My Favorite Things of 2006

I'll admit it, I really like Oprah. I wish I had time to watch her show, but it’s unfortunate because it’s on way before I get off work. Anyway, once a year, she does a "favorites" show where she showcases (and gives away!) her favorite products. I guess this is my foodies take on Oprah's favorites show, minus the free stuff part. Sorry, folks.

In no particular order:

Raisin Nut Bran Cereal
I must credit Mr. Tall for this first item on my favorites list. I had never had Raisin Nut Bran cereal before in my life until a few months ago when he had it at his apartment. I was starvation central one morning so I just had a bowl of the cereal, and I was pretty much enamored. Crunchy bran flakes with slivered almonds, and the best part is the plump raisins covered with a sort of subtle nutty coating. I am a bargain shopper so most items I purchase at the grocery store are on sale. And Raisin Nut Bran never goes on sale! When they are ever on sale, I jump at the opportunity and buy at least 4 boxes at once. I always contemplate stocking up more, but I would not want to hog the cereal for other Raisin Nut Bran lovers.

Bristol Farms' Meat Department
If you want some fresh and high quality meat with very knowledgeable service to boot, check out Bristol Farms. Forget Ralph's, Vons or even Whole Foods, Bristol Farms has by far the best selections of all sorts of meat and poultry. Mr. Tall and I have explored some amazing choices from pork loins to Porterhouse steaks. The price may be slightly higher than Ralph's or Vons, but the extra bucks really come through in the quality of their products and selections.

Wine from Trader Joe's
Whether it’s the usual 2-buck-chug or other varieties, I can usually find wine from every continent at TJ's for more than reasonable prices. I love to drink wine; I’m not a wine connoisseur or anything, but I remember buying a bottle of Chilean white wine for a mere $3 and it was damn good.

Anything Mint Chocolate
I think that's pretty much self-explanatory because it is one of the best sweet flavor combinations ever.

Trader Joe's Joes Joes
They can be described as Oreo with a peppermint crunch filling. It is perfect for the holidays with just a glass of milk or even a mug of hot cocoa.

Crate & Barrel
Every time I visit the mall, I always have to stop by Crate&Barrel. I don’t always purchase something (the last thing I bought there was the potato ricer), but Mr. Tall knows very well by now that I just love to go into that place. I remember when Mai randomly asked me if I ever get married, where I would register, and without hesitation I answered, "Crate & Barrel."

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Again, I must give credits to Mr. Tall for reigniting my love for grilled cheese sandwiches. It's so simple yet enjoyable. You can put just about any sorts of cheese in between whatever bread you have on hand … maybe throw in some BBQ sauce or even pesto … The possibilities are endless! And, of course, grilled cheese sandwiches pair so well with soups.

Crepes
I have loved crepes since my days at UCSD at the Farmer's Market every Tuesday. Bibby’s crepes booth was my favorite, next to the local fruit stand, of course. There is a crepe station in Bristol Farms where you can get made-to-order sweet and savory crepes. Even the 7, 8, 9 Dinner Club whipped them up! Crepes are so easy to make and absolutely delicious—sweet or savory!

Ghirardelli Hot Fudge Sundae
Most people who know me know that I have been spreading the gospel of the Ghirardelli Hot Fudge Sundae since the first time Mr. Tall took me to Ghirardelli in Downtown San Diego. I had never been a big fan of hot fudge sundaes, but after a big of Ghirardelli hot fudge, my life was changed. Honestly, if you haven't had a Ghirardelli Hot Fudge Sundae, you have not experience real hot fudge.

Almond Roca
What can I say—the combination of buttercrunch toffee, chocolate, and almonds is perfection.

My Favorite Restaurants, again in no particular order:

Mama Testa
The best taco shop (and more) in San Diego. Period.

Celadon
Good ambiance and good Thai food.

Monsoon
The best Indian food in San Diego.

Sushi Deli 1
Cheap and tasty sushi.

George's Ocean Terrace
Spectacular view and excellent food.

Happy 2007 to everyone ... Keep on cooking and eating!

Enjoy,
Little Miss Contrary

The Adventures of Pinnerton and Little Miss Contrary

It has been unbearably long since my last post. Not by choice exactly. I just did my second and last round of the LSAT (because I sucked the first time around), so all of my free time was devoted to burying my head in prep books and sample tests. But now that’s over with, I’m free as a bird! Well, almost, now I get to worry about law school applications. Oh, what fun!

Anyway, I have been meaning to blog about so many things! First and foremost, Mr. Tall’s dad was in town a while ago, and he graciously took us out to dinner. Mr. Tall took him to Mama Testa the first night, which he really enjoyed. Can I please mention just one more time about how much I am in love with that place? Because I am! The next night, Mr. Ornelas took Mr. Tall and me to Rei de Gado, which is an all-you-can-eat Brazilian barbecue restaurant. Mr. Tall had taken me there once before for lunch. The price for lunch is less expensive, but the dinner generally runs about $35 per person. And let me tell you, I got my money’s worth. Although lunch was more of a bargain, the dinner had a much larger selection of meats and salad bar offerings. If you have never been to a Brazilian barbecue, waiters walk around with a large metal skewer with a freshly cooked chuck of meat and cut you an individual serving right at your table. Each table is equipped with a wooden knob of red and green on opposite ends—green if you want more meat your way and red if you’ve had enough of the protein. The salad bar is probably more than most would expect. It has a variety of vegetables, sides, fruits, etc. But the best thing at the salad bar is definitely the fried baby banana. They’re probably pan-fried without a batter; what you get is soft but not mushy little banana that are great as a break between the proteins or to end your meal.

Among their variety of meats were chicken, lamb, pork and various cuts of beef. One of their popular items if probably the filet mignon wrapped with bacon, but my absolute favorite this time was the garlic roasted lamb. It was so good beyond what I would ever attempt to explain to you. They also offer desserts in addition to the all-you-can-eat meal, but even a dessert lover like me does not have any room after I shook down, Kobayashi-style, the last fried banana.

The following week, my sister visited for an entire week for her Thanksgiving break. Yes, I know Thanksgiving was so long ago; I’ve obviously been lagging on updating my blog. Anyway, it was so fantastic having her around, and we indulged ourselves quite thoroughly. After Mr. Tall and I picked her up from the airport, we took her to, where else, Mama Testa! Of course, I got my usual Mojados de Carne (see previous post for its gloriousness) and I think my sister had the Bistec (grilled steak tacos). Pinnerton really enjoyed the food, especially the salsa bar.

From a coupon in the Uptown Magazine that we receive at the apartment, my sister and I did Sunday brunch at the LEI Lounge, located in the heart of University Heights. Upon entering the restaurant, the front is fully exposed into the bar area with a wall of waterfall. Once we passed the bar section, we enter the rectangular, hard-wood floored patio with table and booth seatings. The tables are draped with white table cloths and topped with a pink lei. The atmosphere was very lovely and chill … You feel as if you’re vacationing in Hawaii. I ordered the Ahi Tuna Benedict with a Gorgeous Geisha, which is a cocktail of champagne, strawberry liqueur and lychee juice. Pinnerton ordered the Stuffed Brioche French Toast with a side of sausage with a cranberry spritzer aka cranberry and soda water. The Ahi Tuna Benedict was served on an English muffin with poached eggs and topped with a generous amount of chipotle remoulade, which I really enjoyed. Pinnerton’s French Toast was served with a variety of berries, rum raisin syrup, and whipped cream. We both shared the dishes and enjoyed them thoroughly. My only small criticisms are that the food wasn’t particularly warm enough for some reason (even though the food arrived relatively promptly) and the sausage was far from impressive. Oh, and the Gorgeous Geisha wasn't as tasty as I had hoped; I could barely taste the strawberry liqueur and lychee juice. Overall, I would definitely make another trip to LEI Lounge (they also have an attractive dinner menu).

On Monday, I took my sister to audit a class at UCSD and made a stop for lunch before heading to the San Ysidro outlet. And guess where we went? McDonald’s! For some reason, I remembered having a McRib a long, long time ago, and for some reason, liking it. Pinnerton and I both order the McRib meal, and all I have to say is that I’m definitely never ordering it again. For those of you who don’t know what a McRib is—it’s basically processed pork, pressed into a shape of a small piece of rib, slathered with barbecue sauce, and served with onion and pickles on a bun. So for those curious about the McRib, I think the only thing that attracts people to them is the fact that McDonald’s only sells them for a limited amount of time. I’ve concluded that I am not a fan of the McRib or McDonald’s for that matter.

Since I know my sister likes sushi, I definitely wanted her to try Sushi Deli. We walked over to Sushi Deli 1 from my apartment (it's only about a 10-minute walk), but there was a very long wait so we decided to order for take-out. While they were preparing our order, Pinnerton and I made a grocery trip for some Thanksgiving items. Definitely a good use of our time. We got a couple of rolls (I don't quite remember), the Hot Hot California Roll (my personal favorite), and the Dynamite seafood appetizer (picture shown). The sushi were good as usual, but the appetizer was very disappointing. The seafood was mostly pieces of fish and imitation crab. Still, my sister was amazed with how much food we got for the money. That's a Sushi Deli deal for ya. Some people may not like the Americanized style of sushi that they serve, especially when sushi is slathered with the spicy sauce (I believe it's a combination of Sriracha chili sauce and watered down mayonnaise), but I love it! My sister and I both share the love for spicy foods so much that we used Sriracha, instead of wasabi, with soy sauce to dip our sushi-it was actually really good! I agree that perhaps the quality of the sushi at Sushi Deli may not be necessarily be premium, but for common folks like myself, the prices keep you going back.
Finally, our Thanksgiving dinner arrived! Our small celebration consisted of Mr. Tall, Taurin, my sister, and me. Mr. Tall was responsible for our 10-pound turkey, and I was responsible for the sides and dessert. He brushed it with melted butter and seasoned simply with salt and pepper, and just threw some herbs in the body cavity. It took only approximately 2 and a half hours to cook, and it was actually, really good! The sides were relatively simple. I cooked up some green beans, sweet potato casserole with lots of butter and brown sugar, and Brussels sprouts with pancetta (a recipe from Giada DeLaurentis’ Every Day Italian). And a must-have item was the whole-cranberry sauce from Trader Joe’s, which is my favorite. Taurin brought over some sparkling apple cider and whole wheat dinner rolls. We ate almost the entire turkey! Pretty impressive. We ended the meal with Paula Deen’s Pumpkin Pie with freshly whipped cream, which was quite tasty especially for the pumpkin lover, Mr. Tall. All in all, we had a very nice Thanksgiving.

Before my sister departed, we made yet another trip to Mama Testa. Apparently, they started having lunch specials! There were about 5 items, with a side of rice and beans, and a drink—all for $5.95! I had to order my usual (I really think I am addicted to it) and the lunch special of a Steak "Cesar" Salad. The salad was a very good size topped with a grilled thin strip of steak, tossed with a kicked up Caesar dressing. It was definitely more than a good deal. I am officially declaring myself an ambassador of Mama Testa!

I’ve got more foodies to blog about, but it shall be the next post! Coming soon—Little Miss Contrary’s Favorites List of 2006!

Enjoy,
Little Miss

Tres Cochinitos

So many culinary adventures, so little time to blog! That has been the sentiment for me as of late. Two weekends ago, my cousin Jeff made a trip from Santa Barbara with his girlfriend Marisa and her friend Stephanie. They arrived in San Diego Friday evening, and we headed out to dinner downtown. We went to The Yard House and the place was packed with at least an hour wait. Our party of five was too famished to wait so we headed over to Rock Bottom, and fortunately—for our stomachs and our patience—we were seated within 5 minutes on the patio. We could tell that service was not going to be particularly attentive because it was prime dinner time on a Friday night. We all got a variety of beers from their brewery offerings. Mr. Tall ordered a brown ale and I got their honey ale, which I thought was very light and delightful. For appetizers, we all shared Titan Toothpicks, which were smoked chicken, Jack cheese, peppers and onions in hand-rolled, fried tortillas, served with guacamole, sour cream, fresh salsa and, my favorite, Chipotle BBQ sauce. They were fried to a crispy golden brown and were perfect with our beers. Everyone ordered burgers for their entrées, except for me. I ordered one of the specials, which was stuffed portabella. The mushrooms were stuffed with cheese and roasted peppers, and topped with warm diced tomatoes, spring greens, and balsamic vinaigrette. The dish was actually better than I had anticipated. It was quite flavorful and each component went well together. No pictures from this dinner though. I don’t usually frequent Rock Bottom unless it’s Happy Hour, which they have really good deals on beers, drinks, and appetizers. Although their menu isn’t diverse and beer offerings aren’t as extensive as The Yard House, it’s still a pretty fun place to chill out after work.

While my cousin and company went to the Zoo and saw some male-on-male gorilla action, I had to attend a civil litigation seminar for work the entire day on Saturday for the second and last time—thank goodness. We walked around my neighborhood for a bit before decided to get some Chinese for dinner. We got take-out at Taste of Szechuan located on University in the complex next to the entrance of the 163-North. The last time I got Chinese take-out was with the 7, 8, 9 Dinner Club from the less than impressive Hong Kong Restaurant. My roommate Emily was loyal to her favorite of Sweet and Sour Chicken, I ordered the Orange Chicken, Marisa ordered the Walnut Shrimp and Jeff rounded out the meal with Szechuan Eggplant. We share all the entrees along with a large order of half steamed rice and half fried rice. The first thing that I must share about Taste of Szechuan was that the service was very friendly and attentive. Even though we were only ordering take-out, the adorable Chinese gentleman in the front was quite helpful and even joked around with us while we were deciding on the entrées. He also informed us that the Szechuan-style dishes could be made with any spice level that we desire since the Szechuan region is quite known for its spicy tendency. While waiting for our order, we made a quick trip for Stephanie to pick up some pizza from Pizza Nova. I had never been there before, but Stephanie ordered a small Cheese Pizza and seemed to have been satisfied with it. I guess it’s kind of hard to mess up a cheese pizza. I’m not quite sure on how good Pizza Nova is but it seemed to be relatively popular as more of a sit-down place than Bronx Pizza. Anyway, back to Taste of Szechuan. The restaurant itself was rather effortless in its attempt to be contemporary—can you tell that was a sarcastic comment? But who cares about the décor of the restaurant when the food can justify itself. Let's just say that I will be frequenting Taste of Szechuan for my Chinese take-out fix.

Before Jeff, Marisa and Stephanie departed from San Diego, I had to take them to another favorite of me and Mr. Tall: Mama Testa. Mama Testa is a true taco shop. The menu is filled with regional variations of every sort of tacos beyond your imagination from Mama Blanditos or soft tacos to Mama Cesta or steamed tacos. The first thing you would notice once you enter the restaurant is its colorful décor. Red, yellow, and green dominate the unique furniture; napkins at your table are sandwiched between colorful, plastic salt and pepper shakers and macho libre toys. You walk up to the register to order and with your food you get a basket of chips. One of the best things about Mama Testa is its salsa bar. There are always at least a dozen different types of salsas from the favorite with red onion and tomatillo to the more interesting variation of parmesan and peppers, and the mild of mango and papaya. And if you’re like me, you’d go crazy and fill yourself up with condiment cups full of at least half of the salsa bar. The food quickly arrives just before our party gorged ourselves too much with the complimentary chips and salsa.

I convinced Jeff to order my absolute beloved dish: Majados de Carne.
Let me break this down for you:
4 Rolled shredded beef tacos
+ Delicious, spicy beef broth
Topped with onion, cilantro, queso fresco and lime
= Absolute foodgasm
How mouth-watering does that look and sound! I usually overload mine with fresh squeezed lime--I love my limes so leave me alone. Jess ordered De Aire, simple rolled crunchy tacos, and Marisa ordered De Bandera Morena, or rolled shredded beef tacos, all along with the usual fixin's of lettuce, salsa fresca, sour cream and queso fresco.

Mr. Tall usually goes with one of the soft tacos—this time he got the Tres Cochinitos, or carnitas soft tacos. And, of course, I always have to round out my meal with horchatha and his usually with tamarindo. He and I have sampled most of the offerings (except for desserts) and can conclude that practically everything on the menu is tasty.

Well, that's all for the weekend with Jeff and company. My sister is currently visiting this entire week for Thanksgiving, and I will most definitely be blogging about Little Miss's adventures with Pinnerton!

Enjoy,
Little Miss

Cupcake Love

Due to the recent events of birthdays and Halloween, I found myself back in the baking business, which I do not mind at all. Mr. Tall had a Halloween potluck up at his company's headquarter in Tustin, so I volunteered to bake up something for him to bring. I was delighted by the fact that the potluck also entailed a food competition because, as much as I hate to compete, I love the thought of prizes. I had a few cans of pumpkin puree left over from the Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake so I thought I'd bake something that had pumpkin in it. I had found a fantastic recipe on Posey’s Party Cakes's blog of Pumpkin and Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting.

The recipe was so enticing not only because the cupcakes contained pumpkin but also because Mr. Tall is a big fan of Mexican chocolate. The recipe was simple and combined ingredients that I would have never thought would go together well like pumpkin and Mexican chocolate. The cinnamon cream cheese frosting topped off the soft cupcakes nicely especially with the hint of spice from the Mexican chocolate. I just sprinkled the cakes with shavings of remaining chocolate, and it was ready for the potluck. Unfortunately, the cupcakes didn't win the top prize, but I still thoroughly enjoyed making them. I think I would like to bake up this recipe again because I had read on another entry of Posey's Party Cakes that if you toast the cinnamon before combining it for the frosting that it releases the essential oil of the spice so the cinnamon taste is stronger.

Round two of cupcakes galore was for my co-worker Nishanthi's birthday. She is a self-confessed peanut butter lover. I also knew that she loves Resse's Peanut Butter Cup so I thought what would be better for her birthday than Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache Frosting! I found the recipe on the Food Network website. It was so simple and made a perfect batch of 12. The cupcakes combined chunky peanut butter, which gave them a very tasty crunch, and just the right amount of chocolate chips to not be overwhelmed by the rich, chocolaty ganache frosting.

When I was still in school last year, I had a lot more free time and was able to bake quite often. But now that I'm working, all I want to do when I come home is veg out on the couch and get hypnotized by the television. But baking is definitely one of the things I will always truly enjoy. I love cooking and baking for others; I must have gotten that personality trait from my grandma, who would always made sure that our family was always well fed. Like most children, I was a picky eater, and one of the few things that my grandma was able to get me to eat was rice and pineapple. What an odd combination, I know. Interestingly, it's really reflective of the inclination of my taste buds toward things that are sweet and sour.

Anyway, if anyone wants any of the recipes that I have experimented with and can't find them online, let me know and I can post them.

Enjoy,
Little Miss

A Good Year

Last Friday was the big 365-day anniversary for me and Mr. Tall. Pretty exciting, I know. We didn’t really want to do anything grand so we just decided to make a date to Monsoon. Mr. Tall got the idea for Indian food because he had never had Indian food before until last weekend when, on his company field trip, they took everyone to an Indian buffet. And he really enjoyed the food. The first time I had Indian food was actually in Bangkok. During my summer internship a few years ago, a friend of mine’s family manages a hotel in downtown Bangkok. The hotel is noted for its fine royal Indian cuisine (it’s called the Rembrandt Hotel if any of you ever make a trip to Bangkok). From then on, I fell in love with Indian food. I had been hesitant about trying Indian food anywhere else for fear of being disappointed. Until Jess, Mai and I went to Monsoon. We were at a great advantage during that visit because Mai and Jess’s close friend, Michelle, was the head waitress at the time and she pretty much hooked us up big time.

We definitely overindulged on the garlic naan along with the chutney sampler of sweet mango, mint, and raita. We asked Michelle to order for us since she knew the food best. I’m not quite sure what we got, but I believe we had the Murgh Makhani (butter chicken) and a lamb dish.


We ended the meal with mango mousse with strawberry rose sorbet. But the best part was that our dessert spoons were cooled in a small dish of ice and rose water. I hadn’t eaten that much since my girlfriends and I hit up the buffet in Vegas.

After being greeted with a bouquet of colorful daisies (my favorite flower) and even a card, oh my, Mr. Tall and I headed out to Monsoon. I had requested on the online reservation to be seated next to the curtain of waterfall in the middle of the restaurant, and they willingly complied with our request. Mr. Tall and I started with, what else but an order of garlic naan served with a small ramekin of garlic and cilantro chutney. He also got the India Special Reserve Beer and I got my absolute favorite, iced Chai tea. What makes the iced Chai at Monsoon so special is that it is nothing like what you would get at Starbucks or Peet’s. It is real Chai brewed with fresh spices—you can truly taste the blend of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and of course, the mild heat of the ginger.

For our entrée, we shared the Lamb Vindaloo, which was cooked with a little vinegar with chunks of baby potatoes in a tomato-based curry, and Murgh Tikka Tandoori Chicken, which was marinated in yogurt, ginger, Garam masala, fresh lemon and cilantro. We order the tandoori chicken with a tomato-based sauce that really highlighted the mild and tender chicken. Even though my first visit to Monsoon was very memorable, this visit exceeded my expectations. The Lamb Vindaloo is by far the best dish I had enjoyed there. You can tell the lamb was carefully prepared because the spices really hid the gaminess of the meat, and the curry complemented the tender chunks of meat perfectly. The entrées were served in mini brass pots along with a side of basmati rice. At the end of the meal, I just wanted to pour the rest of the curry on my rice and eat it just like that—it was so good! I am officially declaring Monsoon one of my favorite restaurants in San Diego. I will definitely have to check out other Indian joints soon to see how they measure up.

One tip that I’d like to share with diners out there, check out www.opentable.com. I was introduced to it last year when I was making reservations for Top of the Cove during the San Diego Restaurant Week. There are many restaurants in San Diego, which you can reserve for your party through OpenTable. It’s easy to do and you can collect points through your reservations.

You know it’s officially fall when all the bakeries and cafes begin to make pumpkin or maple products. Mr. Tall, for one, is a huge fan of pumpkin. If it’s got pumpkin in it, he’ll eat it. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffin, pumpkin bagel … and if it’s got maple in it, he’ll eat it, too. Maple sausage, maple syrup …
The Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake is probably one of the best recipes that combines his love for these two ingredients coupled with the fact that he really enjoys cheesecakes. So, naturally, I made him a Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake for his birthday. The recipe called for real maple syrup, and I highly recommend investing in a bottle of the Canadian maple syrup goodness. Just a couple dollars more and you get the real maple taste without all the heavy, artificial sweetness.

It was my second attempt at the Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake. I was bummed out because my first "test" round turned out to be better than my second, which saddened me since it was for Mr. Tall’s birthday. It’s pretty bad news when a cheesecake is undercooked. Unlike cakes, in which you can poke a knife and see when it’s done; being an amateur cheesecake baker, I cannot accurately gage when it is done. I am determined to make another attempt at cheesecake—successfully! The cheesecake still tasted good, but quite soft in the center. But, Mr. Tall being the clever man that he is, decided to freeze the cheesecake, and who would have thought ... frozen cheesecake is pretty damn tasty!

For dinner, from one of my favorites on the Food Network, Tyler Florence (I pretty much love him), I got a recipe for his Ultimate Fried Chicken. The chicken turned out slightly more brown than what we would have liked due to the pot that we had used to fry the chicken. We also cooked up mashed potatoes and green beans to go with the fried chicken. The potato ricer came in handy once again, and our mashed potato was even better than the last time. Because I am a bit of a perfectionist, I was quite disappointed with the way the chicken looked and the way the cheesecake was undercooked. But, Mr. Tall, being a good sport and appreciative boyfriend that he is, still enjoyed the meal. The fried chicken, overall, had a subtle spice level to it, and soaking it in salt water prior to cooking it helped to maintain that juiciness in the meat. Mr. Tall and I intend to fry up some chicken again, and I am positive that it will be better the next time. This weekend was nearly perfect. I say nearly because, well, it wasn’t as flawless as I had anticipated. But, all in all, I am content because, as Mr. Tall reminded me, it’s the thought that counts.

Enjoy,
Little Miss

Just Because It Has Peanuts in It Doesn't Mean It's Thai

Last Friday night, David and I grabbed some dinner at California Pizza Kitchen. We had wanted to go to BJ’s but as expected, there was a long wait, and we didn’t want to deal with that. So, we proceeded to CPK; there was a bit of a wait but we utilized our time wisely and made a quick trip to Tower Records, which, by the way, is having a going-out-of-business sale. Good time to stock up on CDs, DVDs, and even magazines. Anyway, I’m sure most people have seen if not been to CPK. I was never really a big fan, but I had nothing against the restaurant chain. In other words, I wasn’t expecting much. Mr. Tall ordered a cup of tortilla soup and a Sicilian Pizza, which was topped with Italian sausage, Capicola ham, julienne salami, Fontina, Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Being the pizza fiend he is, he was pretty satisfied with the pizza except noting that it could have been left in the over for a little longer so the dough and the crust would be, you know, crustier. Surprisingly, their tortilla soup was pretty good. If I do go back to CPK, I’d probably stick with their tortilla soup and variety of pizzas. I made the mistake of ordering the Jambalaya pasta. I was craving a Jambalaya dish because my co-workers had ordered them during lunch—bad choice. Not only was the pasta over-peppered and way too oily, there was no good balance of flavor. There was plenty of crawfish, sausage, and chicken in the dish, but I had to throw a lot of hot sauce on to make the dish tolerable. By the way: people, just because you throw some peanut sauce or peanuts on something, it doesn’t mean that it’s Thai. One good thing was that at least our service was pretty good. I didn’t really care to take any pictures (because I didn’t have my camera) and I don’t think I’d be going to back to CPK any time soon.

Mr. Tall had a work field-trip up in the Inland Empire all day Saturday. So, I finally got the time to make the test round of the Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake. I had made cheesecake twice before, and it is quiet a process. The recipe was from a cookbook, The Best 125 Cheesecake Recipes, that Mr. Tall had gotten as a part of my Christmas gift. More like a ploy for me to make him cheesecakes. I will share the recipe and pictures of the cheesecake in my next post.

Later that day, after Emily, Jess, and I played a round of tennis, Jess and I ventured to this Thai restaurant I had read about on a food blog. Thai Village is located on Mission Blvd. in Pacific Beach. It is a quaint place with cheesy, beach-scene décor, but it reminded me just a little bit of Thailand. The restaurant was actually quite busy because there was a big party of a couple of parents and a bunch of 10-year-olds—seemed sort of a random location for a birthday party or something. Anyway, our poor waitress was the only one working and after I retrieved the menu myself, she brought us some ice water. There were some interesting items on the menu such as green curry with avocado and fried rice with mango among others. I decided to stick to the more traditional offerings. I asked the waitress if she was Thai, and, of course, she was. I started asking her about some of the food selections, particularly the papaya salad, som tum in Thai, because I had been craving that for ages. Som tum is a very popular dish originating from the Eastern region of Thailand. Shredded papaya is the main ingredient; sliced tomatoes and string beans are added along with palm sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, and chili. It is traditionally made in a larger stone or wooden mortar, in which all the ingredients are pounded and mixed together. The versions of the som tum that I’ve seen here are generally tossed like a salad.

Our waitress told me that the som tum was Americanized, but I decided to go for it anyway since Jess had never had it before. Since Jess hadn’t had Thai food for a long time, I decided that we should go with more familiar dishes. In addition to a small papaya salad, we ordered the Panang Curry with beef and Pad Thai with chicken. A must-have addition to the meal was the Thai iced tea. The som tum quickly arrived. It was very simple, with shredded papaya, some shredded carrots, small wedges of tomatoes, and peanuts sprinkled on top. The salad was not as flavorful and complex in ingredients as the ones I’m used to in Thailand, but it had a really good kick to it. Warning, the som tum will give you mad garlic breath until the next day. But, I personally, thought it was worth it. Next time, when I order it I would just tell them to maybe omit the garlic or maybe put just a sliver of a clove. The Thai iced tea was nothing spectacular. I suspect that they might be packaged Thai iced tea, but I don’t particularly care too much.

Our entrees soon arrived. Along with the curry, we got a side of Jasmine rice, which was served in a large bowl with a big plastic spoon for scooping. The mismatched plates and bowls and other small quirky details of the place really reminded me of small restaurants in Thailand. Because I had been conversing with the waitress in Thai, the waitress asked if I wanted a spoon because if you’re Thai, you eat with a fork and a spoon—one in each hand, ready to tackle the meal. The curry was quite flavorful, although a little too watery for the panang consistency but the bell peppers really spruced up the dish. The Pad Thai was simple and tasted like a dish off the street vendors in Bangkok, which was quite reminiscent for me. The food was simple with no frills. The dishes all tasted as if your grandma in Thailand had made them. Don’t expect anything grand because Thai Village is really just about reasonably priced and delicious Thai food. I am definitely taking Mr. Tall there next time.

Enjoy,
Little Miss

The 7, 8, 9 Dinner Club

One of my really good friends and former roommate, Mai, is currently pursuing a nomadic lifestyle in Uganda. But before her departure I was able to bond with my current roommate Emily and one of Mai’s fantastic friends from high school. The three of us, Emily, Jess, and I, have been able to get together on a weekly basis to form what we call The 7, 8, 9 Dinner Club—well, that’s what I’ve dubbed us anyway. The 7, 8, and 9 originated from each of our lucky numbers, which coincidentally happened to be consecutive (only Jess was initially observant of this).

So, every Tuesday, Jess comes over to our apartment and we just cook up a feast. Our first dinner date, Mr. Tall joined us. We shared some edemame, and I cooked up an easy chicken and vegetables stir-fry with sweet Chili Thai teriyaki sauce, and brown rice. I personally prefer brown rice to white rice not only for its superior nutritional value but its textural appeal as well. Brown Jasmine rice is the best. Okay, enough about rice. [That's Jess and Emily with their stir-fry.]

Our second dinner date, I cooked up a simple homemade Bolognese sauce with whole wheat spaghetti. Emily put together a lovely salad tossed with her Grandma’s recipe of balsamic vinaigrette. And you can’t forget some super-garlic butter on whole wheat French bread. Good, simple comfort food. (Sorry, no pictures from this date.) The week after that Jess was craving some Chinese take-out, so we went to this place down the street from our apartment on 4th called Hong Kong Restaurant. We ordered some fried wontons as appetizers, chow mein with pork, sweet and sour pork, Schezuan tofu. I am personally not big fans of the typical chow mein and sweet and sour pork dishes so I was really hoping that the tofu dish would do it for me. Although the sauce complimenting the tofu was flavorful, I was disappointed that they used friend tofu instead of the firm or silken tofu. My favorite part of the meals was the green tea mochis (yes, I know they’re Japanese but they are so delightful)—so good!

The following week, we were still in a take-out mood, so we called up Bronx Pizza and ordered for a pick-up. After about half an hour, we walked down to Washington and picked up our entire pie for a mere $15, and it was plenty for us three gals. The New York-style pizza was thin and slightly crusty. We ordered half eggplant and red roasted pepper, and half artichokes and sausage—very good choices, indeed. My personal recommendations for pizza places around San Diego would be Bronx in Hillcrest and Hoboken in Pacific Beach. Both are New York-style so if next time you’re in the mood for some pizza I would suggest trying those instead of the more familiar, usual delivery places. Mr. Tall is a pizza enthusiast. We like to call in and order an entire pie for pick-up. We had traveled to NYC last spring and there is definitely no comparison to the real thing, but Bronx and Hoboken get pretty damn close.

Anyway, back to the dinner club: on our next date, we decided to make it a fiesta! Literally. Emily cooked up some chicken soft tacos with all the fixin’s. Ever since Sun God, my guacamole has gotten some rave reviews even though it’s the easiest thing to throw together—no cooking involved. My secret ingredient is Tapatio and lots of fresh lime juice. If you know me, you know that I pretty much pour hot sauce and chili on practically every savory dishes. But definitely the best part was Jess’s green alligator piñata filled with candy goodness. Our predicament was that we had nowhere to hang up the piñata. But being the smart cookies that we all are, we improvised, and decided to the just toss the damn thing and hit it like a huge baseball. It turned out to be so much fun! We had some awesome pictures from that night, but Emily’s camera got screwed up and lost all of the pictures. That was a big disappointment.

Just as I thought things were going well for our dinner club, they just got even better! For the past Tuesday, Jess came up with the idea to make crepes! We found the recipe online:

4 eggs * 1 cup of flour * 1/2 cup of milk * 1/2 cup of water * 1/2 teaspoon of salt * 2 tablespoons of melted butter [recipe makes about 12-14 crepes]

We blended all the ingredients in a blender, which made for very easy pouring and clean-up. It was so simple and enjoyable. We didn't have a fancy crepe pan but our frying pan worked just fine. For our savory crepes, we filled them with sautéed button mushrooms with peppered smoked turkey and cheese.

For our sweet crepes, we had, what else, but Nutella! Well, aside from Nutella, we filled them with raspberries and sliced banana. Nutella is probably one of the best food inventions ever. I love it. Jess had brought over the film "The Triplets of Belleville," but we were not in the mood to watch it. The one thing we’re always in the mood for was "Sex & The City." We figured we’d watch the last season when Carrie is wooed to France to go with our Parisian dinner theme.

I must add that the best addition to our dinner dates is definitely the music. I love cooking with some really good background music. I really think music enhances the whole culinary experience. I have so many more good eats to share with you so I think I might have to start posting twice a week to catch up with the materials I’ve collected so far. More foodies to come later this week!

Enjoy,
Little Miss

Wedding Weekend

Apparently, sitting on my bum all day at the office is quite exhausting. I come home and cannot get myself to write a first real post. But I have mustered enough energy and motivation today to share some of my recent culinary activities.

This weekend Mr. Tall came up with the genius idea to make beer can chicken and mashed potatoes. Since we were only cooking for two, we got a young chicken (I know that might not sound to appetizing but it’s really just a small chicken). Slapped on some salt, pepper, and herbs, sat that baby down on a half-full can of PBR and popped it in the oven for over an hour. And voila, we had ourselves one of the juiciest roasted chicken I have ever had!

It was our second time cooking it and I must admit we most definitely did better. As our side dish, we made mashed potatoes with a potato ricer I had purchased from Crate&Barrel.

I don’t know if it’s just because I’m Asian, but this was the first time I had ever made mashed potatoes from scratch. Let’s just say the potatoes ricer made the process pretty fun … and would you like some butter with those potatoes?

On Saturday evening, Mr. Tall, against his will, and I met up with Andrea and Erika, and their plus ones to drive up to Pomona to attend a wedding. If you know me, you know that I was looking forward to the food and, more importantly, the cake. Both the ceremony and the reception were at a church. The ceremony was beyond spiritual to say the least. And the only thing I can say about the reception was that, to my disappointment, it was dry and there was no dancing. The cake was lovely but nothing spectacular. It was what Andrea and I called "Asian Cake." If you're Asian, you know what I'm talking about.

I blame "The Food Network Caters Your Wedding" for hyping up the culinary importance in nuptials for me. Mr. Tall knows that if and when I get married, my priority is to have a cake that not only looks but tastes to-die-for. And, of course, really good food, open bar, a rockin’ DJ/band—basically, a kickass party … How did this paragraph evolve into my wedding plans? Screw marriage, I’m just going to have a life partner, like Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. I kid, I kid … Well, perhaps.

Nonetheless, the best part about the occasion was the Brown Eyed PEAS reunion. Parada, Erika, Andrea and Spencer (get it?) finally reunited and here is a picture from the reception for us all to reminisce … after our glory days at UCSD. One of my favorite restaurants in San Diego is undeniably Mama Testa in Hillcrest. Mr. Tall had discovered the restaurant while searching for an authentic Mexican joint while his dad was in town. Since then we have been devoted to Mama Testa for nearly a year now. They serve every sort of tacos in every way unimaginable by the average San Diego patrons. For most who are familiar with offerings at burrito shops or Mexi-Cali restaurants, Mama Testa is like no other. Here is their website if you’d like to check it out: www.mamatestataqueria.com. Mr. Tall and I stopped by there the past Sunday, but I was too starved to take any pictures. But, no worries, we will definitely make another trip there soon so look out for that in the near future.

Coming up: The 7, 8, 9 Dinner Club!

Enjoy,
Little Miss

First Taste

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