Friday Quickies #66: So Much To Do, So Little Time To Actually Blog!

Six-dollar gelato from Bulgarini

Eeek, between bloggerprom planning, my recent fantastic birthday dinner at Rustic Canyon, still going over notes and editing from my NorCal excursion and doing a food media/blogger trip *at this very moment in Baja California* -- I barely have time to sort through my e-mails, messages and facebook invites of foodie going-ons, let alone meeting my daily minimum requirement of foodblog reading! Ack! So today's Friday quickie will be dedicated to the week that was--

After many months of procrastination, I finally had the chance to check out Bulgarini Gelato in Altadena; in a word - amazing! I love the uber-smooth and rich texture of the gelato and the sorbetto, and the flavors delectably fresh and tasty -- from the usual suspects of hazelnut and chocolate to the more eccentric blood orange, milk with lime and yogurt with oil (the last one is like a cheesecake, I swear.) For a few more thoughts on this place, check out my FoodDigger review.

Speak of cold treats, I also had the chance to try shaved snow at schoolhouse-themed Class 302 in Rowland Heights; unlike shaved ice, the "snow" is actually a mixture of condensed milk and ice and comes out with a whippy-fluffy texture, kinda like fresh powder that you eat rather than ski/snowboard on! Totally delectable with its assortment of sweet toppings (from fruits to azuki beans to mochi globs). Another FD review here.

And thanks to their PR for comp, I also had a chance to check out East LA Meets Napa - a wonderful event that highlighted a great representation of Latin-American cuisine from traditional to modern-eclectic and showing that, yes, you can pair them with wines! Photos and more info to come later, but it was definitely great tasting all thoses treats, wines, even a "tequila from the future" and meeting up with fellow bloggers. Hopefully this event was a success for the fundraisers and the restos/wineries represented and that it'll make another comeback next year!

Finally, as I age another year, I guess now is good as any other time to express my thanks and gratitude to the foodie community of L.A./O.C. -- from the industry-savvy media that provides interesting and in-depth coverage of the eating and drinking scene, to the fellow bloggers who I can always count on for foodventurous nibbles, sips and the occasional borrowing of well-taken photos, and even the PR folks for their news, intel and the occasional hookup with freebies. I started this blog almost 3 years ago just to share my thoughts and feelings on events, favorite hangouts and discoveries of new places, but so many doors have opened along the way, which I'm always delighted - and extremely humbled - to be a part of.

So here's to another year of great and adventurous eats and that, like many edibles and potables, things DO get better with age!

Mini Foodventure #128: Tender Greens (West Hollywood)

Having some time to kill between picking up a friend at LAX and a wine & cocktail meetup with fellow BloggerProm committee members Esther, Tara and Caroline -- I decided to check out West Hollywood's Tender Greens for a quick, healthy and (hopefully) tasty bite.

For 9:30p on a Wednesday, the place was pretty packed with a diverse WeHo crowd, from older couples mellowing out with their meals and a glass of wines to younger peeps decked out in club gear wolfing down their sandwiches vacuum-cleaner style. It was also quite funny hearing the gay couples in line scanning the menu, then moan and whine about what's fattening and carb-loaded. But hey, kudos to them for their nutrition discipline, even if it looks like they'll be downing 2-for-1 shots and crazy-colored vodka-tinis later in the night.

The menu is pretty simple, primarily the three Ss - soups, salads and sandwiches - with a few entrees and daily specials thrown in, all pretty reasonably priced with nothing over $11. After I scanned the menu, I opted for their $10.50 flatiron steak salad with red & green butter lettuces, radishes, red and gold beets and horseradish vinaigrette (got on the side), a pretty light and simple salad with some protein to help me power through my strength workout later in the day. Oh yea, and a $4 strawberry tart (it was on their daily special menu; how can I possibly resist? could be gone tomorrow!!!)

After moving cattle-line style from the ordering section, down the foodprep line to the pickup and finally the cashier (within five minutes!) I paid and plopped onto a patio table for my salad and sweet.

I have mixed feelings about the salad; nothing was bad per se, in fact, the veggies tasted very fresh (sweet beets, radishes with nice pepper bite, crunchy lettuces) and the meat was juicy-tender -- but it seemed haphazardously prepared and assembled, the lettuce were too wet and could've been chopped or ripped into smaller pieces (with quarter heads practically intact, it was almost like a wedge salad on my plate) and it seemed all the ingredients kind of clumped together on their own, so it was hard to get a little of everything on my fork, and it just felt weird having to go at a salad with a knife!

The dressing was a little bit watery too and could use a bigger horseradish kick, though maybe it's a dressing meant to be tossed with the salad rather than dipped into.

The strawberry tart made up for it though, lighter and less sweet than most strawberry pie/tarts, it had a nice shortbread crust, juicy strawberry slices and just thin smear of custard and glaze. Just enough to satisfy my craving without inducing guilt.

Despite the recklessly made salad, I'm fairly sure I'll be back esp. when looking for eats in the WeHo 'hood, since it seems to have the potential to walk that fine line between tasty, budget-friendly and healthy (as opposed to the rest of the neighborhood's eats, which seems to be polarized camps of either the heart attack-inducing or health-food-gross or just plain overpriced.) So crossing fingers for a knife-free salad next time.

Tender Greens
8759 Santa Monica Blvd
West Hollywood, CA
(310) 358-1919
Website

Friday Quickies #65: Pre Bastille Edition

Coffee with a Jelly Donut at LaMill

Ok, move over Americans - it's the French's turn to celebrate... the storming of a prison? Ok, ok, still red, white and blue so it's all good. Depending on how you feel about the French, here are some Francophile and not-so-Frenchy events for Bastille Day (and the days leading up to and following . . .)

All July long, modern-French restaurant Melisse will be celebrating its 10 years in business with a special 10-course menu higlighting exec. chef Josiah Citrin's favorite dishes from the decade that was. To sweeten the pot of this $150/person offer, corkage is only $10/bottle for first two bottles and diners will receive a $50 gift card good for a future dinner.

On Bastille Day itself, enomatic wine bar Pourtal will be featuring wines from the French country; no pricey bougie stuff here, just simple-yet-sexy reds, white and rosés. And if you recite the serment du jeu de paume (Tennis Court Oath), you'll be treated to a complimentary glass of Kir (probably best to do this before you get your wine on!)

On July 15, dine out and help fight breast cancer with Dine out for the Cure, where numerous restaurants will be donating 10% of their day's profits to the LA chapter of the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The participant list stretches all over LA from the Roy's in Pasadena/Downtown/Woodland Hills to Michael's on Naples in Long Beach to Ford's Filling Station and Rush Street in Culver City. That's definitely something I can raise my fork to.

On July 17, the folks of LearnAboutWine are back at it with RED, a bovine smorgasbord with 7 beef courses (and 1 cheesy dessert) each paired with delightful red wine. Preparations include beef cheek terrine with a mimosa sauce and grilled rib eye with ginger-soy reduction. All of which makes for one happy cow eater. $89/person.

And for those attending the East LA Meets Napa event tonight, I'll see you there at Union Station!

Special Foodventure #127: Bar Celona (Pasadena)

I've been compelled to check out Bar Celona ever since I found out that Josef Centeno (well-knowned years past for his spontaneous tasting menus at Opus) is consulting there, but my group of Old Town friends have never felt particuarly inclined to go, preferring the gianormous-if-mediocre portions offered by the various Pasadena chains over the small plates tapas-style dishes this place is known for. That tide quickly changed with they announced their latest event . . .

all-you-can-eat paellas

Being a sucker for this Valencian dish in general, I heartily accepted when their PR folks invited me to check out the celebration on the house. So my friend and I visited them on the first day of their anniversary event.

Having spent the better part of my Sunday in the sun, I was definitely in the mood for a light, refreshing cocktail when I arrived at 7 p.m. The Flamenco Kiss, made with vanilla vodka and fresh strawberry puree, does the task well -- simple but tasty, like a liquid strawberry pie with lots of whipped cream.

Before the paella main show, we started off with sauteed cremini & oyster mushrooms with bay leaf & thyme cream ($7) and an aromatic seafood soup ($21), both heartier and more substantial than their tapas label suggest. The 'shrooms, meaty and earthy and perfectly palatable on their own, was wonderfully enhanced by the herby cream sauce -- though I might opt for it on the side next time since it was pretty heavy. We both we loved the seafood soup, comforting even on a summer night and packed full of firm and plump shellfish (shrimp, calamari, mussels, clams) swimming in a light, fragrant saffron-flavored broth.

Now for the main show -- the paellas! Being indecisive about which one we wanted, the staff was gracious enough to bring us a small sampler of all four -- from vegetarian, castellana (beef, pork sausage and chicken), marinaera (shellfish) and valenciana (surf & turf, looks like a combo of the previous two) ($18-24). Asides from the addition of assorted meats, the four paellas tasted nearly identical, aromatic with a bouquet of herbs, a little spicy and just savory enough w/o being oversalted. The rice had a great toothy (firm yet chewy) texture that I loved, though my friend would've preferred a creamier, softer risotto-esque preparation. And having had the two starter dishes beforehand, we alas threw in the towel after a single serving of paella -- though being a carb-filled fare I'm not sure I would've been able to do more than two servings otherwise.

We also had a taste of their red wine sangria, which is complimentary with an AYCE paella order, whose portion was larger than we expected. Like the cocktail, it was not fussy and totally pleasant to drink - striking a nice balance between the wine and juices so it's neither too tannic nor fruity-sweet.

Despite our collective fullness, a second stomach popped up when we were offered the sweets menu -- so we opted to share a seasonal strawberry-apple crisp a la mode (even though I was seriously eye-ing the churros & chocolate or the crema catalana). Like everything else so far, it was incredibly satisfying and elegantly simple, a fine exhibit of the fruit crisp/pie dessert.

Also a bit surprising is how reasonably priced the meal was, when the bill came (the determine our tips) we found out the total was in the $70-80 range; considering we had 2 cocktails, 2 starters, 2 entrees and a dessert -- that's not bad at all. And since the paella is all-you-can-eat and comes with a sangria, couples can totally get away with ~$50-60 bill and a merrily full stomach.

If you can't make it tonight or tomorrow for their celebration, don't fret; I was informed they plan on bringing back for Sunday dinners. I for one can't complain about starting off a week with soup, paella and sangrias (finished off with perhaps a churro or two...)

And FYI, their anniversary celebration culminates tomorrow night -- when they have All-Night Happy Hour specials on drinks and tapas, along with dish demos & tastings, live music AND a mechanical bull at the bar, should you feel courageous enough (or had enough liquid courage.)

What do others say?
- Eating L.A. sampled some of its fare after Centeno consulted on the menu and found it "hits the tapas sweet spot"
- Gayot finds it offers "reasonably authentic Spanish cuisine" in a "hip, contemporary scene"

Additional photos on flickr here

Bar Celona
46 E Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91105
(626) 304-1000
Website

Recipe Time #16: H.C. Summer Wine Fizz

A little fruity, a little efferverscent, a little spicy and super simple -- the H.C. Summer Wine Fizz has a little heat but is super cooling (thus the H and the C); I made this refreshing cocktail on a whim for a near-last-minute potluck that I attended this past weekend.

Totally easy to drink but with just a bit of zip to keep things interesting, this is definitely something I look forward to making over and over again for these hot summer months.

Ingredients (10-12 servings):
1 cup vodka (alternatively, light rum would work for an extra zing)
2 ripe mangos
12 oz. (2 cartons) blackberries
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
6 limes
1 750mL bottle light to medium-bodied white wine
1 750mL bottle sparkling lemonade (alternatively, 2 cans of lemon-lime soda)

Directions:
1. Day before, make the vodka infusion by combining the vodka with 6 oz. blackberries, 1 mango (diced) and the cayenne pepper. Muddle so that the berries and mango cubes are broken up, which helps release their flavors into the vodka. Cover up and store in refrigerator, along with the white wine and lemonade, overnight.

2. Just before serving, prepare the garnishes - dice up the other mango, slice 4 limes and skewer them w the remaining blackberries. Set aside.

3. In a pitcher, combine the vodka infusion (which should take on a rich ruby color by now, like above) with the juice of 1-2 limes, the sparkling lemonade and white wine (I prefer the more aromatic white varietals for this such as viognier or gewurztraminer, whose fragrances hold up well and complement the fruity smells of the infusion and also quite inexpensive at $9 or less a bottle.) If you have any extra lime slices leftover from the skewers, toss them into the pitcher too.

4. Fill glasses/cups with ice and pour, topping each glass with the blackberry-diced mango-sliced lime skewer and enjoy!

And of course, the best part of this "recipe" is that it's totally adaptable -- you can easily pretty much swap out any ingredient to match whatever's in season or to your taste preference; just keep it around 12 oz. of fruit infused in a cup of spirit with a little spice or fresh herbs, then mix with a bottle of wine and same amount of a sparkling mixer. So play around and have fun with different combinations, I definitely will!