Saturday, May 28, 2016

Azn Dirty Dog

Konichiwa

A little tasting we did for a client that requested a specialty hot dog bar during the dance portion of the wedding.  We did a couple different variations for her but I chose this one to share in particular because.... well its the bomb!  Very simple recipe so check it out below, and yes she will be serving this to her guests!


URBN Market Azn Dog
1 Serving

Hebrew National Beef Frank 7"
Korean Radish 1each
Carrot 1 each
Sugar .5 Cup
Rice Wine Vinegar .5 Cup
Go Chu Jang Pepper Paste 1Tbs
Mayonnaise 1 Cup
Sesame Oil 1Tsp
Diced Spring Onion 1 Each
Salt TT
Black Pepper TT
Black and White Sesame Seeds 

Start by cutting the Korean Radish and Carrots into a thin spiral cut.  If you do not have a spiral cuter a grater will do just fine just dont use a fine grain because you want these to add texture to the dish.  Place these in a cup or container with a Tbs of salt and let sit for 20 minutes to pull out all a good amount of water.  Drain then soak with the sugar and rice wine vinegar for a quick pickle about 10 minutes.  

Now make the spicy mayonnaise.  The reason I use Go Chu Jang as opposed to sriracha is you get a roasted subtle heat.  So combine the Pepper Paste, Mayonnaise, and Vinegar and put into a squeeze bottle for better plating and application.  

Now cook your hot dog to your preference.  I like to start them in the microwave wrapped for about a minute just to bring the middle to temp then finish on a char grill because you cant beat the texture using a broiler.  You could always use a grill pan or a regular pan to crisp the outside.

I toast the inside of the bun so it can hold up to all the moisture of the fixings.  Assemble all ingredients a voila!  the Azn Dog.  Spice it up once a while!

You get everything from hot, cold, spicy, sweet, juicy, and crispy.  Whats not to love!  Enjoy

Thursday, May 5, 2016

The Slut!

I feel so dirty!  I mean the place is called eggslut.....  I've finally had the chance to eat at this place after hearing about all the hype.  Without further a due here its the eggslut review!  And yes I ordered 2 items for myself and a burger after......


The Slut and Goucho Sandwich

Now by no means was this meal horrible but I will tend to sound a bit disappointed with the review. 

 In the front you have "the slut".  It is a beautifully soft sous vide egg,  the whites we perfectly cooked and the yolk runny the way I like it.  On the bottom there were hashbrowns but its really just mashed potatoes after being sous vide in the jar with the egg.  The grey salt was a nice touch and some chive gave it a good sweetness but this jar with an egg and potatoes and 3 crustinis is hardly worth 9 dollars.  The flavor was pretty good but now I will not crave "the slut" from here on out!

In the background is the Goucho sandwich.  Very good flavor and maybe a bit on the high side as far as price but I would possibly give this another shot.  First of all I am sucker for arugula and there was no shortage on this,  The wagyu tri tip was cut thinly enough so it wasnt tough at all but had a nice mouth feel and chew.  The chimichuri was legit one of my favorite sauces that give the sandwich a nice acidity and freshness from all that parsley.  I think the star on the sandwiches are the brioche buns,  Usually brioche can be super fatty from all that butter and tend to break apart when saturated with sauces but this one was firm enough to withstand the eating process but had a super soft interior.  Very well made sandwich and for 12 not so bad.  10 and I'd want to come here more often.

The Fairfax

Again great sandwich on some great brioche.  The eggs come perfectly soft scrambled and the carmelized onions give it a nice sweetness.  Mel got the sriracha mayo on the side and actually didn't even have regular mayo to substitute which is a bummer.  You have the product already you are telling me you mix everything and don't leave diners the option.  Anyway good but pricey breakfast sandwich.

I would say that at the end of the day I would only bring people here if it was their first time or wanted to show something different.  Grand Central Station as a whole was a great place to visit.  I really do hope more of these food districts pop up everyone and give smaller places a chance to showcase their food and diversify our choices.  Chains can get pretty boring sometimes.  Keep an eye out for URBN Market Food District coming 20??!

Sunday, May 1, 2016

Toto Isawan sa San Diego

Mabuhay!

I've been on a Filipino food kick lately.  Those down home stewed dishes with tons of fat or grilled and fried innards on a stick street food is whats been catching my attention lately.  There has to be something said about cultures that take these undesirable cuts and scraps from these animals and making them taste good, well most of them anyway.  In the picture below is a smorgasbord of offering from Totos Isawan sa San Diego.  Ihaw I believe means grilled and Isaw means the innards of these animals,  I could be wrong but take the word of a coconut Filipino (Brown on the outside white on the inside) with a grain of salt.


Lets start with the chicken feet.  I love me some dim sum and the chicken feet stewed in the black bean and garlic is one of my favorites.  When I saw these for the first time I was scared they would be tough because they looked straight grilled.  But they were slow cooked or possibly braised before grilled and they were tender and tasted like heaven!  I ate most of the ones pictured above.

On the bottom right those are called puet ni manok or chicken butt.  Yes they are the buts of the chicken and you can see the little poop shoot on the ends but the meat around it... Delicious!  Doesent have the mineraly poo taste at all just some juicy grilled meat.

The red looking balls are called kwek kwek.  Not sure if that is translated into something but the smaller ones on the right are quails eggs that have been hard boiled then battered and fried into the balls.  Chelesterol Heaven!  I probably ate the equivalent of the cholesterol of a dozen eggs because I was popping these like nothing.  They did have the bigger regular chicken eggs pictured on the left but if your going to eat a battered fried egg you might as well go all out and do the quail egg.  SO GOOD.

Now the long white tube that is skewered on the stick next to the chicken butt is chicken intestine.  Now traditionally these intestines are not washed very well and this was what was the most terrifying part to me but when you get a good char on these they taste so good.  Reminiscent of a chewier chicken skin in texture but a much more complex flavor from the minerals that were in the well.... Poo.  Really good.

There were 2 types of the pig intestines, the large and the small.  I have to say the large was really not appetizing to me.  I even had it burnt to a crisp but lets just say I felt like I could taste everything the pigs ate.  Just a smell and flavor that really was so overpowering I couldnt enjoy the flavor.  The smaller intestine on the other hand had a very nice chew and only had a slight smell of the feces haha!  I actually really liked the small intestine very much so.

Not pictured here are the fish balls.  These I felt like my company who were all true Filipinos were really drawn to because it had a sense of nostalgia for them.  My friend Nicco said when he ate it it reminded him of being on the side of the street hungry after working all day.  Now Ive had fish balls prior to this and I don't really ever remember them being great but with most of the isawan here they came with a specific sauce that each flavor was supposed to be paired with.  The most common sauce I think is called sowsowan which I think also mean to dip.  This is usually a sweet, vinegary, garliky sauce which goes great with the super rich foods.  The fish balls however had a liver based sauce which was mineraly and sweet and really took the one note fish balls to another level.  

Another dish which I would say was my favorite that I had this night that is also not pictured is called Betamax.  Kind of sounds like the fish you buy at walmart that you put on your desk but these were actually coagulated blood cakes that are grilled.  These were so good because it was like an airy mineraly cake that had a meaty taste and texture.  They were pictured because I ate them all so fast.

All in all I had a great experience,  I always appreciate trying new things and just to see my heritage and others that actually came from there appreciate these things was really eye opening.  So I encourage everyone to try it or you could wait until I open my own ihaw ihaw spot in North County!

Saturday, April 30, 2016

Wulan Ramen House


You know I had to review this place.  Apparently its been all the buzz between all my Oceanside heads.  Ramen is something that it deeply ingrained in my heart so hearing that there is a decent place in my former hometown of Oceanside really caught my attention.  When rating ramen my criterium has always been the essentails of the ramen itself, the noodles, the toppings, and the broth.  Well lets just get into it then because lets be serious no one wants to hear me rant on so lets look at the food!

Pork Bao Bun

Not authentic at all.  It was braised pork shoulder with romaine and some sort of dressing.  To me it was screaming bahn mi flavors but I would say it is worth a try but I probably wouldn't be ordering this again.

Takoyaki (Octopus)

Pretty good.  I love the chewy texture of the rice batter here.  The order came with plenty of them and the flavor was really good.  You get them piping hot, so hot that the bonito on the top looks like it is still alive and moving.  The octopus wasnt too chewy and the subtle hints of ginger and sauce ont the top complimented it well.  Solid starter

Tsukemen

This is what mel ordered.  The broth (not pictured) wasn't served to us hot enough but I think the flavor was really good.  The greens and bamboo shoots give it a good balance to the dish.   The noodles seemed pretty authentic,  they had a nice chew and a yellow hue so you could tell they had kansui which most japanese ramen noodles have.

The Mega Pig

This was their most expensive ramen because of the size.  I would say it is a moderate portion but I do eat like a monster.  I love how they give you 2 different types of cooked eggs although I am a big fan of a soft poached and would have preferred that.  I am always happy with egg yolk in general though.  They give you 2 types of pork belly a traditional sliced and smoked and a chasu or rolled marinated style and both were very good.  The broth has that 2 soup broth or double dip and David Chang likes to call it and had very good flavor.  I understand that you have to over season because the noodles will pull a lot of the salt flavor out but mine was really way too salty.  I did try this bowl of ramen twice and both time I had to dilute the borth with water.  But I do say I really did enjoy it both times.  I hope I dont hype it up too much because there really isnt anything comparable to it in the area besides underbelly in downtown SD which I havent had the pleasure of trying.  But I am confident in saying that this is a solid ramen spot.

Sunday, April 17, 2016

Pastry Chef Attempt

 Sweet is always something I have great inner struggle with.  Do I not finish my delicious 10oz char grilled porterhouse so I can fit some sugar in my belly?  Usually the answer is no but when you have a wife who is pregnant and has super enhanced taste buds you have to start liking the sugar.  This dish was from a little event at work for a meet and greet with a man named Richard Lederer?  Apparently he was hot stuff in his time and he is pretty picky with his food.  Anywho this was the dessert course I made for his menu and it was pretty well received.  Check the recipe below
 

Hibiscus Poached De Anjou Pear
serves 1
 
De Anjou pear Fresh 1/2 each
Blood Orange Sorbet
Orange Peel from 1 Orange
Granulated Sugar 3 Cups
Water 3 Cups
Hibiscus Tea 1 Package
 
Bring a pot of 2 cups of water to a boil and add 2 Cups of Sugar to make a simple syrup.  Add the packet of hibiscus tea and steep until it picks up color.  Peel and Half the pear making sure to remove the seeds and place in the poaching liquid along with orange peel.  Lower heat and poach until soft about 12-15 Minutes.  Remove and cool down.  Take the orange peel and quickly fry until it picks up color and immediately coat in granulated sugar  Scoop a coronel of blood orange sorbet and place on top of poached pear.  Place candied orange peel on top as garnish.
 
 
Hibiscus Poached De Anjou Pear with Blood Orange Sorbet and Candied Orange Peel 
 
The tangy sorbet was perfect to cut through the sweetness of the pear and orange peel.  Its a lighter refreshing type of dessert and it was pretty well received.  Give it a try friends.

Friday, April 15, 2016

Happy Birthday Daddio

Happy Birthday Daddio!
 
     To tell you the truth my dad and I had an interesting relationship growing up.  He was a very strict man who thought of the world in a very black and white approach.  His way was always the right way and for his son who was pretty much thought of the world in the same way (after all I am his offspring) didn't exactly see eye to eye.  I know his father was the same way if not worse with him and I took me many years to finally appreciate that.  Through all those layers of manliness is just a man trying to do the best for his family.  He is a selfless man that sacrifices so much for his family. Now at my ripe age of 30 can get along with this man that I spent resenting because he was so hard on me for 20+ years I feel like I have this new best friend that has always been there that I never knew I had.
 
     Which bring me to my Dads Bday.  Perks of having a chef for a son is you get to tell him hey I want some good steak.  I told my rent that I would take care of everything and headed to the store.  Unfortunately there wasn't a very good selection of steak at the store we went to so I had to settle on a nice fillet.  Trimmed and portioned it into some nice 6oz steaks just some salt and pepper and an open fire was all this steak needed.  In Filipino tradition you always eat  a long noodle of sort which represent long life,  I just listen to my mom so I made a spinach linguine with a tomato buerre blanc sauce.  I have to say I was impressed with myself and made a pretty good dish for my pops.
 
Spinach Linguine
 
AP Flour 2 Cups
Eggs 3
Olive Oil 1Tsp
Pinch of Salt
Fresh Spinach Blanched 1 Cup
 
Tomato Buerre Blanc
 
Tomato Sauce 1 Cup
White Wine 1 Bottle
Garlic 1 Head Peeled
Shallots 2 each
Whole Pepper Corns 1Tbs
Bay Leaves 5 Each
Thyme Fresh 1 Sprig
Cream 2 Cups
Butter Unsalted 1 Lb
 
Start with the pasta as it needs time to rest.  Blanch the spinach and blend with a bit of the blanching water.  On a cutting board place a pile of the flour and make a well with your hands.  Add the rest of the pasta ingredients and kneed to incorporate.  Cover and let rest for 30 minutes minimum.  Roll out your pasta gradually making it thinner.  I used a #3 setting on my pasta roller for the linguine.
 
For the reduction sauce Take the peeled garlic shallots peppercorns thyme and bayleaves and sautee in a small sauce pot with a little bit of oil.  Once you see some color add a bottle of white wine (I used Chardonnay) and reduce until almost all the water has evaporated and you get close to a syrup.  Strain the reduction and add back into the sauce pot and bring to a boil.  Add the heavy cream and reduce again by about 70%.   Then add the tomato sauce and reduce again by half to really get those flavors layered into the sauce.
 
I start with a boiling pot of salt water and strainer for my pasta and a big sauté pan to toss the pasta.  I like to cook my past a bit in the sauce so you really pick up all those flavors.  I start with some minced garlic and shallot. and a bit of olive oil,  once I see a bit of color on the garlic immediately put in the spinach and give it a couple tosses and deglaze with the reduction sauce.  At the same time I am cooking the pasta so by the time the pasta is close to being done I can go straight from the boiling water to the pan with the sautéed vegetables and sauce.  What you are doing when using this technique is you are naturally thickening the sauce with the pasta starches and really getting the sauce to stick to the pasta.  Add a cold pad of unsalted butter and toss to finish.
 
Not the easiest dish to make but so worth it if you put in the effort.  Happy Birthday Dad!  Love you man!
 
 

Char Grileld Fillet over Spinach Linguine with burst tomatoes
 
The whole dinner 
 
$1.25 garlic Bread don't hate 
 
 

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Chirashiventure


There is always one dish I use to gauge how certain restaurants run. Chirashi is always perfect because you get to see plating, freshness of ingredients, and flavor all in one bowl.  Ive had rushed chiraishi bowls with the sushi rice thrown in without any care and horrible knife skills are so apparent that you feel like you are eating scraps.  1. You can tell the restaurant is staffed and 2. You might not to know where and how the fish you are eating has been there.  This is especially important because you are eating it raw.  This dish was from hana sushi which is a small chain believe it or not.  I can confidently say this was the best chirashi bowl ive had in the san diego and temecula area.  The dish was beautiful and the sashimi cuts thick and luscious.  They even added in tamago or sweet egg which was one of my favorite types of nigiri when I was younger.  A little ponzu and wasabi this off and at 21 dollars I thuroughly enjoyed this dinner.
  
Chrashi Bowl from Hana Sushi

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Mels Pregnancy Craving


The nice thing about working with your significant other especially when you are prego and he happens to be director of food service/executive chef is you get to crave something and boom!

Funny thing is that mel out of no where asks for a monte cristo in the middle of our lunch rush.  Well you know you gotta take care of the baby so of course I oblidged.  Check out the recipe below.


Monte Cristo

For sandwich
Sliced Roasted turkey 2oz
Sliced Black forest ham 2oz
Gruyere cheese 2 slices
Texas toast 2 slices
Raspberry preserves 1oz
Mayonnaise 1oz
Tempura Batter 4oz
Sugar .5cup
Water 1cup

For french toast batter
Whole eggs 2oz
Whole milk 2oz
Ground Cinnamon 2tbs
Ground Nutmeg tps

Combine all batter ingredients until well incorporated and set aside.  Pre heat griddle to medium high heat.  Take the Texas toast and generously dip into batter and straight to hot griddle.  Once you see some color flip and put a slice of gruyere cheese on each.  Finish cooking the french toast and melting the cheese at the same time.  Spread mayonnaise on on alice and raspbeerry preserves on the other.  Finish assembling the sandwich with the deli meats and take off the griddle.  Wait a minute to cool and tightly wrap the sandwich and refrigerate for 15 minutes so the sandwich doesent fall apart when frying.  Prepare tempura batter by combining water, sugar, and tempura mixture.  Take the sandwiches then dip in the batter and quickly fry in hot oil.  Dust with powdered sugar.

Its messy for sure but well worth all the effort so you dont always have to go to disney land for a monte cristo.  Works especially well if you are pregelnant according to the wife.  Much love and enjoy!





Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Ramped Up Ramen

Spicy Egg Drop Style Miso Ramen

So I know what you are thinking.  Another recipe to make top ramen.  Well what makes this different than all the other ones out there on the internet?  All I can say is please do your belly and taste buds a favor try this recipe yourself.

This has been a culmination of trial, error, and experience.  I feel I strike a diverse balance of robust but restrained flavor here. It hits a nice blend of different asian styles and ingredients that all compliment each other and creates very balanced flavor profiles, and yes it I just top ramen!  So now that I talked it up here is the recipe and I hope you all like it as much as I do.

2 packages top ramen
(I like 1 beef and 1 pork flavor)
2 whole eggs
2 tbs cornstarch
4 cups of water
1tbs red miso
1 tsp sesame oil
1tsp gochujang chili paste
1 package of roasted seaweed
1/2 cup of frozen peas, carrots, and corn kernels

In a soup pot put water and incorporate cornstarch while still cold.  Turn on heat to high and add seasoning packets from too ramen and bring to high rolling boil and broth starts to slightylly thicken.  In a small cup crack the eggs and scramble and slowley pour into the very hot boiling broth forming ribbons of egg.  After egg is cooked about 30 seconds place noodles in broth making sure to break noodles apart as it softens.  Add sesame oil, red miso, and frozen vegetables and stir.  When incoporated add gochujang before serving to avoid scorching the chile paste.  Pull noodle first in bowl or nest when plating so you have all your vegetables and egg visible and not covered by your noodles.  Finished with sliced roasted seaweed strips and enjoy friends.  The little man sure did!



Sunday, February 21, 2016

Brick Frikin Toast

 Hello Sweet Tooth Aficionados!
 
For this gem I need to chalk up the credit to an acquaintance of mine named Amanda.  She used to always post about a place called UP2You Café and I finally had the privilege of trying this place with the Fam.  The Décor is great, that great home grown coffee house feel but not too pretentious.  Anyways below is what we ordered and it was one of the best decisions of my life next to buying a home when I did and I guess deciding to get married... (please don't hurt me Love!)
 
Brick Toast with Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream and Condensed Milk. 
 
Now most of my close friends and fam know I am more of a "why save room for dessert give me more meat" guy, but I still do appreciate well balanced desserts.  So lets start with the toast, a Japanese style egg bread and simple heaping of butter and sugar.  When they pop these in the oven the restaurant instantly picks up the aromas.  Topped with a balanced bitter sweet matcha green tea ice cream, sliced banana, and a drizzle of the mystical ingredient condensed milk to add a subtle sweetness.  Great dish,  I definitely had a foodgasm and I am so glad I decided to take the fam here.  Jake loved playing on all the vintage furniture.  It is tucked in a corner of clairmont mesa so keep an eye out for it!

Friday, February 12, 2016

Milwalky Trace

    So pretty excited to share this experience.  Big props to the cousin in law Jessi Gube for enlightening me about this place on our family vacay to Chicago.  So without further a due I give you... Milwalky Trace.  Apparently it was named after a major road or something like that?  I don't really remember because I was too busy stuffing my face holes.  You could just taste the experience and care that went into every dish.  Very simple food with a high level of technique and palette experience.  Scroll down and check out the dishes!  So good Ill even show you from the end to the beginning.

Dark Chocolate Ganache with Olive Oil and Sea Salt

The garanche was a very dark slightly bitter chocolate with a drizzle of olive oil and sea salt.  A pinch of salt further extenuates the flavors that are already in the dish, hence why salted caramel is such a popular trend nowadays.  It comes with some grilled ciabatta which I thought was buttered and drizzled with sugar but it really didn't need it.  The bitter sweet chocolate had the perfect balance for a great ending dish without being overly sweet.

Ciabatta French Toast

Here is the sugar added on the ciabatta that I was missing from the ganache dish.  A pretty standard french toast using ciabatta which is super unique, macerated berries, and some pure maple.  I prefer the ganache over this but for you all with a sweet tooth this dish is simple but awesome.

Braised Pork Shoulder with Clams

Pork belly and clams is a pretty common pairing.  I like how they used a pretty low end cut like a pork shoulder and really re-purposed it to raise its appeal.  Fresh little neck clams and a delicious spanish style chorizo broth was perfect.  Fresh cilantro on the top rounded out the dish and I am glad that the garnish belonged on the dish as opposed to just a sprinkling of parsley on the rim of a plate which I hate.

1 Dollar Fresh Oysters

We bought this restaurant out of the western oysters.  They gave us a mix of east and west oysters.  I know I may be partial but I prefer the west oysters.  They taste more of the sea and have a pleasant brine to them than the eastern ones which are a bit saltier.  Some fresh lemon and mignionet, what more could you ask for?  O yea only a dollar on Tuesdays!!

Sweet Potato Gniocchi

Not a bad dish I do like the texture of gniocchi when it is finished on a plancha or a pan as it gives it a crisp texture to complement the pillowy insides.  The dish had great flavor but I did feel the pasta was a bit dense using the sweet potato.  Still great flavor though just wanted it to round of with great texture.

Sweet Onion Fritter

These were locally sourced onions just liked the rest of their ingredients.  Neat little swirl in the cup of chipotle aioli.  I do like the spanish flair on some of the dishes.  I like how he julienned the onions and made them into a little nest.  A bit over cooked but still very good appetizer.

Grilled Little Gem Salad

Great salad.  When I first started cooking grilling greens like this was something I loved to do.  Honestly havent had a grilled salad in like 5 years till this day.  Just a simple Caesar with super fresh produce.  SO GOOD!

Gruyere Dip with Bacon Lardons

Well melty bubbly gruyer and cubes of rendered crispy bacon with bread.  Dont really need to elaborate but you could tell this picture didnt look like this for more than a couple seconds.  I think a dish like a cheese dip is pretty essential to those with simpler palates.

Tartar

Of course I pushed us to order this one.  Very good tartar, you could taste the freshness in the beef and the seasoning really came through without overpowering the meat.  Dijon and fresh herbs all over the palate.

Heyyyyyyyyyyy.... The Bronze Fonze

The best thing about this place is the menu changes with the seasons and availability of products as a restaurant should be.  Next time I go back it'll be a whole new experience!  Thanks again fam for the treat!

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Feeling good about the startup!

Hello friends!  

     So I know its been a while since I've blogged about my catering startup.  To refresh the past post it was pretty much saying how stupid the process was.  Here I am just trying to use my skills to provide for my family and the city telling me I cant do it because of zoning issues.  I still don't really get it since there is already a full working kitchen where I work currently and to tell me I cant use this fully functioning kitchen was pretty ludicrous to me.  But I guess things just are the way they are sometimes and nothing worth doing is ever easy.
     I am happy to report that this past week has been very productive to me finally achieving my goal and starting my own business!  I have another application in to the city of Poway but this time thanks to some of my vendors and their tips, I have secured another commercial kitchen that is already licensed by the city to operate.  I have had nothing but great encounters with the owner of the kitchen and it just leaves a great feeling that I am finally going to get this gig off the ground.
    I have had the privilege to do a couple tasting for a couple interested clients and one of them one of my long time friends.  I think I am more excited to finally be able to share what I feel is my calling with others.  I've gone through the treacherous journey of planning a wedding myself (Not that treacherous Mel!) and remember that some of the food that we had to chose from our caterer was so basic for lack of a better word.  I really want my company to be able to cater to what the bride and groom want rather than just choose from a set list of foods which to me sounds bland don't you think?  Custom catering is where I feel is more in demand, even on a budget.  I'm making sound like I have achieved so much already and I really haven't done anything at all really, but just the amount of thinking and formulating ways to start something on your own really takes it toll on you, and I haven't even done an event yet!  I plan on trying to get my name out there by doing some of the local farmers markets and really just relying on social media and word of mouth to establish myself.
     I feel all the waiting and being told no really does lend itself to something better in the end as long as you keep working at it.  I am so excited for what is to come and I just want to thank all my friends for supporting me and believing in what I do.  In food you are only as good as your last plate and through the hundreds of steps that it takes to make a single dish I feel if someone is making your food that is only in it for the money, that is what is going to be reflected in the flavor and plating of the food.  I'd really appreciate if everyone would get my name out there and take the time to share my blog and maybe I'll get the chance to share my passion with you all!  

Sunday, January 17, 2016

BurGR

Hey!

     Welcome back friends check out some of my Vegas eats over this past week. This is my third time eating here and I of course highly recommend this place.  I am pretty sure everyone would recognize this chefs restaurant.  Gordon Ramseys BurGR,  see the capital GR which represents his initials,  so witty!  Anyways its not just wit that this place has, they also have some serious eats to back up the name.  The atmosphere is great with an open kitchen so I personally feel I could hold them accountable for anything they put out.  Table was touched by 3 different servers which is always rare.  The Food is just dang good so check out some of the pics below.

Chanterelle Burger

This one is my favorite but I am partial to chanterelles.  The buns have black sesame seeds as well which I really think makes a big difference in the toastiness and flavor of the grilled bun.  The hand ground burgers are fired over applewood grill and basted with butter..... yes I needed all those dots and the burgers are treated just like a prime cut steak when cooked.  Some nice sauteed chanterelles and hint of truffle accompany the burGR which still have a bit of chew to them so not braised to mush which I appreciate.  This is then finished with some fresh wild arugala and figgy onion jam to cut the richness.  SO GOOD, just a simple yet not so simple burger.  Earthy, sweet, rich, aromatic.  Try it!

Gooey Fries and Honey Sriracha Apps

Not only are these burgers good but the apps give me the same kind of excitement.  The gooey fries weren't on the menu the first time I went.  These wedge cut fries had a smoked gouda sauce with herbs and salami (they had me at smoked gouda).  They throw the cone on a plate table side and top it with an over easy egg table side as well.  This was devoured shortly after this picture was taken.  The wings were great as well, so juicy yet so crispy on the outside even after they were sauced.  My guess is they were brined before breading and the sauce was more sweet and tangy than spicy which my was right up my wife and in-laws alleys.

Pork Belly Pig in a Blanket and the Little Man

I guess one down side to the restaurant was there was no kids menu and I understand that this is the demographic they were going for.  So after careful delliberation the mother and I chose these ramped up pigs in a blanket, and I have to say the best of this type of dish I ever had.  I must have downed half of these myself.  The center was some nice pork belly, wrapped with puff pastry.  This came with curried ketchup and pickled mustard seed.  The mustard seed was like little popping bits of caviarish like goodness.  Gave it a good acidity to balance out the pork belly.

     All I can say is good thing we did not order a side of truffle fries because I went into deep deep food coma after this one.  The burgers hover around 17 to 20 dollars which I know is pretty high for a burger with no fries.  You always have to take a step back and realize the care that goes into some of these dishes, then you realize the food is worth the money.  Great place so yall go try it ya hear!


Wildberry Chicago

Whats up!

Another review of a popular breakfast joint the cuzzos took us to on out Chicago vacay.  This place stomps broken yolk easily,  nothing gourmet just some down good homey breakfast/brunch items.  
Florentine Benedict with side of Buttermilk Pancakes

Simple classic dish and one of the bosses (wifes) favorites.  Huge english muffin, correctly poached eggs, and loads of sauteed spinach.  Hollandaise was made from scratch thats always a plus.  Great breakfast.

Apple Carmel Pecan  Pancakes

This was an upgrade for my side of pancakes.  Great choice if I may add.  Creamy.carmel and sweet crunchy pecans for texture and the spiced apples lended a great acidity to balance the sweetness.  Yum!

Cornedbeef Hash Skillet

Huge portion of housemade cornedbeef hash.  A nice melty cheese blend topped with some runny yolk.  Gotta have the runny yolk.   Can get a bit one note but I was feeling corned.beef.

Anyways great spot with great service and best of all fair prices!  Im glad I finally got to try this place because all of the families German cousins keep raving about Wildberry!