Slapfish is a slap in your face

29 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by mrsjoujou in Eating and Drinking by city, Newport Beach, SlapFish

2/6/2016

To say our last experience at Slapfish was underwhelming would be an understatement. We first went to Slapfish original location in Huntington Beach, a few year ago. Last year they opened their Newport Beach location and our two previous visits prior to this one was just fine. This time everything we ordered was beyond bad. Needless to say we will never return.

Clam Chowder Red Potatoes, Clams, Bacon
The fries had a cotton-y, starchy texture. The chowder was fine but nothing to sing about.

Ultimate Fish Taco Cabbage, Avocado, Pickled Onion
My husband’s crunchy fish taco was 80% coating, 20% fish. The tasteless tortilla did not help either.

Lobster Roll
As I took my first bite, I was in misery!! Some of the lobster pieces were overcooked and others were passed their prime. I seriously considered returning this mess of a lobster roll, but my husband as usual convinced me to eat this disaster. The bun was not toasted or buttered either. A big disappointment considering how much I love my lobster roll.

Tale of Three Breads (Lodge Bread and BierBeisl Imbiss)

26 Friday Feb 2016

Posted by mrsjoujou in BierBeisl Imbiss & Bakery (Downtown), Eating and Drinking by city, Lodge Bread (Culver City), Los Angeles area

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Lodge Bread
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It is not often that I buy bread for myself now a days because I make my own nut and seed bread. I have been hearing about Lodge Bread for a while and since we were in the area decided to check it out. I was interested in their Quinoa bread but they don’t offer that bread on a daily basis, so I settled on the Ancient Grain.

Ancient Grain
I sliced this bread the day after we purchased it and the texture was not to our liking. It tasted fine, but it did not wow us. The crust was so dark it almost felt like it should have come out of the oven a minute or so earlier. If they come up with more interesting grains in the future, I will give them a second try.

BierBeisl Imbiss
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Our new favorite destination for dark hearty bread.

Organic BierBeisl Rye
Great sour taste with amazing crust. Almost too hard for my bread knife. I wish I had a bread slicer.

Apple Spelt
It was a great bread with lots of seeds and a great texture, but we didn’t detect any apple flavor. I read an article stating that they use apple for moisture. It was way easier to slice also.

Black Lentil Bowl With Turmeric-Ginger Hummus

23 Tuesday Feb 2016

Posted by mrsjoujou in Home cooking pictures

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Great recipe and a very flavorful dish. The recipe is from the Dimes restaurant’s co-founder, Alissa Wagner. I made my own hummus using Mark Bittman’s recipe.

Ingredients

1 cup black lentils
4 cups salted water
1 cups sweet potato, cut into ½-inch dice
1 bunch broccolini, stems intact, ends trimmed ¼ inch
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 cup thinly sliced fennel
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup hummus
4 tablespoons chopped pistachio
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 425°F.

2. Cook the lentils: Bring lentils and water to a rapid simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, uncovered, for 20 to 30 minutes until tender, adding water as needed to make sure the lentils are covered.

3. Toss the sweet potatoes in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Lay in a single layer on a sheet pan and roast until just soft and golden brown.

4. Toss the broccolini in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Lay in a single layer on a sheet pan and roast until tender.

5. Place the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small bowl. Add turmeric and ginger, and whisk until thoroughly combined. Add hummus, and stir until turmeric-ginger oil is completely incorporated.

6. To serve, divide lentils, sweet potatoes, broccoli, and fennel between four bowls. Garnish with chopped pistachios and serve with hummus on the side.

LA Art Show 2016

20 Saturday Feb 2016

Posted by mrsjoujou in Art & Architecture, Los Angeles Area

≈ 3 Comments

Luo Dan, Traveler’s Pavilion 1, 2014

justin Y, Beacon of Light

Dawn, Tamie Okuyama

Marc Chagall, Aleko and his wife Zemphira from an Old Russian Tale, 1955

Marc Chagall, The Magic Flute, 1967

Niki de St. Phalle, “Nana soleil”, 2001

Fernandez Arman, Slice of Liberty, 1985

Pablo Picasso, Femme, 1955

Danny O’connor, Digital Daze

Scott naismith, Fragmented

russel West, Little Boxes 11, 2015

Nemo jantzen, Film Noir, 2015

Casey Baugh, “A Lakeside Mile”, 2015

Michal lukasiewicz, “Meditation No 2”, 2015

Mr. Brainwash, Jimmy Hendrix, 2016

Mr. Brainwash, David Bowie, 2016

John wentz, “Important NO. 73”, 2016

Jiri Suhajek, Golden Labyrinth

Virtues and Vices Curated by G. james daichendt

Mear One, Revolution, 2015

Lv cun

John Valadez, Drive-in, 2015

Jeff Quinn, Epilogue, 2016

Cristobal Valecillos, The Princess and the Superhero, 2015

Zhuang Hong Yi

Pino Manos, Sincronico Nero Splendente, 2015

Eugenio Merino, Always Reagan, 2015

Kwangho Shin, Untitled #14P09, 2014

Kwangho Shin, Untitled #15P06, 2015

Przemyslaw Lasak, Samurai

Tony South, Still Smokin

Alexander Yulish, I Appear Missing, 2015

Laurie lipton, Selfie, 2015

Alexander Yulish, Intertwined, 2015

Yoo Byeong Hoon, Forest-Wind. Silent, 2014

Greg Auerbach, David Bowie

Greg Auerbach, In a Brighter World-Pink

Greg Auerbach, A Reason to Riot

Greg Auerbach, Grinding the Flag

Greg Auerbach, Behind the Flag (Nickel)

Greg Auerbach, Basquiat / Warhol

Woo kuk Won, Woman and Dogs, 2015

Ha jung Woo, Trace, 2014

Zhuang, Orange To Blue

Gestin, Le Portrait 5/8

Rogelio Mzuzo, Self Portrait

Beyel, Swim!

Hiroshi Mori, Memories, 2014

Knowledge bennett, Mao Trump (Red)

Knowledge bennett, Sinatra Cojones

Alvaro Montanes, Venus III

E Wang Shuo, Downward Bubble, 2015

Zhenya Gershman

Harry Moody, Abstract #151

Vincent Xues, “Strangely True”

Giovanni Boldini, Portrait of Rita de Acosta Lydig, 1911

Sung-yong Hong, Heuristic #3 (Green/Red)

Craig Alan, Narrative: Triple Crown

Vincenzo Irolli, Friends

Claude Venard, Still-Life with Fish

Craig Alan, Jackie kennedy “(Camelot’s Queen)

Loretta teamery Warner, Grecian Woman

Loretta teamery Warner, Jester

Loretta teamery Warner, Young Woman with Crown

Loretta teamery Warner, Three Graces (Bust)II

Loretta teamery Warner, Aphrodite

Brad Overton, Sacred Heart

Rimi Yang, Dance in Illusion

Daniel Ridgway knight, Marie in the Roses

Lorraine Alexander, Golden Sundown over Sangre de Cristos

Erin Currier, The Harvestters

Dali Higa, Finely Sewn

Sung-Yong Hong, Noise

Baroo

12 Friday Feb 2016

Posted by mrsjoujou in Baroo (Hollywood), Eating and Drinking by city, Los Angeles area

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Baroo Los Angeles

1/30/2016

Ever since I saw the beautiful pictures of Baroo, I put the restaurant on my list of places to try. We tried to go there a few months ago but unfortunately due to an emergency they were closed. I tried to call another time to make sure they were open but they did not answer their phone. So, I have been trying to get there for a while. I decided before we go to the LA Art Show we try our luck and have lunch there. We got there about fifteen minutes before their lunch service and waited outside patiently. I am glad we did, because the level of creativity and bold flavor of the grain dishes we tried was worth the trouble. I have never had vegetarian dishes this flavorful. I just wish their location was in a more accessible place so we could eat there more often.
What is amazing about this place is that it is run by two chefs and a lady in the back helping them with chopping. These two guys take orders, cook and do everything else themselves!! So, you better get here early before the rush.

This is where all the magic happens.

House fermented Kombucha (Elderflower)
This was the most intense and flavorful kombucha we have ever had. It almost shocks your tastebud.

Bibim Salad
Assorted grains with oat, quinoa, & bulgur, vegetable crudite with fennel, celery, asparagus, baby radish, and heirloom, toasted pumpkin seeds & sunflower seeds, gochujang + san marzano dressing, herbs coulis, passion fruit powder, baby kale, and Asian pear
How can you go wrong with these ingredients? A very refreshing salad of grains and veggies elevated with crunch from the seeds and brightness from the dressing and the passion fruit powder.

Gim (Seaweed)
Jobs tears, Kamut, Farro grains seasoned with amajuke, assorted seaweed compte with shiitake & tofu, nasturtium, nori chip, mixed berries, wasabi daikon, lime onion jalapeno pickle
This dish was almost too pretty to eat and it was even more delicious than it looked. I can’t say I ever had Job’s tears before and the nori chips was addicting. A very sophisticated dish that would cost a fortune at a fancy restaurant.

Noorook (Koji)
Mixed grains with Jobs tears, Kamut, & farro grains, roasted koji beet cream,
concentrated kombu dashi, toasted seeds (sunflower & pumpkin) & macadamia nuts, fingerlime, and rose onion pickle
Our last dish was very interesting and reminded me of a risotto. A little salty for me but a very satisfying and unique dish.

Salt & Straw

08 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by mrsjoujou in Los Angeles area, Salt & Straw (Venice)

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Salt & Straw (Venice)

1/23/2016

Ever since we tried Salt & Straw’s offerings in Portland last fall, we were eager to try their goodies in a convenient location in the Los Angeles area. They recently opened a shop in Venice not far from the Blue Star. Now you have two Portland imports within walking distance of each other. I don’t know if that is a good or a bad thing?
Service was very friendly and they were offering as many samples as you liked, just like they did in Portland.
I tried Black Olive Brittle & Goat Cheese and even though it was interesting it was a little too goat-y for me but my brother would probably like this flavor. The Coconut Marionberry & Pecan Shortbread was another flavor I tried and found it on the sweet side. After trying a bunch of flavors, we settled on the following:

Avocado & Strawberry Sherbet and Meyer Lemon Meringue Pie
The avocado and strawberry flavor is their LA only flavor and it was our favorite. The creamy avocado had a tart lemon background and went very well with the strawberry. The meyer lemon meringue pie was the perfect balance of sweet and tart.

Blue Star

08 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by mrsjoujou in Blue Star (Venice), Eating and Drinking by city, Los Angeles area

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Blue Star (Venice)

1/23/2016

We have had Blue Star doughnuts in Portland last year and were impressed with a couple of their offerings. They recently opened a location in Venice and after our lunch at Hanjip, we headed to Venice to load up on carbs!!
Their store is much smaller than the one we visited in Portland. They packaged our two doughnuts in a big box, I guess they either don’t carry smaller boxes or they ran out. At least your doughnuts travel better.

Mexican Hot Chocolate
This was my favorite when we visited Portland last year and thankfully it did not disappoint. Strong chocolate flavor with a nice chili kick. A very dense and satisfying doughnut.

Old Fashioned Buttermilk
My husband’s pick and he liked it enough. I found it a little greasy but it had a good flavor.

Hanjip Korean BBQ

07 Sunday Feb 2016

Posted by mrsjoujou in Eating and Drinking by city, Hanjip Korean BBQ (Culver City), Los Angeles area

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Hanjip Korean BBQ

1/23/2016

I have heard about Hanjip for a while now and after finding out that they serve the beautiful red shrimps from Spain, I was motivated to give it a try. When we first got there around 11:30, we received a good service but as the place filled up the service slowed down a bit. We are not really big on cooking the food ourselves while dining out. I do enough of that at home and at times the smoke in the room brought tears to my eyes. They automatically added the service charge.

Various banchans

Seafood Pancake W/ Curry Dipping Sauce
We started with the seafood pancake and it was pretty good with plenty of bay scallops and chopped up rock shrimps.

Baby Octopus JOO-KU-MI
There was plenty of octopus but took a long time to grill it and the end result was fine, nothing like the ones we had in Spain.

Carabineros Prawns
The main attraction and the reason I picked this restaurant. We were supposed to receive four shrimps but one of the wait staff told us since the shrimps were large, we will get two of them. I asked how long we should cook the shrimp for and she said she will find out. Of course she never came back. At $25 a shrimp you don’t want to over cook it. So how was the shrimp? It was OK. I wish they would have prepared it in their kitchen and presented it in a more special way. I guess we are not a big fan of Korean BBQ.

Rustic Rosemary-Olive Bread

06 Saturday Feb 2016

Posted by mrsjoujou in Home cooking pictures

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I got this recipe from Better Nutrition. It is a dense and flavorful bread.

Ingredients
¼ cup ground golden flax seeds
¼ cup ground chia seeds
½ cup almond milk
1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
3 eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
2 cups almond flour (finely ground almond meal)
½ cup black olives, chopped
2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh rosemary
Coarse salt for finishing

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
In small mixing bowl, combine flax, chia, almond milk, vinegar, and eggs. Mix until smooth. Let stand for 5 minutes.
In large mixing bowl, combine almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Stir in olives and rosemary. Add chia/flax mixture to almond meal and mix well to form stiff dough; dough should begin to form a ball.
Turn ball of dough onto parchment-lined baking sheet, and form into an oblong. Using serrated knife, cut two or three diagonal slits in top of loaf. Sprinkle with coarse salt.
Bake 30–35 minutes, until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes, then slice and serve.

Restauration

04 Thursday Feb 2016

Posted by mrsjoujou in Eating and Drinking by city, Long Beach, Restauration

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1/16/2016

I have seen pictures and have read about this restaurant in a few places. Finally I decided to give it a try. When you first walk in there is a small indoor space that leads to a large inviting patio. The service was fine and the food took longer than usual to get to our table.

Wood Grilled Spanish Octopus Marble Potato / celery heart / almond / caesar Dressing
The octopus was on the chewy side, the potatoes were crisp and the frisee was crunchy. I just wish they charged you a little more and gave you enough food so you felt like you actually ate something.

Shrimp and Grits Poached eggs / Chorizo Butter / Parsley
The Shrimp and grits fair better. Shrimp was cooked just right, grits was creamy and the chorizo butter added a touch of spice.

Needless to say we were still hungry but did not want to wait 20 minutes longer to order something and instead headed to Sidecar to pickup some chocolate donuts.

travel4foodnart

~ Travel, food and art

Monthly Archives: February 2016

Slapfish is a slap in your face

Tale of Three Breads (Lodge Bread and BierBeisl Imbiss)

Black Lentil Bowl With Turmeric-Ginger Hummus

LA Art Show 2016

Baroo

Salt & Straw

Blue Star

Hanjip Korean BBQ

Rustic Rosemary-Olive Bread

Restauration