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The Los Angeles Wine & Food Festival

Thanks to Foodie Universe, I had a chance to attend the Los Angeles Wine & Food Festival last weekend. I was so excited when I won the tickets and pretty much decided right away to take my dad, who is a food and wine lover himself. So on Saturday, August 26th, he and I got in the car, stomachs empty and ready to get our wine-drinkin’ on!

After a stop in Koreatown where my Papa wanted to show me an awesome Korean market (can’t remember the name but it’s on Western…big, mall-type place w/ lots of Korean and Japanese foodstuff), we arrived at the LA Convention Center. After picking up our tickets, we walked into the hall and immediately saw a table full of stemless wine glasses, each emblazoned with the festival’s logo. Each attendee was informed that you take one glass and keep it with you to taste all of the various wines offered. Great idea!

We started on one end and, from where we could see, couldn’t really tell how many stalls there would be. At the beginning of the line, there were a few wine stalls and a couple of food ones. We sampled a bit of jumbo lump crab served in tiny martini glasses and tossed with cocktail sauce (yum!), then moved onto a cheese counter where I tried some chocolate goat cheese (so-so….I like my cheese salty, I think!) and a nugget of parmesan. It was hard to get much more because this was definitely the most popular stalls at the festival. We would soon find out why!

After we turned a corner, we tried some dark chocolate and a peanut butter truffle…..mmmmm. Of course in the meantime we sipped on various wines, sparkling wines and liquors. We were about 30 minutes in and having a grand ol time. I just wished I would have paced myself…………….because after those peanut butter truffles, the “food” part of the LA Wine & Food was done. We walked with our glasses to stall after stall of Central Coast pinot noirs, gleefully sipped on three different types of ruby port, was ecstatic to see the Korean raspberry wine that I had seen at the supermarket hours before and tried a bit of the Korean pomegranate wine that looked too pretty to pass up. Mind you- it isn’t like we drank more than a sip or two of each thing, but for anyone whose ever been wine tasting, you know how quickly those sips add up to glasses.

Even though I started feeling a bit woozy, I couldn’t possibly pass up the chance to try some Chai liquor, now could I? What’s that over there…..some sparkling red wine? Gimme! How about some fig vodka and some toffee liquor? Oh yes, let me just rinse out my glass before you pour me some. Thank goodness we ran into some nuts. Wait- I will clarify:

Now I’m not saying that 4 pistachios in a tiny box were going to sober me up, but they sure did taste great. Luckily we ran into some very nice girls who were so hungry that they had bought a hunk of cheese off of the one cheese company. They prepared a nice little plate of appetizers for us:

After we snacked, we hit a couple more wine stalls and then decided to call it a day. We got plenty of wine glasses, samples of various liquors and more pamphlets than you could shake a stick at. It was a “lovely way to spend a day,” as my Papa said. I totally agree. Although I must ask the organizers of the LA Wine & Food Festival- next year, could you include more food? Because I think it’s more like the LA Wine and Liquor and Spirits Festival. And I don’t know if you want a convention center full of drunk, hungry foodies. It could be dangerous!

Thanks again to Foodie Universe for the tickets- it was an amazing experience!!! You really made our weekend.

Roy’s Restaurant, Downtown Los Angeles

The other night, my dear J had a 20-hour stop back home in LA before going on to the next show in Oakland. I rushed home from work and we went through the “Where do you want to go to dinner?” debate until we both decided that we really wanted seafood. We really don’t know a lot of seafood-specific restaurants in town. Water Grill is great if you want to spend a grip, and places like McCormick & Schmidt’s just give me The Waz. (The Waz is a term that J made up- it’s that antsy, anxious feeling that kids get when their parents keep them at Target too long, or in church, etc). Since I wasn’t feeling sushi, I did a little online search on LATimes.com and came up with Roy’s.

Roy’s is a chain of high-end Asian Fusion restaurants started by chef Roy Yamaguchi. Although I had read about it a few times, I wasn’t too familiar with the restaurants and didn’t really know what to expect. After a quick glance at the few menu items listed on their website, we decided to take a chance. I have to admit, I was a bit worried that it may be a chain in the vein of Outback Steakhouse (read: on the expensive side but still bad, large food) but the website looked promising.

The Downtown location is quite nice- it’s on the corner of Figueroa and 8th and the floor-to-ceiling windows showcases a nice, street-level view of Staples Center and a few other buildings. It feels very urban, almost like New York. As we were looking through the menu, our waiter came over and asked if we wanted to order drinks. We were torn between two New Zealand sauvignon blancs so the waiter offered to let us taste both. He brought over those two and an additional glass that contained the one French sauvignon blanc they had. I have to admit, I was really impressed that he would offer and we actually ended up liking the French one best.

Everything on the menu sounded delicious, and our waiter explained a few items to us. We decided to share the Yellow Fin Ahi Poketini w/ Wasabi Aioli, Avocado and Tobiko Caviar which is one of their signature appetizers. Although the cynical side of me just wanted to roll my eyes at the kitschy name (Poketini??), the cheerful and helpful nature of our server made me think twice about it and I kept my eyeballs in check. When the beautiful martini glass piled high with sliced ahi and daikon sprouts arrived, I took off my Critical Cap and put it away for good. We both loved the fresh fish combined with a lovely crème fraiche that had just the right amount of wasabi mixed in- I could tasted a good bit of wasabi flavor but I didn’t burn all of my nose hairs off either. We were happy.

When it came to order my entree, I couldn’t decide between a Katsu-style Ono with Salmon Rice or the Green Curry Steamed Barramundi with Thai Black Rice. I knew I wanted the barramundi but I also wanted the salmon rice- what to do? I asked the waiter which one he recommended, and he said that he’d go for the barramundi and he would bring me a small dish of the salmon rice so I could try it. At this point I wouldn’t have cared if they served me mud pies- our waiter made the night! Ok, I may have cared about mud pies but you get the idea. J decided to go for a Roy’s combination plate which featured three of his signature dishes- the Hawaiian Style Misoyaki Butterfish w/ Sizzling Soy Vinaigrette, Hibachi Style Grilled Salmon w/
Japanese Vegetables and Citrus Ponzu Sauce and the Roy’s Original Hawaiian Blackened Island Ahi w/ Spicy Soy Mustard Butter.

J’s plate came and and it was a stunner. Each part of the trio came on a small, white plate along with a small plate of white rice and were artfully arranged on a large, wooden board. Everything tasted as good as it looked- the ahi with the spicy mustard butter was outstanding, and I loved the not-too-sweet teriyaki on his hibachi style salmon. Wow. My barramundi was perfectly cooked and I loved the green curry flavor- unfortunately the pool of pineapple tamarind sauce underneath it was a bit too fruity for me- but I generally don’t like fruity sauces so I probably shouldn’t have ordered it. If you like sweet/tart sauces, this is the dish for you. We both loved the salmon rice and agreed that we’d have to eat it again. At this point we were just both completely satisfied and frankly, surprised. I guess I’ve been living under a rock, but I just assumed that Roy’s, being a worldwide chain, would be all about huge portions dripping with too-heavy sauces. I was totally wrong- the food was beautifully presented and absolutely delicious.

Roy’s Original Hawaiian Blackened Island Ahi w/ Spicy Soy Mustard Butter

I have to give a quick shout out to Sergio, our waiter. He really made our experience wonderful, and it’s nice to see someone who takes so much pride in their work. He told us that he’s been with Roy’s for six years (Chicago and other locations- the downtown one is less than a year old) and that he really loves the food. He was gracious, patient and his recommendations were right on. So thank you Sergio- every restaurant should have a server like you!

Sergio- you rock!

We didn’t have room for dessert, but from what I could tell, they looked delicious. I’m really happy to say that I think J and I have found a new dinner destination. I highly recommend it.

Roy’s Restaurant
Address: 800 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90017
Phone: (213) 488-4994

“Life is Good”

I generally think that I have a good life. Except when I forget my camera and must use my awful camera-phone to snap photos…..but I digress. Actually, I know I have a great life. I have a family who I not only love but I also like, the best husband (ok, he’s family but I need to mention him separately!) on earth, my dear cat Cory (also family) who meows every time I sneeze as if to say “bless you” in kitty-speak, a job I adore and, of course, lots of great things to eat. Heaven only knows that there are too many people that aren’t lucky enough to even have a fraction of those things, and I think I am acutely aware of all that I have.

Aside from that ever-present realization, there are what I like to call “Life Is Good” moments. I’m not talking about those BIG moments like when you get a promotion at work or win a flat-screen TV at your office holiday party (yes, that actually happened!). I’m talking about those little moments when everything lines up in just the right way – maybe you’re sitting on the sofa eating a bowl of ice cream, flipping through the channels and you find that Rushmore just started on the American Movie Channel. Or it could be the time that you had a pot of beef stew braising in the oven and your entire house smelled like wine, garlic and meat….and then it started to sprinkle outside and you just thought, “Life is good.” Not to wax sentimental, but you know what I’m talking about.

Last night, as I sat in the courtyard at the beautiful Chateau Marmont, sipping a lovely glass of pinot grigio, I thought, “This is nice.” The sun was just starting to set and the last rays were softly peeking through the trees onto our table and the surrounding greenery. When the waiter brought over a large, white plate containing three perfectly round, golden brown risotto balls resting on a layer of paper thin prosciutto de parma, I thought, “Life is good.”

More blogging excuses…..

or excuses for NOT blogging. With J on tour, the Emmys this Sunday and forgetting to take my camera to the few restaurants I’ve been to lately, it just hasn’t been a good blogging period for me. I doubt you want to hear about my made-up supper of multigrain crackers topped with hummus, sliced tomatoes and red onions with a side of corn tossed with BBQ sauce!! Not exactly the uber gourmet, but again- since J is away, it’s just easier to toss together some half-assed meal than to “cook” for one. Work has also been crazy busy with Awards Show Season kicking into full gear. But I can promise you something- Saturday I will be attending an event that will be VERY blog-worthy, so please keep checking back. I hope to take lots of great photos and can’t wait to share my experience with you.

So thanks for being patient, and I hope you keep on reading!

-TAG

Summer Blogging Blues and “LLOYD!!!“

I guess I don’t really have the blues. But with friends in from out of town all last week and living solo since J is gone on tour, I just haven’t been cooking much. Which means I don’t have much to blog about. Or it means that everytime I’ve been out to eat, I’ve forgotten my beloved camera. I do want to apologize for the lack of posts and promise that I will try to get my butt back in the kitchen!

In the meantime, I wanted to share a photo that I took a work a couple of week’s back. I work for a cable network and we had to find a guest co-host for one of our shows. Guess who came and did a fantastic job for us?! LLOYD!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you’re an Entourage fan, you know exactly who I mean. Not only was Rex Lee (his real name) completely lacking in pretention, but he was as sweet, witty and funny as he is on the show. I asked him to make his signature dismayed look (the one he always uses on Ari whenever he gets insulted…which is always!) and he totally did. I cropped myself out of the photo but you can see a bit of my jacket.

Thanks Lloyd- you’re my favorite “Gaysian!”

Black Mouth and Steak Tacos

Just a couple of quick things before the weekend.

Another coworker had a birthday this past weekend and I was in need of something easy since I was feeling sort of lazy. After looking through epicurious and not really finding anything that appealed to my laziness, I turned to Nic’s bakingsheet, as I often do. I perused through her recipes and saw The One. Boca Negra, which means “black mouth” in Spanish, is not only easy to make, but it makes everyone think you slaved for hours to make such a beautiful and decadent creation! The ingredient list is a short one- bittersweet chocolate, butter, rum, sugar and eggs. Could it be any simpler (oh no- I sound like Chandler)?? You probably have those ingredients in your pantry now. Whiz it all in the food processor, pour into your cake pan, set that in a hot water bath inside your oven and exactly 30 minutes later, you’re left with Chocolate Heaven. Deep, dark, Chocolate Nirvana. Lusciously rich Chocolate Insanity. Silk, seductive Chocolate Perfection. Gorgeously smooth Chocolate Adrien Brody. Oops. Well, you get the idea. Thank you Nic- not only for posting such a great recipe but for helping me discover the utter joy that is Boca Negra!

The next night, I had another solo dinner (of which I will have many since J leaves for tour on Sunday!). I had bought a couple of sirloin tip steaks awhile back at Marukai and stuck them in the freezer. I simply rubbed them with some garlic, cumin and onion salt and tossed them on the grill, then packed them into corn tortillas with onions, cilantro and a good dose of Tapatio. You know it was good because Tapatio makes everything taste better;)!!

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Puy lentil salad

I love lentils. I grew up eating a tomato-sauce based lentil salad that my dad read about in a newspaper long ago and has been making ever since. It was one of those dishes that, no matter what kind of food-mood my sister and I were in, we’d be happy to see on the dining table at dinnertime. You know what I mean- sometimes you’d come home from school, famished after a long practice or a game. When dinner presented itself in the form of, let’s say, cold tofu, salad, broiled fish and pickled daikon, it wouldn’t exactly fit your food mood. I use that example not because I don’t love Japanese food- it’s just that sometimes my growling tummy was looking forward to a big fat lasagna or a nice bowl of oyako-don. And of course I use an example from when I was younger since I now have the power to make whatever suits any food mood I may be in.

Back to lentils. This particular lentil salad that became a family favorite is tomatoey, garlicky and made with regular brown lentils. It was my introduction to the humble legume. Since then, I’ve had various kinds of lentils in many preparations. Soups, salads, dips, crostini, etc. I love them all, but I believe I’ve found a lentil that I may love as much as my first lentil. It’s small, green and holds it’s shape much better than their brown counterparts. Yes, meet the Puy Lentil.

Although I’m sure I’ve had puy lentils at many restaurants, I didn’t really notice it’s beauty until I had a taste of Nicole’s salad. I was at my favorite local shop, Nicole’s Gourmet Imports, about a year ago and was looking for something quick to pick up for a side dish. Among the beautiful wedges of cheese, piles of duck confit and towering blocks of foie gras mousse, I saw a plate of the green lentils- looking plain and simple in a large, white dish. Since foie gras and cheese don’t exactly make the best side dishes to grilled fish (although who can say? I would totally eat those things anywhere on any plate!) I bought about a pint of the lentil salad. I didn’t really think about it much and drove the 2 miles back to my house.

Once I had a bite of the salad, I was hooked. It was fresh and nutty, tart and fragrant…..and as far as I could tell, there were less than five ingredients total. On my next visit, Nicole confirmed this- simply boil the lentils, add chopped red onion and parsley, douse with some good olive oil and finish it with some red wine vinegar. I quickly bought a box of the dried puy lentils and made the salad at home. That was a year ago, and after some tweaking, I think I’ve come up with a very good version. I never use exact measurements and it really depends on how vinegary or peppery you’d like your salad to be. Lately, I’ve been using herbed salts that my husband brought back from Brazil- instead of regular salt, I’ll add some of the Rosemary salt and some of the Basil salt.

Puy Lentil Salad

I love this salad because it showcases the earthy, nutty flavor of the lentils. I prefer to use more vinegar than oil since I love the mild acidity of red wine vinegar. Again- you can adjust each ingredient to suit your taste.

1 box of puy lentils (French green lentils)
1 yellow onion, split in half
3 bay leaves
3 sprigs of thyme

1 large red onion, diced
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped fine
red wine vinegar
olive oil (a nice, fruity one works best)
cracked black pepper
sea salt

optional: herbs de provence

Rise the lentils in a colander and pick out any seeds or rice that might be mixed in. Put the lentils in a large pot and cover with cold water. Add the yellow onion, bay leaves and thyme to the pot- bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 18 minutes. (Note: the lentils will soak up a lot of the water). Drain and put in a large bowl (do not rinse the lentils because you will wash off all of the flavor from the cooking liquid!).

In a smaller bowl, whisk red wine vinegar and olive oil together. I usually use about 3 TBS of olive oil and 1/2 cup of red wine vinegar but again, adjust this amount to your taste. Add the red onion and parsley to the bowl of lentils and pour the vinegar mixture over the top. Mix thoroughly and add salt, cracked pepper and, if using, herbs to your taste.

Best if served at room temperature. Also good cold!

Healthy cooking, Puy lentils

Enjoy.

WHAT THE……?!??!?!?

Although I hardly ever blog about fast food on Tuna Toast, I just had to share this with you after my sister gave me the info. She was at the mall the other day and discovered this new stand in the food court. She went, she saw, she was stunned, then went home and sent me the link in an email with the subject “Weird!” Of course I quickly opened it up to discover (drum roll please…………) CripsyCones!

No, my dear readers, CrispyCones is not a new ice cream company. I’m not exactly sure what to say about it so I’ll quote their website:

CrispyCones will forever change the way we look at meals on the go, with a new, fun alternative to traditional fast food. Made with nutritious ingredients and delivered in a smart drip-free cone that complements the delicious flavors of the food, the Crispy Cone lets you enjoy your favorite foods in a modern and environmentally-smart new way.

Spill-free, nutritious, and full of rich flavors, the Crispy Cone is the perfect portable food when you’re looking for a great, healthy, convenient meal on the go.

There are pizza cones, BBQ “Chicones” (get it? Chicken + Cone = CHICONE!!), Porcone (yes, that would be pork in a cone), egg cones, salad cones and the ever-so-delicious sounding Meatballscone. Now is that a meatball in a scone or meatballs in a cone? I’m guessing it’s the latter. I’ve always wanted my pizza and my eggs to be “spill-free!!” Dreams do come true……..

Ok now, I guess I shouldn’t knock it til I try it, but why-oh-why must we take everything good and make it faster, easier and spill-proof? Cones were meant for ice cream or else some enterprising young mother would have packed tuna fish cones instead of tuna fish sandwiches in her kids lunchbox, don’t you think? Haven’t wraps taken care of the whole spillage problem already?

I’m afraid, as much as I pride myself on being open-minded, that I can’t possibly waste $4.00 or whatever it costs to try one of these things. I’m also not sure how putting pizza fillings in a crispy cone could possibly be nutritious.

If any of you are brave enough, please report back. You know- next time your sweetheart says, “What do you feel like eating for dinner?” just reply with “I’m really feeling like a Chicone Teriyaki and then maybe a Smorescone for dessert.”

MMMMMMMM!

Cilantro Quinoa Salad

Once again, I’ve become lax in my blogging but this time I have a good reason- the dreaded Summer Cold. Usually I’m not one to get bothered by being sick, but being sick during the summer really gets under my skin! I should be feeling better in a couple of days but in the meantime, I’d like to share one of my go-to, easy and refreshing summer recipes with you.

This is one of my favorite ways to prepare quinoa. It’s easy, healthy and keeps well for about a week in the fridge. The other night I served it up with grilled tilapia and a green salad to make a nice and light summer meal.

Cilantro Quinoa Salad

2 cups quinoa, prepared according to package directions
1 cup cilantro
2 TBS olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic
2 ears of corn- corn cut off cob
1 red bell pepper
1 medium red onion
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
4 green onions, sliced thin
Salt & pepper

Combine cilantro, oil, vinegar and garlic in a food process and whiz until smooth. Pour this immediately over the cooked (and still warm) quinoa and mix well so that it’s evenly distributed. Set aside and let cool.

Cut the corn off of the cobs and sauté in a shallow pan until the corn browns slightly. Take the red bell pepper with a pair of tongs and hold over the flame on your stove (or put the pepper in a broiler) and heat each side until it is completely charred. Put the pepper in a bowl and cover with saran wrap. Let sit for 5 minutes. Take the bell pepper out and peel off black skin. Cut into small dice. Dice the red and green onions.

Combine the quinoa with the corn, red pepper, red onion, green onion and black beans. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the tilapia, I simply rubbed it with a mixture of olive oil, crushed basil leaves, sea salt and crushed garlic and let it sit for a few hours. After a quick visit to the grill, it was ready!

Now I’ve got to get back to my Emergen-C’s!!

Home cooking, Quinoa

Something Sweet, For A Change

Wasn’t it just yesterday that I was ranting about how hot it’s been? The extreme heat made me delirious enough to call my beloved stove “the enemy.” What has the stove ever done to me to deserve THAT kind of put-down? So Stove, if you’re reading this, I am sorry. Also, I’ll admit that I have a flair for overexaggeration on occasion….because here I am, a mere day later, with a cake.

Yes, cakes require baking. In an oven. Ovens heat up houses. My house has no air conditioning. So sue me! The weather has taken a welcomed and unexpected turn for the cooler and I made nice with my oven by baking a cake. One of my favorite executive producers at work turned 40 last week, but it was simply too hot to make anything for him. Besides, everyone made such a huge fuss over his birthday all week that I thought it would be nice to give him a little surprise after all of the hoopla died down.

Cake batter……mmmmmmm

I’ve been waiting for an excuse to make Clotilde’s Yogurt Cake and, since this particular producer spent some time in France and even speaks French fluently, I thought it’d be the perfect present. Not that you need to visit France to enjoy this beautiful cake. The one mistake I made was buying fat free yogurt instead of whole milk- I’m sure some French grandmother is rolling over in her grave at even hearing the words “fat free.” However, the cake turned out beautifully and I haven’t heard any complaints from the receiving end. Next time, however, I plan to make the full fat version since the only other fat present is vegetable oil.

Sprinkled with blueberries…..

Speaking of Clotilde’s Yogurt Cake, check out this hilarious post by the always humorous Amateur Gourmet. Being someone who has done the exact same thing more than once, it’s nice to know that I’m not the only one who’s had cake all over the counter and floors. Hearing about (and seeing photos of) other food bloggers’ kitchen disasters reminds me not get too down on myself when I have some big ones of my own.

Although the original recipe doesn’t call for any fruit, I’m sure any variety would taste great against the tangy flavor of this cake. A sprinkle of confectioner’s sugar gives it a nice finish as well, but I had to do that this morning so it wouldn’t get gloppy from the moisture in the cake.

Finished product, minus confectioner’s sugar

Home cooking, Cake