Happy Fried Turkey Day

What a truly exhausting but rewarding day for Jasmine's Kitchen. Preparations started four days prior for our Thanksgiving Creole Fried Turkey's. We fried our first turkey at 7:30 a.m. and fried our last at 5:30 p.m. Thanksgiving evening. Thanks to everyone for their orders and look forward to being apart of your holiday dinners in the future! This was our first Thanksgiving here in California in 7 years. The weather was perfect and so were our turkeys. Everything went without a hitch and each turkey was fried and flavored to perfection!

Providence- Los Angeles

Providence was nominated for BEST NEW RESTAURANT by the James Beard Foundation and has two michelin stars and... rightfully so. My friend and I believe this is the BEST restaurant in LA. Everything we ate was made to perfection. I started off with a great glass of Riesling Spatlese. It was a 2007 by ruben von buelwitz, kaselr nies'chen. It certainly opened my palate for my meal to come.
We were first given small appetizers (compliments of the chef) salmon with pepper corn and creme fraiche, wasabi marshmellow, cheese puff pastry and a cold carrot soup. This was only the beginning of my ultimate gourmet experience here at Providence.
The decor was beautiful with flowers scaving the walls. I love going to places where the decor inspires me to do something different to my home.
okay... back to the food..... lol
I ordered the Striped Bass with bone marrow. Can you say fork tender?? The bass melted in my mouth. The plate had the perfect amount of sauces to compliment the Bass and it did not over power the freshness of the fish.
My friend ordered the sea scallops from japan made with chanterelles and apple smoked bacon. The scallops were absolutely perfect and seared to perfection. The entire dish was comforting.
As an appetizer we ordered matsutake soup which had pork belly and pumpkin in it. DELISH!!! I am such a pork belly fan that you could probably put it in anything and I would love it.
For our dessert... we had the pineapple upside down cake with HORCHATA ice-cream. Wow! is all I can say. I'm not suppose to be having dairy right now but I had to. It was worth it. The chef could honestly sell this and make a fortune here in Los Angeles. I recommend this place for special occasions, dates, and nice business meetings.
5 stars!!!

This place is the ultimate culinary experience. It's not cheap but it's worth the price! $$$$. I want to Thank Stephanie (my foodie friend) for recommending this place to me. I can't wait to go back!

Dar Maghreb- Moroccan Food

I went to Dar Maghreb for a friends going away party. This place is asthetically beautiful. I have always enjoyed Moroccan restaurants. Moroccan cuisine is a mix of Arab, Moorish, Berber, Middle Eastern, Mediterrean and African influences.
There is nowhere to eat more comfortable than a Moroccan restaurant. Instead of sitting on chairs you sit on a carpeted floor or couches. I also recommend saving your appetite for the entire day before eating at a Moroccan restaurant. There are at least eight courses starting with lentil soup, cold salads, meats (lemon chicken, lamb or quail) pastilla, which is a light crispy phyllo dough pastry filled with chicken or pigeon, egg and nuts sprinkled with powder sugar and cinnamon, cous cous with meat kabobs, fruits, baklava and mint tea.
Another nice element is the belly dancers that come and entertain you during your meal. Their outfits/costumes are always sexy.
As I mentioned before this restaurant is aesthetically beautiful but I recommend Marrakesh which is located in Studio City on Ventura Boulevard. The food at Marrakesh is exceptionally better. What I found a little disturbing was that we were not given utensils. I know that Dar Maghreb was trying to take us back to the traditional way of eating Moroccan food but there was no way to portion the food without touching it with our hands which made our group over-hesitant to dig in and enjoy the food. Even after asking for forks and spoons they would only provide three when there was clearly a party of 10+ people.

Fisherman's Outlet-Downtown LA

A few months ago I was visiting a friend that lives in Downtown LA and we were suppose to eat here. Unfortunately we were too late so we ended up eating somewhere else. Last week I happen to be visiting clients near the area and decided to stop here for lunch.
I am certainly glad I did. Fisherman's Outlet is a hub for all seafood enthusiast downtown. You can get your fish fried, broiled, tempura styled, grilled or steamed. There is also another section where you can purchase cold seafood salads. yum yum yum!
With so much on the menu I didn't know what to order. I decided to order fried fish, fried shrimp, coleslaw (with dill), french fries and ceviche. It was tasty and delicious.
Although I was by myself everyone in line were extremely nice and had recommendations. I noticed a lot of police officers eating and everyone sharing tables together that didn't even know each other. I was joined by a few people and had very interesting conversations about the food at Fisherman's Outlet. One guy drove all the way from Long Beach to eat here. Now that is LOVE!! I can't wait to bring some of my friends here, I know they will LOVE IT!
Note: you must bring cash, no cards accepted.

Creole Fried Turkey Prices & Details

The Turkey orders are coming in and so are a lot of questions.

The Most Frequently asked Questions are:

How Do I place an order? Via email or phone call. Number is provided below

Price? $75

Do you deliver? Yes for an addition fee $10

Are sides available? Available upon request

How is the Turkey Prepared and spiced? It is injected with our secret creole seasoning marinade and deep fried to perfection.

How do I pay? You can pay thru pay pal on website which will be updated by Saturday November 21st or arrangements can be made.

When is the last day to place order and pay? November 23rd by 10:00 p.m. via email or phone call. All orders must be pre paid in advance.

How do I get in touch with Jasmine's Kitchen? email jasmineskitchen@gmail.com

Where do I pick up? We are located in the Valley and will give/ provide address after your order has been placed.

Last pick up and delivery time? 4p.m. Thanksgiving Day

Shrimp Boil- Family style American dish

JUST DIG IN!!!!
This weekend I had good times with friends. We fried chicken and made a Shrimp BOIL. There are plenty of recipes on the Internet to choose from but I tell ya... I can't wait for next summer and make another Shrimp Boil and spread it across the table like true Southerners do. My suggestion is to google the images on Shrimp Boils.You will get a true feeling on how Shrimp Boils are hosted.
If you want more information on this recipe for your next gathering email me. (jasmineskitchen@gmail.com) I have a "fool proof" recipe that your friends and family will love.

Mi Piace an Italian Kitchen-I went back for round 2

A few weeks ago I went to Mi Piace's and they were sold out of the short ribs. I was a little disappointed but I knew I would be back. Last week I was able to meet with my girlfriend Christine for a quick lunch in Pasadena. Since we were both out there for business, why not go back and see if the short ribs were on the menu. :) lol

Thankfully the weather that day was a little brisk and we were in need of comfort food. YES we ordered the same thing and it was awesome!

I can't describe how tender these short ribs were. You could tell the short ribs were slow cooked for hours with perfect layers of flavoring. The wine sauce was perfect and no additional seasoning required. How could it be so perfect? Not to mention the short ribs were served with the BEST Polenta I have ever tried. The polenta was creamy and buttery and I could have eaten an entire bowl by itself. On top of the short ribs were little fried onion rings.... honestly they could have put more on there. :)

This place gets two thumbs up, a twist and a snap!!!

Fried Turkey for Thanksgiving

Please get your orders in ASAP! Orders are filling up fast! For more information please contact Jasmine's Kitchen: jasmineskitchen@gmail.com

Beeps- Van Nuys

What can you say? This place has been around since the 50's. I used to go to this place all the time in college. Beeps is located in the heart of the valley. If I am hungry and want a good breakfast burrito, short stack of pancakes, waffles or a California Pastrami sandwich this is where I go. All decked out in classic Hollywood decor and oldie but goodies playing in the background Beeps is a fun place.
I decided to take a picture of the waffle maker. I could appreciate having something like this in my dream kitchen and hope one day that I can have something so beautiful to make chicken & waffles with. :)
This morning I had the everything burrito with bacon, ham, sausage, hash browns, egg and salsa. It hit the spot and my mission was accomplished. I was full all day and didn't have to worry about lunch. Only salad for dinner!!!!

Note: If you know what you want call ahead and place your order. They can be slow at times especially on the weekends and the morning.

Sprinkles- Beverly Hills

This place should be a sin :) I have never been a fan of cupcakes until today. Sprinkles makes cupcakes exactly how they should taste, anything else is a waste of batter and fake frosting. You are probably wondering why am I holding a cupcake in a gym locker room? Well, one of the girls from my spin class decided to bring in these scrumptious bad boys and gave them to a few select people. I died and went to heaven. I tried the strawberry cupcake and the red velvet. OMGODDDDDDDDD!!! I think I gained back every ounce that I burned off in class but it was worth it! I even woke up the next day and ate the rest of it for breakfast.

Silver Lake Wine

I love Silver Lake! It's a cool little city located east of Hollywood. When I think of Silver Lake, I think of the words Chic and Eccentric.
Thursday evening I met up with friends at Silver Lake Wine on Glendale Blvd. Silver Lake Wine offers "Thursday Night Flights" which consists of three healthy size sampling :) wines in a particular category. (Region, grape or winemaker). I was able to mix and match red and whites. I tried a wine from Italy that was very smooth. I wish I would have gotten the name but I was having such a good time that I didn't ask. They also serve fresh bread and butter to soak up all the wine you are tasting and clean the palate.
The price $12
You can't beat it!!!
This place was packed with people having great conversation. Whether you choose to stop in before dinner, meet with colleagues or just enjoy a glass of wine this place is happening on Thursday nights.

Sol Y Luna- Tarzana, Ca

Sol y Luna- The Sun and the Moon
Yet another good Mexican restaurant in the Valley. For many years this location was frequented during lunch and dinner hours for me. It was nice to return and know that the food here is pretty consistent. Yummy margaritas, great chips and salsa and a cool atmosphere.
I was able to stop in for lunch in between meetings and try their sopa de albondigas for the first time. It was pretty comforting however, it was 98 degrees outside and probably wasn't the best thing to eat when you are wearing a turtle neck sweater and wool pants. (Hey, it was cold when I left the house in the morning)
I haven't attempted to make sopa de albondigas but the ones I have tasted in the past seem to have more of a red tomato base broth. Either way, they both are good.
I also ordered the Salpicon Tostada which is a very delicious savory salad. A few years back I invited my friend Sam from Atlanta and he enjoyed this salad very much. He was quite surprised that a salad could be so delicious. It has an olive oil vinegar based dressing with cotija cheese, grilled chicken or shrimp, avocado, refried beans, shredded lettuce, two tostada chips and crema.
I took pictures of the people sitting next to me. I asked the waiter what they were eating. The dish is called Especialidad de la casa. It has grilled steak, chicken and shrimp with cactus leaf, pablano peppers served with a molcajete sauce.
This is definitely on my list to try next. Next time I will have to bring someone with me because its for two unless I bring my appetite with me.