Eat Me!: Eva Restaurant

Hello Wonderers!  It's time for another edition of Eat Me!

On today's episode, we're going to Eva Restaurant! As I keep saying, my boyfriend really likes to take me out for secret eating adventures.  This time, we were having Secret Brunch.

Sidebar: If you're a little curious as to how we eat such awesome, seemingly pricey food, I can tell you that most of our secret outings have been pre-purchased with a Bloomspot coupon.  It's like Groupon and LivingSocial, and all those other similar coupon mailing lists.  He keeps telling me to sign up with Bloomspot, but I'm resisting because I don't want to be presented with the opportunity to spoil the secret.  That's the best part! 

About the Restaurant
The coolest thing about Eva is the freshness of ingredients.  All of their produce is purchased from the Farmer's Market, and they base their ever changing menu on the produce that happened to inspire them on any given day.  Chef Mark Gold creates fresh, flavorful comfort dishes and always allows the main ingredient to take the spotlight.  His dishes are a perfect compliment to the cozy atmosphere of his little corner of Beverly Blvd. *Note: The restaurant isn't actually on a corner. 

The Food
This particular coupon entitled each of us to an appetizer and an entree, plus (and this is the best part) bottomless mimosas!  Now who can argue with that?

The first thing you should know (if you haven't figured it out already) is that on these outings, we share everything.  He likes to eat, I like to eat, and this way, we can taste more deliciousness and fill up on a smorgasbord as opposed to a single dish.

We started our meal with some really breakfast-y items.  He ordered the yogurt with house made granola, I ordered a bowl of fresh fruit.  I was not smart enough to pull out my camera this early in the meal, so you're just gonna have to trust me on this one.  The house made granola was divine, very cinnamon-y, with a few unexpected elements, such as sunflower seeds.  I would never have guessed that I would want them in my granola, but they were a pleasant surprise.

The bowl of fruit, which included apples, mandarin oranges, melon, and strawberries came with a mint leaf garnish.  I was happy to accidentally discover that it could provide an additional layer to the sweet and tart flavors of the fresh fruits by merely blotting the fruit on the leaf (I used the side of the bowl to steady the leaf for this) a few times.  Also, about half way through my fruit bowl (and more than half way through my first mimosa) I decided to get a little crazy and mix the fruit with the granola and the yogurt.  Crazy delicious.

Look at those eggs... aren't they gorgeous?

Next came the entrees.  I ordered the "Piece of Meat" off the menu, which basically amounted to steak and eggs.  It came with roasted fingerling potatoes and a tomato confit type situation dolloped on top of the piece of sirloin, which had been cooked to rare perfection.  The first thing I noticed on the plate, however, were the eggs.  Two of the most perfect over easy eggs I ever saw on a plate.  There was no sign of browning, and they were stunningly glossy and white.  I don't imagine I will ever be able to cook eggs that look that perfect.  I only ate one, though... 'cause eggs are pretty rich.  The tomato confit was very tasty... I wanted more of it so I could eat it with everything.  The potatoes were so awesome that even though I stopped myself from finishing the whole plate, I still resorted to picking at them (with my fingers) despite my full belly.  I suspect the mimosas are to blame for my less than ladylike behavior on that front.  By this time, I was at least one and a half drinks in...

So much better than Roscoe's!

For his entree, Boyfriend ordered the Fried Chicken and French Toast.  Sort of a modern take on Chicken and Waffles.  Among the cooler parts of this dish was the french toast, which was made with brioche.  If you don't know what brioche is, find your nearest french bakery, buy yourself a brioche bun, and sit your butt down with a butter tab.  If you eat that and don't experience carbo nirvana, there's probably something wrong with you.  Anyway, the fried chicken was sublime.  Perfectly crunchy, and not the least bit greasy.  Plus you get the really great salty/sweet combo ON TOP OF the also incredible crunchy/soft duality.  So yummy!

Eva Restaurant can be located at:
7458 Beverly Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323.634.0700

And just because I love you guys...

After I had stopped eating due to a fierce case of Food Baby, I still had one egg left.  I had intended to take my leftovers home in a doggy bag (either to eat later or share with my parents... whichever came first), but since there's nothing quite as disgusting as cold eggs, I decided to have a little *drunken* fun, and play with the ooey, gooey egg yolk.  I pierced the perfect mound of goo with my fork and watched the yellow lava flow as it slowly rolled down the shiny white hill.  While making conversation with my man, I had been idly twisting my fork this way and that to dispense the yolk-y goodness onto my plate.  I took a breath and looked down for a moment, and to my delight, my romantic secret brunch, had gotten secretly more romantic all on its own:

I can't make this stuff up... but totally "awww," right?

Eat Me!: Cafe Bizou

Wonderers!  Good Afternoon, and welcome to the second installment of Eat Me!  I hope you are all enjoying your Superbowl Sundays (perhaps even with Superbowl Sundaes?), but I'm glad to be a happy break between football and commercials.

Today's restaurant up for review is Cafe Bizou.  It was my Gamma's 92nd birthday, and my aunt decided to treat her to a ladies lunch, with my cousin Evelin, her care taker Chris, my mother, and myself.  Since they all live on the westside of LA, we ate at the Santa Monica location -- there are also locations in Sherman Oaks, and Pasadena.  I have never been to their Pasadena location, but I can tell you that the one in Sherman Oaks is considerably smaller in size than the Santa Monica location.

About the Restaurant:
Most of the food on the menu is French Provincial, or French inspired.  There is always a bread basket centered on the white table cloth, along with a small ramekin of butter tabs (yes, real butter) and wine glasses.  The atmosphere is clean, and simple.  Nothing too extravagant, just classic, elegant decor which gives the restaurant a refined, yet comfortable feel.  Dark wood furniture with clean, white tablecloths and napkins.  I always dress to eat there (a little nicer than casual), though it's not necessary at all.  Jeans are perfectly acceptable.

Usually, when I eat at Cafe Bizou, I'm there for dinner, and the menu is a little more extensive.  My regular order is the Rack of Lamb (you will find it on the dinner menu) which is absolute heaven.  I salivate just thinking about it.  However, since I was there for a ladies lunch, I had to make my selection from the lunch menu.

The Food:

Mmm... bread... *drool*

As I mentioned before, there is always a bread basket on the table.  As a girl who struggles with weight maintenance, the bread basket at any restaurant is usually a no-no.  Why fill up on bread when you have lots of other tasty treats to eat instead?  Well, at Cafe Bizou, the bread is so good, it requires little to no butter (though as long as you have real butter in front of you, why pass on the opportunity?).  I remembered only having the french bread in that basket, however, there were also a few pieces of raisin-nut bread, which, if you have the opportunity, you should totally try.  Both breads are delicious, and compliment each other nicely.

Our next course was a salad.  There are two options for salad - the house salad with your choice of dressing, or a Caesar salad, for which you have to pay extra (I believe the extra charge is around a dollar).  I opted for a house salad, with a Honey-Dijon vinaigrette at the suggestion of our friendly waiter, who mentioned the dressing is their most popular.  The dressing didn't disappoint!  Sweet, tangy, and not overpowering, it was a very nice compliment to the lettuce and tomatoes, without covering the taste of the veggies themselves.  Very refreshing!

My Gamma even plated it nicely for me

My Gamma got Tuna Tartare for lunch.  For those who don't know, this dish is deceptively rich.  It's served in quenelles with slices of cucumber, and arranged in a neat starburst on the plate.  The flavor is really good, though since it wasn't the taste I was seeking, I wasn't particular to it that day.  Perhaps on another occasion I would have found it more pleasing, but from the bite I had, it just wasn't my deal.

My mother ordered the Beef Stroganoff.  It wasn't my first choice, but I definitely wished I had considered it more strongly.  More to the point, I wish I had let myself indulge in more of the leftovers we brought home, regardless of the carbs.  There are so many flavors I love on this plate.  The beef is tender and just melts in your mouth, while the pasta adds a textural change.  I typically prefer my pasta to be a little bit more al dente, but the texture of the pasta doesn't deter from the savory explosion in your mouth.   It's hearty, it's warm, the sauce is just the right consistency... delicious.  And yeah, "warm" is a flavor.  So is "crispy".  So there.

So pretty!

As I looked at the lunch menu, trying to decide what I wanted (since my usual order was not available to me) I was torn between the Roasted Balsamic Chicken Breast, the Chicken Pomodori Panini, and the Sesame Coated Atlantic Salmon, which I ultimately ended up ordering.  It was the burgundy wine sauce that sold me.  The potato pancakes are really more like wedges of polenta, but they are a lovely compliment to the salmon, which was cooked to perfection.  Nothing on this plate required the use of a knife, which is great.  The salmon flaked just as it should, and none of the polenta pancakes were so tough that the side of a fork wouldn't cut through them.   The wine sauce was delicious, but, like any wine reduction, it can be a bit bracing on your tongue if you get too much in your mouth without something to absorb it.  I used it to dip a bit of leftover bread as well.  Tremendous.

At the end of the meal, they brought out a complimentary flourless chocolate cake for the birthday girl.  They also brought it out with six spoons so everyone at the table could enjoy some.  It's served on a plate with raspberry coulis and a dusting of powdered sugar over the top.  There is no picture (because I was too busy enjoying it to take one) but you can be sure that it's a winner.  There's nothing wrong with warm, flourless chocolate cake.  But definitely one or two bites is enough... unless you want to go into a chocolate-induced coma.  Can't say I'd mind that...

So, once again, Cafe Bizou did not disappoint.  I recommend it for anyone in the LA area (or even not in the LA area!) looking for some semi-casual fine dining.  Delicious food, great service, lovely atmosphere... and just in time for Valentine's Day, they offer a Prix Fixe menu for the occasion.  Great for a date night!

Cafe Bizou (in Santa Monica) can be found at:

BIZOU GRILL, Santa Monica
2450 Colorado Ave. Suite 1050 W,
Santa Monica, CA 90404
(310)453-8500

Eat Me!: The Gorbals

Hello lovely Wonderers, and welcome to the first edition of Eat Me!  In this blog segment (column? thing?) I'll be taking on the role of amateur food critic, and sharing with you my opinions on the food I have the good (or not-so-good) fortune to shovel into my belly.  Like a lady, of course.

For my first restaurant, I'll be reviewing The Gorbals in Downtown, LA.  I am lucky to have such a wonderful boyfriend who takes me on "secret dinners" to really great eateries.  This was our first secret dinner, and it was all the way back in November.  Cue the low lights, white cloth napkins, and a candle... perfection.

I really wish I had a more "romantic-looking" picture of the table.

A little bit about the restaurant:
The Gorbals is the brain child of chef, Ilan Hall.  He was the winner of the second season of Bravo's Top Chef.  He uses various international cuisines and makes some of the most delicious "mash-up" creations you may never imagine.  Like, for example, bacon-wrapped matzo balls.

The menu is frequently updated with seasonal delights and new dishes.  It is also organized by the main type of ingredient (Pig, Cow, Bird, etc.).  They have a selection of wines, and the staff can usually give you advice on nice pairings with your meal, however, Boyfriend brought a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon (my favorite) and paid a corkage fee.  Everything is served in tapas size, and is likely meant to be shared, so that the diner can taste from several sections of the menu.  Even if that's not the case, and I'm making it up... that's what we did.  We also ordered everything at the top of the meal, so the courses came out as soon as they were ready.  Luckily, everything we ate on our excursion is still on the menu, so I can tell you all about all of it.  A word to the wise: several of the creations on The Gorbals' menu are very rich, so it's really easy to over-order and feel like you might explode if you eat just one more drool-worthy bite.  It is, however, totally worth that over-full feeling.

We started our meal with Bacon-wrapped matzo balls, found under the "Pig" section.  As a Jew, this dish blew my mind.  Not that I keep Kosher, but this is definitely some sort of blasphemy in the Jewish religion.  Bacon is a definite no-no for good Jews, but to then wrap it around a dense matzo ball (what would be known as a "sinker" when immersed in soup) and then set them in a pile over horseradish cream sauce?  Mixing meat and milk on the same plate? Unheard of!!  Nevertheless, it was quite the taste explosion, and I very much enjoyed being the best-worst Jew I could possibly be.  There is a picture on the website here, but just so you know, when we had it the horseradish sauce was white, and they didn't have as much of the garnish on them.  De-lish, (or as my boyfriend might say. "Yum-mo!").

Next came Broccoli, soy, chilies & vinegar from the "Herbivore" section of the menu.  I'll admit, even after years of living in San Diego and all the spicy Mexican cuisine it has to offer, I'm still very wary of "chilies" as an ingredient.  I was a little nervous that it might be too spicy for me (I was still trying to impress the boy), but actually, this dish had just the right amount of heat.  It came to the table in a simple white bowl, overflowing with broccoli that was sitting in a pool of the soy-chili-vinegar sauce.  The broccoli was crispy, and it drank in the marinade beautifully.  I could have eaten several bowls of this, alone.

After that, we ate the Burger, onion six ways from the "Cow" section of the menu.  Despite onions usually being a "no-go" on dates, this was too intriguing to pass up.  The burger itself was cooked to medium, pink perfection.  When paired with all the different onions (including grilled, caramelized, raw, and fried), juicy doesn't even begin to cover it.  The bun starts to get soggy toward the end, and the juices are impossible to keep from dripping down your arm, but it's delicious to the very last bite.

Following the burger, we had Barley risotto with fall squash, also from the "Herbivore" section.  I don't remember it including feta and pepitas, as it is currently featured on the menu, but since it was back in November, who's to say those things weren't there.  Anyway.  I must say I'm a fan of just about any risotto out there, but it does have a tendency to be a rich, stick-to-your-ribs kind of dish, so on this outing, it may have been overkill.  The fall squash (which might have been acorn squash, if I'm not mistaken) is a nice addition to the risotto, providing a different mouth-feel to the rich, creamy texture of the barley itself.  If you're going to order a dish like this, I would do so toward the beginning of your meal, so you may be able to prevent yourself from ordering too much.

After the risotto (or maybe even after the burger), we added the Gribenes, lettuce, tomato sandwich from the "Bird" section to our long list of goodies.  For those of you who don't know what gribenes is, it's chicken skin fried to a crisp, and it's very yummy.  This sandwich is HUGE.  It was served on what appeared to be maybe sourdough and pumpernickel or squaw swirl bread.  It also had a very horseradish-y spread, which was a nice, sharp flavor contrast to the rich gribenes.  Unfortunately, these are the only pictures of food I have from that night.  Fortunately, it looks pretty spectacular!

We finished our meal with Sticky toffee pudding, ice cream, maldon salt for dessert.  It's in a section titled "Sweet" on the menu, but it's the only offering in it's category.  It's a baked pudding, so when it comes to the table in it's little rectangular ramekin, it looks more like a tiny loaf cake, or a large brownie.  It was served with chocolate ice cream (chocolate is, after all, a lovely, and classic compliment to toffee) in a small scoop to the side.  By this time, I was feeling pretty full, but I managed to swallow a few bites of pudding before I officially put down my fork for the evening.  It was chewy, gooey, and delicious.  The salt also cuts into the richness, and sweetness of the pudding, preventing an otherwise overwhelming bite.

All in all, I would absolutely recommend eating at The Gorbals.  Judging by this particular meal, I have absolute confidence in all of Hall's creative dishes.  The music, the food, and even the staff combine to make a great atmosphere for a nice evening out without being too dressy.  I will definitely be returning!


 *ADDENDUM*

 The Gorbals can be found at:

501 South Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013
213.488.3408

 *Thanks for the tip, Ash. ;) *

A Big Ol' Blog Full Of Pictures...

Thank you in advance to Purple who told me about Picasa.  You made this blog post much easier. 

In the past week, for reasons I'm not quite clear on, I have been experiencing quite the creative spurt.  It all started Memorial Day weekend, because we were expecting Cousin Face, MsLyss, Brother-of-Cousin Face, and the kids (from this moment to be known collectively as the "FamBam") for a family bbq of burgers and sausages.  So (you guessed it) I was put in charge of dessert.  We had a box of red velvet cake mix by Duncan Hines, and I know a great cream cheese frosting recipe, so I couldn't think of anything more patriotic.

Since we had small children coming, I thought it would be fun to make mini-cupcakes, and save some for their little hands to decorate.  Generally, this cake mix is enough for about 24 cupcakes, but I managed to get 55 (yup, more than double) with my mini tins.  I use a piping bag to fill my cupcake tins because I can better control the amount of batter per cupcake, but it's not necessary.  I also wanted to give you a few in process pictures (even though cake mixes are very user friendly) to show you how they look before and after being baked.

Once the cupcakes were baked, I wanted to do a little something extra to frost them.  I used Wilton Icing Coloring in Delphinium Blue, and mixed just enough to create a swirl effect.  Then I used my smallest star piping tip to swirl the frosting onto the cupcakes.  Sprinkle with colored sugars (I used red, blue, and gold) and you have some lovely, festive, pop-able cupcakes.  My cupcakes came out a little bit uneven, but the best way to avoid that is to put your cupcake tins on a flat surface (like a cookie sheet, or a foil covered oven rack) and rotate them halfway through the baking process.

The next night, Cousin Face, who had spent the night before with us, was a most excellent historian/sous chef while I made my family a dinner of meatballs and THE bruschetta from Julie & Julia.  As you know, that movie holds a very special place in my heart (and my kitchen!) and my mom and I have been talking forever about wanting to make this bruschetta that they rave so much about.  I finally found the recipe, concocted by the food stylist for the movie, and I've gotta say... it is every bit as good as they make it out to be.

This is a super easy recipe, with very few ingredients, and very little prep time. You should also be aware that the bruschetta alone is enough for a meal.  The most important things to remember, in my opinion, are making sure you have large, ripe, heirloom tomatoes (they make a difference), TEAR the basil, don't chop it, and have a nice loaf of crusty bread.  I used a par-baked round of Italian bread from Ralphs, most grocery stores carry par-baked breads in their bakery sections.  Rather than bake the bread for the full 15 minutes suggested by the package, I only baked it for 10 minutes since I knew the bread was going back in a pan to be fried, and I wanted to maintain some of the softness in the middle.  Cut the bread in thick slices (about 3/4 inch) and then cut them in half.  After frying them in the pan, rub them with a garlic clove (the heat from the bread will help bring out the juices in the garlic and it will spread more easily) and then spoon your tomato mixture onto your bread slices. *Note: It's better to spoon your tomatoes on each bread slice just before you eat them, letting the tomato mixture sit on the bread will make your bread soggy. 

To go with this marvelous bruschetta, my dad found a recipe for meatballs (link above).  I substituted the 1/2 pound of veal for another 1/2 pound of pork, so I had a 2:1 ratio of pork to beef. *Note the hilarious Star of David made of mostly pork meatballs.  For the marinara, I used Fresh & Easy's Tomato Basil sauce straight from the jar.  Don't be afraid when you cook your meatballs if they look a little charred on some sides - that's a good thing!  Meatballs are supposed to have a sort of, crunchy outer layer.  The moral of this adventure in the kitchen is:  it is very easy to over eat when the food you make is as delicious as this dinner was.

For my last segment of this blog, I'm going to switch it up from food, to hair.  For reasons I don't entirely understand yet, I'm going to link you to my comedian friend's girlfriend on YouTube.  Her name is Bree.  Under normal circumstances, this would not be happening, but I guess this is just another unexpected twist on my journey down the rabbit hole.  As I've told you before, I am a full-fledged hair retard.  I watched her tutorials, and by some magic... I think I actually learned something.  It will take practice, but I'm starting to get the hang of it.  It took me quite a bit of time to get it right, but it was late at night, and I wasn't using product of any kind (I was relying on my dirty hair to be enough product) but I managed to have some success.  And anyone who can teach me how to do something semi-difficult in the hair department certainly deserves a shout-out in my book.

That's it for today's installment!  See ya in Wonderland!