Food Snob I Cook

I am now a cook.

Well - kind of. I am attempting to be one.

It took me to live in Africa, but here I am - starting to attempt a hobby of food-making.

Above are Marmite-Cheese Rolls. Salty savory biscuits. Made at 5am. It's called Dedication, people.

To learn more about my adventures in Africa - please click HERE

Food snobbery still exists. But rather than eating out, I am focused on eating my own.

I hope to update you all on my adventures in the kitchen.

Best,
Hana

CHOCOLAT. oui oui. CHOCOLAT

Dear San Diego,

Two weeks ago or so, my former supervisor from my former company commented on the desserts of my current employer:

"It's too fancy shmancy. Too 'Extraordinary.'" The tip of his nose was turned up and crinkled at the bridge.

"If you want real dessert, real chocolate, and real flavor, you need to go to Eclipse."

Eclipse ... Eclipse! I had heard the name before. My neighbor at the farmer's market when I worked at Loic! (Loic is a French restaurant, the one previous to Extraordinary Desserts, which is a whole tale of its own for another day.)

Tonight I had stopped by the restaurant opening of Juan Chou - a unique menu combination of Sushi and Tacos. (I didn't dine full heartedly to write a blog on it). On my way home, I craved dessert, and as I was about to turn to head to work on a night off, I heard my former boss's voice echo in my head: "Toooo faannccyyyy. Reeeaaaaal Chocoollaaaattteee."

So GoogleMaps led me to a small little shop painted baby blue, snuggled right in between Luigi's and something closed. Empty it was but closed it wasn't. Melissa, a kind woman in her 32's or so, went through the low down:

Chocolate shipped from South America and Africa, manufactured in San Francisco, and used at this tiny store located on El Cajon Boulevard. All delicious products including brownies, cupcakes, rococo, and drinking chocolates were all made in the back. Savory items were available, I was told, on Friday evenings and Sunday brunches. Green, local & organic when possible; 10% of profits go to charity.

 HI. I  LOVE YOU.

I ordered the peanut butter & salted toffee bread pudding with milk chocolate, as well as the Masala Chai yellow cake cupcake - the one Melissa very unhesitatingly recommended.

Bread Pudding: Engh. Tastes like regular bread pudding. She warmed it for me, which made the flavors come out, but I wasn't impressed. It was spongy, soft, the bread was bland, and the whole thing had a very flat, very plain texture. The milk chocolate with peanut butter and salted toffee was in the middle of the bread pudding, like a sandwich. All that the PB&ST did was make the milk chocolate somewhat thicker. No toffee crunch. No thick peanut butter stuck on the roof of my mouth.

What did I appreciate about the BP? The gelato on the side. The vanilla gelato Eclipse uses is made at Gelato Vero Cafe, the coffee shop located 50 feet from my improv theatre. Ever in a bad mood after performing terribly, and I'm at Gelato Vero stuffing my face with "Caramel & Brownies." Boo ya. The beauty of local.

Now, the Masala Chai cupcake is a WHOLE other story.

What was the first thing I said, out loud mind you, after one bite?

Holy sh*t. 

Yup. That's what I said.

It's one of the most unique desserts my taste buds have experienced. A thick layer of chocolate icing melts into the middle of a yellow cupcake which holds a caramel like goo infused with cinnamon, masala chai (which is an Indian herb used for tea), and perhaps salted caramel. There was a grittiness which I assumed was the salted caramel (so sorry I have no specifics. the website includes no descriptions and I can't remember the list from the store). The vanilla cupcake is moist. And man does that thick, creamy icing and gooey center melt and create rich flavors that kicks your tongue to the roof! At room temperature! Without spice! (spice meaning hot spice.) That is one cupcake you gotta try.

My birthday is next Saturday. I plan to be there Friday night for an early celebration. How can I say no to a slow roasted cocoa-barbeque pulled pork sandwich?


http://eclipsechocolat.com/

Food Farm SD: Savor Spot

Helllooooo San Diegooo.

57 Degrees, a wine bar located in Mission Hills of SD, hosted a Food Truck Extravaganza where 12 food trucks parked, cooked, and served.

I sprinted out from work at 8:15pm to catch the tail end of this extravagant food parade. Arriving at 8:50, I walked by 8 of the food trucks who were left - to find the words "Avocado Melt" scribbled in green chalk jump out from a chalkboard.

"Awesome," I heard behind me. "Add bacon and that thing is BOMB."

This dude was roughly fourty-two with a stubbly chin, tan, and big friendly wrinkles - the kind of wrinkles that form when you smile a lot.

"The sliders are the best, number one. Avocado melt, two. And the coconut caco is to DIE for. Everything is local or organic."

"Even the coconut?" I asked.

"Ooooohhh yyeeaaa," he said. "You know it. From the sandy exquisite beaches of La Jolla." We both laughed. Then he took a serious pause and said: "Where the hell are the coconuts from?"

At least the coconut milk was organic.

Vegetarian items, like the Soyrizo Chili Fries and Tomato Tart, are included on their menu. Love.

Anyway, I ordered all three items he and his wife (the chef) recommended: the Avocado Melt, Grass-fed Sliders, and the Coconut Caco.

The Avocado Melt is a hearty "pick-me-up." It is melted with swiss cheese and includes an arugula pesto that gives it a salty touch. I asked for half the sandwich to be made with bacon so I could taste it as a vegetarian option and a non-veg. The bacon, I must say, is unique - the texture is softer and it doesn't taste all fatty like my grandma's bacon ... (sorry Grammy). I have to say I'm not a bacon fan, but I appreciated giving it a shot. Though I probably wouldn't get it again on my avo melt, that's only because it was too much salt for my own personal liking. I recommend it to bacon lovers.

Grass-fed sliders:"Oh. WoW!" That's what I thought when I bit those babies. The blue cheese is the first thing that melts into your mouth, giving that flavor burst super tang! Onions are marinated in mustard, and the rolls are imported from Hawaii (not local, but best bread they found competent to match the taste).

The finale - coconut caco - made with rice that uses organic coconut milk, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Kind of like horchata - but richer. You use a spoon. It smoothly cools the salty aftertaste left from the melt and sliders, a perfect way to end the meal. It's not too sweet and refreshes the palette. Though I think the rice was slightly undercooked - I appreciated the delightful way to end my meal.

Well done Food Farm. I'm glad I found you and I'll be back.

http://www.foodfarmsd.com/

***

Extraordinary Desserts: A Very Deadly Heaven

Dear food lovers.

Or rather, dessert lovers:

I now work at a restaurant called Extraordinary Desserts. Featured on Food Network for their Dulce de Leche cake on "The Best Thing I Ever Ate," a mosaic of eye-popping desserts greet you inside a glass case. Made fresh and exquisitely garnished with orchids, roses, and ribbon.

A heavenly place to work because the other night I stuffed my face with a footlong Danish. Deadly because I'm a Type I Diabetic. *Insert rimshot here*

Heaven and death aside, I need to express my pure love for a cake called the "Gianduia." Pronounced "John-Do-Ya," it's a cake that literally will knock your socks off and kick Lonely to the side.

Chocolate cake is layered with hazelnut buttercream and chocolate mousse. Two separate layers of blackberry preserve lie within the cake, giving it a light fruity flavor without overpowering the chocolate. The perfect balance between fruit and chocolate! The best part: a hazelnut praline that covers the outer layer, giving each bite a textured crunch and a nutty aroma post-swallow. It is MM MM DELICIOUS.

Open the gates here: http://www.extraordinarydesserts.com/

Miho - My New Fav Burger

Food Snob I Am.

It is a pure fact that I love food, and I love good food. So fine, if I'm drunk and hungry, I might stop by McDonald's to indulge in some good ol' classic french fries. But that doesn't happen very often.

My style is fresh. Local ingredients. Juicy, tender, delicious. I am a big fan of organic, grass-fed, wild, homemade, house made, i-know-the-chef, i-picked-the-strawberries-with-my-own-hand.

So speaking of which, my friend Sean told me about a gastrotruck called Miho here in San Diego. Yea, I thought those were only in LA - but apparently I am wrong. So I was determined today to find them (it's a truck. it drives places. i drove to find them) and eat their food.

Miho's motto is "Farm to Street," exactly the kind of place I love. Basically everything they serve is local or house made, their beef is grass-fed, their chicken is free-range, and they always have a salad and a vegetarian option. They change up their menu on a weekly basis so you're always comin' back to see what's next. But what's great is their menu is as simple as: Salad, Burger, Chicken or Ham, Veggie, and a Side. Almost as simple as In-N-Out, but BETTER.

I ordered the 1/2 order of the Mixed Bean Salad, the Grilled Peach Burger, and the Belgian Style Fries.

Knowing they are more known for their burgers, I teased myself in the eating process.

The Mixed Bean salad. Honestly, I wasn't that impressed. It was ... just a salad. The dressing was fine, it did what it was supposed to do (which is that it enhances the flavors so that you don't feel like you're eating grass.) I was definitely expecting more because the description made it look tasty. However, I do appreciate the option. Just in case you want a burger, but you don't want to fatten up having to eat fries too.

Now, those who know me know that I HATE ketchup. I HATE it. I hate the smell, the look of it sitting in that disgusting kid-slobbered Heinz bottle, the consistency, everything. But - Miho makes what they call the "Moroccan Spice Catsup." Though I bet there is ketchup on the ingredient list, knowing they made it and put their own twist on it was worth giving it a shot.

Sure the catsup had a mini kick, but the fry wasn't to die for. It was better than the salad, but I wasn't thoroughly impressed like I was hoping to be. I guess a fry is sometimes just a fry. And sometimes fries are really only delicious if they're eaten with the main course.

And here it was: the Grilled Peach Burger time. Arugula, topped on a slice of gruyere, melted over grilled peaches, with a chipotle aeoli, all on a sweet brioche bun.

AWW, YEEAAHHH. I had known I was saving the best for last, and damn right I did.

The brioche bun is sweet. A fluffy, sinks-in-your-mouth bread. You first taste the peach, but as you continue to eat, the spice of the chipotle is cut and balanced by the sweetness of the fruit. The gruyere adds that nice hint of flavor. The burger is juicy. It requires you to lick your fingers and have napkins on hand. The fries complimented the meal quite well, as did the catsup.

This is a San Diego secret I hope to see become huge. I appreciate that they offer salad (even though this week's item wasn't amazing,) and having a veg option is always California-friendly. It's a personable little spot, and sure you might have to drive a little out of your way to get there - but I swear it is worth the search.

Look them up for their weekly menu and schedule here:

http://mihogastrotruck.com/

**** (4/5 stars)