Saturday, March 27, 2010
Towsley Canyon
I've been coming here a lot lately with my good friend/the sister that I never had Nicole since we are still residing in North LA...for the moment! Anyway, I just thought it would be lovely to post nature pics of the beauty here at Towsley Canyon. I definitely think it's worth the drive. You can find me here on a lovely Sunday morning or afternoon and soon figuring out another day to fit in!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Ford's Filling Station
So before I go into detail about this wonderful restaurant, this morning I became a TRIATHLETE!! And I did better than what I thought I was going to do! I even placed in my division! I am definitely looking forward to more triathlons in the future! So I am apologizing in advance because I am both full of energy and lacking energy at the same time (of course this is understandable, right??) and hopefully I will accurately describe this evening at Ford's Filling Station and give it the positivity and energy it deserves! The pictures were kind of off that night too, so hopefully you can see all the goodness that was consumed!
Here we have Ford's Filling Station in Culver City. This restaurant was featured on Andrew Zimmern's show Bizarre Foods. It is also Harrison Ford's son's, Ben Ford, restaurant. When I heard this was a star's restaurant, I was kind of skeptical but intrigued at the same time. There are some stars out there who have their own restaurants with not so good food reviews of their place. But I decided to just try this out and see it for myself. There are mixed reviews when it comes to this place but I think there are more positives than negatives.
Chef ordered his drinks. The Cucumber Martini and Ed's Perfect Manhattan.
Next we have the Oven Roasted Octopus with Watermelon Radish, Upland Cress Salad, and a just lovely lemon and chickpea pesto. Just wonderful.
The first appetizer was Fried Chickpeas With Lemon and Sea Salt. These were the raw green kind, not the white kind that you see dried or in cans and used to make Hummus, falafel, Chana masala, and for pure snacking, just to name a few. This was just great and different!
The last appetizer just plain ROCKED! Absolutely loved it and craving some right now. Bacon Wrapped Dates. Oh so wonderful. I love the slightly salty kick of the bacon with the sweetness of the date. There were only three of these given. Take a guess who had two! I guess I'll just say it right now. I think I was a little selfish that day! I'm sorry! I find it hard sharing things that I like!
Chef's entree was the Confit Duck Leg with Frisee, Pears, Candied Pecans, and Sherry Vinaigrette.
And I got the Idaho Rainbow Trout with Tabouleh, Cress, and Salsa Verde. This was so good and satisfying. I would love to have some right about now! The tabouleh salad was so fresh and scrumptious. I cannot complain about this dish. Perfection.
Next up is dessert. I wasn't really into having it that night but after looking over the menu, I decided on the Maple Flan with Chantilly Cream and Candied Walnut. Really, all I've got to say is this: besides the amazing flan that I had in Argentina, this was THE BEST flan I have ever had. No lie! Oh my goodness, just so sexy, addicting, pleasurable, gratifying....the list goes on and on. Take my word for it. You're in for a real sweet treat.
So Chef ended up having to get another dessert because I wouldn't share! Ok, I did allow JUST one bite. So here is the Bellfeather Farms Ricotta with half a peach, sweet crostini, and raw tupelo honey. All I'll say is that I would have tried it if they didn't put honey on it. Not my cup of tea.
All in all, the experience here was great. I loved the staff there. Goodlooking and very chill. Service was fast and reliable. The prices I would say are unreasonable. Quite expensive here but everything was absolutely worth it. I just loved the relaxed, laid back atmosphere of the restaurant. Loved the layout and even the furniture. Food was just satisfying, flavorful, and different. The fact that they have one of the best flans I've ever had gives them major points! I'd give Ford's Filling Station 4 1/2 hearts: ♥♥♥♥1/2. Would have been five if it wasn't so expensive. Go check it out and let me know what you think! Oh and did I forget to mention, for all you pig lovers out there, you can make a request for a whole pig there if given 10 days in advance. I just had to add that!
Here we have Ford's Filling Station in Culver City. This restaurant was featured on Andrew Zimmern's show Bizarre Foods. It is also Harrison Ford's son's, Ben Ford, restaurant. When I heard this was a star's restaurant, I was kind of skeptical but intrigued at the same time. There are some stars out there who have their own restaurants with not so good food reviews of their place. But I decided to just try this out and see it for myself. There are mixed reviews when it comes to this place but I think there are more positives than negatives.
Chef ordered his drinks. The Cucumber Martini and Ed's Perfect Manhattan.
Next we have the Oven Roasted Octopus with Watermelon Radish, Upland Cress Salad, and a just lovely lemon and chickpea pesto. Just wonderful.
The first appetizer was Fried Chickpeas With Lemon and Sea Salt. These were the raw green kind, not the white kind that you see dried or in cans and used to make Hummus, falafel, Chana masala, and for pure snacking, just to name a few. This was just great and different!
The last appetizer just plain ROCKED! Absolutely loved it and craving some right now. Bacon Wrapped Dates. Oh so wonderful. I love the slightly salty kick of the bacon with the sweetness of the date. There were only three of these given. Take a guess who had two! I guess I'll just say it right now. I think I was a little selfish that day! I'm sorry! I find it hard sharing things that I like!
Chef's entree was the Confit Duck Leg with Frisee, Pears, Candied Pecans, and Sherry Vinaigrette.
And I got the Idaho Rainbow Trout with Tabouleh, Cress, and Salsa Verde. This was so good and satisfying. I would love to have some right about now! The tabouleh salad was so fresh and scrumptious. I cannot complain about this dish. Perfection.
Next up is dessert. I wasn't really into having it that night but after looking over the menu, I decided on the Maple Flan with Chantilly Cream and Candied Walnut. Really, all I've got to say is this: besides the amazing flan that I had in Argentina, this was THE BEST flan I have ever had. No lie! Oh my goodness, just so sexy, addicting, pleasurable, gratifying....the list goes on and on. Take my word for it. You're in for a real sweet treat.
So Chef ended up having to get another dessert because I wouldn't share! Ok, I did allow JUST one bite. So here is the Bellfeather Farms Ricotta with half a peach, sweet crostini, and raw tupelo honey. All I'll say is that I would have tried it if they didn't put honey on it. Not my cup of tea.
All in all, the experience here was great. I loved the staff there. Goodlooking and very chill. Service was fast and reliable. The prices I would say are unreasonable. Quite expensive here but everything was absolutely worth it. I just loved the relaxed, laid back atmosphere of the restaurant. Loved the layout and even the furniture. Food was just satisfying, flavorful, and different. The fact that they have one of the best flans I've ever had gives them major points! I'd give Ford's Filling Station 4 1/2 hearts: ♥♥♥♥1/2. Would have been five if it wasn't so expensive. Go check it out and let me know what you think! Oh and did I forget to mention, for all you pig lovers out there, you can make a request for a whole pig there if given 10 days in advance. I just had to add that!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Carnival Time!
Last weekend I checked out the Lebanese restaurant Carnival on Woodman in Sherman Oaks, right off the 101 fwy. Just AMAZING is all I have to say. You will be missing out if you drive passed this restaurant instead of stopping by. The decor just wonderful, the people so friendly, and the food so spectacular. I think I told Chef five times that I loved this place, even before we had got our food. Definitely gives you the feeling like you are at home. The restaurant was packed and I loved it. By no means did I ever feel like it was way too crowded. More like one big happy family.
First we were given olives, peppers, pickled turnips, and pita bread.
We then decided on our appetizer. I was between the hummus, falafel, and grape leaves (dawali). So I let Chef decide since I was happy with all three. He wanted to try something new so he picked the dawali.
Perfect. Tastes exactly like homemade to me. The lemon flavor with the tomato paired extremely well with just the right amount of each.
Entrees are now up. I went with the Kibbeh Rolls (4). Kibbeh is Bulgar (Cracked) Wheat stuffed with meat and pine nuts. I decided on this only because I haven't had it in a very long time and I was craving!
It was so good. Stuffed perfectly with the right amount of seasonings and meat. Only one complaint I have was that they were short on the pine nuts. I only got a couple in each roll. I would have loved to have more crunch in my kibbeh!
Chef got the Carnival combination of three perfectly seasoned skewers: Chicken, Lamb, and Kafta Kabob, chared to perfection. Served alongside rice and a Middle Eastern style salad.
He loved everything. Of course I made him let me try the Kafta Kabob, in which we both agreed that was our favorite kabob.
We took our dinner to-go since surprisingly we filled up fast, in which he took his food home and made quesadillas with his leftovers, and I just reheated my Kibbeh and ate them!
Lastly, I wasn't going to partake in dessert but when I looked at the dessert menu, I changed my mind. I know most people have tried Baklava and love it. Me, personally, it's pretty good, but I like something else just a whole lot more! It's called Knafeh. And wow it had been a long time since I had last had it. You REALLY need to try this dessert out.
I know I will probably hear this from someone in my family but seriously this was almost as good as it is homemade if not better! It's shredded filo dough with an oh so good sweet cheese in the middle topped with pistachios and a rosewater syrup. Normally, I'm fine eating this without the syrup but this time I didn't say anything and tried it as is with the syrup. Not too sweet at all, as how it usually is. I absolutely loved it! I could seriously go for some right now.
I give Carnival 5 hearts: ♥♥♥♥♥. I loved the ambiance of the restaurant, the feeling being inside this restaurant, the servers and everyone who worked there were just so laid back and overly friendly, the service was fast and dependable, the food so satisfying, prices were extremely reasonable, and they had Knafeh!!
First we were given olives, peppers, pickled turnips, and pita bread.
We then decided on our appetizer. I was between the hummus, falafel, and grape leaves (dawali). So I let Chef decide since I was happy with all three. He wanted to try something new so he picked the dawali.
Perfect. Tastes exactly like homemade to me. The lemon flavor with the tomato paired extremely well with just the right amount of each.
Entrees are now up. I went with the Kibbeh Rolls (4). Kibbeh is Bulgar (Cracked) Wheat stuffed with meat and pine nuts. I decided on this only because I haven't had it in a very long time and I was craving!
It was so good. Stuffed perfectly with the right amount of seasonings and meat. Only one complaint I have was that they were short on the pine nuts. I only got a couple in each roll. I would have loved to have more crunch in my kibbeh!
Chef got the Carnival combination of three perfectly seasoned skewers: Chicken, Lamb, and Kafta Kabob, chared to perfection. Served alongside rice and a Middle Eastern style salad.
He loved everything. Of course I made him let me try the Kafta Kabob, in which we both agreed that was our favorite kabob.
We took our dinner to-go since surprisingly we filled up fast, in which he took his food home and made quesadillas with his leftovers, and I just reheated my Kibbeh and ate them!
Lastly, I wasn't going to partake in dessert but when I looked at the dessert menu, I changed my mind. I know most people have tried Baklava and love it. Me, personally, it's pretty good, but I like something else just a whole lot more! It's called Knafeh. And wow it had been a long time since I had last had it. You REALLY need to try this dessert out.
I know I will probably hear this from someone in my family but seriously this was almost as good as it is homemade if not better! It's shredded filo dough with an oh so good sweet cheese in the middle topped with pistachios and a rosewater syrup. Normally, I'm fine eating this without the syrup but this time I didn't say anything and tried it as is with the syrup. Not too sweet at all, as how it usually is. I absolutely loved it! I could seriously go for some right now.
I give Carnival 5 hearts: ♥♥♥♥♥. I loved the ambiance of the restaurant, the feeling being inside this restaurant, the servers and everyone who worked there were just so laid back and overly friendly, the service was fast and dependable, the food so satisfying, prices were extremely reasonable, and they had Knafeh!!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Thai Pepper Seconds
As part of my birthday festivities, my friend Jessica allowed me to pick a restaurant of my choice and I would get dinner on her! Good thing she gave me a heads up because I needed a day or two to think about where my heart desired to go. I was really leaning towards Thai Pepper so I followed my heart and told her where I would meet her.
My one concern with going here again was that I was worried it wouldn't be the same as the first. From past experience, there have been real good eats that I had thoroughly enjoyed the first time, but it would then lack the love I was feeling the first time when I went back for seconds.
So I decided to test this theory out to see if I could enjoy this wonderful hole in the wall again and feel the same love I felt for it the first time around.....the result--UNBELIEVABLE. It was just as good as the first time, if not better! I'm telling you, you are really missing out on this great hole in the wall in the middle of Old Town Newhall. Believe it or not, the SCV is home to plenty good eats that have been around for a really long time. I think this place is a true gem in the middle of somewhat nowhere and don't judge it because its location in North LA. I'd make the drive for it. Guaranteed.
I started out with Tom Kha with the Tofu Option. This time they remembered to add the lemongrass and it definitely brought the soup to a higher intensity. I love the citrus with the savory coconut kick. Gets me everytime.
My entree was the Panang Beef Curry. I love the dried chillies heat kick along with the lemongrass flavor, galangal, coriander, and shrimp paste. The flavor combination--just lovely. Quite spicy but not overpowering. The beef, again, just melts in your mouth.
Jessica got the Pad Thai with Chicken. Her stomach can't handle a lot of new stuff (I'm still working on this random path I'm trying to get her to go on) so I cut her some slack and let her order it. She enjoyed it.
Lastly, I convinced Jessica to get a dessert there and try something she has not had before. I settled with Khao niao mamuang- Mango with sticky rice soaked in a sweetened coconut milk. Hmmm, just might have to be my comfort dessert. The combination is so comforting, so satisfying, and just so sexy. I love it. Period. I just found out now, literally, that my birthday is being celebrated again, sometime this weekend, with a dessert run and well, I'm thinking I might just have to go back to Thai Pepper just for this. :)
My thoughts: I'm sticking to my rating of 5 hearts: ♥♥♥♥♥. It is rare to find a restaurant and hole in the wall that, I have a feeling, will just get better and better each time you go.
Chiayo! ไชโย
My one concern with going here again was that I was worried it wouldn't be the same as the first. From past experience, there have been real good eats that I had thoroughly enjoyed the first time, but it would then lack the love I was feeling the first time when I went back for seconds.
So I decided to test this theory out to see if I could enjoy this wonderful hole in the wall again and feel the same love I felt for it the first time around.....the result--UNBELIEVABLE. It was just as good as the first time, if not better! I'm telling you, you are really missing out on this great hole in the wall in the middle of Old Town Newhall. Believe it or not, the SCV is home to plenty good eats that have been around for a really long time. I think this place is a true gem in the middle of somewhat nowhere and don't judge it because its location in North LA. I'd make the drive for it. Guaranteed.
I started out with Tom Kha with the Tofu Option. This time they remembered to add the lemongrass and it definitely brought the soup to a higher intensity. I love the citrus with the savory coconut kick. Gets me everytime.
My entree was the Panang Beef Curry. I love the dried chillies heat kick along with the lemongrass flavor, galangal, coriander, and shrimp paste. The flavor combination--just lovely. Quite spicy but not overpowering. The beef, again, just melts in your mouth.
Jessica got the Pad Thai with Chicken. Her stomach can't handle a lot of new stuff (I'm still working on this random path I'm trying to get her to go on) so I cut her some slack and let her order it. She enjoyed it.
Lastly, I convinced Jessica to get a dessert there and try something she has not had before. I settled with Khao niao mamuang- Mango with sticky rice soaked in a sweetened coconut milk. Hmmm, just might have to be my comfort dessert. The combination is so comforting, so satisfying, and just so sexy. I love it. Period. I just found out now, literally, that my birthday is being celebrated again, sometime this weekend, with a dessert run and well, I'm thinking I might just have to go back to Thai Pepper just for this. :)
My thoughts: I'm sticking to my rating of 5 hearts: ♥♥♥♥♥. It is rare to find a restaurant and hole in the wall that, I have a feeling, will just get better and better each time you go.
Chiayo! ไชโย
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Year: 25
So yesterday was my 25th birthday. YAY! You know what this means: Only getting younger ;), losing my health coverage, losing money on my paycheck to pay for a health plan, and just another year has passed.
Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake With White Chocolate Mousse.
Black Forest Cake. One of the best cakes ever created. My favorite.
Made the number "25" instead of shoving 25 candles into the cake and ruining its beauty.
The Chocolate Bundt Cake Lacey made me and brought to work. She wanted me to write: "My besty made this for me." But I told her that she doesn't read my blog so she doesn't get that! Someone tell her that it is normal for people to blog about food! She just doesn't understand!
Yes this is all the weight-gaining sweets I've been given in 4 days. I think everyone secretly hates me and are trying to get me to gain some weight. I don't know why but I don't plan on doing that anytime soon! I'm planning on proving my hypothesis that there can be really amazing chefs that are thin! I'm tired of hearing the whole "only fat chefs are great chefs"! I'm a damn good cook and I will not get fat!
So things I have learned this year and plan on living by: Going with my gut and sticking to what I want, even if it hurts me.
I'm unfortunately not going to Morocco anymore, but planning a trip up to San Francisco to visit my Rararosa! I'm also planning on making a trip to my birthplace, Chicago, IL and visiting my friend Pam, whom I have not seen since jr. high. Wow, how time flies by fast! AND...BREAKING NEWS...It is official! Just got off the phone with my friend and not only have we made the decision to go to Puerto Rico in the summer (not Costa Rica because I don't think I want to be in the rainforest during the rain season), we are also going to my one dream come true, Guyana! I have been wanting to go there SO BADLY before it becomes a more developed country and a place where people start to travel to. I am so excited that words cannot express how ecstatic I am!
There you have it. My life so far as a 25 year old. Oh how exciting.
Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake With White Chocolate Mousse.
Black Forest Cake. One of the best cakes ever created. My favorite.
Made the number "25" instead of shoving 25 candles into the cake and ruining its beauty.
The Chocolate Bundt Cake Lacey made me and brought to work. She wanted me to write: "My besty made this for me." But I told her that she doesn't read my blog so she doesn't get that! Someone tell her that it is normal for people to blog about food! She just doesn't understand!
Yes this is all the weight-gaining sweets I've been given in 4 days. I think everyone secretly hates me and are trying to get me to gain some weight. I don't know why but I don't plan on doing that anytime soon! I'm planning on proving my hypothesis that there can be really amazing chefs that are thin! I'm tired of hearing the whole "only fat chefs are great chefs"! I'm a damn good cook and I will not get fat!
So things I have learned this year and plan on living by: Going with my gut and sticking to what I want, even if it hurts me.
I'm unfortunately not going to Morocco anymore, but planning a trip up to San Francisco to visit my Rararosa! I'm also planning on making a trip to my birthplace, Chicago, IL and visiting my friend Pam, whom I have not seen since jr. high. Wow, how time flies by fast! AND...BREAKING NEWS...It is official! Just got off the phone with my friend and not only have we made the decision to go to Puerto Rico in the summer (not Costa Rica because I don't think I want to be in the rainforest during the rain season), we are also going to my one dream come true, Guyana! I have been wanting to go there SO BADLY before it becomes a more developed country and a place where people start to travel to. I am so excited that words cannot express how ecstatic I am!
There you have it. My life so far as a 25 year old. Oh how exciting.
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