24 Apr 2012
by scolgin
in Markets & Stores, Observations, Recipes
Tags: food, grits, Indian food, markets, palak paneer, paratha, recipe, red snapper, Santa Monica, Trader Joe's
Sometimes I feel like eating a cuisine I’m not particularly good at, or don’t have the cupboard resources to roll out on a dime. Chinese food is one example — if I ever want to feel inadequate as a cook, I’ll try to make a Chinese dinner. Same with Indian. I can could a reasonably good generic curry, but am lacking the encyclopedic pantry of spices and unusual ingredients to go much further. Fortunately, my cravings for either of these two cuisines is rare, and when need strikes I can usually survive on the occasional take out. I’m mostly satisfied with my repertoire, and will leave the meins and masalas to the experts. Or, I eat Trader Joe’s.
Palak paneer with Malabari paratha from TJ's
I get annoyed when I meet people from the East Coast who ask whether we have Trader Joe’s on the West Coast. More
01 Nov 2011
by scolgin
in Eating Out
Tags: American Graffiti, blue cheese, burgers, diner, Elvis Presley, hamburgers, Johnny Rockets, Lotería Grill, Santa Monica, Third Street Promenade
Sometimes the thing you need the most is the thing you want the least. Or to put it in culinary terms, sometimes you think you’re in a caviar mood, but it’s popcorn shrimp that soothes your soul.
Flynn at Johnny Rockets
So was it yesterday, as I drove along Santa Monica Boulevard with three hungry kids clamoring in the back seat. It was Sunday, past lunch time, and some decisions had to be made. More
08 Jul 2011
by scolgin
in Cookbooks, Observations
Tags: Adam Perry Lang, Alaska, bachelor, Everyday Mexican, gravlax, Jacques Pépin, Julia Child, Madame Wu, Mario Batali, Nobu Matsuhisa, Rick Bayless, salmon, Santa Monica, Serious Barbecue, single guys
A dear friend of mine emailed me recently and asked me what were my top 5 cookbook recommendations for his nephew, who had just moved out into his first apartment and was hungry.
My "bachelor" 7-year-old son Flynn's favorite cookbook.
Guys who move away from mom for the first time often don’t realize that food doesn’t just appear on the table. I had the fortune of already having worked in restaurants and being a good cook the first time I moved out. More
19 Apr 2011
by scolgin
in Starlets, Yoga Students & Quinoa (stories), Video
Tags: bacon tree, fish, omnivore, Pork, quinoa, Santa Monica, Skinny Girls, starlet, vegetarian, yoga
The Bacon Tree
Tomorrow one of my skinny yoga teacher sisters is coming for dinner. (Yes, I’ve got two.) She’s not exactly a vegetarian – she eats a lot of fish, which is okay in the culinary curriculum of many vegetarians. (Fish being some sort of pseudo-animal, I guess, more related to an avocado than a pig.) There should be a new name for these types of eaters — quasitarians, maybe… or rationalitarians. She will also eat “small quantities” of meat. I’m not sure exactly where the line is on that one. I think I’ll play it safe and grill some whole sea bass, slice up some tuna crudo, make a couple pizzas. More
skinny girls & mayonnaise 