Bittman's Macaroons

Made these babies while in a Valentine's baking mood last week. While they looked just golden and beautiful naked, I felt the need to enrobe them in some bittersweet chocolate. Hubby and coworkers thought they looked like little volcanos, while two coworkers thought they resembled breasts. As breastfeeding is on our horizon, perhaps that's where my subconscious was.

Anyhow, they were fabulous and incredibly easy and quick to prepare. They are officially on the menu for Passover this year.

http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/08/recipe-of-the-day-the-ultimate-minimalist-macaroon/

I Love Sue Moore and her Dogs

God, I just love Sue Moore.
Here I thought that pregnancy would mean living without hot dogs for nine months as most are preserved with nitrites/nitrates. But no, here comes Sue, former meat forager for Chez Panisse, of Let's Be Frank with her incredible dogs made from the best grass-fed beef. Not only are they lacking scary hormones and antibiotics and no-no nitrites/nitrates but they're also packed with 600mg of Omega 3's which are awesome for my tiny one's brain development. And the best part? They're really, really good. So good it's almost impossible to stop at just one. Sue serves these beauties with caramelized onions and the softest bun along with other traditional fixins. And she must be one of the friendliest folks you could ever meet. You can find Sweet Sue and her cart in the Helms Bakery Complex.

Helms Ave
between Washington Blvd and Venice Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90034 (888) 233-7265

www.letsbefrankdogs.com

Almost Guilt-Free Peanut Putter Parfait

Officially, my new favorite dessert is peanut butter parfait made with Fage 0% yogurt and organic peanut butter. Would I rather have a hot fudge sundae? Most likely. But this little lady is really trying to watch it and so the peanut butter parfait was born. Now I must say that the decadent creaminess of Fage yogurt is certainly the secret to this dessert's success. When I'm craving a little texture, I throw in a couple of Fabe's peanut butter cookies which are sweetened with white grape juice. I'm in love. Try it, you'll see what I'm talking about.

Peanut Butter Parfait
1 5.3 oz container of Fage 0% yogurt
1 small spoonful of organic peanut butter (you don't have to go crazy with the PB to have a strong flavor)
2 Fabe's sugar-free peanut butter cookies (optional)

Stir all ingredients and enjoy.

The Search for Chicken Soup in the Hood is Over: Rodeo Mexican Grill

So my honey had a wretched case of some sort of food poisoning throughout the night. I'll spare you the details. After spending the day sleeping and drinking water, he finally got his appetite back and was craving chicken soup.

But the age old question: where to go in Echo Park/Silver Lake for a soothing bowl of chicken soup? He remembered noticing that Rodeo Grill, a Mexican place he frequents often, had such a soup. So off I went to Rodeo. Honestly, we weren't expecting much. I guess we just think of Rodeo for burritos, taquitos, etc.

Would you believe that they serve an absolutely delicious chicken soup, loaded with hunks of potatoes, squash, and chicken? It's true. Delicately flavored with cilantro and not too salty, we have found our local cold/flu/under the weather potion!

Canele + Neko Case = Pre-Birthday Dinner and a Show

Why had we forgotten about Canele? There's no good reason. After all, it's a superb neighborhood restaurant that's super close to us, affordable, uses farm fresh produce and happy meats (those raised without hormones, antibiotics, free to roam, etc.) and consistently turns out excellent dishes.

Sure, the staff sometimes seem a little in over their heads and there's that no reservation policy leading to waits if you get there at a prime time. But this is a neighborhood spot so I'm not looking for polished perfection. We've been twice in the last week, wowed both times by the food and proud to show it off to my in-laws from Berkeley.

Last Sunday, I started with a silky and sweet winter squash soup with dates and a tiny dollop of creme fraiche. It fit the cool fall night wonderfully. The choice of the roasted chicken with a corn pancake was a wise one. We ended the night with Canele's flourless chocolate cake with a slightly orange flavored candy on top and served with a huge portion of vanilla ice cream. It was soon clear that a second was in order and luckily they were happy to comply.
I have to say it's quite satisfying to be able to say thank you and good night to chef Corina thanks to Canele's open kitchen. Having worked in restaurants where the kitchens were filled with cantankerous characters and almost violent verbal and physical exchanges, it's quite a pleasure to watch the calm and pleasant kitchen staff at Canele.
Last night, I started with the Farmer's Market salad of greens, finely sliced shallots, and a creme fraiche dressing. Simple, yet irresistible. Max tried the Pissaladiere, a lovely onion tart. We shared the pork chop, again just lovely with a smooth apple compote, sauteed greens, and braised cippolini onions. And just to go over the top, we tried the pommes anna, a classic potato dish. Finishing again with the chocolate cake, we were off to Walt Disney Hall to see Neko Case, my birthday present from Max.

Even though we were in the nose bleed section of WDMH, Neko's voice radiated beautifully throughout the space. Her humble demeanor and cute sense of humor made the night feel intimate and small, even though it's a spacious venue. The first time we saw her, she was opening up for Willie Nelson at the Bowl. While her performance was good, the Bowl kind of swallowed her up. At Disney Hall however, Neko was able to beam her voice into every corner and I swear I could have listened to her for so many more hours. After two encores, the show was over and a fabulous pre-birthday evening came to a close.

Yes, Intelligentsia Was Worth the Wait

Ok, so Intelligentsia officially opened their doors on Friday at noon slowly building into a hectic yet family-friendly and happy evening community gathering in their new home of Silver Lake.
As we made our approach to the grand opening party, I was struck by the, forgive me, good vibes emanating from the small groups laughing, smiling, chatting, eating and drinking, and just welcoming Intelligentsia with a warm embrace. The great dj, fruit and cheese nibbles, and free coffee drinks certainly helped put everyone in a giddy mood. The staff were understandably overwhelmed as the place was hopping. But they were genuinely friendly and expert coffee crafters.

M and I gravitated toward the famous Clover machines where two Intelligentsia guys were constantly brewing for the endless people in line. I knew it may be a pain in the tuchas, but there's no way this little lady could drink caffeine at 7pm so I asked if I could order a decaf coffee from the Clover. The nice guy who was helping us happily accommodated my request even though I could tell it threw them off for a moment. The coffee was grand, rich, and wonderful.

This morning we headed back after yoga and before the area was crazy as this is Sunset Junction weekend. Much more mellow and amazingly already a community hub with young families and a colorful assortment of Silver Lakers enjoying their Sunday morning. Already way overheated, I ordered an iced latte. Whoa, this was unlike any iced latte I had ever consumed: The espresso was strong without any bitterness and it had the most subtle creaminess. Exceptional. My own little coffee snob who adored Intelligentsia during his Chicago days reported this morning's latte was as good as he remembered with a beautifully formed foam.

I love the people who work here too. They remind me of my favorite book store staffers: knowledgeable, friendly, authentic, and take pride in their work. I love their patio with an incredible tile. This is not Starbucks, friends. This is a true blue gem. Thankfully they picked our little Silver Lake to settle in.

Santa Barbara With Mom

My Mom's husband's annual pilgrimage is Hot August Nights, a 10 day classic car extravaganza in Reno. Mom and I usually use his trip as an excuse for a girls getaway, just the two of us and this year we spent a couple nights in Santa Barbara.

Our first meal was dinner at Opal on State, a warm little bistro. Starting with cocktails, I had the Mexico City (Hornitos tequila, cranberry juice, lime, and triple sec) and Mom had a ginger mandarin cosmo. Both were excellent and potent. We shared four courses: the phyllo wrapped tiger prawns with a coconut curry dipping sauce to start, followed by a caesar and a salmon encrusted with crab meat. For dessert, a fabulous jack daniel's bittersweet chocolate creme brulee.
Overall, Opal was just fine, not amazing but good enough. Highlights were the cocktails which were creative, delicious, and strong and the dessert. Our server was a sweetie, the rest of the staff were friendly and conscientious, and the space was warm and inviting.

On Saturday morning, after a long walk along the harbor, we headed over to the Tupelo Junction Cafe on State for breakfast. I had been once before with Germ so I knew Mom would love its homey interior and Southern-influenced dishes. We split the smoked salmon, scallion, and cream cheese scramble with a toasted bagel which was good, I just wished they would have mentioned that it's actually a bagel sandwich. Not a big deal but the scramble made the bagel slightly soggy and a tad hard to eat. But the flavors were there and, all in all, we both enjoyed it. A side of fruit made our breakfast a little more healthy, though Mom isn't a fan of fruit in general - crazy, I know!
After a big breakfast and a stroll along State, we made a stop at the Paradise Cafe, one of my all-time favorites, for a snack and a glass of wine. The Paradise is quintessential Santa Barbara: garden patio with flowers and wrought iron, sunny servers, leisurely meals of oak-grilled fish, steak, or their too good burgers. I pray to the restaurant gods that the Paradise never closes (unlike the Earthling Bookshop, my old love driven out by Borders...but I digress).

As it was 3pm with dinner on the horizon, we split the grilled shrimp served over red and green salsas. Beautifully and simply prepared, smoky from the oak grill.
For dinner, we were having a hard time deciding between the Palace, an old favorite and Square One, coincidentally doors away from each other. The Palace is always a rambunctious time with cajun cuisine in a New Orleans-themed setting. But Square One is fairly new, has an ambitious menu, and seemed like a must. Square One was able to fit us in last-minute so we hurried over.

The scene at Square One is serene and elegant yet laid back. Mom and I shared four courses: Sweet Corn Soup Three Ways, Little Gem Salad, Filet of Beef, and Duo of Bananas.

I'd say our favorites were the Sweet Corn Soup Three Ways - corn-bacon succotash, corn custard, spiced corn froth and the dessert. Not only did the soup look stunning, it tasted incredible. And the dessert was innovative, beautiful, and delicious.

The Little Gem Salad, with anchovy-caper relish, black pepper tuile, parmesan, and garlic dressing tasted suspiciously like an ordinary caesar. And the filet, wrapped with house smoked bacon, escargot bourguignonne, and pommes maxim, was sadly just ok. I'm glad we tried it, but next time we'll go for the party and the beignets at the Palace.

Dinner ended pretty early so we were able to stroll down to the Arlington for the last showing of the "Bourne Ultimatum" which, to the surprise of our guys, we loved. And the Arlington is just gorgeous.
The weekend's last breakfast, much to my mother's dismay, was a breakfast burrito at the Cantina in Isla Vista. I know some of my college ladies think Cantina breakfast burritos are heaven on earth and, truth be told, back in the days of hungover mornings they were pretty wonderful.
But now that we have Villa Corona in our back yard, I have to say our Cantina burrito was just ok. It did bring back memories, especially when followed by a lovely walk around IV, to the Co-op, down DP, and through Anisq' Oyo park. We ended up at Sands beach relaxing under the sun and relishing our time together.

• Tupelo Junction Cafe
  1218 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, USA
• Opal Restaurant & Bar
  1325 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, USA
• Square One
  14 E Cota St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, USA
• Cantina
  966 Embarcadero del Mar, Goleta, CA 93117, USA
• Paradise Cafe
  702 Anacapa St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, USA