Food Maker, Chef, and Traveling Diner
There’s really nothing like fall flavors. I love the combination of spices, hot foods and rich flavors that fall and winter have to offer. So as I get ready for Thanksgiving, I look for new ways to make some of the classic favorites into new …
We’re all looking for new and interesting ways to eat vegetables, right? Well, we should be, even if we currently aren’t. Being on a quest for healthy living, we sometimes come across a dish that just appears so often on the table that it’s second …
Do you know about this amazing Italian cheese: Burrata? I don’t really know what I did without it. It’s pretty much the luscious, melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness that is creamy in the center, like mascarpone, but has the casing of buffalo mozzarella. So if you like the two, you’re sure to enjoy burrata. Sometimes it can be a little difficult to find. It’s a little on the expensive side, but a little goes a long way and I’m telling you, it should be something on everyone’s ‘To Eat’ list.
I love truffle oil and on a trip to Italy my generous brother brought me back a beautiful bottle of Italian black truffle oil. I love its earthy flavor and just like the burrata, a little goes a long way. I also love fresh gnocchi with a tiny bit of truffle oil and pecorino, but that’s another post. One of the reasons this is so delicious is because it’s so simple and satisfying. A few ingredients create a fantastic and flavorful feast or elegant first course. A small bottle of truffle oil can run you a pretty penny. If you need a tablespoon, you can come on over and try it for yourself before you buy it. I’ll share… a little…then you’ll have to get your own.
I hope you enjoy this beautiful Italian classic salad.
Burrata Caprese with Arugula, Truffle Oil and Balsamic
2 cups arugula
1/2 cup chopped romaine
6 leaves fresh basil, chiffonade, which is cutting the basil into thin long strips
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 tablespoon truffle oil (black or white)
1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
1 piece burrata sliced into pieces
Salt
Pepper
Place cherry tomatoes into small bowl and combine with salt, pepper, chiffonade basil and balsamic vinegar. Combine till incorporated well.
Place cleaned arugala and romaine together on a small platter or plate. Arrange the tomatoes over the arugula. Top tomatoes with sliced burrata and pour over the truffle oil. Add a small sprinkle of salt and pepper over the cheese and a small amount of tomatoes on top.
Cheers
-Unrivaledkitch
On a beautiful Sunday morning, Brandon, Lyz (Brandon’s mom) and I decided to go to the Channel Island Harbor farmers’ market to see what we could find. The freshness of fall produce entangles through the various booths and stands of fresh vegetables just picked from …
In a very commercial strip mall on the corner of Ventura Avenue and Main Street, just a bit away from downtown Ventura, is a very delicious find. Himalaya is an Indian restaurant with the perks of just being a couple miles away from Brandon’s house. …
Early this month, I had the pleasure of eating at Fogo de Chão with Brandon for his birthday. Fogo de Chão is a Brazilian steakhouse known as churrascaria in Portuguese. Churrasco is roughly translated into barbeque in Portuguese and comes from the South American traditions that resemble rotisserie cooking. Meat is placed on large skewers and cooked to perfection over hot flames.
Fogo de Chão has multiple locations all over the United States and in Brazil. The décor is loud and striking with purpose and refinement, but the main attraction is the servers carving large or small portion of about 15 different styles of meat from various succulent cuts of beef, lamb, chicken, pork and some sausage. When we arrived for our 8 p.m. reservation the bustling dinner service was already in full force. The very large dining room was filled with Los Angeles’ various groups of people—from the large table of business men, to the medium table of birthday celebrators, and the small two-top enjoying a comfortable couple’s evening out. As we were greeted by our waiter, he informed us that we were to start at the buffet, which included many different side dishes, some cured meats, cheeses, vegetables, and various other items to snack on and accompany the rest of the meal. After we helped ourselves, we were then to flip a small circle of paper that had green or red on it—the green was to inform the servers that they could bring around meat at their leisure and the red would indicate that we were finished.
From the filet mignon, ribeye, fraldinha (skirt steak) and picanha (top sirloin), to the cordeiro (lamb), everything was prepared well and very delicious. The key to this type of eating is to pace yourself and eat what you really like. So I stayed more in the prime beef cuts and the lamb, rather than going to chicken and pork, which can sometimes be dry with this type of cooking style. The theatrics of the gaucho style servers is really part of the fun and charm of Fogo de Chão. The meat is delicious and the other bits and pieces make for a delicious hearty meal. Come hungry for good meat and you’ll leave very happy. I had an amazing meal with my very dearest love on his birthday, you can’t beat that.
cheers
-Unrivaledkitch
One 100 degree afternoon, the three Fujitaki children decided that it’s been long overdue that we have lunch. I’m very lucky to be close to my brother and sister— I love them very much, even if we want to kill each other sometimes. We decided …
My boyfriend lives in Ventura pretty close to the beach, which is about 50 miles from where I live; it’s far, but not too far and I don’t mind the drive at all. It’s a nice escape from the triple digit heat and it’s further …
On our way home from Mammoth we have some mandatory stops to make. Most of the time we have to get gas for the ride home, so we stop at an Indian reservation that has a casino on its land and a gas station to fill up. My mom puts in $5 at a slot machine and tests her luck and then we’re off to the next stop. My brother and dad like to get beef jerky from Mahogany Smoked Meats and we get cheese bread and raisin bread from Schatz bakery. This time we also stopped for breakfast at the Village Cafe in Bishop. The Village Café is a strange place off a dusty road and they are only open five days a week from 7 a.m. till 2 p.m. with the exception of some special days of the month when they may be open for dinner, but you’d have to stop by to know.
The Village Café looks like it was formerly someone’s home. The structure is almost that of a single-story house where you’d be eating in the den of grandma’s country-style flat. My dad jokingly said the bathroom is down past the living room where they’re watching TV, make sure to say hi as you pass by, and honestly it looks like that. Small town folks trying to make a living rustling up some grub—I like it.
So as we all arrived, we had a sampling of many items off the menu. I ordered grilled pork chops with home fries and eggs over easy, with gravy on the side and a biscuit; my mom had corned beef hash, which came out burnt so they had to make another one; my dad had a delicious ham steak, eggs and potatoes; my brother had French toast; my sister-in-law had lobster eggs Benedict; and my grandma had eggs with a biscuit and gravy. I really enjoyed my pork chops; they were lightly floured and cooked on a flat top and the gravy was good, but I’m glad I got it on the side because it would have been way too much if I hadn’t.
The wait staff and everyone in the restaurant were so nice to us, always checking that we had everything we needed. It was really an enjoyable breakfast before the long ride back to Los Angeles.
cheers
-Unrivaledkitch
Mammoth has some quintessential eateries that frequent visitors are sure to know about, one being The Stove. The Stove is known for its country-style old ways and is almost always packed, no matter when or what time it is. They have homemade pies, large waffles, …