Gourmet Musings

Do the Doo.

2008-06-30T14:22:00.000-07:00

I feel obligated to tell you something....

Stop drinking that soda!!

I have gotten a total of 7 hours of sleep in the past 2 days. Hence, I had to break down and grab a soda from my office's endless supply. (I can't maintain this smile without some artificial enhancer) After drinking an entire can of Mountain Dew... here is what I discovered:

Contains: Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Concentrated Orange Juice, Citric Acid, Natural Flavors, Sodium Benzoate, Caffeine, Sodium Citrate, Erythorbic Acid, Gum Arabic, Calcium Disodium Edta, Brominated Vegetable Oil, Yellow 5.

Here is what Wikipedia has to say about Brominated Vegetable Oil:
side effects such as depression, memory loss, hallucinations, violent tendencies, seizures, cerebral atrophy, acute irritability, tremors, ataxia, confusion, loss of peripheral vision, slurred speech, stupor, tendon reflex changes, photophobia due to enlarged pupils, and extensor plantar responses.[2]

In one case, a man who drank eight liters of Ruby Red Squirt daily had a reaction that caused his skin color to turn red and produced lesions diagnosed as bromoderma. The excessive quantities together with the fact that the man had a higher than normal sensitivity to bromine, made this an unusual case.[3] A similar case reported that a man who consumed two to four liters of a cola containing BVO on a daily basis experienced memory loss, tremors, fatigue, loss of muscle coordination, headache, ptosis of the right eyelid as well as elevated serum chloride.

The best part about all this? 46 grams of sugar. 46!!!!

Excuse me while I go purge myself.

ps, I love the snippet about the man who turned red!!!! ... please don't let the Dew turn me yellow.....

Edit:

eat. drink. and be merry.

2008-06-28T16:48:00.000-07:00

Well the apology post will be up......... ok, who am I kidding? I won't be issuing an apology post - hopefully you will just accept my meek apologies for leaving you stranded these many months.

Linda's hilarious comment below, "i think that this means you've not eaten since you moved up north...sad." captures my past year quite well. Not that I haven't eaten at all because that would have been an amazing diet plan, but rather, that I haven't eaten anything that was quite blog-worthy. Well, unless y'all were interested in my random concoctions that looked more like a meal for a dog than a human. haha..Such is the life of a student I suppose.

For those of you who are interested, last August, I made the six hour trek to the fine city of Sacramento. Despite my initial reservations about a city with a lack of ....... EVERYTHING "southern-californian, orange county", Sac-to is proving to be a city of hidden jewels.

I did suffer a few months of a syndrome I'd like to call, "whatever". Everything I did and everything I ate was seasoned with a little bit of tasteless spice. In fact, I questioned the point of eating good food, indulging in fine things.... but I suppose that is a topic for a different blog.

All this to say, I'm back! Alive, kicking, and ready to devour everything in sight! I'm ready to live life.

So for those of you that find yourself in Sactown one day... please stop by Old Soul at the Weatherstone. Their sandwiches, espresso, lattes, teas are amazing. I had the portobello mushroom sandwich and soy latte today.

Oh, and it's a great place to people watch. Please join me :)

til next time (I won't wait a year, I promise) tootles.

Old Soul at the Weatherstone
812 21st Street
Sacramento, CA 95811
916.443.6348

I'm leaving on a jet plane...

2007-08-04T04:02:00.001-07:00

Well one that comes in the form of a charcoal Nissan Titan.

It's 4 am on Saturday morning and it is finally hitting me that I will be leaving Orange County in approximately 6 hours. But the thing that keeps me from hitting the sack (besides the stack of things that need to be packed) is the nagging thought that I have about 8 reviews that should have been done months ago...

It's ok...

2007-06-12T16:31:00.000-07:00

Come out from the corner, get out of the fetal position, and stop crying....

I'm still alive! I've been out of commission for a while.... that's what a root canal and 4 cavities will do to you. Actually I've been eating pretty well but I gotta say that I'm losing my drive.

Clearly, as the slew of comments indicate, this has deeply affected many of you. For that, I apologize.

Here's something to keep you thinking...

no.... la.

2007-05-18T10:45:00.001-07:00

It definitely ain't NO..L.A.

La Nouvelle-Orléans.

New Orleans is a city-state if you will. It's so rich in culture and holds deep roots of family and history (and money). The influence of the south as well as the french has made for a place that is nowhere like any other. This is best seen in the variety of foods that you will find and although I wasn't able to have all the best food in the city (no crawfish) - I still loved all the great people I met and the food we were able to enjoy together.

After a long delayed flight, I was greeted with a bag of Chick-Fil-A. Although there are a few chains around town, I don't think they're as popular as they are in the south. Chick-Fil-A used to be a sabbath splurge when I lived in Atlanta. haha.

The next morning we settled into our guest house on Magazine Street. Magazine St is interesting because it is a mile away from downtown and the northern part of Magazine Street is pretty worn down. Some portions of it are industrial and then a few broken down houses but as you head south, you find a very bourgeois sector of the city. The homes that you pass are beautiful - shrouded by massive pillars and two story porches. Fleur de lys are all over the place and there's a very strong sense of unity in the air -- no one wants to forget who they are and the tragedy that has brought them together.

So our first "real" meal was at Juan's Flying Burrito. And yeah, I'll admit I was a bit skeptical eating a burrito in New Orleans. But hey, I was hungry and I was willing to eat anything.

flying... donkey?

I got myself the Jerk Chicken Burrito.. It definitely wasn't a pollo asado but it was still mighty tasty. Although I have to say that the jerk chicken tasted more like roasted chicken. I was hungry and there was hot sauce to excite my tastebuds. That's all I needed.

We rested a bit and then met a few more people and dragged them back out to Magazine Street. I forgot how humid the south gets... and they made sure we wouldn't ever forget again. It's the kind of weather where you'll take a shower and then sweat as soon as you step out. But I guess it's kind of nice - a free sauna, clears up your pores!

We were swimming in the humid crust and could barely see as the sweat dripped down our faces and matted hair at the nape of our necks. Our jeans clung closely and uncomfortably chafed the skin. We found a gelateria that gleamed with frosty display cases and colorful flavors. I'm sure we looked like salivating dogs in front of a butcher shop. I read that Sucre was a million dollar renovation and I'm not too surprised. The interior was beautifully done, minimalistic furniture and a clean aesthetic. The gelato didn't disappoint either.

*o*!! Coconut Fudge. I liked that the chocolate taste didn't overwhelm the coconut and it wasn't overly sweet.

Have you ever taken a ripe, cold mango out of the fridge, peeled it and just went at it with the flesh? The juice drips down your chin on to your clothes but all you can think about is the way that the mango transports you to a world of hot ladies, mai tais, and salty oceans. That's what this mango sorbet was like.... I'm still thinking about it!

It was finally time for dinner... so we made our way to:

Do you believe in magic?

VooDooBBQ

I had myself the slow cooked brisket platter. Sides of corn pudding, baked beans and texas toast. The beans were delicious! Swimming in a sweet, juicy soup. The corn pudding was a bready version of corn bread -- but lacked the dry texture of cornbread, this pudding was absolute. Kernels of corn helped break up the smooth pudding. Yum.

The brisket on the other hand? Dry. dry dry dry dry dry.

I guess that's what sauce is for! Cane vinegar, Mango crystal, and MOJO sauce!! The mango crystal was the absolute best. I'm assuming they added "Crystal Hot Sauce", hence the name. I couldn't taste the mango, but I could sense the nectar like sweetness. It revived the juices in my brisket and .... revived my meaning in life. Mmmm. The mojo was a standard BBQ with a vinegar kick that added much needed flavor to the brisket.

Here it is! We can all use a little bit of sauce in our lives. Saucy saucy.

On Saturday, I had red beans and rice as well as an oyster po boy. (Forgot to take pictures) Red beans and rice, is a slow simmered dish of ham hock, andouille sausage, and sausage links. How tasty! I also had an oyster po boy which was de-li-ci-ous! Although I'll have to say that I think that po boys are a bit too bready for my taste. The french bread is overwhelming and the filling too dry. It may have just been the place we got our food from. But fried oysters? Oh my.

That evening we visited Chartres House Cafe in the French Quarter. The wknd we were in New Orleans happened to be Jazz Fest so there were plenty of revelers around.

Food. I had "A Taste of New Orleans" From the top - clockwise: Rice Jambalaya, Chicken and Andouille Gumbo, and Red Beans and Rice. The whole dinner was a blur but I really enjoyed the food and it was a lot more than it looks. I could barely finish the three bowls.

After dinner we walked around the French Quarter a bit and saw some street performers!

The kind that only performs when you drop change in the bucket. fairies.

Right across the street was the famous Cafe du Monde where hoards of people were sipping cafe au laits and consuming delicate fried pillows of goodness!

There were so many people there! It was crazy because there is a whole bunch of outdoor seating and you just sit and wait. It was a bit of chaotic order.

An order of three french doughnuts = $1.59!! Can you believe it.

This isn't a very good picture but hopefully you get the idea. Pillows! of fried goodness, dusted with white heavenly powder. They tasted the best freshly out of the fryer, not so much when they had cooled down a bit.

Can you tell I was stuffed silly?? I kept forgetting to take pictures because I was having such a great time...

And for those of you that were in NOLA with me, I'd like to leave you with this picture:

Thanks for stopping by.

Mother's Day

2007-05-13T10:17:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms and to-be moms out there!

Work.

2007-05-10T23:38:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to post some pictures of an event I worked a few months ago.

This was the table that seated a few powerful people in my realm of work.

Isn't this arrangement beautiful? Done by Petals in Huntington Beach.

The event was an annual lecture on cancer, so most of the food here is considered "cancer-fighting" foods, chock full of antioxidants. The food here was not for the long table but for those attending the lecture.

Eat your vegetables!

Protein.

The best day ever.

2007-05-10T23:25:00.000-07:00

What happens when my bf spoils me rotten?! He feeds me. Again and again and again.

We happened to be celebrating our 3rd year together... and although we don't live in much of a "city", we had a blast restaurant hopping (driving) around town.

It happened to be Friday, April 13th, when we celebrated. Our first stop was to King's Fish House in Long Beach. We both love us some oysters so we started off with the Oyster Sampler.

We had 12 (2 of the first three and 1 one of the rest). Oh they were amazing. I personally had no idea that oysters could taste so different. Some were overly salty, some tasted too distinctly like the ocean, others sailed smoothly down our throats.

A little bit of fresh horseradish, squeeze of lemon, and tabasco topped off the appetizers. They also served the oysters with what I believe is a mignonette.

Clearly, we enjoyed them.

This is H's clambake. Do you see that steam?! The yellowish sauce is clarified butter and the second sauce to its left is a marsala wine broth. Every thing was delicious, isn't that what butter is for?! Although the lobster was a bit overcooked. But his dish was incredibly well seasoned, brightening the flavors of the sea and bringing forth the distinct sense of summer! (even in April)

Here is my dish: Macadamia Crusted Halibut. And fries. Yes, fries. I love me some fries. So the vegetables are obviously to help negate all ill effects of the fried potatoes. But the fries tasted like they came from the freezer and they were a bit too soft. The fish on the other hand was fresh, fresh fresh! The macadamia was a beautiful paring and wrapped the fish in a crunchy, buttery, smooth texture.

Next stop! Dessert...

Not too far from downtown Long Beach is Belmont Shore, a quaint area with local restaurants and boutiques. La Creperie Cafe is one of those places that always seems to have a long line. I've gone for brunch before but never for dessert, so imagine my excitement!

We had the Poire Belle Helene. What a beautiful name. Chocolate sauce, pear slices, toasted almonds, and Frangelico liquor, topped with vanilla ice cream. The filling was tart, like a pear that hadn't ripened, and didn't carry enough sweetness for me. Also, the crepe was a bit rubbery and it was obvious when neither of us were too keen on finishing it. Maybe next time I'll try the Romeo and Juliet: Nutella, bananas, and strawberries. Yum!

Our last stop, wine!:

The Twisted Vine is a new wine bar that opened up in Downtown Fullerton. It's right across the street from Steamers Jazz Cafe and Table Ten. It's an awkward set up because you walk in and there isn't anyone to greet you. I watched a few people mull in the front for a few minutes before they self consciously walked to the bar in the center of the room. And even at the bar the bartenders stare at you for a few seconds before they point out that there's a waiting list on the table. So you write your name and then what?! I don't know. H and I just plonked ourselves down at a mini seating area that looks like it was meant for miniature children. We asked for menus and waited about 7 minutes before the menus ever came. Isn't the protocol supposed to be like 30 seconds before you start getting angry? I'm just kidding. We had fun just people watching and analyzing the bar's architectural design. Finally we got our server to take our orders and bring out our drinks:

H had the Santa Ema red wine from Chile. His glass was $6 and a very standard red wine. I on the other hand went to a wine bar to have a beer. What do you know about that! Haha, I had the Floris Apple White Beer from Belgium. $8. Sweet, bubbly and tastes like juice. Just my kind of alcohol.

Now on to the real stuff. Clearly, as you can tell, I am not a wine or beer or mixed drink connoisseur, I am more interested in the food. This was the best cheese platter (their current selection) I had ever ever had. The small cheese platter came with (L-R) Blue Cheese with honey, a whipped Brie, and Parmigiano-Reggiano with an apricot curd. wow.

H was PRAYING that they would bring out blue cheese as one of the three. Was he happy when he smelled the stink from a distance. The sharp, moldy blue cheese was the most amazing pairing. Pieces of the honeycomb came swirled in with the honey and if you want to talk sweety & savory, this my friend is it. This is it!

The brie was just a nice way to clean the palate.

The parmigiano-reggiano with the apricot curd was also an incredibly inventive (in my book, which is still in it's first edition so excuse me if that is an ignorant statement) way to pair sweet and savory. But parmigiano-reggiano can be a bit tough to eat with a baguette... so the blue cheese and honey were my favorite.

Shared joy is double joy :)

Creativity

2007-05-10T23:21:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know... I am not a very creative person. I like to color in between the lines and follow directions. Therefore, I am not the most creative cook nor the most inspirational. I just take other peoples ideas and make them my own. So here are just a smattering of foods I have made in the past few days.

This was using Giada's Pizza dough recipe, found here. Instead of all purpose flour, I used 2 cups of 100% of whole wheat. But we all know what happens when you use whole wheat -- the dough as you can see is dry and brittle and not tender and crispy as promised.

I had tomatoes, olives, and basil on hand so there you have it.

Tips for next time would be to let it rise longer (I only let it rise for 40 minutes because I was in a rush), use more cheese, and mix a bit of all-purpose flour to tenderize the dough.

I also made a Coffee Bundt Cake from Martha Stewart's November 2006 Living magazine. I can't find the recipe anywhere on her website so here it is:

Aunt Patty's Coffee Cake
Makes one 10-inch cake

For the filling:
3 Tblsp. sugar
4 1/2 teapoons instant coffee ranules
4 1/2 teapsoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

For the batter:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup sour cream, room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the filling: Stir together sugar, coffee, and cocoa powder in a small bowl; set aside.

2. Butter a 10-inch (12-cup) Bundt pan. Dust with flour, and tap out excess. Make the batter: Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Mix in eggs, one at a time. Mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with sour cream. Add vanilla, and mix 1 minute.

3. Spread one-third of the batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with half the filling. Spread another third of the batter on top, followed by the remaining filling. Spread remaining batter over top. Run a thin knife through batter to marbelize.

4. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, 35 to 38 minutes. Let cool 30 minutes. Invert onto a plate.

I made a few adjustments by adding yogurt instead of sour cream and reduced the sugar to 1/2 a cup. I don't know how much of a difference that would make to the fat intake, but I guess every little bit counts. Although we did pay for it because the cake was not as moist as I would have liked and a little bit too dense. Eh, I guess it's a trade off.

I also made another bundt cake this week: Banana Bundt Cake. I did the same with this one, reducing the sugar and the butter by 1/2 a cup. Still dense and dry, but still tasty.

Those are my adventures for the week..

Celebrate Good Times, Come on!

2007-05-07T22:09:00.000-07:00

The local university, UC Irvine lumped three events on April 21 to celebrate Earth Day, Wayzgoose Medieval Faire, and the 8th annual car show.

Alumni Hospitality Tent -- beer, courtesy of Steelhead Brewery.

What was I doing there?!

Alright, I'll give it up.
I hold a lot of power.

None of you young 'uns are getting past me without proper ID!

Where's your wristband?!

On to the food.... the food was being sold by student/faculty/staff organizations. Here is an assortment of the food I ate that day:

The essentials for a delicious Falafel sandwich. All the pretty colors.

I especially appreciated the dedication to cleanliness - the student had on clean gloves and didn't once accept money! What a rarity.

Pupusa from one of the fraternities. This was my first pupusa and although it was a bit cold and stale by the time we sat down to eat, it was quite delicious. Tart, salty, and packed with flavor.

Courtesy of the Buddhist Club. Noodles and tofu with peanut sauce. The spring rolls were filled with bean sprouts and more of the noodles. Bland and lacked depth... but I guess that is the Buddhist way - simplicity.

What would the day be without dessert!?

Strickland's Ice Cream.

Talk about creaaaammmy! Yum.

The rest are just some fun pictures from the day:

Tarantulas...??
Peter the beloved anteater.

Bull riding.

Medieval Faire.

If you're in the neighborhood during April, Wayzgoose is a fun event to attend as an alum, a student, as family, as just bored people on a Saturday, or people like me who had to work the beer garden! And let it be known that I am not an alumna of uci... but I do love the anteater!

Wayzgoose
University of California, Irvine
April 21, 2007

One of these is unlike the other...

2007-05-07T21:12:00.000-07:00

(Left: Strawberry from Tanaka Farms; Right: Strawberry from my breakfast from Britta's Cafe)

This brings forth a slew of issues about organic produce, pesticides, genetic modification and the possible effects on our bodies of both the organic and inorganic foods we consume everyday. I personally am not too caught up in "going organic" but this picture has raised some questions in my mind.

Maybe if I ate the strawberry on the left I would grow taller.......

Cheapest Date Ever

2007-05-02T22:26:00.000-07:00

Just to make a note of it, Gabbi's Mexican Kitchen has an amazing tasting Grana Mojito, with just the right amount of alcohol to boot! As some of you may know... I am a lightweight. Yes yes I will confess, and I'm Korean for goodness sakes! Well, let's blame it on my petite frame. Anyways, I am the cheapest date ever, because after a few sips you've officially gotten me drunk. Haha.

On the rare occasions that I will have something to drink, I usually would like it to be a representation of myself. Nothing too delicate and feminine and yet none of that hard liquor that makes me dizzy. I need for it to be a dollop of femininity and seduction, a dose of feminism, and a serving of that boyish charm. Gabbi's Grana Mojito (fresh lime, lime juice, pomegranate juice, and rum served on the rocks) isn't strong enough to make me aware that I am being seduced by the alcohol nor is it sweet enough to remind me that I am drinking something that belongs to a girl. In fact, it has a subtle sexiness to it, it's everything you want your girl to be! Yeah that's right, that's me! Eh what do I know. But it was a wonderful drink and all you ladies out there need to give it a try!!

Gabbi's Mexican Kitchen
141 South Glassell
Orange, CA 92866

Dragon Breath!

2007-05-02T09:10:00.000-07:00

Need I say more?! Check out Elmomonster , he's got an incredibly descriptive piece on his experience at Sahara Falafel.

Sahara Falafel
590 S. Brookhurst Street
Anaheim, CA 92804
714-491-0400

I know I'm backed up right now...

2007-05-01T16:16:00.000-07:00

But I have to make the announcement....

I saw this on Kaon Ta:

Baskin Robbins is having their 31 cent Scoop Night to honor the National Fallen Firefighters. 5-10 pm!

Woo!

Jules.

jules wants cow, now!

2007-04-25T12:35:00.000-07:00

I love me some meat. Would you believe me if I told you that I grew up vegetarian most of my life? Mostly because I had no other choice. After many years of vegetarian meals, I have made my own choice to become a carnivore. You should see the look of disdain from my parents when I mention my love for meat. My first real encounter with meat was when I was in college and one of my roommates brought home Kim Chi JJi Gae with pork. OH man!!!!

Anyways, to celebrate my love for meat, I visited Greenfield Churrascaria in Long Beach. From what I have heard, the Greenfield in Long Beach is much more well-maintained as opposed to its sister restaurant in West Covina.

Here's what we ate:

These are the side dishes...

Skirt Steak
More meat...

Quail!

According to their website, these are the meats they offer: Various sirloins, ribs and steaks; pork, chicken, lamb, duck, rabbit and other, slowly grilled in Brazilian's unique way. All meat are carried the freshly from the bbq. pit to the tables, and sliced juicy portions off the skewers on the plates.

$15.95 for lunch
$27.95 for dinner

It was a great meal. :) In your face mom and dad, ha! Hahaa, just kidding...

Green Field Churrascaria
5305 East Pacific Coast Highway
Long Beach, CA 90804

peace.

2007-04-17T10:09:00.000-07:00

In light of the recent tragedies at Virginia Tech, we here at Gourmet Musings mourn and grieve with the victims, families, and friends. The privilege of enjoying each other, enjoying food and enjoying life is one that is sometimes taken too lightly. However, today we are reminded that these things are not a right, but rather a privilege.

Our heart goes out to each person who has been personally affected by this event and even those who have not. During this difficult time we pray for peace and that we will be brought together as a community, as Americans, and as humanity.

Ohmygod Becky....

2007-04-16T22:38:00.000-07:00

To be honest, the food is not even worth mentioning at this place. I found the pizza to be dry and the pasta too salty. And besides, I took terrible pictures of the food... so instead of food, today I would like to talk about this place!! It's a riot!! Would ya just look at those decorations?!! It's quite a circus.

This picture is a bit dark, but those are acrobats in the air. Acrobats! Albeit, FAKE acrobats... but nonetheless, acrobats.

Womens legs covered in fishnet stockings. Hm. Some kind of strange fetish I assume?

Clowns.... scary.

We all have those local Italian restaurants that have off the wall paintings and paraphernalia, right? This is that on crack. It is is a fun place for a bunch of friends to be loud and obnoxious or a good party place for a bunch of wild kids. There's even a "game room" (code word for dungeon - consider yourself warned!) in the basement. But the food? Eh, not so much.

Angelo's and Vinci's
550 N. Harbor Blvd
Fullerton, CA 92832

Hey Peachie, how you doin?!

2007-04-16T22:04:00.000-07:00

Plums - the name of this cafe was originally inspired by the pet name "Peach" which owner Kim Jorgenson picked up from a pimp while waitressing in LA. Plums seemed a little too racy, so she opted for a sweeter name in the fruit family. She hails from Oregon which is a pseudo hometown of mine (lived there from 5th - 7th grade), so I think we have a connection there...

Anyways, the cafe is a nice sanctuary to the crazy 17th street of Costa Mesa, and they serve some delicious breakfast foods. Once my co-worker and I went out to Plum's at 9:30 in the morning to grab ourselves Dungeness Crab and asparagus omelettes. Which then ensued a weekly craving for Plums.

So here I am with some old roommates... just having ourselves some fun!

That's my Alderwood Smoked Salmon Hash with poached eggs and hollandaise.

That is the infamous Dungeness Crab and Asparagus Omelet... including E and her bling!

M's Santa Fe Eggs Benedict on a fresh baguette.

Oh and they do have Mimosas, although I couldn't stomach having one at 8 in the morning. Instead I had an English Breakfast tea with fresh leaves ...

*I apologize for the blurry photos, I'm still learning the art of taking a still photo.....

Plums Cafe
369 E 17th Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92627

My first time.

2007-04-16T21:44:00.000-07:00

This seems inhumane, but I will confess - that I had quail eggs for the first time. When I ate quail meat for the first time, I felt as though I was committing a cardinal sin for eating something so tiny and delicate.
I found this photo on Google Images and I apologize that it its a bit graphic. Anyways, here are the eggs that I ate:

I did a bit of research and found that 5 quail eggs is equivalent to 1 chicken egg. Obviously, the yolk-to-white ratio is higher, so the egg was yolkier, creamier, but packed the right amount of panache. Chicken eggs typically make me salivate like a dog who's just eaten peanut butter, but quail eggs didn't have the same effect. Dipped in some sea salt, they were quite alright - but wouldn't some creme fraiche and caviar be wonderful?!

I had this at a Korean sushi restaurant of all places. In fact, it came as a free side dish! That's my Karate target in the background ;)

Gwang Na Ru
18924 Norwalk Boulevard
Artesia, CA 90701

Zov it up!

2007-04-16T21:28:00.000-07:00

Let the pictures speak for themselves.....

Mezza Platter: hummus, stuffed grape leaves (this picture was obviously taken after the grape leaves were snatched), muhammara and pita bread

Lentil soup
Lamb Tagine
Fruit tart.

Oh, and Zov's just opened up a new location in Newport Coast. Welcome to the OC, *&!#$% (I just learned that today.... California, here we come!)

Zov's Cafe
17440 17th Street
Tustin, CA 92780

21123 Newport Coast Drive
Newport Coast, CA 92650

"O"

2007-04-14T09:29:00.000-07:00

I'll keep it short. I have 10 other places to review and some of you have been complaining about the long posts... so here are some pictures:

Howard's Bone in rib eye. Melt in your mouth delicious.

King Crab Legs. This was me for about 5 minutes ^o^. I was in shock! These were the best crab legs I have ever tasted. With eight legs, I was more than satisfied - and Howard had his share too!

We also had side dishes of lobster mashed potatoes and asparagus. For close to $22, the lobster mashed potatoes were not worth all its splendor. Asparagus is asparagus - we needed something to offset the cholesterol feast.

Mastro's Ocean Club is a trendier offspring of Mastro's Steak House. Their menu boasts of extensive seafood offerings and there is a unique method that they use to steam their seafood - I just cant recall what that is...The Newport Beach location is located in the Crystal Cove Promenade - the same plaza as Javier's, Pacific Whey Cafe, Bluefin, and Sage.

We weren't able to snag a seat near the window but I'm told that if you're seated at the right time - it's a sight to watch the sun go down.

Mastro's Ocean Club
8112 E. Coast Hwy
Newport Beach, CA 92657

Please be patient...

2007-03-26T16:03:00.000-07:00

I still have 6 more posts waiting on the back burner. I will try cranking them out as soon as I get some things in order... yikes!

This land is your land...

2007-03-26T15:46:00.000-07:00

As much as I want to show you guys an awesome profile of me devouring yogurt, I need to keep my identity a secret - in order to protect my reputation.

So as many of you have already ventured to the land of Yogurt, I will keep my words to a minimum.

That's a little bit of plain yogurt, green tea, cappuccino, strawberry -- I think I got nearly every flavor. Topped with blueberries, strawberries, kiwis, mangoes, raspberries, blackberries and cookie dough. The cappuccino was a bit too sweet for my liking but overall the creaminess of the yogurt won my heart. Pinkberry's icy yogurt definitely falls to the wayside of this wonderful blend of cream and ice. (I think that's what yogurt is made of...?) the frozen mangoes I could have done without... the blueberries were smushed but they tasted wonderful.

There's Howard's with a few different yogurt flavors, granola and pineapples. I'm not sure what the red stuff is.

Anyways, this is a fun place to enjoy dessert. $0.30 per ounce and 15 flavors. Check out Elmomonster's post for all their flavors.

YogurtLand
501 N State College Blvd.
Fullerton, CA 92831

Ain’t no sunshine…

2007-03-26T15:34:00.000-07:00

The Wall Street Journal recently did a highlight of the widespread influence that personal blogs are having on readers daily decisions. We’re actually beginning to trust the 18 year old gamer and the stay at home mom over critics who claim to be professionals. It’s true and I’m beginning to see this take effect in my own life. I read several blogs through the day and I’ll take intermittent breaks during work to see the newest feeds from my Google Reader. In fact most of my choices for restaurants, recipes and cosmetic selections come from other bloggers.

I’m hoping that this entry will wield this sort of influence over each of you.

You see, I have a problem with bad customer service… I’ve worked in customer service before and I know that offering good customer service is not actually a difficult job. So when I am at the butte of bad customer service, it really pisses me off. Secondly, when Asian girls give me attitude, uh-uh it’s over. My theory is that when girls are rude to each other, it’s their way of making their mark on their territory, namely “men”. Y’know, like animals. Trust me, honey, I’m not going to touch your man. Geez!

Anyways, on to the food. My brother, my mom, and I walked into Sushi 5, a rotating sushi bar, one Sunday evening per Elmomonster’s recommendation. I’ve been to Kaisen Kaiten, a rotating sushi bar in Santa Ana and have consistently had a wonderful experience. I expected much of the same from Sushi 5. Unfortunately, Murphy’s Law has a way of messing with me.

From the minute we walked in, two twenty-something female Asian servers walked right past us. Hm. Something’s fishy when you’re not greeted at the front door. Oh, and I forgot to mention the 5 signs that blared “PLEASE WAIT TO BE SEATED”. Anyways, one of the servers stands less than 2 feet in front of us sifting through receipts and nary a glance at the looming presence in front of her. I’m not one to be shy of expressing my disgust at bad customer service, so I asked her in the iciest tone of voice, “Excuse me, do you just want us to seat ourselves?!” Her response, “No, look at the sign, wait to be seated”. For those that know me and my skills, it took everything in my body not to bust out my black belt!!! (or red, if you’re being technical).

Finally, a male Asian server seats us and brings over a plate of watered down ginger slices and water that tastes like it’s been scooped out of the toilet. Here’s a visual. Looks are so deceiving.

The way that this restaurant works is that it assigns each table a color and when you order anything off of the menu, it comes atop a block that corresponds with your assigned color. I also noticed that there weren’t any items that didn’t come on a block, which technically means that this place is a sushi bar with a conveyor belt.

Anyways, before I start writing a novel about this place --- I’ll just say that had this place served fresh sushi, everything would be redeemed. Unfortunately, most of the fish tasted like it had rested a few too many days in the freezer. I’m not an EXPERT on sushi, but I do know that when tuna is light pink, it’s lost its freshness.

The hamachi, yellowtail, was the only redeeming item of the night, but even that didn’t produce any exclamations of joy.

Each pair of sushi was $2.50.

By the way there were random toys on the conveyor belt, a unicorn and the other a motorcyclist. Maybe because they knew that it would be better for their patrons to eat plastic objects than their old frozen sushi. Blech.

Sushi Five

13962 Newport Avenue

Tustin, CA 92780

Do ya miss me?!

2007-03-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

sorry,

i've been too busy eating.

come back soon!

Toast!

2007-03-05T10:39:00.000-08:00

I wanted to brag about my cousin.... who finished the Acura L.A. Bike Tour , hosted by the LA Marathon, in one hour and 20 minutes. She trained for a month to ride this 26 mile race and overcame as a stronger and more beautiful woman.

Hear Hear!! She is an inspiration to many.....

Congratulations Jane!!

La Luna!!

2007-02-28T11:38:00.000-08:00

I know I’m a few weeks late, but Happy Lunar New Year!!

Here is the meal I had to commemorate the occasion:

From L-R:

Banchan, Dduk-gook, Brown rice

Banchan is the Korean word for “side dish”. Clockwise from the top:

2 different Namuls (I don’t have a good description for this one, I don’t even really know what namul is… anyone ?)

Shi-geum-chi (wilted and garlic sauteed spinach)

Ggak-doo-gi (Radishes that have gone through the same fermentation process as kimchi)

Kimchi

Sang-sun-jun (These are fillets of fish, usually tilapia, that are coated in flour and dredged in an egg mixture then lightly pan fried until golden yellow)

Gal-bi-jjim (I know you can’t quite get a good look at this but see those two yellowish balls? Those are steamed radishes. See, the word JJIM is used to describe something that has been steamed. For example, there are these places called JJIM BHANG, they’re steam rooms/saunas where people like to sit in all their glory and release their toxins. Something like that, I don’t really like to think about what kinds of things I would see at place like that. Anyways, so gal-bi jjim takes the standard gal-bi marinade (soy sauce, sugar, salt, green onions, sesame seeds, and whatever else your family likes to throw in .. like kiwis, beer, etc.) and let the short-ribs marinate. And instead of using the grill, you would let it steam for a few hours along with some carrots and radishes. They’re quite tasty. I found a good recipe here.

This here is the Dduk-gook. Dduk is the word for RICE CAKE. And Gook is the word for soup. The translated version is always a bit rough around the edges. Rice cake soup, that sounds nasty. But dduk-gook… now that sounds TASTY. J

Dduk (rice cake) is traditionally eaten for the New Year as way to celebrate long life. Here’s a quick way to make dduk-gook.

Create a broth by simmering salted water with a slab of brisket or anchovies and kelp (vegetarian version).

Once you’ve got a nice tasty broth, throw in the rice cake ovalettes and if you like, you can throw down by adding mandoo (won tons) as well.

On this particular lunar new year, I was responsible for adding these beautiful toppings. I mean, can you believe the responsibility? I just couldn’t handle the pressure!

My grandma spent all day separating the eggs, whisking them, and creating omelette like molds all so she could slice them into nice thin strips.

And then that brisket, oh that brisket, seasoned with red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, garlic, and more sesame seeds. Separated piece by piece.

Sliced scallions and crumbled unseasoned seaweed.

Do you realize that without my handiwork, this would just be a bowl of murky water? Ha!

There's your Korean lesson for the day....

Live!

It's Bday Time

2007-02-15T23:18:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to Howard!
*pastries courtesy of Zov's Bistro

Zov's Bistro
17440 East 17th Street
Tustin, CA 92780

All you need is loooove!

2007-02-14T23:28:00.000-08:00

Hope y'all had a wonderful valentine's day.. whether it meant spending it with a significant other, your family , close friends, or even by yourself. Spend some time today expressing your love to those around you :)

Here are some pictures from my Valentine's Day...

Five, Four, Three, Two, One.......

2007-02-13T12:22:00.000-08:00

V-day countdown...

what do you have planned?

This week is a bit crazy for me.... but I'll have a lot of great posts when it's over!

Come back soon!

Orange you special...

2007-02-07T22:34:00.000-08:00

There’s something in Korean called “in-sahng”. “In-sahng” is a very hard word to translate, and I don’t know that there is one word in English that could capture all of its emotions and innuendos. The best definition would be: a vibe, an aura, an impression, a gut feeling that you get especially when talking about your very first interaction with a person. A lot of times we talk about “jo-eun in-sahng” meaning “a positive in-sahng” – or “na-bbeun in-sahng” meaning “a really bad in-sahng”. For those of you Korean readers, maybe you can help me expand on this.

I’ve met some guys in my life that have really given me the HEEBIE-JEEBIEs. You girls know what I’m talking about. Those shady guys that have a second agenda. *Shudder*. Bad Bad "in sahng". Hahaa…

On the other hand, there are a few people in my life that I’ve instantly connected to. I don’t necessarily care if you like the things I like or laugh at the same things I do, or have experienced life in the same way. I’m interested in a connection of hearts. A connection that draws me to you, draws me to your life experiences, draws me to your humor, and draws me to your interests. It’s being fascinated at who you are as a human being. And to be honest, my gut tells the story – not me. I don’t know how to decipher which characteristics I am attracted to nor can I tell you why I am so drawn to certain people. But it’s instant. That’s all I can say.

This past week I experienced that connection. But this time, it wasn't a breathing organism...

it was Gabbi's. Gabbi's Mexican Kitchen. This was my first time in Old Towne Orange and I felt that instant connection. Old Towne Orange has a certain charm, it's a sleepy neighborhood that seems to shut down before 7:30... there's an actual Drug Store and Soda Fountain! Watson's. And Rutabegorz, the Filling Station... just a plethora of great places to eat. Anyways, besides the point.

The restaurant first planted its roots about 8 months ago and squeezed itself between an Army-Navy Store and an Antiques store - a bit unexpected. The storefront actually has no sign, so you really wouldn't be able to find the place without knowing its actual location. My first time at Gabbi's, I actually had to ask the hostess what the restaurant was called, just to make sure I was in the right place. I read somewhere that the owner might not place a sign because it becomes a scavenger hunt of sorts to find the place. I like that idea. In the place of a sign is a large rusted tin slab, giving it that hip new generation feel. There's also an outdoor patio near the street by the whizzing cars - which gives it that outdoor European feel... it's quite charming.

My first time at Gabbi's was a little nerve wracking, I was meeting an old friend and was preparing myself to have a long-due conversation. We had about a 20 minute wait and were seated in a corner table on the outside patio. There was a slight romantic feel to the patio, candles burning low and conversations in lulled tones.... it was the perfect setting for our meeting. Any sense of uneasiness drifted away.

The first dish you are served is a basket of chips and salsa. There is an interesting twist to the traditional salsa, a bit creamy but subtle.

Unfortunately I forgot my camera so what you're about to see are my leftovers:

This was an appetizer dish, the Mini Mole Tostadita and... they were AMAZING! I've had mole before and there was always an overpowering taste of chocolate -- really bitter chocolate that didn't work well with the complex flavors. This mole however had a beautiful meld of sweetness, spice, and fire. The shredded chicken was placed on top of a soft and pliable mini tortilla. How can you not love something so cute!!

This was my main dish - the enchiladas de camarones. I'm having trouble accessing the website but will try to update as soon as I can pull the description off of their website. There were two enchiladas slathered in a creamy avocado sauce and each bite was filled with chunks of camarones!! There was a side of garlic rice that seemed to have been marinating in garlic butter and traditional black beans all topped off with an avacdo slice. This dish is a definite must try. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit but obviously couldn't finish the massive amount of food.

My friend enjoyed the Tropical Quesadilla which offered the perfect balance of sweet and savory. The cheese oozed form the sides and chunks of sweet papaya, mango burst with flavor.

Just for kicks, we tried the dulce de leche cake and were pleasantly surprised. The cake had hints of banana as well as layers of sweet cream, all ensconced in a pillow of shredded coconut. What a wonderful way to complete the meal.

This is why I always trust my instincts. :)

Gabbi's Mexican Kitchen
141 South Glassell
Orange, CA 92866

spice it up!

2007-02-06T22:48:00.000-08:00

That's guacamole in your face. In honor of SuperBowl - which I never watch. This is a direct quote from the boyfriend, "This guacamole is like crack."

Nutty Berry Granola. Have any of you heard of Dr. Murad? I could do an entire post on him. He has this incredible theory on cellulite and if any of you ladies are interested I will do my entire sales pitch to get you to buy his vitamins. Cellulite IS NOT A FAT ISSUE! That said, without giving away too much of my personal life - I had a chance to meet Dr. Murad through my work. I got a free facial, free products, free vitamins, and a free book. I got paid to get a facial, my life just doesn't get any sweeter.

Per Dr. Murad's recommendation, I invested in some GOJI BERRY ANTIOXIDANT mix from Trader Joe's. I have my suspicions that the goji berry in this Trader Joe's mix is not the authentic goji berry from Tibet, but as ignorance is bliss - I will go on and enjoy my goji berries as though they have been flown in from Tibet by the Dalai Lama himself. Check out the authentic Goji Berry site. $30.00 for an 18 oz bag. The Goji Berry is touted as THE BEST source of antioxidants. In fact the goji berry holds 500 times the vitamin C found in an orange, all 19 amino acids, 6 essential fatty acids, 21 trace minerals, and more beta carotene than a carrot.

This granola that I made was a recipe from the Mayo Clinic Cookbook. As I have mentioned in my first post, I am a health fanatic and love anything that is laden with fiber and good for the body. This granola has wheat bran (which by the way is an excellent source of insoluble fiber --insoluble meaning "works the digestive system" which to me has translated to running to the restroom every 2 hours), whole wheat rice cereal, rolled oatmeal, honey, vanilla, and goji berry mix. Here is the actual recipe

I always mix this with some fresh blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and nonfat plain yogurt. Move out of the way Pinkberry - here I come!

And this last picture, my friends, is half of the spices that can be found at Henry's Marketplace. I love the idea of buying spices in bulk because there are always those recipes that require a few teaspoons of a random spice. Who can justify buying an entire spice bottle when you can purchase a few scoops of Green Masala for $0.39?! They have whole spices that you can grind yourself, different blends (Mulled Apple Cider, Chinese 5-spice), and standard spices as well. It doesn't get any better than that! (Well, it does.. the fresh produce, the dry goods in bulk barrels, the fresh meat and cheese, $3.99 stacked sandwiches....) ah. I love Henry's.

Have a D-E-L-I-C-I-OUS day. Spice it up!

Adventures of ... me!

2007-02-06T21:55:00.000-08:00

I love that saying, "work like you don't need the money... love like you've never been hurt...dance like nobody is watching." It insinuates at so much -- how we desire to be the controllers of our destiny ... at how we long to be free of all the things that may interrupt our lives. I may be stretching this, but last night's meal was a bit like such...

A friend and I were conspiring to meet for a meal that would blow us away. Of course, you think "exotic" when you think of such a meal so we chose Peruvian. Nory's in Anaheim to be exact. I don't recall ever tasting Peruvian food so was excited to try out something new. My friend and I were coming from opposite directions and both failed to find the restaurant on our first attempt. Nory's is snuggled between a large market and a few smaller stores. I couldn't for the life of me remember what those stores are called.

We were greeted by this lovely fellow:

Clearly, the Japanese and Chinese influence in Peru was not to be ignored!

We were served warm baguettes accompanied by a sauce which could only be identified as a sauce with cucumber and jalapeno. We actually asked the server if she could show us the proper way to eat the bread, and we were met with, "I don't know." The bread was ok, enough to satiate the grumbling of our stomachs, but nothing to write home about.

We settled for the "Ceviche Mixto" - a blend of squid, fish, and shrimp marinated in lime and lemon. Topped with red onions and crunchy kernels of corn (Reminiscent of cornnuts). The sweet potato and corn were placed on the side like an afterthought. The ceviche was tasty, the red onions added a spicy sweetness along with texture. The seafood on the other hand, seemed to be a blend of last night's leftovers, there was a lot of inconsistency with the chewiness of the squid and the shrimp was a bit too tough for my taste.

Our next choice was the "Peruvian Paella", I forgot to note the proper name. This dish again, was not a consistent offering of seafood. The rice was stale - not the day old stale that you expect from fried rice, but a two-day or even three-day stale. Something just was not right. The influence of the Japanese was apparent as we could taste and see the flakes of furikake scattered through the paella. I wish I could have taken a picture of the food after we finished our meal, we barely made dents in our plates. (And trust me, the girl that I had dinner with can EAT. haha).

Each dish fared to about $11 each and we were left with a $25 tab.

The food may have been sub-par, but the conversation and company that accompanied the meal was fantastic. Though we could have balked and sulked at the unfortunate meal that we had partaken in, she and I were able to reminisce, laugh, and philosophize through it all. That my friend, is called "taking destiny into your own hands".

This is why poli sci majors are such huge b.s.ers. :)

enjoy!

Nory's #2
933 1/2 S Euclid St
Anaheim, CA 92802
(714) 774-9115

I'm on a roll...

2007-01-31T21:13:00.000-08:00

Here are some things to muse upon tonight:

The only thing that will get me going in the morning, get me through the mid-day hump, and get my blood flowing for my evening gym run. It's about time I invest some stock in that dang Starbucks chain. Gah! I hate you soy latte.

Avocados! and lots of them. My parents work in Fallbrook, CA -- a city famous for its avocados-- and once in a while they will have a customer drop off a nice juicy box of avocados. Fallbrook actually hosts an Avocado Festival every April!

Yes, the avocado may be 50 calories per slice but it's got Vitamin E fiber, potassium, luten, B-vitamins, and folic acid. Goodbye nasty vitamins, HELLLOO, guacamole, avocado sandwiches, avocado ice cream, avocado soup, avocado .... the list is endless. So now the question is, what do I do with 49 ripe avocados and 1 oddly green avocado?!

want an avocado? :)

christen the new blog...

2007-01-31T13:46:00.000-08:00

Well I would like to follow my introduction with a post about my brother. My brother is now 22 years old... which makes me only slightly older yet ages more mature hahaha. Right. But he's a jolly fellow with a big heart, and has a lot of love surrounding him. Anyways, he always likes to do the crazy partying thing with his friends and then a nice low key dinner with the family. This year, we had a few uncles, cousins, and grandparents over to celebrate the ONLY paternal grandson. Which would make him the sole male responsible to carry on the "Cho" dynasty. We'll see how that goes.

Being the over-achieving sister that I am, I originally planned a tapas party for the gentleman. Didn't quite happen... so I opted to make some appetizers instead and appointed my mom to make the Korean entrees. Here they are:

Crabcakes -- I meshed a few different recipes for this one - so I can't give you the exact measurements or ingredients, but you wouldn't need a recipe to do any of it.
Ingredients:

Soft shelled crab, picked over
Chopped red bell pepper
Minced chives
Dijon Mustard
a smidge of mayonnaise
salt & pepper to taste
Panko breadcrumbs

Mix all ingredients I sauteed the breadcrumbs in some garlic and oregano, then rolled the crab mixture in the panko.
Lucky for me, I realized that without an egg mixture, I'm left with crumby crab cakes. So I whipped an egg, streamed olive oil and mixed that with the crab. Baked at 400 degrees.

Perfecto, left with crab cakes that hold together.

Here are the fried wonton skins...... transformed into:

Tuna tartare/Hawaiian poke with sour apples. Mostly inspired by eatdrinknbmerry. They were average. Not as much exploding flavor as I had hoped for.

Now here is shrimp ceviche. Yummmmm. I could eat ceviche forever! You can't quite see the shrimp but I swear it's all there! Flecked with cilantro and marinated in lime juice.

The fruit tart, using Martha Stewart's Summer Fruit Tart recipe. I was not a fan of the Buttermilk Pastry Cream -- too lemony and buttery and creamy. I'd rather have a curd or something light. Anyways, my mom mentioned that the tart was a bit too "bbuh-bbuh-tae", translating to mean that it wasn't smooth and creamy and not something that quite melts in your mouth. I guess people expect cakes that are sponge-y and easier to swallow -- well, there's always next time.
And there's the birthday boy and his cute nephew (who is covering his ears at the sound of my dad's solo vocal performance... haha) ready to blow out the 22 candles!!

Let's get this party started!!

2007-01-31T12:50:00.000-08:00

I'm not quite sure what has become of me....

I've become the owner of TWO blogs in less than 3 months. It first began with the myspace and now moving on to blogspot. This is what happens when you have absolutely NOTHING to do at work -- and you're an assistant to a boss that shows her face about once a week. It is you, my friend, that will reap the benefits of such boredom.

Welcome, to my ONE reader! Thank you for your steadfast PRESSURE to begin a food blog. I will admit, it's something I've wanted to do for so long -- what with my love affair with food -- but it has taken many a lurking on other food blogs to get me started.

A little bit about myself:

I am a health nut - a lover of all things "fiber" and natural. I wholeheartedly believe that our bodies were made to live for a very long time and functions optimally when fed un-processed and natural foods. Unfortunately, I have a deep-seated LUST for fatty foods, anything fried, slathered in butter, and dripping of oil.

I am on a new health kick this year but I will not refrain from cooking, baking, or drooling over yummy foods. As a resolution of sorts, however, I will allow myself a fatty meal once a week :).

Hopefully some of my creations will be a source of inspiration (a muse perhaps?? :) ) or even a place to criticize and rant! I will also post on any new restaurants that I find to be particularly tantalizing or repulsive. I am always open to comments on my hotness, criticism on my writing and cooking or any other comments!!

Enjoy!