ErikaK's Profile
ISO: Vietnamese food recs in Orange County
Chowhound's own Das Ubergeek is an expert, check out his posts.....
Gelatin
I am planning on making a mushroom terrine for Thursday night, it calls for sheet/leaf gelatin, which I assume is a pain to find. The one baking supply store in our area that might have it takes a vacation between Christmas & New Years. The recipe says to soak the sheets in cold water, wring them out & add them to the hot liquid to dissolve. In the case of using powdered gelatin instead, do I just add the powder to the hot liquid to dissolve or somehow soak in cold water first? Not sure how that works, any assistance would be helpful. I'm new to gel/aspic stuff.
Thanks,
Where To Find "California Earthquake Potato Chips"
Smart and Final Xtra stores have them
Surprise at the South Point
We were in town for our kid's baseball tournament, and the team picked the South Point. We had dinner in the something-or-other Oyster Bar, were not in the mood for steak or prime rib, and buffet - no thanks...
Our dinner was simple, the steamers were kind of little but in a nice wine & garlic broth.. but the suprise of the evening -- lobster grilled cheese. Wow, what a decadent sandwich - some white cheddar, mostly lobster, on buttered grilled sourdough. Of course, that was the 11 year old's order... the adults were wishing we had ordered it too.
Belgian Fries in Fresno?
Benita's in SM is long gone.
Try Bel Frites in San Luis Obispo
LA Pizza; But what about Orange County ???
Love Luigi's. Disclaimer- my 11yo son's friend's dad & brother run the place. Son thinks that the pizza makes him pitch better (worked for Burt Blyleven)
The Red Raven: Good Eats in Williams AZ!!
After reading a few TripAdvisor reviews on this restaurant, we were sad to see that they were closed on Mondays. We went "downtown" anyhow from our motel to see if anything was less bleak than the reviews indicated, and happily they are OPEN daily in the summer!! They have a nice, simple menu of steaks, salads and pastas. I had the "pub steak" which is a chuck steak, perfectly cooked and very meaty (much much nicer than a sirloin!), hubby had the ribeye which was cooked rare per his order (so hard to get sometimes!), and our son had pasta with sausage & peppers. Our soup was cold gazpacho, which was fantastic! The bread was freshly baked, with herbed butter. The steaks were very nicely cooked, with red potatoes and tempura broccolini (fantastic by the way). Our son loved his pasta, it was tasty, the sausage was plentiful and spicy to boot. They have a very nice wine list, we ordered a really fantastic Lodi Zinfandel that matched well with the grilled steaks. We would highly recommend this to anyone that decides to stay in Williams to be near the Grand Canyon, or really for anyone just passing through.
http://www.redravenrestaurant.com/
Syrah in the Central Coast?
OH yeah there are some good syrahs in the Edna Valley area as well!
Syrah in the Central Coast?
I second Tensley, some of the best syrahs in the area. Beckman for sure. And, keep driving north... Paso Robles is also home to some great Rhone style wines.
REVIEW: El Gaucho Market #2, Anaheim
Go a bit further on 17th to Super Antojitos, great place! And near the Juan Pollo (hot salsa is HOT), Zamora's for mariscos is pretty good too. Chile Pepper, meh...for that I'd rather go to Azteca in Garden Grove.
Ooooh and Holingsheads for sandwiches and... BEER.
Texas-style BBQ brisket in OC?
Get one of these...http://cookshack.com/
Brisket at Stater Bros is about 2.29/lb
It is unbelievable.
Clams in Pismo Beach
The "Pismo Clam" is actually endangered or protected if I'm not mistaken, and clamming when it is allowed is limited by size -- good luck with that..... Steamers (near the Kon Tiki) on Price is good. I've heard that the fish guys on the San Luis pier sell some, but not sure about the season (Los Osos farmers market on Monday, Morro Bay market on Saturday). Any clams served there are likely not really local.
California Roadtrip Restaurants
I must agree about Monterey and Carmel... eat in SLO/Cayucos/Cambria//Morro Bay and wait until SF to really eat. I have been to Monterey more than once and have never had a good meal, even in a non-chain like place. Beautiful scenery, pack a lunch/snack, enjoy the view, and motor on.
Highway 1 south of Pismo on the mesa....
We took this route back down from Los Osos the other day for a change. I was half asleep, but saw a red shack with the words BBQ on it... and it was way before Guadalupe really, more up on the mesa - anyone know what I'm talking about?? And no, it wasn't Far Western Tavern, we did drive by that in Guadalupe. I just barely saw the shack and sign out of the corner of my eye. Red Oak BBQ.
Bel Frites SLO
Down Garden from Higuera, a good little frites store. Just Frites... crisp and delicious! You have your choice of traditional with dipping sauces or seasoned with dipping sauces. As a bonus, they have a selection of Belgian beers as well. The proprietor is a retired college professor, making him the smartest fry cook ever (hehe). This makes a perfect snack before heading up to Higuera (Frog & Peach, yes?) for more imbibing on a sunny Saturday.
Thai Nakorn Garden Grove
Re-opening when?? Haven't been by in a while (haven't gone to Costco lately). I haven't seen it on the food radar but figure someone in the know (DU? Elmo?) would have the scoop. Also, drove by Bangkok Taste a few weeks ago on the way to a little league field and it looked closed?? Hopefully just a normal closed day.
Finding a whole brisket in the Valley
For real BBQ we always buy the whole brisket at Smart & Final. You need that fat later, and you can't beat the price. Costco briskets are too lean IMO
Pismo Beach / San Luis Obispo - what's best?
We like Novo, but have only been there for tapas/lunch. It is actually owned by the same people as Robin's.
Steaks @ The Madonna Inn, worth it for the atmosphere alone
30 inch slide in range advice....
I have an Amana that has bitten the dust... pricing out some models at Pacific Sales & Sears today and leaning towards the KitchenAid Architect II, the Fridgidaire Pro, and the Kenmore Elite... all gas with convection features. I haven't read good reviews about the KA, and the Kenmore glass control panel makes me a bit nervous. Does anyone have experience with these models?? I am looking to spend about 2500 or so... nice thing about PacificSales is that delivery, hookup and takeaway are included, we just have to pay for new connectors.
Ground sumac - white flecks?
I opened my little jar of Penzey's ground sumac, and it had some little white crystals/flecks in it. Didn't use any --does this mean that the time is up on this spice? Any advice?
Chicken: Where to you buy it?
I love buying organic chickens from WF, but am on a budget right now. I have found that the whole chickens at Fresh&Easy are actually pretty good, no giblets, and they come trussed. Definitely easy for a quick weeknight roast chicken. Their parts are good as well (and excellently priced), especially the leg quarters. As good, if not better, than the kosher chickens at Trader Joe's.
Central coast seafood... Santa Barbara to San Luis Obispo and....?
I have heard good reports of Windows on the Water in Morro Bay (but pricey). We like The Dutchman in Morro Bay for fried stuff. I also recommend Stearns Wharf, there is a place past the SB Shellfish Co that will sell you a crab & loan you a mallet to eat crab on the pier. Oysters too. I can't remember the name of it though. The Sea Chest is very good but note that it is cash only and gets crowded in a hurry.
Breakfast off Hwy 101 btwn Buellton/Monterey
If you are taking the coastal route, Dorn's in Morro Bay is good. I
Best Brewpubs / Microbreweries?
I'm not aware of any really in LA proper that have tours/tastings. BJ's and Oggi's pizza places have some decent microbrews, as does Alcatraz Brewing (there is one in Orange, in OC but I am not sure if there are others). Also in Long Beach there is Rock Bottom, they brew on the premises as well.
FRANTIC FOR CANNOLA!! (CANNOLIs)
Claro's definitely has them, I've bought them there before. The filling is very easy to make, just sweeten some fresh ricotta to taste with powdered sugar, and add things like tiny chocolate chips or the candied fruit if you must. I like chopped almonds and tiny chocolate chips. Then just pipe or spoon into the shells.
Big League Chew
Most little leagues are in "fall ball" right now, so the concessions may be generally open on Saturdays - go and support your local little league!!
