Nuff Nang

May 27, 2009

Opening in Malibu :: Cafe Habana

I know I know... I said I was on pause, but I just came across a little something on the Internet. If you've lived in Malibu for 4 years - which I now have - you are bound to have tried and tested all the food places in the area; from Nobu, which costs an arm and a leg to Lily's, which is the best hole-in-the wall burrito joint around. After a while, you pick your favorites and become constant patrons due to the slim pickings in this little beach town. Wellllll I read here on Eater LA about a new place opening in Malibu: Cafe Habana. It's described as home-style Latin food with unique Cuban and Mexican accents. Interesting. I've never heard of it before, and I'm assuming you haven't either (if you have, lo siento), so let's get familiar >> Check out the restaurant's website and we can then decide on what we think of the new addition to Malibu's restaurants!

Photobucket

[pause]

Patti's Palette is pressing [pause] for a little bit - a sunny and relaxing beach vacation in Thailand is calling my name out loud. On that note, it means that I'll be coming back with lots of local Thai delicacies to blog about and share with everyone!

Also, stayed tuned for my B.I.L.S (Before I Leave Singapore) series. So far the lineup consists of *Sushi Tei*Crystal Jade*Raffles Grill*The French Kitchen*

May 22, 2009

It's err, 2 o'clock somewhere...

At the moment, I'm an ocean away from my beloved Malibu, but I'm still keeping in mind all my dope-a*s friends on the West Coast. I want them to transition into summer with great outfits, great weather and of course, great cocktails! Great outfits -  I trust my stylish sisters to take care of that themselves. Great weather - Cali takes care of that one. Great cocktails - I present... *drum roll please* Summer Fridays at the Viceroy

Their new summer happy hour by the pool-side Cameo Bar starts at 2 and ends at 6.  Get this, the price tags of all beverages are dictated by the time of day; if it's 2pm, your drink is $2, if it's 4pm, your drink is $4, u get it... Bar bites are wallet-friendly as well, think mini sliders and quesadillas. YUM. I expect you guys to find a DD, put on something cute, and get ready to kick off the summer in style!

Miss you guys. Xo

Photobucket

May 20, 2009

Skippy Natural, Where Art Thou?

Over the past few months, I developed a serious addiction to Skippy's natural peanut butter - my stash would be gone in a matter of days. 14 servings per jar; ya right! I like how the product uses palm oil rather than hydrogenated oil, which is a big no no. The palm oil also eliminates the usual oil separation that is seen in natural peanut butters. You don't even have to refrigerate it either, room temperature is perfectly fine. To my disappointment, NONE of the supermarkets here in Singapore carry Skippy Natural :( It makes me so sad. I have to face the fact that I will be continuing to experience withdrawals until Chris brings some back for me in a few days... Thanks Chris for saving me! I can't wait to make velvety smooth PB&Js!

Photobucket

May 19, 2009

GQ's Opinion on American Pie

First I shared with you where to bite into the best sandwiches in the country... Now, I'll share with you where you can find the best slices of pie in America. Pizza pie, that is. GQ went on a quest to answer one question, and one question only: Who Makes the Best Pizza on Earth? And guess what... They came back with 25 answers!

Photobucket
Above: Number 16 on the list, Antica Pizzeria (Marina del Ray) makes it with their Pizza del Cafone

*Take a look [Make sure to view the slideshow]

May 18, 2009

Love your Liver

As I mentioned in a previous post, fresh juice is a guilty pleasure of mine. Being home, I get to try out mom's list of juice recipes with the no-fuss heavy duty Breville juicer that's so easy to operate, kids could make their own concoctions. What did I juice up recently? The Liver Energizer!

*Beetroot*Coconut Juice*Ginger*Mint*

I did a little bit of presentation this time -photo op ready- and saved the coconut shell to use as my all-natural juice glass... If you can see in the pictures below, I also scraped the coconut meat as well so that I could have some "noodles" at the end of my sipping!

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Strawberry Banana Supreme

Try this quick, easy, *healthy* smoothie to give your morning that boost it needs :)

Photobucket
Slice up fresh strawberries

Photobucket
Peel and break into fourths 2 bananas

Photobucket
A nice dollop of natural yogurt
A splash of soymilk

Photobucket
Put all the ingredients into a blender

Photobucket
Goodmornin'!

May 17, 2009

Cora's Coffee Shoppe

After getting my car serviced at a ridiculously early hour in the morning, Jon and I stopped to have an impromptu breakfast on the way back home. Our bright and early destination? A quaint little cafe nestled on Santa Monica's Ocean Avenue by the name of Cora's Coffee Shoppe. They do an excellent job at setting the scene for a quiet meal letting you forget about the cars, busses and noise from the nearby roads; for a quick second, under the leafy iron arbor, one could be sipping coffee and having a little bite to eat on the streets of Paris. The establishment shares the same kitchen - and chef - with Capo, the fine-dining Italian restaurant next door. Come here to start off your morning with freshly roasted coffee and breakfast* the way you like!

*Breakfast is served all day

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket
Steel Cut Oatmeal

Photobucket
Rotisserie Tacos de Carnitas

May 16, 2009

Sunday in the Park

Who: Share our Strength's Taste of the Nation

What: Sunday in the Park

Where: Media Park, Culver City

When: June 14, 2009

Why: "Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation is the nation’s premier culinary benefit dedicated to making sure no kid in America grows up hungry. Each year, the nation’s hottest chefs and mixologists donate their time, talent and passion at more than 45 events across the United States and Canada, with one goal in mind: to raise the critical funds needed to end childhood hunger..." (continue reading)

Photobucket

||Great Food||Great Cause||

Clementine

It seems like every other day I'm writing about a place that shops local and tailors their menu seasonally... Clementine is another addition to that list. Their tag-line is homemade seasonal food. At this neighborhood bakery cafe, everything is prepared from scratched and made with love. It's quite similar in concept to Huckleberry. Clementine's brick building and self-titled awning is a homey indoor/outdoor space all in orange, tangerine and of course, clementine tones. The simple, fresh, easy fare appealed to my parents. Remember, I was playing hostess while they were in LA...

Between four of us [Mom, Dad, Patti, Jon], three of us picked the speciality salads featured in the deli case and the odd one out, ahem Dad, ordered a cold sandwich. I found the menu online (here) so I'll do the picture descriptions below. Enjoy the photos; I took snap shots of the other goodies offered as well!

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket
Tuna Deluxe; tuna salad + sun-dried tomatoes + arugula + basil + toasted olive bread

Photobucket
Grilled Chicken Salad; marinated in yogurt + indian spices, tossed in cilantro +mint + cashews + ginger-lime pickled onions
Soba Noodles; scallions + sesame ginger vinaigrette
Fruit Salad; kiwi + pineapple + strawberry + blueberry + grape + watermelon

Photobucket
Barley Salad; cucumber + ricotta + scallions + mint
Roasted Asparagus; red beets + blood oranges + shallots
Spring Vegetable Mix; sugar snap peas + sweet spring carrots + cauliflower

Photobucket
Barley Salad (above)
Edamamae Salad; edamame + wild king salmon + scallions + herbs
Beluga Lentils; flame raisins + mizuna + toasted pepitas

May 15, 2009

Follow Kogi on Twitter

Follow Kogi on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/kogibbq

You gotta find out where they're at! They're always on the go I'm telling you; clubs, hotspots, college campuses, street corners, you name it. The online community is Kogi-fied.

Photobucket

Alibi Room x Kogi

Small crowds of people are waiting, just waiting... They update their Twitter feed and BOOM! The Internet bullet has fired and tweeted the current whereabouts of a certain taco truck, which allows LA locals to instantly line up and enjoy some of the hippest food in the area: Korean Bbq Tacos. Yep, you heard that right.

Kogi BBQ has developed this cult-like following that fuses both the food and Internet social phenomenon that consumes Los Angeles. This concept blends the mouth-watering goodness of Korean Bbq with the manageable transportation of Mexican staples [tacos, burritos, quesadillas] and transforms it into a one-of-a-kind dining experience! We know tacos aren't Korean, and kimchi isn't Mexican - but in LA, this works. Very well. If mega long lines and timely waits aren't telling signs, I don't know what are. (Make sure you order enough food the first time!)

You know Jon, Chris and I leaped in the car when we found out Kogi opened their first kitchen at the Alibi Room in Culver City. Their signature taco is one filled with korean short ribs; the best chops of meat marinated in their special sauce all topped with sesame chili salsa roja, julienne romaine and cabbage, chili-soy vinaigrette, crushed sesame seeds and sea salt. Damn, street food is steppin' up! Their short rib sliders are burger style, very similar, except with sesame mayo and grated cheese. A spicy zing to the french fries we ordered made them different than the traditional bar-food type. If you're one who's open to trying new flavors, the kimchi quesadilla is one to test out. Filled with a Mexican cheese blend and spicy Korean kimchi, served with red pepper sour cream to dip, this dish gets two thumbs up from me. To complete the experience we had to order Chef Roy's dessert of the day, the combination brownie. A traditional warm chocolate brownie accompanied with cold caramel sesame ice-cream. There's just all sorts of East-meets-West with Kogi... Spread the love!

Photobucket
Alibi Room x Kogi

Photobucket
Short Rib Taco

Photobucket
Short Rib Sliders

Photobucket
Kimchi Sesame Quesadilla

Photobucket
Korean Spiced Fries

Photobucket
The works

Photobucket
P&C stuffing our face

Photobucket
Chef Roy's Daily Special: Combination Brownie

May 14, 2009

Huckleberry

Ever since Huckleberry recently opened, I always noticed their signage as I drove along Wilshire in Santa Monica. I had been wanting to try the new spot and the opportunity arose when my parents asked for, "You know, a sandwich-soup-salad cafe sort of place." Perfect. This artisan bakery/cafe/catering concept would be a great place for a nice lunch out!

It's very casual, and not so spacious inside. Communal table seating and ordering at the counter is their style. Only open for breakfast and lunch, the smell of fresh-baked carbs is enough to lure in customers who keep the place hustling and bustling. I believe their specialties are the enticing array of baked breads, pastries, muffins, tarts, bars, cupcakes, pies, mousses - you name it! They also do the light, casual lunch; colorful salads, sandwich creations and warm soups. My parents, Jon and myself shared quite the rainbow of a salad trio (beets + kale + couscous) and the tender pulled pork sandwich. One thing I thought was unique was the filtered water they provided for dine-in patrons in tall glass jars. Hey, it saves you from buying bottled.

This is another place where the menu is primarily driven by locally-sourced market fresh ingredients. The owners, in fact, are local too! Zoe Nathan and Josh Loeb were born and raised in Santa Monica. For more info on them - and the Cafe - check out the Cafe's website. Since Jon played official photog for lunch check out the photos from his schhweeet-ass camera.

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket
Blog Widget by LinkWithin