Cook-Off @ Panda Express . . .

... or how I turned into a nervous wreck, sabotaged my team and possibly poisoned their head honcho.

But first things first, yes, I readily admit to occasionally eating at Panda Expresses. As far as fast & mall foods go, I find it pretty decent -- they have a slew of freshly chopped & cooked vegetables (a whole fridge's worth!) that gets incorporated into almost all their items, they let you sample up the wazoo before you have to commit to an order (try doing that @ a burger joint,) and of course the infamous Orange Chicken, a sinful dish that capitalizes on primal tastebud desires: something sweet, something meaty & something fried.

So when I was invited to participate in their Wok Star Challenge @ the Panda Restaurant Group HQ in Rosemead (as well as an opportunity to meet with their exec. chef Andy Kao,) I enthusiastically replied yes -- even if my own wokking skills are on the rudimentary side.

And when I saw the other bloggers I'll be competing with (Cathy of Gastronomy, her hubby Vernon of Stellar Recipes, Hong & Kim of Ravenous Couple, Patti of Worth the Whisk, Quyen of Kitchen Runway and Jenna of LA Canvas/Eater LA,) I was SO ready to raise my white flag, only to feel majorly relieved and thankful to discover the everyone's going to be randomly paired up, and that I'll be Hong's sous-chef for the night.

After our team's decided, we were escorted to their cafeteria and test kitchen (structured as a typical Panda Express restaurant) where we were given a brief history of the company, met Chef Kao, and watched as he demo-cooked their latest entree dish, the Firecracker Chicken Breast to coincide with the recent Lunar New Year.

After a quick lesson in cleaver chopping (again, thankful that I got to chop bell peppers and not the onions, or I'd be BAWLING w tears!) and a demo on wok handling & cleaning, we were shown the table of ingredients . . .

. . . given a quick rundown of each item, and then "you have 20 minutes to prepare and plate a dish to judge, starting NOW!"

Commence eight bloggers freaking out, trying to conceptualize a dish while grabbing ingredients like we're on Supermarket Sweep.

Photo courtesy of Panda Express, since we were all going mad prepping, cooking & plating

After a minute of discussion, Hong & I decided to go for some originality points and utilize kumquats in our chicken dish by infusing the cooking oil with thin slices of it. As Hong stir-fried away, I took on the role of expediter, shuttling back and forth between the ingredients table and the cooking station with extra components needed. Simple enough, right?

And yet, I still fail-whaled when Hong's request for rice wine turned into me dumping an ounce or two of LEMON JUICE into the wok. After sampling the puckery piece 'o poultry, I tried to compensate by squeezing a generous dose of honey into the stir-fry. Can't go wrong with sweet & sour, right?

Nonetheless, I am just glad we finished & plated in the 20 minute time frame. We named our dish "Fortune Chicken" as a play on ubiquitous - though not exactly Chinese - fortune cookies, to reflect the lucky yellow-red colors of the entreé and as an homage to the numerous good luck blessings that come around Lunar New Year (which I could use a LOT of for this cookoff.)

Let Chef Kao's tasting and judging begin. And I agree with Cathy the man's got quite a poker face . . .

. . . not to mention the diplomatic charm of UN ambassador when he ever-so-politely told us that the Chinese sausage in our dish was undercooked! Eeek! But I did love how he tried to assuage our fears of almost food poisoning him by saying, "I bit, but I didn't swallow!"

The winners of the night were Cathy & Quyen with their Spicy Jackfruit Chicken, which is was totally delicious (and I even packed some of it to-go!) And as winners, Panda Restaurant Group donated $250 to each of their chosen charities: Southern California Golden Retriever Rescue & Cooking Matters Los Angeles (formerly Operation Frontline, the benefactor of last year's BloggerProm.) Congrats!

And after all that excitement and tension, we relaxed over a Panda Express meal cooked by Chef Kao; which of course included plenty of their Orange Chicken. Woohoo!

Despite not winning (I knew my chances were slim anyways,) it was a wicked fun time to hang out and cook with other bloggers (without worrying about the clean-up too!) and get a little inside look about company. So thanks to Panda for hosting the event and the swanky parting gifts (including a wok, which worked out well for me since I was already shopping around for something to replace my skillet.)

Now that I got the cook-off out of the way, will I fare better at a Bloody Mary mix-off? Stay tuned...

More photos from the cookoff on my flickr here

Quick Taste of Abbot Kinney Giveaway Reminder

Deli salad sampler & original lemonade from Lemonade during last year's Taste of Abbot Kinney

Just a quick reminder that my giveaway for Taste of Abbot Kinney will be closing this Friday, with three lucky winners drawn to get a 'Delicious' package ($60 value.) And entering's a cinch with 3 easy steps: comment, (re)tweet & facebook 'like'. Easy peasy, right?

Of course, it's never too late to buy tickets too (there's a pre-sale discount until Oct. 22) -- proceeds will benefiting Inside Out Community Arts to help underserved & at-risk youth.

No. 182: Food Event Marathoner ~ J Gold's Speakeasy Party & Savor the Season

As someone who like alternating nights out on the town with a day or two of resting & cooking at home, I surprised myself with four consecutive nights out of events and tastings (though to be fair, some invites came to me last minute and were just too good to pass up.) And what better way to follow up a marathon of outings than a marathoner post? Let's take off!

On Saturday, thanks to a last-minute win of 213 Downtown's twitter contest, I was able to get two passes into Jonathan Gold's 2nd Annual Union Station Speakeasy Cocktail Party (benefiting Zocalo Public Square, which puts on all sorts of provocative discussions & seminars to reinvigorate thoughtful dialogue in the modern world.) With five 213 bars making a signature cocktail and nine eateries serving up delectable bites, fun times were had by all as the alcohol kept flowing and the hors d'oeuvres kept coming out.

My favorite bites of the night included Rustic Canyon's burrata with black mission figs, roasted chestnuts, salsa and toast (so comforting & Christmasy!) still-in-transition Grace's melt-in-your-mouth squash flan with smoked sage jus and Street's Burmese melon salad with crisped coconut, peanuts and sesame-ginger dressing (cooling, refreshing and much needed as the space started heating up from the cocktails, the hot foods and the crowd.)

Of the drinks, being a gin lover I was partial to Varnish's Plymouth Fitzgerald, a simple concoction of Plymouth gin shaken with lemon juice and sugar, topped with Angostura bitters. Second in my heart was Cole's Pikesville Classic Manhattan with Pikesville Rye and Dolan Sweet Vermouth, though I was peeved my first Manhattan was prematurely bussed away (WITH MY LUXARDO CHERRY STILL IN IT) Of course, the natural solution is to get another!

After a little mingling with other bloggers and friends, chatting with the ever-gracious Jonathan Gold and his wife Laurie Ochoa, and a little dancefloor time, Matt, Esther (my Speakeasy +1 btw,) Caroline and I moved onto afterpartying @ La Descarga, where we enjoyed MORE drinks and Matt showed off his suave double cigar-puffing technique.

To cap off the night, K-town Karaoking & sharing a big heaping plate of dukkboki & ramen. Did I really sing "All the Small Things" and "Don't Stop Believing"? Of course I didn't, and there's no way (or person lucid enough) to prove it! Even if pictures suggest otherwise!

Getting home around 2:30 a.m. (thanks Matt for driving me back to the Gold Line station where I parked & metro'd,) I had all of four hours' sleep before getting up in time for a promised 7 a.m. canyon hike with my friend; 9 miles, 5 hours--I'll admit to not really feeling it at the start but once I soaked in the amazing views and scenery it definitely gave me a spring in my step.

And of course, all that hiking worked up an appetite (and made me feel less guilty) about Savor the Season that evening, taking place in the Lot Studios and benefiting Break the Cycle, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering youth to prevent & end domestic violence. I attended this two years ago in Downtown LA's Vibiana (soon to house Grace Restaurant!) and I definitely loved the venue move. The evening was warm, breezy and perfect for an outdoor tasting (though a few of the organizers readily admit to leaving their hands to Lady Luck and Mother Nature for this late October date and obviously thankful it wasn't one of those crazy days with record-breaking heat and pouring thunderstorms.)

Street was there again, this time with their famous finger-friendly pani puris, and other delectable treats include Stefan Richter's show-stopping liquid nitrogen passionfruit ice cream lollies, and some aahmazing fudge samples (and a fried chocolate raviolo) from Pasadena-based [AF]2.

Equally astounding were the wines served, including Lou on Vine's Lou pouring of A Donkey and Goat Syrah from a keg. Don't laugh, it tasted way more delicous that it looked (though my allegiance still lies with their Grenache Gris Rosé, a fragrant, refreshing blush wine I look forward to sipping every summer since my discovery.) For the bubbly-inclined, Girl Meets Grape' Bonnie Graves, who's been working with Savor the Season for four years, was there to pour tres-chic Comte de Dampierre's Brut des Ambassadors champagne. Crisp, apple-y with a touch of toast... and I'd imagine going VERY well with the shucked-to-order Carlsbad Luna oysters that Christophe Hapilllon had going on one booth over.

(yes, I said imagined... it was very tempting, especially when Kat was overtly savoring them in front of me. Maybe I should follow the way of that one vegan who occasionally enjoys oysters.)

Given my other going-ons for the days ahead, I took off from Savor before its final hour, but I definitely hoped the event itself and the silent auction raised lots of much-needed funds and awareness for Break the Cycle, and that Savor the Season will be just as picture- and palate-pleasing the next time around!

And with that, I got two events (and the official weekend) down, and two more to go in the days ahead. Stay tuned for part two of this four-day bender . . .

In the meantime, enjoy more photos from my flickr of the Union Station Speakeasy (& afterwards) and Savor the Season

Friday Quickies #91: Easter Eggs (Not!) Edition

Good Luck, Ludo and Susan!

Thanks to all the encouraging comments to my Animal-Free April declaration yesterday, I'm feeling a lot less anxious about whether I can actually pull it off. That'll be put to the test this weekend, when I'm heading down to San Diego to spend some time with high school friends and have less control over my meals. In any case, looks like I'll missing out on some of the great going-ons for the week ahead, such as . . .

Tomorrow, 1 to 7 p.m., Glassell Park's beer mecca Verdugo Bar will be holding a mobile mashup, a six-hour party with live DJS and four mobile food vendors (Lomo Arigato, Frysmith, Mandoline Grill and Grill 'EM All) stationed outside to soak up the amazing 20+ unique craft beers they have on tap. I'll leave it to you guys to figure out which brew pairs best with the spicy kimchi pork fries or the lemongrass-tofu banh mi. Free admission, but you still gotta pay for your grub and beer.

Sunday, all day long, The Hungry Cat in Hollywood is celebrating Easter with 50% off specialty cocktails, draft beers and bottles of wine all day long. So hop to it!

Sunday, 5 to 9 p.m., Ammo Restaurant will be kicking off its Sunday Roasts, where a cool $32/person will get you a comforting-yet-contemporary three-course meal. In their debut event, the menu will consist of little gem lettuce w beets, avocado & feta // wood oven-roasted Spring lamb with braised garlic, peas and mint // strawberry fool with buttermilk sherbet.

Wednesday, April 7, 7 p.m., STREET and Angeleno magazine are organizing a Top Chef Masters Premiere viewing party (of which chef-owner Susan Feniger is a contender.) Taste her street bites, sip on specialty cocktails and mingle during the reception, then watch and cheer her on when the show starts at 8 p.m.! $25/person (half of which goes to the Scleroderma Research Foundation.)

And my favorite Web encounters of the week:

Rosso Wine Shop's continually updated list of corkage fees at restaurants around town
Definitely great idea, even if absent-minded me will often forget to bring a bottle. Oh well, I can always make a quick stop by favorite wine shops to pick up a bottle (or two.)

Slate argues for canned/frozen veggies and fruits over fresh
As much as I'm a fan of fresh food, I do keep a stockpile of frozen veggies--which is a lot more convenient when cooking for 1-2 meals. But while frozen/canned fruits and veggies are equal or even superior in nutritional value against their fresh variants, the taste comparison is still no contest. But I do agree with the author that it's an unrealistic expectation for all families across the board to cook with fresh produce all the time, and using canned/frozen versions is a convenient compromise that doesn't sacrifice too many nutrients.

Chef Ludovic Lefebvre interviews on Grub Street and Eater about his LA marathon run & 4.0 incarnation of Ludobites
As always, a charmer and lots of fun. Too bad I wasn't fast enough with making my reservations for the downtown Ludobites and am now languishing on the waitlist...

Seattle Weekly's list of 7 Cookbooks You Don't Want to Friends to Find in Your Kitchen (and vice versa)
Funny in that I've actually received PR pitches from some of those ridiculous books, but #1 on that list is really a stunner!

Friday Quickies #85: 3 Holidays, 1 Weekend

Flying pig truck at Abbot Kinney, found shortly after eating at Gjelina

Three holidays (Valentine's, Lunar New Year, Prez Day) rolled into one potentially long weekend (though I personally do not get the 15th off, pfffttt) - of course you know the food events are out in full force.

No big surprise, but the one that's gotten the most buzz and chatter is the L.A. Street Food Fest just outside downtown. Whether than worry about where all your favorite or wanting-to-try mobile food vendors are at, you can stop by here from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and enjoy them in a veritable pop-up food truck court. Admission is $5 (sorry, $30 VIP tickets already sold out!) and after that, you can sample most items for $5 or less. Oh yeah, did I also mention Ludo's Fried Chicken will make an appearance?

On Sunday at 7:30 p.m., Frysmith will collaborating with Verdugo Bar for a "One Night Stand" event with four courses paired with beer. Courses include duck legs braised a cognac sauce w collard greens and fries, seared scallop with spanish chorizo, lemon jam & apple "fries" and a trio of mousse cakes. $23 in advance or $28 at door (until the patio hits capacity!)

This sunday from 3 to 5 p.m., Culver City's Royal/T Cafe will have a "Love for Haiti" winetasting event for $28/person (with $20 of each ticket sale going to Doctors without Borders). On top of some tasty vino, you will also include light appetizers and gourmet cheeses from Nicole's Gourmet Foods and La Maison du Pain.

And as always, favorite reads:

Serious Eats' Food Lab column dissects the science of making a good chili

Diana Takes a Bite survived (noneofyourbusiness) years without ever tasting a cheeseburger, and needs help with her initiation

LA Times' great piece on micro distilleries around town (including some of my faves Modern Spirits and Ballast Point) and how they're weathering against big corporate brands and the current economy

CHOW's 10 stylistic considerations when photographing food; too bad I'm not that into visual details

And Gourmet Pigs' review of Langham's blowout $75/person Chinese New Year brunch buffet, in case you got the change to drop

As well as way more affordable, and vegetarian, options in the SGV from Tasting Table

Friday Quickies #84: Dining for the Haiti Cause edition

With all the headlines for the past two weeks -- it's hard not to think about Haiti everyday and especially every time I eat, as it's taken days (going onto weeks) for most of the suffering there to get any food relief. And short of actually going there, the best we can do is support the efforts of those who are.

Which brings me to this week's Friday Quickie, full of dining events around town that'll support the efforts of charities working there right now.

But before I start plugging the assorted dining-for-a-cause events, let me emphasize the best way to help is to donate to the charities directly (Huffington Post has a great list of many Haiti-helping causes with summaries of what they're doing for the situation) -- with charity-company partnerships it can be hard to decipher where the money is gonna go, which fund the money will be allocated to, and how much of one's patronage will actually benefit the charity partner (sometimes it's 100% of net profits, sometimes less than that, and sometimes the company will just donate a flat amount regardless of sales/customer figures.)

Now I'm not accusing any help Haiti event, eatery or charity for having less-than-honorable intentions, but by donating directly you have the final say of how much money is going to your charity of choice, whose relief focus may be more aligned to your giving goals (say, providing care for the newly-orphaned vs. setting up temporary shelters for the homeless vs. rebuilding workforce & infrastructure with cash-for-work programs vs. petitioning other nations to ease debt load or immigration regulations from Haiti.)

Personally, I contributed my past 2 months of blog ad revenues to Mercy Corps, an organization with an outstanding record of helping impoverished regions facing a multitude of crises and disasters, providing assistance for both immediate needs and the long road to economic recovery and eventual self-sufficiency. You can read about some of the things they're doing in Haiti here! But of course, giving whatever you're able to spare toward any Haiti relief nonprofit is much appreciated too, most of all by the earthquake-stricken ones there.

Now that I got off my lil foodbloggy soapbox, if you're going to be eating/drinking out in the near future, do consider the below tasty options that will benefit the relief efforts.

Ongoing - get a "support Haiti brown bag lunch" from The Tavern in Brentwood, $3 from each order will go towards Haiti relief efforts

Throughout January - BLT Steak will set aside $10 from every bottle of wine sold to International Medical Corps and other relief organizations

Throughout January - The newly-up-and-running Eagle Rock Brewery will set aside $1 from each pint of Revolution Ale sold at their tasting room ($5 per pint) for Haiti relief.

Until Saturday, Jan. 23 - All wine proceds at FIG Restaurant will go to Share Our Strength's efforts in Haiti

Until Saturday, Jan. 23 - The Edison will suggest a $10 donation at the door to go towards Doctors Without Borders' Haiti Relief Fund. Tonight from 5 to 7 p.m. they will also have a celebrity auction for that charity

Saturday, Jan. 23 - TLofts will be the site of food truck gathering from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and proceeds from that day's sales (amount/percentage varies by participating trucks) will benefit the American Red Cross

Sunday, Jan. 24 - Barbrix will donate 10% of gross sales from 5 p.m. to close towards Doctors Without Borders

Sunday, Jan. 24 - Osteria Mozza will donate 10% of proceeds, 5% of gratuities and take additional donations from guests for charities providing Haiti earthquake relief

Monday, Jan. 25 - Haven Gastropub in Orange will be donating all their profits from that day to Mercy Corps' efforts; and staff will be donating their time and gratuities for that day too

Sunday, Jan. 31 - Infamous IceCreamery Scoops will be holding a "Cookies without Borders" from 2 to 5 p.m. for Doctors without Borders

Sunday, Jan. 31 - 50% of all sales from Breadbar Century City from 7 to 9 p.m. will go towards American Red Cross

Saturday, Feb. 6 - Vertical Wine Bistro will be hold a Haitian Libations event from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., with bloggers Rumdood, Mattatouille and Gourmet Pigs working the bar and serving specialty drinks; 50% of all food and drink profits will go towards Artists for Peace and Justice

Of course, fellow media and blogger folks are helping get the word out too, here are some more help-Haiti-by-eating-and-drinking lists from:

LA Times Daily Dish
LA Weekly
Citysearch LA

And other free ways to give:

Cathy of gastronomyblog will be donating 100% of ad revenues from January to American Red Cross's relief efforts

To help Oxfam America's assistance to Haiti, click daily at Care2

And then there are other click-to-donate sites such as The Hunger Site and FreeRice -- while they do not claim to be donating to Haiti directly, they've been helping feed the less fortunate from all over the world for a while -- and food shortage isn't just a problem that comes with disasters.

Friday Quickies #56: May Day (almost) edition

Collage of cookbooks whose authors will be attending LA Times Festival of Books, thanks to Michael Weisberg (on the LATFOB staff) for providing individual cover images

Is May already on our heels? April came and went SO quickly! Time really does fly when you're having fun (esp. when eating and drinking with great company, as I did several times this past week -- foodventure posts to come.) But moving onto my brief quickie...

What do you get when you combine cooking, reading books and celebrity gawkage (three of my fave things, by the way) - the cooking stage at LA Times Festival of Books, where nationally and locally-renowned celebrity-chefs, cooks and authors -- from the dashingly charming Curtis Stone to our Two Dudes Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook and the cute-as-a-button Giada de Laurentiis -- will be signing their respective books (available for purchase at the festival) and demo-ing their recipes (schedule of signing/demos here). I'm bummed out about not being to attend this year (had other things in the works before I found out the event was this weekend) but I highly recommend attending. Being the book event of the year, of course there will lots of peeps attending so plan your transportation/parking strategies accordingly.

Also, if you plan on dining out on Thursday, April 30 -- do check out the list at Dining Out for Life -- where a number of eateries around town will be donating 25% or more of their sales to Project Angel Food, a nonprofit dedicated to delivering meals to folks struggling with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other serious illnesses. Notable participants include Angeli Caffe, Susina Bakery, Lucifer's Pizza, Jar, The Little Door/Little Next Door and Whist at the Viceroy.

Lastly, another PSA for my other blog; just noticed this week that the comments feature wasn't working there (and thanks to foodblogging friend Diana for pointing it out), so that's been fixed.

One year ago I went ga-ga over LA Mill
Two years ago I had my 2007 splurge meal at Providence

Friday Quickies #50: Must-reads and almost-must-dos

Wondering if Shojin will be serving these amazing avocado-mushroom-veganaise brown rice sushi at the March 29 matsuri?

Wow, this week has been great in terms of fun food reads and oodles of wicked events coming up. And of course, sharing is caring ;)

It's nice knowing that LA Times' Food staff is only human too, that's certainly how I felt when I read editor Russ Parson's account of botching up his vegetable soup for a dinner party, followed by a sitcom-like-sequence of attempts to repair the bitter and salty concoction before doing a decent fix job at the end. The chaotic frenzy sounds like my usual cooking style in the kitchen and yea, I don't entertain often.

I also quite enjoy Mike Steinberger's essay at Slate.com about the American obsession with the health benefits of wine. A Puritanical guilt trip for imbibing something so pleasurable? The ever elusive quest to justify the French paradox? (Let's not even go into all those medical recommendations on exactly how many glasses to drink a day/week/etc. to thwart cancers and heart diseases) Whatever the case, I'm in pretty good alignment with Mike, drink the stuff 'cause it taste good and enjoy it in moderation and just let the good times roll.

Also, The Knife comes back with vengeance with a nice blogpost about food writers and bloggers dining for free and, more importantly, the etiquette of tipping at these events. She pretty much blows all the usual excuses out of the water and frankly, I agree, it's a bit tacky to just assume management will take care of the gratuity or that the staff expects no extras, and besides, isn't tipping a nice thing to do after scoring all that free food and beverages? In any case, my general M.O. is to guesstimate how much the comp'd food/drinks would otherwise cost and tip my usual ~20% based on that. It's bad enough that I can be considered a shill (even if I do disclose my freebie blogposts) I don't need cheapskate as a personal modifier too.

But onto happier things with a few delicioso events down the turnpike . . .

March 8: If the Gold Standard isn't taking place on the same date, I really would've considered checking out Hungry Cat's 4th Anniversary event from noon to 10 p.m. that day. The hostess was a little hush-hush about the details when I called, but I was told a giant clambake is in the works, along with special prices on their delicious, market-inspired cocktails and their primo raw oysters. Reservations are recommended, but they're prepared for walk-ins as well.

March 12: West Hollywood's Trust Beauty Salon is holding a kickin' party from 8 p.m. to midnight with music, art and fashions with food from downtown's Tapas & Wine Bar C and Venice's new vegan spot Seed Kitchen and Marani vodka cocktails and swanky goodie bags with lots of chic hair- and skincare products. The admission price? A large bag full of non-perishable foods for the Westside Food Bank to help feed the city's less fortunate. For those who don't want to be shlepping bags up and down WeHo, I was told pre-assembled bags will also be available for purchase there.

All March long: One of my favorite vegan joints, Shojin, is celebrating their 1st year anniversary with a special five-course dinner every night for $19.95! Additionally, they'll be having their anniversary festival on March 29, with live music and all-you-can-eat vegan goodness buffet (including vegan sushi, which I'm a big fan of over there!) for $20. Tasty, wholesome and wallet-friendly.

March 29: 18 cakeries will be squaring off at The Cupcake Challenge at Renaissance Hollywood Hotel, with lots of mini-cupcakes for attendees to taste and judge to determine the city's best. This year's contender list include a mix of old and new from SusieCakes to Kiss My Bundt. Oh yea, free coffee and Nesquik will be served to stave off that sugar crash. $40/person.

Help Chefs Help Farmers

To help out the local farmers who have lost crops due to the recent cold snap, some of L.A.'s finest restaurants have banded together for the Chefs Helping Farms taking place this week, with special menus using farmers' produce and donating their proceeds to help those hurt by the recent freeze. The list includes Lucques, A.O.C., Grace and many more - for a full schedule check out Lucques' website or the calendar @ ExperienceLA. Thanks to Curt from ExperienceLA & Jeni @ Oishii Eats for bringing this to my attention. Here's to fine dining, helping your fellow man and spreading the word.