Chef’s Choice is a brand that I personally know and love. When I was the manager of the Sur La Table Cooking School at Pentagon Row I became very familiar with this brand. From knife sharpeners to kettles to waffle makers, Chef’s Choice is a name you can trust. It is also the name I trust when it comes to purchasing a knife sharpener for your home or professional kitchen.

In addition to consumer based knife sharpeners, Chef’s choice also makes commercial grade shaprpeners for those kitchens that get more use of their knives than the regular home cook. This year Chef’s choice celebrates their 25th Anniversary. It was back in 1985 that they introduced their first electric sharpener. Today at the International Home + Housewares Show in Chicago, they are introducing their new Hybrid™ sharpener.

The launch of the new Hybrid™ line also reinforces Chef’sChoice’s leadership role in the sharpener market as the only manufacturer to provide advance technology knife sharpeners in all three sharpener categories which include: professional, fully electric powered sharpeners; the Hybrid™ category, featuring sharpeners combining electric powered and manual sharpening; and manual sharpeners which include a variety of hand held units ranging from two stage guided Diamond Hone® sharpeners to diamond coated sharpening stones.

Chef’sChoice’s new Hybrid™220 provides razor sharp edges with advanced Hybrid™ technology, which effectively combines electric and manual sharpening. Featuring two stages, an electric powered stage for sharpening and a manual stage for honing, the Hybrid™220 couples its two-stages with precise bevel angle control to provide a super sharp, arch-shaped edge that is stronger and more durable than conventional “V” shaped or hollow ground edges.

The Hybrid™220 is fast and easy to use, no guesswork. Safe for all quality knives it is compact and can be stored in a drawer or kept on a countertop. Assembled in the USA, it will be available from leading department, cutlery, hardware, specialty and cookware stores, mail-order catalogs and online retailers at a suggested retail price of $39.99. Shipments began this March 2010. For further information, visit www.chefschoice.com.

The world’s first portable espresso maker. No external power needed and small enough to carry around. This revolutionary machine produces espresso rivaling some of the best countertop espresso machines on the market at a fraction of the price and is already receiving much buzz among espresso aficionados and everyday foodies.

So who makes this wonder? Espressi does. It’s called the mypressi TWIST™. Founded by Stephen O’Brien, this device was envisioned one early morning when Stephen began to crave an espresso while on his honeymoon. “Lost” in a tropical paradise without access to an espresso maker, Stephen began contemplating the creation of a new machine that could produce a shot equal to that of any commercial machine, and yet be portable enough to travel anywhere. That morning, in a hut over a beautiful Bora Bora lagoon, the idea for the mypressi TWIST was born.

The TWIST retails for $169 US, which includes the TWIST, a pod adapter, two ESE coffee pods, a tamper, starter gas cartridges, a drip-catching coaster and travel pouch.

The following video is from the Seattle Coffee Gear, demonstrating the TWIST.

For those of you living in Seattle, visit the Seattle Coffee Gear shop in Lynwood!

CoverMate® Food Covers (www.covermatecovers.com) is now offering their popular covers in a new convenient Variety Pack which helps to provide a solution to your numerous food storage, serving, and heating challenges.

The CoverMate Variety Pack contains four sizes of their versatile food covers that stretch-to-fit any size bowl, plate, platter, container or cup. The environmentally-friendly covers, which are made from heavy duty, clear FDA-compliant food-safe material free of BPA, PVC and latex, can be reused over and over as they are dishwasher safe. In addition, the covers include built-in corners for fitting both round and square dishware, and vents which allow steam to escape during microwave re-heating.

There is no need to dirty extra dishes and in seconds you can cover a plate and go straight from the microwave, to the table, to the refrigerator. CoverMate Food Covers keep food fresh and are great for both indoor and outdoor entertaining as they protect food from insects and dust.

CoverMate is currently running a special promotion! Visit the CoverMate website where you can get a free sample pack of CoverMate Food Covers for just the $3.95 – the cost of shipping and handling. In addition, you’ll get a $1.00 off retail coupon for your next purchase!

Polder’s Buzz & Beep Digital Timer uses vibration and beep alerts to notify you when a timed task is complete.  You can mute the sound or be alerted by vibration only. The timer’s large LCD reads in hours, minutes and seconds, and has a countdown/count-up function with a 100-hour capacity and 30-second alarm.

Additionally, the Buzz & Beep’s memory function instantly recalls its last setting.  The timer comes complete with a belt clip, stand arm and batteries.

List price $14.99

Sushilicious is named by the owner’s daughter. She said let’s call it Sushi Delicious – so Daniel Woo, being the owner and marketing guy that he is, finally called it Sushilicious. I have always considered this shopping center as a destination shopping center. There is no large grocery store anchoring it, just a conglomerate of restaurants, dentist offices, insurance and formerly home to the Irvine Dance Studio. People drive to this center for a reason, it doesn’t have alot of foot traffic.

I swung by Sushilicious after seeing a posting on Facebook that they were open for business yesterday to large crowds, waiting lines and actually running out of some ingredients. Today they reopened for dinner but didn’t see the business they saw on Saturday night. Tonight was night #2 of their soft opening. I told them it was Oscar night and many are home watching the awards. Daniel plans on their real grand opening later this week. They are open for lunch starting at 11am and open throughout the day until 10pm.

Sushilicious is bright with bold colors set in a furniture set in white. Everything has clean lines and attention has been taken to the graphics on the menu and sushi labels. Sushilicious is a Kaiten style sushi place – meaning it has a conveyor belt that travels the length of the restaurant with various selections. Each plate has a color and the pricing is determined on the color of the plate. The least expensive being $1.50 a plate in green to $4.00 a plate in red. In addition to the items on the belt, you can also order any sushi item from the sushi chefs behind the line. There are a number of seats that line the “bar” but there are also booths that are right up against the belt. You can place your sushi order with the sushi chef or with your wait person.

For the tech geeks out there, all their ordering is done on iPod touches. Their POS system is Mac based! Kewl!

My dinner companion and I had several plates of sushi. My sampling included unagi (fresh water eel), sake (salmon), saba (mackerel), seared salmon and Scallop. In addition to the items on the belt, there is also a selection of Bento boxes. For around $8.99 you can get a bento box that has a protein (chicken, salmon and beef), salad, miso soup, vegetable tempura and rice. Tonight I sampled the Salmon Misoyaki. The $8.99 gives you alot of food. Ask for a larger bowl of tempura dipping sauce.

Sushilicious also offers a selection of Desserts to end your meal. My partner had the Tempura Ice Cream and I had the Assorted Mochi. Richard was most intrigued by the idea of Tempura Mochi and I said it was akin to Mexican Fried Ice Cream. I told him the ice cream has to be frozen solid. It is dipped in tempura then flash fried for less than 30 seconds. From the time the dessert comes from the fryer to the table, the ice cream starts to soften., You get a contrast of hot and cold, crispy and soft. I loved it. We also had mochi in mango, strawberry and green tea.

Our server this evening was attentive and the meal was good. The bento box was nice, but you are really here for the sushi. We found a good selection of sushi on the belt, but felt that there could have been more choices – something to set them apart. It is important to note that the master sushi chefs behind the bar have a combined 50 years of experience. The chefs are seasoned chefs and will make whatever you want. Please acknowledge them when you are seated and don’t be afraid to ask for an item you don’t see.

I’ll definitely be back later this week with my lunchmates and see how Sushilicious is doing. Meanwhile if you’re on Facebook, you can find them them at www.facebook.com/sushilicious or you can find them on Twitter as Sushilicious.

Sushilicious
15435 Jeffrey Road, #119
Irvine, CA 92618
949-552-2260
www.sushilicious.com

This evening’s meal was with friends and co-workers Lisa and her husband Ed, Joanna and her fiancé Bill, Tim (a frequent dining partner) and Diane. I was inspired to bring this group of friends and foodies because of Restaurant Week here in the OC. The Old Vine Café actually wasn’t participating in this annual event, instead offering an OC Restaurant Week every day! They offer a prix-fixe menu for lunch at $20 and also offer an early dinner menu for $40. They offer two seatings for dinner and tonight our group gathered for the 8:30 seating.

We were all very excited to sit down and start our experience. Turns out that another co-worker of ours, Laura was there with her fiancé and a group of her friends. Yes, we were invading this small, intimate space! One by one members of our group arrived with Diane being the first – soon all of us were seated and our server explained the menu to us. They were offering three tasting menus and then their single plate options. Tonight’s tasting menus consisted of a Seasonal Tasting Menu, the Original Tasting Menu and the Vegetarian Tasting Menu. I opted for the Original, Tim for the Seasonal and Lisa had the Vegetarian. The tasting menus consist of a 4 course meal and includes wine pairings all for $65.00. While the Tasting menus offer smaller portions of food, the portions were perfect and the wine pairing make the tasting menus a value.

Tonight’s review will be based on the Original Tasting Menu with tidbits from my friends at the table. First course, a Sautéed Sea Scallop on a nest of Crispy Fried Yucca finished with a tarragon Chardonnay Sauce. The server presented me with a 2003 Louisvale Chardonnay from South Africa before my dish arrived – crisp and just a tad fruity in taste. While good, by itself it was unremarkable. However once the scallop arrived, the combination of the dish with the wine made the wine come out and thoroughly enjoyable. The scallop was nicely seared and was perfect in the inside. The sauce was flavorful, but didn’t over power the taste of the scallop itself.

My second course was handmade Fettuccini Pomodoro with Aged Pecorino Romano cheese. As a maker of handmade pasta, I know what handmade pasta tastes and feels like. Here, tender ribbons of Fettuccini in a light, flavorful tomato sauce was presented to me with a glass of 2005 Tre Serre Barbera – a red Italian wine that is unoaked. The tomato sauce is simplicity at its best and the pecorino cheese is where the flavor comes from.

Our server, I apologize for not getting his name, was most informative of all of our wine pairings and was very attentive to the needs of the table every step of the way. With seating in the Old Vine Cafe maxing out around 25 or so, attention to detail is part of why many patrons of the Old Vine Café come back time after time. Next up I was served a Maipe 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon from Argentina – bold and fruity. Moments later Four Ounces of All Natural Filet Mignon & Crispy Fried Onions with Bleu Des Basque Demi Cream Sauce. While tasty and the meat at a perfect medium rare, it may have been sitting on the warming shelf a little longer than intended. The beef was lukewarm to the touch and the cream sauce seemed to have lost its sheen. As for taste, I want to learn how to make this cream sauce as it is a perfect accompaniment to the filet. Bleu de Basque cheese is made in the Pyrénées mountains in French Basque country. As mentioned before, the filet was a perfect medium rare  - I enjoyed every bite.

Now I opted for a substitution  on the fourth course and went with the Mini Pecan Tartlets garnished with vanilla Fleur De Sel Butterscotch Sauce and Whipped Cream. I’m a huge fan of salty and sweet. The addition of Fleur del Sel to the butterscotch was wonderful contrast to the sweetness of the pecans in the tartlet. But I have to be honest. I was taken by my dinnermate’s Pistachio Crusted Blue Cheese Cake drizzled with Natural Wild Flower Honey. Not a fan of Bleu Cheese as a standalone cheese, I absolutely love it in salads and with beef. Here was a slice of cheesecake made from Blue cheese that was creamy and amazing. The honey really rounded out the taste of the blue cheese in a way that I wasn’t expecting. If you go to the Old Vine Café, wait..I mean when you DO go to the Old Vine Café make sure to have the Blue Cheese Cake. It was served with a 2005 chateau Roumieu Lacose Satuernes.

What a wonderful evening. Our meal started at 8:30 and we were there fro almost three hours of great food, wine and conversation. Our group has decided that we are going to do another evening of food and wine in April.

To Mark McDonald and his staff, thank you for another wonderful and memorable meal. I need to remember that you are open for breakfast and I will need to come and try the Early Dinner Tasting Menu soon. One day I would like the opportunity to just watch you prepare and serve for one of the sittings and be an out of the way observer in the kitchen. Now THAT would be a treat!

P.S. I apologize that there are no photos in this post. I did take some, but the lighting was so dark all the photos were out of focus and dark. I really need to invest in a real camera.

Old Vine Café
2937 Bristol Street
Suite A102
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
714-545-1411
www.oldvinecafe.com

Didn’t get a chance to sample some of OC’s Best Restaurants this past week? No worries, the OC Restaurant Association is extending it one more week.

Not all the restaurants that participated this week will be hosting specials from March 7 thru 13. Take advantage of this extra week to sample some great prix-fixe menus for lunch and dinner. Lunch specials start at $10 for a 3 course meal and dinners start at $20.

• 118 Degrees – Costa Mesa (lunch only)
• 7 Seas Fish House – Garden Grove
• Anaheim White House – Anaheim
• Bayside – Newport Beach
• Bistango – Irvine
• Don the Beachcomber – Huntington Beach
• French 75 – Laguna Beach
• LUCCA – Irvine
• Hush – Laguna Beach
• Lulu’s Crêperie Café – Laguna Hills
• Marios by the Sea – Dana Point
• O’Neill’s at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club – Mission Viejo
• Ritz Restaurant and Garden, The – Newport Beach
• Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen – Anaheim
• Ruth’s Chris Steak House – Irvine
• Rusty Pelican – Newport Beach
• Sage – Newport Beach
• Sage on the Coast – Newport Beach
• Savannah Chop House – Laguna Niguel
• Spark Woodfire Grill – Huntington Beach
• The Winery Restaurant & Wine Bar - Tustin (lunch only)

Fore more information, please visit www.ocrestaurantweek.com

Located in the Irvine Marketplace off Jamboree and the 5 Freeway, the Lazy Dog Café has transformed the old French 75 location into a warm, inviting and cozy space. You walk in and you’re greeted by a hostess with a charming personality and smile in a large holding area. Inside you’re kind of reminded of Claim Jumper, but no antlers here or mining equipment strewn throughout the space. The colors are warm and inviting. The tables are good sized and each one is adorned with the Lazy Dog Café paw print – so you know these were custom tables – nice touch. The booths are sized well and can accommodate a “stocky” person like myself without feeling pinched into the booth.

My friend and co-worker Tim joined me this evening and we were surrounded by other foodies as well. The PR firm for the restaurant, Frank Goff, Inc, invited several OC based blogs to come and check out Chris Simms‘ latest location. Chris Simms is the son of Thomas Simms founder of Mimi’s Cafe. Chris and parter Roshan Mendis came together to form the Lazy Dog Café in the summer of 2003. Ever since their first location in Huntington Beach, Chris and Roshan have been very careful to choose locations for their restaurants that would attract a wide range of customers.

I can describe the food of the Lazy Dog Café as being worldly. The have a good sized menu with foods from South America, Italy, China, France, the Mediterranean and of course classic Americana. Tim and I were greeted by one of the corporate trainers. Michael is based out of the Orange location and has been on hand training the 190 employees at the Irvine location. Michael offered a suggestion of some drinks and I started with a Champagne Mojito while Tim had the Hand Muddled Citrus Margarita.

For appetizers we both shared an order of the Trio of Hummus. A trio of  sundried Tomato, Traditional Hummus and my favorite the Walnut Pesto. It was served with flatbread, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes. The flatbread had a grilled quality to it and it was seasoned just right. I could eat a whole plate of the flatbread and be very happy! Next up we both had bowls of the Simm’s family recipe of Chicken Tortilla Soup. Flavorful with tender pieces of chicken, tortilla and cheese. Tim and I couldn’t get to the bottom of our bowls fast enough. We held back though knowing we had more food on the way.

Entreés were next up. Tim ordered the Kung Pao Chicken from the Wok Platters Section, while I opted for the Bacon Wrapped Coulotte (a section of the sirloin). My steak was ordered medium-rare and served over creamy mashed potatoes, vegetables and served with a Burgundy wine sauce. My steak was perfect. Each bite was followed by an “mmm”! I found the potatoes to be extra creamy – which isn’t a bad thing, but I like my potatoes a bit chunky. Instead of just steamed vegetables, it was shredded veggies in a nice pile on top of the mashed potatoes. Tim’s Kung Pao chicken was another pleaser. Tender pieces of chicken wok seared then added to water chestnuts, onions, bell peppers and of course, peanuts. It wasn’t drowning in sauce – it was just right. You can still feel the seared texture of the chicken which I liked.

I was working on my second Champagne Mojito when Tim opted for a Pomegranate drink. I was glad there was a bit of a pause between finishing up our entreés and our dessert order. During that time we had the opportunity to chat with Shelly of the Nibbles of Tidbits food blog and with Christian of the OC Mexican Food Blog.

Our server suggested we try the Cinnamon & Sugar Pizza which is made in their wood fire oven. It is served with Vanilla Ice Cream and Whipped Cream. However, we were both intrigued by the Banana Custard and Cream dessert. Caramelized bananas are deglazed with Créme de Banana Liqueur then folded into our freshly house-made custard and topped with whipped cream. Served with crushed graham crackers, chocolate and raspberry sauces. I’m so glad we decided to get  the Banana Custard. Yummy! I liked the Cinnamon Pizza, but the Banana Custard was definitely the winner.

Somehow, before we ended our meal, I ended up with an Asian Pear Martini to end my evening. It is made with Grey Goose Pear Vodka. I think I’m going to have to invest in a bottle of the Grey Goose.

Bottomline, will I come back? Definitely. The food was good and the prices matched the amount of food on the plate. I did see quite a few people taking leftovers home, but I found the portions to be just right. Other items on the menu I want to try are:

Campfire Pot Roast
Hawaiian Fried Rice (Brunch Item)
Grilled Cheese (I’m a sucker for anything grilled and cheesy)

The Irvine location opens on Thursday, March 4. The restaurant is open seven days a week from 11:00am to midnight. They have a good size outdoor eating area and the heated gas lamps are plentiful.

I apologize for the pictures. One, the lighting was dark and they were taken on my iPhone.

Lazy Dog Café
13290 Jamboree Rd
Irvine CA 92602
Ph. (714) 731-9700
www.lazydogcafe.com

The following restaurants are confirmed for Restaurant Week but a full list can be found on the official Orange County Restaurant Week. Diners may go to there to find a full list of participants, menus, location and reservation information:

o      118 Degrees – Costa Mesa

o      230 Forest Avenue – Laguna Beach

o      25 Degrees – Huntington Beach

o      320 Main – Seal Beach

o      50 Forks – Santa Ana

o      6ix Park Grill – Irvine

o      7 Seas Fish House – Garden Grove

o      Ambrosia – Santa Ana

o      Anaheim White House – Anaheim

o      Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine – Irvine

o      Anqi – Costa Mesa

o      Antonello Ristorante – Santa Ana

o      Auld Dubliner – Tustin

o      Auld Irisher – Orange

o      Bayside – Newport Beach

o      Belacan Grill – Tustin

o      Bistango – Irvine

o      Bluewater Grill – Tustin / Newport Beach

o      Brasserie Pascal – Newport Beach

o      Cafe Jardin – Corona Del Mar

o      Catal – Anaheim

o      Cedar Creek – Brea

o      Cedar Creek – Laguna Niguel

o      Cedar Creek – San Juan Capistrano

o      Cha Cha’s - Brea

o      Chaparosa – Laguna Niguel / Tustin

o      Chart House – Dana Point / Newport Beach

o      Commonwealth Lounge & Grill – Fullerton

o      Crystal Jade – Irvine

o      Daily Grill - Irvine

o      Don the Beachcomber – Huntington Beach

o      Duke’s – Huntington Beach

o      French 75 – Laguna Beach

o      Geisha House – Santa Ana

o      Harborside Restaurant – Newport Beach

o      Haven Gastropub -  Orange

o      Hush – Laguna Beach

o      JT Schmid’s Restaurant and Brewery – Anaheim / Tustin

o      Kimera’s – Irvine

o      King’s Fish House – Laguna Hills/Huntington Beach/Orange

o      K’ya Bistro Bar – Laguna Beach

o      K’ya Street Fare – Anaheim

o      Leatherby’s Café Rouge – Costa Mesa

o      LUCCA – Irvine

o      Lulu’s Crêperie Café – Laguna Hills

o      Lumberyard – Laguna Beach

o      Manhattan Steak & Seafood – Orange

o      Marios by the Sea – Dana Point

o      Marmalade Cafe – Tustin

o      Marrakesh – Costa Mesa

o      Matador Cantina -  Fullerton

o      McCormick & Schmick’s Grille – Anaheim

o      McCormick & Schmick’s – Irvine

o      McCormick & Schmick’s – Santa Ana

o      Medieval Times – Buena Park

o      Mozambique – Laguna Beach

o      Mr. Stox – Anaheim

o      Naples Ristorante – Anaheim

o      Nello Cucina – Costa Mesa

o      Newport Landing – Newport Beach

o      Newport Rib Company – Ladera/Costa Mesa

o      Nirvana Grille – Laguna Beach

o      Nirvana Grille - Mission Viejo

o      O’Neill’s at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club – Mission Viejo

o      Opah – Aliso Viejo / Irvine

o      Orange Hill Restaurant – Orange

o      Orange County Mining Co. – Orange

o      Palm Terrace Restaurant – Newport Beach

o      Phan 55 - Irvine/Fullerton

o      Pinot Provence – Costa Mesa

o      Pizzeria Ortica – Costa Mesa

o      Port – Corona Del Mar

o      Prego Ristorante – Irvine

o      Primecut Cafe – Orange

o      Quattro Caffe – Costa Mesa

o      Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen – Anaheim

o      RA Sushi Bar Restaurant – Huntington Beach / Tustin

o      Restaurant 162′ – Dana Point

o      Ritz Restaurant and Garden, The – Newport Beach

o      Riviera at Fireside – Westminister

o      Royal Hawaiian – Laguna Beach

o      Royal Khyber – Santa Ana

o      Rusty Pelican – Newport Beach

o      Ruth’s Chris Steak House – Anaheim

o      Ruth’s Chris Steak House – Irvine

o      Sage – Newport Beach

o      Sage on the Coast – Newport Beach

o      Salerno Italian Restaurant – Laguna Beach

o      Savannah Chop House – Laguna Niguel

o      Scott’s Seafood – Costa Mesa

o      Signature Kitchen – Costa Mesa

o      SOL Cocina - Newport Beach

o      Sorrento Grille – Laguna Beach

o      Spark Woodfire Grill – Huntington Beach

o      SteerCrazy International BBQ – Capistrano Beach

o      Stonehill Tavern - St. Regis Resort – Monarch Beach

o      Summit House – Fullerton

o      Sundried Tomato – Laguna Beach / San Juan Capistrano / San Clemente

o      Tabu Grill – Laguna Beach

o      Tangata – Santa Ana

o      TAPS Fish House and Brewery – Brea

o      The Californian – Huntington Beach

o      The Cellar – Fullerton

o      The Crow Bar and Kitchen – Corona Del Mar

o      The Loft – Laguna Beach

o      The Melting Pot – Brea / Irvine / San Clemente

o      The Rooftop Lounge – Laguna Beach

o      The Winery Restaurant & Wine Bar - Tustin

o      Tommy Bahama’s Island Grille – Newport Beach

o      Tortilla Jo’s – Anaheim

o      Tradition by Pascal – Newport Beach

o      Watermarc – Laguna Beach

o      Wildfish Seafood Grille – Newport Beach

o      Wolfgang Puck Bistro – Costa Mesa

o      Zimzala – Huntington Beach

o      Zov’s Bistro – Tustin

o      Zov’s Cafe & Bar – Irvine & Newport Coast

Another quick and easy dinner. This is another one of those dishes I grew up with. Mom would cook this up real quick, but she would use cut up strips of chuck steak. I decided to use skirt streak instead.

I am a member of FoodBuzz and they asked me to review and use Kikkoman’s new Ponzu sauce. Ponzu is a citrus based sauce that is often mixed with soy sauce and called Ponzu Shoyu. Here Kikkoman has brought their soy sauce and ponzu.

I marinated the skirt steak in some ponzu for about 15-30 minutes. Next I got some olive oil heated in a saute pan. I take the marinated steak out of the ponzu sauce and pat them dry with some towels. You want to pat them dry so they sear well. Don’t throw away the ponzu. I take an onion and slice them into rings and put them in the marinade. Meanwhile I cook the skirt steaks over medium high heat. Get some good color on them. When seared on both sides, add the marinade and the onions to the pan. Continue to cook and simmer for about 7-8 minutes.

Serve over rice!

A week or so ago I made another childhood dish, Chicken Adobo. I didn’t blog about it since the photos turned out so horribly – the taste, was a different story. I need to be on the quest to make Filipino food more pleasing to the eye. While making the adobo, I have to say that the tastes and smells brought me back to the old kitchen in the house I grew up in. I, personally hadn’t made chicken adobo for probably over 15 years. My mom actually cooked it at least once a week when I was growing up.

The technique is simple (braising) and it gets better the next day. The ingredients are simple, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, peppercorns and bay leaves. Tonight I decided to change the protien out and use pork. I really wanted to do pork ribs, but didn’t find any that I liked at Fresh N Easy. So I did bone-in pork chops instead. I had to braise it a bit longer than chicken and I found that there is this magic moment when the meat starts to fall off the bone and be the most tender meat. Served over fresh rice, it sure is a pleaser.

INGREDIENTS

6 skin-on bone in chicken thighs/1 rack of pork ribs
3/4 cup Kikkoman Lite Soy sauce
3/4 cup White vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons whole peppercorns
1 whole head garlic, peeled
3 bay leaves, cracked in half

DIRECTIONS

1. Take the garlic cloves and give them a good smash, but keep them whole. Add your protien (chicken or pork) and place into your pot.

2. For chicken, bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer. Cook, covered, for 30 minutes covered. Then uncover and continue cooking until the chicken is tender and the liquid has reduced some. Turn the pieces from time to time. You’ll know its ready when the meat starts to fall off the bone.

2a. For pork, same instructions as the chicken but you’ll have to braise a bit longer as the meat is more tough than chicken. I had to do mine for over an hour – keep the lid closed. There will be a moment when the meat is tender and falls off the bone. Then take the lid off and allow liquid to reduce. Oh, if you’re buying a small rack of pork ribs, cut them down to two-three rib pieces when cooking.

3. Take off the heat and serve over fresh hot rice.

Add some sauce to the rice and enjoy!

Probably 9 out of 10 “special rolls” in most Sushi restaurants are a California Roll with some kind of topping and a squirt or two of special sauce. Some have salmon skin or fresh water eel (unagi) or avocado and fresh tuna. While eating my rolls today I found myself unimpressed. This roll smothered in sauce and spicy tuna has lost its appeal after the second piece.

I need to remember that when I go to a place that serves sushi, that it is the nigiri-sushi that I really enjoy. Here, tender pieces of fish on properly-seasoned pads of rice. This allows for the freshness of the fish to come thru. Nothing better. My top favorites tend to be:

1. Sake – salmon
2. Saba – spanish mackerel
3. Ebi – shrimp
4. Unagi – fresh water eel

Lately, however, I have lost my taste for tuna. Its odd, since I used to down piece after piece of tuna in the past.

I was talking with my friend and co-worker, Lisa Lohnes and we got into a discussion about clams and mussels which gave me the idea for tonight’s meal. This dish is soooo simple and soooo tasty! You can have this dish ready to eat in less than 15 minutes! Great quick meal for any day of the week!

Linguine with Clams
Serves 2

3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
1 can of chopped clams with its juice
3/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley leaves
salt and pepper
1/2 pound linguine
2 Tablespoons cold butter

In a sauce pan large enough to hold everything, sauté the shallots and garlic in the olive oil – be careful not to burn the garlic.  Add the clams and its juice, the wine and half your parsley and cover and continue to simmer about 7-8 minutes. Use a white wine you would actually drink. Tonight I used a Chardonnay.

While that’s going on, cook the pasta according to package instructions. Use plenty of water and don’t forget to salt your water.

Check your clams sauce…add the two tablespoons of cold butter and whisk into the sauce

When your pasta is al dente, drain and toss with the clam sauce, add remaining parsley directly in your sauté pan and salt and pepper to taste.

I loved this dish.

I love Trader Joes. I love the fact that I can buy pizza dough ready to be rolled or puched out and place it in the oven. They key for a nice crust is a HOT oven. Oh…and invest in a pizza stone. You can find them anywhere these days. Set your oven to the maximum it will go in BAKE, don’t set it to BROIL. Give time for your pizza stone to heat up and absorb the heat. Meanwhile…

Take one package of Trader Joe’s pizza dough and remove it from the bag. I like to set mine out on the counter with some flour and give it some time to get to room temperature. Once at room temperature, roll it in some of the flour and section off a piece for a single size pizza.

I don’t like to roll mine out. I take it in my hands and slowly stretch and let gravity take a hold of it to stretch the dough. The dough is pretty resilient so don’t be afraid to pull. I get mine to an oval shape ouat 8 inches wide or so. Once you get the shape (it shouldn’t be perfect) make sure to lay it on some flour so it doesn’t stick. I then slide mine onto my pizza paddle. You will want to assemble your ingredients while its on your paddle. If you don’t have a paddle, any flat surface will do, just make sure you have enough flour on the bottom so it will slide off your surface.

My pizza was amazingly simple: pizza sauce, mozzerella, pepperoni and goat cheese. slide your pizza on the well heated stone.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until you see the edges have browned and the cheese is bubbly.

Yumm!!!

This was a dish I grew up with as a kid. Arroz (Rice) and Caldo (Hot) and always made with chicken. Very similar to other Asian porridges or Congee. My version is not as soupy as some Congee I have eaten. I have never made it as an adult, so this is my variation of a recipe I found on the internet. (My mom wasn’t available to ask…)

INGREDIENTS

1. 3 chicken thighs
2. 2 cups of medium grain rice (note not long grain rice)
3. 1.5 qt. of chicken stock (preferable stock you made, but canned is ok)
4. 7-8 quarter sized slices of ginger (peeled, sliced into “coins” then smashed)
5. 4 cloves of garlic (minced)
6. 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
7. 2 tablespoons fish sauce
8. 1/2 cup sliced shiitake caps (discard stems)
9. salt and pepper

GARNISH

1. green onions
2. Lime

DIRECTIONS

• In a large pot, heat some olive oil.
• Salt and pepper your thighs and brown the chicken on both sides, skin side first.
• When you flip over the chicken, add the chopped onion and let it sauté until the other side of the chicken browns.
• Add minced garlic, give a quick toss and add uncooked rice.
• Mix around the rice and add the fish sauce.
• Add ginger. Mix around and add 1 qt of chicken stock. Reserve the rest for later.
• Cover and bring to simmer.
• When it comes to a simmer bring your heat to medium and continue to stir well. Add your slicked shiitake mushrooms.
• Making sure rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of your pot.
• Continue to check the tenderness of the rice (much like risotto). If mixture is getting too thick, add your reserved stock a little at a time.
• When rice is cooked just right, pull your chicken thighs out and take rice off the heat.
• Shred the thighs with 2 forks. Discard the skin.
• Return the shredded chicken to the porridge. If it seems that the rice is too thick, add some of your reserved stock again and stir.
• Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
• Garnish with green onions and a lime slice.

ENJOY! Squeeze lime over rice before eating.

That’s right. Burger King is getting ready to setup a Whopper Bar in South Beach, Florida. Patrons will be able to grab a Whopper and American beer 24 hours a day in this new concept for the burger chain.

This isn’t their first venture however. They have been testing the idea in Venezuela, Singapore and Munich. In 2008 they opened a Whopper Bar at the Universal Orlando Resort, but I’m not sure if they served beer or not.

The bar will offer delivery for local patrons, a walk-up window and there will be on-site outdoor seating.

This was a concept drawing for a Whopper Bar that was released last year related to the opening of the Universal Orlando Resort location.

Orange County Restaurant Week – February 28 to March 6

Newport Beach Restaurant Week – January 22 to January 28

Los Angeles Restaurant Week(s) – January 24 to January 29; January 31 to February 5

San Diego Restaurant Week – January 17 to January 22

Take advantage of special lunch &  dinner menus and pricing during each event. The San Diego event has a contest this year to win a year’s worth of free dining (eat out every weekend). Los Angeles is offering a chance to win several $100 gift cards good at participating restaurants up there.

Shannon has been affiliated with the Back Bay Rugby Team in Newport Beach since 1997. They are having their annual Fundraiser and will be hosting a Silent Auction and Wine Tasting event. The event will be held at the South Coast Winery savoring the delights of the vineyard and enjoying some hors d’oeuvres.

Ten wines will be featured with 5 tastings and hors d’oeuvres.

When: Saturday, February 6th, 2010
Location: South Coast Winery, 3608 South Bristol Street in Santa Ana

Cost: $40 per Person
Time: 7 until 10 pm
Dress Code: Cocktail Attire

RSVP: Before January 23rd, 2010.
For tickets please contact Gina Bonnett, gbonnettbbrfc@yahoo.com

The picture doesn’t look to great since steamed salmon doesn’t look too great – but it sure tasted great! I steamed the salmon in a parchment pouch with:

Julienned Leeks
Baby Bok Choy
1 Tablespoon of Lite Soy Sauce
1/2 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
2 drops of Sesame Oil
Salt and Pepper

In a pre-heated 400 degree oven, place your pouch in the over for about 12 minutes. When done, removed from oven and tear open your package at the table!

Tonight the long awaited episode of Iron Chef  America featuring the secret ingredient of national importance. Iron Chefs Mario Batali and Bobby Flay were joined by Chef Emeril Lagasse and White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford.

It was nice to see Chef Lagasse on the Food Network again after his departure a year ago. However the highlight for me was getting to see Chef Cristeta Comerford in action. Chef Comerford has been the White House Executive Chef since 2005. She is a Filipina and that has been quite inspiring to me. Chef Comerford has the distinction of being the first woman to hold the post and the first Filipino appointed to this awesome position. However she has been working at the White House since 1995 when she was recruited by the then White House Chef Walter Schieb. When Chef Schieb resigned in 2005, First Lady Laura Bush appointed Chef Comerford to her current position.

The “super battle” followed normal Iron Chef style with the secret ingredient being anything that is in the White House garden. Earlier this year, First Lady Obama helped to place an 1,100 square foot planting area that has over 50 kinds of vegetables and fruits as well as honey. Yes, honey. The White House has it’s own bee farm and they harvest fresh honey from the bees. The bees also help with germination in the garden as well.

Iron Chef Flay was paired with Chef Comerford while Legasse and Batali were teamed up on the other side of Kitchen Stadium. The four chefs hand picked their vegetables from the garden then were “whisked” up to New York to the Kitchen Stadium studios. There the chairman (on a flat screen) said the challenge was to create dishes that will inspire American to cook with fresh vegetables and understand the importance of local farming and sustainability. In addition to the vegetables from the garden, they were also given an array of proteins all from local sources within 1200 miles of the Stadium.

In regular Iron Chef fashion, each team needed to make five courses. I won’t go into each of the dishes here, you can watch the episode on the Food Network. What I will say is that both teams tried their best to highlight the vegetables from the garden. First Lady Obama hinted earlier that she definitely wanted to see Sweet Potatoes used tonight.

The winners of tonight’s battle will win a donation of $25,000 to a charity of their choice. Both teams did a great job in highlighting the garden.

I was really impressed with First Lady Obama’s initiative to place a garden on the grounds of the White House. Many in the past have protested the placement of a garden on the grounds saying it didn’t fit with the formality of the White House. This garden isn’t the first however. For those that remember, a small garden was started on the roof of the White House during the Clinton administration. Prior to that Presidents Adams, Wilson and Roosevelt had some kind of garden on the grounds.

I try my best to purchase locally and try to make it to my local farmers’ markets in the area. The two I attend regularly are the Irvine and Aliso Viejo markets on Saturday and Sunday mornings respectively. I also joined a CSA group. FarmFreshToYou.com will deliver locally grown vegetables and fruits to you on a frequency of your choosing. They have diffent plans and sizes to choose from. I have been VERY happy with the selection of vegetables.

FarmFreshToYou.com is run by Capay Farms which is headquartered in Northern California and has recently opened up farmland just north of Los Angeles with auxillary farms in the Inland Empire. Every two weeks I have a small box of vegetables and fruits delivered to me. But they go further. YOu can log onto their website to see what is on harvest for the upcoming week. They also give you the opportunity to “block” something from your box and subsitutute with something else – a feature that I think makes FarmFreshToYou.com very unique. The prices are reasonable, but most importantly I know my money is going straight to the farmer and I’m supporting local farms.

If tonight’s show does anything beyond its entertainment factor, it’s that we all have the ability and choice to support local farming and sustainability. Fresh ingredients are the best ingredients for any chef, home or professional…

Ok…so this is my last DinnerInDisguise entry for 2009. I was shopping at Nina’s Grocery in Lake Forest which specializes in Indian and British Foods. My original goal was to buy Pastie or Empanada dough. Unfortunately, they don’t carry it anymore and none of the friendly employees had a clue as to what I was talking about. They even offered Samosa dough to me, but told them it was the wrong kind. Well while I was in there, there was a frozen “pie” section filled with British labels. I was intrigued and bought a pie and some Sticky Toffee Pudding. The pie was made by a company called Piccadilly Fine Foods. I bought the Steak and Mushroom Meat Pie. The description:

Ground Beef Chuck Steak and Fresh Mushrooms. Slowly Simmered in a Rich Brown Sauce with Onion Herbs and Spices.

Well I put it in the oven for the suggested 20 minutes at 375. I took a couple of pictures and then I broke into it:

It didn’t look very appetizing. I was a mash of ground beef in a dark brown sauce. I have to be honest in the fact that I did “look” for mushrooms, but I couldn’t find one.

Then I tasted it.

It tasted like NOTHING. There was no seasoning in the sauce. The crust tasted like nothing, dense and brown.

Now….yes, it was a frozen pastie, but I have had Frozen Turkey Pot Pie made by Swanson’s that had 100x more flavor than this pastie.

Now, I have the ambition to make something similar but give it some real flavor. I will see if I can get to it this weekend.

So to my British co-workers, Steven and Julian, I assume that pasties in the UK aren’t supposed to taste like this…

The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes are summoning the best teen chefs across the U.S. and Canada to showcase their culinary talents in The Art Institutes Best Teen Chef Competition 2010.

The top prize winner will earn a full-tuition scholarship toward a bachelor’s degree, associate’s degree, certificate program or diploma program to study culinary arts at one of the more than 30 participating Art Institutes schools.

Now in its eleventh year, The Art Institutes Best Teen Chef Competition awards more than $200,000 in tuition scholarships to The Art Institutes schools to high school seniors in the U.S. and Canada (excluding Quebec) interested in pursuing a career in the fast growing culinary industry.

Local cook-off competitions will take place at participating locations of The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes on April 17, 2010.

First place local winners will progress to the National Best Teen Chef Final Round Competition, which will be held on Saturday, May 15, 2010 at The Art Institute of Houston.

In addition to a full-tuition scholarship and the title of Best Teen Chef 2010, the national first place winner will be an “Intern for a Day” at Food Network Kitchens in New York City. The winner will also receive a tour of Food Network’s studios, dinner for two at a Food Network chef’s restaurant and a library of Food Network Kitchens cookbooks.

“It’s great to see the passion and enthusiasm for food in the eyes of the Best Teen Chef competitors,” says Chef Michael Nenes, Assistant Vice President of Culinary Arts for The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes. “They have a drive, focus and an understanding of food that produces beautifully presented and great tasting results.”

To be eligible to enter the competition, high school seniors must first submit a completed Entry & Release Form by February 5, 2010 to a participating International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes location where they wish to enter the competition. Deadline for complete entries into the competition is February 26, 2010.

To learn how to enter the Best Teen Chef Competition 2010 and view full details, visit http://www.artinstitutes.edu/pr.aspx?ID=ai1017.

Did any of you catch Gordon Ramsay’s show last night, Cookalong LIVE?

In the show he made a three-course meal in one hour. One of the dishes he made was Steak Diane. I have been craving beef for several days now and decided that I was going to have Steak Diane, but with a Ribeye steak instead.  The recipe below is a severly edited version of Gordon Ramsay’s recipe from last night.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Rib Eye Steak
• 3 shallots, peeled
• 4 ounces crimini mushrooms, cleaned (if crimini unavailable use button mushrooms instead)
• 1 tablespoon salted butter
• 2 small garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, to taste (I used Reduced Sodium)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup brandy or cognac
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• Small handful of flat-leaf parsley

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat oven to 300f.

Cook the potatoes in a pot of boiling salted water for 10 minutes or until just tender. Drain the potatoes and set aside.

Heat a little olive oil in a skillet pan large enough to accommodate the Ribeye steak. Get a good sear on your Ribeye. When you have good color on the one side, flip over and sear for a minute.  Place pan in the oven.

I took a tablespoon of some fat from the Ribeye and placed it in another saute pan and added another tablespoon of Olive oil. Slice the shallots and add to the pan, allow to soften briefly before slicing and adding the mushrooms with a tablespoon of butter. Crush in the garlic using a garlic press or mince finely.

Add the Worcestershire sauce, then the mustard and heat through for a minute. Turn up the heat and tilt the pan away from you. Pour the brandy into the far end and allow it to ignite – be careful that the flame that flares up doesn’t singe your eyebrows! Once the alcohol has burnt off, swirl the juices around the pan. Add the cream and allow the sauce to thicken before turning down the heat. [NOTE: I have an electric stove, so obviously I didn't have a flame. So what I did was add the brandy and ignited it with one of those long neck lighters. Worked like a charm. Do be careful the initial flash goes pretty high, so I pulled my pan away from under my fan/microwave unit. When the flames started to go down, I put it back on the stove.]

Chop the parsley and add half to the pan.

By the time you finish the sauce, your ribeye should be about a medium. If you want med-rare, take it out halfway thru the sauce prep. Place your ribeye on your plate and let rest for a couple of minutes. Meanwhile, take the juices from your pan and pour it into your brandy sauce and mix well. This adds TONS of flavor.

I hope you enjoy this, I sure did!

Something really quick. The noodles were from the Ramen packet, but I didn’t use the seasoning packet. I usually find that the seasoning packet is many salt. Use chicken broth instead, you’ll enjoy it more. The spam/ham/kielbasa will release some of the fat in the meat and it will permeate into the broth. Yummm!

INGREDIENTS

2 Cans of Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1/2 cup water
1 Tablespoon Lite Soy
1/2 Teaspoon of Japanese Sesame Oil
Pepper to taste
1 Package of Top Ramen (or similar brand) – discard seasoning packet
Some sliced mushrooms
Few slices of leftover spam or ham or Polska Kielbasa
Scallion thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS

Mix all the ingredients together except noodles and scallions.

Bring to a boil then add mushrooms and meat. Simmer for 1 minute. Season with fresh ground pepper. Pinch of salt if it needs it.

Add noodles and cook for 2-3 minutes. Break noodles up and serve. Garnish with scallions.

Enjoy!

Yea!!

So if you see me around the OC, honk!!