LA Street Food Fest - Still Needs Improvement

Summer fun has been keeping me super busy but here I am finally with a quick post on today's LA Street Food Fest at the Pasadena Rose Bowl.

Cool swag from the food fest.

My boyfriend and I arrived at 5:15pm and the long line to get in was already starting to snake around the huge parking lot. Doors opened at 5:30pm and we were through the gates by 5:45pm. Not bad. However, the organization of the event could really be improved.

After getting our tickets scanned for entrance, we had to go into another long, unorganized line for wristbands for the open beer/cocktail bar and tequila tasting. The ice cream vendors and cocktail bar were right by the entrance while the beer, tequila and rest of the 50+ food vendors were on the stadium field that had to be accessed by walking through a tunnel and down a long flight of stadium stairs. The separation of the two area ruined the event flow. The tequila tasting and food vendors like the super popular Grilled Cheese Truck were located on the top floor of the stadium making the access also inconvenient. Food vendors were lined around the perimeter of the stadium field and the lines were loooooong with average waits at 15 minutes per vendor. Some waits were much longer for popular vendors like Dogzilla or vendors who weren't as well organized with food prep, but to be fair, the event organizers had most of the food vendors to do their preparation and cooking outside of the stadium. They had to run up the stadium stairs to get out to their food and run back down the stairs to serve their food to folks on the field. Not very good planning and foresight on the event planning side; I felt sorry for the food vendors.

The event encouraged people to bring picnic blankets and many people laid them in the center of the field but because waits for food was so long, many people (including me and my boyfriend) were busy waiting in separate lines so many blankets were unused and taking up scarce field space. We were constantly jumping around blankets, bumping into people and avoiding the occasional stroller (yes, strollers were not allowed but some still found their way in).

There must have been more than 5,000 people there. Long lines everywhere.

As for the food and drink, in about three hours, we managed to try 4 drink vendors (Honest Tea, Izze, Singha and Bonadea) and 11 food vendors:

• Dim Sum Truck - The shrimp har gow and pork siu mai were good but you can never beat eating them fresh off a dim sum cart. The vegan corn & tofu sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf was surprisingly good without the traditional pork filling. I know - vegan and Cantonese food sounds like heresy!
• Fresh Fries - Nutella & peanut butter sweet potato fries were oh so yummy.
• Gastrobus - Of all the food we tried, the most delicious and memorable bites were from Gastrobus. The Ecuadorean Shrimp Ceviche was refreshing and the tomato, citrus juice made the shrimp dance in my mouth. They also had a Dulce de Tres Leche dessert topped with fresh pineapple and toasted coconut. That was so good I contemplated stealing the whole tray or offering them money to buy the whole thing. I can't wait to eat there again.
• Jaliscos Tacos - The beef and chicken tacos were pretty good but didn't beat my bar for tacos.
• Kabob N' Roll - They served a surprisingly moist and juicy chicken kabob.
• Komodo - This was our first stop and their beef satay did not disappoint.
• Mandoline Grill - I went back twice to catch their pork banh mi with no luck. The tofu banh mi was okay.
• Mariscos Jalisco - Delicious fried shrimp taco. The corn tortilla was lightly fried and topped with a slice of avocado and salsa. Mmmm.
• McQ's Smoke House - The bbq pork rib was a bit dry.
• Scoops - They are opening a location in Palms/Culver City soon. Yay!! Brown bread ice cream!!!
• Starry Kitchen - I was really looking forward to trying SK but they only served a fried tofu ball. It was okay; nothing surprising or impressive though.

We're not big tequila drinkers, the Singha beer was served out of bottles instead of tap so the lines were super long and we missed out on the cocktail bar because it was separated from the food vendors (ugh). We gave up on waiting in the insanely long lines for Grilled Cheese, Dogzilla and Antojitos even though we really wanted to try them because we were tired and only had 30 minutes left to check out Unique LA. If we didn't split up half the time to get food, we would have tried less food and left the event hungry.

Overall, I guess this was an improvement over their February event. That one didn't limit ticket sales and it was located in Downtown LA. I headed somewhere else as soon as I read on Buzz that the lines were out of control. I can't say that I really got my $45 worth this time. The lines were too long, bites too small and the event wasn't mapped out well for convenience and flow so it made it very hard to relax and enjoy the picnic blanket we brought, which we didn't even bother to lay out.

Thankfully I was there with Dan; he made the event much more fun and he was a trooper for putting up with the long lines with me.

Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour - Serendipity & Tributefest in Santa Clarita

Yesterday was a very serendipitous and happy day!

I lost a pair of my favorite earrings earlier this week and yesterday, someone in my apartment building left one earring taped to the mailboxes with a note looking for its owner. Me! And minutes later when I pulled my keys to open the door to my apartment, I found the other earring hanging from my keyring. Now, how lucky is that? The earrings are cheap but they're of great sentimental value as I bought them on my Hawaii trip earlier this year. This is not related to food or drink but this is how my lucky day began.

In the afternoon, Julie and her boyfriend, Dave, and I went to Tributefest in Santa Clarita and we were lucky again when another friend hooked us up with free wristbands that got us unlimited pours to the 30 beers that were on tap and that saved us $40 each. There were also over a dozen food trucks and we padded our stomachs with deliciously greasy Philly Cheesesteaks ("wit" and cheese wiz of course) from the South Philly Experience truck and shrimp dumpling and sticky rice from the Dim Sum Truck. Aeromyth (tribute to Aerosmith) was the best band of the day and after I don't know how many beers, the lead singer really did start to look a lot like Steven Tyler. I think he was actually skinnier than the real Tyler!

My favorite beer yesterday - Speakeasy's Prohibtion Ale with a nice hoppy aroma. Too bad they weren't pouring the Big Daddy IPA though. I think Julie and I drank from like 3pm to a little after 8pm but we weren't badly drunk. Slow and steady takes the cake...plus, dancing and water helps a lot.

On the way home, our designated driver, Dave the Enabler, took a shortcut and in my tipsy state I made a serendipitous discovery. I spotted a sign for Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour! If you read my last post about the joy and nostalgia a banana split brings me, then you'll understand when I tell you that I yelped (aka screamed with joy) when I saw the Farrell's sign. Dave immediately did a u-ey and we ended up at one of the happiest places of my childhood.

I think I was in my super enthused HungryKat mode due to the beers and the excitement of seeing Farrell's. This gift and candy display was behind the register and not exactly open to foot traffic but I asked to go in and see the giant lollipops and goodies and I was in before the staff (nice people) could say no. And yes, for Tributefest, I was rockin' the Bierbitzch tank I got from LA Beerfest a few weeks ago.


"Creating Old Time Memories for a New Generation." I think Farrell's has been using this image since its beginning in the 1960s. I really love it. Notice how they're holding each others hands with a milkshake in between them; even as a little girl, I found this image very romantic and now I especially love the 1920s era it evokes. For some reason, now it also makes me think of Chicago or New York in the 1920s. It must be the influence from reading The Devil in the White City.


There were only three of us so we didn't order any of these giant ice creams. When you order any of the three, the staff bangs a drum and sings a song or does a shout out to let everyone in the restaurant know you're a little piggie.


Amazing! Because we stopped at Farrell's, Dave revealed that he used to work at a Farrell's in Staten Island when he was 15! He talked the manager into giving me one of their signature styrofoam hats (they've been using them forever) and he got me a lovely souvenir shirt for my fake birthday. Yes, I shamelessly pretended it was my birthday yesterday so they would bring the drums and sing a song for me and give me a free birthday sundae.


Well, it's almost my birthday anyway and hey, it wasn't all free. Dave told them they had to embarrass me more than usual. I had to get up and wear this silly straw hat.


Then I had to dance the entire time they sang my birthday song and Dave has all of this on video! I will also shamelessly admit I enjoyed all of this but I will blame it on all the beer I imbibed yesterday. Thank you Julie for taking pictures while I was embarrassing myself :)


Julie ordered the Banana Split. Still delicious but they still only put one cherry on the top.

The Fake Chicken Dinner. The chicken nuggets are butterfingers, the peas are mint candy and the ice cream is supposed to be vanilla with caramel sauce to make it look like mashed potatoes but Dave chose mint ice cream.


The drum. I think they brought out the drum like five times last night for birthdays including my fake birthday. All of them were kids except me. Well, I'm a kid at heart. It was so cute to see all the kids' excited and happy faces when the staff banged the drum and had the kid stand up before they sang a special song for them. The song wasn't your standard "Happy Birthday" song; Farrell's has a few birthday songs on rotation that are fun and playful.


I love this glass ice cream lampshade. They had many glass lampshades in the restaurant but only this one had an ice cream motif.

Love....

I started my day with beer and ended it with ice cream. How perfect and how lucky am I? I want to give a shout out to our server whose name is also Katt (two ts); she was so friendly and enthusiastic and totally humored and indulged all my tipsy and nostalgic antics and let me walk all around the restaurant like a kid at Disneyland.

I was especially happy to be able to share all of it with my friends. The last six months has been full of ups and downs and yesterday was one of the happiest days I've had in a long time. May Day. Rebirth.


Farrell's
21516 Golden Triangle Road
Santa Clarita, CA 91350
(661) 253- 4386
*There used to be 130+ locations in the U.S. but when I was a kid, they started shuttering them and now there is only one other location in California located in Mission Viejo. Angelenos, don't be afraid to drive out of the LA vicinity.

The Joy of a Banana Split

One of my favorite childhood memories is my mom taking me and my two younger sisters to Baskin Robbins after school. She would order one banana split and us four girls would share that one banana split. We never complained it was not enough or that we each wanted our own. Ha, I'd like to say at that age we knew that "sharing is caring" but I think it was more that we knew our mom was managing us on a tight budget so we didn't dare to be brats.

Yes, we would elbow over who got more chocolate ice cream or more banana, and of course, the ultimate prize was the cherry. Whose turn was it to eat that solitary cherry on the top this time? If my memory serves me correctly, my youngest sister often got the cherry because she was the youngest and cuter than a newborn puppy. She still is cuter than a newborn puppy.

Sometimes, we would even go to Farrell's, an old-fashioned ice cream parlour in Rosemead (closed years ago and is now Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant), for a late-night banana split when my father came home from his job as a chef. Can you imagine? Three kids up at midnight eating ice cream and watching cartoons for 25 cents at Farrell's. Only Chinese parents would not be concerned about kids hyped up on sugar and bouncing off the walls way past their bedtime. Love it!

Anyway, I was telling this story to a friend recently and she had no idea what a banana split was. As the HungryKat, I had to remedy that situation right away. The next day, we hosted a Banana Split Hour at work and I showed her how to make a Banana Split and invited our co-workers to make their own. It was a lovely and delicious Friday.

Notice how my Banana Split now has three cherries :)

That weekend, I went to my aunt's house for dinner and she has three young boys (12 and 10 and 10). I showed them this picture and told them about my Banana Split party and they said they've never had a Banana Split either! Hungry(cousin)Kat to the rescue. You should know how that ends.

HungryKat Banana Splits

• Ripe Banana
• Chocolate Ice Cream
• Strawberry Ice Cream
• Vanilla Ice Cream
• Fudge (melted and no Hershey's syrup please)
• Pineapple Topping (these toppings can be bought in jars at the market)
  
• Strawberry Topping
• Whipped Cream
• Toasted crushed peanuts or pecans
• Maraschino Cherries

First, gather friends.

Split a ripe banana lengthwise and place in a mid-size bowl (there are actually Banana Split glassware you can buy). Place one scoop of chocolate, one scoop of strawberry and one scoop of vanilla ice cream in between the split banana. Top the chocolate with fudge, the vanilla with the pineapple topping and the strawberry with strawberry topping. Then squirt a generous amount of whip cream on top of each mound of ice cream. Finish with the nuts and top with three Maraschino cherries; one for each ice cream.

Last step - Smile and enjoy with friends or loved ones.

Easy Hainan Chicken Rice (海南雞飯) Recipe For Home Cooks

Hainan Chicken Rice is a simple and very satisfying dish. Tender, juicy pieces of savory chicken paired with aromatic chicken stock-infused rice is a comfort food for many Asians, specifically the Singaporeans, Malaysians, Vietnamese and of course, the Chinese where this dish originated in Hainan Island. Done right, this dish will inspire content sighs of "Mmmm" and "Ahhhh" and many rubbings of a full belly at the dinner table.

It's easy to find this dish in Chinese cafes and Southeast Asian restaurants but it's very hard to find a place that will serve a tasty version. Savoy Kitchen and Dong Nguyen (both in Alhambra) are very popular and famous for their Hainan Chicken Rice. However, I'm probably in the minority in saying that their Hainan Chicken Rice is just okay. It may be carelessness that comes with success but I often find their Hainan Chicken to be bland and the white meat too dry for what is supposed to be fresh chicken. Their rice is good but that doesn't cut if for me.

Frustrated by the lack of quality Hainan Chicken Rice, I started making it at home and a friend recently asked me how I make this dish at home. Like most people, I juggle a busy schedule between work, a gym routine (I exercise to eat and drink!) and the many fun activities that the lovely city of Los Angeles offers so I'd like to share an easy recipe I modified for cooking Hainan Chicken for the busy home cook. My way does require overnight marinating so prep today and feast tomorrow!

First, do yourself a big favor and buy a fresh chicken from the Farmers Market or a poultry shop; the Fosters 3000-mile frozen (and then defrosted) chicken will be a waste of your time and an insult to your taste buds. Being on the Westside, I prefer the Wednesday Santa Monica Farmers Market or Superior Poultry in Chinatown. Try to cook the chicken the same day you buy it. You'll also need 2 bunches of green onions, a head of fresh ginger, a head of garlic and kosher or sea salt.

Wash the chicken inside and out and pat dry. The chicken gizzards, liver and heart can be discarded or saved for cooking later. Chinese poultry shops tend to leave the chicken head on so you can either ask them to chop it off for you at the shop or you can just suck it up and chop it off yourself (I do it myself). Cut 4 to 5 stalks of green onions in half - do cut the onion ends off and discard. Peel 4 cloves of garlic and cut 3 to 4 thick slices of fresh ginger.

Prep a large stockpot with water (eyeball the water level but it has to be enough to cover the whole chicken entirely) and add the green onions, garlic and ginger. Bring the water to a boil.

When the water is boiling, carefully add the whole chicken into the pot. It's very important that you have enough water to cover the chicken entirely. If you saved the gizzards, etc., now is the time to put it into the water with the chicken. Put the pot lid on and TURN OFF the fire. Let the chicken slow-cook this way for about 40 to 50 minutes (the bigger your chicken, the longer the time) and resist the temptation to constantly lift the lid. Slow-cooking ensures your chicken will be extra tender and juicy and if you use a fresh chicken, you'll really be able to taste the real essence of the chicken meat. You can check for doneness by inserting a chopstick or knife into the thigh of the chicken to see if blood runs out.

When the chicken is done, the water should still be pretty hot so be careful in removing the chicken from the pot. Let the chicken cool and sprinkle kosher or sea salt in the cavity. Then put the chicken in a ziplock bag and liberally sprinkle salt into the bag (the gizzards, etc. go into the bag too if you cooked it). Don't be shy with the salt and don't be afraid to stick your hand into the bag to make sure the salt is spread evenly all over the chicken. Seal the bag and place it in your refrigerator to marinate overnight. Tip: Some prefer a "crunchy" chicken skin so they'll bath the chicken in an ice bath for a few minutes upon removing it from the hot water. I don't eat chicken skin often so I usually skip this step out of laziness.

Do not toss the water you used to boil the chicken; that is valuable stock! Remove the green onions, ginger and garlic and save the stock, including that nice film of chicken oil on the top, and save it to cook rice the next day. Invest in a rice cooker; I cannot live without mine.

The finale!

The next day, instead of using regular water to cook your jasmine rice, use the chicken stock, add a little more salt to taste and then just press the cook button on the rice cooker. It should take about 20 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, prep the chicken and the condiments. Remove the chicken from the ziplock bag and wipe off the excess salt. Depending on your preference, you can serve the chicken cold or bring it back to room temperature before serving. I prefer my chicken slightly warm so I split the chicken in half and I boil water in a double-boiler and quick steam it for a few minutes before I chop it into smaller serving pieces. Note that lovely liver and gizzard in my picture - rich and delicious!

For the condiment, fine chop some green onions and fine-grate some fresh ginger (see my picture above) and mix in a bowl with a little kosher salt. In a small pan, heat a few tablespoons of canola oil and when hot, carefully pour the hot oil over the ginger-onion mixture. Alternatively, you can prep a garlic chili sauce by mincing some fresh garlic and chili and adding lime juice to it. Slices of cucumber and tomatoes are often served on the side as well.

There you have it. The HungryKat's easy overnight version of Hainan Chicken. With just a little planning, you can have moist, tender dark and white meat chicken with tasty, tasty chicken rice for dinner. The beauty of this dish is the simple preparation and the use of only a few flavoring ingredients to allow the essence and sweetness of the chicken meat to shine through.

There has been some debate amongst my friends and colleagues recently that Frog Claypot Rice is disgusting. I completely disagree. Next project: Cook Frog Claypot Rice the way my dad taught me when I was a child (using fresh frog of course) so look out for that post...coming soon.

It's a free country so if you don't want to cook and would rather drive, go ahead and check out Savoy and Dong Nguyen.

Savoy Kitchen

138 E. Valley Blvd.

Alhambra, 91801

(626) 308-9535

Dong Nguyen

1433 E. Valley Blvd.

Alhambra, 91801

(626) 300-8618

Satisfying Your Taste Buds in Westminster

I ventured behind the "Orange Curtain" on Sunday and stopped at Westminster for lunch and dinner in between a day of successful shopping. Vietnamese food is perfect on a very warm 82 degree day in Southern California; it's light, refreshing and satisfies all your taste buds.

Lunch Stop: Pho Kimmy

Pho Dac Biet - strong, full-flavored broth with tender rare beef, well-cooked beef and tripe. The tendons could have been softer but otherwise this fully satisfies all my Pho cravings.

Snack Stop: Bahn Mi & Che Cali Bakery

Ahhh. I will take a banh mi over a hamburger any day. This ham, meatloaf and head cheese sandwich went along perfectly with the creamy pate and crisp, light baguette. A lot of people eat this with cilantro, cucumbers and jalapenos but I always leave those out on my banh mi. The Vietnamese really took the best from the French and made it even better!

Dinner Stop: Brodard

If Charlie, one of my best friends who migrated to Portland recently, had been with me on this eating "tour," he probably would cry from happiness. He's the one who introduced me to Brodard.

These pork (nem nuong) and shrimp (chao tom) spring rolls are legendary at Brodard and for good reason. The pork meatloaf and shrimp paste are wrapped in a delicate rice paper with herbs, cucumber and a crunchy piece of eggroll skin. Dip the roll in the house special fish sauce and you'll be in heaven. Everyone who goes to Brodard orders these rolls. Don't miss out.

Banh Xeo

This is a pan-fried rice flour "crepe" appetizer. It is chock-full of bean sprouts and onions with a sprinkling of shrimp and shredded pork. It's also flavored with coconut milk and the crepe is served with lettuce which you use to wrap pieces of the crepe and then dip in the accompanying lime chili fish sauce. Like most Vietnamese food, this tastes flavorful and "light" even though its pan-fried with oil.

Bun Dac Biet Brodard

This main entree is under the Vermicelli section. Cooked vermicelli is served with grilled chicken, grilled pork, grilled & fried shrimp paste and a crispy egg roll. Plenty of greens, peanuts and the lime chili fish sauce make this a delicious and refreshing entree. This is what I crave on a warm SoCal day.

Bun Cha Gio, Tom, Thit Noung

This entree is also under the Vermicelli section. It's a more pared down version of the Dac Biet (that means "special" in Vietnamese) entree above. It has only grilled shrimp and BBQ pork over vermicelli, fresh, crunchy greens, peanuts, roasted shallots and of course, lime chili fish sauce.

3-Color Dessert

This dessert drink contains all my favorites in Vietnamese desserts - a mixture of red beans, mung bean paste, crunchy green jelly, sweet coconut milk and springy tapioca balls. You swirl everything together with the giant straw as the shaved ice melts and helps all the ingredients mix. You drink, you chew, you drink, you chew...

All three places I went to were hopping with customers but the wait at Pho Kimmy and Brodard was only a few minutes. Bahn Mi was a little more chaotic. The bakery was overrun with people trying to order sandwiches and various sweet and savory Vietnamese goodies to-go. There's no line or number system so you just have to be a little more aggressive in getting one of the servers' attention.

All in all it was a wonderful day in the OC. I satisfied my cravings for all my favorite Vietnamese foods and enjoyed ocean views while I was shopping. Energy burned at the gym in the early morning and during shopping balanced all the delicious food I ate too.

Thanks for indulging me, Shirly. :)

Pho Kimmy

14932 Bushard St.

Westminster, CA 92684

(714) 775-1699

Banh Mi & Che Cali Bakery

8948 Bolsa Ave.

Westminster, CA 92683

(714) 897-3927

Brodard Restaurant

9892 Westminster Ave.

Garden Grove, CA 92844

(714) 530-1744

**There's a fancier location called Brodard Chateau. I've never been but I've been advised by friends that the food at this fancier location is not as good.

Sublime Food Lounge Is Absolutely Divine!

What a revelation! The dinner I had tonight at Sublime Food Lounge was so delicious, I have to tell you about it right away even though it's late in the night and I'm a little high from the wonderful company, the good food, the wine and a delicious bourbon Sidecar. Eat, drink and be merry with friends, right?

Sublime Food Lounge just opened three weeks ago and the food is absolutely delicious. Randall, the chef/owner, is a visual effects artist and cooking has always been his passion so after studying at Le Cordon Bleu in Los Angeles and the French Culinary Institute in New York, we are now very lucky to have him in Culver City. His passion and drive is so inspiring and his food is divine; his food is so good, it defies a label - it's just good food! By the way, I don't think Randall sleeps. In addition to cooking and running his new restaurant with his partners, he's also keeping his production hours. Amazing.

My friends and I were excited and hungry so we dug into the food right away before I took any pictures (I also didn't have a proper camera with me and I do hate to keep people from food while I click away). Plus, my pictures won't do the food justice anyway so I'll try my best to be a wordsmith here.

We were sharing family-style so we started off with a few small plates:

• House-Roasted Nuts - Aside from the wine, this was a perfect starter to our meal.
• Crispy Confit Veal Riblettes - This was tender, moist, perfectly seasoned and had just the right amount of fat to give it a rich, buttery taste. Dipping it in a little Five-Spice Salt gave it a nice salty finish. I wish I could cook this at home.
• Foie Gras French Toast - Heavenly. Foie Gras is so good I just can't wax poetic on it much more. We were very smart to get two orders of this.
• Roasted Bone Marrow - A bit on the oily side but marrow lovers will like this especially with the roasted garlic on the side.
• Tuna Tartare - Another delicious dish and it was accompanied with a light fragrant lemon truffle oil.

Then we moved on to the large plates:

• 36 Hour Prime Short Rib - I think I was on Cloud 9 between bites of this medium-rare short rib and the yummy demi-glazed potato cake it came with. More! More! I want more!
• Braised Oxtail - I love oxtail in all forms - soup, stewed or braised. This was braised until tender and the meat soaked up all the rich, deep flavors. Those who are afraid to handle bones in public will be glad to know that this is served boneless. The meat is shredded and served on a bed of crispy polenta with chanterelles and a cauliflower puree.
• Seared Scallop - A perfect 10! This puts the scallops I attempt to cook at home to shame. You just can't beat huge fresh scallops seared to a degree where it is just cooked and springy to the touch instead of stiff and rubbery. This dish reminded me of the sparkling ocean on a brilliant Summer day. Again, I want more!

We were really full but there is always room for dessert:

• Caramel Popcorn Bread Pudding - Never turn down a bread pudding, especially this one.
• Chocolate Hazelnut Ravioli - The chocolate came wrapped inside a crispy skin, thus the "ravioli." Topped with bananas, this was a hit at the table.
• Framboise Martini Float - I loooove this one. White Chocolate Gelato floating on top of Belgian beer served in a martini glass. I'm already a fan of stout beer ice cream floats and this is another delicious discovery for me.

See this firepit? As we were leaving the restaurant, we stopped in the back to check out its covered patio. One look at the raised firepit and I was in love and we ended up staying for another two rounds of drinks. The owners built the firepit themselves and they plan to install a sound system to play music and project classic movies in the patio. Did I mention that they already have masters like Fellini and Kurosawa playing off a projector in the main dining room? Now you understand why I'm in love with this place like a giddy schoolgirl.

I don't remember the last time I went to a new restaurant where everything is a home run with the service, drinks, space, atmosphere and most importantly, the food. You can easily spend hours here enjoying drinks at the bar (in addition to cocktails and wine, they also have bottled beers and two beers on tap, a Belgian and local craft brew), food in the dining area and then migrating to the patio for more drinks. I spent 5 hours here tonight and I didn't even realize it!

I've found a new "home." I'm definitely going to be a regular at Sublime Food Lounge.

Sublime Food Lounge

8631 Washington Street

Culver City, CA 90232

(310) 287-2093

Open daily for dinner (dark on Mondays) and lunch service just began this week

When Life Gives You Lemons

Life has been giving me quite a few lemons lately - figuratively and literally. But when life gives me lemons, I put that energy into baking lemon treats and sharing those treats. Spring is here and it's giving me Meyer Lemons; they are my favorite because they are wonderfully fragrant and there's a sweet kick to its intense citrus flavor.

I tried three recipes from three different cookbooks. Recipes are included below; don't be afraid to try your hand at baking with lemons. Plus, it will fill your home with the refreshing smell of lemon yumminess. Enjoy!

Meyer Lemon Tart with Chocolate
Suzanne Goin's recipe for this tart crust is great; it'll give you a flaky, rich crust. The lemon curd is easy to make as long as you keep it on low heat and stir continuously to avoid burning. Extra lemon curd can be enjoyed on toast, English muffin...whatever pleases you.

Fresh-grated Meyer lemon zest. Funny how the zest looks orange. That's probably because Meyer lemons are a cross between a true lemon and a mandarin/sweet orange.

Lemon Loaf Cake
This loaf cake is in the vein of a pound cake. I used a lot of Meyer lemon zest for this but I was surprised that the lemon flavor wasn't more intense. I kind of predicted that so I finished off the cake with a simple lemon glaze before serving. Next time, I'll add more zest and maybe a splash of lemon juice and also watch the baking time more carefully because this loaf was slightly over-baked by about 5 minutes.


French-Style Yogurt Cake with Lemon
According to Molly Wizenberg, this is a classic old-fashioned cake in France. Wizenberg has an amazing story about this recipe too; she blogged about it in 2004 and that's how she met her current husband who was looking for this recipe! I made the simple version of this cake and there's a delicious lemon glaze that goes on top too but I forgot to take a picture before I took it to my dinner party.

So, here you go. I baked away all nine of my Meyer lemons. By extension, I hope I've exorcised some of the "lemons" life has given me lately too.

And yes, I know. I need to take better pictures of my food but it's really difficult to handle a camera when my hands are full of flour and butter and I'm trying to keep delicate lemon curd from burning.

Meyer Lemon Tart with Chocolate
(from Suzanne Goin's Sunday Suppers at Lucques)

For the pâte sucrée (this recipe is enough for two crusts)
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 extra-large egg yolks
2 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 pound unsalted butter

1. Whisk the cream and egg yolks together in a small bowl.

2. In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and butter on medium speed until you have a coarse meal. Gradually add the cream and yolks and mix until just combined. Do not overwork the dough.

3. Transfer the dough to a large work surface and bring it together with your hands to incorporate completely. Divide the dough in half, shape into 1-inch-thick discs, and wrap one of them to freeze to use later (wrap well to protect from freezer burn).

4. If remaining half of the dough is too soft and sticky, put in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up a little. If the dough is manageable, place it on a lightly floured work surface, sprinkle a little flour over the dough, and roll it out into a 1-inch-thick circle, flouring as necessary. Starting at one side, roll and wrap the dough around the rolling pin to pick it up. Unroll the dough over a 10-inch tart pan. Gently fit the dough loosely into the pan, lifting the edges and pressing the dough into the corners with your fingers. To remove the excess dough, roll the rolling pin lightly over the top of the tart pan for a nice clean edge, or work your way around the edge pinching off any excess dough with your fingers. Chill for 1 hour.

For the Meyer lemon tart

1 recipe pâte sucrée
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I use semi-sweet too)
4 extra-large eggs
3 extra-large egg yolks
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 cup Meyer lemon juice
10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Pinch of kosher salt
1 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prick the bottom of the pâte sucrée with a fork and line it with a few opened and fanned-out coffee filters or a piece of parchment paper. Fill the lined tart shell with beans, nuts or pie weights and bake 15 minutes, until set. Take the tart out of the oven and carefully lift out the paper and beans. Return the tart to the oven and bake another 10 to 15 minutes, until the crust is an even golden brown. Set aside on a rack to cool completely.

2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over medium-low heat. Spread the chocolate evenly on the crust and chill in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes, until the chocolate has solidified completely.

3. While the crust is chilling, make the curd. Whisk the eggs, yolks, sugar, and lemon juice together in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, alternating between a whisk and rubber spatula, until the lemon curd has thickened to the consistency of pastry cream and coats the back of the spatula. (The lemon curd burns easily to be diligent about the heat and stirring.)

4. Remove the lemon curd from the heat. Add the butter a little at a time, stirring to incorporate completely. Season with the salt. Let the curd cool about 8 minutes, and then strain it into the prepared tart shell. Chill the tart in the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving.

5. Just before serving, whip the cream in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or by hand) until it holds soft peaks and serve with the tart. (I omitted this step with my tart.)

Lemon Loaf Cake
(from Dorie Greenspan's Baking with Julia)

4 large eggs (at room temperature)
1 1/3 cups sugar
Pinch of salt
Grated zest of 3 large lemons
1 3/4 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup heavy cream (at room temperature)
5 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

1. Center a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F. Butter a 9x5 loaf pan and dust with flour, shake off excess flour.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar and salt for a minute until foamy and blended - it should not be thick. Whisk in grated zest.

3. Spoon flour and baking powder into a sifter and sift 1/3 of it over the egg mixture and whisk lightly (no need to beat). Repeat in two additions with the rest of the flour until everything is incorporated.

4. Whisk the heavy cream into the mixture. Then switch to a rubber spatula and gently & quickly fold in the melted butter.

5. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center; it's done if it comes out clean. After removing the cake from the oven, let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes before unmolding and cooling to room temperature.

6. If you want to add a lemon glaze to this, see the recipe below - you won't need that much icing so you can cut the icing in half by halving the recipe.


French-Style Yogurt Cake with Lemon
(from Molly Wizenberg's A Homemade Life)

Cake

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 cup well-stirred plain whole-milk yogurt (not low-fat or non-fat)
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil, such as canola

Syrup
1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice

Icing

1 cup sifted powdered sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with butter or cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper, and grease it too.

2. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the lemon zest, and whisk to mix thoroughly.

3. In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar, and eggs, stirring until well blended. Add the flour mixture and stir just to combine. Add the oil and stir to incorporate. At first, it will look like a horrible, oily mess, but keep stirring, and it will come together into a smooth batter. Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

4. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not overbake.

5. Cool cake on a wire rack for about 15 minutes; then turn cake shiny side-up out of the pan to continue cooling.

6. Whisk syrup ingredients together and spoon atop the warm cake and let the cake soak in the syrup. Syrup will run down the cake but that's okay. Best to place a large pan or parchment paper under the rack so clean-up is easier for you.

6. When the cake is thoroughly cooled, make the icing and spoon gently over the cake. The icing will be thin and you can firm it up by chilling it in the refrigerator for an hour before putting it on the cake.

7. This cake is best if served immediately on the day it is made. And you can vary the recipe by using Meyer lemons, oranges or tangerines.

**Wizenberg said feel free to use just syrup or icing if you're short on time. I only used icing because I was afraid it would be too sweet with syrup too.