Unrivaledkitch

Recent Posts

01/20/2012

Sunday Brunch; Chez Nous and Priscilla’s

Something about Toluca Lake is charming, witty and quaint. For those of you who have yet to be lucky enough to visit this small community, it lies on the borders of North Hollywood and Burbank and befitting of the city is a place called Chez Nous. This …

dining out, Los Angeles Eats, valley

by unrivaledkitch

01/18/2012

Back to Santa Barbara: Kunin Wine and Santa Barbara Shellfish Company

One of the wonderful tourist attractions,causing people to flock to Santa Barbara is wine tasting. If you’ve never been, it’s definitely something that trains your taste buds to know more about the things you like and maybe things you aren’t so interested in wine tasting. Michelle …

cocktails, dining out, Los Angeles Eats, ventura county

by unrivaledkitch

01/14/2012

Sol Y Luna

On a street corner of Ventura Blvd. in Tarzana, lies a valley find unlike many others. As I approached Sol Y Luna on Saturday night, second thoughts were in order, a crowd of well to do ladies and gentlemen surfaced, even before we were inside, about 20 people deep. As we approached the hostess, we were kindly asked to wait an hour if we’d like to eat there. Inclined to see what the wait was about, Stephanie and I decided we would just hop over to the local bowling alley and have a beer, catch up about over the holiday adventures and take her outfit photos for her blog. As we waited, it was clear that we would be around for a little while, so finally after about 45 minutes, we decided to take a seat at the bar, which opened up two seats just in time for the two of us to snag them. We were greeted kindly by a very sweetly natured bartender named Jessie. You could tell it was getting to the part of the evening to wind down a bit by the time we were seated, which I appreciate because I know the middle of service in a large busy restaurant it hectic for everyone.

We ordered house margaritas, which were poured from the gun; nothing over the top, but not a bad drink for the price. I’d probably order a Cadillac next time, if I were to have margaritas there again. The bar was studded with fancy decorations, mirrors and lots of different types of tequila and draft Mexican beer. Jessie asked us if we’d like to start with guacamole as an appetizer, which we were inclined to do because it looked so good. The avocados were perfect and creamy, and the large bowl was made right aside us for us to put in whatever it was we’d like to make it mild, medium or spicy. We were also served two types of salsa: a pico de gallo, which is a more chunky tomato, onion, and cilantro sauce, as well as a smokey spicy salsa with flavors of chipotle. Both salsas were delicious, the chips were perfectly crunchy and light, not too hard or too soft for breaking in sauces or thick guacamole.

As we enjoyed our huge bowl of guacamole and chips, along with our margaritas, we perused the menu to see what our main courses would be. By this time we had decided that we’d just continue to sit at the bar. I decided I would order the salpicon tostada with shredded beef and refried beans. Stephanie had a black bean and cheese burrito. My tostadas were huge and very delicious. The refreshing, light dressing of just simple oil and vinegar and not overwhelming presence of cheese, was an important factor in the overall delightful nature of the dish. This was a refined Mexican-style dinner. Everything just seemed to fall into place and after all the food, we hardly realized we had waited so long. It was an amazing meal with a great friend, awesome service and even the mariachis came by to serenade us. A great place for good food, but I’d say to head in around 9:00 p.m. or later if you don’t want to wait, or go on an off day, but even then, I’m sure some wait maybe in order for this very desirable Mexican cuisine.

cocktails, dining out, Los Angeles Eats, valley

by unrivaledkitch

01/12/2012

Tuna Salad Sandwich with Fuji Apple, Cucumber, Red Onion and Hummus Greek Yogurt Sauce

Sometimes we just need something to eat on the go, but with our crazy lives it gets a little tough. I understand–it happens to me too–the days when I can’t get four hours in the kitchen for all the insane ideas I’d love to commit to, but just can’t. …

Recipes, sandwiches

by unrivaledkitch

01/06/2012

New Year’s Day OShogatsu and Osechi-ryōri

New Year’s day is one of my favorite days of the year because it’s time for family and friends, new beginnings, reflections and always tons of food. Last year I went over the traditions behind everything (if you want a bit more information, check out this post) and this …

family food, Parties/caterings

by unrivaledkitch

01/02/2012

The Disneyland of West Hollywood Pancake Houses: The Griddle Cafe.

On a weekend morning, with the sunshine in full effect, the girls and I decided that pancakes were in order. I’m not much of a breakfast person, but the ladies (Stephanie and Bryn) are and they’ve been raving to me about the delicious offerings of The Griddle Café for long periods of time, so we hopped in the car and went over the hill. I would most likely never trek over the hill for pancakes, but this place may have just changed my mind. As you pull up to Fairfax and Sunset, there’s a Rite-Aid on the corner with convenient parking for The Griddle Café. As you make your way through the hoards of people waiting in Disneyland-length lines for the amusement park of pancakes, you have to know there’s something trendy, if not just downright delicious, behind the minimalistic charms of such a petite place.

As arrive, we find ourselves standing in lines that rival the Small World, complete with a waiting time of about half an hour. I caught myself thinking, “Can I get a Fastpass?” Lucky for us, Bryn had arrived early so she was able to put in our name, while Stephanie and I fought our way though Hollywood and finally found a parking spot. We were asked if the counter would be okay, and seeing as if we would probably have an even longer wait had we refused, we were inclined to sit diner-style at the counter, which sat about 20 people in a long U-shape. After we were seated a very busy staff came over to take our orders for drinks, just water and coffee. The coffee came in a lovely small French press and we were asked if we would like light, medium or dark roasted coffee; I ordered dark roast. The coffee was delicious and well-brewed, having a very dark roasted aroma and full, earthy body.

After perusing the menu, Bryn ordered ‘Tis the Season: a pumpkin pie-filling pancake served with whipped cream. The pancakes were so light and fluffy and the light flavor of pumpkin and subtle hints of pumpkin pie spices made for the perfect pancake. Stephanie ordered Saturday Morning Fever, which were pancakes made with Kahlua and Bailey’s liquor, in light and delicious buttermilk pancake batter; the liquor is very prominent and delicious creating lively and interesting pancakes.

I ordered Poached y Papas Benedict, which consisted of seasoned potato skins topped with poached eggs and a tender ham steak. I ordered it with avocado, adding a little freshness to the dish. The ham steak was tender and delicious. The eggs were poached perfectly with a runny center, making the whole dish extremely rich. My only issue was the hollandaise, which was a bit overwhelming with its ratio to everything else, but overall a very delicious savory item.

The atmosphere is fun and exciting while the kitchen is working harder than most places will ever have the privilege to work. The chefs/cooks are truly an amazing and eye-opening service to watch. With an open kitchen in the center of the breakfast house, their ability to adeptly adjust to the continuous tickets and the vast amount of batter and eggs that are being scrambled and cooked, is beyond belief. The Griddle Cafe is doing breakfast the right way.

dining out, hollywood, Los Angeles Eats

by unrivaledkitch

12/31/2011

Toshikoshi Soba (Year End Soba)

On New Year’s Eve, as young girl I would sit in front of the T.V. and watch Japanese television. I didn’t know what the heck was going on, but every year since I can remember when I was little, we watched this same show. I …

family food, Food Photos, noodles, Recipes

by unrivaledkitch

12/30/2011

Food Blogging 2011

2011 turned out to be a truly transformative year of living in the moment, with newly discovered and existing beauty in so many ways, and I feel so thankful and grateful for everything. Blogging has been a huge focus for me this year. It’s really …

Catering, chef theory, dining out, family food, Food Festivals, Parties/caterings, Recipes

by unrivaledkitch

12/30/2011

Homemade Sauce and Wheat pita Balsamic BBQ Chicken Pizza

For holiday presents this year, I decided to take on some jarring adventures. I made homemade tapenade with rosemary, tomatoes and black olives; marinara with mirepoix, fresh basil and parsley; spicy marinara with roasted garlic and red pepper flakes (Arrabbiata sauce); and balsamic barbecue sauce with brown sugar, molasses and aged balsamic vinegar. With everything that I’ve tried and translated into other things, jarring is one of the techniques that I haven’t implemented that often, so this was a great new experience. These sauces are some of my favorite things to have on hand and to make, but they are intended to be slow-simmered and aren’t suitable to make on a whim, which is why I decided to take the work out of it for my family and friends and jar them up and give them as gifts. Nothing is like giving a gift from the heart, especially at Christmas, and as a chef, there is no more personal gift I can give than something I have made.

The flavors meld well together after they have been jarred and served with your favorite things such as toasted foccacia and goat cheese with tapenade or simply crackers and tapenade, spaghetti with marinara, penne with arrabiata, or lasagna made with homemade sauce. The sauces give these dishes the slow-cooked feel, but can be made in half the time since the sauce is pre-made. Balsamic BBQ pizzas made with roasted chicken on a wheat pita topped with cilantro, red onions and mozzarella cheese, BBQ glazed chicken breast, or balsamic BBQ ribs are other great ways to enjoy the homemade BBQ sauce. I love the many uses of such versatile sauces for the holidays, when we’re so busy doing too much that we could use a little home cooking ready in the fridge.

Quick Recipe

Wheat pita Balsamic BBQ Chicken Pizza

1 wheat pita

2 sprigs cilantro, off the stem

1/4 cup roasted chicken, shredded

1 tablespoon red onion, minced

3 tablespoons Balsamic BBQ or 2 tablespoons regular BBQ sauce with 1 teaspoon Balsamic vinegar mixed in.

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Place pita in the center of a large baking sheet and spread 2 tablespoons of BBQ sauce or more if desired.

Then add shredded chicken and cilantro, sprinkling over pizza evenly.

Add mozzarella and place cilantro and red onions on top.

Drizzle with last tablespoon of BBQ sauce.

Bake in preheated oven about 8-10 minutes until pita is crispy and cheese has melted.

Cut and serve warm.

Enjoy!

I jarred the sauces and my sister made baskets with the bells and whistles, some dry spaghetti, bottle of wine and a box of crackers. Sometimes giving is as simple as a sauce.

Here are a couple of links I found useful about jarring if you’re interested:

http://oldformat.canningusasupplystore.com/

http://www.simplycanning.com/

http://www.marthastewart.com/267028/canning-tips

Lots of Love

Cheers

-Unrivaledkitch

chef theory, family food, Food Photos, Pizza, Recipes

by unrivaledkitch

12/28/2011

Christmas Tamales and Morning Traditions

I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted. This whole holiday season has been the most amazing, honest experience I’ve had in a long time. I love Christmas! It truly does bring out the best (and the worst) in people, but I think that it’s …

Chef plates, family food, Food Photos, Projects/help/donations

by unrivaledkitch

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