Archive for Review
An Encounter With The Comfort Truck
Posted by: | CommentsOne of my absolute fave LA people, Rissa, called me the other night with the news that she was about the encounter the one and only Comfort Truck. See what happened when she met the one and only Chef Brian Hill on her quest for some comfort food.
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Thanks to Twitter, I have developed a mild fascination with gourmet food trucks in Los Angeles. On any given day, trucks can be found from the Valley to the South Bay selling their tasty wares – dim sum, Korean BBQ, Indian food, burgers, sushi. Even popular restaurants and food establishments like Sprinkles cupcakes, In-n-Out and Border Grill are jumping on this mobile bandwagon. I have tracked down the Grilled Cheese Truck, twice; and happened upon the Sweets Truck when I walked out of my office building for a break. My ‘must try’ list has four trucks: Frysmith (fries as a meal), Cool Haus (gourmet ice cream sandwiches), Buttermilk Truck (breakfast favorites) and the Comfort Truck (sliders, wings and wraps). Yesterday, I crossed off the Comfort Truck from my list.
Friday was a particularly taxing day at work. By late afternoon, I tweeted my sentiment: I sure could use some @ComfortTruck right about now. Within minutes, my tweet was re-tweeted with an invitation to find them over the weekend. I hoped for a location close to me in the Valley but knew I would drive almost anywhere in L.A. to give the truck a try. The event location and time revealed via Twitter, I made my plan to find the Comfort Truck.
Chef Brian’s Comfort Truck took to the road in March of this year with Brian Hill at the wheel. Hill is a former Top Chef contestant and current featured chef on Private Chefs of Beverly Hills.
Waiting to turn at the intersection of National and Exposition, I was greeted by the sight of that iconic red KFC building and a soon-to-be just as iconic red Comfort Truck. To my surprise, and utter delight, there was no line. I parked my car and called Lys – “I am at the Comfort Truck!” Before I could focus on the menu, I was greeted by a happy voice from within the truck “What’s up, girl?” It was Chef Brian! His smile was wide and warm even through the screen separating us. I told him how my need for the Comfort Truck on Friday lead me to seek it out on Saturday. Nikki, one of his co-workers, joined him at the window.
“Wait, that was on Twitter, right? What’s your name?”
“Rissa. Rissadee on Twitter.”
“Yeah! I’m glad you found us.” Brian slid open the screen and gave me a fist bump. Holla!
Unfamiliar with the menu and not sure what to order, I asked Chef Brian’s opinion. He hooked me up with BBQ chicken sliders, jerk beef sliders and an order of his infamous ‘crack’ tortilla chips with relish. Before I left, Chef Brian came out from the truck to give me a hug and said “Thank you!” Holla!
I called Lys to tell my Comfort Truck tale only to lose her in Laurel Canyon; but not before she could ask me to write a guest blog about my experience (that’s how I wound up here, in case you were wondering). The food smelled delicious, the bag was giving off heat, my mouth watering. I could not drive home fast enough. I pulled into my apartment parking space, grabbed a fistful of napkins from my glove compartment (a necessity for professional in-car eaters) and ripped open the bag. No shame in my game!
First stop: BBQ chicken sliders. I’ve said this before: the second bite is my favorite. The first one, you’re just trying it out – the temperature, the texture, checking to see if it’s a combination of flavors you can tolerate. But, the second bite? Ohh, that’s where it’s happening! The soft and unobtrusive roll, that tangy and somewhat familiar bbq sauce, the crispy and tender fried chicken topped with melted mozzarella all came together…mmm. Oh, sorry – I’m salivating.
Next stop: jerk beef sliders. Same soft and unobtrusive roll with a nicely done (inside and out!) beef patty, I got a double whammy on my second bite. That’s when the jerk seasoning hit me and, to my surprise, a bite of pineapple. Aloha! What a clever and tasty pair, which may not be so surprising to some. As a Hawaiian, I am a firm believer in keeping pineapple off of pizza and burgers. I shall now recant and amend my statement to include only pizza.
Third and, sadly, final stop: fried tortilla chips and relish. 1) Chef Brian’s relish of corn, white beans, cilantro and seasonings is a meal on its own. 2) ‘Crack’ chips are appropriately named. WOW! After one bite, I knew one bag of chips was not going to be enough for me. I kept breaking them into smaller and smaller pieces only to make them last longer. And once they were gone, don’t think it didn’t cross my mind to drive back over there. No shame in my game.
If you’re in LA, go find Chef Brian and get your Comfort Truck on. Holla!
*Fist bump*
You can find Rissa on Twitter or at Reese Rants and Raves.
B[u]y The Book: Nigella Christmas and a Tried & True Recipe for Bourbon Glazed Ribs…
Posted by: | CommentsBefore you remind me of exactly what date it is and how I should have reviewed this BEFORE the holidays, hold up. I have to say Nigella Christmas: Food Family Friends Festivities
I flipped through it and the pictures are gorgeous. The recipes are somewhat simple for the home cook and, unlike this gal who blew up a food processor making the accompanying spoon bread (more on that later), everything is pretty straight forward. There are tips for entertaining, brunch ideas, great sides, etc. Some of the recipes that I’ve bookmarked for future “investigation” are the Pomegranate Martini, Boston Baked Beans, Butternut Orzotto, Triple Cheese and Onion Strata and, of course, the Espresso Martini. There’s a chapter on various chutneys, vodkas and other giftable items and even a schedule for the holiday day with what to do when. It’s a book that I will refer to time and time again.
The one recipe that I HAD to try was the Bourbon Glazed Ribs. Having never made a rack of ribs before, this was quite the challenge. I will say that unlike my friends, I don’t often drink Bourbon and I knew I’d have to go out and procure a bottle. In the move, the contents of my liquor cabinet (and the Maker’s Mark) was gifted to SL and I’m slowly rebuilding my Philly bar (Didn’t want to be branded “Lys Capone”). One problem: there are so many bourbons on the market and which one should a gal buy? After consulting with the Bourbon expert, Rifleman, I was told that “any” bourbon would be fine as he felt that Maker’s Mark might be too pricey. However, in true Nigella form, I thought that it would be a disservice to the recipe to not use Maker’s Mark. Having never bought a rack of ribs before, I bought one which turned out to be rancid within a day (shocked and surprised that Genuardis sold that) but after discussions with another butcher and learning what happens when they shrinkwrap ribs, I bought a different brand and attempted the recipe again.
The bourbon glaze is ADDICTING. Seriously, I’m thinking I might have to make another batch of it just to keep in the fridge to glaze chicken and everything. Nigella is prone to recipes that you can whip up the night before and leave in the fridge and this recipe was no exception. The next day we were treated to some amazing ribs and even though I terrorized my Cuisinart with attempting to make too much spoon bread in an 11 cup bowl when it clearly needed a 14 cup bowl, the dinner was a success. The camera was on life support as it fell in the leftover spoonbread batter while I was trying to clean up the chaos. Will I make this again – sure – but I would definitely cut the spoonbread recipe in half. The ribs – heck that’s a tried & true and I’ll probably make it with the Boston Baked Beans next time. Add this rib recipe to your repertoire – you won’t be sorry.
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Bourbon Glazed Ribs
Recipe adapted from Nigella Christmas: Food Family Friends Festivities
Ingredients:
- 24 St. Louis-style pork spareribs
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 3/4 cup bourbon
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard (I used dijon)
- 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
Directions:
- Put the ribs in a resealable plastic bag and add the other ingredients to form a marinade. Place into the refrigerator, putting the bag into a bowl to avoid drips or spillages, and leave overnight.
- The next day, remove the ribs from the refrigerator, and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Pick the ribs out of the marinade and put them into a shallow roasting pan (lined with aluminum foil for easier cleanup), then pour the marinade into a saucepan.
- Cook the ribs for 1 hour, turning them over halfway through cooking.
- When the ribs are cooked, bring the marinade to a boil and cook for about 7 minutes or until it is thick and glossy.
- Plate up the ribs than pour the bourbon sauce over them.
(Disclaimer – in my paranoia, I made a separate batch of the marinade and reduced it for the glaze rather than reuse the marinade from the night prior. What can I say – I get nervous with reusing marinades.)
Gathering The Marinade Ingredients
The Final Product – Hungry yet…
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And, as promised, the spoonbread evidence…
Part I – it’s in the Cuisinart…
Part II – WHIRRRRRRR, It Mixes…
and – Part III – Spoonbread Batter – EVERYWHERE…
I need the new fancy Cuisinart… (or so I’ll keep saying to justify buying it instead of a new pair of Loubous…)
B[u]y The Book: Martha Stewart’s Dinner At Home…
Posted by: | CommentsLast month, I was able to attend the Martha Stewart event at the King of Prussia Williams-Sonoma. First of all, can I say there were over 300 people waiting in line to meet the one and only Martha Stewart to get their cookbook signed. It was craziness to say the least. Creative Catering replicated some of the dishes for the eager crowd and, in my opinion, they did a phenomenal job. Plus, Cupcakes Gourmet replicated the Coconut Cupcakes for everyone and those were delish! As she settles for nothing less than perfect, you know the food just HAD to be good.
While we were waiting in the endless line, I took a few minutes to start leafing through her latest book, Martha Stewart’s Dinner at Home: 52 Quick Meals to Cook for Family and Friends
Check out some pics from the event…
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- The Endless Wait…
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- Care for a Coconut Cupcake?
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- The Security Could Give The Secret Service A Run For Their Money
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- Wait – That’s The End Of The Line
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- The One And Only – Ms. Martha Stewart
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- Hustled Out Before We Could Get Decent Shots…
Now, I have to be honest – the Williams Sonoma people were AMAZING. However, there were rules – no pictures, no personalization, nada – don’t even try it. Somehow you just knew to expect that from Ms. Stewart. I happened to be towards the end so I’m sure she was tired but we’re thankful she stopped by the Philly area.
Tomorrow: I attempt my first Martha Stewart recipe ever – will I fail or can I actually pull it off. Stay tuned…
Julie & Julia – A Movie Must See…
Posted by: | CommentsI had a chance to catch an advance screening of Columbia Picture’s new film, Julie & Julia and, quite frankly, I’m speechless. It’s a movie that just resonated with this gal, that being one person finding their voice through cooking.
I remember that often I would catch Julia Child’s show on PBS growing up and would watch fascinated as she would take ordinary ingredients and bring them to life in something absolutely divine. Julia Child was often paradied but there was no denying the contribution that she made to cooking. I often would look at her cookbook and go “Who are you kidding, Lys – YOU can’t do that”. And, quite frankly, if you heard my ex’s whining, I was a horrible cook and had no idea what to do in the kitchen. However, after much practice and welding of my Global knife, like Julia, I have “no fear.” Well - except for when it comes to cooking a lobster – I’ll pull a Barefoot Contessa and buy it pre-cooked, thankyouverymuch. I even picked up a copy of “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” this weekend with the intent of trying it – not just to have it collect dust on my new cookbook shelf.
Anyhow, back to the movie – as I told someone at the theater, Meryl Streep could act out the dictionary and I, much like the rest of the audience, would sit transfixed. She is THAT good of an actress. I felt that the audience was given a glimpse into what made Julia Child – JULIA CHILD. Stanley Tucci, a devout foodie himself, played the role of Paul Child perfectly. Not having read Julie Powell’s book, I found myself agreeing with the storyline of working a day job and coming home to cook to get away from it all. I remember the first comment I ever got and the joy I felt when I published something that meant so much to me. I also understood how sometimes blogging gets in the way of the day to day when you also view it as a “must do” rather than “want to do” (hence while I’ll NEVER sign up for Blog365 again). All in all, I thought this film was very well made and I will see it again (and get the DVD).
Apparently Cooking in Stilettos was fashionable back then. Who else can rock a Chanel Cap Toe pump while checking her Le Creuset – clearly a movie after my own heart.
