Nachos have an interesting existence--enjoyed mostly by gabachos yet of Mexican origins, but created to serve hungry gabachos. Edwin has written about the carne asada nachos Alerto's (or is it Alberto's?), and the county has enough renditions of Chili Billies to placate a Little League squad. But perhaps the best take built specifically for the white man is at Rutabegorz, which is wrapping up its 30th anniversary in Tustin.I went a couple of days ago at the insistence of milady, who wanted somet
I've eaten at restaurants where the bill came to more than $300 for two (the late, great Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel). Where the buffet cost $100 for two (Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel again). Over $100 for omakase for one (Hanamori). Many other places too expensive and too superfluous to remember. But never have I gasped at the final bill until visiting Geisha House in SanTana.Of course I wasn't expecting much, especially considering the idiocy that is their valet service and t
This is another light, summery, easy-to-prepare dish, courtesy of chefs Tom Hope and Manny Gonzalez at Taps Fish House & Brewery, Brea. The following quantities serve six as an appetizer. And if you're really too lazy to try making it yourself, go to the restaurant for the real deal, where it's on the menu as a starter (for both lunch and dinner). For the cocktail:¾ pound shrimp (preferably rock shrimp), raw, deveined, tails removed¾ pound fresh bay scallops2 cups freshly squeezed lem
This side dish is available at the Cat Cora BBQ counter at Macy's Signature Kitchen, South Coast Plaza. Broccoli slaw, sold in bags at Trader Joe's, isn't everyone's go-to choice, granted, but once combined with the dressing (adapted from Cora's grandma's recipe), it makes this tasty--not to mention healthy--crunchfest. Here's a pic of the chef herself, as she is far more attractive than a plate of slaw*.The following recipe serves 8Ingredients:2 12oz packages broccoli slaw Dressing:1/
Cleveland: Ex-cellent!I'm still mad at Avanti Cafe for stopping their International Tuesdays, so that just means I now try to visit once a week instead of every other day. I usually visit in the evening, when Mark Cleveland relieves his co-owner Tanya Fuqua in a transition as seamless as a Jamaican 4x100 relay baton passing. They've made Avanti the place for innovative vegan cooking in Orange County since 2005, and the two concoct the best drinks this side of Memphis at the Santora. We nabbed
Edwin GoeiThis Dueling Dishes is about breakfast. Assembly line, fast-food breakfast. The kind with eggs that most likely came from a milk carton. A breakfast from which we Americans have been raised to believe is a proper start to your day, and which only recently did we realize that if we ate it everyday, we would die an early death.
My first subject is the ever-famous (well at least around this blog) 99-cent breakfast from IKEA. This, in business parlance, is call a "loss leader". A
