Valentines Day

Todays blog is dedicated to Valentine's Day, my 2nd favorite holiday.
I am such a hopeless romantic that I look forward to this day more than my birthday. For the last several years I have spent my Valentine's Day in Napa but unfortunately a special project that I am working on has me elsewhere. But don't think I won't be on the next plane smoking to get my annual Winter trip there because the mustard's this time of the year is absolutely breath taking. If you are a romantic such as I, if you can whisk your girl away and take her there, she will forever be indebted to your royal highness (for about two weeks).
Many guys don't want to subscribed to this holiday and there are some women out there who believe that this day should not be dedicated to them. Yes we know you love us 365 days of the year but guess what!!! we all want to feel loved on February the 14th!!! Its the one day out of the year that WE want to feel romanticized, see you in a suit, get a little tipsy, have orgasmic food and take our worries away.I'm sorry but I deserved to feel love and I feel sorry for those that don't take this one day to connect with a special someone. Hello!!! we want to purrrr like kittens. It doesn't take much so here are some suggestions by Jasmine's Kitchen.

If you live in LA... and you can get a reservation at the Le Petit Emeritage. They have a private roof-top setting which has a beautiful view of LA. Think its too cold? They have blankies and I have pictures to prove it. See my twitter page @JasminesKitchen

Providence- Looking for an upscale restaurant with Michelin Stars? This is your place. I love seeing a man in a suit and tie. Such a turn on. I am almost certain that there are some pretty orgasmic dishes on their prix fix menu.

Hire a private Chef. I know quite a few, let me know and I will place you with the right people. Imagine... a private dinner in your home. They cook, you set the ambiance, they leave and you..... can play footsies under the table.... HAHAHHAAAA


Marrakesh- Feeling adventurous (be prepared to save your appetite) but you get to sit on couches and pillows and just relax while watching belly dancers. You can also eat with your fingers.

Have the day off?
Go to Wholefoods or Bristols farms and go on a picnic. It has won me over many times over. Get a bottle of wine, get your favorite foods, truffles, and pick up cupcakes from Sprinkles.

Flowers are always nice, a bath for two, a foot massage, we just want to feel appreciated.

Jasmine's Kitchen travels to Paris for Christmas

I have often been told from others that they did not enjoy Paris and they had horrible food experiences. Well never listen to others. I am not sure what they are talking about because I enjoyed the best Croissants, coffee, wine, duck, desserts, foie gras, beouf, one can imagine. There was not one day where I was dissatisfied.
Maybe I just have an impeccable eye for knowing how to pick a good restaurant.
Here are a few tips about picking a restaurant in Paris: look at the menu, become familiar with ingredients in French, always view the menu prior to going into the restaurant. Yelp it or even find out who the Chef is before going. Last but least see how many local people are in there? Don't go somewhere because its located in a touristy area.
I've always wanted to go to Paris since I am huge fan of French Cuisine. So I decided that when I had time off that I would travel overseas and enjoy some of the best food in the worrld. Christmas in Paris is one of the best places to be. The town in decorated with lights, the Eiffel Tower is lit up (like one huge Christmas Tree) and there is Christmas in the Park, literally. I was able to enjoy Chestnuts on an open fire, mulled wine, the best cheeses, the best wine, charcuterie and take a vegetarian cooking class with La Cucina. See my slide show below

Personalize a photo slideshow

My Trip to Fresno-My Favorite Good Eats

Okay I will come clean. :-) I spent 9 months in Fresno working on a project. To my surprise I had some of the best food in my adult life.
Someone on the Food Network (Guy Fieri) needs to pay a visit and put them on the MAP. Since he can't do it, I will. I have even tweeted about. #Fresno
The Tri-Tip melts in your mouth, the Mexican Food is comforting, groceries are affordable and all of my co-workers could get down in the kitchen.
I had to workout extremely hard just so I could eat all the good food! Here are my favorite eats in Fresno.





Hofbrau (Downtown location)- You can enjoy custom carved meats such as Pastrami, Cornbeef, Turkey, Beef, Rueben, Ham and Knockwurst. My favorite is their Pastrami. Hofbrau dips the sandwich in au jus with your choice of Swiss or American cheese. It looks simple but it packs a POW of home comfort food. There is a pickle bar with mustard's and horseradish. Check it out, you won't be sorry!!




Salaam Seafood- I am going to put it out there. I have yet to find a good soul food place in Los Angeles. I know that we like to keep it healthy but I am sorry, I am no fan of smoked turkey in my greens, beans or anything dish that calls for hammocks.I have also found that its all about the main dish in Los Angeles and the sides go by the wayside. In Fresno, pride is definitely in their soul food. The main dish, the sides, the lemonade all makes you do the "Happy Dance" while eating.
I have never had Basa (Fish) until I tried it here at Salaam's Seafood. Delish white fish! Their fried fish has flavor, its crispy and the good thing its re-heat able. How many times have you gone to a place and its sopped with grease and there is no flavor? Salaam has the perfect fried fish that makes you want to come back every week. In LA this would put you behind $10 or $11. In Fresno, less than $6.






La Estrella~I am sure at this point you are all sick of me bragging about this quaint little town and how good the food is but DAMN... I had no clue really what Chili Verde was until...da da daaaaaaaa... La Estrella. Look at the pictures! I have to admit I only had it 3 times because I was scared of my waistline. The meat just melts in your mouth and the beans are slowed cooked. There's no sparring flavor here. I would garnish it with cilantro, lime and onions. OOOOHHHH WEE!

My other favorites:


Dog House Grill- Across the street from Fresno State. Try their bbq ribs and roasted chicken. Finger licking good.

Sam's Deli- Italian Deli with all the best meats, anti pasta's, marinara's, desserts and an AWESOME WINE SELECTION.

Quality Meats- When I say the best Breakfast Country Sausage in the World, I mean it. I have never had a flavor such as theirs.
Quality Meats bbq's their tri-tip for 16hours. I have also purchased their beautifully cut pork roast for less than $5 and can feed a family of 4 for at least two days. Their hotlink sandwich with Pappy's BBQ sauce is a gluttons haven! The entire staff is friendly and helpful.

B&K Thai Food- This place is a hole in the wall but I tell ya....I went to B&K every Friday and they know my name. I would call in my order and have seating arrangements with all of my friends. Its sad but true. LOL. They will be missed!!! My favorites, Combo fried Rice, Spring Rolls, Pad Thai Noodles, Curry Chicken and Thai Beef Salad.

Great Article by LA Times-Chef Nancy Silverton on salads

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-master-class-nancy-silverton-20111006,0,2766363.htmlstory

Sunday's Dish of the week- Pork Roast

Need this recipe? Email me at jasmineskitchen@gmail.com
These are my BEFORE and AFTER pictures and YEP... it is true Sunday GRUB and can feed a family of 4 for many days.


Cost of the entire meal $9.00

Lucini Salad dressing-Bold Parmesan and Garlic

You can find it in Wholefoods. Its my favorite and you can eat it with any type salad. It will cost you $6.99 and you get about 3 uses out of it but its worth every penny. Yes... its expensive but once you try it, you will LURVE it.

dinnertool.com

You can now find jasmine's kitchen on dinnertool.com
The link has been added to our page on the left side.
We are always delighted when someone approaches us. It makes me smile and inspires me to keep doing what I am doing. Its not always done in vain.

http://www.dinnertool.com/page/friends

Nic's Martini Lounge- Beverly Hills

Ahh! Today was a special day to meet up with a special friend that I have not seen in a while and have cocktails and appetizers. It was a delight that I didn't have to pick a place to eat because we've always had similar taste and TASTE my friends is very important to me. Special Note: A friend will get cut from picking out places to eat if they make too many wrong decisions with me. I am very particular where I spend my money.
A few days before we were set to meet I decided to check them out online and I have to mention how I love and appreciate that they put the dress code on their website, "Upscale, yet Casual". I figured I'd put on something kind of, umm, shabby chic. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of my friend and I because I was so excited to see her. All of the pictures I took of the food were half eaten and that is a tell tell sign that the food was delicious.
What we ordered with my honest opinion:
Famous Oysters with sauteed spinach- A must order...A had a perfect twist of twang and savory.
Gnocchi- With morel mushrooms. For years I have been begging my brother in law to ship me morels when they he goes morel hunting in Minnesota but to no avail my request have been ignored :-)... oh yes, I was ranting....The gnocchi was shaped like tiny scallops. It was the first time I have seen gnocchi shaped this way but there's nothing wrong with changing it up. They were perfectly tender, not too doughy and not to potato-ey and the cream sauce was delicious. The only thing as my friend suggested that would be a nice touch, asparagus tips. Not a lot but just enough to make it complete.
Grilled Octopus- the grilled octopus was made with feta cheese, tomato, garlic, lemon and basil. The hostess recommended that we try their Octopus as it is the most tender in Beverly Hills. Indeed she was right! It melted in your mouth and it was not chewy at all. The dish was pretty so so. I think the feta cheese throws it off a tad bit. However, the way it was prepped I have to give the chef praises for it.
Tuna tartare on brushetta- I think this was my favorite appetizer on the menu. I didn't really need the crustini. I could eat an entire bowl of the tartare.
Spinach salad with bacon- what tied the dish together was the grapefruit and goat cheese. Never thought about pairing it with grapefruit which in my mind said... hey! We are eating something healthy despite the bacon. LOL
Cocktail of the evening (I forgot to photograph) FALL HOOK UP- it was made with homemade apple cider and Stoli Applik. I really enjoyed my martini. It wasn't too sweet but had a perfect balance of a martini and a warm fuzzy feeling of fall. The apples that were used were nice. This drink isn't served in a regular martini glass but served on the rocks....I say... it gets a thumbs up from me.

There's so much to add about this place I could go on and on but check out their website. I give it 4stars. I want to try out the VODBOX so I can put on the faux fur jackets. okay... my blog ends here. xoxoxoox
http://www.nicsbeverlyhills.com/nics_2006/martini.html

Casa Del Mar-Santa Monica

Casa Del Mar Hotel has always been my favorite hotel in Santa Monica. I had the best time last Friday night.
Before I went to Casa Del Mar, I thought I'd check out Shutters next door because I heard good things from two different sources. Well... I don't know what to say but it was the worst food I have ever eaten. I would never recommend eating there. $39 for a "Small seafood platter", which consisted of 3 Shrimp (frozen and uncleaned), 3 oysters, 3 clams and an ounce of crab. Really? Yes Really. We also ordered the fish tacos for $14 dollars which by the way had no flavor. Matter of fact you couldn't pay me $14 dollars to eat it again and last... lamb sausage. I am not sure if the person in the kitchen is a Chef but Shutters ought to be ashamed of themselves and just say you are paying for ambiance. After my horrible experience at Shutters I decided to change my fate and go to Casa Del Mar....my sure ace in a hole and satisfy my poor hunger pains.

When I arrived at Casa Del Mar I was pleasantly surprised with the best bottle of Persecco and catching The Leftover Cuties perform. You may recognise the Leftover Cuties from the show The Big C on showtime. Anyways... the singer and band = AMAZING. Her voice is unique and beautiful. The band is talented and what else can you ask for period.
I am a huge fan of live bands and people that can actually play instruments. We'll just call them "Real Artist".
I ordered chicken wings which were lightly battered and fried with a nice dipping sauce, some oysters and as mentioned before the best bottle of Persecco. I promise to provide the name .... I wrote it down somewhere :-)

Sorry for the negative review on Shutters but even after a few days my feelings are still the same.

Happy Fourth of July

Bacon Wrapped Hot Dog with Sauteed Bell Peppers and Onions
*Quick Tip* Purchase thinly sliced bacon
constantly turn on low heat

Pomegranate Blueberry Cocktail with Persecco
2 ounces of POM pomegranate juice
5 blueberries
1 TBSP of lemon juice
1 cup of Persecco
Ice

Grilled Shrimp w garlic Butter

If you want the recipe.. email me
jasmineskitchen@gmail.com

Back to Daisy Mint

Twice in a month to Daisy Mint in Pasadena.
A Must Do!
Try their honey pork with a Green Apple Slaw and
Duck Pineapple Curry. What??? Yes it works people and its very good.

City Tavern- Culver City

Want to TAP your own beer at your table and eat Gourmet Comfort Food?
Is that even possible?
This place took me by surprise.
I walked in... and I didn't have to think if I was going to dine here.
Chef Jessica Christensen is talented and knows her flavors. Imagine going to a restaurant and not having to salt or pepper your food. She is absolutely perfect!
I tried the Special-pulled pork sandwich with a Texas style BBQ sauce, warm bacon salad, brussel sprouts, oysters on the half shell.
Check out the picture I took of the oysters. HAHA!!!
For dessert I had the Smores... an adult Smores.

The next week I took my friends and we had a blast and poured 80 ounces of IPA and Hefenweizen beers.

Passing through Fresno

So I have been told that Fresno has the best BBQ.
Well I CONCUR! I visited Fresno Last week for a few days and for those of you that don't know what BBQ is... make the drive and feast for a week. There is nothing like Fresno BBQ... did I just say that again... I think I did. I ate bbq 3 days in a row and it was yummy yummy yummy to my big ol tummy.

Since my friend is a Fresno-ian Native... we went to the best places in town.

Quality Meats located on Chestnut and Clinton has the best Tri Tip out there. It is slowly bbq'd for 16 hours, thinly sliced with a homemade savory bbq sauce. It simply just melts in your mouth like butter.

Ruben's Ribshack- located on Clinton and Fresno Avenue
You can smell this place a mile away.
Ruben's has the best beef brisket>>> EVER>>>>
The first time I had brisket was when I was a teenager and it was tough and chewy. After that experience I stayed away. Well Ruben does it right. He cooks his Brisket for 16 hours on a huge smoker and makes his own sauce.
He was so kind that he gave me bbq sauce to go.
what I loved about Ruben's is that he gives free samples.
His food has SOUL.
Try his bacon green beans and peach cobbler.
The Best Dive in Cali

How could you go wrong in Fresno with the quality of beef when cows are in their backyard?

So worth the four hour drive :-)

Montrose/La Canada Farmers Market

One of my favorite Farmers Market located right outside of Pasadena is in Montrose.
Great place to bring your children with plenty of entertainment (petting zoo.) The food is scrumptious and made with a lot of love. I love that there is a lot of different cultural foods. All you have to do is pick a region...lol... As you can tell that is hard for me to do.

Recommended Vendors:

Pork and Cheese Papusas
Lamb Gyro
and Home Made Sun Dried Feta Cheese (to die for)