Food Maker, Chef, and Traveling Diner
As I return from Washington I have so many beautiful memories to share, beautiful memories of nature, food, friendship, and travel. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have. Taking this trip to the Bellevue and Seattle area of Washington was so beautiful. …
A very dear friend of mine asked me about a month ago if I would be able to help cater his 26th birthday for about 14 people. Of course I obliged, birthdays are my very favorite times to cook for others. As you’ve seen I’ve …
Sometimes I think to myself I’m so terrible with keeping up with content but there’s so much to write about when it comes to food, life, and fun. And every day I’m so fortunate to be able to share the things I love and eat with you all. I hope that this is something I can continue to do forever.
Now for some Food and drink adventures with Stephanie, you can view her lovely entries about our outings at her blog the-loudmouth.com.
Over the last couple of months we’ve been hitting the town aka San Fernando Valley and other outer lying cities around us in search of fun, food, and just a great time. We always have amazing conversation and candid acts of photography. I’m so glad to have this beautiful lady in my life. Here’s a recap of fun in the SFV.
A couple months ago we headed out to Boneyard Bistro . I loved the beer selection here and the fact that we could choose to have flights of beer and try different things. We also made it in for happy hour and had a couple of appetizers.
We’ve found ourselves at the Blue Dog Tavern which is a local Sherman oaks gastro pub having burgers and sandwiches with local beer and sunshine on the patio. Eating at this little place is a brilliant way to spend a summer California afternoon, the food is good but the beer is even better. I had an Ahi tuna burger with coleslaw.
Stephanie and I love local eateries so we just recently went to Sweet Butter Café . This adorable little corner of Sherman Oaks has a really lovely country style feel to it. It is set up in the style of a café where you order inside and you get a little card that has a name of a fruit on it and that’s how they know to bring out the food. Sweet Butter is known for its breakfast and lunch style offerings. We came right in between the two and decided to have
The Yoga Housemade Ranch Gordo White Bean Spread , Roasted Cherry Tomatoes & Dressed Arugula on Toasted Rustic Millstone w/Arugula Salad with avocado
And
Mixed Greens with Fuji Apples, Laura Chenel Chèvre, Dried Cranberries & Sweet Butter’s Candied Pecans with vinaigrette
The food was good. I loved the use of white beans because I use them so much, they are a delicious under rated food. People really do need to eat more beans and legumes. The food is a bit pricy for what it is but normal for Ventura Blvd. It’s an adorable place but I wouldn’t brave it on a Saturday or Sunday when it’s always crowded and crazy. If you’re looking for a chic weekday breakfast or lunch go to Sweet Butter.
We always play in the Sherman oaks Galleria, if I do say so myself, this place has an awesome happy hour selection to choose from. We frequent The Cheesecake Factory for 5 dollar long island ice teas and cheesecake, we seat ourselves with Cadillac margaritas for 5 dollars at El Torito Grill which has happy hour from 2-8 every day and some tasty flour tortillas and salsa for snacking, and we enjoy happy hour dumplings at P.F. Changs with 4 dollar draft beers and cheap specialty cocktails. This is a great cheap place to have a quick drink with a girlfriend then walk around urban home pondering of your dream furnishings.
Aside from food you can find us having fun at the beautiful Japanese Gardens, walking Ventura Boulevard, snagging something sweet, taking photos in shops and on escalators or looking over the city tops into the beautiful LA night, we’re just out having a good time.
Gastro Pubs, A Café, and Happy Hour all make for amazing adventures. I hope you take your city by storm and have wonderful afternoons/ evenings of food and fun.
Just to clarify we didn’t do this all in one day, it’s over the course of a couple months. But I do like to eat/ drink a lot so don’t put it past me.
Cheers
Yesterday I presented some of the best food I’ve ever made. In my cooking experience this is what it comes down to, delivering something with love and something so honest as the things you grew up with, or just love yourself that the food you’ve …
Saturday. My ending in the windy city Saturday we woke up and prepared to get out on the town to see as much as we could on my last day in the city. We took a walk and took pictures at Millennium Park with all …
As we got our stuffed together to exit the Belden Stratford Hotel, I looked out to the beautiful view of Lake Michigan with a happy feeling. This was by far one of the nicest places I’ve ever stayed. I’m very glad that we stayed outside of the city for a portion of our trip because it allowed me to see many things I probably wouldn’t have been able to see or think to go to.
After we checked out of the hotel we had the hotel hold our luggage so that we could do a little last minute site seeing around Lincoln Park. We set down to get a little lunch at the Dog Joint. The place was filled with working class men, locals on their lunch breaks which I always approved of when going out to lunch. This was a local little gem, with many options at a very affordable price for a quick bite. We had our Chicago style Hot Dogs from here. They were very tasty!
After lunch I took a quick stroll through the zoo and the conservatory with Michelle because she hadn’t seen it. After that we walked down to Lake Michigan to see the water and take pictures by the shoreline.
After that we went back to pick up our luggage and got in a cab to go to the last of hotel Swissotel in downtown Chicago.
We settled down and then went off to Navy Pier. The pier has so many wonderful touristy things to do there as well as just a gorgeous view of the whole city from the water. We saw some stained glass, went on the fairs wheel, ate churros smothered in caramel from the Churro factory and had some good local beer Argus Pegasus IPA at Harry Caray Tavern which had the most horrible music ever.
So we made our way back to the hotel and I changed and we headed toward Millennium Park to eat at The Gage.
The Gage was filled to the brim when we got to the restaurant but it was cultural mix of people from Chicago and tourists as well. The affair seemed casual and elegant. Everywhere you looked there were people in large groups sharing food and enjoying themselves with good company.
The dining experience here is rather chic. White linens and an extensive wine list are presented to you upon arrival. Our server was very cordial an extremely busy. We looked over the menu and I let Michelle pick things that seemed to shine out to her seeing as I’d already eaten at many lush places. She has an excellent pallet and likes most of the same things I do so we finally decided on
Hot Poached Shrimp Sambal, Sticky Rice, Herb Broth
these shrimp were perfectly poached the sticky rice was actually black rice that I’m very familiar with it has a floral beautiful scent and a brilliant texture that goes well with the delicate flavors of the shrimp. The sambal had a quiet heat to it with a finishing burn that was pleasant and over the top was poured a small amount of very green cilantro broth. A beautiful simple dish.
Gage N-17 “Fondue” Butter Kaase, Brie, Spinach, Toast
This fondue was very rich. Almost border lining too rich but very delicious. I loved the flavor of the kaase which I would akin to a sweet butter rich and a very pleasant melting cheese along with the brie. Came with these delicious long pieces of toasted baguette
Caramelized Lobster Lemon Quinoa, Basil, Chili
Lobster was caramelized in a very sweet almost orange flavored type of mild candying and the texture of its mild cooking process with the crunch of the quinoa and the cooling of the basil was a really beautiful way to express this dish.
Maple Leaf Farms Duck Roasted Breast Duck Confit Tortellini, Roasted baby beets, purslane, goats cheese
Duck breast was cooked almost medium which for me leads to a bit of a chewy texture. We were told it would be medium rare but I think it was slightly over cooked. The flavor was delicious, the small duck confit ravioli were so perfect and small you could barely spot them on the plate. The braised endive gave bitterness so the sweet cherries and beets while the radishes cleansed the pallet.
We finished our bottle of wine and opted to skip dessert, over all this experience was an interesting expression of a chef’s notion.
After dinner we went to see some blues at Buddie Guys and finished our evening with a stroll back to the hotel.
Cheers
Unrivaledkitch
Sprout is a beautiful restaurant situated on West Fullerton. The street is filled with small places to eat, convenience stores, and homes which if you blink twice you may miss the green banners for Sprout. I did the 1st day I was in town, I …
As I walked through the many miles of culture and community that Chicago has to offer I was struck in awe but the simple beauty of a big city by the lake. It was all such an amazing group of places situated in the heart …
GIRL AND THE GOAT
Stephanie Izard has been on my list of brilliant female chefs for a long time now. I love her demeanor, her presence, her comedy, the whole shebang. She’s got it and now I just love her even more. As female chefs times are a little hard but it’s always nice to see people doing what they love, making their way in a battle field of male donated industry. This girl is kicking some serious chef butt, guy or girl for that matter. I really love the style of Girl and The Goat and I’m so thrilled that I spent almost the latter or 4 1/2 hours there. 2 1/2 was waiting for a table because I couldn’t make reservations in time for my trip.
Stepping into Girl and the Goat is like a little piece of contemporary art museum and local eatery in one. The decor is dark and mystic and the food is wild and imaginative. But most of all, the kitchen is an amazing sight to see. Lining the whole back wall of the restaurant is a giant open kitchen fenced in by a towering Lattice of shelving containing plates and utensils to the ceiling. The orange glow of a wood burning oven, and the slight mist of smokey hot food wafting through the dining room, the dance of 15 chefs on one hot line is a magical place for any foodie or chef to see. Dancing in harmony these are people not to be reckoned with, they produce some of the towns best, most flavorful, interesting ideas I’ve been witness to.
Steps from the outskirt of Chicago’s West Loop lies Girl and the Goat 809 W Randolph St, Chicago IL, 60607, the streets surrounding are lined with some of Chicago’s best eateries a competitive battle ground for any chef. There in the mists of Blackbird, The Publican, Avec (all places I plan on eating at sometime) Girl and the Goat still makes its presence known.
As I said this place is booked up about a month out and by the time I was able to make reservations there was still no space for me. So I braved it without one and I’m very glad I did. Though waiting took about 2 1/2 hours to even sit at the bar, which was partially my fault because I wasn’t acting like a hawk like some of the people at the bar where I had drinks and was dizzy looking at all the amazing things coming out of the kitchen. Stephanie was at the restaurant that night so it was a very nice touch to see her diligently at work. I started of course with Cocktails I ordered the best of three. The best of three is a mixture of gray goose vodka, pimms liquor, a bit of bitters, mint and cucumber all mixed together with lots of ice for a very fresh tasting not too sweet style beverage. The bartenders were “get to the point” girls which I liked but which is also why I wanted to wait for a table. I know if I was bartending I would want people do be eating drinking as much as possible. During my little adventure I was able to score a free drink from a couple I let have two seats that were next to each other I felt bad that I was going to take one and someone else would probably take the other so I let them sit down. Good manners are rewarded folks. Then I got to chatting with a couple of cool ladies one from the area and the other from new port beach for that matter which is in CA. Do I have California written all over me? Must be anyway they were sweet ladies gave me some good tips for eating and actually took my space at the bar cause they couldn’t hear themselves in the dining room. The atmosphere there is very lively, extremely loud people all eating and having a great time with no pretentious fancy feel to it the communal tables and lounge style seating at the front of the bar kind of set the tone.
At the Bar I had two dishes while I waited for my seat at the kitchen counter.
I ordered the very popular roasted Cauliflower which was chard brown from just the right amount of roasting, and topped with picked pepper, pine nuts, mint, and parmesan cheese and I’ll tell you that it couldn’t have been easier but it was tasty! The combination of sweet from roasting the cauliflower, salt from the cheese and pine nuts, vinegar from peppers and the freshness of mint is a culinary jack pot Easy make it at home I promise you’ll love it.
I also had more oysters, my culinary love affair. These were shibumi oysters with radish mignonette. I loved how tiny the radish brunoise was it was flavored with sherry and tarragon. The oysters were subtle refreshing and a little smoky.
After the oysters I was informed that the kitchen counter was open for seating so I took my place to watch a bit of magic happen.
As I situated myself, the chef has sent over a beautiful hiramasa Curdo with crispy pork belly and aji chili. Along with that there was this lovely tart caper aioli micro greens and these wonderful crispy over the top. Texturally this is really wonderfully conceived for the pallet. The lay of crispy salted pork belly with its fatty crunch and the lean clean brilliance of hiramasa is just the surface layer of flavors in this dish. The combination of aioli and use of pepper elevates something simple to a divine experience. If you want to learn about Hiramasa a sustainable yellowtail amberjack
Next my very favorite dish of the night. Girl and the goat is known for its use of goat meat in the restaurant that is locally and sustainably raised from farmers that work in close ties with the restaurant. Goat is brought to Girl and to Goat by Kilgus Farm, Love it… I ordered the Confit Goat Belly with shaved fennel, and lobster and crab butter. Rich luxury on a plate. The subtle gaminess of the goat with its very crunchy and contrasting melt in your mouth textures was amazing. The combination of fresh fennel lightly dressed and the lobster pieces of crab pieces sopping in more melted fat is ingenious.
I finally finished with a couple of samples from the amazing people behind the counter on Garde Manger( I hope I got the names right!I’m terrible with names I’m sorry!) Rachel, Gabe, and Dustin rocked the whole night and shared their war stories and happiness with me as I chatted and took in the deliciousness of this food. A tight group of chefs these line cooks make 300 covers look like a walk in the park. On busy week days they’ll hit 400 covered busy weekends over 600 that’s a lot of food. By heart and soul and a pretty awesome chef these guys win each day. Stephanie came by and had a little chat with me which was awesome, she’s friendly, funny, and down to earth.
I also sampled a really beautiful Salmon Tatar atop homemade wheat thins with saved zucchini, summer truffle and truffle oil and aside it was a beautiful lightly battered tempura zucchini blossom. I sampled also a small bowl of the kohlrabi salad. Kohlrabi is to me very close in flavor and texture to broccoli stems its said to be between cabbage and turnips as well. This kohlrabi was shaved very thin and in a salad of mixed greens blueberries, fennel. Evalon which is goat’s milk cheese that is very mild and unique flavor there was also hints of ginger dressing and crunch from toasted almonds. And lastly I had a roasted beet salad with wonderfully sliced on the bias gorgeous green beans with roasted beets, white anchovies which I love and an avocado crème fraiche the whole salad was just gorgeous and of course the best way to eat it is to mix the whole thing together, just a really wonderful fresh group of flavors and textures.
Bu the time I finished my night food coma was the least of my worries and getting back to Lincoln Park was on the priority list but I have to say this meal will live on in my memory forever. A beautiful atmosphere incorporating life, food, art, music, community and flavor.
I’m full just thinking about it all, but something really important happened for me sitting at an open kitchen talking with chefs like I used to do but opposite in my old restaurant made me more restaurant sick than I’ve been in a very long time, there’s something about that magic and I know one day, I’ll be back with elegant vengeance on my side.
I took home more than a full stomach that night.
Thank you everyone at Girl and The Goat, you made Chicago just that much better.
Unrivaledkitch
After eating a lush meal of my favorites the rest of the day was mine to seize and seize I did. It followed with a quick trip around the streets following my senses back to where I started and getting in a peek at Museum …