tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66437690473539072082024-03-13T19:30:19.666-07:00Cenare Los AngelesJordan Sandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491728365576840430noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6643769047353907208.post-2908818389952521232014-01-26T08:37:00.002-08:002014-01-26T08:37:47.977-08:00WolvesmouthFor the past few years, perhaps the biggest buzz, and the most difficult and coveted reservation, in the Los Angeles food scene has been around Craig Thornton's <a href="http://wolvesmouth.com/home">Wolvesmouth </a>underground dinner series. To get in you have to <a href="http://wolvesmouth.com/mailing-list">sign up on the email list</a> and then wait for notification that there will be dinners this weekend. You then request the times you want and hope that you get a invitation. After about six months and numerous attempts, I finally was able to attend a dinner.<br />
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Thornton's unofficial mantra is "if you are led like cattle, you will be fed like cattle." When entering the venue, the address of which you will only receive the morning of the dinner and are admonished as to its secrecy, you are immediately struck by the decor.<br />
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The night's menu is posted on the refrigerator in the large open kitchen. Guests are invited to take a seat at the communal table.</div>
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Tonight, we were in for nine courses.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.666666984558105px; line-height: 18px;"><b>ribeye cap, broccoli tempura, broccoli stalk slaw, piquillo, pink lady, broccoli cheddar puree</b></span><br />
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In keeping with the theme of carnage, Thornton defies tradition and begins with a meat course. This was a great start. I especially loves the broccoli tempura. Also, I'm not sure what he did to the pink lady apples but they were just about the flavorful apples I can remember. As you would expect, the ribeye was perfectly cooked.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.666666984558105px; line-height: 18px;">The fish course was </span><span style="font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 18px;">fantastic</span><span style="font-size: 14.666666984558105px; line-height: 18px;"> giving us bright flavors and wonderful textural interplay between the skate wing, crab, and squash. Carrot was present in both juice and raw forms. The parsley oil added just the right highlight.</span></span></span><br />
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This was my least favorite of the savories, but still nothing I would turn down by any means. The ponzu had a very deep smokiness, a feature of which I am generally not a huge fan. The wasabi pea crunch was my favorite part of the dish.<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 18px;">The rabbit croquette was all meat with no unnecessary filler. Great, especially with pineapple.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 18px;"><b>pork belly, lobster, yam, green apple, green apple gelee, squid ink pork lobster sabayon, sweet potato lakte</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 18px;">This was my favorite course of the night. The texture of the lobster against the pork was absolutely divine. The sabayon and the green apple gelee provided perfect flavor balance.</span></span><br />
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<b>celery root, </b><b style="background-color: transparent;">brussels,</b><b style="font-size: 14px;"> hazelnut, apple, cabbage, cider, cocoa coffee, </b></div>
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And now a vegetarian course. Great presentation. Thornton really seems to have a talent with apples, which I think showed up more than any other ingredient throughout the meal.</div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 18px;">Our final savory course brought fried quail. The meat was succulent and went very well with the spinach puree. A highlight of the dish was the orange blossom soaked date.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.666666984558105px; line-height: 18px;"><b>milk chocolate peanut butter pretzel crunch, mustard parfait, pretzel, cajeta, banana</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 18px;">The first of two desserts won almost universal accolades from guests. Not being a fan of peanut butter, I cannot personally comment too much on this dish. Mustard was an interesting addition. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 18px;">The second dessert was much more to my liking, and probably one of my favorite desserts ever. Light flavors, but in perfect balance and very refreshing.</span></span></div>
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A great feature of Wolvesmouth is that guests are encouraged to bring drinks and share. We were not lacking in good wine, beer, whiskey, and cognac. Some of the highlights:</div>
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The icewine and the Municipal Winemakers Syrah were our contributions. <a href="http://www.municipalwinemakers.com/">Municipal Winemakers</a> has a tasting room in Santa Barbara we visited during a recent wine tasting trip. Highly recommended if in the area. I am very glad I brought the Pacific Rim icewine since it paired absolutely perfectly with the final dessert. Everyone was very willing to share their drinks.</div>
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Between courses we were invited to mingle and watch the action in the kitchen.</div>
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At the end of the meal you are given an envelope and are asked to pay whatever you want.</div>
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This was certainly one of the best dining experiences I have ever had. Many chefs would not be able to pull off dishes with so elements so successfully. The menu constantly changes based on what are the best ingredients available. The inventive food along with the setting and the communal atmosphere make for a wonderful night. I highly recommend signing up the mailing list and starting to request dinners. It seems most people had been trying for a few months before getting an invite, so do not give up. It is well worth the effort.</div>
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Jordan Sandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491728365576840430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6643769047353907208.post-77224891958865510182013-09-09T22:17:00.000-07:002013-09-10T06:05:27.490-07:00Chengdu TasteLast year for my now fiance's birthday, we went to <a href="http://cenarela.blogspot.com/2012/09/beijing-duck-house.html">Beijing Duck House</a>. This year we continued our exploration of regional Chinese cooking. Six of us visited Chengdu Taste in Alhambra for Sichuan cuisine. Chengdu Taste is a relatively new restaurant which has become quickly popular, thanks in large part to <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2013/aug/03/food/la-fo-gold-20130803">Johnathan Gold's review</a> in the Los Angeles Times. This is my second experience with Sichuan cooking. The first was at a restaurant in Northern California several years ago. I don't remember many of the details of that meal, just that at the time I thought it was the best Chinese Food I had had.<br />
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Note that this was the take out version of the menu. In the rendition given to us at our table had a few variations.<br />
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Sichuan cooking is known for one attribute above all others: Spice. Many of the dishes involve Sichuan peppercorns, which present their own unique brand of spice. They actually make your mouth go slightly numb.In addition, several different kinds of chilies in fresh, dried, and fermented forms are used.<br />
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Our first dish was the ubiquitously named diced rabbit with younger sister's secret recipe. This involved sauteed rabbit bits, green onions, peanuts, and sesame seeds in a deeply flavored sauce. The rabbit was diced small and filled with bones, but I did not mind the labor required to eat the dish too much. I am also not usually a fan of peanuts, but found they nicely balanced this dish.<br />
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Next was twice cooked pork. This was bar far the least interesting, and the mos typical, dish of the evening. I liked the vegetables (mostly leeks) , but found the meet rather plain.<br />
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Here we have tan tan noodles, also known as dan dan mien on many menus. This is probably the most prototypical Sichuan dish. I've previously had this dish at <a href="http://www.lukshon.com/">Lukshon </a> in Culver City, but that version paled in comparison to this. The noodles were perfectly textured and the elements of the dish meshed impeccably.<br />
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To break up the spice present in all of the other dishes, we ordered this dish of sauteed potato threads and onion. I liked it a lot, and it certainly served its purpose between bites from other plates.<br />
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Most exotic plate of the night goes to this dish intestine and chicken in a spicy broth. It was interesting, but not my favorite, which was generally the table's consensus. The pieces of intestine did not have much flavor on their own, but a chewy texture.<br />
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Flour cooked shipped was universally enjoyed by the table. The shrimp were large and flavorful with a good kick of spice.</div>
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Here we have the best dish of the night, boiled fish with green pepper sauce. Notice the huge amount of diced Serrano peppers, dried chilies, and Sichuan pepper corns floating atop the broth. This was also an immense serving. The fish was very delicate, but not at all overwhelmed by the flavorful broth. This is a must order. </div>
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By the end of the meal, the Sichuan peppercorns had certainly had their effect. My tongue and lips were tingling. The food may not be for every palate, but spice lovers should give Chengdu taste a try. It was interesting that everyone at the table disagreed which dish was spiciest. I thought it was the fish, but others thought it was the shrimp, the rabbit, or the noodles.</div>
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I certainly want to go back and try a few more dishes, notably the toothpick mutton and the wonton with pepper sauce (complimented by a special note on the menu stating numb-taste). </div>
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After dinner, it was back to our place for drinks and birthday cake.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI_cfnfm9rjeM1hPy_kWQxcgbLYPhsz41qZnEaxk_oC55MUIwFuJi4wCNaGZIBI5wOCeFDi09ibGXfbMQMCnK5SpUuKtiNyeQhBvHrUzwpJ25kieoRk-YM22CBnn1Hf94e_zcompzNthml/s1600/2013-09-07+21.27.16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI_cfnfm9rjeM1hPy_kWQxcgbLYPhsz41qZnEaxk_oC55MUIwFuJi4wCNaGZIBI5wOCeFDi09ibGXfbMQMCnK5SpUuKtiNyeQhBvHrUzwpJ25kieoRk-YM22CBnn1Hf94e_zcompzNthml/s320/2013-09-07+21.27.16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/5/1770302/restaurant/LA/Chengdu-Taste-Alhambra"><img alt="Chengdu Taste on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1770302/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; padding: 0px; width: 104px;" /></a>Jordan Sandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491728365576840430noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6643769047353907208.post-3944273508186461492013-08-19T16:32:00.000-07:002013-09-10T06:07:00.989-07:00Ray's and Stark Bar<a href="http://www.patinagroup.com/restaurant.php?restaurants_id=133">Ray's and Stark Bar </a>has been open for about two years at the <a href="http://lacma.org/">Los Angeles County Museum of Art</a>. This post encompasses two meals at the establishment, one of their regular menu and one during the most recent Dine LA Restaurant Week.<br />
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We began our second visit here with a trio of <a href="http://www.patinagroup.com/restaurants/133/menus/Stark-Bar-Cocktail-list.pdf">cocktails</a>, all of which were very constructed.<br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">Seeing a drink named for the greatest filmmaker ever, I didn't have much of a choice but to begin with the Kubrick Fashioned (Elijah Craig 12yr Bourbon, spiced simple syrup, Toasted Pecan </span>Bitters, Forbidden Bitters, lemon peel). It was a great play on the typical Old Fashioned. </div>
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The Rose Wishes and Lavender Dreams (Gin, Château L’Afrique Côtes de Provence Rosé, St. Germain, lavender syrup, freshly squeezed lemon juice, sage) was perhaps the most interesting cocktail. Very refreshing. </div>
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Third was the Gansta Green Point (Jameson Gold Reserve Irish Whiskey, Dolin Sweet Vermouth, </div>
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Yellow Chartreuse, lemon peel). Good, but much more typical than the other drinks.</div>
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The amuse on our first visit was a trout mouse topped with caviar. It was a great little bite, with the salty caviar working wonderfully against the soft mouse. </div>
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The amuse on our second visit was even better. This was a cold zucchini soup spiced with cinnamon and topped with a squash blossom. We all agreed that we could have done with a bigger bowl. </div>
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This duck liver mouse with bing cherries, herb salad, and pistachio was one of the Dine LA appetizers. It was good, but mostly made me miss foie gras. </div>
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Little gem lettuce salad with summer squash, pine nuts, ricotta salata, and red wine-mustard vinaigrette. Great salad. The ingredients were all very fresh and there was just enough dressing to coat everything without overpowering the flavors.<br />
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We had octopus dishes on both visits. The first rendition was served with burrata cheese, broccoli di cicco, and Fresno chili sauce. The Dine LA version came with heirloom tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, cucumber, and squid ink skordhalia. I preferred the first version. I thought the flavors played off each other better than did the typically Greek ingredients found in the second. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUJCKYW9zuXa4yJB976sFqKBT2QPNW3oMquPrcXYPokyKtm4pE4urwUw6vIE2A4HMFecCNHvl3UKIi0pjh-SW1KzswhxOx920_OdxyKk3DAqehTLO0J4p81kBhmxaclz_w8kBBNPMPPpQr/s1600/2013-07-23+21.07.20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUJCKYW9zuXa4yJB976sFqKBT2QPNW3oMquPrcXYPokyKtm4pE4urwUw6vIE2A4HMFecCNHvl3UKIi0pjh-SW1KzswhxOx920_OdxyKk3DAqehTLO0J4p81kBhmxaclz_w8kBBNPMPPpQr/s320/2013-07-23+21.07.20.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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To go with the appetizers during our second visit, we also ordered a bowl of shishito peppers, prepared simply with olive oil and maldon salt. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5uE_WJ7X5oMLAo81yioiOZTkxAIOLIEEp9jFxuRPn2OjcwznITciXCbAS3Dn80icS_1VtpsEC1xyQVB2EWwXiST7HtGXehHyU3cIU0FnVJn0kO-OKlAq2_5cHWCEIraJCxKqg0fIK_ufU/s1600/2013-02-16+19.26.57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5uE_WJ7X5oMLAo81yioiOZTkxAIOLIEEp9jFxuRPn2OjcwznITciXCbAS3Dn80icS_1VtpsEC1xyQVB2EWwXiST7HtGXehHyU3cIU0FnVJn0kO-OKlAq2_5cHWCEIraJCxKqg0fIK_ufU/s320/2013-02-16+19.26.57.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp6v8Zl7drvPFMa6YJql_6t9knB1zXRm4dL9eaQDc_sqDiOce0qVzbyDKcSRrd4z-gCVSSX9Po46zhaBzHS-U35c7vlrMWzzTGPpa5TLWFM5DifW1ckKYWqE4RIRNPd3tpg8bzz6lDOWPl/s1600/2013-07-23+22.10.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp6v8Zl7drvPFMa6YJql_6t9knB1zXRm4dL9eaQDc_sqDiOce0qVzbyDKcSRrd4z-gCVSSX9Po46zhaBzHS-U35c7vlrMWzzTGPpa5TLWFM5DifW1ckKYWqE4RIRNPd3tpg8bzz6lDOWPl/s320/2013-07-23+22.10.45.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Agnolotti on both visits as well. The fist rendition had a truffled rice filing with Hen of the Wood mushrooms, hazelnuts, wild arugula, and porcini sauce. The Dine LA version had a corn-mascarpone filling with hazelnuts, pea tendrils, and lime brown butter sauce. The pasta was well cooked and of the flavors worked in both versions. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuEom-ysdSiUxbeVtTFp9z2VAolgP5WGYvO3O_D9-relda962azdxtLUHncKosCy3odVej2sq_XOe-Aug5ZLNT5F7lZge6iKIbB28rlb19aPZUQ8XJKb1g-RMlMshVgz5n3sBveFWTxrT9/s1600/2013-02-16+19.59.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuEom-ysdSiUxbeVtTFp9z2VAolgP5WGYvO3O_D9-relda962azdxtLUHncKosCy3odVej2sq_XOe-Aug5ZLNT5F7lZge6iKIbB28rlb19aPZUQ8XJKb1g-RMlMshVgz5n3sBveFWTxrT9/s320/2013-02-16+19.59.02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Guinea hen with preserved orange puree, bacon, winter savory, Anson Mills polenta, romanesco, garlic, and chard. This was my first time trying guinea hen. The flavor is much deeper than chicken, but it lacked the fattiness of duck. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMIMX4ZpSF5ndl6ZFo-Cih3NFXDkL3N-yfBrHrQ9XJolAx2Rb3hxTB6RRLReDFgcbsNgS-oRYCFmXpy-wrC7j2F7GOfOrahs__QLrOvGgRoG-q1sTW3vSKZnwZf2zcdndkTc7CpHi5LjL/s1600/2013-07-23+21.40.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMIMX4ZpSF5ndl6ZFo-Cih3NFXDkL3N-yfBrHrQ9XJolAx2Rb3hxTB6RRLReDFgcbsNgS-oRYCFmXpy-wrC7j2F7GOfOrahs__QLrOvGgRoG-q1sTW3vSKZnwZf2zcdndkTc7CpHi5LjL/s320/2013-07-23+21.40.52.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Manila clams with sweet vermouth, basil, shallots, garlic, and grilled bread. This was my entree for Dine LA. I was a little disappointed in it. The broth and bread were great, but the clams were one note. This could have used another element, perhaps something to had a little spice. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVTXjd5kOAgHrLJjN6a_7kjpzwbD-ZKfQd4X_Q3AME7Aerw6AJjbro164D7TdEzVtMwdwTN8XjyDL9KtWuuJZLTovHTJhc9VreHqt0fD9tzCJ3Lm6iP9F4SqFntLWVqPSpnGqmpLbOSR1/s1600/2013-02-16+19.59.21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVTXjd5kOAgHrLJjN6a_7kjpzwbD-ZKfQd4X_Q3AME7Aerw6AJjbro164D7TdEzVtMwdwTN8XjyDL9KtWuuJZLTovHTJhc9VreHqt0fD9tzCJ3Lm6iP9F4SqFntLWVqPSpnGqmpLbOSR1/s320/2013-02-16+19.59.21.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6VDF2ktW-uvz0wGuxLCDQ-LGGWMduO0gg8CYtErnPGoW3uhXYcC5dxZU9M-mX5_nR-sTNd30qroCXonfyv2pY8i0Znla3bWHzVCwVOaFoeTj7dfaJaPrJ1EhLke5rp0_I1zUEDWv2_KO/s1600/2013-07-23+21.40.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6VDF2ktW-uvz0wGuxLCDQ-LGGWMduO0gg8CYtErnPGoW3uhXYcC5dxZU9M-mX5_nR-sTNd30qroCXonfyv2pY8i0Znla3bWHzVCwVOaFoeTj7dfaJaPrJ1EhLke5rp0_I1zUEDWv2_KO/s320/2013-07-23+21.40.58.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Pork belly was also represented on both trips, and with good reason. First with parsnip puree, farro, forest mushrooms, cippolini onions, and black vinegar. Second with farro, santa rosa plums, apricot mostarda, charred broccoli, toasted almonds, and black vinegar. I highly recommend ordering the pork belly. Both versions were cooked wonderfully and properly crispy skin and a good amount of fat. I really loved the parsnip puree in the first version. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjgzvbAW91gyT-PLwmqEpIujT6VITktznN_QmW_lOuoXVBV9lpFYUNPGC4di3RWF3cHWHzDRdYitYSddd_HcCPQa-G_bbpiGrVrPUNqvLBG4j2jfsTddW4wNG6uVdvUaAkiM4670hqRkPg/s1600/2013-07-23+21.41.04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjgzvbAW91gyT-PLwmqEpIujT6VITktznN_QmW_lOuoXVBV9lpFYUNPGC4di3RWF3cHWHzDRdYitYSddd_HcCPQa-G_bbpiGrVrPUNqvLBG4j2jfsTddW4wNG6uVdvUaAkiM4670hqRkPg/s320/2013-07-23+21.41.04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Skirt steak with charred onion puree, mojo rojo, wood grilled scallions, sungold tomatoes. I did not try this one. My dining companion who ordered it said it was well cooked, but she did not like the charred flavor from the puree. Our server was gracious enough to replace the dish with another entree.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifz7fllvZrDHAnWP_f4A9fZvHTc4Tw3KO1WqwjUxNsI5JNNihKka4u9VN3iTap2lz7jUaYlucwvy3fAfeW6TptntuDXAHubabo0P-cl_dfO3zPm5jlnSn1IAfjCPbyUBDrZb5daf4VVd0S/s1600/2013-02-16+20.45.26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifz7fllvZrDHAnWP_f4A9fZvHTc4Tw3KO1WqwjUxNsI5JNNihKka4u9VN3iTap2lz7jUaYlucwvy3fAfeW6TptntuDXAHubabo0P-cl_dfO3zPm5jlnSn1IAfjCPbyUBDrZb5daf4VVd0S/s320/2013-02-16+20.45.26.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.patinagroup.com/restaurants/133/menus/Rays-Dessert-menu.pdf">Dessert </a>on the first visit was various forms of chocolate, including brownie, chocolate tuile, and chocolate covered marshmallows in a passion fruit sauce. Overall, it was too sweet for me. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5UrnsgIl3vW8zEwy1K7vxy7pJkaO6q5BGJ1dd3RvzoXJUS_34jyshSNQgFju7JsmJ9V0HRFcFWMQ67aKAylZxNL8qWZTddRhtxF0KuO0vzxQiJKyMwlVp0ctS5EQzngtpieRwL6Zttih9/s1600/2013-07-23+22.28.49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5UrnsgIl3vW8zEwy1K7vxy7pJkaO6q5BGJ1dd3RvzoXJUS_34jyshSNQgFju7JsmJ9V0HRFcFWMQ67aKAylZxNL8qWZTddRhtxF0KuO0vzxQiJKyMwlVp0ctS5EQzngtpieRwL6Zttih9/s320/2013-07-23+22.28.49.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Dine LA menu included two dessert choices First was a buttermilk panna cotta with stone fruits, bitter almond, and riseling consomme. Nothing revolutionary, but good flavord and not too sweet. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhV3aUFGO1uRkVd3pLVZlZCQrJyRrk3KUZqV6VNSSVo3ZHlBC5tSnannstaRIyyati1IBLbuOwz9bj2d6N752nxB6Hcn_usmulxi_n5lLjkXk0EsxYNhaOL98MB8MtfOtseiu7ZttLAVwq/s1600/2013-07-23+22.28.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhV3aUFGO1uRkVd3pLVZlZCQrJyRrk3KUZqV6VNSSVo3ZHlBC5tSnannstaRIyyati1IBLbuOwz9bj2d6N752nxB6Hcn_usmulxi_n5lLjkXk0EsxYNhaOL98MB8MtfOtseiu7ZttLAVwq/s320/2013-07-23+22.28.56.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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the alternate choice was a spiced chocolate cake with rum, dulce de leche, chcolate crumble, and salted pumpkin seed ice cream. Of the five at our table, everyone ordered this except for me. They all enjoyed the dish. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjopNn7EB3eroMkvdMDe-nsTtZLEHYjqlVWKFeUtTKj9YYYwxIWPKjBrFI4V_v_Y6INo6ScEQ0eEfaFji4goeWOhu0b2a9H1ViF196wLAHqyRzLUCL3IJjSCdDZ7o0JoV-n46m7H8a3fqE2/s1600/2013-07-23+22.21.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjopNn7EB3eroMkvdMDe-nsTtZLEHYjqlVWKFeUtTKj9YYYwxIWPKjBrFI4V_v_Y6INo6ScEQ0eEfaFji4goeWOhu0b2a9H1ViF196wLAHqyRzLUCL3IJjSCdDZ7o0JoV-n46m7H8a3fqE2/s320/2013-07-23+22.21.14.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSVT5d4yAydV9Np14awAWno-5KDspfInxBsY2TlbCdN01SkN_5jOZRQHlQnW7FVUfYPgVps-v1nxY3iokP3XAftzKEneHQYBKTwChDYDn8_k9HQ5bETl5K9JtaCVYpN4r9NSR7CeLvBQY/s1600/2013-07-23+22.21.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSVT5d4yAydV9Np14awAWno-5KDspfInxBsY2TlbCdN01SkN_5jOZRQHlQnW7FVUfYPgVps-v1nxY3iokP3XAftzKEneHQYBKTwChDYDn8_k9HQ5bETl5K9JtaCVYpN4r9NSR7CeLvBQY/s320/2013-07-23+22.21.28.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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One the best features of Ray's has to be free corkage, a rare feature in the Los Angeles dining scene. I had recently returned from a trip to Romania and brought this bottle of Merlot, part of the Curtea Regala line from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/crama.dobrogeana">Crama Dobregenea Winery</a>. This was not the typical Merlet which we usually hold in such low esteem in California. It was intensely fruity with an underlying minerality that was very food friendly. We shared a taste with our waiter, a trained sommelier, who agreed that the wine was a great choice. </div>
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So often restaurants at places such as museums are an afterthought, present style over substance, or are designed to appeal to the masses. This is not the case with Ray'a and Stark Bar. I highly recommend a meal here if visiting LACMA (and there is always plenty of reason to visit LACMA). Also, many restaurants cheap out during Dine LA and serve substandard ingrediantes and downsized portions. This was note the case for Ray's, which is a great value during restaurant week or not. </div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/5/1578989/restaurant/Mid-City-West/Rays-Restaurant-and-Stark-Bar-LA"><img alt="Ray's Restaurant and Stark Bar on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1578989/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; padding: 0px; width: 104px;" /></a>Jordan Sandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491728365576840430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6643769047353907208.post-26828322663045754162013-08-04T17:12:00.001-07:002013-08-04T17:22:40.099-07:00Plate by Plate 2013<a href="http://www.platebyplate.org/la/">Plate by Plate</a> is an annual tasting event run by Project by Project. The event has iterations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. This was my second year attending the event at the beautiful Vibiana in Downtown Los Angeles. Each year the group selects a charity in the Asian-American community as a beneficiary. Theater company <a href="http://www.eastwestplayers.org/">East-West Players</a> was this years recipient.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXbMJKEe-hdEDXQxYB2868Fd4WelpR6Tm_rSbmhGp3g2a0gor1akzxj3MRFHbc3msd7eV0TijrjwulhRj6eay2vnltKNBID4jy7D7evS4M7o2tQrCkW7QQa1A0OCmnLKDpSSx6u8c1ZAU/s1600/945956_10102512973882016_1147383951_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXbMJKEe-hdEDXQxYB2868Fd4WelpR6Tm_rSbmhGp3g2a0gor1akzxj3MRFHbc3msd7eV0TijrjwulhRj6eay2vnltKNBID4jy7D7evS4M7o2tQrCkW7QQa1A0OCmnLKDpSSx6u8c1ZAU/s320/945956_10102512973882016_1147383951_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAQq-02IywsWaCl0lVfR-0sdIPL8Km2hinJsLXzjzizI2tZpxHCNwckS1eo2tUr1f0CJYKOqDYH4cDFDWX22JOpt_WUWKY6cNQtHubpyoP7JZBJSuQmEBlI3yswqoxeZRWX04K6dmegsyC/s1600/2013-08-03+20.02.38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAQq-02IywsWaCl0lVfR-0sdIPL8Km2hinJsLXzjzizI2tZpxHCNwckS1eo2tUr1f0CJYKOqDYH4cDFDWX22JOpt_WUWKY6cNQtHubpyoP7JZBJSuQmEBlI3yswqoxeZRWX04K6dmegsyC/s320/2013-08-03+20.02.38.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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There were about 40 restaurants in attendance serving a lot of great food. I was excited that there were quite a few establishments which are very new to the Los Angeles food scene and that I have not yet had a chance to try. Here is some of the nights food<br />
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From Peruvian chef Ricardo Zarate's latest venture were yucca benigets. These surprised me. I was expecting something heavy, but instead the result was very light. The serrano sauce was also very flavorful.</div>
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Patina was the only restaurant serving my favorite meat, lamb. Great dish.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4BuhdWK5LZ_cPtDCngpeil2u1PAv07eNCarBX7tympT2AkRHmaqwbCwwaWvL3oBv1f2hQmEm1f7p1PbUk0QHhyphenhypheni5u5UPzMdwbx7ZkQGPzSOkP5a-5K7DZV0r-QDSUuGjXovilR9Rbse2L/s1600/2013-08-03+19.35.08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4BuhdWK5LZ_cPtDCngpeil2u1PAv07eNCarBX7tympT2AkRHmaqwbCwwaWvL3oBv1f2hQmEm1f7p1PbUk0QHhyphenhypheni5u5UPzMdwbx7ZkQGPzSOkP5a-5K7DZV0r-QDSUuGjXovilR9Rbse2L/s320/2013-08-03+19.35.08.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Stella Barra Pizzeria was among those serving both a savory and a sweet dish. The tomato salad was wonderful, packed with heirloom tomatoes at peak ripeness. The custard was decent.<br />
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Among my favorites was Saddle Peak Lodge's duck mousse. I visited their booth at least 5 times.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5l0OBEegkFxKB_08SODKd2KuG9i6lmQpLRs5wQHuZNMs6yPpDzydAT7r6xAatuGER5pJq256WJoXhhfcgfZbfWLlKJu1AwGmsGyh4rV1Q_6WHNdTrc4yjildsq74TyRHtApbAvi2CQeKm/s1600/2013-08-03+19.11.47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5l0OBEegkFxKB_08SODKd2KuG9i6lmQpLRs5wQHuZNMs6yPpDzydAT7r6xAatuGER5pJq256WJoXhhfcgfZbfWLlKJu1AwGmsGyh4rV1Q_6WHNdTrc4yjildsq74TyRHtApbAvi2CQeKm/s320/2013-08-03+19.11.47.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHmA8ueNfrHnPTyFDNB2zbBJrB3F4NHCDuZxCaqWpCndqzlddK-7ck6lozZ42c1Hwjkvv35gLxopd1bkeuLenvW5HUtxvhxBTqlYXxbNVFXIufxETG0fFhE6KqsTPZAL4QgadDeKgPGIAZ/s1600/2013-08-03+19.11.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHmA8ueNfrHnPTyFDNB2zbBJrB3F4NHCDuZxCaqWpCndqzlddK-7ck6lozZ42c1Hwjkvv35gLxopd1bkeuLenvW5HUtxvhxBTqlYXxbNVFXIufxETG0fFhE6KqsTPZAL4QgadDeKgPGIAZ/s320/2013-08-03+19.11.44.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Another highlight was the <i>ceviche negro</i> from Petty Cash Taqueria consisting of sea bass cured in squid ink.</div>
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Lukshon served a dish I had at my last visit to the restaurant, a tea leaf salad with red prawn. You really can't go wrong with friend shrimp heads.<br />
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Shrimp spiced with paprika from Taberna Arros y Vi.<br />
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I thought this sort of crostini from Allumette was one of the more inventive dishes of the night.<br />
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I'm not a big fan of chocolate, but helped myself to several servings of Rivera's chocolate torte with candied habaneros. Very moist cake with a nice kick of flavor.</div>
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Redbird is a soon to be opened restaurant at the Vibiana. This crab salad was very good and didn't involve too much filler.</div>
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You can always rely on Starry Kitchen to serve some of the more inventive cuisine at any food event. The gumbo had a very deep flavor. I wasn't really a fan of the panna cotta.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ-RcO-naY1TGnyyo1nJAp5uaGD6bBztj6BROgH2Kir8wJ4GDMDxMIYDHN0QxKKAsQvzYYeVIj0Xu5NGAN_h_9G2IGmWz8qO_yJQBNmLvalV7bnTQ2uIHFNQsugTD3j43PLqQs8oXCn_Ka/s1600/2013-08-03+19.16.40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ-RcO-naY1TGnyyo1nJAp5uaGD6bBztj6BROgH2Kir8wJ4GDMDxMIYDHN0QxKKAsQvzYYeVIj0Xu5NGAN_h_9G2IGmWz8qO_yJQBNmLvalV7bnTQ2uIHFNQsugTD3j43PLqQs8oXCn_Ka/s320/2013-08-03+19.16.40.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWm4Zgx-U-_PBjbwhlEqs5lTzBxyUE0WJYpbf97G9ua64M_C8s_RaNbksKTQ-aplBZbV-IrCOHoKU78eacqelHDmqPzQg8iBrFsvt4ozowTWERpoMFKLf9gLjEnMlSj_1SY7jlrVVPIVeB/s1600/2013-08-03+19.16.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWm4Zgx-U-_PBjbwhlEqs5lTzBxyUE0WJYpbf97G9ua64M_C8s_RaNbksKTQ-aplBZbV-IrCOHoKU78eacqelHDmqPzQg8iBrFsvt4ozowTWERpoMFKLf9gLjEnMlSj_1SY7jlrVVPIVeB/s320/2013-08-03+19.16.33.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I believe this was my first time having octopus in a curry. As you can see, Edie very much enjoyed Lazy Ox Canteen's rice pudding.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidjxr7v7b9cUwBE_3BcDDSDa-g0JMglAQuotFfmZSDBNy7al92YkInHpBk2pSDoxPjaXm6OG6KLT168JmbLZopchTwnZS4Ed9rYnrSj3dgTo61KU5WLbXuE_hpeqDOio9_qIAh8C79lk4h/s1600/2013-08-03+19.10.01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidjxr7v7b9cUwBE_3BcDDSDa-g0JMglAQuotFfmZSDBNy7al92YkInHpBk2pSDoxPjaXm6OG6KLT168JmbLZopchTwnZS4Ed9rYnrSj3dgTo61KU5WLbXuE_hpeqDOio9_qIAh8C79lk4h/s320/2013-08-03+19.10.01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lexington Social House served yellowtail crudo with compressed watermelon, tobiko, and frozen wasabi. This was actually voted best dish of the night.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6Q242Rs5ULEAcMIxav2TCYZgehPK3Bh1U-4xLawnjhedbDEiZJgaqK2eclWlQxjHOD-1WxLv8w4Qc_amggK_PnTobaWJRfDkzJ7cFpSfAoGwEkSNFbcHAkhHMyyA0GI1PwX68CEIo2UV/s1600/2013-08-03+19.48.40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6Q242Rs5ULEAcMIxav2TCYZgehPK3Bh1U-4xLawnjhedbDEiZJgaqK2eclWlQxjHOD-1WxLv8w4Qc_amggK_PnTobaWJRfDkzJ7cFpSfAoGwEkSNFbcHAkhHMyyA0GI1PwX68CEIo2UV/s320/2013-08-03+19.48.40.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Two preparations of oysters were on hand. First was a friend oyster slider from Little Bear</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg121klKRIGFDYnyv3ce4ypFQ4w38ANsHoIRsW-kzlFVVNM75ejXCJJmM8zwd7TuAULGpLtFIKIYVRizp6CW7HfC9Vhhh6u1vuift1f14BiKhSWqwntmq2h7IOES7UhdEGfa8-JCLAMIHY6/s1600/2013-08-03+20.18.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg121klKRIGFDYnyv3ce4ypFQ4w38ANsHoIRsW-kzlFVVNM75ejXCJJmM8zwd7TuAULGpLtFIKIYVRizp6CW7HfC9Vhhh6u1vuift1f14BiKhSWqwntmq2h7IOES7UhdEGfa8-JCLAMIHY6/s320/2013-08-03+20.18.58.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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and second was a simple raw oyster served over a piece of succulent pork belly. Both were great.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgva15sWEn4Lha244kOEwqdidOhG2bYXAUVPpGE4mE75SwK5bjrLbaY0igMfmqs2Jzj06F2YImDoKNWyfY7PFJ7uh_nf62CCqvl4yaqCOmRfxkXpC32i454biJiqozbIQJVdZAxr_p_FVUk/s1600/1098041_10102512973437906_871704352_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgva15sWEn4Lha244kOEwqdidOhG2bYXAUVPpGE4mE75SwK5bjrLbaY0igMfmqs2Jzj06F2YImDoKNWyfY7PFJ7uh_nf62CCqvl4yaqCOmRfxkXpC32i454biJiqozbIQJVdZAxr_p_FVUk/s320/1098041_10102512973437906_871704352_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii79kmOxvBKKTvaw8jm3GpgxCzP_fNiPEVQCs2MqQvYbVKa5vg0BaZQTR7-UeeDrzRn2GCsl2J9Y7NeO0T9Rfon7ILJY7dMjUAC29UviCZCQTKWjoxMKi0sGNcHjxx17W-Vwjo0DYIkyaN/s1600/558516_10102512974361056_1345439859_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii79kmOxvBKKTvaw8jm3GpgxCzP_fNiPEVQCs2MqQvYbVKa5vg0BaZQTR7-UeeDrzRn2GCsl2J9Y7NeO0T9Rfon7ILJY7dMjUAC29UviCZCQTKWjoxMKi0sGNcHjxx17W-Vwjo0DYIkyaN/s320/558516_10102512974361056_1345439859_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Ramekin served an impressive spread of pastries, sorbets, and ice creams. After trying most of the ice creams and sorbets, my favorites were the earl grey ice cream and the ambrosia melon sorbet.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiskH_uIYMmggmoBmvsNkBVBu9Bdqo4BdMhewM8VzZZ_40R8hwFFY6r10fC3M1H4cICF2jzIOCoTp_3pfSANNeOc9QYGHcQPjQUxGIrzQyzMmkwIk37ab-cNqWzaRoWuJ0aR6BGg9jIiVqt/s1600/2013-08-03+19.30.23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiskH_uIYMmggmoBmvsNkBVBu9Bdqo4BdMhewM8VzZZ_40R8hwFFY6r10fC3M1H4cICF2jzIOCoTp_3pfSANNeOc9QYGHcQPjQUxGIrzQyzMmkwIk37ab-cNqWzaRoWuJ0aR6BGg9jIiVqt/s320/2013-08-03+19.30.23.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Patina Pasty served three modernist desserts, a deconstructed black forest cake, a mango and passion fruit custard, and liquid nitrogen macrons.</div>
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There were plenty of other dishes of which I neglected to take a picture. Other favorites included Seoul Sausage Co.'s deep friend been curry balls, Circa's Tunisian spiced prawn, and Bashan's sword squid.</div>
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Of course, there was no lack of drinks.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvJpUcl_xTU1i8BsDmv42UzTHBdi9n2F8iu3HtydcaGNPyN_shyYTFf6hmFIsCAPt1kJshpOz_3foB8-CoMY_LxxhGyXWBqmlgkbg-0OMb2XKKStAfv0I8wyXLr_Lq_iVb99IRG4CAP818/s1600/2013-08-03+19.06.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvJpUcl_xTU1i8BsDmv42UzTHBdi9n2F8iu3HtydcaGNPyN_shyYTFf6hmFIsCAPt1kJshpOz_3foB8-CoMY_LxxhGyXWBqmlgkbg-0OMb2XKKStAfv0I8wyXLr_Lq_iVb99IRG4CAP818/s320/2013-08-03+19.06.35.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuKE5X-xn03kt4fOwEQxuHKCeJY_HS4lCyo9-aiQhYVdNA3eC6vLDkIsSzQXXeIaC0mLDgKYy4FLr4Ei7BlhsCC9suVQk6-dDYF4nKX1fIbKQFCp4wyRTxNOLCO-Wr3eNXAE0JhvnHMUMA/s1600/2013-08-03+19.06.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuKE5X-xn03kt4fOwEQxuHKCeJY_HS4lCyo9-aiQhYVdNA3eC6vLDkIsSzQXXeIaC0mLDgKYy4FLr4Ei7BlhsCC9suVQk6-dDYF4nKX1fIbKQFCp4wyRTxNOLCO-Wr3eNXAE0JhvnHMUMA/s320/2013-08-03+19.06.39.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Like last year, Ketel One Vodka sponsored an open bar, giving patrons a choice of six drinks. I thought the drinks were much better than those served last year</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMHmnFQb1-0ni4EPR4xi1R6j_YN5sedq1U0js_EtLlxsTxG1-q4Oj7hiG1lm_Ji5vJdUc2bGLQROo2m0VFPIpeehI7Fxngna6iM5A9zSDEFsBo9NKmz0W8mQCUgD7b6mBkgYnuXB7BJgAI/s1600/12571_10102512972155476_950527909_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMHmnFQb1-0ni4EPR4xi1R6j_YN5sedq1U0js_EtLlxsTxG1-q4Oj7hiG1lm_Ji5vJdUc2bGLQROo2m0VFPIpeehI7Fxngna6iM5A9zSDEFsBo9NKmz0W8mQCUgD7b6mBkgYnuXB7BJgAI/s320/12571_10102512972155476_950527909_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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1886 at the Raymond also offered a nice selection of cocktails.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm5vZUqv9p9tRLqWqGQYPLdnwdULuOU_YKLy1_TTBOyDQjXc9wiytGlBmGp5quEy5xhAq5L3rYqcrc8aQZ5VobiDXxCibiH_vuk_olIWbqPn6QlPdNHILdLolGFP4WoxdSJdSrehNgNhM2/s1600/2013-08-03+20.15.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm5vZUqv9p9tRLqWqGQYPLdnwdULuOU_YKLy1_TTBOyDQjXc9wiytGlBmGp5quEy5xhAq5L3rYqcrc8aQZ5VobiDXxCibiH_vuk_olIWbqPn6QlPdNHILdLolGFP4WoxdSJdSrehNgNhM2/s320/2013-08-03+20.15.07.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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There were 4 vendors sampling various sakes and sojus, as well as Ventura Limoncello. I was slightly disappointed that there was only one winery on hand, serving two wines, but it was a very minor point. </div>
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Plate by Plate provided, once again, a wonderful night of food, drink, and fun. Highly recommended in future years. </div>
<br />Jordan Sandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491728365576840430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6643769047353907208.post-83873853711044051792013-01-22T10:37:00.001-08:002013-01-22T10:37:46.348-08:00The Cuisine of UzbekistanThe January lecture from the <a href="http://chscsite.org/">Culinary Historians of Southern California</a> was about the food of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan">Uzbekistan</a>, something I knew absolutely nothing about. The speaker, former LA Times columnist Charles Perry painted a very interesting portrait of the country. Historically, Uzbekistan, a majority Muslim country in central Asia, has been influenced by a wide number of cultures ranging from Ancient Persia to Mongolia to India to China to Soviet Russia. While the food has apparent influences from all of these peoples, the amalgamation has produced a unique cuisine.<br />
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The speaker brought in a some examples of cookware which he acquired in Uzbekistan:<br />
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The first is a large pot called a khazan. The picture does not reflect how large and deep it actually is. The pilaf dish which we would sample after the lecture was cooked in this dish. We were told that the odd handles on the rim are used to tie the vessel easily to pack animals.<br />
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I can't remember the name of this one, but it is sort of an inverse pot used for cooking bread.</div>
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Following the lecture we sampled several dishes:</div>
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Here we have Uzbek flat bread, an onion and pomegranate salad, Uzbek style pilaf, a walnut-raisin ball, and carrot preserves. Recipes are available <a href="http://chscsite.org/wp-content/uploads/Eating-My-Way-Across-Uzbekistan-by-Charles-Perry.pdf">here</a>. Everything was good. The walnut-raisin ball reminded me of baklava without the pastry. The combination of pomegranate and raw onion gave a unique flavor. The best were the carrot preserves. I don't think I would have identified them as carrots had I not been told. They tasted like apricot.<br />
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To go with the lecture, an Uzbek dinner at <a href="http://euroasiaca.com/">EuroAsia </a>in Encino was organized.<br />
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First up were two Uzbek salads:<br />
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This was a salad of tomato and onion. Nothing too exciting, but not had.</div>
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The second salad was much more noteworthy. This included thinly sliced radishes, beef, and fried onions. The radishes were very creamy, and I loved the crunch from the onions.<br />
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Next was Shurpa soup with various vegetables, beef and dill. Not too different from most vegetable soups, but good.</div>
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The next course was my favorite. Called sopsma, these are the central Asian version of the Indian somosa. The rendition here was filled with generous amounts of lamb and onion.</div>
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The fourth course was khanum. This is the Uzbek version of a dumpling. It was somewhere between a Russian Piroshki and some sort of dim sum. The noodle like wrapper was filled with beef and vegetables and steamed. </div>
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The main course consisted of chicken kebabs and pilaf served with a tangy sauce. The pilaf was very good. In this version of pilaf, the surface starch is removed from the rice before cooking so that every grain remains separate. It also lacks the crispy crust present in Persian pilaf dishes. The chicken was actually very impressive. Despite being simple white meat chicken, it was very moist and very full of flavor. </div>
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To go with dinner, one of the other guests picked up this bottle of Georgian wine from a liquor store next to the restaurant. It had an almost port like smell and a very dark, unfiltered look.It was not something of which I could drink too much.</div>
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This was a great dinner. I learned a lot about an unfamiliar cuisine and had some great food. </div>
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Jordan Sandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491728365576840430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6643769047353907208.post-75812631223870758792012-11-25T07:15:00.000-08:002012-11-25T07:15:10.767-08:00ThanksgivingFor Thanksgiving this year (and every year since the beginning of time), we visited my parents. Here are the highlights of the dinner.<br />
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For an appetizer, my brother prepared a ceviche of fresh caught (the prior weekend) Pacific red snapper and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sculpin">sculpin</a> with key lime, tomato, and cilantro.<br />
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Pumpkin and zucchini breads.</div>
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22 pound turkey before and after baking,</div>
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,and carved.</div>
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In addition to the turkey, we had a roast beef.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbl-MyRSr_b4oukAHw-FoxFBQ2jrgfnQEc0ZoWHw04j3vyOR-764XgKRWzQgKhJrAqtfVQS03RCZEXMP16wj7PL3oWcl38xjULAyhVz-vmtPqAKfS5UP53HnpcNkxWcEY-TSh9qlqGHJ5/s1600/2012-11-22+15.16.49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbl-MyRSr_b4oukAHw-FoxFBQ2jrgfnQEc0ZoWHw04j3vyOR-764XgKRWzQgKhJrAqtfVQS03RCZEXMP16wj7PL3oWcl38xjULAyhVz-vmtPqAKfS5UP53HnpcNkxWcEY-TSh9qlqGHJ5/s320/2012-11-22+15.16.49.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Mashed potatoes.</div>
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Cranberry sauce.</div>
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Grilled mushroom, red and yellow peppers, and asparagus.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoqR2UvOmGA6J5_V1Q1oDRhyphenhyphenlfMq7CQKEBBTDNDZ2vUVNMEt5mDrGQK83Y-xS0eL7o2FqgN5_NcxDfG5HSRPxTHglHGOcjImMZtnNyUAa-l7oHatMPjtrPilAnHf4GAALaw50W4ownnwGY/s1600/2012-11-22+15.17.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoqR2UvOmGA6J5_V1Q1oDRhyphenhyphenlfMq7CQKEBBTDNDZ2vUVNMEt5mDrGQK83Y-xS0eL7o2FqgN5_NcxDfG5HSRPxTHglHGOcjImMZtnNyUAa-l7oHatMPjtrPilAnHf4GAALaw50W4ownnwGY/s320/2012-11-22+15.17.12.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My mom's wonderful stuffing, loaded with mushrooms.</div>
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Gravy<br />
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Roast yam.<br />
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Full spread. Lots of leftovers.<br />
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The first plate.</div>
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Wally also had his share of turkey.<br />
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To drink, we had Dancing Bull Zinfandel and Glenlivet Scotch. The Dancing Bull is one of my favorite cheap Zins.<br />
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For dessert, pumpkin and apple pie, of course.<br />
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I prepared double-chocolate orange ice cream. It was not quite as good as the <a href="http://cenarela.blogspot.com/2012/11/convivium-morocco-italy-india-and.html">previous</a> cherry version.</div>
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Later, we made mulled wine. We heated a magnum of merlot and rum with the following whole spices: cinnamon, star anise, cloves, and nutmeg. Mulled wine is great on a cold night and this was one of the better batches I've had.</div>
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Thanksgiving food isn't the most exciting food in the world, but its nice to return once in a while return to old favorites. </div>
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Jordan Sandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491728365576840430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6643769047353907208.post-50245867591762903462012-11-14T10:15:00.000-08:002012-11-14T10:15:34.572-08:00Convivium: Morocco, Italy, India, and Hungary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I was long over due for another dinner party. This time we had a much more varied menu than <a href="http://cenarela.blogspot.com/2012/10/covivium-inadvertent-italian.html">last time</a>. </div>
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For the appetizer, we had smoked yellowfin tuna. It was good, but I prefer non-smoked. </div>
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Homemade bread.</div>
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I've been enjoying Moroccon food a lot lately and prepared a tagine. Tagine refers both to the special clay cooking vessel as well as the dish. This version, based on a recipe from Paul Wolfert's <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Food-Morocco-Paula-Wolfert/dp/0061957550">Food of Morocoo</a> </i>involved lamb, preserved lemon, olive spinach, zucchini, and onion. Spices included salt, pepper, turmeric, coriander, and paprika. It was slow cooked for about 3 hours. A tagine works much like a pressure cooker. The steam rises to the top of the conical lid, condenses, and falls back into the base. Here's a short video of it cooking:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/OJDIGqOaBXc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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I was very happy with the results. the lamb was ultra tender and the whole dish was very flavorful.</div>
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One friend prepared a butternut squash risotto. Sometimes this dish can be too sweet, but this was well balanced. </div>
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Another prepared a salad of homemade paneer, avocado and squash. Very light, and a good contract to the rest of the dishes. </div>
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All of the dish together (including slight over cooked roasted potatoes). </div>
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Not pictured is the double chocolate cherry ice cream I made. I started with a standard <a href="http://cenarela.blogspot.com/2012/09/lavender-lemon-ice-cream.html">ice cream base</a> and added cocoa powder and cherry vodka. Finally, I melted dock chocolate chips and drizzled the liquid chocolate into the ice cream maker during the last few minutes of freezing. I'm not a fan of chocolate, but the results were excellent. </div>
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The night's wines:</div>
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The Cruz Alba cabernet from Argentina was very reserved and not as bold as a typical California cabernet. The Luisi Barbera D'Asti was as good as <a href="http://cenarela.blogspot.com/2012/10/bibere-luisi-barbera-dasti-2010.html">last time</a>. The Tokaji, a Hungarian dessert wine, was very good. It was viscus with a lot of tropical fruit flavors and not too sweet. </div>
Jordan Sandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491728365576840430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6643769047353907208.post-90983575060728296282012-11-08T17:39:00.002-08:002012-11-08T17:39:45.645-08:00Japanese restaurant Association Food FestivalLast weekend was the 13th annual <a href="http://www.jraamerica.com/ff/index.html">Japanese Restaurant Association Food Festival</a> held at the Double Tree Hotel in Little Tokyo.<br />
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I'd heard a good amount of buzz about this festival over the last couple of years but hadn't attended before. Tickets were $60, including unlimited food and drink.</div>
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<span id="goog_463545176"></span><span id="goog_463545177"></span>The festival was divided into a few sections. Inside the hotel was one room where most of the food was being served and the various shows and demonstrations occurred. Next to it was the sake tasting room. Upstairs on the hotel's well landscaped roof was another area where food requiring cooking was being served. Of course, there was the obligatory taiko performance.<br />
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Generous portions of iced green tea were distributed for non-alcoholic needs. This was much needed since it was a very hot day. </div>
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Cold soba noodles.</div>
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Sukiyaki.</div>
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Karaage chicken weings.<br />
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Chicken and onions over rice.<br />
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Ramen. For some reason this was being served outside. I skipped it because of the heat. </div>
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One of the show's major selling points was undoubtedly the limitless sushi.<br />
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About 10 chefs were working nonstop throughout the show to keep the sushi supply flowing. A tthe beginning, the line was massive, but it dwindled soon enough n and you could easily walk right up and take all the sushi you wanted.<br />
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Sushi included <i>embi </i>(shrimp), <i>shiromi </i>(snapper),<i> maguro (</i>tuna), <i>ikura </i>(salmon roe), <i>ika </i>(squid), <i>hamachi </i>(yellowtail), <i>uni </i>(sea urchin), <i>sake </i>(salmon), and tuna rolls. It was all decent quality considering the setting. The squid stood out most to me as being particularly good. Plus you can't go wrong with unlimited uni.<br />
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The main event was the filleting of a 200 pound bluefin tuna.<br />
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Here's a video of the action. My apologies for the creative camera work:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/GRC6RTq-Edg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Obviously very skilled. </div>
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Afterward, they sliced and served the tuna as sushi. Very good, but I sadly missed out on the <i>toro</i>.<br />
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Live music on the roof.</div>
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Among the dishes offered on the roof were these <i>takoyaki</i>, or Japanese octopus balls. Essentially, they are friend balls of batter with ginger, green onions, and octupus. They are served with Kewpie mayonnaise and shaved bonito. I thought these were among the best that I've had. Also fun to watch the preparation.<br />
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Two varieties of tempura were offered, shrimp and some sort of small, whole fish. The shrimp were good, but I thought the fish tempura was the first bite of the event. When I asked what sort of fish they used, I was simply told white fish. It certainly wasn't any sort of fish that would be described as white fish at a sushi bar. Here's a video of the fryer:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/tNe4yQBe3io?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Onto desserts:</div>
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Ice cream, available in green tea, azuki bean, and black sesame (shown). </div>
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Green tea mouse from <a href="http://www.maisonakira.com/">Maison Akira</a>.</div>
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Chocolate and mango mochi ice cream.</div>
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And now the sake tasting room:</div>
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There was quite a bit more than shown, actually. I've certainly developed more of a taste for sake. Sake is nearly as varied as wine, ranging from ultra dry to ultra sweet. There was also a few plum wines and shochus. </div>
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I have mixed feeling about this event. First of all, the rooms for the food and sake were way too small. At the beginning you could barely move around in the food room. Eventually, the scene calmed down as many people moved to the roof where the beer was being served. However, it still created an uncomfortable environment and made me question the price . However, the food and drinks were good, and its hard to complain about all you can eat good quality sushi. Early this year, I went to the <a href="http://japanesefoodsakefestival.com/">Japanese Food and Sake Collection </a>show, which I thought had much better organization. Still, I had a good time once the crowds thinned. </div>
<br />Jordan Sandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491728365576840430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6643769047353907208.post-8650723947128599872012-11-04T16:41:00.000-08:002012-11-04T16:41:16.598-08:00Bibere: Fairview, Pinotage, 2010, Paarl, South Africa<div>
<i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Bibere is an occasional column in which my girlfriend and I will independently taste a wine, make notes on it, and then review the wine. If you have tried the wine, please comment below with your thoughts. </i></div>
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Back when I first started drinking wine, I remember buying a bottle of <a href="http://www.sebekawines.com/">Sebeka</a> Pinotage from South Africa because the label displayed Edie's favorite animal, the cheetah. I really don't remember much about that wine. Now several years later, I decided to return to the lesser known wine's of South African , this time another Pinotage from <a href="http://www.fairview.co.za/">Fairview Winery</a> ($12.99 at <a href="http://www.winehouse.com/">Wine House</a>).<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLD875k8YvRPRIAGAEdR8ZsUZgX0oUgsz3sI3i9b81RaUXVzafB8tpKusJhRz9j8efytdLjk2wP5OmihSD2PLw13Bwrr28RjvYJcq2kUleA38fVErrg6FYH9htoBJ8lcbYumQFxEkpO7jf/s1600/100_4226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLD875k8YvRPRIAGAEdR8ZsUZgX0oUgsz3sI3i9b81RaUXVzafB8tpKusJhRz9j8efytdLjk2wP5OmihSD2PLw13Bwrr28RjvYJcq2kUleA38fVErrg6FYH9htoBJ8lcbYumQFxEkpO7jf/s320/100_4226.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Edie's notes: Cherry and cigar nose. Oaky palate with pomegranate, hibiscus, wild blueberry, and tobacco. Short finish. </div>
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My note: Light, dewy smell with blueberries. Hints of forest. Darker taste than smell. Primarily strawberry on the palate with some tobacco. Round with a short finish.</div>
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We thought this wine was very good and not what we were expecting. Although, I wasn't quite sure what to expect from a Pinotage. It had a decent amount of complexity, and I thought a couple of characteristics (strawberry, forest, and hibiscus) I'd expect to find in whites or <i style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">rosés</i><em style="color: #1122cc; cursor: pointer; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; white-space: nowrap;">. </em>It was one of the better bottles we've had in a couple of months. Definitely recommended. We'll have to try a few more wines from South Africa. I'm not familiar with other regions growing Pinotage, but I'm curious to see the effects South Africa has on more popular varietals. Anyone have recommendations for South African wine?</div>
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<a href="http://cenarela.blogspot.com/2012/10/bibere-line-39-cabernet-sauvignon-2011.html">Line 39 Cabernet Sauvignon</a></div>
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<a href="http://cenarela.blogspot.com/2012/10/bibere-firefly-ridge-syrah-2009-central.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">Firefly Ridge Syrah</a></div>
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Jordan Sandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491728365576840430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6643769047353907208.post-20695804412386562122012-10-30T18:24:00.002-07:002012-10-30T18:24:31.055-07:00Kotoya Ramen is one of the dominant trends in Los Angeles right now. For the last couple of years, it seems that I've read about a new ramen shop opening every week or so. Kotoya opened on Santa Monica Boulevard in West LA in August just a few blocks from where I live. I've been several times since then.<br />
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The chef, Shinsuke Horinouch, previously worked in real estate in Tokyo. He decided to move to Los Angeles and open a ramen shop.Quite a change, but with great results thus far. </div>
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The shop itself is small, but has a very warm atmosphere with a few tables and a bar overlooking an open kitchen. The menu features three types of broth, tsukemen, and a number of appetizers.</div>
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One of the appetizers I've tried is this curried beef bowl served over rice with pickled ginger. Good, but I'm not really into beef.</div>
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This dish, called Kotoya-ko on the menu, features cold tofu served with two different garnishes. The preparation on the right is served with tempura batter crumbs, adding a great crunch. The version on the left has a chili sauce and green onions. Simple, light, and refreshing -an excellent dish.</div>
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Though I haven't tried them yet, the plates of gyoza and karaage (Japanese style friend chicken) look great. </div>
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I've tried all four of Kotoya's ramen broths. This is the miso broth, which has been my favorite. Great miso flavor and a bit of spice. The noodles have are nicely al dente with a bit of chew. The chasu (pork loin) is very tender. Green onions, bean sprouts, and nori sheets round out the ramen. I also recommend adding an egg, preferably the half boiled version.</div>
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Next is the shio (salt) broth, which is the lightest of the broths. Probably my least favorite, but not bad by any means.</div>
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I've also tried the shoyu (soy sauce) and red ramen. The shoyu ramen has a nice depth of flavor. For the red ramen, you can specify if you want spice level one, two, or three. I tried it at level two and didn't think it was too spicy.</div>
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Tsukemen has started showing up a lot more lately. In tsukemen, the broth is served separately from the rest of the dish. The noodles are then dipped into the broth as they are eaten. The noodels used here are slightly thicker than the noods used for the ramen. I only tried the tsukemen during Kotoya's soft opening, so I'll have to try it again sometime soon, but I remember it being decent. The broth was a bit tangy. </div>
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I'm glad that Kotoya opened close by. The chef and his staff obviously work very hard. After soft opening, they weren't happy with the product, so the restaurant was shut down for a few days while they got things rights. Its really nice to see such care put into a simple ramen shop. Kotoya now seems to always have a steady stream of customers. </div>
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Kotoya Japanese Ramen</div>
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<span itemprop="streetAddress" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: arial, 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">11901 Santa Monica Blvd<br />Ste 111</span></div>
<span itemprop="addressLocality" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: arial, 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Los Angeles</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial, 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">, </span><span itemprop="addressRegion" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: arial, 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">CA</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial, 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span itemprop="postalCode" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: arial, 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">90025</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/5/1700434/restaurant/West-Los-Angeles/Kotoya-Ramen-LA"><img alt="Kotoya Ramen on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1700434/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; padding: 0px; width: 104px;" /></a>Jordan Sandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491728365576840430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6643769047353907208.post-68321995829312351452012-10-27T07:38:00.000-07:002012-10-27T07:38:12.606-07:00Bibere: Line 39, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2011, North Coast<i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Bibere is an occasional column in which my girlfriend and I will independently taste a wine, make notes on it, and then review the wine. If you have tried the wine, please comment below with your thoughts. </i><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18px;">Tonight we were looking for a cabernet and decided to try something from outside of Napa or Sonoma. We settled on the Line 39 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon from California's North Coast ($8.99 at Ralph's).</span><br />
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Edie's notes: At first, a weak dusty well with hints of vanilla, blackberry, and tobacco. Also vanilla, tobacco, pomegranate, and blackberry on the palate. Needs to be agitated.<br />
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My notes: Very little smell at first. Opens up quickly with a scent of cranberry. Soil, metal, and dark fruit tastes.Some tobacco.and pomegranate.<br />
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This wine was a bit unusual. It had a very dark purple color. At first, it had almost no smell at all. Only through a lot of agitation did it develop any sort of properties. Its definitely not a Napa or Sonoma Cabernet. The experience with the first taste right out of the bottle was similar - very light, very dusty and not so pleasent. However, it opened up in just a couple of minutes and greatly improved. I don't think I've experienced a wine that has changed so quickly.<br />
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Maybe food would help , but I didn't particularly care for it.<br />
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<a href="http://cenarela.blogspot.com/2012/10/bibere-luisi-barbera-dasti-2010.html">Luisi Barbera D'Asti</a><br style="font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-size: 13px;" /><a href="http://cenarela.blogspot.com/2012/09/bibere-bodega-norton-coleccion.html" style="color: #888888; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none;">Bodega Norton Malbec</a><br style="font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-size: 13px;" /><a href="http://cenarela.blogspot.com/2012/09/bibere-gen-5-cabernet-sauvignon-2010.html" style="color: #888888; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none;">Gen 5 Cabernet Sauvignon</a></div>
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<a href="http://cenarela.blogspot.com/2012/10/bibere-firefly-ridge-syrah-2009-central.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">Firefly Ridge Syrah</a></div>
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<br />Jordan Sandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491728365576840430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6643769047353907208.post-41926017637991951572012-10-22T17:38:00.000-07:002012-10-23T07:07:41.543-07:00ReddThis summer, we spent a few days in Napa Valley. While doing research for the trip, <a href="http://www.reddnapavalley.com/">Redd</a> was one of the most highly recommended restaurants Located in Yountville, its just a few blocks from <a href="http://www.frenchlaundry.com/">The French Laundry</a> and several other highly regarded restaurants.<br />
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The menu certainly looked interesting and gave a good variety of choices. Far too many dishes I wanted to try.<br />
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We started with a couple of cocktails. I don't remember exactly what they were, but one involved a green tea liquor and berries. They were good.<br />
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For the first appetizer, we had an off the menu special of sweetbreads with English peas and a foie gras based sauce. I've had very good and very bad sweetbreads, and these were among the former. Nicely crispy with a great depth of flavor.</div>
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Our second appetizer consisted of three different cold foie gras preparations (this was before California's ban became effective). The three were a pate, a mouse, and a torchon. I've mostly been a fan of hot foie gras preparations, but this was another wonderful appetizer and the highlight of the meal. Cherries and peaches in various forms, whole and pureed, accompanied the dish. Frisee with a tangy citric dressing served as a nice jolt to the palate between bites of the different preparations. All three preparations had a strong foie gras taste, but each had their own slight variation and a unique texture. The pate was rich and dense and the mouse very light and airy. The torchon with its pistachio crust was my favorite of the three. The slices of yellow peach were among the best I've tasted. I also loved the presentation of this dish.</div>
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Our first entree was petrale sole, with coconut jasmine rice, clams, chorizo, and saffron curry nage. The fish was firm and the clams added the right amount of ocean taste. The combination of chorizo with the coconut rice was interesting and provided the right amount of spice. The German Riesling suggested by our server paired well with the Thai-influenced dish. </div>
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Duck is often poorly cooked producing a chewy and bland piece of meat. This dish of Sonoma duck breast with turnip puree, spinach, and brown butter hazelnut and orange jus was the opposite. It was succulent and flavorful. The turnip puree was especially noteworthy.</div>
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I, unfortunately, neglected to take pictures of <a href="http://www.reddnapavalley.com/documents/menus/dessert.pdf">dessert</a>. At first, we ordered an interesting sounding yogurt parfait with cherries However, upon taking the first bite we realized it was made with goat's milk yogurt, a fact which was not listed on the menu. Since Edie has a huge aversion to goat's milk, the server offered to replace the dish. Instead, we had an above average butterscotch pudding. </div>
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Even after all of the hype of Redd I found during my research, it did not disappoint. The portions were huge, the food was wonderful, and the price was very reasonable. I would definitely return on my next trip to wine country. I hear really good things about their tasting menu, and at 5 courses for $80, sounds like a great deal. Unlike tasting menus at most restaurants each person received different dishes with each course. </div>
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Our trip to Napa was also highly successful. Two highlights which I would recommend to visitors were <a href="http://www.acaciavineyard.com/age_gateway?destination=node%2F88">Acacia Winery</a> in Caneros and <a href="http://www.smithmadrone.com/">Smith-Madron</a> on Spring Mountain. As I mentioned, Redd is down the street from The French Laundry. Here's a couple of pictures of the garden across the street where The French Laundry grows their own produce. Its actually a lot bigger than it looks here:</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 17.77777862548828px;">6480 Washington Street </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 17.77777862548828px;">Yountville CA 94599</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 17.77777862548828px;" /><nobr style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 17.77777862548828px;">(707) 944-2222</nobr></div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/6/766528/restaurant/Napa/Redd-Yountville"><img alt="Redd on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/766528/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; padding: 0px; width: 104px;" /></a>Jordan Sandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491728365576840430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6643769047353907208.post-49148978553874346452012-10-20T07:33:00.000-07:002012-10-20T07:33:26.948-07:00Bibere: Luisi, Barbera D'Asti, 2010<i>Bibere is an occasional column in which my girlfriend and I will independently taste a wine, make notes on it, and then review the wine. If you have tried the wine, please comment below with your thoughts. </i><br />
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Tonight we were in the mood for a spicy Italian wine. We recently had a Barbera we liked at <a href="http://cenarela.blogspot.com/2012/10/tavern.html">Tavern</a>. Since BevMo is currently in the midst of one of its 5 cent wine sales, we decided to look for one there. We found the 2010 Luisi Barbera D'Asti ($17.04 for two).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRt_ukfJ42TwlyyXT7-iGp4dW_huwsYpixrAaUJpcP5nzgbW7OV64VcJCR8d-6bdnmBN3dXvG0uQvyuPe68DJtxOcqg_6YYI9o4praGNseEBdQHdDK5ByU3nZQxl6N4FaqdONVWW8R-KBn/s1600/100_4189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRt_ukfJ42TwlyyXT7-iGp4dW_huwsYpixrAaUJpcP5nzgbW7OV64VcJCR8d-6bdnmBN3dXvG0uQvyuPe68DJtxOcqg_6YYI9o4praGNseEBdQHdDK5ByU3nZQxl6N4FaqdONVWW8R-KBn/s320/100_4189.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Edie's notes: Lightly scented with pomegranate and pine needles. Dark, red apple color. Light texture and not very dry. Red apple skins and pomegranate taste with basil and oregano. Simple but enjoyable.<br />
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My notes: Earthy and sweet nose. Some berries on the palate. Restrained palate without too much fruit. Some sort of spice which I couldn't quite describe. Taste is drier than the smell. Medium, lingering finish. Would pair well with fatty meats.<br />
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Looking back on Edie's notes, I think she got the pomegranate and oregano which I had trouble describing. I'll have to try a few more Barberas, but as far as Italian varietals, I so far prefer it to Chianti but would rather have a Montepulciano. From what I understand, a Barbera is usually a bit fruitier than this one. Like many wines I've tried from BevMo's 5 cent sale, I think this was decent for the price but not spectacular.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Previous post in Bibere:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><a href="http://cenarela.blogspot.com/2012/09/bibere-bodega-norton-coleccion.html" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Bodega Norton Malbec</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><a href="http://cenarela.blogspot.com/2012/09/bibere-gen-5-cabernet-sauvignon-2010.html" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Gen 5 Cabernet Sauvignon</a></div>
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<a href="http://cenarela.blogspot.com/2012/10/bibere-firefly-ridge-syrah-2009-central.html">Firefly Ridge Syrah</a></div>
<br />Jordan Sandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491728365576840430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6643769047353907208.post-88805951582116924882012-10-17T21:12:00.000-07:002012-10-18T09:53:51.216-07:00Culinary Historians of Southern California Members Party: Celebrating the Lousiana BicentennialI recently attended the annual members party for the <a href="http://chscsite.org/">Culinary Historian of Southern California</a>. The group sponsors monthly lectures at the Central Library in Downtown Los Angeles pertaining to culinary history. I've been attending the lectures for about a year. Topics have included the history of Mexican cooking the United States, Moroccon cooking, cooking in Jane Austen's novels, history of the cookbook, Jewish cooking in France, the histories of gin and rum, the rise of California's tuna industry, Native American cooking in Southern California, and cooking in The Arabian Nights. There's a lectures this Saturday titled Los Angeles' Classic Desserts. The quality is usually very high.<br />
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The theme for this year's members party was New Orleans cooking in order to celebrate the Louisiana bicentennial. Cajun cooking is an interesting mix of French (meaning lots of butter and cream) and the spicier cuisines endemic to the area. Attendees were each responsible for supplying an assigned dish. Below is some of what we had.<br />
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First the appetizers:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alligator Nuggets</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spiced Pecans</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvPNEaBWOmWWoeC26PAEcDCUaHIQLryEVDFxoBoLDfc9lutUwssCubsM5tKHExpJhQv48J_IeOo0dZfVaFVGv08rN4UqldKOYmyizz91t7qSmqh88nby707Fwaj6GUAFK5GNMADf-1hZi/s1600/2012-10-14+12.30.04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvPNEaBWOmWWoeC26PAEcDCUaHIQLryEVDFxoBoLDfc9lutUwssCubsM5tKHExpJhQv48J_IeOo0dZfVaFVGv08rN4UqldKOYmyizz91t7qSmqh88nby707Fwaj6GUAFK5GNMADf-1hZi/s320/2012-10-14+12.30.04.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andouille Sausage</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_bYQEjZ-X6fe9WC25PMOfqo1PVvv3YDSNUUkMca9HrUgE6w2YrjGdurxTXYtFl3TvTkwRTePIr2_awT7CuH7ZAWDQmC5OgOm5jeaMuUEf-3wkERg7SKIGzz3Gl3K0-zBbvs3hxAxL2gG/s1600/2012-10-14+12.30.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_bYQEjZ-X6fe9WC25PMOfqo1PVvv3YDSNUUkMca9HrUgE6w2YrjGdurxTXYtFl3TvTkwRTePIr2_awT7CuH7ZAWDQmC5OgOm5jeaMuUEf-3wkERg7SKIGzz3Gl3K0-zBbvs3hxAxL2gG/s320/2012-10-14+12.30.07.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andouille Sausage</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGlVgSSFw9iwGSTqTonsQepMsNedukYBij7C_kcRQ3ivRLlfD8Nd6_tRGOMcfwchf6kf5wEt6508oKewG32FaG0ABdjsR_9_3ZkMf99QNCDuLS8TnwmO76EDamR71ng9QkZK-fFfLzEi4/s1600/2012-10-14+12.30.10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGlVgSSFw9iwGSTqTonsQepMsNedukYBij7C_kcRQ3ivRLlfD8Nd6_tRGOMcfwchf6kf5wEt6508oKewG32FaG0ABdjsR_9_3ZkMf99QNCDuLS8TnwmO76EDamR71ng9QkZK-fFfLzEi4/s320/2012-10-14+12.30.10.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spices Pecans</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Each of the spiced pecan dishes used a unique spice blend and were very interesting. The alligator nuggets tasted basically like chicken.<br />
<br />
<br />
Entrees:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefAM2njgBK4tUNaosAKsoPsG3xOEk3yt1PTDuwGw_Zbp7Tud8XCKpdUhvruzIapcRkkHBEDlcMCD1YJ7D9LNIEFa6G_na2PFTX-zTMT5CW1c6eSfRwXTfvgbUIuEV-j60a6OhJTICerp7/s1600/2012-10-14+12.46.15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefAM2njgBK4tUNaosAKsoPsG3xOEk3yt1PTDuwGw_Zbp7Tud8XCKpdUhvruzIapcRkkHBEDlcMCD1YJ7D9LNIEFa6G_na2PFTX-zTMT5CW1c6eSfRwXTfvgbUIuEV-j60a6OhJTICerp7/s320/2012-10-14+12.46.15.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ7mqNONNAkfAmhl6iZHB6kiYZInDjihN8hKAclkAJvYzW5MUA2U0fJc_Q7vTNUB2sAkwlML3t-1vEinJi4HuN4oDYT3y76R0koYldps3ZLK7i_OoAU-sgc9qofJiAfYeTWcjktz4rnlxc/s1600/2012-10-14+12.46.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ7mqNONNAkfAmhl6iZHB6kiYZInDjihN8hKAclkAJvYzW5MUA2U0fJc_Q7vTNUB2sAkwlML3t-1vEinJi4HuN4oDYT3y76R0koYldps3ZLK7i_OoAU-sgc9qofJiAfYeTWcjktz4rnlxc/s320/2012-10-14+12.46.22.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8CpEjUDPVk2bqLZ2PihIFxlV_jTQI6-tbcgBDLXNgryM5-wjNT-KLAMIDTTIlkG_RR-RnmQP4qhsQTbpSTImOhuMZtQrVOpEMZPVgFmeuqrXatvUv15m-be0F1-TVSQ-1WOkkjZWfeZoL/s1600/2012-10-14+12.46.19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8CpEjUDPVk2bqLZ2PihIFxlV_jTQI6-tbcgBDLXNgryM5-wjNT-KLAMIDTTIlkG_RR-RnmQP4qhsQTbpSTImOhuMZtQrVOpEMZPVgFmeuqrXatvUv15m-be0F1-TVSQ-1WOkkjZWfeZoL/s320/2012-10-14+12.46.19.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCenXjg_28EI_VC70Xa1U9xDPumBroJzoeJaFWiDh8CnjxJ0l7VOIfEZTwY7MKyISmgNBvFEYbazJVTXyQ8rSt01zIGlCotH5lC79aC_yP1-B9ggb0kCkiEJLi3I4KFkIp6FfhNflHX6h/s1600/2012-10-14+12.46.25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCenXjg_28EI_VC70Xa1U9xDPumBroJzoeJaFWiDh8CnjxJ0l7VOIfEZTwY7MKyISmgNBvFEYbazJVTXyQ8rSt01zIGlCotH5lC79aC_yP1-B9ggb0kCkiEJLi3I4KFkIp6FfhNflHX6h/s320/2012-10-14+12.46.25.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7A2lXVXsUfxKM7ehxiEL6MtNRvfjKAnrwvVnZ_T4v4E8pKyWU2qEdVLkXFtONnQMEZwntP-FNaqWjo4ctPCVMCGIY5cFZLKqg6qFGcdbSJtuBAFZDPeNJpBy3EK3M_ZB1dqJwxn8Fgz8/s1600/2012-10-14+12.47.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7A2lXVXsUfxKM7ehxiEL6MtNRvfjKAnrwvVnZ_T4v4E8pKyWU2qEdVLkXFtONnQMEZwntP-FNaqWjo4ctPCVMCGIY5cFZLKqg6qFGcdbSJtuBAFZDPeNJpBy3EK3M_ZB1dqJwxn8Fgz8/s320/2012-10-14+12.47.02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jambalaya</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Q1BG5Nj8Q8mKea0GQLZ8P0qGsu4oAKZFEfwe5UozsEDkRDkNGxTB_d9P1SXuxzL2z63swPK5H8NCt9cOy7E6Jv7_uI97pGrzM6md5zQau2X676aYKN30-QOkliNe5ppy1RqcMvhA73hJ/s1600/2012-10-14+12.47.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Q1BG5Nj8Q8mKea0GQLZ8P0qGsu4oAKZFEfwe5UozsEDkRDkNGxTB_d9P1SXuxzL2z63swPK5H8NCt9cOy7E6Jv7_uI97pGrzM6md5zQau2X676aYKN30-QOkliNe5ppy1RqcMvhA73hJ/s320/2012-10-14+12.47.14.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jambalaya</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYCA8SUfaj0IT9eCHuQ6ZrKopPPIu-O_NA3UryzyzRVGt2WdcydIDLvc5-CYG4RRJ3Cu4vXzNxOSlQb7IKjZPiJZdui5Zx80P11OMBp52vasW5qaYF6dR7uQXWjY69wJvvNCxnFuy1WemU/s1600/2012-10-14+12.48.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYCA8SUfaj0IT9eCHuQ6ZrKopPPIu-O_NA3UryzyzRVGt2WdcydIDLvc5-CYG4RRJ3Cu4vXzNxOSlQb7IKjZPiJZdui5Zx80P11OMBp52vasW5qaYF6dR7uQXWjY69wJvvNCxnFuy1WemU/s320/2012-10-14+12.48.07.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jambalaya</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaJMoNyvJIGHmCwuuumpRLLN35kbJ9O_jTKhwIm84ZZSXf1lzwc80jTvQAUUELHV0C4Es0cGHAjTIUpo2PpxJD6mLCdC8p1keJlkyYZ3zzbWbMJ62CNdaa_cl_XyjamQ2jv2Cyxw0Nomm/s1600/2012-10-14+12.48.21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaJMoNyvJIGHmCwuuumpRLLN35kbJ9O_jTKhwIm84ZZSXf1lzwc80jTvQAUUELHV0C4Es0cGHAjTIUpo2PpxJD6mLCdC8p1keJlkyYZ3zzbWbMJ62CNdaa_cl_XyjamQ2jv2Cyxw0Nomm/s320/2012-10-14+12.48.21.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chicken Creole</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFtowpMcEBNk7hj4NigQ16UtI-zpl5-IVWEWoPUuOFQQQQkvsG0FSQjNwONLU6ibEAonmLAowWnAHpY4-oDAAS6o8Bkt51ElSG5v-UZXQnIZSmBB1plh2HMROcQCOCAJHIqHXu9P6kYqpK/s1600/2012-10-14+12.48.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFtowpMcEBNk7hj4NigQ16UtI-zpl5-IVWEWoPUuOFQQQQkvsG0FSQjNwONLU6ibEAonmLAowWnAHpY4-oDAAS6o8Bkt51ElSG5v-UZXQnIZSmBB1plh2HMROcQCOCAJHIqHXu9P6kYqpK/s320/2012-10-14+12.48.46.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marque Choux</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVdlAEnTdZ8om21sXKiSO2FfjgMroTvQSrStG6t383d1TBvsWbVbdIo5UCqet9fFVBmtTd8dUq6Cn6vlDp1rvjP9UHLikyr6b3abmnstJqrXDfbICagjizJgmSQEXQ0qqOxD8An8Q3KYt4/s1600/2012-10-14+12.49.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVdlAEnTdZ8om21sXKiSO2FfjgMroTvQSrStG6t383d1TBvsWbVbdIo5UCqet9fFVBmtTd8dUq6Cn6vlDp1rvjP9UHLikyr6b3abmnstJqrXDfbICagjizJgmSQEXQ0qqOxD8An8Q3KYt4/s320/2012-10-14+12.49.17.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marque Choux</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4BLWt-N8ghDvgLngD7AplUsM8qWb-a-kYF8h9DTK37liLLWB43XBhW3mxk_dv0CR45Lgu3YzZqszcV0ND_sBg6OOVtptCYU8RWVOV0mIjbnItmMr4g4iOpNypIiBkCsyoBfNOsrfvrLSK/s1600/2012-10-14+12.49.20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4BLWt-N8ghDvgLngD7AplUsM8qWb-a-kYF8h9DTK37liLLWB43XBhW3mxk_dv0CR45Lgu3YzZqszcV0ND_sBg6OOVtptCYU8RWVOV0mIjbnItmMr4g4iOpNypIiBkCsyoBfNOsrfvrLSK/s320/2012-10-14+12.49.20.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Minted Green beans</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCA0vV1MQtxoWm-6p3mPm3XKrnd4FrNloAeYpvCm69zHLhWawpx-r34iuKmTrHnp7gbgKMQODATjpnLLQrCHDfUn03pKHQqu63RBPbWRF47mddDi17uPpJzeY9ULN8UU7PPWRwt_42zZ2p/s1600/2012-10-14+12.49.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCA0vV1MQtxoWm-6p3mPm3XKrnd4FrNloAeYpvCm69zHLhWawpx-r34iuKmTrHnp7gbgKMQODATjpnLLQrCHDfUn03pKHQqu63RBPbWRF47mddDi17uPpJzeY9ULN8UU7PPWRwt_42zZ2p/s320/2012-10-14+12.49.52.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Minted Green beans</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwsQrfpHaB1Xvpn4cWN2NkWmQ39ghp1vMTNm2pcZ9iMranDlpZtYMDYeoRPl4Px0dmhGAlR9L7QhlPFK4qAQnDl4Bdyxhp2UVXWpqtx6DdB4-OxMFN2tONztbpEmteC7W3mJmMY_hvhQno/s1600/2012-10-14+12.49.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwsQrfpHaB1Xvpn4cWN2NkWmQ39ghp1vMTNm2pcZ9iMranDlpZtYMDYeoRPl4Px0dmhGAlR9L7QhlPFK4qAQnDl4Bdyxhp2UVXWpqtx6DdB4-OxMFN2tONztbpEmteC7W3mJmMY_hvhQno/s320/2012-10-14+12.49.56.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQARNYw6E2bBFK2hqP10IFJwhrEft9vbkIZrrX8EtnjrP92ueoha9MDOGuLM_1G6B3phFEWEfQlv3aoCHBIV4u13Ga65q5oHPA7kqQc8BRTfM32L89yzIkrldf2h4cXrMVNF0rZ2CEZBV/s1600/2012-10-14+12.50.09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQARNYw6E2bBFK2hqP10IFJwhrEft9vbkIZrrX8EtnjrP92ueoha9MDOGuLM_1G6B3phFEWEfQlv3aoCHBIV4u13Ga65q5oHPA7kqQc8BRTfM32L89yzIkrldf2h4cXrMVNF0rZ2CEZBV/s320/2012-10-14+12.50.09.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pepper Salad</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Looks like the dish we prepared was left out of the pictures. It was a casserole of eggplant, shrimp garlic, and bread. Turned out better than expected. Another guest equated it to stuffing. Definitely a strange dish. There were many versions of jambalaya. Others dishes including a sweet potato salad and a shrimp and tomato salad.<br />
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A couple plates of the offerings:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8D9szj71hbDeA7OUpNLvpQAyiq10FVmTOe2y-aNHliCLyRG9iQJXidQCPme9VYOuxLEE9_aw9mIKk0ljOvVKS57zK3LSI4UArU4QPfQNrArhyITLn6icCRqtEuUbqFuHhDGU4xdT9bS4z/s1600/2012-10-14+12.51.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8D9szj71hbDeA7OUpNLvpQAyiq10FVmTOe2y-aNHliCLyRG9iQJXidQCPme9VYOuxLEE9_aw9mIKk0ljOvVKS57zK3LSI4UArU4QPfQNrArhyITLn6icCRqtEuUbqFuHhDGU4xdT9bS4z/s320/2012-10-14+12.51.46.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1k40j8VFlbLTl5sd0dkdEJ8Bt44MM51Wcw5ohxZDjKUpGJwRNMxqVLCCOJ8QEHLuj7bdg4UjV9Og1_6bw78FYLMRfw3OXaNsQxoDm285N-rcoy4wMh_DSRC4pigzfTwOi60RGiw9j66Ow/s1600/2012-10-14+12.51.49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1k40j8VFlbLTl5sd0dkdEJ8Bt44MM51Wcw5ohxZDjKUpGJwRNMxqVLCCOJ8QEHLuj7bdg4UjV9Og1_6bw78FYLMRfw3OXaNsQxoDm285N-rcoy4wMh_DSRC4pigzfTwOi60RGiw9j66Ow/s320/2012-10-14+12.51.49.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Finally dessert:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQDYTtdkMVV95kVWa-2ZNiFJqsUcybznwwv5mynVTzoowOusujQDXM-8y9ROJqtJWjub_tPRRlqjcl5zu_9oCdESTyu8gltJb6vuSx9LacdM_pwh0vpCTNIdB3wYQRevF0duamvOofvZhD/s1600/2012-10-14+13.49.23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQDYTtdkMVV95kVWa-2ZNiFJqsUcybznwwv5mynVTzoowOusujQDXM-8y9ROJqtJWjub_tPRRlqjcl5zu_9oCdESTyu8gltJb6vuSx9LacdM_pwh0vpCTNIdB3wYQRevF0duamvOofvZhD/s320/2012-10-14+13.49.23.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZsEmloUuOgDUw1PODHBeVv93PwIehsmtdld6cCpr3rLoliOu3aSIRWVLhE9_I0lUKHH411gxB6uUGEONYeFDrM-3taam0qH9tgEq8bQSw8bI3XLE11XKqMJq3hhHItQxuggEt_NSxrnFX/s1600/2012-10-14+13.49.27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZsEmloUuOgDUw1PODHBeVv93PwIehsmtdld6cCpr3rLoliOu3aSIRWVLhE9_I0lUKHH411gxB6uUGEONYeFDrM-3taam0qH9tgEq8bQSw8bI3XLE11XKqMJq3hhHItQxuggEt_NSxrnFX/s320/2012-10-14+13.49.27.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apple Pie</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DSKuR49ygnFsSjbTSLzZZuCXWldUUuM41KgP7vhDfOFq0_AdQxq5m5WxiUJxO1Gkqjm6GRrVmWMHacRz-V7zcluMYJQnJbMlOs6WqPmkNuYxypH-lLIZdUdEG_ISfR2IM3WsxxRpGieT/s1600/2012-10-14+13.50.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DSKuR49ygnFsSjbTSLzZZuCXWldUUuM41KgP7vhDfOFq0_AdQxq5m5WxiUJxO1Gkqjm6GRrVmWMHacRz-V7zcluMYJQnJbMlOs6WqPmkNuYxypH-lLIZdUdEG_ISfR2IM3WsxxRpGieT/s320/2012-10-14+13.50.39.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvfH5ZgaS4Y67rjOKnsbmWHL6yYjNVUm6kBE-c-UThDD9KAxmhw2s42nLQekOXkPUxb69cmoSAS-O5QKrrEzzF5deqL8mLRBaTMoquyl9PGD6Et7plreEeYKce7d68k-RzNOIDABdrbkP9/s1600/2012-10-14+13.50.48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvfH5ZgaS4Y67rjOKnsbmWHL6yYjNVUm6kBE-c-UThDD9KAxmhw2s42nLQekOXkPUxb69cmoSAS-O5QKrrEzzF5deqL8mLRBaTMoquyl9PGD6Et7plreEeYKce7d68k-RzNOIDABdrbkP9/s320/2012-10-14+13.50.48.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monkey Pudding</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fig and Pecan pie</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spiced Orange Cake</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Applie Pie</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apple Pie</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNxia0qI7_B2YpGz3bVV3jvTiXpADgRWlKbh0xEqyRfsbnN-9IFSIYaJz1Eqzvv_hiWmDHCBErsbwmZNrlC1mYlf73l0HTf5d5Z8zFbRngjpa84H1jNkpDq1cDerQb6YH7WDEXe74yXc_K/s1600/2012-10-14+13.53.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNxia0qI7_B2YpGz3bVV3jvTiXpADgRWlKbh0xEqyRfsbnN-9IFSIYaJz1Eqzvv_hiWmDHCBErsbwmZNrlC1mYlf73l0HTf5d5Z8zFbRngjpa84H1jNkpDq1cDerQb6YH7WDEXe74yXc_K/s320/2012-10-14+13.53.28.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheese Cake</td></tr>
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Far more sweets than needed. Another I didn't get a picture of was bread pudding with bourbon sauce. There were three versions presented, all using a different bourbon. All quite powerful. My favorite dessert was the fig and pecan pie. </div>
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The party was a good time with a lot of good food. Now I really want to visit New Orleans at some point and try authentic Cajun and Creole cooking. I suggest the Culinary Historians' lecture series to anyone interested in learning a bit more about the food we eat. </div>
Jordan Sandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491728365576840430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6643769047353907208.post-6261670978694233252012-10-14T08:52:00.000-07:002012-10-14T10:08:43.464-07:00SushiI'm a big fan of sushi, and Japanese food in general. Of all of the world's highly regarded cuisines Japanese appears perhaps the simplest. However, that is mere deception. Japanese cooking is about presenting the highest quality ingredient possible in a way that epitomizes that ingredient with minimal manipulation. On the surface, something like sushi seems incredible simple. Its just fish over some rice, with perhaps a couple of other things thrown in. But really, there is a lot that goes into preparing sushi or any other Japanese dish. I highly recommend that everyone watch last year's documentary <a href="http://www.magpictures.com/jirodreamsofsushi/">Jiro Dreams of Sushi</a>. Just make sure you know the closest sushi bar for right after the movie. You will have a craving.<br />
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Continuing to take advantage of the high quality tuna I was given, I decided to try my hand at preparing sushi at home, something I'd been intending to for a while.<br />
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First, start with the rice. I used <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Sushi-Rice">this </a>as a primer, but also consulted a couple of others. For making sushi rice, you can't use just any rice. Properly, a Japanese short grain rice should be used.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8dHyAHghO2QwiRNZh7DUxUnci3Aqeh-yuFm51lRDkHz4uZ86EeFgCbJX5O3em0oetlUZQUWtv5H7MORkm_EbO5fizekbnocLmY-FJ5nKRJA5Zx3mMXUpSi7OMS_Dlk3oggTLFFAIjozt/s1600/100_4114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8dHyAHghO2QwiRNZh7DUxUnci3Aqeh-yuFm51lRDkHz4uZ86EeFgCbJX5O3em0oetlUZQUWtv5H7MORkm_EbO5fizekbnocLmY-FJ5nKRJA5Zx3mMXUpSi7OMS_Dlk3oggTLFFAIjozt/s320/100_4114.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Pour the rice into a bowl.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOvdBiQrWLv89Hjj7Oytk2YHeeVqz1GSpebgA8Hjf3BUPxoVsbLLpVqL9Endyq0kSa81OojQzPIj2jhIhi9ZWhyphenhyphentt2HcAuUzDNF1EOs4wFe2h8ZWzxDGqhJBAD-p7ED70GCdDASquGgJh1/s1600/100_4115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOvdBiQrWLv89Hjj7Oytk2YHeeVqz1GSpebgA8Hjf3BUPxoVsbLLpVqL9Endyq0kSa81OojQzPIj2jhIhi9ZWhyphenhyphentt2HcAuUzDNF1EOs4wFe2h8ZWzxDGqhJBAD-p7ED70GCdDASquGgJh1/s320/100_4115.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Rinse the rice several times. This is done by covering the rice in water, sloshing the rice around, and then pouring off the water. Following the first couple of rinses the water will be very cloudy, but it will start to gain clarity.</div>
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After several rinses, again cover with water and allow the grains to soak for about half an hour. Drain one final time. The rice will be noticeably whiter then when you started.<br />
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Place the rice into a rice cooker with a 1:1 rice to water ratio and cook.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76It0CS4-n8OOi0a3LLsNHHIhr_EtJHHqsGmVLn3THXx8UFunnOXkKV4vP6O3gA3o6s0R8lwWFBAwnkESqhupnCcKuFFDo_-RJSYdB2-zprf06yfy1obpTm6EfprTPrOKNGX-qsCWZATV/s1600/100_4120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76It0CS4-n8OOi0a3LLsNHHIhr_EtJHHqsGmVLn3THXx8UFunnOXkKV4vP6O3gA3o6s0R8lwWFBAwnkESqhupnCcKuFFDo_-RJSYdB2-zprf06yfy1obpTm6EfprTPrOKNGX-qsCWZATV/s320/100_4120.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Next, prepare the <i>su (</i>vinegar mixture which gives the rice its flavoring). This is a combination of rice vinegar, mirin, sugar, and salt.</div>
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Place ingredients into a small sauce pan and heat (don't boil) until mixed.</div>
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Remove from heat and bring to room temperature. If the <i>su</i> is too hot when added to the rice, the rice will continue to cook beyond what is desirable. When the rice is cooked, place it into a large mixing bowl and add the <i>su</i>.</div>
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Let the rice cool.</div>
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To go with the sushi, I also prepared a salad of daikon, apple slices, and fresh orange juice. </div>
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Naturally <i>gari </i>(pickled ginger) and <i>wasabi </i>are required.<i> </i></div>
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For the fish, I used a piece of yellowtail (<i>hamachi</i>) belly, seen in the foreground, and a cut of blue fin tuna, both wild caught from Mexico. The tuna included both <i>maguro (</i>on top) and <i>toro</i>. <i>Maguro </i>is the dark red meat that doesn't involve much fat. <i>Toro </i>is the lighter colored meat and has a higher fat content. The <i>maguro </i>has a deeper flavor, but the <i>toro </i>is more tender and butterier. I believe the <i>toro</i> on this particular cut would be classified as <i>chu-toro</i> (medium fatty) rather than <i>o-toro</i> (most fatty).</div>
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Next the fun part. First we prepared <i>nigiri. </i>Cut the fish into thin slices with a sharp knife.</div>
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Sushi rice is very sticky, so you will need to wet your hands before handling the rice. Take a small portion of rice and shape it into a block.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO87hVYaKi4vwfOIIgUT2fBCGk3oeqsiWbrvGPVhSoj9UKdrfmqXf2QJ5l4YHbOk-5gcFJEZAHpJLlInNu6-F1Iv32g3-fJn3iOG-zLr-doX0twpfDXuVg0qNDmNXZaO5oyIqFnMprpbJA/s1600/100_4145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO87hVYaKi4vwfOIIgUT2fBCGk3oeqsiWbrvGPVhSoj9UKdrfmqXf2QJ5l4YHbOk-5gcFJEZAHpJLlInNu6-F1Iv32g3-fJn3iOG-zLr-doX0twpfDXuVg0qNDmNXZaO5oyIqFnMprpbJA/s320/100_4145.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Add a dash of <i>wasabi</i>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-7UGchDNUVjR8JR5_YgMGhHGHyS37cIHJVzGWIx1HTP3pi9VaEm82k5mUgbDeupzY3AmBbM7zTXCmfkX8H7qiEepUdPVjLXdgJfm7Cx3P3XUhpqWgGwZ4MOWDKD54EKxV_d9lABxRBG3/s1600/100_4147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-7UGchDNUVjR8JR5_YgMGhHGHyS37cIHJVzGWIx1HTP3pi9VaEm82k5mUgbDeupzY3AmBbM7zTXCmfkX8H7qiEepUdPVjLXdgJfm7Cx3P3XUhpqWgGwZ4MOWDKD54EKxV_d9lABxRBG3/s320/100_4147.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And top with a cut of fish. Here, I used a piece of <i>maguro</i>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiVahsPN4m1aNMW63RV_M_tu_AGWrS8DUajoF5e8mNj89XRqxSydHlBurvwqs7YZbh1qsAbXE8cCCKz_Vv39vHiv2tkPbsWJiQHrE-Pu2c0yzu11dvZAU_VDafqaygaOSHFsER95mrasUF/s1600/100_4149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiVahsPN4m1aNMW63RV_M_tu_AGWrS8DUajoF5e8mNj89XRqxSydHlBurvwqs7YZbh1qsAbXE8cCCKz_Vv39vHiv2tkPbsWJiQHrE-Pu2c0yzu11dvZAU_VDafqaygaOSHFsER95mrasUF/s320/100_4149.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here are all three cuts of fish together. I admit I do not have the world's greatest knife skills.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiEjMcKUfd1A-I1rBiJ37zVIoIXOPKhkoFJvGpPXm4aZtPC_nA7_NFU63b1jBWXJXMn_NGCugi3SB1BrFHT_eQ63_MFCiLdKn2pHmxTmsLwkL77UQ5boMJKNb6liHq8Ui0ospYw8qtj1d9/s1600/100_4150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiEjMcKUfd1A-I1rBiJ37zVIoIXOPKhkoFJvGpPXm4aZtPC_nA7_NFU63b1jBWXJXMn_NGCugi3SB1BrFHT_eQ63_MFCiLdKn2pHmxTmsLwkL77UQ5boMJKNb6liHq8Ui0ospYw8qtj1d9/s320/100_4150.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hamachi, Toro, Maguro</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The fish was wonderfully fresh with no fishiness and the rice tasted like what I'd expect to find in a decent sushi bar. I didn't particularly favor one cut of fish over the others; they all had their positive qualities. The <i>hamachi</i> was very clean tasting, the <i>maguro </i>had a deep, dark flavor, and the <i>toro </i>was smooth and buttery.<br />
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We also prepared some rolls using sheets of <i>nori (seaweed), </i>daikon, and cucumber.</div>
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As an experiment, I used a kitchen torch on a piece of <i>toro nigiri.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUlE9muL0jO6Ia3JvCyLD6hz41hugZ905RLbFt5Hv6UaUbgX__JUfOeAWvqVIlc6DsStfiLvFJA1i0ogmJpD5It5sg4TfsDSWp3n2wibfXBkXgLVFDfWLgospGBEjr4v1ZxY4mEtDQw1Od/s1600/100_4163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUlE9muL0jO6Ia3JvCyLD6hz41hugZ905RLbFt5Hv6UaUbgX__JUfOeAWvqVIlc6DsStfiLvFJA1i0ogmJpD5It5sg4TfsDSWp3n2wibfXBkXgLVFDfWLgospGBEjr4v1ZxY4mEtDQw1Od/s320/100_4163.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I didn't think the little bit of char added much to the <i>nigiri</i>. I also wrapped a piece in a bit of nori:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpp8QxhGB_u566yipW66CR7jTyIWjawWvgg4cRiaTGM8_wshEE6qxw2ehWH4-il4MXGEXKtaAfNnGihKDoGdssLdXN5FRQQerODZ2pq89UGiCPPCID7DLAvavRSXgGwkpQQL5-Sp_r0bDQ/s1600/100_4168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpp8QxhGB_u566yipW66CR7jTyIWjawWvgg4cRiaTGM8_wshEE6qxw2ehWH4-il4MXGEXKtaAfNnGihKDoGdssLdXN5FRQQerODZ2pq89UGiCPPCID7DLAvavRSXgGwkpQQL5-Sp_r0bDQ/s320/100_4168.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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To drink with our sushi, we had a bottle of Kigen Sake Junmai. I'm not a sake expert, but really liked it. It had a clear, floral taste that went very well with the sushi. There were also some notes of pear and grape.</div>
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Overall, we were very happy with the results of our sushi experiment. I will have to do it again using a few more elements. Producing something good and basic isn't too difficult. Mostly its a matter of finding high quality ingredients and not manipulating them too much.</div>
Jordan Sandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491728365576840430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6643769047353907208.post-30903901869821520162012-10-10T06:50:00.001-07:002012-10-10T17:28:27.372-07:00Tavern<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.tavernla.com/">Tavern </a>is <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 17.77777862548828px;">Suzanne Goin's most recent restaurant, her older restaurants being </span></span></span><a href="http://www.aocwinebar.com/" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 17.77777671813965px;">AOC </a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 17.77777671813965px;">and </span><a href="http://www.lucques.com/" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 17.77777671813965px;">Lucques</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 17.77777862548828px;">. It is located in Brentwood on San Vicente </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 17.77777671813965px;">Boulevard</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 17.77777862548828px;">. We recently stopped in for dinner befor catching a play at the <a href="http://www.getty.edu/museum/programs/performances/outdoor_theater_12.html">Getty Villa</a>. </span><br />
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The interior is dived into three sections. First, the Larder, which is a casual deli and pastry counter. Second, a bar area, and finally the atrium, where we sat (pictured above). The atrium has to be one of my favorite restaurant interiors. </div>
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I was slightly disappointed to see that a plate of duck charcuterie on the online menu had recently become unavailable, but still plenty to choose from from.</div>
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We began with a couple of cocktails. The green drink is the <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: -webkit-center;">Lucques Gimlet</span><strong style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: -webkit-center;"> </strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: -webkit-center;"> made with</span><span style="text-align: -webkit-center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Wodka Vodka, Lime & Mint. It was akin to a mojito without the usual sweetness of rum. Very light an d refreshing. My drink was The Thunderer, consisting of </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12px;">Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Ruby Red Grapefruit, Lemon, Honey, Ginger and Arbol Chile. It was decent, but I would have liked a bit more heat like I've had with other chili laced drinks.. There was perhaps one too many elements.</span></div>
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Our first appetizer was one of the day's specials, crab cakes. These were good, if small, bites. Lots of crab and not much filler as is typical of crab cakes. There's were served with a smooth aoili and and tangy frisee salad which acted as a nice palate cleanser.</div>
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Our second appetizer was the table favorite dish of the night, fried squash blossoms filled with ricotta cheese and served with an Early Girl tomato sauce. These were akin to the world's best tempura filled with cheese. They were great by themselves and the sauce was unnecessary. </div>
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We tried three entrees. The first was the devil's chicken. While it had some good flavors, it was essentially just an ordinary chicken breast dish which wouldn't be too hard to replicate.</div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 17.755556106567383px;">My entree was the osso bucco. Again decent , but not the best lamb dish. The apricot chutney was a bit blunt, and while paired decently with the lamb, I didn't think it worked that well with some of the flavor elements in the dish. There was also not enough jus on the plate to accommodate the dish.</span></span><br />
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Finally, the brisket. This was clearly the best of the entrees. The corn pudding and cavollo nero were very good and the meat was tender and flavorful. All of the entrees came in very generous portion sizes.<br />
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We also asked our server for a couple of glasses of wine with the entrees. Her pairing suggestions proved to be very good, a Spanish Grenacha with the lamb and an Italian Barbera with the brisket.<br />
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Unfortunately, curtain time for play was approaching and didn't have time for dessert. Overall, my reaction to Tavern was mixed. Great appetizers, but the entrees felt a little lacking. Maybe the fish dishes would have matched my tastes better. I'd be interested in returning to try the Larder, or maybe for some squash blossoms at the bar. The massive burgers being served in the bar also looked good.<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 17.755556106567383px;">Tavern</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 17.755556106567383px;">11648 San Vicente Boulevard</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 17.755556106567383px;">Los Angeles, CA 90049</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 17.755556106567383px;">(310) 806-6464</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/5/1442152/restaurant/Brentwood/Tavern-LA"><img alt="Tavern on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1442152/minilogo.gif" style="border: none; height: 15px; padding: 0px; width: 104px;" /></a>Jordan Sandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491728365576840430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6643769047353907208.post-62035723388047254222012-10-07T19:47:00.002-07:002012-10-07T19:47:46.109-07:00Covivium: Inadvertent Italian<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
One of my favorite things to do is have friends over to cook and eat great food. Here's the menu from last night's festivities. </div>
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I recently received the annual harvest of prickly pears from my parents' cactus and prepared a prickly pear lemonade:<br />
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The thorns make prickly pears extra fun to work with. Looks like I didn't take a picture of the end product. This was just a matter of running the lemons and prickly pears through a power juicy and adding sugar and water. It was well received.<br />
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I was also given some blue fin tuna caught in Mexico by my dad and bother and some pomegranates from my grandparents' trees. Taking advantage of the situation, I make a blue fin tuna crudo with pomegranate seeds, lemon zest, and a touch of olive oil for the appetizer:<br />
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This was great. The sweet pop of the pomegranate nicely countered the deeply flavored tuna, with the lemon providing a nice sharpness.<br />
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One friend prepared a lemon and fennel risotto:<br />
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Another made stuffed tomatoes:<br />
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Edie and I were feeling ambitious spent most of the day leading up to the party preparing a homemade lasagna. And I really do mean homemade. This was by far the most labor intensive dish I have ever prepared:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwZSKMIC1ZMgT9ABZR3AWqN4-4XvOsR0YW6S-l_SnzTZzuYd0EESN1WesC9sqI7WO42a2K6p22N515pGFaWhC_aXgNy04W9wlcbSAWCyQgrO00SZRol_RONKAxPZ8WAX-TRc14vXsXO8-/s1600/100_4083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwZSKMIC1ZMgT9ABZR3AWqN4-4XvOsR0YW6S-l_SnzTZzuYd0EESN1WesC9sqI7WO42a2K6p22N515pGFaWhC_aXgNy04W9wlcbSAWCyQgrO00SZRol_RONKAxPZ8WAX-TRc14vXsXO8-/s320/100_4083.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homemade Sauce</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9cWVcLO7k2ZD2jUEa3-UUjRjlDtBuQzTUDo1r4nCZv5v8TsK6FOMmAepEH7EOl6aF2Ts3SYJESUOkdAVa8I1SKYunVdKKgITpc7lhDeXhOaZ0FMubDkVcBKEAhFcungG9AV89AcKDUqkX/s1600/100_4085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9cWVcLO7k2ZD2jUEa3-UUjRjlDtBuQzTUDo1r4nCZv5v8TsK6FOMmAepEH7EOl6aF2Ts3SYJESUOkdAVa8I1SKYunVdKKgITpc7lhDeXhOaZ0FMubDkVcBKEAhFcungG9AV89AcKDUqkX/s320/100_4085.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJFOpxCYATdEsGc-VglWWHuk9iFRPy5uBw4bnEf-namxHZe8gowzzdMmntVOp4ROgQobN4CR_eT87PhXvI4lOpipMgiBSO4NPUMWR5lVxAMPhPKQzJtWq9IxcGojk25OlPNs3pG5GD3C3/s1600/100_4096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJFOpxCYATdEsGc-VglWWHuk9iFRPy5uBw4bnEf-namxHZe8gowzzdMmntVOp4ROgQobN4CR_eT87PhXvI4lOpipMgiBSO4NPUMWR5lVxAMPhPKQzJtWq9IxcGojk25OlPNs3pG5GD3C3/s320/100_4096.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homemade Pasta</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghfbph-8IwzflZifOBwxddQwJuLNv0RFTu73Z-wUCz7O7MYD3EnfGDNLhc0Jo3UKrQHO81JEY10zeCcAdmLsXKCTSLlCvdUuuV1LcYlKq0VlX5CdMv4N3bAe1H8u7x-xgIN35dfFFyPs6W/s1600/100_3985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghfbph-8IwzflZifOBwxddQwJuLNv0RFTu73Z-wUCz7O7MYD3EnfGDNLhc0Jo3UKrQHO81JEY10zeCcAdmLsXKCTSLlCvdUuuV1LcYlKq0VlX5CdMv4N3bAe1H8u7x-xgIN35dfFFyPs6W/s320/100_3985.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homemade Ricotta Cheese</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYw4h23IYFQhSoc3W7SPOU6uZdZE16Xj-eDtUPaNEdg9gHkIJ0M1NXBmW25n_HJZDW7zY13e0B2w8VPa6Sya_7o8h0PGomF8YrFOhZB2ejBXf0JA48vFYiYMmcAKwtJjZ-mFRcOtqswgua/s1600/100_4089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYw4h23IYFQhSoc3W7SPOU6uZdZE16Xj-eDtUPaNEdg9gHkIJ0M1NXBmW25n_HJZDW7zY13e0B2w8VPa6Sya_7o8h0PGomF8YrFOhZB2ejBXf0JA48vFYiYMmcAKwtJjZ-mFRcOtqswgua/s320/100_4089.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homemade Sausage with mushrooms</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwh4u8LmC3Zd5ndYXuYkOZUtddfOjAw7GIoBkJ__8kTjN99KWKRF4S9NRQD5KbjwMBCGCj6Q4vf2uOY6mu6a0NF34zhQJc0X7JctKYfgBGS59e8cTFdbCk0LDnq8f-sWn4wShUE-Z9YXvU/s1600/100_4094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwh4u8LmC3Zd5ndYXuYkOZUtddfOjAw7GIoBkJ__8kTjN99KWKRF4S9NRQD5KbjwMBCGCj6Q4vf2uOY6mu6a0NF34zhQJc0X7JctKYfgBGS59e8cTFdbCk0LDnq8f-sWn4wShUE-Z9YXvU/s320/100_4094.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roasted Eggplant and Italian Squash</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGEFMouHAznDJDYE2mLpaIjwtna2D-3mdP_6D1Xc-hdOI3ZpW3pGskymr_1uCgmj9EJ7KMSPzJ0Rc88kQLbEdky3SHf-QjMqs7OsEeojleOZOBWrZizF8rmF8wtDHzVfaOrlMmGHAz-ykp/s1600/100_4095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGEFMouHAznDJDYE2mLpaIjwtna2D-3mdP_6D1Xc-hdOI3ZpW3pGskymr_1uCgmj9EJ7KMSPzJ0Rc88kQLbEdky3SHf-QjMqs7OsEeojleOZOBWrZizF8rmF8wtDHzVfaOrlMmGHAz-ykp/s320/100_4095.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Assembly Line</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbamtlqHWZYHdaYvubaHjP7cjbSq5QP1GBogUxAoYZdCXaSB6ji0KrJdI7TXlYr00Y8QbAEydiT1f0yrpec619izXCOSeTJ3zQ-XsGGGlt0xIQd0x5N5Y7Rkllu3eCcUbXKQzZVzRZaIU8/s1600/100_4097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbamtlqHWZYHdaYvubaHjP7cjbSq5QP1GBogUxAoYZdCXaSB6ji0KrJdI7TXlYr00Y8QbAEydiT1f0yrpec619izXCOSeTJ3zQ-XsGGGlt0xIQd0x5N5Y7Rkllu3eCcUbXKQzZVzRZaIU8/s320/100_4097.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everything together</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAwezmvbnF6hC4BE3mkF5KegICk5SeIpZ5XB7VB_5JeTtSr1RsvW0rSQzm5oAgfe8cWXcEY1Jfk2TrrT9JeKMdzIT5kEyuV5dQPLSNX8uIbnkHInb-eNySP4IF6cle2nA8cYoitaRZ0kcq/s1600/100_4099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAwezmvbnF6hC4BE3mkF5KegICk5SeIpZ5XB7VB_5JeTtSr1RsvW0rSQzm5oAgfe8cWXcEY1Jfk2TrrT9JeKMdzIT5kEyuV5dQPLSNX8uIbnkHInb-eNySP4IF6cle2nA8cYoitaRZ0kcq/s320/100_4099.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished Product</td></tr>
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The five or so hours of work this took was worth it. All three dishes:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR65lHRhW7zAP2eL0fhXKWCWRK5Z8NIDYuu1a8gjU8fGJ2JjOoLPN5a_TC7DLTE_GrtdZwRW3xD2bV96kXYFGN7d2-m0ljCDsCmzA_7-RwHsP1ablPMpvfzE-_aIxzFup6zZ8jfVdhRKey/s1600/100_4103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR65lHRhW7zAP2eL0fhXKWCWRK5Z8NIDYuu1a8gjU8fGJ2JjOoLPN5a_TC7DLTE_GrtdZwRW3xD2bV96kXYFGN7d2-m0ljCDsCmzA_7-RwHsP1ablPMpvfzE-_aIxzFup6zZ8jfVdhRKey/s320/100_4103.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Unplanned, but we inadvertently ended up with an Italian theme. </div>
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For dessert, I made an <a href="http://cenarela.blogspot.com/2012/09/lavender-lemon-ice-cream.html">ice cream</a> flavored with three kinds of teas: A black tea for a strong base, a chai for some tang, and a Japanese cherry tea for a bit of fruit. Edie also prepared a chocolate chip short cake:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0K4gUgZtsJg_0XKWBcSsDWhyphenhyphenbai272z1CETsmu7Kw_Y0uVw_JBDmAx7Twyy1RizUBOSnS_-xxUbrU8i07-J86bhWl2U2BFu91EoKqW7nJLanopJKRnPzI3oLjOru4wk0T4FnNAobC3Sz/s1600/100_4107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0K4gUgZtsJg_0XKWBcSsDWhyphenhyphenbai272z1CETsmu7Kw_Y0uVw_JBDmAx7Twyy1RizUBOSnS_-xxUbrU8i07-J86bhWl2U2BFu91EoKqW7nJLanopJKRnPzI3oLjOru4wk0T4FnNAobC3Sz/s320/100_4107.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We also had a variety of drinks to go with dinner:</div>
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I liked the Gen 5 Cabernet a bit better than <a href="http://cenarela.blogspot.com/2012/09/bibere-gen-5-cabernet-sauvignon-2010.html">last time</a>. The Beringer was what you'd expect. The Hirch Bourbon was really good with a caramel and vanilla flavor. This was my first introduction to bourbon and I will have to experiment more. The Banyuls was ok, kind of like a port without the backbone. We finished with grappa, which was appropriate given the night's food. </div>
Jordan Sandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491728365576840430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6643769047353907208.post-46581138727332401372012-10-06T08:06:00.000-07:002012-10-06T08:06:04.115-07:00Bibere: Firefly Ridge, Syrah, 2009, Central CoastFor ultra cheap wine, (i.e., the below seven dollar range), there generally aren't very many good options. Most taste either strongly of vinegar, or have very few qualities of any kind. However, we've found one label in that range that produces consistent wine. That would be Firefly Ridge ($6.99 at Vons/Pavillions.) Tonight, we had the 2009 Syrah.<br />
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Edie's Notes: Oaky nose with dark fruit, vanilla, and pepper. Full bodies without much dryness. Blackberries, oak, vanilla, and pepper taste. Very juicy. Dark, purplish-red color. Reminiscent of walking into Napa Valley. A straightforward, but tasty wine.</div>
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My notes: The nose is dominated by anise, with some blueberry. Pepper, a bit of smoke, berries and rhubarb palate. Silky texture with some lingering spice. Overtime developed an olive taste which I've noticed in a lot of Syrahs.<br />
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Firefly Ridge certainly doesn't produce the best wines in the world. They don't possess much complexity, but I think they are excellent for their price. A great inexpensive, wine for the days you don't feel like putting too much thought into wine selection.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Previous post in Bibere:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><a href="http://cenarela.blogspot.com/2012/09/bibere-bodega-norton-coleccion.html" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Bodega Norton Malbec</a><br />
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<a href="http://cenarela.blogspot.com/2012/09/bibere-gen-5-cabernet-sauvignon-2010.html">Gen 5 Cabernet Sauvignon</a>Jordan Sandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491728365576840430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6643769047353907208.post-446904140736507422012-10-04T12:02:00.000-07:002012-10-05T09:27:52.641-07:00Tea-Scented Buttermilk Panna Cotta<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Besides <a href="http://cenarela.blogspot.com/2012/09/lavender-lemon-ice-cream.html">ice cream</a>, one of my favorite desserts is panna cotta. Italian for cooked cream, it is, like ice cream, very simple but can be used as a blank canvas for many flavor and texture variations. I used <a href="http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Buttermilk-Panna-Cotta">this recipe</a> as my starting point and added tea leaves for flavor instead of vanilla bean. The tea is <a href="http://www.chadotea.com/product_info.php?products_id=260">roobios bourbon</a> from Chado Tea Room. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ingredients Assembled</td></tr>
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Put the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and tea leaves.<br />
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Meanwhile, add the gelatin to a bit of cold water in a mixing bowl. </div>
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Just before the cream boils, stir the mixture into the bowl with the gelatin. Also stir in the buttermilk.</div>
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Strain through a fine sieve into another bowl to remove the tea leaves. I was using very fine tea leaves and some got through the sieve and ended in the final product, but they did detract from the taste.</div>
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Pour into ramekins, cover with plastic wrap, and place in refrigerator to harden for several hours. </div>
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I suggest serving the panna cotta with whatever fruit is in season. I decided to use fresh peaches and sauteed figs. </div>
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Thinly slice the peach and dice the figs into quarters.</div>
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Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and quickly saute the figs. </div>
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To remove the panna cotta from the ramekins, briefly place into a shallow dish with warm water. Do not leave them too long or the panna cotta will melt.</div>
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Turn upside and put on a plate with whatever fruit you are using. I also added a drizzle of homey.</div>
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I thought this turned out decently. I was hoping the red tea I used would give it a deeper red color and that the tea flavor would have been a little stronger. Still very good with the fruit. The peach was really good. Its nearly the end of stone fruit season, so get them while you can. </div>
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Jordan Sandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491728365576840430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6643769047353907208.post-54853567194630797432012-10-01T20:14:00.002-07:002012-10-02T17:47:23.428-07:00Vinh Loi TofuIf there is one restaurant that could possibly convince the most ardent carnivores that not just vegetarian cooking, but vegan is worthwhile, it would be <a href="http://www.vinhloitofu.com/">Vinh Loi Tofu</a>.<br />
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Vinh Loi Tofu is a vegan Vietnamese restaurant located in a nondescript strip mall in Reseda. The owner, Kevin, makes a variety of imitation meats out of house-made tofu. Thought most wouldn't make you forget that aren't actually eating meat, many of them are surprisingly like the real thing. The imitation meats here are certainly better than most imitation meats around.<br />
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The menu is very large, and there are even more options posted on the walls of the restaurant. Entrees average $8-10.<br />
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There is a self serve case for drinks, including house-made soy milk in several flavors. Also available by the gallon, it tastes a lot different from what you buy in stores. It actually does taste like liquid soy beans.<br />
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We tried two dishes. We asked for a soup with a moderate amount of spice. This was the result. Referred by the chef simply as house soup, it consisted of mock-chick, shrimp and squid in a flavorful and spicy broth. It was served with a plate of lime and bean sprouts. Even if the texture is off, the taste of the shrimp are a very good approximation of real shrimp. </div>
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I really need to start checking the quality of my pictures before moving on. This was a dish of thin vermicelli noodles with various imitation seafood , shredded carrot and daikon, Vietnamese herbs and a light coconut sauce. Not quite as good as the soup, but still great. There flavors were not at all muddled. </div>
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I can see Vinh Loi becoming a regular stop whenever I find myself stuck in the San Fernadno Valley. I highly suggest even the biggest tofu-skeptic give it a try.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 17.77777862548828px;">18625 Sherman Way #101</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 17.77777862548828px;">Reseda, CA 91335</span><br />
<nobr style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 17.77777862548828px;">(818) 996-9779</nobr><br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/5/78027/restaurant/LA/Vinh-Loi-Tofu-Reseda"><img alt="Vinh Loi Tofu on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/78027/minilogo.gif" style="border:none;padding:0px;width:104px;height:15px" /></a>
Jordan Sandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491728365576840430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6643769047353907208.post-54346080018823844842012-09-29T11:54:00.000-07:002012-09-29T14:33:22.885-07:00Bibere: Gen 5, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2010, Lodi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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California Cabernet's are usually a good default with their bold flavors and plenty of smoke. They are rarely bad, but it also isn't always easy to find a truly outstanding bottle. While browsing the offerings of BevMo's current 5 cent wine sale, we decided to try the Gen 5, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2010, Lodi ($15.04 for two bottles).<br />
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Edie's notes: Dried cranberry and cherry on the nose. Smooth, long and not try dry finish. Plum colored. Dried cranberry, plum, and beef jerky on the palate. Plenty of umami. Overall, excellent to drink alone, maybe pair with a hamburger.<br />
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My notes: Light for a Cabernet. Raspberry scented. Very juicy. Garnet colored. Plum is the dominant flavor, with some other dark fruit and berries. Not too much smoke, but it builds.<br />
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I struggled a bit with this wine and didn't think it had too much complexity, despite a continued attempt to look for it. We agreed that plum was the main characteristic of the wine. I thought this was ok for the price, but there are certainly far better California Cabernet's out there, even in a similar price range. It was far lighter than what you would get in a Cabernet from Napa, which could be a good thing depending on your tastes. However, it wasn't what I wanted in a Cabernet and I think if you are thinking for a lighter dry red wine, you would be better sticking to other varietals. I'll have to see if the second bottle changes my opinion.<br />
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Previous post in Bibere:<br />
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<a href="http://cenarela.blogspot.com/2012/09/bibere-bodega-norton-coleccion.html">Bodega Norton Malbec</a><br />
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<br />Jordan Sandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491728365576840430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6643769047353907208.post-76838134417627426912012-09-27T17:41:00.000-07:002012-09-27T17:41:16.822-07:00Mako Shark and Brussels SproutsI was given a nice steak from a 30 pound Mako shark caught by my father and brother on a fishing trip off Baja California. I decided to grill it and serve with roasted Brussels Sprouts.<br />
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Brussels sprouts are sadly one of the most maligned vegetables. Often, they are prepared simply by boiling or steaming and turn out soggy and flavorless. Actually, this applies to may vegetables. However, prepared properly, Brussels sprouts are great and are one of my favorite vegetables.<br />
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First rinse the Brussels sprouts. To prepare them for roasting, cut the stem off of each sprout, remove outer leaves, and cut in half.<br />
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Discard stems and outer leaves. Place sprouts into a mixing bowl. Douse with olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste and mix. I'm generally in favor of restraint when it comes to seasoning, especially when it comes to salt, but don't be afraid of salt and pepper when it comes to Brussels sprouts.</div>
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Place on a baking sheet and roast in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes.</div>
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Shark is a very meaty fish similar to sword fish and is perfect for the girll. I simply used olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon. </div>
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Coat with olive oil so the steak doesn't stick to the grill, apply salt and pepper on both sides to taste, and squeeze juice from half of the lemon onto the steak.</div>
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I also suggest applying additional olive oil directly to the grill as additional precaution again sticking. Place steak on grill over medium-low heat.</div>
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Flip in 8-10 minutes.<br />
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Remove from grill after another 8-10 minutes. Let he steak rest for a few minutes. By this time, the Brussels Sprouts were also ready.</div>
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Plate with lemon slices.</div>
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I usually favor more delicate and flaky fish, but I was very happy with the results.The shark had a clean flavor brightened by the lemon, yet a firm texture. The bitterness of the Brussels sprouts was a nice offset. </div>
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<br />Jordan Sandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491728365576840430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6643769047353907208.post-42450332757150548152012-09-25T05:27:00.001-07:002012-10-03T06:44:09.619-07:00Scarpetta Brunch<div>
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<span id="goog_41584086"></span><span id="goog_41584087"></span><a href="http://cenarela.blogspot.com/2012/09/los-angeles-times-taste-fieldto-fork.html">As previously mentioned</a>, <a href="http://www.montagebeverlyhills.com/beverly-hills-restaurants.php">Scarpetta</a> always serves some of my favorite dishes at food festivals. <a href="http://www.kevineats.com/2011/04/scarpetta-beverly-hills-ca-2.html">Other </a><a href="http://darindines.com/2011/10/03/scarpetta-brunch-beverly-hills/">blogs</a> coverage of Scarpetta's brunch have also been enticing. An offer for only $39 a person instead of the usual $68 for brunch on <a href="http://www.travelzoo.com/local-deals/Los-Angeles/Restaurant/21552">Travelzoo</a> gave me good cause to give it a try.<br />
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Scarpetta's brunch buffet is impressive and offers a bit of everything. In addition to the prepared items there are a number of made to order options at the bottom of the menu. Non-alcoholic drinks are included. Th iced tea was very good.<br />
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There was even live music.<br />
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After being seated and taking our drinks orders, the waiter led us back to the kitchen. Presented on the kitchen counter are various stations.<br />
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First up, an impressive display of bread. The croissants were great as were the blueberry muffins, the foccacia not so much. They also had stromboli.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC4UYxC-9h0Uy7Zi8kfSu8hyphenhyphenWeFhfDaa83TR7W7v4neDya_UBmIdQPHQos53nSO9vK67bBFxQI26NgVo9rhoGsWP4T0L522DdO3PNQxRFz3V-KY2RGJZkjRRyjtviRgCFOXw0LkmFxd89P/s1600/2012-09-16+13.40.24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC4UYxC-9h0Uy7Zi8kfSu8hyphenhyphenWeFhfDaa83TR7W7v4neDya_UBmIdQPHQos53nSO9vK67bBFxQI26NgVo9rhoGsWP4T0L522DdO3PNQxRFz3V-KY2RGJZkjRRyjtviRgCFOXw0LkmFxd89P/s320/2012-09-16+13.40.24.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Next, various salads. The salads were decent. The best were the zucchini with corn, the marinated mushrooms, and the pearl onion. I didn't care too much for their cauliflower or quinoa dishes.<br />
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Carving station. The Porchetta, served with a mustard seed vinaigrette was great. Really crispy skin and juicy meat. My favorite was a leg of lamb served with a fantastic minted salsa verde which is not listed on the menu.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1mS2wdCuPJbq0HntPIo5R3BMKk1QgidbnyKsgYo4Zqp98q1ArWYQcHEcYoysxlRibx-VTuE-f4eN7e-W-RVKoFm4nTH41DYJK-H3-O1cZh_zWZgesKIRbXs_v9dtzYmKpAgQ1MZVJ5aaq/s1600/2012-09-16+14.33.16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1mS2wdCuPJbq0HntPIo5R3BMKk1QgidbnyKsgYo4Zqp98q1ArWYQcHEcYoysxlRibx-VTuE-f4eN7e-W-RVKoFm4nTH41DYJK-H3-O1cZh_zWZgesKIRbXs_v9dtzYmKpAgQ1MZVJ5aaq/s320/2012-09-16+14.33.16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Seafood. Two kinds of oysters were presented, Kushi and Blue Point. Both were very fresh and clean tasting. Cocktail shrimp were nice and plump and the wahoo crudo was accented very well by the olive oil and lemon zest. They apparently also have crab claws on some days.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cAlu3i-WYaGT46VjWRaqD7l-GCez2bAEyfwlSHelBMcUQc1D5ggO-VQBV_gq2MQxzfDT8z86imDLaHbjvvS9NjQ5yowUqjCWlJsn4J-7qj3MpfcbssgombvDaQ4io07-pFujsZY0eIVA/s1600/2012-09-16+13.40.06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cAlu3i-WYaGT46VjWRaqD7l-GCez2bAEyfwlSHelBMcUQc1D5ggO-VQBV_gq2MQxzfDT8z86imDLaHbjvvS9NjQ5yowUqjCWlJsn4J-7qj3MpfcbssgombvDaQ4io07-pFujsZY0eIVA/s320/2012-09-16+13.40.06.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Charcuterie.<br />
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The pastas were the most anticipated part of the meal given Scarpetta's reputation. They were certainly some of the best I've ever had. The spaghetti was perfectly al dente in a way I've only previously experience in Italy. Though simple, the tomato and basil sauce was profound. The agnolotti were every bit as good.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszJt-CxZMk-SAQMH2D7qxzEoVE9LC_xxXzQVbvEsSJDuG-Dumd0N9GOjY_F0SVNf_5rStGK1GehfBfU1brJUcJATGJGfszfFgDi_Hp7VKoSqpxYiPyg2l4Ju0RAQygSdBnf-aDs-O0FZC/s1600/2012-09-16+12.58.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszJt-CxZMk-SAQMH2D7qxzEoVE9LC_xxXzQVbvEsSJDuG-Dumd0N9GOjY_F0SVNf_5rStGK1GehfBfU1brJUcJATGJGfszfFgDi_Hp7VKoSqpxYiPyg2l4Ju0RAQygSdBnf-aDs-O0FZC/s320/2012-09-16+12.58.07.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBWQ2DdTACqKMxg-7fdBCRiLIvBIZVBNfLKPthtgmceEkJbSNHUGvQuK1x9kYa134pL8PB5SvT0hAmezFQgySm5RAfvPO8KuzuKMCPk9jPHitURES73mMGhfXAgtSj77SyCuA3yjZCxY4k/s1600/2012-09-16+13.07.53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBWQ2DdTACqKMxg-7fdBCRiLIvBIZVBNfLKPthtgmceEkJbSNHUGvQuK1x9kYa134pL8PB5SvT0hAmezFQgySm5RAfvPO8KuzuKMCPk9jPHitURES73mMGhfXAgtSj77SyCuA3yjZCxY4k/s320/2012-09-16+13.07.53.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqDdPGGWyXzM_Jzra67rb50u6Ual3BmBsQFYh__S9qD48CNDBbwWy5RwmuOdViYuiVwDhoUWkR-R6F90KsreaV0Q6s01SudzM07EM_WwMLA0JJoMETjl3AwTqtI6SMdksuMVhapq2-s9rL/s1600/2012-09-16+13.25.53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqDdPGGWyXzM_Jzra67rb50u6Ual3BmBsQFYh__S9qD48CNDBbwWy5RwmuOdViYuiVwDhoUWkR-R6F90KsreaV0Q6s01SudzM07EM_WwMLA0JJoMETjl3AwTqtI6SMdksuMVhapq2-s9rL/s320/2012-09-16+13.25.53.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Just a few of many plates. Obviously, we were not short on options. </div>
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We also tried a few of the made to order itmes. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ46SUpzHXlekg9nNKAxE-J9UVYY-uZsChHi6TBQvfSiy7vRvKuy2aIeJ4rqT5B5EWLWoQNhrQ0QhLBuOK16M-UJF8DYYGorajrcMY8znpFjspyNf48z7XhzjzvsBWiziC5yRGt1V0ihU6/s1600/2012-09-16+13.07.59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ46SUpzHXlekg9nNKAxE-J9UVYY-uZsChHi6TBQvfSiy7vRvKuy2aIeJ4rqT5B5EWLWoQNhrQ0QhLBuOK16M-UJF8DYYGorajrcMY8znpFjspyNf48z7XhzjzvsBWiziC5yRGt1V0ihU6/s320/2012-09-16+13.07.59.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Poached egg over polenta. This was incredible. I don't know what Scarpetta does with their polenta, but it beats any other polenta I've had and I want the recipe. Ultra creamy and made even better by the runny poached egg. A supplement of shaved truffle was available for $10. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLKs3-0La8-yNTLyd5S9LmBAP4DgPDuwxb2w2odCXhT-wuFrplePRllaSJhb5IlPXRbX8NyWT-2ECu7QGiTG5n86LEgPXi2vpsGZ2n0vPI3fmYolLf_mDEjCBkcf0l6Ivu3QkMeRjj8kOr/s1600/2012-09-16+13.11.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLKs3-0La8-yNTLyd5S9LmBAP4DgPDuwxb2w2odCXhT-wuFrplePRllaSJhb5IlPXRbX8NyWT-2ECu7QGiTG5n86LEgPXi2vpsGZ2n0vPI3fmYolLf_mDEjCBkcf0l6Ivu3QkMeRjj8kOr/s320/2012-09-16+13.11.35.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Nutella and ricotta stuffed french toast with whipped cream. Another winner. it sounds heavy, but it isn't. Very balanced and surprisingly light given the ingredients. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggaC_5aT9C31_omfg4K8bNg5FMkYqtNfExvRgLyuokdXAiTdu-RVDI_bJulv9UJlyxGFAY9wNJcrF8de3A1eOnAx7Lfvgw9JWeCdt9_e0xrtl5m9ux4hYunuk1tGlIbu3Ct4IdSpSwPGBR/s1600/2012-09-16+14.00.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggaC_5aT9C31_omfg4K8bNg5FMkYqtNfExvRgLyuokdXAiTdu-RVDI_bJulv9UJlyxGFAY9wNJcrF8de3A1eOnAx7Lfvgw9JWeCdt9_e0xrtl5m9ux4hYunuk1tGlIbu3Ct4IdSpSwPGBR/s320/2012-09-16+14.00.45.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hash brown with fried egg and broccoli rabe. I could have skipped this one. We also tried Scarpetta's very interesting take on a Benedict, but I seem to have neglected to take a picture. Really nice truffle flavor.<br />
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One of the highlights of Scarpetta's brunch is the cheese counter run by the <a href="http://www.cheesestorebh.com/">Beverly Hills Cheese Store</a>:</div>
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Far more cheeses were available than the pictures indicate. The woman running the cheese station was extremely knowledge about the topic. You just had to tell her what kind of flavors you enjoy, and she would prepare a custom plate.<br />
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This was our first cheese plate. For this, we stuck to more mild flavors. The first highlight on this plate was Sells Sur Cher from France (lower left), which was a light and creamy goat cheese served with cherries. Proceeding counter clockwise, the next two were a harder goat cheese and a sheep's milk cheese I also enjoyed. On the top right, was Marco Polo by Beechers Cheese in Seattle. This was a cows milk cheese made with green peppercorns. It had a really lively kick, especially when eaten with the green apple. Two cheeses to the left, was Epoisses. I've heard a lot about this one, but had not had it before. Ultra creamy and strongly flavored. </div>
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I wanted to experiment with some more exotic cheeses, so I asked for a second plate. My favorite was Eden Cheese (cow) from Brazos Valley Cheese in Texas, displayed top left. It was an ultra creamy, spreadable cheese with a very distinct ashy taste. It came wrapped in fig leaf. Also notable, was the cheese on the bottom left. This was an aged Muster (cow) from Alsace, France. I was warned by the cheese server I should eat this last and make sure to have something sweet right after. I'm glad she gave my the warning. It was one of the strongest flavored bites I have ever had. I'm not sure how I feel about it.<br />
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Finally, there is an entire room devoted to dessert. My favorite's were a panna cotta topped with guava soup, a caramel budino, and macarons. They had canolis, and while they were some of the best I've tried on the west coast, they still didn't compare to what you can get in New York.<br />
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This was by far the best brunch I've ever been to. There were a few dishes I didn't care for, but nothing awful, which is impressive given the sheer volume of food. In fact, most of the dishes were really great. Service was very attentive. Highly recommended for a lavish brunch.<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/5/1471342/restaurant/LA/Scarpetta-Beverly-Hills"><img alt="Scarpetta on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1471342/minilogo.gif" style="border:none;padding:0px;width:104px;height:15px" /></a>Jordan Sandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491728365576840430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6643769047353907208.post-83775849695945004582012-09-23T10:10:00.000-07:002012-09-23T10:38:11.982-07:00Bibere: Bodega Norton, Coleccion Varietales, Malbec, 2011, Mendoza, ArgentinaThis is the first in what I hope will be a (usually) weekly column featuring a wine. The idea is I will purchase a relatively inexpensive bottle of wine and my girlfriend and I will will independently taste it and present our notes. Taste in wine is an area of constant tension in our relationship.<br />
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Today's wine is Bodega Norton, Coleccion Varietales, Malbec, 2011, Mendoza, Argentina ($7.99 at Trader Joes). Malbecs have certainly grown on me and have become some of my favorites for non-California wines, and certainly the best from South America.
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Edie's tasting notes: Raisin, plum, blackberry, wet stone and pepper on the nose. Long legs with a viscous texture and dry palate. Initial sweetness with dried cherries, raisin and dried cranberries on the palate. A dry and not too lengthy finish. Good drunk alone, but excellent with fatty foods and dark chocolate. </div>
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My notes: Bright ruby color. Dark cherry and soil on the nose. Light taste of dark fruit with dried cranberry, wet soil, dried cranberries, a hint of mushroom, and plantain on the palate. Very short and dry finish. Smooth tannins. Good now, but probably not much aging potential.</div>
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To eat with the wine, we had an eggplant and sausage dish, and then some dark chocolate. We agreed that both were excellent pairings. The fatty sausage brought out a spicy quality in the wine. With the wine, the dark chocolate tasted like a cherry cordial. </div>
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Trader Joe's wines are extremely hit and miss. They have plenty of inexpensive bottles, but I've found that most are boring, This wine was excellent for the price and is recommended. If anyone has tried the wine, I'd love to hear your thoughts.</div>
<br />Jordan Sandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491728365576840430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6643769047353907208.post-78466207363114229252012-09-20T15:05:00.000-07:002012-10-03T06:58:59.827-07:00Beijing Duck House<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After a discussion of Peking style duck at a recent dinner party, a few friends and I traveled to San Gabriel to try the dish at <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/5/1585169/restaurant/LA/Rosemead/Beijing-Duck-House-San-Gabriel">Beijing Duck House</a>.</div>
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The restaurant has a rather large a la carte menu filled with interesting sounding dishes. There are also two set menu options. It was fortunate our group included several Mandarin speakers, because the set menus are only available in Chinese. At first, we wanted the $100 menu. However, upon ordering, the waiter gave us a bewildered look and informed us that it would be far too much food for our group of five. Thus, we went with the 11 course $78 menu, plus a huge pitcher of beer for $7.</div>
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We were quickly served four appetizers. First, was a plate of very deeply flavored smoked fish. We were also given our first three duck dishes: duck liver, duck webs, and duck necks. The liver had a very strong flavor, but lacked the delicacy of foie gras. the necks were sort of plain, but the webs were one of my favorite courses of the night. They didn't have much flavor on their own, but were seasoned with wasabi. </div>
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Soon after a whole duck appeared near our table and was expertly carved by one of the servers. We were given a nice plate of Peking style duck meat with the traditional accouterments of wrappers, cucumber, daikon, green onion, and duck sauce. This was what we had come for, and it did not disappoint. The skin was crisp and the meat was deeply flavored and enhanced by the duck sauce. The vegetables provided a nice crunch and balance to the strong flavors. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwmAioNpV-0XqDKgtwGGEkV86D49a06AVLyMUqFuca-bNzJ6zvpPPriWBgqRIWtEyF0WAe6mxJoNeVO_HJZXU7SrrpMGxmX_cq1e7MIquKPYKoHJVT6ByEGNzAC0HRVYvGl5VKgLGlJr2O/s1600/2012-09-08+19.36.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwmAioNpV-0XqDKgtwGGEkV86D49a06AVLyMUqFuca-bNzJ6zvpPPriWBgqRIWtEyF0WAe6mxJoNeVO_HJZXU7SrrpMGxmX_cq1e7MIquKPYKoHJVT6ByEGNzAC0HRVYvGl5VKgLGlJr2O/s320/2012-09-08+19.36.52.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Next up was a mixed seafood dish with fish, octopus, scallops, and shrimp. This was by far my least favorite dish and seemed like something you could get at any Americanized Chinese restaurant. However, it did include wonderful wood ear mushrooms.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw6_4-70WoUIjLhJiHBagLNv8aeyaBp3mo09tv3L0-6pHRdBKd18RB99QREfUPJr-pt041-TFJHwgm5ydWnHojD8BjO6KcNyI2bScmqywk3ONgVI5FUb9Z8KKVuwa8XhWK7dHLQk_Xskvq/s1600/2012-09-08+19.36.57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw6_4-70WoUIjLhJiHBagLNv8aeyaBp3mo09tv3L0-6pHRdBKd18RB99QREfUPJr-pt041-TFJHwgm5ydWnHojD8BjO6KcNyI2bScmqywk3ONgVI5FUb9Z8KKVuwa8XhWK7dHLQk_Xskvq/s320/2012-09-08+19.36.57.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Following the seafood, we were given this dish of egg, bok choy, jujube, and straw mushroom. It was a good relief from all of the meat. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhmKj8fqVA3Bdlz48jZFbdIHt_madyN-VweC8E0QtUU0oAQAieOJYexmbq2VoS5pLbSJwdbgJovLxTx5bbfYv-kYNl3KjvwdlF4hs3nU7NE47-9FdmvuQjVd7oMcDHKbYNlE-WvgrXbyf_/s1600/2012-09-08+19.43.00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhmKj8fqVA3Bdlz48jZFbdIHt_madyN-VweC8E0QtUU0oAQAieOJYexmbq2VoS5pLbSJwdbgJovLxTx5bbfYv-kYNl3KjvwdlF4hs3nU7NE47-9FdmvuQjVd7oMcDHKbYNlE-WvgrXbyf_/s320/2012-09-08+19.43.00.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Next was a very richly flavored and very tender braised pork belly. Really good. My apologies for the out of focus picture. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOy-dBpgW4rN6yqedltMPzotFAvIBQBMMHsK4YO80j4yOYJiW6QTXNHbAiD75Byq_j9pp_UNoHXeWpDMNBtheADdKICHRzi3f_NrtHXMdJW3M8_ubBi0KU0G0RzQv3xscZ-QEGazzXoUDz/s1600/2012-09-08+19.43.05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOy-dBpgW4rN6yqedltMPzotFAvIBQBMMHsK4YO80j4yOYJiW6QTXNHbAiD75Byq_j9pp_UNoHXeWpDMNBtheADdKICHRzi3f_NrtHXMdJW3M8_ubBi0KU0G0RzQv3xscZ-QEGazzXoUDz/s320/2012-09-08+19.43.05.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Outside the duck based dishes, this was my favorite. It consisted of pan fried fish and tofu in a spicy sauce with Sichuan peppercorns. The peppercorns gave this a really unique flavor. It was great over white rice.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnOMJlfVmm4btb_1l7rO2o_M0WTyQiQebsSzWL8E03lgsW5mhTrW2HeaMr4Dctoa34_y2dqZzozLAfReLyjI2MBG1ZbRrlTGz7UXk2I6-5iD1rAyYedbnPv-MEfotqjRipnSEnOdRe_R7/s1600/2012-09-08+20.07.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnOMJlfVmm4btb_1l7rO2o_M0WTyQiQebsSzWL8E03lgsW5mhTrW2HeaMr4Dctoa34_y2dqZzozLAfReLyjI2MBG1ZbRrlTGz7UXk2I6-5iD1rAyYedbnPv-MEfotqjRipnSEnOdRe_R7/s320/2012-09-08+20.07.14.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The remaining bits of meat were shaved off the bones of our duck and returned to us sauteed with bean sprouts. This was served nice and hot and had a nice, delicate flavor and crunch from the sprouts.</div>
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For our final course, the duck bones were used as a base to make a huge bowl of duck soup with tofu and bok choy. This was a simple and very satisfying dish and a wonderful way to end the meal. We took most of it home, and it was even better the next day.</div>
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I was very satisfied with my first Peking duck experience. The $78 dollar menu was certainly more than enough food for us and was a great value. I want to go back soon and try some of the more exotic al la carte options (such as sea cucumber and some sort of aquatic worm from China) and the larger set menu. Anyone have other suggestions for good Peking duck?<br />
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Of course, since we were in the area, we had to stop at <a href="http://www.fosselmans.com/">Fosselman's </a>for ice cream on our way home. </div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/5/1585169/restaurant/LA/Rosemead/Beijing-Duck-House-San-Gabriel"><img alt="Beijing Duck House on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1585169/minilogo.gif" style="border:none;padding:0px;width:104px;height:15px" /></a>
Jordan Sandlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05491728365576840430noreply@blogger.com0