Category: Chefs/Restaurants

Project Food Blog: From My Heart

And so the sun has set on my participation in Project Food Blog, Foodbuzz’s first ever competition where 10 official challenges test the culinary and blogging skills of almost 2000 contestants, whittling them down until only one star remains…It was an honor and pleasure to compete in the company of so many talented bloggers.

Thank you all for your enthusiasm and encouragement. Thank you to the wonderful folks at foodbuzz and the esteemed judges Dana Cowin, Nancy Silverton, and Pim Techamuanvivit. Thank you to my friends and family for sharing the cooking, entertaining, and the excitement with me. It has also been great fun to meet so many terrific new food bloggers! Best wishes to the 24 bloggers remaining in the contest. The last three challenges are: Piece of Cake, You’re the (Restaurant) Critic, and The Final Post. All the remaining contestants are super qualified, we can’t wait to see who emerges as the winner. Bonne chance my friends!

PROJECT FOOD BLOG

Taste With The Eyes
Links to Seven Challenges:

Challenge #1 Ready Set Blog: What is TaStE WiTh ThE EyEs?

Challenge #2 The Classics: Classic Peruvian – Aji de Gallina

Challenge #3 Luxury Dinner Party: Modern Southwest

Challenge #4 Picture Perfect: quesadillas florales

Challenge #5 Recipe Remix Pizza: Asian Pizzette

Challenge #6 Road Trip: ELEGANT PICNIC BY THE SEA

Challenge #7 Video 411: Entertain with Gelée!

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

Your Friend,

Lori Lynn

Las Vegas Libations!


KIWI-TINI @ tommy bahama’s
Town Square Las Vegas

Is it possible to visit Las Vegas and not indulge in food and drink? As foodies, we LOVE Vegas. This past weekend we dined at the BEST of the BEST – Alain Ducasse, Pierre Gagnier, and Joel Robuchon among others. We were obviously leaning French this trip!  Is there a city where one can find so many of the world’s top chefs? It’s Vegas, baby!

In addition to dining at the crème de la crème, how about some just plain ol’ fun? On the patio at Tommy Bahama’s…in the open air bar at Mon Ami Gabi with views of the strip…relaxing on the couches at Morels with their unmatched cheese bar…high atop the strip at Mix with views from the 64th floor…and at Red Square where we contemplated purchasing the requisite bottle of vodka, to don fur coats and enjoy the beverage in the vodka vault at minus 5 degrees. Alas, as we had dinner reservations later that night at Joel Robuchon at 9 PM, so we sipped a glass of Veuve instead. Maybe next time?

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Charming Brunch

We didn’t go to the French countryside, but enjoyed a taste of French Country decor & cuisine all the same…I recently took my mother to brunch at the adorable Stella Mare’s restaurant in Santa Barbara, California. The house was originally build in 1872 and moved to its current site on the edge of the Santa Barbara Bird Refuge in 1962.

Stella Mare’s Victorian house is a designated historic landmark.

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Asian Pizzette


Congratulations, you’re one step closer to becoming the next Food Blog Star!
Your entry has advanced to the next round of Project Food Blog 2010.
Your next challenge? “Recipe Remix.”


Challenge Prompt: One recipe, 72 variations! We’re challenging each of you to put your own spin on the same recipe. How you do it is up to you. Will you try out some molecular gastronomy techniques? Share a super-secret trick? Or re-envision the dish from a different perspective? You’ll be asked to put your own spin on Pizza. For the purpose of this contest and challenge, we are defining pizza as having a solid base, a sauce and at least one topping. Get super creative or just share your secrets for the very best results. (from foodbuzz here)

Thank you to the folks at foodbuzz for hosting such a unique and well-executed competition. It has been a blast! The serendipity of participating in this contest has been the introduction to so many creative bloggers! To my readers, thank you for your warm comments and enthusiasm, as well as taking the time  to vote and support Taste With The Eyes. Voting for this round is now open through Thursday, October 21. Please come to the Pizza Party, and vote for your favorites!

Finally, another note of thanks to my dear friend Gina and and my favorite local restaurant, Gina Lee’s Bistro in Redondo Beach, for the inspiration to remake their terrific dish, Chicken Katsu with Soba Noodles, into a pizzette! I have been meaning to share my noodle cakes made with udon noodles and chow mein noodles – usually topping them with sautéed mushrooms or spinach. The buckwheat soba noodle cake makes an earthy base for the juicy chicken katsu cutlet, and the flavors from three vibrant sauces and colorful slaw work very well together in this Asian Pizzette. I think Gina would approve.


buckwheat soba noodle cake
macadamia nut chicken katsu, yuzu tahini sauce, sweet ginger soy
tri-color slaw, rice wine chile syrup, daikon sprouts

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Apricot Wonton Ravioli, Chile Crème Anglaise

Fried Wonton Packages filled with Dried Apricot, Apricot Preserves, Mascarpone
Chile Crème Anglaise, Pinenuts, Mint

Project Food Blog

Challenge #3: Luxury Dinner Party

Challenge Prompt: Celebrate! You’ve made it this far, and the next challenge is to hold a party for your friends and family. Whether you’re an experienced host or an entertaining newbie, get creative and host a luxurious dinner party where your guests will discover new tastes and exotic flavors.

We served Apricot Wonton Ravioli, Chile Creme Anglaise at our Luxury Dinner Party – Modern Southwest. I hope you have a chance to stop by and enjoy the party! Votes may be cast now through Oct. 7th. If you are a fan of Luxury Dinner Party – Modern Southwest, please vote here! Muchas Gracias!

Apricot Wonton Ravioli

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