As the nation shifts towards a healthier approach to their diets (at least, I can hope that is the case based on anecdotal observations), it seems that different types of cuisine are coming to the forefront as "healthier" than others. I have been witnessing a bigger buzz about Mediterranean food lately and seeing as I have always been a fan of those dishes, I am all for this trend. A cuisine emphasizing fresh produce, olive oil, and grilled/steamed proteins, it draws from countries near the Mediterranean Sea and the variations there. Though the
Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill fast casual restaurant chain started off in Colorado in 2008, it has made some rapid expansion and found itself here in southern California with two recently opened locations (one in Irvine, the other in Aliso Viejo). The best way to describe the concept (and the way that owner Bill Gunstream described it when we met) is by designating it the Mediterranean version of Chipotle. There is no current industry term to put to this version of a fast casual restaurant so the pioneers get their namesake as the example.
Yellow split peas were the
Test Kitchen ingredient the last time we posted but we weren't too fearful of what to do with it. Who doesn't have dal pop up to mind when talking about yellow split peas? I thought about how my first few dal experiences went and was glad when I put this recipe together - it is much tastier than the ones I've had before but then again, I don't think I've had it at any "authentic" places. Here's my interpretation of how to make the tasty, filling dish which happens to also be vegetarian/vegan. It's also a very simple recipe so I encourage you all to try it!
[
Note: Frank DeLoach was the Executive Chef of Early Bird Cafe at the time of the interview but is now at a different restaurant.] When it's breakfast time in Fullerton, my mind immediately jumps to
Early Bird Cafe. I blame everyone around me who has had the same idea and keep on posting about this place. It only made sense that Early Bird Cafe would be one of the restaurants we'd visit during our brunch tour of Orange County and luckily, it was open very early so we could start our interview off without much disturbance from guests. Focused on making great breakfast from as local and organic of ingredients as possible, the restaurant sees plenty of regulars who know exactly what they want when they come and will not hesitant to pick that again and again. We spoke with (then) Executive Chef Frank DeLoach and started right off the bat asking what he thought brunch meant to him. His answer? "
It needs to be breakfast and lunch. I want to go somewhere that's delicious and pretty easy on setting. I don't want to feel like I have to go to a buffet table or have all these different juices in my champagne."
I think I have been quite fortunate throughout these years when it comes to cooking. Perhaps I have not cooked enough times to propagate more failures in the kitchen but I'd like to think that I'm just lucky or have a good grasp on cooking basics. I can probably count on my hands how many times I have terribly ruined a dish (maybe even just on one hand!) for which I am grateful. It's tough to devote time into something only to have it backfire but as many say and I myself think, you have not truly failed unless you quit. The rest are just opportunities to learn what went wrong.
I tried making tonkotsu ramen the other day. It was meant to be a test run for the quarterly themed potluck dinner my friends and I hold. Japanese was the theme chosen this time, and my task was ramen. Because I had never made it from scratch before, I wanted to do a test run a few weeks prior to the night just in case. I'm so glad I did.
It seems that more and more events have been filling up the
Chuck Jones Center for Creativity at
SOCO with people thirsty for cultural pursuits such as art, design, and food. These occasions are only befitting of such an artistic place which has emblazoned its walls with laudable pieces of {nostalgia-inducing) artwork. The themes of the multitude of events that drift in and out of the space are varied but for the night to which I and others were invited,
citrus stood out. An intimate setting of about 20 members of local media was beautifully and carefully arranged in the center of the Center, coordinated by
24 carrots Catering & Events via invitations by
Kitchen Table PR (thanks gals!). The purpose of the gathering was to meet 24 carrots' newest culinary addition to their team:
Executive Chef Ashley Domingo, a young star of a chef with an admirable rap sheet that includes competing on Season 9 of Bravo’s Top Chef and being nominated for the James Beard’s Rising Star Chef in the Pacific Northwest in 2008.
Some days we look at ingredients and wonder why the heck they are so dang expensive. There are some givens that the general public have accepted as, "It's always expensive," but we're more interested in the why. There are a variety of reasons for the price of certain foods - for example, did you know that lobsters were once so abundant and cheap that they were used as prison food? Caviar used to be set out in bars instead of beer nuts until the sturgeon was over-fished. Since
Duc has been into farming lately, he researched and sent information on what saffron is and how to grow it.
First things first, what is saffron? Surely you've heard the name before.
"We’ve got that
southern hospitality where everyone’s a friend. We’re all family around here.
We like to put that not only in the atmosphere, but also the food." -
Diego Velasco, Co-Founder and Executive Chef
How curious it is that we heard about
Memphis Cafe first from its Santa Ana location (which has since closed) and not the original Costa Mesa spot. In fact, when I first came across the one next to The LAB Anti-Mall in Costa Mesa, I was surprised to see it. We went into to the small building after looking aggressively for parking in the area to meet Co-Founder and Executive Chef Diego Velasco who opened Memphis Cafe in August 1995 with partners Dan Bradley and Andy Christenson.
One look at the menu and you'll get a sense of the South in Orange County. The restaurant is endearingly small and dimly lit with the barest hint of an enclosed, wood-slatted patio out back (though you have to pass through the kitchen to get to it). We were there to wolf down some southern-style brunch, and Chef Diego was eager to share.
[
Recipe was first posted in December 2010] I remember the history of this recipe well. It was my attempt in college to make a dish that my mom made at home often. The trouble was that I didn't know what went into the sweet and sour sauce she made, so it was all guesswork. I ended up with something a tad different from hers but still quite tasty. Now, if you have seen my recent recipe work where I try to make everything from scratch, you might be scolding me for not making all of this from scratch. Assuredly there is a way to do that but I wanted to recreate this in a manner that would be quick and simple for the fledging cook. After all, this is from when I first started cooking.
A new culinary center is in town, and it has a different spin on the traditional cooking class or demo. The
Inspire Artistic Minds Culinary Center located in Orange just outside of the main circle (also known as the heart of Old Towne Orange) has just opened its doors to its multiple monthly events. I was invited to experience one of the inaugural events here hosted by
100eats and
Le Gourmet Kitchen. The night was run by Chef Natalie LaPlante who previously worked as sous chef at Broadway by Amar Santana, a well-known and well-loved restaurant in Laguna Beach. The focus of the night:
tapas.
My first encounter with fried pickle chips was at
Bull City Burger & Brewery in Durham, NC within the first few weeks it opened. I had visited the restaurant back when it was still in the making, running my hands along the gorgeous reclaimed wood furniture crafted from old barn doors. My first encounter with the place was during an Alternative Spring Break program I participated in during my senior year at Duke University - it was a restaurant dedicated to sourcing from local farmers (one that we visited in particular) from food to furnishings. When I went back later to have a burger and brew, I saw fried pickle chips on the menu. Wondering what they were, I snagged a side order and whoa, they were awesome.
"It's
what a restaurant should be - anchored in the community." - Naseem Aflakian, Co-Founder
When the
Little Sparrow first took flight in downtown Santa Ana, we heard from the murmurings of the food-lovin' community that it was a restaurant worth peeping at. On the corner of Main St and Third, this restaurant has joined the ranks of other eateries in the area working on reviving the food scene of the city. Vacant for more than 15 years, the building itself was the subject first of Co-Founder Naseem's thesis project as a potential business plan's location. Once that fictional business plan was done with academically, it became the subject of a budding reality for both Naseem and her husband (and other co-founder of Little Sparrow), Bruch Marsh. The restaurant was born to fill a void the couple thought Orange County had;
it was inspired by a New York and San Francisco feel with a focus on community building and a design like a French bistro. The name Little Sparrow came from different sources but overall, is another way to symbolize the community Naseem and Bruce want their restaurant to cultivate.
[
This was originally posted in December 2010] This soup has been a sick-busting lifesaver. I first made it in college when I got sick right before a convention that I was helping run. I was desperate for a cure-all and after reading about all of the food remedies out there, I wondered if combining every ingredient together would create a powerful and potent potion for my ailments. Surprise surprise when it worked like a charm! The soup puts you into a temporary feverish state while consuming (I discovered this happened every time) where you just sweat and heat up but then about an hour or so later, everything clears up. I was fine and dandy almost right away and staved off sickness. Now, I'm not a doctor or anything but it's worked for friends and me time and time again, so I'll just leave it up to you to experience its mystical powers through this recipe. It's also prudent to note that coconut milk, which is a main ingredient,
can give people the runs so don't go drinking the whole pot in one go! Moderation is always key. In terms of taste, think of a Thai coconut soup. Here are the reasons why I chose the ingredients that went into this bowl of sick-busting chicken coconut soup:
[GIVEAWAY IS NOW OVER] I've driven by the hotel many times on cruises up PCH always noting the street before it being called "Twin Dolphins." How cheery a name! The Waterfront Beach Resort in Huntington Beach (a Hilton property) resides among the other coastline HB hotels, and its signature restaurant,
Shades Restaurant and Bar, completes the corner of the property, viewable from the street and showcasing a beachfront sight for diners. We were invited one evening to celebrate in the
appointment of a new Executive Chef via tasting menu.
The man of the night was Executive Chef Benoit (Ben) LaFleche, a proven case of the hotel's commitment to its own staff and their development. A graduate of the Canadian Culinary Institute of Montreal, Chef LaFleche has a career of cooking in hotels (including a ski resort in Whistler, British Columbia and Hilton Bonaventure in Montreal) and has been at the Waterfront Beach Resort for 12 years! He had worked his way up and now leads the culinary program there with an emphasis on fresh, sustainable, and quality ingredients. Not bad for the son of a career butcher!
One of the things that drew me to
Duc was his interest in and passion for wine. Seeing as I am very much into food, this hobby of his was intriguing and certainly one that has guided me through that side of my food adventures.
I am grateful for his guidance, and after much pestering, he's finally going to put that wine knowledge blatantly to use on Much Ado About Fooding by offering these tips on which bottles to choose for whichever dish you plan on cooking this Valentine's Day. I gave him five dishes I felt could be dinners during the romantic holiday (in the comforts of people's homes). He gave two options each under the parameters that the bottles be less than $30, a red and white would be the preferred variety though not always possible, and the wines could appeal to multiple people. Here are his recommendations!
We had some perfect suggestions for wine pairings for the home-cooked Valentine's Day dinner but if you're more inclined to go out, here are a handful of places near us that are doing specials for that heartful day. If you want to see some great wine pairings,
take a look here.
"Think big, be big." - Chef Gregory Moro, Nieuport 17
We entered through the hushed service-way of
Nieuport 17 one early afternoon when the restaurant was still closed in preparation for dinner. It was a restaurant neither of us were familiar with but certainly one whose chef we had seen before albeit representing another establishment at the time.
Even though Chef Greg Moro is still under 30 years of age, he has definitely seen a lot in his culinary career and headed various restaurants and concepts all over Orange County. We had first spotted him when he triumphantly grasped a Golden Foodie Award in 2012 for Best French Cuisine for the beloved French 75 restaurant (which later closed). Then we met him officially behind the line in the kitchen of Nieuport 17, happily stroking the handle of one of his newest knife purchases as he mentally prepared for the night's service.
"
With breakfast, you’re so limited to ingredients and palate. You’ve got to train people and know how to work with people. A part of me is pushing that. I’m bringing the dinner mentality, the dinner ingredients, to breakfast." - Dee Nguyen, Owner and Executive Chef
Whenever I talk to chef friends about where they get morning grub or see them checking into a breakfast joint,
Break of Dawn is the most popular name. The other chefs mention that Dee is a genius (with a dash of crazy). We met up with him at an early hour, pulling into a fairly abandoned parking lot parallel to the 5 freeway and behind the Laguna Hills Mall. Though we came on a weekend, brunch is a full-time deal for this restaurant and not restricted to Saturdays and Sundays. That's because it was opened only to serve breakfast and lunch to allow Dee time with his family after work. He started casually cooking in college before taking the passion further by training at the California Culinary Academy. His culinary career was primed for fine dining including a role as the Executive Sous Chef at the Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel. However, sudden medical complications with his son Berlin at an early age guided him towards starting up Break of Dawn, and frankly, Orange County is a better place to have him doing breakfast. Visit their website to get a better glimpse of his amazing story and family life! We didn't delve too deeply into it during our meeting though - the food started coming out before we could.
[
Original recipe was posted December 25, 2010] I've been going back through old recipes to see what my younger self used to make, and I came across this gem born out of necessity. When I was in college, I used to buy a lot of bananas since our student dining points could be used for groceries at the on-campus stores. However, I kept forgetting to eat them so I would often run into situations when I would have way too many bananas turning spotty at the same time. I really didn't want to make banana bread or muffins (or any of that sort) so I looked around for something else I could make with my limited knowledge of food and equipment. I came across making this pudding and after looking back at this, I am surprised I did it right the first time. Pudding isn't exactly the easiest thing to make since you have to be careful lest your egg cook but it worked out! Here's a tasty dessert to make that even the banana non-liker (though probably not hater) will enjoy.
