diary of a Mad Hungry Woman

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2011-02-05T20:33:00.000-08:00

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Cocoa Lounge Opens Tonight!!

2011-02-04T10:00:00.000-08:00

chocolate caramel tart

What could possibly be better than having a love affair with food? February has always been a month of indulging your sweetheart with displays of you love. Cute stuffed animals, red roses, a glorious meal somewhere, and chocolates -- tons and tons of it!

If your significant other is a dessert fiend -- no, let me rephrase that -- a CHOCOHOLIC dessert fiend, then here's your opportunity to shine. Cocoa Lounge, a pop up dessert lounge at the Island Hotel in Newport Beach is where you'll want to make a reservation at to impress your sweet-toothed sweetheart.

vanilla custard filled eclairs

Cocoa Lounge makes its debut to the public tonight featuring a decadent assortment of sinfully tempting desserts created by Executive Pastry Chef Michael Owens. The Lounge runs until the 26th so you have every opportunity to take your sweetheart this month to indulge in this dessert extravaganza.

Showcased in a romantic set up in the lounge at the back of the hotel's Palm Terrace restaurant, the incredible spread includes an array of over 20 desserts including:

Chocolate Caramel Tarts
German Chocolate Cake
Snickers Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
Chocolate Cupcakes
Chocolate Fudge Cookie S'mores
Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding
Milk Chocolate Cheesecake
Manjari Obssession
Pot Au Creme
Vanilla Custard-filled Eclairs
Chocolate Lollipops
Peanut Caramels

chocolate fudge cookie s'mores

The bread pudding won hands down -- it was definitely my favorite along with the pot au creme.

Dessert buffet is $18 and guests who are dining at the Palm Terrace Restaurant ordering two or more courses will receive complimentary entrance to Cocoa Lounge.

If you are not planning to dine at the restaurant, please make sure to make reservations. Cocoa Lounge is open from Tuesdays to Saturdays from 6pm until 10pm.

Cocoa Lounge

at Palm Terrace Restaurant

The Island Hotel Newport Beach

690 Newport Center Drive

Newport Beach, CA 92660

949-760-4920

Cafe Pinot -- a perfect evening in downtown LA

2011-02-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

Looking for a romantic spot which also offers some fantastic food? Look no further than the Patina Group's Cafe Pinot in downtown Los Angeles. In between the offices and business towers sits an unassuming restaurant which you would easily drive right past if you weren't looking for it.

We had reservations at 7.30pm and were already running a few minutes late. Valet parking was right there and for $7, it was a no-brainer. Plus, I was wearing heels which makes me very reluctant to walk several blocks, especially if I decide to have a glass of wine or two (or three!) with my meal and then have to make the trek back to the car later. Yes, valet parking is definitely highly necessary!

duo of sea: tuna tartare

We were led to a really lovely table in the back and from this vantage, I could see the entire restaurant including the kitchen which was visible through a large window. Our vivacious server, Guillermo, a charming Spaniard was chatty and friendly and I immediately took a huge liking to him. Throughout our meal he would become not only a great wealth of knowledge, but also, a welcomed source of entertainment.

Chef Kevin Meehan stopped by the table and asked if we'd like to order off the menu or just have him cook for us. We agreed to allow the maestro to work his magic and left everything in his hands. Guillermo then took charge of pairing our meal with his wine selections and that was how our marvelous culinary journey began.

duo of sea: octopus

Our first course was "Duo of Sea" which arrived on a plate with two compartments. One side was sliced octopus with vanilla, grapefruit slices and a nice flavored oil. The other was a tuna tartare with avocado puree and crispy shallots. I love octopus so I favored this over the other while my dining companion loved the tartare. It worked out well because we swapped half way and each of us devoured the other's. I liked how the flavors lifted our palates and tantalized our palates for the next dish to arrive.

wild mushroom risotto with truffles

Wild mushroom risotto was the second course and I'd heard about this dish from Marian the Foodie and my heart skipped a beat when I saw Chef Meehan standing there with a basket of black Perigord truffles and his handy truffle shaver in hand. As he deftly ran the truffle over the instrument, thin slices of aromatic truffles dropped onto the risotto like leaves falling off a tree and my mind was suddenly left drifting into an olfactory cyclone of pure ecstasy.

When I took a mouthful of this creamy, heady, fragrant delight, I found myself at a loss for words. Neither of us spoke or looked at one another as we spooned this sheer decadence into our gullets and only when we had finished did we look up, me, letting out a sigh of indescribable satisfaction. It was then we ate the parmesan tuille which adorned the plate -- and I'm glad I ate it at the end because its intense flavor would've masked my tastebuds before I'd even experienced the risotto.

crispy skin salmon

After two courses, I was certain nothing could top what had just passed but I was wrong. When Guillermo brought us the crispy skin salmon, I was at first worried. I am, after all, not a fan of cooked salmon, finding it usually overcooked and terribly dry. However, the flaky, moist and very tender salmon was exquisite and the crispy skin contrasted the texture of its flesh making it one of THE best cooked salmon dishes I've had in my life (and that's saying a lot). Accroutrements included baby carrots, grilled scallions, and if I'm not mistaken, puy lentils.

filet mignon

Our fourth course was a tenderloin of filet mignon, again, a cut of meat I ordinarily would not order. I was floored by how tender and flavorful the meat was. Chef Meehan's technique of using filet mignon sous vide, then seared, gave it a texture which would've been lost had it just been grilled. Served with broccolini and fingerling potatoes, an accompanying au jus and chive oil not only decorated the plate, but also, added another flavor dimension to the dish.

chocolat gateaux

We ended on a high note, a dessert of chocolat gateaux with a hazelnut crust and caramel ice cream. The gateaux had a sea salt finish which completely appealed to my senses. I love the salty sweet combination in desserts and finding it in this sinful, yet not-too-heavy chocolate symphony was a perfect end to a perfect evening.

I always suggest allocating at least two hours when planning a dinner out, especially if it's a meal you want to savor and remember. I never believe in rushing excellence whether it be the Chef creating your meal, or you, as a diner experiencing it.

Of course, a great meal paired with great wine also requires great service and great company to make it all the more memorable. My dinner at Cafe Pinot encompassed all of that -- and much, much more!!

Cafe Pinot
700 W 5th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Tel: 213-239-6500

Bread Crumb Ohana Cafe -- be part of the family

2011-01-29T09:22:00.000-08:00

Loco moco

As you all know, I like to support mom and pop businesses and when I came to Breach Crumb Ohana Cafe with Priscilla of She's Cookin' for breakfast one morning, I knew that even if the food didn't blow me away, I would walk away feeling some sort of endearment in my heart.

Bread Crumb Ohana Cafe has been serving customers since 1983, not always at this location, but always in Huntington Beach and always, a family-run business. I am always skeptical whenever I go to some restaurant which touts itself as a Hawaiian place because having lived in Hawaii, I know that although the sentiment is there, the quality of the food or that aloha spirit isn't always there.

Priscilla has been here before, many times actually. She introduces me to the owner's son who now runs the joint. She remembers him as a teenager and now, he has a family of his own. He tells me a little bit about his story and how his family is actually from the islands and the food is always created from the heart.

Island Special

I peruse the menu and Loco Moco ($10.95) immediately caught my eye. Loco Moco is one of those things which can either be very tasty or just plain nasty and trust me I've had my share of nasty Loco Moco. I tend to stay away from Loco Moco when I'm on the mainland, but after hearing that these folks are actually from the islands, I decide to order it.

Now, I've had my share of loco moco and it's all in the gravy. I don't like mine too thick or with too much flour so it becomes a light brown color. I like mine brown, dark brown! The darker the better and they do it right at this place!

Although you have your choice of hamburger, spam or Portuguese sausage there was no way I could ever away from the traditional style, and that's with hamburger! White rice, hamburger, poached eggs and everything drowning with brown gravy! BLISS!

Priscilla's Island Special ($7.95) was a big portion of scrambled eggs with green peppers, avocado, mushroom and cheese, served with hash browns and toast. It's only $2 more to add sausage, chicken, bacon or ham to your order.

Everything's delicious and what impresses me the most is the array of chili/hot sauces they have available. Notice the range from Sriracha to Tapatio to Tabasco.

I'll be back again for some more Loco Moco when the craving hits, or when I'm wanting to feel a little bit of that island hospitality they so easily dish out here.

Bread Crumb Ohana Cafe

19079 Beach Blvd

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

714-960-5051

The Bazaar Part One -- a disappointing birthday celebration

2011-01-23T10:00:00.000-08:00

Back in November last year, Holly of Savored and I celebrated our birthdays with 9 of our friends at The Bazaar by Jose Andres. One of my friends came as far as Toronto -- Canada that is -- and one from Thousand Oaks.I'll have to say my review of The Bazaar will come in Part I and Part II and you will understand why once you've read this review in its entirety.

For some reason, traffic was horrific that evening and it took us about 2 hours to get from OC to Beverly Hills so our guests arrived sporadically. While waiting, several of us ordered some drinks, including Passion Fruit Up! ($16) which comprised of orange rum, passion fruit and ginger-laurel syrup, topped with passion fruit foam. It was like drinking a dessert, aromatic with a perfect combination of sweet and tart flavors.

Passion Fruit Up!

Holly and Mahesh decided to go all out and partake in the table side service drink Caipirinha ($20). A guy comes around with a cart and starts concocting this drink consisting of Brazilian cachaça, fresh lime and sugar and freezes it as you watch, using liquid nitrogen.The Caipirinha was good but was it really worth the $20 price tag? I'll let you be the judge of that.

Our party is finally seated at a round table and as we squeezed into the small space, our server comes over to tell us about the $75/8 course tasting menu we were 'encouraged' to order due to the size of our party -- (there is a $55 one for 5 courses as well). We queried about the offerings and decided to order a few extra items not on the tasting menu as well. **I've added the a la carte pricing for convenience**

We start with a yogurt tamarind star anise dip ($10) served with sweet potato chips in a paper bag. A few serves were placed on the table and everyone was to share. However, we quickly ran out of the sweet potato chips and I asked for more.

yogurt dip with sweet potato chips

We joked about the size of the portions and how we may have to just keep asking for chip refills if we were to fill up and I sarcastically said "yeah watch, they'll be charging us for the chips and we'll have end up eating $200 in chips". Yes it was funny, but at the end of the meal, they charged us $5 for every bag they gave us -- *guess it wasn't a joke after all*

Our next course arrived in the form of American caviar cone ($9/per person) -- we were each presented with a baby cone filled with caviar and a lovely foam.

caviar cone

This was one of our favorites of the evening. The crispy cone was a wonderful contrast to the gooey, salty, poppy texture of the caviar.

Jamón Ibérico Fermin (2 oz) $28 was definitely a hit with everyone. Perfectly salty dry cured, free-range Ibérico ham served with Catalan roasted bread and a tomato spread. This is very traditional and one of my favorite Spanish tapa. For the longest time, flesh of the black pig was not allowed to be imported into the USA and I knew people who would try to "smuggle" it in their luggage from Spain. Boy was I glad when they lifted that ban!

Jamon Iberico

Our next item was mussels in vinegar, olive oil and pimenton ($8) served in a tin. I know this is traditional and served at tapas bars across Spain, but I didn't enjoy this at all. Neither did I like the King crab, raspberries in a raspberry vinegar ($18), also served in a tin. The raspberries completely masked the sweetness of the crab which was a real shame!

We were all perplexed as to why we were eating tuna ceviche and tuna roll ($15) because it reminded us of something we'd eat in a Japanese restaurant.

tuna ceviche

Even so, this was very refreshing, tuna was very fresh, and the avocado made it very creamy, adding to the flavor.This dish was tasty so we were thinking things were looking up, but then an array of what were the worst items of the night followed.

We just couldn't understand Catalan spinach, apple, pine nuts, raisins ($8). It reminded us of frozen spinach -- tasteless and bland. The apple, pine nuts and raisins just made a strange pairing for the vegetable. Nobody at the table liked this. But the worse was yet to come.

Boneless chicken wings with green olive purée ($9) was just mind-boggling. We couldn't even figure out what it was until one of my friends (who absolutely abhors chicken) proclaimed that it was chicken. We were thinking it was something a little more exotic, like pigeon perhaps, or even quail. But alas, the server informed us it was boneless chicken wings. There was laughter of disbelief from some of the people, but the consensus was mutual -- everyone disliked this dish tremendously!

braised Wagyu cheeks

Next was the braised Wagyu beef cheeks with California Citrus ($18) but they sous vide the Wagyu a little too much. The meat was mushy and reminded me of meat from one of those vacuumed packets you'd find at the supermarket. We were all flabbergasted at this point, most of us shocked that a perfectly good Wagyu was treated in this manner. Two pieces were left and no one wanted it.

Ironically, we had chicken again and we were told that it was seared chicken sous vide with dates, mustard caviar and spicy mustard greens ($10). After the beef, I was very skeptical about another sous vide item. Although it was better than the Wagyu, the chicken was so-so despite the pleasant acroutrements.

Chipirones en su tinta

After four disappointing dishes, we were not looking forward to a fifth, but luckily, Chipirones en su tinta ($10) arrived. Baby squid with own ink was nicely flavored, but Holly, who has lived in Spain for 6 months commented on how these were the biggest baby squid she'd ever seen. We laughed it off to how everything is bigger in America and let it go at that. I enjoyed them even though they weren't as delicate as they should've been.

Papas Canarias, salty wrinkled potatoes served with a mojo verdé ($8) was tasty but wasn't unique in any way.

Neither were the Buñuelos -- codfish fritters -- served with a honey aioli ($9). I love codfish and these looked good, but the exterior wasn't fried to perfection making them soft and texturally dismal. I was very sad.

By now we were all dying to finish up our meal and move on to dessert, but we had a few more courses yet to come.

Next on the list was the Tortilla de patatas “new way” * ($5/per person). This was one of the items we ordered in addition to the tasting menu. This is served similarly to the caviar egg at Melisse except it was potato foam, egg cooked to a perfect 63 degrees and caramelized onions.

Thank god this was pretty good. Those of us who ordered this supplement were pleased with the result. Not caviar egg, but still, decent enough after the string of shockingly disastrous courses we had to endure.

not your every day Caprese

One of my favorites of the night was Not-your-everyday Caprese, cherry tomatoes, liquid mozarella ($12). Little balls of cherry tomatoes and mozarella were filled with an air pocket, if you will, which created a perfect sensation in your mouth when you bit into them. I loved it so much I took the one remaining portion left on the plate. This is one of my top 5 items of our 18 course meal.

asparagus tempur

Green asparagus tempura ($9) with a romesco dipping sauce was again very average, something any ordinary Japanese restaurant is able to create with no problem whatsoever. I guess the only thing which sets it apart from a Japanese dish is the ubiquitous Spanish dipping romesco sauce.

Sautéed wild mushrooms ($12) with hazelnut praline topped with micro chives was a strange dish. I'm not sure I liked the hazelnut praline although I liked the wild mushroom medley. However, again, someone pointed out that sauteed mushrooms was something all of us have had elsewhere, so it wasn't anything unique.

Philly cheesesteak

I'm glad they saved the best for last so to speak. “Philly cheesesteak” was definitely one of the top fives of the night. Thin bread with air pockets filled with melted cheddar was topped with slices of rare Wagyu beef ($8/per person) and was absolutely DELECTABLE!! I think we were all in agreement that we would've been happy eating five of these and calling it a night.

cotton candy foie gras

Last but not least, our second supplement item was Cotton candy foie gras ($5) -- I'm glad they kept this as the last item. I'd been waiting to try this forever. A small piece of foie gras is placed on a stick with cotton candy spun around it. The sweetness of the cotton candy paired perfectly with the soft rich flavor of the foie gras.

We moved to the "dessert" room for our desserts -- which I'm not going to go into. We had ordered some champagne which didn't arrive until towards the end of the meal. I think our server was perhaps not the most well-trained, nor was she knowledgeable about our questions. Each time we asked her something, she had to go "find out" the answer, sometimes, not returning with a reply.

Our evening was not what we had hoped for and I tweeted our experience the entire evening. Still, I was very shocked and humbled when Chef Jose Andres himself tweeted me back apologizing for our evening and personally inviting me back as their guest. Therefore, Holly and my second visit to The Bazaar will be featured in Part II of my Bazaar experience to be posted at a later date.

The Bazaar by Jose Andres

SLS Hotel

465 South La Cienega Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90048

(310) 246-5567

Photography by Mahesh

Newport Restaurant Week Jan 21-27

2011-01-19T09:30:00.000-08:00

sesame ahi tuna

I was invited to the Pelican Hill Resort for a launch party to kick off Newport Restaurant Week which starts this Friday, January 21st and runs until Thursday, January 27th. As part of the festivities, attendees were treated to the grandeur of The Coliseum Pool and Grill where the party was held.

Inspired by the famed Coliseum in Rome, Italy, this salt-water circular pool is surrounded by private cabanas, all of which can be viewed from the terrace of the Grill. Various stations offer samplings of tidbits including sliders, sesame ahi tuna, beef tartare, seared scallops, a Thai-inspired beef pasta, an extensive dessert station of gelato, cheesecake pops and creme brulee which are torched on site.

Thai inspired beef pasta

Inside the Grill, a spread of exotic and unique cheeses are laid out with scrumptious plump strawberries, blackberries, dried fruit, and my favorite, honeycomb.

The Resort is absolutely stunning and service impeccable. After the event, Holly of Savored and I sat in the lobby lounge area for another few hours just chatting away and the restaurant manager checked back periodically to see if we needed anything. There was never a feeling that we weren't welcomed. We were welcomed to stay for the entire time we were there and neither Holly nor I wanted to leave.

If you are looking for a few hours of luxurious treatment, just spend an afternoon here. You'll see what I mean!

For a list of participating restaurants please visit: Newport Restaurant Week 2011

The Coliseum Pool and Grill

22651 Pelican Hill Road, Newport Beach, CA 92657. Tel: 949-467-6800

A good Vu in Marina del Rey

2011-01-15T14:05:00.000-08:00

Some friends and I stopped by the newly re-done Jamaica Bay Inn for lunch. My best friend and her boyfriend were frequent visitors here before. They would kayak down to what was there before, sit by the pool and have a bite to eat.

The restaurant is now called Vu and it is done in warm trendy and chic brown hues. The menu is modern and Chef dabbles in molecular gastronomy as well -- who doesn't these days -- and several menu items clearly reflect this.

We started with Pork Belly ($9) served on a square of crispy grits topped with slice of root beer jello. I love a dish like this with contrasting textures. The grits are crispy of course with a slightly soft piece of pork belly and the root beer jello gives a nice sweet contrast to the other components.

BFF ordered the green curry soup ($8) with mussels, coconut boba and micro cilantro. My first reaction was that it was a bit overly salty but I did like the curry flavors. I'm not a fan of boba so not only did I not enjoy the boba but I also didn't taste the coconut from it either.

Bison Carpaccio ($14) was one of my choices. Slightly seared, these thin slices of bison worked well with pieces of pickled shallots and celery root confit. A splash of extra virgin olive oil gave it a little more flavor.

But my favorite of the appetizers was the grilled polenta ($9). I loved the vegetable medley of asparagus, tomato, pickled red onion, on top of the polenta which, required just a little longer time on the grill. Otherwise, the colorful topping was the highlight of this dish.

The Calamari ($11) reminded of of the one at ECCO in Costa Mesa but here it is chicken fried and served with a black peppercorn biscuit and a brush of pink lemonade mayo for dipping the tender calamari in.

Our entrees arrived shortly after and there was a lot of food. Blue Crab Cakes ($18) with charred tomato, orange, brioche bread crumbs, is flavorful though not the best I've had, but again, I loved the pickled red onion, mache, and the highlight of the dish -- mustard ice cream.

The fish and chips ($16) uses wild Alaskan cod coated in a malt vinegar tempura batter. The malt vinegar gives the coating a darker finish which may look like it's been overcooked, but it's only the vinegar's natural coloring giving off that hue. A spicy tartar accompanies with a handful of lemon and tarragon chips

My favorite entree was the Rainbow trout ($18) which was cooked perfectly. The flesh was moist and flaky and I found the purple cauliflower absolutely delicious. I only wished the parsnip puree was just as good.

We were so stuffed by now but somehow we were still tempted by some of the desserts.

Buttermilk panna cotta ($8) was not smooth or creamy enough but the liquid nitrogen coke a cola more than made up for that. The little morsels of frozen cola was a great sensation on the palate but melted way too quickly leaving a puddle on the bottom of the bowl.

The piece de resistance of the meal was the Pliable chocolate ganache ($8). It looks like a bar of solid chocolate but when you put your fork into it, the ganache was soft, creamy and absolutely divine.The most surprising thing was the sea salt component in this dish leaving a salty sweet sensation in your mouth. The lime sorbet was both good on its own or together with the ganache.

This chic restaurant is a great place for lunch and brunch is also offered on Sundays with selections from both the breakfast and lunch menus. It is small enough to be intimate yet the patio is casual enough for stopping by with the kids for a bite to eat. No matter how you look at it, Vu has not only the food but the view and atmosphere to boot.

Vu, at Jamaica Bay Inn, 4175 Admiralty Way, Marina del Rey, CA 90292. Tel: 310-439-3033

Rockin' Baja -- supporters of worthy causes!

2011-01-12T10:30:00.000-08:00

I always like to hear whenever a restaurant is a huge supporter of charities and various causes. Rockin' Baja is one of those places. In the past, it has supported the Memory Walk benefiting Alzheimer's Association and during various times of the year, they allocate days where a majority of their sales go to charities such as CHOC and America Heart Association. At the moment they are also in the works to create a fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club of OC.

Located at the Bella Terra mall in Huntington Beach, Rockin' Baja sits comfortably among other chains such as The Cheesecake Factory and Daphne's Greek Cafe. The menu consists predominantly of seafood items, although meat is also offered.

We started with their signature Tequila-Lime Shrimp ($10.99) which arrives in a clay dish. The shrimps are very fresh, plump and with a crunch. The sauce is thick and clings to the shrimp well.

The kid chose the Cheese quesadilla special with chicken ($8.99 plus $1.99 for meat) which comes with a black bean salsa and served with two types of salsas.

The server suggested the Char-broiled skirt steak & seafood enchilada ($17.99) for me. The steak is marinated in a cumin cilantro marinade and served alongside an enchilada with Mexican shrimp, langostino and bay scallops and topped with a cream sauce.

For those of you who aren't completely comfortable about going to a hard-core Mexican hole-in-the-wall in Santa Ana, Rockin Baja is a good choice to get your Mexican fix. It is non-threatening and service is friendly.

For the month of February, Rockin' Baja will donate 15% of everything purchased from its heart healthy menu to the American Heart Association. If you're in the area, stop by, grab something to eat, and help support a worthy cause while you're at it!!

Rockin' Baja Coastal Cantina, 7811 Edinger Ave, Huntington Beach, CA 92647. Tel: 714-892-3852

Dos Chinos

2011-01-10T13:30:00.000-08:00

Breakfast taco

It took me awhile to try Dos Chinos because for the longest time, the lines were so long and I'm just not the type to stand around for food.

When I finally tried them, I was upset that they only had the shrimp taco left. It took me about 6 months to try everything on their menu and now that I have, I feel I am now ready to review them.

I love food trucks. There is nothing I wouldn’t try once and if I like it, I’ll go back for more. Dos Chinos is one of those trucks which I find myself returning to over and over again.

If you are a Dos Chinos virgin they are a truck that's easy to miss. There is no special wrap around or anything flashy and fancy. The truck itself is really kind of boring. There is a menu and a few paper versions of the menu plastered around the truck. That's it. Like I said -- BORING! But I suggest you over that, because these guys have some seriously good grub on board.

Hollywood chicken

I don’t like burritos, so I always order tacos when I visit Dos Chinos. I’ve had every single taco off this truck and I definitely have my favorites. However, after talking to friends and other people who frequent the truck, it is without a doubt, hands down that the ultimate favorite is the breakfast burrito ($6) and taco ($3)! Chorizo fried rice shares space with filet mignon and sweet guacamole sauce. And the best part? It is topped with an egg cooked to order any style you want!

Meat lovers will absolutely love Carne Asada ($5 burrito/$2 taco) which is chunks of seasoned rib eye steak drizzled with a sweet and sour guacamole. Steak is cooked well, tender and very tasty. Or, the Garden Grove Short Rib ($5 burrito/$2 taco) which epitomizes what Dos Chinos is all about! This particular item brings together a Mexican/Korean barbecue sauce which is bursting with flavor and if you like that bugolgi taste, you'll definitely like this. I prefer this over the Kogi-style tacos mainly because this one isn't overly sweet.

Oahu shrimp

Hollywood chicken ($5 burrito/$2 taco) is a mild coconut curry chicken but definitely aromatic and tasty. The tamarind sour cream topping is a nice touch. I like this a lot! It is packed with curry flavor but not spicy so everyone can enjoy it.

My two absolute favorites are the Oahu Shrimp ($6 burrito/$3 taco) and the Bolsa BBQ Pork ($5 burrito/$2 taco) a Vietnamese style roast pork belly.

Oahu Shrimp is based upon the Hawaiian style garlic butter shrimp which you will find on trucks along the highways of Hawaii. Dos Chino does a really good version except they’ve added their own touch by topping the taco with a fresh pineapple salsa and cream. I don’t normally like fruit with my savory food items but this works for me! I love it. The shrimps are succulent and has a nice snap to them.

Bolsa BBQ

Bolsa BBQ Pork ($2) is hands down my favorite! Crispy The roast pork belly is crispy and absolutely deeeelicious! Topped with tomatillo sauce, this is the item I always order, and it is also the item they run out of most often! The texture of the flavorful pork is amazing. You definitely have to try this one!

There is a reason why the lines are long at Dos Chinos and honestly, it annoys me sometimes when I don't want to stand in line and I'm craving a Bolsa BBQ taco.

You can follow Dos Chinos on Twitter or Facebook to learn more.

HELP Marian The Foodie to win the Pei Wei competition

2011-01-08T17:08:00.000-08:00

Marian: stylish!

I can't contain myself. A friend of mine, Marian Bacol-Uba has been selected as one of the 5 finalists for Pei Wei's Blog Asia competition, something I myself entered at the persuasion of another friend. I am so happy Marian got so far and now, we need to help her win it!

Not only was Marian selected out of hundreds of entries but she is the only finalist from California. The winner will travel with the Pei Wei team to 5 countries in Asia, including my place of birth, Hong Kong and spend two weeks, traveling, eating and most importantly, BLOGGING about it.

Marian is a blogger extraordinaire. She's an elite Yelper, her blog Marian The Foodie is a cornucopia of her food adventures which also includes lots of videos. She hosts her own YouTube channel

talk about LOVING food

Why do I think Marian is the perfect candidate for this? Well, she's studied and lived abroad in Singapore and Shanghai, China when she was in college. She's traveled extensively to Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Hong Kong and different parts of China.

I know for a fact that she's very adventurous when it comes to food. Like me, she's tried so many unique type of food and drinks -- she's even had snake shots (which I haven't!) to fried bugs.

Marian is extremely outgoing, very attractive so will look awesome on camera and she's also adventurous in other areas as well. She's a certified for open water scuba diving, she's rock climbed on Koh Phi Phi, Thailand, and backpack in Phuket. She won't say no to trying new things.

Marian and I at the Yelp 2010 X'mas party

So as a friend, a fellow blogger, and someone who knows she will be PERFECT for this, I want to help her along. You can help me, help Marian win this by going to Pei Wei's Facebook page and leaving a comment as to why Marian is the one to win this!

Come on everyone! Let's get this OC gal to the finish line!!!

Ventiane -- one of the last remaining Lao restaurants in OC

2011-01-06T10:30:00.000-08:00

Lao sausage

The very first time I came here was when we first moved to southern California a little over four years ago. A friend has found it and thought I might like it, and she was right. I remember that fateful night when five of us came and ordered a lot of food, ate, and went home very satisfied with our meal.

Since that night, I've come time and time again with different friends and on every visit we would sit in the tiny space, order our food and eat pretty much in an empty restaurant. I've often wondered how they survive, although I've seen a lot of take-out traffic, but even so, how is it that no one has discovered this little hidden gem serving up some very delicious food?

On a recent visit, I was surprised to find that the restaurant has had a major makeover. The little space is now three times as spacious and it is amazing what a new coat of paint and some new furniture can do for a place. The menu has been reprinted and everything about this place now shouts "I am ready for those unadventurous eaters to come inside".

larb goong

I've had a lot of the menu items such as the frogs legs and the mok pa, a steamed catfish dish with coconut milk and dill. My blogger friend Priscilla of the She's Cookin' blog who was with me on this recent trip was not interested in the mok pa because it has a gelatinous texture, so we ordered some other Lao dishes to share.

I was craving the crispy rice so we ordered that as well as Lao sausage and larb goong. Lao food and Thai food are similar but there are some marked differences. Lao food is not sweet like Thai food and it is not as spicy, although there are condiments on the table for you to add heat if you so wish. I love spicy foods so I am attacking this jar on the table of ground fresh chilis in a salty tart sauce.

Crispy rice here is absolutely stunning in that the crunchy texture of the rice is far better than what most Thai places offer.

Lao sausage is house-made and is crunchy on the outside, beautifully textured on the inside. The accompanying sauce is a must. Dip the sausage into the sauce and eat with a spoonful of sticky rice.

nam sod

Sticky rice is a Lao specialty and is generally eaten in place of steamed Jasmine rice. If you prefer regular rice, order that with your food instead, but I do recommend the sticky for a complete Lao experience.

Portions aren't big so you can order a variety of items to try. I think I'm definitely going to come back here again!!

Ventiane, 10262 Westminster Ave, Garden Grove, CA 92843. Tel: 714-530-7523

Gjelina -- draws crowds like you wouldn't believe

2011-01-03T10:30:00.000-08:00

outside patio

I've bookmarked Gjelina for over a year now. I've walked past it and seen the lines. I've wanted to eat here for a very long time. Finally, the last week of 2010, my BFF Sunny and her significant other, Tony, and I made our way to Venice and of course, weren't surprised to see the line amassed outside. We weren't detered though. We put our name on the waiting list -- were told it would be about 35 minutes -- walked over to Abbott Pizza Company, shared a slice just to get us through, walked over to Intelligentsia Coffee, grabbed a drink, browsed in some of the shops, and walked back to Gjelina.

smoked trout salad

Another 15-20 minutes later, we were finally seated on the patio complete with space heaters, at an antique turquoise garden table with chipped off paint. I like it! I like how every table is different. Nothing matches. It added to the charm of this place.

The menu is interested and several items caught my eye. But I was here for the pizza and the duck confit. Our server brought us water, gave us a few minutes to go through the menu, and the three of us placed our selections and waited for the food to arrive.

chickpea stew

Smoked trout salad ($9) sounded much better in print than in reality. Greens are tossed together with avocado, citrus, shaved red onion and lemon but unfortunately, the trout was so minuscule we had to move the greens around a lot to even find it. Think I'll pass on this next time.

Chickpea stew ($12) with greens (collard greens), Israeli couscous, spiced yogurt and harissa was a hunking portion but it tasted absolutely amazing. The spiciness of the harissa added a wondrous kick to the dish and honestly, it was too huge a bowl even as an entree so definitely share this item.

brussels sprouts

I love brussels sprouts and these were nicely flavored. Unfortunately, it was so aptly named because charred brussels sprouts ($8) they certainly were! The bacon created the savory aspect while the date and vinegar presented the sweet acidic hints bringing it all together. Taste-wise it was perfect but the burned black brussels sprouts were not visually appealing.

Kennebec frites

We were in agreement that everyone loves fries so an order of salt and pepper Kennebec frites ($8) were in order. Served with an aioli and romesco, I wasn't quite sure I liked either sauces immensely. The aioli had the consistency of buttermilk and the flavor very mild. The romesco was also just okay with crushed walnuts and almonds mixed in, but neither really gave oompf to the frites.

I'm a big pizza snob and when I heard that the pizzas here were amazing, we had to order at least one. Tony ordered the gruyere, caramelized onions, fromage blanc and arugula ($14) which arrived perfectly blistered. The crust was thin and the arugula added a really fresh finish to the pizza. I'm not sure it needed the caramelized onions because it gave the pizza a sweet flavor, but I did like the contrasting tastes and textures of the gruyere and fromage blanc.

duck confit

We were quite full by now but the piece de resistance had yet to arrive. We waited patiently for the crispy duck leg confit ($15), and when it finally did, I attacked it vigorously but it took barely any effort to pull the tender flesh off the bone with my fork. If we had noticed brussels sprouts were one of the acoutrements we probably wouldn't have ordered it as a side. The turnips were absolutely amazing and I wish there were more of it.

Service was good for how busy the place was and everything arrived in a timely fashion. I'm really glad to have experienced Gjelina and would love to return again if I didn't have to wait an hour for a table. But even so, it was a very good meal!

Gjelina, 1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd Venice, CA 90291 Tel: 310 450-1429

Kang Lac Bakery

2011-01-02T10:00:00.000-08:00

jook and crullers (background)

When I am craving breakfast it isn't the bacon and eggs or waffles and pancakes that I long for. What I want is an Asian style breakfast consisting of rice porridge.

One of my go-to places for an Asian breakfast is in Westminster and sits inside a bakery. If a friend of mine hadn't told me this years ago, I would probably still be in the dark about it and have missed out on one of the simple pleasures in life.

This little Vietnamese-Chinese bakery sells breads and pastries, both sweet and savory, but if you want to enjoy some of the dishes they have to offer, grab a table and sit down. When they bring the menu to you, it is surprisingly extensive for such a hole-in-the-wall. There are noodles, rices, and of course, the quintessential Asian breakfast item, chao or congee, or jook. I usually order the "century egg" and pork version ($4.75) and it arrives piping hot with half a black egg and shredded salted pork.

taro and radish cake

Century eggs can be either chicken, duck or quail eggs. They are preserved in a mixture of rice hulls, ash, lime, clay and salt for a few months and turns the egg black. The overpowering smell of sulphur and ammonia can be quite overwhelming to first time eaters but for me, this is the only way I like my porridge.

Porridge here is awesome, it is thick, piping hot and they serve it Vietnamese style, with lime wedges and beansprouts. In Hong Kong, scallions and julienned fresh ginger are the condiments.

sticky rice

Crullers are also a condiment which go perfectly with jook and are called "dau chao quy" in Vietnamese or "you tiao" in Mandarin. Regardless of how you refer to these, for a buck, they are well worth the price. I like to dip mine into soy sauce and eat it with a spoonful of hot porridge. The crullers are best when hot and crispy and if you come here later in the day, sometimes, they aren't crispy anymore.

Cu Cai Khoai Mon ($5.50) or radish taro pan fried cake is also tasty. Unlike the Chinese version, which is served as is, the Vietnamese style ones here are dipped into egg and fried. A salty tart dipping sauce is served alongside. I just like mine with a bit of Sriracha.

bo luc lac with fried rice

Sticky rice in lotus leaf ($2) is a snack often eaten as a dim sum item. You can purchase these at the counter to bring home but they will heat them up for you if you happen to order one while dining in. The sticky rice is nice and soft and the meat and mushroom filling is seasoned nicely.

My son often will eat the porridge, but when it gets too close to lunch time, he prefers to have something other than breakfast food. His usual favorite is the Com Chien Bo Luc Lac ($7.95) Euro-style butter filet mignon with fried rice. The cubes of beef are tender and very flavorful and goes perfectly with the fried rice which is equally delicious. If you prefer steamed rice, you can ask them to switch out the fried rice for you. A bowl of mustard greens soup comes with this meal and is quite good when piping hot.

If you're ever feeling like something different for breakfast, why not give Asian breakfast a try? You might like it and maybe, crave it once in a while like I do!

Kang Lac Bakery, 9301 Bolsa Avenue, Westminster, CA 92683. Tel: 714-894-6122

6ix Park Grill -- a secret no more

2010-12-29T09:48:00.000-08:00

Living in Asia, it was customary to go to a restaurant inside a hotel when one wants good food. Since moving here, I've realized that there really isn't a hotel restaurant culture, but that doesn't mean that there aren't any good restaurants within an ordinarily unassuming hotel in your area

The Hyatt hotel group has recently been surprising me with their in-house restaurants, starting with TusCa at the Garden Grove location and now, 6ix Park Grill at Hyatt Irvine. I recently was invited to attend one of the monthly mixers held at the restaurant and was shocked at how many people were there. The outside area was packed with people enjoying the wine that night -- each month, the sommelier chooses a wine and that wine is featured at the mixer -- an Alexander Valley Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.

I sat down and was immediately greeted by our server who was very knowledgeable about the menu and was friendly and chatty. We ordered some appetizers off the happy hour menu while we sipped on the wonderfully full-bodied wine of the month.

We started with Kobe Beef sliders ($8), two nicely done American Kobe sliders with white cheddar and tomato. The meat was moist and the buns were thoughtfully toasted. I enjoyed this very much.

Grilled sea scallops ($10) were absolutely divine. I loved these very much. The sea scallops were plump and very tender. They are also offered on the regular menu ($28) and served with haricot vert, morel risotto and a red pepper coulis.

Chef de Cuisine, Ted Hill, found his way over to our table and insisted on bringing out some of the house specialties for us to try. I was pretty damn full already but didn't want to be rude and ended up sampling the Ahi Poke ($11), with cucumber, soy and onion. The menu does not include the fresh ginger, but there was definitely ginger in this very refreshing poke. Served with chips, this could be a meal in itself for those with smaller appetites.

While we were sitting there, the servers come around with complimentary appetizers and one of them happened to be the fava bean bruschetta ($7 on the menu). I love the taste of fava beans and this was indeed a treat. Our well-informed server told us that the fava beans are individually shucked and then pureed to make this delicious spread.

Our 12oz prime USDA rib eye ($41) arrives grilled perfectly at medium rare. Each "chop house" selection comes with one side of your choice and when I looked through the offerings, the whole kernel corn with lime, sea salt, red bell pepper and a touch of cream totally shouted at me. The steak was great, but I could not stop eating the corn. It was THAT good. Chef Hill even divulged his recipe to me so I can make it at home if I wanted to!

I had no room left for dessert, but my dining companion has a sweet tooth so we ended up with pumpkin creme brulee ($7) and chocolate chunk croissant pudding ($8). Both were good, the pudding was a tad too sweet for me with the vanilla sauce, but the Belgian chocolate with the croissants was addictive. The creme brulee was rich and creamy and surprisingly, not as sweet as the vanilla sauce for the pudding. I enjoyed this immensely and wished I had room for more.

The restaurant also has a prix fixe menu ($26) which changes regularly. Entrees at the moment includes chicken, salmon or short ribs. A soup du jour or Californian greens are also included.

Happy hour runs from Monday to Friday between 5.30pm and 7.30pm. The outside patio is a great place to enjoy a drink and some appetizers and if you so choose, move into the main dining room for dinner later. The food is surprisingly good and wine selections means there is something to please everyone! Complimentary valet parking is offered when you dine at the restaurant -- just get your ticket validated before you leave.

6ix Park Grill, Hyatt Irvine, 17900 Jamboree Road, Irvine, CA 92614. Tel: (949) 222-6666

Peking restaurant -- a family favorite for comfort food

2010-12-28T15:25:00.000-08:00

potstickers

***An abridged version is available at OC Register's Food Frenzy blog***

My family loves Peking restaurant. For generations, they would come here for Sunday lunches with my aunts and uncles, grandparents, great uncles and aunts in tow. I used to tag along whenever I used to visit and so my Peking restaurant experience spans about two decades.

After moving here, I somehow found my way back here again eating the same things I used to all those years with my extended family. Although we don't come here often, on those times that we do, we end up eating basically the same things each time.

The restaurant specializes in what we called "mian shir" or, "foods of starch". Basically, it is a northern Chinese staple, of noodles, dumplings, breads as opposed to rice. Food is generally heavier and greasier in the north to combat the harsh winter months. The cuisine focuses more on casseroles and stews rather than the stir-fries of the south -- Cantonese food.

beef roll

The minute I enter the restaurant, the servers will ask if I wanted the roast beef with green onion pancake roll ($7.85) and potstickers ($6.25/10 pieces), called pan fried dumplings on the menu. I tell her "of course" and she rushes off into the kitchen to place my order.

After we are settled and perusing the menu, she comes back and brings us tea and tells me that my order is in and what else I needed. I tell her I wanted the beancurd with chives and pork and some preserved vegetables with pork soup noodles. I pondered about ordering boiled dumplings but she looks at me and tells me I already have potstickers and I don't need rice either seeing I've got a carb-packed meal to come. Ahhh you've gotta love these old Asian servers who think they are your aunties and know better than you do.

beancurd, chives and pork

The potstickers are awesome here. I love the crispiness of the bottom side with the juicy meat filling inside. These are greasy, but oh so good. I usually make a sauce of 3 parts vinegar, 1 part soy sauce and a spoon of chili sauce for the potstickers to dip in. One portion of 10 potstickers don't last very long since everyone is fighting over them.

Stir fried beancurd with chives and pork is very tasty and I wish I had some rice to go with it, but I didn't want to ask. Whenever I eat here I feel like if I asked for something they already told me no, I would get yelled at, like how I would at home. Funny, but true. But she was right, I didn't need anymore starchy foods. We had more to come.

chive turnover

Roast beef with green onion pancake roll is very filling and I like the sweet sauce on the side. I always request they put it on the side because otherwise they will slather way too much on to the sandwich and I can't taste the beef anymore. It's just a mouthful of sweet. This way, everyone can add as little or as much as they like and everyone is happy. The beef is like what my mother makes, a braised five spiced beef, sliced and rolled into a scallion pancake (cong you bing) along with fresh scallions and cilantro. It always makes me happy eating this regardless of where I have it and how it is made. It reminds me of my mom's home cooking except my mom would use the beef on regular bread to make sandwiches with or in a noodle soup, which brings me to the noodle soup we ordered.

hand cut noodles

Preserved vegetables with pork in a soup noodle arrive and I immediately knew it would not be satisfactory. We asked for hand cut noodles which were the only good thing going for it. There wasn't enough broth and the noodles quickly soaked up whatever little broth was in the bowl. The preserved vegetables and pork to noodle ratio was about 1 to 4 which made for very unsatisfactory eating. I like my soup noodles with a lot of soup and much more toppings than this. I brought it home and re-hashed it into another noodle soup meal a few nights later.

Service is brisk and abrupt. If you are looking for a smile or a joke, this isn't the place to find it. What you see is what you get. They will take your order, bring your food, perhaps a box for your unfinished food, bring you the check. Don't expect anything more and you won't be disappointed. With that in mind, come for the potstickers, the beef rolls and steamed dumplings if you are not getting the potstickers. Know that whatever northern "starch" specialty item you order, it'll be good.

Peking Restaurant, 8566 Westminster Blvd, Westminster, CA 92683. Tel: 714-893-3020

Orphans' Christmas Dinner 2010

2010-12-26T14:22:00.000-08:00

Each year, my new friend Paul Lyttle cooks Christmas dinner for his friends who are alone, or don't have family around. He calls it the "Orphans' Christmas Dinner". This year, 12 people stopped by and Paul himself cooked the extravaganza with only a little help from everyone else. I just want to be clear that I did nothing except stuff myself full of food.

The menu this year as modeled by the lovely Amber who arrived in all her festive Christmas gear -- and her mom did too!

Each guest was asked to bring stocking stuffers to put into everyone's stockings and when I arrived, Danni was busy wrapping some of the gifts and placing them into the stockings.

I raided the fridge and got myself a beer and Austin and I ate some raspberry turnovers and brie en croute while we waited for the food to be ready.

Paul is from England and the menu was a testament to his roots as well as his adopted home. He had been slaving away all day and by the time we got there, he had already finished making the roast beef and the turkey was in the oven

The stove had pots of water boiling with potatoes, carrots, swede (rutabaga), and the smell was incredible.

Soon, the turkey was done, carved, gravy, sauces completed and the table was set for the Christmas night feast.

There was roast beef with a British style sauce, more like au jus, but a little thicker, but not thick like gravy.

roast beef

My favorite thing to eat with roast beef is Yorkshire pudding and Paul almost didn't make these but I pleaded and begged and Cory ended up making them. I poured the sauce over the pudding and scarfed down three of them.

I was told the Yorkshire pudding is easy to make, and I'll take their word for it. Maybe, just maybe I'll try to make some next year.

Yorkshire pudding

Roasted turkey was so moist and flavorful and Amber's mom did a fantastic job carving the bird. Being the only Asian at dinner, I had my pick of the dark meat which was very tasty and I went back for seconds and thirds.

traditional roasted turkey

Lovely thick gravy for the turkey as well as a creamy garlic sauce which Paul made, but for me, the roast beef sauce was what I liked on EVERYTHING!

Side dishes included a carrot and swede (rutabaga) mash. I like the mixture because the texture isn't mushy and had a slightly sweet taste from the carrots but it wasn't overly sweet.

carrot and swede mash

Mashed red potatoes were awesome, I loved how Paul left the skin on. That's the way I make my mashed potatoes! The gravy made this dish very delicious.

Another potato dish was roasted potatoes with garlic, rosemary and thyme -- a Gordon Ramsey Christmas dinner recipe. Soft on the inside and crisp on the outside.

potatoes with rosemary and thyme

Parsnip strips are also tasty and it's nice to have a bunch of different root vegetables to put together a hearty winter meal.

parsnips

Bread stuffing was done two ways. One was traditional, the way I'd make it in a baking dish, while the other one was made into "cakes". They looked like scones but were just the stuffing mixture made into balls and baked.

stuffing balls

There were two home made cranberry sauces -- which I didn't taste because I don't like cranberry sauce, not even when I make it. I did return back to the table several times to eat more roast beef, turkey and of course, the Yorkshire pudding.

There were other dishes I didn't take a photo of, but if you take a look at the spread, there is a lot of food and for the meal to have been cooked by one person -- that's serious kudos right there for ya! I've made meals like this before and I know how much work goes into it, so I am SO very appreciative when someone cooks a meal like this for me. Thank you Paul and Cory for yor hospitality and thanks for including me in your Christmas festivities!!

OC Poultry & Rotisserie -- a hidden Vietnamese deli worth trying out

2010-12-23T11:00:00.000-08:00

chicken banh mi

I had seen this place when I went to Doner G for a birthday party months ago. I thought it had an interesting name, but didn't give much thought to it until several people mentioned it to me. After that, I had to check it out!This little Vietnamese deli is in the same plaza as Doner G and sits behind the car wash and is a mom and pop business serving both as a small grocery store as well as a restaurant.

I asked my friend who lives in Anaheim to join me for an early lunch seeing I wanted to try a bunch of things and there was no way I would be able to finish it all on my own.

chicken curry

As soon as we enter, we were greeted by a very friendly lady who asked us what she could get for us. I'd wanted to try several things and after I perused the board and ended up getting more than what I had originally planned. Thank god Gerry was there to help me polish all this food off.

We started with banh mi, a foot-long Vietnamese sandwich, filled with shredded rotisserie chicken ($2.89), In true banh mi style, there was do chua (pickled julienned carrots and daikon), cilantro and jalapeno (if you asked for spicy). They make the rotisserie chicken in-house and is flavored with an Asian style marinade consisting mainly of soy sauce and other seasonings. The sandwich is good, but needed a even more of a kick than what the jalapeno was doing, so I squeezed some sambal oelek into it which did the trick.

sticky rice with shredded rotisserie chicken

Ca Ri Ga or chicken curry ($5.50) is served with your choice of rice or bread and arrives in a bowl swimming with carrots and potatoes. The curry is mild and although the sauce is on the watery side, the flavors are good. I can really taste the coconut milk in here. The bread soaks up the sauce pretty well and we do this until all the bread is gone. We didn't want to waste any of it.

The same shredded chicken used in the banh mi is also served with sticky rice ($3.50) and I thought tasted more flavorful than when eaten as part of a banh mi. Fried shallots are sprinkled on top of this dish giving it an additional southeast Asian flavor to it. It is a filling meal for a very small price.

They've recently added a new banh mi to the menu, lemongrass beef ($3.99) and I highly recommend this if you want a tasty Vietnamese sandwich! The meat is very aromatic, flavorful and very delicious. If you don't want to eat a sandwich, you can also have the beef with rice, eggs and soup for $6.50.

lemongrass beef banh mi

Although I didn't try the chicken udon noodles ($4.75) the table next to me ordered it so I asked if they would let me take a photo. They kindly allowed me to. The broth used in the udon is house-made chicken stock so you know it is just like home-made.

The store also sells fresh poultry and eggs. I brought a chicken home and made chicken soup with it, plus 2 dozen eggs. I loved the eggs because the yolks were so plump, but the chicken was just okay. I still prefer the ones at Dakao Poultry.

If you live in the area, this place is a great place to stop by for great cheap eats and pick up a dozen eggs while you're at it. For me, it's quite a trek to just drive on over for banh mi and chicken curry, but if I ever find myself in the area craving a banh mi, I'll definitely think of this place! The owners are friendly and lovely and I am always a firm believer in supporting small independant businesses! Go check them out!

OC Poultry & Rotisserie, 2117 E Ball Rd, Anaheim, CA 92806. Tel: 714-780-0225

Soho Taco -- addictive like gourmet crack

2010-12-21T10:45:00.000-08:00

Chef Gabe at the helm (left)

Funny story. A friend of mine was wanting to organize a surprise birthday party for his wife and asked me which caterer he should use -- namely, tacos! I told him I'd never used one before but I'd look into it for him. I did some research and came up with a few places and I email them to him.

Weeks go by and I didn't hear from him so I shoot off an email and asked if he hired a caterer for his wife's birthday and he said "oh yeah, I went with Soho Taco, they were awesome, thank you".

Fast forward to a Yelp elite event in October and Soho Taco was catering the event. As all Yelp events go, the line for food was long and I had no patience to wait for tacos. Some of my friends offered me one of their's and I scarfed it down very quickly -- yes hunger does that to you -- and it was a seriously tasty taco, even though it was cold.

portabello and veggie taco

I thought about it for a while and now that I wasn't about to keel over from hunger, I decided to go stand in line and after about 40 minutes, I finally got to the front of the line and was presented with a plate of 3 tacos -- carne asada, carnitas and vegetarian. Condiments are set out for you to dress your taco any which way you wish and I immediately was hooked on the 'green' salsa which is predominantly made with jalapenos.

I'm no vegetarian, but out of the 3 tacos, the veggie definitely won me over. Meaty slices of portobello sits with onions, peppers to make for a taco unlike any other. These are the best veggie tacos you will ever eat! I promise you this!

Last month, I attended a customer appreciation event at BMW Crevier which Soho Taco was catering and managed to eat another 3 tacos there -- this time, one of their specialty, cecina de res -- thin strips of beef which has been aged and partially cured in salt.This Mexican delicacy is so tender and flavorful and makes for a perfect filling for absolutely delicious tacos. I asked about it but was told it was a fiercely guarded Zambrano (Chef Gabe Zambrano) family secret so I didn't probe any further.

carne asada, cecina de res, pollo tacos

Last week I attended a preview at Proof Bar where Soho Taco was showcasing their tacos to potential customers and I was there like a lightening bolt. I must've been seriously hungry because I managed to eat 5 of their tacos, this time, besides the veggie, carnitas, cecina de res, I also sampled the mahi mahi and the shrimp tacos -- both outstanding! In fact, I think those two might just be my absolute favorites, although, don't quote me on that seeing I ate those two first and still managed to wolf down 3 others.

There are 3 sauces, one of which is guacamole style, avocado-based. The roasted red tomato salsa is tasty and will suit those who like a milder salsa. Pico de gallo is another option and uses ripe heirloom tomatoes when in season. However, the green salsa is my crack! It is very addictive and I found that it goes well on almost everything I've put it on.

salsas and condiments

I urge you to keep these guys on your radar because I predict HUGE things for them. Once the public gets a taste of these insanely delicious tacos, I fear it will become almost impossible for me to get to them as easily anymore.

Soho Taco is currently still a catering-only business, although word has it they are in the process of acquiring a food truck in the near future. Until then, you can follow them on Facebook or Twitter and find them at various events around town, some, open to the public. That's how I stalk them for these delicious tacos!

ECCO is now even more affordable

2010-12-18T11:02:00.000-08:00

calamari fries

Ever since I discovered ECCO during Restaurant Week this year, I haven't stopped thinking about it. I've come back several times after to eat the various items on the menu, but time after time again, I find myself going back to the same menu items which I come for time and time again.

A couple of weeks ago, ECCO revealed a $15 prix fixe -- a 2 course, full portion of your choice of an appetizer and an entree. What totally sold me on was the calamari fries, offered as an appetizer on this menu -- one of my favorites.

First course choices include: minestrone soup, calamari fries, or chopped salad consisting of garbanzo beans, red onions, fennel salame, tomatoes, pepperoncinis tossed in a white wine vinaigrette.

chicken piccata

For the second course, manicotti with spinach, ricotta, mozzarella in a red and white sauce or the Margherita pizza are both perfect for vegetarians while chicken picatta and linguini with salmon are available to those wanting more protein to their meal.

Chicken piccata is very good, chicken is moist and tender and the lemon caper sauce works well with the linguini.

Of course if you wish for some of the awesome pizzas ECCO has to offer, try visiting on Tuesdays when pizzas are 2 for 1. Three choices are available: sausage, Magherita and white -- my favorite being the latter.

white pizza

The service is still very good and the timeliness in which the food is brought to the table has improved tremendously since our first visit. All in all, ECCO is fast becoming a favorite spot to grab some good grub in a casual but trendy environment.

ECCO, 2937 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Tel: (714) 444-3226

Pupuseria San Sivar -- it's all about the chicken soup

2010-12-17T13:30:00.000-08:00

***An abridged version of this runs on the OC Register's Food Frenzy blog***

My first experience with El Salvadorean cuisine was not a good one. I remember going to a restaurant in the Bay Area and thinking how awful these pupusas were. I was bent on never eating them again.

Fast forward several years later and we've moved here and I'm looking for places to eat on Yelp and come across this little place, a solid 4-stars and there were other items people raved about other than the pupusas. I thought "okay, let's give this another try" and I guess, the rest is history.

Drink orders are taken almost the minute you sit down and when they bring those, a bowl of curtido --lightly fermented cabbage slaw with red chilies and vinegar -- is also brought to the table.

queso y frijole pupusa

On my first visit to Pupuseria San Sivar years ago, I remember didn't order a pupusa. I ordered the caldo de gallina criolla, a very flavorful chicken soup, another Yelper favorite. On that first visit though, I did end up trying the pupusas that were ordered and found that they tasted nothing like the horrid things I tried years ago. These pillowy, soft, doughy pockets were filled with the most flavorful concoctions ever.

Pupusas are traditional tortillas El Salvador. These thick, hand-made corn tortillas are filled with different things, but namely, cheese, beans or pork, or all of those. The pork used in the pupusas is called chicharron, but is different to the chidharron used in Mexican cuisine which refers to pork skin. In El Salvador, chicharron is cooked pork made into the consistency of a paste.

The two most common pupusas are the pupusa de queso (cheese) and more popular pupusa revuelta which includes a mix of cheese (queso), beans (frijoles), and and pork (chicharron) and you will find both of these on the menu.

caldo de gallina criolla with everything

I've tried all the pupusas except the camarones y queso (shrimp and cheese) and so decided to order that on my most recent visit. Of course I couldn't go without the queso y frijole (cheese and beans) pupusa either.

However, pupusas aside, my main reason for coming on this latest visit is the chicken soup. I've been sick for over a week now and after eating pho ga and Chinese porridge for most of the week, I was now tired and needed something new, but at the same time, comforting and soothing. My thoughts immediately turned to the chicken soup here.

Hens are used here for the chicken soup and it is clearly evident by the droplets of yellow fat on top of the soup. The quarter chicken that is served alongside also displays yellow fat, as opposed to white fat from regular chickens you get from the market. I ask about these chickens and was told that they used to get it from a poultry vendor in Westminster (probably Dakao Poultry where I get my chickens from) but now get it from a poultry vendor in LA because the owner likes to personally select each and every chicken he buys for the restaurant. Apparently the vendor in Westminster didn't allow him to do that.

rice, quarter chicken and condiments

Carrot, potato, chayote are all found swimming in the hearty broth. Sometimes you may even find a piece of neck bone or parts of the carcass you didn't want to find, but fish it out if you don't want to look at it because that is what makes the broth so utterly flavorful and different from the rest.

For $8.50, a big bowl of broth with vegetables arrive with two plain pupusas, a small scoop of rice, a quarter chicken and condiments. You won't find a better deal than this one when you're feeling under the weather and in dire need of some comfort food stat!

Salvadorean chicken tamale

I've also had the mojarra fritta (deep fried Tilapia), tacos and quesadillas here, but those can't compare to the Salvadorean food they offer.

The Salvadorean chicken tamale is highly recommended and although the texture of the masa is a little bit different to that I've eaten at Mexican restaurants, the one here is infused with wonderful flavors and is very smooth in consistency. I'm not sure which I like better. I think I prefer the texture of Mexican tamales but like the flavor of these better.

The food here is always good but whenever I come here, I always order the caldo de gallina criolla!! It's absolutely THE best.

Pupuseria San Sivar, 1940 Harbor Blvd, Costa Mesa, CA 92627. Tel: 949-650-2952

Go Goo Ryeo -- Korean barbecue at its best

2010-12-16T13:00:00.000-08:00

chadol baegi (beef brisket)

When Go Goo Ryeo first opened we used to come here a lot. I then stopped coming when management changed, then the owners changed, and I stopped coming. This year, my friend Evelyn told me that she and her family have been coming here a lot and that they were pretty good, so we re-visited and truly, they have definitely improved to the original quality.

My son loves to eat Korean barbecue and bugs me to take him. It's been months since his last visit, so when he was craving it this weekend, II took him for lunch to satiate his cravings.

Ordinarily, I would order a la carte if there were only a few of us. If there were more in our party, I'd opt for the all-you-can-eat option so there wouldn't be a lot of bickering as to what meats to order since there is a little of everything. We usually only eat the chadol baegi (beef brisket) and jumuluk (boneless seasoned short rib), but the all-you-can-eat also includes chicken, taegi bugolgi (spicy pork) and bugolgi (marinated beef) if you want them.

The quality of the AYCE here is the best you'll find. Most AYCE places will give you the lower cuts of meat, poorer quality, fattier meats but here, the meats are lean and good cuts. I was surprised on my first visit back recently that the chadol baegi was nice and lean instead of half fat.

napa cabbage kimchi

The servers will come and help you cook the meat and they refill the banchan (side dishes) when you ask. Usually for a la carte, they will bring out more varieties of banchan. For AYCE, about 6-8 types are offered and if there is something you particularly want, they will bring them out if you ask.

We had two types of kimchi, the regular napa cabbage kind as well as the musaengchae (julienned daikon) marinated in a vinagrette and chili. Regular napa kimchi was very ripe so tasted very sour. I don't mind this if it sits on the grill for a minute or two on each side. Cooking it cuts down the acidic level of the kimchi and makes it more bearable. Some Korean restaurants offer kimchi which hasn't been fermenting for a long time so it is very crunchy and lack the depth of flavor, however, I think this appeals more to unseasoned kimchi eaters, although I know a few Korean friends who don't like it this fermented either.

Peppers with miso was a hit and we had to ask for refills about four times. Korean peppers are boiled and then mixed with a mild miso paste giving it a rich salty finish.

salad with vinaigrette

One of our favorite banchan is pajun (pancake). Most of the time if you order this dish in a restaurant it will come with a variety of seafood and vegetables mixed in. As a banchan it is generally made with only scallions. I like to put mine on the grill for a few minutes on each side to get them crispy again before eating.

Kongnamul is a banchan using boiled soy bean sprouts which are tossed in soy sauce and sesame oil. This was my son's favorite banchan until he found out he liked kimchi. It is crunchy and flavorful and usually very mild, sort of like bean sprouts but with a crunchier texture.

Pickled cucumbers remind me of the kind we have in Chinese cuisine. Usually we eat this with jook (rice porridge) for breakfast. The salty sweet flavors goes really well with the bland soupy rice. There is also a green salad offered with a light vinaigrette which is highly refreshing after the grilled meats.

meat and condiments atop dduk

Other condiments include muu (pickled radish discs) and dduk (rice paper) which are used as wrappers for the cooked meats. Basically you can package your final morsel any way you choose. I like it sometimes with dduk and sometimes with muu. If I wanted to stay away from carbs, muu is the best way to go. The vinegary radish discs help cut down on the fatty content of the meat making it possible to for me to consume more than if I were to just eat the meat on its own or with dduk.

Gyeran-jjim (egg custard stew) and dwenjangjigae (bean paste soup) are both complimentary and served in a scorching stone pot. These two gives a "soup" element to an otherwise "dry" meal. I love dwenjangjigae and often will ask for refills. They are very generous here and will always comply. I like eating this piping hot. The soup consists of tofu cubes, onions, zucchini and is on the salty side.

gyeran-jjim (egg custard stew)

Rice is available if you ask, but I usually will ask for nurungji bap (burnt rice soup) instead of rice. It takes them a little while to prepare this but it is well worth the wait. Scorched rice is used to make this and the watery consistency is an excellent finish to an otherwise heavy meal. I eat this with the remainding banchan or the remaining dwenjangjigae because on its own, it is bland except for that hint of smokiness which comes from the burnt rice.

At $16.99 the all-you-can-eat is very reasonable and the best way to go if you are new to this. A la carte barbecue items start at $17.99 per order and although one order is generally enough for one person, it limits the different meats you can try.

The staff at Go Goo Ryeo all speak English and service is very good. They are helpful and courteous and unless I want to drive to Koreatown up in LA this, at the moment, is the best Korean barbecue in Orange County. Best of all, all the grills utilize a 'suck down' ventilation system which doesn't leave you smelling like the meal you just had when you are done.

Go Goo Ryeo, 8851 Garden Grove Blvd, Garden Grove, CA 92844. Tel: 714-638-5959

Chomp Chomp Nation -- a slice of Singapore on wheels

2010-12-14T10:42:00.000-08:00

Sloppy Joe slider

**You can find an abridged version of this on OC Register's Food Frenzy**

I grew up in Malaysia and every year, during spring break, my parents would pack us onto an airplane and our family would spend a week in Singapore. My parents had lots of friends there one of whom were my godparents. Whenever they would get together, all they would do is eat and shop, mostly Chinese food, but some of the time we would eat at hawker stalls.

When I got older, I visited the hawker stalls more frequently and my favorite foods would be the popiah, Hokkien mee, Hainan chicken rice, curry laksa and sambal stingray. I remember while finishing up high school in Hong Kong, our senior class trip was to Singapore and Malaysia and I reveled in all the wonderful foods of my childhood when we all embarked on the hawker center for some locale fare.

Since moving to the US a little over a decade ago, it's been nothing short of a miracle trying to find authentic southeast Asian fare. These days if I'm craving something, I'll either have to rely on friends to cook it, or slave away at the stove myself.

When I heard about Chomp Chomp Nation a few months ago I was both intrigued and excited. A food truck serving Singaporean hawker food? I immediately started following them on Twitter and then on their second day out, I was on them like a hawk stalks its prey.

Singaporean crab slider

Owners Shaun Ng, a native Singaporean, and his partner Robert Zuetell (with Robert's wife Gina at the kitchen's helm) run Chomp Chomp Nation. Their vision is to bring a taste of Singaporean street food to the people of southern California. The truck's motto clearly states "Street hawker food with an American twist" and once I understood that concept, I think I enjoyed them better. I was expecting Singaporean hawker food and I think the first time, with those expectations, I was disappointed.

To date, I've tried them on about five occasions and I've now sampled everything on the menu. Let's start with the Sloppy Joe slider, a sandwich using rendang as its basis. This thick, rich, beef dish is seasoned with predominantly a mix of including galangal, lemongrass, chili, and coconut milk. I make this at home so I know exactly how much time and effort is put into it so I am hunbled that a truck can turn out rendang like this without the fittings of a complete kitchen.

I like the flavor of the rendang although texturally, it isn't what rendant should be, but then again, it's an American twist on Singaporean food whereby the rendang is topped with Tiger slaw, a mix of carrots, cabbage, and Asian vegetables like daikon and papaya giving it a more eastern flavor.

Singapore crab slider is a crabcake topped with Sinagporean style chili sauce and although I liked it as a crabcake, I was expecting the chili crab I had grown up eating and it was difficult to make my brain to process this differently. I know a lot of my friends really love this slider, but then again, they've never had chili crab in Singapore before *wink*

chicken satay

My absolute favorite on the truck are the satays. There are chicken, Wagyu beef, tofu satays and sometimes, they feature lamb satays on the specials board. The accompanying peanut sauce is very authentic! It is some of the best I've ever tasted! In fact, I could just eat this with the lontong (coconut rice cubes) they have. Honestly, hardly any southeast Asian restaurants in southern California serves lontong with their satays and these are something I associate satay with. In Malaysia, every order of satay is accompanied with lontong and frankly, it's my favorite part, especially when the peanut sauce is as good as this one.

Wagyu beef is tender, chicken is also good. Vegetarians can enjoy tofu satays with that delicious peanut sauce.

But that's not all. Don't leave without trying some of the desserts. Singapore S'mores uses nutella sandwiched between toast and drizzled with a coconut syrup and topped with coconut whipped cream.

French Toast

French toast Singaporean style is toast smothered with kaya, a coconut jam that is readily available in southeast Asia and as ubiquitous as Vegemite in Australia and maple syrup to pancakes here in north America. This sweet, gooey, coconut paste on toast, drizzled with condensed milk and served with fresh seasonal fruit is a twist on the breakfasts I remember my nanny would secretly slip me because my mother did not approve of it. My breakfasts were not as elaborate as this of course-- I didn't get any seasonal fruit on mine, just toast slathered with kaya.

The truck is always adding new items to the menu and experimenting with different ways to make the same items. On my last visit, I enjoyed the lamb slider immensely! I think that is my new favorite for now, until that is, they add something else that tickles my fancy!

Chomp Chomp Nation can be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Cham Bistro pickles the traditional way

2010-12-09T15:15:00.000-08:00

Last month I was invited to a kimchi pickling event courtesy of Cham Bistro, a Korean restaurant in Pasadena. I'm an avid fan of kimchi and was very excited to learn how to do this the traditional way. For the purpose of this post, I will detour from my regular format and instead, use photos to show how this process is done. A recipe will be posted at the end of the article for those of you who are interested in preparing this.

Napa cabbage is first soaked in salt water for an hour or two to soften the cabbage, so that it wilts the cabbage enough to later absorb the kimchi marinade.

A puree of fresh chilis, onions, Asian pear, garlic and ginger is put through the food processor and mixed with chili powder and "sweet rice porridge" made with rice powder and water that has been previously boiled and cooled.

Once the wet mixture is completed, add in the radish, minari, red mustard greens, chives and green onions and mix thoroughly so everything is evenly incorporated.

At this point, add in the important flavoring aspects which are the anchovy fish sauce, salted shrimp sauce and a mix of fresh and salted shrimp. Yes, RAW shrimps my friends!

Give everything a really good mix, the best way to do it is the way shown in the photo, with gloves so you don't have a case of burning hands when you're done, and also, so your hands don't smell like kimchi for weeks on end.

When the mixture is ready, bring the napa cabbage to the mixing bowl and layer the mixture in between each flap of the napa, fold the napa in half and place into a glass jar with a good seal.

So you're supposed to wait 20 days before opening the jar. I waited a little more than that and here is the result of my first attempt at pickling kimchi the traditional way. The aroma is incredible! The taste, nothing like what you would ever find in a store-bought kimchi. The recipe is below......

Tong Baechu Kimchi (Whole Napa Cabbage Kimchi)

For wilted napa cabbage

2 heads napa cabbage
2 cups sea salt
8 cups water

For kimchi marinade

1 cup sweet rice powder
5 cups water
1 cup coarse Taeyangcho red chili pepper powder
5 ounces garlic
10 ounces Asian pear, peeled and quartered
9 ounces onions, peeled and quartered
1 ounce ginger, peeled
4 ounces Fresno chilies
2 pounds radish, julienned
4 ounces minari
4 ounces red mustard greens
4 ounces Korean chives
4 ounces green onions
1/4 cup Korean anchovy fish sauce
3/4 cup Korean salted shrimp sauce
4 ounces fresh shrimp, chopped
4 ounces Korean salted shrimp

Prepare napa cabbage

1. Trim the cabbage by removing any brown leaves on the outer layers. Slice the center of the cabbage's stem 2 inches deep. Using your thumbs and hands, pull the cabbage into two sections through the slit. Repeat for the remaining cabbage.

2. Soak the cabbage sections in salted water (8 cups water to 1 cup sea salt) for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the cabbage from the salt water and sprinkle the remaining salt between each of the leaves. Return cabbage to the salted water with the cut side facing up. Rotate the cabbage every two hours, bringing the cabbage on the bottom of the container to the top and vice versa. After 5-6 hours, the texture of the cabbage will be properly rubbery. Wash the cabbage thoroughly and gently. Drain the cabbage in a colander, squeezing as much water from the leaves as possible. Set aside.

Prepare kimchi marinade

1. Combine the water with the sweet rice powder and whisk until smooth. Heat the water and rice powder mixture on the stove on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. When bubbles start to form, reduce the heat and continue to stir. Once the mixture thickens and becomes translucent, take off the heat, approximately 10 minutes. Cool the mixture completely.

2. Place the onions, pear, garlic, ginger, and Fresno chilies in a food processor and pulse until finely minced. Set aside.

3. Once the rice powder mixture has cooled completely transfer to a large bowl. Add the red chili pepper powder to the rice powder mixture and combine well. Then, add in the pureed chili mixture along with the radish, minari, red mustard greens, chives, and green onions. Combine the mixture thoroughly, making sure that the greens are incorporated into the mixture completely. Lastly, add in the anchovy fish sauce, salted shrimp sauce, and fresh and salted shrimp. Once again, combine the mixture very well. (If mixing with your hands, be sure to wear rubber gloves to avoid chili burn.)

Prepare the kimchi

1. Take cabbage and stuff marinade mixture between leaves, working from outside in, starting with largest leaf to smallest. Do not overstuff, but make sure the marinade mixture adequately fills leaves. When entire cabbage is stuffed, take one of the larger leaves and wrap tightly around the rest of the cabbage. Divide cabbage among jars, pressing down firmly to remove any air bubbles. Only fill the jar 80% full because the kimchi will expand as it ferments.

2. Keep the jar tightly sealed and refrigerated for at least 20 days.

**Recipe by Chef EJ Jeong of Cham Korean Bistro in Pasadena**

Cham Bistro, 851 Cordova Street, Pasadena, CA 91101-2675. Tel: 626-792-2474

Meringue Bake Shop -- my secret love no more

2010-12-06T11:00:00.000-08:00

holiday red velvet

For the past 40+ years, I've not been a fan of anything sweet. In fact, I usually pass them over and wouldn't give them a second thought unless I have a friend with me who insists on getting something to finish off the meal.

On a fateful evening in September this year, I was at the ConnectOC event and not in the mood to stand in line to battle the crowd for a taste of the hot food. I walked around the premises and noticed a pretty tower of cupcakes on display.

My friend Mahesh was on it within seconds. He took a cupcake off the tower and immediately sank his teeth into it. I asked "are they good?" and then wondered why I had even asked that question because regardless of the answer, I probably wouldn't be impressed. He nodded all the while munching on the cupcake without pausing for a second to verbally explain to me how they tasted.

egg nog

I was hungry and it was better than nothing, so I carefully looked at all the labels and selected a chocolate peanut butter cupcake and took a small bite. My brain took a few seconds to connect to what my mouth was tasting. I think it was in sheer confusion since my mouth was obviously sending off signals indicating that this was the most fantastic cupcake -- oh heck, ANY cake -- to ever touch my lips, yet, the brain wasn't able to process something it had never experience before.

It was just as well that back then, owner Kristin Ausk's magical cupcakes were only available through catering or through ordering, otherwise my insanity would've started a lot earlier. They weren't readily available for retail sales so that kept me at bay for a while longer.

A few weeks ago, Meringue Bake Shop's cupcakes started offering their delights at the newly formed Irvine Farmers Market at the Great Park and I was there like a lightning bolt, buying all the flavors available, including red velvet, orange crush (which won at the OC Cupcake Camp), and pumpkin vegan.

gingerbread

My absolute favorite was the red velvet, and I ate frosting and all which is something I never do. Orange crush was a tad too sweet for me, but I devoured the cake portion without any trouble at all. The most amazing part was one of the orange crushes were hidden at the back of my fridge for an entire week and I found it on Saturday evening thinking it probably wasn't going to be good anymore, but I was wrong. The cake was still delicious.

What sets these cupcakes apart is how moist the cake portion of the cupcake is and manages to stay moist even a week later. I've never tasted anything like it anywhere else. The cake is soft, beautifully textured and highly addictive. The frosting ranges from perfect (for my taste buds) to a little too sweet for me, but highly palatable and never grainy or sickly.

chocolate peppermint

Since they started at the Great Park Farmer's Market, there hasn't been a week I've been without a cupcake. If I can't get there myself, I send a friend to pick some up for me.

Sea salt caramel, one of the flavors I've been waiting to try is as audacious as it sounds. It reminds me of the Asian-style sweets which generally uses a touch of salt to off-set the sweetness. I was immediately taken by the salty sweetness of this phenomenal mini cake and since then, a new salty sweet addition has been added -- the bacon cupcake.

Push Cakes

Kristin started her new Push Cakes a few weeks ago and these little 'pops' are encased in a little plastic 'popsicle' container which you push up to reveal the cake/frosting combo. The idea is genius and they travel really well so you get the same delicious taste without making a mess.

Right now, Kristin is featuring her holiday selection and the photos I've posted here reflect how pretty and festive they look. The chocolate peppermint is very tasty and I also loved the gingerbread. The chocolate peppermint push cake is also beautiful and travel so well if you want to bring them to a party!

As my friends will tell you, anyone who can get me to love eating their desserts, and leave me wanting more is a master dessert maker in their own right, and Kristin Ausk definitely is that woman! Had I not been too lazy to stand in line that day, I would never have tried these cupcakes and never would know how much I do love cupcakes. It's just that I've never met a cupcake I liked before.

This year has been one of surprising changes and I've been finding that I'm liking a lot of things I previously thought I didn't. But then again, it takes an extraordinary person to make me view things in a completely different light and Kristin Ausk is that baker extraordinaire!

I've never been more excited to visit a farmer's market that has nothing else luring me to it other than these addictive little cupcakes which always bring a smile to my face.

**Cupcakes are one for $3 or two for $5**

Meringue Bake Shop, Anaheim, CA, 92808. Tel: 714-927-7686. You can find them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter

Deli-Licious is home-style goodness

2010-12-03T09:30:00.000-08:00

French dip

***An abridged version of this article can be found on the OC Register's Food Frenzy***

It was my friend Laura's birthday and what better way to celebrate than get together for food and laughter? Her choice was Deli-Licious, a place I would never have found on my own, especially since it only operates between Monday and Friday and located in a strip mall in the business area of Huntington Beach.

I had heard about some of the food here and was excited to try the tomato soup, but on top of that, this little deli offers some wonderful sandwiches and salads for those who might want something other than the regular sandwiches offered every where else. If you want just the regular sammies they have those too, but it's their specialty sammies which are a cut above the rest.

Caprese sandwich

Taylor's Famous French dip ($7.50) was housed in a hoagie roll with sliced roasted beef cooked in homemade au jus with provolone. I liked the beefy flavors and the side of au jus was perfect for those who love that extra bit of wetness to their sandwich.

I particularly liked Marge's grilled Italian roma sub ($7.50), a hefty hoagie stuffed with sliced turkey, mortadella, salami, cappicola, pepperoncini, provolone and dressed with roma tomato, onions, pepperoncini and creamy Italian vinaigrette. This is one of the best Italian subs I've had in a long time!

Italian sub

Although the sub was my favorite, Sue's chicken avocado caprese ($8.25) was not far behind. I liked the roasted chicken (instead of breaded and fried) with avocado and Roma tomatoes with fresh mozarella, basil chiffonade and delicious lemon caper mayo. The ciabatta roll it comes on is lovely, in fact, I wonder if they could make the sub on the ciabatta? This was the hands-down favorite of everyone.

What is more comforting than mac & cheese? Or chili mac? Assorted cheeses are combined with elbow macaroni and mixed in a rich creamy sauce topped with parmesan for mac and cheese, and while I like that a lot, I absolutely loved the chili mac. The same mac and cheese is topped with home made chili and sprinkled with cheese and onion.

chili mac

If you are looking for something lighter but just as hearty and comforting, try the creamy tomato soup. Roasted Roma tomatoes and shallots are blended together with a splash of cream and sherry to give this a very homemade taste. These are offered in a cup ($3.75) or a bowl ($5.25), but beware, the portion here are very big so don't over order. There is a different soup of the day offered and I have my eye on the Tuesday offering of wild mushroom bacon chowder.

tomato soup

The staff here are very friendly and everything is made to order. Even with our large group, everything arrived in a timely fashion and always with a smile. I would love to return again, but with friends in tow to try the rest of the menu we didn't get around to.

Deli-Licious, 16582 Gothard Street, Unit K, Huntington Beach, CA 92647. Tel: 714-841-2435

*** Photography by Mahesh ***

Pizzeria Ortica

2010-12-01T13:04:00.000-08:00

**An abridged version of this can be found at the OC Register's Food Frenzy**

Eating at Pizzeria Ortica reminds me of eating in those wonderful restaurants in New York City, except the weather is better and people are tanner.

I love the elongated dining room, together with the open wood fire kitchen bring together a mix of classy and classic to the trendy yet casual atmosphere.

farro with seafood salad

Mahesh suggested we come for lunch and I jumped at the chance since it's been a while since my first visit. It took a while to decide as I perused the menu, we found a 3 course prix fixe for $17 with one or two selections I was interested in, so I opted to order a la carte.

We started with Farro con frutti di mare ($8), a seafood salad of mussel, calamari and shrimp tossed with Calabrian chilies and farro. The nutty and chewy texture of the farro was an excellent accompaniment to the perfectly cooked seafood. I'm not a mussel fan but these were not chewy, very tender and delicious.Calamari was soft and flavorful. The only complaint I have is I wanted more!

smoked cod salad

Merluzzo affumicato con panzanella ($8) is a wood-oven smoked black cod salad using shredded cod tossed in a tomato and bread salad. Chunks of the black cod are left for a different textural experience. The smokiness of the cod was not overpowering and the both of us could not stop eating it. In fact, I wanted to order an extra one, but stopped myself seeing we had more dishes to come.

roasted veggies with burrata

I remember eating the burrata here before and wanted Mahesh to try it, so I ordered Verdure al forno con burrata ($8/$12), soft, gooey burrata served with oven roasted vegetables and a basil oil drizzle. Orange and red peppers, zucchini and cippolini onions are roasted with olive oil and we eat them with the delicate burrata. Absolutely heavenly! This is one of those dishes which will make you close your eyes to take in every taste, every texture, everything!

After the appetizers had been consumed, we waited patiently for our pizzas to arrive. I've been on a guanciale fix lately and whenever I see that on a pizza menu, I always feel inclined to order it. I find the saltiness of the guanciale goes so well with pizza and makes another great alternative to other meat toppings such as sausage or prosciutto.

guanciale pizza

Pizza con guanciale, ricotta e cipollotto ($15) was the first option which caught my eye. Fresh ricotta, house-cured pork cheek, scallions and fennel pollen combine together to give the pizza both the saltiness and the freshness from the fresh scallions.

We also had the Pizza Margherita ($12), an Italian favorite. Crushed San Marzano tomatoes, mozarella and basil give this very simple pizza the perfect balance of sweet, tart, salty and freshness in every bite. This is also the house favorite pizza I was told.

pizza Margherita

The restaurant was extremely busy during lunch, as it is located near offices and I did notice our server had a lot of tables to wait on, but even so, she was on top of things. I can't wait to come back again when that pizza craving hits.

You can park your car in the structure and the restaurant validates, so don't forget to get your ticket stamped before you go.

Pizzeria Ortica, 650 Anton Blvd, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Tel: 714-445-4900

*** Photography By Mahesh ***

Tommy Bahama Bar & Grill

2010-11-29T09:30:00.000-08:00

Awhile ago, I was invited to a preview of this restaurant to see first hand what the new Tommy Bahama Bar & Grill in Laguna Beach had to offer. The restaurant is attached to the Tommy Bahama store and encompasses a relaxed beach feel so perfectly suited to its surroundings. From some of the tables, diners can enjoy scenic views of the ocean while others can keep an eye on what's going on through the glass of the "open" kitchen in the back.

lobster corn dogs

While we waited for others to arrive, we were treated to some hors d'oeuvres going around. There was a crostini topped with goat cheese, however, I especially liked the lobster corn dogs, little bite-sized corn dog shaped morsels with a surprisingly delicious crab interior. These were served with house-made ketchup and mustard, just like you would with a regular corn dog, but there was nothing regular about these very adult appetizers.

Guests were offered the opportunity to create their own cocktails and I made myself a mojito with extra lime and mint. I should have held back if I'd known that every course to come would have a wine or beer pairing of some sort..... ay carumba!

shrimp Avalon

After we all sat down, we were presented a tasting selected by Chef Donley to showcase his menu. Shrimp Avalon was a refreshing cold starter comprising chilled tiger shrimps, dungeness crab, spicy vegetables, lime and served with fresh made corn chips. Succulent shrimps with the sweetest of crabmeat kicked this, otherwise pretty standard, shrimp cocktail up several notches. Beautifully presented and it tasted just as wonderful as it looked.

Ahi tuna tacos are served in a wonton shell with Asian slaw and drizzled with wasabi lime infused avocado sauce. The sashimi grade ahi had a wonderful freshness to it and the crunchy wonton shell makes for a textural contrast which combines together for a tasty finish. I'm not sure I would personally order this dish but I did enjoy eating it.

ahi tuna tacos

Just when I thought the first two items were pretty good, here comes the shrimp BLT! The saltiness of the smoky Nueske's applewood bacon plus the jumbo shrimp are sandwiched between thick slices of toasted sourdough bread with romaine lettuce, avocado and a lemon basil aioli. I must confess, our tasting portion was hardly enough for me so when everyone completed their photo-taking with the full-sized portion, I unabashedly asked the server to cut that one into smaller portions so we could partake in more "piggetry" (I think I just made up a word here!)

Arctic char

When it came time for the Arctic Char, I was still relishing in the deliciousness that was the shrimp BLT and really wasn't focusing on the piece of fish placed before me. However, when Mr Rob Goldberg, VP of restaurants for Tommy Bahama, seated next to me, exclaimed that this was one of his favorite dishes on the menu, I wasn't going to be rude and so took a bite. Actually, it was good, perfectly seared on the outside, moist on the inside, sitting atop a sweet pea risotto with very good consistency. The apple fennel slaw lends a refreshing component to the dish with the fennel very mild and not overpowering the delicate taste of the fish. But I think the BLT really did a number on me so although I liked the Artic char, I was still feeling pretty heady about the sandwich.

banana cream pie

And as if we didn't get enough to eat, here comes a trio of desserts. Triple chocolate cake was so decadent I really can comprehend how anyone can possible polish it off on their own without help, but I was told someone at the table had indeed done so. My hat off to you! That's a lot of chocolate love there! The cake part was very rich on its own, add to that the sinfully gooey chocolate ganache and it was enough to put me into a diabetic coma. I highly recommend this even though I think it would take four people to capably finish it after eating a meal -- I don't know, it would just seem like the sensible thing to do.

Those wanting to reminesce about their childhood should definitely try the Root Beer Float. It arrives in what would look like a gargantuan mug to a kid, but no matter how old you are, you will feel like a kid again after a few sips! Abita root beer is used and unlike regular root beer which has high fructose corn syrup, this one uses Louisiana sugar cane as its sweetner. I wish they would offer this in a smaller version.

triple chocolate cake

Finally, banana cream pie arrives and I'm about to explode. I was only able to eat a few bites and albeit a tad too sweet for me, I loved the thickness of the filling and how nice and texturally pleasing the crust was.

After an almost 3-hour long meal mainly stuffing my gluttonous self, I had to reschedule my dinner plans for 2 hours later just so I could make room for yet another meal in my life. I've been trying to find a day to return to Tommy Bahama Bar & Grill and my hectic schedule hasn't allowed for this yet, but I can hear that Shrimp BLT calling my name louder as the days go by!

Tommy Bahama Bar & Grill, 400 S Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach, CA 92651. Tel: 949-376-6886

Buick's Discovery Tour featuring Chef Michael Psilakis

2010-11-26T09:13:00.000-08:00

my weekend ride

Last weekend, Buick stopped at Dana Point's St Regis Monarch Resort for its Discovery Tour as one of its 10 city-wide tour to promote the new 2011 Regal. Buick was so generous to drop off the brand new car at my doorstep Friday morning so I could enjoy it for the entire weekend and drive my friends and I to the event featuring mixologist Michael Green and the star of the evening, 1-star Michelin Chef Michael Psilakis.

Chef Psilakis in action

I had been excited all week long anticipating this event and when the day came, my food blogger friends Holly (Savored), Melissa (Alosha's Kitchen) and photography enthusiast Mahesh packed into the Buick Regal and made our way to Dana Point. The resort is simply stunning and the views breathtaking. You feel like royalty when you're here. We were personally escorted from the hotel's lobby to the event's registration area by one of the resort's staff.

Our three hour event started with a test drive of the new car, which, I chose to sit in the back for seeing I'd already been driving it for a day and had the entire weekend to enjoy. Holly took the wheel and blasted the incredible sound system, even playing around with the equalizer so much we were late to the 2nd part of this event.

Greek style meatballs

It felt like this moment would never come, but when it finally came time for the cooking demo, we literally ran down the stairs into the grand ballroom and situated ourselves in the front row and listened intently to how Chef Psilakis' passion for cooking came about and at some point, we were all teary-eyed with his incredible heart, wisdom and love for this craft. We were given the opportunity to sample his Greek-style meatballs and watched him go through how it is prepared with the help of a lucky member of the audience.

my friends and I with Chef Psilakis

Before this module was over, I was on my feet and as soon as Chef Psilakis jumped off the stage I was there asking for a photo op. My friends and I jumped in with Chef for this once in a lifetime experience to meet a celebrity chef who is down to earth and not at all arrogant and standoffish. It was the highlight of our evening.

Monday rolled around and the Buick was picked up, and I must say, I was a little sad to give it up. It handled superbly on turns and had a kick-ass sound system. It was a fun thing to drive around, even only for just a few days!

*** Photography By Mahesh ***

DG Burger -- it's really DAMN GOOD

2010-11-24T15:45:00.000-08:00

DG Burger

I was one of the first to try out the "damn good" burger at Charlie Palmer's DG Burger opening yesterday. I even had the honor of meeting Chef Palmer himself who briefly filled us in on the story behind the "damn good" burger.

The menu here is very simple: the DG Burger ($7.95), Citrus Glazed Skewers ($7.95), Sausage Sandwich ($6.95), fries ($5) and two types of salads ($5).

DG Burger is a Black Angus beef burger comprising of a blend of ground chuck, short rib and hangar steak and grilled on an open non-charcoal grill to sear in the juices. It is then finished on low heat to maintain the juiciness of the burger. The meat is served at a perfectly pink medium rare on a bun made with unbleached wheat flour and potato flour, buttered and toasted for a crisp finish. The bun was slightly "toothy" for me, sticking to my teeth as I chomped down into it. The burger itself was very tasty indeed.

sausage sandwich

Sausage sandwich is a delicious grilled garlic sausage topped with roasted peppers and onions and pillowed between a semolina hoagie. I loved the texture of the bread -- wonderfully chewy without being doughy. The toasted exterior gave it a delightful crunch with every single bite! Wonder if I can get my burger on the hoagie instead?

French fries here are medium cut and remained crispy even after 30 minutes. There are four dipping sauces to choose from and every order is accompanied by one of your choosing. There is a 75 cent charge on additional sauces.
Out of the four: curry ketchup, roasted garlic sour cream, bacon mayo, chipotle aioli, my favorites were the first two.

Curry ketchup reminded me so much of the stuff my best friend uses on his fries -- he's from the Netherlands and they sell that stuff in a bottle. I am not a fan of regular ketchup on my fries so normally I would use mayo instead, but this curried stuff is absolutely mouthwatering.

French fries

Everything here is house-made of course and absolutely addictive. Roasted garlic sour cream is so divine I want to slather it onto sandwiches or even use it as a dipping sauce for the chicken katsu I make at home. It is THAT good! Maybe they can consider selling it?

If you like milkshakes, by all means get one. The $5 price tag may sound expensive but once you take a sip you will understand why. The malted chocolate was to-die-for with the richest chocolatey taste you will ever encounter in liquid form. The strawberry was filled with the aromas of a strawberry field ripe for the pickings. The best part about having a DG Burger is that you can enjoy it with a tall milkshake, a glass of wine, or a bottle of beer!

malted chocolate shake

DG Burger is open from 11.30am to 4pm and depending on whether there is a function held in the private room (where DG Burger is) at Charlie Palmer, you might even be lucky enough to enjoy one of these damn good burgers for dinner!

DG Burger at Charlie Palmer, South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa, CA. Tel: 714-361-4264

***Photography by Mahesh***

Jack's Bakery -- much more than just baked goods

2010-11-24T13:40:00.000-08:00

kufte

**An abridged version of this article can also be found on OC Register's Food Frenzy**

I've been a huge fan of middle eastern pizzas ever since I found out about them after moving to southern California 4 years ago. Ever since then I've been trying them out at various places specializing in them. Therefore, I guess it is not surprising that other cultures eat pizzas other than Italians and Americans. In the middle east, pizzas are quite the rage and eating them for breakfast is quite common, and although each region offers a slightly different variation, they all ultimately taste reasonably similar.

loaded manaish

Owner Jack is Armenian, but has lived in Lebanon and speaks a host of the languages including Turkish and English, as he proudly proclaims. But an Armenian bakery/restaurant in the middle of Little Saigon? There is my favorite com tam place across the street and my favorite pho ga place right around the corner. And then, there's Jack's in the middle of the strip mall where a Vietnamese catering business and a barber shop shares the same lot.

I found out about Jack's Bakery a few years ago from my friend Holly (Savored) and since then I've been going on and off whenever I felt like something middle eastern and didn't want to travel too far. Ironically, I've never been to Jack's with Holly, until now.

Lahmajun

Last week, Holly and I were meeting for lunch and she suggests we go to Jack's Bakery. I am excited because it's been a while since my last visit and I was actually craving some of the delicious fare from this place. The minute we enter, Jack and his wife warmly welcome Holly like a long lost daughter and spent a good portion of time chatting to her.

I took the opportunity to peruse the menu on the wall and mentally make a note of everything I want to try. They've renovated the interior since my last visit and there are new photos up on the wall.

Naturally, we order too much seeing Holly wants specific items while I have my favorites I don't want to miss. We decide to get everything our hearts desire and sat down to wait for Jack and his wife to cook it for us. Everything is cook-to-order so do not expect this to be fast food.

onion salad with sumac

The restaurant is very small, seating at most, 15 people. There are a few chairs and tables outside as well as inside, but generally, people order and take out. Jack has a lucrative catering business as well so during the holidays he is busy preparing turkeys and whole roasted lambs for his customers.

Our food arrives and we start our mouthwatering feast with kuftes ($1.50) also known as kibbeh. These look like miniature footballs with a ground beef or lamb with pine nuts filling. The exterior is traditionally bulgar and these little delightful pockets are fried to crispy perfection. The menu shows a kufte platter, but if you are on your own, Jack will let you order a couple, even one if that's what you want. The kuftes here are some of the best and not greasy like other places.

hummus

One of my favorites is the Armenian pizza, thin and topped with a minimal mixture, I can eat 2 or 3 of these in one sitting if I don't eat anything else. Lahmajun are really tasty with tomato and ground meat and quite common in various middle eastern cuisines. Each region makes them a little differently and these taste similar to the ones I've had at a Lebanese bakery, perhaps an influence from Jack's time in Lebanon.

Boyreg ($3.50-$7) are another delicious alternative to the pizza. They look like little pockets filled with anything from spicy cheese to sujuk (dry spicy sausage) or basturma (air-dried cured meat) and can also be topped with an egg. I highly recommend getting the egg because it adds a different texture and flavor to the usual boyreg.

Loaded manaish ($3) is similar to the pizza but topped with tomatoes, onions, olives, mint and some herbs and spices. It is rolled up, eaten like a wrap and wonderfully refreshing, a good selection for vegetarians or those staying away from meat.

Armenian bagel

Adana Kebab ($12) is what I come here for. Ground beef and lamb are combined with a blend of herbs and spices, grilled, and served with rice pilaf, hummus and an onion salad sprinkled with sumac. The seasonings on the meat is unbelievable and the meat is cooked to perfection so when you cut into it, the juices run out and when you take a bite, it is so juicy and moist on the inside you have to be careful not to burn your mouth.

If Jack has these "Armenian bagels" available, I urge you to try some. They are coated with sesame seeds and have a slightly sweet taste to them. They are excellent with coffee or tea and I love the fragrance of sesame seeds with my pastries.

Jack is extremely personable and if you're unfamiliar with this sort of food, don't be afraid to go in. He is happy to help you out and explain his wares to you. Just remember, the next time someone tells you they are craving pizza, bring them here! You won't regret it.

Jack's Bakery, 10515 McFadden Ave, Ste 107,Garden Grove, CA 92843. Tel: 714-775-6773 (corner of McFadden and Ward)

Splashes at Surf and Sand Resort Laguna Beach

2010-11-23T13:55:00.000-08:00

view from our table

I love lunching with my girlfriends, especially on a lazy weekend enjoying brunch sipping on mimosas or bloody Marys and chilling with the sounds of the ocean as a backdrop.

Splashes is the restaurant located at the Surf and Sand Resort and it has the most glorious view from almost every table both inside and out. When I had to organize a brunch for a mini high school reunion, this place immediately came to mind.

I've been here before and absolutely fell in love with how beautiful and relaxing it is to look at the waves break against the shore and seeing blue for miles and miles. The beautiful scenery makes it almost impossible to focus on the menu and our server was returning to our table over and over again with the four of us still unable to make up our minds.

beet salad

Finally, with the help of tables around us with wonderful smelling food, we decide to share everything and started with the marinated beet salad ($13) with ricotta salata, candied walnuts, tangerines and a few greens thrown in. Refreshing and earthy, this salad is a must for beet lovers!

Smoked duck salad ($15) was one of the items all four of us agreed upon. Thinly slices of duck, beautifully smoked and tender sits atop a pear and dried fruit chutney amidst frisee lettuce and some slices of toasted baguettes.The saltiness of the duck was perfect with the tartness of the chutney which was infused with ginger.

smoked duck salad

Dungeness crab and apple salad ($16) consists of crabmeat and apples in a curry mayo dressing. The plate has strips of celeriac (celery root) to add a crunchy component to the softness of the crab. I liked the freshness of the seafood but this salad itself was a little on the bland side.

Seared scallops ($22) are absolutely divine here. Perfect sear marks and tender on the inside, these are what makes the tummy happy. Farro risotto, cucumber, ginger and tangerines complete the dish. I love farro and the one here has wonderful texture. I find the overusage of tangerines in the dishes at Splashes slightly irritating. I understand the need to make a plate look pretty by adding colors, but tangerines are not needed here taste-wise.

dungeness crab salad

Grilled hangar steak ($24) is perfect medium rare and the sweet caramelized onions atop the meat are rich in flavor and color. I like the accompanying horseradish sauce and wish they had put more on the plate. Acoutrements included sauteed spinach and roasted potato. Meat lovers will definitely enjoy this tender and very flavorful entree.

Service is attentive even though the restaurant is packed with diners, although if you need more bread and the complimentary sundried tomato spread you will definitely need to speak up. Otherwise, nobody will rush you through your meal, and you are certainly welcome to enjoy your leisurely Sunday brunch at peace and at your own pace. For the four of us who haven't seen one another in decades, it was very important to have the time and space to do so, and Splashes allowed us to have a wonderful 3 hours reminiscing about the old days while enjoying good food and good views.

Splashes at Surf and Sand Resort, 1555 South Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, CA 92651. Tel: 888-869-7569

Ludobites 6.0

2010-11-19T09:48:00.000-08:00

Yes I admit it, I've never been to a Ludobites before this time. Never ever! It was always tough to get up to LA on a weeknight for a 6pm reservation, but before that can even happen, there is that thing we have to do -- make a reservation!

I've had so many friends tell me that it is close to impossible to get a reservation, Mere mortals have sat in front of their computers and frantically clicking as soon as OpenTable lists the next Ludobites about to happen. I was lucky that my dear friend Holly (Savored) asked if I wanted to come with and I did everything I could to schedule, reschedule so I could make it. Even so, it took Mahesh and I two and a half hours battling rush hour traffic to get to Sherman Oaks and when we finally sat down, all I wanted was a glass of wine.

It was just as well that Holly had already ordered some Riesling and there was part of an appetizer still on a plate, so I immediately dug into it.

We had to get two orders of warm baguette with baratte smoked butter and sardine-Laughing Cow cheese ($5) because I couldn't get enough of the sardine cheese and used the crusty baguette to literally wipe out the ramekin it came in. Of course I was starving and drinking on an empty stomach, but the second time around was just as good as the first.

marinated mackerel

It was just as well that Holly instructed the server we were ready for the rest of the menu brought out, and when she said that, she meant, the ENTIRE menu. I knew it had been done with two people at a previous Ludobites so the four of us should have absolutely NO problem whatsoever eating the whole menu -- or so I thought!

Hamachi, Vietnamese style ($15) -- a salad with slices of raw halibut, matchsticks of predominantly green papaya and a bunch of refreshing fresh herbs created a complete taste bud explosion! The crunchiness of the papaya together with the herbs tossed in a fish sauce-based dressing was exactly the thing to start with. The tantalizing and uplifting flavors livened up my palate for what will be a night of feasting.

salmon somen

Barely cooked squid noodles with pad Thai, prawn and black radish ($16) was another nice starter, but the hamachi had a far stronger taste -- and a more memorable one at that -- so if I had a choice between the two, I would definitely pick the hamachi over the squid noodles, hands down. Both had a slightly tart dressing, one Vietnamese inspired, the other, Thai, so essentially, the flavors were somewhat similar.

Marinated mackerel with leche del tigre, baby leeks and Verdolagas leaves ($15) was pure perfection. The skin of the mackerel was crispy while the flesh was nice and moist. Verdolagas, a creeping weed, is also an herb and resembles watercress. I actually thought it was watercress when I first put it into my mouth but then checked the menu and saw "verdolagas". Grilled whole green onions added a slight bite to the other components when eaten together with the fish and weed. The textural composition in this dish is what sets Chef Ludo apart from the others.

scallop with celery root remoulade

Salmon a l'huile somen noodles, carrots, red wine vinaigrette and grilled salmon roe is a very light and subtle dish. The carrots are so thinly sliced that they are translucent ribbons and the torched salmon roe adds a nice smokey salty dimension. I really enjoyed it as a shared dish, but if I had to eat it on my own, I think I would've been a little bored.

Scallop with celery remoulade, red port, walnuts and dried fruit ($24) -- what an innovative and interesting plate. When I saw the walnuts and dried fruits on the menu, I immediately grimaced at the thought of them together, but it was so minimal and the crunchiness of the walnuts and the tarty sweetness of the fruit created a whole eating experience which the scallops on their own could never achieve. The scallops were absolutely perfect in execution, so tender on the inside with that brown seared crispness on the outside. I wanted more of these but we still had many more dishes to come.

Oriental mussels veloute

Black sausage "paramentier", apples, mustard ($18) was not something I thought I'd enjoy considering I've had black sausage/boudin before and never enjoyed the grainy, dry, livery texture. The black sausage here was a surprising hit with all of us. This creamy concoction was the richest and most heavenly mouthful you will ever experience. The reaction at the table ranged from "wow, this is amazing" to "Chef Ludo is a genious". We couldn't stop eating it. The apples and mustard added a sweet finish while the vinegary mustard helped cut down the richness of the black sausage. Absolute poetry!

Oriental mussels veloute, heirloom tomato, small fries ($18), was a bit confusing to me. First of all, the mussels veloute didn't have the umami flavor I was expecting when I spooned it into my gullet. I was also a little confused about the tart heirloom tomato in the veloute which didn't add anything for me. The small fries were absolutely delicious though! They were as thin as fried onions and so good that we all fought over it.

chicken sous vide

Poached roasted pickled foie gras, acacia honey, autumn fruits, rose flowers ($34) was the absolute favorite. If you're a fan of foie gras, there is no real need to describe the sensation one gets from eating this little piece of luxury. The melt-in-your-mouth orgasmic appeal speaks for itself. It even got Holly jumping up and down in her seat like a little girl!

While I loved everything on the menu which came before, what arrived after did not wow me as much as I hoped. John Dory, potato, herbs, brocollini flowers, green jalapenos nage ($26) while cooked perfectly was underseasoned and seemed really bland to me. The green jalapenos nage was lovely on its own, but when eaten with the fish seemed to lose its subtle personality.

John Dory

Half chicken, poached egg, chanterelles, chorizo ($24) sounded divine because I love poached eggs, however, the chicken, cooked sous vide, though tender and moist was again, underseasoned. Even the chorizo couldn't help bring out the blandness of the chicken. I took a couple of tastes and continued onto the next and final entree.

Marinated Korean steak, crispy kimchi, bone marrow, shiso ($29) was probably my least favorite of the lot. Perhaps it was the marinade used on the Korean steak, perhaps it was the severe chewiness of the steak. Whatever the reason, after feeling like a cow chewing on grass for longer than I would've liked, I spat out the meat and wasn't about to eat more. The kimchi, bone marrow and shiso were excellent accompaniments, but the Korean marinade was rather overpowering and not the usual Korean seasonings I'm accustomed to. This is something I would not order again.

Korean steak

Needless to say we were pretty full by now, but there were still two desserts to plough through.Warm carrot cake, coconut, Thai curry, mango sorbet, kaffir lime oil ($10) was strangely unappealing to the eyes but I loved the moist and soft warm carrot cake. The side accoutrements of Thai curry cream and kaffir lime oil were terribly unpleasant on my tastebuds. The oil reminded me of Asian medicinal rubbing oil and although it had the wonderous aromas of the kaffir lime, its taste was just the opposite.

caviar panna cotta

Creme fraiche panna cotta, caramel, caviar ($15) is one of the most innovative desserts I've had in a while. I'm not a fan of caramel so I didn't feel it added anything to the panna cotta, but I would've been happy with just the panna cotta and caviar on their own. The light panna cotta was quite exquisite when eaten with the salty caviar. I love sweet and salty desserts!

Thus our meal came to an end and even with a few misses, I am impressed with the creativity of Chef Ludo's dishes and how he is not afraid to combine exotic flavors onto one plate. I guess there is a reason why Ludobites reservations are so hard to come by because everyone wants a chance to taste what this master has to showcase time and time again.

I'm hoping the next Ludobites will not be so far away that I'll have to travel yet another two and half hours to get to. But even so, I think I would suck it up just to catch a taste of what's on offer next.

Click for more information on Ludobites or Chef Ludovic Lefebvre

***Photography by Mahesh***

Sutha Thai Kitchen offers homey authentic fare

2010-11-15T07:45:00.000-08:00

Angel wings

I'm a Thai food snob! I've been to Thailand many many times, I lived with a Thai boyfriend decades ago and it was he who taught me how to cook most of the Thai dishes I make at home these days. It has been a really daunting task living here trying to find a Thai restaurant which lives up to what my palate is used to and so, I end up rarely eating Thai outside of home.

One of my favorite places for Thai is Siam Taste of Asia in Santa Ana, but recently I found another one, closer to home, in Tustin. Sutha is a little hole-in-the-wall so hidden you will most likely miss it all together if you didn't know to look for it.

eggplant

Since then I've visited on several times and have brought friends with me. My usual thing to order is the yum neur (Thai beef salad) and I fell in love with it as soon as I put the first morsel of it into my mouth. The dressing was perfect -- right amount of saltiness mixed with the right amount of tartness. I was in heaven! I would come here just to eat this dish alone, but of course, the glutton in me ordered other stuff as well.

The green chicken curry was also a cut above what I've tasted in other Thai establishments in Orange County! It's not overly sweet and the sauce is not watery like a lot of restaurants tend to serve. I make this at home often but it's nice to to have to do it because I can't find a good one in a restaurant.

curry catfish

Nam sod is another dish I love and few restaurants do it right. The version here doesn't have ginger, but the ground pork and crispy rice salad is delicious and I love the varying flavors and textures you get from each bite -- the salty, tart, crispy, chewy.

Pad kee mow is known as "drunken" noodles in Thailand and is a widely popular hangover dish which consists of thick flat rice noodles, a handful of vegetables and meat of your choice. Tofu is another option if you don't want meat.

If you like catfish, the curry catfish is not to be missed. Chunks of catfish is fried and then topped with a fragrant curry sauce infused with kaffir lime leaves and black pepper corns.

The restaurant is very small and seats about 20 people. Service is really good considering there is only one person manning the front of the house. The lovely Thai gentleman is courteous, friendly and just the sweetest man ever!

*** Photography by Mahesh ***

Sutha Thai Kitchen, 1161 Irvine Blvd, Tustin, CA 92780. Tel: 714-734-6100

Shortstop BBQ -- a new way to eat barbecue

2010-11-12T14:22:00.000-08:00

tri tip and chicken sliders

**A version of this article can be found on OC Register's Food Frenzy**

The first time I ate off this truck was on its third day of business. The truck didn't even have its 'wrap-around' yet and people were curious yet hesitant to give the newcomer a try.

I convinced my friends to share some food with me and ordered a bunch of sliders. On that particular day I thought they were just okay, slightly under-seasoned, and I made it a point to let owner Andrew Honore know what I thought.

pulled pork with creamed corn

Fast forward three to four weeks and I'm at Irvine Lanes and this time, and decided to give them another try. This time, the meat was nicely flavored and salted right, but all the sliders seemed to have the same condiments, making them taste similar regardless whether it's pulled pork or tri tip. Again, I let them know.

Last week I found out they were parked not too far from me so I went specifically to try them out again. I'd heard that they had made some changes and I was eager to try.

I was really happy to find that the sliders all have different toppings and each meat is accompanied with its own unique condiment giving them all their on individual taste. The sliders now have taken on a character of their own and they are quite tasty!

portabello slider

The menu is simple. There are four items: pulled pork, tri tip, chicken and portabello mushroom. Sliders are $2 each and sandwiches are $5. You can also choose to have any of these toppings on an order of fries if sandwiches aren't your thing. I like the idea of having one slider per order. Some trucks offer two sliders an order and if I don't like a particular item, I'm forced to eat two of them instead of eating one and then having the choice of moving on to something else. At Shortstop, I can order every slider on the menu without falling into a food coma later.

loaded fries

Tri-tip with blue slaw and barbecue sauce is one of the originals and I've had them on every single one of my visits to the truck, and this week, I tried it in a sandwich. In the month and a half the truck's been running, I've had this go from average tasting to nothing else is necessary in taste. The blue cheese is enough to give it the richness without overpowering, the barbecue sauce is not overly sweet with a tart finish which appeals to me a lot. I don't like super sweet! This is a damn good sandwich!

Slow cooked pull pork has also had a make-over. It started off with a pickled red onion topping but is now served with delicious creamed corn and adds contrasting texture to the sandwich.

My surprising favorite is the portabello mushroom. Topped with provolone, it is so delicious I always wish I had ordered the sandwich instead because it's bigger, but the glutton in me always wants variety hence getting one of each.

pork belly BLT

If you don't want to eat bread, try any of these meats on French fries. The result? The same deliciousness eaten with a fork instead of fingers.

A lot has changed in a short 6 weeks, and if this is a sign of things to come I know that in another 6 weeks, they would've grown in leaps and bounds. I've definitely got my eye on them!

ShortStopBBQ can be found at Twitter and Facebook

Drive Out Hunger Celebrity Event

2010-11-12T14:00:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, November 17th, between 4.30pm and 9.30pm, Drive Out Hunger, the mobile food drive is hosting a one night, gourmet food truck event in the parking lot of the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. There will be 19 gourmet food trucks, a silent auction, and 19 celebrities (confirmed so far) that will take photos and sign autographs with any donation of 10 non-perishable canned or dry goods food items.

Free Parking and Free Event Admission! They only ask that people bring food donations for Second Harvest Food Bank.

The 19 gourmet food trucks participating in the Nov 17 event are: Bakery Truck, Barcelona on the Go, CalbiBBQ, Chomp Chomp Truck, ChunknChip, Crepes Bonaparte, DanDanBBQ, Dos Chinos, Lee’s Philly, Lomo Arigato, Louks, Oh For Sweets Sake, Piaggio on Wheels, Seabirds, Shortstop BBQ, The Burnt Truck, The Greasy Wiener, The Lime Truck, and Tropical Shave Ice.

Please follow them at Twitter at:

@Bakerytruck

@BrcelonaOntheGo

@CalbiBBQ

@Chompchomptruck

@chunknchip

@CrepesBonaparte

@DanDanBBQ

@doschinos

@LeesPhilly

@LouksToGo

@Lomoarigato

@OhForSweetsSake

@Piaggioonwheels

@SeabirdsTruck

@Shortstopbbq

@TheBurntTruck

@TheGreasyWiener

@thelimetruck

@Tropshaveice

The gourmet food trucks mentioned in my previous post will continue to act as mobile food donation sites from Nov 7-20, wherever they serve food so please don't forget to bring donations whenever you eat at the participating food trucks.

A rare peek behind the doors of Disneyland's Club 33

2010-11-08T15:32:00.000-08:00

The Trophy Room

I was told that as a mere commoner, it was an opportunity of a life time to step through the light sage door of Club 33 and be transported into the exclusive membership only club within. So when I was invited to join a bunch of people for brunch one Sunday morning, I leapt at the chance. I hate going to Disneyland and when I heard that the only way into Club 33 was through the park, my heart sank. I had made it a point not to visit "the happiest place on earth" after my last visit 12 years ago due to rather unpleasant memories and it certainly never was a happy place for me. However, the lure of dining in the exclusive Club 33 was enough for me to push those negative thoughts aside and make an exception to take a look within.

My friend Holly (Savored) and I arrived at the parking lot with plenty of time to spare, but somewhere between the shuttle and picking up the tickets from Guest Relations (not Guest Services which we first went to) to battling the crowds and strollers to Club 33, we had spent a good 45 minutes and found ourselves standing in front of the green door somewhat flustered.

selections from the appetizer buffet

It took a while for them to confirm everyone standing in front of the door trying to get in, but after that, a small entrance way with a flight of stairs lead you into what Walt Disney probably saw as his magical introduction for those special guests lucky enough to experience this.

There are two dining rooms, the Main Dining Room which was more spacious and larger, and the Trophy Room, where we were seated. This was a room of yesteryear with dark wood paneling and felt like a room gentlemen may enjoy congregating in.

Our meal began with a vist to the appetizer buffet which wasn't very big. In fact, I was expecting the type of buffet I was used to in Asia consisting of a huge spread of luxurious foods, but instead, there were a few salads, a tray of cold cuts, crab claws, lobster tails and shrimp cocktail. What made up for the lack of choice was how everything was fresh and of the best quality. The cold seafood was delicious with great flavors and the best part was you could go back for more. There is also a soup of the day -- carrot and ginger on our visit -- which was fantastic albeit served a little too cold for me since it was sitting in a self serve dispenser and not in a steam table tureen.

seafood buffet

Since we were in a large group we had to pre-order our entrees and right after they placed our entrees on the table, our server took center stage and started giving us a speech about the history of Club 33 and now, everyone was politely listening to her and neglecting their entrees. The speech took a good 15 minutes by which time our entrees had grown cold. To make matters worse, Holly and I both ordered the chateaubriand which was burnt on the outside and overcooked on the inside.

I found it strange that such an exclusive place failed to ask us how we liked our meat cooked and the 6 in our party who ordered the steak had varying temperatures of steak depending on how thick the piece was. It was as if they had cooked everything for the same amount of time so our two thinner pieces were overcooked while the thicker slabs were either too raw or done just right.

Holly and I took two bites and pushed our plates aside and hit the seafood buffet again.

cold cuts and salad buffet

Service up till now had been immaculate. Plates were promptly removed, water and iced tea refilled, smooth sailing all around. After the speech everything went downhill. Dirty plates were left on the table, water glasses empty, and by the time dessert rolled around it had gone way awry. As each person in our party proceeded to the dessert buffet and returned with plates of sweet treats, some were offered coffee and some were not. Holly and I were those who were not. We had to ask our server and when I asked for tea, she said "black, green or herbal". I told her herbal and she came back with a pot of Orange Spiced tea. I thought it presumptuous that she just chose a particular tea for me. Usually, a selection is brought to the table and I get to select what I wanted. What if I didn't like Orange Spiced tea? I mean, I did like it, but what if I didn't? That wasn't really the point was it?

I'm not being ungrateful here, but for a price tag of $117, I had seriously expected a little more. A little more from the food, a little more from the service, a little more of well, everything. Still, I was glad I came because I'm not sure if I would return again, or if I'd ever get the opportunity to, and even though the food and service didn't completely meet my expectations, it was definitely an experience, one which everyone should get to try, once in a lifetime!

Club 33 at Disneyland, 1313 S Harbor Blvd, Anaheim, CA 92802 (situated between the Blue Bayou and Le Bat En Rouge)

La Cocina De Mi Abuelita

2010-11-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

handmade tortilla tacos

**version of article is featured on OC Register's Food Frenzy**

I've never ventured down this far on Bristol Street traveling towards Santa Ana before so I was unaware of what was out here, that is, until my friend wanted to meet for lunch, at this hole in the wall. I wasn't really feeling Mexican food I told her, but I tagged along anyway just so I could see her. Surprisingly, after that initial visit, I returned again for breakfast this weekend as I'd been thinking about the food for a few months now.

The restaurant is small, just what you would expect in Santa Ana. The interior is decorated like an old diner with a life size statue of Elvis in the doorway. There is table service but if you're in somewhat of a hurry, I suggest just going up to the counter and ordering before sitting down.

The specialty here is carne en su jugo, literally translated as "meat in its own juices", and this was the dish I couldn't stop thinking about after trying it the first time. This soupy stew hails from Guadalajara, namely the Jalisco area where Andres's, (the owner) family comes from. The recipe has been passed down from generations and once you taste it, you'll instantly realize that this isn't something that's thrown together lightly. The recipe is simple, beef, bacon and beans, but not just any beans, not even pinto beans which is so popular in Mexican cuisine, but Peruano beans, which stand up so much better to extended cooking and absorbs flavors well.

carne en su jugo

The carne en su jugos arrives in a festive clay dish with another plate of condiments consisting of diced onions, cilantro, limes and grilled green Mexican onions/sauteed yellow onions. I tasted the soup before dousing it with the condiments and was met with a hearty and beefy broth which enticed the palate. After the condiments were added it brought on a whole new element to the dish, something between menudo and a beef soup but so much better. I was blown away by the sheer simplicity yet deliciousness of it all.

If soupy stews are not your thing don't fret because this place is known for more than just the carne en su jugo! Their hand-made tortillas are also very good, beautifully textured and a little thicker than the regular tortillas used for street tacos! My favorite is the al pastor -- perfectly seasoned and not dry. The carne asada is also flavored very well but just a little too dry for me.

condiment plate

Another thing this place is known for are tacos al vapor -- steamed tacos -- but surprisingly, I wasn't all that excited about them. I found the tortilla too dry and the shredded beef filling my friend ordered wasn't all that flavorful. Maybe it would have been better with al pastor, who knows, but for me, the hand made tortillas are the way to go.

I also tried another of my favorite Mexican dishes, camarones al mojo de ajo, but unfortunately, dried garlic powder was used instead of fresh garlic and the accompanying beans and rice weren't the best I've had. I won't order this next time.

Like most ethnic restaurants there are a few outstanding items which make me go back again and again for more. This place is no different. Whenever I think of carne en su jugo and the hand made tortillas, La Cocina de mi Abuelita is what I think of. Try it yourself and trust me, your tastebuds will thank you!

La Cocina De Mi Abuelita, 2640 S Bristol Street, Santa Ana, CA 92704. Tel: 714-241-7166

Happy Family -- definitely a happy time for all

2010-11-05T09:50:00.000-07:00

veg pork with bean curd

**version of this article also in OC Register**

I really have my friend Florance to thank for telling me about Happy Family. She told me she's been here many times now with her fiance and they both love eating here. I would never have found it otherwise even though it was just down the road from my hair salon. I've been to its sister location in Rowland Heights before and enjoyed our meals there immensely, but it's a 40-minute drive I'm not willing to make on a regular basis.

Situated in Costa Mesa across the street from Inka Grill and right next door to the Travelodge on Bristol Street, Happy Family has only been open less than three months and it was obvious that like me, a lot of people have not found it yet.The signs are not big, the only thing giving it away are the lanterns outside the building suggesting it may be an Asian restaurant of some sort.

Happy Family serves Chinese vegetarian food, which, while quite abundant in the San Gabriel Valley, is hard to come by in Orange County. The majority of Chinese restaurants serve vegetarian dishes on their menus, but there isn't a really good restaurant which dedicates itself completely to this type of cuisine.

eggplant tofu pot

I am no vegetarian, but I love vegetarian food. The only thing I don't quite understand when it comes to Chinese style vegetarian food is why there are fake meats to replace the real ones. The only reason I can come up with is perhaps Buddhists are required to follow a vegetarian diet -- maybe not by choice -- so this was a way to feel that they're not missing out on the experience.

When I was growing up, a friend of my mom's was a strict Buddhist who followed this vegetarian diet. Back then, she would invites us to the Buddhist temple on special ceremonial occasions to partake in these vegetarian meals prepared by the Buddhist nuns.

I used to dread these outings because I remembered the tasteless, mushy, soggy foods I was forced to eat. My mom went out of obligation -- this friend was older and was like mother-figure to her -- and my brother and I, well we had no choice but to follow my mom. I remembered having to be polite and swallowed everything that was place in front of us on the plate.

As an adult, I tried to stay away from Chinese vegetarian food as much as I could, but while living in Hong Kong, one of the restaurants I had to review was a vegetarian one and I had no choice but to go eat there. That experience changed my preconceived notions of Chinese vegetarian food. I was introduced to some really innovative vegetarian cuisine, fresh, flavorful, not soggy, mushy or tasteless in any way. After that, I was hooked!

vermecelli with spicy sauce

The menu at Happy Family is abundant with more than 100 dishes listed. Lunch specials run 7 days a week and offer good selections from the a la carte menu -- not just some cheap items to appease those looking for a lunch time bargain. Even some Chef's Suggestions can be found on the specials. Complimentary soup and your choice of bread (steamed or fried) and rice (brown or white) is included.

I ordered the eggplant and tofu pot, stir fried bean curd and 'pork', 'chicken' nuggets with basil, ma yi shang shu (spicy glass noodles). The specials run between $6.95 and $7.95, portions are slightly smaller than a la carte (by about 25%) but still, generous.

Tofu and eggplant are two things I cook regularly at home, however, I've never cooked them together. To find these two items in one dish was awesome because I didn't need to order two separate dishes! This soy based dish is so rich in flavor and basil leaves enhanced it further by elevating its aroma. The sauce was perfect for dipping the bread into or drizzling on top of rice. The tofu was lightly fried and then braised with the eggplant to form this very delicious dish.

veg chicken nuggets

"Chicken" nuggets is popular with both kids and grown ups alike and these gluten nuggets are deep fried with basil leaves and slices of chili to give them an added kick. Ask for the chili soy sauce to dip these tasty morsels in.

Stir fried bean curd and "pork" is my son's favorite Chinese dish and I order this for him whenever it is on the menu. Here, the "pork" is a pork substitute made from gluten and although the texture isn't exactly like pork, the delicious seasonings doesn't make you feel like you're missing anything.

Spicy glass noodles traditionally uses dried shrimp and ground pork but here, it is just glass noodles with finely diced bits of mushrooms and other vegetables. I could taste the ginger in this dish as well -- very nice. It was a tad bland for me but nothing a dash of soy sauce can't fix.

Even though I've only tried four items off the menu, I know this is a place I would come back to over and over again. Having a Chinese vegetarian option so close to home, and one so tasty, is a blessing for me. Instead of battling a 40-minute drive to Rowland Heights, I now only need to drive 15 minutes up the 405 and a highly satisfying meal is waiting for me at Happy Family. Service is good, food is delicious and hearty, and prices reasonable. Even if you're not vegetarian you can't help but love the food here.

Happy Family, 1400 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Tel: 714-668-928. (The restaurant is right next to the Travelodge)

Leatherby's Cafe Rouge -- my redemption song

2010-11-04T09:10:00.000-07:00

After a dismal experience at Brasserie Pascal, I was extremely irritated that I had wasted valuable stomach space on terrible food. My friends Mahesh and Holly (Savored) decided that our evening wasn't going to just end like this, that we were not going home unsatisfied and highly irked at the possibility of our evening not finishing on a high note.

We decided to go to Leatherby's Cafe Rouge, another choice on our Happy Hour Week list and immediately made our way from Newport to Costa Mesa. When we arrived, the restaurant was really quiet and we pondered whether or not they were still serving, but the bartender (who's name I later found out was Perry), ushered us in and gave us the run of the sofa-ed area or the bar -- whatever our hearts desired. We chose the corner and settled in.

Prince Edward mussels

I quickly ordered a glass of Riesling because the pomegranate champagne cocktail from earlier really didn't do it for me. I also wanted to swiftly forget the nasty food I had just consumed and what better way than to ply myself with alcohol. Perry brought me a glass of Graff Riesling, a sweet seductive wine I fell in love with upon first sip. Mahesh and Holly ended up getting a glass each of the same thing.

The menu was simple and since we weren't exactly empty-stomached, we selected three items off the menu: Prince Edward mussels, Prosciutto with mission figs, Humbolt Fog goat cheese and basa vinegar, and a grilled octopus salad.

prosciutto fig goat cheese and basa vinegar

The food arrived quickly and as soon as it hit our table the three of us pulled out our cameras and started taking photos. A couple was sitting on the other side of the sofas and we soon learned that he was Patina Group's General Manager Johannes Masserer. He graciously offered us his table where the lighting was much more generous so we could capture the dishes as eloquently as possible. He soon started asking us questions about the photos, which blogs we wrote for...... and before you know it, Mr Masserer had brought Executive Chef Ross Pangilinan out to our table.

octopus salad

By now we had been eating the Prince Edward mussels and were oooo-ing and ahhh-ing over how sublime and subtle the lobster coconut broth was, and the most surprising thing of all for me was that I was indulging in these mussels. I'm not a mussel fan finding them generally overcooked and either rubbery or mushy in texture. Chef Pangilinan masterfully steamed these mussels to such perfection that my friend Mahesh exclaimed that it tasted as if each mussel was steamed on its own with such meticulous accuracy that each morsel was as delicate and divine as the last.

While we were enjoying the mussels, Chef Pangilinan brought out a plate of foie gras torchon for us to try on the house. The presentation alone blew me away and naturally, we spent a great deal of time photographing this eye-popping creation before digging in. Needless to say, this had me at first bite. At that point, my heart belonged to the dish. I would've been happy had my evening ended there. The foie gras was creamy orgasmic perfection accompanied by an assortment of berries and a raspberry quenelle.

le piece de resistance

The toasted brioche went rather well with the foie gras and when that was finished, I had no problem slathering the remainder with the bread from the bread basket. This was positively what I live for. Sometimes, it is hard to explain to people why I love food so much, why I have so much passion for it, and then I put something like this foie gras torchon in my mouth and no explanation is needed. I feel like if I could just give someone something like this to eat it will speak for itself. No words are necessary.

The octopus salad and the prosciutto were both really good but I think, after the torchon, nothing else mattered. Nothing could have topped that. It was was on my mind so much that I returned the following evening with a few other friends and revisited the foie gras torchon and the Prince Edward mussels. We also ordered the cheese plate -- definitely get this if you love cheese -- with honeycomb and quince paste, absolutely heavenly!

I am definitely in love with this place. By the end of the evening Perry, Chad, Chase, the staff who stayed at the bar to keep us company were on first name basis with us.

For some reason, the name Leatherby's conjured an image of a dark steak house with plush red velvet booths, but fear not, the Cafe Rouge part stays true to its title. The restaurant is definitely trendy and tres chic. A huge crowd gathers before performances at the Performance Art Center for pre-show dinners, so it works out perfectly for me. When those people flock to the show, I'm there, and I have the place all to myself to enjoy the sexy drinks and tantalizing food which has not only captured my heart, but those of my foodie friends as well.

***Photography by Mahesh***

Leatherby's Cafe Rouge, 615 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Tel: 714-429-7640

Marmalade Cafe -- a secret surprise

2010-11-03T08:57:00.000-07:00

pesto clams

I'd been reluctant to try Marmalade Cafe because in my mind I thought it would be like a Mimi's Cafe or something similar. However, when I was invited to join in on the Dine Around Tustin with Holly (Savored), along with a host of travel writers, I definitely was pleasantly surprised by everything I tried that night, so pleased that I decided to return again this week for dinner with some friends.

The restaurant itself is warm and inviting, but it is a casual atmosphere where families with kids would be welcomed. For me that's important on days where I want to bring my son for a meal, maybe with his friends, and where a bit of ruckus by the boys won't be considered a faux pas in any way.

There were a lot of items I tried on the menu. Appetizers included ahi tuna tartare tower, which is served with wonton chips and Japanese pickled ginger. The ahi needed a little more seasoning, perhaps a touch more sea salt or soy sauce, but overall, the fish is very fresh and flavorful. Accompanying the tartare is an avocado and seaweed salad.

Pesto steamed clams and mussels is another item you might like if you're into seafood. I don't like mussels so I asked if they could give me just clams. I'm not sure I liked the pesto since I kinda like my steamed clams the traditional way, with just a garlic wine sauce. The clams were fresh and tasty though.

The crispy calamari was very nicely fried, crispy on the outside and not rubbery on the inside. I would totally order this dish again. Served with two sauces: chipotle aioli and marinara. Portions are large enough to share.

fried calamari

There are many entrees to choose from and it really depends on what you're in the mood for. There are simple items such as halibut tacos, which are wraps rather than the traditional tacos. Fish was fresh and moist and was a generous portion! Or, if you're in the mood for something more hearty and traditional, you can try the chicken meatloaf. It was topped with a chipotle sauce enhancing the already delicious taste of the chicken.

Braised boneless beef short ribs were one of my favorites! Braised in red wine and herbs, the beef was fork-tender and tasted very home-made. The 7oz filet mignon is also a great choice if you're a meat lover. The beef is nicely cooked medium rare (well, that's how I like it, you can opt for whatever you wish) and served with two sides of your choice. The selections are generous ranging from mashed potatoes, rosemary parmesan french fries, sweet potato fries to sauteed broccoli rabe with garlic and shallots.

chicken meatloaf

One of my friends ordered the pork chop with roasted apples -- I'm not a huge fan of pork chops but he liked it. Another friend ordered the pan-seared halibut which was absolutely delicious. I suggest swapping out the mashed potatoes for something simple like spinach, and at Marmalade Cafe, you can do that. They are so lenient about switching out the regular sides for whatever you want which works well for me because I was able to exchange my mashed potatoes to sweet potato fries.

Right now until the end of the year, Marmalade Cafe is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a special $39 menu for two. You can choose an appetizer to share, two entrees and finish off with a dessert also to share. The best part is, you can choose anything off the menu, there is no restriction!

The New York cheese cake with strawberry sauce and the molten chocolate cake were definitely the dessert favorites of the night. I was really impressed by how this supposed chain managed to offer us a far better meal than our 1-star Michelin experience at Ortolan in Los Angeles. Service was attentive and we all left very full and highly satisfied.

***Photography by Mahesh***

Marmalade Cafe, 2667 Park Ave, Tustin, CA 92782. Tel: 714-566-0100

Brasserie Pascal -- the very sad happy hour

2010-11-02T09:05:00.000-07:00

Pascal's Patchwork

It was so unfortunate that I came down with a cold on the first day of OC Happy Hour Week. I had no appetite and my taste buds were shot for a good 5 days. I had no stomach for dinner 4 of those nights and by Friday, I was 98% well and ready to come back with a vengeance to make up for lost time. My friends and I had perused the menus and decided that we wanted to check out Brasserie Pascal's happy hour specials.

It was packed when we arrived but the hostess was nice enough to find us this table behind her podium and get us an extra chair. Our server came over after about 10 minutes, introduced herself and took our drink orders. She then disappeared while we perused the menu and as we watched our champagne cocktails served up ready to roll at the counter, our server nowhere to be found. She finally stumbled her way through the dining room in her high heels and made her way to the bar to get our drinks, but our anticipation were met with lackluster results as our uninspiring cocktails touched our lips.

We decided to ordered the Pascal's Patchwork, an array of appetizers for a mere $10. I guess the price tag should've been a hint and a half to what would grace our table 10 mins later, but of course, hindsight is 20/20. When our platter arrived, everything was cold except the french fries topped with thyme. My first bite was the onion ring and it was soggy and cold and looked miserable sitting on the plate with the rest of the rather sad appetizers.

The grilled cheese sandwich was cold and tasted like it'd been prepared hours ago. The beef sirloin sliders were said to be served on a brioche bun but instead came on two slices of country style bread. Grilled vegetable pizza and tart flambe tasted like cold frozen pizza -- in fact, I've had some frozen pizza which tasted better than this. The home made pate and cold cut were okay and the pickled vegetables were average.

French Onion Soup

What I don't understand is why a French restaurant would serve pizza, grilled cheese and onion rings? And on top of that, serve them cold! Was this an extra plate they had made for another table only to be sent back? The mind boggles.

I also made the mistake of craving French onion soup. OK, so I expected a French restaurant to serve up at least somewhat decent French onion soup -- am I wrong to have expected that? The broth was watery and bland. The onions weren't caramelized enough. The whole thing was a disaster. Sadly, I've had better French onion soup at Boudin SF and even my mother makes a better French onion soup and she's old school Chinese, go figure!

I think we were all thankful we didn't order more food. We promptly got the check and moved on to another location so we could bring our palates some redemption.

Brasserie Pascal, 327 Newport Center Drive (at Fashion Island), Newport Beach, CA 92660. Tel: 949-640-2700

Join your favorite gourmet food truck and help with hunger

2010-11-01T07:30:00.000-07:00

I'm teaming up with a bunch of food bloggers and gourmet food trucks to conduct a food drive with the donations benefiting the Second Harvest Food Bank Orange County. Through its 450 member charities, Second Harvest provides meals to nearly 220,000 individuals every month.

We will be holding a mobile food drive for two weeks before Thanksgiving, so between November 7 and November 20th, we are encouraging everyone visiting gourmet food trucks to bring food donations and drop it off at the food trucks they are visiting. The gourmet food trucks will act as mobile food collection centers for these donations.

Saturday Night Foodies has reached out to other bloggers to help during this slow economy to help the food banks. Gourmet food trucks participating are:

Tropical Shave Ice
Bakery Truck
CalbiBBQ
ChunknChip
DanDanBBQ

The Lime Truck

Crepes Bonaparte

Barcelona On The Go

KonaiceBC
Dogzilla Dogs
Longboards
Louks
Oh For Sweet Sake

Piaggio On Wheels

Shortstop BBQ
The Burnt Truck

Dos Chinos

Lomo Arigato

Seabirds

Please go to the food truck's website for their schedule and don't forget to bring a can (or two, or three) to drop off for those less fortunate when you visit.

THANK YOU!

Tutto Famiglia -- value for money family style Italian

2010-10-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

**Version of article also in OC Register**

With the crazy amount of restaurants dotted around Orange County, it is hard to really pinpoint where to go when those crazy cravings hit. Some days, I want to stay close to home, I want value for money, I want good service but most of all I want something tasty!

I don't go out for Italian often because I make a lot of it at home, but I won't say no when a friend wants to go and try some place new. This was the case with Tutto Famiglia! I've seen Tutto Famiglia so many times while hitting up Pho Bo Vang next door. I'd even gone up to read the menu posted outside, but never stepped inside until now.

Interestingly, the first thing that hits you when you are walking into the restaurant is the strong smell of pho wafting from next door, and I mean STRONG. Even when you are inside Tutto Famiglia, you are still getting a whiff or two of the beef broth. However, it only lasts a few moment until you catch the aromas wafting from the kitchen -- that undeniable aromas of garlic and tomato.

The interior is simple, comfortable and cozy and it came as no surprise when I realized it is a family-run business. Mother and daughter were both taking orders and serving customers and you definitely feel that warm hospitable affinity when you are there.

The wondrous smell of aroma is continued when complimentary garlic bread is brought to the table -- hot and buttery, perhaps not garlicky enough for me, and way too buttery, but a nice welcoming touch. It's great to see that they didn't just plonk some regular bread on the table with pats of butter like most places.

We ordered a small pizza with gorgonzola, eggplant and sausage. Three toppings come standard on the pizzas, $12 for the small, or $15 for the large. Additional toppings are $1.50 each. -- we opted for gorgonzola, eggplant and sausage -- and linguine alla vongole (clam sauce) to share. I was surprised at how large the pizza was for a "small" and how generous the toppings were. The pizza was laden with toppings, which I know a lot of people love, but for me, I prefer less toppings and a sturdy crust, but it was a great tasting pizza regardless and such what value for money! But for me, the toppings bogged down the crust making the crust not crispy and too much toppings is more of an American style pizza rather than those pizzas I love so much from Naples.

Linguine alla vongole was also a hefty portion, way too much for me alone. I was very impressed that they used fresh clams as there's nothing worse than finding tinned clams in your linguine alla vongole when it hits your table. Although the pasta itself didn't soak up enough of the juices, leaving it a little bland, the pasta was perfectly al dente. The sauce also needed a touch more wine and maybe a pinch more salt as the flavor was a bit one dimensional.

Because everything was cooked with love, like how your Italian aunt may do so in her kitchen, I let it go. I also liked how the whole dining room was bustling with energy from all the patrons who were here, a lot of them seemingly regulars. I like how the servers were very attentive, never leaving a glass of water empty, how they constantly came to check on us, to see if we needed anything else.

This is a neighborhood restaurant, something I can see families with children will frequent in the evenings and on the weekends.Tutto Famiglia is true to its name, "the whole family", and when you dine there, it's like eating in their home.

Tutto Famiglia, 23766 Mercury Rd, Lake Forest, CA 92630. Tel: 949-472-5466

*** Photography by Mahesh ***

The Greasy Wiener -- as sinful and naughty as it sounds

2010-10-26T09:54:00.000-07:00

Hey, I don't particularly search out for hotdogs or burgers as a means of staple when I am contemplating what to eat, but on this particular day, I get a tweet informing me that The Greasy Wiener gourmet food truck was going to be in Irvine and if interested, to go out there and give them a try. I gathered up my trusted fellow foodie and blogger Holly (Savored) and headed out to Central Park West where we found several trucks already parked there.

I quickly searched out for The Greasy Wiener and found Adam, who had tweeted me and Holly as well to come on down to give their simple menu a shot. We chatted a little before embarking on what was to be a hell of a journey into making my taste buds whet and changing my mind forever on the humble hot dog and its counterpart, the burger -- in this case, sliders.

chili cheese dogs

The menu is simple. There is the bacon chili cheese dog, or the chicken and apple sausage dog. Then there is the Iggy slider which come two to an order and topped with cheese, pickle and a special 'secret' sauce. If you're a non-meat eater, well, they even have the "Hippie" which is a vegan dog especially for you. Add some fries, or, if you're feeling REALLY brave, get the chili cheese fries. A whopping portion of fries topped with the delectable chili and cheese sauce for only $4 is enough for four or more people to share as a side. It was so good I couldn't stop eating it even though I kept telling myself "gotta stop, gotta stop", but I kept taking another bite.

I tend to like menus which are simple and no fuss. Really, hot dogs, burgers and fries. Straight-forward stuff! But let me tell you, when the stuff hit my mouth, there was nothing simple about it.

Iggy sliders

The bacon chili cheese dog was topped with a massive amount of grilled onions and some grilled jalapenos (I asked for mine spicy, you can get it without) making it a little difficult to bit into at first. I picked up the dog and thought about it for a bit before just giving up and taking a bite. I think I was literally a bit shocked at the mouth-explosion which happened right after I realized what had hit me. This wasn't like any other hot dog I've ever had before and I thought those bacon-wrapped muthas from downtown LA were the bomb.

These hot dogs are fried which adds to the snap of the sausage but they are not over-fried where the skin shows sign of deterioration and starts wrinkling up. Oh no, these were just fried to perfection and the incredible snap of each and every bite is what is so addicting for me. You see, there are two reasons why I eat hot dogs, one of course is the flavor of the sausage portion and the other, is how much it snaps. For some reason, that snap just thrills me to no end. I can't explain it, but it does, and the dog here has the most incredible snap I've ever encountered.

Next was the chicken apple sausage -- okay, I've never been a fan of sausages mixed with apples to begin with due to its sweetness -- I do NOT like sweet with my savory food -- but I'll have to give it to them because again, the snap factor had a lot to do with how I like a dog. If you like chicken apple sausages, definitely go for this one.

chili cheese fries

Sliders, ahhh these cute lil miniature burgers which sound so adorable and tasty, but my experience with them have been a hit and miss. Why? Well, most places use King's Hawaiian bread rolls for their sliders and if you were paying attention .... yeah, you get the picture, they're SWEET! Up to now, my favorite sliders are those kobe ones from Drago Centro in downtown LA, but these little suckers just blew my mind.

Take freshly ground Angus and season them correctly, cooked so they are still tender and juicy, and now you assemble them with grilled onions, a fair amount of cheese, and the 'special' sauce and voila -- positively one of the best sliders I've had in a long time!!

At the moment, The Greasy Wiener operates in Los Angeles and if you're lucky they'll stop by in OC on a whim. They are working to get an OC permit and when that happens, I'll be first in line for more of this deliciously greasy fare.

The Greasy Wiener can be found on Facebook as well as Twitter

Liang's Kitchen -- long lines mislead what awaits

2010-10-24T14:16:00.000-07:00

I'm convinced that newly opened restaurants get the "new restaurant hype" and the long lines outside the place affirms that hype even more. This is what happened to Liang's Kitchen, newly opened in Orange Tree Square Irvine, taking over the Takaraya space in the Ranch 99 Market plaza off Walnut. We tried to go there several times in the past few weeks and each time, we drove by there and the crowd outside was insane, so I opted out. I do not like standing in line for food, it puts me in a bad mood and makes my dining experience very unpleasant.

beef noodle soup

This time, we got there early and stood in line at around 10.50am (they open at 11am) and there were only a few parties waiting, Believe it or not, they put out a "sign in sheet" and make you put yourself on a "waiting list" and this is BEFORE they even open. Of course the minute the sign in sheet was placed outside, those who were in line behind us descended upon it like vultures trying to get in on the game. This is the reason why I hate eating in Chinese establishments around Irvine. People are rude and do not follow protocol. It is a highly stressful experience when you feel like you have to fight others just to get fed.

At 11am sharp, a guy comes to the door and reads off from the 'waiting list' and customers are seated. Menus are already on the table so the intention is for you to quickly order, so they can quickly feed you, so you can quickly get the hell out of there so they can keep the momentum going.

dan dan noodles

The menu is reminiscent of that from A&J, Nice Time Deli and even Yu's Garden. An order sheet is provided as well as a menu with tons of photos to help you along the way. I'm a huge fan of tendon and beef noodle soup and although I like the one at A&J it's not the best I've ever had. I was really hoping that the one here would be good. Sadly, it wasn't and to add insult to injury, the whole thing tasted rancid from the broth to the tendon. It made my son and I gag and when that happened, no one else wanted to try it.

Scallion pancakes (cong you bing) is my son's favorite item whenever we go to Chinese/Taiwanese breakfast but ironically, the ones here didn't impress him at all. He ate one piece and didn't touch it again. The pancake was undercooked, very greasy and was chewy instead of crispy on the outside. To make matters worse, the beef roll we ordered was wrapped with the same undercooked scallion pancake making it extremely soggy. When I took a bite, the grease oozed out from the scallion pancake -- this is due to the pancake not being cooked at the right temperature and left to sit in the oil in low temperature.

beef roll

Dan dan noodles (spicy sesame noodles) was terribly weak. The sauce was watery, lacked flavor and basically, consisted of nothing but just the sauce, a pinch of chopped scallions and such a small amount of crushed peanuts that it didn't do anything to enhance the flavor.

I love bittermelon so I ordered the stewed bittermelon and was glad the flavor was nice and was soaked into the melon, but the seeds weren't removed so the initial bite caught me off guard and I bit into a bunch of seeds which made the whole eating experience very tedious.

Fried pork chop bento was probably the best thing we had. The pork chop was nicely fried, even the ground pork on the rice was nicely flavored, but when I took a bite of the pickled vegetables, they tasted weird.... and I realized they were OFF. I quickly removed them from the plate and prayed that I wouldn't get sick from this AND the rancid beef noodle soup.

If the food had been good, I wouldn't have had a problem paying what we did for this meal. However, I don't believe in paying for bad food, whether it's a lot or a little. There is no excuse for serving bad food to customers, let alone rancid food.

The lines outside this place do not justify the quality you will receive and frankly I think it's just that Liang's Kitchen is new and people are curious that the line is so long. Once the hype dies down and everyone goes back to this being just another restaurant in Irvine, Liang's Kitchen will have trouble staying so popular if it continues to serve its customers such crappy food.

Liang's Kitchen, 5408 Walnut Ave, Irvine, CA 92618 -- CASH ONLY

Xanh Bistro -- a delicate balance of the old and new

2010-10-22T16:59:00.000-07:00

**This article is featured in the OC Register**

Xanh Bistro is tucked in the corner of a larger strip mall with no signage to alert you to it from the street, so if you're not looking for it, you won't find it. But let me tell you that this is a gem of a restaurant you definitely need to go in search of because you won't regret it.

The food here can be construed as modern Vietnamese, but the only thing modern here is the presentation and attention to detail that Chef Haley Nguyen puts into every dish that hits your table. The food itself is as traditional and authentic as one can find in lil Saigon but your food won't be carelessly dumped on your table, nor would the staff treat you with nonchalant disrespect. Here the service and food go hand in hand to give you a complete experience.

There are ubiquitous items on the menu such as cuon (rolls) and there are many to choose from. Salads are innovative and the intricate preparations are not lost on me. I see the julienned banana blossoms in the Goi Hua Chuoi, along with the daikon and carrots and everything else in the salad that require so much knife-work for it to be this simple and refreshing salad, but more on this later,

Chef Nguyen will be the first to tell you that Vietnamese food requires a lot of preparation but the end result is well worth it. Nguyen also runs cooking classes which teaches eager students easy ways to prepare Vietnamese meals at home (check out the website for more information).

squash blossom salad

Refreshing salads are very popular in Vietnamese cuisine and almost every restaurant will offer some sort of salad on its menu. Goi Hua Chuoi, or banana blossom salad is one such salad. Banana blossoms are found on the condiment plate when you eat bun bo hue, a beef noodle soup from Hue, the old capital city of imperial Vietnam, and have a nice crunch to it, which makes it ideal in a salad. Here, Nguyen adds pickled daikon and carrots, Vietnamese mint, peanuts, sesame seeds, shrimp and grilled pork. All the ingredients tossed in a dressing made with nuoc mam, or fish sauce, it is the perfect way to tease and whet your palate for whatever else to come.

Com Chay Thit Nuong is an appetizer comprising of crispy rice and grilled pork. Chunks of jasmine rice, deep fried until crispy is topped with pieces of flavorful grilled pork to give this dish not only great flavor, but also, great texture. Crispy rice is always delicious regardless of what cuisine it comes from, whether the bottom of a Korean bibimbap pot, part of Chinese sizzling rice soup, or this, I love it all. This appetizer is definitely something I would order over and over again!

crispy rice

One of my favorite Vietnamese dishes is Cha Ca Thanh Long, dill fish. I've had it in so many restaurants in lil Saigon..... usually whitefish is preferred ranging from catfish to snapper, but the best ones are seasoned impeccably and cooked to perfection, moist and flaky. The fresh dill brings an added dimension to the dish and is the primary factor in the wondrous aromatic finish of the fish. Bun, or rice vermicelli, along with lettuce, peanuts and special black sesame crackers are served alongside this dish to be assembled before eating. A bowl of special shrimp paste sauce is served alongside for dousing purposes. Although the one at Xanh isn't pungent enough for my tastes, it will be accepted by the majority of people because it is mild yet flavorful enough to enhance the ingredients.

I also got to sample the Bo Ham Ngu Vi -- five-spice braised short ribs -- which reminded so much of a dish my mother makes. It was not surprising then when I found out that this dish has its roots from Chinese cuisine and although Nguyen's version isn't as intense as my mother's, it was beautifully paired with garlic mustard greens. The meat was tender and it was obvious it had been slow cooked for hours.

dill fish

Chef Nguyen also makes her own ice cream in-house so if you have room, by all means try the ginger ice cream! It is delicious! There were so many other enticing dishes on the menu I had wanted to try, but unfortunately, there is only so much my stomach can endure in one sitting. I am already eagerly anticipating my next visit and I am planning on bringing along some friends so we can order more dishes to share.

Xanh Bistro, 16161 Brookhurst Street, Fountain Valley, CA 92780. Tel: 714-531-2030

Komodo -- first time didn't do it for me

2010-10-22T10:14:00.000-07:00

rendang taco

I wasn't sure what exactly Komodo was offering really -- is it Mexican? Indonesian? Singaporean? I guess there is a little of each. What caught my eye was the Indonesian offering of beef rendang in a taco. I make a mean beef rendang, or so I've been told, by my Indonesian friends and my Indonesian BFF's mother no less, so I know what I'm talking about. I wanted to try it in a taco because in my mind, this would TOTALLY work, and with a cucumber salad? It could totally rock!!

Komodo taco photo by Florance Chung

I was waiting for my friends to arrive, but I was absolutely famished so I don't pass out while waiting. I get the taco, it looks good enough, but when I looked at how pale the rendang is I knew that flavor-wise, it wasn't going to be strong enough. I also didn't catch the fragrant aroma it should've been emitting. I took a bite and surely, there was just a hint of the rendang flavors, but boy oh boy, it should've been pounding out at least 10x more than what I was tasting. I liked how they even topped it with bawang goreng (fried crispy shallots), but the rendang need a hell of a lot more punch than that! There wasn't enough sauce so the meat was a little dry -- there is a lot of potential here, but right now it wasn't doing it for me.

When my friends arrived, we also got the Komodo taco -- seared skirt steak with jalapeno aioli and a Southwestern corn salad. It looked very colorful and appetizing and honestly, the corn salad was really good, but the steak was so dry (almost like jerky) that none of us wanted to eat the meat after tasting it.

meatball with romesco

The other thing we tried were the meatballs with romesco sauce, which is a Spanish pepper sauce. The pork meatballs were overcooked -- the outside was too brown and the entire meatball was well..... dry! The romesco sauce was perhaps a variation of traditional romesco sauce because it didn't taste like any romesco sauce I've ever tasted before. On the whole, this was another item none of my party enjoyed.

I may give Komodo another try sometime later -- but for now, I'm kinda licking my wounds from wasted stomach space.

You can find Komodo at their website, on Facebook or follow them on Twitter

The Californian -- decent hotel fare

2010-10-20T20:15:00.000-07:00

When my friends were in town I came to visit and hang and ended up having breakfast at the hotel. The Californian at the Sheraton Universal Hotel is small but suffices in that most people who stay here are on vacation either to visit Universal Studios or something like that and wouldn't ordinarily be eating inside the hotel anyway.

There is a breakfast buffet for $21 but I opted for the regular breakfast of sausage, poached eggs, hash browns and toast. It was $12 which wasn't exorbitant for hotel prices and one would expect to pay a few bucks less at a reasonably nice breakfast place. All I cared about was that the poached eggs were poached well and that the sausages were flavorful -- which they both were. The poached eggs could've been a little less well-done, but they still were runny. The sausages were lovely pork sausages, very tasty!

I had asked for the hash browns to be extra crispy and they did exactly that! Overall, a nice meal without really breaking the bank if one absolutely MUST stay in.

The Californian, 333 Universal Hollywood Drive, Universal City, CA 91600. Tel: 818-980-1212

Renzo"s A Taste Of Peru -- lunch with a lot of heart

2010-10-19T07:16:00.000-07:00

This story is running simultaneously in the Orange County Register

I waited a while to try out Renzo's A Taste Of Peru even though I'd heard from various friends that a new Peruvian place had opened up in Irvine months ago. I usually don't like to be the first in line when restaurants open because I think it is unfair to judge them during their first weeks when things can go wrong and everyone is still learning to deal with the flow of traffic so to speak. I like them to have some time to work out their kinks first and that way, there isn't any excuses from either side.

When I finally visited Renzo's for the first time I found Mr Renzo Macchiavello himself behind the counter with a huge smile on his face welcoming me into his place. My friend who came along has been a customer here since it opened so he was very familiar with the menu and was excited for me to finally try. I, on the other hand, have always loved Peruvian food due to how overwhelmingly familiar its flavors are to me -- there is a huge Chinese population in Peru and a lot of the food flavors are imported from the various ethnic backgrounds including Chinese and Japanese -- and I was eager to see how this place compared with the various Peruvian places in the area.

Although Renzo did not have my favorite Peruvian items on the menu, namely lomo saltado and parihuela, he did have ceviche and various arroz (rice) dishes. My friend was nice enough to allow me to pick whatever I'd like for our meal , so I selected ceviche mariscos (seafood salad), arroz con mariscos (seafood rice) and the special of the day secco de carne (beef stew).

Ceviche was nice and tart and the selection of seafood: calamari, shrimp, scallops, were all fresh. The red onions, fresh corn and sweet potato wedge are all regular items in all the ceviches I've had around Orange County, the only thing Renzo doesn't include are corn nuts. However, if you so wish to have some in your salad, feel free to help yourself to them at the counter near the entry-way because they are there to for customers to snack on while they wait. If you like your ceviche spicier, by all means, let them know because the kitchen will dress it to your specifications.

Secco de carne was absolutely delicious! The rich, dark stew had layers of flavor and was perfect with the fluffy white rice it was served with. In fact, I wanted more of the sauce towards the end so I could finish off the remaining rice. All specials come with a side salad topped with a dressing similar to the green aji sauce but with a little more tang to it.

After the beef stew, arroz con mariscos was a little bland in comparison, but still reasonable. Aji sauce is available and you can help yourself to it. I call this the 'miracle green sauce' because a few squeezes from the bottle will instantaneously kick the flavor-aspect up several notches. It just makes EVERYTHING taste better, and that, is definitely a miraculous feat!

I had asked Renzo about parihuela on my first viit and on my second visit a week later, he informed me he had made parihuela and asked if I'd like to try some. So on top of the parihuela, my friend and I ordered the special of the day, braised lamb shank.

After two visits I'd have to say, definitely order whatever specials Renzo has for the day because those have been winners. The lamb shank was a whole shank braised in a blend of spices, meat is fork tender and oh so addictive. I was blown away at how the sauce tantalized my tastebuds and how I couldn't stop eating it, but more than anything, I couldn't believe that this dish was under $10. The portion was generous and filling, but on top of that, you can taste the love put into it. Again, I needed more sauce to soak up the rice it came with.

Parihuela was good, but not what I was accustomed to. The parihuela I'm accustomed to is soupier in consistency while the one here was more 'stewy'. The thicker liquid worked well though because when paired with the steamed rice, the sauce actually clings instead of just swishing off the spoon.

Although Renzo's serves up Peruvian food, they do a huge lunch time sandwich business and although they are really a great lunch spot, I could eat this stuff for dinner. At the moment, the restaurant is open for lunch from Mondays to Fridays 10am to 4pm but I'm sure with some arm twisting and gentle coaxing, things might change in the future.

Specials are posted on Renzo's Facebook fanpage every day. You can also follow Renzo's on Twitter.

Renzo's A Taste of Peru, 2222 Michelson Drive, Ste 200, Irvine, CA 92612. Tel: 949-955-9053

*** Photography by Mahesh ***

Cafe La Boheme -- goth at its finest

2010-10-18T09:52:00.000-07:00

wings

What can I say.... Cafe La Boheme makes me think that if I was invited to dinner by Count Dracula, this would be his dining room. It is dark, it is mysterious and it is romantic in a kinda erotic sorta way? This is definitely somewhere you wanna bring your girlfriend for a night of special memories. The restaurant is furnished in black and red and along the wall are booths where you can have an intimate experience with your sweetheart.

I've always had good times here, service is always very attentive without being intrusive and the people who work here are..... how can I say this...... almost always incredibly attractive with awesome personalities. It must be a pre-requisite to be in good shape and attention to detail to your appearance is highly preferable!

sea scallops

Happy hour is awesome here I'm told, but I've always come for dinner. I'm guessing that the prices are good because if it was due to its taste, then I'd have to say, the small plates/appetizers are kinda just okay. They in no way blow me away. The crab cake is good and so are the lamb skewers, but the chicken wings weren't good at all. The chicken tasted like its been in the freezer too long and honestly it's just your average buffalo wings, probably tastier at your local brewery.

My experience with La Boheme has always been that their entrees are the way to go, especially seafood. I've had fish here as well as scallops and they were both cooked perfectly.I especially liked how there was no carbs served with the scallops but instead, a nice pea tendril, edamame and mushroom saute accompany the plump mollusks.

Valrhona choc cake

If you're a carnivore, you may like their steaks. Even the cheaper cut of hangar steak is tasty and very satisfying and cooked perfectly to your specified temp. In any case, I suggest getting an entree and dessert instead of an appetizer and entree because the Valrhona chocolate cake is to die for! Definitely do not leave without eating this decadent gem!

Cafe La Boheme, 8400 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069. Tel: 323-848-2360

Ortolan -- humiliates and royally slaps us in the face

2010-10-14T17:49:00.000-07:00

Several of us south OC-ers decided to visit Ortolan for DineLA week. I was very excited about this restaurant since LA isn't exactly a city brimming with Michelin-starred restaurants and having visited 2-star Michelin restaurant Melisse earlier this year, I was anticipating my visit to 1-star Michelin Ortolan (awarded in 2009) to be a similarly mind-blowing experience.

I had not perused a menu prior, but from previous experiences, I was expecting that an a la carte menu would also be offered if nothing appealed on the prix fixe menu, at least, that was what I thought would happen. Instead, Chef Christophe Eme had decided to fore go the regular menu all together and replace it with a prix fixe menu ($44) which we were all subjected to select from.

I was very impressed the minute I entered the restaurant. Not only was it absolutely gorgeous and tres tres chic, and as we were ushered to the back of the restaurant into the private room, I couldn't help but notice the splendor of its main dining room, the classic elegance the restaurant exuded. It was highly reminiscent of restaurants I had frequented in the Big Apple and my heart raced at the thought of a fantastic night ahead.

After we were seated, I immediately noticed that something was off. Why were the bread plates set to the right of us instead of the left? Why were there scrolled up menus already in place? I asked if we had pre-selected a menu and everyone shook their heads. As I unfurled the menu, I recognized that it was the prix fixe menu, so I asked our server if I could have an a la carte menu as well, only to be told that Chef Eme was only serving this prix fixe for DineLA week.

Ahhh, yes, Chef Christophe Eme, husband to actress Jeri Ryan, who, with his apparently coveted resume basically "forced" upon us a prix fixe with a trio of selections for our dining "pleasure" -- albeit, two items not available on the menu were offered for a supplement (egg caviar) and as a substitution (pan seared branzino).

Was it my naivete to have presumed otherwise? After all, this WAS a Michelin-starred restaurant right? This was a restaurant with ummm, well, a reputation? When I enter an establishment claiming to serve "haute cuisine", I expect a certain level of finesse, of flair, from start to finish. I don't expect that crescendo to appear at the beginning of the meal and going downhill from there.

After our party of five were seated -- orders taken 10 minutes later purely due to our indecision -- we were left sitting there for 30 minutes (34 to be exact) with only water from the initial pour and my glass of Sancerre to keep us company. The water glasses were quickly emptied and my wine pretty much down to the last sip and still, no bread, no appetizers, no food whatsoever. As we grew more and more restless, my friend Holly (Savored) caught one of the staff finally coming to check in on us and asked "does this restaurant not have bread". The surprised man exclaimed "oh, you didn't get any bread?"

As I've constantly been stipulating, bread is always the customer's first introduction to a restaurant, and it needs to "wow". For a Michelin-starred restaurant, the bread failed to impress -- French, ciabatta, walnut raisin -- common-place breads if you will, nothing shouted uniqueness.

halibut ceviche

Because some of us ordered a 3-course meal while others ordered 4- to 5-courses, our dishes were not served concurrently -- and I understand that it would be impossible to pull that off -- but might I add that there was no amuse bouche to tickle our taste buds before our first course arrived.

Egg caviar (supplement $28) was our starter. Now, mind you, I was still dreaming about the egg caviar at Melisse after 6 months and although I didn't expect a Melisse-quality egg caviar, I wasn't quite ready for this curdled mess I was faced with. How is it possible that they haven't mastered scrambled eggs? Where was the refined texture? The delicacy from perfectly scrambled eggs reminiscent of puffy clouds? I took one taste and turned down the offer of a second tasting. To say it left a bad taste in mouth would be an understatement.

From the prix fixe's menu, tomato coulis, another appetizer was a refreshing difference. Served chilled, the accompanying yogurt sorbet's slight tartness worked nicely with the tomato's natural acidity, but the buffalo mozarella floating in the liquid was very dry, like the low-moisture log mozarella you can find at your local grocery store -- the kind I usually buy to put in my lasagnas. These types of mozarella bake well but when served as is, can be miserably harsh to the palate. The dollop of pesto was flavorless, not what I would expect from a restaurant of this supposed calibre. My homemade pesto fared much better in comparison.

open ravioli with scallops

Apart from that I was a little confused by this dish because the menu clearly stated that there would be a "honey crispy tuile" accompaniment which was non-existent and when I posed this to our server, she apologized and said that the kitchen had ran out of it. Run out? Does the kitchen not realize it has run out of an ingredient in a dish when plating? The question is, do you still go ahead and plate a dish knowing full well you will be omitting a key component and then serve it to your customer? What goes through the mind of the final inspector before the food is sent out? Does he or she hope that the diner may somehow overlook, or not notice that something is missing?

Serving a dish without an ingredient clearly stated on the menu description is false advertising. So you've run out! You're a fully functioning kitchen! Make another crunchy component you can substitute it for, but DO NOT leave out an important textural component to the dish!!

The other appetizer selections were mushroom soup with seared quail and a halibut ceviche. While the halibut ceviche was probably the only redeeming factor in the array of appetizers we sampled -- thinly sliced halibut with a hint of ginger, topped with micro cilantro and a quenelle of lemongrass sorbet, the mushroom soup was mediocre at best. The soup portion was thick and clumsy, and on its own, so ordinary in taste that the 'parmesan emulsion' served as a much needed accompaniment to this one dimensional starter. The adorning seared quail was meaty, but dry and a bit stringy.

At this point in our meal, we hadn't been impressed by any one thing, let alone been wowed by it. So when the first of the second courses arrived, I wasn't very hopeful.

pan seared branzino

Open ravioli of seared scallops, yellow corn coulis and pumpkin gnocchi -- the minute my knife touched the scallop I knew it was undercooked. It had that wobbly bounciness to it but I took a sliver to tasted anyway and my suspicions were confirmed -- the scallops needed an extra 30 seconds in the pan. Don't get me wrong, I love scallop sashimi, scallop ceviche, but the menu clearly says "seared scallops" and that's what I expect when I put it into my mouth, that it is seared to its right temperature and not still raw on the inside.

This dish was an epic fail in every way. Scallops on their own should be the selling point, not the acoutrements, which by the way, were a confusing mess. Yellow corn coulis was infused with truffle which masked the natural fragrance of the corn and created a "neither here nor there" flavor aspect. The pumpkin gnocchi was undercooked leaving the center doughy and floury. However, to add insult to injury, there were grape halves and chestnuts thrown in -- I mean SERIOUSLY? How exactly do all these things work together in creating a flavor balance to heighten one's eating experience? The phrase "less is more" comes into play when I think of this culinary anomaly.

By now, as you can imagine, we were actually afraid of what the following dishes would be like. I'm certain the staff heard us complaining and I couldn't believe my eyes when they brought us ANOTHER dish of scallops to somehow compensate for what had so far transpired. My mind was screaming "stop bringing us more food we didn't order, let alone want to eat", but we remained calm. Luckily, the second lot of scallops were cooked through, tender, but still, the same discombobulated accompaniments remained.

I knew my entree of pan seared branzino (or European sea bass, sometimes known as Mediterranean sea bass) was going to be a disappointment the minute they put it in front of me. It was cooked to a crisp so I wasn't surprised that the flesh was dry. After my one and only bite of the branzino, I tackled the overcooked vegetables and swallowed the sprig of tasteless white asparagus (which by the way isn't even in season) and took one taste of the vile eggplant puree before pushing my plate away.

The last entree selection -- braised short ribs -- was the only edible entree, served with polenta, olive and tomato confit. But having said that, it wasn't a dish worthy of fine dining, let alone Michelin quality. This isn't anything spectacular. It's something I'd expect to find from a bistro-style or cafe-style restaurant. It just wasn't the polished result of a dish worthy to be labeled "haute cuisine".

chocolate ganache

Dessert time came and chocolate ganache was probably one of the most popular items of the evening. The brownie itself was good with a tasty chocolate ganache on top. The quenelle of chocolate sorbet had a bitter after-taste and the little biscuit it was sitting on was stale! So even though parts of this was a hit, it was also a miss.

The caramel panna cotta dessert I ordered was served -- and I kid you not -- in an empty caviar tin. This befuddled me to no end. I would've been okay had the panna cotta been exquisite, but this was no panna cotta. It was dense, thick and creamy, like creme brulee, and not a good one at that. It was amateurishly put together and topped with green apple flavored "caviar" spheres to give it a "tin of caviar" look. I took one spoonful and again, pushed it aside. There was nothing to this dessert except for its attempt in playing to the gimmicky illusion of opulence that Ortolan was trying to sell.

caramel panna cotta

And that was it really, just an illusion. That mirage starts from the minute you walk through the doors to the time you sit down, after that, the beautiful imagery starts chipping away from every misnomer, misconception, mistake, mis-step, I could go on and on with this.

Maybe it was the condescending attitude of the sommelier towards Holly -- someone I regard highly in the world of gastronomy -- and his presumptuous suggestion that she was somehow unschooled in how wine pairings work with a meal? Perhaps it was the arrogance he displayed when we suggested that maybe they could remove the branzino from the final check because two of us found it too unappetizing to even consume? Or maybe, it was how he not only did not graciously accept that the meal was in fact an epic failure, but turned around and acted as if he was doing us a favor by removing one branzino "behind the chef's back" (he returned the check to us unamended and insisted that it was already removed when it was part of our entree substitution) which finally broke THIS camel's back.

In my 20 years of food writing, food critiquing, and food tasting experiences, I have never felt more humiliated or more disparaged as a paying customer. I never expect to feel castigated when I'm dining out, but at Ortolan, I felt the disrespect, the insulting final slap to the face when all we wanted was an enjoyable evening out with friends and eating some delicious food while doing so. Like I had stated at the beginning of my review, I was expecting a mind-blowing experience, I guess I got my wish, except, it wasn't the kind of mind-blowing experience I was quite looking for.

*** Photography by Mahesh ***

Ortolan, 8338 W 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90048. Tel: 323-653-3300

Harry's Bar & American Grill -- nice atmosphere, average food

2010-10-13T09:45:00.000-07:00

French onion soup

Whenever I'm in San Diego, I rely on my local friends to take me on certain dining adventures. On my recent weekend down south, I visited Harry's Bar & American Grill with my friend for dinner.

The restaurant offers complimentary valet parking but don't expect the valet to be always there when you arrive. If that is the case, you can easily park in the parking structure yourself or there is street parking if you are lucky enough to find it.

The restaurant itself is welcoming, the interior is warmly lit and tables nicely spaced apart and on that particular evening, there was a jazz band playing even. We opted to sit on the patio area and boy am I glad we did because the overwhelming sound from the band meant that we were able to enjoy our meal, but I was also able to hear myself speak!

Pancetta scallops

The menu is extensive ranging from tapas to appetizers to entrees and everything comes with a price-tag which is a little more than what I would expect from a restaurant such as this one. The selections sounded exciting and I was immediately enticed by the French onion soup and wanted to order my own when my friend wanted it as well. After my friend suggested that we not get the same thing so we could try more items, I selected the sea scallops wrapped in pancetta instead.

A bread basket was brought to us consisting of garlic bread and grissini -- garlic bread was definitely a welcoming change from the usual boring breads I've encountered of late. I actually had to restrain myself from eating more although, I did munch down two slices before the appetizers arrived.

16oz bone-in rib-eye

French onion soup looked great when it arrived, complete in its little crock-pot with the cheese melted on top. However, that's where it ended. The broth was light in color and there was no beefiness to the flavor. The onions weren't caramelized well leaving the soup tasteless and uninspiring. I sheepishly looked at my friend and admitted that if I had gone ahead and ordered the second soup, it would have been a dining disaster.

The sea scallops on the contrary were perfectly cooked with the pancetta adding a really nice salty and crispy contrast. Unfortunately there were only three scallops to the appetizer -- I could've eaten ten of these on my own. Served with a handful of baby greens, there was also a balsamic reduction which was really awful -- tasted like cheap balsamic rather than the nicely aged Modena version. There was also a sweet chili sauce which reminded me of Thai sweet chili sauce from a bottle. The scallops would've held up on their own and the addition of everything else flavor-wise completely thwarted what were the best part of the meal.

rack of lamb

For entrees, we selected the bone-in rib-eye and the rack of lamb. I would have to say my rack of lamb was far better than the steak, much more flavorful although, slightly under-seasoned and very strangely served. The rack of eight chops were sliced apart, but unevenly. On the plate were four pieces --- two of them with two ribs, one single rib and another, with three ribs. I was completely befuddled by this arrangement. Some pieces were great, while others were really fatty. It was okay, I just expected more for a $35 entree.

The rib-eye looked impressive, a one-pounder of a steak no less, and it was cooked correctly as requested. My complaint was for a $40 steak, it was really tasteless. Again, there was a lack of beefy flavors and the mushroom sauce accompaniment was really watery and I could barely detect the mushroomy aromas I was looking for.

Both entrees were served with roasted potatoes, green beans and cauliflower. I asked for French fries instead of the roasted potatoes but I guess the server forgot, but when I reminded her, they brought out the tastiest fries ever! The roasted potatoes were absolutely disgusting! They were hard and dry. I couldn't figure out what exactly happened to them except probably they were pre-boiled (and not cooked through) and then pre-roasted and left sitting. It tasted like they were reheated and not fresh.

Oreo cheesecake

Desserts never appeal to me but my sweet-toothed friend wanted to see the selection and so the tray was brought out and some looked really awful -- like it had wilted and melted, which it probably had seeing it had been sitting on that tray probably all night. Oreo cheesecake was selected and surprisingly, was a good ending to an otherwise, mediocre and expensive meal. The cheesecake portion was light and had a hint of citrus while the Oreo crust was enough to give a nice contrast without being overwhelming.

If you do go to Harry's Bar, I suggest going for appetizers and dessert. Some items on the tapas menu looked interesting -- truffled fries for one caught my eye. I am a firm believer that there are places you go for appetizers and drinks, sometimes, even desserts (see my Seasons 52 review), this is one of those places! I don't believe the price tag justifies the end product received, however, www.restaurants.com offers discounted gift certificates which could be a good way to try Harry's out.

Harry's Bar & American Grill, 4370 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA 92122. Tel: 858-373-1252

Lemonade -- a salad lover's paradise

2010-10-10T10:08:00.000-07:00

BFF wanted to bring me here for the salads and boy was I glad she did. The array was amazing and what was best was that it was very affordable and extremely tasty! The 'marketplace' as the salad array was named offers 1-3 portion sizes ranging from $4 to $11. Each portion gives you two scoops of your choice of salad -- or, one scoop of two items. We went for the three portion size plate -- 6 scoops -- of different salads and shared the plate.

Kale with creme fraiche was delightful with a creamy dressing while the arugula with blue cheese and mission figs was a perfect mixture of flavors in one bite -- I liked how they used things in season like the figs. In fact, every salad we chose was delectable, especially the Israeli couscous with mushrooms and tossed in a truffle vinegraitte. We could get enough of it.

Another interesting thing was the 'watermelon' daikon -- a radish which was pink on the inside and green on the outside resembling a watermelon slice. This was tossed with seared ahi tuna in a sesame dressing -- very Asian inspired and very tasty!

Swiss chard and duck salad was another Asian-inspired item with a slightly sweet taste. Roasted cashews added another dimension to it giving it a crunchy texture. Brussel sprouts with balsamic and parmesan cheese was another flavorful choice.

We were pretty full by now but everything was so delicious I felt I could've eaten more if there was more in front of me. Lemonade also offers braised items such as beef stroganoff, miso short ribs, curries and tagines, but I didn't try them this time. I was too excited about the salads. Lemonade also offers an array of desserts and fresh lemonade to accompany your meal.

The Lemonade we ate at was in Venice -- there are 3 more locations in Beverly Hills, MOMA and Downtown LA.

Lemonade, 1661 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90291. Tel: 310-452-6200