Gerry Furth-Sides

Must-Go! “Free Your Ethnic Inner Farmer” at the Orange Country Fair July 13- Aug 12

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The parade weaves through the fairgrounds.

(Gerry Furth-Sides) American County Fairs are as old as 1772, and the Orange County fair brings all the excitement and nostalgia of the best of them.  A celebration of Orange County’s communities, interests, agriculture and heritage – not planned in a structured, stiff commercial way, but filled with the creativity and spontaneous imagination of all the participants. And, yes, there are all kinds of frozen treats for the hot weather and the usual “everything fried”.   Below are Australian battered potatoes!  //ocfair.com.

The OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa runs through Aug. 12, offering 150 acres of carnival rides, midway games, and food.  Airy, air-conditioned exhibit halls are truly a breeze for browsing, offering a look and often a sample of everything from products to buy to handmade crafts and cooking/baking contest entries. Barns of animals and a delightful kid’s pony ride (with beautiful little horses) are just a small part of the 150 acres holding carnival rides, midway games and a hall devoted to veterans.

Interactive takes on new meaning with the theme, ” Celebrate Your Inner Farmer”. Just about every engaging square inch of the 157,000 square foot space draws you in with fascinating information.

A year-around working farm with animals and crops greet you at the front OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, CA gate.

One lively, interactive signs in the year-around garden at the OC Fairgrounds

Strolling through the gardens (glorious flowers too!)  you can trace the very food you are eating back to its source (well, veggies and fruits and herbs anyway).

A day’s worth of lively exhibits, tours, and demos are in the Culinary Arts hall alone.  Everywhere you turn, there are eye-catching exhibits, food fact signs and food, food, food. A toy train set up to show the full range of farm to table transportation runs from one end of the room to the other.

When the trains are in motion (on a regular schedule) it draws people together.  The wonderful sounds of the whistles and bells permeate the room.

On opening day, Robert Schueller of Melissa’s Produce was on stage presenting  “The Exciting World of Chile Peppers” (how chipotle and ancho got their names) and “Exciting produce trends.”  Robert introduced more exotic fruits, dragon fruit and the big, wild-looking jackfruit – and how to use them.  He reminded us that Americans are still reluctant to try new ethnic things: the Persian cucumber had to be renamed the “mini-cucumber” for US market sales.

Did you know that the mango was the most popular food in the world? In America, it is the apple. The coconut has a straw for easy drinking right out of it!

And all of the OC Fair it is fun.  The “cardboard” Robert Schueller is as live-life as you can get.   

SCAN the special tag to get information on your own computer from Melissa’s Produce!

Three Culinary Crawl Tour (“behind the scenes”) introduces the public to exhibitors in a personal way. Just sign up and follow tour guide extraordinaire Pam.  

Exhibitors include Culinary Magic, Mixology, OC Local Honey, Charcuterie, California extra virgin Olive Oil, The Fermentation Farm, DIY Kitchen Hacks, UCCE OC Master Food Preservers and Artisan Ray Duey, and M.O.F. and World Champion Pastry Chef StéphaneTréand of the Pâtisserie.  

A favorite bite of the day was Northgate Market’s spicy tacos.

tacos

UCCE OC Master Food Preservers offer kambocha tea and fruit teas — on tap!

French M.O.F. and World Champion Pastry Chef StéphaneTréand of the Pâtisserie offers our favorites canales!Pastry

OCLOCALHONEY owner, Christine Ferrian, is a devoted beekeeper & Honey broker.  Samplings were available to prove that even in Orange County, flavors of the flowers the bees visit was the message here.

The Fermentation farm (below).  Next to it, a wall of home-prepared jams and preserves (with a sign to tell the difference! Preserves are whole pieces.) The products are in the judging before the fair opens, their ribbons on display.

We were so honored to have two of our own aprons on the wall of vintage aprons from each decade. The tireless, imaginative, beautiful Culinary Arts Supervisor, Pam Wnuck created the changing display.  One was in our family in Europe, and one I made in the late ’70’s!

 

Pam also had a wonderful cookbook library “nook” with vintage cookbooks. Guests vote on their favorite each week. We learned that there is also a place now for our vintage cookbooks!  Thank you, Pam Wynuck!

And we were also thrilled to see a KIDS CAN COOK tent with a demo table.  This was the theme of our first TV campaign for California grows and the Fish Association 30 years ago!

 

The ride home – and for many days to come, was filled with images and memories of the fair.


  For more details and tickets (only $8 for adults), please see: //ocfair.com/whatsnew/tickets-sale-now-entertainment-2018-oc-fair/

 

 

Must-Go! LUCKYRICE 2018 Celebrity Asian Chefs Share Family Recipes

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(Gerry Furth-Sides) LUCKYRICE Festival 2018 in DTLA, “Breaking Bao” is a must-go:  International Asian celebrity culinary stars and popular local chefs will be sharing their family recipes and stories passed down from generation to generation in this year’s exciting focus of We were already impressed with LUCKYRICE when its focus on Asian LA remained true.  For information please see: luckyrice.com 🍚 The event is Thursday, July 26 at 7:30 PM at Vibiana in DTLA.

“Breaking Bao”, LUCKYRICE 2018 (photo courtesy LUCKYRICE)

Hosting this event is world-renowned, irrepressible Chef SusurLee, who “paves the future of global Asian culture,” and his sons, Levi, Kai, and Jet Bent-Lee. It’s a family affair in the Bent-Lee kitchen for this event.  For more information, play sees Breaking Bao Intergenerational Feast.

Chef SusurLee

Chef SusurLee (photo courtesy of LUCKYRICE)

The power of intergenerational cuisine beautifully pulls together the focus of founder Danielle Chang, who created LUCKYRICE to follow her lofty, yet life-long, passion to create a platform for Asian culture.

Los Angeles mainstays that are seldom on the event circuit include the thriving jam-packed Parks BBQ.  One of our favorites (another Korean restaurant owner first took us there, cooked for us and even fed us!)

Popular local chefs include Nguyen Tran of ButtonMash and Starry Kitchen. 

(photo courtesy of Starry Kitchen)

Acclaimed high-end restaurant local chefs include Chef Brandon Kida of the award-winning Hinoki and the Bird in West Los Angeles.

Chef Brandon Kida (photo courtesy of LUCKYRICE)

We were happy to be at the first LUCKYRICE evening at a funky Hollywood nightclub, sponsored by American Express, the first annual tour event.  LUCKYRICE carries on the mantle of another fantastically well-organized Asian charity food event that sadly angled away from strictly Asian cuisine in order to attract their young professional Asian audience.

chef, Chris Oh

LA’s celebrity chef, Chris Oh of Seoul Sausage at LUCKYRICE 2016

Asian dishes carefully labeled at the 2016 LUCKYRICE

An Asian “burger” at LUCKYRICE 2016

It seems that founder Danielle Chang will always highlight Asian cuisine because she created LUCKYRICE to follow her lofty, yet life-long, passion to create a platform for Asian culture.  She inviting message: “Come to taste the family dishes of our favorite chefs and learn the culinary history through their stories” in classes, events, and TV shows.  //localfoodeater.com/danielle-chang-announces-lucky-chow-season-2/

cocktail

LUCKYRICE 2016  cocktail bar featuring Asian fruit drinks

You can feel the passion of her Creative Director, Christine Wong, who will be cooking recipes from her upcoming book with her daughter at the event.  She is the perfect example of the ambitious LUCKYRICE™ goal to showcase Asian family dishes (@conscious cooking). //localfoodeater.com/chefspotlight/chef-christine-wong-luckyrice-creative-director-yommme-founder/.

Chef Christine Wong

Chef Christine Wong (photo courtesy of LUCKYRICE)

 

(photo courtesy of LUCKYRICE)

LUCKYRICE Festival 2018 “Breaking Bao” brings young and old together by way of highlighting generations of a special occasion, holiday and everyday family meals, along with home remedy dishes, that make up the story of Angeleno Asian cuisine. 

(photo courtesy of LUCKYRICE)

“LUCKYRICE” overall creates experiential content that cultivates and celebrates the foods and cultures of Asia. Best known for the eponymous Feast, over the past nine years, LUCKYRICE has produced over 25 food festivals across North America, and countless private events for clients, featuring cuisines from every channel of the Asian and Asian Fusion Diaspora. Over the past nine years, LUCKYRICE has fed over 50 thousand people and made an estimated 8 billion impressions through social media and traditional.

Founder Chang’s career has always revolved around pop culture, storytelling and entrepreneurship.   Danielle is the founder of the LUCKYRICE Festival, a nationwide showcase of Asian food culture in the U.S. For LUCKY CHOW, she has put together both iconic and rising star chefs to showcase current Asian culinary culture, and the stories behind why our tastebuds are gravitating East.

Born in Taipei, Danielle learned from an early age that food + family = a recipe for happiness. She learned how to make zongzi from her 98-year-old Shanghai grandmother and grew up eating chicken feet in Houston when Asian food (and Asians) were a novelty.

 

 

 

Roku, IDG Create New Concepts for dineLA July 13-July 27

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(Gerry Furth-Sides, all photos from IDG, dineLA).  Whenever people ask me where to go to eat, I always tell them to go to as many food events as they can to have a sampling of the chef’s choice and a meet-and-greet with the restaurant staff.  

Chef-designed prix fixe menus give Los Angelenos an opportunity to try new ethnic dishes during dineLA July 13-July 27  available across an array of diverse neighborhoods across the city.   //www.discoverlosangeles.com/dinela-los-angeles-restaurant-week.

Ethnic restaurant shine among the nearly 400 restaurants participating in 2018 Summer dineL.A.  IDG Restaurant Group previewed special menus at its restaurants  (ROKU, BOA Steakhouse, Katana, Sushi Roku) and is participating on both the casual and high-end levels.

Veteran restaurants that head the list include Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken’s Border Grill, which has participated in dineL.A. from the very first season;  Lucques and a.o.c. (Chef Suzanne Goin), and Josiah Citrin’s Mélisse, among the first to join dineL.A.’s Exclusive Series. Roy Choi’s Kogi Taqueria will enter for the first time.

Visitors and locals can enjoy specially-priced lunch and dinner menus at nearly 400 dineL.A. participating restaurants. Lunch menus range from $15, $20, and $25, with dinner menus priced at $29, $39, and $49, and beginning at $95 for the dineL.A. 

For more information about 10th annual 2018 dineL.A., presented by the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board, please visit dineLA.com.

In anticipation of the highly anticipated dineLA summer promotion, IDG Restaurant Group previewed special menus at its restaurants  (ROKU, BOA Steakhouse, Katana, Sushi Roku).  The restaurants will be featured on individual menus during dineLA.  And they are participating with a special menu in the upper-end ($95) (see below)

 

We love ROKU and featured their teppanyaki last spring. //localfoodeater.com/roku-adds-teppanyaki-pizazz-sunset-strip/

The special preview ROKU menu included the following:

FIRST COURSE

KANPACHI SASHIMI & ORO BLANCO w/ WASABI YUZU DRESSING

WAGYU BEEF POTSTICKERS w/ KIMCHI, CHILE PONZU

CRISPY CALAMARI w/ CHARRED JALAPEÑO GLAZE, RED ONION, THAI BASIL

 

SECOND COURSE

ROKU’S SIGNATURE STYLE SUSHI – 6 PIECE, WARM RICE SUSHI WITH CHEF SELECTION OF TOPPINGS

WOOD ROASTED SALMON w/ WASABI YUZU CRÈME FRAICHE, FENNEL, BLOOD ORANGE

NEW YORK STEAK w/ VEGETABLES, YUZU KOSHO

THIRD COURSE

MINI CHOCOLATE VOLCANO w/ VANILLA ICE CREAM

GREEN TEA TIRAMISU

Exclusive Series.

For little bit higher-end dining experience, the team at dineL.A. offers “Exclusive Series” sponsored by American Express.   The select group of acclaimed restaurants each created a special menu for the event, starting at $95.  Restaurants include:

 

Roku Restaurant on Sunset Strip in dineLA 2018

Returning dineL.A. sponsors include American Airlines and American Express.  

 

 

Rockfire Grill Introduces High Concept Indian Flatbread Pizza & Burgers

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Burgers and pizza(Gerry Furth-Sides) What are America’s most popular foods?  Burgers and pizza and chicken, french fries, potato chips, onion rings, and bacon.  So Rockfire Grill features them all, and sometimes all in one sandwich.  For the health-conscious customers, there are large salads that include “tender greens,” no relation to the famous restaurant of the same name.  There are well-thought out extras to customize the $4.99 plain Cheeseburger. “Substitutions” could be Rice paper wrap ($1.50) or a veggie patty ($2.50).  “Adds” might be an “Extra Angus Patty” and/or Avocado ($1.50 each)

The family-owned and operated fast-service eatery hangs onto a focus of America’s most popular of the top fab five: burgers and pizza.  To delineate their high concept, burgers are tucked into pita pocket bread and pizzas are prepared on Indian Flatbreads.

The Artisan” Flatbreads and Indian-style pita-pocket style buns are partially baked off-site for Rockfire Grill from a “secret recipe” and then finished off for each order.  The mix and match flatbread variations are extended with focaccia, pizzeta underpinnings.

Flatbreads

The well-calculated high concept is the brainchild of the father and son Syal family, who plan many more than the three locations they now operate in the bay cities.  Fit dad, Raj Syal, once a high-end catering chef and airline chef consultant, knows what the public likes.  Son, Neil Syal, has a business degree and social media skills to apply to promotion.

First off is that customers want food for as practical a price as possible.  And they want it fast.  That’s why Rockfire Grill has customers order at the counter, with a runner taking the food to the table.  That “runner” can often be a member of Syal’s family.

Salad

For the health-conscious: The Harvest Salad with Tender Greens, Green Apple, Tomatoes, Cucumber, Cranberry, Chopped Nuts, Honey Herb Dressing & Parmesan ($6.99)

The menu is a clear and simple one with options for burgers, large salads, side orders and pizzas.  All items are a la carte at low prices, with trendy extras,  “tender greens” ($2.oo) or order “Spinach and Kale ($2.50).

The  O.M.G.,  “o1” of six versions on the “Signature Burger” menu is a cheeseburger that piles on as many popular items as possible in one sandwich, including garlic aioli, grilled onions, onion rings, mushrooms, roasted garlic, and jalapeños.

sandwich

Housemade Seasoned Fries or Housemade Kettle chips  ($2.99) can be dipped in the aioli, chipotle ranch or barbecue sauce in plastic bottles on the table. Everything is served in disposable paper baskets with plasticware.

chips

House Made Kettle chips

Flatbread Pizza comes in ten different toppings over a cracker-thin pita bread.  Choices range from cheese topping ($6.99) to the most elaborate “Build Your Own Artisan Pie ($7.99).  Diners choose four from a list that includes the usual pepperoni, sausage, salami, olive, ham, meatballs, chicken, red onion, peppers, roasted garlic, tomato, and  mushrooms.  And there is also the more unusual pineapple, mango, gorgonzola, artichoke, and jalapeños.

Pizza

Flatbread Pizza order 02. Margherita with mozzarella, parmesan, fresh tomato & basil.

 

Burger

Carnitas Burger with pulled pork, feta cheese, salsa, jalapeños & red onions

And, in the best of all worlds, customers have the choice of eating outside or inside.  The Huntington Beach Rockfire Grill offers both. Diners can people-watch from the patio on one of the most fun walking streets in the summer.  You can smell the ocean air from the beach just blocks away.

For locations, hours and menus, please see //www.Rockfiregrill.com

Chef Tommy Tang: Brilliant Father of Modern Thai Cuisine

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Tommy Tang (Gerry Furth-Sides) Tommy Tang’s breezy, animated celebrity-filled restaurant with its reputation as serving the absolutely best modern Thai cuisine anywhere is closed now, and yet it still parallels his life. Just as the restaurant catapulted Melrose Avenue to international fame, so Tommy introduced and ignited the public’s love for modern Thai cuisine through personal appearances, his eponymous book, PBS Show, and his line of seasonings and sauces.  And he contributed to charity projects every step of the way.

I realize now, how brilliant an executive producer he always was, maintaining a “cool” demeanor at all times while convincing people in high places to fill in the pieces.   I became a part of his tv show when it filmed in China and Thailand.  I was also a member of his team of six when Tommy also almost singlehandedly, created the first Thai Festival in Los Angeles at the Design Center in 1999 and 2000.   It eventually evolved into a major civic event and moved to Thai Town, Hollywood.

Our paths first crossed when I was writing up Frommer Guides, and he was already a success in LA and New York.  I featured him in a promotion for a Waiters Race (then the one and only summer food event!) He was one of the top ten chefs in LA.,  and he was as enthusiastic when we did a “faux” race for tv publicity, as if competing for his first job.

When he was a guest on a TV Show in Beverly Hills I hosted, we had plenty of time to chat during set-up.  He was amiable and I loved his food so much I was happy to eat his food while he talked about his grand ideas for events and TV show.  And I was summoned at times to the restaurant with my husband late at night to be the requisite American when Tommy entertained top government officials.  Tommy was just the low-key guy, putting one foot in front of the other.

For his TV show, now on PBS, Tommy obtained financing for the show, which he also syndicated.  He, himself, did all the jobs on the production end except for filming.  He would have a theme – one year when I was with him, it was following the famous silk road, Marco Polo-style, to find a particular noodle he loved as a child.  He could come upon the most rustic cooking in the countryside, and within a short time, transform it into something sublime and yet with the characteristics of the historic original.

It seemed he was born with the gift.   As the eldest son of a chef whose cafe and house burned to the ground in his native Thailand when he was eight years old, Tommy began working to support his family — his father had hidden all of his cash in his bed.  Jobs ranged from factory and construction worker to phone operator. It was as a small, agile welder sent up on the high beams at building sites, that Tommy found his trademark colorful head bandana that still instantly identifies him today.

He became fascinated with America through his successful tour business of entertaining Vietnam War American soldiers on leave around Bangkok.  He immediately envisioned a career for himself as a rock and roll manager.

Tommy worked his way to America, earned himself a college degree (on a basketball scholarship in Blythe, California!).  And he began knocking on doors in the music industry.  All the while he continued to cook his superb Thai food. When Chan Dara opened in Hollywood, Tommy as chef put the place on the culinary map.

At the same time, he learned that rock music at the time had no room for minorities.  So he opened an airy, inviting, elegant restaurant in 1982 on a desolate corner of bedraggled Melrose.   With American wife, Sandi’s marketing help, he built a business it was an instant hit.  The business expanded into entertainment catering with Tommy Tang Global Cuisine Catering operated by Gary Arabia, Sandi’s brother.  Size never mattered, and the company has cooked for as many as 15,000 people (in New York City, where the kitchen took up an entire closed off side street).

Tommy’s volunteer work with Whoopi Goldberg, Billy Crystal and Robin Williams at Comic Relief, and the new Tsunami Foundation dedicated to housing young homeless in Thailand are the best known of his charity efforts.

Today Tommy is famous for:

-Pioneering  the world-famous  Melrose Avenue dining and shopping scene with the high-style Tommy Tang’s Modern Thai Cuisine which still attracts a devoted following of celebrity and neighborhood clientele

-The first chef to have his own PBS cooking show, about to start its 15th season

-The first chef to have his own international line of Thai Seasonings and Sauces

-The first bi-coastal chef

-Tommy Tang’s Global Cuisine Catering company

-His best selling cookbook, Modern Thai Cuisine 

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Plan Check Kitchen Restaurants Honor Neighborhood Ethnic Fare

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grilled pork belly

Owner and Founder, Terry Heller of Plan Check Kitchen + Bar follows the company policy with each new location featuring a nod to ethnic neighborhood fare. The K-BBQ BURGER ($15) honors its Korean neighborhood home with a grilled pork belly, kimchee, sprouting onion, gochujang bbq sauce, sesame salt and fried onions.

cruller donutThe cruller donut with fruit and cream ($6). is at all the locations

His fourth, and already very lively, Santa Monica place right off the ocean features eleven new original dishes and drinks inspired by the eastern seacoast, as another example.   “The re-conceptualized flavors inspired by the culinary roots of the surrounding neighborhood,” says Heller.The culinary team, led by Executive Chef Sean Yontz—curates a selection of seafood-focused appetizers and entrées ($3-28) that complement Plan Check’s signature lineup of towering burgers, loaded fries, and innovative condiments ($15 and up).

The new plates include twists on traditional seaside dishes of New England and the Southern Gulf, such as lobster rolls and hot fish sandwiches, amplified by ingredients commonly found across the pond in Japanese and Korean kitchens, such as kombu, ponzu, and gochujang.

They include:

Chowder Fries – housemade clam chowder, bacon, celery, and steamed littleneck clams in the shell
·         Nashville Hot Fish Sandwich – crisp mahi-mahi, Kaffir lime slaw, kombu pickles, and cayenne
·         Plan Check Lobster Roll – Kewpie mayo, gochujang, shallots, Key lime, and chives
·         Korean Cioppino – mussels, clams, calamari, shrimp, gochujang, and a soju bomb
·         Hamachi Crudo – apple, cucumber, radish, candied ginger, crispy shallot, and lemongrass-serrano ponzu
·         Lobster Pot Pie – curried lobster bisque, baby beets, green beans, corn, carrots, and potatoes
·         Seafood Platter – lobster, shrimp, calamari, mussels, clams, yuzu cocktail, and tartar sauce
·         Key Lime Pie Donut – lime curd, toasted meringue, and graham cracker crumbs, fried to order.   There is a key lime version as well.

Southern FryThe Southern Fry

cruller donutThe cruller donut with fruit and cream ($6).

The original American Hero that catapulted Plan Checks to fame at its first Sawtelle location.

One way to share them all at a practical price is Sunday brunch.

FRIED CHICKEN AND CRULLER ($12)
smokey fried jidori chicken, maple bacon donut
CHORIZO AND EGGS $12.00
cheesy eggs, potato hash
PORK BELLY BENEDICT ($12)
PASTRAMI NOSH ($14)
double smoked pastrami, melty swiss cheese, kimchi mustard, pickles, sunny fried egg

1800 SAWTELLE BLVD, LOS ANGELES CA 90025
(310) 444-1411

351 N FAIRFAX AVE, LOS ANGELES CA 90036
(323) 591-0094

1111 WILSHIRE BLVD LOS ANGELES CA 90017,
(213) 403-1616

1401 OCEAN AVE (the site faces Santa Monica Boulevard) SANTA MONICA, CA, 90401,
(310 ) 857-1364

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Domaine de Cala’s Two New Rose Must-Have for Bastille Day

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(Gerry Furth-Sides) In anticipation of the rosé season and summer entertaining, the story about this double Rosé release of 2017 Domaine de Cala Rosé and2017 Domaine de Cala Prestige Rosé, a brand created by celebrated Chef Joachim Splichal, famed Los Angeles-based Patina Restaurant Group Founder.  The family-owned and operated winery has a home in Brignoles.  How could this chef who has always served the most innovative, sublime food in his restaurant be expected to offer anything but the best wines of its kind?  And ever the German perfectionist, the rosé wine launch follows a successful year of Splichal introducing his wine in his restaurants and at events.

wine

And it is crucial to introduce a rosé in the best possible light.  For starters, it makes the first impression of the brand, and there with future plans to expand the portfolio with a red and white wine. Established in 2015, Domaine de Cala released its first vintage the same year, and proudly released its 2017 rosé and 2017 Prestige rosé in spring 2018.

Also, Rosé has had a winding sort of history although it was thought to be the first wine ever produced.  It almost went out of existence because it was considered a sweet, sort of lady’s wine, very unsophisticated until the Portuguese revived it after WWII.   And it has been the “up and comer” for the past five years at least.  It’s light, clear flavor, versatility and the festive look is perfect for summer foods, sweet and savory.  It also works beautifully for light summer evening meals.  This excellent article explains it well //www.flametreewines.com/blog/what-is-rose-wine-and-why-is-it-so-popular

wine

Splichal brought on as his partners, twin sons Stephàne and Nicolas Splichal.  The twins were raised in the wildly successful, carefully planned out business so it can’t help but be the best.    Wife and mom, Christine, who holds an MBA in international management, has always been key to bringing out the best of Joachim’s rigorous European training and culinary artistry with her own modern-day marketing savvy. And in this family with its impressive training, The family boasts extraordinary skills, 12-hour days further ensure success.

 

Chef Joachim Splichal and sons Stephàne and Nicolas Splichal

 

Proprietor Joachim Splichal returned to Provence, France, where he began his storied culinary career, to achieve the culmination of his lifelong appreciation for wine: Domaine de Cala. Located on 600 acres in Brignoles, the winery organized a group of renowned experts in viticulture to complete the Domaine de Cala team.  Splichal turned to internationally acclaimed Winery Consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt to oversee the winery operations and make its red wines; Provençal rosé expert Winemaker Bruno Tringali to develop its rosés, and Technical Manager François Rigord to manage the vineyard.  This is key in making rosé because the method of production is influential in the aromas and flavor of rosés even if the wine is primarily influenced by the particular grape varieties used to produce the wine.

For more information on Domaine de Cala and the winemaker team, visit //domainedecala.com/ or follow the global wine brand on Instagram and Vimeo.

 

Both wines are a distinct expression of their refined, Provencal roots. Splichal’s personal connection to the region of Provence is deeply established, having started his illustrious culinary career in France, cooking at Michelin-rated two- and three-star restaurants in Nice, La Napoule, and Antibes.

Rosé wines are also perfect for warm summer evening meals

In fact, Chef Joachim’s introduction to the food, culture, and overall climate of the region, combined with his early exposure to wine by having managed the cellar at his parents’ restaurant in Germany as a young adult, planted the seed that would grow into the dream of owning his own Provencal winery. In 2015, Splichal purchased the expansive lush property from French wine broker Thibaud Desprets, including a 120-acre vineyard, which had already been producing premium rosé on the land for over 60 years.

The sprawling estate features truffle trees and a wild boar population, as well as a striking winery and tasting room with rich architectural character—designed by French architects Michel Roberts and Eric McDonald—which complements an idyllic 18th-century farmhouse updated to accommodate living quarters.

“We are a passionate group of winemakers, and Domaine de Cala is a rare combination of soil and climate, carefully handcrafted to respect the fruit and enhance the extraordinary living heritage of the region,” says Splichal. “Even the cellar at Domaine is a combination of technology and simplicity that is guided by the human hand.  It is essential that we preserve the authenticity and flavors of the fruits.”

Utilizing his French culinary roots, Splichal worked his way up the ranks at some of the world’s most revered restaurants before relocating to Los Angeles where he opened Patina restaurant, the flagship which led to the Patina Restaurant Group culinary empire with over 65 distinguished restaurants and personalized catering services.

 

Bokksu Japanese Snacks Transforms Summer Citrus

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Bokksu Founder, Danny Taing, is becoming known as the “ambassador of Japanese snacks,” selling a million snacks to over 75 countries around the world in his company’s first two years in business.  The company offers the only gourmet snack box sourced and curated directly from local snack makers in Japan, has grown rapidly since its founding in May 2016 with subscribers from the United States and the UK to Singapore, Brasil, Kyrgyzstan and even Japan.

Premium subscription-based, Bokksu, offers an àla carte menu of carefully curated gourmet Japanese snacks; the only service of its kind sourced, boxed, and shipped directly from Japan. The snacks are carefully curated and hand-picked to match that month’s theme. Monthly boxes contain an assortment of savory and sweet snacks as well as a curated pairing of Japanese tea.

Bokksu

In addition, a Tasting & Cultural Guide is included that shares the story and flavors of each item in the box. //www.bokksu.com. In it Bokksu’s wonderful blogger, Julia LiMarzi presents a lively overview of citrus in Japan.

Taing lived in Japan for many years and fell in love with Japanese culture and the myriad of unique flavors he experienced, unavailable anywhere else.   “Snacking became not just a way to satiate hunger but create ritual, slow down, and create community by sharing. I discovered inspiring stories of the snack makers and the traditional recipes behind each one. Some of the snack makers Bokksu works with have been making their signature delicacies for hundreds of years, such as a 500-year-old Red Bean Paste, and the first maker to popularize Western desserts in Japan over 100 years ago.”

July features Japanese citrus, among the most valued in the world.

Japan has over 25 varieties of citrus, primarily eaten raw and also used as a  flavoring in both savory and sweet foods in Japan, such as the ubiquitous ponzu citrus sauce. Citrus is especially popular in summer for its cooling sensation. Juicy and refreshing, it’s a great pick-me-up on those hot muggy Japanese summer days when everyone is battling natsubate (夏バテ, summer fatigue).

 

Almost all citrus are descended from a few ancestral species, the most well-known of which are the Mandarin, Citron, Pomelo, and the Australian and Papuan Wild Limes. Cross-breeding, time and geographic spread have contributed to the staggering diversity of citrus we see today. Citrus fruits are known to be rich in flavonoids and Vitamin C.They are also popular year-round with both Winter and Summer varieties.

Japan’s geography has a wide range of climates, from snowy Hokkaido to Tropical Okinawa, and certain regions have been particularly fruitful for citrus growth (pun, absolutely intended). The region known as Setonaikai in Japanese has the perfect climate for citrus. Setonaikai is the Seto Inland Sea, and the land surrounding it on the edges of Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku make up its coast.

Setonaikai
Setonaikai

MIKAN

Peeled Mikan

The Mikan is the most popular citrus in Japan and is a common remedy to natsubate. It’s a hybrid of a mandarin and a pomelo native to Japan, with a higher percentage of pomelo DNA (about 22%) than most hybrids. It is sweet, seedless, and peels easily. It’s also been called Cold Hardy Mandarin, Satsuma Mandarin, Satsuma Orange, and Tangerine (a broad term applied to many Mandarin/Pomelo hybrids) in English. It is native to Kagoshima Prefecture (formerly called Satsuma), the southernmost prefecture of Kyushu, but is mostly grown in Ehime and Wakayama, both in the region of Setonaikai. Its peel brightens up the flavor in tea, also adding a wonderful fragrance. Try it in our Satsumarche Komikan Tea!

IYOKAN

Iyokan on Tree

This is the second most widely cultivated citrus fruit in Japan is a cross between a Dancy Tangerine and another Mandarin variety, with a thicker peel than a Mikan and a more tart, bitter flavor, but still more sweet than a grapefruit. The flesh has an impressive fragrance when peeled. Today, 80% of Iyokan cultivation happens in Ehime prefecture.

 

YUZU

Yuzu

We’ve written about zesty, tangy mandarin orange-grapefruit flavored The versatile fruit grows wild in Tibet and central China but is most widely cultivated in South Korea and Japan — and it now is cultivated in Southern California.  Bokksu’s 3 Zuzu-Flavored July snacks, chosen for “yuan’s wonderful aroma and intense flavor, include Handmade Yuzu Candy, Olive Oil Senbei Yuzu Pepper, and Satsumarche Yuzu Ryoku Tea.

 

SHIQUASA

Shiquasa on Udon

This very tart fruit is native to the Ryukyu island chain (which includes Okinawa) and Taiwan. It is green when young and turns yellow when ripe, and its unique tart flavor makes it an interesting alternative to lemon and lime for garnishing and flavoring. Its potent flavor partners with salt and soy sauce in this addictive Mini Fried Rice Cracker Shiquasa Salt.

 

HYUGANATSU

Hyuganatsu

Hyuganatsu is a sweet, juicy citrus variety often eaten raw the way a grapefruit would, cut in half and maybe with sugar sprinkled on top. It is light yellow in color and about the size of an orange. Like the mikan, it is a refreshing way to stave off natsubate, which is why we added Hyuganatsu Jelly to the “Citrus Refresh” Classic Bokksu. There are theories that the variety stems (haha, more plant puns) from a mutated Yuzu, or a chance cross of a Yuzu and Pomelo.

 

KABOSU

Kabosu

This sharp citrus variety is closely related to the Yuzu but has the tart bite of a lemon, often used in Japanese food as an alternative to vinegar on dishes like sashimi, cooked fish, and hot pot. It is mainly grown in Oita Prefecture, where certain regions are home to 200 and 300 year-old trees. Outside of Oita it can be a little pricey and is regarded as a delicacy.

 

BUSHUKAN

Bushukan, Buddha's Hand Fruit

Its name in Japanese (and Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese) translates literally to “Buddha’s Hand” because of its fingerlike tendrils of citrus that look like an open hand when ripe. It’s mostly prized for its fragrance, and the unripe “closed hand” is given as an offering in Buddhist temples as a symbol of prayer. It has very little pulp and juice, so it isn’t popular for eating, but the zest can be used to add flavor to many dishes or candied as a sweet snack.

Previous boxes featured limited edition Kit Kats such as Mandarin Orange and exclusive collaboration with world-renowned Japanese pastry shop ChikaLicious.

Poised to redefine worldwide snacking traditions, Bokksu is the only subscription box service of its kind delivering a curated mix of gourmet, traditional, and longtime family-favorite snacks directly from Japan. A combination Tasting Menu and Culture Guide is included in every Bokksu along with a tea pairing.

Since the company’s inception, Bokksu has developed somewhat of a cult following where subscribers celebrate the monthly arrival of their Bokksu snack box with Bokksu snack parties.

 

 

French Influence in Jenn Segal’s The Once Upon a Chef Cookbook:

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Jenn Segal

Jenn Segal meticulously signing books

(Gerry Furth-Sides) First of all, chef Jenn Segal generously shared with us, that the title of her new book, The Once Upon a Chef Cookbook: 100 Tested, Perfected, and Family-Approved was chosen only because a publisher came after her, after being impressed with her popular blog of the same name.

And rightly so.   Jenn’s must-have book of extraordinary family-friendly recipes using fresh, interesting ingredients also offers valuable professional tips.  Advice includes how to season correctly with salt, balance flavors, and how to make the most of scraps and leftovers.  It is ideal for introducing ethnic-influenced dishes into meals with such recipes as Peruvian Chicken with Green Sauce, Persian Kofta with Tzatziki, and Moroccan-style Brisket with Dried Fruit and Capers.

 

pan-seared halibut with cherry tomatoes & basil

The “pro tip” for pan-seared halibut with cherry tomatoes & basil is a quick sear in a hot, hot pan

Jenn’s own “Once upon a time” story began when, as a passionate young cook, she wanted to publish a cookbook.  A la Julia Childs, Jenn spent years, meticulously writing a very long one – only to be told by an agent she had no chance of publishing it.

Jenn Segal (Photo courtesy of the author)

As undeterred as Julia, Jenn went in a different direction than resubmission. She polished her French and family cooking, first as an au pair in Paris and in southern France.  She earned a French culinary school degree (“the most fun I ever had!”), then cooked in the kitchens of the acclaimed L’Auberge Chez Francois, using a step stool to reach the stove and coming home, crying, each evening from the “male culture” attitude.  Read the story in her own words: ////www.onceuponachef.com/about

The work paid off.  She subsequently became director of marketing for a prominent restaurant group in the Washington, D.C. area.  Jenn’s recipes have since been featured on numerous websites, magazines, and television programs, including The Huffington Post, WJLA’s Good Morning Washington, and Parade.com.

Jenn comes well prepared always. Her detailed notes for a demo are seen here under a table.

The results of her work and home experiences culminate in The Once Upon a Chef Cookbook.   They are clearly represented in our favorite bite, “Luscious Lemon Squares”, outshining our former favorite from the famous Joan’s on Third.  The secret?  Jenn and her friend tested over 200 variations until they agreed upon this one with a crisp shortbread crust and lemon zest.  Her Maryland Crabcakes feature the best of Americana, with a hint of French flavoring in the tartar sauce.

Lemon Squares

Luscious Lemon Squares outdo even the famous Joan’s on Third.

 

Crab Cakes

The best of easy-to-make, bold-flavored Americana.  Solid Maryland-Style Crab Cakes, rich with lump crabmeat and “just enough filler” to bind them together.  Celery adds an unusual crunch.

 

tartar sauce

Crabcake tartar sauce – Dijon mustard adds a light French touch.

Recipes cover every meal of the day.  Simple soups, salads, and sandwiches make ideal lunches or can be paired for casual early dinners.  Fiery Roasted Tomato Soup and Smoked Gouda & Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwiches is a delicious example.  Ethnic food plays a part here in the roasted tomatoes, basil and heavy cream combination we all know and loves as the classic Italian Caprese salad trifecta of flavors.  Fire-roasting the tomatoes is also key.

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Smoked Gouda & Pesto make these “grown-up” versions of Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.

Oh, and we almost forgot.  In between restaurant jobs, she had a dessert company!  Jenn ruefully laughs today about the sad ratio of income vs time she poured into each creation.  However, because of it,  Persian Lime Key Lime Pie, Jenn’s Toffee Almond Sandies and a Classic Chocolate Lover’s Birthday Cake star in The Once Upon a Chef Cookbook dessert section.

The well-respected Chronicle publishers enthuse, “This is the book you’ll turn to again and again. With Jenn by your side in the kitchen, every meal will taste like the best night out.”  They are absolutely right.

Almond Sandies

Toffee Almond Sandies

 

Pearl’s BBQ June 8- July 1 Picnic Deep in the Heart of DTLA

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(Gerry Furth-Sides) Pearl’s Texas BBQ celebrates a Good Ol’ fashioned five-day (June 27-July 1, noon to 9 PM) Fourth of July Texas Picnic, worthy of its name, right smack in downtown Los Angeles.   Live Music, Full Bar and ice cold Beer, Games and the best BBQ west of Texas headlines the event.

Live Music from Alice Wallace on Friday, June 29th, 2018, Ted Z & The Wranglers on Saturday, June 30th, 2018, and a performance from Rob Leines on Sunday, July 1st, 2018, noon to 9 pm.  Games like Corn Hole, Horseshoes and Rope-A-Steer take place all weekend.

Classic BBQ style service at Pearls

The story for me at Pearl’s BBQ is three words long:  Texas BBQ Rib.  Before I got to help open the Baby Blues BBQ in Venice,  all BBQ was equal and fantastic – with a preference for pork if I was asked.  At BBQ, original owners Jimmy, Danny and Rick would pile a variety of ribs on a plate for us, then hover — “what do you like best?”  As much as I love pork, the carnivore in me settled on the larger, meatier and, yes, less fatty, Texas Style Rib — so much so that ever since I can feel my face break out into a spontaneous  grin as soon as that bone is in sight, on a plate or in a take-out box.  Sigh.  Sauce, as they say, is “frosting on the cake.”

In American style ribs, beef or pork racks, are served with various barbecue sauces to be “torn” apart by hand, then the meat is eaten from the bone.  By the way, one order of the Texas beef ribs at Pearl’s holds about four servings.

Ribs

A thing of beauty: Pearl’s BBQ smoked Texas-style Ribs (photo courtesy of Pearl’s BBQ)

Beef short ribs are the equivalent of spare ribs in pork, with beef short ribs but almost always larger and meatier than pork ribs.  And it is served, classic-style, with two pieces of white bread that make me long for meals in Watts at the Lark.

Smoked BBQ Ribs

Pearl’s Smoked BBQ Ribs

“Boneless” short ribs are cut from either the chuck or plate and are made up of rib meat separated from the bone.   Brown and bland, to me it is a thing of beauty.

short ribs

Key to the taste is the smoker. Pearl’s BBQ’s 1,000-gallon smoker, a big, impressive number created by at Fat Stack Smokers in Sun Valley, holds court on one side of the dining feed.

Dale (left) overlooking a party at Pearl’s BBQ

Pitmaster-owner Blanchard and his team push out dozens of brisket slabs on it daily, along with beef short ribs and sausages.  

Pitmaster, owner Dana Blanchard trained with the best pitmasters in Texas is the designated  “Head Cowboy”  at Pearl’s BBQ.  His training from the best Pitmasters in Texas complement the superb smoker quality.  All the meat real handcrafted Texas smoker with white oak wood, only C.A.B. or Certified Angus Beef. 

Pitmaster Blanchard all decked out (photo courtesy of Pearl BBQ)

Pearl’s BBQ 16 -hour Smoked Brisket and 12- hour Smoked Beef Short Ribs.  

Smoked Brisket

Pearl’s BBQ – Smoked Brisket, Sliced

Across the way at one end of Pearl’s “half an acre” is their gleaming Airstream trailer. Meals of brisket, ribs, and chicken are handed out on country cardboard trays with parchment paper liners.  individual containers hold generous portions of Cowboy Roy’s HandmadeBaked Beans, and Coleslaw with house-made mayo or creamy Potato Salad complement the meat.

 

 

Pearl’s BBQ Homemade Apple Pie and Grandma Pearl’s Pecan Pie are made from secret recipes handed down for five generations

Pecan Pie

Pearl’s Pecan Pie with whipped topping

The picnic area, big as a football field, is matched by a field three times the size outside the fence.  Right off Santa Fe Street, near the LA River, (and the 10 freeway entrance) there is also parking right outside of Pearl’s BBQ.  The big picnic area is matched in size by a field three times as big right outside the fence to the right.

A view from the bar – smoker on the left, airstream on the right. (photo courtesy of Pearl BBQ)

 

A Full Bar, including Tito’s Vodka and Jack Daniels, also includes ice-cold beers, such as Lone Star Shiner and Coors Banquet.  Bottles of non-alcoholic, refreshing Big Red Soda, Classic Mexican Cola and Nesbitt’s Honey Lemonade will also be served.

For complimentary tickets to Pearl’sBBQ 4th of July Texas Picnic please visit Eventbrite – Pearl’s BBQ Memorial Day Picnic BBQ.   Pearl’s BBQ is open daily from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm ‘or’ until sold out. For more information please visit www.PearlsBBQLA.com.

 

 

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