Father's Day Meal

Oy……..man I can't get back on the blogging train for some reason. I guess I don't have much of an excuse for the last month or so but the last week has been absolute hell at work. The passing of MJ has rocked the world, and the entertainment news world has been in a frenzy. Since I live in both universes, it's been bananas. And in this case, bananas is bad.

So even though Father's Day was awhile ago, I am finally getting around to posting pics! My dad taught me to cook and instilled in me a love of good food and wine, so the only appropriate present is, well, food and wine of course! I invited my family over for a Mexican fiesta of sorts, and after much consulting with Homesick Texan, got to work on all of the dishes.


Two days before Father's Day, I made a big ol' pot of black beans. Actually I made two pots. Why? Well, I didn't follow my instincts and decided to toss in the epazote (a Mexican herb I've never worked with) into the pot, despite its twiggy woodiness. I stopped and thought to myself, "maybe I should put it in some cheesecloth or whiz it in my spice grinder" but then talked myself out of it, thinking that the hours of slow cooking beans require would break down the fibers. I think you can probably figure out that the little twigs retained their twigginess after hours of simmering, and vain attempts to pick it all out were……uh, all in vain. So I packed it into a Tupperware and tossed it into the freezer (hey- I may come home from work starving one day and really want some homemade black beans, at which time little twigs won't bother me) and promptly made another, this time putting the epazote into some cheesecloth. Crisis averted.





On the same day I made a paste out of guajillo and ancho chiles, cinnamon, coffee and other spices for a barbacoa- which is traditionally made with cow's head but I went with a pork shoulder instead, slathering the marinade onto large chunks of meat and packing it all into a ziploc bag. After sitting in the fridge overnight, they went into a roasting pan lined with onions and carrots, covered tightly and placed into a low oven for several hours. The house smelled so good I think even my cat noticed!



After the main components were done, I just whizzed together some roasted tomatoes, onions, serranos, garlic and bunches of fresh cilantro into the blender for a quick salsa and made a basic guacamole. An entire head of red cabbage, green onions, cilantro, vinegar, sugar and olive oil made up a simple Mexican slaw. Then I started on the part I was most excited about……..making flour tortillas from scratch! I had seen this post on the aforementioned Homesick Texan site awhile ago and had always hoped for an occasion to make them for.





The dough came together quickly and easily, then after a short rest, I tore off 1 ounce balls of dough which, after another quick rest, were easily rolled out w/ a rolling pin and a touch of flour. 30 seconds on each side in a dry pan was all it took to turn into real, chewy, flavorful and toothsome flour tortillas! Some came out a bit thicker than others, and now I definitely have a better gauge on how thin to roll them out (since they get thicker as they cook). They reminded me a bit of Trader Joe's Truly Handmade Tortillas since they were all slightly irregular in shape, but of course these were a lot better.





The meal turned out great- the meat was tender and flavorful, the beans rich and tasty….it was kind of nice to sit down to a make-your-own taco type of meal. Really casual, fun and interactive. We made a nice dent into it all but I packed my dad up with enough leftovers for one meal for him and my mom, plus I had lots of meat and beans for myself- I mean, this kind of food really does taste better the longer it sits.


A special thanks to Homesick Texan for helping and answering my incessant questions, and a shout-out to Papa, my dad, for being the best dad ever!

A Non-Food Post:

But I doubt I will ever get a chance to see J, my other half, dress like this again. Long story short- the airline lost his band's luggage and they had to scramble to buy clothes for a show; he picked up this snazzy suit while shopping and decided to cruise around the festival wearing it, as a joke. Now he's on Vogue's website.

Reminds me of the Laughing Cow cheese commercial.....

Anyway, enjoy!

Photo: Amy Dickerson/Style.com

Read about it here:

Cafe On Park- San Diego

On our way out of San Diego, we really wanted to hit a local spot for a good, filling breakfast. After some serious soul-searching (oops, I mean internet-searching) we decided on Cafe On Park after reading multiple rave reviews of their breakfasts. Although we arrived before 10:00 AM, there was already a wait:



Luckily it didn't take long for my sister and I to be seated. The space was so cute and homey with lots of character sprinkled in, and I immediately got a sense that we'd made the right choice. It just felt like a place where the locals go, and many of the wait staff knew most of the customers by name (cue Cheers theme song here). Something about the place reminded me of Austin, Texas..........maybe it was this fashionably Southwestern-themed couple sitting at the counter:


Or the cute arrangement on each table- flower, salt, pepper, Tapatio (essential item):



Although I am definitely a savory breakfast person, my cravings were put into sweet mode after spying their list of cornmeal griddlecakes. I'm not even sure why, but the thought of crunchy cornmeal griddlecakes just appealed to me sooo much that I had my mind made up in about 90 seconds. That fact wouldn't be such a big deal, but you don't know my menu-reading/ordering habits. Yes, I'm the one who reads the menu up and down and inside out for about, hmmm....15 minutes, then finally decides on what to order, has a change of heart/regret/guilt/confusion over my original choice and then chases down the waiter to change my order. After 5 minutes, I have a second wave of doubt about the changed order, bemoan the fact that it's too late to change back to my ORIGINAL order, all while driving my dining companions bonkers with my whining, then end up ultimately disappointed with my meal because it isn't as good as what I had initially ordered. Yup- I'm THAT girl. You're annoyed just reading about it, aren't you?

Luckily my choice of Honey & Cornmeal Griddlecake and a side of turkey sausage left me with no sense of doubt, and my sister's order of Savory Corn Pancake with Fresh Jalapenos, Onions & Cheddar Cheese with a side of bacon ensured that I could travel to the savory side of things if I needed to. We both found it odd that an order of griddlecake was just that- one griddlecake- but we just put our faith in Cafe on Park and waited for the goodies to arrive.

And now we know why it's ONE griddlecake:



This behemoth griddlecake was bigger than my husband's Oaxacan head, and we were so happy that we fought off the instinct to order more than one each. My sister's had visible squares of cheddar and giant, thick-cut slices of raw jalapeno seared to the top of her griddlecake, while mine was golden brown and pleasantly sweet-smelling. I drizzled some maple syrup over it and the crunchy-yet-tender bite was exactly what I'd been hoping for. YUM! Sis, on the other hand, had to pull out the massive amounts of jalapeno - we both figured the "fresh jalapeno" and cheese would be diced/grated and mixed into the batter which would have made the distribution a bit more even, but that wasn't the case here. I think it was too much of a good thing in bad proportions and made the cake almost indelibly spicy. Too bad- good concept, bad execution. Our bacon and turkey sausages were good, but we were too full of cornmeal griddlecake (we could both only finish half) that we left most of those too.



We agreed that we loved the menu and that we'd give it another go if we ever found ourselves in San Diego. I think if you're a pepperhead, you'd love that savory griddlecake, but almost anyone would love the sweet version.


Cafe on Park
3138 Park Blvd
San Diego, CA
619 293 7275

Pizzeria Luigi, San Diego, CA

My name is Tuna Toast and I'm a DDD addict.

No, DDD isn't some new drug or booze- it's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, AKA "Triple D" on the Food Network. I guess I'm a bit embarrassed to admit it, but damn if there isn't a more prime example of a mouthwatering show on television today. If Foodgawker and Tastespotting are food porn, then DDD is the Debbie Does Dallas of food. The fact that both have the same acronym isn't a coincidence, me thinks.

"That's just like jumbotron-mega-cheesy-oozy-woozy-delciousness that would taste good on my slipper!"

I'll admit that host Guy Fieri's "Guy-isms" (that's my word, not theirs) get a little grating at times. His favorites include, "This ain't my first rodeo," and "I've tasted plenty of (fill in the blank) and this rates as some of the best I've had. Seriously." However, the annoying ones are nicely balanced by ones that actually do make me laugh, like "Love, peace and taco grease" and, let's face it, Mr. Fieri is hardly the star of the show. Beautiful close-ups of thick bbq'd ribs, cheeseburgers oozing thousand island dressing and fried belly clams dipped in tartar sauce are the reason why people like me watch it every week. Talk about drool-inducing. Wowza.

The 'if-you-take-a-picture-of-me-I'll-kill-you' look. Luckily, I survived.



Part of the reason I'm so enamored of the show is because it focuses on foods that only rarely make it into my repertoire. In an alternate universe I could eat piles of onion rings, fried oyster po' boys and duck confit egg rolls on a daily basis and not have a care in the world, but alas, I currently reside in THIS universe and no amount of treadmilling would allow me to eat that way and not gain a few hundred pounds. So I watch, far away from the lovely smells undoubtedly wafting up from the well-seasoned grills and vats of gravy that appear on the show each week, and only dream of actually going to one of the places featured......until now!



Yes, my sister and I, after many, MANY conversations of one day hitting one of our favorite DDD places, finally had the chance last weekend when we took a short trip to San Diego. We'd seen Pizzeria Luigi on one episode and knew we wanted to try the New York-style, thin-crust pizzas. The fact that Luigi looks like an Italian movie star didn't hurt, either. After spending over three hours on the road, the last hour of it being stuck in traffic, we drove straight there to nosh before checking into our hotel.



The little shop looked exactly as it did on TV, but alas, Italian Stallion Luigi must have had the day off....*le sigh.* We looked over the pizzas displayed in the window and decided to share three slices- one plain cheese, an artichoke/marinara and an all-meat containing both sausage and pepperoni. The guy behind the counter quickly slid the three slices onto a pan, stuck it in the oven for what seemed like 30 seconds and handed us each slice on a separate plate. We were ready for our first, real-life DDD experience!







The verdict? To be totally honest, we felt we would have gotten a better representation of the famous pizza had we ordered a whole pie, made to order. Of course that's common sense, but since there were only two of us and we were in town for just two days, it didn't seem very practical. That said, the plain cheese was our hands-down favorite, and the tomato sauce on both that and the artichoke pizza was delicious. The meat slice was just ok- the bottom was warmed but they didn't keep it in the oven long enough to properly heat through the toppings. The crust on all three was crisp in the right places, with a nice chewy texture in the middle and a wonderful, yeasty flavor. Excellent dough, for sure.



I'm not sure when we'll be back in San Diego, but next time we'll definitely order an entire pizza. We were happy to finally fulfill one DDD dream, and although the list of DDD eateries is a long and storied one, I'm happy to have checked at least one location off my list. On to the next!



Pizzeria Luigi
1137 25th St
San Diego, CA.
(619)233-3309

Boulevard, San Francisco

Ok, I seriously don't know why I can't seem to blog more than once a week (ok, ok....once every TWO weeks!). Maybe between work, watching season finales of my favorite shows (LOST, The Real Housewives of NY, 30 Rock), Twittering (or is it tweeting?) and Facebook-ing (uh, is that a word?), I'm just too distracted to hunker down and document my meals these days. It's odd how guilty it makes me feel. Am I letting down the handful of people who actually read this blog (mom...dad...my cat)? Is FoodBuzz (with whom I just signed up) talking about what a huge disappointment I am to their food blogging community during their morning meeting (not that I know anything about their process but my imagination runs wild)? I still find plenty of time to read other blogs, but even that makes me feel bad- I mean, if Mr. Lebovitz has time to write yet another brilliant book, Matt takes time from his vacation to share this gorgeous steak (or make everyone feel jealous!), and Molly manages to get posts up inspite of the fact that she and her husband spend practically every waking moment working on their anxiously anticipated restaurant, I think I can set my lame list of excuses aside and post a few photos, no?

So here I am, head hanging in shame and back yet again with a vow to be more consistent. Not that you have to believe me, of course. You've been burned by my promises before, so I understand if you're reading this with your arms crossed, nose in the air, thinking, "I'll believe it when I see it." Don't you love how my mind deludes me into thinking that people actually care about me updating this teeny tiny blog? I told you, my imagination runs wild......and makes me have visions of grandeur.


Anyway, I did have a wonderful, blog-worthy meal while in San Francisco last weekend. J and I had only one night in the city, so we opted to return to Boulevard where we'd had a perfect lunch over the holidays last year. We wanted to make sure that our sole meal out would be good, and by choosing Boulevard we knew it'd be a wonderful experience.


Boulevard is one of those old-school restaurants in the very best sense of the term. The service is impeccable, the ambience a perfect mix of formal yet homey and the food always prepared thoughtfully and presented beautifully. It always strikes me how many staff are working at the restaurant, but it's a well-oiled machine and every single server, busboy, manager, chef, line cook and host has specific duties that each fulfill with a great sense of purpose.

J and I decided to order appetizers and entrees each, and then share all four dishes.

Up first, my appetizer: AHI TUNA TARTARE, Pickled Hearts of Palm & Mariquita Farm Carrots, Fried Fennel, Smoked Paprika Romesco, Spanish Almonds, House Made Sesame Olive Oil Crackers



This was very good, although I wasn't sure what all of the extras (the almonds, fried fennel) really added to the dish. The tuna was ultra fresh and the finely diced carrots and pickled hearts of palm added texture, but the other elements, though nice, didn't really elevate the dish beyond being a good, fresh tartare.

J's appetizer: MONTEREY CALAMARI STUFFED with DUNGENESS CRAB Italian Butter Beans with Spanish Chorizo & Meyer Lemon Relish





This dish is what J and I would dub "the winner." The baby calamari were tender and stuffed with a generous amount of fresh crabmeat. The chorizo added bite while the butter beans added a nice creamy texture. I'd order this again and again.

My entree: CAVENDISH QUAIL (VERMONT)QUAIL BREAST WRAPPED in PANCETTA & SLOW ROASTED LEG Pyramid Ravioli with "Bolognese" & Polenta Fonduta Braised Lacinato Kale with Garlic & Aleppo Pepper FlakesToasted Pine Nut & Parmesan Relish, Roasted Quail Jus





Definitely another "winner" dish here. The tiny breasts and legs of quail were wrapped in a single layer of paper thin, crispy pancetta that didn't dominate the lovely flavor of the quail, and the ravioli.....wow. I'd love a plate of those on their own anytime.

J's entree: PACIFIC WALU (HAWAII)WILD CAUGHT, GRILLED Herb Roasted Artichoke Heart, Green Asparagus, Pioppini MushroomsFresh Snap & English Peas, Fava Beans, Meyer Lemon & Herb Vinaigrette



Quite possibly the "cleanest" dish I've ever had at a fine dining establishment that wasn't a crudo or tartare of some sort. This fish was gorgeous, firm but slightly flaky and the thinly sliced asapragus and other spring vegetables retained the right amount of crispness. This dish just couldn't be any fresher and nothing contained a coating of grease, or even oil, really. I'm sure there was some fat used to cook this but none of it was left on the palate. A beautiful example of quality ingredients speaking for themselves.

All of this fabulous food, plus a view of the bay....I mean, it doesn't really get much better. If you're ever in San Francisco and you want a sure thing, I'd highly recommend Boulevard.



Boulevard
One Mission St,
San Francisco, CA 94105
Telephone: 415 543 6084

Blog slump + Bottega Louie

Holy cupcakes- it's been forever since the last blog post! It isn't that I haven't cooked or eaten lately; I just feel like I'm in a bit of a blogging slump. J, ever helpful, often calls out "did you take a photo?" before taking a bite of anything, and I just respond by shrugging and digging in. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but it could be that I've been really enjoying some nice, post-work bike rides to the Rose Bowl with J, so by the time we get home and eat, it's late and I'm too hungry to stop for photos! Oh, and Gossip Girl might be on TV (don't judge!).

Anyway, one afternoon a few weeks back, we decided to ride our bikes from our home in Highland Park to downtown, to check out Bottega Louie, a new restaurant/bakery/deli/bar/cafe that had just opened. It took us just over an hour to get there, and we purchased a couple of mini sandwiches and were satisfied, but not necessarily wowed. The space was gorgeous with high ceilings, and the display cases boasted all kinds of goodies, but we felt the staff just didn't seem to really know what they were doing. On more than one occasion during our first visit we'd see nervous employees milling about, not quite sure what they were supposed to be doing.



We decided to give it another go, this time for dinner, and were so happy we did. The staff seemed to have worked out the kinks and were working together in harmony, and we were seated right away at a cozy back table. On our first visit I'd seen the pizza oven and knew we'd have to try one of their pies. We ordered the arugula salad, the portabello "fries" and the margherita. All were superb- the baby arugula was spicy and fresh, portabello strips deep fried to perfection and pizza thin, crisp and topped with a light hand. We were thrilled.



We went back and were as pleased with the second visit, and this time I finally whipped out the camera. Since we'd already tried the pizza we wanted to check out their other offerings.

Our new favorite rosé, from the Bastianich family:



We once again ordered the arugula salad and it was as perfect as the first time:



The arancini were good, but not as good as the ones at Terroni's:



The carmelized green beans were beautifully browned, some blackened, and totally delicious:



The Fettucini Belmondo was as simple as it gets, and was delicious and fresh:



Everything was good, but I think the real winner is the pizza, which we'll be back for repeatedly (along with that arugula salad!).

We decided to skip the plated desserts and opted to buy a couple of canelés from the bakery to take home. We'd bought one canelé on our first visit and were totally, utterly hooked. It was quite possibly the best canelé I'd ever eaten- slightly crisp and carmelized on the outside and tenderly moist on the inside. We picked out one vanilla and one orange canelé and I handed the cashier at my credit card.

After two swipes, the cashier apologized and said that the machine had been wonky all day and wasn't reading my card. I handed her another, and, after two attempts it went through. This entire process took about 90 seconds and I was too busy gawking at all of the food in the display cases to really even pay attention. The staff acted like they'd killed my goldfish, and, having overheard me telling my husband earlier that I should have gotten a pisachio eclair, asked me to wait while they got something for me for my "trouble." I tried to tell them that it was no big deal and it really wasn't any trouble but they insisted and handed me a large box. I felt awful so I tried to give it back and they just kept insisting, smiling and winking that I'd be happy when I opened it.



So, was I happy? You tell me:



I mean, holy cow. Let's take inventory here: two chocolate macarons, one vanilla macaron, a madeline, one giant brownie, a blueberry scone and my beloved canelé! By the way, I ate the pisachio eclair in the car so it isn't pictured (I know, I'm a pig! But it was a mini eclair!) but get a load of these sweet treats! All because it took four attempts to swipe my credit card? I still felt bad about it but they seemed like they really wanted to, so of course J and I sampled some of the treats and I took the rest to work. The canelés are still my favorite, but the chocolate macarons were pretty amazing too.

Check out this perfectly made canelé

I mean, they had me at marghertia....... but now, I guess they complete me.

Bottega Louie
700 S Grand
Los Angeles, CA 90017
213 802 1470

Blood Orange Galette

The very instant I saw this blood orange tart on Smitten Kitchen earlier this year, it was love at first sight. The vivid colors of the oranges peered over a buttery crust and I knew immediately that I had to make this. You see, my parents have a blood orange tree in their front yard, and they’ve already got the jam and sorbet thing down pat, which leaves me little to do with the fruit. Or so I thought until I baked up one of these gorgeous galettes.



I guess it never occurred to me to actually bake something with oranges in it. Sure, the zest is great in pie crust or cookies. The juice could be cooked into a simple syrup and poured over a loaf cake. But to actually bake something that featured actual oranges in it? Oddly enough, about two weeks after I’d spied Smitten Kitchen’s beautiful Blood Orange Tart, J came home with a small sliver of an orange tart he’d tried at the Little Flower Candy Company and loved so much that he saved a piece for me to taste and try to recreate. It looked very similar to the Smitten Kitchen version, and when my parents brought over a large bag of oranges a few weeks later, I knew I had to try it.



Since I’d had such fabulous luck with Smitten Kitchen’s (no, I’m not her stalker, I just like the site ok?!?!) galette dough, I decided to ditch the all butter pastry and make a sweet version of that. I basically added about ½ cup of powdered sugar to the savory dough recipe. As with the previous ten or so times I’ve made this dough, it was a dream to handle and rolled out easily with no tearing or fuss. It’s truly the easiest and most successful dough recipe I’ve ever used and I’ll probably continue to use it for anything that calls for a pie dough in the future.



After rolling the dough out into a circle, I just put the segmented oranges in the middle, sprinkled that with some sugar and then dotted it with a tablespoon of butter. After crimping in the sides, brushing them with egg wash and sprinkling that with some turbinado sugar for texture, I layered the top of the galette with sliced blood oranges. I loved how each orange differed in color which makes each galette unique.



As you can see, it’s a real stunner and is great for dessert or breakfast. I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, but J and I managed to polish off an entire one over the course of a weekend, sneaking slices here and there and eating it like pizza. I made another one that same weekend but gave it to my parents to thank them for the blood oranges, and also so J and I wouldn’t go bonkers and eat a second one (we’re not total gluttons, after all!).



J exclaimed this to be “the best dessert you’ve ever made!” I guess the mix of oranges, butter, sugar and flaky dough is pretty addictive. If you have a bag of blood oranges (or any oranges, really!) laying around, I highly recommend you give this a try.