Lomo Saltado

Lomo Saltado... a staple in Peruvian cuisine, that also happens to be one of my friend David's favorite foods.  When my dear friend found out that I had never tried Lomo Saltado, he quickly picked me up and brought me to his favorite place, Los Balcones del Peru in Los Angeles.  The entire meal was incredibility flavorful and I was inspired to make Lomo Saltado at home! 

The purple drink that is made with maze (I can't remember the name of it) and Inca Cola , both really yummy!

Ceviche BP (left to right): Ceviche with thinly sliced red onions, yucca and yam, Calamari. Supper Supper Yummy!! 

The dish that inspired me to make my own: Lomo Saltado! The fries soaked up the juices from the steak and veggies.  So so good!

My version of Lomo Saltado.  I looked up a few recipes, took the general ingredients and played around with it.  It came out great and I was so happy! I used Rib Eye Steak (marinated in rice vinegar, soy sauce, oil, garlic and pepper), tomatoes, sliced red onions (also marinated in the same marinate as the steak) and baked potato fries.  I will be making this again!! :) 

Corkbar

It has been way too long since my last post! I have been swimming in paperwork for work and barely caught up! So the few moments I do have to myself.. I have decided, it is time to update!

A while back I went to Corkbar in Los Angeles with a few good friends.  It was amazing on so many levels and I will let the photos do all the talkin'!

Menu

one of the wines we ordered that night

Cheese Plate!! Yummy Yummy Cheesy Goodness..

Cured Meats Plate... no words can describe how amazing this was!

Root Beer Braised Short Ribs served on top of Cheesy Polenta.  The meat was so tender! One of my fav's for sure

Tri Tip Salad

Hanger Steak, medium rare served on top of buttery mashed potatoes

Banana Bread Pudding.. yum!

The damage.. NOTHING was left.. my belly was very happy :)

Munch for the Memorial

The city of Rosemead hosted a Food Truck festival this weekend called Munch for the Memorial, a fundraiser for a 9/11 memorial.  Finally, a free event (no admission) that is in the hood! I was very excited to attend this event, so I dragged my baby sister with me and we were off! We got to the festival pretty early, but nonetheless.. there were already lines, especially for the Grill Em' All Truck, winners of the Food Network's Great Food Truck Race.  My sister jumped in the Grill Em' All line and I was off exploring our other options.  The event had a variety of Food Trucks, sweet trucks, BBQ trucks, fusion trucks and even Boba trucks! I wasn't able to get a taste from every truck (my wallet would not allow it) but the trucks I did sample were pretty tasty.. and most of all... worth the wait.  My family was very happy that we brought all this yummy goodness home for everyone to sample! Oh, and on a side note, if you ever attend a food truck festival or any event with several food trucks... bring back up! Chances are there will be lines.  At least if you are with others, you can either split up and everyone wait in a different line to shorten the "wait time" or you will have company in line.  Either way... these kinds of events are so much better when shared with friends and loved ones!

The Flying Pig

Tamarind Duck Taco- very yummy, I liked the beets and almonds gave it a nice crunch

Carne Asada Taco- sweeter than traditional carne asada

Chicken Taco

Grill Em' All Truck (the line shown here wasn't even 1/4 of the line)

The Behemoth Burger- 2 grilled cheese sandwiches replace buns then add a 7oz patty bacon... oOo and more cheese.. It was burger goodness.. but if you care about your health.. try not to make this a habit 

The Molly Hatchet- fennel sausage gravy, bacon and maple syrup.. I loved the maple syrup on the buns!

Willoughby Road Truck

Pork Belly Sliders- MY FAV from the whole festival!  The pork belly was tender but crisp on the edges. I loved the picked cucumber and slice of chili pepper.  THIS was worth the wait... 

Brisket Plate with a side of Thai Slaw and Mac-N-Cheese- very tender brisket and  creamy mac-n-cheese

Global Soul Truck

The Pork Mojo- probably the healthiest item I ordered at this event.  I loved the basil pesto and fresh flavors.  

Dewar's Ice Cream & Candy Shop

*Sigh* Valentine's Day... A regular day or a day to swoon your sweetie? I guess for me, it was a little bit of both.. but not too much of the swooning part.  2 years ago, my love and I swore off Valentine's Day due to 3 disastrous V-Day's  in a row together.  So this year, we spent Valentine's Day together in Bako and kept it low key.  I made Roasted Garlic Chicken with Portabello Mushrooms, Yellow Squash and Alfredo Pasta Shells.  (Sorry no photos! By the time dinner was ready I had devoured my chicken before realizing no photos were taken! But no worries, will be making this again!) After dinner, my love took me to an old school ice cream parlor called Dewar's.  He told me his co-workers informed him that Dewar's is over 100 years old, has great ice cream and is pretty much a must try.  They were right... It was such a great experience and the employees were super friendly! So happy I came here and a nice way to end Valentine's Day.  A sweet treat from my sweetie...

The Red and White.  Vanilla Ice Cream, Strawberry Compote and Marshmallow Fluff with your choice of chopped Almonds or Walnuts.  O.M.G. I am so glad I ordered this.. I love strawberries and it mixed so well with the creamy vanilla ice cream.  The kicker has to be the marshmallow fluff that is added at the top... such a great treat!

The Classic Black and White.. Vanilla Ice Cream, Hot Fudge, Chocolate Ice Cream topped with Marshmallow Fluff with the choice of almonds or walnuts.  If you like hot fudge sundaes you will LOVE this.  Once again, the marshmallow fluff takes the cake.. or in this case.. the sundae

Ninja Sushi

Ever since my boo moved to Bako for work, I have been determined to find local eateries to explore.  For the past few months, I have been avoiding the chain restaurants that are flooded in Bako, and through the suggestion from a fellow Yelper, I discovered Ninja Sushi.  At first, I was hesitant (the week before I ventured into another sushi joint that was just ok and crazy expensive) but I was willing to give it another shot.  It was very slow the night we walked into Ninja Sushi and we were literally the other couple in the restaurant. Overall, the rolls were great and surprisingly, as good as some LA spots.  I am so happy I got to eat here! Now I know if I ever have a sushi craving in Bako, I won't have to settle for mediocre and overpriced sushi.

Side Salad

From left to right: Rainbow roll, surf clam, bakersfield roll, disneyland roll (my fav), salmon cut roll

Gus's BBQ

Part two of my dineLA experience brought me to Gus's BBQ in Pasadena.  I met up with a good friend and a fellow food lover, excited to check this spot out.  We couldn't resist the deal: 3 course prefix meal for $16.00!!! We tried to order different items on the menu so we can try all of the yummy BBQ goodness.  We agreed on everything expect for dessert, we both ended up getting the Old School Ice Cream Sundae and we just couldn't resist! I am glad I was able to experience Gus's BBQ.  I enjoyed the food, the atmosphere and the wait staff was great.  Watch out Gus's BBQ... I will be back! Yumm!

Shout out to my dear friend David for being AMAZING!!!

Chicken Tortilla Soup- I really loved this soup.  It had a good depth of flavor with a nice kick of spice at the end.  

Pull Pork Nachos- Yes, it was as amazing as it sounds.  A MUST HAVE.  

Pull Pork Sandwich with Sweet Potato Fries- The sandwich was tasty but didn't blow my mind.  But the sweet potato fries were very yummy.  

Rib Sandwich with Mac-N-Cheese- This was tasty also, but wasn't very special.  The best thing about BOTH sandwiches was the butter toasted ciabatta bread! The bread was amazing! Crusty, a bit chewy and airy.      

The one thing we couldn't agree to share. The Old School Hot Fudge Sundae.  This mound of goodness is made with Fosselman's vanilla bean ice cream, hot fudge, and honey maple pecans.. One of the times selfishness wins.  

Jar

Thank you LA restaurant week for allowing me to get my fix at Jar Restaurant for a very good deal.  I always look forward to the 1st half of the year and the last half of the year because of DineLA.  For those who are not familiar, DineLA is Los Angeles's Restaurant Week or in this case.. 2 weeks, where participating restaurants in Los Angeles County will dish out prefix meals for reasonable prices.  This gives patrons the opportunity to explore a variety of restaurants and it also helps boost the restaurant business.  Of course, I couldn't resist taking advantage of DineLA, and was able to try out Jar Restaurant in West Hollywood.  The food was amazing, the staff was attentive and even though my bill was pretty hefty ($76.00 total for myself) in the end, it was all worth it.

Amuse Bouche- Char Sui Croissants, very tasty and a nice play on the traditional dim sum buns

Oysters on the half shell topped with thinly sliced radish.  So fresh and when topped with the malt vinegar with shallot sauce, it gave it just the right amount of tartness. 

2nd Amuse Bouche option- Deviled Eggs with Crab

Soup of the Day: Lobster Tomato soup. It had a fantastic depth of flavor and my mouth was dancing the whole time. I had to restrain myself from picking up the plate and licking it clean.   

Jar's Signature Pot Roast: Very tender and super yummy.  

My pot roast came with a side of whipped potatoes, it was so buttery and very delicious.  

Filet of Rib Eye Steak served with baby Arugula, Chimichurri sauce, and roasted onion.  

Butterscotch Pudding

Banana Cream Pie: BEST BANANA CREAM PIE I HAVE EVER EATEN... the crust was amazing and they did not skimp of the amount of sliced bananas in the mini pie.. so simple and so very good

Coconut Sorbet