The Kroft (Anaheim Packing House) 6.4.15 & 6.5.15

I have been waiting to try The Kroft in the Anaheim Packing House for a few months since my friend Patricia raved about their fried chicken sandwich. During my pregnancy (see note below), I wasn't up for fried food, and if you don't like heavy food or fried food (or if you have gall bladder issues), The Kroft probably isn't for you, but if you want to indulge in a delicious trillion calorie meal, I highly recommend it.

Fried Chicken Sandwich w/ Jalapeno Slaw, Garlic Truffle Fries &
Cucumber-Mint Lemonade

So, anyways, back to this fried chicken sandwich.  The fried chicken sandwich ($8.50) had a lot of hype to live up to, particularly since it reminded me in composition of the amazing fried chicken sandwiches I used to get in Oakland at Bakesale Betty (which also used to be around the corner from my home--what can I say? I like living near delicious food).  The concept of the two sandwiches is the same: a fried chicken breast with jalapeño slaw on a crusty french (or ciabatta) roll (see *below for comparison).  The cashier warned us that it was slightly spicy, but I actually didn't find the slaw particularly spicy.  The chicken was cooked perfectly, the slaw was tasty and the roll was amazing.  A solid sandwich.  As you'll see below, I still give the edge on the fried chicken sandwich to Betty's, but this is a very good alternative and I don't have to drive 300 miles for it.

As a side, my friend and I split an order of garlic truffle fries ($5.50) which were amazing.  Sometimes truffle fries are just too truffle laden for me (I know some people think there's no such thing) or too overwhelmingly garlicky.  These were perfectly cooked fries with a savory hint of both truffle & garlic.  Super yum if you're into subtle flavor and perfect fries.  I also had a cucumber-mint lemonade ($3.50) which they make fresh daily in house.  It was refreshing and delicious with a clear cucumber taste, but not a particularly minty flavor.  The lemonade is more sweet than tart (which I prefer, but others don't).  A delicious overall meal.

Prime Rib Dip Sandwich Au Jus (Add Cheese +$1), Brussels & Bacon

The day after my friend, Patricia, introduced me to The Kroft, my sister-in-law, Kim, was over and I was telling her all about it.  So, we decided to take another trip down.  This time, I tried the Prime Rib Dip Sandwich Au Jus ($12) with cheese (add $1).  This sandwich is HUGE, like so huge it didn't fit in the Au Jus cup.  It was piled with delicious thinly sliced prime rib and caramelized onions with a layer of cheese (I think it was Monterey Jack) and served on that same roll which I could eat every day for every meal.  It was amazing.  Normally, I wouldn't be able to finish the whole thing, but hey, I'm eating for two right now.  Yum.

I also ordered the Brussels and Bacon ($5.50).  This, I thought was a little bit overpriced for what it was and slightly overcooked.  The brussel sprouts themselves were tender, served with a balsamic glaze, crispy/chewy bacon and a bit of truffle cheese.  The subtle truffle that worked so well on the previous day's fries seemed unnecessary and a bit much on the brussel sprouts.  I liked the slight char to the outside,  but the outside of the sprouts were a little too crispy.

Fried Chicken Poutine (Add Fried Egg + $1)

Finally, my sister-in-law had the fried chicken poutine (I don't remember the price), which is fries, fried chicken, gravy, cheese curds, bacon and green onions.  (If you aren't familiar with poutine, here's the wikipedia introduction) My sister saw a picture of a poutine from The Kroft with a fried egg and she decided she needed to add the fried egg (add $1).  She said it was fantastic although she couldn't eat more than half of it.  It's super rich, but if you like poutine, it's one of several you can try (original, short rib, fried chicken, cheeseburger, loco moco--they're a poutine kinda place).  I'm hoping to split one with someone eventually.

Note: People that follow my food adventures may have noticed that I stopped blogging for 9 months.  Long story short, I was pregnant which changed around a lot of food cravings/ tastes and made me too tired to blog about what I was eating.  But now, with a newborn baby that needs me to eat so I can feed her, let the food blogging begin again in earnest!

*For Bay Area folks or anyone who has been to Betty's, here's the breakdown of the comparison between the two sandwiches:
Bread: The Kroft wins.  Their bread is amazing.  Shocking since Bakesale Betty is a bakery, but I don't ever remember saying, "Wow, this bread is amazing" when I ate a BB fried chicken sandwich.
Chicken: Draw -- The Kroft is more pure fried chicken, but I personally like the bit of spice in BB's fried chicken batter.
Slaw: BB wins, if you can handle the spice.  I really like the slightly more acidic vinegar taste of BB's slaw and the macerated onions--it adds a lot more flavor than The Kroft's slaw.  If you don't really like spicy slaw though, you'd probably prefer The Kroft.

Burger City Grill (Downey) 9.5.14

So, a funny thing happened in the last 3 weeks.  The semester began, effectively ending my joyous summer romp through new dining adventures.  It's not that I haven't been eating, but I've been relying on the restaurants I know, eating a ton of take out and sometimes resorting to really ugly food (seriously, two weeks ago, I brought 2 slices of ham with a slice of cheese and some rice crackers for lunch at one of my school sites--it was the ugliest thing I've eaten in a long time. Tasty, but not photo worthy.

But, last night, my brother was in town so we decided to stop by downtown Downey for some delicious burger goodness at Burger City Grill.  I had sent him the website to preview the menu a week earlier when we were deciding where to go and he said, "I hear my arteries clogging already! EXCELLENT!" A pretty accurate assessment of the menu.

Burger City Grill (BCG for short) specializes in hand-made burgers from certified angus beef.  Their menu is simple and you can sub any burger with a turkey of veggie patty, but we are all about the beef so we ordered a City Slicker (Applewood smoked bacon, Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce) with cheese and an Aloha (Applewood smoked bacon, teriyaki glaze and fresh grilled pineapple slices).  All the burgers also come with BCG spread (their version of 1000 island), dill pickle chips, roma tomatoes, leaf lettuce and red onions on a bun. We also decided on an order of Sloppy Fries (chili cheese fries) and BCG Fries (Bacon, Cheese--I got Cheddar, and Grilled Onions w BCG Spread) and two sodas.

City Slicker with Sloppy Fries

My brother's order was the City Slicker (no tomato, add cheese--I don't actually remember what cheese he got, but you can choose from American, Cheddar, Swiss, Pepper Jack, Provolone & Bleu cheese) with Sloppy Fries.  Since I didn't try his burger I can't say much about it, but I did try the fries.  The chili was tasty and very meaty (no bean, all meat homemade chili) and because they use a thicker cut on their fries, they still held up consistency under the pile of chili and cheese.

Aloha Burger with BCG Fries & Pickles on the side

This was my order.  Here's a closer pic of my burger:

Aloha burger close-up (so you can see the bacon & pineapple--YUM)

When I saw my meal, I felt compelled to tweet and IG "Fatty Heaven" and well, it's true, but hey, you only live once.  I loved my Aloha Burger and BCG Fries.  While the burger was probably a bit more well done than I would have liked, the meat was still really juicy and tasty; the pineapple was well-grilled and copious; and the bacon was perfectly cooked on both the burger and fries--not overly crispy so you can't taste the delicious smokiness, but also not soggy so you feel like you're eating bacon grease.  Everything was held together by a tasty house bun.  An awesome burger and super filling.  In fact, so filling that I couldn't finish the AMAZING BCG Fries.  Seriously, these were some fantastic fries.  If you like loaded baked potatoes, it's a lot like that with a little grilled onion and sauce. So, so tasty.  I brought them home and even rewarmed this morning, my son and husband cleaned them all up (and seriously most fries are disgusting rewarmed the next day).

Oh, and as an added bonus, there's a Coke Freestyle Machine.  I don't usually drink a lot of soda, but I had to try the machine: 

Coca-Cola Freestyle Machine

I got a Cherry Coke, not like a Cherry Coke that you get in cans, like the perfect blend of coke syrup, cherry syrup, and soda water.  It seriously tasted like I got it from a soda fountain.  I kinda wish I liked soda more so I could revel in the awesomeness of this machine.  For non-soda drinkers, there's also passion fruit iced tea, hand-schooled shakes and craft beers.

Can't wait to come back here with my husband and son (BCG Kids meal--burger & fries for $5) when we're on this side of town (or when I have a Porto's craving...but I'll talk about that in the next blog post....)

Brew Hawg (Orange) 8.12.14

I love good BBQ and I've been eating around my neighborhood a lot so when we had an out of town guest, we decided to branch out and search for something new on yelp.  My search led me to a little hole-in-the-wall BBQ spot called Brew Hawg.  From reading the reviews and looking at the website, Brew Hawg seems mostly to have been a catering and to-go establishment that now also serves to a small dining area of 4 indoor tables (16 seats) and 2 outdoor tables.

Brew Hawg has a variety of sandwiches as well as BBQ plates, an assortment of sides, kids' plates and non-alcoholic beverages (no alcohol in the restaurant as of yet) including fresh brewed root beer (which is delicious!).  With 3 adults and an 8-year old, we got a fair sample of some of their most popular dishes and a majority of their sides.

Kids' hot dog with fries

So, at the last bbq place I went to, they didn't have any kid options on the menu in case kids don't like barbecue sauce.  While I love bbq, my kid doesn't so it was nice that in addition to kids sliders (2 small sliders with a choice of meat and a side), they have the hot dog and grilled cheese options (which also come with a side).  And, the portion on the kids hot dog was huge.  The dog had to be at least 1/3 a pound (way bigger than my son could finish) and a ton of fries.  It doesn't come with a drink, but there are kid-friendly drinks like lemonade and root beer (and an assortment of canned sodas, bottled water, etc.) that can be added on if you like. 

"The Duke": Pulled Pork w/ Mac & Cheese on Texas Toast (with a side)

My friend, Mike, decided to try "the Duke," one of Brew Hawg's most popular sandwiches which combines a healthy serving of bbq pulled pork with mac & cheese and puts it in between two slices of  Texas toast (he got an extra side of mac and cheese for good measure).  I tried a bit of this and it was AMAZING.  I actually really loved the Texas toast in combination with the creaminess of the mac and cheese and the sweet savoriness of the pork.  I tried the mac and cheese on its own and had the pork as part of my BBQ plate and while both were tasty alone, the whole of the Duke is even better than its individual consistent parts. 

The "Standard": Choice of Meat with cranberry peanut slaw on a bun

& a side of coconut creamed corn

So, this was my husband's dish and he got the vegan option which uses a vegan meat substitute.  I tried a little bit, but I'm not a fan of vegan meat.  More importantly though, he liked it, and, it is AWESOME to have a BBQ place near my home that EVERYONE in my family can eat at (with my husband not resorting to a meal of only sides)! It was a happy day.  I really liked the slaw which had a lot of depth to it with the sweet tart of the cranberry, the nuttiness of the peanut.  Normally, I'm not a mayonnaise based slaw fan, but it was really good, especially in the sandwich. I could definitely see myself chowing down on a pulled pork version of the Standard.  My husband chose the coconut creamed corn which was really good (if you like coconut) and really unique. 

BBQ Heaven: 2 meats, 2 sides, bread and bliss 

(literally, that's what the menu reads!)

Finally, I went for the bbq plate with pulled pork, tri-tip, baked beans and potato salad which comes with a square of cornbread.  The cornbread was a little dry, the potato salad was fine, but a little bland (I like mine with a bit more tang), and the beans were good, but also could have used a bit more nuance in the flavor.  The meat itself was good.  The tri-tip was a little chewy, but the pulled pork was really delicious and I like their sauce, which is not too sweet, but has a good blend of hickory and spices.  And there was more than enough for lunch today.  I think next time I'll probably do the brisket & tri-tip and maybe change up the sides or go for a sandwich, but there will definitely be a next time. 

Random final notes: Again, despite the "brew" in the name, Brew Hawg doesn't brew alcohol, but has DELICIOUS root beer.  The service is great.  While the staff may not be at the front of the house when you walk in, if you just call out a "hello," someone will come to meet you right away, will explain the menu if it's your first time and if you're eating in will check and make sure everything's okay.  I'm excited to have found Brew Hawg and am glad to support such a nice local business that's close to home.  

Umami Burger (Anaheim) 8.10.14

After returning from my short trip to San Diego with the family, I got to go out with a couple of my girlfriends for dinner.  We wanted a place with good food, a full bar, where we could hear one another within walking distance from my space.  On the weekend, that pretty much meant the packing house was out (it's got great food options, but to have real conversation and a drink with dinner, was a taller order.  So, we just walked over to Umami Burger.  

I'm a fan of Umami Burger and this location in particular, since it is my child's favorite restaurant in the world (What can I say? He's the child of a foodie) and lately, though the food and service are always consistently good, I've been feeling in a little bit of an umami rut.  So, it was really nice to come with my friends who haven't been to Umami before.  

FYI on the drinks, we each had a black razz mojito which was really refreshing and not overly sugary which is really nice.  It wasn't particularly strong and didn't taste like alcohol, but it was yummy. I probably wouldn't have splurged on yummy at $12 a drink if I wasn't with friends, but they also do a late night and 3-6 Happy Hour where signature cocktails are $8.  (Note: I've also had Rico Suave which was stronger and is also good) 

So, onto the food: 

 House Pickle Plate

Okay, so I never would have ordered this plate, but one of my friends loves pickles so she had to try it.  Top (L--> R): Pickles, beets, teriyaki mushrooms; Bottom: Snap peas, carrots, sweet/spicy peppers.  It was actually pretty good though.  I am not a beet fan, the snap peas/ peppers were a little spicy and the carrots were a little weird texturally for me, but I really liked the mushrooms and the pickles themselves.  The pickles were crunchy with great flavor that wasn't overwhelming at all.  The mushrooms were a little sweet and delicious.  

Thin Fries 

Sweet Potato Fries

Umami Sauces

I like Umami potatoes and sauces.  We went with the thin fries & sweet potato fries although usually I end up getting the smushed potatoes. (I was having a thin fry craving) Umami does potatoes well and serves them with a trio of: garlic aioli, diablo sauce & jalapeño ranch as well as a bottle of their special umami ketchup.  The aioli was a little off last night, but is usually my favorite with the ketchup a close second.  Fries were hot and crispy; sweet potato fries were sweet, crunchy and caramelized. Not much else to say here except well cooked potatoes = happiness.  

The Original

So, I am a sucker for the Original which is an umami patty (they grind their own sirloin for the patty) with a parmesan crisp, roasted tomato, shiitake mushroom on their house bun, prepared medium.  Juicy, umami goodness.  I love this burger.  

My friend had the green bird without cheese and said it was amazing (my other friend also had the original, but couldn't finish hers because there's a good chunk of meat on the burger).  I've also had the ahi tuna burger which I love when I'm a little burnt out on red meat.  My husband gets the Sloppy Mami (a vegetarian sloppy joe) whenever we come here as a family and FYI, for families, the kids meal here (slider, side & a drink) prices out to be about the same as a kids meal at IHOP with a drink ($8:  Seriously, no contest on taste). 

I have 9 Yelp Check-Ins at Umami Burger and that only counts the number of times I remember to check in here, so yeah, definitely a fan and hope you will be too.  Happy Eating! 

Shrimp Creole 8.4.14

Yesterday was one of those days.  After dropping my son off for half-day Mandarin camp, I had to stop by the bank for PTA (because in my copious spare time I chose to run for PTA treasurer and was elected), be on a research call with a friend in Colorado, do some searching and downloading of journal articles for an upcoming piece, run back to school to pick my son & his two friends up for a playdate, host the playdate, and then have dinner ready in 30 minutes so that I could head over to the PTA executive board meeting.

I'd imagine I'm not the only busy one out there, so I figured I'd blog about one of my favorite super-fast dishes: Shrimp Creole.  Please note, despite these first two cooking blog posts, not everything I cook uses canned tomatoes (really--in fact the grilled chicken that I made on Sunday was completely a different set of ingredients...really!).  Okay, so here's what the finished dish looks like:

Shrimp Creole--YUM! 

Here's your ingredient list: 

• Onion
• Green Pepper
• Celery
• Cooking Oil
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Shrimp (I use medium, frozen cooked shrimp 80-100 count/lb)
• Canned Diced Tomatoes
• Rice

I am always really cooking for 2 (we have weird dietary conflicts in our house--in this case, the two is my husband & me--sometimes it's my son & me) so I used about a half pound of shrimp, 1 stalk of celery, half an onion & green pepper, 1/2 cup of rice & 1 can of tomatoes.  Feel free to adjust.  

Step 1: Start your rice in a rice cooker (yes, this is a cheat. By assembling mostly cooked ingredients, everything goes quicker); chop the fresh veggies & thaw your shrimp: 

Onion, Green Pepper, Celery

Step 2: Heat the oil and add the red pepper flakes to the heating oil.  This releases the heat from the red pepper flakes--adjust to taste.  It's good without the red pepper flakes too, but then it's just not as creole. 

Red Pepper Oil

Step 3: Add the veggies to the red pepper oil & sauté until onions become slightly translucent.  You don't want to overcook your veggies because then they lose that crispness in the final dish.  

Step 4: Add in the shrimp & canned tomatoes.  Since the shrimp is pre-cooked, it's just about heating.   Simmer for about 5 minutes

Step 5: At this point, if you've started the rice before you began dicing your veggies, it should be done.  Add your rice into your large skillet or wok (yes, a non-stick 12-14" wok is perfect for this dish)

Step 6: Simmer as long as you can before you have to rush off to the rest of your life or feed your hungry self/family, plate and serve

This dish is even better warmed up the day after (like the chili)--once the flavors have had a chance to absorb, but often there's none left at my place for the day after.  Bon appetit! 

No-Bean Ground Beef Chili 8.2.14

Yesterday, it began to rain...in Southern California...in the summer.  We had planned to make hamburgers on the grill, but the rain made me nostalgic for cool fall days (and I was really bored) so I decided to turn our ground beef into some chili.

I searched around on the internet for some decent no-bean chili recipes (although for vegetarian/vegan friends/bean loving readers, this chili would make a great base for a bean chili as well, subbing or adding black or kidney beans for the meat), but didn't really find anything I loved so I decided just to experiment.  I figured I'd use spices that I had that some of the recipes recommended, and then I'd just keep tasting it until the balance seemed right to me.

After cooking for a few years, this has become my philosophy towards food preparation--start with a basic idea of where you're going, use recipes as a guide for ingredients and then modify according to taste.  So, here's what the chili looked like in the mid-simmer stage:

Mmmmm, chili...

And here's what's in the chili (in the order I used it):

• Cooking Oil (I used olive oil, but I don't think it really matters)
• Diced Onion
• Diced Green Pepper
• Diced Red Pepper
• Fresh parsley
• Chili powder 
• Cumin
• Garlic Powder
• Sweet Paprika
• A touch of brown sugar
• Ground beef
• Worcestershire sauce
• Canned tomatoes

Just guestimating, I'd say approximately 1 onion, 1 green pepper & 1 red pepper & 1-2 cans of canned tomatoes (depending on how much tomato you like in your chili) per pound of meat is about the right ratio.  Use the seasoning to taste, but don't put in too much brown sugar unless you really like sweetness.  I found the chili powder & the worcestershire to be the most useful (read copious) seasonings.  Sauté veggies in oil over medium heat, add in dry/fresh herbs & spices, add in ground beef, season with worcestershire sauce--add in canned tomatoes, taste, add salt, taste some more and add in seasoning to taste.  Simmer for about 30 minutes to let the flavors soak in or less if you have less time. Because it really cooks in 10-15 minutes.

For serving, you'll notice there is no real thickener and the chili comes out a little soupy.  I solved this by adding crushed tortilla chips to the bottom of my bowl, piling on the chili then adding some cheddar cheese.  Yum.  And the leftovers are just as tasty (or perhaps more so, as the flavors have had more time to develop).  I didn't need tortilla chips for my morning-after breakfast chili, but it's totally up to you.  Happy Eating! 

Georgia's Restaurant (Anaheim) 7.23.14

Just got home from lunch at Georgia's Restaurant in the Anaheim Packing House.  I have been waiting for Georgia's to open because I love soul food. And, I have to start by saying that it is my new favorite spot in the Packing House.  The service is incredible (possibly even over-attentive, but better more than less), the food is delicious and, of course, I love the Packing House as a spot.

After ordering, the server asked if we were dining with them or taking food out.  When you dine in Georgia's space, they bring out cornbread biscuits before your entrees arrive:

Cornbread biscuits--A nice start to the meal :) 

My friend ordered the pulled-pork sandwich with fries.  She's not a cole slaw fan so she took that off (I tried it and it was a little bland on its own).  The pork, however was fantastic--tender with plenty of sauce but not overly saucy.  Their barbecue sauce is on the sweet side (which I love but I know some people are not as into).  She thought the bun that the pork was served on was the best part of the meal. 

Pulled Pork Po-Boy with Fries

I ordered the tri-tip with collard greens and baked beans.  The tri-tip was medium/ medium-well with just a hint of pink.  That's a little more well-done than I usually eat it, but it was still tender and delicious.  I asked for a side of BBQ sauce which was delicious.  The sweet BBQ sauce was a really nice balance for the greens and the baked beans, but of which had a slight kick.  The baked beans had a really nice balance between sweet and spicy and were definitely homemade.  And, I'm a sucker for good collard greens. I also had a sweet tea which was good--not overly sweet or artificial tasting--and very refreshing.  

Tri-tip, baked beans & collard greens

A note on the service, the owner, Gretchen, was so nice.  She came by every table and had a really nice conversation with us.  Everyone who works at Georgia's is super friendly; we were checked on numerous times.  The service was prompt and the food came out quickly.  Seriously, my new favorite place at the Packing House.  I wish Georgia's lots of success and will be back again soon. 

Black Sheep Grilled Cheese Bar & Hans' Homemade Ice Cream (Anaheim) 7.17.14

My friend, Hong, came down to visit from the Bay Area so we decided to grab a bite at the Packing House.  It had been a couple weeks since I had been and last time, my friends had gotten delicious looking grilled cheese sandwiches from the Black Sheep Grilled Cheese Bar so we decided to check it out this time.

Yes, there's an actual black sheep on the counter. 

Black Sheep is "a division of the Cellar" which is a local cheese focused collective.  If you want just a regular grilled cheese, you can check out the "Classic," but their simple menu allows for some branching out from the traditional cheddar & swiss as well: 

Menu of Gluten-Dairy goodness

Oh yeah, I suppose I should mention that generally I'm not a big gluten-dairy indulger, but well, go big or go home in this case.  Let's get to the food. 

"The Man" Salami (lots of it) & Cheese on Sourdough

I tried a bite of "The Man" and it was salty goodness, especially if you like a lot of salami to your cheese.  My friend, who likes things on the spicy side, said she could have used some jalapeño to give it some kick, but if simple, meaty sandwiches are your thing, it's a good choice.  Our server at the counter recommended pairing with Coke (in a glass bottle because it's fancy), an indication that this was the traditional side of the menu. 

#1: Cypress Grove fromage blanc, caramelized onions, roasted tomatoes, arugula pesto

This was my sandwich and it was AMAZING! It was honestly the best grilled cheese I've probably ever had AND I'm not even a fan of goat cheese.  (When I looked at the menu, I hadn't realized that Cypress Grove specialized in chèvre so I wasn't expecting a goat milk cheese, but that's what I got so I decided to go with it)  The fromage blanc is mild and flavors blend together well on the marble bread.  Seriously, as soon as I got home and despite my fullness, I wanted to run down the street and get another one.  It's that good. 

Since I had decided it was gluten and dairy night, it was time to head over to Hans' Homemade Ice Cream where I sampled several flavors: Cookies & Cream, Mocha Almond Fudge, Honey Vanilla and Wild Mountain Blackberry: 

I settled on a waffle cone single scoop split between the Honey Vanilla and the Wild Mountain Blackberry: 

Pro-tip: At Hans' you can split a single scoop between two flavors (the honey vanilla's at the bottom of this cone--and yes, that's the size of a single scoop! They're really generous with the scoops)

Definitely an indulgent Americana night with a hipster twist!  I'm sure I'll be back at both of these places again soon.  Maybe I will see you there! (Hint, hint, friends--come visit me!)