FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Merry’s Miracle Tart

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After being on the road for two weeks, I felt as though I could not eat one more junky bite.  Knowing this, my Dallas friend, anxious to show me a new health hot spot, brought me to Southpaw’s Organic Cafe. She ordered the Dr. Luke sans beast and it looked amazing.  But honestly, I couldn’t imagine anything passing through my food abused lips.

In true ‘I can’t sit still’ fashion, I wandered around the store.  I honed in on the refrigerated goods and the word ‘raw’ immediately came into focus.  I’ll take one of these!

At 400 calories for one Merry’s Miracle Tart, it’s not a guiltless treat.  But knowing that the the ingredients were quality, the fats were good and the taste was to die for, was enough to make me not care.  Rumor has it these bad boys are sold at Whole Foods – I’ll keep ya posted!

Oh No?

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Wanting to love something and actually loving it are often disconnected.  As we approached 230 Forest Avenue, it was a place I wanted to love.  The scene was quaint, well styled, well lit, and perfectly packed.  If I could pick one restaurant style that defined me, this would be it – high expectations were instantaneous.

I ordered my favorites, the steamed mussels (and clams) appetizer and Chilean sea bass entrée.  And as I waited for the food to arrive, I wondered if I would soon hit a rock wall of disappointment.  A feeling of ‘oh no!’ rushed over me.
It was a false ‘oh no’ as I was definitely not disappointed.  In fact, there was no room for disappointment between the two complete packages of inner and outer beauty that found their way to my table last night.  Even though 230 Forest Avenue is a little far from home, I am positive it will remain highly ranked on my list of all time favorites!

Feed Me Now

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Cross country flights are brutal, two cross country flights in two weeks – my oh my!    By the time we landed at LAX, bussed to the rental car lot and headed to Long Beach, I was starved.  It took a few minutes to calculate across time zones exactly how long it had been since I’d last eaten.  As the words six and a half hours came out of my mouth, I realized I needed food, now.

I also realized that when I get this hungry it’s impossible to figure out what I’m in the mood for.  Sushi within Pacific walking distance?  I wasn’t sure it was what I was craving (why isn’t that what I was craving?), but I was more sure that sushi was a better decision than my only other option: Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles.  I’m pretty sure I’ll never get what all that rage is about.
We plopped into a booth at Bai Plu and embraced the speedy service.  And the sushi?  Quality, quality.  The fortune?  “There is prospect of a thrilling time ahead for you”.  An exciting outlook for my next few weeks of traveling adventures!

Flopping Flounder

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You’re not imagining it; I’m partial to seafood these days.  Since the acquisition of my fish cooking skills during ‘Technique de la Hanz’, I just can’t stop.  The thought of cooking chicken has always caused an urge to snooze, there’s a limit to how many times you can pretend turkey tastes differently than chicken, and beef?  Beef lost its attraction after living steps from the Bern’s Bar.  So fish it is.

And if you thought spending a lifetime within eye shot of water would create a connoisseur of some sort, you’d be wrong.  Beyond salmon, tuna, and grouper…  I’m clueless.  If you can imagine someone spinning me in circles, blindfolded, and telling me to point – that would be a fairly accurate description of tonight’s seafood department experience.  And, that would be the only possible explanation for how I ended up with flounder.
Due to my lack of grill, I brushed the filet with olive oil, sprinkled it with Northwoods Seasoning, and broiled it for 5-7 minutes on each side.  I served it atop seasoned and sauteed baby bellas, asparagus, green beans, squash, and zucchini.  The veggie medley equaled “woah!” and distracted me from my new found dislike – flounder.