Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

Although Halloween is officially over, our DC Correspondent, Steven Woo sent us a few photos we just had to post.  He reports:  “Arghhh — I was in the Port O’ Baltimore for a Halloween Party, hosted by a zombie bride and groom.  They had some very creative decorations, including a skull ice sculpture that chilled the punch kettle, chili with and without flesh, mad scientist lab jars (cauliflower = brain, grapes = eyes, fennel = heart) and an inflatable coffin with ice cold beverages.  The last shot was some of my intake for the evening.  Are Rolaids available in fun size?”

Thanks Steven — It looks like it was a morbidly fun party.  They certainly were creative with the use of food.  Hopefully that’s not a real finger on the chopping board!  And I agree that Rolaids (like candy) should come in fun size packs too.

I like Buffalo Sauce, Original Ranch Dressing and sometimes Fried Chicken Sandwiches, but don’t like these, nor the repetitive song played to advertise them.  Since I usually like the combination of all, I had to try the Jack in the Box Mini Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sandwiches, but they’re just not good — Unsure why (perhaps quality) and don’t need to analyze it.  Three people agreed during this tasting.

The Vegetable Moussaka Recipe in The Olive and The Caper had such promise — I’m not quite sure why it wasn’t as good as it should have been.  An assembly line of baked Eggplant, blanched Potatoes and sliced Tomatoes was prepared, as well as homemade Bechamel Sauce.  All was layered as instructed with Bechamel and Cheese poured over top.  It looked terrific going in and coming out of the oven, but unfortunately didn’t become the fluffy cloud of Bechamel with goods underneath that I’ve previously enjoyed at a few Greek restaurants.  Instead it was dry throughout and curdled in places, not a desirable combination.

I like the cookbook, but will be moving past the Vegetable Moussaka.  Until choosing the next tasty Greek recipe to make, I’m sticking with the Greek Fried Egg and heading to Papadakis Taverna for a luscious Moussaka fix.  Opa!

 

I bought these fresh White Currants for less than a dollar at Grower’s Direct.  The price was good, like most of the produce there, and I’d never tried them before.  You’ll find great prices on fruit and vegetables at Grower’s Direct, if you can put up with the narrow aisles, people traffic and (sometimes) parking issues.  I went there for the makings of a Vegetable Platter and tacked on these White Currants for a try.

I quickly learned that White Currants aren’t too edible alone — They’re tart and have a lot of crunchy seeds inside.  So much for simply enjoying a new tasty Berry, HA.  I was hoping to eat ’em like a Blueberry, Raspberry, etc.  The next thought was to make something out of them.  What?  The obvious was Jam/Jelly, which I don’t use.  And I couldn’t see them enhancing the flavor of anything that’s quick and simple to make.

Since I didn’t want to waste all of them, I tossed some in a small batch of Rice Pudding, which isn’t as simple as it sounds.  I had the prepared (leftover) Rice, but it’s necessary to pick off both ends of the White Currants before adding to a recipe.  And by the time you pick off the bottom fur-ish part, you’re left with mostly seeds and skin, HA.  It’s real worth it, not. 

Overall, they weren’t bad in the Rice Pudding, nor good either.  I learned a lot, yet still don’t know the best thing to do with White Currants.  That’s okay, because it’s always fun to try new things — Some are fabulous finds and others just an educational story.  Next.

We’ve recently reported about a few restaurant closures (Mesa Grill & Barbeque, Mazzottis, Taco Surf, etc.) and below is a list of others throughout Orange County.

MORE Restaurant Closures:
http://fastfood.freedomblogging.com/2009/01/15/closure-list-oc-restaurants-out-of-business/11542/

http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/2009/01/24/mesa-grill-barbeques-irresistible-coupon/

http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/2008/09/23/mazzottis-is-friendly-pre-established/

There’s an unnecessary ingredient in Long John Silver’s New Baja Fish Taco.  They call them “crumblies” — Cute, but they’re basically just fried pieces of batter.  The addition doesn’t make sense on this Taco.  If the Fish is crispy, why add the crumblies?  It’s just more fat.  And if the Fish isn’t crispy, the crumblies seem to emphasize the fact, which was the case with this Taco.

Long John Silver’s INFO: http://www.longjohnsilvers.com/

Did you know that these foods are illegal or barely legal in the United States?  Check out the link to learn why you cannot eat certain foods in the USA and perhaps why you shouldn’t eat others.

I love the Chocolate goodies at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, and appreciate cute stuffed animals, but it’s time to lose or replace the bear.  Do all the stores have one?  They’re a mess — At least the ones I’ve seen in California.  They are sadly stained, faded and weathered.  It can’t be good to bring them in and out of the nice stores.  How about replacing them at least?

Aside from the bear, they offer an excellent variety of Chocolate and fresh Caramel Apples.  I understand it might be hard to give the bear the boot — It was tough to say goodbye to my stuffed animals. 🙂

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory:
https://rockymountainchocolatefactory.com/rmcf/control/portalHome

OMGosh, I’ve missed the LBC.  I lived in Belmont Shore and Belmont Heights in Long Beach for several years before relocating to Huntington Beach, then Costa Mesa.  I have a lot of great food and fun memories there.  It’s a cool city with vast food finds.  We skated the Long Beach Bike Path beginning to end, from Ocean/54th Place to Shoreline Village, like I have hundreds of times before — It’s nicely paved for skating.  

We had Shrimp, Chicken and Beef Fajitas, Side Salads, Chips & Salsa, Coronas and Margaritas on the Tequila Jack’s patio in Shoreline Village, which offers a few good restaurants to choose from.  This visit we attempted to eat at The Yard House, next door to Tequila Jack’s — BUT instead had an incident.  Since we skated, two were in socks and one in shoes.  Nevertheless we received an electronic transponder after reserving a table at The Yard House.

We secured 3 chairs at the bar to wait for a table to be available, then the YH Manager came over to tell us he couldn’t serve us due to the socks and we had to leave.  Real cool huh!?  I know there are rules, but was it necessary that we essentially be kicked out?  We weren’t walking around, we were going to be sitting outside, and looked and acted respectable otherwise.  He wouldn’t even allow us to wait outside until our patio table was ready.

I think the Manager’s non-flexibility was ridiculous — Our socks were gorgeous and would ultimately be under the table.  His fear of litigation and lack of case by case discretion lost our business.  THUS we had a lovely lunch at Tequila Jack’s, where they plainly saw our same state yet sat us without question.  Aside from this experience I like The Yard House and its food, but today we liked Tequila Jack’s much better.  The service was terrific.

More INFO: http://www.shorelinevillage.com/tequilajacks.html

Taco Tuesdays at Tequila Jack’s:
http://theguide.latimes.com/long-beach/restaurants/taco-tuesdays-event

It’s easy to uncase and butterfly a Sausage Link, and convenient that it becomes the perfect shape for a Sandwich Roll.  Just cut the Sausage Link in (almost) half, peel off and discard its outer casing, then butterfly the meat.  It fries up well in a pan and could be a winner with tasty Sausage and a few more frills.

I like this Sandwich preparation idea, but will try it next time with a flavorful Italian Sausage, Marinara Sauce and Provolone Cheese.  The pictured Sandwich was bore-ring.  The Sausage was tasteless, which doesn’t work for anything, especially a Sandwich that just has it on it.

Related Links:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/butterflied

http://www.casings.com/html/home-english.html

There’s enough homemade Chicken Noodle Soup in the Tupperware to feed a small army.  I thank my Sis for delivering all this to me.  The Flu isn’t fun, but I’m blessed to have a wonderful family.  This Unofficial Flu Diet includes a choice of 3 Chicken Noodle Soups, 2 flavors of Gatorade, White Bread and Oyster Crackers.

More ‘What to Eat While Sick’ INFO:

http://www.intelligenius.net/foods-to-eat-when-you-are-sick/

http://smarterfitter.com/blog/2009/04/26/foods-to-eat-when-youre-sick/

http://casualkitchen.blogspot.com/2009/03/what-to-eat-when-youre-sick-as-dog.html

Where’s my extra CHEESE Del Taco?  That’s what a few of us want to know.  Del Taco charges $0.39 for extra Cheese on their regular $0.59 Taco.  The cost of extra Cheese is more than half the price of the Taco.  And since we pay that much for the extra Cheese, WE WANT IT.  We’re not just interested in paying more for the Taco.  Can you PLEASE start giving us what we paid for?  Corporate needs to communicate this to all restaurants — ADD THE EXTRA CHEESE when a customer requests and pays for it!

Related Link:  http://www.deltaco.com/

I learned there’s nothing to preparing a Ham, especially one that’s pre-cooked, like the one pictured here.  Since a Ham usually starts with a smoked flavor, it’s almost best to just place it in a Dutch Oven without anything else.  For this Ham, I read several recipes before choosing to add a combination of Brown Sugar, Pineapple Juice and Beer.  I also thought that a deep scoring would allow the baste to permeate more deeply into the meat and make it look prettier.

Overall, the Ham did look nice, but the too-deep scoring made it difficult to cut a decent slice for my guests.  It yielded too many small squares – HA.  And the Beer/Pineapple/Sugar combination wasn’t good either.  I could still taste the Beer, which I usually prefer in a glass.  I also added too much liquid to the pot, which isn’t necessary since the Ham was cooked covered.  When it was done (12 minutes per pound), I found myself shaving off the outside to obtain a reasonably sized slice of the traditional Ham inside.  Next time I’ll simply add a little Brown Sugar.  I had previously seen that recommendation, but thought I needed some liquid — I’ve since learned, when covered, a Ham will provide its own juice.  Now on to Split Pea and Ham Soup…

This Pizza was okay.  I bought Trader Joe’s Pizza Dough and Pizza Sauce, then added what I had on hand — It has Cheddar Cheese, Salami, Pineapple and Jalapeno.  The Sauce was good and the Dough works, but I might want to try it another time with Mozzarella, Pepperoni, Mushrooms, Olives, Pineapple, Artichoke Hearts, Jalapenos, and maybe more. 

I think I overcooked this Pizza and made the Dough too thick.  Good thing I didn’t videotape myself trying to spread out the Dough and make it stay – HA.  I really wanted to throw and spin it up in the air, but feared I’d drop it on the kitchen floor.  I wished I had a big bolt of plastic to lay down.  I might pick some up before the next Pizza.

Related Links:

http://www.traderjoes.com/

At the time it was open, it almost looked the same as this – HA.  It was cool though — No signs, no outside lights, but there was a fun food party going on inside.  I loved Sid’s Cajun Baked Shrimp, or something like that.  You had to peel them, but they were worth it.  And if you ordered Jack Daniels you’d be kicked out — maybe.  I don’t know the whole story there.  Plus NO Salt & Pepper for you.

If you remove the beat up car, I could possibly hope it’s open again.  Or is it and YOU just don’t know about it yet?  HA.  That won’t happen for various reasons not to be reported here.  You’ll have to dig that up elsewhere.

It’s not always easy to have a picnic on the beach — One careless move and the Seagulls are in.  They’ll initially send in one or two to assess the food situation, so you gotta eat on the down low.  DON’T even think about feeding them.  They’ll immediately summons the rest of the gang and it’s all over.  I learned that lesson a long time ago.

However, this time I learned if you drop food, the same thing happens.  I would have guessed that, but today I accidentally dropped a Tortilla Chip and was forced to flee the scene.  Those darn Seagulls can be so rude. 🙂

Newport Beach in November — It’s one of the nice things about California.  The weather is right for a picnic, but the birds are wrong.  It’s like “MINE, MINE, MINE…” from Finding Nemo.  That movie nailed them, HA. 

I attempted to have a Crispy Grilled Chicken Taco from Las Fajitas Mexican Grill nearby.  I think it was good, but unfortunately I had to forfeit much of it.  I did notice that the Salsa was really good and the service was friendly, and it was a beautiful day after the morning rain.

Related Links:

http://lasfajitasrestaurant.com/

http://lasfajitasrestaurant.com/LasFajitas_ToGoMenu_pages.pdf

http://www.visitnewportbeach.com/

http://www.city.newport-beach.ca.us/

It’s half a homemade Waffle with Boysenberry Syrup and fresh cut Strawberries made by ‘Kids in the Kitchen’ while visiting Lake Arrowhead.  It was a colorful breakfast, but sadly the forest outside is badly burned. 🙁

Almost one year ago, a family cabin in Lake Arrowhead, California almost burned down.  If you recall, it was reported on the news in late October 2007 — There was a big fire in Lake Arrowhead and surrounding parts of the mountain.  One fire burned all the way up to the back of my Sister’s cabin. 

We had heard that most cabins on our street (Brentwood) were on fire, then finally learned that ours was one of the few still standing.  We were/are so thankful and convinced that ours was spared partly due to a fire access road directly behind it. 

Before the fire we all stared out the big cabin window and colored a picture of the forest.  We recently found those pictures and feel very sad for the trees.  Our crayon colors are now gray and black, whereas they were several shades of green and brown.  Our Waffles tried to cheer things up.

We THANK ALL the Firefighters who helped save our cabin and others.  Sadly most of the trees in our area are burned, but many others are okay, and several cabins are being rebuilt. 

Related Links:

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local&id=5720289

http://www.knbc.com/news/14397191/detail.html

http://calfire.blogspot.com/2007/10/lake-arrowhead-fire-updates.html

About three years ago, I sent Elmer Dills an e-mail.  I had a few questions about writing restaurant reviews.  And the very next day I arrived home to hear a message on my answering machine from Elmer Dills.  He responded to my e-mail by calling me.  He left his actual home and KABC studio phone numbers.  I couldn’t believe it.  I was so excited. 

I called him back immediately and we talked on the telephone for 20 minutes.  One thing I remember is — He told me that a reviewer should be careful not to injure the reviewee.  Every entity has its good days and bad days, and good qualities and those that need improvement.  Honesty is important, but be conscious of livelihood.

And he also invited me to provide a restaurant review on his radio program on KRLA — But at that time I didn’t have a specific food angle, nor restaurant to rave about, plus I was kinda nervous.  I did appreciate our conversation. 

I saved his message for about two years — I’m such a dork sometimes.  I’m surprised I never crank called him (HA), or is it prank called?  I’m still not sure about that.  Either way, THANKS for your time and advice Elmer.  I hope your last meal was fantastic!

FYI:  A Memorial Service open to the public will be held at 1:00p.m. on October 3rd at All Saints Church, 132 North Euclid Avenue, Pasadena, California 91101.  RIP.

Related Links:

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local&id=6393546

http://www2.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_10483221

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-passings17-2008sep17,0,1218907.story

http://www.wildbell.com/2008/09/16/elmer-dills-changed-my-life/

http://krla.townhall.com/

Here’s where you can help – http://www.feedthechildren.org/site/PageServer?pagename=dotorg_homepage.

Thank you!

I do like El Pollo Loco, but most recent experiences have been disappointing.  It’s been reported in a previous post, so now I’ll just focus on their New Grilled Chicken Tortilla Roll — I tried it and mine didn’t look like the one in the commercial, which has perfectly squared pieces of white meat. 

Unfortunately, the one served to me had mostly dark meat.  I do like dark meat, but EPL’s advertisement shows different.  And I’m not sure how it happened, but I even had to pick out a few weird pieces.  I guess I got a dud. 🙁

Aside from that, it should be called a Rolled Quesadilla instead of a Tortilla Roll, since its crispness may be the same.  It’s served with a choice of 3 previously existing Sauces.  I got the Cheese Sauce and it’s not bad.  I don’t think I’ll be having the Tortilla Roll again, but I still love EPL’s Chicken.

One more thing —  Are the ‘Loco Salads’ smaller?  It looks smaller, I think.  Since it’s only $1.00, I’ll let it slide.  I’m curious because too many things are getting smaller.

NOTE:  This post relates to the El Pollo Loco Restaurant in Costa Mesa on Harbor/19th.

Related Links:

http://www.elpolloloco.com/

http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/?p=669

http://ocmexfood.blogspot.com/2008/09/el-pollo-locos-grilled-chicken-tortilla.html

http://fastfood.freedomblogging.com/2008/09/11/el-pollo-loco-copies-mcdonalds-snack-wrap/

Lo Siento.  I’m not really sure why I’m trying to speak Spanish right now – HA.  I tried a recipe I saw Rachael Ray make on 30 Minute Meals.  It’s called Potato Salad Fra Diavolo.  The combination sounded really interesting to me, so I made it, but didn’t like it. 

That was a bummer, since I was hoping to eat it for lunch throughout the week.  I followed the recipe exactly, which I rarely do.  I’ll usually change something.  To me, the flavor was a bit heavy and didn’t jive — Perhaps too much Mustard or Fennel, I’m not sure.

I love the TV Food Network and Rachael Ray, but this particular recipe doesn’t work that well, with all due respect.  It’s from Episode#: TM1903.  Has anyone else made it?  If so, I’d love to hear from you.

Here’s a few pictures of my preparation and a link to the recipe so you can try it yourself.  Good luck.

Recipe Links – http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=2055

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/potato-salad-fra-diavolo-recipe/index.html

Dolcissimo Cupcakes on 19th Street is NO MAS.  I’m not sure if they just moved or closed.  Their website doesn’t currently state.  It just shows business as usual, but their telephone number is out of order.  I’ll update this post later if I get the full story.  It appears the property owners didn’t have trouble securing another tenant.  The sign is already posted — Mazzottis Italian Deli & Catering, which doesn’t sound bad, but I’ll miss those Cupcakes.  I guess it’s another reason to make my own Cupcakes.

UPDATE 08/03/09:  It appears that Mazzottis opened, then closed a few months later.  The space is now occupied by Thai Tastee.

The event was touted as the 2008 Celebrity Food Show.  It was heavily promoted and looked enticing, so I went with a friend.  We didn’t stay for the Ace of Cakes Show because the food exhibit area was way too small.  We had reservations to see Duff and the rest of the gang at the 4:30 show, but left before it started.  The picture is from a peak at the 2:30 show.

We had arrived at 1:30 to first experience the Cake Making Competition and Food Exhibits, but there wasn’t enough to see to fill the time.  Overall we weren’t impressed.  It seemed more like a glorified swap meet or Costco’s on a Saturday, plus a fair number of vendors weren’t fabulous or even set up.  And we saw way too many Salsa booths.  

All didn’t seem worth the $25.00 entry fee — And no one even asked for our tickets.  People were just wandering in and out of all the open doors.  The pictures below are of a few items we sampled or purchased, and a couple displays that caught our eyes.  The Cake Making Competition pictures will be featured in a future post, since it was the best part of the event.

Related Links:

http://www.celebrityfoodshow.com/

http://www.thesmokestackco.com/index.shtml

http://www.chipotletx.com/

http://www.lacookiestogo.com/Lisa_Anns_Cookies_to_go/Home.html

http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/?p=735

http://www.foodnetwork.com/