Radiography Schools report the 50 best foods to eat for weight loss, to feel great and stay healthy. All are terrific to eat, even if you don’t need to lose weight. Coincidentally I enjoyed (11) of them yesterday. The linked report includes some helpful information.
Would you eat this Taco? Check out the commercial for Taco Town’s New Taco. It’s gigantic and hilarious — Bon Appétit.
Nibbles of Tidbits was invited to the Grand Opening Party at the New Shorebreak Hotel in the heart of Huntington Beach (aka Surf City). It was a pretty hip and happening par-tay, but here we emphasize the fashions of the food. And must mention the spectacular view of the Huntington Beach Pier and Pacific Ocean — The above photo was taken from one of the hotel rooms. Surf City accommodations don’t get more ideally located than this.
Our invitation included an amazing Family Style Dinner at Zimzala, the Shorebreak Hotel’s Restaurant. Their unique and high quality dishes offer your taste buds a flavorful trip through the Mediterranean Sea and beyond.
As a starter before dinner, we shared a Zimzala Mezze Plate. Our multi-level serving plates included a Moroccan Carrot Salad, White Bean Salad, Hummus, Cheese Filled Moroccan Cigars and more. Each item had its own intense flavor. I’m craving the Carrot Salad as I write this.
Prior to dinner we were greeted at the door with a Glass of Cava and a cute guy holding a plate of appetizers, and then several more which included “real” Crab Meat on Cucumbers (that’s refreshing all around) and Mini Salmon Cakes. During dinner we were served some of the best Salmon I’ve ever had — I believe it’s Zimzala’s Pan Roasted Wild Salmon. And I didn’t get a piece, but my friend raved about the Moroccan Chicken Tagine.
For dessert we had the Warm Strawberry Galettes with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, and the Chocolate Ganache, which is uniquely served with Grilled Sourdough Bread, Olive Oil and Sea Salt. The combination works and it’s fun to try.
Shorebreak Hotel hosted a fabulous Grand Opening Party. After the appetizers and before the dinner, we enjoyed the BBQ Grilled Shrimp, Lamb and Chicken Skewers in the courtyard.
And one of the Ballrooms was filled with Oven-Roasted Bacon Wrapped Dates (We LOVE ’em), Fingerling Potatoes, Fried Artichoke Hearts and the various Mediterranean Salads we enjoyed at dinner.
In addition to the after dinner desserts we shared, Zimzala set up a dessert room that included Fresh Coffee and my favorite Cookies, Madeleines — These were Lemon and I’m kicking myself for not taking one (or 5) to go. I was stuffed at the time, but wish I had them now. And above right are the room goodies offered with the view in the first photo.
As if the above isn’t enough for a successful Grand Opening Party, the Shorebreak Hotel hosted a Fashion Show, Live Band, Acoustic Performances, Simulated Surfing, Wine Tasting and Sand Castle Building. It was a fun time and the service was excellent. We like the airy and sophisticated feel of the hotel and would love to go back for more of everything.
Bolded food items are known to be on Zimzala’s everyday menu.
Jimmy’s Burger Joint took the place of Carm’s Coneys — I had just got to liking the Dogs at Carm’s Coneys, then all of the sudden it was gone and Jimmy’s Burger Joint was there. It happened in a flash. My minimal understanding is that Carm and Jimmy were partners who disagreed on the restaurant’s emphasis. Jimmy’s Burger Joint majors in Burgers and minors in Dogs, whereas Carm’s Coneys did the opposite. Aside from that, there are a few menu similarities.
Although we miss the Original Coney from Carm’s Coneys, we think Jimmy’s Burger Joint makes an amazing Burger. And we specifically love the Hawaii Burger with Teriyaki, Grilled Pineapple, Grilled Onions and Swiss Cheese.
This day we had the Hawaii Burger ($9) and the Kobe Beef Burger ($11). Both were good, but (again) we prefer the Hawaii Burger and Bun. The 1/3 lb. Burger size is the same, but we found the Kobe Beef Burger Bun top too thick. And so far I haven’t been bowled over by any Beef labelled “Kobe” anywhere.
We’d definitely go back for a good Hamburger and we look forward to trying Jimmy’s N.Y.C. Dog, Chicago Dog and Sweet Potato Fries. We’ll report about them next time.
In honor of Father’s Day that’s fast approaching, Lucca Café Owner, Chef Cathy Pavlos will lead a group of Dads through a course dubbed “Manly Meats on the Grill.” Dads will have the opportunity to learn about grilling various Meats — Marinating, brining, sauces and more. Each attendee will get to feast on the fruits (Meats) of his labor, while sipping wine paired by Lucca Café’s General Manager and Sommelier, Elliott Pavlos. The price is $50 per Dad and includes tax, tip, FOOD and Wine. It sounds like a good time if you can get your Dad to go — Mine won’t, HA. He already knows how to BBQ and prefers his Budweiser. It’s just the way it is. 🙂
Lucca Café: http://luccacafe.net/index.html (FYI & UPDATE: If you click on this link, you will not be able to use the back arrow to return to Nibbles of Tidbits, not even if you double or triple click it — It appears to be programmed that way. For the record, I don’t appreciate that in any site and will not be linking to similarly programmed sites in the future. It’s not convenient for the readers.)
Manly BBQ Grill:
http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/2009/05/08/i-believe-in-the-right-to-keep-and-bear-bbqs/
Have you been to Orange Hill Restaurant? You’ve had about 40 years to get there. It’s on the top of a steep hill in Orange, California. It’s a bit scary driving up there, but the views are spectacular. And it’s been a great place for wedding receptions, prom dates, special events, romantic dinners and many good times.
Right now, from 4:30 – 6:30 nightly, they’re serving a Sunset Menu for $19.95 — It’s a prix fixe menu that includes a choice of the Orange Hill Salad or Maine Lobster Bisque, and an entree of Prime Rib of Beef (above), Fresh Atlantic Salmon, Chicken Dijonnaise (below) or Portobello Mushroom Ravioli. And all is served with a slice of House Made Cheesecake with Raspberry Coulis.
It’s an excellent deal for really good food and amazing views — A perfect date place. I was wishing I wasn’t with my friend, HA.
Orange Hill has seamlessly been remodeling room-by-room over the past few months and has just one left. It’s more up to date than it once was, but has no major changes — They do have a showcase kitchen you get to pass through on the way to one wing of the restaurant. That’s fun to see.
And you’ll see tons of Koi Fish in the pond as you walk across the bridge towards the restaurant. It’s pretty cool. We were there to see the daylight view and watched the sun go down as we dined.
I’d love to go back for the Sunset Menu — It’s a meal deal on a hill. Others hang out sipping cocktails near the outdoor fire pits. Orange Hill Restaurant has much to enjoy, once you get past the drive up.
FYI: Orange Hill Restaurant is not related to the Orange County Mining Co. Restaurant, which is on a different nearby hill. Some have confused the two.
Have you heard about Rubio’s New All American Taco? It’s a Burger in a Taco. I fell in love with the idea and Rubios’ photo of it. My Taco wasn’t as pretty as the model, but it tasted good. I especially like the Soft Flour Tortilla and Smokey Garlic Chipotle Mayo, but the Burger Meat on the Taco I had was pretty darn tough — That’s not good. Overall, with a better Burger the All American Taco could be a home run. And it’s worth trying again to see if the next one is less chewy. I hope so.
The Next Food Network Star Season 5 officially started. Vote for who you would have eliminated — I did. Voting will also enter you in a sweepstakes to win a Grilling Oasis Package. It appears my first vote is with the majority for Debbie, who remains on the show. So far the public differs with the Food Network Judges.
Above from left to right, Jen who was the first to be eliminated, Debbie who most people voted should be eliminated, and Jeffrey my favorite so far. We’ll see what happens next week.
Related Links:
http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/2009/05/19/vote-for-the-next-food-network-star-season-5/
Cafe Nordstrom or Nordstrom’s Cafe should be sought out at many malls. Where there is a mall, there may be a Nordstrom, and where there is a Nordstrom, there MAY be a Cafe — Some have them and some don’t. These photos are from our lunch at The Brea Mall. Cafe Nordstrom is one of our favorite eating spots there. We like the comfortable environment and food. This visit we had the Artichoke & Chicken Salad (above), which includes Organic Baby Greens, Romaine, Chicken, Goat Cheese, Artichoke Hearts, Tomato, Red Onion, Basil, Kalamata Olives and a Red Wine Vinaigrette.
And we got the Margherita Pizza again — My Mom loves it. Below is the Cafe’s Side Salad, which comes consistently colorful. We always seem to get at least one of them.
This visit we had our ‘Kids in the Kitchen’ kids with us, thus opted for the Grilled Cheese Sandwich & Tomato Soup (swapped for the Soup Du Jour). All kids’ meals include Fresh Fruit and Milk, Soda or Juice. The Grilled Cheese combination is only $4.95, and my Sister says it’s the best Grilled Cheese Sandwich around.
You’ll order your food at the counter where the Desserts are displayed — Then choose a comfortable booth or table and all that you’ll need will be delivered to you. It’s a tasty escape from a busy mall.
The Irvine Spectrum Nordstrom Cafe Bistro:
http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/2008/10/03/nordstrom-cafe-bistro-at-the-irvine-spectrum/
Kids in the Kitchen INFO:
http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/category/kids-in-the-kitchen/
I like the novelty of Del Taco’s Jalapeno Rings, but you can only eat so many. A few of us ‘spicy food lovers’ recently tried this new menu item at Del Taco. The consensus of 3 was that — They’re too hot and greasy. As you may or may not know, some Jalapenos aren’t hot enough and others are way too hot, and you never know what you’re going to get. Our taste included most of the hot ones, HA. And we thought we were so tough.
As for the “Secret Sauce” they serve with the Jalapeno Rings, it’s best that it be kept a secret, since it’s basically just Mayonnaise — Yikes. That’s what they told me. Now we know why it’s called Secret Sauce. And $1.99 is too high for this item — For $0.99, in conjunction with a Sauce change, we might include them in a future meal.
Dare I say, I think Twitter is way over-rated, but nonetheless we’re on there as FoodBlog. We appreciate our fair amount of followers, but you’ll get more information here than over there. Ciao.
Twitter Link: http://twitter.com/FoodBlog
I always thought Lingcod Fish was a kind of Cod, but it’s not Cod at all. The related links will tell the rest of the story. I was also amazed to see that frozen the Fish is green (above), uncooked it’s blue (below), and cooked it’s white. It was fun seeing the colors change.
Although Lingcod can be blue, green or white, it always cooks up white. I received a few pieces from a couple local fishermen friends. I poached ’em in a wine-herb combination that’s really not worth mentioning. And ultimately Lingcod won’t be one of my favorites — It’s okay, but I’d rather they catch something else next time.
Related Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ling_cod
http://www.trawl.org/Species.html
http://www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us/pr/wharf/critters/critters3.html#lingcod
Shown above is a third of my often referenced Cookbooks. This block of photos was posted in an unnecessary page, but now finds its final place in this quick post. For some background on the post title, I once won a contest that landed my recipe and face in Bon Appétit and Gourmet Magazines, blah, blah, blah. It’s been reported on here previously. The point of retelling it now leads to the ‘phony photos’ above. A few friends found it funny to add my milk moustache face to a Chef’s body. They made a poster board using another photo from the same magazine, HA. I look like Man Hands on Seinfeld — Good thing it’s my favorite show.
Man Hands Episode Excerpt:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSL4cmFW_GU
It takes too many Pomegranates, ARILS (seeds), stained fingers and possibly stained clothes to create what Pom Wonderful provides. I grew up with a large Pomegranate Tree in the neighborhood. All the kids loved the seeds, but it was a lot of work and a mess to get at them. My Mom would tell us to open them up outside — Ever since that time, they’ve been a novelty in the supermarkets. I’ll buy one occasionally, but the same obstacles to enjoyment still exist.
Due to the effort involved in getting at the goods, I was happy to receive a case of Pom Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice in the mail. I contemplated various recipes I could make with all of it. Above I made Dried Cherry Scones with a Pomegranate Glaze — The Glaze is a mixture of Powdered Sugar and Pomegranate Juice. And I’m calling them Pretty in Pink Scones. I’ll be drizzling the Glaze over the Scones I’m entering in the Culinary Arts Competition during this year’s Orange County Fair. In the long run this is the only recipe I made from the case, mostly because I couldn’t stop drinking them. The bottles are so cute too.
Aside from liking the taste, I’m glad to read it’s good for you and grown locally in the sunny San Joaquin Valley. And 100% Juice is always important to me. When I ate Pomegranates as a kid, I didn’t know they were good for cardiovascular health and a superior source of antioxidants. I didn’t care about that then, but I care about it now. It’s good to find something I like that’s really good for me — I wish I could say that about more things. Pom Wonderful appears to take pride in its products (literally) from tree to bottle. Learn more below. Knowing all these things, its value went up for me. I need more. 🙂
Pom Wonderful DIRECT:
http://www.pomwonderful.com/?cmpid=71021&KNC-gle&&gclid=CIag7K6Z55oCFR0Sagodqi7PBw
What’s a Pomegranate?: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomegranate
Quiznos Sammies are mini Sandwiches on Flat Bread. There’s not much Meat nor anything else, but the Bread and Sauces make ’em pretty tasty. I especially liked the Chipotle Mayo on the Sonoma Turkey (below) and Basil Pesto on the Italiano (above).
Quiznos currently offers 7 different Sammies at $1.99 each. There are a couple others I’d like to try — Overall, Sammies seem like a girl’s (or kid’s) menu item. I don’t see many guys being satisfied with these two for lunch. And it’s a little embarrassing ordering a Sammie.
Quiznos DIRECT: http://www.quiznos.com/subsandwiches/
Since Memorial Day usually falls within the last weekend in May, Nibbles of Tidbits continues to pay respect to our past and present Soldiers. Our DC Correspondent, Steven Woo provides photos of Memorial Day in Washington, DC. He BBQ’d using his new portable propane grill, witnessed the Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Rally, watched the President’s speech, and throughout the weekend observed the ever growing leave-behinds at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. God Bless America.
Related Links:
http://dc.about.com/od/specialevents/a/RollingThunder.htm
http://www.nextag.com/barbecue-grill-portable-propane/products-html
We’re heading towards the end of National Hamburger Month (May). It’s a good excuse to hurry and have one, or more. We celebrated at The Counter Custom Built Burgers. They have more than 20 restaurants in about 10 states and 3 countries, including Australia and Ireland. We went to the one in Irvine’s Woodbury Town Center.
The Counter is a restaurant that provides a check-off menu to select exactly what you want on your Burger, starting with Beef, Turkey, Veggie or Chicken. Our choices today both included Beef — One had Jalapeno Jack, Green Chiles, Tomato, Pickles, Green Onions and Roasted Garlic Aioli, and the other had Tillamook Cheddar, Mixed Baby Greens, Black Olives, Bermuda Red Onion, Grilled Pineapple and a side of Ginger Soy Glaze.
They also offer the above Starter that includes Sweet Potato Fries, French Fries, Crispy Fried Onion Strings and Fried Dill Pickle Chips, and comes with 4 Sauces — Ranch, BBQ, Apricot and Horseradish Mayo (I think). The Apricot Sauce is served for the Fried Dill Pickle Chips. It’s not a bad combination. ALL was very tasty and fun to eat.
And we tried the Hobo Pack, which comes served in baked parchment paper for you to empty into the bowl. It’s an assortment of Grilled Vegetables with fresh Herbs — I generally love the combination, but the flavor of this one was just okay. A dash of Balsamic Vinegar would serve it well.
Overall, we really like the place and the service was excellent at this location. We wish the tables were a little wider, since we had to play musical table stuff a few times. And I need to go back at least 10 more times to try all the Burger combinations I have in mind.
The Counter DIRECT: http://www.thecounterburger.com/
MENU: http://www.thecounterburger.com/menu/
MORE about National Hamburger Month:
http://foodfrenzy.freedomblogging.com/2009/05/06/holy-cow-its-national-hamburger-month/7185/
MORE Counter Burger PHOTOS:
http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/Jcpo0wZfey_YaNzhk8vmGQ?select=tP23n9LMs-IeGqlnvmo27g
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
The sacrifices of our American Soldiers past and present is tremendous, and it’s the reason I’m free here today to make homemade Biscotti. Let’s honor, respect and support all who fought and fight for continued freedom and liberation.
This is the first time I’ve made Biscotti — Since it’s pretty dry, I’m generally not a fan. I added Powdered Sugar and drizzled Chocolate for sweetness and excitement. Overall it was fun learning how it’s made, but I like Cupcakes, Pies, Cookies and other goodies a lot more.
Recipe: http://tiny.cc/5Qqwq
(The recipe calls for “2 Egg Equivalents” but I used 3 medium Eggs. I also added chopped Almonds and Orange Extract).
What is Biscotti?: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biscotti
What is Memorial Day?: http://www.usmemorialday.org/
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
8 Steers Fish & Steakhouse Restaurant is located in Costa Mesa off busy Harbor Boulevard. Since I’m within walking distance from it a couple days a week, I’ve been trying a few Sides and Sandwiches for lunch. So far we’ve tried the Cajun Fish Sandwich, which comes with a choice of Coleslaw, Chips and something else (tba). The Fish on this Sandwich is Basa Fish. It’s a type of Catfish I’ve never tried before. It was a nice piece and the texture is similar, but I can tell I like Catfish better. And I didn’t care for the Bread it’s served on — It got soggy, but the Remoulade Sauce made it all okay.
The Brussels Sprouts Side is a generous serving and pretty good. It’s different and seems to have Bacon and Horseradish or Wasabi in it. And I like their Coleslaw — It’s more Vinegary than Mayonnaisey.
Pictured above middle is Ginger and Scallion Mashed Potatoes, another uniquely flavored Side — They’re good too. I really like 8 Steers’ menu and look forward to trying and reporting about more.
8 Steers DIRECT: http://www.8steers.com/
What is Basa Fish?: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basa_fish
8 Steers’ Kobe Sliders:
http://www.ineedtext.com/FoodBlog/2009/05/09/many-steer-by-8-steers-on-harbor-stop-in/
UPDATE 08/01/09: It appears they are no longer open for Lunch, just Dinner and Happy Hour starting at 4PM.
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:
Have you tried Potato Chip Baked Chicken? I’ve been wanting to make it for a long time now — So I reviewed a few recipes and finally made these Potato Chip Baked Chicken Strips. The process couldn’t be easier. I just dipped Chicken Strips in melted Butter, rolled all in crushed Potato Chips until well coated, then baked the strips in the oven at 350° for about 40 minutes. The baking time will depend on the size of YOUR Chicken pieces.
Overall, I thought they were good, but not great as expected. As shown in the above photos, I experimented using 3 different flavors of Potato Chips, Sour Cream & Onion, Classic and Barbecued — We liked the Chicken Strips with the flavored Potato Chips the best.
Official RECIPES and related TIPS:
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1839,152162-251202,00.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_2194851_potato-chip-chicken-oven-baked.html
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