Being from Northern California, maybe Napa has spoiled me. The Santa Barbara wine scene hasn’t impressed me, except for Carr Winery. They’re a real standout from this region, and I especially like their reds. The winery is a converted half dome shaped warehouse amidst an industrial looking row. Don’t be put off, the owners are lovely and they have a friendly rottweiler.

This is a very small production winery, some varietals they only produce 100 or so cases! So get it while it lasts.

Here’s all the details:

Carr Winery Futures Tasting: 3 Barrel Samples

2007 Pinot Noir Turner Vineyard
2007 Pinot Noir Lindsay’s Vineyard

2007 Pinot Noir Yard Vineyard

Sunday June 22, 2008 4:00pm – 7:00pm
414 N. Salsipuedes Street 805.965.7985

$20 Tastings, $10 Wine Club Members
This Sunday winemaker Ryan Carr will be pouring barrel samples of his 2007 Pinot Noirs.  These wines will be available to order in both cases and six packs at a 30% discount.

Current releases will also be available for sampling at our barrel top tasting bar.  Wines will be accompanied by light appetizers from Mondial and live music by Al Vafa.

The 2007 Pinot Noirs will be available for purchase online at the 30% discount for one week only starting Sunday, June 22nd.

Mm! Wouldn’t you love to get a bite of that above? Here’s my easier-than-it-looks recipe for bite-sized stuffed mushrooms. Perfect to make with day old crusty bread.

What’s great is that you can make this out of whatever is lying around the house. I’ll throw in left over sausage and day old bread, let’s not waste!

Ingredients: to make 6 stuffed mushrooms

• 6 bite sized mushroom caps (washed/stem removed). I like to buy “baby portobella’s” at Trader Joe’s, but you can use crimini or even white mushrooms.
• 1 can of diced tomatoes or 2 fresh (roma) tomatoes diced
• 4 leaves fresh basil, or 1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 sweet or hot Italian sausage (optional)
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1-4 cloves garlic, depending on how
• 6 inches worth of day old bread. (about 2 fist sized rolls), cubed
• your favorite hard cheese (parmesean, asiago, fontina, or all of the above)
• Secret ingredient: 1 tablespoon of ketchup (shh! don’t tell anyone)

Directions: A cast iron skillet works best, but your average frying pan will do!

1.  Saute onions, in olive oil until they become translucent. Add garlic now if you want the taste to be mild. A pinch of red pepper flake is optional here if you want a kick!
2. Take sausage out of the casing and brown with the onions.
3. Toss in diced tomatoes and herbs. and let it simmer for 5 mins. Salt and pepper to taste now. I like using white pepper rather than black. Add garlic now, after the simmer is over,  if you want the taste to be sharp.
4. Mix in cubed bread, let it soak up the tomato sauce over low head. Stir in the ketchup and mix well.
5. Scoop the mixture into the caps of the mushrooms, pack it into little mounds.
6. Pop them in the over for 10-15 minutes at 300*F (you just want the mushrooms to sweat and become softer).
7. Remove from oven, garnish with shredded cheese and basil leaves.

Enjoy!

Let’s convert the price of Kobe Beef from Yen to US Dollars…

Kobe beef is quite popular in America right now, for it’s slightly sweet taste and extremely fatty composition that is so soft, and gives the meat a whitish look and texture more like foie gras than normal beef. You can find “Kobe Beef” on many fine dining menus. But the funny thing is, you’ve probably never had it…even if you’ve ordered it at a ritzy eatery. I’ll explain everything you ever wanted to know about Kobe beef and I’ll convert the price in the picture, after the jump!

I took that picture above in Tokyo, in the Ginza district’s fancy Mitsukoshi food department. The price converts to about $450 US Dollars per pound. Yes, you read that correctly. This is on the high end of what Kobe Beef should typically cost because this is one of the most prime cuts (look at the fatty marbling), and it’s one of the most expensive stores in Tokyo. The range can be anything from $100-500 USD for real Kobe Beef.

Real Kobe beef is generally not available in America, even if your steak claims to be. Many American ranchers have even taken the Kobe cattle lineage and cross bred it with regular cows to cut costs of buying/raising purebreds. Though it produces quite a tender steak, it’s not legitimately Kobe beef.

Kobe beef comes from a special breed of cattle, cultivated for centuries in the Kobe prefecture of Japan for it’s special fat content. The cows generally live like kings, fed an organic diet of grains and sake and beer, which is said to tenderize the meat. Then, the meat must be slaughtered within the Kobe boundaries to receive the official designation.

What really pumps up the price however is simply the cost of the real estate it took to raise the cows. Japan has a mountainous terrain, and any available flatland highly valuable. Another factor related to this is the difficulty and cost of shipping meat and supplies from Kobe to other parts of the country (and the rest of the world), once again due to the geography of the region.

But this beef is a delicacy and since it’s so fatty, it is only consumed in very small portions. So it’s not like you would realistically eat a pound of this stuff in one sitting. But I won’t stop you from trying!

O-Toro Tuna Belly Sushi, Tsukiji Tokyo

Look at that beautiful sushi bowl of O-Toro (fatty tuna belly) sashimi, several layers deep. This was my sushi breakfast on my first day in Tokyo. This much O-Toro would cost over $100 USD in America, but at the Tsukiji Market in Tokyo it’s only $30! And the fish was only a few hours old, and when you eat sushi that fresh, it’s probably very different (1GOOGLExBetter) than any sushi you’ve been served in America. See more pictures of my Tsukiji market sushi experience, after the jump.

Day 1 in Tokyo. Jetlag worked in our favor, and we shot out of bed at dawn to catch the excitement at the largest fish market in the world. We were on the hunt for some good, fresh sushi for which the alleyway restaurants in Tsukiji are famed. Little did I know that this adventure would be so memorable.

The day starts early for fishermen, so we were already “latebirds” as we strolled over at 8 AM. Most of the auctions and action had already ended, but the energy of the market was still hectic and crazy. I can’t even imagine what peak hours would be like. Pedestrians had to be careful because of these motorized carts that whiz around with general disregard for people on foot. Felt like I was in Rome for a second, haha. The urgency at which this city treats the freshness of fish is really amazing, they expedite the day’s catch as if they were ambulance response!

The fish market is broken down into various sections for fish auctions, wholesale purchasing, and retails shops and eateries. It was very confusing because everything was in Japanese (duh) but we just kept walking until we saw lots of touristy looking people standing in line. And there we were, Tsukiji “Restaurant Row”.

A few sushi restaurants here have gained international fame for mention in various travel guides. But we weren’t down for the 1 hour wait, and with fish this fresh, how much of a difference would it make? (Turned out to be a good choice on our part). So we went to the place right next door to one of the famous places called Tsukiji Don Taku, and sauntered past all the fish fiending tourists at the famous Daiwa sushi line. We got a seat at the counter immediately and they had a picture menu up on the wall. Hooray for that.

The restaurant was basically just a counter, where you sat facing the sushi chefs. Our joint could fit maybe 10 people max, nice and cozy. My husband opted for the O-toro bowl which is his favorite type of fish, and I got the combo bowl with a little bit of everything. It was beautiful, layer upon layer of my favorite things including uni, ikura, clam, and more. They didn’t skimp on anything. For only $30 bucks, I definitely felt like I got my money’s worth.

The fish honestly tasted much different from any other sushi I’ve ever had. When it is served within hours of being caught, the fish has a sweet and firm texture, with a nice crisp snap when you bite into it. Most people don’t like uni because it is fishy, but this uni was so delicate and fresh, that it reminded me of a decadent creme brulee. I am ruined, I can’t eat sushi in America anymore now that I’ve had this.

If you ever visit Tokyo, please try to visit the Tsukiji Market. I caution you however, because the moment the sweet taste of Tsukiji fresh fish hits your mouth, nothing will ever compare.

Caviar is great for entertaining, but bad for the pocketbook. Fortunately, Asian style “caviar” or fish roe are much more affordable. This is an impressive yet budget conscious recipe that guests are sure to love. Plus, it’s easy to make! If you enjoy Americanized sushi, such as the California Roll, you are sure to love this.

The delicate tobiko flying fish eggs are gently nestled on a bed of creamy wasabi-hinted avocado, atop lightly toasted warm pita which makes it finger friendly. I was inspired to create this recipe after Yuki, my mother in law, introduced me to the many uses of Mentsuyu, or seasoned soy sauce that makes the base for many Japanese style noodles like udon and somen.

Make sure the Tobiko you buy is fresh and doesn’t smell fishy. Compared to Beluga caviar, which can run up to hundreds of dollars an ounce, Tobiko is much more affordable. A 1/4 cup sized container will probably cost you under 5 bucks. Plus Tobiko has a brilliant orange huge that looks much more appetizing than the dark grayish tinge of other fish eggs.

Ingredients (makes 18 appetizer servings)

• 1 Avocado
• 1 teaspoon Mentsuyu (somen/udon noodle soup base, and can be found in Asian Markets). Can be omitted, but substitutions include soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce
• 1 package Tobiko flying fish roe. Capellin or Salmon roe can be substituted. Or, if you’re not down with fish eggs, try lump crab meat.
• 1/2 teaspoon Wasabi paste. Use the pre-made kind in a tube to make your life easier.
• 3 Pita Breads

Directions

1. Half avocado, remove pit. Scoop out flesh with a spoon.
2. Dice avocado meat and place in a bowl.
3. Add Mentsuyu and wasabi. Gently old ingredients into avocado.
4. Toast pita bread until light golden brown on the edges. Make sure it does not get too crispy, otherwise it will compete with the delicate texture of the Tobiko.
5. Cut toasted pita bread into 6 equal triangles.
6. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of avocado mixture on each pita, topped with a half teaspoon of tobiko. (more or less depending on how generous you feel!)

Pair this with sparkling sake from Trader Joes.
Enjoy!

Photo by iciwici at Flickr

My favorite gelato place in the whole world is this little shack right outside Vatican City in Rome. Haven’t been able to find a gelato line that compares to what I had in Italy, until now. But now I’ve found, what I think, is the best chocolate gelato I’ve ever had. Sorry Italia, but this one hails from NYC! It’s intense and decadent, only to be handled by a true chocolate lover. And, surprisingly, it’s available almost everywhere now!

Previously, I have talked about the greatness that is Valhrona chocolate (see post here). Ciao Bella Gelato has ombined Valhrona and gelato for chocolate perfection. The flavor of this gelato was so intensely chocolately, only a true chocolate lover can appreciate this.

Photo by roboppy at Flickr

At first taste, it was quite an explosion of concentrated dark chocolate on the palate, with a great harmony between bitterness and sweet. A very full bodied and thick use of chocolate, I would compare it to the body of peppery cabernet. Especially great in gelato form, due to the absence of excess airation of the dessert, which dilutes the flavor profile because of excess air making contact with the tastebuds. Yes, gelato costs more than ice cream but you are getting what you pay for. When you buy a tub of American ice cream, you’re also paying for all the air that has been injected to give it that fluffy consistency. Anyway, back to gelato… A pleasing finish lingered on the mouth for a quite a while, a sign of complex flavor development.

Ciao Bella Gelato is from NYC, but don’t be fooled. Their makers have created the most amazing lineup of gelato and sorbettos available for purchase all over the USA. Unlike other store bought gelatos, the texture is thick and creamy, without the gummy aftertaste nor tendency toward an airy consistency like American ice cream. This is honest to goodness gelato, made in small batches to ensure quality standards. And the ingredients they use are very fresh (no artificial flavors here), you can taste it in the way their flavors pop.

Here’s the good news. Ready made Ciao Bella is sold all around the US, you’ve probably seen it in your grocery freezer.

But here’s the bad news. They don’t sell the Valhrona Chocolate flavor in pint size! NOOOOO!! The only place you can buy it is by the scoop or hand packed pints/quarts at the Ciao Bella Gelaterias, in places such as the SF Ferry Building pictured on the top of this post. But, luckily Ciao Bella also has a new deal with Whole Foods Market, and many of the newer or renovated WF Markets feature a gelato bar with Ciao Bella specialty flavors. Horray! I sampled my first taste of this frozen delight at the enormous Whole Foods in El Segundo Plaza. Try it, you won’t be disappointed. They also have Scharffenberger pudding, but that’s a whole ‘nother story…

Photo from the Baby Blues BBQ website

I think I’m in love. The Memphis style ribs at this little BBQ joint simply blew me away, with their combo of dry and wet rub. I enjoy wet and dry styles of BBQ, so this is the best of both worlds. Surprisingly, this place is in LA!

Photo from the Baby Blues BBQ Website

The place is called Baby Blue BBQ (www.babybluesbarbq.com). If you come here, come early. We barely beat the dinner rush on a Saturday night by showing up at 6:00 PM. And we still had to wait for 15 minutes. A few minutes later, the line was out the door. The place is small and occupies an odd shaped corner spot on Lincoln Blvd., and you can either pull up a seat at the bar or in the dining room on the other side.

I shared the “Memphis Queen” plate (1/2 rack each of Memphis & Baby Back ribs, plus sides) with my husband and it was more than enough food for the both of us. Their style is a nice fat St. Louis style cub pork rib with the chewy rib tips left on. I prefer this cut over the baby backs, because I think the Baby Backs are just too soft. I like a variety of texture on my meat! But their Baby Back ribs are mighty fine as well.

Photo from the Baby Blues BBQ Website

The dry rub really penetrates the meat and gives it great flavor down to the bone. The wet sauce is mopped on at the end and caramelizes, giving it a slightly sweet and tangy finish. It’s a tomato based sauce with a balance between salty, sweet and tangy. Nothing overpowers the senses, unlike the cloyingly sweet ribs you generally find at chain restaurants.

Photo by Caroline on Crack on Flickr

Each table has two versions of a hot sauce, made in-house daily. One was “hot” and the other was called “XXX DANGER”. I think I have developed an abnormal tolerance for spicy food, because I really didn’t think the XXX version was unbearable.

Single guys will also enjoy coming here for the other “meat”, the ridiculously hot women that waitress here. Seriously, every single girl was so beautiful. Obviously, this is not your average BBQ joint. Our waitress insisted that we try the jumbo grilled tiger shrimp with remoulaude sauce, so she brought out a few on the house. The shrimps were huge and very fresh, with that juicy “snap” when you bite in. I will definitely order these next time.

Photo from the Baby Blues BBQ Website

Another great thing about this place is that the owners seem like down to earth guys that do their fare share of hustle in the kitchen, all while drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon. They have an awesome restaurant and I’ll definitely be coming back here again.

Baby Blues BBQ

444 Lincoln Blvd. @ the corner of Sunset. 310.396.7675 www.babybluebarbq.com

Photo byViv | Seattle Bon Vivant at Flickr

I feel so lucky to live in Los Angeles. We have great weather and a plentiful supply of red velvet cake. Bakeries that offer this absurdly bright sweet are almost guaranteed to attract droves of Angelenos. I’ve eaten my fair share of red velvet in its various forms. Here is my analysis and ode to red velvet. So where is the best red velvet in LA?

Susie Cakes

11708 San Vicente Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90189 (310) 442-2253 www.susiecakesla.com

Photo by Caroline on Crack at Flickr

The texture of this cake reminds me of boxed cake mix, all air and no substance. But some people might like this airy sponge cake factor and find it refreshing. I find it feeble. And the color is absurdly bright red, like a fire engine. When frosted, the cupcake can barely support itself and it almost topples over. The frosting is rather hard compared to the cake. Nay on the cupcake version. But I give it a green light in the full cake version because they stratify the placement of cake with multiple layers of frosting, which gives the illusion of heft and substance. But then you are eating almost a 75:25 ratio of cake to frosting. Ok to eat once in a while, and works well for crowds (because a small piece is sweet enough to satisfy due to frosting overload).

Sprinkles

9635 S Santa Monica Blvd Beverly Hills, CA 90210 (310) 274-8765 www.sprinklescupcakes.com

I don’t get it. The line is still around the door. But I just don’t get it. There are better bakeries out there. I find their cakes a little dry and crummy for my tastes. I didn’t even get the sense of red velvet when I was eating their cupcake. The icing was a bit on the hard side, kind of like toothpaste that has been out of the tube too long. Ew. Maybe it was an off day for this bakery or maybe I was accidentally given a day old red velvet. I suppose I will give them another shot. But as of now, I recall that the red velvet cupcakes for which they are “famous” for was a bit on the brown side and the flavor was pretty ambiguous. Does it make sense to say it taste like air? Like nothingness? I suggest you walk down the street to Crumbs and try one of their cupcakes. Much more tasty. Unfortunately, they don’t make red velvet.

*Update: Rachel tells me the Sprinkles Packaged Cupcake mix is much better. I’ll have to try it and let you know what I think!

Doughboy’s

1156 Highland Ave Los Angeles, CA 90028 (323) 467-9117 www.doughboys.net

Photo by jleighb on Flickr

No wonder this is Oprah’s favorite. It is decadent and divine! The cake comes 6 inches in diameter, meant for sharing (or eating along when feeling uber-gluttonous). If you love frosting then you will enjoy the almost 1 inch thick slab of it, and it is very very sweet, with a whipped consistency, but you almost need it to be this way to stand up to the cake. Omg. That was my first reaction when biting into this cake. It is unlike all the other red velvets out there. The cake is so dense and so moist, polar opposite of Susie Cakes. Some people might find the cake a little on the oily side, but that is why it is so moist. The color is a beautiful burgundy from the combination of red coloring and cocoa. You really can’t have just one bite.

Toast

8221 W 3rd St. Los Angeles, CA 90048 (323) 655-5018 www.toastbakerycafe.net

Photo by dana w. on Yelp.com

My Favorite at last. I am secretly happy that Doughboy’s across the street has closed down and now Toast can rightfully claim the red velvet market that is theirs! This cupcake version of red velvet is my favorite because they have achieved a harmonious balance between all elements of the cake, that sticks to a very traditional recipe (rather than trying to do a “modern” take on the red velvet, as most of the other bakeries mentioned do). The cake is moist, fluffy, but yet substantial with a stronger, yet not overpowering, cocoa flavor aftertaste. The cream cheese frosting is exactly as I image the perfect frosting to be: gooey and creamy, with that buttery mouth feel. Both the cake and frosting are not too sweet, which makes it easier to eat much more of this (hehe).

It’s been 3 years since the Pinkberry addiction began. To commemorate this milestone, Pinkberry has decided to unleash a new flavor and topping. Before you rush over to the myriad of local Pinkberry’s that have popped up since their humble beginnings in WeHo, you might want to read my review of the new flavor…

Before any of you start to have “Crackberry” withdrawals with the suspense of it all, let me tell you what the new flavor is:

It’s Coffee!! Ah yes, Mr. Perez Hilton was correct with his speculation of the new flavor.

I tried it for the first time last Sunday at the Plaza El Segundo location. They were giving away giganto sample sizes (like seriously half the size of a small order). The initial taste is a very strong and somewhat artificial taste of dark roast coffee, close to the Kona coffee or Kahlua flavor. Reminded me at first of Vietnamese iced coffee, with the intensity of coffee flavor matched up with a cloyingly sweet finish. It might be fat free, but it sure isn’t sugar free.

Then the aftertaste of the original Pinkberry flavor hit me. That citrus-y tang. I am confused at this pairing. I am confused at this pairing, but if you enjoy with espresso with a twist of lemon, then this might be your cup of tea (har har). Which by the way, is not something Italians authentically do. It’s one of those Americanized gimmicks, much like dipping bread in olive oil and balsamic (how much this irks me will be the topic of another post for sure). I wish Pinkberry would have made their “new flavor” genuinely and entirely a new conception of it’s own, rather than pretty much be the original flavor with some coffee powder tossed in.

The new topping available at Pinkberry is Chestnuts. I could image this to possibly match the green tea or even coffee flavor, but I really think that chestnuts are much to robust for the delicate taste of the original flavor. Plus, chestnuts are not really what comes to mind when I think of “refreshing”. Sorry chestnuts, but I’m going to pass on you.

As for coffee Pinkberry, as of now I think it’s pretty disgusting. But who knows? Maybe it will grow on me.