I wish I could cook the books.
Cooking with Fel – 2.20.10 – When I Say “Cous”, You Say “Cous”
Just this past week, I’ve become obsessed with couscous and quinoa. Like, totally obsessed. I think it’s their texture – the seediness of quinoa, the globular grains of coucous – I just can’t get enough!
So when I decided to cook this weekend and found a recipe for a quinoa salad, I knew I had to make it. All the fresh veggies were on sale at the local ethnic market for ridiculous prices – it was A SIGN. (Side tangent: I bought a bunch of radishes, a handful of parsley, a large cucumber, half a pound of green beans and two lemons for a little over $1.50. How this market makes money, I have no idea.) Sadly, while scouring the aisles, I realized they didn’t carry quinoa, but they did carry Israeli couscous (the larger sized ones of the various types available) and I decided to just swap the two.
Just a note: It’s probably not a good idea to make this too far in advance. After an extended period of storage, the red wine vinegar from the pickled radishes start to seep into the couscous. Otherwise, it’s great if you’re looking for a light, fresh salad to dive into.
Couscous Salad with Pickled Radishes and Feta
Modified From: Quinoa Salad with Pickled Radishes and Feta by Food & Wine Magazine, July 2008ACTIVE: 30 MIN
TOTAL TIME: 1 HR 15 MIN
Ingredients:
* 1 cup red wine vinegar
* 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
* 4 medium radishes, very thinly sliced
* 1/2 pound thin green beans
* 1 cup toasted Israeli couscous
* 1 large English cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice
* 3 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
* 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
* 6 ounces Greek feta cheese, thinly slicedDirections:
- In a small saucepan, bring the red wine vinegar to a simmer with the sugar. Remove from the heat and add the radish slices. Let stand until cool, about 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, in a large saucepan of salted boiling water, blanch the green beans until they are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and rinse the beans under cold water until cool. Pat the beans dry and cut them into 1 1/2-inch lengths.
- In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add the couscous, cover and simmer over low heat until all of the water has been absorbed. Uncover and let stand until cool.
- In a medium bowl, toss the cucumber with 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, toss the couscous with the parsley, lemon juice and the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Drain the radishes and add them to the couscous, along with the beans, cucumber and feta. Toss well and serve.
Yield: 6 servings
Umami Burger – 2.21.10 – I Concede. Umami Wins.
I’ll admit – the first time I went to Umami, I played it off like it was nothing special because I didn’t want to give into the hype of the place.
“How’s Umami Burger?”
*shrug*
“It’s okay.”
But after today, I cannot deny that Umami Burger makes a damn good burger. Behold, the Spanish burger:
(*cue the angels and harps*)
It may not look like anything special but this juicy lamb patty smeared with saffron aioli and some kind of purple sauce, topped with roasted bell peppers and baby arugula and sandwiched between two fluffy white buns is an explosion of flavor.
The patty wasn’t dry at all, which is a feat considering it was made of lamb. There was some sweet and spicy action going on with the bell peppers and the peppery arugula. And finally, that purple sauce? I have no idea what it is but I’m thinking that’s Umami’s secret ingredient (because I can’t figure what else is making this burger so addicting!).
8 hours later and I’m still craving this baby. So good.
Umami Burger
4655 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027
Petrossian – 2.7.10 – Waking Up to Caviar and Truffles
After that first meal at Petrossian, I had to go back…So I did. Immediately.
A little over one week after my dineLA-cum-7 course tasting menu, I was already back in the restaurant, sitting by the same window, scanning the same menu and wondering what to order for my second time around.
The circumstances for this meal were different than the last: I was here for a light brunch with a friend and wanted to try the one or two dishes I missed the last time around. Overwhelmed by the menu, I had the opportunity of asking Ben for his opinion:
“What do you think about the caviar pizza?”
“It’s good!”
“I was thinking about the croque madame too.”
“That’d be great for brunch.”
“Well…what about the foie gras salad? Linden (The Gastronomnom) says it’s even better than your Napoleon tartare.”
“Oh, did he? You should get it then.”
Wow. That was helpful.
My dining companion was just as useless, but agreed to split whatever dishes I decided to order. So, after much inner debate, I finally settled on the foie gras salad and the caviar pizza, with an order of the truffle mac and cheese instead of the croque madame. (There’s no way I could turn down the mac and cheese!)
Once again, Ben surprised us with an order of the blinis to start. They were still as delicious as I remembered (a memory of which was still fresh in my mind at that point).
The foie salad was brought out next – a slice of a foie gras terrine placed atop a bed of haricot vert and walnuts.
(“You should get it”, he says. And so I did.)
The fresh green beans were a welcome start to my sunny Sunday morning, and I loved the crunch of the walnuts hidden in the pile. The rich foie terrine smeared over toast points was that day’s butter and toast.
After touting Petrossian’s mac and cheese throughout my conversation, it finally arrived – picture perfect as always. Again, each bite was heaven, with the bacon flavor a bit stronger this time around. Although I adore this dish, I’ve decided that it’s best enjoyed at dinner; it’s just too hearty for a morning brunch.
The caviar pizza, on the other hand, was the ideal dish for such an occasion.
The combination of ingredients is surprising. The menu may have described it as a pizza with creme fraiche, red onions, chives, capers and caviar, however, it fails to include the finely minced hard-boiled eggs (which are key, as I soon discovered). The eggs add smoothness, the onions add sweetness and, of course, the caviar and capers add that final punch of salt.
I ended my meal with the strawberry panna cotta and the pistachio creme brulee. I favored the panna cotta before, I favored it again.
Now that I’ve eaten all the favorites at Petrossian, you may think I’d be satisfied for a while. Not quite – my friend can attest that, during our converastion, I was frequently distracted by the dishes ordered by the patrons outside (you know, the more standard brunch fare like the hand sliced smoked salmon, the 321 salad or my foregone croque madame). I may have been enviously eying them then, but I’ll try them myself soon enough.
Petrossian Paris Boutique & Cafe
321 N Robertson Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90048
LA Street Food Fest – 2.13.10 – Part II: Icing on the Cake
Read Part I of my adventures at the LA Street Food Fest here.
(Now for a more objective view of the 2010 LA Street Food Fest.)
Like I said in my prior post, I already considered the day a success after getting my LFC and figured everything else would be icing on the cake. In this case, the icing was deliciously sweet because I had a complete and utter BLAST at this event!
The best way to get around food festivals such as this one is to use the tactic my friends like to call “divide and conquer”: Get a group of people, everyone take a different truck, order 2-3x more than you normally would, then meet back at a specific location and divvy up the goods. Yes, you’ll still get stuck in a line but it’s only one 2-hour line rather than four 2-hour lines and you get at least twice the amount of food.
Based on our “divide and conquer” technique, I was able to taste the following trucks and try their respective goodies:
- Frysmith: kimchi fries, rajas fries, foie gras fries, chili cheese fries
- Dogzilla: karai furikake dog, yakisoba dog, dogzilla dog
- Qzilla: smoked brisket, pulled pork, ribs, Texas toast, smack and cheese
- Mama Koh’s Chicken: chicken wings
- Fishlips: tuna, eel, shrimp, yellowtail
- Buttermilk: red velvet chocolate chip pancake bites.
- Coolhaus: chocolate chip cookie, brown butter candied bacon ice cream
- Del’s Lemonade: frozen lemonade
As you can see, “divide and conquer” works pretty well (to say the least).
Although I had a great time and filled myself up on truck food, I knew pretty early on (i.e. immediately after I got my order of LFC and watched the line grow exponentially in the next 5 minutes) that there was going to be some kind of backlash on “teh internetz” about this event. With the amount of people pouring through the gate, the lines were bound to be long and most people, like me, hate waiting in lines. I also knew that quite a number of people would probably be unaccustomed to food festivals and expect to stroll in at 3PM and get food immediately (which is obviously NOT the case).
Huge crowds + long lines = disgruntled people who will complain.
I knew it was going to get even uglier when I caught news that they were closing down the general admission line due to overcapacity inside. (As someone who was on the inside, I can vouch – it was crowded already.) The next news to hit was that there were delays in the trucks because of health inspections. Both would affect the public’s view of the event and, again, would cause people to complain. (I can already see negativity bubbling in the comments on other people’s blogs and on Yelp.)
Here’s the way I see it:
Yes, it sucks that people had to wait outside for hours and still weren’t allowed in.
Yes, it sucks that people had to wait inside for hours and didn’t get very much food.
I’m not going to lie – it totally sucks.
But think about it from another perspective: This is the first food festival in LA of this size. Name another festival that comes close to reaching the number of people in attendance at the Food Fest today – What, the Tofu festival? BBQ festival? KBBQ festival? I would argue that the LA Street Food Fest is a first for this city. Considering this is its first year, that the turnout was 50-100% larger than anticipated, and given the hiccups caused by the fire marshal and the health inspector and whomever else, I would say the LA Street Food Fest did pretty damn well for itself.
Nothing works perfectly the first time around; it’s only with time and hard lessons that things get better. And I honestly believe that the next time around (and there will be another time around), the event will be bigger and better. I mean, if, in its first year, the LA Street Food Fest has already converted me into a food festival supporter (which is a big deal in and of itself), who knows what else it is capable of?
LA Street Food Fest – 2.13.10 – Part I: Operation LFC
I haven’t been to very many food festivals in my lifetime…Well, to tell you the truth, I’ve only been to one other. But I learned one VERY important lesson from the Korean BBQ Festival of August 2009:
If you show up late, you WILL wait in line.
Now, if you know anything about me, you’ll know – I’m an impatient girl. I absolutely abhor waiting in lines. And since food festivals equal lines and food trucks equal lines, I had pretty much decided I wasn’t going to go to the 2010 LA Street Food Festival.
…That was, until I heard about Chef Ludo and his LFC (i.e. Ludo Fried Chicken) truck. Once news broke about Ludo, I started to plan – I was going to show up at the crack of dawn (more like 45 minutes before the gates opened) and I was going to go to Ludo’s truck. If I got myself an order of LFC, I would consider the day a success and leave with no remorse. Everything else would be icing on the cake.
So, this morning, I left the house at 10AM with my $10 presale fan ticket in hand and drove the 15 minutes to DTLA. (Note: Presale is a must, especially when you don’t know how general admission is going to look. In this case, it was an extra $5 well spent.) I paid my $5 for parking (the lot was pretty empty at that time), found the side entrance (for fan ticket holders only) and waited. And waited. And waited. But once those gates opened and they checked my name off the list, I RAN. I knew that, with every step, was five people I would beat in line. Lucky for me, Krissy, Ludo’s wife, had posted a picture of Ludo’s beautiful truck on Twitter that morning. I knew EXACTLY what I was looking for: a bright red truck with the coq on it.
(The holy grail.)
I think I was one of the first dozen people in line. No real wait, the chicken was already fried and the trade-off of money for chicken was almost instantaneous.
(Operation LFC: A SUCCESS!)
I found a seat at a nearby table, watching the line quadruple before my eyes. I bit into the chicken and the aromatic flavor of the rosemary filled my mouth. Each piece of chicken was succulent and moist and absolutely perfect. I dunked the chicken, the breading, anything I could get my hands on into the tangy piquillos sauce.
An hour in and the day was already a success. It could only get better…
Read Part II of my adventures at the LA Street Food Fest here.
TED2010 with Jamie Oliver – It’s About Food.
“I wish for your help to create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity.”
It’s amazing watching Jamie Oliver give this speech at TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) 2010. I remember being drawn to the man years ago when he was just a TV chef. To see him now, to hear his passion towards education about food and diet…
This video moved me.
Food is something that everyone battles and the winners are based on cost and convenience. Eating should be a conscious choice. I’m lucky in that I was taught about healthy eating; when I don’t eat the best things, at least I recognize I’m making a poor choice. I know some may not be so lucky.
Spread the word. Let’s educate people about food.
Club 33 – 1.27.10 – The Happiest Meal On Earth
Hidden in a small alley, past the entrance to Pirates of the Caribbean and the Blue Bayou, is a secret little door. It’s easy to miss if you don’t know what you’re looking for; its only visible signage is a small placard on the right with the numbers “33″. Find the hidden panel to buzz yourself in and the door will soon swing open from the inside and lead you to…
…Club 33.
(What wonders await behind this door?)
Club 33 is a private club, hidden in the heart of New Orleans Square in Disneyland. Although finding the club is hard, getting into the club is an even more difficult feat – With a wait-list estimated at 14 years and annual membership fees starting at $10K/year, most may never have an opportunity to enter Club 33 unless invited as a guest of a pre-existing member.
———-
This is one of the reasons why I love working for Corporate America.
I’ve had the privilege of dining at Club 33 not once, but twice – my first time being two years ago, when we were treated to a three course dinner for an audit well done and the second time more recently, when I enjoyed a lunch buffet on a lazy Wednesday. Club 33 days are always days of celebration for us. Since a meal in the club also includes a complimentary park-hopper pass for the day, Club 33 means no work and all play, with my coworkers and I running all over Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure Park like we were 10 again.
Not only does a trip to Club 33 mean nostalgic bliss (…strolling down Main Street…screaming on Space Mountain…spinning in a teacup…), it also means good food. Forget your typical theme park meals of burgers and fries; Club 33 is fine dining, Walt Disney style.
Lunch began with a trip to the cold buffet line, where we loaded up on sliced meats, grilled veggies and cheese and fruit platters. We dug shrimp cocktail, crab claws and lobster tails out of the ice and sipped on lentil and bacon soup. Some of us even ordered a fruity drink or two. (You know, the ones with pineapples and strawberries and god knows what else fanning the rim of the glass? Yeah, those kind of fruity drinks.)
And that was just the beginning.
After the buffet came our entrees. As explained to us by our server, some of the items on the menu have been favorites since the club opened in 1967. We were recommended the pan seared chateaubriand and the Colorado lamb chops; too lazy to choose, my manager and I ordered one each and shared a bite with the other. The lamb was just a touch overcooked, but I loved the apple coffee polenta underneath. The chateaubriand, on the other hand, was juicy and tender through and through.
We started the meal with a buffet, we ended the meal with a the buffet…a dessert buffet that is. With over a dozen sugary goods, my eyes grew bigger than my stomach and I loaded my little dessert plate full of sweets. The meyer lemon cream puff was my favorite, beating out the strawberry panna cotta, chocolate mousse, blackberry mousse and coconut macaroons.
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So if you’re ever wandering through Disneyland and stumble upon that little sign and that unassuming blue door, you know now what hides behind it. Maybe, one day, you’ll also get the opportunity to peek inside too. I mean, you know they say…
“When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are, anything your heart desires will come to you.”
Club 33
33 Royal Street (in Disneyland)
Anaheim, CA 92802
Petrossian – 1.29.10 – Full of <3s and Truffle Mac & Cheese
(Picture taken by Austin of Living to Eat.)
Yes, it’s true – I *heart* Chef Ben Bailly. Not quite love – it’s going to take another serving or two of his famous black truffle mac and cheese for me to get to that level – but definitely *heart*. I fall into *heart* rather quickly; I just can’t help myself.
Take Petrossian for example – I’ve been *heart*ing it for a while now, ever since the words “truffle mac and cheese” fell upon my ears. Thus, when this current Winter 2010 DineLA Restaurant Week came rolling around, I knew – If I only had one restaurant to go to this season, it would be Petrossian.
(…Anticipation…)
After hearing so much about it, it was surprisingly to walk into Petrossian for the first time. It was this little unassuming spot on the corner of Robertson and Rosewood, without a single valet umbrella in sight. (I got lucky and found myself a free meter on the street.) Their dining room is clean and simplistic – a combination of mirror and glass and black and white. While I first made myself comfortable there, I soon overhead the bustle of the kitchen behind the wall and relocated myself to the boutique where I could catch a glimpse of the kitchen. You can’t tell when peeking in from the outside but Petrossian’s kitchen is very small; it’s amazing Chef Ben can produce such wondrous dishes from a single stove. (Yes, a single stove. Four burners – That’s it!)
Now, onto the food…Oh, THE FOOD.
Although I went for DineLA, their regular menu was so tempting I knew I wouldn’t be satisfied with only three dishes. Thus, my three course DineLA prix fixe of shrimp papillotte, pork belly and pistachio creme brulee soon became a five course meal, with the addition of the napoleon tartare and truffle mac and cheese both ordered a la carte. Little would I know, this five course would later turn into a seven course, with the blinis and mushroom cappuccino delivered compliments of the chef. By the end of the meal, I was holding my stomach in a mix of pain and pure bliss. (So much food! Need more space!)
The night began with the trio of blinis topped with trout roe, salmon roe and caviar. I usually have roe prepared Japanese style over rice, so tasting a more traditional preparation was a nice change of pace. I particularly enjoyed the salty caviar against the creme fraiche, although the salmon and trout roes were also fantastic.
The next course was the first of the DineLA three – the shrimp “papillotte” with passion fruit and chili ginger sauce. Traditionally, to be cooked “en papillotte” means a protein (typically fish) is wrapped in parchment paper and cooked to lock in the moisture. The shrimp were not quite cooked en papillotte; instead of wrapped in parchment paper, they were wrapped in thin wonton skins and fried. When tasted with the tangy passion fruit ginger sauce, one could see a slight Asian influence in the dish.
Just as the two light starters perked my appetite, then came THE DISH: Chef Ben’s famous truffle mac and cheese.
When I had mentioned I was going to Petrossian, one dish was shouted from the heavens with foodies rallying like it was the next coming – the truffle mac and cheese. Chewy orrechiette pasta, smothered in cream, black truffles and bacon…The aroma alone made my mouth water. While the description may sound heavy, it was perfectly balanced and not at all overwhelming. The flavor caused my eyes to roll into the back of my head in delight with every bite. Absolutely amazing.
If there was a dish that could have followed up the truffle mac and cheese without disappointment, it would be the napoleon tartare. Raw steak with a layer of caviar streaked through the center – there is nothing more luxurious than that. Seasoned by Chef Ben himself, I could have eaten the whole thing with a fork – no crostinis necessary. (They have a version of the Napoleon tartare without caviar but seriously people – why would you NOT add caviar?!)
After the tartare came the mushroom cappuccino. It was a complex soup that tasted like a field of mushrooms – deep and earthy, each sip felt like it was warming my soul. The chestnuts hidden at the bottom of the cup added some texture and a bit of sweetness to that final sip.
Our last savory dish of the night was the DineLA pork belly, a glorious slab larger than the palm of my hand. Its delicious fat glistened in the candlelight, each bite melted in my mouth. Petrossian’s pork belly could arguably be the best piece of pork belly I’ve had in my life.
Finally, I arrived at dessert. By this time, I had already reached foodie delirium and only allowed myself a couple tastes of each dessert. Flavor-wise, the pistachio creme brulee was the most unique, with the roasted pistachios giving off almost a green tea/matcha taste. (Chef Ben seemed surprised by this comment – there were only pistachios in the brulee, no tricks!) I personally favored the panna cotta with strawberry jam; it was light ending to a large meal and my gorged self really couldn’t handle anything more than that.
So now you see why I say I *heart* both Chef Ben Bailly and Petrossian; the thought of this meal still causes my heart to beat faster. Now to go again to see if this is just *heart* or love… (If this is how I’m kicking off 2010, the rest of the year has some damn high expectations to live up to!)
Petrossian Paris Boutique & Cafe
321 N Robertson Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90048
EVENT: Sidewalk Party at Mozza2Go – 2.6.10, 12:30PM
Are you or one of your friends a member of Blackboard Eats?
Do you have a 30% off discount code for Mozza2Go?
Do you realize that code expires on Feb. 6th?
Thus, SIDEWALK PARTY! (We can’t eat in Mozza – thus the 2Go part – but we can party it up outside with our pizzas!)
Join us on Saturday, Feb. 6th outside Mozza2Go. Sitting around on the sidewalk, chatting with friends, chomping down on some damn good pizza…can you think of anything better?
IMPORTANT NOTES:
- PLEASE ORDER BY PHONE BEFORE YOU SHOW UP. That way, you’re not waiting around for an hour for food.
- If you would like to attend but don’t have a code, please comment below - I’ll do my best to find you a code to share.
- Try to carpool. Knowing that area, parking will be a pain.
- It’s scheduled to rain on Saturday – Remember to bring an umbrella! (I’ll be there, rain or shine!)
See you all there!
(Btw, if you have a Blackboard Eats code you’re not using and would like to donate it to our party, please comment!)
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UPDATE: So I received a message from someone from Blackboard Eats encouraging us to go to Mozza2Go but to eat elsewhere out of respect for Mozza’s neighbors (which I understand). Thus, does anyone have any suggestions on where to take this delicious food to eat?
