eG Foodblog: CaliPoutine (2011) - Surviving and Thriving in the Land o

[heidih]

Randi - what is your "go to" bagel recipe?

Also that fried tofu from the Thai place looked quite well done - was it melty in the middle?

[EatNopales]

EatNopales, now that's a recommendation!

Awesome cake, Randi!

Sorry CaliPoutine I will get out of your way now.. just one last thing... always ask for a double dip (or some au jus on the side)...

the lamb legs go into the ovens very early (like 4 AM or so)... they are their best early in the day (11 AM is a good time if you can lunch early)

Also their biscuits are pretty good... I don't know what their coffee prices are now but back when my dad still worked there it was 10 cents a cup (for a drinkable cup of Yuban).. yup 10 cents and that was in the current century.

[maggiethecat]

Good news -- back in May , last time I ate at Phillipe's, coffee was still a dime.

[CaliPoutine]

Randi - what is your "go to" bagel recipe?

Also that fried tofu from the Thai place looked quite well done - was it melty in the middle?

I use Peter Rhienharts recipe. I use High Gluten flour too. I also make the bagels a lot smaller, I usually get 8 from a half batch. I blew out my first kitchen aid from making those bagels all the time. The dough is very stiff. I just bought a 50lb bag of high gluten flour from Restaurant Depot, so if you ever want to try those bagels, let me know. I'll never go thru that much flour.

The tofu was great, it was sorta melty in the middle.

[CaliPoutine]

EatNopales, now that's a recommendation!

Awesome cake, Randi!

Sorry CaliPoutine I will get out of your way now.. just one last thing... always ask for a double dip (or some au jus on the side)...

the lamb legs go into the ovens very early (like 4 AM or so)... they are their best early in the day (11 AM is a good time if you can lunch early)

Also their biscuits are pretty good... I don't know what their coffee prices are now but back when my dad still worked there it was 10 cents a cup (for a drinkable cup of Yuban).. yup 10 cents and that was in the current century.

No dip for me. I dont eat beef and the au jus is beef.

[CaliPoutine]

We're back. It only took us 30 min to get to W. LA, but over an hour to get home. There was an accident on the 405 and traffic was horrendous.

First up is my upright frostfree freezer. When I moved back, I really missed having an extra freezer. We have a side by side fridge in the kitchen and it barely holds anything. About 6 months ago, we bought a freezer for the garage. I knew I didnt want a chest freezer because I was constantly losing things inside and it was so cold on my hands. I hated defrosting it too.

As you can see, I dont have a problem filling it up. I made some corn chowder( Cook's Illustrated) when corn was 5 for 1.00. I made some Lentil soup yesterday too.

[CaliPoutine]

First we went to Clementine for lunch. This place is very popular and gets really busy. Its a favorite haunt of celebs too. A few months ago, I saw Barbara Hershey and family there. We got here around 11:40, so no line. By the time we left, there was a really long line.

We both got the lunch specials. Half a sandwich, soup and a drink( or cookie) for 9.75. I got a medium soup so mine was 1.00 more.

J had half a BLT with applewood smoked bacon and heirloom tomatoes on country white bread. The soup is chicken pozole. I love their soups, very balanced and not oversalted.

I had smoked turkey with herby sauce, iceberg and white cheddar. I subbed cheese for the heirloom tomatoes. I'm not a raw tomato fan. The soup was butternut squash. It was slightly sweet. I get a horrible rash when I cut up butternut squash( and its hard for me to cut with my arthritis), so I order the soup when I see it.

They have really tasty baked goods. This cracked me up. I bought a sour cream bluberry muffin because it was voted best blueberry muffin by LA Magazine. I'll have it for breakfast tomorrow.

They sell a lot of ready made soups and other entrees.

Edited October 11, 2011 by CaliPoutine (log)

[CaliPoutine]

It was really filling up as we left.

Next stop, Santa Monica. It was a really overcast day today. You can barely see the ocean. Santa Monica Pier.

Edited October 11, 2011 by CaliPoutine (log)

[CaliPoutine]

Last Saturday, we took Julie's dad( who was visiting from Milwaukee) on a walking tour of Santa Monica. It wasnt just any walking tour, it was a "foodie" walking tour from a company called SixTaste. We have taken 2 previous tours, one of downtown LA and another of Hollywood. We absolutely loved them. I grew up in Santa Monica so I thought there wasnt much I could learn, but I did learn a lot. The tour guide took us to a British Tea House, where we sampled these pot pie things? I cant remember the name. One is filled with chicken and mushrooms, the other was filled with a chicken curry. We went back today so I could get them and throw them in the freezer.

I didnt realize that Santa Monica has the highest number of British expats in LA County.

I guess it makes sense, there are a lot of British pubs in Santa Monica as well.

They also make a lot of little British pastries. They have a tea room attatched to the store. The store sells all the British foods you could ever want. I recognized a lot of items from Canada.

Edited October 11, 2011 by CaliPoutine (log)

[heidih]

The soup was butternut squash. It was slightly sweet. I get a horrible rash when I cut up butternut squash( and its hard for me to cut with my arthritis), so I order the soup when I see it.

I get that rash thing with butternut squash as well. My solution is to take the whole squash, pierce a few times and set right in the microwave. I usually do 3 minutes, rest 10 minutes, do another 3 and a rest and start to pierce with a knife to test doneness. Once I can cut it in half or so and remove seeds, I return to the microwave until soft enough to easily peel. It seems, for me, the skin irritation is related to the raw state. Once it is soft enough to handle it is easy to peel and chunk up for soup or whatever use you like.

[CaliPoutine]

We walked back to Rockenwagner bakery. This is the view down 3rd street promenade. 3rd street promendate is kinda sentimental for me. Julie and I went on our first date at this AMC movie theater 18yrs ago.

This was another stop on the walking tour. We tasted 4 things from here.

This bakery is known for their soft pretzels. They are authentic because they are boiled in Lye.

We bought a soft pretzel, a muffin for Julie and a double chocolate chip cookie( pics to come later)

Its time for dinner.

[CaliPoutine]

Next stop, Santa Monica Seafood. Its been around since 1939, but not in its current location. Sometime while I was away, they moved to a bigger location and added a cafe/oyster bar.

The seafood here is amazing.

[CaliPoutine]

Here are the goodies we bought today.

We shared the cookie for dessert.

Here is the best bargain at Santa Monica Seafood. Chowder pieces for 5.99lb. I dont like salmon or tuna so I I request that they not include that.

I sprinkled some penzey's southwest seasoning on them and J grilled them for me. I made fish tacos. I *love* fish tacos. I know these are not traditional, but they are still delicious. I always have corn tortillas in my freezer. I warm them in a skillet. I picked up some coleslaw at Santa Monica Seafood too and made a quick pickled red onion.

Edited October 11, 2011 by CaliPoutine (log)

[nikkib]

That pretzel looks delicious!

[CaliPoutine]

I also love traditional fish tacos where the fish is fried. I have a huge fear of frying, I've tried it numerous times and I just think its better left to the profesionals. So far, the best fish taco I've had in Cali has been at Mijita in San Francisco( at the Ferry Plaza ).

Julie has lived in this condo since 1994. About 10yrs ago, she had the cabinets refinished. Its definitely time for a remodel.

Did I mention that my kitchen is the size of a postage stamp? Its really small and very inefficient. Its also falling apart. There are doors missing from cabinets and there are doors that dont close( hence the painters tape). I'm only including this pic because we are currently gathering quotes for a full remodel. We're also having the kitchen extended out into the dining room. It will be bigger and way more efficient. We recently bought a new oven, over the range microwave and dishwasher. All we'll need to buy is a new fridge. We have a cabinetmaker coming on Friday morning to firm up his quote and design. I'm not sure I want to tackle this project before the bar exam. The turn around time for the cabinets is only 2 weeks though, but we need a lot more work such as lighting and painting and tile, etc.

[EatNopales]

I also love traditional fish tacos where the fish is fried. I have a huge fear of frying, I've tried it numerous times and I just think its better left to the profesionals. So far, the best fish taco I've had in Cali has been at Mijita in San Francisco( at the Ferry Plaza ).

Julie has lived in this condo since 1994. About 10yrs ago, she had the cabinets refinished. Its definitely time for a remodel.

Did I mention that my kitchen is the size of a postage stamp? Its really small and very inefficient. Its also falling apart. There are doors missing from cabinets and there are doors that dont close( hence the painters tape). I'm only including this pic because we are currently gathering quotes for a full remodel. We're also having the kitchen extended out into the dining room. It will be bigger and way more efficient. We recently bought a new oven, over the range microwave and dishwasher. All we'll need to buy is a new fridge. We have a cabinetmaker coming on Friday morning to firm up his quote and design. I'm not sure I want to tackle this project before the bar exam. The turn around time for the cabinets is only 2 weeks though, but we need a lot more work such as lighting and painting and tile, etc.

Grilled Fish tacos are not untraditional.. in fact they are more common throughout Mexico than the battered / fried style.. which makes the Ensenada style a bit more "special" or "exotic". There is no coastal village in Mexico where char grilled fish, thrown on a tortilla with a local salsa & condiments isn't one of the most common things to eat.

[ChefCrash]

Nice to see you blogging Randi, thanks for showing us parts of the U.S. I've never been to. I envy you for all the seafood available to you.

How did you make the quick onion pickles?

Thanks

[Kouign Aman]

Grilled fish tacos are the best. Great idea to use the chowder pieces for them. Must remember that.

EatNopales, I thought the fried fish tacos originated in San Felipe? No? Huh. Learn something every day.

[CaliPoutine]

EatNopales- I didnt know that, thanks for telling me. The first fish tacos I ever had( years and years ago at The Reel Inn) were grilled. Thats how I fell in love with them.

ChefCrash I made the quick pickled onions with garlic, salt, pepper, and red wine vinegar. I let them sit at room temp for an hour.

The chowder pieces are the best deal. I got sea bass, swordfish, halibut and wahoo. I could have had albacore and salmon too. I think I might make those tacos again for dinner, they were yummy.

[CaliPoutine]

Breakfast today was the sour cream blueberry muffin from Clementine. I dont know why this muffin was voted best blueberry muffin in LA. It had no discernable blueberry flavor and was a tad greasy. My Jordan Marsh Big Blues are so much better. I had some non fat milk too. Ignore the peanut butter, that was for my doxies morning medicine.

Julie had the muffin from Rockenwagner and she said it was dry.

My cooking life has really changed since I've moved back to Cali. In Ontario, my small town had 3 fast food restaurants( Subway, McDonalds and KFC). There were a few other restaurants, but nothing that I thought was worth spending the money on. If we wanted to go out to a nice restaurant, we had a 40 min drive to London. So, I cooked every night and I cooked a lot. I also baked a lot for my ex to take to work. I baked as a side business and I did some personal cheffing and catering on the side. As you can see, the kitchen here is very small and inefficient. A couple years before I left Ontario, we redid out kitchen and it was a dream to cook in.

I do try to cook dinner a few nights a week. Mostly the nights when Julie is working. She is usually home by 7pm and is exhausted after 12hrs so I'm not going to make her go out for dinner. Last night, she grilled a turkey burger( from Costco) and had it on a La Brea bakery sourdough roll. She had some coleslaw too. I'm not sure what she'll have tonight, maybe the same thing. I'm going to make those fish tacos again.

[EatNopales]

Grilled fish tacos are the best. Great idea to use the chowder pieces for them. Must remember that.

EatNopales, I thought the fried fish tacos originated in San Felipe? No? Huh. Learn something every day.

Hi Kouign... Rubio's popularized that notion.. the truth is that exact origin is unknown. The proponents of the "Japanese influence" make the argument that the battered fish taco was a cross pollination of Tempura & taco traditions... that a Japanese immigrant fishing village lies just south of Ensenada (there are no Japanese communities along the other Baja coast) and because Ensenada is the major fishing & trading port of Northern Baja that the most likely occurrence of the fusion would have been at the fisherman's wharf there.

Another current of thought points out that Tempura is of Iberian origin not Japanese (entered its cuisine through the Portuguese colony in the Japanese islands)... that battered fish dressed with homemade spicy mayo is a common dish in Sonora & Sinaloa where many of San Felipe's residents come from... and the taco is just a logical market vehicle for what is a classic dish.

In the end there are many styles of Fish & Seafood tacos throughout Mexico (in Southern Baja it is smoked Ahi or Marlin stewed with tomato, onion, jalapenos & olives, in the area around Acapulco its fresh, meaty deep sea fish stewed in a similar sauce put into an uncooked tortilla, folded & sealed like an empanada & deep fried, in Yucatan they like sauteed baby octupus in its ink, in Campeche its all about Cazon shark etc., etc.... they are all good. But the concept of fish tacos go back millenia... the Spanish explorers describe them at the market in Tenochtitlan.. and in Xochimilco you can still get the same type of tacos they described 5 centuries ago.

[Kouign Aman]

Thanks EN.

Before Rubio's, my friends and I first ate the fried fish tacos in SF, and had heard of them from there before that. But hey, its not a wide penisula.

Like CaliPoutine, the first ones I ever had were grilled. My roommate made them for a spring break party.

And back to Chain City... take it away CaliPoutine!

I got a chuckle out of the 'Clemen'taschen. Have you ever tried them?

[Kim Shook]

I'm loving all this, Randi! I've enjoyed each one of your food blogs and this is no exception. Oddly enough, I actually knew about the Santa Monica ex-pat British thing. My stepdad is English and when we lived in Reseda (1969) we used to go to a pub in Santa Monica called the Mucky Duck (long gone now) and eat fish and chips made with plaice - first time I'd ever tasted it. Your fish tacos look fantastic. I am in love with fish tacos, but have to make them for myself because I've never had one at a restaurant that wasn't too spicy (another supertaster here, I've been told - I like strong flavors, but can't do heat). I remember your Canada kitchen redo - I'm amazed at what you can accomplish in so much less space in California - quite a change in space and comfort. Funny what love does to you, huh ?

[Shelby]

Enjoying your blog, Randi!

Do you think you'll ever get back into catering or anything like that? Do you miss it? I'm pretty sure you don't miss the Senior Center stuff, though lol.

I've never had a fish taco. They are something I've always wanted to try, but I haven't because my husband turns his nose up at them. He has it in his head that they are like a regular taco and he hates anything tomato (like salsa) with fish. Sigh. I need to show him a picture of yours.

[CaliPoutine]

Enjoying your blog, Randi!

Do you think you'll ever get back into catering or anything like that? Do you miss it? I'm pretty sure you don't miss the Senior Center stuff, though lol.

I've never had a fish taco. They are something I've always wanted to try, but I haven't because my husband turns his nose up at them. He has it in his head that they are like a regular taco and he hates anything tomato (like salsa) with fish. Sigh. I need to show him a picture of yours.

Shelby,

I hate raw tomatoes, I never eat salsa( unless its mango salsa) so tell your hubby you dont have to have salsa with fish. Can you get corn tortillas where you live? A fish and chips shop opened on the corner in my former town in Ontario. I bought some of the fried halibut, brought it home and made fish tacos out of it( with corn tortillas that I brought back on a previous visit to Cali). I brought one up to the shop so the owner could try it, but he just didnt get it at all. LOL. I couldnt even buy corn tortillas in Exeter, I think most ppl who dont know about them or havent been exposed to them, prefer flour. We have quite a few Mexican markets here that make their own tortillas, I could eat them warm out of the package and be very happy.

My catering days are long over. I only did it in Ontario out of necessity. I have psoriatic arthritis and its really hard on my joints to be cooking non-stop. The arthritis is the reason I went back to college and law school, because I couldnt cook anymore. I do still bake a few times a month. For instance, I baked my aunt and uncle an anniversary cake last month, I baked a few things for Rosh Hashana and I'm going to bake a cake this week for a "cakewalk". Anyone ever make a "boob" cake?

Whenever we go to my aunts for dinner or to a potluck, I always bring a few things. I belong to a few foodie groups and I'm throwing a big retirement party for Julie next month. She's also in the airforce reserves and she is retiring from that after 27yrs. All those things satisfy my cooking needs. Oh, I also bake stuff for Julie's work a lot. Cops will eat anything, as long as they know where it came from. LOL.

Edited October 11, 2011 by CaliPoutine (log)