Farewell Agent 2-007!

Well, I have officially finished my first semester of law school and am currently enjoying a much needed break. So, I would like to post some of the memorable good eats and sweets captured from the last few months of 2007. Let's get to it!

While visiting my sister at UCLA, we enjoyed some really fantastic Indian fare at Ambala Dhaba in Westwood. So, if you're ever find yourself in the Westwood area and craving Indian food, I highly suggest Ambala Dhaba.

During the same LA trip, my sister, Mr. Tall and I also waited in line for an hour (!!!) to get some Sprinkles cupcakes. We bought half a dozen cupcakes, which cost nearly $20. We got Red Velvet, Strawberry, Black & White, Dark Chocolate and Vanilla Chocolate. The shop was quaint and stylish (and located right next to a Monique Lhullier boutique). In my humble opinion, I thought the cupcakes' flavor offerings were creative, and their signature look of the dots and sprinkles definitely made them more fun and unique. They were all tasty but my personal favorites were Strawberry and Black & White.
I would wait in line for maybe 15-30 minutes for them but would think twice about waiting any longer than that. I am a cupcake fiend though so who knows I might just tough it out the next time I'm in LA and get some anyway!

Mr. Tall returned from the mall once upon a weekend while my head was buried in the books and had a sweet, little surprise of a Sprinkles Pumpkin Cupcake Mix from Williams-Sonoma ($14). The mix makes a dozen cupcakes and also includes their signature sugar dots and a recipe from Cinnamon Frosting. The cupcakes were almost as delicious as they ones from the shop so if you don't make it to LA or don't feel like waiting in line, the cupcake mix is the way to go!

It was not Sprinkles that LA Magazine named the best cupcakes in LA, but it was Dainties "It's All About the Cream" cupcakes.
Right after I told her about this exciting news, my sister brought some down with her from LA when she came to visit for Thanksgiving, to my pleasant surprise! All their cupcakes are chocolate with various creams which is topped as the frosting and also inside the cakes. I believe we had Raspberry, Mint, Banana, Caramel, some sort of candy bar cream, and chocolate chip, I think. Anyway, the cake itself was good and the creams were all very delightful, especially the raspberry and mint ones, but my only complaint is that if it's "all about the cream" then they should give you more cream! My sister said that she pre-ordered the cupcakes on their website, after which the chef personally emailed her to confirm the order--and the owner even gave her some extra cupcakes to take home with her order!

Is that a good-looking turkey or is that a good-looking turkey?! I am officially declaring Mr. Tall the Turkey master because so far he has handled our Thanksgiving turkeys like a champ! This year, we went for a fresh turkey instead of a frozen one, and I think it tasted a little bit better. Mr. Tall had a simple dry salt brine, which made the turkey flavorful but not salty. Since we invested in a roasting pan that came with a "v" rack, our bird turned out with the most wonderfully crisp skin, and with the meat thermometer we were able to ensure that it wasn't overcooked.

Our little feast for 4: creamy mashed potatoes (recipe from Tyler's Ultimate), brussel sprouts with crispy procuitto, mashed acorn squash with butter and brown sugar, and, of course, whole cranberry sauce. Oh, we also enjoyed homemade pumpkin pie and apple-cranberry pie. Yum!

My plate: I made a vegetable gravy (a recipe from Cook's Illustrated) to accompany the mashed potatoes because it is relatively healthier and lasts longer for leftovers than traditional gravy made from drippings. I could use another plate of that right about now!

Mr. Tall and I had a small, celebratory 2-year anniversary dinner at The Prado at Balboa Park. (We actually had to postpone the dinner plans because it was during the fires.) Mr. Tall was a little hesitant to try a Cohn Restaurant for many blogs did not greatly review them, but we thought that the atmosphere at Balboa Park should help make it a romantic dining experience. For the first course, I enjoyed the Warm Farmer's Salad (romaine hearts split and grilled, drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette with pickled red onion, feta cheese and marinated tomatoes) and Mr. Tall got the Tortilla Soup. I really liked the salad because I love the acidity not only from the balsamic dressing but from the pickled red onion, and Mr. Tall liked his soup as well.

For our main course, Mr. Tall ordered the Adobo Braised Pork Osso Bucco served with sweet plantain mash, sauteed white corn, tomato and zucchini, with tomatillo cilantro sauce. Although osso bucco is traditionally made of veal shanks, Mr. Tall thought that this Latin-inspired version was flavorful and the meat was moist, but the presentation of the mash and sauce underneath the shank was a bit messy. I ordered the Roasted Sea Bass served atop organic baby argula, roasted fingerling potatoes (I'm a sucker for fingerling potatoes!), and a white truffle infused beet puree.

The dish was delicious, and even though the beet puree was more like a sauce and did not have as much of the white truffle essence as I would have liked, I still enjoyed it. The acidity from the beet puree and the peppery argula perfectly complimented the meaty fish. I also had a glass of a dry and delightful Pinot Grigio with dinner, which was just a great accompaniment to the meal. We ended the lovely evening with the Chocolate Souffle Cake served with triple espresso gelato capuccino with bruleed Italian meringue peaks (those were so good!), raspberry coulis, and tuille cookie spoon.

The combination of the warm cake and the cool gelato were fantastic, but we could have totally done without the tuille cookie spoon. All and all, Mr. Tall and I enjoyed a nice dinner with a reasonable price tag and a lovely view of the wishing well and terrace of The Prado.

A friend of mine was visiting San Diego on a business trip, so Miss Andrea suggested that we go to Urban Solace in North Park because she had read so many good reviews on Yelp and I had also read a few raves on other blogs as well. We started with the Sweet Potato Fries, which by the way is my new, absolutely favorite thing! This version was awesome and its accompanying Maytag Blue Cheese-Buttermilk Dressing was mild enough not to overpower the sweetness of the fries.

Wisconsin White Cheddar Mac n' Cheese topped with caramelized bacon and (not so) charred grape tomatoes

Sweet Corn Spoon Bread

Potato Gratin. Not your traditional scalloped potato au gratin, but it was still delicious.

Char-Grilled Hanger Steak with homemade steak sauce, caramelized parsnips and celery root mash. Unfortunately, I didn't get to try this as there was so much food on my own plate (and the sweet potato fries were tempting and filling). But Andrea said that it was very good.

Cinnamon Brined Center-Cut Pork Chop served with braised Swiss chard, shallot sauce and sweet corn spoon bread. The pork chop was well cook and tender. Mr. Tall and I will definitely be making a trip to US some time this week as I am craving the sweet potato fries, and Mr. Tall wants to try their take on the American comfort food trend.

I shall end 2007 with a toast of Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie Low-Fat Frozen Yogurt with fresh raspberries--cheers!

Happy 2008,
Little Miss Contrary

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