June 5 Faves

It's My Five Faves for the month of June!  It was a month full of ups and downs and I'm glad it's over!  I promise to write more guys. PROMISE! I have so much to share. But for now, I'll share my Five Faves! See you in July!

Favorite Tangible Thing: Cumbuca Chic Ceramics

Stepping up my potted herb game.  Too bad my potted herb game is more along the lines of herb killing, These things are too cute to pass up! 

Favorite Show: Chef's Table

I got home early one day and basically binge watched all of them.  My two favorites were Niki Nakayama from N/Naka and Magnus Nilsson from Faviken.  Both episodes we so beautiful and really spoke to me.  For a show to do that means a lot.  If you have Netflix and liked Jiro Dreams of Sushi, I highly suggest watching this show!  Never have I wanted to go to the middle of nowhere Sweden so badly! 

Favorite Video: How to: Make Jam-Stuffed French Toast with Sqrl 

A little before this video came out I've been obsessing over Sqrl and I have been for a long time.  I've been looking at my calendar as to when would b the most ideal time/day to go and eat here. I look at the menu pretty much everyday for foodspiration for dinner or breakfast. Like I said, it's obsessive. Did I mention I bought jam too?

Then this video came out and now all I can think of is making french toast. 

Favorite Instagram:  Rene Redzepi.

This photo has 9 Michelin Stars and is just fun! Rene Redzepi runs Noma, you know best three time Best Restaruant in the world Noma.  You know, the reason why we originally planned to vacay in Denmark and then found out Noma was closed so we changed it, Noma.  

And now for the SNACKCHAT OF THE MONTH:

Congrats! Cooking is not all that bad! But I applaud the effort! 

BONUS FAVE:

Favorite Read : Gabrielle Hamilton: The chef who said no to building a business empire

She has said no to everyone.   I've read Bones, Blood and Butter and Prune, her cookbook is on my Amazon wishlist *hint hint.*  She is a great inspiration to me and hopefully I can eat at Prune.  Until then, I have Mind of a Chef Season 4 to look forward too.  The one show she has said yes to! 

This Week in SnackChat!

Oh hello there friends!  How's about we take a little stroll into the SnackChats this week shall we?  It's a big post guys! So hold on to your butts. Or shall I say, hold on to your burritos?  There were a lot of burritos this time around.

Eating out Fishing With Dynamite

There are some days where you feel good and that nothing can get in your way.  You got a great parking spot that had money it and it wasn't far from where you needed to be.  But then you lose your wallet. Then it feels like the world has just collectively taking a fat shit on your chest.

Yes, that happened.  The world took a shit on my chest.  I can point to the exact moment too. When the bartender at MB Post asked to see my ID after I ordered my favorite drink, the Manhattan Avenue.  I reach in my purse and BOOM! No wallet, no drink. GUHH!!!! But I didn't let that get me down.  Since I was with a friend, I was able to Venmo her the money.  I was convinced that I left it at home. But still no Manhattan Avenue.

We had a late reservation for Fishing with Dynamite, so we met early at MB Post. I had a freak out moment, and it was not when I realized that my wallet was missing.  It was when I was on my way out of MB Post and the person holding the door for me was David Lefevre. Mr, MB Post, Fishing with Dynamite and the new Arthur J, himself.  I was very star struck.

I mean how can you not be when your restaurants serve these Purvian Scallops. They are beautiful and so clean and fresh that it was ridiculous. I mean look that them!



No, really look at them! It is like looking at jewelry but you get to eat it.

OYSTER TOWER! All from the colder waters north of here. Some more meaty than others but all still really refreshing and damn good.  I wasn't craving them, but when you eat at FwD, you get oysters.

We also ordered the 24th Street Pale Ale Battered Cod and the Grilled Sword Squid. I loved the squid with the eggplant puree.  I could probably eat that everyday. But I won't because you know sustainability.



This is my second time eating here and I love it! The menu is always just a little different and the food really got my mind off of losing my wallet.  I loved the company I was with, the service and the people watching were excellent. Get the Original Gangster that is off the cocktail menu now but trust me. Its like a boulevardier but with Aperol  instead of Campari. It's a cocktail made just for me.



I lost my wallet it somewhere in Manhattan Beach because it was not at my house. So. Bummed.

 Cut to the next day and I get a call from the Bank of America and BOOM someone found it! Thank you kind person! After the fact that I cancelled my card and got an appointment for a replacement driver licence.  But we are all back together again!

Gotcha Bitch! 

Expectations versus Reality: Burgers from Whistle Stop, Wings and Dinosaurs.

Eating out new places is always a gamble.  But when a new spot opens up walking distance from your house then there is a bit more motivation to give them a chance.  

Whistle Stop opened when the old MVPs was on 4th Street about two weeks ago.  They made the patio more inviting and the menu not as diverse as MVPs but it would not be fair to compare hamburgers to hamburgers.  The MVP move was for the better and I am glad to see a new restaurant open in its place. However, it is another burger spot and Long Beach is flush with those.  I thought there would be something a bit more exciting like Seoul Mate was.  But without having a first bite, again, it would unfair to make comparisons and judge them just on looks and location alone. 

The burger looked promising and the fries were good. The patty to bun ratio was off and while the bun was brioche, it was dry and I had to add more mustard. The beef patty was over done probably made from leaner cuts of beef and the buns were too thick to make it enjoyable.  Shane had the fried green tomato grilled cheese. It was good, a little greasy. 

We did have a World Star Hip Hop moment while we were eating.  There was a fight right across the street.  The cops were called.  It was pretty entertaining. 

Welcome to the neighborhood! 

Then I decide to try my hand at making my own Buffalo Wings.  There was a process.  It is as follows:

20 wings total: Came to room temperature on a wire rack for 40 minutes tossed in sugar, salt and pepper.
5 were coated in a mixture of butter and Frank's Red Hot
5 were coated in Frank's Buffalo and butter
10 were coated in oil

After baking for 40 minutes on a cooling rack at 450 and then at 500 for the last 10 minutes:
10 were tossed in a mixture of 3 tablespoons Frank's Red Hot and 2 tablespoons butter 
10 were tossed in 3 tablespoons Frank's Buffalo and 2 tablespoons butter

I also made my own "ranch dressing" out of Greek yogurt and spices for the crudite.  Spices are listed below:
dried dill
salt
pepper
garlic powder
Kwepie Mayo
dried onion
lime zest and the juice of half a lime


Results: 
The ones coasted in butter were obviously crispier than those in the oil, I could have finished it in the broiler but I'll leave that to another test day.
There is not difference in regular Frank's and Buffalo Frank's.  I think I prefer the regular Frank's.
Use more hot sauce. 

Conclusion: The taste was there.  Next time, reduce the amount of butter while adding more Frank's. I cooked the wings for over 40 minutes in a high heat oven and that did not compromise the wing. So maybe make the over hotter in the last 20 minutes  raise the temperature to get the skin crispier.  Maybe consider finishing it in the broiler for 5 minutes. 

Then I saw Jurassic World.  I felt like a little kid again and then I made more of these pins/tie clips. I call them Paddock Nine. They are for sale! Hit me up eizelle.eats.out at gmail.com. I made a bunch of these for Mind over Manners, my craft side project. I never really got around to the craft shows again I had some of these guys laying around after seeing it I felt inspired. 

This Week in SnackChat

I fully take the blame on posting these SnackChats late because I don't like to blame things on Mercury being in retrograde. But if you wanted to know, Mercury is out of retrograde as of yesterday.  So here I am posting a catch up!

Hi from Yosemite!

Bitch is a term of endearment really. 

Sad life. I would rather drink sugar free gummy bear vodka and see what happens.  

That's the truth.  My order of choice: medium, medium extra crispy.  Sierra Nevada.

Snack of choice.  Dipped in garlic and chili infused vinegar.  

But can you smoke it.

Friends who have snacks are always friends of mine.

Food is food and it all ends up in the same place. 

That's a lot of slaw!

I can't wait for Jurassic World! 

I feel loved! 

Those looks too fancy to eat. 

Comfort food.

805 true.

Mediterranean food is so hot right now.

It's not that bad!

Who's sammie? 

Therapy

It's been a week of ups and downs, and it is not because I climbed a rock in Yosemite. But I did.  It was a great accomplishment. My brother, husband and my brothers fiancee all hiked Half Dome. It was challenging and at the end of it I swore off hiking. Then we ate strawberry paletas that were conveniently found at a food cart near the car. Then I decided that hiking is not so bad. I really enjoyed being out, you know, in nature. And I like the fact that you can eat whatever you want to at the end. Because you earned it.

There are things that we all do to make us feel better, things to get us to get through hard times.  For me it's cooking.

On Saturday I made food for a good friends baby shower.  It was pretty intense and I learned that my refrigerator capacity cannot easily accommodate my food, as well as food for 20 others. But I made due and with my space and all was well.

I made vegan lumpia, chicken adobo tacos, tofu adobo and Spam Musubi.  The accouterments included, pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber, a soy ginger dip for the musubi and a soy, a calamansi dip for the lumpia, onion and cilantro.  No dessert for this baby shower. However, I was able to get things done in a timely manner and had myself and the food ready before 11am.   Pat on the back moment.

For the lumipa I made a vegan version a little different than I would think most would.  I didn't add a meat substitute like tofu for fake chicken.  I used a combination of cabbage and bean sprouts to mimic the meat flavor and texture.  If I really wanted to laze this recipe up, I would have just not used meat just seasoned the normal veggies that are in lumpia maybe added potato or something but I wanted to own this one. My trick? Grinding the cabbage, the whites of the green onion and bean sprouts in a food processor and adding garlic and ginger that has been through a Microplane.  My other secret is vegan chicken flavor bouillon cubes.



When the cabbage mixture cooks down lots of moisture is released and as opposed to draining that goodness, I used it to dissolve cube of the bouillon and that same cube totally thickens all the water and turns it to a flavorful sauce. I mean, one cube  make two cups so you get a concentrated fake chicken flavor, which is better than cabbage water flavor. I also used sesame oil and soy sauce to flavor the fake chicken water.  At then end of it it shouldn't be watery at all. Then in the last seconds of cooking, add chopped bok choy, green onions, carrots, and more sprouts. Then I let it sit for a day in the fridge.

When I am about to start wrapping them, I add one more little head of baby bok choy and sprouts, you know for texture!
I already had plans to make all this food and maybe more but more than anything, it was good to get my mind off of things, even if it was only for a few hours. Some days are easier than others and as the days go by, it gets easier. It's hard to say goodbye to someone when you can't anymore. I lived with my Lola till I was 13.  I would peel garlic when she was in the kitchen or snap the tops off of green beans. I learned how to embroider and make things.  If my Barbie wanted new clothes, she would make them.  We both loved candy and would sneak it from my mom and eat it in her room.  She loved to sing and read her Bible. She was a great woman.  She lived through World War II in the Philippines and had 6 children and loved flowers.  She appreciated a good perfume. I have a scarf she gave me a few years back and it still smells like her. She told me to keep an eye on Shane because he's too handsome and ladies are probably throwing themselves at him.  That always made me laugh, even though she was totally serious. 

When she lived with my family, I made it a point to say goodnight every night. 

Goodnight Lola. I miss you.

May Five Favorites

It is that time. You may be thinking Girl you totally skipped April. I know this! It's been plaguing me the whole month.  But I didn't forget, so here are my May Five Faves.  

There is a bit of a theme, this time around.  A lot of articles and videos I've read that really stuck out me and inspired me and I hope they inspire you! Onward into June! 

Favorite read: How Portland’s Thai Food Queen Turned a Cart from Craigslist into an Empire



I love how she got her business started and I love chicken and rice!

Favorite Video: 3 Magic Ingredients for Happiness and Success By Johnny Cupcakes.



While this may no been about food, there are enough references to food that it counts.

 You gotta make time to laugh and you gotta make time to make other people laugh


Favorite Instagram: Dine LA

A photo posted by #dineLA (@dinela) on May 17, 2015 at 1:31pm PDT

Dine LA features lots a great restaurants in the LA area and is a great reference if you were looking to try somethig new in LA.

Other Favorite read/Video: Working Mom: Margot Henderson

I saw the below video about Margot Henderson and then read this article and I love her even more!



...then I discovered punk rock... 

SnackChat of the Month



Some knows I that the best part of the squid are the tentacles!  I used to avoid these growing up and opted to eat the head.  I think it was because I thought the suckers were going to latch on to my throat or that they resembled spiders. But know, I know better! 
Cheers!

Bonus April Fave: How I Started My Business: Ovenly


...the energy of the local food businesses—that guy who left law school to smoke meat, the artist who took a risk on a creative pie business, the architect creating ice cream sandwiches—inspired me to seriously consider a career in the field. These people became my heroes. I wanted to emulate them.

I love them!