least 5 minutes.

And there you have it. A perfectly cooked steak that's full body in flavor that's juicy and tender in the center and crispy on the outside. As for the salad, the acidity brings a refreshing bite to the richness of the marbled steak. Almost like a palate cleanser for the steak.

Claudia Kim's Very 1st Pop-Up!

2012-01-04T23:15:00.000-08:00

So, who the hell is Claudia Kim? Have you heard of the Lazy Ox Cantina in downtown LA? Well... she's the sous chef there. Immediately it's aahhhhhh icic. And all of a sudden she IS someone.

I was so thoughtfully invited by her flesh and blood brother aka one of my dear friends aka roberto@exchangela.com to come sample her dishes at her very first pop-up. Do I feel honored to be invited? Quite indeed.

Claudia's menu was kept simple like Lazy Ox's style and I ain't complaining because I love how it's short and sweet to make it more focused and specialized.

First, a small background of the Kim familia before I dive into my pseudo-food critic thoughts. The Kim family are Brazilian born Koreans that now reside in the States. So you can see that the menu definitely reflects the diverse background and I couldn't wait to try Brazilian dishes that were beyond Fogo de Chao. (That's a Brazilian BBQ restaurant in Beverly Hills if you thought I was speaking in Portuguese.)

**Please forgive my horrid photos of the beautiful dishes. I blame the red light district lighting from the restaurant! Not food blogger friendly.**

Bacalau Fritters

The best way I can describe this is that it's like a round fish stick with an aioli like (I didn't catch what sauce that was) sauce. OR if you want to get culinary fancy it's like an arancini (an Italian fried rice ball) married a fish stick and had a bacalau fritter kid. Yeahhhh... that seems to be the better description. Anyhoo, it was round, crispy, and fishy. Good app for finger foods.

Black Bean Soup
I, for one, always ask to replace the beans with rice on my Latin dishes, but this black bean soup was da shit. Get this... it had... wait for it... chicharrones (fried pork fat eaten like chips) in the soup. CHIC-FUCKEN-CHARRONES. Besides the fact that the soup was excellent by itself having a fine balance of black beans and spices, the chicharrones took it to another level adding texture and more flavor.

This soup actually gave me the first authentic Brazilian experience beyond the Brazilian BBQ that I only know. This tasting is starting off real good.

Salmon Tartar
So what makes this different from the rest of the tartars? This tasted like it had creme fraiche mixed in it. It was pretty creamy making this tartar pretty rich. I think a tad more lime to add acidity to the rich flavor to balance it out would have made it perfect.

Lengua
Lengua or in translation 'tongue' in English is one of my favorite proteins to eat. Anytime it's on the menu at a Japanese BBQ or at a little neighborhood shack for tacos, I must order it.

When this dish came out I thought, "Breaded? Interesting". Well... the verdict: hands down the BEST prepared lengua I have ever had. The lengua was very fall-off-the-bone in texture making it melt in your mouth. Let me tell you... I've had bomb ass lengua before in East LA, too. And that rice. What IS that rice, Roberto?? It wasn't Jasmine or basmati rice. I'll just call it the Kim rice for now. The rice was nicely seasoned with Latin spices and paired very nicely with the breaded lengua. The best dish of the night. It was excellent.

Bone Marrow
Fat spread on toast. That's basically what the bone marrow dish is, no? Most restaurants that serve bone marrow are all pretty similar with variations on how the bone is cut to expose the marrow.

So what makes Chef Kim's bone marrow different? Heard of the saying, "It's all about the bread"? Instead of the crispy sliced baguettes that are often used, she used buttery slices of French bread. Like the heavenly pairing of brioche and the foie gras terraine at French Laundry, French bread is complements well with the bone marrow. Ok maybe not exactly like French Laundry but you get what I mean. Must be the butter combined with more fat to make it delish!

Linguica Sandwich

Translation: Portuguese smoked cured pork sausages

I honestly don't know where to start with this sandwich. It was bulky, messy, greasy, and SO GOD DAMN GOOD. I still wake up craving for this!

Let's start with the bread. Again, Chef Kim knows her pao! (Now I am speaking in Portuguese. That means bread if you're not following.) It was slighty toasted with crispy edges. Ahhhh the perfect way to have your bread in sammiches (Not a typo or Portuguese. That's Oanh language.) The linguica was very soft. Some of the greens were pickled like in banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches).

This was just joaurewaourwoeurwou *DROOLS*. If Chef Kim doesn't open up her restaurant in 2012, I will hunt down a linguica sammie like how I hunted down the best Jamaican beef patty (JBP) all over Compton and Inglewood. (For reference Kassava in Beverly Hills makes the best JBPs that I know of in LA and OC. Who knew, right?)

I didn't have a photo of the hanger steak or the Thai pudding but they were both stellar. The pudding had pieces of sea salt. Muy excellente!

Overall assessment of Claudia's 1st pop-up... when is the next one??? If I didn't know she was the sous chef at Lazy Ox I wouldn't have doubted that she was the executive chef instead! I was thoroughly satisfied with the tasting from beginning to end. Some of the dishes were so memorable I still talk about it till today. So, watch out for Chef Claudia Kim and her new digs soon. She is definitely one to watch for as a new up & coming chef.

2011 Plate by Plate NY Edition at Skylight West

2011-10-27T03:12:00.000-07:00

Ahhhhh my 2nd consecutive time at Plate by Plate in NY. I definitely mastered the art of setting up and planning upscale tasting benefits for both LA & NY. Planning my future wedding should be a breeze! Hahaha.

Project by Project, NYC had their Plate by Plate at the Skylight West in Manhattan benefiting the Chinatown Youth Initiatives.

It offered 3 floors to explore having the 1st floor to be the "photo shoot floor" where guests had the option to take memorable photos at PbP's step and repeat, Verizon's photo booth and a photo booth from Sweet Booths.

The Project by Project family from Los Angeles rolled in pretty deep to support the New York family. There was also some member missing in this photo as well.

Marian the Foodie's celebrity for the evening was an actor from SNL. Please excuse the fact that I forgot his name haha.

The 5th floor had the Silent Auction displayed in the center with items from sparkly baubles to signed pieces of memorabilia. The peripheral border contained all of the delectable tastings. I thought this was a smart layout to have guests enjoy the food while being drawn to the center to check out the silent auction.

There was a tasting contest for the best restaurant by sending a text message to Verizon Fios with the specific code.

On the rooftop there were more restaurants as was where the spit-fire challenge occurred. The challenge was between Chef Chris Jaeckle, who's restaurant JUST received a Michelin star, and Anita Lo who was a contestant on Top Chef. The surprise ingredient was tuna.

At the end of the contest Anita Lo won. That definitely was an intense contest to watch.

There were some delicious dishes but THIS was the favorite of the night.
Uni! I never seen a tasting serve uni before!

I thought this was so interesting. I thought the chef was carving raw pieces of pork off of the leg but the whole leg has been dried.

Iberica ham - It was like a fancy beef jerky that's more tender. I had about 4 of these! Hehe.

The NY team asked us to help sell raffle tickets for 2 tickets business class anywhere around the world from Delta Airlines. Boy, did we sell! Actually Marian the Foodie did all of the talking while I stood there and smiled. After one guest purchased $100 worth of raffle tickets he suggested that I should talk more. I said... I don't think I had to. You purchased the highest amount of tickets. *Smiles*. Later, he ended up winning the tickets.

I had a blast helping the NY team setup for the event in the morning and even more fun during the event. Great job, NY! Very proud of you guys! I'm sure the Chinatown Youth Initiatives were very impressed.

The ONLY Laduree Boutique in the US

2011-10-27T02:19:00.000-07:00

Maison Laduree

864 Madison Ave
New York, NY 10021

646) 558-3157

www.laduree.fr/en/scene

(Please note it's macarons with one "o" and not macaroons which are the coconut desserts.)

I wasn't really a huge fan of macarons. Bottega Louie is known for their macarons but I thought those were okay. I've also had macacrons at high end restaurants and they were just way too sweet or chewy. I didn't understand their phenomenon one bit until my friend came back from Paris and allowed me to try a few. My whole view of it completely changed.

So when I came to New York on a business trip to help & support my NY Project by Project family it was a MUST to stop by Maison Laduree that just opened this past August. When we got there we saw this line....

Pretty crazy line at 7 pm. We were a bit deterred at first but hey... I was with about a dozen of my friends where we can entertain each other while we wait. I walked by the window and was so in awe of how delicious the boutique looked.

An hour later and $60+ poorer, I came out with three boxes ($20 each) that contained 6 macarons each.

I selected the following flavors and here are my thoughts on each:

Vanille: My absolute favorite! Wow. It tasted like a mini ice cream sandwich because it's best when eaten chilled.
Caramel as La Fleur de Sel (salted butter & caramel): The caramel was soft and complemented well with the salty butter.
Framboise (raspberry): The raspberry jam had small seeds that gave it really nice texture and tasted pretty good at room temperature.
Fleur d'Orange (orange blossom): This wasn't too much like an orange blossom. Nonetheless it was still good but don't expect an orange flavovr.
Praline: This was pretty similar with the coffee flavored one for me.
Coffee
Rose: If you like to eat fragrant soaps then this mac is for you. Not my cup of tea.

Thank you, Laduree. I am forever ruined now. No other macaron can compare. It makes all other macs look like crap. I don't really have a sweet tooth but after my palate tasted these expensive little dessert sandwiches I am hooked!

You can purchase these in paper bags which is $2.75 per macaron or have a souvenir with a variety of boxes at different prices but they are a bit more expensive.

I am undeniably saddened that I can not order these pieces of heaven online. So the only way I can have them again is either I visit NY or the other countries that has Laduree boutiques or someone visiting those places bring some home. I'm predicting that I will return to NY in January so until then I will make sure I will buy a lot and I don't care if it breaks the bank. It's THAT good.

So lastly just remember again, it's best eaten within 3 days of purchase and refrigerate them. Before you eat them let it sit in room temperature for about 10 minutes so that's it's a bit chilled and now it's a bit softened. Seems like so much work? Well... when they are eaten the way they are supposed then you would be in momentary pure bliss, too.

The absolutely DELICIOUS Girl & the Goat

2011-09-05T14:07:00.000-07:00

809 W Randolph St
Chicago, IL 60607

(312) 492-6262

www.girlandthegoat.com

This restaurant is one of the very few restaurants that I loved every single dish that I ordered. It's pretty much a restaurant that ANYTHING is freaken good like Animal and Cleo in LA.

No reservations because it was all booked up.
My bf and I strategically came in at 9:30 pm when the dinner rush hour would subside a little. We only had to wait about 45 min for our table and that time flew when we were having drinks at the bar.

Escargot ravioli
I never had a escargot prepared in a ravioli before and it was excellent. The ravioli was on the al dente side with a good piece escargot. The sauce reduction was SO GOOD. Altogether it made for one delish dish.

Fried Soft Shell Crab
Another dish that had a citrus-y taste. Like any other fried soft shell crab this was good and probably more flavory than most.

Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan
I was loving this. The cauliflower was cooked perfectly and mixed with Parmesan, pine nuts, and lime BUT it was a tad bit too citrusy. If it was toned down then it would be perfect!

Confit Goat Belly
MmMmmmmmm. It was combined with pieces of Alaskan crab chunks. Initially, it is soft in taste where you would need to close your eyes to sense the symphony of flavors but the more you dig into it the more you will taste the sweet and savory flavors that just dance in your mouth. Delicious.

Whole Roasted Pig Face
Fuck this was so god damn good! My favorite dish next to the goat confit belly. The pork tasted like it was from the cheek area where it was braised then fried for the crispy exterior. My lord this is a MUST!

Grilled Baby Octopus
This was a VERY citrus-y to the point it was a bit too salty but nonetheless it's the best octopus dish I have ever had. Octopus is basically tasteless with that rubbery texture so you gotta dress it up like crazy and this dish was dressed up to the nine. It had multiple layers from the vinaigrette, beans, radish, and etc. Just tone down the saltiness/lime a little then it would have been perfect.

Chocolate Bouchon with Foie Fluff
I am not a huge fan of bouchons but the foie fluff sold me. The bouchon is very sweet so in order to taste the foie gras in the fluff with the bouchon you need to eat a good chunk of it to get that essence. You must eat it with the gooseberry compote to bring the foie gras flavor out even more.

The Famous Hot Dougs of Chicago

2011-09-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

3324 N California Ave
Chicago, IL 60618

(773) 279-9550

www.hotdougs.com

They aren't kidding when people are advising you to come here before it opens. I came here at 12:30 pm and we waited for TWO HOURS. That's the longest I have ever waited for any food. Even longer than Disneyland rides before they had that Fast Pass system.

I am going to give it a 1-5 rating with 1 being the least and so forth.

The "Dog" - Classic Chicago hotdog with all of the trimmings: 2 rating
This was like any hotdog that you would get at a baseball game. Tasted pretty homemade-ish with the relish, mustard, and pickle. I thought it was aight.

Gourmet Hotdogs

Bacon Sausage - 4 rating
Dude... this was a super heart attack hotdog. It was SO RICH. The sausage made of bacon AND creme fraiche which is very rich on it's own. I mean it was slathered in the creme fraiche.

1st bite was WHOA... dannng so good bc it was exploding in flavor.
2nd bite was getting too rich.
3rd bite I felt a little sick.
Advice: SHARE this one

The Norm - 5 rating
This was DELICIOUS. It was very simple but the sausage was so flavorful with garlic and other yumminess. This was the best hotdog I had here and a MUST order.

Foie gras & duck hotdog - 4 rating
Even though it had slabs of foie gras in it the duck was much more over powering in taste. Foie gras + duck = sweetness. It was pretty decadent and you would need a pretty big bite of foie gras to get a nice taste of it. At moments I had to close my eyes to concentrate on the foie. Nonetheless this is a must try and I am craving for one right now.

Despite of the very long 2 hour wait just for hotdogs it's pretty bomb here. Would I wait here again for 2 hours. No. Maybe 30 min but tha'ts bc I can officially say I've had this already.

SO COME HERE AT 10 AM AND NO LATER. You'll be screwed if you come later.

Giving Rick Bayless' Frontera Grill a chance after Red "NO"

2011-09-05T14:01:00.000-07:00

445 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60654

(312) 661-1434

www.rickbayless.com/restaurants/...

I was sooooo deterred knowing that this was a Rick Bayless restaurant since his resto Red O in LA SUCKED. I mean it was bland, expensive, and didn't do it for me. I came here because my bf is a huge fan of his and only agreed to come to Chicago to dine here.

Reservations:
Plan in advance. I tried to get a rez a week ahead and nothing was available on the weekend.

Take your chances:
We said screw it and walked straight to Frontera Grill from the hotel right when we settled in after we landed. We were prepared to wait an hour+ but when I asked for a table they had one at the chef bar for 2. Perfect! We were lucky!

Environment and vibe:
Very casual and the staff are very personable. Made you feel very welcome and they would give honest opinions on what will taste best and with what.

For example I ordered a cocktail but my ribeye dish was coming soon. Our waiter told me to get a glass of pinot noir bc I was eating red meat. The glass of wine was cheaper too so he definitely was looking out for my best interest at heart than a fat tip.

Trio Sample Ceviche
All three were different and served in mini martini glasses with a tray of chips. I would say this one was average bc 1 was pretty good, the other alright then the 3rd one was too sweet.

Ceviche Verde de Jurel (yellowtail)
Now THIS ceviche was really good. Very flavorful with lots of citrus & cilantro flavors.

I forgot what this salad was called and did not document it's name but it was pretty good. Had large slices of tomatoes like a caprese salad with balsamic dressing drizzled on top. The pico de gallo gave it that Mexican twist.

Falda Asada Brava (slices of skirt steak)
I thought this steak was ok because it's bland compared to the ribeye however the sweet corn tamale was DELISH! I actually never had a tamale before and was told that I am pretty much ruined for all tamales after this one.

Carne Asada a la Oaxaquena (ribeye)

THIS is the dish you MUST order! The ribeye steak is perfectly marinated and then fried/broiled. I was in heaven eating this. The plaintain with that white sauce and mild white crumbled cheese (I think that's what it was) was so good too. It had a scoop of guacamole and I would eat the steak with it... and a touch of the habanero sauce that we requested to have that true Mexican taste. It was the YUMS!

From Red "NO" to Frontera Grill my view towards Rick Bayless has completely changed. Thank god we were able to eat here. The bf is a happy camper. :)

Homemade Nobu-style Saikyo Miso Cod

2011-08-22T20:36:00.000-07:00

Miso cod is one of my most favorite things to eat and the main reason why I love Izakaya restaurants. It's richly flavorful, soft, and just plain delicious.

I asked my boyfriend, who is naturally very talented at cooking, to attempt to make this. I came across Epicurious' Nobu-style Saikyo Miso recipe online and bought all of the ingredients at the nearby Mitsuwa market.

The ingredients are as followed:

1) White miso paste - 2 cups (450 g)

2) Sake (I believe any kind)

3) Mirin (cooking sake and again any brand is fine) - 3/4 cup (150 ml)

4) Black cod

The one I got was prepackaged with three filets for about $8.

5) Sugar - 1 1/4 cups (225 g)

Here are Epicurious' instructions

Make the Nobu-style Saikyo Miso marinade

1.Bring the saké and the mirin to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Boil for 20 seconds to evaporate the alcohol.

2. Turn the heat down to low and add the miso paste, mixing with a wooden spoon. When the miso has dissolved completely, turn the heat up to high again and add the sugar, stirring constantly with the wooden spoon to ensure that the bottom of the pan doesn’t burn. Remove from heat once the sugar is fully dissolved. Cool to room temperature.

Please note:
Yields - 3 cups of the marinade are for 2 lbs of black cod (1/2 pounds per filet)

Sake amount used - Although not stated, it should be less than the mirin.

Make the cod
1. Pat filets thoroughly dry with paper towels.
Slather the fish with Nobu-style Saikyo Miso and place in a non-reactive dish or bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap.
Leave to steep in refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
In this case my boyfriend just left it for one day.

2. Preheat oven to 400°F.
Lightly wipe off any excess miso clinging to the filets but don't rinse it off.
Place the fish in the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

The result: DELISH! Just like Nobu's lettuce wrapped miso cod.

Appreciation Dinner at LQ @ SK

2011-08-18T13:47:00.000-07:00

It's great to be a Project by Project member. Why? Well when you work hard you get rewarded very nicely! The president for the LA chapter treated myself as well as two other members that did a phenomenal job to a special dinner at LQ @ SK, which stands for Laurent Quenioux at Starry Kitchen (a pop-up for Chef LQ).

Reservations are hard to come by and must be planned at least a month in advance. Chef LQ is revered by many respectable chefs as well the owners and chef for Starry Kitchen. This was a collaboration to be wrecken with and I was very excited to try LQ's "genius" creations, quoted by a respectable chef. :P

This unique dining experience provided an eclectic 4 course tasting just for $45 and their motto was to give their guests an inexpensive fine dining experience.

Bread from Bread Lounge

Amuse Bouche

Scallop Tartare, Vanilla, Salsify and Clementine

Light and citrusy. A great palate starter.

Carlsbad Oyster with Cauliflower, Yuzee Gelee and Uni Tapioca Pudding

OH. EM. GEE. I didn't know where to start! Do I eat the oyster first or the uni?? Both DIVINE.

Nguyen Tran (owner of Starry Kitchen) gave me the larger uni piece because he actually paid attention to what I've been going through on Twitter. Thanks, Nguyen. :)

Skatewing, Sujok, Sumoc, Cucumber Yogurt Varnish

Ok first I had no idea what a skatewing is only to Google it on my phone to find out it's a type of fish and what the heck is sujok and sumoc? Well whatever it is it's GOOD. Wow. This was incredibly flavory. I can definitely taste the "genius" from LQ here.

Declination of Peas: Pea Guacamole, Pea Gazpacho, Pea Bacon Ragu, Sauteed Foie Gras

A tour de force of peas with the help of foie gras.

Veal Cheeks Bergamot Jus, Prickly Pear, Chanterelles and Fava Beans

I love it when savory dishes have a touch a sweetness like cranberries with slices of turkey and gravy. This was very reminiscent of Thanksgiving for me and I LOVE Thanksgiving!

Tonka Bean "Bread Pudding", Shortbread Cookie, Red Currant, Rose Water, Lychee Sorbet

I was so full at this point but I gobbled this all up. A great way to end the meal.

Hahahah the owner is so blunt I love it!

Awesome meal with awesome company. Thank you LQ and Starry Kitchen!

2011 Plate by Plate LA Edition Benefitting AYC!

2011-08-09T22:43:00.000-07:00

Wow.. I can not believe Plate by Plate is over! There is so much to celebrate from this crazy ride.

At the end of January earlier this year, there only stood 4 people that represented Project by Project, LA (me, Helen Kim - Production Manager, Annie Lin - National Legal Council, and Trevor Chang - National Leadership Development). Producing a successful Plate by Plate was difficult to fathom and I was under tremendous pressure! With the help from the National Board members, we did hard recruiting with the hopes of continuing last year's legacy with the serious focus of "the people". 8 months later we produced the most bad ass Plate by Plate EVER!

Our goal to further elevate the prestige of Plate by Plate from last year was the ultimate challenge but with the diligence & passion from a group of outstanding talents that worked feverishly for hours on end with countless numbers of meetings, we can humbly say we accomplished it! :D

We hope to bring new light to giving back to our generation that doing charity can be fun and sexy, that it can and WILL open your world to SO MUCH MORE, and to inspire future leaders of tomorrow to continue this cherished tradition. Nothing feels more gratifying than giving back. It literally feels like the most ultimate high as my chapter whole heartily deserves to bask in right now.

I am beyond proud to have worked with so many great people that I call my family now. You guys rock!! PbP for life! :)

To all of those that attended & purchased that $100+ ticket to all the chefs and beverage purveyors that generously donated their time, food, and products and finally to all those that were part of producing and working the event .....

We helped underprivileged children to have the same opportunities as those that can afford supplementary education to forge forward in life as well as give troubled teens second chances. You may pat yourself on the back. :)

Wonderful recaps:

THANK YOU to all of the generous participants this year! The rockstars of the event!

The comprehensive list of all the participants CLICK HERE.

The President & Directors! From left to right:

JT Kim - President

me - Events Director

Annie Lin - Operations Director & National Legal Council

Grace Hsiang - Marketing Director

Jennifer Sul - Volunteer Management Director

Katherine Lee - Fundraising Director

Eden Tol - Partner Outreach Director

Some of my loved ones that attended...

My PbP BFFs!

Helen Kim - Production Manager aka my partner in crime! (Far right)

Marian the Foodie - Multimedia Manager aka my other PbP BFF!

Check out the Promo Video PbP - TV for Plate by Plate that Marian and her videographer, the talented Craig Lieberman, produced!

HUGE acknowledgments & thanks to everyone on the team of Project by Project, LA.....

Marketing Team - They tirelessly worked hard to get us on huge name publishing, designed beautiful graphics, filmed awesome promos and recaps, and worked like mad on the program book!

I whipped up the VIP bios (except Ketel One's since I ran out of time) within an hour at LAX haha. Food blogging has kept my writing skills sharp!

Online Program Flipbook

Partner Outreach Team - They were the liaison with our partner AYC to communicate to us their needs and kept our past partners very engaged and involved.

Fundraising Team - They all worked their tails off to obtain and organize over 90 items for the silent auction and beautifully displayed them at Plate by Plate to sell to raise more money for our beneficiary. Bravo guys!

Stay tuned for the link to where you can still bid on the items which include a 36" Vizio LCD, BodyKore workout bike, tons of fine wine, jewelry, etc.

Volunteer Management Team - They organized the swarm of volunteers to volunteer at Plate by Plate making sure the show ran as smooth as possible AND personally got to know potential team members for the present and future for PbP.

And of course my Events Team - Together, we managed to pull in the most restaurant and beverage participants in the history of Plate by Plate! You guys can relax now! It has been a crazy ride!

Special thanks to...

Ketel One for donating sponsor dollars and for their amazingly illuminated bar in the courtyard

Four Seasons Catering and Bakluvit Baklava for coming on board at the very last minute ... like less than a week before showtime!

Creative Floral Designs for their donated BEAUTIFUL floral arrangements. It only took a few descriptive words to the florist Bernie and his creation just exceeded my expectations!

BoConcepts for lending us their gorgeous furniture AND decorating the VIP area to look like it came straight out of a magazine!

Mike Fong (Mayor of Chinatown) for expediting the ABC license as well as letting us borrow 20+ tables.

Visionshock for giving us the most bad ass after party at Exchange LA!

470 wristbands for instant free access all night long.

That's us right on stage! My dear friend Eric Young from Visionshock reserved the VIP tables on stage just for Project by Project! AND comped a bottle of Grey Goose and 3 bottles of champagne! Thank you!

Sutando for donating their services and products to all of the guests for Plate by Plate LA!

All of the self-less hardworking volunteers that helped us from bright and early in the morning at 8 am to help setup till 1 am cleaning up! AMAZING people!

There are so many elements and moving parts to planning this great event. It was stressful and pretty damn crazy to plan and put together but I had the time of my life! Phase I is over but now kicks in Phase II! Plate by Plate may be over but the year isn't. Please follow us at @pbpla on Twitter for daily updates or visit us at Project by Project.

If you missed Plate by Plate this year in LA, don't fret! San Francisco has theirs coming up on September 16 and New York City has theirs on October 14! Please follow and visit them on their page.

SF - @pbpsf on Twitter and Plate by Plate SF

NYC - @pbpny on Twitter and Plate by Plate NY

Fried Intestines? Hell Yes, Favori!

2011-07-19T01:24:00.000-07:00

3502 W 1st St
Santa Ana, CA 92703

(714) 531-6838

www.favorirestaurant.com/

My neighbor's restaurant! The well-known Favori is considered to be a favorite for some French-Vietnamese cuisine especially for their fried catfish. I never had anything beyond the fried catfish so I was excited to try out their other dishes.

Whenever there is escargot on the menu it's a MUST for me to order. Favori's version was buttery and garlicky. Need I say more?

Ohhhh fried intestines. Normally, I am not a fan of intestines. Not because it's a bit Fear Factorish but it's just too chewy for my liking HOWEVER when it's fried it was pretty damn good. I've had intestines grilled and steamed and cut longitudinal as well as laterally. Fried and sliced in small tubes is my cup of tea.

Now that we had our appetizers the table was filling up with all of the ingredients needed to eat with the fried catfish with.....
Rice paper and the hot water to dip it in
The greens of lettuce, mint, cucumbers, plantain, etc.
Vermicelli
A variety of dipping sauces from the peanut sauce to the anchovy & pineapple fish sauce (Yum! My fave!)

There are many catfish houses to make goi cuon (spring rolls). Favori's style is fried and extra greasy which I love. It makes it more flavory and crispy.

So if you're not familiar with this Vietnamese dish this is how you eat it....

1. Get the rice paper and dip it in the hot water to soften it up to make it edible.

2. Place your greens of choice on top not exceeding the size of the rice paper.

3. Add some vermicelli.

4. Put some chunks of the catfish on top and then wrap it up.

Voila. You just made yourself a spring roll. :)

There's a New Chef at Charlie Palmer!

2011-07-19T01:14:00.000-07:00

The Boyfriend's 30th Birthday Dinner at WP24

2011-07-19T01:00:00.000-07:00

Finally Trying Providence!

2011-07-19T00:35:00.000-07:00

I don't think I need to put the address and contact information for Providence since you all should be more than familiar with this institution. Ok fine I'm just lazy. There's a reason why Providence is so highly regarded and gained two Michelin Stars.

In a nutshell I thought their seafood was mind blowing. Incredibly flavory with many layers that harmoniously went perfectly together. HOWEVER, I thought the meat dishes were okay. Perhaps I was very full by then but it basically went from very flavorful dishes to more mute tasting ones. If the meats came out first then progressively became more flavorful with the seafood entrees then I might have appreciated them more.

Some folks say that Providence is their best meal in LA. I would have to agree in the seafood aspect that it was pretty damn amazing. Providence served the best uni of my LIFE. Goodness...

A Weekend Getaway to Chicago

2011-07-13T00:15:00.000-07:00

I am a city girl stuck in suburbia. I absolutely LOVE NYC. I mean who doesn't? I just love the hustle and bustleness to it because I myself am a very busy gal that doesn't like to sit still unless I am physically exhausted. The next metropolitan that I have been dying to visit is Chicago!

So the boyfriend's 30th birthday was coming and I had to think of something special. Something that he can appreciate and remember forever. Why not a trip to Chicago? We both never been there and the first trips are always the most memorable right?

Flights have been booked and next month we will get to finally visit the windy city. I am so excited! Naturally, I Googled "best eats in Chicago" and Yelped to verify it haha. I stumbled upon Hot Dougs where they had over 1600 reviews with an overall 4.5 stars. That's very good! They serve... get this... foie gras hot dogs. Ahhhh! I just popped a boner with that one. FOR SURE I will be having lunch there. No if's, and's or but's! Look at the slabs of the foie gras terraine on the dog... shit. It's just beautiful haha.

I definitely also have plans to dine at Avec, which I heard was better than Animal. Is that possible? Animal is my favorite restaurant in LA. I have to be the judge of that. I am not a deep dish pizza fan so I think I'll skip that. Eating like a freaken bunny rabbit till then. Oh not and not to forget to visit Garrett's Popcorn. My most favorite cheesey popcorn! Ahhh hurry up and get here Chicago!

Live Uni for the Very First Time!

2011-07-12T23:48:00.000-07:00

I have eaten 2 things live. One was sweet shrimp and recently the other is live uni. Nothing can beat the freshness of it.

I went to the Redondo Beach Pier this past weekend and I was so excited to try live uni. It's one of my most favorite things to eat. Definitely a pure indulgence for me.

It looks gross or Fear Factorish but it really isn't. It's not filled with bloody organs or it's moving or anything. It's just very fresh sea urchin. It's softer (can be described as slightly slimy) and more watery because salt water was poured into it. At sushi restaurants it's a little bit more solid due to refrigeration.

So no craziness to it. Pretty good but to be honest I rather have it at an awesome sushi restaurant because I like the uni with a dab of the wasabi on nigori rice. God damn it I want that now.

Plate by Plate Tickets are Available Online!

2011-07-06T01:46:00.000-07:00

If you couldn't make it out to Plate by Plate's Ticket Kickoff on June 30th, don't fret! The Early Bird tickets are available on Event Brite.

Purchase your tickets here.

We have much more participants all across the board than any other year! This year we are elevating the VIP experience by bringing on celebrity chef Walter Manzke as well as the very famous folks from Crustaceans to introduce their brand spanking new restaurant Tiato-Kitchen Bar Garden and representing their award winning catering company called An's Catering.

Our VIP guests will be enjoying Chef Manzke's potato dorado and Tiato's famous garlic noodles while sipping on cocktails from Ketel One. We will have runners to bring trays of delectable bites from our other participants to our VIP guests for added comfort. We are still planning and fine tuning how we can give our VIPs the most out of their very generous ticket. :)

As for the Main Reception, all of the guests will have a chance to devour savory bites from The Royce's wagyu, Charlie Palmer's foie gras, Church & State's braised veal, La Cachette Bistro's lobster bisque, Pinot Provence's hon hamachi, Raphael's crispy pork belly, Maison Akira's smoked cured salmon, etc.

We have a unique dessert selection from gourmet cotton candy with flavors like "berry caliente" that has strawberry and jalapeno flavors from Tasty Clouds, Cognac Truffles from Ciel Maitre Chocolatier, ridiculously delicious gourmet marshmellows from Plush Puffs, toffee almond Roca brownies from Embrace Sweets, and etc!

Enjoy fine beverages from Gekkeikan, MoMo, Ozeki Sake, mixed drinks from Ketel One and VeeV, fine wines from Monte de Oro Winery, Emanuel Tres Wines, Derby and Quadry Wineries, and some non-alcoholic beverages from Izze Sparkling Juice, Naja Tea, Vavo Ginger Ale and even Monster Energy drink to wake you up from the food coma that we hope to induce.

Please check out the full lineup here.

Capture the memories in Sutando's photo booth or shall I say a mini photo shoot for you and your friends and enjoy unique entertainment that we are still working on to wow our audience.

It's going to be a glamorous affair that our attendees won't forget. Don't miss out. Yours truly is directing it for the last time this year and I am making sure it's going to be GOOD.

2011 Plate by Plate's Ticket Kickoff on June 30!

2011-06-15T16:58:00.000-07:00

We are finally selling tickets for the 2011 Plate by Plate event! This will be a one night event at the lowest cost of $100 before they hit $125 for the Early Bird Tickets. Come and mingle with the PbP family, meet some of the participating chefs and beverage purveyors, get to know some of our beneficiary members from AYC, and cheers to a GREAT cause. Hope to see everyone at J Lounge on June 30 in the Patio!

Lunchin' with the owner of Oinkster

2011-06-07T00:52:00.000-07:00

2005 Colorado Blvd

Eagle Rock, CA 90041
(323) 255-6465
http://www.theoinkster.com/

Over 1300 reviews on Yelp with an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars AND featured on the Food Network Channel? Oinkster definitely caught my attention and I was very fortunate enough to have met the owner and restauranteur Andre Guererro at Bill Esparza's birthday at Petrossian last year. Super nice and great person. I had lunch with Andre at his famous Oinkster since I promised him I would come out to visit. I am glad I made that promise.

Ube Shake
This is a Filipino shake and basically tastes like taro and very reminiscent of a Vietnamese dessert. Not too sweet or rich with a taro taste. It was muy bien!

Classic Pastrami Sandwich
I always thought pastrami sandwiches were salty but Oinkster's version was not like that at all. It actually tasted home-like where it wasn't too greasy like a fast food joint but has all of the flavors from all the TLC that was put into it. I had this as a left over a few days later and it still kept it's integrity and didn't turn into a grease ball. This is the more popular sandwich and what most people come here for. I can see why now.

Chili Cheese Burger
This really reminds me of the In N' Out burger for some reason. The bun isn't crisp like it but it definitely has that juicy patty and flavorful taste. It wasn't overpowering with the chili. I can distinctly taste every layer with the onions, mustard, chili and the meat.

The Belgium fries was extra crispy and was SO good with the garlic aioli. I wanted to pour that aioli on everything!

Andre was so kind to allow me try the top items on the menu on the house and they were all delicious. I can't wait till Oinkster expands to downtown LA. Thank you for everything, Andre!

*New Restaurant Alert* - Watch out for Andre's new restaurant called Maximilliano that aims to open around August or later. It will be an Italian eatery wtih a bakery & coffee house right next door (that will come later).

Heart Attack Dog!

2011-05-29T13:27:00.000-07:00

I've always been told that I should date a chef since I am in the food industry. They are right and I must say I am lucky that I met a man that can truly cook. Not a professional chef but I would have to say I've compared his dishes to Nate's Korner and Animal.

Yesterday he made the most amazing pastrami sandwich. It was so good I requested it again today but instead he made me his heart attack dog.

How did it taste?

Effin delicious like his pastrami sandwich! Just as flavorful as Animal's cuisine. I mean look at it! It looks like a monster! Major stoner food.

How did he make it?

He sauteed the bell peppers and onions with soy sauce and garlic.

Slightly buttered up the bun.

Along with the hotdog link he added pastrami brisket and provolone that we got from Guilliano's, a novelty Italian market and deli in Gardena.

Popped it in the toaster then added ketchup, mustard and sriracha.

Mmmm mmmm MMMM. It tasted so good like a ghetto dog in LA late at night. Better actually! The special ingredient was definitely the pastrami brisket. It was thinly sliced and was a great bacon replacement. Full of flavor with a fusion of an American classic hotdog with an Italian twist. Bravo, boyfriend!

My Lucky Night at Velvet Margarita

2011-05-29T12:49:00.000-07:00

1612 N Cahuenga Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 469-2000
http://www.velvetmargarita.com/

First thought to a place called Velvet Margarita .... Ok dive bar here we come. I was completely wrong. It was very aesthetic. Almost like a nightclub. The lights were dim, the walls were covered in damask wallpaper and mirrors with shades of royal purple, black, and silver. There were mariachi hats on the ceiling giving it a pattern damask like look. Also, there was a pinata hanging and for a moment I mistook it for a chandelier. Very clever with the usage of the beautiful Mexican decor.

For dinner I was in a private room where the walls had white plush cushions, mirrored tables, white chairs with a black and white damask ceiling. Very pretty but the room was small so felt a little stuffy.

*DISCLAIMER* I ordered all of the right items giving me a very good dining experience here; however, some of the others in the party did not like their food as much. Dry chicken, weird tastes, and nothing special type of dishes.

The Scampi on the other hand.....

Look at how prevelant butter is in the sauce. It was absolutely DELISH! I am a sucker for butter (who the hell isn't??) and this was as buttery as you can get. The red rose is a raw tomato on top of Mexican rice in the scampi caper and buttery sauce. I thought the raw tomato was the perfect touch to tone down the richness.

But before this all of the entrees came with either a soup or salad. I chose the shrimp bisque and it was rich and very flavorful. The soup was not thick and had corn, potato, and shrimp in it. It was very yummy.

So if you come here ORDER THIS. Party in your mouth for sure!

You can see how the private room looks like a psychiatric ward but it works. I kept pushing the cushion of the wall.

Pretty cool place to have a good time. It's upbeat, had a great atmosphere, and if you order the right stuff the food was very good.

First Ecuadorian Experience at El Caserio

2011-05-23T18:10:00.000-07:00

309 N Virgil Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90004
Neighborhood: Silver Lake

(323) 664-9266

www.elcaseriola.com

I LOVE to try different ethnic food. I think the best kind of surprise is tasting food I never had before or being astonished to ingredients being used in different ways. El Caserio is a prime example to this and I was just blown away.

While my boyfriend and I wait for our shared entree to come we were in pure bliss with the bread, butter, and habenero salsa. My lord it was SO GOOD! Why didn't I think about putting hot salsa with my bread and butter before?? My goodness it just elevated the taste so much! It reminds me of the fried rice with a good spoonful of guacamole on top at Asia de Cuba. So delicious!

We ordered the skirt steak plate that had rice, a fried over easy egg, fries, and salad. We put salsa on everything! The steak itself isn't like Mastro's or anything. It could actually use more seasoning. Everything else was pretty good... with the salsa of course. This is why hole in the walls are so effin good. Great food at an affordable price. We shared too!

Take 2 on Bastide

2011-05-16T18:31:00.000-07:00

8475 Melrose Pl
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(323) 651-5950
http://www.bastidela.com/

My first experience at Bastide was not exactly a memorable one; however, this time around was a complete 180! I was THOROUGHLY impressed. Here's why....

Octopus Salad
I've said this in one of my previous entries but octopus can easily be screwed up. The octopus in this salad was cooked perfectly. It had pearl noodles, very tasty pieces of fried tofu, and an assortment of greens. Refreshing yet delectable for a salad.

Flat Iron Steak
In my head I thought, "PLEASE be flavorful!". I took a piece of the steak and put some bone marrow on top. MMmmmMMmmmmmMMmmm. The bone marrow really kicked up the fatty goodness flavor to another level and was perfectly balanced with the sweetness of the reduction. The pieces of spinach underneath the bone marrow was so good, too! It was cooked in ... uhm... butter? I don't know what it was but it stood out on it's own and was not overshadowed by the protein. The squarey thing is like a potato. All around it was like ambrosia! THIS made me change my mind to 180. LOVED IT.

I don't know if they very recently changed chefs but I was very impressed and completely understand why Bastide is one of the most highly regarded restaurants in LA.

What a great dinner with the girls. :)

Liang's Kitchen

2011-05-16T17:54:00.000-07:00

1370 Fullerton Rd, Ste 102
Rowland Heights, CA 91748

The boyfriend: Want to eat beef noodle soup?
Me: Sure. Don't think I had that before. This should be interesting.

Liang's Kitchen is a new addition to Life Plaza in Rowland Heights. It is pretty much a Taiwanese hole in the wall and when I came it was a packed house. Alright now... let's try this Taiwanese dish.

Beef Noodle Soup

First thought, "Whoa. Huge bowl!". This is totally meant to be shared unless you have an audacious appetite. The beef noodle dish can come in different combinational ways:

1) Dry beef noodle with thick noodles

2) Dry beef noodle with thin noodles

3) Beef noodle soup with thick noodles

4) Beef noodle soup with thin noodles (as seen below)

The noodles were soft, I thought the beef could have been braised a little bit longer, and it tastes VERY similar to the Vietnamese noodle soup "bun bo hue". It has that very slight sweetness to it but it's an overall savory soup. It has pieces of chopped bok choy for added texture. I very much enjoyed this soup.

Chinese Pancake wrapped around Beef
I love these types of pancakes in the Korean version and Chinese. It made me very reminiscent of the Taiwanese "pizza" I had on the streets of Taiwan. It's flaky, on the oily side, and has a hoison like sauce to enhance the flavor of the beef inside. Pretty hefty appetizer that I couldn't even finish one.

Blanched Chinese Cucumbers
I LOVE this dish. It's very simple but has TONS of flavor. So I think it's basically blanched cucumbers (put into boiling water and quickly taken out) mixed with freshly sliced garlic and perhaps some sesame seed oil? I just know that I can ward off vampires with my breath after I am done with this. It tastes so good I can care less haha.

The BEST Mexican food EVER.

2011-05-16T13:45:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Bill Esparza took my boyfriend and I as well as a few other patrons on a Mexican food crawl all over East LA. I wasn't sure what to expect but I woke up at 6 am to get my grub on and to see if Bill was not full of shit of the best eats hahaha.

Destination 1
Protein: Lamb
Where: Someone's backyard

The first destination was in a family's backyard that is open to the public. I wasn't shy and just sat down as if it was someone I knew.

Lamb Soup
Oh.... my... GOD. This is the best soup I ever EVER had. I am not being all dramatic about it but it truly is PERFECT. As you can see the broth was not thick but it was 100% pure flavor. I heard that the cooks would braise the lamb for a full day and collect the juices that drip down to make this soup. Wow... just WOWZAS. I would come back just for this.

Lamb Tacos
Dear lord this was the absolute best taco I have ever had. The soup was disgustingly good so you know that the lamb would be absolutely DIVINE. It was braised to perfection leaving only the pure flavors of the lamb and seasoning.

Just blogging about this right now and looking at the image just makes me so hungry. Why must this house be so farrrr??

Salsa verde for added heat for the taco.

Looks like a horror movie but you know it's legit when they display the carcass like that. Fall off the bone meat.

Destination 2
Protein: Pork
Location: In a parking lot

Bill was teaching us how to eat this pork soup by adding chopped white and green onions with some squeezed lemon.

Let's dig in!

Fresh homemade tortilla
It is like buttah. Nothing can beat just made tortillas.

Verdict: VERY delicious. I still think the lamb was better.

Bill and one of the girls from Boobs4Food! (A charity organization that feeds the underserved)

Mexican Coca Cola is WAYYYYYY better than the American one. They use sugar cane instead and doesn't taste so sugary.

The vat the pork is cooked in.

Destination 3
Protein: Carne Asada
Location: Carwash

Carne Asada Taco
Doesn't it look different from what we are accustomed to? It glistens and it kind of looks like chopped pieces of pork cooked Asian style.

My boyfriend asked, "Hey, why is not shreddy like the others?
Bill answered, "Because this is the REAL way to make carne asada."
Both of us, "Oooohhh."

Taste test: WOW. It literally MELTS in your mouth. It is so different than what I had before therefore I am RUINED by other carne asadas! What does your tastebuds do when they had the best?? Just like French Laundry. I had to train my palate again to in-reach mediocre food.

The vat from heaven.

Destination 4
Protein: Shrimp
Location: The street

Shrimp Taco
At this point I was pretty damn full but I had to try this. The shrimp is fried inside and the salsa on top was pretty damn spicy. I was breathing air into my mouth like it was hot! It was pretty good.

The owner of Marisco's gave us this dish to try. It also had a pretty good kick and was tasty.

The overall cost per person was about $10 and we were eating tacos for 4 hours. I was full and tired but very satisfied. The most favorite was the lamb. It was ridiculously delicious and the least favorite was the shrimp. You just can't go from the best with the most flavor to less flavor. The carne asada was so memorable that I can remember how the texture tasted in my mouth. I now know what REAL Mexican food means. None of the fancy & expensive Red O nonsense. I'd pick eating in a stranger's backyard for a fraction of the cost over that ANYTIME.

Bill, let's do Cuban next!

They know me as Anne at Nate's Korner

2011-05-13T21:48:00.000-07:00

3950 South Main Street
Santa Ana, CA 92707
(714) 545-5772
Aka: Qwik Korner

I came across Qwik Korner randomly and had their breakfast croissant sandwich and never forgot it since. When I use to work very closeby I came so often that they knew me as "Anne" (to make things easier). My regular order is always the steak sandwich.

Qwik Korner grew bigger and called their hoagie shop Nate's Korner. Qwik Korner is basically an awesome novelty store that sells all sorts of snacks and beverages. You can find EVERYTHING there. I actually found Combos there. Who sells Combos anymore? That's old school! I thought that was awesome.

The menu is pretty extensive making me want to try everything!

I totally forgot the owners of Nate's Korner asked for my permission to use my Yelp quote. I was pretty happy to see the menu when it slipped my mind.

Steak Sandwich

Look at that beauty. It's pretty much like a Philly cheese steak but this one is just so good. Enough flavor. The bread makes a huge difference and this was very high quality bread. Back then they used bread that was more greasy that made it extra delicious but this was good too.

You can have the sandwich spicy or have the jalapenos on the side. I prefer it on the side to control the heat.

I love their story.

I absolutely love mom and pop shops like this. Their specialty can not be beat by chains. I will forever be a regular customer at Nate's.

A Taste of the New Son of a Gun

2011-05-11T01:09:00.000-07:00

8370 W 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 782-9033
www.sonofagunrestaurant.com/
Chefs & Owners: Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo from Animal

Animal is my absolute FAVORITE restaurant! I think I've been there half a dozen times. It is the most flavorful food made for stoners. I kid you not. It has ruined me on similar dishes elsewhere since other places taste subpar!

The creative chefs expanded and opened up Son of a Gun that is more seafood focused. Ahhhhhhh! I was elated! I haven't had the chance to have a full dinner here yet but I came with my friend Bill Esparza after our dinner meeting at Playa to meet the chefs for the same reason. Of course while we wait for Jon to come we ordered a few of the popular dishes to try out....

Same menu concept as Animal.

Shrimp Toast Sandwich with Sriracha Mayo and Herbs

Wow... it's so effin good. VERY flavorful! The toast was soooooooo good. It was crispy but not to the point where it will rip up my mouth. You can definitely taste the shrimp inside with the savoriness of the mayo and herb. YUM. It's pretty small but it's packed with flavor.

Smoked Mahi Fish Dip with Celery, Radish and Crackers

It looks like something you would whip at home really quick with tuna, mayo, thinly sliced celery with saltines right? Well Son of a Gun's version is SO flavorful! I don't know how else to describe it. Dashes of tobasco sauce just elevates the whole taste. The smoked mahi salad was very light but maintains to not be so mayo-ey and rich.

Fried Chicken Sandwich

This bad boy is pretty big. Sharing is recommended because it will fill you up. My lord it's basically a piece of Popeye's chicken stuffed in a very buttery toasted brioche. Very similar to the pork belly sliders at Animal. Fucken loved this.

There are mixed thoughts on this place but I absolutely loved what I tried. Just imagine 2 Animal locations. That's basically it. I can't wait to come in for a full dinner but right now... diet time.

'Bidness' Din with the owner of Playa Rivera

2011-05-11T00:35:00.000-07:00

7360 Beverly Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90036

(323) 933-5300

http://www.playarivera.com/

I finally got to try Playa while it's still hot. My super awesome friend Bill Esparza from Street Gourmet LA (who was featured on Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre Food, VistaLA, and a columnist for LA Times) did me a HUGE favor and arranged a business dinner with Bill Chait, the owner of Playa and Rivera, to discuss the possible participation of either restaurants for Plate by Plate this August. Mr. Chait was a really cool person making the mood very light yet business while explaining the background of Playa and its cuisine.

They have a huge selection of hard liquor as you can see. My drink of choice is Jameson on the rocks. I don't do mixed drinks or beer because of the added calories and occasionally do wine or champagne. They didn't have Jameson so I tried Red Turkey in its place and it was very similar and smooth like Jameson.

House made tortillas that was more grainy with a flower pressed on top. So pretty! The guacamole was more fluid than chunky but was very flavorful and had a spicy kick. I am a huge guac snob since I like it a certain way but Playa's version was so good. I kept the small bowl of guac when the waitress took the plate away haha.

The best chips ever! The chips were crispy, oily, and oh so good with a flavory guac like sauce drizzled over it. Every chip had the green sauce on it so every bite exploded in flavor.

Maize Breakfast Cake

Not tacos according to Bill Chait. Today it's called "maize". I love cut opening a poached egg and see all of the yolk goodness just spill all over the place. Droolalicious. There were pieces of crisps in truffle flavor that gave it texture. How can you go wrong throwing in mushrooms to make it aromatic? I would lick the plate clean because of the yolk.

Jamon y Queso

The orange pieces are compressed apples where it tastes kind of jellyish with a grainier texture that added sweetness to the slightly salty Iberica ham and idiazabal cheese. There were pieces of caviar infused bleu cheese but no thiank you. Not my cup of tea.

I took a photo of the whole plate since it's like an art piece.

Just the ham, white cheese, figs, and compressed apples on a toast was good enough for me.

Octo-palm

It is just what the name is. Octopus and hearts of palm on a bed of arugula with crispy red onions. Cooked octopus can be so easily screwed up making it overcooked. Playa did a great job at retaining the integrity of its softness not making rubbery.

Goodness I forgot what this movie was called. Such rad plates.

Hello from the bathroom that smelled like a playa! Haha.

And here is everyone from dinner with a surprise cameo from actor Jesse Williams from Grey's Anatomy also known as Avery. So from left to right is me, Bill Esparza, Bill Chait, Jesse Williams, and Helen Kim.

Playa really impressed me unlike Red O (or more like Red NO). The execution was on point with lots of layers in flavors in a great looking restaurant. Love the tapas style menu with the option of platos. I definitely dig these types of new restaurants over the fancy schmancy tasting ones.

Thank you Bill Esparza for the formal introduction and sit down dinner with the owner of one of the hottest restaurants in LA!

Brunch at Scarpetta

2011-05-01T16:17:00.000-07:00

225 N Canon Dr
Dayton & Clifton Ways
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 860-7970
http://www.montagebeverlyhills.com/beverly-hills-restaurants.php

Scott Conant can judge all he wants on Chopped. My mind towards his cuisine has completely changed when I went on a complimentary brunch with KevinEats.

There was a cheese bar with a server to cut all of the cheeses to your desire. I am so cheese illiterate but I know there were two different types of goat cheese. One with the dried tomato and one without, epoisse in the center on the spoon, and bleu cheese. Gosh it was so good. I can't wait to go to a cheese tasting someday and learn more about it.

My fellow food bloggers picture tasting. Thank you for the wonderful invite Kevin! It was the perfect day too!

There was such a cute assortment of bread! These croissants and bear claws (?) were SO adorable! I wanted to just take the whole basket home!

The savory bar had a lot of variety. I was mainly at this station. I mean... wouldn't you? The cocktail shrimp were really big and plump and I couldn't get enough of the oysters. There were also the signature spaghetti on a warm pan, lampchops & sirloin on the cutting board, ready to customize omelet station, a variety of salads, different types of sashimi, and breakfast food.

Then of course there's the dessert bar. I love how they are so mini and bite size. This was just one table out of 3 with an assortment of delectable sweets.

How cute is this? I love cylinders and shot cups full of yumminess. The cream with the fruit was divine! The tiramisu was absolutely perfect!

I had a bite of everything and I would have to say they were all very good. Favorites were the dessert in the cups and the pink macaroon.

I've been to a few fancy brunches and this is one of my favorites. I was enjoying everything and it was such high in quality that having this brunch on the house made it so much better. :)

"Crackanara" at Spoon House

2011-05-01T15:46:00.000-07:00

1601 W Redondo Beach Blvd
Gardena, CA 90247
(310) 538-0376
Cuisine: Japanese & Italian

I call it crackanara because I'm so addicted to the carbonara dish at Spoon House. It's quite simple with the taste of buttery, creamy, and bacony goodness. I thought I really liked the garlic beef but this dish is more of my cup of tea.

Mozzarella Overload at Old Vine Cafe

2011-04-04T22:59:00.000-07:00

I thought I would never say this but I had way too much mozzarella at this lunch. First I had the mozzarella buffala sandwich. It was pretty good. The bread broke apart very easily almost like a large cracker but softer in texture than a Saltine. The sandwich itself was mild in flavor but the tomato based dipping sauce pulled out the delicate flavors.

For the appetizer the burrata with fried eggplant was ordered. Very pretty presentation and was very delicious too. If you don't know what burrata is it's basically fresh mozzarella mixed in with cream.

Oh boy... super mozzarella overkill. So if you come dine at Old Vine just have one mozzarella dish. One is more than enough. I think this lunch for me was way over 1000 calories. Eating healthy went down the drain with this one haha.

Biannual Trips to NYC

2011-04-02T17:53:00.000-07:00

Every 6 months I getaway to my most beloved city NYC to relax and have more clarity from the stresses of life. I can't wait to be back in Manhattan in 2 weeks! I have a list of eateries I want to indulge in. Let's see I want to go to....

Marea (EVERYONE tells me to eat here.)
Ai Fiori (My friend Chris Jaeckle is an executive chef here. He was ft. on Chopped on the Food Network)
Shake Shack (I heard it's the shit... gotta try it!)
Per Se (I have to try this at least ONCE in my life. The ONLY Thomas Keller restaurant I haven't been to)
Fatty 'Cue (the best pork belly bao buns)
Peter Luger Steakhouse (my most favorite steakhouse EVER)

Local fare...

NY PIZZA! Screw Grimaldi's and Lombardi's. They aren't all that to me and I don't understand why it's all the rage for NY pizza. The REAL NY pizza are from the random mom and pop shops for $2/slice. THAT is the shit. I am going to gorge myself with that.

I am going to try to eat Jamaican beef patties in Brooklyn. I need to. I haven't had an authentic east coast JBP in over a decade!!

This is going to be a delicious trip... like always.

Home Cooking: White Truffle Oil

2011-03-23T01:00:00.000-07:00

I am going to start posting entries on home cooking, too! This isn't just a blog about dining out but collectively just good eats.

So the other day I was grocery shopping at Vons and was looking for sesame oil for my boyfriend to make me wonton soup. I came across this white truffle oil for $19.95. Yikes... $20 for oil? I mean it IS truffle oil. I had to get it.

First thing that came to mind was truffle garlic edamames! I didn't look up the recipe to duplicate what I've had at restaurants but I can take an educated guess. I did the following:

Microwaved a bag frozen edamames for 3 minutes.
Tossed the defrosted edamames in a wok
Generously added the white truffle oil, grinded sea salt, and soy sauce.
Sautee, taste, then add more seasoning if needed.

The verdict - it came out pretty damn good!

The white truffle oil had a strong aroma but it wasn't strong in taste so it's ok to be relatively generous in the sautee. Even though sea salt was added for saltiness the soy sauce makes it much more flavory than having it with sea salt alone.

What else can I make with this oil? It can be put to good use to make gourmet truffle burgers, truffle fries... any other ideas?

EXTENDED RSVP Date!

2011-03-22T22:36:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

PbP LA's Partner Kickoff RSVP deadline has been extended to March 28.

The event itself will be on Thursday March 31st.

I am so proud of the partner that the Director of Partner Outreach has chosen. I know you will be touched by it, too. So come out and support and rub elbows with community leaders, politicians, other API organizations, and US!

RSVP at rsvp@projectbyproject.org

Chowing Down at Eat Chow

2011-03-22T22:30:00.000-07:00

1802 Newport Blvd

Costa Mesa, CA 92627
(949) 650-2469
http://www.eatchownow.com/

For an OC eatery this place has great reviews. I just had to try it.

Truffle Garlic Fries

Like my girlfriend would state... you got me at truffle. Can you go wrong with this? Maybe more pieces of garlic goodness but it was damn good and addicting!

Ground Chuck Beef Burger

Shredded Lettuce, Tomato, Charamelized Onions, House Made 1000 Island Dressing, Pickles, on a Toasted Brioche Bun Choice of Cheese.

There were a lot of options but I was in the mood for something fattening and being on a brioche bun got me. This burger was pretty darn good. Juicy and fatty.

I came on a different occasion and had a salad. PLEASE NOTE... make sure you tell them to put dressing on the side. The salad was over dressed and I couldn't finish it. The truffle mac and cheese was very greasy too. They used penne and the sauce did not cling onto the noodle well. I don't recommend that dish.

Other than that... it is a pretty fattening eatery but it IS called Eat Chow. I liked my first experience more but the next time I come I know what to order and how to order it.

Catching up over Mac n' Cheese at Westside Tavern

2011-03-22T22:18:00.000-07:00

10850 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 470-1539

www.westsidetavernla.com

For a restaurant that is attached to a shopping mall center it is actually not too bad.

Modern Casear

Typical casear salad but you have to cut this one yourself haha. It was a bit overdressed with chunks of casear dressing all over.

Mac & Cheese with Crispy Onion

MmmmmMMmmmMMmmmm! This was SO rich and flavory that I could only have a bite then a sip of water but it was very delicious. The crispy onions on top made this go from good to great!

Angus Ribeye

The bleu cheese butter was so good with this steak. The ribeye was actually very juicy and flavory. I was loving this dish. I am a bit of a steak snob but this was not too shabby.

Overall Westside Tavern is a pretty delicious restaurant. It was full of flavor... a bit too much... but in small portions it was very enjoyable.

Let's See What the Hype is All About with Aburiya Toranoko

2011-03-22T15:29:00.000-07:00

243 S. San Pedro St

Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 621-9500
http://www.toranokola.com/
Chef & Owner: Michael Cardenas & Hisaharu Kawabe

Toranoko is brand new being just a month old. It is right next to Lazy Ox Canteen AND is owned by the same owners. It just HAS to be good. I was in the area and stopped in for an early dinner.

The atmosphere is no doubt trendy, chic and hip and I absolutely loved it.

Don't you just love the bar?

I gauge all sushi and Izakaya restaurants with their uni and ankimo.

(Going clockwise from left to right)

Monk liver pate with w/mustard, vinegar and miso sauce

I thought that this monk liver was not as good as Ohshima's. I think I am forever ruined by Ohshima's EVERYTHING.

Yanagita seafarms uni goma tofu

This was interesting. The small piece of uni on top of the goma tofu made the whole tofu taste like a big giant piece of uni but with a different texture... a more solid texture. Do I love it? I am not sure.

Australian wagyu

Wagyu anything MUST be good right? Well not if it was overcooked. Boo.

Beef and foie gras skewers

The beef was wrapped around the foie gras. This was the best dish BUT it still didn't wow my socks off. The foie gras was definitely a taste enhancer but not enough to put it over the edge of extraordinary. I think the beef should have been more seasoned? Something was missing.

"Japanese pizza"

Oh how I love the thin shavings of fish on top of anything and watch it whimisically coil together. This was like a big egg, seafood, vegetable pizza. Not bad.

I REALLY wanted to love Toranoko! I would come back at a later date to see if they improved but my first experience was very mediocre. It did not live up to the hype of what I read on Yelp and from word of mouth. Till next time, Toranoko... I hope I like you more the next time around.

PbP LA's Chapter Retreat Dinner at Xiomara

2011-03-22T15:25:00.000-07:00

6101 Melrose Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90038

(323) 461-0601

http://www.xiomararestaurant.com/

I LOVED Xiomara! I was actually surprised to how good it was because I never heard anyone talk about it. I would pass by it all the time but never thought twice about it. I'm so lucky that Project by Project, Los Angeles' president had the hugest hookup here and gave our whole team a 5 course experience for only $20. That's the PbP hookup!

The thin bread sticks coated with baked on habanero flavored parmesean. - I LOVED THIS! I ate the whole jar full. I couldn't help it! When I first tried it the waiter said... it's spicy watch out. My response: spicy for white people or for Asians? I tried it and was like... wowww... ok spicy for Asians haha.

Do you see me with the pink bag?

Duck salad with mache duck prosciutto and fresh ricotta cheese

WOW. Never had duck proscuitto before and it was the perfect amount of saltiness for the salad.

Lobster with biscuit and shellfish gravy and fried kale

Seriously the dishes keep getting better! This was ALL flavor! Pieces of the fried kale escalated this plate from delicious to OMG THAT WAS F*KEN GOOD status.

Seared pork chop and pork belly with crispy spetzel, brussel sprouts, garlic and eggplant

MMmmmm and keeps continuing. The pork belly was soft and had a slight crisp. This was definitely very delicious too.

Seared NY strip steak with fingerling potatoes and veggies

I have to admit I thought this one was ok. The previous dishes were exploding in flavor and this one was much more mild. This had to be my least favorite.

We have a lot to celebrate to build a big and strong team for PbP LA this year. :)

The 2011 president for PbP LA~! He was able to give us this huge hookup. That's how PbP rolls!

I also had off the 5 course menu items such as the melt in your mouth short ribs. I've had very good short ribs but this took the cake. It had that WOW factor and holy sh*t it was like buttah! Very flavory and uhhhmaazinggg. It is a must when you dine here. The other item was rice pudding dessert. Now this was seriously good. It had sugar crystals in it and that totally elevated the taste. I was very impressed by this.

Overall Xiomara is one delicious ass restaurant. Like REALLY delicious. It is hard to impress me at a fine dining restaurant because I feel that it's not worth the money but Xiomara definitely hit the spot.

It was More than Koo

2011-03-22T15:15:00.000-07:00

408 Irving St.

San Francisco, CA 94122

(415) 731-7077

www.sushikoo.com

I am going to keep this entry very brief. 3 words: spoonful of happiness. This was so delicious I ordered 2 of them. So the first spoon has uni and a raw quail egg in a small pool of ponzu sauce. The raw quail egg just made the already creamy uni so much more creamy! WOW.

The second spoon was a piece of hamachi wrapped around ankimo in ponzu sauce. I had no idea that there was monk liver in the middle so it was a freaken good surprise!! Now THIS dish lives up to its name.... literally.

Besides this dish everything else was of the highest quality and freshness. The toro and uni sushi, the miso cod, and of course the house sake. Koo and Ohshima are my two favorite sushi restaurants.

The BEST Breakfast Food at the Pacific Dining Car!

2011-03-22T15:13:00.000-07:00

1310 W 6th St

Los Angeles, CA 90017
(213) 483-6000
http://www.pacificdiningcar.com/

The Pacific Dining Car is an old restaurant that is squeezed in the Metropolis of Los Angeles but once inside you can feel the history and legacy that it holds. All of the waiters are dressed to the nines to serve their customers in old fashion high class style. It's not the type of restaurant to be rowdy in but it is open 24 hours. Breakfast food is served all day long and there's one particular dish that keeps me coming back...

Blue Crab Benedict

On English muffin halves. Topped with poached eggs and hollandaise sauce.

Dude... this is seriously the BEST breakfast food you can ever have. The most high end too. The hash with blue crab... REAL crab... mixed with hollandaise sauce is to die for!! It's a huge portion so sharing is highly recommended.

Healthy Alternatives at True Food Kitchen

2011-03-22T15:11:00.000-07:00

451 Newport Center Dr

Newport Beach, CA 92660

(949) 644-2400

www.truefoodkitchen.com/

Vegetarian restaurant. It actually almost immediately turns me off. I have reason though! I had a salad from Native Foods WHICH I heard was a great restaurant epically disappointed me. I thought I was eating vegetables that were just picked off the ground, UNWASHED, and thrown in a bowl for me. It tasted like dirt and from then on I didn't get why people love vegetarian restaurants that are trendy like that. True Food Kitchen has changed my mind.

Caramelized Onion Tart

Looks familiar but the taste was all its own! It was amazingly light and full of flavor! The dough is made of wheat and was pretty thin. It was dressed with gorgonzola, black fig, and smoked garlic. The gorgonzola and garlic adds flavory taste and aroma while the black fig gives it a nice sweet touch.

Local Vegetable Crudite

The presentation is just darling! Like a colorful tree! It's just simply local veggies but how is it SO GOOD?! There was ranch and olive dipping sauces. The veggies seem to be sweeter and had a really great crisp to all of them. I never had such good raw veggies before.

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

I shared the casserole lunch entree and it was still a pretty good amount. The "spaghetti" is actually the squash with melted fresh mozzarella cheese on top. It was very light in taste with a tanginess from the tomato, sweetness from the squash, and milkiness from the mozzarella.

Sashimi Tuna

Another light dish but the flavors of the edamame, avocado, tuna, and ginger speak for itself. Very lightly dressed to allow all of the natural ingredients to gentley stand out.

I really loved this restaurant. It was quite expensive though. For 2 appetizers, a salad and a lunch entree it was $60. Now that's expensive vegetables. I would definitely come back but for dinner to keep it light.

Ohshima, the Affordable Version of Urasawa

2011-03-22T15:08:00.000-07:00

1956 N Tustin St

Orange, CA 92865
(714) 998-0098

I was whatever with sushi and sashimi because the taste is just so delicate to me AND everything tasted like wasabi soy sauce until I dined at Ohshima...

Eating at the sushi bar omakase style I followed and ate everything the chef served me. I learned that I have been eating sushi the wrong way this whole time! Dipping in wasabi soy sauce is the American way and without it is the true Japanese way. What a major difference! I completely taste the difference in all of the raw fish and I totally get it now!

Monk Liver

This is the BEST ankimo I have ever had. It was very silky, flavory, and creamy. It is for sure the foie gras of the sea.

Hamachi Collar

This was like any other hamachi collar that I've had anywhere else.

Toro

Oh my goodness... MELTS in my mouth. It has that offset flood of flavor that I love so much. At first it's tuna like then BAM! The fatty goodness sinks in that you can't help to smile to.

Black Cod

The chef used a flame torch to torch the top. I always love miso black cod but no miso needed. This is one of my favorite sushi! It is actually on par with toro. MUST order!

Uni

Omg look at that... Now that's what you call food porn. I literally stare at this image on my phone all dayyyy! It was f*ken good!

This what happens when you don't keep up with your food blog... forgetting what it is called. Shame on me. I think this was albacore with a garlic chip on top? For this one we asked the chef to just pick one and my goodness.... AMAAZZINNNGGGGG. That little garlic chip just made this piece of sushi explode in flavor and texture! Jesus...

And there's dessert... by this time I am just very full and had the best dinner ever.

After I dined here I heard that Ohshima was comparable to Urasawa. If it is... then I really look forward to Ursasawa one day because Ohshima is just purely EXCELLENT. One RARE point for OC to have such a gem of a restaurant. It's so good I would take my family here. Now go... your turn!

Surprise Birthday Dinner at Totoraku by my Love!

2011-03-22T15:00:00.000-07:00

10610 W Pico Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 838-9881

Patrons can only dine at this restaurant through invites from the chef only or you must know the chef. I thought I was going to Sushi Zo for my birthday dinner but my sneaky boyfriend surprised me by taking me to Totoraku instead... one of the top places I was dying to try!

The restaurant is nothing fancy. More of a speak easy because the front signage states that it is a teriyaki restaurant. It literally feels like you're eating in someone's home... in Asia.

Totoraku solely has a beef tasting for its menu for $150/person. I thought... how good can a beef tasting be? How many ways can it be prepared? Oh man... I completely understand now. I apologize for having no images of the food but I wanted to totally enjoy the meal without having the camera in hand.

This was THE BEST birthday dinner ever and for the appropriate birthday celebration age. You see that smile? It was genuine and I was one happy girl. Everything from the marinated raw beef, self cooked and pre-cooked was amazing. The beef LITERALLY melts in your mouth. I forgot how many courses there were but I was very full and gluttonously satisfied.

My love is so sweet to have arranged this. LOVE YOU, BABE!

So I guess you're supposed to bring French wines to offer to the Chef Kaz. We were so glad that he liked the wine that we brought. I think he was a bit smitten with me haha.

Ahhhh such a wonderful dinner. I heard that Japanese pop stars and singers come dine here as their staple from Japan. It feels awesome to be in the know, too. :)

30th Dinner at Bastide with the Girls

2011-03-22T14:56:00.000-07:00

8475 Melrose Pl

West Hollywood, CA 90069

(323) 651-5950

http://www.bastidela.com/

Some of darling girlfriends helped me celebrate the big THREE-OH. Not the most exciting birthday for a girl but girls just deal with it haha. I had a combined birthday dinner with my dear girlfriend and she chose Bastide, which I have been dying to try since it is regarded as one of the best restaurants in LA.

We had our own room and it was like a really chic library or bookstore. I loved the atmosphere and I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into the food.

I started off with the mushroom soup that had lobster glace, thyme, and mushroom. It was VERY garlicky and mushroomy in flavors in a chowder like soup. The mushroom was very thinly sliced and I thought it was a tad bit overwhelming but nontheless it was delicious. Just small amounts at a time for me.

My main course was the tenderloin with grapefruit polenta, broccolini and breurre rouge. I thought this was mediocre. The tenderloin was indeed tender but it lacked in flavor. I wasn't too crazy about pairing the tenderloin with the polenta since both are very mild in taste. It needs something very flavorful to buffer the other.

This is why I am so picky with fine dining. I get easily disappointed because I feel like I can make a better steak at home or find it elsewhere at a lower price. I've been there done that with so many fine dining restaurants and hole in the walls to know what's worth it and what's not. I was not too crazy about Bastide but only because of what I ordered.

On the other hand I tried the duck dish and it was VERY good. The duck was crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. Definitely THIS is the dish to order. Not the tenderloin.

Everything was better again with the slew of gifts from Henri Bendel..... my FAVORITE store! :)

Turning 30 isn't so bad... I guess. Haha.

No Reservations at Ad Hoc

2011-03-22T13:53:00.000-07:00

6476 Washington St
Yountville, CA 94599
(707) 944-2487
Chef & Owner: Thomas Keller

My group and I didn't have reservations at Ad Hoc after wine tasting in Napa but gave it go anyways. We arrived at 5:30 pm and was told there was only a table for 2 when I needed a table for 4. Not letting up I let out a snooty sigh and rolled my eyes and voila! Got me my table hahaha.

I've tried Bouchon... LOVED IT. Experienced French Laundry... AMAZING. Now... Thomas Keller's casual eatery. I was very excited.

It is an automatic set menu.

Baby Beet and Citrus Salad

This is the freshest and most organic salad ever. There was barely a dressing but the citrus from the grapefruit, nuttiness of the chioggia, and freshness of the endive all collaborated to have a nice harmony of crisp and freshness that was just picked from the garden outside and washed with cold water.

Grilled Beef Flat Iron

The braised kohlrabi was cooked to perfection. It was juicy and filled with savory flavors. The peas and corn gave it a southern twist.

Cauliflower Whipped Potatoes

Holy moly this was the best mashed potatoes my tastebuds have ever experienced. It paried PERFECTLY with the braised kohlrabi making this course so wholesome. While my group and I were eating this we were trying to figure how it's made. I think we need to buy the Ad Hoc book. Ridiculously amazing buttery goodness.

Steamed P.E.I. Mussels

Seafood following steak. Oh God is good. Flavors from saffron and basils that have been reduced in the soup... mmmm.

Hobb's Pork Belly with Gem Lettuce and Dried Tomatos

Who would have thought cheese & pork belly would taste good together? It was interesting that the cheese gave the pork belly a smoky flavor. I wanted more of the pork belly. Splitting it between 4 people made this a tease but then again I was very full.

Monkey Bread

Like a gourmet cinnabon. It's such a pretty presentation!

The damage. Worth it? VERY.

Thomas Keller NEVER fails with his cuisine in all of the restaurants that I have tried. I am still yet to try Per Se. One day... one day...

MIA Status!

2011-03-17T02:03:00.000-07:00

Oh man... talk about being super absent on my food blog. It's not that I don't want to blog it's just that I have ZERO time for it! I can't even finish my last entry below. I like to put time into researching the restaurant, chef, dishes, ingredients, etc. and elaborate my experience when I write my entries. I don't like to half ass it thus no new entries.

This doesn't mean my involvement in the foodie coimmunity has ceased to exist. The reason why I have been so incredibly busy is because I have taken on the role of the Director of Events for Project by Project heading the planning and execution of Plate by Plate this year and I am putting a heavy weight on myself to recruit the right people to be on my team as well as making sure this will be the best annual tasting benefit yet! Last year was incredible so the bar has been set high.

So folks, the 9th annual tasting benefit for Project by Project is on August 6th, 2011 at the gorgeous Vibiana Cathedral in downtown Los Angeles. It's freaken beautiful there with its historic atmosphere. The addition of light decor turns it into an ultra chic environment. I will slowly release who will be participating this year so for now I'll just say we are proud to have....

Cafe Pinot (we love them!)
Jar
Fraiche
Bistro LQ
Chaya
and many more ... :)

Stay tuned folks. Or follow me on Twitter. There's a link on the left and you'll get all updates about Project by Project and Plate by Plate.

Before I end this entry I want to emphasize that Plate by Plate's whole purpose is to raise funds so that the net proceeds are given to our partner that we focus on for the year. Our main goal for Project by Project is to assist one nonprofit per year by raising awareness, volunteerism, and fundraising. While we focus on the business aspect financially, branding, marketing, consulting, etc. they can focus on their mission and execute their programs. So besides Plate by Plate being a fabulous fancy event it is a big soiree honoring our partner.

So I know the next question is who is our partner for the year? The national theme this year is education, specifically academics. Come to our Partner Kickoff mixer to find out who will be Project by Project, Los Angeles' 2011 partner! It is an exclusive event where we have invited community leaders, other API organizations, and our new partner to meet and greet each other. Come meet us and join us in celebrating this collaboration.

Click here to RSVP to find out the location.

FINALLY my 1st dining experience at Cafe Pinot!

2011-01-14T18:35:00.000-08:00

700 W 5th St

Los Angeles, CA 90071

(213) 239-6500

Executive Chef: Kevin Meehan

I finally had a full experience here but not just any regular experience... a true VIP one! Get this... it was entirely on the house! Chef Kevin Meehan fixed an omakase style tasting menu for my bf and I and we felt like royalty there. He truly takes care of his friends and customers. I was treated so well because I helped him bring in media attention with food bloggers. We had the wine pairing and the sommelier did a fantastic job.

The meal started with a light pepper crusted seared yellowfin tuna on a bed of fresh avocado and Peruvian potatoes. It was a touch of Latin and a great mouth fresher.

Next was sauteed foie gras on top of plaintain, toast, and a confetti of peanuts. I believe this was off the menu because I don't see it on the menu (duh right) and he made this especially for my bf because the 2nd course was supposed to be the parmesan flan which my bf specifically requested to not have. It was a very generous helping of foie gras and with each bite with every single ingredient it was a complex flavor of savoy, sweet and nutty. I literally sat there with my eyes closed tasting everything and they all complemented each other very well. Mmmmm... closing my eyes now I can recall the variety of taste in one bite.

The parmesan flan is just ridic. Since my bf didn't like it he still wanted to see why I was drooling over it. He actually liked it! Now that says something from a person who hates parmesan. The flan was warm and it was a a great with the parmesan crisp for added texture. It had pieces of blueberry and it was perfect touch of sweetness. I believe this was off the menu as well and the chef knew I absolutely LOVED this dish since I requested two to go from his debut at Test Kitchen. Kevin, this needs to be a permanent dish. People must know about this one!!! It's so freaken good!!!

Now onto the infamous truffle risotto. The chef brought over a huge bulb of truffle and I was lost staring at it. He started to shave away and I completely forgot to say when looking at my plate with endless amounts of freshly shaved truffles. My god it was like heaven on a dish! The risotto was not overwhelming with the truffle taste as I have had some that just punched me in the face with its pungency. This will always be a favorite staple of mine at Cafe Pinot.

Not wasting any morsel of food so far I was getting pretty full. Next was the 16 oz. bone-in ribeye cote de boeuf with broccolini, fingerling potatoes and shallots. This dish reminded me of the short ribs Chef Meehan had at Test Kitchen where it was described as "substantial" in taste. Each ingredient on the dish had it's very own distinctive flavor that can be eaten alone but when put together it was amazing. Another dish where you need to close your eyes, taste it, savor it, and just enjoy it. Not to be inhaled or you would not be able to pay attention to all of the great flavors. The ribeye was tender that started off subtle in taste but left the palate with a savory finish.

As full as I was I managed to finish it because it was just so good! After this the chef gave us 2 different types of dessert. I am gonna go out on a limb and guess what they are... one was like a ganache moussiline with a side of mocha ice cream on a bed of coffee. The ice cream balanced out the ganache and was very refreshing. Who needs a cup of coffee with this one?

The other one was like Mexican donuts. It was very soft and had the taste of churros. Melted in my mouth.

Ahhh the anticipated dinner was well worth it. Chef Meehan did not disappoint like how he amazed me at Test Kitchen. Thank you for such a memorable and great dinner, Kevin! Oh also as mentioned earlier the wine tasting was perfect! I had a wine pairing before at The Dining Room but I didn't like it. The wine pairing here changed my mind. It's amazing how a bite of steak and a sip of wine can really make it go from awesome to holy shit. It was excellent. Till next time, K!

Successful Evening for Kevin Meehan at Test Kitchen!

2010-11-30T12:18:00.000-08:00

9575 West Pico Boulevard

Los Angeles 90035
(310)277-0133
http://www.testkitchenla.com/
Chef: Kevin Meehan
Restaurant: Cafe Pinot
Cuisine: French, American New

When I heard from the man himself that he will be at Test Kitchen it was mandatory to show support for one of Plate by Plate's favorite participants. Not only has he became a friend to all of us but he makes one helluva truffle risotto. Even at the last hour before Cafe Pinot closes he caters to a dozen of us famished Project by Project members to disgustingly tantalizing creations on the house. Ok I lied. We weren't starving. We were craving the crack risotto.

I shamefully admit that I still have yet to come in to Cafe Pinot for the full experience but I was very excited to be Meehan's guinea pig for his debut at Test Kitchen.

My party ordered all of the appetizers on the menu to try.

Octopus Carpaccio

The thinly sliced octopus had a vanilla aroma that gradually greeted the palate. The citrus gave it acidity and enhanced all of the flavors together nicely. It was light, had a nice octopus chewy texture, and was definitely very innovative. Never thought I'd eat octopus with vanilla.

Salmon Gravlax

To someone that is unfamiliar with gravlax it is salted, sugared, and dilled raw salmon. Taste wise it's like lox and obviously looks wise too. Meehan's version of gravlax was delicately executed. The salmon was not too pungent allowing the flavors of the caviar and and the soft purple potato blini to not be overshadowed.

Parmesean Flan

I was a little taken back to see parmesean and flan together but was very curious. One bite... OMFG. It was uhhhhmazing! This appetizer had the wow factor. The warm flan was a cross between a custard and loose cheesecake in texture with a robust parmesean flavor. The parmesean crisp added a contrasting texture and was not at all too overwhelming with the parmesean taste. It was just as delicious as it looks. Bravo on this dish.

Paella Arancini with Espelette Aioli
Arancini is fried rice balls that originated from Sicily and espelette is a chili pepper from France. The arancini was made of a mixture of seafood and every bite was a nice surprise. The aioli was rich and was a great taste enhancement to the arancinis.

Salt Cod Brandade with Black Garlic
Brandade is basically an emulsion of salt cod and olive oil. This looks like a bigger version of the arancinis but don't let looks deceive you. The taste was completely different and was very aromatic in the cod flavor. I call it a fancy schmancy fish stick in a ball shape. Very good.

Dick Butkus with Aged Rum, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Clove and Fresh Juice
I haven't asked why there's the number 51 imprinted on top. The freshness was very prevalent with the apparent foam on the surface. This cocktail was strong just the way I like it.

Apps were wiped clean and was an awesome start. As we unbuckled our belts to make room for the 5 course tasting I took a moment to document how popping it was up in Test Kitchen. Full house! My party took up 3 tables. That's support baby!

I came in to bug Kevin here and there haha.

Alright... let the 5 courses begin.....

Yellowfin Tuna Sashimi with Hachiya Persimmons, Candy Ginger and Petit Greens
I am not a fan of ginger at all but it really made this delicate in taste dish into a vibrant one. It was refreshing and a great start.

Maine Diver Scallops with Cauliflower Mousseline, Vandouvan Curry and Romanesco Confetti
Mmmmmmm I absolutely loved this dish. It was like party on this dish. Look at all the confetti goodness! First the scallops were cooked perfectly and the romanesco confetti gave the soft scallops a crunchy texture. The cauliflower mousseline gave a milky taste while the vandouvan curry gave it a kick. I was using my fork to scrape every morsel of this. Meehan took a commonly served Maine diver scallops and made it real interesting.

Vichyossoise Crusted Loch Duarte Salmon with Leek Fondue, Truffled Potatoes and Manila Clam Cream
Holy shit the dishes just keep getting better and better! Another wow dish. I usually avoid ordering salmon because they all just generically taste the same to me but this was excellent. A bite of the salmon and truffled potatoes lathered in the leek fondue and manila clam cream calls for mmmMMmmMMMmmness. It was incredibly flavory. The salmon was crispy on the outside and like buttah in the inside. Delish.

Look at that.... Can it be cooked more perfect in the middle to avoid the typical salmon dryness?

Pinot Noir Braised Short Rib with Mirepoix Soigne, Smokey Fingerling Potatoes in Bordelaise Sauce
As the President to Project by Project, Dan, puts it... this dish must be eaten slow because the flavors are pretty substantial. Hmmm... he didn't say it soon enough because I basically inhaled it. Every piece to this dish could actually stand alone such as the smokey fingerling potatoes and vegetables. Let's start with the potatoes. It was incredibly smokey with every bite. You can put the ketchup away because no sauce was needed, sir. It was seriously good stuff on its own. The braised short rib was incredibly soft and was wonderful in the bordelaise sauce. Altogether it was divine.

Goat Cheese Mousse
This can easily scare off a sensitive palate to cheeses. Goat cheese can be overpowering in sourness but Meehan did an excellent job to make goat mild and has a soft essence to the dessert. It was carrot cheesecake with the finesse of goat cheese. I had my boyfriend try it and he is one of those that has a sensitive palate to cheese and surprisingly enjoyed it. Good job, Kev.

Chai Tea Chocolates
On the house and delicious!

Although I have never had the full Cafe Pinot experience this definitely a great sample of his menu. I was thoroughly impressed but it did not come as a surprised since his truffle risotto is just unbelieveably amazing. Congratulations on a very successful evening at Test Kitchen, Kevin! I left f*ken happy. :) See you at Cafe Pinot! A star was most definitely borned tonight!

DG Grand Opening at Charlie Palmer!

2010-11-23T13:36:00.000-08:00

3333 S Bristol St

Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 352-2525
http://www.charliepalmer.com/Properties/CharliePalmeratBloomingdales

Charlie Palmer is basically my second home in south of Orange County. It has a gorgeous ambiance offering both decadent fine dining and small bites in the lounge. Debuting the very first burger stand in the Charlie Palmer empire for the casual take out.. DG Burger or in other words Damn Good Burger.

Look at that line! I came 30 minutes late but luckily I had a seat saved for me by Marian the Foodie in the media preview hour. Ahhh it's great being a foodie.

The Grand Opening offered the first 300 guests FREE burgers. These patrons weren't messing around but then again it's for Charlie Palmer.

Simple and relaxed menu for the person on the go.

Black Angus Beef Burger
I believe this had coleslaw and aioli as the sauce inside. Everything about this burger broke apart with ease. As big as it was it was not difficult to eat at all. That's the one genius thing about Amar Santana besides the mouth watering taste. His food is devoured with ease and you do not miss a crumb of the goodness. The Black Angus beef was soft and juicy with the right amount of flavor. It was pretty damn good.

The menu offers different sauces from curry ketchup, bacon mayonnaise, roasted garlic sour cream, and chipotle aioli. OMG. IN-CRE-DIBLE! I thought to myself... curry ketchen? Really? And bacon mayo? Once I dipped my fry I just shut the fuck up. Really.. I did. Ok I lied. I went mmMMmmmMMmmmMmmm. It was incredibly rich but the taste was on point. My favorite had to be the roasted garlic sour cream. I think Chef Amar put crack it in because I have this strange craving for it.

As for the fries. It was great. It was crispy but some pieces were a bit soggy which I LOVE! I am a soggy fry girl.

Grilled Chicken & Grilled Beef Skewers
When I see skewers the first thought that comes to mind is: DRYNESS.

So wrong. The chicken was very flavorful and was not dry while the beef was like juicy pieces of filet mignon. Very soft and juicy. The bell peppers were grilled nicely with a nice crisp.

Let the doors open and begin the grand opening!

He's a genius. His food just keeps getting better and better! Mastering your craft there, Amar!

Chef Amar Santana and Marian the Foodie

With Chef Charlie Palmer himself. Such a nice guy and it was pretty crazy to be served by him directly.

So it's officially open folks! Head over to Charlie Palmer and sink your teeth into a damn good burger. You can add a fried egg, grilled bacon, aged cheddar or avocado to it. I know I will be giving it all a try!

PbP's Season's Giving Social

2010-11-23T13:28:00.000-08:00

Season's Giving Social

Izakaya Fu-Ga

November 30th, 2010 at 6:30-9:30 pm

Come and join me and meet my Project by Project family for a great cause!

Kevin Meehan from Cafe Pinot's Menu for Test Kitchen!

2010-11-23T13:20:00.000-08:00

The menu is finally out! There's also only seating for the 6 pm and 10 pm left. Hurry up and make reservations!

Nov 29, 2010

Kevin Meehan of Café Pinot

Test Kitchen

9575 West Pico Boulevard

Los Angeles 90035

(310) 277-0133

Bar Bites $9

Paella Arancini /Espelette Aioli

Salmon Gravlax / Caviar / Purple Potato Blini

Salt Cod Brandade / Black Garlic

Parmesan Flan / Frico / Pea Shoot Salad

Octopus Carpaccio / Tahitian Vanilla / Citrus Supremes

Degustation Menu $65

Yellow Fin Tuna Sashimi /Hachiya Persimmon / Candy Ginger / Petit Greens

Maine Diver Sea Scallop/Cauliflower Mousseline / Vadouvan Curry / Romanesco Confetti

Vichyssoise Crusted Loch Duarte Salmon/Leek Fondue / Truffle’d Potatoes / Manila Clam Cream

Pinot Noir Braised Beef Short Rib/Mirepoix Soigné / Smoked Fingerlings / Bordelaise Sauce

Goats Cheese Mousse/Carrot Cake / Walnut Soil / Cinnamon Nougatine

Vegetarian options are not available during this chef’s brief tenure. Substitutions politely declined. All guest checks include a service charge of 18%. While additional gratuities are appreciated, they are neither required nor expected.

(I copied and pasted directly from Test Kitchen LA.)

A Great Test Kitchen Line Up This Month!

2010-11-09T11:20:00.000-08:00

So proud of my chef friends that will appear at Test Kitchen this month! First is Haru Kishi the former Gordon Ramsay head chef from Nov. 15-16 who made the best dover sole I have ever had and Kevin Meehan from Cafe Pinot on Nov. 29th who rocked my world with his truffle risotto!

Check out http://testkitchenla.com/ periodically since Kevin Meehan is not on it just yet but you can make your reservations now through OpenTable! I just made my reservations. I can't wait! It's gonna be GOOD!

Date Night at Scarpetta with a Bad Camera... again.

2010-11-08T22:07:00.000-08:00

225 N Canon Dr

Dayton & Clifton Ways
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 860-7970
http://www.montagebeverlyhills.com/beverly-hills-restaurants.php
Chef & Owner: Scott Conant
Accolades: Scott was a judge on both Chopped and 24 Hour Restaurant on the Food Network. Scarpetta NYC received a 3 star rating from New York Times.
Cuisine: Italian

I heard the buzz about Scarpetta on my Twitter account and it made me very curious. When I was told by kevinEats.com that Scarpetta's Italian cuisine was better than Angelini Osteria it had my full attention and I knew that my next dinner plans had to be here.

The decor of the restaurant had the minimalist yet romantic feel to it with the fine dark lines on white.

Stag's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 Napa Valley
The absolute best cab I have ever had. It was incredibly smooth. What's funny was that I watched a movie that was based on the initial recognition of a California winery to the French and finally won for the first time. It was from Stag's Leap! I actually felt honored to have had a taste of the best wine in the country.

Citrus-infused Olive Oil, Mascarpone Butter, Eggplant Caponata
I absolutely loved the citrus olive oil and mascarpone butter. The citrus was a great touch to the olive oil while the butter had a great buttery richness to it. I wasn't too crazy about the eggplant caponata. It just tasted like chunky spaghetti sauce with capers.

The bread basket had a variety of bread from foccacia, slices of the white loaf, and other gourmet breads.

Raw Yellowtail
One of signature dishes and I thought it was delicious. The olio de zenzero pickled red onion that was sprinkled on top just made the flavors of the yellowtail pop! It had that sea salt taste where when you bite into it a salty taste of goodness fills your mouth. Very nice.

Poached Mediterreanean Octopus
This was recommended by the waiter and I was eager to try because he sold it pretty well. Hmmm... not too impressed with it. I expected the octopus to melt in my mouth from the hyped up expectation and I expected better flavors that accompanied it. When eating this make sure you have a piece of caper with every bite. It brings out the flavors more.

Spaghetti with Tomato and Basil
The famous signature that made Scarpetta. I thought the spaghetti was good but it didn't completely pull me in. It could have been a bit more richer to give it that wow factor but it was lacking that. The spaghetti's sauce was like pink sauce but creamier. It was very reminiscent of the Japanese Italian infused spaghetti that I had that I LOVED! Close but didn't quite hit the mark.

Duck and Foie Gras Ravioli
Don't let the decadent ingredients fool you. I was thoroughly disappointed with this. I was only able to eat a piece at a time because the ravioli was very rich and I couldn't decipher between the duck and foie gras. It was in a puree form inside and while I was trying to separate the tastes I just tasted sweet richness.

Pancetta-Wrapped Veal Loin
I thought the veal loin was tender and had a great flavor. Not as juicy as I would like but the flavors was nice and savory. This (bad) photo is actually only half of the entree.

Panna Cotta
This was very refreshing. The panna cotta was made perfectly. The cookie on top was a coconut crisp with a scoop of sorbet on top.

Overall I expected so much more. My favorite dish was the raw yellowtail, panna cotta, and the spaghetti. Spaghetti being last but mentioned because I did like it. Other than nothing really wowed me besides the Stag Leap's cab. Now that was worth this whole meal.