Smitty's Grill

November 18, 2015

My supervisor took me with her to a Vendor lunch today for new partnership opportunities in our broadcast department. I love going to Smitty's for a good cocktail, shrimp cocktail, more cocktails, and endless conversations.

Glancing through the menu, I really didn't feel all that hungry. But for some reason, I ordered a burger. I should've ordered a salad, or seafood. Something that screams I'm not that hungry. A burger? What was I thinking?

In no time, our food came in a snippy.

Applewood smoked bacon, grilled onions, white Vermont cheddar, and rattlesnake bbq sauce.

Umm hey guys I know it's the first time you are meeting me... And I should've ordered something cleaner.. But. BURGER! Get in my BELLY NOW! Of course these guys have no idea what a foodie I am. And I only got lucky with this photo because my supervisor brought up my love for food (thanks Kathy!)

The burger was not just big, it was juicy, good greasy from the cheese and bbq sauce. Each bite that I took needed to be followed by licking my fingers. Extra napkins is mandatory. White or beige pants especially, should have a napkin over, with the dirty on top of that.

The burger had no chance. Even though I wasn't that hungry as I said, I can never leave a burger half eaten. It's just not in my character. The burger itself was huge. Had a nice smoked charrrr. Delicious smoked bacon with crispy edges. And the sauce was finger-licking good.

When I got back to the office, I went straight to the kitchen and poured myself a big cup of Joe, and chugged it like vodka.

Until next time Smitty's. When I am there to guzzle myself with endless martinis and talk like a pirate.

daisy

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Hainan Chicken

November 17, 2015

Hello, you. Work, life, has been insanely busy for me. My internet is down, it's like 9:30 at night and I am crashing from 4 cups of coffee. I don't need help, I need sleep! But, I had a little time after work to grab a quick beer with a coworker.

Just a quick gulp and catching up before headed home to deal with cleaning and cooking, but mostly cleaning. We grabbed our beers from "Rounds" in Pasadena on North Lake Avenue.

Ok as I am writing this blog, my mom literally sent me like 10 food images. Wondering where I get my passion from.

Going back to being busy, and tired. I was using the excuse that maybe I have allergies, and that's why I'm so tired because my eyes feel heavy, swollen, and small. But no. I need to come to realization that sleeping past 12 to wake up at 6am doesn't work anymore.

So with that said, I needed to make something fast. Easy. Without making a mess. Something I can get done quickly, so I can eat it, and tell you about it. YOU. See how important you are?

HAINAN CHICKEN

I got 3 Cups of white jasmine rice, rinsed 3 times. I then filled it with chicken broth as you would for 3 cups of rice. If the palms of my hands is touching the rice with my fingers flat, the liquid should come up slightly above my knuckles.

I took one slice of lime and about 6 slices of ginger to cook together with the rice. Leave it. It's done and wait for it to cook.

The ginger scallin sauce is simple. I grated (and you can always finely mince) 4-5 tablespoons of ginger, finely chopped one large bundle of green onions (about 6 stems), and minced 2 cloves of garlic. Combine these ingredients together and dash 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Heat 1/3 of a cup of oil, I used Thrive Algae Oil because that's what I've been using lately, but you want a flavorless oil. When the oil is heated, just simply pour it into your mixture, and add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce. Your sauce is done!

For the chicken, I got a 4-5 pound thigh pack from the market. I trimmed off as much fat as I could so I wouldn't have that much trouble with cleaning. I boiled 1/2 a pot of water, enough to submerge the chicken, 2 tablespoons of salt to season the water, the rest of the lime slices that I didn't use, 6-8 large slices of ginger, 3 large cloves of garlic, 2 stems of green onion, and 1 tablespoon of white pepper. Now, let the chicken boil and simmer for 30 minutes on medium.

Now. The recipe is literally something I threw together. No science. But if I didn't like it, I wouldn't spend the time to tell you about it. Laying here awkwardly writing this on my phone, sucking away my data. You eat this chicken and tell me you love it!

Anyways, check your rice. If it turns out a little dry, pour in more chicken stock from your pot of chicken. When ready to serve, scoop some rice, take your chicken, and then slather the ginger scallion sauce over the chicken. The sauce is everything eaten together with the rice and chicken. My dad used to put the sauce in a can of sardines. Don't ask. I don't know. I don't like that. But he does.

This is another huge staple of something I grew up eating. Quick and comforting, and as always, extremely affordable.

now it's 9:54pm. I can still make it to sleep now! Just need to brush my teeth!

Happy cooking and let me know what you think.

remember that food should always be accessible!

Daisy

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Comoncy - Studio City - Best Breakfast of 2015

November 15, 2015

I got an invitation to visit the new Comoncy Cafe out in Studio City. They have a total of 3 locations: Beverly Hills, Studio City, and Scottsdale Arizona. I was recommended to check the new location since it's larger with more creative innovations on the menu to check out. I would rather head out to Studio City anyways, since LA traffic is never forgivable.

I've never been to Comoncy before, but after seeing their menu, it's something I would check out for a good breakfast. Breakfast is hard to find. Considering how large and populated with restaurants LA county is, it's hard to find that ONE, that can do it all. What I mean by that is, I hate how some cafes serve crappy espresso. Or great coffee, but terrible eggs and bacon. There's never that one place, that I can knock out all birds with one stone. Well Comoncy, I think they've done it.

Best Breakfast of 2015

The spread was pretty simple. And, there are some things that I just can't say no to. John was supportive on pigging out by having another dish to accompany this meal. And, cappuccino is always necessary. Always. At a place like this, it would be a waste to not have espresso. Trust me, it's good.

First thing first. Cappuccino.

Being super stoked about the design, I used one pack of raw cane sugar. Don't be a snob to tell me you drink it straight without sugar. Good for you. But a pack of sugar can really help the notes of the espresso pop. Kind of like putting ice with your whiskey, does that make sense? The espresso was extremely good and better than I expected! Loved how this was something they highly recommended. So good, that we bought some to take home.

A must. I love ordering huevos rancheros, and couldn't keep my eyes off from the menu about it. It's a huge breakfast staple for me, and I assumed it will be good at Comoncy if they had the audacity to put it on their menu! THEY DID NOT FAIL! John was SO sneaky about this too. He took a few big bites, and I had to ask how it tastes before he tells me it's amazing. What a jerk! Like, does he really think I wasn't going to notice half of it missing?! Comoncy rendition of huevors rancheros were : organic eggs over easy, crispy blue corn tortilla, avocado, black beans, and ranchero sauce. Everything was perfect about this dish. I loved the black beans and the contrast it brought to the crispy blue corn tortilla. It wasn't too thick or pasty, but extremely smooth and creamy. The soft over easy eggs with the ranchero, the avocado, and everything all in a bite, made my eyes rolled back. I mean literally I think I went blind for a second. It was like, the huevos rancheros god descended from above and blessed this plate. Super flavorful, but not heavy like the others I've had. I can't say no to this. This is a must when I come back, and something that I recommend to you. Dash some hot sauce, and tell me if you blacked out too.

Their steak sandwich was composed of : Brioche bun, prime sirloin steak, red cabbage slaw, lemon vinaigrette,organic Roma tomato, avocado, and horseradish aioli. Ok, The prime sirloin definitely gives you a run for the money. It was very tender and very flavorful. I had absolutely no trouble at all take perfect bites from this, It may look tiny, but it's loaded with steak and I love how they don't skimp. The brioche bun was fantastic. Flaky and not too eggy like some other ones I've had. I actually love how I could taste the butter in the bun. The lemon vinaigrette is not subtle as well, in the best way I can say it. Everything just married perfectly. Even the tomatoes were freaking delicious. This was one of their many lunch items that they carry. I must come back to devour more.

Baguette, Greek Yogurt, berries and organic maple syrup. I've never had yogurt with french toast, and thought this was another success. Fruits and yogurt with sweet maple syrup. What could possibly sound wrong with that? It was also my first time having french toast with baguette, which I didn't mind. Sometimes, brioche could be too heavy. Literally egg on egg. This was very light, but something I would share. The basil really made this dish pop. It was a little touch, but really made this bright and fresh.

At the end of our meal, I've concluded that this was the best breakfast I've had all year, and seems to stay that way for the rest of 2015. I can't wait to come back, and have more dishes. Though the huevos rancheros is going to be hard to pass up.

With that said, I hope you will find a way to make it out for a taste. Their breakfast is ON POINT along with their espressos. Which, I also highly recommend you getting. The brand is Equator and the beans are "Tigerwalk".

I'm hoping more Comoncy cafes will open more locations, as for now, I and we will have to make our trips. Let me know what you think.

STUDIO CITY : 12265 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604 (323) 391-2096

BEVERLY HILLS : 413 N. Bedford Dr.Beverly Hills, CA 90210 (424) 285-8874

SCOTTSDALE: 7301 E. Indian Plaza, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 (480) 361-1339

Happy eatings!

Daisy

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Chelo Creamery

November 14, 2015

I've only seen rolled ice cream in videos and thought how fun and somewhat genius it was. The mixture is basically in liquid form, poured onto a cold stone with the toppings, crushed and mixed up, until it starts forming a paste. The paste is then spread and flatted all around the stone, until it's solid enough to scrape and roll.

I got an invite from @damoneats for the new rolled ice cream served at Chelo Creamery. It was another special event where all foodies and LA lifestyle media individuals, gather to take endless photos of their food. Being a small ice cream shop (in terms of space), it got packed, quick.

With only 2 surfaces for them to mash and roll, I waited 1 hour, before I received my rolled up ice cream. Now, being that I'm a little lactose intolerant, will I wait 1 hour to get this again? Probably not. But, was it good? Absolutely. I would wait 15-20 minutes max, but anything over for ice cream can make me feel a little defeated. And waiting an hour, would give me the guilt trip that I do not want. That the rolls, might actually turn my stomach into rolls. And then, I would need to eat a salad for dinner. And that can't happen. No.. it just can't.

I ordered their salted caramel ice cream. It was very creamy, not too sweet, and a perfectly balanced touch of salt. Salted caramel is always my go to. Always. I would definitely order this again along with the strawberry cheesecake that looked fantastic. They also carried gelato, and I believe ice cream waffles (looked great I gained 10 pounds).

Located:

18558 Gale Ave. #158 Rowland Heights, CA 91748

Make sure to check them out tomorrow, Sunday 11/15/2015 to try some rolled ice cream.

By the way, I also want to come back for their durian. Yes. One of my favorite things. Stinky sweet onion flavor, what's not to love.

Happy rolling.

Daisy

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Autry - American Indian Arts Marketplace

November 10, 2015

John invited me here with him so he can write about his experience at the Marketplace for his assignment. Being extremely supportive after a night of drinking, I decided to go with him. Honestly, he mentioned something about fried bread. But he knew. He knew he got me at fried. Anything fried, you might as well just take my money.

But his assignment was pretty cool. I mean, he was to write about how people from the outside, like me, see Indian art and how it's perceived. Or bystanders who know nothing, but assumes it's categorized as Indian art. A lot that is shown in this marketplace, has a mix of everything. To open, untrained eyes, like mine, I would assume that all items I saw were Indian art. Though it kind of is, a lot of it is inspired and somehow derived from the culture and knowledge.

For example, we came across a vendor who were selling her clay & bronze figures. Her name was Kathleen Wall.

“My personal relationship with my art work starts with the intent of creating a full-circle cultural experience. I embrace the heritage of the people around me and absorb the knowledge that they have to offer. It begins with an emotional response, then a thought, which then becomes my finished piece, expressed through my eyes and hands. That very personal experience is passed on to others.”

— Kathleen Wall

Kathleen Wall was describing how her art was in no way a representation of how her clan looks like. The art of pottery and sculpting these figures is where she was inspired by her grandmother and her heritage. She kept the corn husk, as it is a huge symbol of that. I loved all the details she put in, and her passion really shined through.

As we walked around, we saw a lot of this:

“Hopi katsina figures (Hopi language: tithu or katsintithu), also known as kachina dolls are figures carved, typically from cottonwood root, by Hopi people to instruct young girls and new brides about katsinas or katsinam, the immortal beings that bring rain, control other aspects of the natural world and society, and act as messengers between humans and the spirit world”

— Wikipedia

That's pretty interesting right? Look more about this on Wikipedia here.

Now to the fried bread party.

The dough is fried in canola oil until it's golden brown. I wasn't too hungry since I literally ate a little before this, but the smell of fried dough, you just can't beat it. And honestly, I don't think I can say no to anything fried (don't start pulling the "Annnyyytthhinngg?" joke. GET-OUT!)

For a hefty $10.50, you get this. But just imagine the killer amount of money they are making off of this! $10.50. Fried dough. How much is it to make dough? Go Google that. Now wrap your head in this chili. Exactly. Iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and cheddar cheese. Yeah. Will I order this shit again? Yes.

I'm sorry. The fried bread was fluffy and perfectly chewy. What I would do next time, is add more meat for extra $$, add sour cream for extra $$, and Jalapenos for extra $$. Like I said, TAKE MY MONEY.

You can also order this with just their meat sauce or their sweet versions like honey butter. The toppings reminded me of Taco Bell, which doesn't seem too surprising consider this feeling more Tex-Mex. BY THE WAY, they serve Frito Pie. I didn't get it unfortunately, but will do so next time.

My future backyard. Pretty cool huh? This market was a special event and has unfortunately ended last weekend. If you are ever in the Los Angeles area, just check the local museums for events. It's pretty amazing what they can put together since a lot of it is sponsored by big companies.

Stuff like this makes me happy to live in LA.

Now... I must make my own fried-bread-taco bell chili meat sauce-for holiday party. I am a changed woman.

Daisy

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Wine & Dine

Smitty's Grill

Hainan Chicken

Comoncy - Studio City - Best Breakfast of 2015

Chelo Creamery

Autry - American Indian Arts Marketplace