A Summer Weekend in DC

I love taking that red eye flight from Los Angeles, leave at 10 PM and bam, it’s 6 AM the next day when you arrive in DC. This trip was short and I had 4 missions;

1. Eat at 3 Star (Washingtonian Magazine) French restaurant with foodies, Mom and Aunt

2. Meet with a good friend for drinks and snacks at the hot DC restaurant, Zatinya

3. Cook brunch for my best friends family (see below post)

4. Eat Peking Duck with Dad for Father’s day

I definitely had to nap when I landed, I hardly slept on the plane since my neighbors were yacking the entire night AND my seat was broken and would not recline back. It was an uncomfortable ride but at least Jet Blue has satellite TV and Terra Blue Potato chips. Let me tell you the satellite TV was sweet on the way back televising the US Open! I digress, so, yes, I slept a total, 2 hours since we needed to be in DC by noon to dine at Le Paradou. It was easy though, slipped into a skirt, hopped in the car, and 15 minutes later, we were in the Nation’s capital.

Today’s lunch was a prie fix of $29 for 2 courses or $39 for 3 courses. The menu selection was vast ranging from hot & cold appetizers, Salads, Meat & Poultry and Poisson (Fish in french). Dessert was separate but we were fine with that since none of us really has a sweet tooth. To start, I had a glass of Sancerre along with Lobster Tail sautéed with Grapefruit, Butter, followed by the main entrée, Stuffed Quail with Mushrooms, Pistacchios, Chestnut Gnocchis and Sage jus. Mom shocked us by ordering the Beef Medallion Roast, Leeks and Roasted Shallot Jus (she never eats red meat!) and started off with Morel Mushroom soup with Sea scallops. My aunt chose the Stuffed Squid with Pine Nuts, Olives and Lavender Blossom and then had the Scallops with Crab Stuffed Raviolis, Red Snapper and Lobster jus (yes, detailed indeed) as her entrée.

Out of all appetizers the Morel Mushroom was tastiest, such depth and freshness, the scallops were seared to perfection. My aunt’s squid was well executed, baby squid stuffed with good flavor not to mention the dish was beautiful. I found my entrée to the best, the quail was exquisite, rich in flavor, strong in taste, loved each bite. For dessert, we had Poached pears stuffed with Chocolate and Ice cream. The pear embedded with chocolate was genius, I will attempt it to duplicate!

The service was attentive and the French speaking servers are always a nice touch. Afterwards, my aunt requested for me to meet Chef Yannick Cam who has been in Washington since 1978. To my surprise, my aunt had taken my grandfather to his famed restaurant Le Pavillon back in ’79, why yes, I was only 1 years old! Chef Cam was charming enough to take a picture with us and speak briefly about his years in the area. To many, he is one of the first chefs to put DC on the map for French fine dining. Overall, the meal was one of the best I have had all year putting a totally different light on dining in LA!

Later that evening I met up with Sarah at Zatinya in DC. Still stuffed we shared a mélange of appetizers, Grilled Ocotups, Kibbeh, and Zucchini fritters. The bar was hoppin’ and it was nice to be among fellow East coasters. After, we ventured to the National Gallery of Art- Sculpture Gardens for what look like the tail end of Jazz at the Gardens, the night was gorgeous. As I sat there, I thought about all those muggy summer nights as a kid wondering what my life would be as a grown up. I never dreamt it would be eating at restaurants of all kinds from DC to LA to Paris! When I got back to LA, I emailed my aunt my thoughts, she replied back, ‘yes, you are living the high life at age, 30.’

Kitchen Impossible

I’ve known Carly and her family since I was 12. I remember arriving to her old house in my blue station wagon a.k.a Blue Bomber and the place was always bustling. She has 2 dogs and 2 younger sisters and there is always much action. I'm not used to growing up around it but found the dynamics endearing and entertaining. One weekend during college, since Gerlyn and I always heard Carly rant and rave about her mom’s dish we requested that Mrs. Gomez prepare Arroz con Pollo, one of my first ventures with Cuban food.

Since becoming a chef, Mrs. Gomez has been requesting that I cook and finally we found a weekend that Carly and I were home at the same time. Before the trip, she kept on warning me how her house can be loud, I reassure her, I remember. A half an hour before she picks me up, she texts, ‘Really, it’s chaotic here, be prepared.’ This still doesn’t deter me because after all, I’ved cooked for 50 people, surely a family of 5 will be cake!

We arrive to her house about an hour later then anticipated. Already, I feel rushed ….I put her sisters immediately to work, Jackie a.k.a. Lil J, the veteran cook shows me where everything is. OMG, girlfriend has a full set of Shun knives, yes, this is my brand of choice! Not only that, the kitchen is fully equipped with a Kitchen Aid and vast selection of bowls and pans, not to mention a mini working station. Yes, this should be easy, as I am thinking this; I look over to the sink and it’s over flowing with ‘sewer’ water. Hence, we could not wash nor clean anything including our hands. Still, not really a huge deal as Carly buckets out the dirty water. I put Rebecca a.k.a. Becks to work and get her started on the Chocolate Mousse. Suddenly, I feel my contact lens acting up, for 15 minutes I struggle with it, and finally it rips and I find myself cooking one-eyed. Next, I hear much commotion and the smell of Lysol is becoming apparent, oh wait, the cleaning ladies are here vacuuming and scrubbing today!

I’m cool, I’m cool, the next hour is smooth with much picture taking by my new photographer, Becks, also the Champagne is popped! We are ready to finish by poaching eggs, then, boom, the electricity goes off. Ohhhhhh shuuuuuucks, Carly and I smile, this is too funny. I pose the question of using another heating mechanism like the fireplace….and keen Mrs. Gomez suggests the grill, YESSSS, Lil’ J suggests using the Le Creuset pot so the water will boil faster, double YESSSSS! Of course as we are waiting for the water to boil on the Grill, it starts to rain on us, again, Carly and I smile, hysterical at this point.

Brunch is served at 4:00 initially it was supposed to be at 2. My guests are very patient especially as I mess up their kitchen with dishes piling up feverishly due to the ineffective sink. All and all it was a great time, long overdue with many laughs and memories. It may have had its challenges but it was one of the funniest and honest meals I have cooked. Thank you to the Gomez Family for inviting me into your home and making me extremely comfortable.

Cool Dips

When summer hits and there is a heat wave in Southern California, there a few things I will only eat. Tons of tourists line up to try the famous Pink’s or In N’ Out. Just the sight of this to me is unappetizing, how can anyone eat bacon wrapped dogs or animal style cheeseburgers in this sweltering madness!

I cooked at a few bbq’s of late and did some brainstorming to make dishes that were refreshing, neat to eat, simple, and cheap (let’s face it, gas is high!). I decided on dips. Who doesn’t love chips or anything that isn’t crunchy to go with it? One night, we made Hummus from dry chickpeas with many Meyer lemons, Avocado ‘tatziki’, Heirloom Tomato Salsa, and Oaxacan Eggplant dip. Toasted pita chips, crackers, crostini were all used as the dipping apparatus.

I found the recipe for the Oaxacan Eggplant dip in Gourmet and it was delicious. Afterwards, we used the grill to toast mini-marshmallows on foil (according to my friend, they were out of big ones at the store). To be expected the mini marshmallows turned into fluffy hot pillows of sugar but still worked fine for the s’mores. My friends ended up dipping the graham crackers into the gooey mess, the only hot dip of the night!

3 lb medium eggplants (about 3)

2 fresh poblano chiles

1 to 2 fresh serrano chiles

1/3 cup finely chopped white onion

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (preferably Key lime)

1. Grill eggplants and chiles, turning frequently, until chile skins are blistered and slightly charred all over and very soft, 5 to 6 minutes for serranos; 10 to 12 minutes for poblanos; 18 to 20 minutes for eggplants.

2. Transfer chiles as cooked to a large bowl; cover and let stand 20 minutes. Cool eggplants to warm, about 15 minutes.

3. While eggplants cool, carefully rub off skins from chiles. Stem, seed, and devein chiles, then chop. Transfer to a large bowl.

4. Peel eggplants, the add parsley, chiles along with onion, cilantro, lime juice, and 3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste) in food processor or blender. Puree to until just chunky.

Authentic Mexican food in LA

My love for Mexican food started back in Virginia eating Taco Bell and Tippy’s as a youngster. I loved Tippy’s Taco House which was down the street on Lee Highway, as a matter of fact, some of the cousins fondly remember and joke about it, as it was served at my 12th Birthday party. My go-to was the Enchilada combo meal, 2 cheese and 1 beef Enchilada, red sauce, rice, refried beans, finished with a Beef Taco and tortilla chips, por supesto.

Fast forward, L.A. where I work for a Mexican food company. We had to give a presentation on Mexico and the different regions where the staples are no where near what we think is Mexican is: no burritos, no enchiladas INSTEAD moles, tamales, flavors that are tantalizing and tasty. We pepared Mole for the presentation and used 16 different ingredients, amazing. Ever since, I have wanted to explore every region and its indigenous foods. According to Chef Rick Bayless, there are 6 food worthy regions of Mexico; Chihuahua (Northern), Puebla (Central Mexico), Mihoacan (West Central), Oaxaca (Southern Mexico), the Yucatan, and Veracruz (the Coast).

Back to the point of this blog, down the street from South Pasadena is Highland Park, known for their hole-in-the-wall Mexican joints. I haven’t been to any probably because most of my friends don’t eat pork and most of them are MTA (Models Turn Actresses)….you can guess that H.Park isn’t safe at night either. I dragged Eric one night and we pick a joint that specializes in the Yucatan, Villas Durangos. A French trained Mexican chef was welcoming and proudly showed off a picture of himself in Paris. The salsa is super hot, chips straight out of the fryer, and beer ice cold. The waitress speaks Spanish so Eric and I struggle to order, still all the more amused My dish, Pollo Pibil was delicious while Eric was forced to order Carne Chile Colorado since the Cochinita Pibil (pit roasted pork seasoned w/an achiote paste, sour orange and wrapped in banana leaves) was fresh out! The meal with 3 beers, 2 very filling dishes came out to be $18, cheapest and tastiest meal I’ve had in awhile! I plan to visit more Mexican places in Highland Park but don’t think that will be too often unless I make more carnivore eating friends!