food

Day 136: Wine Tasting

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We spent a relaxing day at the South Coast Winery. The weather was chilly at first, but warmed up later, which made  for  a pleasant afternoon.

We did the winery tour and wine tasting, which included a food pairing. The winery was crowded and for good reason: each wine we tasted was excellent and our tour guide was knowledgeable and passionate about wine.

I’ve gone on many tours like this one and they’re all enjoyable, even if they’re predictable: the tour group is  quiet at the start, but by the end of the tour and several tastings, everyone’s laughing and having a good time. It’s exactly why my wife and I keep going on them.

Day 134: Fung Brothers

Fung Brothers

Fung Brothers

Thanks to my wife sharing a news item with me about the Fung Brothers, I just binge-watched an hour’s worth of their videos on youtube.com. I’d already seen the hilarious “Asians Eat Weird Things” song with AJ Rafael, but this was the first time I watched any of their other videos. It’s easy to see why they landed their own television show: they’re passionate, funny, and brilliant.

I loved the pop culture references, the music, and the energy in each 5- to 10-minute clip. I had a blast watching them and learned a lot, too. My number-one lesson? Don’t watch on an empty stomach. I’m craving Din Tai Fung, The Hat, Korean BBQ, fried rice, and boba right now.

Day 128: Ajisen Ramen

Ajisen Ramen

Ajisen Ramen

We celebrated an early Mother’s Day with my mother-in-law tonight at Ajisen Ramen in Rowland Heights. It doesn’t compare to the legendary Daikokuya and other top ramen spots in Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley, but Ajisen is always satisfying and I like the modern decor of this Japanese-based chain restaurant.

After inhaling the baby octopus and fried tofu appetizers (both were delicious), we dove right into our ramen. I went with the Premium Pork Ramen this time and left a happy camper. There are many excellent ramen shops in the area (Ramen Yukino Ya and Foo Foo Tei, to name just two), but Ajisen has never let me or my family down.

Day 127: Din Tai Fung

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Din Tai Fung

You know a meal is good when you’re still thinking about it days later. Din Tai Fung does this to me every time. The xiaolongbao is perfect. The service is fast and efficient. The other food, from shrimp and pork shao mai to the sautéed string beans with garlic, is excellent.

It’s consistently great, but none of this matters if the company is bad, right? Fortunately, I’ve always found myself here with my wife, family, or good friends.

Outstanding food with amazing people: it’s the only pairing that matters.

Day 108: Riverside Tamale Festival

imageToday was one of those great random-type days. My wife had told me about the Riverside Tamale Festival earlier this year and we promptly forgot about it. This morning she noticed a reminder on her phone about the event. After a late breakfast, we drove out to Riverside and walked into the festivities at noon.

The festival was held at White Park and there was a terrific, low-key vibe throughout the area. There were a lot of families, all chowing down on tamales. I thought there might be more fusion/experimental tamales, but most were traditional (pork, chicken, chile and cheese, beef, along with some pineapple and strawberry dessert tamales). We were too full to try the cajun fusion tamale, but we loved the vegan sweet corn and poblano from Gourmet Tamales. Pictured above is the chipotle pork BBQ tamale from Me Gusta Gourmet Tamales, which lived up to its award-winning hype. The sweet masa in this tamale paired well with the pork.

We hung out for a few hours, enjoying the mariachi performances and all of our munchies. Since one can only do so many tamales on a warm day, we were grateful for the vendors offering pepinos (cucumbers served with chile and lemon) and raspados (snow cones with various ingredients; we shared a delicious coconut and tamarind mixture).

Afterwards, in keeping with today’s randomness theme, we stumbled upon the wonderful Center for Social Justice and Civil Liberties. Located next to White Park, the center is a resource for education about civil rights and social liberty in the mid to late 20th century. In a nice bit of kismet, the center is also the home of the Mine Okubo collection: Okubo was the writer and illustrator of Citizen 13660, one of my favorite books from my college days. I had no idea she was a Riverside native and the entire second floor of the center was dedicated to her artwork, which was bequeathed to Riverside City College after her death in 2001.

As we explored the exhibition, I thought about the first time I’d read Citizen 13660. My memory is a little fuzzy now, but I think it was for an Asian American history class. What I do remember, though, is how cool I thought it was that a graphic novel was being used in a college course.

I kept my copy for many years until recently, when I gave it to my stepdaughter. I hope it moves her like it did me; it’s a remarkable work and a classic of Asian-American literature.

 

 

Day 107: Calamansi Juice

Calamansi Juice

Calamansi Juice

There’s a produce vendor at my local farmers market that I’ve become friendly with and one day I asked if he could get calamansi for me. None of the other vendors had it, but being a kababayan I had a feeling he’d be able to find some for me. He promised that he’d have some the following week and true to his word, he had a few pounds of freshly picked calamansi.

The calamansi is a small tart fruit that Filipinos use in many dishes. Healthy trees bear fruit all year long; it’s typically squeezed onto pancit or sisig, but it can be used in a variety of ways. It’s used in my favorite dessert these days, mango empanadas, and after I had made my latest batch, I had plenty of calamansi left over.

There was only one thing to do with all of that fruit, of course: juice it. My parents made this throughout my childhood, a cure for whatever illness my brothers or I had. My dad liked to serve it hot and it did seem to have magical healing powers, but I prefer the ice cold version. With the weather jumping back to the 80s, the juice on the rocks is my preferred way to keep cool.

For anyone who can find some of this delicious fruit, here’s a simple recipe for calamansi juice.

 

Day 102: Seafood Sunday

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Fish market

My brother and his wife hosted their annual seafood lunch today. It’s always a fantastic day of eating and relaxing and today was no different. We feasted on steamed snapper, Santa Barbara crabs, Manila clams, Littleneck clams, smoked salmon, and smoked albacore from the fish market. We also brought barbecued chicken, salt and pepper pork, salad, fried rice, steamed rice, and a few desserts to the picnic, so all of the major food groups were covered.

It was a gorgeous day and my wife and I managed to squeeze in a 5K walk along the beach. I definitely needed it after all of the eating and relaxing.

Day 97: Fresh Off the Happy Hour

Tacos and cupcakes, yum!

Tacos and cupcakes, yum!

Mrs. G. and I didn’t feel like cooking tonight, so it was time for Taco Tuesday at our local taqueria and cupcake happy hour at our local designer cupcake shop. The food was good, filling, and inexpensive, but more importantly it was devoured in time for our favorite show: Fresh Off the Boat.

I’ve talked about my love of the show before (here, here, and here) and while watching the after-show Fresh Off the Show I learned that the final two episodes are airing soon. It’s been a critical success so far, which should guarantee its renewal, but you never know what Hollywood executives are thinking.

So, in keeping with the positive #RenewFOTB vibes on my Twitter feed, here’s hoping ABC does the right thing with this groundbreaking show. I want more adventures of Eddie and the Huang family. I want more diversity on the air. Most of all, I want more quality television.

Day 81: Quality Time

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I had a little work to do today, then had a relaxing dinner with my family. We went to our favorite Salvadoran restaurant for pupusas, horchata, and conversation, which inevitably turned to how much we loved yesterday‘s amazing hand rolls at Kazu Nori. Yes, we love to talk about food while we’re eating.

After our meal, it was a few games of Zombie Dice and Ticket to Ride for more laughs and relaxation. I finally managed to win a game of Ticket to Ride; my stepdaughter’s a natural and she’s been crushing me and my wife since we started playing.

Food, conversation, and games. It’s what makes up my favorite Sunday Funday.

 

Day 80: Train-ing Day

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Metrolink Train to L.A.

 

I love public transportation, especially in the big city. While Los Angeles is known for its car culture, it has an underrated railway and bus system. The trains and buses run on time and they’re clean (for the most part). Whenever my wife and I decide to go to L.A., we usually take the Metrolink to Union Station, where we then take the Metro Rail (we love the Red and Gold Lines) to explore downtown and beyond.

Today we went to one of our favorite parts of downtown, the revitalized area around 4th and Main. Many moons ago I worked in this neck of the woods and I love seeing how different it is these days; it’s no longer a scuzzy part of town. Now, we can browse in the phenomenal The Last Bookstore, visit historical landmarks, and find great food.

Our lunch today was simply amazing. Or, simple and amazing. At Kazu Nori, you have a few choices of hand rolls, each one made right in front of your eyes. I love the simple menu, the easy ordering system (get in line, mark which combo you want on an order sheet, eat, then pay on your way out), and, most important, the delectable, delicious, and divine sushi. The interior is sleek and modern, the service efficient and prompt.

And that’s exactly why I love taking the train: it’s efficient and prompt. Not to mention that I save money on gas, don’t have to pay parking fees, and suffer no sitting-in-bumper-to-bumper-traffic stress.

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Kazu Nori Salmon Hand Roll.