Temecula

Temecula was not how I expected it to be at all--but, it was a very pleasant surprise. Old town was reminiscent of the wild west--very hot, arid on one side, and a quaint wine country on the other, and well...I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.

We tried 25 different wines at 3 different wineries! Which isn't as much as it sounds when each wine is about a 2 oz. tasting. I'm a fan of red wines, but here in Temecula, it was the Roses and the sweet white wines that caught my attention rather than the leathery Zin's or the zippy Meritages. So, if you're a white wine enthusiast, Temecula is the place for you!

This was a great last weekend as a Southern California resident. Matt took me on a surprise trip to Temecula and

The grapes on the vines were beautiful!

AnQi

Another great date night! I love dressing up once a week to go have a nice meal with Matt. And last night was just that, a nice Happy Hour meal! (Hey, I'm unemployed here...it's about conservation of money!)

AnQi is located in Bloomingdales in the South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, next to Charlie Palmer. It's run and owned by a family of 5 women from 3 different generations. I think they have a great concept here, however, it is a bit over priced when it's not Happy Hour. Which is why we took full advantage of their "Red Hour".

Ahhh, the highlight.

Wagyu carpaccio with a yuzu truffle emulsion and chives and a side arugula salad with yuzu dressing Reggiano shavings and edamame.

Loved the salad! I felt like the emulsion atop the wagyu took away from the sweetness of the meat--it was probably the truffle that was too over powering. I think if there were more yuzu on the meat, it would have been to die for!

Garlic noodles

In a word--"disappointment". It was just chow mein noodles with a robust garlic sauce that tasted heavily of MSG. Sorry yelper, these "must try" garlic noodles were nothing more than a grave disappointment.

Steamed mussels in a coconut milk, kaffir lime leaf, and lemon grass broth

The mussels were perfectly cooked--tender and sweet, you could tell that they plated them immediately after they opened. And don't be scared by the red peppers, they were sweet rather than spicy. And as Matt said, "American restaurants know better than to put that much hot pepper in one dish." Sad, but so true.

The basil croûton was also very bold in basil flavor and delicious.

Pork belly buns

SO GOOD. Probably the best part of the meal.

The pork belly was extremely tender and had a delicious caramelized roasted flavor that went well with the sweet hoisin sauce and the soft fluffy steamed bun.

Salt and pepper calamari

Reminiscent of calamari that you get at a Chinese restaurant but dressed-up

Shangria (yes, it's SHangria...and not sangria)

It was a little too sweet, but did the job!

Delirium

Fancy bottle, no?

The Counter

Ahhh, The Counter...why have you been the talk of the town?

I love that you get to create your own burger--you're not bound to only several combinations of toppings and sauces.

The rosemary parm fries are a must try! They were incredibly flavorful and the garlic aioli that topped the fries was to die for!!!

As for the burger, when we ordered our burgers, the waiter "warned" us that their burgers are cooked medium so they were going to be pink throughout and he asked us if that was ok. My only thought was..."ok? OOOKKKK??? of course it's ok!!! what you SHOULD warn me of is if your burger is cooked well done and is brown and dry throughout..."
However, (yes folks, there's a downside)I don't care what kind of burger purest you are...please season your patties!!!!! The burger patty itself was flavorless and bland which was a disappointment because the fries were so good! If I'm going to pay 8 dollars and some change for a burger, i would hope that you can spare some salt on my patty.

AND...(maybe I over looked it but,) all I could think about as I sadly ate my bland burger was that they didn't have mushrooms! What kind of burger joint doesn't offer mushrooms? Outrageous! But then again, I could have just missed it on the menu, because really, who doesn't love mushrooms?

That being said, I still like the place and will probably be going back real soon! (Mostly for the fries)
What's there not to like about a place that offers a fried egg as a topping?

Best Clam Chowder In Southern California?

Being from San Francisco, when you hear "THE Best Clam Chowder" claim anywhere else in California, you have your doubts. Ok, not just doubts, I'll admit, I was glaring at my computer as I was reading the online menu for The Original Fish Company in Los Alamitos. My train of thought went a little like this: "These crazy people have never even tasted good clam chowder, it's probably out of a can...like most places out here." Cynical San Franciscan, I know, I know.

But, they did make me eat my words. This clam chowder was pretty good---I don't know about "The best" but it exceeded my expectations.

The calms were big and plentiful, the soup was creamy--but not too rich, it was sweet from the clams and the veggies, and it was...ok, ok, I'll admit it, the best clam chowder that I've had in Southern California. (Although the Cannery in Newport comes pretty darn close).

Mesquite Grilled Shrimp and Scallop Salad

I was disappointed by the over cooked scallops in my $20 salad.

Matt's Shrimp, scallop, and shrimp skewer with fries

Tabouli

When I went to Silver Spoon to pick up some food, I saw something that I've been looking for for a while now--bulgar.

Light bulb! The perfect side dish for this hot weather would be tabouli, a Mediterranean parsley salad with cracked wheat, cucumbers, tomatoes, and lots of lemon juice. A great refreshing salad to be enjoying pool side.

Ingredients:

bulgar

Roma tomatoes

English cucumbers

Yellow Onion

2-3 cloves garlic

Mint

Parsley (curly leaf)

lemon juice

salt

pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

In a large bowl, bloom the 1 cup of bulgar with 1 cup of VERY hot water (it doesn't have to be boiling hot, but I use the water from a water heater), cover with plastic wrap and set aside

Finely dice 1 small onion

Finely mince garlic cloves

Finely dice 3 Roma tomatoes

Finely dice half of an English cucumber

Chiffonade 10-12 mint leaves

Coarsely chop parsley

When all the water has been absorbed by the bulgar, add all the fresh ingredients to the bowl and mix.

Add the juice of 1 1/2 - 2 lemons, salt, and pepper to taste and toss

Take your EVOO and make one smooth slow pour around the bowl, I would say about 6-7 table spoons

Enjoy with grilled chicken, kebobs, or steak

I like using it as a substitute for any kind of salad, pasta, or rice

Red Velvet

Can't go wrong with red velvet.

Pakistani Dinner

I've really grown fond of Pakistani food ever since I found Silver Spoon in Irvine. Not very many people know about Pakistani food, and admittedly, I don't either. It's difficult for me to distinguish between Indian food and the various types of Middle Eastern cuisine. Now someone who well educated in the differences maybe scoffing at me, "Well, of course, they're different!" And slowly I'm learning, I just prefer to learn in a hand-on fashion.

Palak Paneer

I know, I know, I thought it too when I first opened the lid..."Well, look-y here, they gave me baby boo boo". I don't mean to offend, but it didn't look particularly appetizing at first, but hey, I bought it, so of course I was going to at least try it. And well, I LOVED IT. This spinach curry was full of spices and full of flavor. To my surprise, those large white blocks in the curry were cheese. CHEESE?! Blew my mind!

Palak Paneer, Chicken Tikka Boneless, Paratha

I think Paratha is my new favorite thing on earth. It's crispy, and chewy, and just has the perfect texture for curry.

Chicken Tikka Boneless and Paratha

The chicken tikka boneless has a great yogurt flavor and was incredibly moist and went great with the paratha.

Tripe--Korean Style

My roommate's mom came to visit for the first time a few years back and she stayed with us for a few days. I remember coming home from class one day to find the apartment filled with the aroma of sesame oil, ginger, and garlic, the kitchen was filled with ingredients for numerous different dishes--fish cakes, red bean paste, ginger, beef, seaweed, mussels, and so much more. But there was one dish that she made that really stuck with me: Spicy Tripe.

My roommate has asked her mom several times for the recipe, but she honestly claimed that she pretty much eyeballs everything. So here's my recreation of that recipe...which is pretty close.

Ingredients:

Finely ground red chili flakes

ground ginger

ground garlic

chopped scallions

red bean paste

finely chopped jalapeno

sesame oil

tripe

salt

Trim off the fat from the tripe (about 1/2 pound piece)

Coat the tripe in flour and rinse

Boil the tripe for 15-20 minutes with 3-4 table spoons each of ginger and garlic

While tripe is boiling, make the sauce

In a large bowl, add 3-4 tablespoons of red chili flakes

Slowly add hot water to the red chili flakes until it becomes paste-like

Add 1 tablespoon ginger

Add 1 tablespoon garlic

Add 1 1/2 tablespoon red bean paste

Add jalapeno and scallions to flavor

and mix together

When tripe is done, take it out and while it's hot, cut into bite sized pieces

Add to sauce and mix until evenly coated

Add salt to taste

Add 2-3 tablespoons of sesame oil to taste

Serve to friends and get rave reviews!

We served this with jap chae, or vermicelli noodles

Here's a quick recipe:

Mushrooms

Green onions

Shredded carrots

(you may also add spinach and/ or egg and/ or any other kind of vegetable you'd like)

jap chae noodles

pre-marinated bulgogi (beef)

garlic

ginger

soy sauce

sesame oil

Boil vermicelli noodles

sautee all the ingredients separately

strain noodles and add to a large bowl with all the sauteed veggies and beef

mix with soy sauce for flavor

and finally add the sesame oil

Note: I always add the sesame oil last because the oil keeps the ingredients from absorbing other flavors.

The Most Nostalgic Breakfast

I remember growing up, my mom would take me to eat this sticky rice roll with shredded pork, preserved vegetable, all wrapped around a fresh and crunchy Chinese donut and it was heaven--it was one of the most delicious combination of textures I had ever tasted as a tot. When ever I hear that we're having this as part of a meal, my ears perk up and I get very excited! This is one of the most memorable breakfast foods from my childhood, and I've been searching far and wide for another taste.

Low and behold, oddly enough, I've found it here in Irvine at Yu's, the porridge place that Matt and I love to go to.

Sticky Rice Roll

Salty, crispy, chewy--all great textures and flavors conveniently wrapped up in a neat, easy to hold package.

Chinese Donut

Warm Sweet Soy Milk

More Omakase

Omakase again? Yes, omakase again! Once you indulge in this experience no other sushi will taste as good!

I highly encourage everyone to try Ohshima in N. Tustin. Granted it's not cheap, but it's probably one of the best deals you can get for Omakase and the sushi chefs are incredibly nice and you can really tell that they love what they do. And what can be better than that? Fresh fish, great company--enjoy.

Flan and Jarritos

An unlikely combination. But when you're thirsty and craving flan, this is combination you get at El Buen Sabor in Tustin.

This is one of the few Mexican bakeries I've seen in the area, and it always smells of sweet confections.

They're flan was just as delicious as all those Yelpers say! It's got that "eggy" flavor that I adore about flan, and the caramel is rich and has just the right amount of burnt flavor. My only complaint is that although it was smooth and creamy on the top, it was chunky and gritty at the bottom--probably because all the gelatin settled. But other than that, it was a satisfying piece of flan. It's actually making me crave one right now.

After gym reward, anyone?

Just Can't Stay Away

Matt and I just can't seem to get enough of spicy foods! Recently we went to Spicy City, a Sichuan restaurant that recently opened in Irvine and though it was good, it wasn't as good as Chong Ching (which is closer to my house). The spice was mild--even I didn't break a sweat--and the fried shrimp was mostly batter and was extremely greasy. But, it was worth a try. Chong Ching is still old faithful for Sichuan food in Irvine.

Eggplant with garlic sauce

I'm an eggplant lover. But...this didn't do it for me. For some reason, it tasted heavily of vinegar--not pleasing.

Spicy Fried Shrimp

I liked this dish, but didn't love it. It had the perfect spiciness for me and had that great signature numbing sensation, but when I eat Sichuan food, I want sweating, nose running, mouth on fire, drink 30 glasses of water spicy. And it didn't really hit that element for me.

Best part of the meal, the cold dish.

We got to choose several items form the cold dish bar, and we got peanuts with little anchovies (my favorite), pig intestines (they were good but were a little too salty), and chicken gizzard.