I had an awesome time at the OC Foodie Fest yesterday. Over 50 Gourmet Food Trucks were in one place at the Anaheim Honda Center. Watch my video!

If you’re on an “iDevice” you can watch the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7uDZnTMlG4

The winner of today’s 2nd set of tickets to the OC Foodie Fest goes to Mike C of Valencia! Mike is taking his wife and making the trek down from the Santa Clarita Valley tomorrow!

Mike said:

Very happy to see i have finally won something on the internet.

We live in the Santa Clarita Valley (Valencia)  and have pretty much chased the Kogi truck around our valley on its visits out here. Its bad when we arrive and we can tell by the number of people in line how long the wait will be. So perhaps its time to start backing off.

I use to work for Disney Imagineering (retired) and made way to many visits to Disney parks world wide. I will be going to Blizzcon in Oct but have never been to comic-con so go figure.

I like the Great food Truck Race and hope Nom-Nom doesn’t run away with the whole thing as Grill em Up makes a charge soon.

Again, congrats Mike (the guy on the right…) and we’ll see you tomorrow at the OC Foodie Fest!

I’m feeling generous today and have 2 more tickets for tomorrow’s OC Foodie Fest at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

Luvina Martinez won ticket’s earlier this week, why don’t you join her?

If you want these two tickets, sign up for an email feed of Foodie In Disguise in the box to the right. A random person will be selected from any new submission today.

Contest ends at 9pm tonight.

Ticket’s will be emailed to you in PDF format. You will need to print the tickets out and bring them with you to the OC Foodie Fest!

Good Luck!

For those not familiar, Schwan’s Home Service has been delivering restaurant quality foods to homes since 1952. Starting in Minnesota with one truck, the Schwan’s business has grown to over 6,000 Schwan’s Customer Service Managers delivering to homes all across the U.S.

I first met Chef Jet when I was a chef’s assistant at The New School of Cooking in Culver City. It was there that I get to see his charisma and culinary mastery at work as he taught scores of students Asian Cuisine and mastering the Wok. Chef Jet is the Executive Chef of the Wazuzu Restaurant in the Encore Resort in Las Vegas and has been named the Best Asian Restaurant. You can read more about Chef Jet on his website at www.chefjet.com.

So in addition to Ed Cotton’s win tonight on Bravo’s Top Chef for his Gnocchi dish, check out Chef Jet’s Asian dishes!

www.schwans.com/chefjet

www.schwans.com/topchef

Congratulations to Luvina Martinez of Orange who won 2 tickets to this Saturday’s OC Foodie Fest in Anaheim.

She will join many of you in sampling some of the best Gourmet Food Truck cuisine that Southern California has to offer!!

50 trucks will be gathered at the Honda Center in Anaheim to give you the best sampling and variety of food out there. In addition to the food, a nice selection of local bands will be performing.

Luckily, our little heat wave will be gone by Saturday as daytime highs for Saturday will top at 72 degrees with lots of sunshine in Anaheim.

Our winner, Luvina Martinez is married and has 2 children.  She is a local girl born and raised here in Orange.  She works in the medical field and enjoys reading, exercising and baking. She enjoys trying new things and  looks forward to trying out the variety of foods on Saturday as well as hearing the bands.

Do you want to join Luvina this Saturday? Tickets are almost sold out so buy your tickets now! Visit www.ocfoodiefest.com and click on the BUY TICKETS link now to get your tickets!

We’ll see you on Saturday and if you see me, stop me and say hello!

The Great Food Truck Race

First of all, let’s talk about Food Network’s newest show, The Great Food Truck Race hosted by Tyler Florence. 7 gourmet food trucks from across the U.S. come together to compete against each other in a race for the best food truck. Four teams are from Southern California: Nom Nom Truck (Bahn Mi Sandwiches), Crepes Bonaparte (Crepes), Nana Queens (Wings and Banana Pudding) and Grill ‘Em All (Burgers).

Let’s catch everyone up. The other teams are The Austin Grill Press (Paninis), Rajin’ Cajun (Cajun) and Spencer on the Go (French). All 7 trucks meet in Los Angeles and meet Tyler. There, Tyler tells them they will be competing with each other and that each week, the truck that makes the most money wins. The truck that brings in the least, goes home. Simple and to the point. Each week, the truck starts out with no inventory and they will be given a designated amount of money for each challenge and they will need to find their supplies in whatever city they end up in. In addition, Tyler has a few “truck stops” along the way. Truck stops are mini-challenges meant to further the competition between the truckers.

Since 4 of the teams are from Southern California, it wasn’t fair to the other trucks that the SoCal trucks knew all the purveyors in the area so off to San Diego they go. There they have 36 hours to purchase, cook and sell. The first show we find that Nana Queens didn’t bring in enough money to stay in the competition. The winner? The Nom Nom Truck with their awesome Bahn Mi sandwiches! Congrats!

This week, we are in Santa Fe, New Mexico and the remaining trucks come together once again. This week they only have $300 for food and that’s not alot of money. On the drive to Santa Fe, the teams are on the phone trying to make partnerships and find out where to buy food, hoping to get some kind of advantage. So they are off and Tyler has a Truck Stop challenge. On the 2nd day of selling, Tyler calls each truck and tells them that they have to integrate Chiles into the menu and have a special. All the trucks scramble to make a special except one. The Nom Nom truck has been doing so well in sales, that they have decided not to participate in the challenge – big risk. The team that has the best Chile dish gets immunity in this week’s elimination.

So how did it turn out? The three remaining Southern California truck came out on top this week. Nom Nom, won this week bringing in almost 2x more income than the 2nd place winner. Congrats to Nom Nom, Crepes Bonaparte and Grill ‘Em All.

Next week they travel to Ft. Worth Texas. Good luck all!

OC Foodie Fest is Just Around The Corner

Next Saturday is an awesome event that you can’t miss! 50 Gourmet Food Trucks from all over will be in ONE PLACE this Saturday, August 28 at the Honda Center in Anaheim. It’s the OC Foodie Fest! This is YOUR chance to sample food from one of the widest varieties in one place. Come and support the trucks and have some great food while at the same time, raise money for some local charities like ChildShare, Pretend City’s Children Museum and Cart for a Cause.

But you know what?? You can win a pair of tickets to the OC Foodie Fest, but hurry, the contest ends on Monday, August 23 at 11:59pm. On Tuesday morning, the winner of the 2 tickets will be announced! So visit this link and enter the contest!

If you don’t win, know that your admission fee goes to help some great charities! We’ll see you next Saturday!

Tickets Prices:
General Admission (Pre-Sale)
Adult – $12.00
Child Under 12 – $6.00
Child 3 & Under – Free

Family 4 Pack (Pre-Sale)
2 Adult + 2 Child (Under 12)
General Admission Tickets
Price: $30.00

VIP Admission (Pre-Sale)
Adult – $50.00
Child Under 12 – $8.00
Child 3 & Under – Free

At The Door (Available if the event has not sold out)
General Admission – $15
VIP Admission – $60

When I got there, I was happily greeted and then saw the CASH ONLY sign on the cash register. I asked if I could place my order and then get some cash. I went next door to 7-11 to get some cash. My luck would have the ATM was down and unable to dispense cash. Luckily, you can do cash back with purchase.

I placed an order for the #1 which is the Cheese Steak with Fried Onions, Peppers and any choice of cheese. I ask for the regular order, but hold the peppers. I know, some of you would say it’s not a Cheese Steak unless there are peppers. Well I like my Cheese Steaks with cheese and onions. I also placed an order for a #12 which is their Italian Hoagie: Salami, Capicola, Ham, Provolone, oil and oregano.

They offer three sizes for their sandwiches, small, medium and large. While I was getting cash, they started my order and by the time I returned the sandwiches were just about done. The meat was just coming off the grill onto the paper and the Italian Hoagie was already done. It looked big on the counter. My Cheese Steak was done as he slid the meat from the spatula into the bread. He wrapped it in butcher paper and placed it next to the Italian Hoagie. The cashier placed it in the bag and off I went.

When I got home I found out why the sandwiches looked big, they were very loosely wrapped. The Cheese Steak looked good. It had a good smell and the cheese was still gooey. However, once I tasted the sandwich I took a few more bites and decided in my head that it wasn’t the best Cheese Steak I have had. The meat was remarkably dry and it wasn’t as seasoned as it could have been. The bread was also quite dry and tasteless. Bummer.

Next came my Italian Hoagie. I unwrapped the loosely wound butcher paper. The sandwich was dripping wet. This hoagie was oozing tons of Italian Dressing. It had a nice amount of meat in the roll. As I tried to see past the wet lettuce, I also saw pickles. Sorry, but pickles shouldn’t be in an Italian Hoagie in my opinion. I took the wet pickles out and took a bite. The bread is the same as the Cheese Steak but it absorbed a good bit of the dressing. The meats tasted good, but I couldn’t get past the drenched lettuce. I took the wet lettuce out as well as the tomato slice and just had the meat, cheese and bread. It wasn’t that bad, but all that dressing really ruined the sandwich for me.

I really got excited when I read the reviews for Franks and unfortunately I think my expectations were set high. The sandwiches were ok, but my experiences at places like Claros, John’s and Cortinas far outweigh my meal at Franks.

Perhaps I will go back and get that #2 and see if the mushrooms make for a better Cheese Steak…

Frank’s Philadelphia
2244 Fairview Road
Costa Mesa, CA
949-722-8725

The OC Foodie Fest is coming in a few days and this is your chance to win 2 tickets to the event! That’s right, here is your chance to win (2) tickets to this AWESOME event.

The OC Foodie Fest brings together 50 Gourmet Food Trucks in one place! Did I say 50?? Yes! 50 Gourmet Food Trucks all in one place so you can eat to your heart’s desire. A sampling of trucks are as follows:

• Barcelona on the Go
• Calbi bBQ
• Cool Haus
• Dim Sum Truck
• Fishlips Sushi
• Flying Pig Truck
• Frysmith
• Get Shaved
• Komodo
• LudoTruck
• NaNa Queens (As seen on The Great Food Truck Race on the Food Network)
• Taco Dawg
• The Slice Truck
• Tropical Shave Ice
• White Rabbit Truck (Filipino Fusion Food!)

What an awesome sampling of the trucks that will be at the Honda Center on Saturday, August 28 from 11:30am to 7:00pm.

So how do you win tickets to the OC Foodie Fest 2010??

Answer a two part question in the comments area. A random selection will be drawn out of the answers on Tuesday, August 24 to win the (2) tickets.

In order to qualify, you have to answer both parts of the question. You have until 11:59pm on Monday, August 23 to enter!

QUESTION:

How do you support local farmers and sustainability practices in your lifestyle and what truck do you most look forward to eating at the OC Foodie Fest?

Everyone in line around me was talking about how they heard it was better than In & Out. We had young people there, teenagers, parents and their parents – all of them waiting to get their hands around a nice juicy burger. People were walking up to the complimentary peanuts that were on hand, but oddly, the floor was very clean. My Five Guys experience in the past was filled with images of empty peanut shells all over the floor. It added to the ambiance of the place.

All around me I could see content, happy faces. I don’t think I saw any frowns or looks of dissatisfaction. It was my turn to order. I ordered a Cheeseburger with onions, lettuce, ketchup and mayo. In addition, I got the Five Guys Fries. They offer another version of their fries, Cajun Style, which I did not get. Once I placed my order, my burger was up within 8 minutes. The crew behind the counter kept things going.

I took my order to go. The place was packed and so was the outdoor seating. But the real reason I got mine to go is that there is an In & Out about 3 miles away and I wanted to do a side by side comparison.  So off I went, got back on Tustin Avenue and headed North. The In & Out had a short drive thru line. I ordered a Double-Double.

I raced home and quickly took my burgers out of their bags and onto their plates. I live about 17 miles away, so this comparison better be worth the 34 round-trip miles!

So let’s talk about Five Guys first. You get more meat in their burger and for me, it tasted better than the In & Out Double-Double. For me, the In & Out burger is also saltier than Five Guys. Another difference you notice from the first bite is the bun. Five Guys has a softer bun with Sesame Seeds, while the In & Out bun is your regular old bun. During the ride home, it seemed that the Five Guys bun survived better. Each bite was into a soft, billowy bun. In addition, you can actually taste the beef of the burger. In & Out, not so much.

So let’s talk about the fries. I have to say that I am addicted to the In & Out fries which are skinnier than their Five Guys counterparts. The folks at Five Guys keeps the skin on their potatoes and you get a meatier stick of potato at Five Guys. If you look on their wall, they list where their potatoes come from. The Five Guys fry didn’t survive the ride home so much. By the time I got them on the plate, they were soggy. But to their defense, so were In & Out’s. Tastewise, I prefer the In & Out fries. But to be honest, I’m not much of a french fry guy.

So for me, the burger award goes to Five Guys, but the fries go to In & Out!

Make the trip out to Orange or up to Carson to get a bite of this East Coast legend. You won’t regret the drive, trust me!

Five Guys Burgers
1549 Katella Ave.
Orange, CA 92867
714-532-5544

Now the title of this entry is Cupcake Chaos. I say that with love and with some frustration. Today’s event is about getting to taste some great cupcakes, but it was also a fundraiser to bring awareness to human trafficking. Based on the amount of people that showed up, I think they will raise a good chunk of money.

I went to today’s Cupcake Camp OC being held at the Atrium Hotel and it was a little chaotic. First off, there wasn’t enough hotel parking to support the attendees. The hotel’s parking lot is a series of one way “alleys” that made it difficult to navigate. I got there just past 3:00pm and every slot was filled. So I parked in the parking lot behind the hotel that was clearly marked, NO HOTEL parking, but what was I to do? Many folks were parking there and walking to the hotel, so I joined in.

Once I got to the front the hotel, there was a line stretching out the door. The line was long and registration to get into the event was on the 2nd floor. Several volunteers were trying to make progress by pre-registering folks towards my part of the line. Just as I was “next” I was asked to move forward in the line which was further up the stairs. Meanwhile some folks towards the back of the line decided it was ok to split the line into two and go in ahead of us that have been waiting longer. Volunteers were all over the place, but I think they were just overwhelmed. For registration, they were asking for everyone’s email address and they had to write it down. The entrance fee of $10 which was good towards three cupcakes inside. Ok, not too bad considering. When I finally paid and got my three tickets I was placed into another line only to find that they were waiting to pay and register as well. Meanwhile I looked over at empty computer stations and cashiers that weren’t really doing anything. Volunteers were walking around with wads of cash in their hands as they doled out tickets and gathered email addresses.

Once I got into the main hall, it was just madness. Cupcake vendors were lined up against the walls while everyone else was trying to make their way in and get at the cupcakes. Some places where full of inventory while others like, Frostings Cupcakes, were completely out of cupcakes.  It was very crowded, so I have to say that this was a success for the organizers. I think the venue has to be way bigger next year!

I stayed for about 30 minutes but I was getting claustrophobic and left. The lines were too dense and packed in I didn’t walk away with one cupcake, even the three “free” ones I was supposed to get with my entrance fee. I was happy to donate the money.The show was only about 45 minute in, but they had three hours of events lined up. I hope they have enough cupcakes to last that long.

Please visit the cupcakecampoc website and donate money to their cause of awareness of human trafficking if you weren’t able to make it to today’s event.

I’m sorry that I walked away frustrated, but I don’t do well in large crowds and it got the best of me. Many folks there were happy to be eating their little wonders of frosting and cake and having an awesome time. This wasn’t the place and time to say hello to the bakers and introduce myself.

Congrats to all the contest participants and hope that the winner of the cupcake eating contest feels ok tomorrow!

Come to the Cupcake Camp OC, tomorrow, August 1 at 3:00pm at the Atrium Hotel near John Wayne Airport!

Entrance fee is $10 at the door and all the proceeds from the entrance fee to the sale of cupcakes goes towards the cause.

You can get more information on their website at cupcakecampoc.wordpress.com

Allrecipes.com

Allrecipes.com, part of the Reader’s Digest Association (RDA) brand announced on July 29, the premiere of its first original web series, “Allrecipes.com What’s Cooking?” The webisodes will take viewers into the kitchens of home cooks across America and learn the tips, tricks and stories behind America’s best-loved recipes.

The first “Allrecipes.com What’s Cooking?” webisode premiered on July 29 at http://allrecipes.tv/, with new videos posted every Thursday. The season includes 26 episode lasting about 4 to 8 minutes. Their first stop is in Seattle, Portland, then off to New Jersey.

Allrecipes.tv will be hosted by Michael Ketchum.

Watch their first episode here:

Or click here at: http://allrecipes.tv/#ooid=o4cWFnMTrwPD7Y3PJ8EIh8Gl9MzNs8jb

Some of the best Food Trucks in Southern California will be gathering in The OC for the OC Foodie Fest which will take place at the Honda Center in Anaheim. The event takes place on Saturday, August 28 from 11:30am until 7:00pm. Advance tickets are available online for $12 a person and $6 for kids under 12. You can also purchase a family 4 pack (2 adult and 2 children under 12) for $30. If tickets haven’t sold out, tickets will be available at the event for $15. There are VIP tickets available, but get them fast as they will max at 350 tickets. VIP get’s you in a half hour earlier, separate dedicated entrance, access to a fully tented area with a great view of the entertainment stage, free tasting samples, free snack bar and more! VIP tickets are $50 pre-sale and $60 at the door, but I doubt they will have any at that point.

50 Food Trucks will be there and its a great list:

Here’s the official 50  food truck line-up:

AhnJooLA
Barbie’s Q
Barcelona on the Go
Buttermilk Truck
Calbi BBQ
Cart for a Cause
Chunk-N-Chip
Cool Haus
Crepes Bonaparte
Dim Sum Truck
Dogzilla Hot Dogs || VIP Area Food Truck Sponsor||
Don Chow Tacos
Dos Chinos
Dumpling Station
Fishlips Sushi
Flying Pig Truck
Fresh Fries LA
Frysmith
Get Shaved || VIP Area – Food Truck Sponsor||
Great Balls on Tires
Green Truck
India Jones
Komodo || VIP Area Food Truck Sponsor||
Kona Ice Beach Cities
KrazyBBQ
Longboard’s Ice Cream
Louk’s To Go
LudoTruck
Maui Wowie
Morsels Baking Company
My Kabob Express
NaNa Queens
Nom Nom Truck
Oh For Sweet’s Sake
Piaggio on Wheels || VIP Area – Food Truck Sponsor||
Seabirds
Ta Bom
Taco Dawg || VIP Area – Food Truck Sponsor||
Tasty Meat!
The Gastrobus
The Lime Truck
The Manila Machine
The Place LA
The Shrimp Guys
The Sweets Truck || VIP Area - Food Truck Sponsor||
Tropical Shave Ice
Uncle Lau’s BBQ
Vizzi Truck
White Rabbit Truck || VIP Area Food Truck Sponsor||
World Fare

The event not only gives you a chance to experience some of the best food on wheels that Southern California has to offer, but we’ll be raising money to benefit Child SHARE, Cart for a Cause and the Pretend City Children’s Museum.

There will be lots of entertainment, arts and crafts and more. Visit www.ocfoodiefest.com for more information and to purchase tickets

• Barcelona on the Go
• Dan Dan BBQ
• The Cupcake Lady
• The SeaBird Truck
• The Lime Truck

Joanna and I decided to break up and she got in line at Barcelona, while I went over to The Lime Truck. There, I ordered the Lime Club Sandwich and an order of Blue Crab Ceviche. Meanwhile over at Barcelona on the Grill, Joanna ordered a Catalan Sausage Sandwich and an order of Quince and Manchego. We wanted Empanadas, but something happened to the fryer. The Paella was the first item to sell out. Esteban, the owner said, if you call and place your “reservation” he will hold paella for you. Show up and the truck and he’ll have your Paella ready.

[Show as slideshow]

Tonight’s dinner was actually in two parts. I made the Orzo salad the night before and the chicken breast was cooked tonight.

Orzo Salad
Original Recipe by Giada DiLaurentiis

• 1/2 lb Orzo
• 1/2 cup Crumbled Feta
• 2 TB plus 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Fresh Ground Pepper
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
• 1/4 cup of Pine Nuts Roasted
• 1 handful of Baby Arugula Leaves

Cook the Orzo according to the package (approx 6-8 minutes) in plenty of water and salt. While the Orzo cooks, roast your pine nuts. Place the nuts in a skillet and toss over med-high heat until golden brown. They can burn very easily, keep your eye on them and swirl them in the skillet until your get the color you want. When done, remove from skillet and let cool. Place the cooled pine nuts and the lemon juice, salt, pepper, feta cheese and cranberries in a large bowl. When Orzo is cooked, drain and place on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle the 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the Orzo and spread out. This will help cook the Orzo faster. The Orzo should be cool enough in about 10 minutes. Place the cooled Orzo in the bowl  and toss lightly. Add your baby arugula leaves in If you can’t find baby arugula leaves, just rough chop regular arugula leaves] and toss adding the 1/2 cup of olive oil slowly. [We’re looking for moistness not wetness, so if you don’t use all the olive oil that’s ok. Taste it. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. The salad is great at room temperature, but its even better after it has sat in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.

Pan Seared Chicken

• 1 Chicken Breast
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Teaspoon of Salt
• Freshly Ground Pepper
• 1 TB Italian Herb Seasoning (Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, Basil, etc…)

Place chicken breast and all ingredients in a Ziploc bag. Seal and massage the mixture and the chicken together making sure it is well coated and the seasonings are spread. Let sit and marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Next, in a small skillet, place 1 tablespoon of olive oil over med-heat. Remove the chicken from the bag and make sure that most of the liquid has dripped off the chicken. When the oil is hot, place the chicken in the pan. Let this side of the chicken sear in the pan for at least 3-4 minutes giving it some good color. Once you have some good color on the one side, flip the chicken over. Lower the meat to medium and cook for about 7-8 minutes or until the breast registers 160 degrees with a thermometer. When it does, turn off the heat and the remaining heat will bring it up to 165 degrees. Remove from skillet and let sit for a few minutes. Slice your chicken breast and place over your salad.

What?!

Why is the Mayor of Los Angeles following me? I logged onto Twitter and started reading his Tweets. He attended the LA Food Fest yesterday and talked about all the good food, but it was on the 20th that I saw a tweet from the Mayor about a Good Food Initiative that his office launched.

The Los Angeles Food Policy Task Force convened in November 2009 to identify a Good Food policy agenda and the steps to get there. The Task Force has worked to develop a Good Food for All Agenda with specific action steps and recommendations for how to advance the Agenda. The Agenda seeks to increase access to Good Food for everyone, improve public health, create quality jobs and small food enterprise opportunities, increase equity in our communities, and improve environmental sustainability throughout the region.

The Good Food Agenda is a 93 page report developed by the Mayor’s office. I didn’t read thru the entire report, but from what I have read it is a very ambitious goal to bring the City of Angels to the forefront of being a model city in regards to creating a new regional food system. They have identified six key areas in the initiative:

1. Promote A Good Food Economy
2. Build A Market for Good Food
3. Eliminate Hunger in Los Angeles
4. Ensure Equal Access to Good Food in Underserved Communities
5. Grow Good Food in Our Neighborhoods
6. Inspire and Mobilize Good Food Champions

It sounds very exciting. You can download a copy of the Mayor’s Good Food Agenda here. You can also visit their website at http://goodfoodla.org/

Even if you aren’t a resident of the City of Los Angeles, it’s a very well researched document and anyone in ANY city will walk away with something.

This is also the obligatory first shot from my new Canon EOS Rebel XSi DSLR Camera with a 50mm f/1.8 lens. I’m still learning the in and outs of using a DSLR camera, but I think it turned out ok.

By the time I got to the cake, the “robot” was gone and all that was left was this piece. Needless to say it was gone after I took this shot! :)

This is an excerpt from their press release earlier today:

Researchers presented data from several studies that all point to the benefits of drinking coffee. One study of Dutch coffee-drinkers found a 50 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes in adults who consume seven or more cups per day, said Frank B. Hu, MD, PhD, professor of nutrition, epidemiology and medicine in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health. He noted that the study was adjusted for lifestyle factors that are more prevalent in that group, such as smoking, consuming red meat and higher body mass index.

YiFang Chu, PhD, who leads the global coffee health and wellness research group at Kraft Foods Global Inc., pointed to an April 2010 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that found coffee may modulate inflammation, oxidative stress and body fat, all of which can contribute to disease if left unchecked.

Besides heart disease and diabetes, research also has linked coffee with a decreased risk in Alzheimer’s disease, particularly in people who drink coffee in midlife, said Joan Lindsay, PhD, an epidemiologist consultant who has worked with Health Canada and the University of Ottawa. A Finnish study that followed up 21 years later with midlife coffee-drinkers found a 65 percent reduction in Alzheimer’s disease, she said.

They all agree that additional studies need to be made before any kind of recommendations can be made overall. The factor of caffeine cannot be the only component since other caffeinated drinks don’t offer the same benefits. Furthermore, decaf coffee appears to offer the benefits as well.

###

About IFT
The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is a nonprofit scientific society. Our individual members are professionals engaged in food science, food technology, and related professions in industry, academia, and government. IFT’s mission is to advance the science of food, and our long-range vision is to ensure a safe and abundant food supply, contributing to healthier people everywhere.

For more than 70 years, the IFT has been unlocking the potential of the food science community by creating a dynamic global forum where members from more than 100 countries can share, learn, and grow. We champion the use of sound science across the food value chain through the exchange of knowledge, by providing education, and by furthering the advancement of the profession. IFT has offices in Chicago, Illinois, and Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit ift.org.

After looking at the menu, I decided I would try the Halibut ($13.95), grilled with a side of rice and slaw. Turns out they ran out of rice and I had to settle for french fries. I also opted to try their a-la-carte Taco special (2 for $5.50)with one grilled shrimp taco and one breaded and fried shrimp taco. Fellow foodie, Niyaz at the OC Register said his dish was more fine dining in appearance than it was fast-casual so I was looking forward to a nice meal this evening.

It was about 8:00 in the evening and there were probably about 6 other patrons in the restaurant. There were no “Now Open” signs in the window and the tinting of the windows makes it looks like it was closed from the outside. The inside of the restaurant is very spartan with nothing on the walls. From a design perspective, I would have lowered the hanging lamps another foot closer to the tables and I definitely would have had some art work on the walls to make it feel a bit more cozy. The tables weren’t adorned with anything except the salt and pepper holders. A displayed menu would have been nice too.

So 15 minutes came by (the cashier came by twice to apologize and assure me it was on its way) and I was presented with my dish. My halibut was a small piece with fries and slaw spread out over a large plastic plate. Hardly the fine dining experience my colleague experienced. I overheard the couple at the other table who also just got their food and they said they expected more fish for the money. He went on to say that the Olive Garden had more bang for your buck. Unfortunately I had to agree. I paid $13.95 for my dish.

I was hungry so I dove in. First of all, it was salty. Another couple two tables behind me said the same thing a few minutes after I got my food – so I know I wasn’t the only one thinking that. The halibut was a bit overcooked. The slaw was tasty and I tore thru that. So what about those fries?? They were cold and weren’t fresh. Needless to say, they were left on the plate. For 15 minutes of waiting and not getting my original rice selection, I would have hoped I would have gotten fresh fries.

So let’s move onto the tacos. Both were served on flour tortillas (you have a choice of flour or corn when you order), cabbage and their version of pico de gallo. I actually liked their condiments, small diced pieces of jalepeño gave it a kick. But the disappointment here wasn’t the flavor (I actually liked it) but it only had one shrimp in the taco cut up into three pieces. Honestly, I think I get more shrimp in a Del Taco Shrimp Taco than I did here. Both the grilled and fried shrimp tasted great, I was just yearning for more. The cabbage and pico de gallo were about 85% of the filling.

I really wanted to like this place. But after several attempts to eat there and being greeted with a closed sign (three days after their opening date) then getting the food I had today, sadly I am not impressed. I will go back there in two weeks and see if things have gotten better there.

Corner Fish Grill
26051 La Paz Road
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
949-454-1800

The new location is decorated with retro-flare and will even offer curbside to-go service! Visit Magnolia Bakery and tell us what it’s like. I probably won’t be able to make it up to LA until this weekend. I could never turn down  at Red Velvet Cheesecake cupcake!

Photo credit: ZagatBuzz via the Magnolia Bakery

Magnolia Bakery
8389 Third Street
West Hollywood, CA 90036
323-951-0636

GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) will be hosting their annual Hancock Park Summer event with another Top Chef Invasion. This year, sponsors Bravo TV and ROKK Vodka bring three Top Chef Masters to the gorgeous home of Tim Corrigan in Hancock Park as they battle it out on July 25, 2010.

Our Top Chef Masters competing at the event are:

Susan Feniger, Executive Chef/Owner of The Border Grill & Street here in Los Angeles

Elizabeth Faulkner, Chef/Partner of Citizen Cake and Orson in San Francisco

Mark Peel, Executive Chef/Owner of The Tar Pit and The Point also here in Los Angeles.

Chairing the event will be Chef Paul McCollough of Paul’s Kitchen who was also a contestant on Food Network’s The Next Food Network Star and Edison Briones. They have a great lineup of Tasting Stations that will be serving dishes and drinks from:

• Barefoot Wines
• Bastide
• Cream by Crystal
• Dominick’s/Little Dom’s
• Edison Fields
• The Farm of Beverly Hills and LA Live
• The Foundry on Melrose
• Paul’s Kitchen
• POM Wonderful
• Zico Pure Coconut Water

Of course, event sponsor ROKK will probably be serving Vodka.

Judging this year’s event are Darryl Stephens and Jensen Atwood from Noah’s Arc and Gretchen Rossi from The Real Housewives of Orange County.

The event takes place this Sunday, July 25 from 4pm to 7pm and will be held at the home of Tim Corrigan. Ticket’s for the event are available from GLAAD. VIP Ticket’s are $150 which also allows a vote in the judging round while general admission tickets are $100. More information on the event can be found at www.glaad.org/2010/hancock

Help support GLAAD and enjoy a summer afternoon with good food and wine.

Stephen Weber and his girlfriend Brittany decided to try their taste buds with Deep Fried Butter and Chocolate Covered Bacon. I think I’ll have to make it to the fair to do a roundup of food and cover the pie and baking contests. Here is a short video of their first bites of butter and bacon:

Heartattack Foods at the OC Fair from Stephen on Vimeo.

I need to get down there soon. I know Brittany didn’t care for the deep fried butter, but there was something about it that Oprah and Gayle liked about it, at least at the Texas State Fair!

Now, I think I mentioned something about contests. Another foodie, friend and co-worker Joanna Fee submitted her own recipe of Scones to be judged in the one of the Baking Contests at the fair. I was going to enter my Red Velvet Cupcakes this year, but I got busy with some recipe testing and photo shoots. I can’t wait to see how she did!

More on the fair next weekend as I get myself all cleansed out for a day of deep fried foods and sugary sweet things. thanks Stephen and Brittany for sharing your experience with us!

Yes, another sub. For frequent readers to the blog, you know I have been on the hunt for my perfect Italian Sub. So far I have been to several places here in the OC and so far, no one has come close to my all-time favorite sub called The Milano. Two types of Italian hams, provolone cheese and Genoa salami all served on hard  Italian roll, just a little on the hot peppers, lettuce, onions, oregano, and their special dressing. I sometimes get extra meat on it. Now remember, they wrap their sub tight in white butcher paper and I don’t touch it for at least 30 minutes. This gives time for the dressing to seep into the bread and into the meat. Where do you get one of these subs? The Italian Store in Arlington, VA.

Now back to Cortina’s. This is quite the busy place. In addition to the great subs, they also serve pizza. You order at the counter, cash only, and your order is called out when ready. They have a roomy seating area with a few flat panel TVs. When I got there, the eating area was full, there was a line at the counter and parking was at a premium.

So how about that sub? It was good, not what I was looking for, but it was good. Lot’s of meat, dressing had good flavor – I just didn’t like the bread. Lettuce was fresh as were the other ingredients like the red onions and tomatoes. My sub was loosely wrapped in sandwich paper and then placed in a bag. I left it in the bag to “steep” for about 30 minutes before I sampled the Cortina’s Special. In my sub was dry salami, cotto salami, capicolla, mortadella, provolone cheese and their dressing on a French roll (why not an Italian roll?).

I enjoyed the sub and ate all of it. It just wasn’t reminding me of home back in DC. I will certainly need to return to Cortina’s to try out their pizzas.

Cortina’s Italian Market and Deli
2175 West Orange Avenue
Anaheim, CA 92804-3556
(714) 535-1948

So I’m driving down to the beach and decide to take the long route and drive along PCH. What a beautiful day. Lots of people watching on my part. Suffice it to say, it was difficult to concentrate on driving.

The place I’m heading to is John’s Philly Grille. A little shack off Beach Blvd. Here you walk up and order from the outside and there is seating outside under a few tents next to the shop. Nothing fancy here, just order and wait for the cook to yell your name and pick up your order. I ordered a 1/2 Cheesesteak with grilled onions, no peppers. Just your regular classic Cheesesteak. You can also order it with Green Peppers, Mushrooms or all three!

While I was there, I saw they had an Italian Sub (what they call the Philly Hoagie) on the menu. Score! I ordered a 1/2 Italian Sub. The sub comes with Ham, Salami, Capicola and Provolone with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, oil and vinegar, oregano and hot peppers on request.

I took my order to go and drove around near the beach before I found a place to pull off the road and enjoy my sandwiches. It must have been at least 15 minutes before I had my first opportunity. Both sandwiches were wrapped tight in white butcher paper. The cheesesteak was full of oil and wasn’t dripping, surprising since it sat for 15 minutes. So the first thing that caught my attention was the bread. Crunchy on the outside, soft in the inside. This bread flaked when squeezed and I liked that very much. Most places use a soft sub roll. The flavor was good, they actually seasoned their meat and the onions didn’t over power the meat. The cheesesteak I had at Philly’s Best had large chunks, yes chunks, of onions and it wasn’t grilled all the way. Nothing was worse than biting into a huge piece of onion. At John’s the onions were sliced thin and grilled first then added to the meat. This was a good sandwich, I was happy. I wish John’s had a location in South Orange County. No matter, driving up to HB for the occasional cheesesteak fix wasn’t going to be a problem for me!

So what about that Italian Sub? Well I have to be honest and tell you that the 1/2 size Cheesesteak filled me up. It wasn’t until I got home about 2 hours later that I had my sub. Again, this is the same bread they used on the cheesesteak. Even after a couple of hours, the bread still had a slight crunch to the outside, but the wait has allowed the oil and vinegar and oregano to absorb into the bread. This is key to any Italian sub in my opinion. Order your sub, make sure it’s wrapped tight in butcher paper and let it sit. Give it time for the oil and vinegar to work its way from the center to the outside. This is your simple Italian sub, but it was fantastic when it came to the flavors. Even 2 hours later, it still tasted like it was just made.

I’ve had Italian subs now from Claro’s in Tustin and from Lucci’s Deli in Huntington Beach. So far, John’s comes in first, then Claro’s (a VERY close second) and then Lucci’s.

Do you know of a place that has a good Italian Sub? I’m looking for a crusty bread, good seasonings and good Italian meats. If you know of a place I need to try, let me know!

John’s Philly Grille has three locations, the one in Huntington Beach off Beach Blvd, another in Seal Beach off PCH and a third at Edinger and Goldenwest also in Huntington Beach.

John’s Philly Grille
20379 Beach Blvd.
Huntington Beach, CA
714-969-8755

So, was I excited when Apple announced a better camera? Oh yes. Below in the photo gallery, I selected some photos that I recently took for some recipe testing I was working on for a client. I was impressed by the quality of the photos, especially up close. I’m sorry I don’t have my old iPhone 3G or I would have done some side-by-side comparisons – but honestly, the iPhone 3G would not have been able to get as close as I did with the iPhone 4.

Now, let me say that the photos in this set were taken under better than average lighting conditions. The burger and onion ring shots were taken after sunset with nearby overhead lighting. I will try to take some photos this weekend in deliberate dark locations and see how the pictures come out.

None of the photo’s below had any retouching or brightness level changes done in Photoshop. These are the raw images as they came off the iPhone 4 directly. No digital zoom was used as the iPhone 4 is capable of 5x digital zoom. The tap-to-focus capability allows you to tap on the screen and the camera will focus on that point. Focusing also adjusts exposure and white balance automatically. If you notice in the Endive Taco shows, there is a shot with the blue chips as the focal and the endives as the other focal point. The brightness levels are different as the lighting towards the back of the dish was different from the front.

[Show as slideshow]

So what grade to I give the iPhone 4 as it pertains to his set of photos? In my honest opinion, I give them a 4 out of 5 stars.