messhallhooligans

brunch crawls and food finds.

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 11:47:39 -0700

san diego’s food landscape can only be paralleled by san francisco. no shortage of cute little spots to eat REALLY good food, for sure. this trip’s rundown:

cafe chloe

village 631

the market by buon appetito

brunch first …

the starters: soup bowl sized chuao chocolate mocha. no one NEEDS that much coffee. then, there was this guy (above) … prosciutto flatbread with roasted grapes, white balsamic reduction, and fresh arugula. two words: mind. blown. salty, sweet, earthy. it will render your tastebuds useless for the rest of the day.

the entree: poached eggs, wild mushrooms, and a sage truffle beurre blanc with greens and a citrus vinaigrette to cut through the richness of the beurre blanc. by this time, we had moved into the mimosa portion of the beverage list. i got a lavender lemonade mimosa. at this point in the meal, my head was swimming in a level of flavor drunk that i have never experienced in life. or my stomach, i should say. the waitress was even sweet enough to wait for me to come back to my seat to serve me my dish. if i were to create some kind of cute little cafe in orange county, it would be much like cafe chloe. quaint, fresh, flavor packed, portion controlled, seasonal, and locally sourced.

on to village 631 … the most notable part of this place was the ambiance. i love participatory art pieces, especially thought provoking ones that beg for a response. in our discussion yesterday, we were talking about the importance of perpetual outward vulnerability as an expression of humility. it’s about a willingness to be genuine even if the rest of the world isn’t in an effort to hold yourself accountable for being a good human being.

and lastly, the market by buon appetito. the white balsamic purchase can be blamed on the flatbread from earlier that day. fresh squid ink pasta? i concede everytime i find a cool ingredient like this. my goal is to make a frutti di mare with it like the one i had at cucina enoteca in the irvine spectrum.

- stella

historic san diego coffee and tea house.

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 11:22:35 -0700

spices in bulk.

san diego is always good to me when it comes to food. and fun times. and a half dozen other things. it’s why i love that city. and just by chance this weekend, my friends suggested we go to old town which was a new experience for me considering i lived there for three years. well, sort of new … i had been to rockin baja lobster there once.

anyway, in the spirit of our connection group’s upcoming automobile fast, we decided to take the trolley around. i had also only been on the trolley once in my three year stint in sd as well. we decided after we fatted around at cafe chloe in east village (AMAZING food, by the way … post to follow) and stopped in for $2-make-you-holler mimosas at village 631, we went to old town where we found this little gem.

this tiny little shop had teas and spices you could buy in bulk. and of course, my take homes were the most obscure items they had to offer:

- wild blueberry cane sugar

- dried elderberries

something about the appeal to the sensory experience won me over about this place. you can smell the fresh grinds of the spices as they were intended and the fragrance of the teas. that’s huge for me!

we stopped to talk with the person i think may be the owner. we didn’t exchange names but she was talking about franchising a store such as this in orange county. i should mention that the appeal of this store was it’s tiny shop charm. her question was where. my answer was in downtown santa ana. my reasoning took everything i knew about future land development for that area, public transit potential, and an awareness of the food culture pulse in orange county. i told her if she could get in before the transformation of main street, that would be ideal. she said many of the customers that had gone through her store had mentioned that orange county needed a place like that. i agreed. and we parted ways after she thanked me for the most thoughtful answer she had received on the topic. selfishly, i’m advocating this place because i want it to come to orange county. :) the food culture here could use more intentional local sourcing of ingredients as their business model, much like the owner did in san diego.

- stella

historic san diego house

light-freeman building

2767 san diego ave., san diego, ca 92110

619/ 683-2416

www.thesandiegohouse.com

It's been a while.

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 23:03:05 -0700

I was telling a few people recently about our humble little blog’s existence and it dawned on me after a whirlwind of crazy life happenings that both small fry and myself have forgotten to show it a little love.

so what’s new with stella … i’ll spare you the dissertation of the last six months to tell you that basically my days of working 60 hour weeks behind a desk has taken a bit of a much-needed hiatus to refocus. but in that time, have found incredible meaning in the work i’ve taken on in the time since mostly with the early childhood ages. i’ve been afforded the opportunity to affect food culture in a different way.

the placemaking council and i through the urban land institute have been working on a grant we’ve received through the national council focused on raising awareness that the 18-44 year old demographic is leaving orange county and that we (as in a community) need to care now because the economic success for the next twenty years is dependent on it.

see the link below for more information:

http://orangecounty.uli.org/uli-in-action/oc-metro/

this is intended to get all 34 cities in orange county on board with a singular economic strategy so that we won’t cannibalize each other for any type of growth. one of the components of this strategy is a culture of food. obviously the part i’m rallying for. the cities and land use professionals need to find a way to accommodate a flux of 800,000 people in the next 20 years. that’s almost the size of 3 san franciscos. it is cool affecting food culture in a different way than i ever imagined.

another way to do that:

http://www.maybach.org/culinary-arts-project

i applied today for one of the culinary arts project mentorship located in san francisco for 6 months. i’m slowly starting to shape this startup concept to make in more meaningful on a global scale. my thought is to marry my love of food and design focused on early childhood age and STEM education concepts. what does that look like? create the curriculum for the first program that does it with the focus on creating a more self-sustaining food culture in orange county. i figured if the system works here, then we can deploy it at a global scale. and i keep thinking to myself, wouldn’t that be sick?

this could be the glass of sauvignon blanc talking or maybe i’m cake drunk. i had a giant piece of cake to cap off the crazy week i had. deadlines, unexpected changes in plans, etc. etc. it happens. i sincerely hope these things pan out. i’ve been hankering to do something big.

- stella

vintage revival.

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 13:17:23 -0800

happy new year!

i feel like 2013 should be a year of bringing back a few old things to remix them and make new experiences. so here’s my list of things to remix:

1. family dinners — we are at an age where our biological families are still families but we’ve also created a web of urban or suburban families comprising of friends, colleagues, etc. whom need a different kind of caretaking that only that kind of relationship can provide. i propose that we start creating a more moveable dinner table with real conversations among friends, beyond what’s new with you.

one of my new year’s resolutions is that my table becomes a revolving door for interesting conversations, non-discriminatory of strangers and friends. i think it’ll be fascinating.

2. candlesticks — when families used to have dinner around the table, candlesticks used to be the center of the table decor. my old soul just wants to collect all of these vintage things like candlesticks, picnic baskets, more delicate undergarments, etc. etc. perhaps that’s a call to myself to make candlesticks of my own since i’ve been in the market for them for quite some time to no avail.

3. picnics — i feel fortunate to have encountered quite a few people who enjoy being outdoors which is rather convenient for a newbie like me.

4. the DIY movement — my cousin and i started a thing last year where we made each other Christmas gifts. i’m a firm believer that creativity isn’t something for a specific type of mind and it really is a talent we all possess. so my hope is that in 2013 is that you learn something that you can share with someone else.

i’m sure i’ll continue to find new things to add to this list. but in any case, i hope that 2013 is filled with fantastic experiences, good company, and great food.

- stella

between friends and family, it is less frequent that i get to...

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 09:24:22 -0800

between friends and family, it is less frequent that i get to post up and let someone else do the cooking. this isn’t by any means a complaint, rather a statement of facts. in fact, this is the first thanksgiving i haven’t executive chef’d in a while.

it is nice when my friends invite me over to eat something fantastic they’ve made which to add another layer of complexity, aren’t your standard home chefs by any means.

my conquests of the world have been through my mouth.

- stella

guest chefs: jocelyn vistro harrison and lourdes vistro.

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 08:01:09 -0800

my good eats. album on facebook has nearly exploded in the last two months since i’ve had time to actually indulge it. perhaps i should take notes from ferran adria and take a hiatus from the design services profession for six months out of the year to recalibrate in the kitchen. that would be the life, if i ever got to that point.

my cousin jocelyn reached out to me on facebook and suggested that we cook sometime. it’s amazing to me that you still learn new things regularly about people you’ve been related to for your entire life. age wise, i’m situated between jocelyn and lourdes.

she asked me what i wanted to cook and being on this back to basics binge, i suggested we make kare kare from scratch. and she wasn’t messing around with the from scratch part, although i had no idea what i was getting myself into when i said it.

two fascinating ingredients we used are the achiote powder or ground annatto seeds and the banana flowers. the achiote basically gives the kare kare the color. the banana flowers impart a leek-y flavor. if you really want a challenge, mise en place for kare kare.

we even shelled and ground the peanuts for the sauce and toasted our own bagoong (shrimp paste). we used oxtail, which is my current meat cut obsession. however, we resorted to more conventional techniques for cooking it— dredging, browning, and slow cooking it in the soup rather than pressure cooking like my mother likes to do.

a solid exercise in patience and technique for sure but the gratification of conquering such a complex dish is immeasurable.

- stella

back to basics.

Sat, 15 Dec 2012 08:54:08 -0800

i think it’s fairly ironic that i’ve been eating filipino food for 28 years and never bothered to try to make it myself other than the college efforts of adobo and sinigang from the packet.

despite my dad’s heart episode a few years back, my parents refuse to give it up. it has also been an unspoken point of disagreement at family meals with my extended family, particularly my dad’s side, to fully relinquish filipino food as part of them.

okay, guys … you win.

but, i’m making it slightly healthier and less focused on prepackaged ingredients.

small fry and i have been contemplating this idea of creating our own culinary curriculum for ourselves. aside from learning the basics, some of the electives i am proposing are:

beer brewing + pairing

foraging

molecular gastronomy

filipino cuisine

i started with the lumpiang sariwa (or fresh lumpia). don’t ask me to pronounce it or you will find that i’m a fraud in the realm of native filipino tongue. my parents used tagalog as a vehicle to discuss things they didn’t want my brother nor myself to understand. even made the sauce from scratch.

i made sisig for the first time over thanksgiving. and the blunder-turned-wonder was the pork leg my mother decided to equip me with to make it rather than the jowls and other less-than-desirable-in-american-culture parts typically in it. exceeded the health quotient for the dish by a long shot. we put it in the turbo to cook, added onions, jalapenos, sweet peppers, vinegar and lemon. pretty good for the first time. for all day grazing and beer consumption, pulutan (tagalog for snack food) is necessary.

i’ve been brewing over the idea of making sinigang from scratch for a long time and i finally figured it out.

I don’t really measure anything when I’m making my own recipes up, but here’s a ballpark:

2 lbs oxtail
6 cups water
1 tomato, chopped
1 onion, diced
1 sm piece of ginger, grated
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup flour
1 cup miso or rice water
3 lemons worth of juice
1/2 jar of young tamarind leaves and juice

enough of the long green beans as desired

one eggplant, diced

Directions:
1. Dredge oxtail in flour and brown the meat.
2. Remove oxtail from pan and deglaze with onions and tomatoes. Keep all the brown bits. Makes the soup taste better.
3. Add garlic and ginger.
4. Saute until onions are translucent.
5. Add water and whisk in miso. Bring soup to a boil.
6. Reduce heat to simmer and add tamarind leaves and lemon.
7. Add salt or patis to taste.
8. Once your soup base is good, put oxtail back into soup.
9. Bring soup to boil and reduce heat to low.
10. Let soup cook for about 2 hours.

i’ll save the kare kare recipe for another blog. that probably the most effort intensive dish i, in conjunction with my girl cousins, have ever produced together of course not without the aid of a little pinot grigio.

stay tuned.

- stella

my baby brother, the chef.

Sat, 15 Dec 2012 08:47:29 -0800

check this shit out. my brother has a cool career … well, theoretically it’s a future career but his nevertheless.

college majors should be chosen after 25. what do you really know about yourself and what you want to do for the rest of your life at 18?

if it were possible, culinary school would be mine.

mike’s final was one week of management at the restaurant at kellogg ranch. i was never a fan of the chef coat, but after seeing ferran adria’s in a documentary on el bulli, i NEED one.

i don’t think i gave mike enough credit for being experimental with his menu stacking abilities. two words: MY. BAD.

in any fine dining situation, and especially at the price point that this particular meal was at, one must order the most inventive things on the menu. so my prix fixe order included: the duck toasts— a white bean puree, duck rilette, and pate, the ribs, and the apple crisp.

mike prepped me ahead of time to order a dessert with dr. bob’s ice cream.

here’s the pictoral round up:

the rilette was the item that really stuck out to me since it was so rich in flavor.

the bistro frisee was the other consideration for my appetizer. egg on anything is always a win. carolyn, mike’s girlfriend, got it so i was able to taste it. there was a lot going on in that salad— blue cheese, grapes, bacon, vinaigrette. sans blue cheese, it would have been perfect.

this entree debate always happens to me. it’s why i’m the perfect patron at tapas places because the servings are small for my serious flavor ADD or just go with someone who likes to share their food. i finally decided on the ribs.

fingerling potatoes and a red cabbage slaw. so good.

and the apple crisp.

what would the congregation of my family members in support be without some public embarrassment with love? they have a window into the kitchen so we all stood there in front of mike’s peers and gave our best performance of touristy waves.

the fam got the VIP tour through the kitchen and the wine cellar. so sick.

i would like to see this kid do big things. i think he’s got the personality for it. he just needs his shot.

- stella <—- proud sister.

local eats: les amis.

Sat, 15 Dec 2012 08:12:40 -0800

i’ve probably driven/walked/stumbled by les amis a few dozen times in gallivants through downtown fullerton. middle eastern food is not something i crave on the regular simply because the flavors tend to be … blah, where my flavor receptors with asian cuisine get blown out often with such potent taste.

that day, i spent the morning running around doing errands for mi madre and found it the perfect opportunity to get my microbusiness off the ground by registering it at the nearby county recorder’s office. and with low blood sugar as the driver, it was necessary to find somewhere within crawling distance to eat.

thus, les amis. it means “friends” in french and was a crash course in french influence in lebanese cuisine. who knew.

upon walking in, it feels like a condensed version of the gypsy den. dark woods, rich paint colors, mismatched furniture, all sorts of interesting reading material scattered around different nooks. i posted up on one of the bar stools, opened up my moleskine, and allowed the experience to aerate.

this is a sign of good service in small establishments— a faithful offering of product. oddly enough, a sampler of everything i wanted to try on the menu on this miserable, drizzly day. featured is the hummus, the daily soup, and the culture special— spice marinated skirt steak and green beans. i LOVE green beans.

the final order …

the culture special with a petit noir. wine at lunch? sure. why not. no judgment. i had things to celebrate … the reality that i am now a small business owner.

still weird saying it. but in most gratuitous sentiments, thank you les amis for having a rich patron experience.

- stella

les amis

128 West Wilshire Avenue

Fullerton, CA 92832

(714) 526-2100

local eats: rooster pm

Sat, 10 Nov 2012 00:07:07 -0800

“sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged lightly.” - m.k. fisher

that brilliant quote came from the bottom of the menu at rooster pm. small fry and i ended up here last week after having toured the hood kitchen space, possible facility for launching our professional culinary project. i will add that i am hopelessly in love with the facility so i’m on my own ass to get my foodhandler’s cert as soon as possible.

rooster pm has been on both our radars for quite sometime. think american style tapas— small plates and craft beers in a diner type atmosphere. very resonant of the ambiance that small fry and i were considering for our newest project.

oskar blues mama yella pils. that was the beverage for the evening.

as for the dish choices, we went based on recommendation from the wait staff.

the dish rundown:

blackened avocado chicken cup.

definitely not the ingredients that stick out to me on the menu. but this was damn well flavor-packed for being mediocre choices. real talk. the peppers in the dish really made it feel like you just got jabbed in the mouth.

the mac with a retarded amount of different cheese.

we’re mac fans. what can i say.

fried shishito peppers.

the only bad thing about this dish is that the peppers aren’t consistently hot. it’s like navigating through landmines for a heat wimp like me. i lost that battle a few times getting through the dish.

simple food. no frills ambiance. good food doesn’t have to be fancy and this place is case and point.

- stella

rooster pm

750 st clair st
costa mesa, ca 92626

(714) 697-0200

local eats: juliette bar + kitchen.

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 22:39:59 -0800

every once in a while, places like juliette bar + kitchen open up and make you want to punch the chef for blowing your mouth off.

juliette and her husband used to own the filling station in orange, a place i had the opportunity to enjoy a little brunch at recently. we’ll save my love of hollandaise on breakfast for a different blog.

the occasion was a celebration of small fry’s return to civilization after her social sabbatical. indeed a celebration as indicated on the check shown below.

well worth the damage in my book.

the ambiance is a minimalist farmhouse-style communal tables and bar height chairs. love. love. love.

let’s recap this foodgasm, shall we?

and in true mess hall hooligans form, cocktails and appetizers first. a lesson from the french in amuse bouche equating to a first kiss with the figurative fireworks. i got the scarpetta pinot grigio which i will admit is what i got again earlier this week i visited this lovely little establishment for an encore. small fry had the emeritus pinot noir.

the tuna crudo.

raw ahi, julienned daikon radishes, a tomato dashi and a side of jalapeno mango sorbet.

pork cheeks and roasted butternut squash.

i love pork. these cheeks were no exception. a sweeter variation to the beef cheeks at monk’s kettle in SF. so tender.

p.e.i. mussels, sweet onion, chorizo, herbs, harissa butter.

oxtail gnocchi.

caramel pot de creme.

and also standard for our dinners is fantastic conversation and the birthing of a possible culinary operation in conjunction with small fry. we’re both currently working on getting our foodhandler manager certs.

you’re jealous.

i like establishments such as these with a cognizance of the environmental impact of food production processes and the intentionality to minimize it through their menu choices. it’s worth looking into for our own operation.

- stella

Juliette Bar + Kitchen

1000 Bristol St N
Ste 11
Newport Beach, CA 92660
(949) 752-5854

http://www.juliettenb.com

guest chef: mark grismer.

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 22:06:00 -0800

i like sous chefs. they’re perfect for me and my infinite brain splattered all over the kitchen in multi-tasking for any size production. i’m not a huge fan of mise en place for smaller ones, especially … but consider it a resolution fit for 2013.

the backstory: i met mark at a young leader group event for the urban land institute. i’m fascinated by duality so i tend to find myself gravitating towards people who have an a-game professionally as well as some other craft outside of work. i remember the exact thing he said, “i make an awesome sous chef.”

when given the opportunity to engage more people in the art of cooking, you better believe i take full advantage of it.

challenge accepted, mr. grismer.

i found this fantastic new butcher in brea a few weeks ago called:

the meat house

415 south associated road

brea, ca

my other favorites:

pacific ranch market (orange, ca) … great for single servings

el toro meats (lake forest, ca) … i use them for my bigger productions— pork crown roasts, porchetta … generally for the masses.

back to the meat house … i was inspired by a dish i had the last time small fry and i went to dinner at juliette kitchen in newport. post to follow. i’m lagging. i know. i stumbled into the meat house on a fluke while waiting for my dad to get me some coffee at starbucks when the meat house won me over with beef cheeks in stock that i slow cooked a few weeks ago on my hot date with tamara elise and magic mike. so tasty.

i made a different chashu ahead this time with pork cheeks. note to self: make sure they’re not italian cured. makes the chashu incredibly salty, but the braising liquid was pretty effin delicious— soy sauce, miso, mirin, sake, ginger, and white pepper.

anyway, mark and i went to the market together which i thought was cool. my girl guest chef friends and i usually do which only extends the entire farm-to-table process to just about the whole day, but the guys typically come just to eat. an admirable quality on mr. grismer’s.

i went to work on the broth— dashi, water, miso, and sriracha. weeknights usually aren’t conducive to large meal productions so this is the abbreviated version of ramen making. the guest chef did some work on the scallions, the flavored eggs, and the pork prep. diligence in mise en place without formal training? nice. he went so far to plate too. two more points for that guy. i was a little chickenshit to dilute the dashi a little more than 1 more cup of water than the 4 i already had in there. we used three packs of fresh ramen noodles which sucked up all the broth. womp womp.

here was the final product:

exponentially more flavor in the broth this time around. i did add a little more salt with the added water. that could have done it. maybe the company and the beer made it taste better.

who knows. all that matters is it tasted good. :)

- stella

local eats: eat cafe cerritos

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 16:04:29 -0700

sometimes, the right attitude and high level of customer service can make or break how good a meal tastes. you can go to an amazing fine dining experience, but have it ruined by a burned out old waiter or a snooty receptionist. however, sometimes the planets align, and you get the best of both worlds.

i recently found this oddly placed cafe in the cerritos business park not too long ago. today, paulie and i decided to meet up for lunch, and he was in the mood for sandwiches. normally, i tend to shy away from sandwiches, only because i’m not a huge fan and i always think of the crappy bologna and white bread ones my grandma used to pack for my lunch on occasion instead of her usual bread with pancake syrup, sugar, and butter. ah yes, the good old days.

eat cafe is a pretty small place in the corner of a business building. it is really quite quaint, with bright orange chairs and simple menus. seriously, a no frills sort of deal. i love that. i also love the fact that this is one of the few non-asian, non-chain eatery; a minority in the surburbia that is cerritos.

they offer your regular classic sandwiches- tuna salad, clubs, hoagies… and the not-so-classic roast turkey with onion crisps, and brie and cranberry. this place also carries paninis, bagels, salads, and small pastries.

we were warmly greeted when we walked in, and the girl behind the desk made a few recommendations, which were the turkey with onion crisps, and the turkey club. paulie and i got one of each, and added on the special, a side of chips and a drink, for just a dollar more. not bad at all. in addition, we ordered a tomato bisque for kicks.

while we were waiting for our order, we asked the manager, a nice middle aged man with an english accent, about the type of coffee he served. he serves pasquini, which is an italian roast. since we asked about it, he whipped us up two lattes, one caramel and one white chocolate, on the house. awesome! in addition, he gave us a few samples of a strawberry shortcake sort of smoothie, also on the house.

when our sandwiches came out, they definitely were of substantial size, and the soup was a good portion as well

turkey club, sans tomato para mi:

roasted turkey with onion crisps para paulie g:

the baguettes were perfect- nicely crisp on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. the way that baguettes were intended to be. no stale bread here.

the tomato biqsue was great as well, with just the right amount of chunkiness from the tomato and not too creamy at all. just the way i like it:

the potato chips seemed like they were made in-house as well:

i will be back for more.

- small fry

eat cafe
17785 center court drive, suite 185
cerritos, ca 90703
562.402.4400

brunch chronicles: 240 south

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 19:08:42 -0700

as an avid breakfast food person, i will gladly forego eating lunch and snacks for the the rest of the day if i can have a fantastic meal in the mid morning hours. nothing gets me out of bed on a sunday morning that i would normally be fatting it around until about noon like brunch with the girls. it was my dear friend jazzy’s birthday, and what better way kick off the start of yet another wonderful year of life than to celebrate with good eats. she suggested 240 south in brea, ca, and though i had been curious about this spot, i had seen mixed reviews about this restaurant on yelp. nevertheless, i gladly came along, hoping that this would surprise me and actually turn into a gem of a spot.

brea isn’t exactly known to be a mecca of foodie spots, but i was pleasantly surprised by the quality of food and how solid the menu was. anytime i see more than a few items that i have to choose between, i am almost immediately at attention.

the weekend that we had brunch, it was a week before my first full marathon. while all the girls had bottomless mimosas,

i had to settle for coffee

even my preggo friend got her iced tea in a special glass. wtf.

sigh. it’s ok. the food and company more than made up for my inability to throw back a few.

we started off the meal with duck fat fries (of course):

3 of us, including myself, ordered the duck confit hash. duck confit always screams, “helllooooo” to me whenever it is featured on a menu. so, yes, i ordered that. full of flavor with the duck done just right. not bad at all, i must say.

i was torn between the duck and this dish, the seafood benedict:

they also had their standard benny, which was equally tasty:

my carb-conscious friend, who is competing in a fitness challenge got a healthy and delicious omelette, with some fat slabs of bacon. hell yes to thick cut:

the only complaint i had with the restaurant was the service. kinda slow, especially for the fact that we were the only party out on the patio, and i had to constantly remind the server to refill my coffee. hey, man. if he’s gonna refill the bottomless mimosas, he better come out with a coffee carafe, too.

we also brought jazzy some cupcakes, cuz how else would one celebrate a birthday without a cake, right? the staff was really gracious about bringing out small plates and, while they didn’t have any candles, were good sports and sang, “happy birthday” along with us.

i do believe i will be back, now that i am no longer trying to stay sober.

- small fry

240 south restaurant and wine bar
240 s. brea blvd
brea, ca 92821
714.912.1053
www.two40south.com

beignets, brews, and a little southern comfort.

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 23:30:27 -0700

these last 7 days have been particularly busy in the kitch.

i should mention that small fry and i are getting together tomorrow night for dinner to welcome her back to civilization. location TBD, but i’m sure you’ll read about it. in fact, i promise.

i bought the cafe du monde mix a few weeks ago when i was in SD and finally got around to making them. i will say the texture is very different from the oven baked ones i’ve made before but deep fried usually makes things taste better.

so as part of domestics week, i learned how to brew my own beer thanks to the brooklyn brewing kit and a little coaching from the guys at o’shea’s in laguna niguel. ever want to learn anything about beer, these are the guys to see. this batch was the stout. it’ll be ready in time for a thanksgiving unveiling.

here’s a few images from the process:

making the mash.

boiling the wort.

fermenting.

and i drew some fancy labels for my test batch. that’s so me. :)

ever since my dad learned of my cooking abilities, i’m now his personal chef for meetings he hosts at the house. no joke. he sent a mass text to his sibs calling me exactly that.

on the menu: fried okra served with cider vinegar, honey ginger glazed ribs, and a mushroom risotto.

i should mention this is the first instance of me eating okra. it was fantastic.

the people i live with are spoiled. :)

- stella

this week in dishes: week of october 12.

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 23:00:42 -0700

it is amazing what you can accomplish when you’re on funemployment. (positive thinking :))

oddly enough, i’ve been just as busy not working than working. go figure.

i had to square away some of my affairs earlier in the week and i’ve managed to give birth to a few crazy ideas. i toured the culinary school at the art institute. i’m in love . … but $30k is a bit rich for love. however, i’m not ruling out starting in january. O_O

i’ve been dying to try making scones. so this is my first attempt at a ham, cheese, and chives scone. everyone lived. lol. it tasted like a giant cheez-it.

for week 4 of the weird series we’re doing at church, i made pizza for the first time with trader joe’s whole wheat pizza dough. toppings include balsamic mushrooms, goat cheese and grilled asparagus.

i walked into bristol farms randomly and found these two little gems:

the curry one? not so good. but i highly recommend the Goji bar if you can find it. i’m more of a milk chocolate fan over dark chocolate which is strange because my tastebuds have graduated to the darker beers.

i finally got around to going to the crosby. i think i’m a little too old for the multiple location route in one evening. met up with my old coworkers at the crow bar for a pliny the elder (russian river) and a craftsman brew i can’t remember the name of. look them up. they’re in pasadena. had the smoked wagyu burger . . what got me was the fried egg. i’m such a sucker.

i found the cafe du monde beignet mix while i was at cost plus in SD on saturday. another blog to follow.

i decided this week i was going to take up sewing. why sewing? so i can make myself an apron i like. my next side project is to make some kitchen textiles— aprons, tablecloths, runners, and placemats. my theory is that if you make what you want to see in the world, if at the very least, you’ve solved your own problem.

- stella

sur la table cooking class. ribollita, pumpkin ravioli, and...

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 22:29:45 -0700

sur la table cooking class. ribollita, pumpkin ravioli, and seared steak.

this week in dishes: week of october 6.

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 13:32:25 -0700

for as picky of an eater as i can be, i’m as equally non-committal about the places i shop to find groceries for the week. it’s always mood dependent.

this week was zion market with some support from trader joes.

i forgot to mention that this week one of our vendors is hosting a cooking class for me and some other people at work at sur la table. jack-effin-pot. i think it’s italian themed. blog to follow …

as for the things coming out of my kitch, here’s the spread:

kalbi tacos a la kogi truck recipe

whole wheat pizza with goat cheese, cremini mushrooms in a balsamic reduction, and arugula

agave glazed pork belly served with okra with scallions, lime and ginger and mac and cheese.

miso glazed sea bass with chinese broccoli and white rice.

those are the things of note. i have a mac and cheese on standby for this giant block of cheddar i bought at costco but that may be fairly standard to feature here.

-stella

k-town isn't just good for k-bbq anymore

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 21:52:00 -0700

image c/o yelp.com

it’s been awhile since i had gotten to go out and try out a nice new spot and enjoy some good eats. as of late, i’ve been stressing out over my upcoming nclex-rn exam, and how incredibly slow the state of california board of registered nursing takes to process an application to take boards. yes, i know that they really shouldn’t rush the whole process with the fact that these applicants will be people who will potentially have lives in their hands. yes, these people will have the power to give drugs. but, i, small fry, am one hot potato and am growing impatient as the days go on. so when i get stressed, there is nothing that i like to do better than two things: eat and work out. i know those things probably don’t go together, but at least they (sometimes) negate each other.

pg and i decided (or more so he needed to contain my growing craziness) to try out this new spot in k-town. with the abundance of gastropubs popping up all over southern california, this one looked interesting, with a slightly eccentric menu. kimchi grilled cheese? ok, fine.

the thing that sucks, though, is i have embarked on staying dry (read, sober) until my marathon on october 14. for a person who enjoys drinks as much as the food, i felt that my experience at this restaurant was incomplete without the beer because as most people know, gastropubs usually have a great selection of beers, and this place was no exception. they carried hatachiko, a japanese white ale that i had first tried at jasper’s in san francisco. they also have a few drafts, if you are so inclined to buy a pitcher.

i had to settle for a blood orange soda. woot.

per usual, pg and i split a whole bunch of plates.

duck fries: crispy and piping hot, as duck fries should be. i totally forgot that they also can serve this with duck confit. boo. i guess there is also next time.

pork confit tacos:tasty, but i think i would have liked a little bit more fattiness in the flavor. also, they weren’t served as hot as the fries, so that kind of took away from the dish. however, still solid. served with a nice green papaya salad.

double pub burger: this was actually my favorite dish of the night, aside from the duck fat fries. good flavor on the meat, served on a soft, but not soggy ala-umami-burger brioche bun. yes, i said soggy umami burger. i don’t care what people say. that place sucks. i hate soggy burger buns. i don’t care how amazing their meat and toppings are.

kimchi fideo pasta:i wasreallyinterested in getting this, and it made me override my initial choice of the kimchi bacon grilled cheese, which is what got me to come here in the first place. i liked the concept, but the flavor was a bit underwhelming. i mean, it was definitely good, but not mind-blowingly amazing. they added pork confit to the dish, but i think a hardier pork addition would have made this an a+ dish.

in the end, i think that this place is definitely worth another try. i will most definitely try the kimchi bacon grilled cheese, and they also serve paella, but you need to inform the restaurant 24 hours in advance so that they have the seafood ingredients freshly ordered. a bit of a hassle, but still a notable point. the chef/owner, farid, was wonderful and stopped by to make sure that we were enjoying our meal. that, in itself, warrants another visit.

- small fry

spanish fly gastropub
3800 wilshire Bblvd
Ste 110
los angeles, ca 90010
213.412.2992

http://spanishflygastropub.com/

do unto others.

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 22:04:00 -0700

you could call me the committee queen.

this year, anyway. i’ve probably volunteered to do more things in the last 9 months simultaneously than in an aggregate of the last 28 years. i could suffer from chronic busyness.

this week’s going to be a little crazy in the kitchen.

i’m hosting a connection group for the next 6 weeks which means i have 7 new people to try new recipes on, other than the people that live in this house and people i work with.

last week i made a deconstructed shepherd’s pie with the cherry tomato sauce in my last blog. the deconstructed part came in the form of smashed potatoes that i roasted.

this week, i’m doing a cold soba salad and garlic roasted chicken. easy and fresh. for the soba salad, i pickled some daikon radishes with thanks to my grandma who’s staying with us for the evening, teaching me.

the way she taught me to do is to season the daikon in salt to release all the water. mix it around to coat it well and squeeze it out before pouring the excess water into a cup. measure out equal parts fresh water and vinegar each equivalent to the amount of water collected from the salt coat. boil the water, vinegar, and a few tablespoons of sugar. add the radishes til softened. jar immediately.

i’m also cooking for the duo baby showers at work on wednesday.

my thought was to do a mexican spread so here’s what we’ve got in prep:

dip trio:

guacamole

spicy queso

roasted eggplant and red pepper

finger foods:

tomatillo glazed meatballs

dessert:

tres leches cake … not sure cupcakes are a viable option with this flavor since there is nowhere for the milk to go but pool at the bottom of the cupcake wrapper if it doesn’t get absorbed. but we will see.

so far, the queso has been made with two mason jars to spare for those interested in the overflow. the meatballs have been formed and seasoned. the eggplant is currently roasting as we speak. i roasted the tomatillos for the barbeque sauce but need the drippings from the meatballs before the sauce can move forward.

i’m also dying to make some mac with the enormous block of cheddar i got from costco as well as some alfredo sauce for my butternut squash ravioli from trader joe’s.

my brother and i are talking about doing a beer class and then my cousin and i were talking about doing a bingo night.

we will see how it all turns out. photos to follow …

- stella