foodopolis

These are a few of my favorite things.......

2011-01-14T09:39:00.000-08:00

Alone. I am alone in the kitchen on a Saturday? No plans, No kids, No cars that need to be worked on. Just me. So what to do? Well?....Make something man!

OK, so with no plans other than to make dinner for two and the whole day to do it. I just wanted to wander about the yard and kitchen and see where it took me to.

One thing I noticed was that we had a bumper crop of citrus. My God I hadn't taken the time out from my busy days to even stroll through the abundant paradise that was right in front of me. The smell of Navel orange and Meyer lemons just waifed through the air on this beautiful warm day. closing my eyes I breathed deeply filling my lungs with God's perfume.

One of my favorite things are grilled citrus. doesn't matter if it's limes, lemons or oranges. Charring them over an open grill brings out all of the natural sugars as they get nice and caramelized. I don't put anything on them prior to grilling just slice them and pop them over an open flame, or under the heat of your broiler.

I am really starting to get into dry toasting or grilling. We get so used to pouring Olive Oil over everything we do. If you dry toast your onions and tomatillos and chili peppers prior to making salsa, you will end up with an entirely different taste and more authentic. charcoaly perfection.

Simple yet perfect natural flavors. grilled chicken with Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper along with slices of roasted Poblano pepper and my favorite a slice of fresh Tomatillo, yup, fresh not grilled I love the taste and texture of a fresh Tomatillo. it tastes like a warm summers day.

A bit like chewing on a stalk of sour grass as a kid.

Back out to the yard to cannibalize my favorite tree that will never grow because it calls to me in the night and I have to come by and rip it's leaves off.

That would be my poor Bay leaf tree or Laurus Nobilis

I planted it more than a year ago and I never let it grow because I am constantly raiding it for it's fragrant leaves. I will have to plant another one so I can raid one and let the other grow.

If you don't have one of these growing in your yard, I tell you to run and not walk to your nearest nursery and demand your shrubbery! A fresh leaf of this plant put into a soup or Adobo chicken will transform it into another dimension and once you go fresh you will never go back to dried.

I also roasted off about 2 lbs of garlic. We put this stuff on everything. It's Italian Chanel No5!

Just tossed them in a pan drizzled some olive oil on them with some salt and pepper, covered them and threw them in a 300 degree oven for about 2 hours.

OMG!! I use this for everything. toss a few in some mashed potatoes or stir with some fresh mayonnaise. OMG!! I have to go, that damn tree and that jar of garlic are calling to me again!!

Amontillado! Amontillado!!

Chow

Michael

Tobin James Wine

2011-01-07T08:44:00.000-08:00

Tobin James 2007 Ballistic Zinfandel is an amazing bargain of a wine. I found this gem at the local wine shop for $17.99 a bottle. I am a huge fan of the red wines that come from the Paso Robles region of the Central coast of California. The reds here tend to be deeply colored and rich mainly because of the intensity of the sun, with fairly bright acidity due to the cool nights.

California’s Central Coast is geologically different from other California wine growing regions. Unlike others with deep, rich fertile valley soils, there are four general soil types in the Paso Robles AVA primarily formed from weathering granite, serpentine, shale and limestone, with shale and limestone being the most predominant bedrock types. Soil diversity is the norm and a vineyard block may commonly contain several different soil types.
I love the rich velvety taste and texture that an old vine zin gives you. Nice acidity makes this a great food wine. It was a touch alcoholic with our lightly spicy food, but well-balanced and elegant afterwards. A good value wine.

I enjoy most wines at about 13% alcohol as I find of the shelf "bargain" wines are truly no bargain and most have an alcohol content between 12% and 13%.

I f you only enjoy wine on occasion, I believe you owe it to yourself to go to a wine shop and ask questions. You can find great wines under 20 bucks a bottle and this is one of them.

TASTING NOTES

Blackberry jam. it is all about the jam in this bottle

very fruit forward

slight pepper

no spice

Elegant on the tongue

Very slight oak

Cherry cordial thick

chow

Michael

Tobin James Winery

8950 Union Road
Paso Robles, California 93446
Tasting Room Hours 10-6 daily

Mammoth Lakes Part 1

2011-01-04T10:11:00.000-08:00

And then it hit. The biggest storm in 100 years, and I swear I heard Sam the Snowman say that as we struggled for the last 20 miles up hill, on roads covered with black ice and with visibility down to it's bare minimum to keep the Pathfinder on the road. We bypassed the signs 5 miles outside of Mammoth that the CHP's put up that say "Chains required, Hell we had 5 miles to go and I wasn't going to stop now for chains.

The temperature gauge in the car was pegged at 8 degrees as we rode into town. 8 degrees? I had no idea the gauge went that low. The entrance to our hotel was just a hole in the snow and after seeing the hotel we changed it's name to the Overlook hotel as it was buried under 15 feet of snow!
we had to drive below that overhang of snow to enter the parking structure. One sneeze and that snow mass would have buried us. White knuckle driving at it's finest.

Icicles hung down like Nosferatu's fingers at the front door of the hotel, Curling up like frozen and dead appendages beckoning us to dare to enter. At 8 degrees outside. Hell, we didn't care we ran through them and into the hotel. Once inside we found everything to be normal. a fireplace was glowing and there was an indoor pool with steam coming off of it. My God outside was filled with dancing Jeffrey Dahmer shadows as snow laden trees were lit up by car headlights and they're silhouettes created ghastly stretched arms from their branches that spread over the highway trying to pull you into a ditch. But inside? cozy warm.
Mammoth over Christmas 2010 had more snow then any place on earth! and was stunning and glowing like a Bjork dress in morning.

When we awoke the next day the place looked like we were transported to Whoville. Truly beautiful and we wanted to go outside and sing "Welcome Christmas" as it was truly Christmas day and the sun was up. The Grinch had come, but once again he couldn't take Christmas from us.
Food. we needed food. I didn't come to ski or snowboard as I blew my knee out years ago surfing, yup not only does Charley not surf, but Charley doesn't snow board or ski. Snow mobiles? yup, they have cup holders on them. Charley do that.

Baby and I headed out alone to grab a bite as no one else was up yet. We drove around and first stopped at Schat's Bakery and Cafe.

My God the aroma that came from this place was amazing. Yeasty warm inviting like being wrapped up in the warm Cinnabon cream cheese frosted bosoms of a 1966 Raquel Welch from One Million Years BC.

Stacked to the ceiling with fresh baked goodies.

But we decided to try somewhere else. Which was probably a good thing because I could have devoured an entire bakery case like a giant chipper shredder. We were craving burgers and a beer. we drove over to the Fireside Burgers & Tap.

The menu looked perfect. But looks are deceiving.

I ordered the Fireside Burger. an Angus beef burger with Pastrami and Swiss cheese. Ok, Angus beef is a breed of cattle that is either a Red Angus or Black Angus. Black Angus being the most popular breed of cattle in the US. Within the Angus beef spectrum you have a ton of certifications. You have certified. Which the Fireside has on it's menu and a good grade. Not the best but good and then you have just the term "Black Angus", which really means nothing. It doesn't denote any certification of quality or breeding. But Certified does and it's usually moist and juicy.

The burger came out looking awesome. Dripping with Pastrami. The Pastrami was juicy and moist and the bun was warm and soft. One bite into it and I realized why when I ordered it and asked for it to be medium rare. the cashier looked at me with a puzzled look. the meat was dry and gray like the meat from a Jack in the Box taco. You know we love them for what they are. warm gray meat on a soggy oil saturated taco shell. we expect that and they are a cult classic for being what they are. But this burger should not have been this way. you could tell that the beef was from frozen patties.

Not good eats here. But the beer was perfect. I always like to try the local beer where ever I go.

There is a brewery up here that is fantastic. Called, what else, but the Mammoth Brewing Company.

I had the Golden Trout Pilsner.

It was delicious, crisp and refreshing just like a good lager should be.

The other beer is a Real McCoy Amber, very Munichy and malty. yummy.

Stay tuned for more adventures and culinary eplorations as we continue our journey and discover more culinary treats in Mammoth Lakes, California.

Cold Chow

Michael

Killer Fried Chicken!!

2010-12-28T09:32:00.000-08:00

I FOUND YOU, YOU OLD KENTUCKIAN, I FOUND YOU!
I remember years and years ago watching an interview with Wolfgang Puck where he was asked what was his favorite "American" food. He went on and on about how he thought that the American could do better in the kitchen, OK, this was over 20 years ago and he was right, at the time. But he also said and not facetiously, that he thought Kentucky Fried Chicken was one of the best things he had ever eaten.
And I agree. When I was a wee little foody I remember my mom taking us to KFC when she could afford it, which was not very often as she was a single mother of three who worked full time and refused to go on public assistance. we have learned so much from her.
Anyway. I was hooked on this stuff. It was heaven to me. the sweet fried smell of those secret 11 herbs and spices and the heat ripples coming off a perfectly cooked leg as I had to have one even before getting into the car in the cold of winter. Running with a chicken leg in my hand like it was an Olympic torch as I held it up high over my head.
So for awhile now I have been trying to replicate this secret 11 herbs and spice concoction in my kitchen, and I did!

It has taken awhile to do it. But I think I pretty much nailed it. I came up with 13 secret herbs and spices, I had to one up the old Colonel of course. Above is a shot of the raw chicken after I applied the batter. I use a simple egg wash to coat the chicken first and then roll the wet chicken parts in the Killer Fried Chicken mix. then I let them sit for 10 minutes before frying them to golden perfection.

I don't like to use the cast iron skillet to fry my chicken. I don't really like the black or semi burnt parts that it gives fried chicken, I know that in the South, these burnt parts are prized, ehh, not for me I like perfectly golden fried chicken that has an even look and texture. I use a large sauce pan with a heavy bottom and pour in one 48 ounce bottle of a neutral tasting oil such as vegetable or corn oil.
Here's a trick for you. If you don't have a proper thermometer to check how hot your oil is, you can use the tip of a wooden soon. Just submerge the spoon into the oil and hold it. Take a look at the and see if bubbles are coming of it, if so, your oil is ready and should be about 350 degrees.

I fry them in batches with pieces that are the same size, turning every few minutes to get them frying evenly.

OMG! this stuff is so good. It's like poultry injected with crack!!

I could literally eat an entire hen house at one sitting and end up blubbering like Renfield catching imaginary flies and giggling to myself.

So you might ask, Where is the recipe for this heavenly food of the God's concoction?

Well......I'm not gonna post it! hahahahahahaha......It's mine all mine!

Ok, ok, I'm really not going to post it. it took me forever to come up with it. But if you ask really nicely I will send you some of this heavenly mixture and you will be hooked on poultry crack like I am.

Killer Fried Chicken chow!

Michael

Pink's open's at Harrah's Rincon Casino!

2010-12-17T12:07:00.000-08:00

Pink's, the Hollywood legend opens it's newest location at Harrah's Rincon Casino in the Northern part of San Diego. And I cannot be happier about it, Pink's is one of the most iconic Southern California cult eateries out there. I rarely miss an opportunity to stop at the Los Angeles stand when I am in the area. And now one is a little closer to home.
This place has been open since 1939 and has been serving Hoffy hot dogs from day one. Hoffy by the way is another iconic food maker and in Los Angeles as well. I know there are a ton of food / hot dog rule makers out there. Ok so even Dirty Harry uttered the phrase "Nobody... I mean NOBODY puts ketchup on a hot dog", But then again Sudden Impact wasn't the best Dirty Harry film either.
We are in Southern California and we not only put ketchup on dogs but Tapatio and Sriracha sauce as well. And oh by the way, Both Tapatio and Sriracha sauce are both made in Los Angeles.

And at Pink's we put chili on them, Lot's of Pink's secret recipe chili. I can eat two or three no problem.
But it's Orson Welles that holds the record of eating 18 at one sitting!! And it's where Bruce Willis proposed to Demi Moore. This place is the keeper of the heart and soul of the city.

Pink's is right there with In-N-Out Burger another cult food Southern California company. There was nothing like cruising down Melrose eating a Pink's chili dog and looking at those crazy Angelyne billboards in the 1980's.

All of the best of Southern California culture met at Pink's the epicenter of it all to eat hot dogs.
Every low rider and Rat rod, starlet and star, stage hand to studio exec, all met and ate here. And still do.
If you are from SoCal then you know Huell Howser and Cal Worthington , MoonaLisa and Elvira and you definitely know Pink's.

Hot Dog Facts and Trivia:
* Believe it or not, nearly 500 franks are eaten every second every day in US alone.
* In 2009, about 10 billion dogs were consumed by Americans.
* About 15% of these numbers are hot dogs bought from vending carts.
* More than $1.6 billion were also spent on dogs in 2009.
* Every 4th of July, at least 150 million frankfurters are consumed.
* During the Hot dog Season, approximately 818 (or roughly 7 billion) dogs are gobbled down by American hot dog lovers every second.
Most wiener carts and stands are found in big cities. Regular customers are those people who are too busy with their careers that often they find no time to cook real meals for themselves, or to even sit for a full half an hour and enjoy a gourmet dish in a restaurant. Time is too precious and limited for them.
And so to make the most of their time, they go to the nearest cart, order for their favorite wiener and toppings, pay for it and done. They eat the dog with much gusto while on their way to their meeting or office. This is the very reason why franks became the staple food for highly urbanized and very busy individuals.
But which US cities consume much of these hot dogs?
Here are the top five cities that consume a great amount of franks all year round.

#1 Los Angeles
The biggest and heaviest consumers of dogs in 2009 are the people of Los Angeles.
# 2 New York
New Yorkers spend more than $101 million for franks alone annually. And the most interesting thing is that this number is actually increasing regardless of the city's lesser population compared to other bigger cities.
# 3 San Antonio and Corpus Christi
#4 Baltimore and Washington
# 5 Chicago was surprised that Chi town came in 5th. By the way, what is that neon green relish stuff made of anyway? I don't think it's legal in this state.

So jump into your hoopty and head to Harrah's Rincon Casino and throw down a few dogs!

Chow

Michael

Harrah's Rincon Casino
777 Harrah's Rincon Way
Valley Center, CA 92082
(760) 751-3100

La Torta Cafe

2010-12-04T09:14:00.000-08:00

If i had a choice of last meals, Man, this place would be a consideration. Mexican taco shop meets deli and does it extremely well. I never understood why places like Subway and the rest of the franchise sandwich places make it. I mean, I don't get the concept of a salad on an air puffed roll with a fly over of cold cuts. Doesn't work for me. But this place does.
The place had it's start more than 10 years ago with a small busy cafe on the main drag in the La Mesa village. They started to expand around this time as well. There used to be one by SDSU. Then they just disappeared off the map? Until last year when the owner decided to open up again in La Mesa at the site of where All'Italiana used to be. And it's the same quality and quantity as I remember it to be.

Huge portions on these torta's. Everything has flavor and works well together.

The bread is where it all starts. It's fresh and light and there to hold the massive sandwich together.

I ordered the Beef Machaca torta. I am a machaca maniac. I can't get enough of this stuff. If done right it is sublime, like a Mexican pot roast, tender and flavorful, and that's how my torta was. just so tender and full of slight chili spices.

The home fries they serve with the sandwiches are very good. and there are a ton of them. I also am a huge fan of the salsa they have in red plastic squirt bottles. very nice stuff. Lot's of thought went into this menu and it shows.

I also like the fact that this place serves grilled chili's as a condiment. they go so well with the torta's.

But the most pleasantly surprising dish on the menu is the Tortilla Soup. I have never been a fan of this soup. Most places you order it from just destroy it. It's supposed to be a mild broth soup with veggies and beans and tortilla strips placed on top so they soften and melt into the liquid. And the Tortilla Soup at La Torta nails it perfectly. I had heard from a few folks that this is the best soup in town and I'm gonna have to agree it's pretty tasty.

On a cold day like we have been having here lately this stuff is magic.

Here's a shot of the menu, which has traditional taco shop offerings as well, which are very good, but don't match the sheer perfection of the torta offerings.

So after you put up that Festivas pole, head out to La Torta in La Mesa. You won't be disapointed.

Chow

Michael

La Torta Cafe

8356 Allison Ave
La Mesa, CA 91941

(619) 741-6230

www.latorta.com

Homemade Bratwurst

2010-11-25T09:30:00.000-08:00

Ahhh the humble Bratwurst. One of the great food treats that come from America's beautiful immigrant history. Specifically given to us by German immigrants who settled into and around the Wisconsin area and popularized in Sheboygen County during the 1920's.

There are so many different versions and recipes of this great sausage that it took me quite awhile to nail down a recipe that was simple and as close to a Wisconsin style Bratwurst as I could get. Man, Delving into finding a recipe for this humble link was no easy task as I encountered literally 75 different recipes, All are very specific and of course no leniency in altering the recipe at all, or you will suffer the wrath of Bratwurst purists everywhere. Some recipes called for beef and pork or veal and pork, or a combination of all. Some had raw eggs in them. While others had potatoes and dry milk in them. Wow, it literally is spread across the ingredient spectrum.I mean even the Gods of Charcuterie, Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn in there book, aptly titled, Charcuterie have a Brat recipe that calls for eggs and cream.

So I really had to think of this for awhile and I tried a ton of experiments. I wanted to find the essence of the flavors that make a Brat well, a Brat.

As I listened to one of the quintessential jazz albums for inspiration, the 1957 album Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section and specifically the song Tin Tin Deo it came to me, like a perfect jazz free form melding of individual players coming together as the musicians on this album did one day in 1957, and in one take. Listening to this album and specifically that song, and the manic drumming of Philly Joe Jones you can smell rock and roll coming around the corner, Like running home for dinner on a Sunday afternoon and catching a whiff of your mothers cooking, man, you can smell it, but you don't know what it is, but you know it's gonna be good. So I came up with this recipe, clean, simple and it combines all of the Bratwurst flavors that I love.

Fresh ingredients are always the best way to go. I always wait until the local store has Pork Butt on sale. and I don't really know why this cut is called "Pork Butt", because it's actually from the shoulder.

With this cut you really don't have to add additional fat to it, as the Pork Butt cut, I have found usually has the proper amount already.

I bought a two pack of "Butts", for .99 cents a pound. After cutting off a huge hunk to make a pork roast with I was left with around 15 Lbs of Pork. the recipe below is for 5 Lbs of sausage as I didn't think anyone would want to make the large quantities I usually do. The recipe that follows is a two day event.

DAY 1

The first thing you have to do is cut your meat into cubes that will fit into your grinding machine. I use a Kitchen Aid , This is the most valuable tool you will have in your kitchen. You can see the fat cap in the above picture, You want to keep this as fat is the very most important ingredient in sausage making. You will have to cut away the connective tissues as they will not only cause Hell in your grinder , but aren't very tasty.

There is a bone in this cut, so be careful and cut around it. Your work will be amply rewarded. Remember good cooking is an art and takes time. This is a two day process. On the first day you will cut and clean your Pork meat and then grind it and season it. Then you will let it sit and let the flavors mingle together over night.
Then you will put the meat into casings.

And remember to roast off that leftover bone for your dog. As you can see Cali is a very happy girl.
Make sure that after you cut your meat into the desired size cubes and that you place the meat in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes. You have to keep the meat very cold as the continual grinding will start to heat the meat and melt the fat. we are not too much worried about keeping the meat cold for sanitary purposes right now. It's mainly to keep the fat from melting. If it does melt, then you could end up having a sausage that is very mealy tasting. No fat, No fun.

After you grind your meat, Back into the freezer for 15-20 minutes to firm up the fat. at this time you gather your spices together.

Then add the spices to your very cold ground pork. Do this by hand to get a good mix. Your hands will get extremely cold doing this, so make sure you can heat them up under warm water and dive in again. Now it's very important to mix the spices in as evenly as you can.

Your mix should look like this when you have it all incorporated.

Ok, So now that you have your meat ground and your spices well incorporated. It's time for a test patty, or two, to be cooked off.

Remember that the spices will get more pronounced as the ground mixture sits for a night. Test here for texture and taste the spices. You can always add more in the morning, So I wouldn't add any today. you can always add you can't subtract.

DAY 2

Add the 1 Cup of fresh cold water to your ground pork and mix in by hand. This will help moisten the meat and it will go through the stuffer much easier.
Test again the mixture by frying up a small batch. this is the time to adjust your seasonings and this is the place where a lot of people go wrong. Don't add to much salt, let the sweetness of the pork come through. I find the biggest problem with mass produced sausage is that the makers add tons of salt as a flavor and not as a flavor enhancer. In this case less is more.

I buy hog casings at my local butcher shop for .30 cents a foot. it's expensive but they are fresh. You can source them through the internet as well. You will need 10-12ft of casings for this recipe.

Load up your KitchenAid stuffer with your casings.

Tie a knot in the end of the casing. Ok let's get stuffing. I do this myslef, but you might want to have someone help you if this your first time. You must always have one hand on the sausage stuffer as you need to continually feed and fill the casing. Do not over fill!

Easy right? It will be after you do it a few times.And the results are outstanding! the best homemade Brat you will ever have! hehehe..I can't wait for the Brat police to knockwurst on my door.

Let the sausage roll off your stuffer in one link. After you are done, then go back and twist them into 6 inch individual links. There is actually a method of twisting these things that won't get you aggravated. I must say that I haven't mastered this twisting part yet.

RECIPE

5 lbs Pork Butt also called Shoulder
3 Tbsp Kosher Salt
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 1/2 Tsp grated Nutmeg
1/2 Tsp Ground Coriander
1/4 Tsp Celery seed
2 Tsp Fresh Gorund Black Pepper
1/8 Tsp Dried Marjoram
1 1/2 Tsp dried ground Ginger.
1 Cup Cold Water

10-12ft Hog casings

This recipe to me brings out all of the Bratwurstian flavors that mainly work off of the Nutmeg and Ginger.
I hope you enjoy it.

Chow

Michael

Pickled Green Beans

2010-11-21T07:50:00.000-08:00

Right now there seems to be an over abundance of fresh green beans on the market. Take advantage and pickle a few jars of them. They make great treats in a bloody Mary or just put a side out for an appetizer or snack. They are delicious. Sometimes I think we forget that we can make most foods at home, and make them better quality than what we can get off the shelf. This method I use is a cold pack method, no pasteurizing by boiling the jars for 20 minutes, just a very simple brine. If you follow basic kitchen cleanliness, you will have no problem at all.

As with all cooking, you should start with the freshest ingredients you can find. farmers markets are the perfect place to look for quality fresh produce. But you can get very good quality green beans from your local market as well. Just pick a few up and snap them in half, they should give a good pop when snapped in two. Also taste them, they should have good moisture and taste fresh with firm flesh.

You will need at least 3 quart sized Mason jars and lids. sanitize them by running them through your dishwasher on the "sanitize" setting. You can also achieve the same results by using a mix of water and bleach and scrubbing them in hot water.

Recipe

1 to 1 1/2 Lbs of fresh Green Beans. Cleaned and scrubbed.
3 cups water
3 cups distilled white vinegar
3 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp kosher salt
3 Tbsp Dill seeds
2 Tbsp whole black pepper corns
1 Tbsp whole Coriander seeds
1 Tbsp whole Mustard seeds
1 Tbsp Red Pepper flakes
3 cloves Garlic minced
3 bay leaves
3 Chili peppers. Jalapeno, Serrano. Your choice.

If you are using smaller or larger quantities, you can measure the amount of brine needed by first stuffing yoour jars with green beans and then adding water to the jars. Pour out the water into a container and measure the water used. This will give you an exact measurement of how much brine to use.

Add all ingredients into a large sauce pan and gently bring to a boil. Once you have reached a low boil, turn off the burner and let the ingredients steep for 5 minutes.

Stuff your jars with the green beans and place one of the peppers and bay leaf in each jar. Make sure that you place the peppers at the bottom of the jar, they will float to the top otherwise.

Pour the hot liquid over the green beans. Filling the jars almost to the top. Make sure you get a good amount of pickling spices in each ladle full as the spices will intensify in the coming weeks.

Seal each jar with your clean lids. And keep jars on your counter until lids seal. Your lids will seal themselves. It may take anywhere from 5 minutes to 20 minutes, but they will form a vacuum and seal. You can test this. as you put the lids on the jars, you can press your finger in the middle of the lid and it will give way and pop up and down. When the lids form a vacuum seal, the center part of the lid will be sucked down. and will not give.
After lids have sealed, place them in your refrigerator and let sit for 2-3 weeks. As the flavors will mature and get really good.
They will last up to 3 months or more in your fridge.

This is a classic and basic pickling recipe that you can use on all sorts of veggies from Pickles to zucchini.
Use your imagination and add or subtract ingredients to fir your taste.

Chow

Michael

San Diego Food & Beverage makers

2010-11-02T10:38:00.000-07:00

Hola San Diego foodies!

I'm on a quest to find makers of high quality food and beverages in Southern California and want to tap into the vast foody wealth of knowledge of all my foody friends out in the blogosphere in finding them.

I want to start to change the blog over to covering the small but growing cottage industry of small makers in Southern California.

So if know of any small company that is handcrafting high quality foodstuffs, hit me up with their info and we will do an indepth article on them.

It should be fun and I look forward with your help in identifying and bringing to the internet all of the locals who take pride in what they are making. Together we can make sure the current growth in small sustainable makers stays alive.

Please feel free to drop me a line or comment and any insight you might have on the local makers.

Cheers!

Michael

NEW WEBSITE

2010-08-25T14:48:00.000-07:00

OK, now it can be told. This stuff is taking my time away from food blogging. But I'm having an awesome time at it. So if ya got a spare minute, check out the new site and let me know what you think.

www.michaelolinhammond.com

Arty chow

Michael

Basic Tomato Sauce - From Fresh Tomato's

2010-08-07T08:26:00.000-07:00

Making tomato sauce from scratch is a messy endeavor for sure. Friends of the kitchen had a bumper crop of tomatoes this year and I mean bumper crop of every kind you can think of, from Meaty heirlooms to sweet cherry tomatoes. And nothing and I mean nothing tastes better than a fresh off the vine tomato.
Like I said, to do basic red sauce from scratch is a huge operation and you need to give yourself time to do it right. For this recipe use what ever tomato you are growing. Keep in mind that store bought tasteless tomatoes will not do at all.

INGREDIENTS

10-12 Fully ripened tomatoes

1 - Medium onion coarsely chopped

5 - Garlic cloves coarsely chopped

1 - Cup Fresh Basil coarsely chopped

1 - Bowl of ice water

1 - Large pot of boiling water

1/2 Cup Olive oil plus 1 table spoon

Olive Oil, Kosher salt and Fresh ground Black Pepper.

METHOD
To peel the tomatoes

1. Bring large pot of water to boil.

2. Wash and core the tomatoes, then cut an X in the bottom. this makes it easier to peel.

3. carefully place the tomatoes, a few at a time into the boiling water for 30 to 45 seconds. When you see the skin start to pull away from the X cut. it's time to take them out and plunge them into the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. The idea is to not cook the tomato but to just peel the skins off.

4. After all tomatoes have cooled down. peel the skins off with your fingers.

5. Cut the tomatoes in half. Squeeze out the seeds and the juice into a bowl and discard. You just want the flesh of the tomato.

6. Roughly chopped the tomatoes into chunks.

7. Saute onions in the 1 table spoon olive oil. when they are translucent add the garlic and saute.

8. Place the chopped tomatoes in the pan with the onions and garlic. Top the tomatoes with salt, This is a crucial part of this recipe. The salt goes in at the beginning part of the cooking process to help draw out the moisture of the tomatoes so it can evaporate.

9. Turn heat down to medium low and let simmer for 35 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. The length of cooking time will vary depending on the ripeness of the tomatoes used.

10. Smash the tomatoes with a wooden spoon as they cook, so the sauce becomes smoother.

11. When the sauce is reduced by half and is thick add the olive oil into the pot and stir to combine.

12. Cook the sauce for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking and to emulsify the sauce.

13. Mix the sauce with your favorite pasta while it's hot and enjoy. Oh, and don't forget to top it all off with copious amounts of cheese!

Chow

Michael

Home-Cured Bacon

2010-06-22T09:42:00.000-07:00

Nothing like the smell of bacon cooking. and nothing smells and tastes better than your own home cured bacon.
It's really very easy to make. Below is a very reliable and fool proof method of curing bacon at home with out any nitrates or nitrites.
You can very this recipe as you like and add a little bourbon to the mix or add some curry powder. the main thing to remember is you can't really very the salt and sugar as they are the ingredients that are doing all of the curing. You will be amazed at the taste of your home cured bacon.
You need to find a source in your area for fresh pork bellies. Any Asian market with a butcher shop will carry pork bellies as they are pretty much a staple in most Asian kitchens. For this recipe I picked up a 2 1/2lb pork belly for $2.99lb. Can't buy processed supermarket bacon at that price.

HOME-CURED BACON

2 1/2lb slab of skin on pork belly
2 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp Crushed black peppercorns
1 tsp fennel powder
2 bay leaves
1 Tsp garlic powder

1. Trim Pork Belly to square off it's edges. Rinse the pork and pat it dry.

2. Measure out salt, sugar, crushed black peppercorns, fennel powder and garlic in a bowl. Crush dried bay leaves with your hands into small bits.

3. Rub seasonings all over pork. transfer pork and any excess spices to a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag and seal. shaking the bag to distribute the seasonings.

Refrigerate for 7 days on a sheet tray. Flipping the bag over every other day. Some brine will accumulate in the bag as the salt draws moisture from the pork.

4. After 7 days, the bacon should feel firm to the touch. remove bacon from bag and thoroughly wash off the spices under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels.

5. Pre-soak a good mess o-hickory chips in water for 20 minutes and then heat your grill to 200 degrees. (note. you can also do this part in your oven. just don't add the hickory chips.)

6. Roast on indirect heat until meat is lightly browned and the internal temperature is 150 degrees. about 2 hours.

7. transfer bacon to a cutting board. With a long thin knife, slice off the skin. I usually leave this on as it gives a nice crackling when cooked. But for traditional bacon slice it off. Let the bacon cool to room temperature. Pat bacon dry. wrap in plastic and refrigerate until completely chilled. Bacon will keep just like store bought for 10 days in your refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer.

This will be one of the best bacon you have ever eaten and cheaper as well.

Enjoy.

Chow

Michael

Melvyn's Palm Springs

2010-05-28T09:27:00.000-07:00

If you have ever wondered what old Palm Springs was like back in the days when Sinatra and Bing were running around, Then you have to experience the very old school restaurant called Melvyn's at the Ingleside Inn. this place is virtually the last hold out of a dying dining art form. Here is a place where waiters wear white tuxedo jackets in the day and black ones at night. The land of crumb combs and exquisitely attentive service. I can't stand going to pseudo trendy eating establishments where the wait staff is more concerned with their "hipster" appearance and the chef is the star. At Melvyn's it's done the right way. The customer is the star and you are truly treated like one. From the time you are greeted at the door to the time you are bade a kind thank you and have a good day. Most trendy eateries today forget that we, the people are the stars and not your wait staff or your tre chic establishment it is we the customer who come to give you money, so we should be treated like stars and not second class citizens. I find it really crass that there are so many eateries around town where you don't even get a "good evening", just a hostess who looks at you and says "how many?" and rarely a "thank you" on your way out. Customer service in the restaurant business today is at its all time low.

The decor of Melvyn's I don't think has changed since the 1970's, it's a time warp of plastic grapes hanging from the ceiling to plaster Roman pillars. But it's just so cool in it's own little dimension a little corner of the culinary universe that time has just forgotten.

The history of Melvyn's or more specifically the Ingleside Inn where Melvyn's resides is that it was once a very exclusive boutique hotel where the owner, Ruth Hardy ran it with a who's who only, iron fist, you didn't call for reservations the hotel virtually would call you. You had to be invited and if you did call and you didn't measure up to Ruth Hardy's standards you were just told that there was "no room at the Inn".
The small restaurant was for guests only and not open to the public. Everyone from Salvador Dali to Howard Hughes stayed at this place. Can you imagine being at the bar having a drink with Dali and Hughes? Hello Dali!

This woman virtually started to change this desert town on her own from a drive through little town to a destination of the stars and power brokers.
Ruth Hardy passed on in 1965 and unfortunately the Inn fell into disrepair. It's glory days behind her now and she would soon be gone if not for the next owner, a Mr. Melvyn Habar, who bought the place in April 1975.
I know I'm drolling on about the history of this place, but I find it fascinating, especially the history of a town like Palm Springs. Where the ghosts of the past still linger on in establishments such as this.
Melvyn Habar was from New York on a vacation out to the area. He made his money and tons of it selling "automobile novelties". From dashboard hula dancers to car fresheners. He was a perfect candidate to rehab the Inn and a true working mans rags to riches story.

He opened it up to the public, both the Inn and the restaurant, naming it of course after himself. The place has impeccable service from the valet, whom, by the way is not a pimply faced 17 year with that "whatever" look on his face. these guys older and were pro's.There is something to be said for those who choose to be professional service people. I mean I find it a refreshing thing of beauty for a man to have an entire career out of being a waiter. In today's world we are inundated with images and opinions of what we should do and be in our lives. The professional waiter is definitely a dying art form. There is true beauty in the movements and customs of a true professional waiter. Like watching a Japanese tea master at work where every move has taken years to perfect. such is the level of discipline the waiters here have achieved. They are never more than 6 feet away from you at any time. waiting for the chance to fill your glass with more wine or water.
This is an art that is truly dead in most cities as the trendy snot nosed 20 somethings with piercings in their ears the size of bus exhaust pipes yawn and look at their Chinese made "nixon" watches waiting for their guaranteed 18% gratuity, while doing nothing. sad state indeed. It's just never a complete restaurant if the foods good and the wait staff sucks.

The menu is pure shagadelic sophisticato. It is old school rich and hasn't changed for years. and that's OK, I mean a place like this should never change. It's a legend and it should remain legendary.

Celebrity sightings are kitschy yes, But it shows the level of service this place has. and everyone is treated like Ol Blue eyes here. It was Sunday and it was brunch time. I'm not a brunch person at all. I don't care for food in chaffing trays, piled up under heat lamps. None of that here. all off the menu and of course the champagne flows free-ly as well. The champagne might say Melvyn's on the bottle but at one point I believe it belonged to Andre. Ok, My only complaint.

Now the bloody Mary's on the other hand were perfect.

It had a pickled green bean in it that was just amazing! I have never had a bloody Mary with this garnish. Nice and spicy. The bread basket came next and it was filled with very light and flaky croissant's and and what seemed like a blueberry scone of some sort. but I have to tell you that it was so light and airy more like a biscuit than scone.

I'm not a sweet guy in the morning, in more ways than one, but this blueberry thingy was perfect. I could have eaten ten of them like a blueberry scone chipper shredder.

I spied on the menu Pate Masion $9.50. I love Pate and this was house made. So we had to order it. It was probably one of the finest Pate's I have ever had. My compliments to the chef. It was so satiny and smooth. With a perfect texture and slight gameness with what seemed like a splash of sherry in it as well. The perfect breakfast next time will be just this dish and the free champagne and you are set for the day and will be very happy.

On the plate were various fruits, cornichons and capers. Some house made mayonnaise and a dollop of house made Jalapeno jelly. OMG. I could have heated a spoonful of this jelly up, tied a napkin around my arm tapped a vein and mainlined it right there in the dining room. It was perfect and went exquisitely with the sublime Pate.

Served with toast points. Heaven. I can assure you that the picture below was unintentional. But it turned out to be very funny. Goofy sculpture in Pate.

I could have just eaten this and been very happy. Next we ordered the Steak Venetian $21.00. It's a take off of the classic Eggs Benedict. This one comes with medallions of filet Mignon poached eggs and Bearnaise sauce on toasted English muffins.

Sometimes it's tough for a restaurant to get poached eggs right. these were perfect 3 minute eggs. The steak was grilled and cut like butter. when you poked the egg the dish came together as the creamy egg yolks mixed with the Bearnaise and was soaked up by the various nooks and crannies of the English muffin.

I ordered the Melvyn's Famous Cobb Salad $19.50. Now the Cobb salad was introduced at the legendary Brown Derby in Los Angeles in 1937, And made by the owner Robert Cobb, Cousin of Ty Cobb. And has a similar story on how it came to be, like the Buffalo Wing. on a whim as a late night snack for a customer. Only this one was made for Sid Grauman, who owned Grauman's Chinese Theater. It was a hit. And after that night it became a staple at the Brown Derby and caught on at every sophisticated hot spot. It was made and served table side. Virtually no one serves it table side anymore. Like the Caesar Salad and Fettuccine Alfredo. the table side service of these classics has gone the way of the dodo long ago. All were made at your table. But in the land of Chili's and Applebee's. They have become as dull and sad as Maury saying Moisha he is not the father.

But wait! Can it be that Melvyn's being that old school tuxedo wearing eatery of the glitterati would uphold the pomp and pageantry of this dish? Why yes of course. I was so pleasantly surprised when the waiter strolled up with his Cobb salad making cart and started to make it for us.

It was like watching an artist in his prime. it was pure theater. it was so elegant and perfect.

Every step choreographed and honed the way only a professional doing it for years of dedicated service can attain.

There are many variations for the dressings used to bind this salad together. The original used a concoction of red wine vinegar and dried mustard. The one at Melvyn's seemed to have a very light and tangy Blue cheese dressing. it was very good. I think I would have said it was very good even if it was bad. Just because of the way it was made. It's the way dining used to be when the stars were everywhere in Palm Springs. this is a place that makes you feel like you are truly the guest of honor, even if your a nobody, like me. just a schmo looking for a snack on a Sunday morning to begin the day.

The dress is always casual in Palm Springs so no worries on what to wear, even here. At night if your under dressed for the festivities, no one will whisper a word and you will be treated like a star all night. This is the twilight zone of eateries in the area. And it's a must if you go to Palm Springs. Even just for the Pate Maison and a bloody marry, you'll be fine.

I love the Palm Springs area and this place is pure palm Springs. From the fountain out front to the OG pool and ammenities. it's a treasure in the desert.

Melvyn's at the Ingleside Inn

200 West Ramon Road
Palm Springs, CA 92264-7333
(760) 325-2323

Chow

Michael

Capo's Italian Steakhouse

2010-04-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

Vegas... I'm still only in Vegas... I'm gonna be here a week ... waiting for a mission... getting softer. Every minute I stay in this room, I get weaker, and every minute Charlie squats in the bush, he gets stronger. Each time I look around the walls move in a little tighter. My apologies to John Milius and Francis Ford Coppola, but that's what it feels like when you stay in LasVegas for a week. It's too long man. you lose your inner compass, your verve for life. It deadens you and weakens you. you become one of the walking dead, never venturing outside during the day. Breathing fake air through vents in buildings called casinos that have been lightly scented with vanilla to keep the masses happy and content. Stepford wives Hell! this is Stepford wives meets Westworld,where everyone on the strip is in on the game except the zombies who roam through it on "vacations".
Staying at the Paris Hotel in a room where you couldn't tell it from the Clarion up the street. most Vegas hotels are like this. no frills. The object is to get you out of the room to roam with the zombies and drop your coin into the vats of Vegas. Although I have been known to don a 007 dinner jacket and head to the craps tables, I'm not a gambler. Life is a gamble enough for me, Hell, just driving here is a gamble. 6 1/2 hours it took this time. My God, I have made this trip more times than I care to remember on wheels. This time I drove straight through, not stopping at Peggy Sue's or Mad Greek's, No Alien Jerky for me this trip. I wanted to get there fast and get out quicker.
There was an Avon convention at the Hotel as well. Nothing like seeing overly made up Avon ladies with one to many cosmopolitans in them, cruising through the jungle looking for prey. It was quite a sight to see every night. the continual parade of drunken cougars in there finest Avon make up looking for 20 somethings and their male counter parts, "Manthers" looking for the same. never noticing each other. For me. I'm content on my bar stool with my favorite bar tender "Big D", sipping my double Crown Royal with a twist and watching the game play out before me. This is life. Like watching ants parade in front of you.
Hunger set in hard as we had worked all day long for 12 hours straight. An associate suggested we go to Bally's Steakhouse. it was close by, So off we went. I had never been to this place before, but can assure you I won't be back. was in the mood for a nice cut of Prime rib. You know that wonder of the buffet line. the cut of meat that has been downgraded to $4.99 specials at low brow casino billboards all over Vegas. I wanted to see what "fine dinning" / "Steakhouse" could do with it. This is a great cut of meat. a roasted whole rib eye. It was absolutely horrid. I actually felt that the animal was so defiled by this I could have become a vegan on the spot. $36.00 for it a la Carte and it was tougher than Rosie O'Donnell in a fight with Oprah Winfrey over a canned ham. The service atrocious.
Next evening after another long day we decided to go to one of my favorite steakhouses in Vegas. Mon Ami Gabi, which of course is in the Paris Hotel. they have the best aged rib eye steak I have had in the area. When the Europeans come to the US. they all order the beef. In Europe they don't "age" beef as we do. It's OK in Europe. But US beef is still king. aging breaks down the fibers and makes the flesh turn to butter. truly worth the price. But not this time. I was shocked that my beloved dry aged rib eye that I order every time was of the same quality as the prime rib at Bally's! Tough, tough tough and I ordered it rare. Not black and blue, but rare.Oh the humanity. Too tired to complain, Hell it would have taken another 45 minutes at least for a replacement to arrive. I opted instead to focus on the Escargot. Now these are perfect, succulent little garden pests swimming in a sea of garlic, parsley and olive oil. slathered on a piece of bread. oh my, these go down quicker than a Clinton intern.
Which leads us to Capo's Italian Steakhouse. Tired of the fare on the strip and looking for something else, maybe even a place that was worth the money. I don't mind paying top dollar, but I want more to my meal than a busting out everywhere server.
Located a few miles off the strip in a rather nondescript shopping mall is the Capo's. It doesn't look like anything special at all from the outside.

Opened in 2004 by two brothers, Dominic and Nico Santucci. Who moved the families eatery that had been established since1964, from Chicago to Las Vegas.Serving Southern Italian food and themed after a 1920's "speak easy". OK I wanted out of Vegas and was tired of the themes. and here I was in a world that looked like it was put together by Disney imagineer's. It worked though. definitely Vegas over the top. They say that things are bigger in Texas? Pffft. No way. maybe pork and beer bellies. but Vegas is king of over the top huge! You enter the place via the front door, which really isn't the door. you walk inside and have to knock. and from behind you slides a door where the "guy" looks you over and asks what you want.

Your eyes are not prepared upon entering. it's dark. I mean really dark. no lights. candles on tables light the way. the bar has a slight back light to it. You literally have to be guided and told where steps are. Like Frau Blucher guiding Doctor Frankenstein up the star well from Young Frankenstein.
We are sat and left in the dark. just the candle light glowing dimly in front of us I can't see my dinner companions faces. I can make their figures out in the dark but that's it.

After being in the light all week. I find the darkness soothing, comforting maybe. I don't have to smile and play Vanna White. It hides me and I can breath for the first time in a week.

Your eyes start to adjust as the waitress approaches, She's genuine, real. Not like the zombie wranglers that work the strip.

She handed us the menus and we grabbed for them fumbling and grasping for them in the dark. The menu's had miniature flashlights attached to them. It was the only way to read them other than if they were printed in Braile.

Classic Italian food. more upscale than the normal red and white checkered tablecloth places. Themed menu, yes. But quality stuff. I had the Makers Mark 100% certified Angus Beef with whiskey peppercorn sauce. Not really a sauce on steak guy. but wanted to try it out. It was good. My God, after a week in the jungle I found a good steak at last. It had to much sauce on it for me. I just pushed most off. but the beef had flavor to it. creamy and buttery. melted in your mouth. for $36.00 it was worth it. I had to use a quick flash to snap a picture of it. The flash lit up the place like someone threw a shock grenade through the front door. no one could see for at least 15 seconds.

Soon as our dinner had arrived, so did the stereotypical crooner. He started to belt out really classic Sinatra tunes that no one hears anymore. his voice circled the room in a low pitch adding to the place and not taking away from the experience. He wasn't the show. he was the ambient music and it worked. When you dine in the dark your senses are heightened. your smell, your hearing. I felt rather fine doing so. I was able to relax and felt free and ready to tackle the rest of the week.

Capo's Italian Steakhouse
5675 W. Sahara Ave
Las Vegas, NV

Chow

Michael

SKYY Ginger Infused Vodka

2010-04-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

Recently at the palatial Foodopolis estate we held our annual Tiki-tini party to benefit the Salvation Army's work. Such a great cause and one of the truly great charities out there. We had the opportunity to try out the latest infused concoction from SKYY Vodka. It's infused with the essence of one of my favorite little roots. The ever so humble and yet so powerful, ginger root. Just a a few slivers will change the complexity of any dish from bland to exotic. A little to much of it and it will take over, overpowering everything in its sight. So I approached this bottle of enticingly infused spirits with some trepidations. Visions of overpowering "Monster" type "power" drinks danced in my head.

Prior to the event we made up or changed is more like it, drink recipes that we thought would match this ginger vodka concoction. The menu, of course, was purely 50's Trader Vic's "Polynesian". And the Hawaiian shirt dress code was strictly adhered to. Guests entering without proper attire, were quickly whisked to a rack with assorted thrift shop Hawaiian attire and held at drink point, (no drink,until changed) until they relented and changed into one of them.

OK, so back to the SKYY Ginger Infused Vodka. So, I sat back prior to mixing anything with it and after making sure it had a nice stay in the freezer. I lined up a few Snifter glasses of the stuff so we could try it out. Most of my friends are into very exotic brands of Vodka, that I won't mention here, But I find most to be just average at any cost. So this was going to be interesting.We lined up a finger of this ginger vodka in a few glasses and studied it at first like those apes from 2001, poking sticks at a monolith. we smelled, talked, smelled some more, talked, took the lightest of whisper vapor amount into our mouths and finally tasted the stuff. I was shocked. It was good! It was light and the ginger was a note in the vodka and not the star. the ginger was infused to the right level. it hung in the background without overpowering. To say the least we were pleased and delighted with this Vodka, which now will become a staple at our bar.

We came up with a few variations of those classic Tiki drinks and here are a few.

BLUE HAWAIIAN
An Island, Delight with Hues of the Ocean. Made with SKYY Ginger Infused Vodka, Blue Curaco and Pineapple juice.
The blue Hawaiian, we just throw copious amounts into a shaker and let the requester shake it up on the dance floor. Grass skirt is required.

RED-HEADED ZOMBIE

1 oz. Matusalem Gran Reserve
1 oz. Appleton V/X
1 oz. Mount Gay XO
1/2 oz. 151
1 oz. grapefruit juice
1.5 oz. SKYY Ginger Infused Vodka
1 oz. orgeat
.5 oz. cranberry juice
.5 oz. pineapple juice

We can go on and on. It will mix very easily into your favorite Polynesian drink and we even substituted it for rum on a few occasions. As I'm not a fan of rum. I know, I know, 90% of all Tiki drinks are made with rum. but I would rather have Vodka in them.

You know the best way I like this vodka is just plain, chilled and straight from the freezer and substituted for Saki with a nice plate of sashimi. I find she can be a party girl but she can also be an elegant dinner guest. It is the perfect compliment for classic Japanese. And like a good dinner date it doesn't over power you with talking about itself all night, but brings something to the table and makes you want to spend the whole evening with her.

So if you are in the mood for a slight change of the regular. This is good stuff.

Chow

Michael

Chuckbox!

2010-04-08T13:08:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, the Chuck Box. Located in Tempe Arizona just outside of the gates of ASU. One of my favorite burger joints. Ya know sometimes I really get fed up and tired of going to restaurants that have mini novels for each item on their respective menus. naming everything from the grass the cow ate to it's name and what was its favorite color.Come on now. There's a few places and one in particular in San Diego that even have a cast of credits on the front of it's menu detailing every vendor they have. Ridiculous. I guess it's why I love Asian cuisine and it's eateries. They usually have extensive menu items and family owned with recipes handed down for generations. You would never go into an Asian eatery and have a novel written about each item. It would be an hysterical SNL skit though. I can see it now. Menu item #1. Frog legs in curry. Made with farm raised hand fed frogs from the Ohio valley, where farmer Gustov massages each frogs legs everyday under the glow of a natural environmentally ecco green lamp prior to lopping off their meaty little legs.The curry made of 43 distinct ingredients of which we will breakdown now.....Anyway, you get the point. I find these establisments extremely pretensous at best. When you go out to eat you should expect the best the place has to offer and not a constant reminder of where, when, how, who, whatever.
But the Chuck Box is in a league all to itself. It's as unrefined and unpretentious as it gets. None of that pseudo intellectual tripe here. Just good burgers. I was amazed to see this place run by just two college students on the night I went there. from cooking to cashier to busing tables.
The place has a sign out front that says over 278 sold! hilarious place, but with serious food.

The burgers are cooked over a mesquite charcoal grill and you step right up to "Juan" as he's grilling and tell him what you juan, and he slaps it on the grill in front of you and you move down the line and get your beer or soda. Just like they do at Pinks hot dogs in LA. Then you travel back around and wait for your burger to be done.

I love fries, but I love onion rings more. The rings at Chuck Box are not the best item on the menu. maybe because I like my rings with Panko crumbs and not a batter base, which the ones here are.

They were cooked to perfection though and very crispy with a nice fresh onion underneath. great beer drinking companions. Next up, the famous Chuckbox burger. For some reason my pix all came out very, very bad. so it's not your eyes. it's mine.

They cooked my burger to exactly how I wanted it. a nice red line through the middle. The taste of the charcoal mixed with the freshness of the beef was outstanding. The mesquite adds just enough smoke to give it that little something extra. The bun had just enough texture and give to it without really adding any flavor at all to the mix. Which was a good thing I thought as you really want to focus on that big beefy mesquitee charcoaly thing.

Ok so it's by a major college campus and it has a funny spokesman. but it really works and is a very good little dive of a place.

So if you are ever in Tempe Arizona and are in need of a great burger with no frills attached, then the Chuckbox is worth searching out.

And if you want to volunteer to take pictures. I will buy ya a beer....or two.

Chow

Michael

The Chuckbox
202 E. University Dr.
Tempe, AZ

Grand Marnier

2010-02-28T08:49:00.000-08:00

It's been a tradition at the Foodopolis kitchen to make homemade hootch around the holidays and give bottles of them out to family and friends who still have livers left. Or who's eye's have stopped twitching since the last time we gave them out.
After years of trial and error. This is my favorite way to make that orange liquor called Grand Marnier. you can also make Limoncello in this fashion too. At the end I will explain how to very this recipe to make it.

We have both Lemon and Orange trees here, So we try to pick the fruit at it's peak. Although we have Meyer Lemon's, which are not the classic fruit to use for Limoncello. It still works well. I would recommend for the lemon based version that you use the more classic "Sunkist" variety found at the store.Gives it a more traditional flavor.

GRAND MARNIER

12 Fresh Oranges.
12 Orange tree leaves
1 750ml bottle of Napolean Brandy
1 750ml of good 80 proof Vodka
1 750ml EverClear
3 Cups sugar
2 Cups Water

Using a kitchen grater. Remove the zest of all the oranges. Being careful to get only the orange zest and not the white pith. The zest is where all the essential oils are of the fruit.

Take the Orange leaves and crush them in your hand. make sure you bruise them well as it releases there essential oils. The oil from the leaves is very bitter and works with the recipe.

Put the zest and the leaves in a large glass vessel that has a secure lid to it. Do not use an aluminum container as it reacts with the acid of the oranges and will destroy the batch.

And now the good stuff. I use EverClear to get the alcohol content to where it needs to be in the end. this stuff is deadly that's for sure. You can get it at BevMo. It's not out on the shelves, you have to ask for it. They keep it under lock and key. It's 151 proof grain alcohol. they have a 190 proof version as well, but that one one is illegal to sell in California. I have never seen so many waring labels on a bottle before.

This stuff is Hillbilly jet fuel, the legal cousin of moonshine and this one has all it's teeth.

OK, So now you pour all of the alcohol into the glass vessel with the orange zest and leaves. I like to place some plastic wrap over the top prior to placing the lid on it. Just to make sure we have a nice tight seal. It helps to eliminate alcohol evaporation. Remember in the end, this is sipping stuff. And it will definitely warm your cockles.

After pouring all of the liquids into the vessel. and sealing the lid on tight. It's time to let it rest in a cool dark place for up to 30 days. I have done some with jut 7 days. What you are trying to do is infuse the alcohol by extracting the essential oils from the Orange zest and leaves. So the longer you let it set, the more profound and complex your hootch will be.

Above is a shot of the "mix" after sitting for 30 days.

After the infusion time is over. You will need to strain the mixture. I use a clean kitchen towel to do this. First I make sure that i run the clean towel under hot water, while continually squeezing the water from it to make sure any soap residue is gone. You can also use Cheese cloth instead of a towel.

Now that you have succeeded in pouring all of the liquid through your strainer device. Grab that towel or cheese cloth and wring it out. You want to extract every ounce of essence from the zest and leaves.

Final step is to combine the 3 cups sugar with the 2 cups water in a pan and place it over a medium heat on the stove. Let it come right up to the point of boiling and then shut the heat off. stir until all sugar crystal have evaporated. This simple syrup concoction will be used to sweeten the Orange liqueur. This part is trail by error. as everybodies tastes are different. I like mine not so sweet. You might like it sweeter. So, You will have to taste after every scoop of simple syrup. you will be nice and warm after this.

Take the simple syrup and over to where your container of orange liqueur is and ladle a scoop of it and pour it into the liquor. Stir taste. repeat until you get the desired sweetness that feels right to you. let your palette be your guide here. But I warn you to take small tastes, because this batch with top out at around 100 proof when it's said and done.

After you get the mixture to the right level you want it to be. you will need at least 6-750ml bottles to pour the stuff into.

I like to use Crown Royal bottles, which I collect through the year. hehehe. Or better bet is to order some bottles with rubber stoppers online. You need a tight seal. Ya don't want anymore evaporation of alcohol to happen.

Here is the recipe for Limoncello:

12 Lemons

4 Lemon leaves

1 1.75ML good 80 proof vodka

1 750ML Everclear

3 cups sugar

2 cups water.

it's basically the same without the addition of the Napolean brandy.

Now sit back grab a cordial glass. place one ice cube in it. Pour 1 ounce of your Grand Marnier into it. swirl it around, light a fire (place glass down first) pop on some Barry White and you are good to go for the night.

Chow

Michael

New York - The View

2010-02-05T20:39:00.000-08:00

I was crying, Man was I crying. The tears rolled down my face like water over Niagara. It was 20 degrees on the streets of New York city with the wind at 40mph. We had no choice but to run into the wind and rain. And for two blocks we felt the sting of 10,000 shards of glass pierce our faces at 40mph. The rain came at us sideways and straight at our faces. I gasped, I couldn't catch my breath and then it hit me, My God, I was being water boarded from heaven! I actually thought this as I stumbled and ran with my friends gasping for breath through the street as people were running the other direction and staring at us as only New Yorkers can. I was being water boarded from God. I saw the face of God and it was Dick Cheney staring down at me. I cried out "what do you want from me?" no one heard, thank God. Or maybe someone did? We finally made it the two blocks and hid behind a building to catch our breathes. I was so sure that I would have thousands of pinpoint black and blue marks on my face that I would look like Kenny Rogers after his last botched face lift or at best Susan Boyle in the morning. Some of my friends lit cigarettes as they tried to calm themselves. Even though it was way below 20 degrees with the wind chill factor. the wind was no longer able to smack us around. I needed the break, as cigarettes were choked down and addicts had there fill of nicotine.
One more block to run to make it to our destination. It was like running through the streets of Mogadishu. we laid our plan down on how to attack the building and where the front door might be.The last cigarette was crushed on the sidewalk and we were off and running again, this time dodging taxis and bewildered tourists from Ohio who just wanted to take pictures of the 40 foot tall Judge Judy billboards in Time Square. We ran through them, taxis and all. And it was worth it. Although I felt like I was just airlifted out of a jungle war, fighting for my life the whole way, it was surreal to come upon this place of valets wearing top hats and overcoats. Doors were opened for us and I felt vastly out of place, wet and still reeling from the pain with tears still streaming down my face. I kept thinking in the voice of Dennis Hopper, "Dude, do you have any F-ing idea of what we have just gone through man?".
We were directed to the coat check on the 3rd floor. Our destination was slightly higher.

The View Restaurant resides on the 48th floor and has one of the most spectacular views of New York city. The entire place revolves 360 degrees while you dine. The New York skyline and especially Times Square at night and definitely from 48 floors up, looks like you are in the film Blade Runner. Cool blues of the buildings mixed with shocking reds of the video screens, some hung at 20 to 30 floors high.

Ok, so you are in the Marriott Hotel on the 48th floor. But from this view it really didn't matter what the food was like. it was breath taking, even more than being water boarded from Mother nature. this took my breath away.

A cocktail of course was in order as we were all seated. a round of really poofy champagne cocktails was delivered, I would have preferred a Double Crown royal on the rocks after that storm, but the champagne cocktail was smooth and fruity, like Nathan Lane on Broadway.

Appetizer.

Foie Gras Duo
Foie Gras Terrine / Foie Gras Espuma / Toasted Brioche

I love this stuff and this was an interesting take on the culinary treat that is on the top 10 hit list from PETA. It came with two versions of Foie Gras, One was a traditional terrine formed cold slice. It was very creamy but extremely mild. Not really alot of flavor here. I was surprised.

The other was Foie Gras Espuma. Espuma is basically whipped goose liver. Oh man, was this amazing. it was as light as fresh whipped cream but with a taste that was out of this world. Very goosey and gamey and when smeared on a lightly toasted piece of brioche became one with the universe.
I really have to say that it is very true that the bread in New York is the best in the country. Some say it's the water. I don't believe that. I have seen bakers make bread with Dasani bottled water in a couple of New York bakeries. All I know is that it's rich and chewy.

Appetizer Part II

Jumbo Lump Crab cake
Marinated Cucumber/ Remoulade

Made with jumbo lump Maryland crab meat. Made with at least 80% crab. it was so sweet and not at all on the heavy side.

Main course.

ROASTED RACK OF LAMB
Merguez and White Bean Cassoulet / Harissa Lamb Jus

OK, First let's dissect the Cassoulet. Cassoulet is the soul food of France, the chicken soup for the soul. It's on virtually every menu in the country.And this was very good, mixed with the Merguez, which is a red spicy Moroccan sausage.It came in this little copper pan by itself.

A roasted slice of eggplant sat on a nice sauteed bunch of Broccolini. You could tell that someone took the time to think this dish out. Nice Morocan infuence from the copper pan to the Merguez sausage to the Harissa lamb jus. Harissa is Morocan chili sauce a lighter sriracha sauce. The lamb is domestic and was perfectly cooked. with a great fresh lamb flavor.

Entree Part II

Sauteed Scallops
Butternut Squash / Forbidden Rice Risotto / Bacon Maple Glaze

This one just didn't work at all. I mean it didn't make sense to me. too many contrasting flavors going on. First off you have sweet briny scallops that should be the star of the show. But you place them on a bed of "Forbidden rice Risotto". Which is risotto made with squid ink and it takes over, then you glaze the scallops with maple syrup and top it all with sweet sticky sauteed butternut squash.

beautiful in presentation, but disgusting on the palette.Crazy combination of conflicting flavors here.

Desert.

New York Cheese cake.

Comon, it's New York right? when you go to New York, you have to have two things, first a hot dog from a push cart and the other New York Cheese cake right? absolutely.
This was heaven. light and creamy. with a dense soury lemony tang on the palette. covered with crunchy meringue straws and fresh strawberries with baby sprigs of mint. Perfect to balance out the richness of the lamb and cassoulet.

So Just like the TV show the view. Somethings work and some don't. But the view from this place is better than any food they could possibly serve. Was it worth the literally blinding weather to get here. Yea, with images of political figures throwing rain daggers at me. It was still worth it.

Chow

Michael

The View
45th Street and Broadway
Times Square.

Gaetano's Pizza

2010-01-31T08:12:00.000-08:00

A few years ago I started this blog as a means for my son and I to do something together as we both share a love of food and travel. He upon entering into those "teen" years quickly found other shining objects to occupy his time. I, on the other hand, Became enthralled with the entire concept of blogging and the sense of community and camaraderie that is shared between those of us who have gone down this path of taking pictures and writing about food and travel.
I start this review in this fashion because we also started this blog with a quest. And that was to find the "best" pizza in San Diego. I know, the "best" of anything is always a heated debate and in stating anything is the 'best" is throwing open the door to the slings and arrows of those who think otherwise. And that's fine. we all have different opinions and tastes. No one is right or wrong.
So having said all of the above, I give you Gaetano's Pizza in Casa De Oro. My favorite pizza in San Diego and It would be my pick for best in San Diego as well.
Gaetano's is an unpretentious pizza house that has been quietly serving up the best pies in town for over 20 years. Few reviews of this place are out there.
I have been to other pizza shops around town and although others make some really good pies. I don't get the concepts of some of them. And I think maybe it's time we pointed out the emperors new clothes.There is a place in the Hillcrest area that is notorious for its' "east coast" attitude similar to the "soup nazi" from Seinfeld. Even has a sign up that says "no cell phone usage while in line". and can be very short with customers as I've seen a few times when you wait in line for 20 minutes, the last thing you want is some "goomba" behind a counter rolling his eyes at you because you haven't decided want you want. Pfffft, Fagedaboutit. there is another not so far from this place in the North Park area of town that serves a deep dish pie and they have a similar attitude.
It will never make sense to me this style of business. I guess the novelty of phony "East coast" attitudes will never go out of style.
There are so many different styles of pies in town we forget that San Diego has it's own style of pie. I have had Chicago, New York and there is even a place in the Gas Lamp Area that has a Connecticut style of pie.I have eaten at Mystic Pizza in Connecticut and it's very close to a San Diego pie. There is a Place in Del Mar that serves a Boston style of pie.
Gaetano's Pizza to me is the quintessential San Diego style pie, Which is a mix between Filippi's downtown and Sanfilipo's in La Mesa.

Gaetano's pie crust is light and airy with pockets of air holes in it. And the rest is just thick enough to hold the sauce and toppings without having to do that New York fold thing.(Although you can). It has a slight yeasty creamy feeling to it. with a nice crisp bottom and slight burned spots are a plus and not a minus.

The sauce perfectly compliments the crust. It's thick and has a huge tomato burst of flavor with a slight red chili flake bite that just works so well. A hint of Mexican or Greek Oregano to it. It's just enough to cover the pie and doesn't run all over the place like a Chicago pie.. It is the glue that binds this thing together.
The toppings should be kept simple. I mean come on now. A pizza is a working mans food. An Italian bucket of Popeye's. Ya take it out and bring it home in a box that has a nice little Barbie patio table in the middle so the box doesn't collapse on it. You wouldn't order a Carne Asada burrito with pineapple and Canadian bacon now would ya? Ok, maybe you would. I mean someone had to come up with the vile "California Burrito".

The Peperoni is bright and spicy and the cheese is just enough of a blanket to cover the pie and not take it over. It is a perfectly balanced pie and my definition of Pizza done in the San Diego style.
There are tons of styles of pies out there and I love all of them. But to me, Gaetano's is a simple place with a warm smile on a cold night that quietly goes about it's business of making the Best pizza in town.

Chow

Michael

Gaetano's Italian Ristorante
10025 Campo Road
Spring Valley, Ca. 91977
619-677-3555

Pho Kim Long - Las Vegas

2010-01-19T08:41:00.000-08:00

OK, I don't care who you are this has to be the most hysterical name for a restaurant. I love Chinatown in Las Vegas and have passed this place more than a few times and never have I driven by without rolling with laughter. Come on now. it beats any of the badly named restaurants like, Genghis Cohen on Fairfax in LA and JTYH Chinese restaurant in Rosemead or Toe Bang in Korea town LA. And then you have Chewy Balls in Houston TX or Juan More Taco in Fremont, We can go on and on. But Pho Kim Long will always be the funniest to me.Come on now just say it with me, Pho- Kim- Long. See, feel better?
Despite the growing population of Vietnamese people in Las Vegas, there are only a handful of Pho restaurants and most aren't really that good. The majority of them are either open 24hrs are at least way into the wee hours of the morning. The residents of Vegas use these places as most people use Denny's in the early morning hours. No one ever sets out to go to Denny's you just end up there after a night of drinking Jager bombs. So that could be the reason why the Pho in Vegas isn't so hot, taste wise that is. And after drinking all night and strolling into one of these places, who can tell the difference between Pho and Plegm?
I wandered into this place around 11:30am. quickly seated and within a few minutes the place filled almost to capacity. I was the only non Asian in the place, which is a good thing, it shows the locals in the China town area approve and like it.
Very spacious and nice inside the place. definitely the best decorated Pho place in Vegas.

The menu is classic Vietnamese with a huge amount of offerings. No Banh Mi though. Just as good I thought All I really needed right now was to order a "bang me" at the Pho Kim Long and I would have shot boba balls through my nostrils and killed the nice elderly woman sitting at the next table who kept fluttering her fan and giving me the "stink eye".

But lest you misconstrue me, I was here on a Pho eating mission. A Pho eatery opened up a the Treasure island casino and man is it horrible. the Ihop of Vietnamese restaurants with overly politically correct no taste dish water at 10 bucks a pop. don't bother going here.

I started out with the obligatory Goi Cuon or Fresh Spring Rolls at $5.00 for two.

Nice and fresh and you could tell that they were made per order as the wrapper still was most from water and it wasn't overly cold as if it was sitting in a fridge somewhere. The peanut sauce lacked some flavor, a bit mild but over all pretty good.
I ordered a bowl of the Pho Dac Biet at $6.95. There is only one sized bowl here. This is always an interesting dish to me and usually my favorite to order as it could have just about everything in it, Being the special Pho of the house. This came out looking really good with rare steak floating on top and hints of what lay beneath. But it literally had half a meatball in it and nothing else. I know it's listed in the menu as Tender beef soup. And the beef was tender and it had a nice amount of it. I guess I was expecting something else. Thats OK. The Dac Biet is the specialty of the house and each Pho house has a different way.

The broth was good, a bit herbal though like it had a slight tea infusion to it. It was OK and probably the best tasting Pho I have had in the Las Vegas area proper.Hints of cardamon and ginger and one bowl definitely filled me up.There lots of noodles in this soup. I do like it when you get a nice size plate of garnishments for the Pho. I find nowadays that a few Pho houses really skimp on the basil and sprouts you get.

Don't come here though expecting a nice leisurely lunch. Here it's wam bam thank you man all the way. I walked through the front door and immediately someone yelled at me "how many!" Like Frau Farbissina from Austin Powers,I was a bit taken back like buying Depends at the grocery store for your Grandma and the checker shouts out for a price check. Escorted to my table and was asked right as I sat down if I was ready to order. These folks don't mess around and are constantly flitting about and will pick your dish up without asking and take it away if they think you are done. Soup Nazi Vegas style.

And how you can tell if you have had a good bowl of Pho? It's Windsong stays on your mind, and clothes.and breath for the rest of the day. It seeps through your pores like pouring Pho Drano down your pipe and letting it just work it's magic cleaning out your insides. In a good way. It's a nice warm comforting feeling and the gift that keeps on giving.
I will come again to Pho Kim Long. If you are in Vegas and crave some Pho. This is an OK place to come to.

Chow

Michael

Pho Kim Long

4029 Spring Mountain Rd
Las Vegas, NV 89102

(702) 220-3613

Cowboy Star

2010-01-14T20:58:00.000-08:00

We had a chance to taste a sneak preview of offerings prior to San Diego Restaurant Week. We had a choice of a few places in which to nosh, Sbicca, Kensington Grill and a few others. But the one that stuck out in the crowd was Cowboy Star. I have wanted to go here ever since it opened and just never found the time. It was the perfect choice, and man, what the Hell was I waiting for before I came here? The entire place works on so many different levels. Not only is this place one of San Diego's finest restaurants it also has a full service butcher shop located in the front.The concept is brilliant I must say. Cowboy meets meat and brings it into high end cuisine. The waiter's wear western shirts similar to Jimme Dodd, Oh come on you remember him don't ya? OK, I'm old. The place hits you as something special as soon as you walk in. Beautiful upscale western motif, I know , I know. But trust me it works. The music that roams in the background is an exceedingly cool mix of western songs before it became Country & Western and then just Country. To opera. The look of the place is just as well thought out. high wood ceilings mixed with lots of iron. If I have any complaint it would be that it's a tad to dark. I mean the food that is served here should be illuminated a bit more.it is just that good that you really miss that third sense of presentation. You definitely get the smell and taste. Otherwise this place looks and feels like a Tom Colicchio restaurant.

Like I said the place is pretty dark inside and I don't like to use flash as not to disturb other diners. It has a classic open kitchen where you can see all of the action. The owner John Weber is the consummate host, running from table to table bringing out dishes and greeting people. I love it when you have an owner that has a vision and a passion for what they do.
Ok, on to the food and wine. we started out with a Old vine Zinfandel from Renwood Winery in located in the picturesque California foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

It was so fat and happy, like me. Anything that says "old Vine" on the label I love and this was very good. Glenn, our waiter told us that the bartender usually picks the wine for the place and man, it is a very tight list of all domestic wines. The Western concept wouldn't work with a French Bordeaux, that would cross the line between pretension and passion. by keeping it all domestic and good values, the wine works with the theme.
The tasting menu for restaurant week is amazing. We started with a small cup of cannelloni bean soup, it was clean and fresh with a hint of truffle oil maybe? I have to say a word about the bread. I often find that San Diego lacks really good bread, But I was pleasantly surprised that the Squaw and Sour Dough rolls presented to us were first rate. Our server Glenn was Jonny on the spot. As was the busing service and who really uses a crumb comb these days? well this place does.

We started with the Cauliflower soup with poached lobster garnish. It was so light and airy. had the texture of a lightly whipped cappuccino froth. The best of the vegetable came out. There are only so many, Bams!! you can do to a dish. the end result is always, let the food speak for itself. The lobster morsel floating on top was perfect and a great topper for the dish.

Next came the American Wagyu Carpaccio. Heaven I must say. to even run a Bic lighter over this quality of beef should be a capital offense. Creamy and smooth like Sade in her prime it sang until I melted. And it's love was real.

This beef is so creamy that it will put the best Ahi you have had to shame. Next came the Entrees.

We had the petite Filet with seasonal farmers market vegetables and potatoes. The steak was cooked perfectly and had great flavor to it. it came with a peppercorn sauce and I must say that I am no fan of sauces for steaks. You should be able to taste the beef and the quality and sauces just tend to cover that up. The peppercorn sauce that came with the dish was outstanding to say the least. it was light and breezy and knew just what to do. It had the same whipped and light taste on the palette as the soup.

Next we had the Pheasant. Pheasant? Oh yeah, Pheasant, the king of game birds.And OMG!! It was amazing. I haven't had this bird in sooooo long. If you have never tried pheasant, you need to. It is slightly creamy with a sweet taste to it. this one came with poached pearl onions, braised bacon and Armagnac prunes. Ok. I know anything with bacon has to be good right?

Didn't need the bacon. But the Armagnac prunes? oh yeah they worked so well with the dish, with the combo of of the bacon. the sweet and the savory. yup. worked.

We had the Bread pudding for dessert. If you do nothing else. you are mandated to come here for desert and to taste this incredible dish. this awful picture does not do it justice.

This is one well thought out place, from the theme to the menu. The menu also features porkbellies and sweetbreads. Are you kidding me? oh man. I am going back for more. also on the menu this night were Hudson Valley Foie Gras.I can never get enough of it. Also on the regular menu is Venison carpaccio, rabbit, Bison, lamb and main lobster. this reminds me of great little Osteria's of Europe. But we forget that to really experience great regional dishes made with high quality ingredients we really don't have to travel abroad anymore. The American palette and cuisine has finally arrived and in San Diego it is in the form of Cowboy Star.

So the bottom line San Diego is, In the current economy we might not be able to fly over to Europe for a culinary adventure, but with places like this here in our town? you really don't need to anymore. We have come along way in this country food wise and we need to really support San Diego Restaurant week and places like Cowboy Star.
You will find none better in Europe.

Chow

Michael

640 10th Avenue

San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 450-5880

http://www.thecowboystar.com/

Hammond Light Works

2010-01-09T08:59:00.000-08:00

Here's a non food related post just to celebrate my new blog called Hammond Light Works. I take obscure pieces of forgotten "pop" art and fashion them into functional lighting. I know, i know, But everyone needs a hobby right?
Please take a look when you have a moment and let me know what you think.

http://hammondlightworks.blogspot.com/

lighting chow

Michael

Number 1 pick for worst resturant / Dining experience of 2009 is..............Savanna Grill!

2010-01-03T10:10:00.000-08:00

May I have the envelope please. And the winner is, Savanna Grill!! in Rancho San Diego! I know they are all excited to be picked as my worst restaurant and dining experience of 2009. I know this place works very hard at being bad. So bad that I'm going to stop writing about it and just post my original review from Yelp.com here.
Congratulations Savannah Grill!!

"Back away from this place like it had the plague. seated right away then waited 10 minutes for a waiter. he was more interested in trying to pick up on one of our dinner guests. Actually used the line on our friend. "you know what's on the menu?, "Love tonight" we blankly stared at each other. Huh? Was our response. The object of this tools desire was told she would understand later. Ok....great start. He immediately then went into what they didn't have or were out of. then left. we sat another 8 minutes and finally he graced us with his presence again. we ordered a bottle of wine. another 10 minutes for it to arrive. no bread. no water. nuthin. This extremely poor excuse for a restaurant was no where near crowded. I wanted so much to like this place. its very nicely decorated and laid out the menu looks to cover everything from Italian to Japanese. We finally ordered some starters. I had the rare seared Ahi, which I love. it came out on a surfboard size plate, all four 1/32 of an inch by 1 inch slices of them. completely dwarfed by the long board plate. 13 bucks. it was very nice and creamy but no way worth 13 bucks. My guests had the lettuce wraps. they were not bad and had more than enough for two people. The bread that they bring. We had to ask for some. is what you would get if you combined Paula Dean with the Pillsbury dough boy. Disgusting little clumps of half cooked non browned biscuits. Once we could catch the attention of our overly pompous server again. we ordered our main course. I ordered the Chicken Parma. once again a titanic sized plate came out with a thin and very burnt pounded deep fried chicken cutlet that had what looked like a tbsp of red sauce on it. I didn't complain I knew it would do no good here. The waiters were all gathered around the hostess desk while more than a few patrons were trying to get there attention. when his holiness our waiter came back to our table he decided he would pontificate on how stupid all Americans are. He was from Croatia. We sat aghast and listened to him spew his hatred for this country. I started to get into it with this poor excuse for a human and my friend told me not to. We had a 10 dollar coupon which we didn't use. we wanted out of there soooooooooooooo bad. We ran from this haunted house of a restaurant. I have traveled the world and have never had such a humiliated rude outing, even in Paris where I have dined more than once and where the wait staff takes pride in being rude at some places. But this Hell hole took the cake. Never under any circumstances enter this place. Better go across the street to the Press box to watch a game or for a good steak in the area go to Jamacha Grill. Or better yet, if you want some of the best Italian in San Diego go to Di leones. If this review saves just one poor soul from going to this place then I will feel happy.

Happy New Year!!

Ensenada. Paleteria y Neveria La Michoacan

2009-11-28T07:43:00.000-08:00

On a recent trip to Ensenada Mexico we stopped by the natural marine geyser called La Bufadora. which is located at the end of the Punta Banda Peninsula. There is only three of such things on the planet. One in Australia and the other in Hawaii. La Bufadora is the second largest blowhole in the world, and can shoot upwards as high as 80 feet above sea level. It's about 20 miles from downtown Ensenada. the roads are not marked, so you will have to ask a local the directions. It's worth the drive. As you park in the dirt parking lot above this natural wonder you will see that you have to traverse through a gauntlet of vendors hawking everything from San Diego Charger ponchos to bongs. And of course the many roadside "pharmacies" where toursists can buy Viagra and Soma. Ones an "upper", the other a "downer". Ok, this place is the height of tourist traps. But the only way to get down to the blow hole is to run through all of these blowhards.
At the top of street vendor Hell as I call it is one of my favorite little eateries in Ensenada. A place called Paleteria y Neveria. And if my Spanish is correct, it means Ice cream and Popsicles? I might be wrong on that interpretation. Anyway, there are no ice cream treats here only some very fine eats. The best carne asada on the peninsula. The place is run by 3 lovely ladies and all the food is made by hand in front of you.
This is the way food should be made. It's fresh and simple, with clean flavors and you can taste all of the ingredients. Even the corn tortillas are made from scratch and per order. It doesn't get any better than that.

There is the funniest woman who stands by the parking lot yelling at the people to come and eat the best tacos they've ever had. And she backs it up by saying if you don't like them they are free! Believe me.You will love them. And only a buck a piece.

The carne asada is extremely tender and not to over spiced. I don't really like the overly marinated in citrus juice kind that we are used to. I like to actually taste the meat as well. This stuff had a nice hint of oranges and limes to it. Not mushy as carne asada can get after sitting in citrus juice for awhile. No heat or spice other than black pepper on it. The rest came from great tomatillo salsa and fresh chopped onions and cilantro.

It is the simple food, the food of the people that is the best anywhere you travel. You will always find the soul of a country by trying it's street food. Even here at this "tourist stop", you can still feel the passion and beauty of a simple street taco, Made with love and laughter and served up with a smile.
I think we take for granted the food of our neighbor to the south. And you can see why especially in Southern California we have an over abundance of "Mexican" eateries. Some excellent, but most mediocre at best. I have been to a couple of taco shops in San Diego where if you don't ask for the "real" guacamole. they serve you the "gringo" food coloring and sour cream stuff. To me this is an outrageously racist and disgusting practice. I don't go back to these places. Can you imagine if you walked into an Italian restaurant and ordered a pizza and if you didn't ask for the "Italian" kind. you were served a Tony's 2 dollar frozen one? Absurd.
The food of Mexico gets a bad rap sometimes. But I think it on a par with fine French or Italian. And needs to be elevated to that stature.

Luckily there are a few places opening up around California that have the same idea about the food of Mexico. Even Eva Longoria has teamed up with Todd English to open a very good Latin steakhouse in LA called Beso. There are of course many others as well. I think its way past due. If you ave ever traveled through Mexico you will find exquisite regional fare as you travel across the 31 states that make up the country.
Ok back to the food. we ordered up a few fish tacos as well. they were fried and crispy. Better than Rubios?, you betcha! nice mayoey topping that had a hint of a cilantro base to it. fresh limes and fresh tortillas. Very good. Not the best, but very good.

But the carne asada here is king. really very good stuff.

These tacos for a buck each are packed with meat and extremely good guacamole. And they were very light and non filling.The melding of the sweet fresh corn tortilla with the avocado, cilantro,onions and meat worked so well that after eating just one you knew you had entered taco nirvana.

I love the Ensenada area. It's friendly, clean and relatively safe even during these times of violence around Mexico. The Guadalupe valley is another 20 miles or so out from the city and it is picturesque wine making country. we will save that one for another time.

So if you find yourself in the area. You have got to drive out to La Bufadora and try this little Popsicle stand.

Chow

Michael

The Class - Everything but the Bird

2009-11-04T08:30:00.000-08:00

Hello,

A sincere thanks for all who attended the Pasta 101 class last month. I hope you had as much fun as I did. This months Class will be a Thanksgiving event. I call it "everything but the bird". We will make side dishes and condiments for the Holiday. We will make some traditional and some with a new twist.

The Class - Everything but the bird

When - November 14th at 3pm

Where - The Foodopolis Kitchen

The Menu.

Turnips Gratin
A classic baked side dish

Bourbon & Cayenne glazed baked Ham
What more can you say about this dish.

Fresh Brussels Sprout Salad w / Lemon zest vinaigrette, Roasted pecans & Parmesan curls
Fresh and tangy

Mini Pumpkin Souffle
Its what you do with all of those mini pumpkins you have from Halloween.

Baked Apples w / Fresh Whipped cream
And of course smothered in butter and bourbon.

Gravy 101
We will make ours with the giblets and wingtips of the bird.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Made from fresh berries and citrus

we will be sampling some or all of the following.

Schwaesdall Winery
2003 Chardonnay
Fruity wine from Ramona

Schwaesdall Winery
2006 Ramona Red
Perfect with turkey.

We will start it all off with a pitcher of what we call Jamaica-ritas. Dried Hibiscus flower margaritas.
Is there a better way to bring in the Holiday season in San Diego than with a margarita?

We hope to see you here!. Don't forget to reserve a spot. This one will go quickly.

Chow

Michael

Sweet Sicilian Pasta sauce

2009-10-27T08:11:00.000-07:00

Serves 4-6
Cooking Time 15-20min.

½ Brown Onion
4 Cloves Garlic
1-28 oz can of whole tomatoes Plus ¼ can full of water
1Tbsp Sugar
½ c Fresh Basil – rough chopped
Pinch of Salt & Pepper
Olive oil

This is what I would call a “Primitive” sauce and it should be chunky. So don’t worry about chopping the onions and garlic into small bits. You can add or subtract the amount of sugar you use. Continue to taste the sauce all the way through the cooking process. Never add the onions and garlic together to sauté as the garlic will burn. Add them after you sauté the onions.

Course chop Onions and Garlic separately. Heat a heavy bottomed sauce pan and coat the bottom with Olive oil. Sauté the onions first until translucent and then add the garlic. And sauté for another minute.

In a bowl pour in the 28oz can of whole tomatoes. And crush the tomatoes with your hands. Then add them with their juice to the onions and garlic. Stir the mixture together. Fill the can ¼ full with water and add that to sauce as well.

Add the pinch of salt and pepper to your taste.

Add the 1-Tbsp sugar and adjust more if needed to your taste. Remember that all canned tomatoes are different and the amount of salt and pepper along with the sugar will be differing from manufacturer to manufacturer.

Let cook for 10-15 minutes enough so the tomatoes start to soften.

Add the ½ cup chopped fresh basil and stir into the sauce. Cook an additional 5 minutes so the ingredients have a chance to mingle with each other. Re-adjust your seasonings.

Serve over the pasta of your choice with lots of grated Romano cheese

The Class - Pasta 101

2009-10-13T07:45:00.000-07:00

Hi all, Looking forward to our Pasta 101 class on Saturday October 24th at 3:00pm. Here is the menu of what we will be preparing. We will be learning about the art of "layering" flavors into your cooking.

Spicy Sausage Ragu. - and yes Ragu is a name of an actual sauce and not just a jar of stuff.
Sweet Sicilian Sauce. - Yes, we can be sweet.
No Cream Alfredo? sauce - Like Mom used to make. Ok, maybe not your Mom, but
definitely mine.

Deconstructed Eggplant Parmesan.
We will learn a new way to look at this classic dish.

Garlic Bread. - yup, we will get into the Yin and the Yang of the art of garlic bread.

Romaine leaf Spoon salad. - with fresh pears and Gorgonzola cheese.

Seasonal Fruit tartlet. - with Home made Bourbon caramel sauce.

We will also be tasting a few local wines including the following. And maybe a few other local surprises.

2007 - Hawk Watch Winery
Dry Rose of Syrah.
This wine will make you think twice about a "blush" wine.

2006 - Hawk Watch Winery
San Diego County - Synthesis
This is a big fat and happy red.

So please come thirsty and hungry.

Chow

Michael

Paris Day 1 - The Cocktail

2009-03-21T08:24:00.000-07:00

Paris. It started with a cocktail. Doesn't it always start with a cocktail. That liquid libation that, that shot of inhibition reducing courage. But this was no ordinary cocktail, this was "the cocktail".

We had arrived in France the day before around 11AM Paris time and went from the plane to work as this was no pleasure trip. My business associate drove the rental car out of CDG on a blustery day. The rain came in droplets as I drew a picture of the sun over Paris with my finger on my fogged up window as we drove the Peripherie Highway that skirts around the city. I knew we would be in the "mix" in Paris that night and every night for a week. I let out a sigh just thinking if my liver was up to it. My liver has trained hard for this trip. Like Lance Armstrong, I have returned to France, and the French know how to drink and eat. I was ready. The liver of Lance Armstrong and the body of a God. Unfortunately the Gods body I have is Buddha.

We were staying in the quaint village of Sceaux outside of Bourg-la-Reine about 8 miles from Paris proper.

We made contact with our French counter parts and quickly formulated dinner plans. Those always come first in Europe. Business is conducted over a meal and mass amounts of wine. and that meal will last three to four hours. Reggis had suggested a place he knew of in Saint Michel, one of my favorite areas in Paris. I knew it well. He told us he picked this place because the "guy" was well known for his mixology skills. The game was on. we took the metro from the hotel to Paris as no one in their right mind would drive knowing what we would be drinking most of the night away. We met our counterparts at the metro station that exits to the side of the beautiful fountain of Saint Michel around 9PM as nobody in Paris goes to eat before that. It is an amazing site to come up from the underground and see this fountain and the huge statue of the cities namesake holding a sword towards heaven.

They were waiting for us smoking cigarettes and dressed in the only color that Parisians will be caught in. Black. Paris might be known for it's fashion but they only wear one color here. Black. Black pants, black shoes and God forbid, no one wears running shoes here, not even black ones. And everyone smokes Marlboro lights. we had brought a few cartons of Marlboro lights with us as requested as gifts. apparently the American version of this cancer stick is very much in demand.

After the exchange of pleasantries we embarked on a walking quest to find the guy who is known for his cocktails. We walked and walked and walked for almost an hour. Our guide was definitely lost and he was a local. If you have ever walked the streets of Paris you know that it is very easy to get lost. After a few phone calls we were once again on the right track. I have to admit that I had no clue as to where we were at now. We walked through alleys that had no lights and finally came upon one that was the darkest of all. It just screamed out like a bad horror movie when everyone yells out to the dumb blond, "Don't go down the stairs to the basement!" this was the equivalent, only screamed out in French, Ne pas descandre l'escalier! So of course we followed our guide whom was a business associate of ours, otherwise we would have never gone down this way. And suddenly someone screams out "there it is". No lights on outside and no other businesses open around it, but we had arrived.

I can't tell you the name of the place because it had no lit sign out front. This was a tiny place with 5 tables and a bar that had room for one bar stool. The building must have been hundreds of years old, it was dark and the ceiling was very low. The owner greeted us and had a table ready and waiting, the one lone patron sitting at the bar had to move as there was now no more room for him. It was a surreal evening from the start, Luis Buñuel meets Charles Bukowski. A classic example of Paris, very old building now trendy tiny bistro. The music that was pumping through the sound system was an extreme mix of various tastes, as we sat, the Euro disco classic Daddy Cool by Boney M was blasting away and soon gave way to Yvonne Ellerman singing " if I can't have you" and transcending into German industrial pop. My head was already spinning in a good way. The cocktail guy, who was the owner, sachet up to the table and asked rather coyly if we would like a drink? We told him to hit us with his best shot and so he went behind the tiny bar and started to concoct his best cocktail, he wouldn't tell us what was in it or even it's name. He did all his mixing behind and below the bar he worked feverishly and fast at times he stopped to look around with a look on his face of either checking to see if anyone was watching him or the look might have suggested that maybe he shouldn't be doing this. and then after a few minutes he poured his elixir into a two martini glasses, one for me and one for my Parisian friend. It was a slight golden caramel color with a rose tint to it. It smelled of flowers with a slight herbal woodsy complex nose. It was ice cold and extremely smooth. It flowed down my throat to easily, way to easily. No burn of alcohol. I was told to sip not gulp and after a few minutes I knew why. After my friend and I nursed our top secret drinks for a few minutes I started to feel the back of my throat go numb, starting from my tonsils and slowly moving forward it came. The numbness followed closely by a heat sensation and then the buzz, unlike any buzz I have had before and especially after just one drink and I wasn't quite finished with it.

The warmth that started in the back of my throat was now travelling down the rest of my body as if my mind had just emptied it's bladder internally and this warm brain fluid was spreading down the pantleg that was my body. I felt flushed and tingled. I could barely speak as the numbness from my mouth had now sealed it shut like sucking on an unripe perssimon. I really started to panic a little but couldn't show it externally as it would not be a manly thing to do. I mean you can have a heart attack at the table but as a man you cannot say " wow, I think that drink was too strong", that just doesn't fly. After a few minutes the effects of that mystery drink started to wear off as my mouth regained consciousness I drank mass amounts of water. that was an amazing drink. I now wonder if I was subjected to some super secret government elixir and I have nightmares of waking up in the middle of the night with visions of a French creature bursting out of my chest.

The food as I remember was not as much of a thrill ride as the drinks. I had the Foie gras of course to start and it came in a rather unusual way in which I have never had before. It came in a bowl and was topped with a fried over easy quail egg. I wasn't that impressed with it. It had no flavor to it. this place was very dark and it was very hard to take pictures. the French or should I say Parisians, don't like people with cameras.

For my entree I had the Risotto with wild mushrooms. Nice texture and flavor to this dish but definitely very different from traditional Risotto which is more soup like, this was very dry and relied on the mushroom sauce for most of its character. Each course took at least 30 to 40 minutes to come out to the table. As most places in Paris a meal will last a few hours. the dishes come out very leisurely which of course gives you ample enough time to consume more wine, which of course we did. This place had a fantastic wine list. It wasn't 70 pages long, just 4 pages in length, but had the best of French classics. Great Bordeaux and Burgundies. We ordered up the Château Hauchat a Bordeaux from the Fronsac wine region of France. Great wine. We ended up ordering five bottles before the night was over.

You either love French wine or you don't. It is very different from the fruit forward approach of California. It has more to do with the soil and area than the actual fruit. I love both styles.

And so my adventure through Paris began. We ended up having to literally run to the Metro as the last train back to our station left at 1am.

Somewhere in Paris

Chow

Michael

Frankie Doodles - Spokane

2009-02-13T10:41:00.000-08:00

Spokane the big little small town of the Pacific Northwest. The red haired stepchild of the Emerald city Seattle which is a fifty minute puddle jumper plane ride over the snow capped mountains. I like this town. Mayberry RFD all grown up and on its own terms. A city with striking contrasts of tastes and social life. As I gaze out the window of my hotel, across the highway I spot the one place that everyone in Spokane has gone to at least once in their lives. Frankie Doodles. If your not from the area and you are just driving down I-90 you will probably miss it as the large neon sign never has all the lights working a the same time. It could read, rankie oodles or fran dood or anything other than Frankie Doodles.This place has been here for at least 40 or 50 years. Classic open 24 hours 7 days a week 365 days a year roadside diner. Like Denny's, nobody ever sets out to go there, you just end up there. usually after an evening that ends up with you or one of your friends saying something like, "Dude, I can't drink anymore, I need to eat". and it's usually around 3am. During the day the regulars wander in. the over 60's crew, The lumberjack looking guys in their 40's. I actually saw a rather large bearlike guy walk in wearing a stove top hat. I was in awe. Definitely a locals place. If you are a connoisseur of this type of fare you will feel right at home as you are greeted by the gruff but friendly counter waitress as she yells out, "sit anywhere ya want hun". These well seasoned vixens of roadside dinerville have all the same personality. And I find it comforting somehow. A good diner will make you feel like you snuck into a scene from the movie Fargo.

You will somehow lose your license to be a diner I think if you don't have Chicken Fried Steak on the menu. When I'm on the road and it looks like a diner will be my place of choice for a meal. I have to order it. I don't really know why, but I have an affinity for this artery clogging dish. I mean I have ordered Chicken Fried Steak in diners around the country and guess what? I believe I found Chicken Fried Steak nirvana.

I started my meal with a soup called "inside out stuffed pepper", and yup, that is exactly what it was, only more like a stew than soup. thick and rich tomato with lots of paprika, chunks of hamburger and strips of green pepper all bound together via the starchiness of white rice. this was an outstanding dish. came with two bags of what were once saltine crackers that have probably been on more tables than Anna Nicole Smith in their life.Only these were never used only to be thrown back on the pile. they were reduced to little plastic bags filled with cracker dust, The equivalent to hillbilly pixie dust.

My Chicken Fried Steak came next and with a cold Coors lite. You can't drink nuthin fancy with this dish it would ruin the subtle nuances that the combination of greases bring to it. Beer is only used as a Drano substitute, to clear the pipes so the next heapful can slide down.

The dish came with a huge scoop of fresh mashed potatoes, with lots of chunks. I like my potatoes chunky like this. And of course smothered with the same Sausage gravy that covered the Chicken Fried Steak. The mashed potatoes had an awsome buttery texture and taste to them. they were really light and creamy. they weren't dry but very moist and surprisingly airy.

And of course no diner would ever serve this dish without a side of something that once was a vegetable, most times this means a large slotted spoon full of either canned diced carrots or in this case, the ultimate, green beans. Something about the tang of that metal can as it mixes with and becomes one with the green beans and changes its molecular DNA that brings out the best of roadside food. It's clean metal taste reminds one always of Elementary school cafeterias.

The gravy itself is literally the glue that binds all of this together. The sausage gravy at Frankie Doodles is one of the best out there. It has everything you want in a roadside diner sausage gravy. Large bits of fried pork sausage mixed with flour and either oil or butter roux, with some whole milk thrown in for nutritional goodness. The roll that came with the meal was an odd piece of dough. You normally would expect a biscuit type roll, very dense and heavy. something that can withstand the girth of this plate. But the rolls here are very light, similar to what is called Hawaiian bread or a brioche type roll without the sweetness and very bland. It came out light and spongy and before my eyes within minutes it had morphed rather quickly into a stale and tasteless hockey puck. I was amazed at this quick transformation. Like pulling out a slice of wonder bread in the desert. that's how quick this thing went bad.

The Chicken Fried Steak was a nice tenderised piece of beef. It was very lightly breaded and the breading actually had a fresh floury breadcrumby taste to it. Normally with this dish you get a piece of hammered beef that is dredged in way to much flour then fried till its black and the gravy is used to cover up all the burned parts. Not here. I could tell that the fried steak was not pan fried but dropped in a vat of hot fat and by the taste of it probably the same fryer as they use for french fries and onion rings.
Frankie Doodles hasn't had an exterior or interior paint job in at least 20 or more years. The carpet is worn out and the counter stools upholstery is cracked and wearing. The decor is just classic 1960's American diner and the folks who work here have been around the block a few times. We look at high end restaurants with classically trained chefs as a barometer of class and taste. but we always forget the diner cook and his or hers ability to crank out mass amounts of traditional regional fare without going to culinary school. There is an art to both styles.

And on every table is this work of pop art. an artsy display of filled condiments on every table. the beauty of this symmetry has more pop art value than any Warhol litho to me. I love places with heart and passion. it can be a Michelin rated restaurant or a taco truck on the streets of Los Angeles. it doesn't matter. if the place has passion and heart. it comes through in the food. This place might not be for all, but then again eating snails with an over priced Bordeaux ain't for everyone either.

Frankie Doodles

30 E 3rd Ave

Spokane WA 99202

(509) 747-9267

Chow

Michael

Pancho Villa Farmer's Market - North Park

2008-09-20T08:08:00.000-07:00

I was taken to a place. The hall of the Chili king, I stood high upon the mountain, In front of, Every kind of chili. They're was tall ones, green ones, red ones black ones, short ones...........crazy ones. Out of the middle came a lady, she whispered in my ear something crazy..she said.............."Hey! why are you taking pictures of chili's?" And that is when the music died in my head. OK. A good friend of the kitchen told me about this place and that I had to check it out. I had been having trouble finding some esoteric Mexican spices like Epazote and Hoja Santa and Guaje seeds.

Pancho Villa Farmers Market on El Cajon Blvd he told me was the place to find them. So I strolled in one day and to my amazement and unlike U2. I had found what I was looking for. All of the chili's and spices I could ever dream of. This place is large and clean and has just about everything you could want.

As I walked through the produce section. There where stacks of chili's, every kind from Habanero to Anaheim and Manzano to Pasilla. Very nice selection and all piled high and fresh.

All of the produce looked great. This is my favorite Hispanic market. Worth the drive.

Chow

Michael

Berryhill & Co - Boise ID

2008-08-30T09:16:00.000-07:00

As I travel in my business I find it fun to explore the local food scenes of the various locales that I visit. Sometimes, when time permits, I make it a challenge to search out local haunts, dives and chic places. Looking for that great local pub with it's own brews on tap or that high end restaurant with that eccentric menu. My ideas of food and dining are as a chef / proprietor it should be your calling and duty to come up with innovative menus, I'm just not talking about Pate de Foie Gras wrapped in pastry with a mission fig brandy sauce that comes to your table on fire. Although, that really sounds good. I'm talking about the person who can put an extra oomph into that Carne Asada or that extra sporty pepper they have delivered from Chicago every week for their customers. that to me makes the place. that extra care and attention, the passion, the excitement that makes people come back. So many places out their simply plod along and maybe that's the reason sometimes I have a difficult time getting around to writing about the places I have visited. just nothing much to say about the majority of them. I envy people like Kirk from mmm-yoso.typepad.com, the Steven King of eating and writing, with such a voracious appetite and the ability to kick out reviews and meanderings every single day, Like Steven King in his prime when he could churn out a 1600 page book a week. Incredible, or Like the Ernest Hemingway of food bloggers, Captain Jack from sandiegorestaurants.typepad.com

Who can so descriptively and eloquently write about every aspect of the restaurant from the food to the service to who the heck is the chef and from whence he came from. I admire these guys.
So when I had the opportunity while on business in the Boise Idaho area to check out the local dining scene I was thrilled, I become like a kid in a candy store. So many choices. As I perused through the restaurant guide. I finally narrowed it down to three choices. One was a Basque restaurant, as the area has a rich Basque history. Leku Ona was the name. This place had an awesome menu including braised beef cheeks and a host of other delectable treats. The other one was the Barbacoa Grill, Oh wow, it looked fantastic, like a piece of artwork the dining area resembled. and the menu was put together beautifully with beef as the main event. And the third one was BerryHill & Co. I chose the last one. The Escargot on the menu sealed the deal for me, Nothing better than minced garden insects swimming in garlic, parsley and Olive Oil, then slathered on French bread,that and it was close to my hotel and had an outdoor dining area. It was such a beautiful evening in Boise that a table outside in the night air sounded like just the thing. Looking at the menu online I had already made my picks. Was in the mood for some local wine and beef, a filet or a big ol rib eye. My mouth was watering for the Black Angus filet Mignon that was on the menu. Sounded so good. all natural northwest Black Angus tenderloin grilled and served under a mission fig-fruit chutney with garlic smashed potatoes. Oy vey!, Doesn't get much better than that.
The place is located in the downtown area a few blocks from the historic State building. I pulled up and found a parking place right in front. No valet, which is just as good. I really am not a fan of valet, giving a 17 year old dressed in a cheap suit and chewing gum the keys to my car, even a rental car does not relax me at dinner. Knowing that it takes 20.5 miles for the spotted owl to mate and only a 2.5 foot back seat for teenagers to do the same does not a rest full evening make for me. If someone is going to violate my car, it will be me.

I walked up to the place around 8:15pm, Their was an acoustic combo playing outside for the evening guests. Dressed in trendy chic high collar white button down shirts and cool dinner jackets. The night air was warm and perfect as I strolled up to the outside hostess. She asked, I answered, one for dinner, I still haven't gotten used to that dining alone thing. Inside or out was the next question, Outside, the sun was still up and warming the night as the moon was getting ready for the night shift.
I should have known something was amiss right away. The place was not filled at all, maybe a 5 tables outside with guests, large seating area with at least 20 tables. Anyway, she sat me right up front next to the chic acoustic combo and it was then that I realized what the tune they where playing, It was a Muzak, elevator to Hell version of "Tequila"? and I was placed 5 feet from them facing away from the rest of the diners and forced to look into the eyes of the creepy guy with the guitar as he strummed the last riffs of this twisted version of this song, as if he was in the last throws of ecstasy with Lizzie Borden, Both doing a hatchet job. Not a comfortable scene.
Thank God the Glass of wine I ordered came first. I love the Idaho wineries, They are very much in the middle between the fruit forward approach of California and the over the top smack you in the face Australian wines. I ordered a glass of Tempranillo, a Spanish grape. This one was from the Sawtooth Winery in Nampa Idaho, Superb it was. Not usually a fan of this grape. most times too astringent and green tasting. But I was going to order a hearty steak and it would demand a Roseanne Barr powerhouse of a wine. $8.00 per glass, Not bad in a place like this.

I asked the waitress, who at first seemed very social and nice, if I could move. " No Problem" was the reply, I asked if I could move inside, As I was feeling very violated at the time, after acoustic combo guy locked eyes on me as he strummed the last chord and made his guitar make sounds it wasn't made for. I think he felt it as well. Two Heterosexual males locking eyes at the moment the song climaxed was not a good feeling.
By this time it was 8:45. The dining room was fairly deserted. I was seated off to myself now. From main event to a feeling of complete ostrication. I was OK for now. alone with my wine. I waited for the waitress to come over and take my order as I was starving now and tired of grabbing food at 7 Elevens as I go about my job duties for the day. I was ready for my first good meal of the week.I waited. Spent time texting my Sue and telling her about my day.

9:00pm, No waitress. 9:15 wine now empty, No bread, No water nothing, set adrift on my table and left for dead. trying to flag anyone down with hand gestures signifying a dining room SOS, I was going down and no one cared. 9:30, the manager comes walking towards my table, I thought OK, This is a good sign, finally noticed and by the manager. I was going to be alright, help was on the way, with an apology and an offer of a free glass of wine I would be happy and ready to order again. He stopped at the end of my dining table slash life raft, I looked up at him with eyes that said " thank you for saving me, and instead of what I was expecting him to say he said, " Kitchen closes in 5 minutes, you gonna order or what?". Crushed, embarrassed and most assuredly angered. I choked back words I would regret later. took a deep breath and said " you have got to be kidding? I got up and walked over to the hostess desk and demanded my bill for the glass of wine. After discussing my evening with the ever so smug manager, he just offered to comp my wine, wasn't really expecting anything else. I told him no thanks and I would pay for it. He offered no resistance and promptly rang me up for $9.25. I looked a the bill and told him the wine was $8.00 on the menu. He just shook his shoulders. I just rolled my eyes and paid exactly $8.00 and shrugged mine.

What a complete pretentious waste of time this place was. pseudo trendy and with a complete embarrassment of a wait staff. Never did eat, so can't say good or bad about that. But what I did discover was a very good little wine region. Try some Idaho wine next time you are in the area. a pleasant surprise. Unlike this horrendous establishment, you will not be disappointed.

I drove my rental car back to my hotel and on the way stopped for dinner at 7-Eleven as it was the only place open at this time.

No Chow,

Michael

The Mad Greek - Baker Ca

2008-06-22T13:56:00.000-07:00

100 Miles outside of Las Vegas and it's 116 degrees. Off in the distance is the town of Baker California. I have spent a week in Las Vegas and am tired, hot and hungry as I drive back to San Diego. This town is in the middle of nowhere and you have to drive past it. no other way around it. The first thing you see of the town as you approach it from a distance is this large outdoor thermometer, in fact it is the largest outdoor thermometer in the world. It thrusts out of the sand like a huge phallic mirage from a dream that Larry Flint would have. jutting towards the sky proclaiming itself as indeed the largest in the world. I felt a stirring of pride build within myself and at the same time a feeling of inadequacy.

The sign at the bottom of this beast states that Baker is the gateway to Death Valley. I don't know about you but I really have no interest in going to any destination that has the word " death" in its name. Ironically this monument is located right next to the Bun Boy Motel.

Wow, what a name for a place. I know that years ago I used to stop at a diner here that was named Bun Boy, But I really can't figure out why anyone would choose to stay at this aptly named place. This is a very eccentric little town, not only is there a mad Greek here but everyone else seems that way as well.

Driving through the town I spotted the Alien Fresh Jerky Stand. OK, We have Phallic monuments, a Motel named Bun Boy, oh the little bun boy is holding a rather large red arrow towards the Motel. Oh yeah and the alien jerky store. Nice. What they say about the desert heat driving people mad must definitely be true.

I drove on through to my destination, The Mad Greek at the same time keeping an eye out for creepy old guys sitting on porches and playing banjos.

And there it was, I have actually eaten here a few times before on my way through. From the outside of the place you can immediately tell that it looks like a Greek rendition of the It's a small world ride at Disneyland, only a much smaller world of course. this boat only goes through Greece. The decor actually looks like what would happen if Bobby Trendy and Liberace got together, smoked crack and then designed a restaurant. I only wish my brother George were here to see it.

This place is usually extremely busy and I mean very busy. It is the consummate tourist trap. there is nothing around you for miles. It was featured recently on the Food Network show Diners Drive-ins and Dives. I know they make they're own shawarma , I had it the last time I ate here. Nothing to write home about. This time I ordered the classic Gyros plate. $9.95 a bit steep I thought for what you get. The plate consists of a scoop of mild flavored fluffy rice, Pita bread, veggies and the must have classic condiment, Tzatziki sauce. Tzatziki sauce is usually made from yogurt, dill and cucumbers and this one at The Mad Greeks is quite good.

The bread was very fresh and moist. The Gyros meat was typical. I mean I don't think anyone really makes this stuff from scratch anymore. It would be a daunting task, especially at a busy place like this. Nice lamb taste. The tomatoes that were on the plate were actually rancid and not edible.

Had to have a cold $4.50 Budweiser to wash the taste out of my mouth. But I knew that I would have to have a Sam Adams later to wash the Bud taste away as well.

This place is actually known for its strawberry shakes. I have never had one. But I will next time I'm on my way through this dusty little town. I will have dessert here in the desert, but will try the Mexican place next door for lunch.

So with a loud shout of Opa! we bid farewell to this eccentric little town.

72112 Baker Blvd

Baker, CA 92309

Phone: (760) 733-4354

Harbor Fish Cafe

2008-06-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

Feels great to be writing about food again. been awhile. Over the past few months I have had more Pâté de foie gras in France that I thought possible. I knew one more bite was going to get me picketed by an animal rights group. I ate so much in fact that flocks of geese started to change the direction of their migratory flight to avoid flying over me. Even had the best lobster I have ever had anywhere in New York City. And of course took no pictures and blogged none of it. Needed to relax and enjoy the food, after all, to eat is the greatest luxury we have as humans, to enjoy with our friends and family and just relax.

And that is just what we did at one of my favorite haunts, The Harbor Fish Cafe in Carlsbad California. You can't really call this place a dive in my opinion a dive must have an air of some eccentricity to it. This place reeks of tourist trap if you just happen to stroll by. Located in the Carlsbad village area and perched on a cliff by the ocean and if you grab your food and are lucky enough to find parking in the rear of the place. You will have a spectacular view of the beach below.

I absolutely detest fried foods of any kind, But I have to say that I have a weakness for fish & chips, must be from all the times my mom dragged us to Long John Silvers every Friday night. when I was a kid. She was a devout Catholic and that meant no meat on that night. Just wish she had mastered the art of cooking fish at home. She was a wonderful cook, just not with fish.

This place has been here for almost 30 years and despite it being a tourist Mecca restaurant it still draws in the locals who know what the food is all about. The Fish & Chips are the best I have had anywhere on this planet.

Extremely large portions of fresh cod that are hand dipped in a traditional batter of rice flour, soda water and egg. This stuff is truly remarkable, light and flaky and not greasy at all. Frying foods generally takes away from the texture and taste, often times resulting in a overly heavy and soggy lump of something that was once a shrimp or a cod fish. Not at this place. you can taste the freshness of the fish and cracking one open you can see the flakiness of the cod.

The rice flour makes it. it comes through without compromising the foods natural flavor and unlike regular flour, where you have to season it and after frying with it, is too thick. Rice flour just makes a nice light coating. I use the stuff almost exclusively when I have a request for some onion rings or fried zucchini. The homemade tartar sauce is wonderful as well. Not to heavy and mayonnaise driven. a very light concoction with a perfect amount of diced pickles in it. The cocktail sauce on the other hand was a bit sweet for me. I never have really tasted a cocktail sauce that I particularly liked. Don't get the stuff really. A squeeze of fresh lemon and a heavy dash of good malt vinegar and you are in heaven with this dish. The chips are more French fries than the traditional English chips, which are thicker cuts. But these are a great alternative. Very light and crisp.

We also ordered up a plate of fried clams. Sue grew up on the East Coast and always had them back home growing up. I was really apprehensive about these as they are not only fried but are heavily coated with batter. But was very surprised with the light texture of them and the very nice and refreshing sweet briny taste of the fresh clams. Very well done with homemade coleslaw that had a light dressing on it. This place I believe has mastered the art of frying to perfection.

This is definitely on my top 10 haunts in San Diego. Not a dive, but definitely on the edge, of a cliff that is.

HARBOR CAFE

3179 Carlsbad Blvd Carlsbad, CA

Chow

Michael

Aloha for now

2007-12-01T16:47:00.000-08:00

Hello to all my fellow foodies out there. We have had a blast on this blog over the past few months. But sadly that day job thing has kept me so busy. I have undertaken a few huge projects that have been keeping me away from blogging and updating the site. I must have 15 - 20 stories that I have photo's and notes on. We will return to updating first quarter 2008.
Aloha for now my friends.

Chow

Michael

Ode to a friend

2007-11-15T19:10:00.000-08:00

I awoke out of a sound sleep last night in a cold sweat having had a dark premonition Sue told me I had sat up in bed and mumbled about it and then went back to sleep. In the morning when we both awoke at our normal time I remembered who that dream was about. It was my friend Murphy, known to all as Tardo. I dreamed that he had passed on during the night and I knew it to be a fact. It was so strong a feeling. I knew he had gone. I later found him cuddled up under one of his favorite bushes to lay beneath in the backyard. When I first saw him I thought him to be sleeping. he looked so peaceful. He lay there on his side with his hands crossed and his bushy tail curled around him. I gazed at him for a few moments waiting and hoping to see the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. But his breath was no more. He had left this planet. He looked so peaceful and calm.
I am not a cat guy to be sure, but this curmudgeon had become my friend and confidant. I would bounce ideas off of him and he would just stare back at me while he lay on my desk and give me that look that only cats can give. you know the one. The one that says don't bother me. I'm licking myself. This cat was my culinary equivalent. He liked his food rustic and honest, Fresh and plentiful. No fancy Feast canned stuff. No way, only Meow mix, dry, straight up. Like me we both where picky eaters.

Tard was only 5 years old when he passed last night. He had survived so much. last year he tangled with a speeding car and lost. the doctor told us he would have to amputate his front leg or he would die. We said no way. we knew that the man of cats would never want to be a tripod. we asked the doctor to clean him up and give us antibiotics with which we hand gave him 3 times a day for a month, while he hibernated in the hall closest waiting for death. he beat that rap and lived another year and had regained 95% use of his bad leg. He was our Lance Armstrong.
He liked to be around the family and would we would allow him to sit on the table when we had dinner. He never begged for food, that would be beneath him. He was the feline equivalent to James Brown. He was cool, calm and totally a man cat. This was no pussy cat. He would back our 80lb retriever into a corner and then strut by and shake his tail as to try to make the big dog blink.
He was a companion to the whole family, He was our cat and our pet, but most of all he was my friend.
I will miss him

My City

2007-10-25T13:47:00.000-07:00

Not a food related post. Just wanted to post a few pics that I snapped over the last few days and to thank everyone in San Diego for coming together and helping others in need during the fires that have raged and are still raging on in our city. Keep up the fight. We have shown the world what we are capable of and more important we have shown our neighbors what we are made of.

Michael

Sopa de Nopales y Hongos

2007-10-11T18:54:00.000-07:00

So the other day as I strolled through one of my favorite produce stores I spotted some nopales and thought I haven't had a good cactus soup in a very long time. You know the cactus plants we see growing all over Southern California, the fruit when ripe are not only excellent to eat and make margaritas from, but the actual large cactus paddles, or nopales in Spanish are very edible as well. So I quickly grab a couple of them and some Shitake mushrooms and went home to conjure up this recipe for your approval.

I had some left over chicken stock that I had made, you can use a good store bought brand of stock if you wish.

Ingredients.

6 Small to Medium Tomatillos husks removed and rinsed

5-6 Medium Roma tomatoes

4 Large Garlic cloves, peeled

1 Large Jalapeno

1 Medium White Onion, Sliced in half

1 Bunch, Cilantro

1 tsp fresh roasted anise seed, roasted and then ground

4 cups chicken stock

3 tbsp Olive Oil

1/2 lb Shiitake mushrooms, remove stems and slice caps

2 large Nopales ( cactus paddles)

1 Dried chile of your choice. Optional

Place the Tomatillos, Tomatoes, Jalapeno and Garlic on a foil lined baking dish. Pour some of the Olive Oil on top and slightly sprinkle with Salt and Pepper. Put under a very hot broiler to roast. Turning after about 5-6 minutes to make sure they are roasted evenly. Make sure you remove the stem and seeds from the Jalapeno after roasting. When finished roasting place in a blender with the pan drippings and a cup of the chicken stock. Add a medium handful of the Cilantro along with the Anise and Puree.
Puree to a nice but still semi chunky consistency. taste but don't adjust seasoning at this time. This will be your soups base. We can readjust the seasoning later if desired.

At this time you want to trim the Nopale by first cutting 1/4inch all the way around the cactus. Then placing it and the onion on the same pan that you roasted the first batch of veggies on. Make sure you lightly coat with Olive Oil and then pop it into the broiler and roast until slightly brown, turning once to make sure both sides are done.
Add the Mixture from the blender into at least a 4 quart stock pot that has the remainder Olive Oil heated in it. You want to actually start to fry this base quickly in a very small amount of oil for at least 5 minutes.
Then add the Chicken Stock. set heat to low and let slowly simmer without boiling.

When the Nopales and onions are finished roasting. remove them from the pan and place on a cutting board. remember to add the pan juices to the simmering soup. Roughly chop the onion and slice the Nopale in half lengthwise and then julienne crosswise.

Add the Nopales and the onion to the soup. Chop the dried Chili and add as well. Simmer slowly for another 5 minutes or so to let all the flavors mingle together. At this time you can adjust the seasoning by adding a little more salt or pepper.

Pour it into a bowl and top with a little chopped fresh Cilantro. I also like to add some fresh grated Aged Mexican cheese. I like to use the Buena Comida Brand of the Cotija Anejo. Or aged cheese. Slightly salty and tastes very similar to a Pecorino Romano cheese. Aged for at least 60 days and can be found anywhere nowadays.

So here we have for your approval our version of a Mexican classic. Sopa de Nopales y Hongos. We hope you enjoy it on a cold winters night in front of the fireplace. It will keep you nice and warm.

Chow

Michael

La Mesa Farmers Market

2007-10-08T13:31:00.000-07:00

Every Friday from 3:00PM - 6:00PM you can
stroll through the various vendors of whole food products. This little outdoor market has been growing in popularity and increasing in size since it began a few years ago. All of the agricultural vendors are certified organic and all are from local family farms around San Diego. You can find great little gems here that are very hard to find anywhere else and even if you did, it would cost you an arm and a leg. Here, only a leg. I usually stroll through for the heirloom tomatoes a farm in Vista grows and a baguette from the Bread & Cie table. The Heirloom tomato's are by far the best tasting tomato anywhere and I would bet my can of San Marzano's on them being, well, better than the stuff from San Marzano. Just really fresh and bursting with flavor. Check these pictures out of a box of heirlooms. Ugly little buggers, but they make up for it with there taste and texture. Firm and smooth, not to much acid and not as strong in flavor as a San Marzano. Kinda medium taste and a little tart. I love them.
Little ugly pumpkin looking tomatoes. But worth seeking out. You can find everything here from Thai chili plants to flowers. Lots of flowers.Olive Oil from Temecula. And tons of fresh seasonal locally grown fruits and vegetables. The selection is always at it's peek when I go to the market. Here are a few more picks of the pickings.Let's hope that the city of La Mesa doesn't ruin this great little farmers market like they did with the Oktoberfest that is held here every year. They took a German beer drinking festival and turned it into a craft fair. Lot's of crochet pot holders and tie dye, but very little lederhosen. Not to crowded yet and a nice European feel to it, And by the way, after strolling through the market you can always go across the street and have a bite at All' Italiana or maybe a brew at that classic little and I mean little dive bar, Joe & Andy's.

Fresh picked peppers and unusual zucchini, some large

And some baby ones with blossoms still attached. I brought some of these back to the foodopolis test kitchen and they were outstanding. So skip out of work early next Friday and stroll through the La Mesa Village. You know some times it ain't so bad having your office in East County. You just have to know where to look for the cool stuff.

La Mesa Farmers Market

Every Friday from 3pm-6pm

Chow

Michael

Portland Saturday Market - Portland OR

2007-09-29T08:13:00.000-07:00

The market is open on Saturdays an definitely a must visit if you ever find yourself in the"Rose City" on a weekend with some time to spare. I love Portland, Great restaurants that get almost no publicity, I guess because of it's proximity to Vancouver. And Portland is quickly becoming the beer capital of the west. Tons of micro breweries that crank out fantastic beers. Here are a few photos from this event. Live music playing, arts and crafts and of course food galore. Although there was quite a variety of food to be found. We didn't come across one that really stood out as being something great. Having said that though, The food, plus the music, beer and people, more than made up for anything. Here is a classic example of the attitude of the people of Portland. I was of course wondering around snapping pictures of food and people like the David Hemmings character from that classic Michelangelo Antonioni film Blow-Up when I ran across a booth serving Thai food. I snapped a picture of man working feverishly over a flaming wok and the guy said, "Hey, you have to take one now with me and my wife" so I did, and the he says "Hey, now you have to take one with me and my wife and my mother" and so I did. Everyone has just a great attitude here.

The Street fair is located in what was once a very run down section of the city and is still populated by the unfortunate homeless masses that hold the most creative signs up for the tourists vieing for that loose change in your pocket. Some of the classic ones had phrases like " I need money for weed" and others with that old chestnut, " I can't lie I just need a beer". Highly entertaining on one hand and very thought provoking on the other. I looked at the street fair as if we were animals with a proper food chain. Some were on the top of the food chain while others roamed the streets like crustaceans feeding off of scraps of the other life forms. Wow, I really have to stop watching old French and Italian films. So let's get back to the food. Here is a pictorial of food stuffs that can be found here.

Lot's of baked goods. Fresh sourdough breads filled with clam chowder.

Indian food vendors

Here is Sue's Greek marinated beef kabob. This one was very good. Nice and tender with a Mediterranean feel to it.

I had the Philly steak sandwich. The people at this booth were once again just so very friendly and I had them make it to my specifications. and they obliged, I had them add tons of freshly crushed garlic to the saute.
Although the sandwich was huge on proportion it really lacked any flavor at all. I mean really very bland. But on a nice blustery day in Portland it did it's job of making me feel warm and cozy, oh and the local microbrew beer helped too.

This is people watch Mecca. You can get lost here, not physically but mindlessly and every once in awhile that's OK.

Chow

Michael

Di Leone's Italian Restaurant - El Cajon CA

2007-09-18T15:30:00.000-07:00

After seeing the ads for Di Leone's for sometime now and reading all of the glowing review quote snippets in parenthesis on it's ads. We just had to try it out. I mean when a place constantly has reviews like, " Best food in San Diego" and "Best Italian Food anywhere" in there ads. You just have to go, mainly because like most film reviews with an over abundance of good review quotes on the ad, You know the film is gonna stink. When you look closer at the reviewers, there usually from the Fresno Review Journal or the Pacoima Sentinel. Papers that nobody reads anyway. So we went on a mission and I must admit bent on finding things that aren't good. You know the if you stick your neck out and tell people how good you are, then you put yourself under a microscope for inspection. We arrived around 5:30 on a Saturday Night. The place was packed with a line at the door. We were told about a 20 minute wait to be seated. No problem. We conversed with the folks in line and all of them had been coming here for years. All had absolutely glowing reviews and all said it was worth the wait and the weight. Did we discover restaurant "pod people"from Invasion of the body snatchers? or was this place actually this ferociously addictive.

The Owner, Vito Seragusa used to be the chef at Mama Leone's restaurant in Manhattan. That place is an institution and has been open for almost 100 years. The first thing you notice in the place are the family photos of the Seragusa family, kids, grand kids. Italians are kings at putting that family first mantra into action. Located in an East County strip mall this place is beautiful inside. nice contrasting earth tones abound. We were seated by I believe a niece of Vito's, very nice woman with a genuine smile and warmth. You could tell she liked working here, and who wouldn't, this is definitely a family run business, with nieces, sons and grand kids working here and all very professional. The Patriarch, Vito sat in a booth with some friends and he continually worked the room as the evening progressed, he knew and spoke with everyone there.

That's him in wearing the white apron. Seemingly a lovely guy. We were sat in a booth towards the front of the restaurant and where immediately served some warm focaccia bread. The bread was more of a pizza dough, more dense than a normal focaccia and seasoned with dried herbs consisting of rosemary, oregano and basil. The nice touch was that they had bottles of Extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar already on the table. Sue and I grabbed the menus, but first we gave each other that snickering look of, "let's see what we have here". And we found a beautifully laid out menu that hit on everything it should have. Various pasta dishes and chicken, veal, real classic stuff and a few exceptions.

If clams are on the menu, I will always order up a batch. I love clams and the ones on this menu are definitely the best clams I have ever had anywhere. Clams Bordelaise ($12.95) and worth every penny. Wonderful and flavorful large clams in a garlic, butter and wine broth. Just give me some crusty bread and a straw to slurp it up. This is one of those signature dishes that I would drive across town to get no problem.

You can just see all of the chunks of garlic and shallots in this broth. I could have easily acted like Homer Simpson and tipped the bowl to my lips to finish it off.
The Chicken Tortellini soup had the most intense chicken flavor I have ever had at any restaurant or anywhere for that matter. I ordered the Chicken Pizzaiola with Eggplant ($16.95) chicken breast sauteed in a light red wine marinara sauce and topped with capers, olives, and layered with lightly breaded egg plant with hints of oregano. OK, So we were beginning to get the picture here and Sue and I started to get on the bandwagon along with the other patrons of this place. As our eyes glazed over in a culinary haze, we felt we where becoming assimilated into one of the "pod people" fans that this place has. The chicken was pounded flat and sauteed along with mushrooms and eggplant, in a really nice piquant sauce. nice blends of textures and tastes.It came with a great side dish of spaghetti with marinara sauce. Sue had the Lasagna($10.95)

Lasagna is such a generic name. It only refers to the noodle style and not really what else comes with it. But here in the states Lasagna is mostly that classic red sauce and ricotta mixture. The Lasagna here was superb and compiled together fresh onto the plate and not premade which I just detest. The sauce was a very tasty Bolognaise style with Italian sausage mixed in throughout. This place is really a nice little eatery and the way the family works the room definitely reminds me of a neighborhood restaurant in New York.

My only gripe would be the wine list. $25.00 for a $5.00 bottle of Bella Serra is way overly steep. So skip the bottled stuff and go for the house wine.

Is it the best and most authentic Italian restaurant in San Diego? Well, have you ever seen Italians argue over a game of Bocce? If you have then you know that no one can answer this question. Is this place good? It is an outstanding little place with excellent service and flavorful well thought out dishes. Not a gourmet joint to be sure but it takes the family style restaurant to a new level.
Definitely worth a visit. We will be back.

Di Leone's Italian Restaurant
1480 Jamacha RdEl Cajon, CA 92019

Chow

Michael

All'Italiana - La Mesa Ca

2007-09-10T11:54:00.000-07:00

We must have driven past All'Italiana restaurant well over a thousand times in all the years that it has been in La Mesa and every time we did, we would say to ourselves, "We really need to go to this place". None of our friends had ever been and virtually no one we spoke to about it had been either. How can that be? in our own backyard an Italian restaurant that we had never been to? So it happened that on a Friday night we decided it was time to check it out. As we parked and walked to the eatery there seemed to be a large group of people eating and drinking and having a great time outside. So we opted for a more intimate table inside. This is a quaint little place and has the ambiance of eating in a home in the hills of Italy. it felt like we had indeed strolled into a small trattoria. Although really dark inside when the sun goes down. Very small only 6 or 7 tables and the room lined with shelves containing photos and knick knacks from Italy and it's surroundings. The shelves also served as the wine cellar as the very limited wine lists inventory was stored there on the shelves in the dining area as well. I believe there was only four offerings of wine on the list and all priced at $18.00 per bottle. we opted for a bottle of the Vestini, a Sangiovese from the Campania region of Italy. Very nice and light wine. Typical of the region and European wines on the whole. More about slight earth tones and regional mineral qualities and how they mix ever so subtly with the grape than about a bold fruit taste like and Aussie wine. I love both styles of wine making.

As we picked over the menu it became very clear that this place was a pasta house. No pizza and none of the classic red table clothed varieties of what you would expect. Chicken Parmigiana and Eggplant Parmigiana being the exception. All the rest are pasta dishes. OK. No problem I thought. But being Italian you know that it better be done right because chances are your family dog has had better left overs after a Sunday family get together than most places can make.

Very interesting dishes on the menu. I ordered the special of the evening, Which I thought very amusing to call it the special of the evening. And maybe after I tell you the origin you will get the humor as well. So I ordered up a batch of the Pasta Alla Puttanesca ($12.00) and for Sue, She had the most interesting dish on the menu. Pasta Alla Caruso ($15.45). First came out the salad and an order of the house specialty, A bowl of the Tomato Basil Bisque. The salad was journeyman in nature and was nice and fresh. The Bisque on the other hand came in a nice little bowl with dried basil around the rim like an Italian Margarita. I didn't care for it. It had a rather uninteresting tomato sauce taste. although pinkish in color letting you know this was a cream sauce the soup just had no distinct or robust tomato taste. Should have been bursting with concentrated tomato taste. The Garlic bread on the other hand was some of the finest we have ever had. The bread light and flaky with fresh garlic rubbed into every nook and cranny. and then butter slathered on. Awesome stuff.

The pasta dishes arrived. I dived into the Pasta Alla Puttanesca first. This is a dish that is normally served without cheese. But first let me tell you the back story on this dish. Pasta Alla Puttanesca literally means "Pasta the way a whore would make it". It seems that after WWII the brothels were state run in Italy and these lady civil servants were only allowed to go to the market once a week so they had to stock up on a lot of non perishables. And apparently back then you got a home cooked meal as well with your paid admission. Only the Italians. The recipe consists of the following items: Anchovies, capers, tomatoes, black olives, garlic, red peper flakes and maybe some basil or parsley chopped and thrown on top and of course your pasta of choice. This is one of those classic little seemingly easy to prepare dishes, that cause a lot of trouble for most cooks as the simple yet very powerful ingredients all try to vie for your taste buds attentions. So you have to learn to balance them out and to coach only the ones you want to be predominate to the forefront. This version was served with a perfectly cooked Linguine, nice and firm to the tooth. The Puttanesca sauce was very tasty but seemed to lack any anchovies or red pepper flakes. otherwise it was an excellent rendition of a dish you rarely see anymore on menus. Worth asking if they make it at your favorite Italian eatery.And speaking of dishes you rarely see on a menu comes next, Pasta Alla Caruso. A favorite of that classic voiced opera singer and named for him as well, Enrico Caruso. I cannot remember the last time I saw this dish on a menu. Done well it can be sublime and like a good tenor, it's culinary voice can either be on or off. It's made with mushrooms and chicken livers all blended together in a red wine reduction sauce and tomatoes and when done has this rich and velvety brown creamy sauce that just wraps itself around the pasta and your tongue like a kid holding onto a carousel pony for the first time. This version at All'Italian was spectacular and one of my favorite pasta dishes anywhere and can possibly be the best pasta dish in San Diego! It was that good. the chicken livers just melt into the sauce and they're taste mellows. The mushrooms are usually crimini and have that nice and slight woodsy flavor. This dish was pure heaven.
The owners of this quaint little eatery open and close when they feel like it. Very European feel and just very nice people here. If you are in the mood for some very tasty non run of the mill pasta. You really should try this place out.

All'Italiana

8356 Allison Avenue

La Mesa, CA 91941
619-469-4076

Chow

Michael

Happy Teriyaki Sushi - Seattle WA

2007-09-06T12:25:00.000-07:00

Getting bored with the menu items at my hotel and having returned the rental car. I found myself wandering hotel row next to the airport in Seattle. Around this area you do have a few fine choices such as the much touted 13 coins restaurant. But tonight I craved Asian cuisine. I missed the spices and textures of really good Asian cooking. Didn't really matter to me if it was Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean or Japanese. I was jonesing and needed a fix. As I strolled down hotel row I spotted a sign that advertised the Happy Hut Teriyaki Sushi. Japanese restaurant. It was in a rather odd place called the Jet Motel. a rather run down looking establishment that had a lot of American made trucks of various sizes and colors in the parking lot and most of them had Nascar number 8 stickers on them. I had already walked at least 3/4 of a mile or more from my hotel and it was going to be dark soon, So I decided to fake like I was chewing tobacco and stroll on in. Happy Teryiaki Sushi was the actual name of the restaurant, I guess they never thought anyone would notice the different names, or maybe just surmised that the clientele at the Jet Motel just wouldn't be able to put two and two together here. I would have bet on the later myself. Just outside of the place is the proverbial wall of photo's of the plates served here. Really nice looking stuff I might add.

The place is located in the middle of the Motel and is definitely an island unto itself. Like walking into another world. I love to stroll off the beaten path and try places that no one would go into on a bet. This place was different that is for sure. As I scanned over the mugshots of food outside the door I just couldn't help but think that I believe I saw just about every character from the film Deliverance walk by and think that classic line from the film while looking at me, I won't repeat it here. but you know the one. Poor Ned Beatty.

Opening the door to the restaurant was like Dorothy opening the door of her just fallen from the sky house and opening it into startling Technicolor. The place was spotless and beautiful. Decorated like a place that shouldn't be here in this establishment. There was just one other couple eating and they were Asian. Good sign. I was greeted by a very lovely young Japanese woman with eyes that seemed to say. "Please, when you go. Take me with you". Like being in a void with zombies all around you or some odd place from the Twilight Zone. I half expected to see Rod Serling sitting at the Sushi counter smoking a cigarette and telling me that I had just crossed over into the Twilight Zone. I wondered if I could ever leave.

I sat Italian style with my back to a wall and the front door in full view. She handed me a menu and asked if I wanted a drink. "Sapporo, long, cold and tall please" was my response. I read through the menu. Mostly familiar stuff and some really nice choices. She returned with my cold Sapporo and I started to order from the Happy Sushi side of the menu, where they had quite an extensive menu. But it didn't take me long to find out that the clientele had quickly gringoized it.

" I will have the Toro" No have, she said. Ok, Ikura, Nope, Hamachi? Nope, Ika? Masago? Uni? No, No and No. The only things that they had available were the dreaded Big Macs of the Sushi world. California rolls and the like. Now I felt her pain and understood the look in her eyes. She knew that I understood that if she stayed here any longer she would be forced to either get a Dale Earnhardt tattoo or forced to start wearing khaki Bermuda shorts, black socks and Jesus sandals with a World Wrestling T-shirt. But wait! Unagi!, They had Unagi. Ok, I love Eel and quickly ordered a batch up. But first out came the obligatory bowl of Miso soup. The Japanese equivalent to a good Kosher Matzo or chicken soup. It looked wonderful and had a heady and yeasty aroma to it. A bit more pizazz in this soup than I am used to. It worked very nice. I was served a lovely little ice cold shrimp on a bed of cabbage with a spritz of rice wine vinegar on it as well.

A great starter. Next came the Unagi ($3.95) and an order of Maguro ($3.50) It looked wonderful and artsy. One of the reasons why I love Japanese cuisine, just beautiful edible pieces of art. I nodded approvingly to the Sushi chef. An older gentleman of at least 70 years old.

The Eel was nicely smoked and had just enough Teriyaki on it as not to overpower and the Maguro was surprisingly very fresh and creamy.

Then came out a side salad containing what I was told to be a Japanese Ranch Dressing? And indeed it did taste like Ranch Dressing but with maybe some Miso mixed in it? I asked the girl and all she could tell me was that some guy comes in and makes it. What guy? she didn't know. Oh well. it was very good. a sort of creamy miso ranch mayonnaise concoction. it worked for me.

Next up is an all time favorite of mine. A Japanese curry. The Japanese are the masters of taking that spicing curry mixture and tempering it out to make a light and dreamy curry all their own. I ordered the Chicken Curry ($6.59) This dish satiated my hunger for Asian food it was a great balance of hot and mild. The veggies were not overcooked and had a nice firm bite to them and as with the chicken had been simmered in the curry for just the right amount of time. Solid gold this dish was.
With my meal finished and the sun slowly going down outside. I paid my bill and left. Leaving behind the doe eyed waitress and lowly sushi chef to continue on plying their trade to an audience that would rather watch cars turn left for 8 hours straight than appreciate the valiant culinary fight that this place brings to the table everyday. Looking back now I wondered if this place was there at all or did I really trespass over into to Twilight Zone? After all I had just been to Portland and had a few brownies at the street fair?

Happy Teriyaki Sushi

Seattle

Open 10:30 to 9:00pm

Chow

Michael

Voodoo Doughnut - Portland Oregon

2007-08-30T14:54:00.000-07:00

This is one place I had wanted to go to for a very longtime. Being a fan of independent thinkers, youth culture and motorcult stuff. The thought of an artsy donut place run by youthful entrepreneur's appealed to me. Visions of Bettie Page injecting Bavarian Creme into maple bars ran through my head. The moniker outside the place reads, "The magic is in the hole". Nope, The magic is not getting mugged or killed trying to get to this place. It is located in the skid row section of Portland. We knew were in for a treat when we stepped up to the entrance only to be very kindly welcomed by an older woman smoking a joint who had very obviously just soiled herself. There goes that olfactory sense for at least the next few hours.

This place is as big as your closet and dirty as heck. My partner in grime wouldn't even try one of the donuts. There were quite a bit of tourists in the place, so no elbow room. and they looked like deer that had been caught in the headlights of your car. that was very entertaining to see. People from the Midwest meet soiled stoned woman and try to buy panties in a donut shop. Yes woman's undergarments can be had here. Not a cute place and no Bettie Page's either.

The product, I mean the food product didn't look all that special either. Very old fashioned stuff and not much innovation for a place with a look and culture like this place touts. This is what happens when kids in Portland smoke to much weed and start giggling uncontrollably as they stick pretzels into dry and tasteless mashed together voodoo donuts. And then chase each other around grandpa's house spewing Oreo's out of there mouths as they laugh themselves silly. But then reality hits and the joke wears off pretty quickly. The product is definitely dry and tasteless as this place. As always, there is that very fine line between camp and comedy. this place misses by a long shot. These were the only donuts on display. We grabbed our stuff and tried to avoid eye contact with anyone and slipped out the door. The soiled lady doorman was still on dooty, literally. I love Portland. It is definitely the last vestige of hippydome left in the country. But the mojo has definitely left Voodoodoo donuts.

Voodoo Doughnut

22 SW 3rd Ave

Portland Oregon

unHoly chow

Michael

Leonardo's Italian Cafe - Battle Ground WA

2007-08-30T06:22:00.000-07:00

The city of Battleground in Washington State is roughly a 30 minute drive from the Oregon Border. Odd name and odd history

And Leonardo's Italian cafe is in this tiny very nondescript 1970's looking strip mall. Although once inside the place becomes very spacious. We were sat in a booth by the open kitchen. I just love to sit in the kitchen in a working restaurant. This is usually reserved for the chef's guest. But lately it has even become fashionable at the McDonald's of Italian eateries. Buca de Beppo, where you can reserve this table. If by the way, you ever find yourself going to Buca de Beppo, this and the Pope room are the only places to sit. Otherwise, why bother going. OK, Back to Leonardo's. With such a low key exterior in a slightly rural location one wouldn't normally expect to find a great Italian eatery. Well this place dispels that myth. Family run and operated. This is a very high quality establishment. I love it when a place offers local wines, beers, produce and anything else. Like rolling through a small village in Europe, This place offered locally grown greens and local grown beef. The wine list had a very cool offering of similar wines from Italy and Washington State. Such as a Chianti from where else, Chianti and a Sangiovese from Washington State. Both made with the same grape. But like Champagne, you can't call American wine made from Sangiovese Chianti, cuz it doesn't come from Chianti.

A basket of very light and flaky foccacia bread came to the table. It was oh so slightly infused with herbs. Just light and airy. Not a fan of focaccia bread, But every now and then one pops up like this. Excellent. Usually places have this very dry and thick foccacia that would gag a horse. Nice surprise.

For a dinner salad we ordered up the house pear and candied pecan green salad with raspberry vinaigrette. This was an astounding salad. the pears had been poached in a cinnamon and nutmeg port wine concoction and all the flavors came through glowingly and the pear had a nice al dente feel to it and also retained the predominate taste. Light and not overpowering vinaigrette blended well with this offering. Light and refreshing.

A bowl of the Pasta di Fruita del Mare came next (13.25). Perfectly cooked Fetucini pasta was topped with fresh assorted seafood including mussels, clams and shrimp covered in a believe it or not a very light and tasty seafood cream sauce. With just the right amount of flavorings as not to over power the fresh seafood. And of course topped off with a large amount of Parmigiano-ReggianoAlso (13.25) was the Pasta Ala Romana. I have been on this kick to find a prosciutto that I like. Normally don't care for it. way to salty and overpowering. This dish had fresh cooked spaghetti tossed with olive oil, garlic, freshly diced tomatoes and chopped basil. A very simple dish. Most times the simple dishes are the hardest to make. As a host of flavors vie for your taste buds and not a lot of chefs do simple dishes right. This one was spot on. And did I forget to say it also had bits of a very tangy and not so salty prosciutto mixed in it as well. I liked this dish and the prosciutto that they had in it. another winner.

Leonardo's Italian Cafe

15 E Main, Battleground, Washington (360) 687-4373 Monday thru Friday 11:30 am - 2:30 pm, Sunday thru Thursday 4:30 pm - 9:00 pm Friday thru Saturday 4:30 pm - 10:00 pm Italian cooking: soups, pasta, and gourmet pizza. Menu changes seasonally.

If you find yourself in the area and are looking for good Italian eats. Try this place out. I think you will like it. Funny name and not so funny history for a small town.

How

Michael

Peco's Pit BBQ - Seattle WA

2007-08-23T17:23:00.000-07:00

We ran across this little consummate classic dive of all dives. Just a straight no nonsense take out BBQ joint in Seattle Washington. We arrived around 11:15am and there where a few people eating at the various wooden tables that scattered around. No indoor seating. No line as we rolled up to the window and checked out the menu. Just three items. and that is it. Choice of a pulled pork. Pulled beef, Beef brisket sandwich, Oh and the sides consisted of a link and beans. and that is it! All of the sandwiches were $6.40 each tax included. a link on the side was an additional $1.45. The aroma was out of this world. I stepped up to the plate and asked the woman behind the window what was the most popular and she very nicely asked if this was our first time here? To which of course we replied "yes". She then told us that it was basically a tie between the Pecos Beef and the Pecos Pork sandwiches and that they were both pulled and shredded. and the brisket came in slices. The sandwiches come wet and I mean very wet with your choice of medium. mild or blazing hot BBQ sauce that they make. I asked for the Pecos Beef with medium heat BBQ sauce with a side of a link sausage and beans. She wrote my order on a brown paper bag and called it out and then passed the bag back to the cooks who were behind her. this bag I thought was just ingenious as it not only served as the order pad but the actual vessel in which to put the order in. And in less than a minute I was handed my brown bag filled with this magical concoction of shredded beef and spice. we sat and opened our bags like kids opening a gift bag at a birthday party. And the sandwiches that we pulled from these humble little brown bags were truly astounding! I have not been a fan of BBQ for years. In San Diego you might have maybe 1 or 2 good BBQ places, Heck, even Huffman's BBQ just doesn't taste like Huffman's anymore.
This was one of those rare foody finds that you dream about encountering. Just phenomenal service and product and dare I say, The best dog gone BBQ I have ever had this side of the Mississippi! This sandwich was just bursting with moist and tender shredded beef. And although I ordered it with the medium heat sauce. it was still mild for me. Maybe I just have jaded or scorched taste buds now after eating at Ba Ren and Dao Son (Thanks Kirk). It had just a wonderful hickory smoke taste running through it. and you know when you have had good BBQ, when you can't wash the sticky sauce off of your hands no matter how much soap you use, and that hickory smoke lingers on your taste buds and clothes for hours after like a good cigar. No way you could pick these babies up with your hands and hold them to eat. They came with a plastic spork and 5 napkins. The plastic utensil was the only way you could eat these guys. the bun was merely there to stop the sauce from running all over the place. I just cannot say enough about the flavor and texture of the beef. it had an awesome mixture of slightly charred outer beef mixed with a moist and tender inner section, a great indication of that long and slow cooking process that great BBQ brings out. The sauce was very different in a great way. it had a slight Mexican style / Southwest jalapeno heat to it. It was a perfect combination.
Like a great Asian eatery this exhibited spice Nirvana. An incredible balance of spices. sweet with heat. The Link was a little hors’dourve, A teaser of spice and texture. I don't know if they make these here but incredible as well. Nice pop to it and great spicy heat. You can definitely see the chili pepper seeds sprinkled throughout.
The beans were of the same quality. You can tell that someone here is passionate about what they make and serve. Nice and tender with chili peppers and onions and bacon bits. Oh My!Love it when there is a true culinary artist behind an eatery. We sat there an ate our miraculous lunch and started to notice that huge lines began to form. And as we looked around at the other tables there must have been 30 people now eating and at least 25 in line.
And they kept on coming. By the time we left it was a virtual feeding frenzy of the Washington State few and privileged who knew of this place.
So remember if you ever find yourself in the Seattle area, this place is tucked right behind Safeco Field in an industrial area. It looks like and old gas station but smells like heaven.

Only open from 11am to 4pm daily. and worth the plane ticket from anywhere is Pecos Pit BBQ!

One more look for ya to drool over.

Pecos Pit BBQ

2260 1st Ave S

Seattle, WA 98134

(206) 623-0629

Mucho Chow

Michael

The Little Penguin - Cabernet Sauvignon

2007-08-21T12:02:00.000-07:00

Five bucks a bottle at Ralph's Grocery Store. Run out and get some now! This is truly a little gem of a Cab. If you like that fat Aussie style of wine making then you will love this wine. It usually retails between $7.99 and $9.99 per bottle everywhere in town. The Australians have seemed to one up the California winemakers in really driving the fruit forward style. It was the California winemakers that pioneered this style. European wines tend to be all about the soil and the ability of the winemaker to bring out the subtleties of the fruit and earth mixed together. California came around and started to make that trademarked fruit forward in your face style of big bold reds that we all love and some love to hate. And over the last few years it has seemed that the Aussies have grabbed that California concept and kicked it up another notch. This wine is ready to drink now but could see a year or two of cellaring. All of the Grapes prowess has been extracted in this wine. It is jammy but with very soft tannins. An incredible color depth of ruby red and purple.
Open the bottle and let it breath and warm to almost room temperature and you will be rewarded. And at 5 bucks a bottle! You better buy a case. Great offerings from this Winery and all exhibit a very high level of quality for the price. If you like that big Aussie style red. than this little penguin packs a knockout.

Chow

Michael

Tamarind Thai Restaurant

2007-08-21T07:47:00.000-07:00

It was yet another gorgeous night to be in San Diego, and I had all but given up hopes of finding a decent eatery to go to that was close to the home office. We had almost forgotten about this little place tucked in a very nondescript strip mall in East County. It has been awhile since we ate here. In East County you have tons of bad Asian restaurants, granted of course there are always the exceptions. It was on a Thursday night we entered Tamarind to find a packed house. This was nice to see as a busy place usually equals good food.

We ordered appetizers. First up Tod Mun ($5.95) This is deep fried fish paste mixed with curry paste and green beans served with sweet chili cucumber sauce with chopped peanuts. It had a very delicate fish flavor and not overpowering. the curry influence was light, but had a very deep flavor to it. The chili sauce that came with it I was surprised to see that it was more sweet than hot. But it all worked together. a nice balancing act of various tastes and textures. One of the reasons why I just love Asian cuisine is that time honored and learned spice balancing act that makes or breaks a good restaurant.

We also ordered up a batch of the Thai Spring Rolls ($5.45). Deep fried rice paper stuffed with shredded cabbage,glass noodles, wood ear mushrooms, Ground shrimp and chicken served with a plum sauce.These came out just scorching hot and we had to wait a few minutes for them to cool off a bit. And when they did they were excellent and again well balanced with the sweetness of the plum sauce.
Nice and crunchy on the outside and filled with ground shrimp and chicken. So far the evening was progressing culinarily awesome. Especially having gone to what seemed to be 100 bad places to eat. I was happy again. I really hate giving bad reviews and thought very hard on not doing them at all. But in the end I figured that I had paid good money at these places and had a fair expectation of receiving good product and experience in return. I am a passionate eater. And we as consumers should expect the same from an independent food establishment.

The Pineapple Fried Rice ($8.50) looked just picture perfect on the plate. I apologize for the photo. We are still working an that.It had loads of crunchy extra large cashews and chunks of fresh pineapple. All stir fried together with Thai Jasmine rice, onions both green and white, curry powder, peas and carrots. This had such a wonderful smoky curry mild heat to it and once again the balancing came through with the Sweetness of the slightly caramelized pineapple melding with the heat of the yellow curry.

The Lettuce Wraps ($7.95) were next. The filling consisted of chopped chicken, potatoes, carrots,onions and green onions in a slightly sweet Thai soy base. With plenty of pieces of fresh lettuce. Not a lot of heat but then again that was exactly what Taylor was looking for.

A small bowl of a tamarind infused soy sauce came with this dish and made the dish complete.

The Nam Tog ($9.95) from the Yum side of the menu (Spicy salads Thai style) Was done very well and again looked picture perfect like the rest of the dishes. It had loads of fresh mint and grilled beef mixed with a slightly below medium heat from the spicy chili sauce and a large dash of fresh lime juice. also with ground toasted rice, sliced green onion and cilantro. My nose is starting to run just writing about this dish.

You can see all of the little pieces of spice and ground rice and herbs in this close up.
The one that really had the flavor balancing act together was the Peanut Sauce with Steamed Veggies ($8.50) We added the grilled chicken to this dish as you have a choice of Beef, Chicken, Pork, Calamari, Shrimp or Duck as addons. The peanut sauce was very well done. Not to sweet and not to thick. It went together so well with this dish. It covered the veggies and chicken perfectly. had a slight kick of heat to it that just made it a little mysterious in a foody kind of way. Very nice. We had finally found a decent meal in East County! The sauce melded nicely with the crispness of the broccoli and carrots, Green beans and onions.
The meal was a great success. The quality of the food and service here is very good. The only thing is, I believe that the place is a bit on the pricey side. Better can be had for less. But not in the East County. Overall We will return again and again. The only dish we had that seemed to be not on a par with the rest of the meal was dessert. we ordered the Fried Banana ($4.95)

It didn't work to well. Although it was covered in a orange spiced honey, it just was a mushy and tasteless slab of fried stuff. The menu said it was rolled in coconut and then fried. Definitely not coconut but what seemed to be some sort of thick tempura batter.

Tamarind Thai Restaurant

7970 University Ave

La Mesa

Open 7 days a week.

Chow

Michael

Sabor Latino - San Diego

2007-08-15T14:51:00.000-07:00

I came across this new restaurant a few weeks ago that had just opened. I didn't want to go in during the first week or so, So I waited a few awhile to let them work those new restaurant glitches out. I had been drooling over going here and thinking about the various possibilities an eatery would have with a sign out front stating "Sabor Latino" and "Latin cuisine". Sabor in Spanish means flavor. Could this place be a little gem? Possibly modeled after a Rick Bayless style of cooking? The sign out front hinted that it was possibly a cut above the standard "Berto" Brothers fare. You know the ones. Filiberto's, Jilliberto's Sillyberto's. I have said that before, But after awhile you get sick of most of them. Although quite a few offer excellent food for the buck. After being open for six weeks I thought it time to go check it out.

I went in for lunch around noonish. Just one other table was eating. The place was decorated in South American Bistro charm. Flowers on the table with nice Mexican themed place settings.

I sat down and the obligatory basket of chips and salsa came out. Chips, Hard and greasy like "Dog the Bounty Hunter"chewy on the outside, but mushy on the inside, with a side of flavorless salsa that tasted watered down and right out of a number 10 SYSCO food can. The salsa looked good. it had some green in it, pieces of what looked like jalapenos? But no flavor at all. Strike one on the "Sabor" thing.

I searched through the menu for little nuggets of a hint at greatness and imagination, Only to find Egg rolls!, Buffalo wings? and Blue Cheese burger's!? Not very Mucho Latino. This lunch menu best represents the reason why I really don't care to go to lunch at a place that purportedly specializes in dinner. The lunch menu is never any good, cast offs and throwaways abound usually. This menu was no exception. Just all over the place. Definitely put together with the help of Sally Field playing the roll of Sybil in that classic old film about a schizophrenic with 16 personalities, and in this case none of them seem to be Latino. This place used to be a Peruvian restaurant and the new owners have left a few Peruvian dishes on the menu as well. Let's see we have Lomo Saltado, Cuban style fries and fried plantains as well as Creamy Jalapeno Tilapia. Tilapia, that goldfish of non threatening tasteless and mushy equivalent to a Petco Park hot dog. Oh Boy do I need to get to a good restaurant fast as I feel I am quickly becoming the Michael Savage of the review world. OK, I just took my Nitroglycerin. Calm again.

I ordered up the Mexican Ceviche Tostada ($3.95). It looked very good when it came out. It had a nice presentation with a nice Quesso mayonase sauce. Nice size shrimp and crisp tomatoes. Very mild citrus hint of lime and lemon. On a bed of lettuce, Which I don't care for in any Mexican food and a store bought packaged Tostada round. Just very mild though. Not much "Sabor" here either. Worth it for $3.95 if you are a first time ceviche eater. Just not very authentic.

For the main course I had asked about the Chicken Mole ($8.95). Now Mole can and usually is a complex conglomeration of various spices mixed with chocolate, and just about every region in Mexico has there own style of it, usually family recipes handed down through the years from Grandma to Mom to Daughter and so on. I would compare it to a Mexican Curry type sauce. Like curry, Mole is most times an acquired taste. The waiter told me it was actually his mothers recipe. Great! I thought. Only Mexican mothers can truly make a good mole. So I quickly ordered up a plate.

The chicken was grilled and then the mole poured over the top. I like it when the chicken is actually simmered in Mole for a while to let the flavors and textures mingle. The Mole was thick and looked really nice. But like everything else at Sabor Latino it really lacked any depth of flavors and that is what you look for in a good curry or mole, is the depth of flavors usually brought together in the case of Mole with the heat of Ancho and other hotter type peppers, mixed with cinnamon and Allspice and of course Mexican Chocolate. Done right it can be heaven as the velvety sweetness en robes the inside of your mouth and then the slow heat builds. Oh my! Sounds like a Harold Robbins novel. Nope, just good Mole. This one had a little heat going on but not enough. it was great in balancing the sweet chocolate and other spices. All in all, It did work together with the grilled chicken. Just not rich enough.
the Chicken Mole came with Spanish rice and Beans. The rice had a nice flavor to them. OK, The rice had Sabor! Light and fluffy with a nice tomatoee creamy texture. A hint of garlic and possibly some Saffron going on here. Each grain of rice was an individual grain and not mushed together.
To sum it up. the owner / Chef wore an Applebees baseball cap. It all made sense to me now.

That is what this place reminds me of, An Applebees menu. Just all over the place.

A liitle more "Sabor" Por Favor.

Sabor Latino

8680 Navajo Road

San Diego

Open 7 days a week 8:30am to 10pm

Chow

Michael

Lefty's Chicago Pizza - North Park

2007-08-12T07:20:00.000-07:00

We ventured over to Lefty's Chicago Pizza place today in our ongoing Quest to find the best pizza in San Diego. This place is located in an area in San Diego called North Park, Which has some of the best restaurants in town and all walking distance from the neighborhoods it surrounds. Very lucky North Park residents. Lefty's is no exception. This is such a great little find. A great Chicago style eatery that serves up some tasty stuff. No bigger than a standard size living room, it can be tough to stand in line and order, as this is as busy a place as Bronx Pizza. But this place goes way beyond your just a pizza serving restaurant. Lefty's serves up some of the finest and most beautiful looking old school Midwest style of food in San Diego. And cheap!

We walked in to find no one in line and we seemed to have caught the place in a not so busy time, a rarity on a Saturday. They have a very East Coasty type attitude here. But if you have ever been or have friends from the East Coast, you know that it can be taken for being rude. But in reality it's really not. They are a brash group. I for one think it humorous. Anyway, we stepped up and ordered a Chicago style thick crust with pepperoni ($18.00), as usual, just what the Quest specified. We did think, but just for a second, to order the thin crust instead. But nope, You can't go into Bronx Pizza and ask for a Chicago style pizza and you shouldn't go into a Chicago style pizza place and order thin crust. So thick it was. They told us it takes at least 35 minutes to cook it. No problem, we wanted to soak up the place anyways. They have beer on tap and one of the handles is for PBR! Ya gotta love that. They have pizza by the slice and have a gorgeous assembly of the offerings in a glass case.

We walked outside and sat at one of the open tables. Remember this is such a small kitschy little cozy dive. They have a small group of plastic tables and chairs for the customers. As we sat and talked, we began to notice the food that was being brought out to the other diners around us. Chicago style hot dogs and Polish dogs and something called "loaded fries" that we should feed to condemned men as they're last meal. because after eating it , it would be! It looked gorgeous though. Mounds of fries covered with sour cream and huge chunks of crispy fried bacon bits. The Chicago style hot dogs looked picture perfect. They had a nice wedge of pickle on them and two little yellow sport peppers. Just like a real Chicago dog. Big plates of pasta came out to the table next to us. Amazing looking food. And all very reasonably priced. Hot dog with fries ($4.50)
OK, There is a reason, as usual I had to go on about the other food on the menu. This place, just for the other offerings alone and the fact that it carries pizza. And as you know, the place that holds the number one spot currently on the list only serves pizza. Based on that. Lefty's would win hands down, no questions asked. But if we are just ranking on Pizza alone. Well then. Bronx wins hands down. The pizza here looks amazing and came out to our table literally piping hot and still sizzling.

It had a huge amount of Wisconsin Mozzarella on it and in traditional style. cheese on the bottom and sauce on top. The tomato sauce was chunky with large pieces of tomato and fresh Basil sprinkled all around. The pepperoni was put on in abundance and was everywhere you looked.
It just looked spectacular. The crust looked nice and think, with large amounts of corn meal evident. Which I think adds a nice texture and taste to the pie crust. Too hot to handle this pie was, So we nabbed a few pieces of pepperoni off of it. WOW! The best pepperoni in town. really nice and flavorful, had a nice spicy bite to it, and greasy as all get out. Just dripped everywhere. Every pizza house in town should get the name of this brand and trash the pepperoni they use now. I thought it quite amusing though looking around I noticed that the adjacent eatery next door was a Vegan restaurant. I just chuckled out loud as I watched the Vegans having to walk past and see Lefty's, that pit of voracious carnivores, eating every ground up farm animal on the planet on they're way for a slice of falafel pie.
This pie is a thing of beauty to look at. But beauty as usual is only skin deep. The crust had no taste other than corn meal and actually was quite mushy and chewy. It was more of a foundation that was utilitarian in it's quest to hold up to the mounds of cheese and sauce. The sauce had a nice fresh taste to it. Mild though, very mild. Too much so for my taste, nice tomato taste and chunky texture and I loved the addition of the fresh herbs in it.
To sum it up. Lefty's over all has become one of my favotite hole in the wall classic dive eateries. This place has it all. The food, the kitsch, The Vespa scooters parked out front. The pizza? Eh, it ain't so bad. Definatley not the best in town, but like the Chicago cubs, this pizza will always be in the race.

Lefty's Chicago Pizza

3448 30th St.

San Diego

Mondays - - - Closed
Tuesday - Saturday - - - 12 PM - 10 PM
Sunday - - - 12 PM - 9 PM

Chow

Michael

Pizza Quest Top 10 List

2007-08-12T07:01:00.000-07:00

Here is the top 10 list so far in our Quest for the Best Pizza in San Diego. We are off and running tasting the majors now. we have a heck of lot more to go. Do you have a suggestion? drop us a line. And a very sincere thank you to all who have submitted places for the team to check out.
But for now here is how the race looks.

1. Bronx Pizza 111 Washington St. San Diego
2. Lefty's Chicago Pizza 3448 30th St. North Park
3. Sanfilippo's Pizza 8141 La Mesa Blvd, La Mesa
4. Bottle Shop 2447 Fletcher Parkway, El Cajon
5. Etna Pizza & Ristorante 4427 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Check back periodically as this list changes as we review other Pizza places. This list will be like a horse race and all participants will be constantly changing in rank.

El Gaupo's Mexican Food - La Mesa Village

2007-08-11T08:43:00.000-07:00

Do you remember the movie Three Amigos! with Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short? The main bad guys name was "El Guapo. Meaning handsome one. The owner of this Mexican food place thought it would be a good idea to name his restaurant after that character.
I think that is funny and shows some originality and a sense of humor. Unfortunately we didn't have much fun on this visit to El Guapo's.

This place used to be La Torta. That incredible Mexican Deli. When we arrived for what we thought was going to be a quick lunch, we Popped 45 minutes worth of coins into the parking meter. Thinking that should be ample time for a quick bite and than back to the office. We stepped up to the cashier around noon time. Not a lot of customers, There were maybe 3 tables inside and no one outside.

We scanned the menu and decided on a Carne Asada Burrito ($5.50) A California Burrito ($5.50) and a Mahi Mahi taco ($2.95). By the way they do carry one of my favorite beers, Modello Especial, They also carry the darker version, Negra Modello as well. Oh, and they also have Coke from Mexico! Another plus as the Mexican made Coke is the original Coke recipe made with cane sugar. The Coke we get up here in the states is made with that lovely Diabetes inflicting High Fructose Corn syrup. So we were happy to grab our drinks and go outside and grab a table. You order at the counter and then they bring you the food. We waited and waited and waited. The place was not very busy at all. After 25 minutes we, along with two other tables started to get very antsy, The guy with the WAMU shirt on started to sweat and look at his watch. You could tell everyone was on they're lunch break and needed to get back to work. Minute 27, we finally received one Burrito. Minute 30 the rest of the order came out.

We dug in. First up the Mahi Mahi taco.

It was covered in Jack cheese, Not a good sign for authentic Mexican fare. Could not pick the taco up, it was way to wet and top heavy with cheese and very very runny. The sauce did have a nice chipotle smoke to it though, but it covered everything. It could have been a fish stick stuffed in this taco and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

I had the Carne Asada burrito. That Southern California invention of perfection. The stuff that legends are made of. Put the original Roberto's on the map. And single handily started the Mexican Fast food drivethru craze. No such animal exists in Mexico. If you order a burrito in Mexico. You are going to get a desert dish. Looked nice from the outside. A nice stuffed 14 inch flour tortilla. I grabbed my plastic knife and cut it in half. Inside I was amazed to see more Jack cheese! and the burrito was ice cold, So cold it wasn't even able to melt the Jack cheese that was stuffed in it!

It did have plenty of real guacamole and a nice amount of Carne Asada. The meat was tasty, even though cold. It seemed to have all the right spices, A little citrusy back flavor with a rather nice texture. But after 30 minutes of waiting there was just no way I was going back up to the cashier and ask for a hot one. This burrito would have been passable if not for the Jack cheese and being a cold burrito-sicle. We cut into the California Burrito. Let me tell you what is in this artery clogger. Sour cream, Carne Asada, French fries and Jack and Cheddar cheese! As usual we had 911 on our cell phones pre programmed, just in case. We cut into this one and what a concoction. This one I can't get into. I guess I'm too old school Mex food kinda guy. This is the equivalent of that sandwich made with peanut butter and marshmallow sauce. I know, I know. I just never grew up with that either.And once again. Cold as a stone. No melted cheese. The house sauce on the other hand was quite good though. It had a nice smoky Chipotle creamy feel to it, with just a little pepper heat. that one was a hit.

Ok. Our 45 minutes where about up in the parking meter and we weren't quite finished yet. After all it took 30 minutes to get our food. So I wandered back up to the register, which was now manned by what seemed to be the owner. To get some more change, And he was conversing with a gentleman in front of me. I stood there like a child doing the potty dance, glancing over at my car and then the meter and then the owner and back and forth again and again. Knowing that the Jawslike meter person for the La Mesa Village has about 4 blocks to patrol and is very quick with a ticket. After 3 minutes of no eye contact and no"hey I'll be with you in a minute pal" or nothing. I decided it wasn't worth the $21.00 parking ticket any longer.

So, Adios El Guapo and like the film. The Village should rise up to the El Guapo's and let them in on a secret. yup, believe it or not. the customer is still king.

El Guapo's
8350 La Mesa Blvd

Chow

Michael

Mona Lisa Italian Foods - Allied Gardens

2007-08-10T06:56:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name, So starts the theme song from that classic sitcom Cheers. And the words ring true here at Mona Lisa in Allied Gardens. Unlike the other Mona Lisa restaurant in downtown San Diego, This one is nestled in a strip mall in a neighborhood setting and owned and operated by Mike Apparito, Using family recipes that had been handed down by his father Gaspare Apparito and creatively coming up with his own versions has made this place an institution in San Diego and of course the community of Allied Gardens.

The restaurant has recently gone through a major renovation project that completely transformed the dining area into a beautiful open and yet intimate dining experience. Photos of the family hang everywhere. They bring a great sense of comfort to the diners and let you know that, Yes, there are still those family restaurants around town. Not just family style, But the new honoring the old style family kinda place.

The menu is a nice spattering of what you would expect from a classic old school Italian eatery. Pasta dishes, Veal or Chicken, Lasagna and pizza and so forth. But a few things set this place apart from the rest. One of them is that food of love factor. Not so evident in other places. But here it still thrives on. You can tell that at this Mona Lisa, Mike still has a passion for the food and the place. It would be easy after all the years in business to just let the place go on auto pilot. But not here. A major remodel and the food is nice and comforting. The tomato sauce has to be one of my favorites. It is a rustic basic sauce that has a huge and bursting intense tomato flavor, with a nice fresh sweetness to it, Hints of Oregano for a slight smoky background and lot's of garlic flavor. Great stuff. Right away you can tell that this is a heavily Sicilian style influenced sauce.

A nice tight wine list consisting of a few choice wines. I was surprised to see the Parker Pinot on the list. One of my favorite wines. And litres of the house wines are only $11.00. The food just looks awesome. All finished off with care. We started out with a cup of the house minestrone soup. A classic soup made with Veggies. This one had an incredible tasty broth base. Light, with a nice offering of squash, zucchini cabbage, carrots and various other vegetables. and they weren't all soft and mushy after being in the pot all day long. Good stuff.

As you should know by now I have an aversion to that vinegary mushy pile of veggies that a lot of Italian places put on their Antipasto salads. So I was quite pleased when ours came out that it didn't have any on it. Excellent! It look very nice and piled high with greens and cheese, and various cold cuts. With your choice of dressings on the side.

I had the Veal Marsala. tender and juicy with a nice wedge of lemon for that citrus kick that balances out the sweet Marsala wine flavor.

The veal was nice and not overly sweet tasting, looked great on the plate and wasn't overcooked. Very simple but elegant dish that at most places can get overly complicated and usually ends up tasting like either a dill pickle or a sweet candy.

Lasagna was next up. Nice to see the Mona Lisa rendition of this old school dish. Most places pile up the layers so high that they need a light on top so the planes won't hit it. This one had just a few choice layers resulting in a nice balance of flavors. The Lasagna pasta was done to perfection and not overly cooked and mushy. The filling gave you just enough to allow you to taste all the separate ingredients. Most places usually make huge trays of lasagna once or twice a week and when you order, they take a hunk out and cram it in a ramekin dish and throw it in the pizza oven and then a few minutes before it's heated all the way through they load up the top with cheese to cover it all. Yummy right? Yeah, that's why I usually never order Lasagna in an Italian restaurant. If I want 5 day old re-heated left overs. I will stay home. So remember, Usually when a Place has Lasagna on the menu and it comes in a ramekin dish look elsewhere for another item. Because that's what it usually means. Your gonna get the stuff that they are gonna throw out in a few days. heated in a dish and covered with cheese.

This version at Mona Lisa's was a pleasant surprise.

Very pleasant staff on hand. Nice desert menu with a great offering of Italian classics.

Remember this is unpretentious family fair served here. But having said that. It is also a place to go for that first date or your 50th anniversary. A great little home style Italian eatery. And yeah, Sometimes it is nice to go to a place where everybody knows your name. A place with quality food, service and ambiance that pays homage to it's past by carrying on it's passionate food tradition for the future.

Mona Lisa

5156 Waring Rd

San Diego

Chow

Michael

Pho T Cali - San Diego

2007-08-08T15:35:00.000-07:00

I used to come to this place a lot when I worked up in the Clairemont Mesa Blvd area. I surely miss the luxury of having some of the best eating establishments in San Diego at my gastronomical finger tips. So today I found myself back in the area on business and had to decide where to eat, What an ordeal, easier to pick which one of your senses you would give up than to pick a restaurant in this area. Let me think, Shall we go to Jasmine, or Tommy's burgers, Ranch 99 for a sandwich or Aladdin...ugh. Just good stuff overload. Sometimes it's a tough gig choosing that right piece of chocolate out of the box.

I finally decided on Pho T Cali, But I believe the name has changed. I used to come here a few years ago and it wasn't bad. As I entered the building I noticed that most of the servers faces seemed familiar at least if they have had a change of ownership the crew looks like they stayed on. Good sign. I was quickly seated and handed a menu. Interesting verbiage on the inside cover. it had an explanation of what to order and expect if this is your first time here. I found that quite amusing, having been eating Vietnamese food for a few years and could remember back when I couldn't even tell you what was in the bottles of condiments on the tables let alone order.

But wait. I still can't really tell you whats in those bottles on the table. Oh well, somethings never change. The reason why I love Asian Cuisine in San Diego is that old theory of mine which is most of the really great Asian places are still run by first or second generation families that cook as closely to they're original style as possible. Hence the usually large numbers of Asians that go to the good ones. But this theory on food and authentication really holds up to all nationalities. It seems that by the time the third and definitely by the fourth generation. The majority of eateries lose that authentic edge as they're core clientele leave or move out of the area and a more homogenized eating public moves in. That I believe is what has happened to Pho T Cali. They lost there nationality cooking compass. Not that the food was bad. It was just ordinary. Like lining up a Tommy's Burger and a McDonald's one. Both are hamburgers but one is great and the other not so great.

I had the Tai Nam Gau Gan Sack ($4.90)

A soup bowl filled with,Rare steak, well done flank, brisket, tendon and tripe.

Also ordered a Lemonade with soda water in it ($2.20)

The Lemonade was exquisite. It had such an intense lemon flavor with a super sweet finish to it. The soda water gave it a nice tonic but clean finish. Great hot day refreshment.

The Soup broth was very mild and lacked any taste, Wasn't bad, but just lacking some flavors. The jalapenos and basil along with a squirt of lime and some Srirachi hot sauce made it come alive. But the broth on it's own should have had a little more oomph to it. Granted, I am not an expert on the nuances of Vietnamese cuisine, I just know what tastes good and what doesn't. The steak, tendon, tripe, flank and brisket were all very tender and done well. Not a lot of fat or harsh gristle. Overall not a bad experience, But in an area that is so rich in great eateries. This is a shame. I don't think I will be back for awhile.

PS. Another reason I like Asian places so much is that they are well lit. Makes even my photography almost tolerable. Someone has to tell those Mexican and Italian places I go to about adding a little more light.

Pho T Cali

7351 Clairemont Mesa Blvd

858-565-6997

Chow

Michael

Pizza Hit List

2007-08-08T07:42:00.000-07:00

Wow, Have we been on a hot dog tear lately. But now it's time to get back to our best pizza in San Diego quest. So I have decided to publish the remaining Pizza restaurants that we have chosen to review on our quest for the best pie. If you have any suggestions of places that you feel should be on our list, please let us know and we will add them on.

And here are the chosen few and in no particular order I might add.

Luigi's

Lefty's

Extreme Pizza

Sorentinos

Filippi's

Pizza Port

Sammy's Wood Fired Pizza

Manga Bene

Gus's #1

The Venetian

Hoboken

And there you have the remaining finalists. Again, any suggestions please let us know.

Chow

Michael

Shea Stadium & Yankee Stadium Hotdogs

2007-08-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I am back from my trek to Cooperstown to see San Diego’s Mr. Padre, Tony Gwynn, get inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. To say the least, it was one of the greatest moments in my baseball life to be among such greats. Cooperstown, I might add, is a charming little town in the middle of the mountains. And the people who live there are among the friendliest I have ever met.
As I grew up forty miles outside NYC, it was exciting to go back to some of my old haunts. Shea Stadium is where I practically grew up. And when Michael heard I would be going to both Shea and Yankee Stadiums, well I was asked to test and write about the hotdogs. Not a problem! So here goes!

Shea Stadium boasts Nathan’s Hotdogs so even before getting to my seat, off to the concession I go! (I had been in New York City’s Manhattan Mall last November, and had a Nathan’s – what I think are the best hotdogs in the world.) So I order up my Nathan’s and ask the concessionaire where the condiments are?? She said, “In the hallway.” I looked and looked. I didn’t see any counters with condiments? Then I looked at the wall to see a plastic shelf with packets of mustard and ketchup. What the heck? No onions, no relish? Nope. So I dressed my hotdog in the availables, took a bite and ……. NO WAY WAS THIS A NATHAN’S HOTDOG!!! IT WAS A CHEAP IMMITATION!! This was verified at lunch the next day with one of the couples on our bus tour, Jim and Pam from Minnesota. Jim also said the hotdogs were not Nathan’s, and I didn’t even prompt him. And then the whole table agreed.

Off we went to Cooperstown on Saturday afternoon, and to our dismay, our bus blew a radiator hose and we were stuck at the New Jersey Turnpike Vince Lombardi Rest Stop for the afternoon. And there was a Nathan’s Hotdog Store. I ordered up one just to see, and sure enough, it was one of the best hotdogs I had ever had and it was definitely a Nathan’s. If you never had one, they pop when you bite into them and they have a thin chewy skin to them. I was then totally convinced that Shea Stadium was running a scam.

We finally made it to Cooperstown, thank God. We wouldn’t have been a very happy bunch if we missed “Tony and Cal’s big day.” We headed back to New York City where we attended a Yankees – White Sox game. Ok, Hebrew Nationals here. And they were true to their word, they were real Hebrew Nationals. They were good, just as good as the ones you buy at the local grocery store and cook yourself. You don’t have to be at the ballpark to get this hotdog. Go to Ralph’s, Albertson, Von’s … and you don’t have to travel to the Bronx. Oh, and also, the same deal on the condiments. Only packets of ketchup and mustard. What a shame.

One thing I will say, though, about the Bronx. We went to a restaurant/bar called “The Yankee Tavern” a few blocks away from Yankee Stadium on 161st Street where I ordered a Pastrami on Rye. I was in heaven!!! All my new friends at the table were jealous! I told them, when you are in New York, it’s a must! It was served with slices of the best pickles in the world and of course, an Amstel Light. May

I suggest if you are ever in the neighborhood, stop in. Great service, great fans, great food. And I don’t even like the Yankees!! But after my visit, I thought the Yankee fans were some of the greatest in baseball. I am so happy that there will be a new Yankee Ballpark in 2009, the Yankee fans certainly deserve it. And I’ll be back for some hotdogs, for sure.

Chow.

Sue