New Blog, New Life!

I haven't physically moved yet but I've gotten a jumpstart on my new blog, An American in Ireland. I leave in two weeks and wanted to hit the ground running as soon as I arrive, hence setting up the new blog now. Though I'm heading into the great unknown, knowing you'll share in my adventures makes me feel a little less nervous! Please head over to An American in Ireland to see what's up with me!

Finally, an Update...and it's a Big One!

Snaps from Drogheda, the town where I will be living

It's been way too long since I've updated my blog; my only good excuse is that I've been in the midst of plotting and planning a big move, which has distracted me from just about everything else in my life for the last couple of months. But I'm happy to announce that all of my efforts have paid off: On March 3rd, 2010, I will be moving to Ireland.

For the last few years, I've been itching to live abroad - something I've never done in my life. My job as a freelance writer is quite flexible, and I can really do the work from anywhere, so I finally decided to take the plunge late last year and apply for a special crafts (writers/artists) visa in Ireland. Last week, they actually said yes!

I guess I better learn to love Guinness!

I have a lot to do before my move, but I'm absolutely thrilled to start this new chapter of my life. My goal? To immerse myself in Irish culture, cuisine and people and to write about those experiences for various publications and perhaps even in book form. My hope? That this will change my life in more ways than one. Vague, I know, but right now I feel like anything - and everything - is possible.

Downtown Drogheda

This isn't goodbye; I will be starting a new blog once I arrive and am in the process of setting it up right now. Check back soon for a proper link, click it, and follow me on my new journey! And please feel free to leave recommendations and advice in the comments section...

Sidestreets in downtown Drogheda

Lazy Ox Menu is Here!

Josef Centeno's Lazy Ox Canteen is opening its doors next week (or the week after, you know how these things go), and the menu is prepped and ready to go on his website. Highlights - at least for me - include the chicken livers with whole-grain mustard and guanciale, the charred octopus with pickled shallots, corona beans, garlic rapii and calamari vinaigrette, and the grilled beef petite tender with kennebec frites and warm marrow butter on toast.

This weekend, the chef will be getting inventory and prepping. All of the inspections are done, with the exception of the health department who comes tomorrow. The staff will spend the next week getting trained and the chef will break in his new kitchen, including the woodfire oven. The tentative opening date is December 17th, which, in a cruel twist of fate, is the same night I have reservations at LudoBites. Then again, I could have bigger problems than having to wait a day for Lazy Ox while feasting on Chef Ludo's magnificent creations, right?

Local Flavor: Quinn Hatfield Talks Tongue Tacos and Hostess Baseballs...

Welcome to “Local Flavor,” a new weekly-ish column on Rainy Days and Sundays. Every column will feature a local chef, sommelier or tastemaker talking about his/her favorite local eats. Featured this week is Chef Quinn Hatfield, of the much-lauded Hatfield’s restaurant. Foodies all over town are waiting with baited breath for the opening of the new Hatfield’s location, which takes the place of Red Pearl Kitchen on the corner of Melrose and Highland. According to the chef, he and his wife, business partner and pastry chef Karen will start cooking “friends and family” dinners in late December and are aiming for a January 1, 2010 open date. Needless to say, I can’t wait!

1) Favorite neighborhood joint?

Quinn: I love to walk down to Blue Jam Cafe on Melrose for breakfast. “Kamil's Breakfast” is a favorite race day meal, on days that I have bike races. It is kind of a good luck tradition!

2) Favorite high-end restaurant?

Quinn: My last meal at Providence was really fantastic.

My Favorite Hangover Breakfast, Chocolate Cake, Steak and More...

I was going to write about some of the food I’ve been cooking this week, but sadly my camera needs some TLC (the filter is so bent from being dropped that it cannot be removed, and there are a few pieces of lint conveniently tucked in between the filter and the lens, adding beautiful black specks to every photo I take) and therefore I don’t have any photographic evidence of my cooking conquests for the week.

Seems to me that this is the perfect opportunity to do a list of some sort (I do love me some lists, let me tell you!). Today, I’m featuring the long-winded yet appropriately titled, “Foods that I Generally Love and Where You Can Get the Best of Said Foods” list. I’m a bit brain dead today, so please forgive the literal and lackluster title. Hopefully, you’ll find the content more appealing.

A Great Sandwich

It’s simple, really: Two slices of bread and a number of fillings in the middle does a sandwich make. However, it wrecks my head how difficult it can be to find a good-tasting, well-constructed sandwich. Some sandwiches are tasty, but perhaps the bread is so overly toasted or thick that it scrapes up the roof of one’s mouth, while others may be well-constructed but ill conceived otherwise (example: layering lots of “slick” ingredients on top of each other like roasted peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers and having it all squirt out one side as you take a bite from the other). There are sandwiches so big, taking a bite requires surgical restructuring of one’s jaw. There are others that are too soggy from over mayo-ing or saucing, and some so dry you feel like you’re competing in a Saltine eating contest. Ever try that? Without water, it’s nearly impossible to eat 10 Saltines at once!

One of the most memorable I’ve had was a shrimp po’ boy at the Sandcastle Café & Grill on Saint Simons Island in Georgia. The lightly battered and fried shrimp, still warm from the fryer, sat atop a bed of freshly shredded, cool iceberg lettuce and was coddled between two slices of a chewy/crispy baguette that was lightly brushed on the inside with a tangy house mayo. Two, thin slices of red, ripe tomato added a slight sweetness and balance to the savory notes of the sandwich. The best part? Bite after bite, the sandwich held together beautifully. The photo above was the last bite of one-half of the sandwich, and look! Everything is still in its rightful place. I seriously dream of this sandwich!

The Hostesses with the Mostesses....

Jaden, the guest of honor, shows off some caviar

A good party has to have a few essentials: Great food, fabulous drinks, a good mix of guests and some form of entertainment. And I do believe that nobody knows this better than Diane and Todd, who are getting as well-known for their magnificent parties as they are for their much-beloved blog, White on Rice Couple.

A beautiful evening on the patio in downtown LA

Case in point: The celebratory party for Jaden Hair and her new cookbook, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook. The party started off on the gorgeous patio of Diane and Todd’s downtown loft, and featured Pama Liqueur cocktails that were mixed up by Jaden herself. It was the perfect way to unwind from the day, mingle with the guests (who were mostly food journalists) and get to know each other a little bit. The hosts served up Jaden’s chicken eggrolls by the dozen along with everybody’s party favorite, blinis with caviar and crème fraiche.

Local Flavor: Ludo and Krissy Lefebvre Talk Urasawa, Sprinkles and...KFC?

Ludo & Krissy - photo credit: Jo Stougaard

Welcome to “Local Flavor,” a new bi-weekly column on Rainy Days and Sundays. Every column will feature a local chef, sommelier or tastemaker talking about his/her local favorite eats. This week: Chef Ludovic Lefebvre and his business partner and wife, Kristine, who are currently working on the next incarnation of their roving restaurant LudoBites (coming to Royal/T Café in Culver City for 13 days in December), sit down and share their favorites (and not-so-favorites) from the SoCal food scene.

1) Favorite neighborhood joint?

Ludo: Kaya Sushi in El Segundo. When we lived in Venice we used to go to the location in Marina del Rey all the time. I love Asian food and they have a great mix of Japanese and Korean.

Krissy: I agree with Ludo on Kaya, it is definitely a favorite. I LOVE the Japchae noodles. Although it is a bit further away (closer to my old neighborhood), Typhoon is still my ultimate favorite neighborhood joint.

2) Favorite high-end restaurant?

Ludo: I have not been to a high-end restaurant since I returned from Las Vegas. I had many great high end meals in Vegas, but now back in LA I mostly focus on exploring new different cuisines. I am always looking for new inspiration. If I had to pick a high-end restaurant it would be Urasawa, and I loved my meals at Hatfield's.

Krissy: Unlike Ludo, I have a really hard time going to high end restaurants. Ludo is simply happy to have someone else cook for him, but I can't help myself and compare every meal to his cooking. I am so spoiled. I have eaten probably 100+ meals at L'Orangerie and Bastide. How do I ever enjoy anything else? My favorite high-end restaurant is definitely my own kitchen when Ludo is cooking. Nothing tops it.

That Pork Used to be A Pig, Ya Know...

Gordon Ramsay photo courtesy of the Mail Online

There’s been a lot of talk lately on the topic of whether or not we, as humans, should eat meat. About a month ago, the New York Times published a frightening article about one woman’s health crisis after consuming tainted hamburger meat, and of course there’s Jonathan Safran Foer’s recently published and much-ballyhooed book, Eating Animals, which takes a firm stand against factory farming and makes a strong case for vegetarianism.

I eat meat, and I have no plans to give that up. I choose free-range, cruelty-free meat, which costs more but is ultimately better tasting, better for the environment and for the animals themselves. In my mind, an animal that’s had a happy life tastes better (I realize many vegetarians will disagree with me on this one!).

One chef who seems to be putting his money where is mouth is on the subject is Gordon Ramsay. Don’t get me wrong: Ramsay, with his piping-hot temper and inability to articulate himself without the use of the word “f*ck” every five seconds isn’t exactly the most beloved chef of our time. There have been allegations of an affair and other personal and professional missteps. Frankly, I could give a toss about those things. What I do admire about him is that on his BBC show – appropriately titled “The F Word” – Ramsay is showing the world where his food comes from, and isn’t afraid to get personally involved with it.

Of Gumption and Gumbo

It's undeniable: There's just something special about New Orleans. Even before the will of its people was tested by "The Storm," as locals call it, even before being completely abandoned by its government, and nearly forgotten after the other storm (the one of the media variety) died down, it was something else. And after all that? To say that the hardships endured by this city and its loyal residents brought out a kind of character and might and determination that us outsiders didn't think existed would be an understatement.

Bring on the Cold! Spicy Thai Curry Soup

I love cold weather, probably because it's so rare here in Los Angeles. While my friends back east and on the other side of the pond envy our near perfect, SoCal weather, I find myself craving cold, crisp breezes and, occasionally, bitter, freezing rainstorms. Do you know how depressing it is to wake up every Christmas morning to 82-degree warmth and blue, cloudless skies? Just once, I want to open my presents wrapped in a cozy, velvet robe in front of a roaring fireplace while the weather outside is frightful.

Best Deal in Town: Drago Centro Bar Menu

Things I love about happy hour: Catching up with friends after work. Good deals on drinks and food.

Things I don’t love about happy hour: An array of cheap, fried foods. Good deals on bad drinks. Loud crowds, with lots of “woo-hooing” going on (see the Yard House). The very small window of opportunity (5 p.m. – 7 p.m.) for the good deals.

The reasons above are why I am utterly in love with Drago Centro’s bar menu. The bar menu is pretty damn cheap, and includes some good wines for $5-$6 a glass, German beers for $4 a glass and a variety of specialty cocktails at $5. Wine choices like the Quattro Mani Montepulciano, Abruzzo, a great medium-bodied red with a hint of fruit, and cocktail selections like the Passione 5 (vodka, lychee, fresh peach) are always a hit with my friends and me, and at five bucks a pop, it’s a great deal as well.

Chef Celestino’s bar food menu is even more impressive, with tasty shareable small plates like the la bruschetta di mare (marinated anchovies, onions, tomato on crostini), due kobe hamburgers and the la pizza ai gamberi (shrimp, corn, mozzarella pizza on a very thin crust). Most items are under $5, with a few priced $7 - $9 (still very reasonable). Though the bar menu is served only in the bar area, you can order items off the restaurant menu at the bar if you prefer.

I like Drago Centro’s bar space because it’s laid-back and elegant without being fussy or snooty. There is a plasma television for those who want to catch whatever game is on but it’s never blaring or intrusive. There are lovely cheesy breadsticks along the long, marble table of the bar area and the service, while it can be a bit slow at times (typically all orders in this area is handled by the bartender, so it’s understandable), it’s totally worth the wait.

On a recent visit, my friend Steve and I each had three drinks (wine for me, cocktails for him), and shared three plates. Our total? $45 total, plus tax. What a steal! Oh, and this menu is available during restaurant hours - not just happy hour.

Coming Soon: Centeno's Lazy Ox

“Where the heck is Josef Centeno?”

It’s a question I hear occasionally in foodie circles. The celebrated chef, who had successful stints at Meson G and Opus, spent about a minute at Lot 1 in Echo Park before disappearing for a while. He then popped up as a consulting chef at Pasadena’s Bar Celona, and successfully transformed a mediocre menu into something pretty special. Well, come the end of November (fingers crossed) Centeno will open his much-anticipated Lazy Ox Canteen in the Little Tokyo district of Los Angeles. So far, so good: he’ll have all required permits by the end of this month.

Today, he gave me a preview of both the space and his menu.

Clearly there’s still a lot that needs to be done, but the space is starting to come together. The main dining room will feature a completely open kitchen with a wood stone oven. The bar area, which is situated directly next to the kitchen space, will seat 11 and offer an array of beers on tap and in bottles, and a good assortment of wine. In a nod to the district in which the restaurant resides, Centeno will also offer sparkling sake and a number of small-brew Japanese beers. Though he’s not sure it’ll make it on the final list, he talked about a Japanese oyster beer he tried the other day and liked.

The dining room will have two, 8-foot communal tables as well as banquettes and tables that will seat a total of 58 indoors, with patio tables that will accommodate an additional 18 seats. Business partner and restaurateur Michael Cardenas is handling the interior design, which will be “lots of wood, earth tones and concrete floors,” said Centeno.

As for the food, it will reflect Centeno’s diverse tastes. There will be a “daily specials” blackboard, with items like Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Biscuits & Bacon Gravy, Whole Boiled Dungeness Crab with Louis Dressing & Cucumber Salad, and Confit Duck Leg with Cocoa Picada, Lentils & Quince. There will also be a blackboard dedicated to gastropub fare like cheeses, cured meats and terrines, Centeno’s signature bacos and burgers. A note regarding the burgers: The chef will be grinding his own meat and baking his own burger buns, and announced that after much effort, he’s finally got the buns right. In fact, he plans to bake all of the restaurant’s bread in-house.

The a la carte menu consists of shared plates, salads, vegetables, meats and pastas, and is a mix of classic Centeno favorites (Sashimi of Yellowtail with Castelvetrano Olives, Pomegranate & Fuyu Persimmon and Hand-torn Pasta with Sunny Side Egg, Brown Butter & Citrus Vinegar) and challenging new dishes like House Made Merguez Sausage with Olive Oil Crushed Potato, Pickled Onion & Parsley Salad and Charred Octopus with Pickled Shallots, Corona Beans & Garlic Rapini. This menu will change daily or weekly. Because he doesn’t already have enough to do, Centeno is also handling the desserts. Right now he’s got a pistachio tart, blood orange flan, chilled rice pudding, and chocolate torchon – among others - on his tentative dessert menu.

Though in the beginning, Lazy Ox will open for dinner only, Centeno eventually plans to roll out a daily brunch menu (8 a.m. – 3 p.m., tentatively). A sample brunch menu he shared includes sweet dishes like the Fat Waffle with Whipped Butter & Stone fruit Marmalade and Brioche French Toast with Apple-Licorice Butter, plus a number of savory items including his well-known coddled egg with cream of wheat, the Breakfast Baco (chorizo, eggs, salsa) and an oyster po’boy with homemade Sriracha aioli.

Hungry yet?

The Lazy Ox Canteen is scheduled to open November 23rd. Parking is available in the lot at the corner of 2nd and San Pedro, for $4 after 4 p.m. and $2 on weekends.

235 S. San Pedro (between 2nd and 3rd)
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Much Ado About Dublin

Lamb with a vegetable tart at the famed Patrick Guilbaud restaurant
I'm currently writing a feature on a foodie few days in Dublin, Ireland, so I can't write too much about it here. But here are some photos that capture the wonderful time I had in this most majestic city. Enjoy!

A proper scone with jam and clotted cream at the Merrion Hotel. Starbucks "scones" are more like gigantic, doughy hockey pucks compared to these light, buttery confections!

Gorgeous teacakes inspired by real works of art at the Merrion Hotel.

Real Irish brown bread at the Cellar Restaurant. The texture is a bit crumbly on the inside, which I've heard is a good thing. It was hearty and delicious.

The architecture around Dublin is really something to see. There are modern structures and buildings that are hundreds of years old, like this one. I highly recommend the bus tour - it's a great way to get an overview of the city before taking it on by foot.

Ahhhhh - a good, strong cup of tea with milk! I drank many, many cups of tea during my trip. "Want a cup of tea?" is probably one of the most commonly asked questions in Ireland.

The famed Grafton Street, the shopping/dining hub of Central Dublin. It's always bustling with activity and makes for fantastic people watching!

Antique Guinness bottles at the Guinness factory in Dublin. No visit to Dublin would be complete without a tour (you can explore it on your own or do a guided tour), which ends with a free pint of Guinness!

An Offal Good Time: St. John, London

Before I embark on a trip, I always ask my foodie friends, bloggers and local chefs where I should eat at any given destination. The response when I inquired about London was overwhelming; there were numerous one-off recommendations for a variety of Indian restaurants, fish and chip shops, weekend farmer’s markets and particular, must-have dishes (English breakfast, Chocolate Flake, a “real” cup of tea, etc.). With only 48 hours in the city, I felt overwhelmed with choices. But one restaurant garnered multiple recs, including from Jonathan Gold himself: St. John.

St. John restaurant is the creation of Chef Fergus Henderson, known for his use of offal (nose-to-tail dining, as they say). With no formal training, Henderson learned how to cook from his mother, and the result is unfussy, simple but wildly flavorful and inventive dishes.

The interior of the restaurant was simple: white walls, plain wooden tables and chairs and wait staff dressed in basic white shirts and black pants. The menu, which changes almost daily, offered a head-scratching array of selections (“Grilled Puffball with Green Sauce” and “Stinking Bishop & Potatoes” were particularly odd-sounding). Our waitress kindly explained that Puffball is a type of mushroom that puffs up and emits a brown dust-like cloud when it ripens, and that Stinking Bishop is actually a kind of smelly cheese. While both sounded appealing (hey, we like that kind of thing!), I went with the classic Roasted Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad, and Alice got the Beetroot, Boiled Egg & Anchovy while Graham chose the Gloucester Old Spot & Celeriac (translation: thin slices of a particular breed of pig served with a celery-root slaw).

All the starters were excellent, particularly Graham’s Old Spot. The slices of pork were tender and lean, and framed with a thick thread of tasty fat. The marrow, which I spread on toast, glistened of fatty goodness and played well with the lemony parsley salad. The boiled eggs’ bright orange/yellow yolks were creamy and rich, the perfect compliment to the fresh beetroot and salty anchovy.

Though I usually balance a rich starter with a light entree, there are no light entrees here and that was just fine with me. We reasoned that we’d need the hearty fare to combat the London chill that was descending on the evening…or something like that. I selected the Smoked Eel with Rashers and Mashed Potatoes. Now I’ve only ever had eel Japanese-style, which is heavily marinated and typically served over rice in a bowl or as sushi nigiri (both which I LOVE). But this was entirely different: the eel had a reddish color and was thick and juicy, not at all when I’d expect from a smoked fish. The flesh was so tender it separated with just a touch of the fork – lush, velvety, fantastic. I have never seen eel like this on a menu in the states, but if anyone knows where I can get this, please leave a comment with the pertinent info! I must, MUST have this again.

Alice got the Grouse, which is a type of bird resembles a cross between a chicken and a rooster, and Graham got the Faggots & Butterbeans (another name that begs explanation). A faggot is a traditional dish in the UK and is a meatball made from meat off-cuts and offal, especially pork (heart, liver, fatty belly meat, bacon, etc.). Both gave their dishes a major thumbs-up. Normally when trying new foods I’m all for sharing, but I didn’t want to give up more than one bite of my eel – it was that good. Besides, they live in London and I don’t, so I felt my stinginess was justified!

Though we were pretty much bursting at the seams, we could not leave without dessert, and the one that stood out as a must-eat was the spiced fruit loaf with warm butterscotch sauce and ice cream. It was sweet, tangy and absolutely sinful, and the perfect end to such a sumptuous meal.

Thanks to everyone who insisted I try this remarkable restaurant. It was truly the highlight of my short time in London, and the eel was perhaps the best meal of my entire three-week trip.

When Irish Eyes are Smiling

Been terrible about posting because I am still traveling. Last day in Ireland today, so I'll hold you over with some photos and promise proper posts when I return. It's been a whirlwind of fun, alcohol and adventure! More soon...

Guinness, the national drink. I have to say that I am not crazy about the dark stuff, but I did drink some as it would be blasphemous not to while here.

Sinead, who I met when we moved into the same house while I was in college in San Francisco. We've been friends for 12 years now!

Steak and Guinness pie, a real typical Irish meal. It's heavy but very good - real stick-to-your-ribs type fare!

Part of the Roche family, who I had the pleasure of hanging out with while here in Broomfield. A rowdy and fun bunch.

Off on the high seas...

I'm writing you from the Queen Mary 2, which is now somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. We left NYC yesterday and will be in England in 5 more days. I won't blog much from here I will as soon as I return in a couple of weeks (staying in the UK for a bit). Above is a photo of these delicious canapes that were waiting for me in my cabin when I arrived. This ain't no Princess cruise, it's the QM2, and they sure know how to sail in style! More soon!

A Sweet Token of My Appreciation

As most of you know, the mountains of Los Angeles have been ablaze for the last several days, and the worst is not over. Here in Pasadena, the fires have already destroyed thousands of acres, and the air - even down in the flatlands where I live - is full of smoke and ash.

Recently fellow foodblogger Susan of Open Mouth, Insert Fork told me about how the Pasadena Humane Society is taking the pets of displaced residents. Many people are having to stay at hotels or motels that do not allow pets, so the PHS is working around the clock to house and care for these people’s beloved animals. Needless to say, they need money to help pay for all the extra man hours.

The firefighters, too, are working overtime. I often wonder how these men and women do it, how they can go to a job every day that pretty much requires them to stare directly into the very soul of fear itself. I flip out when I see a spider crawling up my bedroom wall. I cannot fathom how someone can walk into a burning building, knowing full well of the risks, and do what he/she needs to do to save a life or a structure or an animal. But I'm sure as heck grateful that they do!

Lately I’ve been wondering what - if anything - I can do to help. After some consideration, I decided that I could bake up some treats for the hardworking folk at the local humane society and fire station. Last night, I found a British recipe for Bacon, Onion and Cheese muffins, and thought that sounded like the perfect thing to make. WHAT AN EPIC DISASTER!! I think I converted the measurements wrong and what I ended up with was three dozen hockey pucks that tasted more like salty plastic than anything remotely resembling bacon, onions or cheese. I chose not to post a photo because, believe me, you would shrink back in horror at the mere sight of them. It was utterly frustrating but I refused to throw in the towel. I mean, if a humane society volunteer or firefighter gave up after one try at their various, back-breaking tasks, we’d all be screwed. So I cleaned up the mess, assessed my pantry and started over. My problems, clearly, are very minor in the scope of things.

Thankfully I had some chocolate chips, butter, sugar, oatmeal and more flour. Cookies! It’s nothing fancy, but at the end of a long day, a few homemade cookies might help just a tiny bit. So today I’m going to drop off some of my Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Chip Crunch cookies to both places (along with a donation to the Humane Society since cookies don’t pay the overtime!) and hope that it helps bring a smile to these selfless public servants. I used a simple Tollhouse recipe but threw in some oats and corn flakes, and used dark chocolate chips. I invite you, fellow SoCal food bloggers, to join me in feeding these diligent workers. Don’t drive up to the front lines or anything – just take some treats to your local fire station or animal rescue shelter.