The Orange County Register has published a profile on me which runs in the print version of the paper today. The online version is available by clicking here.

Thank you to Jeff Overley for the story!!

Chaparosa Grill offers cooking demos with your meal

duck and mango quesadilla

Chef and owner Tony Corke is definitely a character and his personality shines through when you sign up for one of his 'cooking demos' held on the last Monday of each month at his Tustin location and the last Tuesday of the month in Laguna Niguel.

I spent an evening recently at one of these cooking demo/dinners enjoying Chef Corke's humor and watching his passion come to life when he demonstrated how to make his 3-course dinner of tomato basil soup, duck and mango quesadilla and chocolate almond torte. With every dish, Chef Corke will bring his concoctions around to show everyone and upon completion, the dishes are magically brought out from the kitchen by his staff for everyone to enjoy.

chocolate almond torte

The next demo is on October 25 (Tustin) and October 26 (Laguna Niguel), on the menu will be crab and asparagus salad, salmon en croute and panna cotta.

November's demo schedule is slightly different due to Thanksgiving and will therefore be held on Nov 15 (Tustin) and Nov 16 (Laguna Niguel) and the menu will include cream of corn soup, beef prime rib with Yorkshire pudding, black berry and apple compote.

Chef Corke

Dinner is $44 per person (which already includes tax and gratuity) and diners can enjoy a 3-course meal, 2 glasses of wine and coffee. Demos begin promptly at 7pm and guests are given copies of the recipes of each dish presented and simple directions on how to make the dish. Chef Corke will also do a step by step to show you how easy it is to prepare these dishes.

*** Photography by Mahesh ***

Chaparosa Grill at the District in Tustin, tel: 714-259-9888 or at 27221 La Paz Road, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677. Tel: 949-916-3815

ECCO -- the new kid shows huge promise

I kick-started OC Restaurant Week off with a visit to ECCO, a restaurant I'd been wanting to try out for a few months now, since it opened at The Camp. The 3-course menu had some interesting items which I wanted to try and at a mere $10 for lunch and $20 for dinner, it was a no-brainer that it was on my list of 'to-tries'.

The restaurant sits right next door to Old Vine Cafe and consists of both indoor and outdoor seating. We opted for the patio hoping to catch the last remnants of natural lighting for the purpose of photography. We were seated by someone who introduced himself as Danny -- incidentally, the owner -- who was more than happy to comply with our seating request.

After perusing the menus: a la carte dinner menu, Restaurant Week prix fixe, happy hour menu, I noticed that most of the items on the prix fixe were selected from the regular a la carte, which made it all the more enticing to me knowing that what I sampled today would continue to be on the menu should I return at a later date.

A basket of foccacia was placed on our table with a pot of pesto and after we ordered, it seemed that was the only thing edible to grace our table for a very long time. When two appetizers went to the table next to us -- the same two items we had ordered -- I thought perhaps everything was coming out at the same time for both our tables, but sadly, that was not to be. Our neighboring table received two appetizers for the four diners while we had none. It took another 15 minutes before our appetizers arrived, by then it had been close to an hour after we'd stepped foot through the doors.

calamari fries

The long wait was definitely an issue, but I'd have to say despite the length in time for food to arrive, when it actually hit the table, it was well executed. The calamari fries were strips of calamari coated with bread crumbs and fried to perfection! The calamari strips were so tender and were tossed in some sprigs of fried rosemary. The flavors of the rosemary were there, but did not overpower the calamari making it nice and aromatic without being offensive. An accompanying arrabbiata sauce was served alongside and added an extra kick of flavor.

Minestrone soup -- at least that was what our server introduced it to us as -- was a vegetable soup without the traditional tomato base if a minestrone was absolutely delightful. Zucchini, potatoes, white beans were all brought together so subtly yet so flavorful and was reminiscent of what a good lentil soup tasted like but with a myriad of vegetables. I was very impressed by this and would definitely order again!

Our server was very sweet and attentive, filling our water glasses whenever it was low and checking back with us from time to time. I understand that the timing of the food was not something within her control and thus did not begrudge her when the entrees took yet another 20 minutes to hit our table. We noticed that we were not the only ones experiencing the long wait and all I'd hoped for was that the entrees were as agreeable as our appetizers had been.

Wood grilled natural chicken was a very generous portion of a chicken breast served with braised cavolo nero kale, cannellini beans and au jus. The chicken was served in two pieces, one was cooked to perfection tender and moist, while the other, the piece attached to the drummette was a little dry. The flavors were there, well seasoned, however, I would've liked more au jus on my plate just to counter-balance the slightly dry meat. The two accompanying sides were excellent choices, the beans were flavorful and perfectly cooked, while the kale was absolutely divine! I would've loved more of this on my plate!

tiramisu

Orecchiette Salsiccia was a pasta dish of little pasta discs (little ears) with swiss chard, crimini mushrooms and sausage. While the crimini mushrooms did little for the dish, the swiss chard was an ideal choice to the fennel-flavored sausage. This dish could've used a little bit of sauce because it was on the dry side, but taste-wise I found absolutely no fault with it.

The portions were extremely generous and by now we were very full, but we still found room to taste the desserts -- which incidentally were served in a timely fashion. Ricotta orange pound cake wasn't very exciting and I wasn't particularly keen on the strawberry accompaniment. The cake itself was unimpressive, but when combined with the sweet cream, changed the whole aura of this dish. My advice? Make sure you spoon everything presented in one mouthful for that complete effect.

Chef Kris Kirk

Tiramisu was the other dessert option and while I have never been a huge fan of tiramisu, a very close friend of mine is a tiramisu-fiend and whenever we're at a restaurant and tiramisu is on the dessert menu, you can be sure we'll be having that. So even though I wouldn't ordinarily order tiramisu myself, I've had my share of tiramisu -- more than I'd like that's for sure -- so I'd like to think I know a thing or two about tiramisu. The one here is good, in fact, it tasted better than it looked. The top layer of lady fingers was a little too hard causing the end product to lose that airy and light texture so required of tiramisu. Still, putting that aside, it was still very respectable and I thought it good enough to eat more than one spoonful of -- and you know that says a lot!

Putting the hiccups from the kitchen aside, I still feel ECCO deserves a pat on the back being the new kid on the block and for the quality of fare it offers to diners. If you haven't given ECCO a try yet I highly recommend you do so this week because the deal is second to none and you will not walk away disappointed -- not by the food that's the sure! For whatever reasons the kitchen was having trouble churning out the dishes, I hope that it was just a one-off thing and that it is resolved soon. As for me, I will definitely return to ECCO in the future to try out some other things on the menu. For now, ECCO is definitely a keeper in my book!

*** Photography by Mahesh ***

ECCO at The Camp, 2937 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Tel: 714-444-3226

Kappa Ramen -- a friendly and welcoming place

Anaheim isn't a spot I'd venture to out of the blue, but when I heard a new ramen place had opened up I asked a friend if he'd join me there to check out the fare since he lives that way. When I got to the location, I realized that Kappa Ramen had taken over the old Lai Lai Ken space, and I was hoping they would serve me a decent bowl of ramen (after such a big fail I'd experienced at Shizuma last week).

We were given menus almost immediately after being seated and drink orders taken. Our server stopped by to answer any questions we may have regarding the menu (which incidentally turned out to be the owner Nick Reid we later found out) which helped us finalize our decision.

My friend ordered the Kappa "signature" ramen (above right) while I opted for the Kyoto style -- the more traditional pork bone soup base -- with a side order of chicken karaage. Our meals were definitely cooked to order because it didn't come out instantaneously and I liked it that way.

I took a sip of my friend's broth and found it rather tantalizing in its richness and how full bodied the flavor was. I also liked that it had a kick to it. There were bean sprouts, corn, ginger, scallions, kimchi, chashu, half a soy braised boiled egg and most interestingly, slices of fresh avocado. My friend seemed to enjoy his ramen tremendously.

My Kyoto ramen (above left) wasn't bad either. The pork broth was rich enough for me and wasn't overly salty. There was half a soy braised egg and although I would've liked a few more pieces of chashu,  two pieces seem to be the norm at all ramen places. Next time, I'll get an extra order of the chashu to boot. The noodles also had some scallions and julienned ginger which generally cuts the porkiness of the meat if it is a little gamey.

Chicken karaage (above right) is something I like to order at ramen places and most places does a decent job in taste but often it is too dry. Here, it was nice and crispy on the outside and moist on the inside! Very nice! There are also gyozas, fried noodles, fried rice, cold noodles on the menu but there was only so much stomach space between two people so I'll have to save the rest for the next trip and I definitely see myself coming back here when I'm in the area next!

Very enjoyable meal especially when Mr Reid offered us complimentary desserts -- shave ice (above left) for my friend and a milk pudding (right) for me. Both were refreshingly welcoming after the meal, but I'd have to say, the milk pudding blew me away! Very light with a perfect texture! Bravo!


Kappa Ramen, 3024 W Ball Road, Anaheim, CA. Tel: (714) 828-2210

OC Restaurant Week 2010 -- you snooze, you lose!

OC Restaurant kicks off on Sunday, September 26th and ends on Saturday, October 2nd. Participating restaurants include several which I've already blogged about such as Catal in Anaheim, Haven Gastropub in Orange, Kimera in Irvine, Pizzeria Ortica in Costa Mesa, and one of my current favorites, Seasons 52 also in Costa Mesa. 

During this week, diners can sample some reasonable fare on prix fixe menus offered by participating restaurants. For a list of restaurants, go to OC Restaurant Week's website and don't forget to make reservations!!

Blackmarket Bakery -- sinfully good!

sweet treats

Almost every Saturday you'll find me at the Irvine Farmer's Market, bright and early, as I like to get there before 8.30am to beat the crowds.

Most often than not, I'm there on an empty stomach and after I've parked my car, my usual trip from the parking lot to the vendors involves walking past the Blackmarket Bakery stand. The array of baked goods are staring me straight in the eye as I go by and often I will march right by them resisting their temptation, but some days, the lure is too strong and I'll stop and allow myself a little browse.

at the Farmer's Market

Usually I'll just stand there for a while because I can't make up my mind as to which foccacia pocket I want that morning --am I feeling for a roasted red peppers, or am I in the mood for the mushroom? Mmmm eggplant sounds good too! I saw on my last trip, a new addition, an artichoke and garlic pocket bread, but I ended up getting the mushroom instead.

mushroom focaccia

Sweet treats such as scones, pastry twists, cookies are also available for those with a sweet tooth, but what I love about their sweet offerings is that they aren't super sweet so I'm all for that! Their scones are excellent and I've tried several although I can't tell you now what was in them. The most recent one I bought was an apricot and ginger scone -- very tasty! If you're off to a party or going over to someone's home, their cookie assortment is a great gift idea, however, my favorite are their Russian tea cookies -- perfectly crumbly and totally decadent!

FIFA World Cup cake

If you've ever been to Haven Gastropub and have tried their cabernet pasta, you'll know how crazy good it is and yes, you guessed it, it's created by Blackmarket Bakery. Various types of cabernet pastas are available for sale and you can bring some home to enjoy. They sell it at the Farmer's Market as well as their store, but just remember, if you do go to the store, there won't be as big a selection of non-perishable baked goods on offer. The non-perishables are always plentiful but if you're wanting to try the foccacias, please just go to the farmer's market for those because you'll definitely be disappointed if you go to the store and none are available.

I've also tried several cakes made by them -- birthday cakes and a FIFA World Cup Final cake at a party I went to -- both were incredible and an absolutely perfectly unique way to celebrate a special occasion! Blackmarket Bakery definitely gets a 5-star thumbs up from me!



Blackmarket Bakery, 17941 Sky Park Circle, Irvine, CA 92614. Tel: 949-852-4609 or at the Irvine Farmer's Market on Saturdays at Campus and Bridge 

Fleming's Steakhouse -- introduces 100 wines for 2010/2011

Fleming's Steakhouse has been introducing their new 2010/2011 list of 100 wines to the public this month. Every Thursday, guests can sample 20 wines from the list for $25. There are two more "Fleming's New 100 Opening Nights", one on 23 September and on 30 September, the last Opening Night, the wines featured will be the restaurant's wine partner's pick. Every restaurant has its wine list personalized with wines that the local palates prefers such as prestige label type wines like Rombauer at the Newport Beach location. Opening Nights run from 5.30pm to 7pm, guests are given 1oz pours of each wine and a bunch of appetizers including an array of cheeses and fruit slices, hot appetizers such as crabmeat in pastry puff, quesadillas and steak with brie on crostini.

MEYER Syrah 2005

Every Tuesday this month, guests can also bring their own favorite wines in when they dine at Fleming's and receive free corkage.... so you have two more week to enjoy this -- 21st and 28th! If you take advantage of this offer, you will also receive a Fleming's Card good for this same offer on a visit to Fleming's in the near future good until the end of the year!

Wines from all over the world are featured at the Opening Nights, including Spain, Australia, Argentina, Napa Valley, the Central Coast to name a few. My personal favorite was the Duckhorn Cabernet!!! Guests who wish to dine at Fleming's after the event will receive a $25 credit towards their food which essentially means their wine tasting is FREE! This deal is not to be missed!

quesadilla appetizer

The summer prix fixe menu is also running and at $39.95 for a three-course meal, it is one of the most reasonable way to experience Fleming's. I had dinner here but that will be featured in a separate review. For now, I just wanted everyone to get a chance to sample these wines for a low $25+tax while they can. Don't forget, next Thursday, the 23rd and the Thursday after, the 30th are the last days to do it.

There are 6 locations of Fleming's Steakhouse in southern California including Newport Beach, El Segundo, downtown LA, Woodland Hills, Rancho Cucamonga, and Rancho Mirage near you to reserve your space for next week's tasting!

SideDoor -- a mighty fine gastropub

I meet up with my blogger friend Holly many times a month for a bite to eat here and there. I know she's visited SideDoor on many occasions and I've heard her rave about it. I was excited then on this particular get-together that she suggested we go there. SideDoor is attached to Five Crowns and is reminiscent of an English-style pub in so many ways. The quaint exterior is equally matched by its interior of dark hues and heavy wood furniture.

We were greeted by everyone as we entered and were given the choice to sit anywhere. We opted for a table by the window which was still letting in some natural light. Our server Jenny provided us with menus and gave us a moment to look through it before returning to take our drink orders. Holly opted for a beer flight while I chose two red wine 2oz tastings.

Several items on the menu stood out, but both of us were enticed by the charcuterie station by the entrance the minute we walked in. There are three ways to enjoy charcuterie at SideDoor, individually at $4/plate, a Chef's Plate of three items for $10 and the SideDoor Sampler of five items at $16. We chose three cheeses: Cave-Aged Marisa, a sheep's milk cheese from Wisconsin, a goat cheese from Italy called Fiorito, and a bleu cheese from Piedmont called Basajo. From the charcuterie: Bresaola from New Jersey and a Salame Toscano from San Francico.

Basajo was my favorite of the cheeses. This soft bleu melted in my mouth and had layers of flavors which revealed themselves one by one, surprising my palate over and over again. The salt crystals gave another dimension to the experience. Fiorito was also exquitsite when paired with lavender honey. If you have questions be sure to ask your server, they are very knowledgeable and will be able to help you select items that suit your palate.

We were utterly blown away by the strawberry fig bruschetta with Stilton, topped with a crispy piece of goose prosciutto and drizzled with a port reduction. A bite from this little morsel encompassed everything one would want from a culinary orgasmic experience -- crispy, crunchy, soft, sweet, salty, tart -- just heavenly when brought together in one mouthful.

After all that food, we were still not ready to call it a night. The menu was calling our name and soon, we found ourselves ordering the fish and chips with the beef fat fries to finish off the evening. Two pieces of halibut, battered and fried were served on a 'newspaper' with a house-made tartar sauce. The fish was flaky, tasty and definitely fresh. I liked how they gave you cider vinegar with your fish and chips -- like they do in England -- and the fries fried in beef fat definitely added a richer flavor to otherwise, regular fries, but the thought of them being so decadent made me wish I hadn't eaten as many as I did.

Service is very attentive, I loved how Jenny kept coming back to see if we needed anything and was genuinely interested in our feedback. Will definitely be back!


SideDoor, 3801 E Coast Hwy, Corona del Mar, CA 92625. Tel: 949-717-4322

El Campeon -- definitely champions in my book!

We chanced upon El Campeon years ago when we first moved to southern California. We were visiting San Juan Capistrano and saw a huge crowd in and around this restaurant as we drove by. I wasn't in the mood to tackle the masses so we left, completed what we went to SJC to do and then returned several hours later to see if it was easier to get a parking spot and if the crowd had died down. Unfortunately, it hadn't and I wasn't about to leave without giving this place a try. I figured, if a place has this many people hovering around for hours on end, it's gotta be good, right?

So we made our way inside the humble store front -- which incidentally has had a slight remodel since our previous visits -- where you go through a line, order at the counter, wait for your order to be ready, and then pay at the cashier. Be prepared to be addressed in Spanish, be prepared that they'll understand you when you speak in English, but that won't deter them from asking you another question in Spanish. Thank goodness my basic knowledge of Spanish is enough to get my order in, get across the condiments I want, and to understand when my number is being called through the speakers.

I've returned on various occasions en route to San Diego, usually eating the same thing, but on this particular visit, I decided to try something different. I perused the menu and decided upon the meat I wanted and then made my way up to order. Naturally the lady behind the counter greeted me with an 'hola' and I was ready this time to place my order in Spanish without thinking about it. And like on previous visits, we were asked if the list of condiments were acceptable and whether it was for here or to go.

It took about 10 minutes for our order to be ready and just as I'd expected the cashier called out our number in Spanish. Hey, at least this time, it was nine -- 'nueve' -- and not something like 186!

My two tacos -- one with al pastor (left) and the other with barbacoa (top right) -- were stuffed with meat. These aren't your little street tacos. These are larger in size and with the amount of meat on them, it was really filling for me. The al pastor was so flavorful and greasy while the barbacoa was just seasoned perfectly. I think I like the barbacoa over the carne asada now  --- carne asada used to be my meat of choice when I came here.

Menudo is served daily and this was what I saw most people order, but I come here for the tacos or the tortas. Agua fresca is freshly juiced here so if you like fresh juices, definitely get one. And if your meal wasn't enough, the adjoining panaderia will solve that problem! Just grab one or two pan from the display case and your sweet tooth will definitely be satiated!

This is one of my favorite Mexican places in Orange County! I only wish it wasn't such a drive for me but when the craving hits distance is never a real issue!


El Campeon, 31921 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675. Tel: 949-489-9767

Stan's Doughnuts -- over 40 years of satiating sweet tooths

Whenever I write a review of anything to do with desserts or anything sweet, I always preface by saying "I'm not a fan of sweets" just so it's clear in case there was any misunderstanding in the way I rate or write my review. Stan's Doughnuts gets that exact same courtesy!

My sweet-toothed friend couldn't resist when after dinner one night, under the guise of 'walking off our meal', casually strolled down the street straight into Stan's. The primary argument was that the raspberry buttermilk bar was something completely unique to Stan's and that it was something from my friend's childhood and that since we were in the area, it was absolutely necessary to relive that part of the childhood by relishing in a raspberry buttermilk bar.

So the buck fifty raspberry bar was a buttermilk doughnut in the shape of a fat eclair with a thick coating of pink glaze -- raspberry -- glistening in the moonlight.

I was being a bitch and said 'it would be hilarious if it doesn't taste anything like the one you remember' -- and I went into how I've gone back to places I had fond memories of as a child and it completely disappointed.

As my friend listened to me ramble on about the fact that I didn't know if the place actually sucked or whether my palate had matured to a point where I found the food less than stellar was probably not even registering, but I appreciated that there was no retort while I continued on with my rambles.

Anyway, the raspberry buttermilk bar was I guess heavenly to my friend who's eyes rolled back upon first bite and flashed me a huge smile as if to say "it was JUST as good as I remembered".

I eventually took a bite just to try and I must say, if they took the sugary, sweetness down several notches, I might even be able to stomach it because the raspberry flavor was rather fruity and intense and surprisingly pleasing. I just wished it wasn't soooooooooo sweet!!!


Stan's Doughnuts, 10948 Weyburn Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90024. Tel: 310-208-8660

El Rocoto -- flavors to tantalize your tastebuds

I love Peruvian food so when my friends agreed to try El Rocoto to celebrate a birthday, I was absolutely tickled with that idea. My other 3 friends weren't well versed with this type of cuisine, in fact, 2 of them had never had it before so I was excited to see if they would enjoy it. It was also my first visit to El Rocoto so I was keeping my fingers crossed that it would be good Peruvian rather than just so-so.

The minute you sit down, warm bread rolls are brought to the table with two sauces -- one 'red' and one 'green'. This aji sauce is quinessential of Peruvian cuisine and each restaurant does it differently. I prefer the green sauce because it is generally a lot spicier than the red. The green aji at El Rocoto is really good! The spice level could be hotter, but I thought it was good enough.

My friends left the ordering to me so I took the liberty to go with the little knowledge I do have with Peruvian cuisine. We started off with cebiche mixto (pictured top)which I've had many times at other places, always happy with the results. The other dish I generally order is lomo saltado (pictured left) and I've never met anyone who doesn't like it. Arroz con mariscos was my best friend's choice and we decided to order another dish just to be safe and asked the server for a recommendation. She suggested pollo encebollado. I've had the beef version of this dish, but since we already have beef in the lomo saltado, we went with the chicken instead.

The cebiche mixto was lovely with a tart dressing which 'cooked' the seafood, tenderizing it and giving it a great texture. I always love the roasted corn nuts as it gives a great crunch to the rest of the items in the dish.

Lomo saltado was as I had expected it to be, very flavorful with the beef pieces nicely seared and stir fried with tomatoes and onions and a handful of french fries. The sauce always reminds me of a Chinese stir-fry and the accompanying steamed rice just works perfectly with this dish. This was highly popular amongst my friends.

Pollo encebollado (pictured above right) was a grilled chicken breast atop sauteed onions and tomatoes and served with steamed rice. Although the ingredients in this dish are similar to the saltado, it is much more subtle than saltado.

Arroz con mariscos (pictured below) is like a Peruvian paella. Everyone loved this dish because the rice itself was perfectly flavored with the saffron wine sauce and a mixture of shrimp, squid, mussels and scallops.

I like to use the green aji sauce on everything -- from the french fries in the lomo saltado, the grilled chicken in the pollo encebollado to even the rice in the arroz con mariscos -- I find that it makes everything taste even better than it already does!

Service could've been more attentive because we were often left with empty glasses which weren't being refilled promptly. However, the restaurant was busy and whenever I flagged them down for a drink refill, or a green aji sauce refill, they were quick to respond.

Definitely one of the better Peruvian places I've been to in a long time! I'm keeping this place on my bookmarks for a future re-visit!

El Rocoto, 11433 South Street, Cerritos, CA 90703. Tel: 562-924-1919

Mio Babbo's -- your average American style Italian

What can I say about Mio Babbo's except for the fact that it's a quaint little restaurant and if you go, don't expect to be overwhelmed -- it's not THAT kind of place. My friend had wanted to go to Mio Babbo's for quite some time now due to the fact that it was a place frequented during childhood even though the name has changed and quite honestly, so have the owners, chef and probably, the menu as well.

My friend and I came here in April in the hopes of having dinner only to be told that they were closing early that night because they were observing Easter Sunday the following day. However, he could serve us soup, that was the best he could do. We passed. This time, we arrived around 7pm on a Monday evening with only one table occupied.

We were promptly given menus and while we waited, we asked the server for a recommendation on a glass of riesling. When he brought it out to us, I took one sip and asked my friend to taste it, upon which I said "it tastes like weakly flavored water". I decided to get a sauvignon blanc instead and while it was far better than the riesling, it was still rather dismal.

After perusing the menu for a while, we decided upon the antipasto plate and the scallops and shrimp vodka cream penne to share. I asked if we could substitute the penne for spaghetti and our server was happy to do that for us and even asked if we wanted them to split the plate to make it easier. I asked what the soup of the day was and wanted a cup of the vegetable soup with pearl pasta which was only $2 extra when ordered alongside an entree.

The antipasto plate was quite ample for a mere $8.95, but upon closer inspection, I understood why. The pepperoni tasted like the kind that came out of a plastic container rather than sliced off a whole link, and the sausage tasted like something Hickory Farms would be proud of. The roma tomatoes weren't vine ripened and were wedged rather than sliced. To make matters worse, the wonderful fresh mozarella was cut into small chunks rather than thick slices and neither the tomatoes nor the mozarella were seasoned with any sea salt, olive oil or balsamic vinegar. Luckily, the table was graced with a bottle of pretty decent olive oil which I used as a drizzle before eating, but that still didn't excuse the table salt provided instead of sea salt. The only positive items from the plate were the olives, roasted peppers and the artichokes.

Our pasta arrived -- before the soup might I add -- and I immediately noticed that the penne had not been replaced with the spaghetti as I had requested, but oh, hey, he remembered to split it for us. It was at that moment I asked if I could have my soup and the sheepish look I was given told me he had completely forgotten that I had ordered it. When he returned, he brought me a huge bowl of it instead of a cup, probably to make amends for all the mistakes he had already blundered through during the course of the evening.

It was just as well that the pasta was quite good, otherwise, I would've written the entire evening off to 'just one of those nights' which culinarily, just didn't seem to want to make me happy. There were plump scallops and good-sized shrimp and although I didn't think the texture of the scallops were anything to write home about, they were decent.

With so many good Italian restaurants in the Westwood area, I doubt I'll ever return again to Mio Babbo's!


Mio Babbo's, 1076 Gayley Ave, Westwood, CA 90024. Tel: 310-208-5117

Spice Station Santa Monica -- double the pleasure

I was ecstatic when I saw that the Spice Station had opened in Santa Monica. I love the one in Silverlake but I hardly ever get to that side, but this location, the one in Santa Monica was about a block and a half's walking distance from my best friend's home and I definitely go that way a lot more often.

While the Silverlake location is housed in a beautiful little venue like a secret garden, the Santa Monica store is in a regular space, not that it matters much because the products are just the same. Little jars are all laid out for shoppers to open, sniff and sample.

I was in heaven and I brought my best friend in tow. She was completely mezmerized by all the selections of salts and sugars, peppers, just a mind-blowing array of things to whet a home chef's appetite.

Definitely check it out if you're in the area -- it's only a few stores down from Urth Cafe.

Spice Station, 2305 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90405. Tel: 310-450-0505

Seasons 52 -- a delicious way to watch your waistline

I was definitely a little skeptical when I found out that the menu at Seasons 52 consists of nothing over 475 calories per item. However, if one was to open a so-called low calorie restaurant, then South Coast Plaza is definitely the ideal location with all the celebrities and OC ladies-who-lunch constantly swarming here to see and be seen.

The restaurant itself has undergone a make-over from its predecessor, The Club House, and a classy new decor has replaced the dated, dreary look of yesterday. The dark wooden hues give Seasons 52 a relaxed yet chic atmosphere in which diners can grab a casual meal with friends or enjoy a romantic evening out for two. The bar area boasts a few booths and the stools encircling the bar itself is also cozy enough for those wishing to enjoy the extensive wine list on offer. Best of all, the full menu is available for those wanting a bite to eat with their drinks. The dining room offers booths as well as table seating, and should you wish for a more intimate setting, say, perhaps, a dinner party, there is the Chef's Table which comfortably seats 10-12. If you are looking for something more casual, there is always the patio.

On our recent visit here, the atmosphere was certainly buzzing and the dining room was packed with diners all wanting to check out the new kid on the block. Our server Terri was delightful and highly knowledgeable helping us with questions we had with the menu. The sommelier also recommended a wine for us to enjoy with the meal -- Selbach Riesling Spatlese -- which, incidently, was the perfect accompaniment with every dish we had ordered!

The menu here is seasonal and at the moment, an autumnal menu is being served, and on top of that, there are chef's suggestions on the right hand panel of the menu including soup, appetizer, entree depending on which night you're dining on as well as wines to be paired with those items.

We selected the specialty flatbread with black Mission Bay figs, chevre, bacon, mint and wild arugula. At $8.50, this was definitely a very reasonable, yet delicious choice to start. Figs and chevre are two excellent combinations no matter how you look at it and the addition of bacon adds a hint of saltiness while the wild argula and mint brings a touch of freshness.

Caramelized crab and shrimp stuffed mushrooms with roasted garlic and parmesan cheese arrived on an 'escargot' plate and isn't heavy and creamy like how it traditionally is. The roasted garlic is very subtle, in fact, I barely tasted it at all which is good if you only like a hint of it. There is a light sprinkling of parmesan cheese -- just enough to give it flavor without overpowering it. The dungeness crab was also very fresh and flaky.

My friend and I selected poultry and seafood for our entrees. The Manchester Farms boneless quail breast with mission figs, smashed sweet potato and bourbon chili glaze was a generous portion in itself which was surprising due to its 475 calorie limit. The quail was tender, however, the bourbon chili glaze was neither bourbon nor chili in flavor and it made the skin on the quail rubbery. I would've been happy with simply, just the quail.

Caramelized sea scallops grilled and served with sun dried tomato "pearl pasta" --essentially, Israeli couscous -- and roasted asparagus again was highly generous consisting of six very large scallops. We inquired about the sauce that came with this dish and were told that it was a chicken au jus. Both my friend and I were perplexed as to the use of chicken au jus on the scallops because the scallops were awesome enough to stand on its own. The sauce did nothing to enhance the scallops, in fact, it did quite the opposite. The only thing those grilled scallops needed was a squeeze of juice from the carmelized lemon and they would've been perfect!

By now we were both rather full and I've never been one to be terribly excited about dessert. In fact, I'm usually the one who would opt to skip dessert, but after I saw the presentation of the "mini indulgences", I was hooked. After I tried them, I was completely hooked, lined and sinkered by how delicious and captivating they were.

Meyer lemon poundcake had the subtle flavors of the meyer lemon with bits of pound cake interspersed throughout the elongated shot glass it was served in while the key lime pie was tart with the crunchiness of the graham cracker in every spoonful.

If you are a chocolate lover, the Belgian chocolate rocky road might be your indulgence, but my ultimate favorite was the chocolate peanut butter mousse..... I just couldn't stop eating it. In fact, I am ashamed to say, that I've been claiming to "not be a fan of desserts' because clearly, I've been lying! The selection at Seasons 52 has definitely made me fall in love with sweets.

Whether you're catching a show at the Performing Arts Center, celebrating a birthday or anniversary, grabbing dinner with the girls or simply, just wanting something to eat in between shopping, I highly recommend giving Seasons 52 a try! If not for a meal, then just go in and get one or two (or three) desserts and you will immediately be wooed enough to come back again!

Seasons 52 at South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bristol Ave, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Tel: 714-437-5252

Randy's Donuts -- another LA landmark

Ahhhh LA institutions, landmarks which have been around forever, those special places that might not always have the best edibles, but just the fact that they've been around for all this time is enough to get me interested in visiting. Now, I'm not a dessert/sweets fan and I generally won't be visiting Randy's Donuts even if it was an institution. I'm just not THAT interested in putting a doughnut into my mouth, but once again, a friend who wanted to go down memory lane for a little bit of nostalgia brought me here and I found myself transported momentarily into what has been featured in movies and travel guides alike.

We stopped by Randy's in the late afternoon, there were a few people in line ahead of us and a few more going through the drive-thru window (yeah that's way cool! a drive-thru window for doughnuts!) I was glad for the slight wait purely because I wanted to read the menu thoroughly. Since I don't regularly buy doughnuts I really had no clue what anything was except for the plain cake doughnut, which is my usual selection.

In the end, I selected the plain cake and the buttermilk, and although my friend urged me to get the glazed, I passed. My friend's selection were the glazed with sprinkles and the crumb cake (pictured right). For some reason, sprinkles make me cringe. The various colors reminds me of bad candy that little kids like to eat and then they make themselves sick on it. I didn't even want a bite of that! I was quite happy with my choices, however, my excitement sorta ended there when I bit into the plain cake..... it was really dry! I took a few bites and then abandoned it for the buttermilk, which, incidentally, tasted similar to a Chinese ngau leh so (or "ox-tongue pastry) in texture but without the sweetness. I quite liked this.

But in the end, my friend's crumb cake doughnut was THE best one of the lot. I loved the texture AND the flavor! Surprise, surprise! Randy's is open 24 hours so if you're craving a doughnut late at night, or just getting off a flight at LAX and wanting a sweet fix, pop on over to Randy's! It's definitely worth a trip just to say you've been there!


Randy's Donuts, 805 W Manchester Blvd, Inglewood, CA 90301. Tel: 310-645-470.  Randy's is also on Twitter

Com Tam Tran Qui Cap -- mighty tasty rice even if it's broken

I found out about com tam many years ago when a friend of mine brought me for my first sampling of broken rice dishes. I was blown away by how huge the portions are and how tasty the toppings were. There are a few restaurants in Lil Saigon specializing in com tam and these are the ones you should be enjoying com tam at.... other restaurants which offer com tam on their menu may not be the best way to get a feel for how delicious this can be.

Com Tam Tran Qui Cap is one of my favorite places to go to. Here, they don't mess around at all when they bring out your meal. I generally opt for one of the combo meals because it gives you a really good idea of all the different toppings the restaurant has to offer. The #1, #2 (pictured right) and #3 combos are the way to go and the only thing different on all three plates is the meat portion -- grilled pork, pork chop or pickled pork -- other than that, all the other toppings are the same.

You start with a bowl of complimentary soup (pictured left) which they will give you -- I like mine scorching hot so I usually decline until I'm ready to have it, otherwise, the soup will be lukewarm and there is nothing worse than having warm soup. Generally the soup is a light clear broth with vegetables in it, more often than not, it is with mustard greens.

The other toppings on the com tam combos included barbecue shrimp, egg cake, shrimp roll, pork skin and of course, your choice of one of the meats I previously mentioned. Other com tam places might offer a slightly different selection of toppings, some place with more, some less, but overall, toppings are pretty much similar across the board. This restaurant also offers banh hoi (similar toppings but with rice stick noodles) or bun (rice vermecelli) if you're not wanting the broken rice.


Com Tam Tran Qui Cap, 10522 McFadden Ave, Garden Grove, CA 92843. Tel: 714-839-3069