Bit(es) of my Weekend

March 28, 2011May 27, 20114 Comments

This past weekend my parents and youngest sister Molli came to visit for her spring break. Though their visit was short, we managed to pack in a lot of fun activities and, naturally, a lot of eating. I know I said we normally try somewhere new each Friday but we simply could not resist taking them to Pizzeria Delfina on Friday afternoon. Everything was just as amazing as the last time. We even tried a few new dishes and I can honestly say that I highly recommend trying them all if you visit. Here are some of the dishes we sampled this time around:

Homemade Burrata Cheese

Butter Bean, Pancetta, & Escarole Soup

The Best Meatballs

Funghi Pizza

Margherita Pizza

Our next stop was the fabulous Tartine Bakery. I am sure Delfina has great desserts but given that Tartine is two doors down and my family was only in town for the weekend, I could not pass up on the opportunity to take them there. Everything was perfect. I don’t really think you can go wrong with anything there and we really couldn’t make up our minds so we ended up ordering…a lot. Don’t worry though, nothing was wasted. You don’t waste Tartine. You just don’t.

My lovely sister, Molli

Morning Bun (with an addicting orange sugar topping)

Lemon Meringue Cake

Dulce de Leche Cake

My Parents!

The next day we woke up bright and early and headed to Sonoma for our favorite breakfast place–Fremont Diner. We took our time enjoying our breakfast, sipping coffee and talking about life. I cherish those moments so much. I am really lucky because my parents raised me to have an opinion and really listen to what I have to say, even if it completely differs from theirs. I hope that I can instill this same sense of independent thinking in my own child. In addition to our usual breakfast banter, the usual suspects were there:

{Almost Famous} Biscuits & Gravy

Breakfast Sandwich

The Kitchen Sink (Biscuits, Smoked Ham, Fried Chicken, Sausage Gravy, & a Fried Egg)

We then made our way back to San Francisco and headed to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the famous Ferry Building for a little sightseeing.

It truly was the perfect weekend with my family. We ate really great food and saw some of my favorite parts of the city. Mostly, it was great to spend time with my parents and sister, talking and catching up on each other’s lives. I love my family so much and I can’t wait for the day when we all live close to each other again.

Creature of Habit

August 31, 2010May 27, 20111 Comment

With almost 500,00 people living in Long Beach, I am always surprised by the look of familiarity that the people at Coffee Cup Cafe have in their eyes every weekend when my husband and I visit. We love going to Starling Diner but Coffee Cup is definitely our regular breakfast spot. Reggie works a lot of hours Monday-Friday so Saturday mornings are our time to catch up over a delicious breakfast and the best cup of coffee in town.

I mean, with a name like Coffee Cup Cafe, they better have a good cup of coffee, right? The consistency is thicker than average, which, for me is ideal. There is always a flavored option and they are not your standard French Vanilla and Hazelnut. Instead you will find rich Cinnamon flavors or my favorite, Chocolate Macadamia Nut.

Reggie and I are definitely adventurous eaters but at Coffee Cup, we always order the exact same thing.

Pancake Combo for him. We both swear there is a hint of cinnamon in these fluffy cakes. Or as my husband just said “it is like eating a cloud.” Very descriptive that one. 😉

Juan’s Favorite omelette for me. I order this every time I go here. Seriously. This is pretty standard behavior for me though when it comes to breakfast. When I was a little girl, I loved nothing more than going out to breakfast with my grandfather. It was in those moments where we talked about my dreams. And each week at the same place, each of us ordered the same thing (french toast for me, eggs and bacon for him). I am definitely a creature of habit.

This omelette, like everything else here is perfection–slightly sweet veggie chorizo, perfectly cooked veggies, enveloped in a thin egg blanket topped with creamy avocado. If you are a fan of spicy, top the omelette with copious amounts of their homemade green salsa. I really do want to try something else…but I probably won’t. 😉

Friday Night Special

August 25, 2010May 27, 20111 Comment

I love Fridays. Not because the weekend is near or a new movie is coming out, though I do love all of those things. Instead, my anticipation comes from the Friday night special at George’s Greek Cafe for kleftiko. According to legend, kleftiko means “stolen meat.” Historically, this dish is made with a lamb stolen from a flock, perhaps one grazing in nearby hillside. Then, the thief would cook the meat for several hours in an underground oven sealed with mud so no steam could escape and give the thief away. The result? The most tender, flavorful piece of lamb. Heaven.

George’s Greek Cafe is also a legend in itself. On a given night you can find George himself standing outside hugging guests as they enter the restaurant. Okay, the hugging is optional but I like it.

In all seriousness, the service is incredible. Everyone is smiling and happy to offer food and wine recommendations and occasionally some (free) samples. No pretention, just free wine. For example, if you want to try some wine before committing to a bottle, just tell your server what you like and they are happy to let you taste several options before deciding on a bottle.

My husband shares my kleftiko enthusiasm so he joined me for dinner. We started our evening with a Greek favorite, Amethystos. This wine is a solid Cabernet & Merlot blend that pairs nicely with the lamb.

Reg and I were quite hungry but we knew we wanted to order a couple favorites before our lamb arrived. First up was the Melintzanosalata, a baked eggplant dip with garlic and lemon juice. The flavors are light and clean. I dare you to just try a little.

Then, the Saganaki arrived. This is all about the presentation, baby! Saganaki is an extremeley popular appetizer here. I know this because you can literally see when someone orders it because of the “show” that comes with it. However, as great as the giant fire show is, the actual dish is even better.

Greek Kasseri cheese is battered and lightly fried then brought to table to be flamed with Brandy and then the whole dish is finished with Kalamata Olives and fresh squeezed lemon juiced. Best served layered on that soft, doughy pita bread.

Here it is–the famous Kleftiko. Not only is the meat spectacular (I highly recommend squeezing those lemons on the meat to intensify the flavors a bit more) but the sides are equally fantastic. The potatoes are roasted with quality olive oil, onions, and thinly sliced carrots which make the potatoes slightly sweet. George’s famous Greek salad is also served with the dish.

The combination of authentic, friendly service, affordability, and fresh healthy food makes George’s one of my favorite restaurants…period. While Friday has a special place in my heart because it is the only night you can order Kleftiko, any night you visit George’s you will not be disappointed.

xo,

Jenna

P.S. Can’t visit on a Friday? Check out their Monday night 1/2 off bottles of wine special!

Hello I Love…Starling Diner

August 9, 2010May 27, 20111 Comment

First of all, I want to apologize for the large gap between posts. Short version of a very long story=we had to move very fast because the water in our old apartment turned out to have a toxic level of bacteria. Ew. I know. Luckily, Reg and I are both healthy and we are now living back in Long Beach.

I love Long Beach and I must say it really feels good to be home. We have moved several times over the last 7 years and Long Beach is the only place we lived for more than a year and I think we will be staying here for a long time. Naturally, my favorite part of Long Beach is the food, particularly the breakfast. For some reason, I have found that Long Beach houses some of the best breakfast restaurants and they are always crowded.

Case in point–Starling Diner. This place usually has a wait and for good reason. You get fresh, creative dishes in a quaint cozy house turned restaurant served with a smile.

Free coffee always makes the wait more tolerable.

In fact, Starling takes waiting area entertainment to a whole new level with the composition notebooks that are scattered around the restaurants for people to write, share their thoughts (about food and life)… or maybe just doodle.

I thought this entry was awesome. I loved the chain of responses between people who stumbled upon this particular notebook over what to order.

We started with some old favorites. I missed these Cream Scones so much. They are especially good when topped with the homemade orange butter and homemade lemon curd. They only bake so many each day so it is first come first served. They are brought out immediately after ordering and are perfect to nibble on while perusing the menu.

I chose the scramble with roasted mushrooms, spinach, and jack cheese. The roasted mushrooms’s deep flavor made this scramble really special. The roasted potatoes and fresh baguette were a great added bonus but I pushed them aside to share Reg’s breakfast.

Yes, this would be their sourdough baguette stuffed french toast filled with Mascarpone cheese and topped with fresh whipped cream, berries, and Creme Anglaise. Unbelievable! I cannot believe I have been to this restaurant at least 20 times and never once tried the french toast. Now, I don’t think I could order anything else. This is a must try my friends.

As usual, everything was fresh and delicious. The serviced was equally spectacular. Before leaving and walking home (love that I can do that now), Reg had to grab one of the notebooks and write a little message of his own. Do you want to see?

I guess you will just have to visit Starling Diner yourself to find it! 😉

xo,

Jenna

Old Friends, New Places

July 2, 2010May 27, 20111 Comment

This past Sunday Reggie and I visited The Getty Center in Los Angeles for the first time. I have to say–after going there I am almost embarrassed that I have lived here for about 5 years and only just went for the first time.

What made the visit even better was the appearance of two of my good friends from New Hampshire, Emily and Brian. We were talking about this that day, but Emily and I had not seen each other for 5 years!! I had a great time catching up with her, hearing about her world travels and updating her on what has been going on in my life. She is an amazing, caring person and I am so glad that I was able to see her on her vacation. Brian has lived out here for several years and I am lucky that we get to see each other much more often. In fact, visiting the Getty was Brian’s idea. So smart that one! 🙂

We started the afternoon sitting on the beautiful green lawns, eating lunch and drinking wine. Brian’s girlfriend,Talia, brought an amazing spread of food. We all had so much fun people watching on the lawn and catching up. After lunch and a couple bottles of wine, we decided to explore the property a bit more.

I would have showed you more pictures of the food exhibition but that lovely gentleman in the above picture scolded me for doing so. Oops! 🙂

Beautiful day with beautiful people.

The Getty is open to the public and the admission is always free–truly a must see when you are visiting LA. 🙂

xo,

Jenna

Off to the Market

June 29, 2010May 27, 20112 Comments

I have been trying to visit Market in St. Helena since my last trip to Napa. I love swanky restaurants with creative meals but at the end of the day I really love simple, fresh food cooked spectacularly. Plus, supporting any restaurant that uses local ingredients makes me smile. Market does all of these things. 🙂

We started with some cocktails. Mine was the fizzy gin drink in front. Perfectly refreshing for a warm summer night in wine country.

We started with some laughs and some appetizers.

Farmer’s Market Chopped Salad. Alfie, our server, told me this was the most popular salad on the menu. For this salad, the Chef picks whatever is best at the morning Farmer’s Market so the ingredients change every day. This one had broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, bacon, blue cheese, and lettuce. The veggies were cooked just slightly which some people may prefer, but I would have rather them be chopped more and left raw because cooking them only intensified the dressing, which I was not a huge fan of. Also, there could have been more cheese. This little hiccup was okay though because the other dishes we ordered were spectacular.

This is one of the best Crab Cakes I have ever had. This baby was huge and stuffed with quality Dungeness crab meat. Paired with the coriander lime sauce and what had to be the most fresh grilled corn of all time, this dish was epic! I could have ate this as my meal. Only downside was that the cake itself was deep fried. I really think it would have been just perfect if it was less crispy on the outside.

Fresh Cream of Corn Soup. Again, the corn had to be one of the best veggies at the Farmer’s Market because this soup was perfectly sweet only needed a hint of cream and a splash of chili oil. We were all really pleased with this soup and jealous of Reggie who had been smart enough to order it. 🙂

I ordered the Organic Fried Chicken for my entree. I LOVE fried chicken. This one was perfectly seasoned and crispy. The whipped mashed potatoes were so fluffy and buttery.

What stood out for me was the portion size. Sometimes you order Fried Chicken for your entree and you literally receive an entire chicken. Yea, if I order that just for me there is no way I am finishing the dish. I was pleasantly surprised when only two pieces were served with my dish. Perfect amount for me to devour. 😉

Macaroni & Cheese with Aged Fiscalini Cheddar, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Bacon and Fine Herbs. I am only going to say this once because I pride myself on having the best homemade macaroni & cheese but this is better than my version. My sisters both ordered the M&C and they are not what you would call “plate finishers” but this was done. Between the six of us at the table, we could not stop “oooohing” and “ahhhing” over this dish. Well played Market, well played.

My father ordered Zinfandel Braised Lamb. I managed to steal a bit–for the blog, I argue– and wowza, this meat was tender. The jus served with the meat was light and had the perfect essence of zinfandel. My father is not one to rave about food like me (unless it is dessert) but he had a hard time keeping quiet about this one. He said this was the best lamb he has ever had. Period.

The Filet Mignon came from a local farm and was truly spectacular. Served with homemade au gratin potatoes, haricot verts and a porcini butter, this whole dish was cooked and seasoned to perfection.

Post-dinner cappuccino for me.

Butterscotch Pot du Creme for the table. Very rich and creamy. If you are a fan of butterscotch, you will love this. But is this definitely a dessert to share because a few bites is just enough.

We loved visiting Market. The food was incredible and the service was fantastic. Our server, Alfie, was knowledgable about the dishes, having tried everything. Above all, he loves to eat and he is passionate about local, sustainable food. At the same time, he did not bombard us at the table. He allowed us space to talk about enjoy our meals, offering any assistance when necessary.

He told us that he used to live in Southern California and then recently moved up to St. Helena with his wife and their 4 children. Now, they have a larger place on more land and my dream…chickens! I actually let out a little cheer when he told us this (I am such a nerd…) because my dream is to have an old farmhouse with chickens in the back yard and maybe a cow….okay, maybe a goat too. A girl can dream, right? Mostly, Alfie told us he is living the dream up there and you could see it on his face through his beaming smile.

I walked out of this place with a full belly and a full heart.

xo,
Jenna

Cooking with Julie: Part 2

June 27, 2010May 27, 20113 Comments

First, how can you not LOVE someone who has a framed picture of Julia Child in her living room?

Above all, Julie is also a really gifted chef and a gifted teacher.

“Classically trained by some of the world’s most accomplished French Masters, Julie has been teaching for more than 20 years and is a Certified Culinary Professional. She apprenticed with former White House pastry chef, Roland Mesnier — and worked and studied in France at Hotel de France in Auch with André Daguin, Paula Wolfert, Gaston Lenôtre and Ecole Ritz Escoffier. Julie was director and teacher at L’Academie de Cuisine, one of the top ten cooking schools in the United States, where she teamed with Francois Dionot for five years. She also had the opportunity to work with Jean-Louis Palladin and Giuliano Bugialli. Julie is a graduate of L’Academie de Cuisine in Maryland, and has taken numerous classes at the CIA-Greystone — and around the world.

After living and working many years abroad in Asia and Africa, she now makes her home in Napa and started the cooking school COOKING with JULIE. In her free time she volunteers at the Food Bank and C.H.E.F.S. (Conquering Homelessness Through Employment in Food Service) as an instructor.

Member of International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP), *Certified Culinary Professional (CCP), San Francisco Professional Food Society, and Slow Food.”

(Source)

We spent the beginning of class reviewing our recipes. Julie always emphasizes the importance of reading recipes from beginning to end BEFORE starting to cook. This way, you know what is coming next and there is much less stress in the kitchen. Now that is something we all want, right? Cooking is supposed to be fun! 🙂

There were 8 people total in the class which really allowed Julie to give us individual attention. We were grouped into pairs and each pair was assigned a dish. I wanted to prepare something I had never cooked before so Gingi and I chose the Strawberry Gelato and Langues de Chat (Cat’s Tongues). Truthfully, we were moving so fast in the kitchen that it was not very easy to take pictures of each step of the process. I did manage to snap a couple action shots though.

Gingi and I received some great experience learning how to pipe and I have to say I really love pastry making. My dream is to go to culinary school and learn baking and pastry in more detail. 🙂

Once everything was prepared, we sat down outside for a lovely lunch paired with the wine we tasted earlier in the day. Everything as fresh, flavorful, and incredibly light. The perfect summer lunch.

Sorrel & Mint Buttermilk Soup

Vegetables Grilled Spanish Style with Picada

Pasta with Tomatoes, Basil, and Goat Cheese

Strawberry Gelato with Balsamic Vinegar

Langues de Chat (Cat’s Tongues)

Cooking with Julie is an amazing experience and I highly recommend her to anyone who visits the Valley. My mom loved the experience and she cannot wait to do it again! 🙂

Have you ever taken a cooking class? If not, what would you want to learn?

xo,

Jenna

Cooking with Julie: Part 1

June 26, 2010May 27, 20113 Comments

This year, for my mom’s birthday, my sisters and I bought her a very special cooking class in Napa. Cooking with Julie is an experience that cannot be matched. This was actually my second time participating in her class and I was so happy to be back. What makes this day so special is that you start your day at the Farmer’s Market buying the vegetables, fruits, cheese, and other ingredients we would be using during the class. Chef Julie really believes that good food starts in the picking of ingredients. Makes sense too, right? If you have beautiful flavorful ingredients, you can cook them simply and their flavors shine through.

This particular Farmer’s Market was one of the best I have ever seen. The colors were dynamic but what makes this market is the people. They were so knowledgeable and friendly!

I loved talking to the people in each booth. Their passion for what they are growing and selling is contagious. Besides how good food taste, I think that my absolute favorite part of food is the community.Throughout the entire day when our small group was cooking, I could not help but pause and think about where this food came from and the hard work it took to create such beautiful products. I was grateful.

After buying our ingredients, we headed to Back Room Wines in Downtown Napa to taste the wines that Julie’s friend, Dan, had selected to pair with our food. Dan was so friendly and you could tell he enjoyed talking about wine and pairing wine with food. Everything was delicious and I ended up purchasing the 2009 Copain Rose (perfect for a hot Summer day) and the 2007 Salvestrini Rettagio.

After the tasting, we headed back to Julie’s beautiful home to start cooking!

To be continued…

xo,

Jenna

Vino & Views

June 26, 2010May 27, 20111 Comment

We finished breakfast around 10:30 so I decided we should start our wine tasting with a little sparkling wine at Domaine Carneros to celebrate my mom’s birthday! DC is one of my favorite spots in Napa for great views and great vino. You cannot beat a place with an outdoor tasting space!

I had to snap a picture of this little boy and his father. They both walk the same way, with their hands clasped behind their back. So precious. 🙂

After Domaine Carneros, we headed back to Buena Vista, the oldest winery in California. On the way, we stopped to hug some trees….literally 🙂

I really love Buena Vista, not only because of their quality wine but because of the education you receive when you taste on their property. Quinn, the gentleman in the vest in the above picture, is their on site sommelier. Not only does he know his stuff but he is hilarious in the delivery!

Today he wanted to deepen our understanding of food and wine pairing. For example, when trying a buttery Chardonnay he brought out lemons for us to put in our mouths and then take a sip of wine. The acid in the lemons combines with the acids in the wine to give you an entirely different tasting experience. The wine tasted completely different. My mom loved the experience so much she joined their wine club too!

Overall, we had an amazing experience wine tasting. If I am drinking most of the wine, I really prefer to stick to only a couple wineries and today proved to be the perfect amount.

We may have stopped by El Dorado Kitchen for some homemade soft serve with olive oil and sea salt….oh yea!

What are your best experiences wine tasting?

xo,

Jenna

Stir it Up

June 17, 2010May 27, 20116 Comments

Foodie confession time. As much as I love to cook, using tofu scares me a little for some reason. I like the taste of it and I usually enjoy eating it, but I never know what to do with it once I get it home. Sure, I have used tofu in the gnocchi I made a few weeks ago but I barely did anything with it other than plop it into my Vita-Mix. However, since we have started to drastically decrease our intake of meat products, I figured I should try cooking tofu at home. Usually my favorite way to eat this lovely soybean product is usually in some kind of stir fry. I figured this would also be a nice starter tofu dish. Looking in my pantry, I found this:

So, after pressing the extra firm tofu for about 30 minutes, I cut half of the block into small cubes.

I wanted to replicate that fried taste of the restaurant tofu I love, but without all of the unnecessary calories and fat–you know, lighten it up a bit. 😉

After giving the tofu a dash of salt and pepper, I pan fried the tofu pieces in a tablespoon of oil.

After about 8 minutes, I removed the tofu from the pan and kept it in a warm place. In the same pan, I added some fresh broccoli, minced garlic, and some good ol’ H2O.

I placed the lid on the hot pan immediately. Then, adding the water with the other three ingredients, helps to steam the broccoli and infuse the garlic flavor. Delicious!

Once the garlic was almost cooked, I added the tofu and General Tsao Sauce to the pan. I stir fried the mixture for a couple minutes and then we were ready to eat.

I served my mixture with a homemade ginger rice. The combination was perfect. The bottled sauce was surprisingly not overly salty. Instead, it was sweet with a zing of heat at the end! I highly recommend it. The tofu was crispy on the outside but not greasy. In fact, after a couple of bites I was telling Reggie how great I thought the tofu was and he responded—“tofu?! I thought this was chicken! Nice work bb!” I am not sure how or why he thought he was eating chicken but you gotta love that!

Tofu & Broccoli Stir Fry

2 Servings

8 oz. firm tofu, pressed and chopped into 1/2 cubes

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 cup broccoli florets

1 tablespoon oil (canola or vegetable)

1/4 cup Stir Fry Sauce (I used General Tsao Sauce from Trader Joe’s)

1/2-3/4 cup water

Salt & Cayenne Pepper, to taste

1. Heat a heavy skillet or wok to medium-high heat. Add oil and tofu. Brown the tofu evenly on each side (about 8 minutes). Remove from the pan and place in a warm place.

2. Place broccoli, garlic, and water into the same pan. Immediately place the lid on the pan to steam the broccoli. Cook for 3-4 minutes.

3. Add the tofu and sauce to the pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes and serve with Ginger Rice (recipe follows).

Ginger Rice

2 Servings

1/2 cup uncooked rice (white or brown)

1 cup water

1/2 teaspoon fresh, minced ginger

Salt & Pepper to taste

If you are not using a rice cooker, Place all ingredients into a small sauce pan heated to medium-high heat. Once the rice comes to a boil, lower the temperature to low and cook until the rice has absorbed all of the water. Serve warm.

I am incredibly lucky and headed back to Napa for the weekend. I have some pretty spectacular reservations lined up. Can’t wait to share them!

xo,

Jenna