The Best Pastrami EVER

The line outside of Katz literally spanned the entire block--it was insane. Luckily, it moved very quickly. I was kind of shocked by how much security and line regulation there was at Katz, but I guess with a deli that is so popular it needs it. Matt loved the yelling the security guards did to make sure everyone who was in line got in, and everyone else...can get to the back. They definitely kept it fair. To give you and idea of how strict they are--they wouldn't let this guy back in to the deli after he had briefly went outside...his family was still in Katz. But the "bouncer" told him to get to the back of the line, because he would be cutting everyone who had been waiting patiently to get in. I felt so bad for him.

After we got our tickets we got in line for the cutters...I could hardly wait! The smell of pastrami perfumed the entire deli.

Now to the important part...

THE PASTRAMI ON RYE...despite all the hype and despite making appearances on multiple food shows, Katz has managed to maintain it's amazing quality. The bread was light and sweet, and the pastrami...O THE PASTRAMI...it was so tender and juicy, it literally melted in my mouth. And the flavor was just spot on, it was meaty, and it definitely was not too rich or fatty--and the best part was that they were very generous with the amount of meat on each sandwich.

I will never look at pastrami the same way ever again!

Problem: What happens when I crave this succulent sandwich again?...Hmm...still trying to figure that one out...

P.S. Make sure you keep your ticket even if you don't get anything...because they won't let you out otherwise...verdict: STRICT but Delicious!

Dean and Deluca

Dean and Deluca! Ecstatic!

speaks for themselves!

So pretty! I wanted to jump over the glass barrier.

THE MOMENT I'VE been waiting for...okay...so I had been waiting for New York in general...but seriously, Dean and Deluca in SoHo has been something I'd been looking forward to for a very long time. I could seriously spend HOURS upon HOURS in there. Matt loved it too, but I think by the 5th lap around the store he was a little restless...

Dirty Water Dog, Finally!

Next one to get crossed off my list was the dirty water dog! I was so determined to get one, and we finally did--it was our breakfast on the way to Katz.

I love the relish(?) on top! They need to bring that to California...but first they need to bring cart foods!

Gilt

Matt had the suckling pig. This is what we came for!

He dissuaded me from getting it too, (rightfully so) so that we could have variety! It worked out.

Suckling pig cooked four ways...seriously? Heavenly! The pork belly was so crisp and savory, it was to die for.

The fish was a bit over-cooked, but everything else--the shell fish, and the squid ink gnocci was fabulous. I don't think I've had better gnocci anywhere else.

Matt had the sweetbreads with mango and granola! Yes, GRANOLA! I've never heard...no...I never could have imagined that granola and sweetbreads would go well together. But it was strangely satisfying.
Scallops!!! Cooked to perfection!

I was VERY pleasantly surprised by Gilt, and quite unexpectedly, I have to admit. I seriously thought that after having Le Bernardin the night before, that this was going to be over shadowed. But you know what, it wasn't. Matt and I were actually heartbroken because there were moments where we thought that this meal was better than Le Bernardin...but I'm still in denial...my excuse is that Gilt is more new age and Le Bernardin is more traditional, and therefore cannot be compared.

Conclusion:

They were both great meals, and extremely memorable!

Cupcake Truck? I Love You SoHo

Red Velvet--HAD TO!

and the cream puff...was an accident...we wrongfully assumed that "cream puff" meant cream puff flavored cupcake--wishful thinking.

Yes, Matt is quite the photographer...

PERFECT! It was my birthday and guess what we stumble upon during our walk through SoHo to Ground Zero? A CUPCAKE TRUCK! What a find!

Lombardi's

So the rivalry carries on! Grimaldi's or Lombardi's? Who knows? All I'm sure of, is that Lombardi's was DAMN GOOD and well worth the wait!

We got mushroom, sausage, and spinach...PILED HIGH. The crust was thin, crisp, and sweet. O Lombardi's, why are you so far away?

Les Halles

O my gosh! I can't believe I forgot to mention that Matt and I went to Les Halles the first night we got there!...(of course we did!)

Here's what I wrote about it that night:

MMmmmMM the tartine maison, best pate I’ve had so far! It tasted heavily of liver, it was very “irony” I guess that Zimmerman guy would call it. It definitely had that meaty, organ-y flavor, that when eaten with a teeny-tiney sweet pickle is nothing short of amazing. Not to mention, it was a GENEROUS portion of pate.

Matt ordered the French onion soup per recommendation of Brad and Jeannie. That soup was something to write home about. It was dark in color and rich with the bold flavor of caramelized onion, had a healthy serving of ooey-gooey stringy cheese, and was just everything a French onion soup should be.

Matt also had the coq au vin, which was…well…the sauce was amazing because it had the right balance of red wine and THICK CUT BACON, but that did not veil the fact that the coq was DRY! Sauce: two thumbs up, coq: two thumbs down.

I ordered the hanger steak with a shallot sauce and fries. The hanger steak was GREAT. It was rich and tender and practically…creamy?! That perfectly medium rare cut of delicious hanger dipped in the shallot sauce was heaven on a fork. The shallot sauce was not only a deep chocolate color, but it tasted of chocolate with a sweet fruity kick. It made me smile!

And well the fries…

See I was really looking forward to the fries which were highly regarded by the love of my life, Anthony Bourdain…but needless to say…it was a let down.

Sorry Tony, the fries that you always rant and rave about…did not meet my expectations…but then again, Matt keeps reminding me that you haven’t worked there in almost a decade, maybe you should consider going back and reminding them of how to make fries that DON’T have a stale crunch!

O and did I mention the seating was…snug? Hmmm…understatement of the year. We were seated at one of the bench seating areas, and literally, we were sitting shoulder to shoulder. I could hear EVERY WORD that the people sitting on either side of me were saying, which made me self-conscious, because they could probably hear everything Matt and I were conversing about.

Le Bernardin GAWK!

Finally! Seriously, Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert are at the top of my "To Meet" list. Le Bernardin was something that I had been looking forward to for SO long. These are just some of the pictures Matt and I took of our 7 course meal, which was phenomenal! I think it was better than I had expected, which was a pleasant surprise!

The highlight was the raw tuna as the first course with fois gras and a crispy thin baguette, oil, lemon, and chives...I DIE! It was so fresh and such a great balance of rich and fresh flavors.

Desert is always the best part of the meal...and this time there was TWO! They were unforgettable.

First was a cheese course--marscarpone in a coffee shell. Amazing! I was so impressed by the coffee shell--it was a sugar shell and coffee flavored sweets tend to overpower other flavors but this was very subtle but present.

That was seriously good enough for me, that cheese course was going to be hard to top.

But being Eric Ripert, how could I even doubt him for a second?

He topped it.

The last desert had liquid pear. LIQUID PEAR! I didn't think Eric Ripert would stray away from the traditional and explore molecular gastronomy...but he did with this desert, and IT WORKED!

On top of an amazing meal...WE SAW ERIC RIPERT!!!! ....still melting....

Hallal Cart

Halal Cart on 56th and 3rd

Finally!

Our first experience with New York food carts.

Thank goodness it was so close to our hotel!

It smelled amazing!! And the line was LONG, which is a great sign of delicious food. Lines don't lie!

We had no idea where to go with our cart food, so we decided to walk to Central Park which was only a few blocks away. That walk was torture! I was SO hungry.

Lamb and chicken plate with everything and extra hot sauce. That hot sauce is no joke! Matt and I needed extra napkins to wipe our runny noses. At least it kept our shivering bodies warm. And folks, this cart isn't just hype--o no, it's the real deal! It's the one thing about New York that I miss the most.

O, and is that sauce really Mayo? Who cares?! It was good!

Gyro! I call it a "yee-ro" but everyone calls it a "jy-ro". We may not agree on the pronunciation, but we can all agree that this cart really knows how to make one.

After all that food, it was time to enjoy the rest of Central Park!

We stayed at the Park Central Hotel near Central Park, and it was AMAZING!

...except for their $23 room service water...yeah...I'm never doing that again! Not only that, but I ordered two large bottles of water and they only gave me ONE glass. If I'm going to pay THAT much for two bottles of water, at least give me more than one glass...

Meal on the way to NY

My first time drinking on the plane! That little bottle goes a long way at 40,000 miles.

Gordon Biersch in a plastic bottle for the boyfriend
Cheese and cracker box on Virgin America yum! Too bad you have to pay for meals on a 5 hour flight!...At least it was tasty and it wasn't too pricey. It was smoked Gouda, dill cheese, cheddar, and fresh mozzarella, sweet pickles, radishes (I'm a sucker for radishes), stone ground crackers, tomatoes, grapes, and dried pear. I would totally buy that again--food with the touch of a screen. I'm in love with Virgin America.

March 4th flying Virgin America to NEW YORK!!!

I was so anxious!

Good-bye Irvine, HELLO MANHATTAN!

Berry Sauce

I started my day off at 9 a.m. and went straight to studying and of course while I was studying I was simultaneously watching the Food Network. Dangerous! Because this gave me, what I call, the "cooking itch", the need to make something and pretend like you're on a cooking show, so you talk to yourself while cooking.
Basically, the less embarrassing version of this story would be..."out of hunger and rummaging through my pantry..." I found plain yogurt, granola, frozen strawberries, blueberries, and raspberry jam...thus resulting in making a berry sauce for a PARFAIT!

Berry sauce recipe:

1/2 frozen strawberries
1 handful of dried wild blueberries
1/4 cup ginger ale
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon raspberry jam

Put the frozen strawberries, ginger ale, and balsamic in a small pot and let come to a boil.
When it boils turn down the heat to a medium until the strawberries look completely defrosted.
Add the dried blueberries, honey, and raspberry jam. Let it come back up to a boil.
Add lemon juice, and turn down to a simmer and let simmer for about 10 mins or until the liquid has reduced by 1/4 or until it looks like a syrup.

let cool.

serve with ice cream, yogurt, or whatever you like to have berry syrup/ sauce with!
It's so good! It's amazing what things you can concoct right out of your pantry!

Peanut Butter

I don't know what it is with me lately--I've been infatuated with peanut butter! I think it might have something to do with a conversation I've had recently with a group of my friends who were reminiscing about favorite childhood foods. Some were familiar favorites like ants on a log, pb&j with three slices of white bread, UNCRUSTABLES!, peanut butter and oreoes, peanut butter and condensed milk sammies...but a common theme was peanut butter. Then one of my friends excitedly exclaims "Peanut butter and apples!" and everyone all of a sudden escalates to the same caliber of excitement and says, "O my God! Yes! Peanut butter and apples! MmmM"...and I, being the food lover that I am, sheepishly sits on the couch...SILENT...as they continue to express their joy.
Then I finally interrupt, "Apples and peanut butter? What?" As if to make a joke.
To their surprise, I had never had apples with peanut butter.
"But you've had ants on a log?" (peanut butter and celery with raisins, my personal favorite childhood DIY finger food), they ask.
"Well...yeah!"
We all laugh as one of my girlfriends quickly jumps up and rushes to the kitchen bringing out a box of pre-sliced apples, a large jar of ooey-gooey peanut butter, and a butter knife and quickly assembles a "peanut butter and apple hors d'oeuvre" for me.

Man...I could not believe I've missed out on this all my life! I've been hooked ever since! And I'm reliving my peanut butter infatuation that I had had growing up.

Since then I've been trying different things to dip in peanut butter. So far, I've found that granny smith apples taste the best with the peanut butter because the tartness and crispness of the apple really balances out the sticky richness of the peanut butter. And to my surprise, which may seem a bit alarming, is that sliced mangoes that are slightly less than ripe are also delicious with peanut butter. I'm seriously working in peanut butter into every afternoon snack. YUM!

Marking My Calendar

I'm going to use this post as a "SAVE THE DATE" reminder.

MARCH 27, 2010 Redondo Beach, CA is holding it's 2nd Ever Clam Chowder Cook Off! MmmmMMM yum! And it's calling my name!

Gastro Pub

What am I doing at a gastropub? Well, for starters, I'm not particularly interested in beer, it's just not my drink, and the closet gastropub to Irvine, is the one in Orange--about 30 mins north. So really, why go out of my way to a place that's not only far, but specializes in beer? THE FOOD!



I'm talking Haven Gastropub.



Forget about the average Joe food you find at ordinary pubs, we're talking GASTROpub, it's down home comfort food with a non-pretentious upscale twist.

Let me start by saying..."Mmmm...Steak Frites!" The butcher back in France who decided to keep the hanger steak all to himself was a genius! Haven's version of this French classic makes my mouth water. They make a mean medium rare steak (my own preference ofcourse) with this rich, savory, chocolate sauce...O MY GOD...did I mention that this makes my mouth water? And their pomme frites are among the best I've had. I guess you could call them shoe string fries, but they're crisp and cooked to perfection and then sprinkled with salt, pepper, and rosemary AND it's served with their house made ketchup...which tastes like it has...applesauce (?) in it. SO good.

I got to tell you, their truffle mac and cheese is killer as well! It's like this rich, creamy, silky white cheese sauce topped with more cheese and bread crumbs. SO, you know what that means? Yup, stretchy cheese, creamy cheese, AND a crisp nutty top. I seriously ran my spoon across every corner of that bowl to get all the sauce I could. I would have licked it clean if I weren't in public...(ok so it WAS a pub...and you're usually allowed to be as crazy and embarrassing as you want, but the "gastro" that comes before the word pub means you have to hold back a little bit. But no one's stopping me from using my side order of pomme frites to sop up the sauce).

And, ok, get this...HELLO! it's affordable! A no brainer for me when I'm looking to spoil myself without dreading the bill.

Great food, extensive beer list (if you're a beer connoisseur), and great atmosphere! Spotted Pig, New York...HERE I COME!

Westlake Beef Soup: Getting Back to My Roots

Growing up, I really hated soups. Other than your everyday can of Progresso Calm Chower, soup was out of the question.

Now being much older, there's nothing like a great bowl of warm soup to get you through a rainy California day.

I've been trying to get in touch with my Chinese cooking culture and I've been trying to cook with new ingredients that I love to eat, but are deathly afraid of cooking. I guess it's not so much about cooking it that scares me, its more about how to prep it, and what to cook it with that has me scrambling from asile to asile with a cart full of new ingredients and ideas through the Asian Markets.

Bamboo shoots, with sliced beef, and what we in Chinese call "drumstick mushrooms"

Steamed fish with soy sauce, green onions, and ginger

Stir fry crab with green onion and ginger

Chinese roast pork

Different ways of cooking tofu

These have all been tested in my kitchen these past few months.

But what does this all have to do with the title, "Westlake Beef Soup"? Don't worry, I'm about to tell you.

I forgot to mention, that although I hated soup when I was younger, there was a culinary discover that I stumbled upon at the age of 10. Westlake Beef Soup. I guess it was my love for cilantro that got me hooked!

Everytime we went out to eat at a Chinese restaurant, that's what I wanted.

During my visit back home to San Francisco after my second year of college, my uncle who had just come from Hong Kong was staying with us for a few months. He is a great cook; he can recreate virtually anything you eat in a Chinese restaurant at home. So ofcouse, when he heard about my love for the soup, he replied, "It's so much cheaper if you just make it at home!"

WHAT?! I...ME?...I can make this at home? For some reason it never really occured to me that I could recreate this childhood memory on my own stovetop with extremely affordable ingredients. And it was fast! TEACH ME!

My uncle, who seemed to find cooking very theraputic and cooked for us everynight of his stay, joking laughed at me and said, "You need to learn how to cook something so easy?"

Why, yes...yes I do!

This isn't the exact recipe he taught me, this is a slight variation--but I promise it's very tastey.

Again, I must remind you that I'm a master at "eyeballing" so these are rough measurements.

Here goes:

2 boxes of good quality organic beef broth

1/4 pound lean ground beef (I buy the little packages of lean ground beef from Trader Joe's and I usually 1/2-3/4 of that package, if that gives you a better idea of measurements)

1 inch chunk of fresh ginger root (smacked with your knife to release some of the juices)

1 1/2 tablespoons of fresh ground ginger root finely shreded with you knife

1/2 block of soft or medium firm tofu (don't used silken, because it will break up when you stir the soup)

1/4 cup of frozen peas

2 eggs (beaten)

2-3 tablespoons of soy sauce

1 tablespoon of sesame oil

1/2 tablespoon of sugar

2 1/2-3 tablespoon cornstarch

1 large handful of chopped cilantro (roughly 1/8 cup)

salt (to taste)

ground white pepper (to taste)

In a small bowl mix ground beef, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, a pinch of salt, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, and shreaded ginger together. Let sit/ marinate as you prep the other ingredients.

In a large pot, add 1 inch piece of ginger and broth and bring to a boil.

Once your broth comes to a boil, add the marinated ground beef bit by bit (the goal is to get pea sized minced beef in the soup)

Let it come back to a boil.

Make a "slurry" with the remaining cornstarch and and a tablespoon of cold water and stir into the soup.

Add the tofu and peas, and let it come back up to a boil.

Add salt and ground white pepper to taste.

Remove from heat and gently pour in beaten eggs in a slow and steady stream making concentric circles in the pot. Cover for 5 mins.

Remove the cover and add cilantro before serving. Stir gently too mix in the cilantro.

Makes roughly 5-6 large servings.

So it turns out that Westlate Beef Soup IS really easy to make...no wonder my uncle scoffed at me! I had always been timid about trying to recreate Chinese food that I've eaten in restaurants, but now...not so much!

Enjoy!

Larb

Recently, I've been exploring new ways to eat healthy--BIG flavors without the guilt.

If I were one of the "7 Deadly Sins", I, sadly but surely, would be gluttony--I eat, and eat, and eat and I can go on all day with out stopping. I like eating realtively healthy (although I do have a tendancy to indulge), but I'm definitely not willing to sacrifice flavor.

Thus, my new love for larb. It's so amazing how incredibly easy it is to make and how pocket friendly it is! I've been visiting my local Asian market a whole lot more since this discovery.

I'm absolutely obsessed with foods of Southeast Asia. How can you not be infatuated with the sweet, the spicy, the tangy, and the lip licking umame of fish sauce all in one dish?

Larb, (which can also be spelled larp or laarp) is common in Southeast Asian cuisine like Northern Thai or Lao cooking, and its a kind of ground meat salad. I know, I know...ground meat salad? It doesn't sound all that appetizing to all palates but I urge you to give it a try--especially if you have a love for Southeast Asian flavors and want to include some dishes from that region into your healthy eating repertoire.

Here's my version of the recipe (these are rough measurements because I'm a fan of "eyeballing", bad habit, I know!)

1 stem of lemongrass (peel the the outer layers and then cut into 1/4 inch rounds)

2-3 tablespoons of mint leaves, chiffonade

4-5 tablespoons of cilantro, chopped

1inch chunk of fresh ginger root ( I peel it, then smack it with my knife to release some of the juices)

2 large chicken breasts (You can buy pre-ground chicken breast, but I like to ground it myself at home)

1/4 of a read onion finely minced

1/4 cup of good quality organic chicken broth

2 limes juiced

3 kaffir lime leaves (if available, sometimes I can't find these either, so I just leave them out)

5 green thai chilis (chopped they're SPICY so add them to taste)

1 head of either ice berg lettuce or green cabbage (I either make lettuce cups with the ice berg, or I cut the cabbage head into eigths)

1/2 tablespoon of sugar

Fish sauce (to taste)

Thai fried chili paste (optional)

In a pot, add your chicken broth, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, chilis, the juice of one lime, and ginger and bring to a boil. Let it boil for about 3 minutes.

(you may fish out the lemon grass, lime leaves, and ginger if you'd like, but i just leave them in)

Add the ground chicken breast. Using a wooden spoon or silicone spatula break the ground chicken up in the boiling broth.

When the chicken looks relatively cooked stir in the sugar, let simmer on a very low heat.

Prep your lettuce cups or cabbage. (If using iceberg, I gently remove the leaves from the head and place them in very cold water so that they retain thier cup shape, I aslo generally used the inner leaves closer to the core, as they are more crisp and refreshing)

In your serving bowl mix chopped cilantro, mint, and red onion. Add in the chicken mixture that has been simmering for several minutes.

Add fishsauce (I usually put 3-4 tablespoons), lime juice, and chili paste to taste.

Serve with lettuce cups or cabbage and a side of the chili paste for those who love it spicy!

Makes roughly 3 servings.

It's a great "build it yourself" meal, so I usually serve it to my guests family style--larb in a giant bowl and lettuce on the side!

It's so easy and delicious, this will be one you keep in your recipe box for years of healthy eating.

Cookie of Hearts

Sometimes cookies surprise you.

After rolling my oatmeal cookie dough into small balls, I popped them into the oven and guess what came out...

SURPRISE! A heart shaped cookie!

Holiday Cookies

So, I felt a little over zealous this holiday season and decided to try my hand at cookie recipe experimenting.

THIS cookie recipe was by far the easiest recipe I have ever tried. AND clean up was a snich!

I found this really intriguing sparkling ginger chip cookie recipe on 101 Cookbooks because they looked and sounded like very festive cookies! Perfect for Christmas party favors. I altered the recipe a bit according to what I felt worked best after making several batches of these delicious little morsels.

The recipe is as follows:

1/2 cup sugar crystals

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used a mix of 3oz. of dark chocolate and 3 oz. semisweet)

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (You can usually find whole wheat pastry flour at your local health food stores. I substituted with unbleached all-purpose flour and that worked perfectly fine.)

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt (I had large grain sea salt and used a mortor and pesel to grind it down, but you can always use table salt)

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup unsulphured molasses

2/3 cup fine grain natural cane sugar, sifted (I substitued with light brown sugar)

1 1/2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger, peeled

1 large egg, well beaten

Preheat the oven to 350F / 180C degrees - racks in the top and bottom third of the oven. Line a couple baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper or a Silpat mat, and place the large-grain sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.

Finely chop the chocolate bar into almost shavings

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, and salt.

Heat the butter in a saucepan until it is just barely melted. Remove from heat and stir in the molasses, sugar, and fresh ginger. The mixture should be warm, but not hot at this point, if it is hot to the touch let it cool a bit. Whisk in the egg. Pour this over the flour mixture, and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate. Be careful as to not over mix. The dough should be moist but not sticky.

Per suggestion by 101 Cookbooks, I also like to make these cookies bite sized. So I divide the dough up in to half tablespoon sized balls. Then I dip one side of the ball into the large sugar crystals and roll the sugared ball lightly in my hands and then place them on to my parchment lined cookie sheets.

Place dough a few inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until cookies puff up and darken a bit. Like baking cakes, I like to check them with a toothpick.

For me this recipe made about 45 cookies but it varies depending on how large or small you decide to make them.

VOILA! Delicious gingery cookies! Enjoy!