145. Beverly Hills Brownie Company - Kristen Chenowith Says Brownies Are Heaven In Her Mouth (LA: Beverly Hills)

On my first visit to Beverly Hills Brownie Company last summer, I declared the beginnings of the Brownie Comeback.  Owner Bobbie Greenfield made 241 batches of red velvet brownies before she perfected what we thought we knew as our favorite childhood treat.

Since then BHBC has gone full steam ahead and has developed new flavors, new ideas, and new famous followers.  Our favorite Hollywood celebrities such as Kristen Chenoweth have picked up on this brownie craze as well.  The beautiful blonde who blossomed on Broadway blasted about the brownies from her Twitter account @kchenoweth.  Her favorite is said to be the red velvet.

Rumor has it that a certain hit R&B artist who was a judge on the last season of The Voice ushered in a few brownies for himself, and the host of the rival singing competition on Fox has idolized these delightful desserts while on air also.

New flavors on the menu at BHBC this season include the S'mores, complete with graham cracker crumble and toasted mini marshmallows... no fluff here.  It's even topped off with a block of the classic Hershey's signature milk chocolate... perfect for those who are having a major case of summer camp nostalgia.

The brownie ice cream that is coming out in just a couple of weeks may gain some of its own fans.  As for me, I am still loyal to the peanut brittle, red velvet, and the brownie ice cream sandwich.  It really is the perfect ratio of brownie to ice cream.  It even inspired me to make a video using the Tastemade app (currently only on iPhone and iOS devices) featuring said scrumptious sweets.


If you haven't already done so, check which one of the more than two dozen different flavors of brownies will be the heaven in your mouth.  Until next time, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20130914

143. Tokyo - Arigato gozaimashita: Wrapping Up A Week in Japan / ありがとうございました, 日本!

If I dedicated a post to every single restaurant I visited in Tokyo, I would never get to my long back log of posts from the Bay Area and the East Coast.  Here's the remainder of the eating, seeing, and doing from Japan... all in one post.

Ken and I slurped up some very homey ramen that really hit the spot after an exhausting morning at Tsukiji Market.  The shop owner joked that the bamboo was from the same place Ken was from... Taiwan.  Look for a red noren that says ramen in white Japanese lettering (ラーメン) hanging in the doorway.  The faded red business signage reads Chinese food (中国料理) in Japanese.  The owner says the gyoza is very good too.

天好 24
東京都 台東区 / Tokyo Metropolitan, Taito Ward
花川戸 1-15-7 / Hanakawado District, 1 Chome 15-7

We passed the Asahi Breweries Headquarters on the way to Tokyo Skytree, the tallest freestanding tower in the world.  It was camouflaged against the gray sky and too pricey to travel up to the observation deck.  We relaxed over some chocolate and macadamia ichigo wafflate on the entrance floor instead.  The coffee is decent, and the chocolate beverages are milky and quite delightful.

100% Chocolate Cafe
東京都 墨田区 / Tokyo Metropolitan, Sumida Ward
押上 1-1-2 / Oshiage District, 1 Chome 1-2
東京スカイツリー / Tokyo Skytree
東京ソラマチ 4F / Tokyo Solamachi, 4th floor

A popular expat gathering hole serving Spanish-Italian influenced Japanese tapas helped us shield the hustle and bustle of Metropolitan Tokyo at bay.  We ordered the hot spiced chicken, fries with anchovy butter, squid in black ink sauce, and quattro formaggio pizza, oysters, and more.  The highlight was the octopus and ooba pasta with yuzu pepper.  The shiso garnish helped keep the pasta light.

Rigoletto Bar and Grill
東京都 港区 / Tokyo Metropolitan, Minato Ward
六本木 6-10-1 / Roppongi District, 6 Chome 10-1
六本木ヒルズ ウェストウォーク 5F / Roppongi Hills, West Walk, 5th floor

Kristen has a knack for introducing some very aesthetically appealing treats.  She ordered a gripping grape tart, and I selected a scrumptious summer peach tart.  There are more than two dozen tarts, all of which center around an individual fruit or combination of fruits that are formed into various flowers and other intricately carved shapes.

Berry Café
東京都 中央区 / Tokyo Metropolitan, Chuo Ward
銀座 3-2-15 / Ginza District, 3 Chome 2-15
外堀通り / Sotobori-dori Street
ギンザ グラッセ 6F / Ginza Glasse, 6th floor

A true late night in the streets of Tokyo must include yakitori at an izakaya.  Grilled chicken wings, skewers of extra crispy chicken skin and succulent meatballs are go-to favorites.  What captured my attention, though, was the mentaiko omelette... salty orange fish roe rolled into sweet yellow tamago for the ultimate egg in egg action.  Oh, and the beer here is only 380 yen in the wee hours of the night.  Kanpai!

串焼ダイニング十兵衛 (Juubee Skewers Dining)
東京都 渋谷区 / Tokyo Metropolitan, Shibuya Ward
恵比寿南 1-23-5 / Ebisuminami District, 1 Chome 23-5
恵比寿 スカイウォーク出口 / Yebisu Skywalk exit
アメリカンブリッジ ビル 1F / American Bridge Building, 1st floor

We celebrated the final night in Tokyo with drinks... a foam topped Yebisu Stout at the top of the Westin overlooking Ebisu District seemed fitting.  There is a scenic view of the Tokyo night scape just behind the bar.

コンパスローズ / The Compass Rose
 東京都 目黒区 / Tokyo Metropolitan, Meguro Ward
三田 1-4-1 / Mita District, 1 Chome 4-1
恵比寿 ガーデンプレイス 内 / Yebisu Garden Place 
ウェスティンホテル東京 22F / Westin Tokyo, 22nd floor

And that's about as much as my stomach can handle.  It's time to pack, get some rest, and head to the airport first thing in the morning... Taiwan is next on the itinerary! Super big thanks to Ken, the Lee family, and Kristen for the utmost guidance and hospitality on this trip.  Without you guys it would not have been as fun and gluttonous as it was.  Arigato gozaimashita!



I'm going to finish up a few posts on some recent fooding in the States.  Posts on my trip to Taiwan will start popping up in October, so stay tuned... until then, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20130625-30

126. Portland - A Second Visit to Olympic Provisions (Portland: Southeast/Industrial)

Olympic Provisions impressed me so much during the first visit that I wanted Allison to experience the true, unpretentious food that it offered.  We came here for dinner after our brief pit stop at Clyde Common for happy hour.  Funny... because that is the same route that Chef Alex Yoder took to reach Olympic Provisions.  Just as it was last time, the service was sincere, and the food was beyond compare.  Even the bread, dipped in a dish of olive oil, salt and pepper, blew our minds with its delicious simplicity.

On this repeat visit to the restaurant that caused me to fall in love with Portland, we ordered the steak tartare again.  We were completely enamored with the skillfully diced beef, the petite drop of egg yolk, and the crisp crostini.  It was just as fresh as I had remembered it.  Consistently executed quality dishes like this is what makes for an awesome restaurant.  This is a must if visiting Olympic Provisions... or even Portland at all.

The mixed beans salad from last time gave me such a lasting impression that I convinced Allie to order some vegetables... at a salumeria.  Yes, I know.  But how could we resist? Nutritious, beautiful, and ever so fresh, the kale salad with thinly sliced radishes was a fitting complement to our meal.

One item on the dessert menu that we did not order last time was the salame de chocolat.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Chocolate salami.  But it's not what you think.  Or it might be exactly what you think.  It's smooth chocolate in the shape of a sausage with bits of nuts and toffee right where the fatty spots of a salami should be.  Genius.  Pure genius.  Along with the citrus marmalade and the salt and pepper shortbread... holy momma, this was devilishly delicious.  We particularly took a liking to the shortbread.  It was like a melt-in-your-mouth Ritz cracker... but even better.  Some would say this cracker was on crack.

To top everything off, we sneaked in a few small bites of some dessert that the staff was catering to a wedding.

Hats off to Chef Alex for his genuine food preparation, passion, and prowess.  Just in case you are expecting a swanky place, this is not it.  Don't expect anyone to place a white cloth napkin over your lap as you sit down.  It is just a straight forward salumeria, a glorified butcher shop of sorts, that makes food without fuss.  Olympic Provisions is for me what a day spa is for those working in corporate America.  Feeling stressed? Suffering from culinary depression? Chef Alex will give you a realignment.  And at the end of your session you'll want to come back again.  Until then, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20130622

Post 119: Portland - Cursed by Voodoo Doughnut's Bacon Maple Bar (Portland: Southwest/Old Town/Chinatown/Downtown)

Every trip to Portland requires a visit to Voodoo Doughnut whether you love doughnuts or not.  It has become an institution in this city since opening its erection.  Some have flocked to this twenty four hour corner store to simply see the snake of a line, but many more wait patiently to experience that yes, indeed... the magic is in the hole.

Angela and I went to the shop to see what the fuss was all about, and I will stop just shy of saying that the doughnut shop put a spell on us because the two of us left with about three dozen doughnuts... for our friends and family, of course.  We were cursed by the voodoo doughnut to have an unrelenting craving for these fried rounds of dough, but partly, it was because we had absolutely no willpower.  None.

Here are the doughnuts that I bought with the exact descriptions from the menu on the Voodoo website... and some of my commentary.  The site may curse you with uninhibited gluttony too, and it may have possessed me to say some of these things.  Beware.

Voodoo Doll.  Raised yeast doughnut filled with raspberry jelly topped with chocolate frosting and a pretzel stake! Apparently, each voodoo doll looks slightly different from the next.

Bacon Maple Bar.  Raised yeast doughnut with maple frosting and bacon on top! This was delicious... my favorite.

Portland Cream.  Raised yeast doughnut filled with Bavarian cream.  Topped with chocolate and two eyeballs, representing the vision of our great city.  Well, what I see is a doughnut, so I think I will eat the vision of Portland.

Captain my Captain.  Raised yeast doughnut with vanilla frosting and Captain Crunch! Like drugs, really.  I can smell the sweetness of the sugar.

Triple Chocolate Penetration.  Chocolate cake doughnut with chocolate frosting and Cocoa Puffs.  Who's gone kuckoo for Cocoa Puffs now?

Grape Ape.  Raised yeast doughnut with vanilla frosting, grape dust and lavender sprinkles! It looks a little like a solidified toxic version of grape Kool-Aid. 

Diablos Rex.  Chocolate cake doughnut with chocolate frosting, red sprinkles, vanilla pentagram and chocolate chips in the middle! This one looks like it's verging on voodoo too.

Dirt Doughnut.  Raised yeast doughnut with vanilla frosting and Oreos! It'd be cool if there were some gummy worms digging their way out of this thing.

Maple Blazer Blunt.  Raised yeast doughnut shaped into a blunt and dusted with cinnamon sugar.  The tip is dipped in maple frosting and red sprinkle embers.  Prices vary due to Blazer Mania! OK, what someone smoking a blunt when they created this?

Marshall Mathers.  Plain cake doughnut with vanilla frosting and mini M&M's! Haha, I get it... it's very punny.

Old Dirty Bastard.  Raised yeast doughnut with chocolate frosting, Oreos and peanut butter! Combine the Old Dirty Bastard, the Marshall Mathers and the Maple Blazer Blunt, and you get a Rapper's Delight.  No joke.  It's on the menu for $4.20.

McMinnville Cream.  Raised yeast doughnut with Bavarian cream with maple frosting on top and two eyeballs and a mustache! Wait, does this guy have a brother or cousin that I've seen before?

Neapolitan.  Chocolate cake doughnut with vanilla frosting, strawberry dust and three marshmallows! Why are we so excited about marshmallows?!

There you have it... a baker's dozen of the most popular devilish delights from Voodoo.  I took them back to So Cal with me.  Angela had a dozen of these too.  We got stares from everyone walking through the weird streets of Portlandia, and when we got moved up to the front of the plane (because the TV screen wasn't working), some of the passengers on the plane accused us of bribing the cabin attendants with doughnuts... jokingly, I think.  And back at Long Beach Airport, a dad even said to his son, "Hey, remember the man with all the doughnuts?"

Sugar overload for real.  Until the next voodoo curse, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20120915

Post 114: Portland - Surprise Visit to The Meadow, A Salt and Chocolate Shop (Portland: North Portland/Boise/Mississippi)

All in one morning Angela and I flew from Southern California to Portland, warmed up our stomachs with oysters and charcuterie, devoured a hearty breakfast, and polished off pastrami sliders and cookies.  If that isn't reason enough to take a fat nap, then I don't know what is.  We were determined to find the closest public transportation back to our hotel in the Southwest quadrant of Portland to take said nap, so we wandered west from North Williams Avenue to North Mississippi in search of said public transportation.  While meandering through the quaint residential streets of Boise neighborhood, we came across a section of restaurants and coffee shops that peaked our interest.  We stayed away from more meals, but we did enter this unassuming salt and chocolate shop called The Meadow.

Salts were proudly displayed from wall to wall.  The shelves of chocolate started at the floor and almost reached the ceiling.  There was a table of wine tasting and even a section dedicated just to bitters.  Every nook and cranny of the store was filled with something intriguing, mesmerizing... fascinating.

These chocolates were no ordinary chocolates.  On every shelf there were chocolates for eating, chocolates for drinking, chocolates for baking, dipping, dunking, saucing, and gifting.  Naturally, the best were the chocolates that were combined with salt.  Many of them had imported ingredients but were produced locally around Portland.  Some were even made in small batches and even numbered by hand on the label.  Pretty impressive.

I took some of the more unique flavors back with me... chocolate bars with tortilla, lime and salt (of course) and a few bars with ramen noodle scattered throughout.

The salts came from all over the world.  From sea salt to fleur de sel to salt blocks, there were an unimaginable plethora of salts.  And when we sampled them with the expert staff on hand, we were surprised to find out that not only do the various salts have different salinity, but they have different flavors as well.

If there is any place in Portland, or the entire country for that matter, to discover salts and how they can be tailored to your cooking and baking, The Meadow is the place.  Andrew Zimmern's episode of Bizarre Foods in Portland aired just last week with him visiting this hidden gem.

Okay, but really... nap time.  We need to rest before we restart our marathon of eating.  Until then let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20120914

Post 111: Portland - A First Meal at Tasty N Sons (Portland: North Portland/Northeast/Boise)

Last September I visited Portland for the first time.  My friend Angela and I took an early morning flight out from Long Beach headed to the mecca of modern and inventive hipster cuisine.  Right after touching down at PDX, we dropped our bags off at the hotel and hailed a cab straight for Tasty N Sons, a self-titled neighborhood restaurant that has made itself into a Portland institution.

We settled down to a freshly squeezed grapefruit juice and a cup of local Stumptown brew, which was served with a very cheeky carafe of milk.  There's nothing like a good cup of acidic liquid to start your morning right.

Under the advisement of our welcoming and friendly server, we ordered the renowned Breakfast Board, which arrived complete with various proteins, an assortment of breads, fresh blackberries and pickled beets, and even a duo of supple spreads that pulled the smorgasbord together.

The strips of house made beef jerky were more moist than expected, and the hard-boiled eggs were more tender than expected.  But the double smoked applewood bacon was delicious just as expected.  It is hard for me to remember another time when I had bacon as good as this.  With a crisp crostini of chicken liver mousse spread over the top, I was in absolute heaven.  The only thing that may have been better than the luxurious chicken liver mousse was the Lebneh, the creamy yogurt cheese drizzled with olive oil.  Whether it's spread over crostini or encircling the fresh blackberries, the opulent tasting dairy spread cannot be beat.

For some heartier fare, we ordered the BBQ Chicken Hash.  It was topped off with some onion sour cream and an over easy egg.  I immediately popped the runny yolk so that it ran down the sweet and savory shredded chicken.  Ah, isn't that the best part of every egg done over easy?

We saw all of this being prepared on the spot while seated at the bar counter.  The chickens were pulled out of the oven, cooled and shredded, and blended with the barbecue sauce by hand.  Heart and soul was being injected into our fresh food live in front of us.  Very cool.

I was mesmerized by all the happenings of the open kitchen.  Everyone worked at a quick but steady pace without the frenzy and chaos of other kitchens I've seen.  No drama here... just genuine cooking.  It must have been the Portland air.

Our last taste at Tasty N Sons was the Chocolate Potato Doughnut with crème anglaise.  This was a must because it was prominently featured on the menu twice.  It was literally the first item on the menu, and it was on the desserts list as well.

It was densely packed with chocolate, and although I love chocolate, the granulated sugar coating on the exterior of the decadent doughnut and the pool of crème anglaise really made the dessert what it was.

Our first meal at Tasty N Sons gave us a solid first impression that this supposedly quirky city has to offer.  And now, next door to Chop Charcuterie and Eat: An Oyster Bar for a little taste of what they have to offer.  Let's get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20120914

Post 104: San Diego Restaurant Week - Marina Kitchen (SD: Marina/Harbor)

San Diego Restaurant Week, an increasingly popular showcase of the best restaurant menus in the Whale's Vagina, came around once again this past January.  The week long event has been so frequented by both locals and tourists that it now happens twice a year.  The last time I dined at a SDRW restaurant, I was a recent Triton graduate.  Needless to say, it has been quite a while.  It was due time for a visit.

Fellow Triton alum Angela and I decided to try out the menu at Marina Kitchen, which is located inside  the San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina right by the water.  Marina Kitchen stood out the most because its menu was one of the few that did not feature roasted beets or miso marinated fish, both of which seemed to be on every other SDRW menu.  For just 40 per person, we could piece together our own three course dinner.  And for an additional 25, the sommelier put together wine pairings to complement each course.  This is what we ordered.

Pre-course: Charcuterie.  Bresaola, coppa la quercia, la quercia speck, shaft's bleu, truffle gouda.
This was not on the Restaurant Week dinner menu, but Angela and I have been looking for a meat and cheese platter that bests the charctuerie from Bow & Truss that we had last fall.  Of the meats and cheeses available, the clear standout was the truffle gouda.  It was so smooth, creamy, and buttery that we wanted to take some home.  No joke.

Michael's first course: Sesame crusted seared ahi tuna.  Uni sauce, chili oil, micro arugula.
Wine pairing: Paul Goerg Champagne Blanc de Blanc Brut.  Champagne, France.

The crust was crisp.  The tuna was tender.  And the uni sauce was rich, creamy, and delicious.  I was glad that there was such a disproportionately large pool of uni sauce on the plate because it was just begging to be lathered up.

Angela's first course: Bresiola carpaccio.  Arugula, shaved toma, truffle oil.
Wine pairing: 2008 Biondi Etna Rosso Outis.  Mt. Etna, Sicily, Italy.

Michael's second course: Jidori chicken & black truffle pot pie.  Leek and Yukon gold potatoes.
Wine pairing: 2010 Equis St. Joseph Syrah.  Northern Rhone Valley, France.

I have loved pot pies since childhood, albeit it was usually the Marie Callender's pot pie that I loved until I came across the handmade pies from The Pie Hole, but I have cherished the compact little baked comfort food for quite some time.  Seeing that Jidori chicken was being used only heightened my curiosity for what was inside the pie's crust.  The black truffle was not as apparent in flavor, so perhaps a drizzle of warm truffle oil would have enhanced the taste.  But I still really like the fresh leeks and earthy potatoes in the pot pie.  The chef did a superb job at conveying a warm sense of comfort with the pie.

Angela's second course: Local seared diver scallops.  Stinging nettle sauce, Jerusalem artichokes, crosnes.
Wine pairing: 2009 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Prelude.  Margaret River, Western Australia.

When we were eating this I had no idea what nettles and crosnes were or what the difference was between a Jerusalem artichoke and the kind that is usually in my spinach dip.  But whatever the chef used to make the sauce and to top off the scallops was delicious.  Nettles, so I later found out, are those little screw like twists that somewhat resemble a mutilated escargot.  The scallops were cooked perfectly too... seared but still rare in the center.  It was an elaborate dish with a beautiful presentation... and it ended up being one of our favorite dishes of the meal.

Third course: Valrhona milk chocolate caramel candy bar.  Guanduaja chocolate center, white chocolate ice cream.
Wine pairing: Ramos Pinto 10 year Tawny Port.  Douro, Portugal.

Third course: Meyer lemon chiboust.  Blood orange, milk chocolate.
Wine pairing: 2009 Donnafugata Ben Rye Late Harvest.  Sicily, Italy.

We liked the white chocolate ice cream in the flower petal shaped cookie shell, and we liked the drops of blood orange too.  The carpaccio was not bad, but it would have been better if there was more meat to shaved cheese ratio.  At the end of the meal we still wanted to take the truffle gouda home.  It was that good.  The seared scallops and ahi tuna with uni sauce were definitely the highlights of the meal.

The next San Diego Restaurant Week will begin September 15 and will feature 180 restaurants.  Without a doubt I will head back down to Daygo to try out some more restaurants.  And I know food fanatic Angela will too.  Until then, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20130118