Catering with Chef leone- UCLA

I was invited to cook again with Chef Leone. We hosted a party for the Dean of the Arts department at UCLA. The party went without a hitch. Time went by really fast. We made crab cakes with remoulade, fontina savory tarts, fillet Mignon with blue cheese mousse and arugula salad. These were the only two pictures I took. Sorry I wasn't able to upload more pictures because I was cooking majority of the time.
Next time I promise more pictures. :-)

Ivan Kane's- Cafe Was Hollywood, CA

Ivan Kane's- Cafe Was/Fourty Deuce is located in Hollywood, Ca off Sunset & Vine. I was really excited about going to this restaurant because it has a live jazz band nightly. There's nothing like listening to great music and enjoying good food. Before I went to Cafe Was I read a lot of reviews on *yelp* and I noticed either the diner enjoyed their experience or just hated it.
I'm not sure what to make of my experience. I guess I will break it down so that you can make your own opinion.

Ambiance: A little over the top. I kind of felt like I was at the Rio in Vegas that wants to mimic Mardi Gras in New Orleans except that this restaurant wants to take you back to the 40's. However, it was fun and romantic all at the same time depending on the occasion. The layout was great. Most of the seating focused on the band which was located in the middle of the restaurant.
Service: The service was great. The hostess was able to sit us on the balcony instead of outside. The bartender made our drinks pretty stiff and there was no need to order a second.
Food: It was disappointing. It's suppose to be "French Inspired" or a French Bistro. I don't think heavy food constitutes French Food. I'm not sure who created this menu but I feel like I was eating at the Del Taco of French food. I really wanted to like the food, I promise. For appetizers I ordered the lobster roll and the fried frog legs. The lobster roll was deep fried with potatoes and carrots. I'm not sure if I was eating a chimichanga or a bad egg roll but it was bad. They should rename the roll. I think Chimichanga is a better fit. Most lobster rolls are delicated and light.
The Frog legs had no salt and was served with barbecue sauce. I wasn't feeling it. There was only three little pieces. It was not enough to be an appetizer but more like when a chef gives you a complimentary tasting.
For my main course I ordered the scallop with pork belly. My scallops were cold and the pork belly was pure fat with no meat. The texture just didn't sit well with me.
We also ordered the braised short ribs which was a disaster. First, it was not fork tender. It was dry and tasted like an overcooked brisket. Second, the fried onions on top were over powering and saturated in oil. It tasted like store purchased fried onions in a can. The sauce was really thick. A few months ago I purchased a premade demi-glace and realized when it comes to glazes and sauces you can't really cut corners.
I also ordered a side of macaroni and cheese with truffle oil. Dismally it was blah and I could of made a box of macaroni and cheese and added my own cheese and poured truffle oil on top and got the same thing.
Too bad this place didn't get to third base because at the end of night I ended up going to Jack n the Box. Go figure!!

Roscoes Chicken and Waffles- Hollywood

I'm finally blogging on the famous "Roscoes Chicken and Waffles". I believe this is one of the first restaurants I went to when I moved to Los Angeles when I was a teenager. I remember when Roscoes was 24 hours and my friends and I would go there on the weekends because you were always guaranteed good food.
Before I went time this I worked out for 3 hours because I knew that I would be eating a lot. Since I am a creature of habit once I find something on the menu its hard for me to deviate and try others specials.
I always order the #9- 3 fried chicken wings and a waffle, side of collard greens and a Sunrise.
Lets start with the Sunrise drink, its a mix of lemonade and orange juice. You get a mix of sweet and tangy. Some people mix it all together or just let it be. I prefer to just let it be.
Roscoes Fried chicken is always fried to perfection with the perfect amount of seasoning and crispiness. A lot of my friends order the fried succulent chicken breast. The chicken is always juicy and never saturated with oil.
And their famous waffles- I can never eat the entire waffle but its always moist with a perfect amount of crisp. You really don't need butter and syrup because its good on its own but their waffles are unbeatable.
On our visit we ordered a side of beans and rice, mac n cheese and cornbread since I haven't tried these items before.
To my surprise the beans and rice were really good and favorful. Usually when going to a soul food restaurant the sides aren't really flavored.

If you like sweet and savory food you will loooove Roscoes Chicken and Waffles. You're always guaranteed comforting good honest food.

Craft-Tom Colicchio

Craft is now one of my new favorite restaurants in Los Angeles. Craft is located on Avenue of the Stars and Constellation Blvd. In the last few years I have been a huge fan of the show "Top Chef". I have never had any interest in the judges because its all about the contestants and the drama. Tom Colicchio always seems so serious on the show but now I know why. Gosh darnit, whew.... his food is fantastic. I ate so much at his restaurant that my tummy hurt.
After I got home I looked him up on Wikipedia and unbeknownst to me he is a winner of 5 James Beard Foundation Medals. What an accomplishment!
Since my camera isn't working I was able to capture a few on my camera phone but my best friend has the main pictures on his camera. I promise to upload once he sends them to me.

This is what we ordered:

As a starter the chef gave us small shot glasses filled with curry carrot soup with creme fraiche. It was smooth and opened the palate up for more food to come.
Kumamoto oyster- Their oysters were fresh and sweet and had a simple mingnonette sauce.
Gnocchi- This was the only thing on the menu that I tried that I wasn't a huge fan of but it was still made to perfection. I was looking for a more garlicky flavor.
Duck Breast- was brought out in a small cast iron skillet with dates. The skin was nice and crispy and the meat was tender and didn't dry out after it cooled down. I enjoyed it very much as my main course and would recommend this dish if you love duck.
Scalloped Potatoes My best friend had the scalloped potatoes and the were nice and creamy. They were layered perfectly and wasn't overcooked or undercooked. The cheeses that were used were nice and strong which gave it a nice homemade taste to it.
carrot- I couldn't get enough of the carrots. My best friend ordered these as well. I didn't take the time to figure out what they seasoned the carrots with but I think I ate more than half of his order. The were seasoned perfectly and perfectly tender.
braised short ribs-My best friend ordered this as his main course. I only took a few bites but it was spoon tender. They give you the perfect portion. The wine sauce was great and was full of flavor. Since I had short ribs earlier this week, this would had been my first choice.
Spinach bacon salad- This yummy delicious salad caught me by surprise. I never go to a restaurant thinking that their salads are going to blow me away. Well this one did. I'm not sure what kind of bacon they used (maybe pancetta) but it was nice and crispy and had a great smokiness to it. They fried little onions on top. The best surprise is that the had a soft boiled egg that looked like a radish, so the yolk just completed the salad.
Desserts we ordered the Monkey Bread and the Beignets. The Monkey bread was out of this world, full of gooey Carmel and macadamia nuts. The Beignets came with three dipping sauces chocolate, honey and something else. They were nice and airy. It didn't feel like you were eating anything but just tasting it.

Craft also gave us a goody bad with a chocolate brownie with cherries and cookies to go. At that point I couldn't eat anymore.
This place is awesome!! A must go!
It's definitely in my top 3 places to eat in LA.

Jamie's Food Revolution

As you all know Jamie Oliver is one of my favorite "Celebrity Chefs". To be honest when he hosted the show "Naked Chef" over ten years ago he inspired me to use fresh herbs and ingredients in my cooking. I would say he was the start of my "Food Revolution".

I don't know if anyone has had the opportunity to watch Jamie's Food Revolution but I have caught the last two episodes and I have literally been brought to tears just watching the resistance that the people in the town have given him. Now I know that most of it is edited so that it catches a reaction and sparks the attention of the viewer but I honestly believe that these people that participated on the show really did not want change.
I have several friends and family members that have children and I cannot believe how health and fitness has gone down the drain. I remember not having a choice whether or not I wanted to eat my vegetables. My mother never gave us desserts so I never grew accustomed to liking cake, chocolate, candy or sodas. To be honest I could do without it now. However, I don't discount that there are moments when I do enjoy a good dessert when dining at a nice restaurant.
I remember being in middle school and high school and being excited that Taco Bell was going to be an option on campus. Then I realized after the hype had surpassed that it was just as terrible as the cafeteria food.
The sad thing is that there aren't healthy choices or good food to choose from so why not order french fries. At least you're guaranteed that it will always taste the same.
I have also heard that kids are not required to take P.E. I honestly can't wrap my mind around the philosophy. Every time I pass by a High School and I see little girls half my age bigger than me it boggles me. It seems like all these parents do nowadays is just let fast food feed their children and let video games babysit. But who am I to judge.... I don't have children.
So I apologize in advance if I offend anyone.
There's so much information on the Internet on healthy foods that there is no excuse why people don't cook healthy.
I don't claim to be or eat the healthiest food but french fries and pizza is not the answer. Can you believe that these school consider french fries as being a vegetable??? I know that this country is in a recession and education has fallen by the wayside but I encourage everyone to at least donate a little time in their children's health and nutrition.

TAKE ACTION
sign the petition!!!! There's only 345k....SAD PEOPLE!!!!

http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution/petition

http://abc.go.com/shows/jamie-olivers-food-revolution

or text Jamie 22288

Happy Easter!!

This was probably one of the best Easter holidays I've had in a long time. I took my time cooking and listening to music while drinking a great bottle of wine from Peju in Napa.
I have been saving this bottle of wine for two years. It's actually one of their table wines which was a varietal mix. I couldn't believe how delicious it was. I remember it was my first tasting of the day and knowing that it would have to be a special occasion before I'd share this beautiful bottle of wine with anyone.
Every year I make deviled eggs and try to find a new recipe. Well I think I have finally created the best recipe that is unique and flavorful. Deviled eggs tend to be dry and lack any kind of excitement if you don't think outside the box. I minced red onion, celery, bell pepper and added cumin, mayo, cream, red wine vinegar,relish cayenne pepper, dill and salt & pepper and paprika for garnish. The bonus flavor was the cumin which I never thought would of mixed well but it did. I really wanted to top it off with caviar but couldn't find any at the last minute since they closed down the local Bristol Farms store. :(
I also made yams with my special spices and asparagus with a bechamel sauce.
Last but not least.... I fried another Turkey!! It was extra succulent and crispy. It was so delicious.
What a great day!!

"Catch" Casa Del Mar- Santa Monica

Saturday I had a "Me Day" where I did everything I wanted to do. I guess we all need to relax and have time to soak in your own thoughts, right. :-)
Not sure what happened to my camera phone but I only have one picture of myself at this restaurant which is located in the Casa Del Mar Hotel in Santa Monica. I'm a little disappointed because the pictures of the restaurant are beautiful. The restaurant is beautifully decorated with a nice scenery of the ocean. It's nicely lit by natural sunlight and every seat has a view of the ocean. The colors are cream and brown which gives perfect lighting inside. All the seating is comfortable with a modern chic look and feel to it. The hardwood floors are distressed but it doesn't look too contrived.

About the food: I ordered a beef braised sandwich with horseradish and arugula salad on top. It needed a lot more seasoning and the meat was little tuff. I didn't care for it much. I also ordered the raspberry tart with raspberry sorbet. The dessert was definitely a comforting dessert and very good. I think they did a great job on the dessert.
Years ago I used to come to this place for happy hour and they had some of the greatest prices for happy hour. I will be back!

Francos Italian Restaurant- Los Alamitos

This restaurant has a great lunch menu. It's located close to Los Alamitos High School. I find it rather humorous at times when you go a restaurant and they don't cook real Italian food. To my surprise this little place located in a strip mall has some of the best Italian food around. You can tell that they put a lot of pride, heart and soul into their dishes. I tried the salmon with a tomato basil sauce with fresh Parmesan cheese and I also tried an Antipasto chopped salad a few weeks ago. The tomato basil sauce was so delicious that I kept soaking my bread in the sauce until it was all gone. I also devoured their antipasto salad which was on their appetizer list which could had fed 2 people but my appetite that day allowed me to finish most of it.
When I came back the second time they were remembered me. LOL