Latest Posts

  • Happy 75th Independence Day, Ancient Modern India!

    (Gerry Furth-Sides) Celebrating Indian Independence Day when on August 15, 1947 the United kingdom proclaimed the Indian Independence Act and the country began its transition into a republic (January 1950). Independence came with partition along religious lines when British India was divided into the Dominions of India and Pakis...

  • Authentic, Meticulous Vietnamese Street Food at Casual Tayho Restaurants

    (Gerry Furth-Sides) We welcome Tay Ho Restaurant Chino Hills, the second restaurant Vietname restaurant, lovingly named after the Tay Ho District located in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi.  Like the flagship restaurant in San Gabriel, it serves authentic, delicious Vietnamese street food and eclectic Asian dis...

  • “Eastside LA Meets Napa” Altamed Fundraiser Live 2022! celebrates Latino- Owned Restaurants & Wineries

    (Gerry Furth-Sides) Returning after a two-year hiatus, half-century-old  AltaMed Health Services, we were honored to attend the nation’s largest, independent federally qualified community health center held the 15th East LA Meets Napa Food & Wine Festival at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles.  The ...

  • Heka Saucery Egyptian Tomato Sauce Guarantees Perfect “Zip” to a Classic

    (Gerry Furth-Sides) Look what just arrived in the mail! Generous 25.8-ounce jar.bottles of Heka Saucery Egyptian Tomato Sauce! And in such sleek, luxurious wrappings it was tempting to leave them in the box. But, as new aficionados of tomato sauce, we were eager to try it! We also have long admired, co-founder Natalie Wiser-Oroz...

  • Saag Paneer: India’s Answer to Popeye

    If Indian Sag Paneer were an American dish there would be no need to create a Popeye to get kids to eat spinach. Or me.  I never tire of it.  This is especially true after about a decadent month of candy and spirits, like now. And it is the perfect side dish that complements all foods. […]...

  • Celebrating the Two Major Muslim “Eids”

    Muslims all over the world this week are celebrating Eid al-Adha. Eid al-Fitr, one of the religion’s principal festivals was celebrated in spring. Ken Chitwood, a scholar of global Islam, helped us understand the two Islamic festivals. Eid literally means festival or feast in Arabic. There are two major eids in the Islamic cal...

  • Must Visit Oxnard: “Not Just a Pretty Name”

    (Gerry Furth-Sides) We used to drive up to Oxnard on lazy summer evenings in the late ‘70s. The sleepy “main drag”  was a scene straight out of American Graffiti.  About the only thing missing was a Dairy Queen.   Fast forward to the present and a revamped Oxnard. It still retains the best of ...

  • Instant New Favorite! Acclaimed Chef Tony Dim Sum

    (Gerry Furth-Sides) Our meals at the highly acclaimed Sea Harbor Seafood Restaurant are lifetime memorable because of Chef Tony in the kitche. Now you can experience the reason why at Chef Tony Dim Sum in Old Town Pasadena. Here you can go in on your own in the Old Town Pasadena location. Instead of the […]...

  • “Hello Tartness, My Old Friend”

    (Gerry Furth-Sides) In the “everything old is new again,” we discover ancient ingredients that have traveled the world in classic and now new forms. Barberries, pomegranate molasses and for our kitchen, preserved lemons have become favorites as they have been for hundreds of years. And as wonderfully surprising an in...

  • Pecorino: The Wine not the Cheese!

    (Gerry Furth-Sides) Yes! Cheese is what comes to mind when you say “Pecorino”.  But the name of favorite zesty cheese has another new meaning in the wine world for a compelling white wine.  It a single grape, crisp, aromatic that is of the highest calibre and astonishingly inexpensive. Still, Food Pairing...