Kifune is a staple of mine. I go here usually 1 out of 3 times when getting sushi, and they have something on their menu that is keeps me coming back: crispy spicy tuna – it’s pure heaven. Really, it is.

I wandered in here solo the other night because I was craving some seaweed salad, which is dynamite! This is one of the few sushi places that I’ve been to that you can just wander in, grub on some ridiculously good sushi, and be on your way in 30 minutes.

If you go here, I highly recommend this meal:

Seaweed Salad – so fresh, crisp, and just FULL of flavor. It’s tangy, and has the perfect balance of citrus, sweet, and savory. Just out of this world.

Shiitake Mushroom Roll – this roll is so unique. It’s served somewhat warm, and is just oh-so-savory and satisfying. Besides the shiitake mushrooms, it has a nice addition of scallops. The sauces they serve on the side really compliment it. One is savory, and the other is spicy with a hit of citrus.

And now for the BEST. SUSHI. EVER.

Crispy Spicy Tuna – this by far is my favorite of all sushi. It’s crispy, super fresh tuna that has a very slight briny flavor, and has a perfect hit of heat from the jalapeño. Oh my god, it’s so good.

Kifune
405 Washington Blvd.
Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
(310)822-1595

Well, I’ve been making this dish now for a few months, and in my opinion this recipe is still a work in progress, however, I made it last night, and it was out of this world. It was, in fact, the best version of this dish I’ve made. It’s not terribly difficult, but it does take some TLC to get it right. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Brown rice (I use the boil-in-a-bag kind…it’s easier to portion)
Broccolini (1 bunch)
1 package Extra firm tofu
3 TB black bean sauce
1 TB sugar
1 TB red wine vinegar
1 tsp Sriracha chili sauce
Olive oil

Preparation:
1. Take your block of tofu and slice it into 1/2 inch slices. Then slice those in half and take those halves and cut diagonal. The end goal is to end up with triangle pieces of tofu about 1/2″ thick. Take those slices of tofu and lay them out in a single layer on a paper towel, then cover with another paper towel to remove as much water as you can. Doing this reduces the explosive mixture of the water with the hot oil when you fry them.

2. Cut your broccolini florets in about 3 inch cuts. Discard the bottom stems.

3. Mix the black bean sauce, sugar, red wine vinegar and Sriracha with about 2 TB of water in a mixing bowl and completely whisk together. Pour in a small saucepan and simmer until it begins to reduce/thicken – about 5 – 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Cover the bottom of a non-stick frying pan with a generous amount of olive oil and heat up. The way I tell if the oil is ready, is I’ll dip my finger in some water and sprinkle it in the oil. If it crackles, it’s ready. Add the tofu and fry each side until it’s golden brown. Remove from pan and place on paper towels to soak up the excess oil.

5. Steam the broccolini in a pan with just a tad of water for about 3 – 5 minutes. You want it still crisp.

6. Layer some brown rice on a plate, layer with some broccolini and tofu, and drizzle some of the black bean sauce over it. Eat and enjoy!

As anyone in NYC knows, the weekends are meant for one thing, and one thing only: brunch. In my quest of the best brunch, I have to say that my favorite brunch is Locanda Verde.

Locanda Verde is located in the heart of Tribeca, and is always swarmed with a slight crowd, buzzing with energy. You’re hit with the delicious smell of food when you walk through the door, as well as the occasional celeb hanging by the bar. The service is fantastic – they’re very attentive and friendly. The food is UH-MAZING!!

Here is my suggestion for the PERFECT brunch meal:

Sheep’s milk ricotta with truffle honey served with burnt orange toast – heaven. Pure heaven.

Lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberries and meyer lemon curd – so so so delicious and fluffy

Crispy garlic potatoes – the perfect balance of savory with the 2 items mentioned above.

Also, don’t forget to have a mimosa here…one of the best I’ve had.

The prices aren’t too bad considering the quality of the food and great service. I highly recommend getting a reservation. I heard parties get quoted an hour without.

Locanda Verde
377 Greenwich St
(corner of N.Moore and Greenwich)
New York, NY 10013
(212) 925-3797

Locanda Verde Website

Spicy Fish Taco Bowls
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3-4 tilapia filets (or other fish filet of your choice)
1-2 cloves minced garlic
1 cup fresh sweet corn kernels (sliced off the cob is the best)
1 red onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 can black beans
cooked brown rice (I used about 2 cups)
fresh cilantro, avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream, or pico de gallo for topping

Preparation:
1. Mix the spices together in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over both sides of the fish filets. (I like to season my fish a LOT, but just sprinkle on however much looks good to you.) Add salt and pepper to taste.

2. In a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat, heat a drizzle of olive oil. Add the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add the fish filets to the pan. Grill the fish on each side for several minutes, checking the middle for doneness (fish should be completely white and flake apart easily). Remove fish filets and set aside.

3. Add corn, red peppers, and onions to the pan with no additional oil. Heat over high heat for several minutes WITHOUT stirring to get a brown/black roasted look on the outside. Repeat for several minutes (stir, wait, stir, wait) until the peppers and onions are tender-crisp. Add the black beans and heat through.

4. Layer rice, corn/peppper mixture, and fish in a bowl – or mix everything together in the skillet. Top with any of the toppings listed above!

I convinced a couple of friends to join me and we headed down for an adventure to find this infamous donut trailer. Parking was a hassle, as it seemed that everyone was on the same mission I was on, but we finally found a spot on a side street then walked over.

The menu. The variations. How are these donut creations thought of? Do I order something savory with fried chicken and honey butter or Canadian bacon, cream cheese and jalepeno jelly or something sweet with apple pie topping, roasted peanuts and caramel or grilled bananas with cream cheese icing and brown sugar? There were just too many options to contemplate but my friends and I wanted to try a couple of bites of various donuts so we ordered a Flying Pig (bacon with maple syrup icing), Heavenly Hash (marshmallow with chocolate fudge icing topped with fudge candy) and a Baby Rattler (fudge icing and fudge Oreos with gummy rattlesnakes).

When this place says they’ve got “big. fat. donuts.” they aren’t lying, those things were monstrous! The bacon on the Flying Pig was perfectly crispy and smothered in the sweet maple syrup icing. Between the textures and flavors of the chewy dough, bacon and icing, I had explosions in my mouth. The marshmallow oozing out of the middle and off the sides of the donut, chocolate chips and chocolate sauce drizzled over brownie bites sitting atop the mountain of heaven made me realize why they called it the Heavenly Hash. I had to make sure to leave room for a couple of bites of the Baby Rattler, which was my least favorite out of the three we ordered. The fudge icing over the donut wasn’t as amazing as I had hoped but the crunchy Oreos amidst the chewy gummy snakes provided a fun sensation while eating.

Taking a few last sips of my glass of milk, I reflected on what concoctions I had just eaten on a donut and the amount of calories I had just consumed. Did I care? Nah. Was it amazing and totally worth it? Yes. Will I be back? Maybe after a 10 mile run.

Gourdoughs

Gourdoughs website

Gourdoughs Facebook page

Gourdoughs Twitter page

I pretty much love anything with salted caramel…so, why not a pillow cheesecake with it? This delicious recipe is from Tartelette.

Pillow Cheesecake With Salted Butter Caramel Sauce

Chocolate Shortbread Base:
250 gr. butter, very cold, cubed small
85 gr. sugar
300 gr. flour
25 gr. cacao powder

Preheat the oven to 350.Work the butter, sugar, flour and cacao with a food processor or your fingers to get a sandy mixture. Work the dough for a minute. Divide the dough in half. Reserve one half to make shortbread cookie or refrigerate for another time.Press one half into the bottom of a 10 or 12 inch springform pan. Bake for 40 minutes.Let cool completely.

Cheesecake Batter:
2 pounds cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter (115 gr), softened
1/4 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
1 cup sugar
5 eggs
2 Tb. cornstarch, sifted
zest of one lemon

Combine the cream cheese, butter, sugar, lemon zest, creme fraiche and cornstarch in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip until combine. Do not incorporate too much air or the cake will crack. Make sure the cream cheese and butter are very soft. Add the egg yolks one at a time and whip just until combined.Whip the egg whites until stiff. Gently fold them in the cream cheese batter.
Pour the batter over the chocolate shortbread crust. The batter will reach the rim of the cake. Wrap your springform pan with heavy duty aluminium foil, set it in a large roasting pan, add enough hot water to come up halfway up the side of the pan. Bake at 325 for 1 1/2 hours. Turn the oven off, crack the door of the oven open and let your cake cool in there for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and refrigerate completely for a few hours or better yet overnight.

Salted Butter Caramel Sauce:
240 gr. sugar
80 ml water
115 gr salted butter
150 ml heavy whipping cream

In a heavy saucepan set over low heat, combine the sugar and water and heat just until the sugar is dissolved. Add the butter. Let it come to a boil and cook until it reaches a golden caramel color. Remove from the heat and add the cream ( it will splatter and get crazy, but do not fear and trust the recipe). Whisk to combine and put back on the stove. Let it come to a boil again over low heat and cook 10-15 minutes until you reach a nice creamy consistency. Pour into a jar and try to refrain yourself from drinking it!

Every year we try to find unique items to bring to that BBQ you’re obligated to go to. Let’s face it, it’s summer, it’s hot, and often times we get sick of the same ol’ thing. Well, this year, change it up with this delicious spicy salmon seaweed salad brought to us by Steffen’s Dinners

Chilled cucumber soup
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

2 European cucumbers (about 1 pound each), cut into 2-inch chunks
2 cups plain yogurt
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons slivered radish (1 to 2 radishes), reserved in ice water
Maldon sea salt
4 small basil leaves, cut into julienne strips

Preparation:

1. In a blender, puree the cucumber and yogurt together in batches until smooth. Pour each batch into a large bowl.
2. Stir in the garlic, vinegar, salt and pepper. This makes about 6 cups soup.
3. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight until well chilled.
4. To serve, top each serving with slivered radish, a sprinkle of Maldon salt and a few julienne-cut basil leaves.

Nutritional Information:

Each of 6 servings: 76 calories; 5 grams protein; 12 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 1 gram fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 5 mg. cholesterol; 351 mg. sodium.

Now what exactly is a Swiener? Well, let me break it down for you. It’s a Swiss take on a sausage sandwich, being a Swiss Wiener, or a Swiener. The sausage itself isn’t Swiss, that cultural distinction belongs to the cheese it’s drenched in is. It’s a Swiss cheese called Raclette, and it melts beautifully. First the Swiener People take half a baguette and work a hole into it with a heating rod that also makes the bun warm up quite nice and toasty. Next they warm up the Raclatte cheese on this interesting broiling contraption. When the cheese is rich and melty, they ooze it down the opening made in the bun. Then they add the condiments you request. Lastly, they shove a hot-off-the-griddle sausage into the bun and hand it to you in a crisp white paper bag.

They offer a variety of sausages to choose from, such as German Brat, Spice Pork or even a vegan sausage (I recommend the vegan with bacon and cheese). The Swiener People also offers a sausage that has cheddar infused into it for people like me who can’t get enough cheese. I must offer a warning about this one. It burned my upper lip after I bit into it. The pressure from the heated cheese within the sausage shot some hot cheese onto my top lip, and it burned. So be careful when you bite into the cheddar cheese sausage or, as my heterosexual life partner dubbed it, The Porndog, because it might get you in the face.

Unlike the Salumi Company, you probably won’t find the Swiener touring San Diego’s Farmer’s Market circuit anymore. The owners grew tired of it and found a new outlet: San Diego’s brewery circuit. They post their whereabouts daily on Facebook, so do a search for “Swiener” and it’ll come up.

I know when you think of San Diego, you probably don’t think of beer. However, after living in San Diego for some time I’ve come to know what most San Diegans have known for quite a while. San Diego is a beer Mecca! And what goes great with beer besides Pizza? Sausage!

Beer and Sausage go hand in hand and, with the Swiener, you can literally have a beer in one hand and your Swiener in the other. The tiny paper bag that it comes in makes it easy to work your Swiener up out of the bag cleanly with one hand after every bite. So you never have to put your beer down. It does take a little practice, but once you get it, you’ll be working your Swiener up like a pro.

Lastly is the price. To get everything on your Sweiner costs $9.00. That does seem a little steep for a sausage sandwich, but it’s worth the money. So give it a shot. You won’t be disappointed.

Swieners
Swieners Official Website
Swieners Facebook page