Cheeseburgers and Crosstown Rivalry

It’s Friday before THE game, get yourself a Double-Double cheeseburger from the In-N-Out Burger truck in the parking lot on your way into the faculty lunchroom. Before you sit down to enjoy your lunch, you have a decision to make. On which side of the table will you sit?

Saturday is the big football game between longtime crosstown rivals USC and UCLA 1:30 PT at the Rose Bowl Stadium. Not surprisingly, at the K-8 school where I work here in Southern California, there are voracious fans on both sides, all good-natured and spirited! Many of the faculty and staff are graduates of one of these two universities, and those that are not get into the fun by sporting a sweatshirt from their own alma mater.

The lunch table is equitably and fabulously decorated by Judy (a USC fan herself) half the table with USC memorabilia, the other half representing UCLA. There have been 77 match-ups between UCLA and USC with USC winning 42 times, UCLA 28 times, and 7 tie games. Last year’s score: USC 24, UCLA 7.

Where are you sitting? Me, I’m neutral, I’ll sit in any open seat, except when it comes to the Fighting Illini. Then I sit with the Orange and Blue!
UPDATE:
Final Score 2008 Match-Up: USC 28, UCLA 7

Lunch at La Mar

La Mar Cebichería Peruana has as its main mission “attaining that all who visit discover, enjoy and forever make their own the marvelous invention that is Peruvian cuisine, created throughout the past 5,000 years” with locations in Lima, Peru and San Francisco, California…and soon to open in Mexico City and Santiago, Chile.

La Mar San Francisco is located at Pier 1 1/2 on The Embarcadero in an amazing space with soaring ceilings, full of light, and views of the San Francisco Bay.

Have you tried a pisco sour, the quintessence of a Peruvian cocktail?
  • 2 oz pisco brandy
  • 1 oz key lime or lemon juice
  • 1/4 oz simple syrup
  • 1/2 egg white
  • 1 dash Angostura® bitters
Shake ingredients vigorously with ice, strain, and garnish with bitters. Pisco is made by distilling 100% fermented grape juice in copper pot stills. It is a method developed by Spanish settlers in Peru over 400 years ago.

You can sample pisco flights at the bar. How does one describe pisco? Unique, rich, clean, lush, fruity, tangy, crisp, smooth, nutty, spicy, grappa-y… I would love to hear how you interpret the taste of pisco brandies.

Cebiche Criollo: Baja California yellowtail, mussels, calamari, scallops in a spicy aji rocoto leche de tigre with habenero, cancha, red onion, Peruvian corn and yam. Very spicy (that’s a habanero ring as garnish) and very flavorful!

Tamalito Verde: Fresh Peruvian corn cilantro tamale with red onion and lime juice.

Causa: Whipped purple potato with avocado puree and aji amarillo sauce.

Cordero: Braised lamb shank, mashed rice and bean tacu tacu.

Some other dishes we enjoyed included…
Chorillana: Roasted red snapper, mashed yucca, tamarind, red onion and tomato sauce.
Lomo Saltado: Traditional stir-fry of sautéed beef tenderloin, onions. tomatoes, cilantro, soy sauce, garlic, aji amarillo with fried potatoes.
Arroz: Peruvian style vegetable risotto.

The desserts were excellent too. I love the china in which they serve their sunken crème brûlée over purple corn compote.

And these little orange glazed chocolate beignets were a hit as well…If you are in San Francisco, we highly recommend La Mar for its interesting and fresh Peruvian menu, both classic and modern dishes, its breathtaking colorful space, and engaging knowledgeable staff.
When we dine out, we love to share. With so many interesting dishes and new flavors, we had to put all the dishes in the middle of the table. In fact, we started out at a table for four, but had to move to a bigger table so we had room for all the plates. How about you, do you prefer to savor your own dish or would you rather try them all?

Organic, Vegan, Raw

To celebrate my dear friend Gina’s birthday, we do lunch, and she suggested a restaurant called LEAF. Organic, vegan, raw food. Grains, seeds, and nuts are soaked and sprouted. The food is not heated to above 110 degrees F. I love my dear friend, and happy to go anywhere she likes, but I must admit I was a bit skeptical about this choice.

Cracklin’ Corn Chips with Hummus

Flying Falafel Salad: Sprouted chickpea falafel croquettes with creamy tahini sauce, mixed greens, marinated onions, tomatoes and sprouts.

This food is very colorful and photogenic…

Veggie Sunburger Wrap: Veggie seed croquettes topped with sweet tangy tomato sauce, mixed greens and sprouts rolled up in a collard green with house dressing.

We were pleasantly surprised, the food was tasty and interesting. I was especially intrigued with the marinated onions. Chef Patrick shared that the thinly sliced onions are left to marinate in a raw organic unpasteurized soy sauce, then are served atop the salad. I will be stealing this technique for some future salads, thanks Patrick.

Here in Southern California, my roses are still blooming. I brought along this bouquet for my long-time friend. The arrangement is a mix of Tahitian Sunset Rose (far left), Secret Rose (light pink middle) Tournament of Roses (front pink), Julia Child Rose (far right). Happy Birthday, My Friend! Glad to explore Organic, Vegan, Raw with you anytime…

David Burke Las Vegas

Chicken Club
grilled chicken paillard, smoked bacon, lemon aioli

Pretzel Crusted Crab Cake
mango, poppy seed honey

Classic “Caesar” Salad
lemon, anchovy, garlic, French toast croutons, grilled shrimp

Happy to share!

We fell in love with David Burke in New Jersey. So for my mother’s Las Vegas 75th Birthday Weekend we were excited to take her to lunch at his restaurant in The Venetian. Again, we were totally impressed with the food, the service, and the ambiance.
I’m excited about the new camera I bought last month, a Canon EOS Rebel XS. I think there is a distinct difference between these photos and the ones I took at Fromagerie. Working with this camera is turning out to be a terrific learning experience. The only drawback is that it is quite cumbersome to lug around Vegas, especially when trying to maneuver my big purse at the blackjack tables! But that didn’t stop me from bringing it to restaurants Guy Savoy and Alex. So please stay tuned for more fabulous Vegas food!

David Burke Fromagerie

HAM AND CHEESE OMELET STREUDEL
My favorite meal to dine out is SUNDAY BRUNCH. And my family and I like a leisurely brunch at that. A while back we had a phenomenal four hour brunch at David Burke Fromagerie in Rumson, New Jersey.

HANDMADE CAVATELLI & BRAISED SHORT RIBS
wild mushrooms, truffle mousse and mushroom chips

For nearly 35 years, Fromagerie has been a landmark in Rumson. In his teens, New Jersey native David Burke worked in the kitchen here. “I didn’t become a cook because I love food, I became a cook because I love the kitchen.”
As he became more successful, Chef Burke remained friends with the original owners. It was his dream to one day buy Fromagerie when it came time for his friends/mentors to retire. This dream came true in 2006.

PETITE FILET MIGNON & EGG BENEDICT
home fries

HAND CUT BACON “for the table”

Our family has a dining custom we call “for the table.” It first came about in the 90’s at a new restaurant in Vegas where our waiter said we would be remiss if someone did not order the Chef’s truffle risotto. My brother said, “Well, just bring one for the table,” thus ordering an additional entrée for all to share. Over the years this has become Standard Operating Procedure. Ordering the Chef’s recommendation or a dish to share “for the table” even has it’s own gesture: Outstretch arm and make a circular motion with the hand toward the middle of the table.

TITANIC FRENCH TOAST
two marmalades & strawberry consomme

What to drink with Brunch? Bloody Marys are good. But we are in love with Grüner Veltliner. This darling Austrian white wine pairs with all brunch foods. All? How can that be? Salad, artichoke, omelette, asparagus, hollandaise, bacon, crab, cheese, French toast??? Yes. I plan to keep drinking GrüVe, affectionately called groovy, with brunch and I promise to let you know if something doesn’t work. I suspect it has something to do with the time of day as well as the wine’s character: Juicy. Complex. Bright. Balanced. Intriguing. Johann Donabaum is one of a new generation of younger winemakers producing wines from the western end of the Wachau, Austria’s great dry white wine region. Johann Donabaum Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Berglage Loiben 2005

The Hirsch winery is among the best white wine producing estates of Austria. Josef Hirsch and his son Johannes, with a love of nature and honed oenology skills respectively, combine old style and new style produce wines of exceptional character. Speaking of Austria, if you want a real treat, please visit my blogger friend Merisi, whose Postcards from Vienna photography will give you an amazing taste of this gorgeous country. Hirsch Grüner Veltliner Qualitätswein Trocken Kamptal Kammern Lamm 2005

FRESH SEASONAL FRUIT
lemongrass-ginger consommé & “chai tea” whipped cream

MOLTEN CHOCOLATE S’MORES
bourbon vanilla gelato, crisp meringue mushroom

DAVID BURKE CHEESECAKE POPS – The staff could not have been more gracious. To top off the experience, they presented all six of us with a gift box of cheesecake pops to take home (or for some of us, on the plane).
We just returned from Las Vegas where we celebrated my mother’s 75th birthday and enjoyed another fab David Burke meal at his restaurant in The Venetian. More to come…