Some days, you just need a bodywarming soup that is rich and creamy - this recipe for a roasted cauliflower shiitake soup is just that. It is creamy without the fat of adding cream to it; pureeing the soup creates a similar texture. I roasted cauliflower to get some smokiness into the bowl and also to bring out a more savory flavor in the vegetable. This is one of those recipes that could really cheer up a sad day because it is comforting and chock-full of that umami only strong mushrooms can bring on...and Shiitake are one of the most potent in flavor!

If you have an inkling about the make-up of Orange County, you'd know that most everyone points to Garden Grove and Westminster for the best Vietnamese food around. You can't beat Little Saigon. You might also know that aside from that, most people try to avoid the area - "Ghetto Grove," "Garbage Grove," I've heard it all. I grew up here, and let's just say that there have been several gang-related and drug-related incidents not too far from where I live (that I only found out about once cop cars were in the neighborhood).

Nevertheless, for the past few years, every time I've met someone who proclaimed their adoration for Belgian beer, I've pointed them in the direction of my hometown. I regularly frequented our diminutive Main Street and "downtown" area growing up so was reluctant to like it when new businesses started taking over the old-timey feeling of the area. However, one of the blessings the change brought upon our city was the arrival of The Globe which is now known as The Globe Belgian Gastropub. Like Belgian beers? They have the finest selection and the hospitality to boot! I should know, from all the times I've been in but we recently dropped by via invitation to get a taste of what their new chef has done with the place. The food was well received before but now, you'll get an even better treat.

When we presented Poblano peppers as the Test Kitchen ingredient, several suggestions came our way about stuffing the peppers somehow. Even looking through the initial search results of Poblano pepper recipes showed them stuffed either to be baked or be used as chile relleno. Given that the days lately have been a strange mix of unbearably hot and uncomfortably chilly, I felt that a soup was in order actually. It had been a while since we had a nice, rich soup to sup on so after some thinking, I pureed together this creamy and spicy soup that is sure to warm you up. It gives a great deal of credit to the roasted flavor of the Poblano too. Try it out yourself.

As a general rule, I try to stay away from buffets because knowing myself, I will really attempt to have a little bit of everything. This fact about myself held true once coming upon Red O's brunch buffet one Sunday morning upon invitation. It was a sumptuous feast. An overflowing abundance. A varied multitude of tastes. Red O Restaurant at Fashion Island in Newport Beach has only begun to offer brunch in the recent weeks but the reception seems to be quite good considering how many seats quickly filled up around us. There are offerings both inside and outside for the empty stomachs on the weekend, and we tried our best to indulge in just about everything.

Our exploration of the Hollywood Farmers' Market's unique mushroom selection a while back exposed us to several mushrooms we had never seen before. One of these was the lion's mane, a bulbous large structure of seemingly-fluffy fungus that was a brilliant white. It was quite beautiful and looked toothy though it was not. After further researching on what it really was, I decided that I had to take other chefs' words on it being a good substitute for lobster/scallops for vegetarians and vegans. At first, I could not truly believe that this soft mushroom could possess the same tastes and traits as seafood but once I worked with it, I was surprised to find it an apt replacement. These are a tad bit expensive to get ahold of but I would highly recommend experiencing them at least once.

When a fire broke out in Irvine's Prego Ristorante in 2012, regular customers and dedicated restaurant staff members worried greatly about the restaurant's impending closure. The immense damage shut down the popular Italian restaurant for some time but it soon opened again, serving up its excellent cuisine prepared by Executive Chef Ugo Allesina. The flames did not dampen the spirits of anyone involved with the restaurant from the diners to the staff members, many of whom have been fiercely loyal to the business since its opening in the late 1980s. I personally did not know the restaurant prior to the fire but had visited soon after it reopened, pleasantly surprised at how such a gem of a place was not more buzzed about in the Orange County food scene. Their housemade pasta impressed, and the desserts delighted. We came back for a peek at the spring menu upon invitation and enjoyed not only the company of the vivacious chef but also of hosts and owners Tony and Ruth Bedi who purchased the restaurant in 2009 (but left the menu the same and still under the guidance of Chef Ugo).

When I was doing research on brunch and all of its components a few months ago, I came across markedly different stories about the origins of the Bloody Mary cocktail. The creator title is attributed to more than one person and place but with such interesting back stories that I'll take any claim to fame with a rim of salt. One of those origin stories places the Bloody Mary's creation at the St. Regis Resort's location in New York where that iconic drink was called a Red Snapper. To celebrate the 80th anniversary of the signature cocktail's birth, St. Regis Monarch Beach in Southern California is offering a Bloody Mary bar for 80 days (Memorial Day to Labor Day) which will give guests the ability to invent their own version of the hair of the dog drink. If you aren't interested in making up a concoction of your own without proven success, you can also get any one of their variations from any of their worldwide locations - they're all different! We got a chance to sip on several of these unique ones, and they were all markedly diverse though based on the same mix. Check out what some of the concoctions are!

609 SE Ankeny St, Ste B Portland OR 97214 (Neighborhood: Industrial District)
Pricing - $ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - Thai
http://khaomangai.com/

Upon searching for good places to eat on our first trip to Portland, I came across the name "Nong's Khao Man Gai" several times but always saw mentions of it being a food truck/stand. They must have recently acquired their brick-and-mortar location and for that, I say good for them! Visiting this meant that we did not experience the paper-wrapped Hainanese-style chicken rice the way that most people fondly remember Nong's Khao Man Gai for but by the late hour we had our food, the stand would have already been closed.

This post is part of a series Much Ado About Fooding is doing on farmers' markets - Duc and I plan to visit as many as we can, starting in southern California, to get a sense of what sets each apart, what drives communities to them, and what gems people should look out for. To keep track, bookmark the "Farmers' Market" category.

If I had to be truly honest, I must confess that I did not even know that Laguna Hills was a city in Orange County until after I applied to where I work now. Based on the name, I figured it would be near Laguna Beach (it is) but I did not know it even existed. A small-ish city that borders Irvine, Laguna Hills is not known for much other than a lot of retired folks live in the area. When I found out it too had a farmers' market that was on a weekday, I decided I ought to check it out during my lunch break. Situated in the parking lot of the Laguna Hills Mall behind Sears, the farmers' market is not very large but it does have a bit of everything you might need. This market runs on Fridays from 9am-1pm and is a good spot for picking up some things for the weekend that you might have forgotten to grab.

It's a bit funny how I had never heard of lettuce wraps being an Asian dish until I first stepped foot into a fast-casual Asian-inspired restaurant many years back. Then I seemed to see it everywhere, this dish of saucy cubed stir-fry that made a mess when wrapped in the hand by a mere vegetable "paper" but was quite tasty. It's a salad without the chopping of the greens in a sense! So I made a tofu and mushroom version one night using some tasty ingredients we had procured at a farmers' market. This vegetarian (and I guess also vegan if you use vegetarian "oyster" sauce!) recipe brought a lot of bright colors to the table from all of the produce. It's a bit simple to make too but packed with a lot of flavor. If you don't feel like eating this wrapped in lettuce, you could also just have this over a healthful bowl of brown rice.

The spring season introduces the reappearance of greenery and fruitful gardens from a period of slow growth. The southern California winter this year was certainly hotter and drier than typical, so we've been in need of freshness and something bright. Many restaurants are turning over to their spring menus, and Lark Creek in Newport Beach at Fashion Island is no exception. We know them as a place very committed to seasonal and local produce, so we were eager to get a tasting of their newest cocktails and appetizers. The spring menu focuses on those ingredients that start to peep their heads around this time of year. As always, the cocktails were impeccable!

2039 NE Alberta St, Portland, OR 97211 (Neighborhood: Alberta Arts District)
Pricing - $ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - Indian
www.bollywoodtheaterpdx.com

On our first trip to Portland, our calendar was overflowing with so many restaurants to try that we weren't sure where we would find space to store it all. However, plans do change around a bit so we happened to go to Bollywood Theater first for our initial exposure to food in Portland. This popular restaurant surely spoiled us and set the bar high for all remaining meals. We weren't sure what to expect other than having seen that it specialized in Indian street food. I guess I had a concept in my mind that it would be a hole-in-the-wall place but once we opened the door to look inside, it certainly was not that at all or at least, not in the stereotypical way.

This post is part of a series Much Ado About Fooding is doing on farmers' markets - Duc and I plan to visit as many as we can, starting in southern California, to get a sense of what sets each apart, what drives communities to them, and what gems people should look out for. To keep track, bookmark the "Farmers' Market" category.

They say, "It takes a village." I wonder if they could also mean it takes a [Lido Marina] village to raise a healthy child. We ventured out to Newport Beach to see what their Sunday farmers' market was like (held 9am-1pm) and were surprised to see such a short street of few tents in the quaint area. The signs were plentiful on the way into the area, adorning street medians and showing where exactly visitors could park. Banners proclaiming it to be a Certified Farmers' Market waved proudly in the morning breeze, and the perk of getting parking validated for free with purchase made the parking structure seem less daunting. We weren't expecting to find such a small farmers' market in Newport Beach but I suppose we also did not know what to expect. This one certainly goes to show that quantity does not trump quality whatsoever.

Grain + fried egg + something slightly savory and hefty = sounds like breakfast. I love the versatility that mushrooms provide, and when I got ahold of maitake (also known as hen-of-the-woods), I decided that sometimes simplicity can yield the best dishes. This mushroom grows in a cluster so to make it stretch a few servings in amount, you can tear at the base into the number of servings you want. Since I was going for a heartier style, I split a regular-sized cluster into three fat chunks. Seared on each side and placed on top of nutty bulgur wheat, the maitake proved to be a crucial to a plate that heavily reminded us of breakfast, especially when paired with a runny egg. Nori and sesame seeds completed the dish well. All in all, this is a simple recipe for success!

2531 Eastbluff Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660 
Pricing - $$ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - American (Californian)
http://provenanceoc.com/

Chef Cathy Pavlos is one of our favorite chefs in Orange County, and our love for LUCCA Cafe easily translated into an excited anticipation about when Provenance opened in Newport Beach. Following it on social media constantly to see the updates and the on-site garden just kept our appetite growing so when we finally made it out to brunch one beautiful day, we were ecstatic. It was beautiful inside and out from the decor to the food. Sundays are the only days for brunch (10AM-3PM) but considering all of the other delicious items on the menu, that's fine by us! The cuisine is Californian, inspired by Napa Valley and the whole wine country experience, and the sourcing is local where possible and humane from the vegetables to the meats and seafood. We went with my little brother and were able to have a variety of tastiness.

My first memory of Eureka! in Huntington Beach was when, while walking around Bella Terra since Duc lives nearby, we came across the larger-than-life photographs of juicy burgers and in-the-middle-of-being-poured draft beers which were plastered across the dividers separating passersby from the construction inside. It looked simple enough of a concept - an American cuisine focused restaurant with an emphasis on burgers and 100% American craft beer. Fast forward to when it opened in March 2014, we saw the development that cemented the notion we already had in mind. This location is one of many in the family of restaurants (California-based) that sources local produce and aims to bring great service and fare together in a great environment with value. Their motto of EATertainment is now taking over the building at Bella Terra, and upon invitation, we took a step inside to see just what they had to offer which admittedly was quite a tasty experience.

The picture of the fried tofu with such a sweet and spicy glaze makes me want to jump back in time to when I had this dish freshly done, hot and ready. The Test Kitchen ingredient was some local eucalyptus wildflower honey from Bee Ladies which is herbaceous with slight hints of savoriness. You are obviously completely welcome to use other types of honey with this recipe though. I also didn't list it sriracha with a capital S because I ended up using an artisan variety from New York called Jojo's Sriracha (which is awesome by the way!) but feel free to use the signature green topped bottle. The glaze (or is it a sauce?) is quite easy to remember as it is a 2-2-2-2 mix. I can imagine this also being great with shrimp or chicken but fried tofu is also very, very satisfactory. It is a sweet and spicy touch to any dish.

This post is part of a series Much Ado About Fooding is doing on farmers' markets - Duc and I plan to visit as many as we can, starting in southern California, to get a sense of what sets each apart, what drives communities to them, and what gems people should look out for. To keep track, bookmark the "Farmers' Market" category.

The more we explore farmers' markets in Orange County, the more frequently I'll get the question about which is the best one around. It is a difficult question to properly answer though. We have been finding that what we expected was coming true as we visit farmers' markets - they all have something they excel at. However, if you really want to emphasize on produce in both variety and abundance, I highly encourage that you drop by the Irvine Certified Farmers' Market across the street from UCI (in the University Town Center "UTC"). Not only is it quite possibly the largest in OC with 115+ vendors, it also has the biggest variety of produce we've see. I definitely know that I have to come to this one if I'm looking for a particular fruit or vegetable. Chances are that I'll find it at this market.

The simplest dishes can sometimes be the best. I was trying to figure out how to use some beautiful brown and white beech mushrooms I had on hand one day when I realized that there was some fresh asparagus in the refrigerator as well from a farmers' market we had visited. Extra chow mein noodles in the pantry made it all easier to decide that a garlicky, quick, and feel-good meal was in order. You can consider this a good vegetarian way to make a lunch/dinner or you can use it as a base dish for other mixes. I'd say that the prominent flavor was garlic and sesame oil so hopefully you like those. Oh and a bit of Sriracha mixed in at the end made it even better (not pictured)!

If there is one way to live out what others stereotype as the southern California lifestyle, it is to have a glass of wine or cocktail with your dinner out on a patio beachside. If you don't own one of those, you don't have to. The beach cities are notorious for providing such a breathtaking view, and Laguna Beach is no stranger to good food. We explored the new spring menu at The Deck in Laguna Beach during a special sunset media dinner one evening and got a dose of that "SoCal lifestyle" with some great company and eats. This menu (and their others) demonstrated the luscious and fresh flavors that pop when you decide to use seasonal ingredients; for springtime's case, these included English peas, sugar snap pea vines, asparagus, artichokes, and sweet onions. Like many beachside venues, The Deck has an emphasis on seafood so we got a taste of those beauts as well from the talents of Executive Chef Rainer Schwarz.