Kimchi Beef Sandwich

This past Sunday, my family and I celebrated my grandmother's 88th birthday with a celebration at my parent's home.  We were grilling short ribs, flank steak, chicken wings and oysters, all staples at a Vong Family BBQ.  Needless to say, every one went home very full, happy, and with a doggy bag.  I think I may have left with the biggest doggy bag of raw meats to cook later on in the week.  The first 2 days were easy, I knew I would cook the short ribs and/or flank steak and serve it with vermicelli or rice with my mom's special fish sauce.  As the days went by, I realized quickly that I needed to start getting creative. I still had at least a pound of both meats left! Hm... what to do?? Then it hits me, why not make a sandwich?  It would be quick and easy.  As I go through the ice box, I quickly find a few more ingredients to include.  I found some kimchi, scallions, garlic, eggs and some rolls.  I was very happy with the end result and was even more excited because Tone was on his way home from work with a hunger the size of a bear.

Open Door Part Deux

I couldn't resist it.... I had to go back.... This time a few more friends joined me.  We sat down, ordered a carafe of Strawberry Soju, and began furiously looking through the Happy Hour Menu.  Here is what got our senses tingling.....

Sesame Chicken Wings- the meat was falling off the bone and the sauce was sweet teriyaki 

Tempura Zucchini- the zucchini still had some bite to it and the sauce was creamy and light.  

Takoyaki- little spheres of happiness is the best way I can describe this...  must get more

Chicken with garlic aioli 

One of my new favorites- Spicy Albacore with Crispy Rice...yummmmmy

Bouchon Las Vegas

This past weekend I was in Las Vegas for my cousin, Evelyn's Bachelorette  Party.  This trip was filled with family memories, wild fun, and lots of drunk people.  My siblings and I had been waiting for this trip for months (the last time we were all in Vegas together was over 15 years ago.  This trip was overdue.)  Of course, I told my family I would bring them to Hash House A Go Go, but when we got there, it was overcrowded and had an hour wait.  So my family turned to me to find another place for us to have lunch.... I automatically thought of Bouchon, but warned my family that it can get a bit pricey.  My brother looked at me and said, "Fuck it, we are in Vegas together.  Go Big or Go Home." So we did! Bouchon was better than the first time.  Every dish was worth every penny, the service was impeccable, and they definitely won me over to become a lifetime diner.

On a side note- Shout out to my Brother for paying for this amazing lunch.  I am so grateful for my family, especially my Brother.  He is one of the most caring and generous people I know and someone I hope my children will aspire to be like.  Or as Tone would put it, "If I had sisters, I would want to be the type of brother that Dave is." Well said Tone.... I am extremely lucky to have not only a supportive Brother, but supportive Sisters as well.  They are everything to me, the Rocks of my life.  Love you Fams.

The Grand Plateau- A well deserving name. This plate was filled with fresh crustaceans that were alive moments before being served to us.  1 lobster, 16 oysters, 8 shrimp, 8 clams, 9 mussels and seasonal crab totaling $110.00.  This alone won us all over, and we didn't even receive our other orders yet!  Side sauces served with our crustaceans were malt vinegar, horseradish, cocktail sauce, lemons and Tabasco.  I am literally drooling as I describe this.  If you are willing to splurge on seafood, I HIGHLY recommend this Grand Plateau.  IT WAS WORTH IT.  

Rock Shrimp with wild mushrooms and potatoes topped with buttery eggs, with brioche toast. Everyone at the table fell in lust with this dish.  The eggs were incredibility buttery, the shrimp was cooked to perfection, and wild mushrooms and potatoes were so tender and yummy!!!

Bouchon's version of Chicken and Waffles.... O....M....G.... wow, amazing, terrific, scrumptious, there are endless descriptions on how yummy this was.  Oh Bouchon... I love your twist on the southern classic of fried chicken and waffles.  Not only was this chicken roasted to perfection but the waffles had bits of bacon and chive in them.  To top off the experience, it with was served with warm maple syrup and gravy....So good.... Of course I was inspired to make my own version... which will be done this weekend! I am extremely excited about this.... Wish me luck!!!!

Since this trip was for a Bachelorette party, I couldn't stop myself from buying some very adult cupcakes.  I found this little bakery in Las Vegas called The Cupcakery, located about 25 minutes off the strip.  I thought the cupcakes were just o.k, but my cousin;s reaction to the cupcakes were priceless and well worth the money.  This cupcake pictured above was my favorite with the little crab.  I hope you all enjoy!!!  

Random photo of some Hydrangea's 

Playing around with Photoshop Express

Open Door

My friend has been raving about this little joint called Open Door in Monterey Park for months.  She kept telling me, "The next time you are off before 5pm, we have to go to Happy Hour at Open Door. Trust me, it'd good!" And man... was she right.... I am all about finding little hole-in-the-wall joints, I believe these small restaurants can concoct the best foods out there and I am all about supporting small up and coming restaurants.  We went for Happy Hour (5:30-7:00pm) and even for Happy Hour it was a little bit pricey, but well worth it.  So if you are ever in San Gabriel Valley around 5:30pm, stop by Open Table.

Strawberry Soju

Ready to eat and drink!

Albacore Sashimi was amazing, the Salmon Sahimi was just o.k. for me

Truffle Tator Tots with sour cream and ketchup 

Truffle Butter Edamame was worth every penny and was so earthy

Braised Beef with potatoes and sweet teriyaki sauce 

Garlic rice... yumm!

Almond pudding with Lychee 

Menchi Katsu Curry

This week was the first week of Wednesday Freedom! Which pretty much means I don't work on Wednesdays anymore.  I wanted to make sure I spent my first Wednesday as productive as possible.  I woke up around 11:30am, did a little bit of paperwork, watched Who Framed Roger Rabbit (a classic from my childhood) and ran some errands with Tone.  After running some errands, Tone and I decided to grab some Japanese curry from Curry House in Little Tokyo.  I ordered the Menchi Katsu, the hamburger style katsu, and while eating, I thought to myself, I can totally make this!  So I did.  It was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be, but overall, I think I was able to pull it off. Here is my version.  Yumm! 

Menchi Katsu with Vermont Curry, hot dog and hard boiled egg.  

Labor Day Goodies

Labor Day... A day to celebrate the end of Summer, to rest and to eat some good food.  Going into the weekend, I wasn't really sure on what I wanted to make.   My sister and I (my cooking partner in crime) were discussing the possible menu choices.. We needed 2 days worth of dinner menus for our family... We finally came up with a few ideas and went from there.

Sunday dinner- I wanted to keep it light and yummy, so I decided on Tilapia fish with assorted veggies and a potato gratin.  I had never made my own potato gratin before, but I felt it was easy enough.  So I just thought about the basic components: potatoes, cheese, milk/cream, salt and pepper and I went from there.  Overall, I was happy with the results of both dishes.

Potato Gratin consisted of Yukon Golds, Blue and Red Potatoes, a blend of Cheddar and Parmesan cheeses, milk and cream, scallions, and a bit of salt and pepper.     

Close up of the Potato Gratin

I originally wanted to wrap up each fish portion in parchment paper, but I ran out, so I used tin foil instead.  It did the trick and the Tilapia with Cajun spices sitting atop a bed of crimini mushrooms and green beans was amazing.  Will definitely make this again!

On Monday, Labor Day, we thought to celebrate with a few sliders and in honor of the LA County Fair that is currently in Pomona for a few weeks, homemade Funnel Cakes.  Best way to celebrate a day of relaxation.

Yummy goodness waiting for us to devour! 

Slider topped with pepper jack cheese, tomato, and bacon 

slider with swiss cheese, herb salad and tomato

Homemade Funnel Cake with powered sugar, homemade strawberry topping and whipped cream!

To share some sad news, on Sunday we found out that our dear dog Ears had passed away.  I've been looking through all his photos, and I just wanted to share them with you all.  

Finally.. Kogi Truck...

Several weeks ago, I got a text from Tone that the Kogi Truck was going to be at the Home Depot in El Monte.  Finally, a chance to sample the famous Kogi Taco I keep hearing marvelous things about.  So after work on a Saturday afternoon, I pull up to the Home Depot and see about 35-40 others waiting to place an order.  As I walk up to the truck, I think to myself.... "damn, this better be worth it."  As I wait in line, I am pleasantly surprised by Tone as he comes to check on my status in the line (I was purchasing enough food to feed a small army).  It was a hot day, and I was already waiting in line for at least 35-40 minutes, JUST TO PLACE AN ORDER.  As I was starting to get a little anxious, my knight in an orange apron came to my rescue,  Turns out Home Depot employee's get first priority in ordering food.  Tone placed my order and we were set for our foodie experience.  

Kogi Taco, I thought the meat was very good, but overall experience was just O.K. for me. 

Kogi Beef Burrito was tasty.  I liked the egg and kimchi that was layered in this burrito.. yummy!

Kimchi Quesadilla was great.. awesome kimchi flavors throughout

Sliders were so good, I am posting 2 photos of it!

Maybe I am a sucker for sliders, but this was my favorite... I loved the beef and the roll was so softy.. It was very very good...

Lesson from this experience: It is good to try new food and determine for myself if it is worth waiting 45+ minutes for it.  I will go back to Kogi for the Kimchi Quesadilla and the Sliders... but if I have to wait 30-45 minutes for it... I'll happily move towards the next food truck that is parked nearby.... :)