MacTruck

February 25, 2012 //

Last Saturday, February 18, Joanna and I were invited by Mobi Munch (@MobiMunch) to give feedback on a new food truck concept, a mac & cheese truck. This potential truck targets college students, so I brought a few of my friends from USC to all help. After all, how can anyone turn down free food?

We tasted every dish they had except for the original mac & cheese. All were amazing! The prices are all very reasonable, $5-6 for the smaller size and $8-9 for the larger size. Definitely a lot of food for what you pay.

Menu for the day
The idea is that for each college, six items would be chosen based on the students’ taste. Really love how customized that would be.

Good Mornin’
Definitely my favorite! I love hash browns and anything spicy, so add those onto mac & cheese and of course I’m all over it!

Fiesta Mac
Again the chiles definitely made this mac & cheese amazing. So delicious also.

Three Little Pigs
So much pork! Perfect for pork lovers.

Cheese and Trees
Definitely my second favorite one. I love broccoli already, and the gruyere made it even more delicious.

Cheese n’ Peas
A good vegetarian option and a more simple dish. Definitely balanced out all the strong flavors from the other ones.

Mobi Munch still haven’t finalized a name yet, so if anyone has any ideas, please let us know. If someone’s submission for a name is chosen, there will be a $100 Visa gift card! Please put suggestions in the comments, and I’ll be sure to forward them to the Mobi Munch team.

(All food was hosted by Mobi Munch in exchange for feedback.)

XOX-

Grace

Categories Food Truck, Giveaway

Sparkle, Sparkle, Sparkle

January 9, 2012 //

Dress: Vintage, Fur Cape: Vintage & borrowed from Joanna, Necklace: Tiffany & Co., Shoes: Christian Louboutin

No matter where you go on New Year’s Eve, you’ll see at least a dozen girls wearing some kind of sparkly outfit. As much as Grace and I love sparkles, we didn’t want to be one of several girls blending into a sea of sparkles. Originally we both wanted a simple, black, form-fitting lace dress. We ended up finding the perfect dress at our favorite vintage store Shareen Vintage (1721 N. Spring St. Los Angeles, CA 90012) and even though it looked great on both of us, it was a tad too simple for NYE. In the end, we both ended up with sparkly dresses and loved our outfit choices.

Dress: Vintage, Fur Shawl: Vintage, Shoes (not pictured: Christian Louboutin)

xox -

Joanna

Categories Fashion, Vintage Shopping

Game On!: Chris Crary’s Wild Game Dinner

January 6, 2012 //

Wild Game Tasting Menu
Whist at Viceroy
1819 Ocean Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 260-7500

http://www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/santamonica/dining-and-nightlife/whist.php

Joanna and I are both huge fans of Top Chef already, so when Contestant Chris Crary (@ChrisCrary) and Jo of My Last Bite (@MyLastBite) announced a Wild Game dinner inspired by episode 7′s elimination challenge, we immediately made reservations. We both have never been to the Whist for a normal dinner; this was our first experience, and we had so much fun.

Amuse bouche
Octopus with potato gratin

Roasted rabbit with carrot panna cotta, thai spices, peanut and lime

This was Joanna’s favorite dish of the entire night. We both definitely loved the thai spices and thought that panna cotta worked really well with the rabbit.

Venison neck & loin with coffee, huckleberry mustard, crispy shallot and forest herbs

Boar belly with root vegetable cassoulet, truffle and apple ephemere

Definitely my favorite dish of the night! I loved how the boar belly tasted with the sweetness of the apple.

Antelope osso buco with pearled barley, acacia honey, gremolata and goji berry

Duck egg flan with wild turkey, cardamom crumble and cajeta ice cream

I have never really had game meat before, and this was a great first experience both with game meat and at Whist. We both can’t wait for another dinner. Hopefully Chef Chris Crary will organize another one soon!

xox -

Grace

Categories Chef Chris Crary, Santa Monica, Top Chef

Porc Night

December 19, 2011 //

Un Petit Porc
Gram & Papa’s
227 E 9th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90015
www.ludobites.com

Note: Everyone (including myself) thought that Chef Ludo Lefebvre was the one behind Porc Night, but the recipes and cooking are all Mike Ilic, owner of Gram & Papa’s. Chef Ludo assisted with the cooking so technically it should be Mike Ilic’s Porc Night with Chef Ludo.

I have a weird relationship with pork. I love bacon and several other Korean pork dishes, but I generally dislike most other ones because of the distinctive taste and smell of pork. Because of my several somewhat traumatizing experiences with pork, I usually avoided it.

However, my relationship with pork changed when I dined at LudoBites 5.0 (my first LudoBites experience) and had Chef Ludo’s Confit Pork Belly, Raw Choucroute Thai Style, Guinness Emulsion. Oh gosh, this pork belly dish was fatty, rich, juicy, crispy, and perfectly tender — everything a pork belly should be. I loved it so much, I ordered a 2nd dish and was not willing to share with my dinner companions.

Confit Pork Belly, Raw Choucroute Thai Style, Guinness Emulsion from LudoBites 5.0
Photo Credit: kevinEats

Since Chef Ludo changed my perspective and relationship with pork, it was only fitting that I dined at Porc Night at Gram and Papa’s. The meal was served family style with a Boston Lettuce Salad as an appetizer; an entree choice of Porchetta or Capresa Sandwich; four sides of Greens, White Bean, Cheesy Polenta, and Burnt Potatoes; and a Roasted Apple and Vanilla Ice Cream with dessert.

Boston Lettuce Salad

Porchetta Sandwich

Spicy Au Jus for Porchetta

Greens

White Bean

Cheesy Polenta

Burnt Potatoes

Roasted Apple with Caramel and Vanilla Ice Cream

My only experience at Gram & Papa’s has been with LudoBites. Gram & Papa’s is only open for lunch and I haven’t had the chance to make it over for lunch so it was nice to taste Mike Ilic’s delicious Porchetta Sandwich over some beer and wine.

xox -

Joanna

Categories Chef Ludo Lefebvre, Pop-up

Seoul: Searching for the Perfect Burger

December 13, 2011 //

Since day one in Korea, I’ve been searching for the PERFECT burger – something that would satisfy my In-N-Out and Rustic Canyon cravings. While nothing compares to LA burgers, a few have actually been quite decent. With the help of Seoul Eats and his amazing post on burgers along with some other resources, I have been on the search for a “burgasm” (How I Met Your Mother).

EST. 1984
www.est1894.com
34-25 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

First burger I tried in Korea! My friends and I were actually on our way to Dillinger’s but we struggled to find it and somehow ended up at EST. 1984. There’s both an inside area and a patio area, and since we had a very large group, we took over the entire patio area.

Rotary grill

The draw of this burger joint is supposed to be the rotary grill that gives the burgers a smokier taste. While I cannot say I particularly remembered a “smoky” taste, I did, however, enjoy watching them being cooked on it! (But I can’t say the same for the cook. He did give me some weird looks as I shoved my camera in to take photos.)

I did enjoy the burgers here, but I would not say that they were even comparable to the ones at home. But the owners were very friendly and really catered everything to our needs.

Bacon and Cheddar Cheeseburger

Fry platter with fries, onion rings, chili and meatballs

Burger Score: 7/10

Dillinger’s
72-32 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
Phone: 02-793-7232

I read about this place on Seoul Eats and struggled to get there. First time we walked by, second it was closed (since it’s a pub also), but hey third time’s a charm, right? Joanna and I agree that it’s a pretty simple classic cheeseburger. It would curb my craving for a little but still not the best in Korea.

Burger Score: 7/10

Jacoby’s Burger
45-6 Yongsan-dong 2-ga, Yongsan-gu, Seoul (Near Noksapyeong station)
Phone: 02-3785-0433

By far, winner of best presentation! I went with 2 of my American friends here in Seoul, and we were so incredibly excited for the burgers. I had seen these burgers on Seoul Eats, and my friend had told me about it.

The onion ring tower on the burger was as WOW as I expected…but that’s sadly where it ends. Although the burger is pretty good in comparison to the others so far here in Korea, I was expecting WAY more because of the “wow-factor” of the presentation. We also ordered the chili fries. I know Koreans love sweet everything, but c’mon chili should still be CHILI not spaghetti sauce! However, I still did devour every bite because it was all quite good for Korea.

Burger Score: 7.5/10

Chili King
www.chilikingkorea.com
118-62 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Definitely, hands-down, no contest WINNER!

These burgers are absolutely on par with the burgers in LA. Kevin not only makes the best tasting burgers in Seoul, but he’s also so incredibly nice and friendly. The first time I went I had a Rise & Shine, which had bacon and fried egg on the burger aka my absolute favorites on a burger. Each bite was absolutely worth every calorie. I loved how juicy the patties were and how the egg yolk ran and made the burger even better. The second time I went I had a Chili Burger, which had chili and jalapeños. Thank goodness Kevin knows how to make real chili. It was absolutely perfect with the perfect amount of kick from the jalapeños.

Rise and Shine Burger

“King Kev” burger with 3 patties, cheeses, bacon, salami and onions. Kevin doesn’t believe I can accept this challenge, but I’m ready to prove him wrong before I leave Korea!

Chili Burger

Burger Score: 10/10

Overall, I would say that a quality burger in Korea is pretty hard to find. While some do exist, it can be hard if you do live far away from Itaewon like I do. So as bad as it sounds (and incredibly American), the one burger that I would say never fails is a Big Mac! Always hits the spot and you know what to expect.

XOX-

Grace

Categories Burgers, Korea, Travel

Domaine LA: Paella and Wine Night

December 12, 2011 //

Domaine LA
6801 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 932-0280

http://domaine547.com

Event Date: Sunday, 12/11/11

Domaine LA, a small mom and pop wine store located on Melrose near Hancock Park, hosted a paella night with wine selections by Jose Pastor. For $40, guests enjoyed 5 generous tastings of a variety of white and red wines and bites of 2 different paellas. One of my favorite chefs, Chef Ludo, cooked a traditional paella and squid ink paella and thankfully, there were several batches made so everyone was able to enjoy more than 1 serving of each dish.

For some odd reason, it’s difficult to find good paella in Los Angeles and the last time I had good paella was in London a few years ago. Since delicious paella is so hard to come by, I immediately purchased tickets when I heard of the event. I loved the intimacy of this event and quite enjoyed the comforting paellas and delicious wines on a chilly winter evening.

Chef Ludo playing around with ink squid

Paella w/ Chicken, Chorizo, Mussels, Clams

Of the 2, the traditional paella was my favorite, mainly because I haven’t had good, traditional paella in so long. Michelle and I got there almost an hour after the event started and we were absolutely famished. The delicious aroma of the paella almost made me drool and I was tempted to grab a spoon and take bites while Chef Ludo wasn’t looking. The rice was cooked al dente and all the ingredients were perfectly cooked and I constantly went back for more.

Squid Ink Paella

I’ve been curious to attend an event at Domaine LA since the summer and I’m glad that I finally got to attend one that I really enjoyed. I’ll definitely be attending more events at Domaine LA since the ticket prices are reasonable and the size of the events are intimate.

xox -

Joanna

Categories Alcohol Tasting, Chef Ludo Lefebvre

Thanksgiving 2011

December 8, 2011 //

I love Thanksgiving so much that I usually celebrate it 3 times: once with friends at a potluck I host, my family, and A’s family. All 3 get-togethers usually involve too much food, great company, and lots of laughter. This year was no exception and I was reminded how thankful I am for my wonderful family and great friends.

Simple tablescape for potluck with friends

I tend to keep most of my get-togethers casual, but I wanted something different for my Thanksgiving potluck this year. Instead of spreading out all over the place and eating on the sofa and random, mismatched chairs, I wanted all our friends to sit down at a table and enjoy each others’ companies.

I contemplated several different tablescape options, but in the end decided on some tulips I picked up at the Los Angeles Flower Mart and incorporated delicious tangerines as centerpieces. The tangerines were also available for friends to snack on after the meal so I loved that they served more than one purpose!

Paula Deen’s Brie En Croute

Ham with Apricot and Mustard Glaze

Turkey Pin Rolls
A good friend always makes these delicious Turkey Pin Rolls. It’s always a hit at parties and gets snatched up pretty quickly. They’re also really delicious the next day and make a great snack.