My 5 ingredient fix...

Westfield Topanga Plaza has got to be one of the luckiest places on earth! No, Disneyland is not located there but they've got the next best thing...at least for your taste buds...ICE CREAM!!!! L.A. Creamery produces the absolute best Fresh,organic, ultra-rich ice cream with no more than 5 ingredients. She sources her products locally and puts tons of love in every scoop that is served. For those of you who will say you that all ice cream is the same please check that rhetoric at the beginning of this post! Let's start with some of the flavours: Brown Butter Pecan, Cookies and Sweat Cream, Dom Perignon, Jack Daniels, Green Tea, and Meyer Lemon sorbet are just a few. I know I had your attention with the Jack Daniels and Dom Perignon! So unique and tasty. I had a single scoop which I split between two flavors(brown butter vanilla bean and green tea).

The store is simple and nostalgic and the employees were very helpful. You can taste anything you want on a cute silver demitasse spoon...I love the touch of class that the L.A. Creamery brand offers. A single scoop is about $3.50 and worth every penny. When you make something with the highest quality of ingredients available, your taste buds will notice. As you can see, even our celebrities are ice cream lovers, they just know how to work it off better than we do, or should I say their trainers do!

Something's sizzling...Bulgogi Anyone?

Wanting to try something new and authentic I traveled into Koreatown for some tastebud teasing Korean BBQ. For those of you who has dined at Gyu-Kaku, you get the picture. I decided to experiment with Chosun galbee Restaurant on Olympic and Western. Each table has it's own personal gas grill and unlike Gyu-Kaku, the waitresses are dressed in traditional Korean attire and cook the food for you. I must admit, this was kind of hard for me at first with me being such a picky control freak but I adjusted pretty darn quick after being on my feet for 10 hours cooking for my client. I cater to my clients all day so it was nice being the one on the other end of this equation.



The ladies fired up the grill then brought a table full of appetizers which included kimchi and fish cakes. I was so hungry and by the time I was on my second serving of fish cakes, I thought to myself...I should take a picture! The food was placed on the grill and the one time I tried to cook it, the cute waitress de-tonged(if that's a word) me and took over. After our steak, veggies, and mushrooms were cook it was time for round 2 with some Bulgogi! They flipped of the gridddle and put on a grill rack for the extra flavor.



I preferred the thinly sliced meat because is yielded a much flavorful party in my mouth. My girls and I ate till we were just about stuffed. Once finished we were gifted with rice punch. I called it a Korean Horchata because it is made with rice. She told us it was served cold to aid in digestion. Did I mention one of the best things about this restaurant...$2 valet!!!!! Yes, you heard me right! Four people eat for about $80 which is a deal in my culinary book. If your ever in the area, check it out, and give me some feedback. Until next time..Don't deny your mouth what it wants, just treat it in moderation :)

Soul Food Sunday's--Taking it back to where it all started

When I woke up this morning, I started thinking about the food that has fueled my passion for food and influences the way I cook. Weekly trips to Pink Pepper with my dad made me fall in love with Thai food, my mouth is watering just thinking about the Garlic Naan Bread and Chicken Tikka Masala from Taste of India, but what started it all was some good ole soul food straight from my mom's kitchen. Hmmm,I figured I would start of the new year with a meal that not only influences me but it's what my clients crave the most!
I haven't gone out for any good soul food in ages so I wasn't sure where to go, the valley was definitely out of the question, so I hopped on google, checked out a few websites and decided on Bertha's Soul Food Cafe located in Los Angeles. I must say I was expecting something a bit more jazzy from viewing their website but I was here for the food so let eating begin. To drink, I ordered the sweet tea and for my meal I indulged in the short ribs which came with rice and gravy, macaroni and cheese, greens, and some sweet cornbread muffins. For all who don't personally know me--- I am a hard food critic and my palate is rarely wrong. My food arrives and I can't wait to tear into my short ribs covered in gravy. They're tender and fall right off the bone. The greens are tangy and sweet, and the cornbread muffins are soft with light buttery crust. Overall is wasn't the "party in my mouth" I was expecting but I could feel the love in the food so I was satisfied.Will I go back,probably not but my twice-a-year craving was fulfilled until the holiday's arrive later this year! I'm now suffering from the "itis" and it's time to go to sleep...Nite Nite