SoCal trip highlights

Here are some random food highlights from my recent trip to SoCal (Feb. 17-26):

Kogi - LA (truck was @ Sawtelle/Olympic): short rib taco

I had just finished my dinner and as I was walking out of the restaurant, I noticed a crowd of people near a truck. hm...11:30pm and a crowd of people standing outside? As I got closer, I saw that it was a Kogi truck! I've read so much about Kogi and since it was right in front of me, I had to try it. The taco looks like a mess in the picture, but it was delicious.

Furaibo - LA: grilled mackerel

gr/eats - LA: tilapia w/ pesto

This was the special of the day - it was fantastic deal at $8.50!

gr/eats - LA: chocolate cake w/ ice cream

LAMILL - LA: passion fruit gelee

This was my second visit to LAMILL. I also had the same dessert on my previous visit. It is one of the best desserts EVER!

LAMILL - LA: flank steak salad

Hurry Curry of Tokyo - LA: chicken cutlet curry

Bella Pita - LA: fried cauliflower

Absolutely delicious. Definitely the best preparation of cauliflower I've had...fried food rocks.

MILK - LA: coffee toffee sandwich

The coffee toffee ice cream was fantastic on its own, but I loved the macaron top and bottom. Chewy goodness...

Cube - LA: truffle burger

Serious Eats named the burger @ Cube as one of their favorite burgers in 2009. I agree. It was amazing.

Another article on Cube @ Serious Eats:
Going to the Source at Cube in West Hollywood

Yakitoriya - grilled chicken wings

Orris - fried smelt

Simbala - LA: white radish cake

On nearly every visit to LA, I eat at Simbala, which specializes in Taiwanese food.

Simbala - LA: braised pork, tofu, and bamboo shoots

Glorious pork belly...

85C - Irvine: rose cheese bun

My friend told me I had to go there...so I went. The place was incredibly busy. There was a line out the door and it was around 2:30pm on a Friday afternoon. Inside, there were stanchions setup to control the flow of people.

85C - Irvine: sea salt coffee

This drink was sooooo satisfying. The sea salt is in the foam and the flavor and texture of the drink is incredible.

BCD Tofu - Irvine: original premium tofu stew

Champagne - San Diego: three layer chocolate mousse

Little Sheep Hot Pot - San Diego: mongolian beef meat pie

Ready for the cold (and maybe snow)!

I'm halfway done with my Spring travels. I just got back from a week and a half long trip to Southern California on Friday afternoon and am headed to St. Louis today. It will be the first city in a whirlwind "tour" of the Midwest - with subsequent stops in Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, and Minneapolis.

I did a similar trip around the same time last year and the weather was absolutely beautiful throughout my entire trip - temps in the mid 60s and sunny. I don't think I'm going to be quite as lucky this time around - the forecast for most of the cities is mid-30s and chances of snow.

BTW, I'll post some highlights from my SoCal trip soon...

Spring travel

My work related spring travel begins tomorrow! I'll be leaving for San Diego tomorrow morning.

Here's my travel schedule for the next few weeks:

2/17-2/26:
San Diego
Irvine
LA

2/28-3/9:
St. Louis
Chicago
Milwaukee
Madison
Minneapolis

I'm hoping for decent weather during my travels through the Midwest (that means no snow). I grew up driving in snow though (in Madison, WI), so regardless of the weather, I'm prepared!

Zinc Bistro

While many parts of the US are blanketed with snow and soaked from rain, the weather in Phoenix this time of year is generally beautiful. We took advantage of the weather yesterday with lunch outdoors at one of our favorite restaurants, Zinc Bistro. We've been to Zinc many many times before, but it has been nearly a year since our last visit...and this is the first time I've ever posted about it!

Here are a few random shots:

Entry w/ patio area in foreground

Bar area

Dining room

Our view from the patio seating area

How many birds can you spot? (answer below)

Here's what we ate:

Onion Soup Gratinee - "Traditional Onion Soup With Bubbling Gruyere" ($10).

The soup was good, but not up to the same level as the one we had recently at Vogue Bistro. Patty thought it was a bit too salty.

Prime Flat Iron Steat w/ shallots, brandy au poivre. Served Medium rare, choice of Matchstick Or Pomme Frites ($26).

Zinc Bistro has the best steak frites in the Valley. It's a great deal at $26, and I've ordered this dish many times before. The steak itself was cooked perfectly, although a bit overseasoned w/ pepper and salt.

Here's a shot of just the steak:

and a close-up of the excellent pomme frites:

dipping sauces for the frites:

Crispy Duck Confit Sandwich w/ Roasted Garlic Aioli, Gastrique Onions ($12).

Patty thought the duck was a bit dry, but overall the sandwich was excellent. The toasted brioche roll was fantastic.

There were a few minor seasoning and cooking issues, but it was still a very good meal. We didn't have room for dessert this time, but if you go, you must try the souffles! They are incredible.

By the way, there were three birds in the picture above.

Vegas!

In a few hours we'll be taking our final trip of the year - heading to Vegas! We'll be there until Christmas day.

We don't really gamble (other than slots), so the main attractions for us are the shows and food.

Tonight, we're going to watch KÀ. Tomorrow night, I've got reservations at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon. Sometime during our trip, I want to check out CityCenter - the new megadevelopment.

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Vogue Bistro - a flawless dining experience?

For dinner tonight, we tried Vogue Bistro. Vogue opened in 2008 and is located in the far northwest Valley, in Surprise, at the intersection of Waddell Rd. and Reems Rd. The restaurant is a bit hard to spot - it's at the far end of strip mall - look for the Bashas.

Here are a few shots of the interior:

To start things off, we had a special seasonal drink - a "Peppermint Pattie Martini" ($9.90). The drink was excellent - basically a chocolate martini w/ a hint of peppermint. The rim of the glass was dusted w/ cocoa powder, which I thought was a nice touch. One for one.

On to the food. Here's what we ate:

Vogue Onion Soup - "So good! Quite possibly the best onion soup in the Valley" ($8).

Agree! I'm not a huge fan of french onion soup, but this soup was fantastic. It was delivered piping hot (a MUST), topped with a flaky pastry crust and baked parmesan cheese. Quite often, french onion soups are way too salty, but this was just right. Two for two.



Vogue Escargot - "Delicate Burgundian Escargot baked in a puff pastry with herb and garlic infused butter. Escargot has never tasted better!" ($8).

Clean, light, yet full of flavor. Three for three.



Vogue Salad - "Strikingly Original! Frisee, arugula, Gorgonzola blue cheese, dried cranberries, pecans, pumpkin seeds and bits of applewood-smoked bacon tossed in warm Sherry vinaigrette" ($9).

This was a great salad. The combination of ingredients was perfect. Four for four.



Special of the day - Lamb two ways: Roasted rack of lamb and lamb meatball w/ coconut couscous, roasted squash and shitake mushrooms, and baby arugula ($32.95).

The rack of lamb was perfectly cooked. We also both loved the meatball (you can see it peeking out from under the arugula in the second picture). This dish had a bunch of individual components (almost too much), but everything on this plate was excellent. The only downside was the plating - the arugula scattered on top was a bit of a mess. Oh well, minor detail, so still five for five.

We were so stuffed that we didn't have any more room for dessert.

The service throughout the meal was excellent. Six for six!

Total meal cost: $74.30 (excluding tip)

I thought this was a superb value, given the quality of the food. This was definitely one of the best meals we've had in 2009, and maybe one of the best ever. The only downside to Vogue is its location - it's way out there...but definitely worth the drive. We're actually thinking of going back for New Year's Eve (menu). I'll keep you posted.

Mission accomplished: Stomach expansion

Mission accomplished: Stomach expansion in preparation for the next holiday...on hiatus for the next 3 weeks or so.

My stomach is about to explode!

We've eaten so much food over the past few days. Good thing we're heading home today.

The weather has been much better than expected - a bit cold, and a few gray days, but NO RAIN! (for six days)