Food Trucks: Sometimes You Just Need Carbs..

So as you can tell, I’ve been pretty healthy recently.. Well sometimes a girl just needs some carbs! Having a pregnant sister that lives around the corner is a really good excuse too. So we went to the Moveable Feast just down the road. It’s a street food market set up in the parking lot right by the VTA stop at Curtner & Canoas Garden. There are usually about 15 or so trucks that vary week to week. There are both sweet and savory trucks, and some even take credit card over a certain amount. As it’s set up in a parking lot, little buckets are provided by the Moveable Feast group (along with temporary toilets). It can get pretty busy so be prepared to wait in line! But it’s usually worth the wait.

Here are some highlights.. Check out the Grilled Cheese Bandits. (Need I say more?!) One thing I noticed about these guys is that they were really nice and organized. They made sure to label both our orders. And I really like how they serve it in a box. Despite being just a small sandwich, the fact that it’s in a box and not wrapped in foil means it doesn’t get soggy! And FYI the Texas toast was the most incredible, light, fluffy, crispy bread.

The Butch Cassidy (provolone, Russian dry salami, Organic San Francisco sourdough batard)

The Dillinger (garlic jack with homemade garlic seasoning on Texas toast)

Our next stop was the Little Chef Counter which specializes in Poutine. Poutine is a dish that originated in Quebec. It’s a dish of French fries topped with gravy and cheese curds. The Little Chef Counter have elevated the dish one more step by adding either braised short ribs or duck confit. Feast your eyes on it…

Poutine with gravy, duck confit and cheese curds

Another great truck that I didn’t manage to get a picture of (because I was too busy eating..) is the BBQ Kalbi. We had a Bibimbahp Burrito which was filled with grilled meat, rice and lots of veggies and sauce. Their side sauces were great too.. There was a mango one we loved. As you can see, I have no photo because I was unable to stop consuming the burrito! Definitely a must try..

And last but not least, I must rave about Fairy Cakes. These guys are almost always at this Moveable Feast location and thank goodness for it. I dream about these cupcakes.. I’ve had Sprinkles and Magnolia’s.. But these cupcakes.. First of all I love their unique flavors like my favorites: the Elvis (organic banana cake filled with chocolate ganache, topped with peanut butter buttercream) & the PB&J (rich vanilla cake with raspberry jelly surrounded with peanut butter buttercream). Their carrot cake is also extremely exceptional.. They’re so good I’ll be ordering them for my sister’s baby shower! Highly recommended! Oh, by the way, they serve it with ice cold Organic low fat milk. So perfect.

Fairy Cakes

Sigh.. At least we walked back to my sister’s house after this piggy session! Until next time..

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Farmers Market Figs With Bacon (Of Course)

San Carlos

Last week I popped into San Carlos to meet a friend. I was so pleasantly surprised when it turned out there was a farmers’ market going on – otherwise known as Hot Harvest Nights. It was so picture perfect that evening. It was a very comfortable 70F-75F degrees. There was some live music playing. Fresh produce and hot food stalls lined the street. There were couples of all ages and little kids running around. I bought some fresh figs from one Organic farmer and settled into The Cask Wine & Cheese Bar to wait for my friend. I had a glass of Pinot Grigio and their aged English cheddar with orange preserve and crostini. The wine was cold, the cheddar slightly salty, the windows open and a nice breeze coming through. I would definitely come back to this place to have a proper meal. The service was really great too. Unfortunately, my friend wasn’t able to make it, but I came away with some delicious figs. The market was also extended one more week, so I might just go back this Thursday!

Line the tray with foil to make for easy cleanup!

As for the figs – I decided to roast them with one of its perfect partners: bacon. The saltiness of the bacon offsets the sweetness of the figs. It’s also incredibly easy to make this little nibble. Use either bacon or prosciutto (which would cook faster). Cut the tops off, wrap it around the figs and stuff either blue or goat’s cheese inside. Drizzle honey over it and roast them at 350F until the bacon is crispy. Check out this perfect hors d’oeuvre and others above in Nina’s Nibbles.

Sweet, crispy, gooey goodness

 

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Being a Foodie in London (Events & Markets)

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been keeping myself busy with an abundance of food markets and events in London. And I’ve quickly learned.. there are PLENTY of both.. although I think I may need to find some sort of sailing or car event to satisfy my husband who’s been obliging my foodiness 🙂 I’ve blogged about Borough Market before but here are a few more events and markets I’ve been too recently and some old photos too.. As these photos are about being a foodie in London, I thought it appropriate to share a link to a blog I’ve just discovered The London Foodie written by a Japanese-Italian Londoner born in Brazil. Check it out!

Various Veggies at Borough Market

Meat at Borough (incl my all time favorite truffle mortadella)

Seafood (and a crispy duck sandwich) at Borough

Raclette (type of cheese & a Swiss/French dish of crispy gooey cheese!) at Borough

Experimental Food Society Exhibit at Truman Brewery (tried camel's milk ice cream!)

Cupcakes baked in quail eggs (creative but not easy to eat!)

Various Food Shapes

Mealworms, lambs testicles and more!

Whitecross Street Market

Hope you enjoyed the photos. I’ve been eating very well as you can see! The Experimental Food Society was, as expected, very interesting. From cupcakes in quail eggs to medicinal marshmallows.. I even ate my first ‘bug’ : a mealworm! It had been fried so really it was just a crunchy thing that didn’t taste like much. One day I’ll get the courage and opportunity to try something realllyyy “insect-y” like grilled crickets. Here are some links for the photos above:

• Borough Market
• Gastronomica
• Experimental Food Society
• Ginger’s Comfort Emporium (for camel’s milk ice cream)
• Pomp de Franc Cake Society (for the mini cupcake and cupcake in quail eggs)
• Whitecross Street Market
• Eat My Pies (for pies, scotch eggs and more! at Whitecross Street, owned by the Foodnetwork UK chef Andy Bates)
• Wild Game Co (for the venison burgers and more at Whitecross Street)

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Vegas Uncork’d – Fashion Feast Gala

As promised, below are photos from the Fashion Feast Gala in Vegas on May 8th – the final evening event of the 4th Annual Vegas Uncork’d (presented by Bon Appetit). As a “delicious evening of style and taste”, Fendi provided the style and Bellagio restaurants provided the taste. The restaurants represented at the event included:

• Olives – provided oyster hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. Chef Owner Todd English and Executive Chef Jaime Mendoza were on hand as well.
• Picasso – served the first course of Maine Lobster Salad Salpicón with tropical fruit, green apple and champagne vinaigrette. AAA Five Diamond Award winner and Executive Chef Julian Serrano introduced his dish on stage. When we said hello to him before dinner started, he insisted I take a photo of him and my mother 🙂
• Le Cirque – served the second course of Diver Sea Scallops “Black Tie” with Périgourdine sauce. Also a AAA Five Diamond Award winner, Executive Chef David Werly took the stage to speak about his dish.
• Michael Mina – provided the third course of Poached Breast of Squab “Bastilla” with spring peas, carrots and spiced jus. As a AAA Four Diamond Award Winner, Executive Chef Marc St. Jacques introduced his dish.
• Prime Steakhouse – finished with the final course of Kobe Strip Steak. Also a AAA Four Diamond Award Winner, Executive Chef Sean Griffin wrapped up the evening.
• The host for the evening was Bon Appetit‘s Editor-in-Chief Barbara Fairchild. The co-Masters of Ceremony were Bon Appetit‘s Executive Chef Cat Cora and Olympian American figure skater Johnny Weir.
• Sadly we didn’t make it to the dessert reception, but there were Fendi bags made entirely of chocolate!

Overall it was a beautiful event in one of the Bellagio ballrooms. However, I think I prefer events like The Grand Tasting where it’s more informal and you have such a wide variety of food and restaurants to try. Below are photos from the evening. Hope you enjoy!

The runway

Fried oysters with carpaccio beef (from Olives)

 

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4th Annual Vegas Uncork’d (May)

This is a very delayed post, but over Mother’s Day weekend last month I was fortunate enough to attend the Vegas Uncork’d event in Las Vegas, hosted by Bon Appetit Magazine. I attended the Grand Tasting on the Friday eve at Caesar’s and the Fashion Feast Gala Saturday eve at the Bellagio. Both events were so impressive but also very different. 

The Grand Tasting, as you can probably guess from its name, was a very large spread at the Garden of the Gods Pool Oasis at Caesar’s. There were over 75 chefs representing more than 50 of the famous restaurants in Las Vegas plus over 100 wines and spirits from around the world. I’m sorry to say but it definitely kicked Arizona/New York/and London’s food festivals out of the water. Here’s a list of the highlights from the event that made it such an unforgettable experience: 

• THE SET-UP : The organizers for this event did such a great job ensuring that the many restaurant booths and lounges were spread out and accessible to everyone. There weren’t that many places to sit or tables to stand at, but it didn’t feel like an issue. Also, it was great that food and beverages were mixed so the lines were spread out.
• THE FEE : In addition, the event had a flat fee which meant you did not have to buy additional ‘food or beverage’ tickets like many food festivals do. Even though the entrance fee was much higher, it meant the lines were much shorter and you were therefore able to visit more booths.
• THE CHEFS : Bon Appetit really delivered and there were several famous chefs actually making and/or serving food at their booths including Cat Cora (Exec Chef for Bon Appetit), Bobby Flay, Charlie Palmer, Jean-Philippe Maury and many more. As the event began to wind down, I saw many of the chefs going around to other restaurants and sampling their competition. It was really fun to see them socializing and also the camaraderie/respect shown amongst the chefs. Every chef we spoke to was extremely nice and enthusiastic about the event (especially Cat Cora!).
• THE DRINKS : Again Bon Appetit delivered in regards to the variety of wine, beer, champagne and spirits at the event. The only downside was that when they gave you your plastic wine glass at the entrance, they failed to tell you that you had to hold on to that glass. After awhile it was a fight to find clean glasses, but we managed.
• THE FOOD : The most important point of course! The food was, of course, delicious. It was such a treat to have samples from some of my favorite Vegas restaurants and also to try ones I’ve never been to. I tried my best to keep track of what I was eating from where, but it was excitement overload for me as you can imagine. Some highlights include the miso-glazed cod from Nobu, the signature Artichoke and Black Truffle Soup from Guy Savoy and the brown-sugar brined pork chop with Black Mission fig-Bourbon barbecue sauce from Country Club.

Now here are some photos from the Grand Tasting for you to enjoy. Apologies for some of the blurriness and poor lighting. I tried my best to take photos and eat at the same time! 

Miso glazed cod & hamachi from Nobu

 

 

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THE GREAT ARIZONA PICNIC

As promised, I attended the Great Arizona Picnic yesterday as part of the Scottsdale Culinary Festival. This was one of those great summer events – even though it’s ‘summer’ (weather) here for the majority of the year. But it seemed like everyone was there – families, students, young professionals, retirees, and more. The event was held near Old Town Scottsdale and was expected to have up to 40,000 people attend. It was definitely well attended, but the great thing was that it never seemed too crowded. Lines were very reasonable, and there was always a place to sit. It really did feel like a picnic with lots of people lying out on the grass with blankets. There were 50+ restaurants and vendors at the event with a wide range of products and cuisines. I took lots of pictures to share, but keep in mind this wasn’t a gourmet food festival! There were actually a lot of ‘chain’ restaurants with booths there – from Kona Grill (they brought an entire fish tank!) to Sushi Roku to The Melting Pot. But there were a few artisan places like the Arizona Bread Company, The Gelato Spot and The Lollicake Company. 

All in all, not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon – eating good comfort food, catching up with an old friend, and people watching 🙂 

CLICK BELOW FOR THE REST OF THE PICTURES! 

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THE FIRST ANNUAL ARIZONA BBQ FESTIVAL

Last weekend I attended my very first BBQ festival right here in Scottsdale. Something that I’ve learned about Arizona is that, due to its almost-year-round sunny weather, locals are really into putting on outdoor festivals. They range from various music festivals (jazz and blues, etc) to cultural festivals (Asian themed or just ‘international’) to foodie festivals. Although this was the first time this event was put on, it seemed like it was a success.

Theme of the Day = Pig!

It was located down by the Scottsdale waterfront, across from Fashion Square mall on a large dirt parking lot with tents set up. With a $10 admission charge and $2 tasting tickets, it was a pretty decent set up. I liked that it wasn’t too spread out nor did it feel overcrowded. My cousin and I arrived around 2pm and there were still loads of people (the tasting ended at 4pm). We decided to just make our way around with no agenda other than to eat and get a cold beer (it was in the mid 80’s!). Our obvious approach was to go to the stands that had the longest crowds (assuming they’d have the best food).

First up was The Mission which is a modern, Latin restaurant in Old Town Scottsdale. They were not in the competition but were selling small versions of dishes from the restaurant. Tiff had already told me that I had to try this place as it’s one of her favorites. So we got the combo platter with a chicken taco, pork shoulder taco and grilled sweet corn. As we waited for our tacos the smells coming from the grill were intoxicating and made us all the more hungry. I must admit I am not a huge BBQ (sauce) person, but once you get that smell in your nose you really can’t say no. Plus you just think about the tender, smoked pork melting in your mouth and that memory reminds you that you’ll eat it even if you’re not hungry. As Tiff promised, the tacos were delicious. The pork shoulder taco is served with pineapple glaze, cilantro and cotija cheese. The chicken taco is served with oregano, lemon, aji Amarillo, cabbage and more cotija cheese. If you’ve never had cotija cheese, it’s a slightly salty yet mild Mexican cheese. The texture if very much like feta in that it’s firm and crumbly. One of my favorite ways to eat cotija is with grilled corn on the cob and lime juice. Both tacos were so refreshing and were packed with lots of flavor. I will definitely be making a trip to The Mission some time soon.

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