14 Jun 2013
by scolgin
in Food, Humor, Markets & Stores
Tags: Cuba, Cuban food, Dae Myung, Glendale, humor, papas rellenos, Porto's Bakery & Café, Tae Kwon Do, torta cubana, Vallarta Market
When it comes to indulging my food wanderlust, I’m an opportunist. A client meeting in Mid-Wilshire, for example, might be a mere pretext for a stop at Harvey’s Guss for a dry-aged rib steak; a trip into the valley to visit my aging father also a chance to browse the aisles at the Vallarta market or pop into India Sweets & Spices.
So it was a recent Saturday morning, taking my son across the city to Glendale for the 40th anniversary celebration of his tae kwon do academy. What else was there in Glendale that might merit a visit? I wondered. More
11 Jun 2013
by scolgin
in Food, Humor, Observations, Recipes
Tags: Bob Dylan, chili, humor, Michael Portnoy, quinoa, soy, Soy Bomb, tofu, vegetarian, yoga
When I was a kid, all the hippies were crazy for soy. It was the new thing. They had discovered tofu and tempeh, and were putting it in everything.
Today, soy is in the culinary dog house. Vegans, yoga students and Birkenstock wearers have moved on to quinoa, textured vegetable protein and nut cutlets. Websites with names like Natural Health Strategies and Hidden Soy decry the dangers of soy, and expose the nefarious secret intentions of the soy industry. All of this just as it seems to me that soy is finally getting its act together!
Performance artist Michael Portnoy soy bombs Bob Dylan at the 1998 Grammy Awards
It was the Halloween carnival fundraiser last year at my children’s elementary school. I was approached beforehand: Sean, could you make a large pot of chili to sell at the fundraiser? More
07 Jun 2013
by scolgin
in Food, Observations, Recipes
Tags: Alaska, barbecue, bruschetta, Groupon, salmon, San Marzano, Santa Monica Seafood, summer, Tae Kwon Do, tomatoes
There’s a lot going on this week — summer nearing, the last few days of school. The calendar is full, my cooking commitments many.
Savoring my last bite of lunch before the floodgates open
As I sit here this warm afternoon eating one of my favorite summer lunches — crusty multi-grain bruschetta with ripe heirloom tomatoes, basil, olive oil, mozzarella and parmesan reggiano — I think of the next several days. It began this morning, as pal Ernie and I tried to go to the amazing, miraculous Santa Monica Seafood to redeem Groupons we’d purchased to make a seafood dinner this evening. More
31 May 2013
by scolgin
in Food, Markets & Stores
Tags: farmer's market, farming, Gean family, Harry Iwamoto, Harry's Berries, Oxnard, Santa Monica farmer's market, Sauternes, strawberries
You know a product is good when it costs at least twice as much as the competition, and yet people are lining up to purchase it. That is the case with strawberries from Harry’s Berries.
Harry’s Berries strawberries with fresh cream
I’ll often pass by Harry’s when I’m at the Farmer’s Market, heading instead for the less expensive berries. And while in peak season there may be the odd berry here or there that tastes as good as Harry’s, you’re taking your chances. Then I wonder why I don’t buy the best berries every time — they’re certainly worth the extra $5 to $10 dollars per three pack. And I regularly — and happily — drop $10 on four ounces of sea urchin that are practically gone before I even open the package. More
24 May 2013
by scolgin
in Eating Out, Food, Humor
Tags: Caesar salad, chops, Mad Men, martinis, Monty's, Rat Pack, ribs, Sinatra, steakhouse, Westwood
Many years ago, I’d reconnected with a high school friend, Tracy — whether it was on Facebook or not, I can’t recall — and we decided to meet for a drink. She suggested Monty’s.
In the Monty’s dining room
Monty’s is an old school steak and chop house. It still has the same sign in the same groovy Mad Men font from the 1960s. It used to have several locations, and now it’s down to two — one in Westwood, and one in Woodland Hills, where I had arranged to meet up with Tracy. More
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