Dining with a View

I’ve lived in this apartment for 3 years and just figured out another brilliant way to enjoy the view of the Mt. Baldy mountains….over good food and wine! I invited Michelle and Caroline over for and we pulled the table outside and shared a meal comprised of the local Alhambra Farmer’s Market ingredients. We started by snacking on Shrimp 'Toasts' with Manchego Cheese, after, I whipped up a salad of Corn, Heirloom Tomatoes, Green Beans, Cucumbers and mixed in good olive oil and basil…fresh and most of all summer-esque. For the main course, we had Garlic Anchovy Butter and Tomato spaghetti. It’s fairly easy and the anchovies add a light umphh. I opened up a bottle of wine that was given to me on my 30th. The Lancaster Estates Cab ‘03, not only paired well with the pasta but also Chocolate Molten Cake Michelle brought for dessert. Yum. Cheers to future dinners on the balcony as the sun sets!

Garlic Anchovy Butter and Tomato Spaghetti

Garlic, minced 5 cloves

Butter 2 T

Olive oil 2 T

Anchovies 5 fillets or as much you can bare

Tomatoes, preferably Heirloom 5 good sized, chopped

Parsley, minced 2 T

Spaghetti 3 cups, cooked

Parmesan-Reggiano Cheese as needed

Salt and Pepper as needed

1. Warm butter, olive oil and garlic until aromatic, about 2 minutes.

2. Add anchovies and cook for about 1 minute on medium low.

3. Add tomatoes and simmer for 5-7 minutes, salt as needed.

4. While sauce is still warm, add to pasta and gently mix with parsley.

5. Garnish with parmesan and pepper.

2nd Annual New York 4th of July

Red, White, and Blue Potato Salad

Lamb burgers with Mint pesto fused Yogurt

Gerlyn's fav German sausage

Karoake at Sing Sang

Pizza Margherita at L'asso's

Bone Marrow and Oxtail Marmalade at Blue Ribbon

Our fish tacos

Another 4th in New York, it’s become a kind of tradition, one that starts with me arriving via LA red eye, breakfasts of cheese, charcuterie, & champagne, rained out BBQ’s on Gerlyn and Kirstin’s rooftop, long walks through the city, Karaoke and eating good in general.

This year for the annual BBQ, we did burgers in style; Lamb, Tofu, and the old fashioned Beef. I added my Red, White, & Blue Potato Salad (circa ’05) and we were set! My hosts were nice enough to let me invite family friends over. Along with G, K, and Steve's (3rd roommie) NY pals the party turned into an eclectic mix of people from around the world. We had a guest bring over German sausages, perfect with mustard on a soft bun even hours later. Not to mention the deep intricacies of British food, a.k.a Toad in the Hole and Fish n' Chips Of course, it started pouring as we started the burgers but made the best of it and moved into their cozy apartment. After the fireworks which..we did not make it to due to dark clouds, we headed to a Karaoke spot, Sing Sang and sung our faces off.

We took our own tour of the Meat Packing District, West Village and SoHo the next day, with eat/drink spots along the way. Favorites where Spice Market for the atmosphere, La Esquina for the underground-esque bar, L'asso’s, and Blue Ribbon Brasserie. They had this exquisite Mushroom and White Truffle Oil pizza at Lasso’s. At Blue Ribbon Market, the Fried Chicken was excellent along with the Bone Marrow and Oxtail Marmalade. The marmalade cut through the richness of both the marrow and oxtail, it was a perfect combination.

On my last night, we cooked Fish Tacos and Chipotle Chicken Tacos. My cousin, Michelle brought over delightful Chocolate chip cookies. We devoured these alongside Haagan Dazs Crème Brulee ice cream. It was a perfect evening as Steve played the guitar and we sang along to the Beatles and Oasis.

Red, White and Blue Potato Salad

RED potatoes, fingerlings or bliss 3#s

WHITE cheddar cheese, shredded ½ cup

BLUE cheese, Maytag or Stilton ½ cup

Green onions, thinly sliced ¼ cup

Caramelized onions, red ½ cup

Dijon mustard 3 T

Olive Oil ¼ cup

Salt and pepper as needed

1. Boil potatoes half way done, then either grill or roast until all the way done.

2. Whisk oil and mustard, then pour in with potatoes.

3. Add blue cheese, white cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, salt and pepper with potatoes, mix gently.

4. Top with green onions.

Fish Tacos for 4

Snapper, Halibut, or Rockfish 2#s

Oregano 1 teaspoon

Cumin 1 Tablespoon

Red Pepper 1 teaspoon

Parsley 2 Tablespoon

Lime 1 Tablespoon

Lemon 1 Tablespoon

Olive Oil as needed

Salt and Pepper as needed

1. Marinate fish with all ingredients above for at least 1 hour.

2. Grill fish over medium heat until done.

‘Slaw’ for Tacos

Cabbage, white, thinly shredded 2 cups

Cilantro 2 oz

Corn ½ cup

Red Vinegar 1 T

Lime 1 teaspoon

Olive Oli 2 oz

Salt as needed

1. Mix red vinegar, lime, and olive oil.

2. Pour over cabbage, cilantro, and corn and incorporate well.

**Eat with Corn tortillas and fresh salsa!

SD Friends and FroYo

We love it when Sarah and Maria are up from San Diego and it’s time to do the Hollywood/LA thing. This usually entails parties in the Hollywood Hills, clubbing, or watching some sporting event that includes a Boston team. But as we have gotten older our ‘thing’ is eating out and sharing a few bottles of wine. We are getting smarter with the times and finally realize that I can cook and we’d save mondo money. However, we still managed to eat brunch out a few times per Sarah's request, ‘I want to go to place where someone from the Hills would dine at.’

Wish granted, we headed to Comme Ca, the latest dining craze in LA, French bistros or brasseries. Brunch is better than dinner as you can’t even hear your own voice in dining at night. The highlights are the Quiche and the Burger as Mr. Jonathan Gold raves about. It was a hot weekend, heat exhaustion was apparent; hence, we decided to try another LA craze of the moment, Fro Yo a.k.a. frozen yogurt. Pink Berry, Red Mango, Berries, the Big Chill, it is all here. Yogurtland, IMHO, is in a league by itself, this place is a wonderland for yogurts especially since you can pump-your-own with 8 rotating flavors, Taro Root, Peanut butter, Blueberry, Pistachio, Chocolate, Tart, Cheesecake, just to name a few. Then pick your own toppings galore, ranging from rainbow sprinkles, chocolate chips, fresh fruit, coconut flakes, etc. Its 30 cents for an ounce and that is cheap! We loved it so much we went back twice, even tucked in a corner of strip mall on the edge of Little Armenia a.k.a quite far and not nice area of LA.

That night, my sous chefs (Carly, Sarah, Maria) and I prepared light apps which included Pizzettes, Bruschetta, Portobello mushrooms ‘pizzas’ and Summer soba noodles. Afterwards we headed to the Thompson Hotel where we sat on the gorgeous rooftop enjoying life and sipping on cocktails. The next day, we went to another favorite brunch spot, Bread Bar. Bread Bar originated in Paris by the famed bread maker, Eric Kaiser. After full stomachs, much to my delight, we headed to Robertson and did light shopping.

Thanks guys for coming up and Carly for letting us stay at Hotel de Gomez and most of all, helping me remember that LA is truly a cool city. Good luck to Sarah who’s headed off to San Francisco!