Recipe: Pasta Salad with Melon, Proscuitto and Ricotta Salata

You can never go wrong with the classic combination of melon and prosciutto. This super simple recipe adds pasta, fresh mint and ricotta salata to pork up the appetizer combo into a cold summer entrée. Quick and delicious, it’s a great dish for a backyard BBQ, picnic or easy breezy dinner at home.

*Adapted from Bon Appetit. Original (more time-consuming!) recipe here.

Ingredients:

2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, torn into pieces
4 ounces small pasta (I used rotini)
Kosher salt
3 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 cups cubed, peeled cantaloupe (about 1 inch x 1 inch x 1/4 inch)
1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint, divided
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
1 ounce ricotta salata (salted dry ricotta) or crumbled feta

To Make:

*Cook pasta in a medium pot of boiling, salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain pasta and set aside to let cool.

*Whisk oil and vinegar in a large bowl. Add half of prosciutto, cooked pasta, cantaloupe, red pepper flakes and half of mint. Toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving dish and sprinkle remaining prosciutto and mint over. Garnish with shaved ricotta salata. Refrigerate to cool the pasta salad more, if you’d like.

Top Round Roast Beef

Fast food has a special place in my heart. It’s been years since I found myself in a McDonald’s or Jack-in-the-Box drive-thru, but I grew up on the stuff and sometimes long for a good ol’ Quarter Pounder or carton of curly fries. I never cave but am always helplessly drawn to restaurants that riff on and elevate fast food, which is how I arrived at the newly opened Top Round Roast Beef.

Top Round is a fast-casual roast beef sandwich spot with a pedigree. Its founders are Anthony Carron (800 Degrees), Noah Ellis (Red Medicine), Steve Fretz (XIV) and Jamie Tiampo (NYC’s L’artusi and dell’anima), a team of restaurateurs that knows a thing or two about good eating.

 

While we queued up at the outdoor ordering window, my boyfriend and I examined the menu, which was short and sweet, consisting of six sandwich options and three variations of curly fries. We were pleasantly surprised to see that, despite the refined resumes of the Top Round founders, everything on the menu was incredibly wallet-friendly.

After placing our order, we moved into the restaurant’s retro-inspired interior, which was bursting with bright orange and wood paneling. The whole space felt delightfully kitschy– bowling-alley chic, if you will. While we waited for our food, we watched the kitchen slice up a big hunk of 12 hour slow-roasted roast beef to order.

It’s never too early to think about dessert, and Top Round gives you a lot to think about. Did I want frozen custard in a cone with sprinkles? A milkshake? A sundae? A mixed-up “concrete”? What a delicious sort of conundrum.

Top Round’s frozen custard topping bar

Justin concerned himself with the Coke Freestyle machine, where I think he had way too much fun.

After a few minutes, our number was called, and we picked up our order in a cardboard box, taking it to one of the picnic tables on the patio.

The basic curly fries ($1.95) were perfectly enjoyable, but Justin and I both preferred our Dirty Fries, in which the fries were doused with gravy and “Round Sauce” and finished with caramelized onions and Provel cheese ($3.95).

For his sandwich, Justin opted for the Black and Blue, roast beef topped with black pepper, blue cheese and caramelized onions and served on a classic, squishy sesame bun ($6.45).

I chose to get messy with the Beef and Cheese, roast beef dressed with Round sauce, a finger-licking-good homemade “Wizz” and served on a toasted onion bun ($5.95). Perhaps it was the low price point, but I was wholly unprepared for how tender and juicy the roast beef was. Top Round’s meat would be just as at home on a pricier plate as it was tucked inside a foil wrapper. Arby’s this ain’t!

After much waffling over our options, we also selected two concretes, or frozen custards with toppings mixed in.

The Hawaiian with bananas, pineapple, coconut and macadamia nuts was a tropical-inspired delight ($3.95).

 

My favorite of the two, however, was the Banana Cream Pie with bananas, fudge, whole Nilla wafers and whipped cream ($3.95). I adored everything about this combination of frozen custard and banana pudding. McFlurry, we are never ever getting back together. Like, ever.

 

After a few recent budget-busting meals, my visit to Top Round was completely refreshing. After all, what’s not to love about chef-driven fare at fast food prices?



 

*Food was hosted

Top Round

www.EatTopRound.com

100 S. La Brea Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90019

(323) 549-9445

LA Weekly’s Tacolandia with Bill Esparza

For a hot minute, LA went positively bonkers over food festivals. Weekend after weekend in parks, industrial spaces and parking lots, a bevy of pricey food festivals played host to a familiar cadre of restaurants, and, soon, food festival burn-out set in. Enter: Tacolandia.

This weekend marked the first annual LA Weekly Tacolandia, a festival featuring a selection of over 30 tacos from LA, the OC and even a handful from Baja, Mexico. With a fresh concept, unique vendor list and accessible price point, the event, curated by my friend Bill Esparza of Street Gourmet LA, stirred my appetite and seemed just the cure for festival fatigue.

Tents and food trucks filled the parking lot of the Hollywood Palladium for the festival. 

At the Tacos Leo Truck, a taquero sliced chili-rubbed al pastor pork off a trompo, or a rotating spit, onto a corn tortilla and finished the taco with a sliver of roasted pineapple.

Al pastor pork taco with roasted pineapple from Tacos Leo 

Fried scallop tacos with sea urchin sauce from Tacos Punta Cabras

Goat cheese and peanut taco from Sol

Cured snapper taco with achiote, cilantro, pineapple salsa, cabbage and avocado from George’s at the Cove

Goat and lamb from Gish Bac

Pork tacos with crispy skin from Chichen Itza

The Three Little Pigs Taco with carnitas, bacon and chicharrones from Loteria

Beef Tongue Taco w/ guajillo and tomato adobo from Loteria

Kokopelli from Baja served up three different types of tacos. 

The Kraken (octopus) and The Italian (portobello and cilantro) from Kokopelli

While “tacorazza” Bill curated a pretty delicioso line-up, a few vendors had me coming back for seconds…and thirds.

The Mariscos Jalisco truck served up its signature taco de camaron dorado, one of most sabroso tacos in the city. 

Crunchy shrimp taco from Mariscos Jalisco

MexiKosher is exactly what its name suggests: kosher Mexican food. Despite the unorthodox concept, its Matza Albondigas Taco with chipotle sauce, serrano aioli, chopped egg and turmeric rice really impressed, and I think a visit to their W. Pico (of course) storefront is in order. 

The talented Laurent Quenioux (the “LQ” in the BistroLQ pop-ups) was, to our group’s delight, an over-achiever and offered four different tacos. We sampled three, and each was more delicious than the last. Bien hecho, senor Laurent! 

Green Mole Rabbit Taco with Carrot Pico de Gallo from Bistro LQ

Escamoles Tacos with Zucchini Flowers and Nasturtium Leaves from Bistro LQ

The snappy Lobster Sausage Taco from Bistro LQ was one of my absolute favorite bites of the day.

Lobster Taco from Soho Taco

While my boyfriend munched on and swooned over the Tripa y Ubre de Res (tripe and cow udder) Taco from Mision 19, I searched for the guapo Javier Plascencia to do some swooning of my own. No such luck. I couldn’t find him!

My buddies from Mexicali Taco & Co. prepared a Taco Campechano with skirt steak and tripe.

The Pork Belly Chicharron Taco from chef Ricardo Zarate of Mo Chica, Picca and Paiche really wowed and had me lining up for serving after serving. The tender pork belly was topped with tacu tacu, jalapeno salsa criolla, au jus and huancaina sauce.

A drizzle of serrano sauce and panca tomatilla sauce finished the taco.

One of the biggest hits of the day was Mariscos La Guerrense, which normally operates as a stand in Ensenada. My friends loved this one so much that they ate one plate of tostadas while in line for another.

Sea Urchin Ceviche with Clam and Smoked Marlin with Scallop Tostadas from Mariscos La Guerrense 

After all of the festival’s savory bites, these flaky Puff Pastry Guava “Tacos” from La Monarca Bakery were sweet perfection.

Since tacos and tequila go hand-in-hand, those with VIP tickets could sip on drinks in the Tequila Garden. In a genius and much-appreciated move, the Tequila Garden and food were set up in different areas of the parking lot, which helped to control the crowds and prevented the mad crush of people that often plagues festivals.

I thought this little guy looked thirsty and offered to share my Tequila Sunrise with him.

Congratulations to Bill and LA Weekly for a delicious, fun, well-run and incredibly successful first annual Tacolandia.This is one festival I definitely won’t burn out on, and I’m already looking forward to next year!

Recipe: Kale and Black Bean Tacos

When it comes to weeknight dinners, I’m always on the hunt for quick, easy and healthy recipes. Bonus points if the recipe involves kale and/or avocado! These Kale and Black Bean Tacos (modified from Serious Eats) call for both and are suprisingly filling (courtesy of the black beans) and absolutely delicious. This simple recipe is now a weeknight go-to in our apartment.

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil or olive oil (enough to coat the pan)
1 small onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 head kale, washed, tough stems removed and roughly chopped
     *Note: You can also use a bag of pre-chopped kale to save time.
15 ounces cooked black beans
4 ounces cotija cheese (or other crumbly Mexican cheese)
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and cubed
2 to 3 pickled jalapenos, chopped (optional)
Hot sauce (optional)
Corn tortillas
Salt and pepper

To Make:

*Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about five minutes, or until translucent and tender. Add the garlic and cumin and cook for another minute.

*Add the kale to the pan. Toss the kale to coat it with the mixture in the pan and then cover and cook for about two minutes. If the kale is still tough after two minutes, add a tablespoon of water, re-cover and cook for two more minutes.

*Add the beans and cook until warm. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

*Meanwhile, warm the tortillas in another pan over medium-high heat, about 5-10 seconds a side.

*Spoon some of the kale and bean mixture onto a tortilla. Top with a sprinkling of cheese, avocado and the pickled jalapenos and hot sauce, if you want. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mid-Week Insta-Nom: Golden Girl at Goldie’s

Here’s your mid-week Insta-Nom to help get you over the hump:

Goldie’s (from the team behind Eveleigh) is the newest restaurant to open on W. 3rd Street. At Goldie’s, diners can munch on small plates inspired by California on the restaurant’s stunning garden patio or in its airy, reclaimed wood-filled interior. Admittedly, however, what drew me to Goldie’s was not its architecture or even its menu but its cocktail program helmed by former ink mixologist Brittni Rae Peterson. My favorite drink was the Golden Girl, a combination of spiced tequila, passion fruit, agave and lime meringue ($14.00). The drink was spicier and smokier than I expected but balanced by the subtle sweet finish of the passion fruit and the tartness of the lime meringue– like a good girl with a naughty side!

Goldie’s
www.goldiesla.com
8422 W. 3rd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 677-2470

A Picture Perfect Birthday Weekend

Over the weekend, I rang in my 25th birthday and celebrated the occasion the best way I know how: surrounded by delicious food and great friends.

My official birthday and party weren’t until Sunday, but my boyfriend wanted to make my big 2-5 an extra special one and planned a surprise “Birthday Adventure” for us on Saturday. The day kicked off with a map showing the location of and activity at each of our stops, but I was left to fill in the blanks. While I was embarrassed to correctly guess only one stop, I was also tickled by the idea of a whole day full of surprises.

For our first surprise stop, we headed downtown to Bread Lounge to fuel up. The new-ish bakery specializes European-style pastries such as croissants and focaccias and, of course, bread. Bread Lounge’s industrial-inspired décor may be sparse, but its menu offerings were anything but. Between the chockfull menu boards and the bountiful display case, we first time visitors needed a few moments to take everything in before narrowing down our options.

Eventually, I zeroed in on the Gringo, a pizza-like focaccia topped with two eggs, bacon, crumbled feta and cherry tomatoes, which was heated to order. Funnily enough, this focaccia was the very reason that Justin decided on Bread Lounge as our first stop. He knows me so well! Boasting a crispy yet pliable crust that rivals some of the best pizzas in the city and generous, hearty toppings, the Gringo was pretty much flawless. With bacon n’ eggs and a latte in our bellies (and a fruit pastry to-go), we set off for our next surprise stop.

Filling our apartment with fresh flowers is one of my absolute favorite indulgences and, for our second stop, we visited the Flower District to stock up.

How funny is this sign?



There’s no flower I love more than the soft, delicate and feminine pink peony and looking out on this sea of them made my heart flutter and nearly caused me to dance through the market Sound of Music-style.

Justin treated me to two bunches of peonies and some hydrangeas, and now they fill every room in our apartment. *Swoon*

My Birthday Adventure itinerary advised me to save room for our third stop, and, when we pulled up to Langer’s Deli, I was glad I listened. Opened in 1947, Langer’s has earned kudos for its pastrami from even the most die-hard New Yorkers and is a spot that I’ve always meant to try but, somehow, never have.

To start, I ordered a Vanilla Egg Cream, soda fountain throwback made with seltzer, milk and vanilla syrup, which was delightfully frothy and sweet.

Langer’s has served more than 4 million pounds of pastrami in its 65 years, and it’s safe to say that much of that was served as a #19, its most popular sandwich. In the #19, a mountain of hand-cut hot pastrami, coleslaw, Russian dressing and Swiss cheese are served on double baked rye bread. Justin and I both loved the tender pastrami and agreed that the crisp, double baked bread was Langer’s secret weapon in the battle for pastrami sandwich domination.

After spending all morning with the human love of my life, I turned my attention to my four-legged one. When Justin and I adopted our dog Mona about two and a half years ago, we noticed that the intake date on her shelter paperwork was coincidentally the same date as my birthday. I took this as a sign that she and I were always meant to be and decided to celebrate her “birthday” on the same day as mine. To celebrate Mona’s special day, we took her to Three Dog Bakery for a doggie sundae and some “pupcakes.” Mona enjoyed herself so much that she got downright stubborn when it came time to leave.

Later, armed only with a suggested dress code and our reservation time, I hopped in the car and we set off for dinner, stopping finally at chef Michael Voltaggio’s ink…but more on that here.

Perhaps my favorite surprise of the entire lovely day was my birthday cake, which was carefully selected by Justin and drew an audible gasp from me when we picked it up from Valerie Confections. Appropriately pink and girly, the Rose Petal Cake was made with vanilla bean cake, rose petal passion fruit ganache, covered in white chocolate glaze and finished with candied rose petals. If you’ve read this blog for any amount of time, you know my obsession with both rose and passion fruit, and I’m hard-pressed to come up with any cake more perfect for the occasion.

On Sunday, I practically had to roll myself out of bed for my party at Sunny Spot…

…but of course found room for a Bottomless Rum Punch and a Two-Fisted Burger…with a fried egg (previously written about here).

As the weekend drew to a close and I headed into the office, I thought my days of birthday gluttony were behind me, but my amazing co-workers had other ideas and ordered a special delivery from Donut Snob (previously written about here).

Where to begin?!

Thank you to my friends and family for celebrating with me and for making my 25th birthday truly the most wonderful one yet. Thank you especially to Justin for planning one of the best days I’ve ever had and to Mona for being your adorable, wiggle-butt self.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some research on juice cleanses to do.

Bread Lounge
www.twitter.com/breadlounge
700 S. Santa Fe Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90021
(213) 327-0782

Langer’s
www.langersdeli.com
704 S. Alvarado St.
Los Angeles, CA 90057
(213) 483-8050


Valerie Confections
www.valerieconfections.com
3360 W. 1st St.
Los Angeles, CA 90004
(213) 739-8149


ink
www.mvink.com
8360 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90069
(323) 655-7225

Sunny Spot
www.sunnyspotvenice.com
822 Washington Blvd.
Venice, CA 90292
(310) 448-8884

Donut Snob
www.thedonutsnob.com
www.twitter.com/DonutSnob

Adopt. Don’t Shop! Save a homeless pet.
LA Love and Leashes
Angel City Pit Bulls
The Amanda Foundation
Much Love Animal Rescue
Karma Rescue

Recipe: Summer Fruit Greek Yogurt Popsicles

One of my favorite things about summer is the sudden abundance of delicious and vibrantly colored fruit. I wait all year to enjoy juicy in-season fruit like raspberries, strawberries and cherries because, let’s face it, biting into a strawberry in the middle of December just isn’t the same. This tart, creamy popsicle recipe (adapted from Desserts for Breakfast) is the perfect way to enjoy summer produce and cool off in the summer heat. What’s more, it is super easily customizable to suit your tastes and your latest farmers’ market haul.

Ingredients:

8 oz. assorted summer fruit (raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, pitted cherries, pitted peaches, etc. I used raspberries and blackberries.)
Juice of 1 lime, freshly squeezed
3 1/2 Tbsp sugar
14-16 oz. Greek yogurt
     *I recommend you start with around 14 oz. and give the mix a taste so the yogurt flavor doesn’t overpower the fruit and coconut.
3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp coconut milk (with cream)
Pinch of salt

To Make:

*Mix together the fruit, lime juice and 1 Tbsp sugar. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes, then mash roughly with a fork. Set aside.

*In a separate bowl, mix together the Greek yogurt, coconut milk (with cream), 2 1/2 Tbsp sugar and pinch of salt. Fold in the fruit.

*Fill popsicle molds and freeze for about 30 minutes to an hour, then insert the popsicle stick. Freeze until solid (about 4 hours or overnight).

*To get the popsicles out of the mold, hold the pop under warm running water or leave it out for a few minutes.

Now get lickin’!

Mid-Week Insta-Nom: Softshell Crab at Father’s Office

Here’s your mid-week Insta-Nom to help get you over the hump:

Father’s Office may be best known for its irresistible burger and impressive craft beer menu, but the restaurant also serves up one helluva softshell crab. For the seasonal special, chef Sang Yoon beer batters and fries the crab to a golden crisp before perching it atop sugar snap peas, wax beans, tomatoes, onions and a lemon buttermilk sauce. This dish was so good that I nearly licked my plate clean and then ordered another one. You should eat it. Now.

Father’s Office
www.fathersoffice.com
3229 Helms Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 736-2224

EggSlut

Egg enthusiasts, meet EggSlut, a food truck dedicated to the humble huevo. The truck is the brainchild of chef Alvin Cailan, who gained his eggs-perience as entremetier at chef David LeFevre’s M.B. Post. Unlike roaming food trucks that announce their changing locations on Twitter, EggSlut regularly stations itself in one of two spots–The Hart and the Hunter and Handsome Coffee Roasters– for scheduled service. My friend Cathy of Gastronomy Blog and I are both suckers for a cheeky name and recently headed downtown with our dudes to have our way with EggSlut.

The menu at EggSlut is short and sweet, consisting mainly of breakfast sandwiches. Despite having only a handful of options, choosing my breakfast proved to be a formidable task. Did I want the Fairfax sandwich with scrambled eggs, chives, caramelized onions, Tillamook cheddar and sriracha mayo? Or the Avo Burger with caramelized onions, cheddar cheese, honey mustard aioli and an over medium egg? Everything just sounded so good. My boyfriend and I generally order different dishes to allow for sharing, but the call of the Bacon, Egg and Cheese ($6.00, or $7 with an organic egg) was too strong, and we both ordered EggSlut’s take on the classic breakfast sandwich.

While we waited for our sandwiches, we sipped on lattes from Handsome Coffee Roasters.

Our sandwiches were neatly tucked into brown paper bag wrappers, but that’s where the tidiness ended and messy goodness began.

Thick-cut hickory smoked bacon, Tillamook cheddar cheese and the star, an over medium egg, spilled out of a pillowy brioche bun slathered with chipotle ketchup. The sandwich was so hefty that I needed to give it a squeeze before taking a bite, which helped to coat everything with the bright, silky yolk. There’s a reason that bacon, eggs and cheese are a timeless breakfast combo, and this well-executed version with top notch ingredients took things to the next level. Given the sandwich’s yum factor and size, I wasn’t bothered by the $7 price tag and, in fact, intend to work my way through the rest of the menu as soon as possible.

Eggslut
www.eggslut.com
Monday-Friday: 7:00AM-11:00AM: The Hart & the Hunter (7950 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, 90046)
Monday-Thursday: 12:00PM-4:00PM and Saturday-Sunday: 9:00AM-1:00PM: Handsome Coffee Roasters (582 Mateo St., Los Angeles, 90013)

National Doughnut Day!

Happy National Doughnut Day! While I normally roll my eyes at days arbitrarily designated as “National Grilled Cheese Day” or “National Bagels and Lox Day,” I’m far more receptive to food days that indulge my sweet tooth. In celebration of doughnuts (which I’ve only recently come to appreciate), here are Insta-Noms of some of my favorite deep-fried delights from both coasts and details on spots where you can revel in National Doughnut Day yourself.

Donut Snob

 

Donut Snob’s gourmet doughnuts are handcrafted with top notch ingredients to create confections such as The Berry Best (a raised doughnut with a cinnamon glaze, mixed berry coulis center and topped with fresh berries) and The Oinker (a raised doughnut with maple cinnamon, an orange zest glaze and topped with maple bacon). My first bite of Donut Snob was a revelation and the first step towards converting me into a doughnut-lover. Donut Snob is delivery-based, but you can sometimes snag one at food events around town… and today at Coolhaus (see below).

 

Doughnut Plant (NY)

With several locations in New York, Doughnut Plant specializes in all-natural doughnuts handcrafted with high-quality ingredients that are organic when possible but are always trans-fat and preservative-free. Their signature sweet is a square yeast doughnut, but it was this refined, aromatic cream-filled rose doughnut that had me swooning.

Now that we all have doughnuts on the brain, here are two spots to get your National Doughnut Day on!

Photo via Let Me Eat Cake

Starting at 6:00PM, Coolhaus‘ Culver City shop will team up with Donut Snob to serve doughnut ice cream sandwiches. Donut Snob and CoolHaus are irresistible separately, so the combination of these confections is sure to sell out quickly.

Photo via Carlitos!

Pastry chef Mariah Swan’s ICDC (Ice Cream, Doughnuts and Coffee) is slated to open later this summer, but she’s previewing her menu in honor of National Doughnut Day. Pop by BLD between 11:00AM and 11:00PM today for a taste of flavors such as Cereal Milk Glazed and Beer Caramel with Pretzel Crunch. Starting at 6:30PM, there will be a doughnut tasting ($15.00) with an optional beer pairing ($12.00).

Now get out there and eat some doughnuts!