This is where the hungry come to feed. For mine is a generation that circles the globe and searches for something we haven't tried before. So never refuse an invitation, never resist the unfamiliar, never fail to be polite and never outstay the welcome. Just keep your mind open and suck in the experience. And if it hurts, you know what? It's probably worth it.

Dec 10, 2009

xmas partee

this years 'gift' was homemade cookies... so i made a cookie buffet!

lime meltaways, espresso shortbread, pecan pie cookies, rum balls, homemade almond roca, and green tea shortbread.


sekrit santa name tags outside the front door.

so i was so busy that those are the only photos from the party that i took... will have to wait for photog guest dru for more photos :)


Dec 3, 2009

thanksgiving 2009






thanksgiving 2009 i learned how wonderful it is to brine a turkey. SO DELICIOUS.

there was all the traditional sides along with acorn squash stuffed with couscous.. also delicious.


Nov 19, 2009

wonton time.



pork and shrimp wontons.

i had a craving... so i made some. T even helped wrap some of 'em too :)


Nov 13, 2009

so much poker face.



yesterday i was bombarded with a slew of poker face covers. what a weird day. and now i really want a stylophone.




Nov 5, 2009

in vogue.



this past weekend, did another collaboration shoot with tramanh from phi-style. lots of DIY projects.. which included the ubiquitous issa puff skirt, maison michel diy lace ears, flower pins and bib necklaces. we also had two photogs, annie and dru. these first set of photos are by the super talented annie. see more here


Nov 3, 2009

cooking italian.

creamy mushroom cabonara

truffle oil, egg, asparagus.


osso bucco

molto bene!


Oct 31, 2009

happy hallowdays!!


Oct 19, 2009

the wedding video



a little compilation of video footage from my cousin's wedding and engagement shoot


Oct 13, 2009

MAKE TOY NOW.

my friend tramanh passed me along this link about fake tilt shift photography... which is AMAZING. making photographs look like a miniature toy-like world. LEGOLAND. or a la Mr. Roger's Neighborhood.


i had to try this for myself.





Oct 11, 2009

brunch and 'southern' eats.


truffled egg salad tramezzini - homey and classy at the same time.


ingredients: bread (usually white, cut off the crust), boiled eggs, dijon mustard, mayo, olive oil, pepper, sea salt, truffle oil


oven "fried" chicken and red beans and rice

ingredients:
chicken -boneless/skinless chicken thighs, italian dressing (chicken marinade), bread crumbs
red beans and rice - kidney beans (drained), sausage, cajun seasoning, worcestershire, rice

i found that the above were good and easy.. make with what you already have in the kitchen meals.


Oct 6, 2009

rehearsal dinner

the cousin's wedding was this past weekend... and friday was the rehearsal dinner.. here's just a few photos...






Sep 29, 2009

meaty!

mini turkey meatloaf cupcakes with asiago potato wedges


spaghetti bolognese with artichoke granitata

a few dinners from last week.. both lacking a substantial portion of vegetables. whoops.


Sep 25, 2009

puppy love.


since dru let me borrow his 'other' camera i've been playing around by shooting the pups. the more i shoot.. the more it affirms my need to invest in a dslr. photo quality so good.







Sep 24, 2009

joël robuchon

once in a lifetime foodie experience. check.


for our trip we decided to book the only 3 michelin star rated restaurant in vegas, Joel Robuchon at the Mansion.

the experience alone was remarkable.. and made us feel like a million bucks. which was good.. because the experience is not cheap.

the night began with a limo pick up from PH to the Mansion at MGM. apparently this is the private entrance to a few private villas that will run you 5k a night.. we got to look around and sit in the waiting area in the gardens while a hostess came to lead the way to the restaurant.

it happened to be fight night and i could overhear the crowd around us that 'those two must be going to the fight' so money.

the doors opened to a gorgeous setting and we were seated in the main 'indoors' dining room in a perfect corner booth.

after briefly glancing at the menu we figured we're only going to be here once. go for it. and we did. and even had a few stares from other patrons.. possibly trying to figure out if we were some famous asian poker players.. but moving on. all meals begin with the famous bread cart. so much selection that it was very hard to choose. of course each one we picked was so delicious that we had to resist getting any more so we wouldn't stuff ourselves before our meal even began.

saffron focaccia, cheese brioche, bacon bread
brioche, basil focaccia, cheese bread

Le Caviar Osciètre Caviar on top of a bed of lump crab meat and a gelée of lobster coral.

incredibly delicious and great start to the meal. plus presentation so good.

La Tomate tomato salad infused with basil olive oil and tomato gelée topped with mozzarella dots.

the presentation of this dish was a bit bizarre.. it looked like a bunch of eyes looking back at me.
FYI - the gelée was clear and the bottom of that dish is black. This dish sounded a bit boring to me.. with such simplistic ingredients.. but preparation was exceptional.. very flavorful and interesting textures.

Les Asperges asparagus three ways - panna cotta with citrus oil, scrambled egg and toast, morel royal with yellow wine.

the panna cotta with citrus oil had an incredible mix of flavors while the panna cotta balanced out the sour notes of the citrus oil. the scrambled egg toast was classic french on a buttery crust. while the asparagus 'soup' was by far my favorite with it's earthy aroma it was soul cleansing.

La Grenouille crispy frogs leg with garlic/parsley puree, fried watercrest

this was so delicious that i ate it before i could take a photo (i had to find this one online) the texture was perfect along with the puree.. and the fried watercrest? who knew something so simple could taste so good.

Les Crustacés roasted lobster in green curry, truffled langostine ravioli, uni on mashed potato and coffee

the truffled langostine sounded much better than how it tasted.. the truffle was hardly noticeable at all but it was still decent. the roasted lobster skewered on a piece of lemongrass was over a bed of couscous and mixed with the green curry was very asian-esqe and enjoyable.
the best of all and possibly my favorite of the night was the uni on mashed potatos mixed with ground coffee. srsly who thinks of this?? the texture was wonderful and the coffee was not overpowering but just hinted so you knew it was there.. and the potatoes balanced out the seawater taste that scares most people away from uni.

Les Petits Pois pea velouté topped with an onion foam.

i was never a big fan of peas in general but this was pretty good.. i especially liked the flavors of the onion foam and the hints of smoked ham throughout this dish.

L’Os à Moelle bone marrow with sweetbreads, corn and ginger cream

a playful dish with a mix of corn and popcorn and an abundance of sweetbreads inside the hollowed out bone. the piece of marrow can be seen sitting atop the bone itself the most delicious part of this dish.. while everything else could be paired with it the sweetbreads overall were a bit salty for my taste, but the pieces of ginger and corn mixed made this even more interesting. but call me simple.. i prefer my bone marrow as is.. served with some sea salt, pickled cabbage, and grilled baguettes.

Le Bar pan fried seabass with baby leeks and lemon grass foam

with more lemongrass in this dish, it made it very thai-inspired. cooked perfectly but not as flavorful as i had hoped.

Le Veau veal with herb gelée and zucchini wrapped almonds

omg veal so delicious. we were initially a bit disappointed at the lack of wagyu beef on the menu, but this veal was incredibly flavorful and cooked to perfection. possibly best veal i've had.

Les Racines Maraîchères stew of spring root vegetables over argan oil couscous

light and a perfect end to the main dishes. simple.. yet not. and i cleaned out this bowl.

La Fraise strawberry compote infused with lime and tequila sorbet.

so delicious! incredibly fresh and flavorful, the lime balancing with the sweetness of the compote. and the mix of textures was perfect.. there was a crisp flower on top that i had crunched into the mixture prior to taking this photo.. (could not wait)

Le Chocolat nyangbo chocolate cake, light gianduja cream

decadent dark choclate. was a good mix of creamy and crunchy layers.

after this course was the petifores cart i have no idea how we were able to eat more.. but we did. another fantastic selection of goodies that i wanted to try them all!

after we left they sent us home with a rather large rasberry/pistachio cake that lasted us a few days.. as well as a few personalized menus of the evening.

overall the experience was good. service was top notch, decor was opulent, food was good. so why was it just good.. and not great?

although we were expecting the MOST AMAZING MEAL OF OUR LIVES, we were a bit underwhelmed.. but i guess that can happen with such high expectations. we had previously had the best meal ever at l'atelier in NYC, so perhaps the difference between the two is that Joel Robuchon is much more classic french as l'atelier is a bit more fusion/modern french. both were delicious, but perhaps our taste buds weren't accustomed to the flavors of classic french... plus we were a bit where's the foie gras and truffles? still it was a good night.