Drago Centro and Syrup

This year for my birthday, I didn't want to do anything too extravagant and over the top.  I had mixed feelings about this year... celebrating 26 years on this Earth after all... I know 26 isn't a high number, and I have so much to look forward to, but nonetheless.. I got some of the birthday blues.  So after a bit of convincing I decided to DO IT UP! At the end of this month, I will be having a co-celebration with my dear friend Chef ChaCha and our very good friends will be joining us.  On the day of my birthday, 2 of my friends, David and Cruz, wanted to take me out to Bottega Louie in DTLA.  I was extremely excited!!! I had never been to Bottega Louie and had been dying to go.  We got there about 9pm and there was an hour and a half wait.  I would have stayed and waited, but at that point I was going to pass out from starvation (not exactly the type of attention I wanted on my birthday).  So after some quick thinking and yelping, Cruz suggested Drago Centro, an upscale Italian restaurant. The service was friendly and prompt but the food... to die for.  I had THE BEST pasta experience I have EVER had.  It was one of those foodie moments that you think about days after you leave the restaurant.  Its been weeks now, I am still think fondly of my experience at Drago Centro.   Even though it's a pricey joint, it was worth every pretty penny.  In case you want to check it out: Drago Centro

l’insalata di farro: farro, chick peas, olives, pancetta, champagne vinaigrette.  This is NOT what I expected when I ordered this salad.  I was expecting a regular salad with mixed greens as one of the main components, but this was a great surprise and I enjoyed every tasty morsel!  I loved the crispy pancetta placed on top!   

il salmone: salmon, crispy polenta, asparagus, peas, salsif.  The salmon had a great sear and tasted great! I loved the crispy polenta that is wrapped up!

la bistecca: new york steak, rapini, pomme delphine, saltimbocca sauce.  A favorite at the table a well!

THE REASON I fell in love with Drago Centro.  gli spaghetto allo scoglio: made with hard durum spaghetti, seafood ragout, spicy tomato, herbs. THE BEST PASTA I HAVE EVER EATEN!! In house made pasta was amazing! The pasta had a great chew or bite to it, the sauce has amazing depth of flavor and seafood was cooked to perfection! Just blogging about it makes me want to go back! Yes, it was that damn good!

After dining at Drago Centro we ventured over to Syrup Desserts. It was a great way to end the night and the atmosphere was very relax and you could tell they wanted people to stick around.  This bi-level dessert shop had a variety of board games tucked on a shelf for patrons to enjoy.

A portrait of DTLA painted on the upper level of the shop, if you look closely, you can see the games on the right side

amazing friends that took me on foodie adventures for my birthday!

Strawberry Shortcake.... yummmmmmmers

What does a girl want for her birthday? How about a birthday crepe and we call it a day. :)

Chicken Pot Pie

For the past few months, I have been bombarded with paperwork from work.  It is a part of my job so I try not to complain about it, and hey, I have a job, so I am happy.  But nonetheless, I get overwhelmed and frustrated at times with all this crazy paperwork.  So my escape from it all is to cook my little heart out.  I am usually not super confident in my cooking and there are a few things here and there that I am actually pretty good at.  One of those things: Chicken Pot Pie.  One of my favorite meals that is eaten out of a bowl.  I do little things here an there to change up my recipe and spice things up, but the main components are pretty consistent.  I always have a mixture of white and dark meat from a chicken, onions, mushrooms, chicken stock, some heavy cream and puff pastry dough.  I also add a variety of spices depending on my mood and what I have on hand.  Since I was swamped with paperwork, I cut some corners and bought a rotisserie chicken from Costco and frozen puff pastry dough.  I was happy with the results and my only regret is that I did not get a picture of the filling.  (Once that pie was done, I dug into it as soon as it was safe enough to eat!)

I made 4 pot pies and these were the ones that puffed up perfectly! The 4th needed some more love in the oven, so I popped it in while taking this photo.  Pot Pie consisted of: white and dark meat chicken, sauteed onions, garlic, mushrooms, sweet corn, a bit of heavy cream, chicken stock and paprika that was cooked in a pot prior to baking in the oven.  After filling the ramekins, I topped them with puff pastry dough, brushed on an egg wash and chives, then sent them into the oven.  20 minutes later they were ready! :)

This pot pie didn't fully puff up and there was a break in the dough while baking.  But I found it so beautiful. Plus it was a little peek-a-boo moment for the pie saying to me, "Hey, check me out! I am beautiful inside."  I added some sliced up baked potatoes rubbed with paprika, garlic salt and Cajun spices served with chives and Greek yogurt.  

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