It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Thanks to Andrew aka Klaatu42 on YouTube for this super cute holiday treat for animal lovers everywhere!

My favorite singer of the lot is Tiger who says it best:

"Myum, myum, myum, myum, myum, myum..."

Blueberry Pie from Kiku Jewelry

Images from KIKU Jewelry

Christmas came a couple days early.

I placed my order from KIKU Jewelry not that long ago, and after taking my grandmother around Los Angeles today, I was pleasantly surprised to see a package at my doorstep.

Erin "Kiku" Morinaka is a long-time family friend who started her company just a year ago. Her designs are playful and creative, as in the above named "Blueberry Pie" bracelet and "Purple Picasso" earrings.

I loved the food-inspired piece so much that I asked for a matching blueberry pie set of earrings with a necklace. Erin graciously and quickly emailed me with my custom order, and two days later, they came to me individually wrapped in beautiful paper and placed in their very own organza bags.

Just in time for the holidays!

Kiku Jewelry

www.kikujewelry.com

Enter to win a Black Truffle Dinner from Patina

Black truffle season has arrived at Patina's award-winning Relais & Chateaux restaurant with their Truffle Dinner Series on Wednesday, January 11 and Thursday, January 12 of the New Year.

Peasant black truffle salad with country bread, white mushrooms, Parmesan from their seven-course dinner menu

To celebrate, Patina is giving away a five course dinner for two to four lucky winners to experience these delicious gems of the culinary world.

Check out the entire enchanting menu at Patina's website here.

Happy Eating!

Patina: Relais & Chateaux

141 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012

1.213.972.3331

Hit Me with Your Best Shot... I'm in Love

Image from Frecklednest.blogspot.com

"I don't care if Monday's blue

Tuesday's gray and Wednesday too

Thursday, I don't care about you

It's Friday, I'm in love"

- The Cure

At one point in my life (when I lived in Michigan), I often thought... maybe I should move to Canada. Seemed like everything was better beyond the Northern border... beautiful green lands; nice, down-to-earth people; a country without G.W. Bush; and universal health care.

I knew one of my favorite game show hosts was from Canada. (Who is Trebec?) And so many great actors and actresses, I have learned, are Canadian. So it's not surprising that my new guilty pleasure is from Toronto's Food TV.

As I was channel surfing at my grandmother's a few months ago, I crossed paths with the three "dudes" who make up Food Jammers on the new Cooking Channel. And I was smitten.

When you mix food porn with indie art, mad science, and smooth jazz with all the right amounts of smarts, funny and nerdy, you've got a winning recipe.

Micah Donovan, Chris Martin and Nobu Adilman amaze with their food experiments and make you wish you were friends with them so you could share in their food adventures. Too bad they don't live in LA. They remind me of some of my own Gen-X peeps mashed up with Mythbusters + Good Eats.

Plus, I absolutely love their candid food descriptions as seen in the video above - where the Dudes tackle different blends of espresso coffee, using a homemade roaster constructed from two colanders and a tennis racket handle.

Coffee like:

"kerosene with pancake syrup"

"airplane coffee...potting soil... and peach... like bubblegum"

"hard caramel candy" [that's] "deep sweet"

Deep sweet. Love it. And love these guys.

Photo taken from CookingChannelTV.com

"The Dudes" on Food Jammers -

Micah Donovan, Chris Martin and Nobu Adilman

It's a Beautiful Morning at Amandine

When the sun is out in Los Angeles and when the weather's not too hot or cold, it's a beautiful day. What makes it even better is a perfect cup of coffee, like the Cafe au Latte at Amandine.

Tucked away behind ivy and in between tall office buildings, is a small and charming cafe with fresh pastries, quiche, and other sweet and savory treats.

Sharing the french toast with strawberries and a light dusting of powdered sugar is the best way to eat brunch for two.

Nothing gets better than starting your day with something so light and sweet.

Amandine Cafe
street: 12225 Wilshire Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90025
tel: 1.310.979.3211
T-F 7a-7p, Sa 8a-7p, Su 8a-6p
web: www.amandinecafe.com

Next Iron Chef & Top Chef DC, Test Kitchen LA

Photo credit: www.dominiquecrenn.com

I love my girlfriends.

When VDH texted an invitation to dine at Test Kitchen LA this past weekend, showcasing her friend's preview dinner menu, I was ecstatic.

Chef Dominique Crenn will be opening her restaurant, Atelier Crenn, next month (January 2011) in San Francisco and we were able to taste a sneak preview of what's to come.

“Atelier” can be defined as a workshop or studio, especially for an artist or designer. A deeply personal project for Crenn, the word references her childhood in France including a strong bond with her father – the name references his “Atelier Papa Crenn” and is reflected in his artwork found throughout the restaurant. This concept drives Crenn’s vision for a modern take on fine-French cuisine, where artistry is at the forefront.

- As stated on the Test Kitchen LA website

Her 5-course tasting menu included:

Oysters with uni foam, lemon cloud & winter nuances on a bed of salt

Egg & truffle, fines herbs topped with delicate truffle snow, crispy rice

Tender venison lightly flamed, rye, buckwheat & pickled legumes

Sweetbread, marrow & bouillon broth

Winter grain porridge with hazelnut, quince, candied kumquats in chamomile

My favorites of the evening included the delicate, smooth oysters that danced in the mouth; the very comforting dish of egg and truffles that made you want more of its decadent yolk, crunchy truffle snow and crispy rice goodness; the succulent and tender New Zealand venison that was not gamey but rich and delicious; the well-executed sweetbreads that melted with each bite; and the surprising bursts of sweet citrus from the candied kumquats in the winter porridge.

At the end of the evening, Alex Reznik from Top Chef D.C. came out of the kitchen to say hello to patrons. (I was told he was Chef Crenn's sous chef.) And we were able to chat with the Chef, herself, as she greeted our table with hugs and an update of her restaurant. VDH introduced us, and I found her full of energy and ever so charming - much like the dishes she served.

It's a shame that this next week is the last one for the Test Kitchen, but I look forward to going back to Ricardo Zarate, Steve Samson and Zack Pollack's openings early next year.

Thank you Brian for sharing a little more about the upcoming events and for making us feel just a little more welcome as we were the last to leave that evening; thank you to Dominique for an amazing meal, full of textures and flavors; and most of all, thank you to my incredible girlfriends who make life so much more fun and delicious.

Atelier Crenn
street: 3127 Fillmore Street | San Francisco, 94123
www.ateliercrenn.com

www.dominiquecrenn.com

Test Kitchen LA
street: 9575 W. Pico Boulevard | Los Angeles 90035

tel: 1.310.277.0133

www.testkitchenla.com

A-Frame for Both Celebrities & the Masses

The restaurant looks like a converted IHOP. Well, in one life, it was an International House of Pancakes, but it was also a Mexican restaurant in more recent times. Now, Roy Choi has taken over the property and has made the place into a contemporary log cabin set in an urban landscape.

There's no sign that could be seen, but the A-framed building can't be missed. You walk in and immediately feel the warmth of the honey colored wood all around, the community tables, and the bustling kitchen just behind the bar.

For a party of five, we had to wait about 45 minutes for a table. As we headed out to the fire pit, we passed a corner table that seated Elijah Wood and Dominic Monaghan.

So far, so good.

We warmed up by the crackling fire and ordered some drinks along with the Furikake Kettle Corn. My Mayflower cocktail with lemon, rum and simple syrup was refreshing and strong. The popcorn was infused with butter, furikake, and something spicy. The dish reminded me of the Hurricane Popcorn packs from the Hawaii Popcorn Company that I grew up eating and love so much.

The kitchen fries [top left] were a good starch complement to the hoisin chili glazed baby back ribs and korean-style hot wings shown in the below pictures. I especially enjoyed the mix of purple okinawan sweet potato, yam and korean sweet potato to choose from, and the blue crab cakes [top right] wrapped in baby lettuce were a favorite of the night. The ribs were tasty, but if Roy Choi is reading this posting... sorry, but I think my family's Asian-style BBQ ribs are much tastier and much more lip-smackingly delicious. As for the hot wings, I'm partial to the sweeter variety like these Sesame Chicken Drumlettes.

Now, I'm not a huge Lamb Lady, but the barbecued lamb chops [top left] were not too gamey, not too tough, and just perfectly moist and pink in the middle. The Peruvian-style cracklin beer can chicken dish [bottom left] with century egg and two types of salsa was another hit at our table. The chicken skin is what made the meat's flavors pop.

For dessert, we tried the fried apple pie w/SoCo (Southern Comfort) caramel and cheddar cheese ice cream [top right] which didn't impress as much as the chu-don't-know-mang deep fried pound cake churros, sprinkled with cinnamon and served with a cup of chocolate malted milk and vanilla ice cream. On a cold night in December, the churros would have been perfectly paired with some malted HOT chocolate.

In all, the food was good, the company - great, and the atmosphere left me with a sudden urge to go snowboarding in Mammoth.

Another BoLA adventure finds a keeper. Next time, though, I'd give anything to see Orlando Bloom and Viggo Mortensen. A girl can dream...

A-Frame Restaurant

street: 12565 Washington Boulevard, Mar Vista, CA 90066

tel: 1.310.398.7700