I <3 Tastespotting. Interesting choice of title, since it (for me at least) undoubtedly conjurs up images of junkies and filthy toilets, but...
Such a simple site, but it really grabs you by the eyeballs. Talk about a feast for your eyes! People submit lovely, appetizing photos - their own or others' - and they post them with a link to the originating website. A simple concept, but so right on the money. Go check it out. I dare you to resist the photos.
-steen
tags: tastespotting, food+photography
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I love cheese! I can nibble away at ungodly amounts of cheese- let's just say I'm contributing to the bovine methane emissions problem one cow at a time. Yesterday, I got a vampire-like craving for cheese so I head over to Trader Joe's. They have a great selection, but I was on the prowl for "English Coastal Cheddar" and thank GOD they had some or my whole day would have been ruined. It's a white cheddar from the Dorset Coast of England that's aged for a minimum of 15 months.
It's probably one of my favourite cheeses.. Well, next to a well-aged Parmigiano Reggiano. The texture of the coastal cheddar is firm yet creamy. To top it off, each nibble is peppered with little crunchy bits of bursting flavour crystals that are typical of a harder, well-aged cheese. It has a subtle, nutty, smooth taste that totally coats your palate in that creamy cheesy goodness sorta way. I usually slice and platter it because it's sooo good just eating out of hand, but it works well in anything a sharp cheddar would compliment. The subtle sharpness is balanced well with the creaminess of it.
Currently it's selling for $6.99 a pound at TJ's. I think it pairs really well with wines that are on the lighter, fruitier side. Something light and crisp enough to cleanse the palate because this cheese just melts on your tongue like Belgian chocolate. A Pinot Grigio, Gewurztraminer or even a CA sparkling wine like Mumm's Cuvee M pair quite well with this cheese.
My newest *find* at Trader Joe's is yet another otherworldly white English cheddar with caramelized onions in it!! Oh my god, tell me that's not crying to be an ingredient in garlic roasted mashed potatoes or a warm spinach artichoke dip. It has one of the most interesting mouth feels of any cheese I've had in a long time. It's not nearly as firm as the coastal cheddar and it's darker in colour slightly.
Currently it is selling for $8.99 a pound at TJ's.
If I had to put my finger on it, I would say once you take a bite of it, you'll notice it has more of a slighty firmer than stiff cream cheese bite to it. It's really hard to describe it, but it's very good, and it doesn't coat the palate as much as the English Coastal Cheddar. As soon as you wrestle off the protective covering, you immediately get a whiff of this sweet caramelized onion smell. I just wanted to chew through the cellophane.
I envision a leisurely Sunday of sparkling wine, amazing cheese, hard salami, a box of Carr's assorted table crackers and crapload of Brothers Quay flicks.
Aaah.. the cheesy life is good on a lazy Los Feliz Sunday afternoon.
-tara
tags: eating, cheese, cheddar, Trader+Joe's
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Ok, so, posting about my love of Japanese merch reminded me of a little shopping trip Christian and I took in Munich last year.
I was visiting C and his wife and they were just wonderful hosts. Christian poured me a soda one day and, knowing how much I love iced beverages, he plunked this baseball of an ice cube into my glass. I was totally dazzled. (I'm a cheap date, folks...)
The ice ball was made by pouring water into an ingenious silicone mold and then freezing the bad boy. Once it's solid, you just slip the two parts of the mold apart and peel the bottom from the ice ball. Because of its size, it melts more slowly than small cubes, and looks super sexy while it's doing it.
I oohed and ahhed and interrogated him about where he acquired such a fancy product and he gave up the intel pretty immediately. The next day, we were off to Muji where I purchased two of the molds.
They now reside in my freezer, ready to wow whomever needs impressing.
In keeping with the theme, Bob and I had a lovely lunch in Little Tokyo today. I stopped in a cute little discount store and bought a few things, including some origami paper that made the perfect addition to my photo styling. If this site somehow becomes a money maker, I've kept my receipt so I can deduct the buck fitty.
-steen
tags: kitchen+tools
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I mean, not the spice (although my burn sensitive taste buds are notoriously sensitive), but the country. What do we know, really? I know of the brilliant poet Pablo Neruda and the author Isabel Allende. Oh yeah, there's that Pinochet guy too. So, I go to Wikipedia to hunt down more Chilean references past the ubiquitous sea bass. The only two on this very comprehensive list are guapo Christian De La Fuente and Horatio Sanz from SNL. We, the American People, are culturally deprived, Chilean-style.
So, off we go to the acclaimed Rincon Chileno in East Hollywood for a little taste of Santiago. First things off the bat: we are the only customers, the wait staff is standoffish at best, and there is this curio stand with all kinds of artifacts for us to peruse while we dine.
Oh, and there are two dining rooms, each with their own distinct set of furniture and things.
According to the foodies online, there are two things one must have.
The first being the pastel de choclo:
And the congrio:
The pastel is sort of a pot pie of chicken and various other nibbly things, such as hard cooked egg and olives. It looks more like one of those fierce tamale pies that my grandmother used to make for me in the 70s, and that is a very good thing indeed. The problem was that poor Steen kept finding little bits of eggshell in subsequent bites. Perhaps this is part of the charm, but I tend to think not.
The congrio, a Chilean fish, was quite nice, but nothing to trumpet about. It was a nice-sized fillet cooked perfectly with a light batter coating the entire piece. But aside from the squeezed lemon juice, it had no distinct qualities about it. Again, not offensive, but not mind blowing either.
And Steen's friend had some chicken dish:
I was warned from the beginning that she would have nothing subjective or objective to say about her meal, and nothing was offered. It was quite simply, chicken.
Oh, and there was this lovely dish of spicy salsa at at the table too:
So, again, a lovely meal with Steen, but nothing that makes me want to go back and try other things nor recommend it to my peeps. It does pique my interest in other South American cuisines that I have yet to try, like Columbian. Not much else to say, so Pablo Neruda, take us home!
En un beso, sabrás todo lo que he callado.
In one kiss, you'll know all I haven't said.
Rincon Chileno
4354 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA
(323) 666-6075
-Quinn
** Notes from Steen: That pot pie dish was odd. It consisted of mostly corn, as far as I can recall. Not much chicken it it either. The flavor, overall, was a bit sweet and kind of odd. It was interesting at first but I quickly tired of it. I spent the meal lamenting my choice and wishing I'd ordered either Quinn's or Julie's meals instead.
tags: dining, restaurants, Los+Angeles, Chile, Chilean+food
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That ChubbyPanda is a lucky so-and-so. And, clearly he's got some excellent friends.<cough cough>
The internet, she is a cruel mistress. Some days I feel like all I do is travel from one website to another, coveting, coveting, coveting. I was over at ChubbyPanda's blog today and got a big old double-whammy to the face.
Witness the titanium spork: A) It's a wonderously ridiculous, completely unnecessary Japanese novelty item camouflaging as something useful (it goes without saying - though I'm saying it - that I'm a sucker for just this type of thing), and B) It's a SPORK for god's sake!!! Come on! I can't be expected to resist.
Go buy me one. Or better yet, I'm thinking titanium spork service for 8. It's gonna be haute for oh seven. Just you watch!
-steen
tags: spork, dining, Japanese+gadgets
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Hello All,
I'm new here and I am a self professed foodie- there.. I admitted it. I love good food in any form or at any altitude. Give me hospital food and I will critique it. Tonight I was chatting with Steen about, what else.. food, when I shared with her a much beloved link to a website that I feel NO foodie traveler should be without.
AirlineMeals.net
Are you tired of crappy airline meals? Are you tired of asking for water and getting a little sippy cup sized doling? I say give me the whole bottle dammit! Perhaps you're fed up with paying like $5 for a sandwich sans condiments and donning a layer of neon orange *pasteurized cheese food* that I wouldn't feed my pet rats?
If you agree with any of the aforementioned, then you're a foodie on wings and as such you deserve proper beforehand knowledge of what meals you can expect while trapped in those metal birds. Arm yourselves, take to the skies with a camera. Snap a few shots of the meals you've loved/endured and you can help other foodies on wings become empowered before they confirm that flight.
The days are gone when I could pack myself a cute little plane picnic. Now when I fly, I have to bare my soul in a plastic bag just to get through boarding. Good-bye fair chef salad and umpteen litres of Evian tucked safely away in my carry-on, ready at a moment's notice- waiting to be imbibed. Good-bye lovingly prepared spinach wrap, you are now replaced with sub par vittles peddled at a premium that I begrudgingly pay for.
Economy, Business or First class.. we deserve good food!!
Personally, I love flying Lufthansa, and up until recently, there was internet access aboard most flights. Let's face it, we're all pretty much suckling on the teat of the world wide web, so net access on a plane is a boon on any flight. Also on Lufthansa, not only does the wine and cocktails flow like the river Nile, but the food is actually pretty good. Camembert, Pinot Grigio, a sun-dried tomato pasta and lemon scented linen face towels prior to our meal pretty much sum up my experience on Lufthansa Economy class to Frankfurt from LAX.
We are no longer stuck up there at their mercy. Foodies on wings unite!
-tara
tags: airline+food, eating, dining
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Now, those of us (in NYC at least) who feel as though we missed out on something great finally get to bask in the sterile glow of the Automat. Who knew. So, whattaya think? Will we see them popping up all over the country? Only time will tell.
I'm gonna have to get Chris to swing by there and tell us what she thinks. She hasn't posted yet, but perhaps all she needs is an assignment. LOL
-steen
tags: automat, food, New+York+City
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Two, count 'em, two meals out today. Not unheard of. Wednesday was more exotic: Indian in Artesia and Vietnamese in Garden Grove. But, truth be told, I was much more delighted with my two classic Hollywood meals du jour.
One of my fave breakfasts (being the egg disenter that I am) is the Home Fries My Soul at the Griddle Cafe. Big fat fries slathered in luscious chili, covered with cheddar cheese, green onions, and sour cream. The chili at The Griddle is always on point. I wish they had one variety that was a little tempered down, spice-wise (the mildest beef one was rated a "5" today) and my wuss-like taste buds gave out a bit early. But I never finish the bowl, and feel great about it. As Ruben has taught me, it's alright to not be a member of the "clean-plate club." And I sat at the counter, which I really love. Meals at bar stools make me very happy indeed.
And my fierce and lovely pal Alan calls me up and suggests a lunch at the 101 Coffee Shop. I careened through the traffic and my eyes were transfixed on one item on the menu: live butter leaf lettuce salad. How could something that sounded so lame also sound so enticing? And what makes it live? Is it like Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors? Would it squeal when I nibbled upon it's tender flesh? It was just what I needed to counter the bowel-clogging loveliness of the my morning repast. An entire head of butter lettuce. Goat cheese. Walnuts. Grapes. Vinaigrette. I damn near ate the whole thing, but as with most salads, the rabbit feed/redundancy effect came into play, but I did really, really good this time. I love a lettuce leaf. I think the reason that I don't eat as much salad as I used to is because of the preponderance of this thing called "mixed baby greens." You can call it mesculin for all I care - it is wimpy and has no balls or bite whatsoever. Give me some crispy iceberg, some romaine, and certainly some butter lettuce. As I held it up in admiration to Alan, I announced "Give me the leaf!"
Hollywood Classics for sure. And yet, still better than Opus, I dare say.
-Quinn
tags: breakfast, chili, Hollywood, California
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Way back in early February, I prepared Nancy Silverton's Bagna Cauda sandwich. As I mentioned in that post, I had a fair amount of the tasty anchovy/garlic goodness left over. The next day I prepared a simple lunch that really knocked my socks off. I've got to make more bagna cauda sometime soon, it's got a million uses, all of them delicious!
Shmancy Crab Salad Sangwich
Fresh french bread/baguette
2-3 tbsp bagna cauda (recipe here)
1 6oz can crab meat (well drained)
1 tbsp mayonnaise (more if you like)
1/2 tsp good quality mustard powder
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup mixed herbs or baby greens, rinsed and dried well
Cut bread in half and lightly toast. Spread with bagna cauda.
Mix together crab, mayonnaise, mustard powder, lemon, salt and pepper and pile onto one half of the bread. Add the greens and close her up.
Easy as pie!!
This sandwich was pretty refined and extremely flavorful. You could easily serve it on toast points for a tea party or something like that. Overall, it's classy and you'll look good serving it to friends. =)
-steen
tags: cooking, crab, sandwiches, recipes
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I laughed aloud when I saw these Dharma Initiative food labels on the Insanely Great Tees site (followed a link from Brownie Points *thanks!*). The nice folks at IGT clearly have too much time on their hands, but since we all get to benefit from it, I'm not poo-pooing. They are providing printable PDF files and application instructions. So helpful.
These guys are funny. Note the Serving Suggestions:
Crisps = Snack
Cola = Drink
Mayonnaise = Scoop
And, mayonnaise is called "emulsified condiment" on the label. Haha.
Promptly printed and applied. There's a surprise waiting for Bob when he gets home from his recording session tonight. Dharma beer. Nice!
-steen
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