rachel12's Profile
Ocean Diner on Ocean in Redondo Beach?
Ocean Diner is in Hermosa Beach. It has been an institution for over 20 years. They owner is passionate about sustainable and organic ingredients. He roasts his own coffee bean, imports pure maple syrup, and bakes all their amazing pastry's in house. The staff has been there just as long and I can't leave without giving half pf them an update on Mom, Dad and my sisters. All other suggestions have been good as well, but Ocean Diner is incredible, please try it.
Best Shipped Caviar
I am Russian and want to bring amazing caviar as an app to our Thanksgiving dinner. I've seen Seattle caviar etc., is it comparable? If not where can I order from?
Smuggled Spanish Canned Goods Ideas
Ok so I have a plan of attack, they will be washed patted dry and cooked with olive oil garlic and crushed red-pepper flakes, I may add a splash of white wine for good measure. I'm serving that on a bed of arugula and digging in :)
Smuggled Spanish Canned Goods Ideas
So you suggest it roughly be used like tuna preserved in oilve oil?
Smuggled Spanish Canned Goods Ideas
I was also hoping to get some inspiration for preparing those lil guys :)
Smuggled Spanish Canned Goods Ideas
" Perdiz en escabechada"-as I see directly off the tin.
Smuggled Spanish Canned Goods Ideas
My father just returned from a ten day trip in Spain (Madrid and Barcelona). While on his vacation he promised to eat his heart out and return with any and all food items he could smuggle in without buying another piece of luggage. Always a man of his word he arrive with Vacuum seal jamón ibérico (iberico ham), a Spanish version of sopressata, tinned razor clams, marinated mussels, tinned baby eels, and one item I completely baffled by-a whole tinned partridge!
I know that the other goods will only require some great bread, possibly a small cheese assortment with accoutrement (nuts/olives/etc.) and a great bottle of wine so we can go to town. My only issue is how to fully enjoy the canned bird! Should it be added to another dish, tasted on its own-since I'm sure it's fully cooked and possibly marinated...I'm at a loss.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Cheers :)
Best Russian River Valley Winery?
I went to Porter Creek with a group of friends and had a wonderful time. The wines were nice and I loved the ambiance :) Thanks for the heads up on Woodenhead!
Best Russian River Valley Winery?
Maria,
You're post was incredibly helpful. I have done a good amount of searching on the wine board as well as the San Francisco board, both of which were wonderful in making my list of prospective vineyards more concise.
I wish I could make it over to Hanzell the feed back thus far has been amazing, but at least I have something to look forward on another visit :)
I am sorry I wasn't more clear about the Rhone/Pinot issue. I do realize that pinot is not from the Rhone, I was using that more as a descriptive on a style of wine (i.e. trying to avoid the fruit forward pinots you mentioned). Sorry for the confusion.
In regards to vineyards I enjoy, I love Failla's wines, and Rochioli makes some lovely pinots.
Hopefully this will help everyone out.
Thanks again :)
ZINNIA
has anyone gone recently, and if so what are their thoughts? Is is comparable to BIX or Bacar?
Best Russian River Valley Winery?
That was incredibly helpful! I looked up where Hanzell is located, and I think its too for this trip. Your advise has helped me widdle-down my list significantly. From the suggestions, I think Lynmar and Hartford are my best best. I'm specifically looking for awesome Pinot producers (more in the Rhone style), hopefully that might help narrow it down a little more.
Thanks for all the help!
Best Russian River Valley Winery?
I am also going to the Russian River, and have been looking at the following wineries:
Hartford
Porter Creek
Lynmar
Hanzell
August West
Woodenhead
Pellegrini
I have an appointment at Mary Edwards and Seduri and plan to go to Rochioli, so basically I can only add about two more from the list above.
Any help would be awesome!
Universal, Maverick, Delfina, Tartine?
If your limited to the mission, and they are wine lovers, may I also suggest Bar Bambino. Out of the restaurants you mentioned I think Delfina is wonderful.
best birthday cake
I love Lido! I get all my Birthday cakes there. Everyone is always so nice in the shop, and everything we've ever bought has been a hit.
Visiting LA from SF....
I would agree with Franklin Jefferson's recommendations especially Palate. Fraiche also comes to mind for wonderful French food. For Italian you might want to try Angelini Osteria or La Terza. Hungry Cat is a wonderful place for a more casual/people watching in Hollywood. Another option in a cool area is Abbott Kinney in Venice. I have heard wonderful things about Gjelina and AK restaurant+bar.
CHOOSE OUR NEXT MEAL - JOSIE OR HATFIELD'S!
I can see that our taste profiles might be different ( I liked Fraiche and Melisse although I totally agree about AOC from a food standpoint) but I found Josie's, although nicely executed dishes, was nothing special and borderline boring.
Is there a better sandwich place than Bay Cities???
I can suggest Big Mikes in Hermosa Beach for Philly Cheesesteak's and meatball subs.
How to determin if you can freeze something and re-heat
OK I finally have an example for you. I want to make mini muffins for Sunday brunch, but don't have enough tin's to freeze all the batter and then bake them later. Can I bake them partially and then take them out of the tins, freeze them, and then re-heat them in a baking sheet? The only other option I could come up with was making the batters tonight and then baking them fresh in the morning while I prep other things.
Any place like Boulevard SF in LA?
Ahhhh the food scene of SF how I miss you. I went to college in SF and since then have moved back home to Hermosa Beach. I understand your pain too well. I think you've had some awesome suggestions. Palate is wonderful, so is Fraiche, and Lucques.
In regards to MB restaurants I have had many wonderful meals at Darren's, the bartenders there are really nice.
For really good sushi I reccomend a slight drive to Gardena. Its only about 10 min. away and has reliable sushi restaurants as well as ramen places. I know there are a bunch of boards already on chowhound about this.
Depending on your age, price range, and willingness to drive, you should be OK :)
Authentic Mexican Salsa Recipe
After a lot of test runs and I talking to some people who wait tables there I think I've got it! Its a combo of canned tomatoes and fresh, there they add a can of jalapenos including juice, but when I did that it didn't taste as fresh, so I did a combo of some canned with juice and fresh jalapenos. Then I diced the standard onion, cilantro, and added a bit of garlic powder and salt.
It is as close as I think I'm gonna get, but I am happy with the results! Thanks for everyone's input, it helped a lot!
What's your favorite South Bay fish restaurant?
I love Captain Kids, but be warned its VERY casual and kinda funky. I personally find it charming sine I've been going there since I was a kid. You can buy any of their fresh fish that they sell and have it cooked how ever you like. You can also buy crabs and rent mallets and crack them on one of the huge tables out back. The crabs are really messy, but a lot of fun. Gina Lee's was a good suggestion but only if you want Asian food.
Help! Good Restaurant near beverly Hills/ Hollywood
The Hall at the Plaihouse Hotel is supposed to be wonderful.
Authentic Mexican Salsa Recipe
No it's a red salsa, and I am positive there is none if very little chili powder in the recipe. Thanks for the input, I have to keep brain storming :)
Sandwiches in Torrance area?
Busy Bee in San Pedro would definitely fit the bill!
Rinaldi's in Redondo Beach might also work, although sometimes I am let down.
Others to mention:
Big Mikes-Philly Cheese steaks and regular sub's in Hermosa Beach
Ashley's Deli- In Hermosa is also pretty good
Gulliano's- Torrance and Redondo Beach are also pretty good and cute! Try their baked goodies!!
Authentic Mexican Salsa Recipe
I have recently been craving tomato salsa like crazy after having a wonderful version from a local Mexican restaurant. I tried to get the recipe out of the chef's there, but language barriers and ego got in the way :)
The salsa is not a chunky pico de gallo, rather a smoother tomato based version. I am mostly wondering if they cook the tomatoes and other ingredients first and cool it after, and what ingredients are used. I attempted my own version with canned jalapenos as opposed to fresh in the hopes of obtaining the right shade of green, but I think that might have been wrong.
Any help would be awesome!!
I am looking for a GREAT meatball recipe
I like to start with a combination of ground beef (93/7 fat ratio), ground pork, and ground veal. I put it all in a large bowl with one egg, and enough bread crumbs,or surprisingly, I also love Ritz and Salteen cracker's, just make sure you don't add too much salt since they have a good amount on them already. I use enough crushed up to cover the top of the meat mixture (I would guess around 1/2 cup maybe slightly more, it may seem like a lot, but I've noticed that they turn out really moist with out loosing their "meaty" quality. I add a half onion (small) grated, dried parsley Tbsp, and a dash or two or dried basil and oregano, and roughly a Tbsp of garlic powder. Next I add about a quarter cup of Parmesan cheese, black pepper, and then add a small amount of milk to bind adding more until I reach a consistency I'm happy with. Then I sautee them in a pan over medium heat, browning both sides and throw them in an oven at 350 degrees until they are cooked in the center (this depends on the size of the balls you make.
Hope you enjoy!
Superbowl dessert
I find that you can't go wrong with cheesecake bars or brownie cheesecake bites. Also I've had a lot of success with Paula Deen's mini brownies. All you have to do is take a your favorite brownie recipe (or your favorite box mix), put a small amount in the bottom and place your favorite small candy in the center. I've had success with Mini Reece's, Hershey's Kisses, Rolo's, really it's limited by your imagination, cover them with remaining brownie mix and bake for 15-20 minutes depending on how "gooey" you like them!
Got a good salad dressing recipe?
My Mom couldn't cook to save her life, but every night with dinner she insisted on a salad, and wouldn't you know her dressing was incredible!
1/4 c olive oil
1/4 c. of an equal combination of red wine vinegar (or the vinegar in the pepperoncini bottle) and balsamic vinegar
minced shallot or garlic
dijon mustard
A dash of worcestershire
and any herbs you have on hand
Add this to salt and peppered greens and enjoy. She usually but the dressing in the bowl first and then the salad on top, but either way it's wonderful!
