Fran's Chocolates

We all love Fran's Salted Caramels. I was not aware it is from Seattle. Sandi knew it all along then I saw it in one of the guide books.  We all got excited and made note of the address. From our lunch at SkyCity in the Space Needle and a walk through the Chihuly Garden and Glass Exhibit, we headed back to the hotel via Fran's Chocolate. It took us a good half hour walk.

We got all excited when we walked in. The aroma of the chocolates sent us to 7th Heaven. It was like little kids in a candy store. But wait..... we were big kids going crazy in the chocolate store! There was an assortment of chocolates including fruit dipped in chocolates and truffles. We had samples but before that, we already knew what we were going to buy. We all bought the Salted Caramels. The Gray Salt Caramels are dipped in 70% dark chocolate then finished with sea salt harvested off the coast of Brittany. The Smoked Salt Caramels are dipped in 39% deep milk chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt that is lightly smoked over Welsh oak. These salted chocolates are truly the best!

We all told each other we intended not to share whatever we bought. We were like 3 greedy piggies or should I say 3 fat piggies. Fran's Chocolates are available in specialty stores and some Whole Foods Markets.

SkyCity in the Space Needle

Mertz, Sandi and I flew to Seattle on an eating adventure. The problem was we only had one night and 2 full days to absorb the Seattle flavor. Mertz wanted to treat us for lunch to the restaurant at the Space Needle. Unlike the rotating restaurant in Vancouver, this restaurant actually had good food not to mention a fantastic view.

Though the Clam Chowder looked tempting, we didn't indulge since we all decided to order the Wagyu Burger; red onion-bacon jam, tillamook cheddar, aged provolone with steak seasoned fries. The Hearts of Romaine Salad with roasted garlic vinaigrette, grana padano cheese, olive croutons and Spanish white anchovy. I am the only one that eats anchovies so we asked to have it on the side. My starvation made me forget to take a picture of the salad.

The burgers were great. Mistake number one was not agreeing to split the burger which Sandi suggested. They were humungous and messy. We didn't order any alcohol since Mertz and I had champagne at 7 a.m. on the flight coming in. We did not order dessert because we had dinner reservations so we had to be fairly hungry to appreciate the food.

Right after lunch we headed down to the Chihuly Garden and Glass Exhibition which was incredible. We had to work our calories off so we intended to walk back to our hotel via Fran's Chocolate.

Easter at Forma

What better way to celebrate Easter than to have lunch at Forma in Santa Monica. It started with a small party of three. Terri invited Sandi and me to attend mass at St. Monica's since she was doing a reading at the 11:30 a.m. Gary, Joyce, and Gunter were also attending the same service. The most important question was where should we eat lunch after mass. Forma immediately came to my mind. I knew that Sandi and Gary were going to go along with that and I was certain that Terri, Gunter, and Joyce would not complain. It was Terri's 1st day to have alcohol since she gave it up for Lent so instead of ordering by the glass, we ordered a bottle for the 3 alcoholics (Terri, Gary and me).

The restaurant was full at 1:00 p.m.which did not surprise me. Mario, the owner was at the bar working on this Easter Sunday. I was excited for the newcomers since they were in for a treat. We, of course, had to have the Crispy Artichoke Salad which was a hit. Sandi and I had to have the Cacio e Pepe; homemade spaghetti, black pepper, extra virgin olive oil tossed in Pecorino Romano and the Tortellini; mushrooms, light cream truffle oil tossed in Bella Lodi cheese. See note below on Bella Lodi Cheese.  We ordered both to split. The others followed suit except for Joyce who had the Jidori Chicken Sandwich with avocado, mayonnaise, greens, bell peppers and goat cheese on ciabatta bread with fries. She enjoyed the sandwich and the delicious fries. She only ate half of it so she could eat the other half for dinner. The pasta dishes are all finished by placing them in the big wheels of cheese which had been previously scraped for more cheese flavor. Everyone loved their dishes. Terri couldn't get over on how delicious the pasta was.

We were all full but we intended to order dessert. Before we got the dessert menu, two desserts arrived compliments of Mario which was very nice. A Chia Vanilla Petit Pot with blueberry preserves and a Nutella Bread Pudding which was so light in had a flan consistency. In our excitement, I forgot to take pictures of them; I only managed to take a picture of the "after".  I told everyone how delicious the Banana Pecan Tart with Chocolate was and that they had to try it. So we ordered 2 Banana Pecan Tarts to share.

Easter is not just about Easter eggs and bunnies. It's about celebration, giving thanks for all our blessings and spending time with family and friends. It was nice to see Mario spending time with his family. I thank him for the extra calories he bestowed on us.

Note:
Bella Lodi Known as the Black Parmesan, Bella Lodi cheese is an exquisite Italian cheese made by only one dairy in an ancient town of South Park Adda. The cheese is matured for 18 months, during which it develops its unique texture, colour and smell. It is often associated with its characteristic black rind. This peculiar blackened rind is achieved only when the wheels are hand coated with a mixture of clay called "umber" (ochre), grape seed oil and carbon black. The coating on the rind differentiates it from various Parmesan-style cheeses as well as is a tribute to the Lodi tradition. Bella Lodi is made without preservatives or added allergens, using milk that comes from cows in the Lodi area. It is white in colour, with an intense and fragrant smell; full flavour that is not too sharp or salty. The characteristics do not change much even in summer. There is a version of Bella Lodi that is produced with "GMO-free vegetarian rennet".

Birthday Celebration at Ink

Sandi and I celebrated Konnee's birthday at Ink day before yesterday. Konnee has never been to this restaurant and we wanted this to be special for our very special friend. I asked her permission of giving me the honor of ordering the food. She was happy to do so. Both my friends are not drinkers so I was the only one that ordered a glass of Rose Contadi Castaldi Franciaorta.

I ordered numerous plates to share. We started with the Fried Calamari; masa-potato crust with a curry emulsion. The very light and crisp calamari were wonderful dipped in the curry emulsion.The next plate was the Beef Tartare; bibimbap, crispy rice in a tofu dressing. This was unlike the tartare I previously had. It was even better and I don't know how that's even possible. After mixing everything together, the three of us were just in shock and could not believe how good it was.

Another plate came; Laughing Bird Shrimp. I would love to learn how this dish got its name. The avocado was freeze dried, shrimp crackers with escabeche dressing. They were nice and cooked to perfection. The Egg Yolk Gnocchi is one of my favorites. We were in awe of how the gnocchi is cooked without cooking the egg yolk inside which bursts in your mouth as you begin to chew. These little pillows sat on a French onion broth and had tiny croutons. The Sweet Corn, also a favorite of mine was a winner, although come to think of it, all the dishes I ordered were winners. The corn was just pure deliciousness with the cotija cheese and wonderful "foritos" house-made Fritos.

I love the Salt and Charcoal Potatoes which remind me of the briquettes. You are supposed to cut them in half and add some black vinegar which they supply in little bottles with a dropper. They recommend 2 drops, I recommend more than that and then a tiny scoop of the house-made sour cream. I never get tired of this dish.  I did order a 14 oz. Rib Eye. This is a new addition to ink (steaks) so naturally, I had to try it. It came with 2 sauces and though I tried them both, I preferred it without the sauce since it had a great flavor. Both Sandi and Konnee thought the same.

It was easy to decide on the dessert. The Hazelnut was out since it had coconut which I do not like. Konnee and Sandi just wanted to share 1 dessert since they complained of being too full. I ignored that and ordered 3 desserts to share. My favorite is the Apple, crème caramel, shortbread burnt wood semifreddo. Unbelievable....different textures and flavors. The Chocolate, caramelized milk, cookie, malt ice cream was also very good and not too sweet. The third was the Strawberry, malt pavlova, lemon curd, buttermilk-elderflower ice. We all got our daily fruit allowance for the day; we like to stay healthy!

Ink is still my favorite restaurant. Service was just as impeccable. Frank, our server took good care of us. Ink has everything for everyone and if you haven't been there, you will be surprised on how Chef Michael Voltaggio gets super creative and manages to keep your taste buds on the ball. I'm glad I don't live close to ink or I would have to be eating Weight Watcher's the rest of the days. It was a nice birthday celebration. My two friends are now officially Voltaggionites!

Ink is located at 8360 Melrose Ave in Los Angeles.

Black Truffle Epicurean Butter

It says: "Finishing Butter" and it is recommended to top grilled steaks, finish risotto, eggs or dip for lobster. I bought it simply because it was a black truffle butter. I love butter and love truffles so how can I go wrong.

I did not have any French bread. We only had 2 kinds of Rye bread. I first tried toasting the bread and having it with the butter and some black currant preserves. The black currant overpowered the truffle flavor.

The following day, I decided to have a piece of toast with the black truffle butter and Gouda cheese. That was a lot better. Though it went well with my coffee, I thought it would have been a lot better with a glass of either red wine of some of my favorite La Montina Rose.

I will try and use the rest of the butter as a finishing touch on their recommendations and then some. The little tub of butter is not cheap; it was $8.99 and could be found at your local Ralph's market. I looked at the ingredients and it list: black truffle base, cream, summer truffles.

The Habit Burger Grill

I can't believe I haven't blogged about this burger joint. We have eaten there numerous times and even more often since one opened up on the hill in Rolling Hills Estates.

I think my favorite burger is the Roasted Garlic Portabella Char with roasted garlic aioli. It comes with lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions, mayonnaise and melted white American cheese on a toasted bun. The picture below speaks for itself. It's just pure deliciousness. The fries are not bad either, it's a nice partner that goes hand in hand with the burger. I like to mix a little mayonnaise to my ketchup. If you haven't tried it, do so as it might surprise your taste buds. A little creaminess to tone down the acidity of the ketchup.

The Habit Burger Grill has numerous locations all over the United States.

Mastercard Priceless Table Dinner/ Chef Jessica Koslow

I was once again fortunate to have been invited to this event which was held at the Warner Brothers Studio in Burbank, California. I have been to 2 others previously; Michael Voltaggio's ink and Susan Feniger's  Mud Hen Tavern. This was different in that it was held not in a restaurant but on the Warner Brother's Studio lot in a beautiful elegant tent. Mertz and I arrived after a 2 hour drive in heavy traffic on the infamous 405 freeway. The red carpet was a nice welcome and immediately transported us to the "Hollywood mode".

Hors d'oeuvres were passed as well as red and white wine. It was a cold and a bit windy so Mertz and I were able to find a table that was a bit sheltered. The first sampling we had were the Arancinis (Italian rice balls). These were no ordinary arancinis, they were superb! We couldn't get over how amazingly crisp they were outside, salty (which we both loved) and tangy inside from the lemon which was very different from any arancinis we've had in the past. It was genius. Another appetizer passed around was the Potato Pancake that had coriander, cardamon and cumin topped with Crème Fraîche. We had a few of those along with the third  hors d'oeuvre; Shrimp flavored Tapioca Crisp topped with shrimp and crab salad.

While we waited for dinner, they offered a tour of the lot on the little trolleys. Mertz and I passed because it was getting too cold and even colder on a moving vehicle. Instead, we chose to continue enjoying the hors d'oeuvres and wine until it was time to enter the tent for dinner. We were a bit slow in entering and were unablel to find 2 seats together so we opted for seats across from one another. One of the servers approached Mertz and asked if we would like to move as she was able to ask people to kindly slide over and make available 2 seats together.  That was very thoughtful. Speaking of the staff, they were all professionals and most of them aspiring actors. The table setting was gorgeous and elegant. Everyone had a signed menu mounted on wood. The plates were to sit on a film canister. Chef Jessica Koslow welcomed everyone and did a short introduction and explanation of the food.

This elegant 4 course dinner came with wine pairing which made it more enjoyable. Our first course was a Three-leaf Salad, winter citrus, turmeric labne and lacto-fermented jalapeño. Mertz especially loved the citrus flavor. Our second course was Local Scallop in the Shell with nasturtium capers, nasturtium flowers and fermented yuzy-kosho. It was silky delicious. I was especially proud of Mertz who wasn't sure if she could even try the uncooked but well marinated scallops. She did and she ate every bit of it. The main course was a wonderful Skirt Steak with preserved lemon and pickled rose hip salsa verde, dried lime saag and crispy romanesco. The steak was tender as a marshmallow. The spices used in the sauce had an Indian flair which made it so different and totally exciting.

Dessert: Anson Mills Graham Cracker Tart, rhubarb kumquat Sqirl jam, chocolate and caramel, dehydrated raspberries. It was a bit of a struggle to cut the dessert so the gentleman next to Mertz suggested we turn it upside down which made it easier. I thought the best way would have been to eat it like a pizza; pick it up and use your hands but since I was at this elegant setting, I restrained myself. The crust was very good and the rhubarb and the kumquat jam was very nice, not sour at all but just enough tartness to go with the gooey chocolate. I had no trouble consuming the whole thing.

Chef Jessica Koslow made her rounds. We had a few words with her and Mertz gave her one of her homemade tomato jams. She was most appreciative. I never take selfies but I thought it would be nice to have a picture of the 3 of us so I took a picture for posterity.

At the end of the evening we asked if we could take the beautiful flowers home if they were just going to discard them. We were told that the vases belonged to Warner Brothers but we were free to take the flowers home so we did choose a few.  As we exited the tent, we were treated to a large Priceless Black Bag which held a nice bottle of 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon. I was impressed with the bottle that was embossed with the Priceless Table and Mastercard logo.

I want to thank Mastercard for another wonderful elegant event, Warner Brothers for hosting it and of course a big thank you to Chef Jessica Koslow for a job well done.