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Latest Adventures

New Capital Seafood Restaurant, Rowland Heights

Comments (0) | Monday, January 2, 2012

Instead of making a resolution I know I can't keep (resolution being posting frequently), I'll just post as many photos as I possibly can of places we've been, and foods we've eaten now. So in my mind, the next several posts will be out of order, but to you, it will just seem as if I've been eating. A lot.

This one is of New Capital Seafood Restaurant (NCSR), located on the second floor of the bustling Diamond Plaza Shopping Center in Rowland Heights. By "bustling," I mean it's super hard to find parking, especially during the busy hours. During the day, they serve dim sum, the Chinese version of tapas. Dim sum is typically served in small metal containers from carts wheeled around by the ladies who work at the restaurant. If you make eye contact with them, they'll usually stop at your table, offering you a plethora of dishes. Here's a sampling of the stuff we got.

 Shu mai - pork dumplings. A dim sum staple, and NCSR knows how to make them well. It's perfect with a little hot sauce.

 Braised pork spareribs, simmered in their own juices, making them tender and flavorful.

 Cha siu bao, BBQ pork bun - not my favorite (I may have eaten one too many as a child), but it's definitely a dim sum favorite for many, including Boogs. What's not to like? There's bits of flavorful BBQ pork encased in doughy goodness.

 Sesame balls - for a lack of better descriptors, it's usually lotus paste inside of a glutinous ball rolled in sesame seeds. It's sweet, so it's usually a dessert item, but the rule of dim sum is, if you see something you like, get it then, because it may not come around again later.

 Fried shrimp dumplings - one of my favorites because it's fried and served with mayonnaise as a dipping sauce. How good is that?

 Fried shrimp balls - using a piece of sugar cane as a skewer, this dish is sure to please. It comes with a sweet and sour dipping sauce. Did I mention that it's fried?

 Turnip cake - I know it may sounds a little gross to those not familiar with dim sum, but I assure you, these are so good. It's one of my favorite dim sum dishes. It's par cooked, and then pan fried to order. The only problem with these at NCSR is, it's super hard to flag down the lady with the this cart.

 Taro (wu) gok - also known as taro dumplings. Inside is a tasty mixture of minced pork, shrimp and mushroom. Outside is a crispy, flaky, almost fluffy taro batter that is deep fried to golden brown.

 A few words to the wise: It's best to go early, either before or around 10:00 am. Otherwise, you will be stuck outside inhaling second hand smoke, waiting for your number to be called. In fact, by 10:00 am on weekends, the San Gabriel location is virtually packed. Also, no matter how good the lady says the dish is, if it doesn't look good, it probably isn't. If you're not into eating "unusual" meats, it's usually best to ask someone what it is before ordering it.

New Capital Seafood Restaurant, 1330 S. Fullerton Road, Rowland Heights


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2012? Really?!

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Good grief! It's 2012?! I have been so remiss in posting, and I totally apologize for not doing so. It's not like I haven't eaten anything good the last three months or so...

To make up for it (sort of), here's a festive photo to kick off 2012. Happy New Year!

Vanilla cupcakes with vanilla cream cheese frosting


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My Delight Cupcakery, Ontario

Comments (1) | Wednesday, September 21, 2011

I came across My Delight Cupcakery (MDC) almost a year ago serendipitously, and have been in love with it ever since. It is simply the best cupcakery establishments around, even better than...dare I say it...Sprinkle's Cupcakes. Yes, I can back up my big statement. MDC is the reigning LA Cupcake Challenge champion, having won it in 2010 and 2011 for innovative and delectable treats.

MDC has 16 daily flavors, and one to seven different Flavors of the Week (FOTW), depending on the occasion. Let me just preface the rest of this post by saying that the cakes themselves are moist and never dry or mealy.

Although I could rave on and on about MDC, let me just show you what we had today:

My dainty little package of "mini" goodies

From top row, left to right: Strawberry, Late Night Breakfast, Chocolate Salted Caramel
Bottom row, left to right: Carrot Cake, Waffle Sundae (FOTW), Peanut Butter

Strawberry: Fresh strawberry cake topped with strawberry frosting. Love the cake, the topping, not so much. It was a little too gritty for me.
Late Night Breakfast: Waffle-inspired cupcake topped with buttermilk fried chicken. The regular sized cupcake is stuffed with said fried chicken. The fried chicken garnish sits atop a buttery frosting, and then drizzled with maple syrup and a secret blend of spices. One word comes to mind: Bombdiggity! Yes, it's that good!
Chocolate Salted Caramel: Chocolate cake with a smooth caramel center and topped with chocolate frosting and caramel with a sprinkling of salt. I liked the combination, it was good.
Carrot Cupcake: Carrot cake with carrots, walnuts, pineapple, coconut, spices and topped with a vanilla cream cheese frosting. Not a fan of carrot cake, so I didn't try it.
Waffle Sundae: A light waffle-inspired cake filled w/ fresh strawberries, dipped in French chocolate ganache, frosted with a layer of chocolate mousse, then Madagascar vanilla mousse, topped with jimmies, nuts, a cherry & a piece of waffle cone. It was really good! I'm sad that it's just a FOTW.
Peanut Butter: Peanut butter cake with PB chips and topped with PB frosting and chocolate sprinkles. I loved the PB-ness of it all; thoroughly satisfying.

If you're ever in the IE, a visit to MDC is definitely in order. A word (two) to the wise: go early, as they tend to run out.

My Delight Cupcakery, 1520 N. Mountain Avenue, Suite B-108, Ontario




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Mimi's Cafe, Chino Hills

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Bonjour! A breakfast treat at our local Mimi's Cafe.

Corned Beef Hash served with Mimi's potatoes two eggs (I always choose over easy), and a buttermilk spice muffin (not pictured). It's one of the best corned beef hash dishes I've had, and the potatoes were excellent. With some orange juice and coffee, it was a great way to start a lazy day off work.


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Charlie Palmer at Bloomingdale's, South Coast Plaza

Comments (0) | Tuesday, September 20, 2011

It was Costa Mesa Restaurant Week, so for date night, Boogs and I finally got to try one of Charlie Palmer's restaurants. I've been wanting to visit Aureole at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, but since a Vegas trip without kids is essentially out of the question these days, South Coast Plaza will have to do. For $30 per person, we were treated to a delectable 3-course prix fixe meal plus a few goodies, with the chef's compliments:

The restaurant space from where we were seated.

Mini baguette, and apple bread roll - warm bread and butter, who can ask for more? I liked the uniqueness of the apple bread.

Chilled Pea Soup - this amuse bouche consisted of chilled pea puree with shrimp garnished with olive oil and micro greens. It tasted earthy, verdant and it really prepped the palate for the meal.

Slow Braised Crisp Pork Belly - we ordered this appetizer as an extra dish because come on, let's face it, you just can't pass up pork belly. This tasty dish was served with a polenta (I think), caramelized plums, pickled onions and a port sauce. The pork was tender, but tasted charred. Nevertheless, all the flavors were married perfectly when the components are eaten together in the same bite.

Summer Melon Salad - Boogs's 1st course of summer melons, prosciutto, pickled onions and a ricotta walnut butter served with a white balsamic vinaigrette, arugula and basil oil. I didn't get a bite of this dish at all, but was only able to taste the vinaigrette, and it was really good.

Potato Leek Soup - my first course that was served with a salmon rillette, fennel caper remoulade and chives, and garnished with what I think was truffle oil, but I can't remember for sure. I felt that the strong flavors coming from the salmon and the remoulade completely overpowered the mild flavors of the potato and leeks , but it was a decent course overall.

Blackened Pork Tenderloin - my main course served with atop creamy grits, braised Swiss chard, shrimp and bacon jus. Quite honestly, my favorite part of the dish was the grits, everything else seemed to be competing with each other in terms of flavor and texture.

Salmon - Boogs's main course of salmon on top of bok choy and crispy jasmine rice. I really liked this dish; so much so that I wish I had ordered it. I wish I took notes.

Pommes Frites - also known as French Fries. Free french fries. No complaints!

Meyer Lemon Tart - my dessert course of a tart complemented by a blackberry coulis, lavender meringue and a honey ricotta gelato. I'm not a fan of lemon desserts but chose this for variety's sake. I did really like the gelato and the meringue, because their sweetness cut the tartness of the lemon.

Mint Chocolate Brownie Sundae - Boogs's dessert, which is what I should've chosen. A double chocolate brownie concoction served with mint chocolate ice cream and hot fudge. The mint actually was more prominent than I expected, but I would have eaten this any day over a lemon dessert.

Overall, Charlie Palmer's served up a great meal, and I really appreciate Restaurant Weeks because it allows people on a budget to experience a great, upscale dinner. 


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Home Restaurant, Silver Lake

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Feeling particularly proud of driving safely to the Valley (San Fernando Valley, that is) and back, a friend and I decided to stop at Home Restaurant in Silver Lake for lunch before going back to work. I love breakfast foods, so Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs was a no-brainer for me.

Breaded cube steak served with eggs over easy and home fries (pun intended). Country gravy was served on the side, with your choice of toast. It was very tasty, and it totally hit the spot. Loved the fries and the gravy. I have to admit, however, that towards the end, it seemed like the steak had too much breading on it.


Definitely a great place, loved the atmosphere and the food. I'd love to visit again when I get a chance.

Home Restaurant, 2500 Riverside Drive, Los Angeles
www.homesilverlake.com


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Vacation Food

Comments (0) | Saturday, September 3, 2011

I know this is at least a couple holidays late, but I just saw this while looking through my "Food" photo folder. This is the traditional (at least ours) Memorial Day Steak Marsala. Actually, we make this the night before Memorial Day.


Pictured above is a pan roasted New York strip steak that's cooked first and then set aside. In the same pan, we added a pat of butter, then the mushrooms. After the mushrooms are cooked, we deglazed the pan by adding approximately ½ cup of marsala wine and ½ cup beef stock. Let it reduce by half, and then add up to ¼ cup of heavy cream. Season the sauce to taste.

Angel hair pasta and roasted asparagus were the accompaniments to the steak. The pasta was cooked according to the box directions, and the asparagus was roasted with finely minced garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper in a 450­° oven.

And voila! A simple, delicious meal to be had by 6.2 hungry people.


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