Tag Archive: bloggers

August 17, 2010

Highlights of Angeleno Magazine’s Great Chefs Night Out 2010 at the Fairmont

Written by Caroline on Crack in Dining, Los Angeles
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Angeleno's Great Chefs Night Out by Caroline on Crack

Dishing out the Burmese Melon Salad by Susan Feniger's Street.

On August 1, food enthusiasts, restaurant critics and of course great chefs converged at the Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica for Angeleno Magazine‘s Great Chefs Night Out 2010 and 8th Annual Restaurant Awards, which was hosted by Angeleno‘s James Beard award-winning food and travel editor, Brad A. Johnson. We were all there to celebrate his picks for the restaurant awards.

The list of this year’s winners:

In the VIP hour before the food fest, we had gathered in a staging area near the bungalows overlooking the Pacific Ocean where we toasted and clapped as each award recipient took the stage to receive their award plate. Never one for standing around and clapping in the hot sun, I impatiently sucked down my Oxley Gin cocktails, antsy to get started on the eating already.

Finally they turned us loose on the grounds surrounding the Fairmont’s famous fig tree where all the restaurants were set up to dole out the tasting portions of their signature dishes. I immediately set out to find the highly desired plates first before the lines got too long and they ran out of food. Fortunately that never got to be a problem for me. What did become problematic, however, was the fact that my stupid stomach is too small. By the time I reached the halfway point of the event, I was done! Fortunately my friend, blogger Busy Beth was able to go on for me and let me know what I was missing out on. Argh.

In any case, here are the highlights of the evening for me:

  • Those Oxley Gin cocktails: 1) That there was a seemingly neverending supply, 2) that Aviation was particularly tasty.
  • Petrossian’s creamy cauliflower panna cotta with caviar which I thankfully ended up having again at the Petrossian’s 101 Caviar dinner. And one fellow diner made no attempt to hide the fact that he was on his 6th visit to the Petrossian table.
  • Chef Ludo’s heirloom tomato smoothie, squid ink vodka jelly and seaweed tartar. Mmm, if only they could start serving this delicious concoction at Jamba Juice. Heh.
  • Michael Voltaggio’s burrata and peach pebbles a la liquid nitrogen made for an invigorating treat.
  • 123 Tequila’s tequila and chocolate pairings, which were deliciously ingenious. Who would have thought that the two would go together so beautifully? Especially that dark chocolate with liquid cardamom and caramel center and the anejo!
  • Running into blogger friends: Food GPS, Mattatouille, Gourmet Pigs, Lindsay and Julie of LAist, My Last Bite, estarLA, Lesley of Tasting Table, Hadley of Grub Street LA….man, who am I forgetting?
  • Stumbling down the red carpet after one too many Aviations much to the amusement of my friends snapping pictures.
  • The unofficial after party on the hotel’s Sunset Terrace where I enjoyed another cocktail with friends while dipping my toe in the fountain and watching the sun set.

This truly was an event not to be missed, made even better by the gorgeous setting, the quick lines and the hordes of foodie friends.

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August 9, 2010

My 5th Blogiversary Party at First & Hope + Cocktail Punch Recipe

Written by Caroline on Crack in Cocktails, Los Angeles, Nightlife, Recipes
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Beth, Lara, me, Aidan and Marcos on Caroline on Crack

Beth, Lara, me, Aidan and Marcos at First & Hope for my 5th blogiversary.

If you were a reader of my blog two years ago, no doubt you attended my 3rd blogiversary party at Bar Lubitsch. That was a big ‘un with liquor sponsors and a raffle-like giveaway. Since this year was my 5th, my friends and crackheads were asking if I had planned to do anything that big or bigger. But since I’m focusing my resources and time on blogger prom (which is September 22), no such luck for a huge shindig of my own. Perhaps next year, though.

Fortunately, First & Hope and my ol’ friend Aidan Demarest were kind enough to offer up the supper club’s swank and intimate Fedora Lounge as the venue for my 5th blogiversary party. Very nice considering it was pretty last minute; on Friday, I put on my Facebook that I wondered if I should celebrate my blog’s anniversary and later that afternoon Aidan offered up First & Hope. He promised punch, Edison beer and appetizers. OK!

But when I arrived at the downtown supper club that Tuesday night, I saw that the folks there went above and beyond. We had our own bartender, the whole room to ourselves, wonderful apps, a delicious punch created by bartender Brent Falco (for the recipe, hit the jump) and even a “5 Years! Caroline on Crack” slide on the big screen over the stage.

And, sure, I didn’t have nearly the same huge turnout that I did for my 3rd but all my blogger pals showed up to give me a high-five and to partake of the tasty beverages of course. So great hanging out with HC of LA/OC Foodventures; Andy, Elise, Julie and Lindsay of LAist; Matt of Mattatouille; John of Social Domain; Daniel of Thirsty in LA; Nancy of The Wanderkind; Julian of Jewelz; Christine of Folie a Choisauce; Fiona of Gourmet Pigs; and Connie of Hey, Hey Scenesters.

Marcos Tello and Aidan (the mixologist duo behind First & Hope’s bar program) joked that they did a collection to finally get me a crack rock and then proceeded to give a very sweet speech that brought a tear to my eye. Can’t believe I’ve known those guys since that downtown whiskey bar that shall be unnamed first opened! For sweets, old friends Beth of Busy Beth’s Blog and her sister Lara brought me a tasty strawberry cake from Phoenix Bakery in Chinatown.

We all ate, drank, laughed and drank some more. I couldn’t ask for a better celebration. Thanks, First & Hope and all my friends. And if you weren’t there due to whatever illness, you were missed!

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July 27, 2010

Urban Hike: Colorado Boulevard From Eagle Rock to Arcadia

Written by Caroline on Crack in Los Angeles, Recreation
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Peacock in Arcadia by Caroline on Crack

Peacock in Arcadia

I thought H.C. of LA/OC Foodventures was crazy. He had planned an urban hike from Glendale to Arcadia in the heat of July this past Sunday. It would be 14 miles of Colorado Boulevard. And as with most urban hikes, the stretch of road that Angelenos usually motor through to get from Point A to Point B with nary a glance at the scenery. There would be MANY boring parts, empty lots, strip malls galore and the occasional hidden gems.

Naturally, I didn’t want to do the whole 14 miles he mapped out. For his previous Robertson and Beach Boulevard ones I did 7 miles max. So for this one I opted to instead meet up with him at the “4 or 5 more miles to go” point which he had said would be at Colorado Wine Company in Eagle Rock. It wasn’t until we were at La Grande Orange in Old Town Pasadena (4.5 miles into it) that I realized we still had over 6 miles to go til we reached the end point of Santa Anita Racetrack. D’oh!

Fortunately, HC was game for cheating a bit and hopping on the Metro at the Del Mar station and taking it to the end of the line at Sierra Madre, about 3 miles from the final destination.

In any case, even though I grumbled a bit, OK a lot, in the beginning while the sun beat down on my back and the straps of my freebie backpack cut into my shoulders, I grew to enjoy the walk and the fact that there was a lot to see, stuff you wouldn’t notice while speeding by in your car.

  • At Four Cafe in Eagle Rock, they have a brown butter lavender cookie that is actually chalky in texture but in a good way. The stuff crumbles and then melts in your mouth.
  • We didn’t get to stop in Larkin’s in Eagle Rock since we had just eaten but it’s good to know that there’s soul food in Eagle Rock and served in a quaint Craftsman house. Plus on Saturdays and Sundays they have brunch. The brunch dish called “Maggie’s Mess” with bacon, hot links and chicken smothered in gravy sounds intriguing.
  • Little Flower Candy Company in Pasadena doesn’t carry any candy that won’t melt on a long walk in 80-plus-degree weather, nor do they carry homemade iced drinks. But they do carry a nice selection of artisanal sodas and mm, Bundaberg Ginger beer. And you can purchase seed bombs from the little coin-operated candy machine in front of the store. HC and I bought a couple to plant along our walk. We ended up planting them in front of the Eagle Rock Brewery later.
  • Splitting a pitcher of white sangria at La Grande Orange with another person is a really good deal. Basically each person gets four glasses of refreshing drink for $10!
  • In Arcadia neighborhoods near the Arboretum, peacocks and peahens run rampant. We saw six peacocks and two peahens sitting on someone’s front lawns. There are signs all over that area warning people to not feed them. BTW, scaring them won’t get the peacocks to show off their plumes.
  • Phoenix Boutique Bakery in Arcadia has the tastiest red bean mochi. I bought them to take home but instead ate them on the drive back. So delicate and divine.
  • OK, Eagle Rock Brewery wasn’t on the original walk route but being in the vicinity of it, we had to go. It closes at 6pm on Sundays but they were kind enough to stay open a little longer for us to enjoy our beer and a bag of peanuts and a dish of pretzels. I bought a growler of Solidarity for $32 ($20 for the growler and $12 to fill up).
  • Despite the name, Colorado Wine Company sells a great selection of beer like Allagash Curieux. John Nugent, the owner, said that they’ll be opening up a craft beer shop in Echo Park soon. His beer consultant is none other than our mutual friend and former beer blogger, Jonny Lieberman. Small world! By the way, there are “Lazy Sunday” wine tastings at CoWineCo from 1 to 4pm ($12 a person). Since we arrived after 6:30, it was long over but we still nibbled like scavengers on the cheese plate remnants.

This walk has really made me consider moving to the Eastside. Love the transportation system, the restaurants, the stores and above all the transportation system. Yeah, I said it twice. But it’s really cool to be able to walk, bike and Metro everywhere. Anyhoo, can’t wait to see what HC plans for the next Urban Hike. He’s toying with another beachy one…in October. Oh, HC.

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July 14, 2010

Blogger Prom 2010: Hollywood Confidential at Yamashiro

Written by Caroline on Crack in Los Angeles, Nightlife
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Yamashiro

Yamashiro courtesy of Yamashiro

Ever wanted to have a fancy night out on the town, I’m talking being decked out in glamorous duds with your ‘do perfectly coiffed? Well on Wednesday, September 22, 2010, a select group of bloggers will get the chance to do just that. Today the Blogger Prom Committee, of which I am a member, announced the where, the when and the what of Blogger Prom 2010. And if you were lucky enough to go to last year’s prom, know that this year’s event will blow that kitschy-cute ’80s party out of the water.

Me Hurrell'd for by Jennifer Low Photography

Me Hurrelled for Hollywood by Jennifer Low Photography

Our new venue will be the gorgeous and historic Yamashiro restaurant that overlooks Hollywood. Just perfect considering our theme is Hollywood Confidential where our guests will be attired a la the Golden Age of Cinema. The outfits of the evening will take their cues from Grace Kelley, Ava Gardner, Katherine Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart. And you know how we were about the dress code last year. We’re dead serious here. No glam, no entry. But more on that later.

Getting glammed up will be a small price to pay as we’ll have delicious bites provided by Yamashiro, a signature cocktail created by the Liquid Muse, dancing and of course raffles with awesome prizes. Oh, and you can’t forget having the chance to meet Tweeps you’ve only known by screennames.

In any case, we’re assembling our invite list now and will be even pickier and stricter about who we let in. So why am I telling you about this awesome party if you might not make it on the list? Well, if anything to give props to Yamashiro and let you know that you should check it out, if not on Blogger Prom night then during its Thursday night farmer’s market and to try its affordable new bar bites menu.

Keep an eye on our official Blogger Prom Blog for incoming details on the food, booze, attire, and The List.

Shout out to my fellow BPC members! This is going to be a really fun event to pull off.

Esther, estarLA
H.C., LA and OC Foodventures
Lindsay, LAist
Marni, Happy Go Marni
Maya, ShopEatSleep
Natalie, The Liquid Muse
Tara, TaraMetBlog

EVENT: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 from 7 to 10pm

Yamashiro Restaurant
1999 North Sycamore Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90068 (map)
(323) 466-5125
Facebook: Yamashiro
Twitter: @YamashiroLA

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July 7, 2010

Drago Centro’s People’s Cocktail Winner: Jeni Afuso of Oishii Eats

Written by Caroline on Crack in Cocktails, Los Angeles
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Jeni Afuso by Caroline on Crack

Winner of Drago Centro's People's Cocktail Contest Jeni Afuso

Thanks to the Drago Centro People’s Cocktail Contest last week, food blogger/photographer extraordinaire Jeni Afuso of Oishii Eats has just added “award-winning mixologist” to her list of accomplishments!

Some may have considered Jeni the dark horse contender in this contest. After all, she was going up against dedicated drink bloggers and cocktail enthusiasts Matt Robold of RumDood, Ron Diggity of Lush Angeles and Chuck Taggart of The Sporting Life Cocktail Community blog and The Gumbo Pages. But it was Jeni’s summery, peachy rendition, the Momo Rye Fizz — her use of Rittenhouse 100 no doubt helped — that won over the judges (me, Shauna of The Minty, Lesley of Tasting Table and Celestino Drago). We felt it was a natural fit for the downtown restaurant’s new summer cocktail menu that debuted the night of the contest.

When asked what inspired her to come up with her winning cocktail, Jeni said, “Summers are meant for muddling fruits and my favorite fruit to muddle are market fresh peaches. Peaches are a perfect match with rye whiskey bringing a great balance of spiciness, sweetness and citrus.  Muddled peaches, rye whiskey, and summers months are meant to be.” Of course, I agree.

Surprisingly, Jeni, whose drink of choice is Corpse Reviver No. 2, is brand-new to mixology. She and her husband started their home bar just last spring thanks to a list of “must have” spirits recommended by a bartender at Bottega Louie. “And from there we kind of went crazy with the inventory.  We started off mixing a lot of vintage drinks at first, with the Ramos Gin Fizz being my first cocktail.  At that first shake, I was hooked,” she said. Lucky for us! For her next cocktail, Jeni says that although her husband is rooting for a Hello Kitty cocktail, she’s just been playing around with Ransom Old Tom Gin.

And no, Jeni doesn’t see bartending in her future. “I know I can’t be a bartender.  My memory is horrible.  For now, it’s fun having friends and family over at our place. My husband and I will make several cocktails a night.  It’s fun and relaxing for us.  We even have a tip jar.  One night our moms left us a $40 tip.  That’s fun enough for me.”

To see other pictures from the contest, head for the jump. There are also videos of Ron of Lush Angeles making his cocktail and Matt of RumDood talking about how he came up with his Dutch Elm Disease cocktail — a tasty, smokey mix of Bols Genever and Scotch.

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June 29, 2010

And Now for Something Completely Different: Manila Machine Filipino Food Truck

Written by Caroline on Crack in Dining, Los Angeles, Sweets
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Noms Not Bombs enjoying chicken adobo by Caroline on Crack

Misty of Noms Not Bombs enjoying chicken adobo.

I finally had my first Manila Machine Filipino food truck experience last week after what seemed like weeks of near misses. Nastassia Johnson, co-founder of L.A.’s first Filipino food truck and the talented baker/blogger of Let Me Eat Cake, did give me a taste of the fare via her ube cupcakes that she sold at the Eat My Blog bake sale, but I wanted MORE! Fortunately the cupcakes (recipe here) are also sold at the truck. But unfortunately, they tend to sell out pretty quickly.

Manila Machine's Original Manila Dip by Caroline on Crack.

Manila Machine's Original Manila Dip sliders.

First thing’s first, full disclosure: I’m Filipino so I have a soft spot for the Manila Machine. I love that Nastassia and her food truck partner, Marvin Gapultos of blog Burnt Lumpia, are opening up Angelenos’ eyes and palates to Filipino food — a cuisine influenced by Spanish, Chinese and other cultures. As it is our cuisine hasn’t really been accepted in mainstream America. But now hopefully everyone else will discover the joys of chicken adobo — chicken marinated in soy, garlic and vinegar.

So when Nastassia tweeted that the truck would be at T Lofts in West L.A. near my day job, I jumped on my Vespa and scooted on over. I timed it just right by showing up an hour before they were scheduled to leave because there were zero lines by then. Compared to when the truck first opened its windows to the awaiting masses.

Nastassia was manning the pickup window while her boyfriend was taking the orders. Her regular chef had flaked out for the day so it was a family affair with her brother and Marvin doing the cooking.

As much as I was curious to taste the chicken adobo dish I instead got the Original Manila Dip — two sliders on pan de sal and served with adobo dipping sauce. One slider was shredded chicken adobo with caramelized onions and the other beef marinated in sweet calmansi. For good measure, I also ordered up a couple of lumpia (pork egg rolls) and the turon (banana lumpia). All that for $10. Everything is in these affordable portions so you can mix and match.

The Manila Machine by Caroline on Crack

The groovy Manila Machine.

Fancy sliders, what with the use of pan de sal bread; “salt” rolls that may remind folks of sweet Hawaiian bread. This definitely isn’t my mama’s Filipino food. The meat of the chicken adobo and the beef were tender and, like the lumpia, weren’t as greasy as my mom’s; sorry, Mom.

And I’ve never had turon like this before. The original version calls for the banana lumpia to be rolled in brown sugar and fried. Here, it’s drizzled with caramel sauce. So decadent, sweet and sticky. Keep some Wet Naps handy.

But the piece de resistance has to be Nastassia’s ube cupcakes with the coconut frosting. Moist, flavorful cake which pairs so perfectly with the coconut frosting. I can’t have just one.

If I had to complain about something, though, it would be that the food is not really packaged to-go and you need two hands and lots of napkins to eat them, especially that sticky turon. There is a nice shelf on the truck where I just set my containers but what to do if there are lots of people gathered around the order and pickup windows? Also it would be difficult to balance all those containers to take back to my desk should the Manila Machine park at food truck alley near my office in Santa Monica, ahem. Minor issues for sure, but just sayin’.

The menu changes regularly so check with the MM’s site to see what they’re serving up at the truck this week. Mm, spam sliders! I wonder when they’ll have lechon, specifically lechon kawali. The truck also has breakfast with dishes like a pan de sal French toast and spam with garlic fried rice and a fried egg and weekly specials should you be lucky enough to catch them during morning hours.

In any case, great job, Nastassia and Marvin! And thanks for spreading the gospel of Filipino food.

Twitter: @ManilaMachine
Facebook: The Manila Machine

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June 10, 2010

This Weekend: $1 Tacos, $5 Jameson, Free Tequila

Written by Caroline on Crack in Cocktails, Dining, Los Angeles, Nightlife
1 Comment

Woo hoo! I’m going to NYC this weekend for the Big Apple BBQ Block Party as well as an s-load of barhopping. Wish you could go, too, but don’t feel bad as there are lots of fun things to do in town.

Thursday, June 10

Tiny Bandit Sample Sale at Malo With $1 Tacos and Happy Hour Cocktails
Find food, cocktail and designer clothing deals at this pop-up store. That’s right, enjoy $1 tacos and happy hour drink specials while browsing designer men and women’s clothing — like Jenny Han, I Heart Juliet and Threads for Thought — that are marked 50-75% off. Cash only though. And it’s a party cuz DJ My Shimoda will be manning the turntables.

  • 5-10pm. Malo, 4326 W Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles (map).

Lina Lecaro’s LA’s Best Dive Bars Booksigning and Launch With Free Tequila
“It” bars come and go but dive bars are forever and LA Weekly‘s nightlife columnist Lina Lecaro has catalogued L.A.’s diviest in her new book Los Angeles’s Best Dive Bars: Drinking and Diving in the City of Angels. This is definitely a tome that you want to keep handy; best part is that it’ll probably hardly ever need updating. Get your copy signed at La Luz de Jesus and enjoy the free tequila provided by Sino Tequila. There will also be food and some other booze.

  • 6-9pm. La Luz de Jesus, 4633 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles (map).

Friday, June 11

Bigfoot Lodge’s 11th Anniversary Party
Wow, can you believe it’s been 11 years since the Bigfoot Lodge in Atwater Village first opened its doors? That’s gotta be like a 100 years in nightlife years. To celebrate, the bar will be serving up Jameson for $5 all night long. No cover!

  • 5pm. Bigfoot Lodge, 3172 Los Feliz Boulevard, Los Angeles (map).

Sunday, June 13

4th Annual No Cookie Left Behind Bake Sale at Scoops
This charity bake sale will not only feature baked nomminess but a raffle with prizes like a tour of the Glee set, bootcamp sessions, tickets to a Dodgers game, Rachel Pally dresses, 10 drink tickets to Cha Cha Lounge and restaurant gift certificates. And to balance out all those sweet treats you will inevitably buy, the Frysmith truck will be on hand with its variety of fries.

  • 2-5pm. Scoops, 712 N Heliotrope Drive, Los Angeles (map).

Sushi Sundays at Chaya Brasserie
Chaya Brasserie kicks off a new dinner promotion for the summer. Every Sunday, the sushi bar menu will feature a la carte sushi rolls for $3.50 or 2-for-1 for $5 and large Kirin Beer for $5. In the dining room, you can enjoy an Omakase menu for $35 and that includes a half-portion of edamame, one cut roll, nine pieces of sushi, and a small sake.

  • 5-9pm. Chaya Brasserie, 8741 Alden Drive, Los Angeles (map). (310) 859-8833.

The Wine House Rooftop Party
The roof is on fy-ah at the Wine House Rooftop Party this Sunday. Lots of classic cocktails like Macallan Penicillins and Tito’s Vodka Moscow Mules, food created by Upstairs 2′s executive chef Todd Barrie, live music and even dance instruction! So much fun! Tickets are $75 a person or $100 for two.

  • 5-10pm. Wine House, 2311 Cotner Avenue, Los Angeles (map). (310) 479-3731.
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