Korean in Florida

While visiting my old home base of Florida for my lovely friend Jenn’s wedding, I was determined to meet up with as many of my old Floridian friends as possible. Being the wonderful friend that Sean is, he kindly offered to make the long haul all the way from Orlando to Tampa (where my trip was based) to meet the rest of us for lunch. It was a fun reunion of the Florida gang who used to drink and be merry in years since past. However, we are apparently now older and wiser, and meet up for lunch rather than for binge drinking while watching Monday Night football at the local ale house. Wow, how times have changed. 

After deciding on Korean food as our cuisine of choice (which of course we were all up for), Sean selected a Korean Restaurant he had heard good things about. Sa Ri One …a tiny little hole-in-the-wall kind of place in Tampa, freeway adjacent. Why not have Korean for Sunday Brunch?! The place looked kind of sketchy from outside, but we were pleasantly surprised by the interior décor and privately screened, oversized booths. Once inside, it’s actually quite a quaint little place. It was very clean with decent ambient lighting and seemed to be family run. The service was fast and attentive, which was important, given that we were in a time crunch to make our early afternoon flight.

After receiving our food, it was perfect! We nearly ordered one of everything from their menu, since none of us at the lunch are exactly food shy. The crispy egg rolls were cooked to perfection and accompanied with a sweet chili dipping sauce that was to die for. We even asked for seconds on the sauce. The Ba Bim Bop shrimp dish with fried egg on top was gloriously toasty. The Korean short ribs were sweet and succulent. The only lackluster dish was the bland cold plate of soba noodles. Of course we ordered far too much food as there were definitely plenty of leftovers for the local Floridians to take home.

Sa Ri One is certainly is not the place to bring a business client to impress but it definitely works for a family style friendly get together! As always, we chatted like we see each other all the time, like great ‘old’ friends do- just like no time has passed since our last reunion. After departing the restaurant with full to the brim tummies, I definitely enjoyed a sleepy happy plane ride home to LA.

-Jean

Lonely Scallops

It was a Friday night, my roommate was out of town, and two of my friends were oddly in the same situation. What better way to bring the three loners together than to throw a ‘lone roommate’ dinner party?! The decision on what to make was fairly simple for once. Someone mentioned scallops earlier in the day and I was obsessed- I had to have scallops for dinner. Leafing through old issues of Gourmet, I came across a scallop recipe that seemed very simple to prepare, but also very elegant. Just what I wanted for this evening of wine and friends! Since I am never one to follow a recipe to a T, here is my twist on these heavenly, just-rich-enough seared scallops with tarragon and butter.

Scallops with Garlic Tarragon Butter Sauce (makes 3-4 servings)

Ingredients:

12 Sea Scallops, large (approximately 1 lb)

2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 tbsp butter

¼ cup Dry White Wine such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc

¼ cup White Wine Vinegar

1 clove Garlic, minced

1 ½ tbsp Fresh Tarragon, finely chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste 

Method:

Using a paper towel, pat scallops completely dry. (This is an important step so the scallops sear in the pan and not steam) Season scallops with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is just smoking, add scallops, spacing evenly, making sure not to crowd the pan. Sear scallops, without moving them, until golden brown on the bottom- approximately 3 minutes. Flip scallops and add 1 tbsp of butter to the pan. While second side is searing, spoon butter over the tops of the scallops. When scallops are just cooked through and golden brown on both sides (about 6 minutes total), remove from the pan and set aside on a platter.

Return pan to heat. Add wine, vinegar and garlic and bring to a boil, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. When the pan is clean, reduce heat to low and add half of the remaining butter. When butter is nearly melted, add the remaining butter and stir until incorporated. Add tarragon, then salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over the scallops and serve.

I had plenty of ideas as to what to serve the scallops with, but I ultimately decided on a creamy polenta and a medley of green beans and oyster mushrooms. Served with a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, I think it’s fair to say that dinner was a hit and that should the occasion arise, there will be a lot more ‘lone roommate’ dinners in the future.

-Katrina

Church on Wednesday?

Feeling adventurous last Wednesday, a couple of friends and I decided to take a field trip to the depths of downtown Los Angeles. I’m not talking Staples Center adjacent here- I’m talking about warehouses and factories on East Industrial Street. Our destination was Church and State, a fairly new French bistro that has been getting a lot of buzz. Picture a crowded, bustling dining room with brick walls, high ceilings, floor to ceiling windows, low lighting and minimalist furnishings, with specials listed on chalkboards around the room. It was a simple yet elegant backdrop for our killer meal to come.

The gougeres that were brought out in place of a typical bread basket were the perfect way to jump start our appetites and were quite nice with our bottle of French red wine. In fact, I probably would have been completely content sipping on wine and eating the little cheesy morsels the rest of the evening. This, obviously, did not happen. The menu had so many interesting and intriguing dishes that we had difficulty narrowing down our choices. I use the term ‘narrowing down’ loosely, as we ended up ordering way too much food anyway. Some of our selections were fairly safe: Goat cheese and lavender honey served in a charming mason jar. Some sort of salad with apples. (I would tell you what else was on the salad, but in the words of Simon Cowell, “It was rather forgettable!") A caramelized onion, gruyere and bacon ‘tarte’ (sort of like a pizza/flatbread hybrid). And fall-apart-tender braised short ribs served with sour cherries and Brussels sprouts.

I don’t want to detract from how much we enjoyed the above dishes. I would happily order any of them again (except maybe the salad). However, I want to spend the next few minutes talking about the other two hors d’oeuvres we ordered. Remember how I said we were feeling adventurous? Well, we took the plunge and ordered both escargots de bourgone and moelle de boeuf, a roasted marrow bone!  Each escargot came soaked in garlic parsley butter in a little ceramic cup with a puff pastry lid. It was a very cute presentation and I must say, rather delicious. This could be because it tasted mostly like butter, but hey- whatever will get me to eat snails and say I like it! The texture of the escargot was very mushroom like, so nothing scary there. As for the bone marrow, I’m not sure there is anything scarier than a plate with nothing but a colossal bone, split down the middle, arriving at the dinner table. Now, I have tried bone marrow from an osso bucco bone before, and was pretty proud of myself- what was sitting in front of me now was a whole different animal (no pun intended). In addition to the initial shock of the presentation, the actual texture of the marrow was also a bit harrowing. The marrow was cooked with a lovely caramelization where exposed, but was rather gelatinous when scooped out. Getting past all of this, once spread onto a slice of grilled baguette, making sure to include some of the caramelized goodness, the marrow became sort of a whimsical ‘pâté’ and actually tasted pretty good. I’m not sure exactly how to describe the taste, but it was rich and savory with maybe just a hint of sweetness.

Our experience at Church and State was absolutely worth the drive downtown. The atmosphere was inviting, the service was pleasant and the overall affair, especially the extreme food, was definitely one to remember! 

www.churchandstatebistro.com  

- Katrina

Heart Attack On A Plate

After six years of living in Los Angeles, I finally made my way to the world renowned 'Roscoes House of Chicken and Waffles'.

Five girls on a feeding frenzy, took to a Friday night feast of freshly made waffles and fried chicken! From the mac 'n' cheese to the cornbread we ate like champions, even with our two personal trainer friends in tow. The chicken breast was succulent (as stated on the menu) and fried crisp to perfection. The waffles were topped with whipped butter and syrup. We all left stuffed to the gils but smiling contently after a wonderful girls night out on the town.

http://www.roscoeschickenandwaffles.com/

~ Jean.

Get Your Groupon

A daily deal for Los Angeles (with other US locations available), Groupon's website offers discounted daily special offers which are valid for one day only. Each day, they feature something cool to do at an unbeatable price. You can only get the deal if enough people sign up. Check back the next day for another Groupon with a different deal. Started in 2008, Groupon offers unbeatable prices through the power of group buying.

I just singed up recently and purchased one of their offers; $15 for two weeks unlimited Yoga Classes at Yoga Works in all LA locations. Refer your friends and get a $10 credit.

www.Groupon.com

Check it out!

-Jean

A Good Bite

It was a rainy evening in West Hollywood and I was at a pizza place with a group of friends… We were really there to hang out and escape the rain more than anything else.  When a deep dish pepperoni pizza was delivered to our table, I wasn’t particularly interested in having a whole slice to myself. But when a couple of my tablemates showed enthusiasm with such statements as, ‘Mmmmm,’ and ‘This is really good,’ I decided that I should probably try it to see what the fuss was about. Again, not wanting an entire piece to myself, I turned to my friend Erris and asked to try a bite from his plate. Our conversation went something like this:

Katrina: I want to try a bite of your pizza. Will you make me a good bite?

Erris: There is a bite on the fork right there. Go ahead and take it. 

Katrina: But I need you to make me a good bite. Like, a really good bite.

Erris: What in the world are you talking about? There is a bite right there on the fork.

Katrina: Erris. That is just a regular bite. I need you to make me a good bite.

Erris (in an increasingly annoyed tone): Seriously Katrina, I have no idea what you are talking about. You are not making any sense. Just take a bite. 

At this point, my roommate, who had been observing this whole exchange, decided to join the conversation and help me out. It was clear that Erris needed to be educated in the world of good bites and luckily, Jaime was there to intervene before he got completely frustrated with me and refused to let me taste the pizza at all.

A good bite is a carefully engineered forkful of whatever you may be eating. Good flavor combinations are important throughout a meal, but good bites are absolutely crucial when it comes to the first or last morsels of any dining experience.  These are the bites you are going to remember the entire meal by. Not having a good bite as your finishing mouthful is like a symphony ending on a wrong note: flat and anti-climactic.

Now you can see why a good bite of this deep dish pizza was extremely critical. I really only wanted one bite, so I had to take measures to ensure it was a good one. There are a few ways a good bite can be accomplished. In the case of the deep dish pizza, it needed to be a perfect balance of all of the elements of the pizza- just the right amount of crust, cheese, sauce and pepperoni. In other cases, a good bite can be an unadorned bit of your favorite part of the meal, say, one single, tender bite of filet mignon. Occasionally, an attempted last good bite doesn’t go as planned, and a second attempt must be made. But the solution to this is easy, simply try again!

After Jaime finished explaining all of this to Erris, he became much less put out by my request for a good bite. In fact, he now understood exactly what I meant and happily put one together for me. After tasting his creation, I came to one conclusion- it was a really good!

-Katrina

Late Night Munchies

With some Irish friends landing at LAX on a late night flight, I wanted to provide something yummy upon arrival for all to munch on, courtesy of Chez Jean. I chose to serve an assorted selection of cheeses, crackers, dips and chips, but I also wanted to offer my guests something more substantial, depending on their hunger levels. I decided some homemade crab cakes would be a good fit for all to enjoy, along with a fresh green arugula salad with shaved parmesan.

Asian Crab Cakes (makes 8 cakes)

Ingredients:

1 large Egg, beaten

2 slices Whole Grain Bread, crumbled

1 tbsp Light Mayonnaise

1 tbsp Fresh Ginger, grated

¾ c. Scallion, finely chopped

1 tsp Light Soy Sauce

12 oz. Lump Crabmeat

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 tbsp Sesame Oil

Method:

In a large bowl, combine egg and breadcrumbs until the bread absorbs the liquid. Add mayonnaise, ginger, scallion and soy sauce and stir to combine. Gently fold in crabmeat and season with salt and pepper. Working quickly, shape mixture into eight 2 inch patties and place on a plate, cover and chill for 15 minutes. In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook crab cakes in sesame oil, turning once, until brown and crisp. Do not crowd the pan. Serve as an appetizer with a spicy remoulade, with a salad or on a sandwich.

Polished off with a couple of bottles of red wine, the crab cakes were devoured by all.

-Jean