Honey Badger Noodle Shop

One of my best friends Dom hit me up this week to catch up. It's always random with this guy because our lives are so busy. But, it's so easy for us to get together. Catch up? ok. When? ok. Place? ok. Time? done. Nothing complicated, no over thinking, just go.

What I love about Dom is how he loves to try new restaurants like I do. He doesn't think too much of it either. He just knows there's of a new place and recommends us to try it without any doubts... unless there was a ton and he never mentioned in. He's a therapist. He's good at keeping his cool when things are totally NOT cool. He keeps me calm that way. With his soft voice "no no Daisy don't do that", "no no Daisy remember what we talked about?", "no no that's the angry Daisy", and my favorite of all "nooooo no no no". Love you Dom.

Honey Badger is located on Main street and corner of 5th:

555 W Main St
Alhambra, CA 91801

The menu was pretty simple and straight forward. I didn't read into what they are about. If the food is good, I would want to know more. Well, if the food is bad, I would want to know more about the background of the creators and why they think their food is acceptable. Like really, I pay for this so I expect answers. WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!

The restaurant is very hip for Alhambra. It's a new twist and something I would expect walking into in Downtown Los Angeles. The place was pretty empty walking in around 6pm, so of course seating was not an issue.

I was going to go for the classic Taiwanese beef noodle soup, but I wanted to try something different from their signature noodles selection. Truffle Mushroom medley noodle. Like ok my mind was set. Especially with the fried egg on top.

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Mushroom Medley truffle noodle

Ok I was extremely excited when this came out. It looks hearty, portion was sized good, and the fried egg was cooked perfectly to my liking. BUT... to be honest, the dish lacked a lot of flavor. Some of the mushrooms could've been cooked out more to release the moisture and to create a nice caramelized exterior which normally gives a dish like this the umami you are looking for. Salt was not present in the mushrooms as well. PS> huge pet peeve when the food is not seasoned well. The essence of truffle was minimal to none. The noodle was good, but there was an awkward chew to them. I've had noodles like this before, but I've never had to really chew for each bite like I did with this. In the end, I had to add salt, black pepper, and a little soy sauce. And since I couldn't taste the truffle, I ended up putting some sriracha on it.

Will I come back? Probably, but not anytime soon. With that being said, I know what I ate had potential to be great. Not trying to give a negative review to the restaurant, just being honest. It's tough to do what they do with so many other restaurants surrounding them within a one mile radius.

I'm just amazed at how downtown Alhambra has changed. It used to be a sh*t hole and I hated going there. But now, there's so much more life and restaurants to try that I think about heading out during the weekends.

Downtown Alhambra has not seen the last of me yet. Stay tuned for more local eats in Alhambra.

Thanks Dom for the great conversations, belated dinner, and for your beautiful soul that I am going to take from you.

daiisies

Elote "Mexican Corn"

Elote is also known as Mexican corn. I grew eating this as a little kid. My brother and I would be playing PlayStation or Counter Strike 1.5 when we hear the bell. Sorry, it's the bell. If you grew up in this era, you would know there is that one moment of silence, to hear that bell ring again to make sure it's the corn man. Now hurry and find a dollar! One dollar can get you a corn on a stick, brushed with some mayonnaise, lime juice, cheese, cayenne and some yellow gooey cheddar cheese which we are skipping today. Though, I'm not sure how much it runs for nowadays... $1.50?! Blasphemy!

For this recipe, I got frozen corn instead, but feel free to use the cob. AND I also made this in a dish, because it's easier to eat and I don't want spicy cayenne pepper spreading around my face. You know how that is...

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Elote "Mexican Corn"

Recipe:

• 3 cups of frozen corn, microwaved till edible.
• 1/2 lime
• 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup of good mayonnaise (or 1/3), it really depends on how creamy you like it.
• 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne to mix
  • Cotija cheese crumbled on top (I used Cacique)

The recipe is pretty straight forward. I got a plastic zip bag to microwave the corn kernels. Afterwards, by opening the zip a little bit, you are able to dumb out any excess water. I then squeezed in the lime and sprinkled with salt and cayenne. Now, you mix it all together. It might be hard with your hands because the corn is still hot, so I used a spoon.

Next is the mayonnaise. Don't get that olive oil base mayo. I get it. But you want to keep it classic. After it's done mixing, just pour it out onto a dish of your choice. It may be a little watery because of the heat melting the mayonnaise. If you want, you can always pop it in the freezer for about 15 minutes to make the mayonnaise clump up again, but I think its better hot. Crumble your cheese and top off with a dash of cayenne. If you don't use cayenne, and you know you are sensitive to spicy foods, then I would leave it out and just dash a little bit as you are eating this. Just adjust along the way. This is how it is if you get it on the streets. They ask you want on your corn so there isn't really a wrong way to do this if you stick to the right ingredients. Don't blame me for any butt fire incidents though...

I like to eat this with chicken, tortilla chips, tostadas, or just as it. By the way, cotija cheese is a little robust so if you are not a big fan of cheese, I recommend getting the Cacique queso fresco it's like my favorite for all my mexican dishes!

QUICK TIP: If you are using fresh corn on the cob, remove the silks but leave the husk. In the same bag that you loaded your corns in (clear plastic that is in the produce aisle), put your corns back in and just microwave it to cook! No need to boil water. If your husks are a little dry, just moist them a little with water. I normally microwave my corn for 3 minutes (one corn). Now thank me if I changed your life.

You can always serve it for parties like I did below:

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party size

enjoy the butt fires!

daiisies

Chile rubbed chicken

Honestly I wouldn't know what you would call this. This meal was put together because I was desperate to recreate something with chicken. I have a whole rack of spices that I'm just too chicken to try. I just randomly put spices together that I thought would marry together. Let's just say I've made this ever since AND it's EASY.

Looks like this:

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"Random Chicken Dish"

Guys don't worry, the char is not bitter, its from the rub and honey.

RECIPE:

• 4 Chicken Leg Quarters (works with breasts too.)
• 1.5 tablespoon Ancho Chile powder - you can find this in any grocery store. I got minds there and at Marshalls!
• 1.5 tablespoon of sweet paprika
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of cayenne
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 1 tablespoon of salt (I use Kosher)
• 2 tablespoon heap-full of honey. 
• 1/2 a lemon.
• 1/4 cup of olive oil.

In a big mixing bowl large enough to hold your chickens, mix in all the dry ingredients. Then, mix in the olive oil first, followed by the lemon juice, and then the honey. After the slurry has been made, you mix in the chicken and let it sit for at least 1 hour. Sometimes when my chicken is frozen, I would still lather the chicken with the olive oil rub even though it's still thawing. There's no reason why besides me being impatient. And my mind thinks it's marinading as it's thawing.

Set your oven to 370 for 45 minutes. I put my chicken in the oven when it's still warming up. BTW, for chicken breast, I did it the same way and it still came out super moist (SKIN ON). Plus, the chicken breast I used the first time was really thick.

Just to let you know, I never remove skin from my meats. I love the fat, the bad things about it that makes me feel good. Not promoting the nutrition, but remembering everything should be okay by consumption right? right?! I cry... and I love fried chicken..

LET YOUR CHICKEN REST FOR 5-10 minutes before eating it! You don't want the yummy juices to leave the bird. I like to eat this with some elote to balance the spices.

Stay tuned for Elote recipe, that will be SO-MUCH-FUN.

Daiisies

Pan Roasted Asparagus, Fried EGG, lemon everything, Oro del Tempo Piave Vecchio

This dish is SUPER easy to make. So cancel all your plans, and grab yourself a bunch of asparagus, lemons, eggs and Cheese! Because there is no excuse. It was hot as hell this week in LA and I still managed to cook, so put on that apron or that one cooking outfit you know you haven't washed in weeks.

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Beautiful Citrus Asparagus Egg - But... you should see how my kitchen looks after...

This dish is so decadent, you will look like you were in culinary school for years. I am SO hooked on this dish right now, and it doesn't take much at all. Tell your friends you had this in Italy.

Recipe (for 3 people or one... lol)

• 1 pound of asparagus - try to get the thicker stems for more texture and flavor.
• 1 Lemon - juice and zest
• 3 eggs (Happy Eggs)
• Cheese: A lot of people use Parmigiano Reggiano, but I am using Oro del Tempo Piave Vecchio, which can be found at Whole Foods. The flavors taste like a matured Gruyere. ABSOLUTELY SHAAABBAANNGG.
• red chili flakes.

Ok. First thing FIRST. I started heating the pan on high while I shave off the ends of the Asparagus. Please do not skip this step, unless your asparagus still have a beautiful elasticity on it. Also, cut off the dry ends. No one wants to have a hard, dry chewy bottom, not even your dog. When your pan is hot enough, throw in your asparagus and coat them with the olive oil. Once they start charring, I tossed in some Kosher salt. On a separate nonstick pan, I started frying up an egg.

And next thing you know, it feels like so much sh*t is going on because you didn't prep anything. *runs for cheese*, *oh sh*t the grater*, *omg the asparagus!* *THE EGG!*. Please get your prep together, unless you can work extremely unorganized like I do. When the asparagus has a good char all around, remove it away from the heat and start plating.

Zest your lemon over the top of your asparagus and put some in the pan for the oils to release. I then squeezed half a lemon into the pan to pick up on any excess flavor. After about 15 seconds, pour your light dressing over the asparagus.  Top the egg, dazzle with some red chili flakes (or black pepper if you prefer), and shave loads of cheese.

Please show off to your friends, and tell them I taught you. But if you destroy the recipe, tell them someone else taught you. Make sure your eggs are sunny side up. Crispy edges is a major plus. GOOD QUALITY EGGS ARE A MUST (I used Happy Eggs).

Enjoy. And let me know what you think. Lastly, don't cook your asparagus to death.

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It must look like this.

Cheers!

Daiisies

BACON MOMENTS #1

So it's another Sunday where I would just whip up a simple bacon and waffles breakfast. As I was cooking bacon, I had an epiphany. Bacon.. I used to bake the bacon in the oven, but I've been cooking it on the stove lately. The sound of sizzling bacon and seeing the fat transform to a dark golden brown is a sight any diet person would dream about. So as I was cooking the bacon.. my eyes just lit up.

Cooking the perfect Bacon.

Recipe:

• B A C O N.

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I realized cooking bacon is like making popcorn. I have the pan on high, and sizzle the bacon on for about 2 minutes till it shrinks a little and starts making the ripples. After you flip it, you will basically do the same, but lower the temperature a bit as the fat starts melting off. After this, I would flip the bacon more occasionally. Maybe because it's more enticing to see the fat bubbles foam around it or something, but I just can't leave because it's so beautiful to look at. So, like popcorn. Once the sizzling starts fading away, your bacon is ready. Don't mind the char bits at all because it adds so much more smokey flavor. I drizzled the bacon with a little maple syrup and just a tad of Cayenne pepper because I am obsessed with that at the moment (though it makes my mustache on fire).

I served this with some cold brew that I've got from Trader Joes.

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Cold Brew by Trader Joes

Trader joe sells a small jug of cold brew for about $7-8. It makes around 12 8oz cups. but more like 6 cups because who really drinks 8 oz? I made a quick simple syrup, chilled everything, and served with a lot of ice, and a splash of whole milk.

Bacon, cold brew, I am wired for Sunday Funday and ready to go!

cheers.

Daiisies