LAMill - My New Summer Office

Big things are happening here over at Oishii Eats. I'm on vacation, but I've been working like a mad woman getting my sh*t together for this special unleashing. (I will tell you about it later...I promise.) Anyways, I was tired of working at home because that means working in bed, which means working lying down, which means falling asleep on my face. I needed a new space to work, somewhere close, somewhere...special.

One random night I headed to LAMill. The lights where dim, the music was mellow...it was perfect. And then it hit me, this was going to be my new office space.

Dylan has already told me that I can't come here everyday. So it's only a couple times of week I'll have my special time, just me, my work, and LAMill goodies.

Brioche Donut Holes I've been craving donuts for the past few nights. These are more like beignets, but just as filling.

Chipotle Chicken Salad Possibly my favorite non-salad salad. The Farro Salad at Barbrix and Palate Food + Wine's Three Bean Salad are still my most desired. But LAMill's chicken salad is perfectly delicious. I love the precious bites of celery, apples and raisins!

LAMill makes some damn good Iced Latte. It's the perfect drink to beat the heat especially when it's too early for cocktails.

Ok. Back to work.

LAMill Boutique
1636 Silver Lake Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(323) 663-4441
www.lamillcoffee.com

Ramen California

My husband and I are rarely able to hang out in South Bay until lately when both of us enrolled in a class at Otis out near LAX. Anything by the airport always gives us an excuse to eat in and around the South Bay.

On the day of our class, Dylan was able to get out early and both of us decided to meet at Ramen California at the deep end of Torrance.

Ramen California's chef, Shigetoshi "Sean" Nakamura, came out to greet us. I usually hide in my turtle shell when chefs come out because I personally don't like telling them I have a blog. But we had two dslr's in hand and I'm pretty sure he knew. Anyways, Sean, a very young and creative chef has two established restaurants in Tokyo and his homeken in Kanagawa. So young...that's all I kept thinking!

I am a sucker for anything bread. When I moved to Osaka, I watched my friends lose weight while I gained weight because I was always loitering around all the Japanese bakeries. Japanese are precision people...their bakers are as good as their baseball pitchers. Sean makes a perfect rosemary roll that screams out steamed Chinese bun. I love it. Now throw in a kurobuta pork sausage and you have one nasty pig in a blanket.

Chef suggested we order the fresh flounder carpaccio. Dylan loved it. But I wasn't here for the carpaccio...I was here for the ramen.

Ramen California offers three sizes of ramen. I love when noodle shops offer smaller portions. We decided we wanted to share four small bowls. Of course we wanted more, but we had a lighting class in the next hour and didn't think it was wise to have a bucket of essence broth sloshing in our stomachs while moving equiptment.

Get there early if you want his coveted Reggiano Cheese Tofu Ramen. It sells out. We got there when the restaurant opened for dinner and he was out of cheese tofu. Those selfish lunchers ate all of the cheese tofu. Jerks.

The Californian - signature ramen with over 30 garden vegetables in natural chicken broth.

I recommend starting off with the Californian or the Essence ramen. Why? These are the least mutilated ramens, focusing on the Nakamura's chicken broth. In every slurp, you'll start to move away from the bowls you've had at Santouka and Ippudo. Once you get it, the purity of a chicken broth, you'll start to appreciate the rest of Nakamura's menu.

I heard he's hated at the Torrance Farmer's Market. Nakamura is "that guy" standing by the vegetables inspecting each and every one. The vegetables that appeared in our bowl were flawless.

Heirloom Tomato Ramen with housemade vine-ripened salsa. LOVED IT. The addition of the heirloom salsa added the necessary acidic balance to Nakamura's simple chicken broth. Hot and cold, umami and acid. The heirloom was my definitely my favorite for the day. The Heirloom Tomato Ramen truly showcases Nakamura's passion to integrate California fresh into ramen.

We saved the Marsala Ramen, Nakamura's curry ramen for last. Dylan and I really loved our decision to progress from simple to mean in our hand-crafted tasting menu. The marsala ramen was a great way to end our meal with Ramen California. My only gripe is I wish he offered a spicier version. Onegaishimaaaaaasu!!!


Ramen California
24231 Crenshaw Blvd. #C
Torrance, CA 90505
(310) 530-2749

It's Pickling Time - Spicy Carrots, Onions, and Beans

When our Joy of Pickling book arrived last week Dylan and I giggled with foodie geekiness as we started our new adventure in the life of pickling.

After receiving our $15 box of veggie joy from the South Central Farmer's Cooperative, I was off to find some canning jars. Our friend Michael used awesome jars for his pickled onions at our Hollywood Bowl picnic and advised me to head to Heath Ceramics. Heath Ceramics carries Weck glass jars in several sizes, which are reasonably priced at $3-6/each. (The jars are probably the only things I can afford at the store.) After buying several different jars...Dylan and I were set.

Here we go...

Spicy Pickled Carrots with Garlic and Thyme
A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg

2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 cups water
1/4 cup sugar
6 sprigs fresh thyme
5 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns, cracked
1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
Heaping 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Heaping 1 1/2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds
1 1/2 pounds small (finger-sized) carrots, or standard carrots cut down into sticks about 1/2 in wide and 2 in long
*We added a couple of Chiles de Arbol just because we can

In a medium saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, thyme, garlic, black peppercorns, red pepper flakes, salt and mustard seeds. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, and let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup vinegar.

Put the carrots in a large, heatproof bowl, and pour the warm brine over them. Cool to room temperature.

While the carrots cool, make sure your canning jars are clean.

When the carrots and brine are cool, distribute the carrots evenly among the jars, arranging them snugly. Using a ladle, divide the brine evenly among the jars. The carrots should be completely covered by brine. If not add more 2 parts vinegar and 1 part water to cover.

Seal firmly and refrigerate for at least 3 days to a week depending on the thickness of the carrots.

*Dylan and I had extra brine left over after filling our jar with the carrots. So...what to do? What to do?

We grabbed the onions and beans from our South Central box of joy and pickled them too.

Fellow Spicy Carrot with Garlic and Thyme Geeks:
Whitney in Chicago
By the Season
Exit 51

What shall we pickle next???

Honeymoon Hop - Porcão

Here's to many more years of "happy pounds." Clink!

Porcão
Barao da Torre, 218
Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro
(21) 3389-8989
http://www.porcao.com.br

South Central Farmers' Cooperative - $15 Box of Joy

After reading Delicious Coma's post on her $15 Birthday box of goodies from South Central Farmers' Cooperative, I immediately ordered mine. Here's what we got in our box today:

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• Zucchini
• Heirloom Tomatoes
• Green and Purple Beans
  
• Long Neck Yellow Squash
• Round Squash
• Carrots
• Scallop Squash
• Blue Kale
• Red Beets
• Green Cucumber
• Armenian Cucumber
• Red Potatoes
  
• Okra
• Green Romain Lettuce
• Red and White Spring Onions
  

I'm so excited to grill and pickle our special treats for the week!

Order your goodies here.

After ordering, pick your box up at the following locations:

Tuesday
Sherman Oaks Farmers' Market

Wednesday
UCLA Weyburn Terrace, Office of Residential Life, or University Village (Sawtelle)
Lawndale Farmers' Market

Thursday
LA City Hall

Saturday
Watts Farmers' Market
Leimert Park Farmers' Market
Lebec, Ca
Culver City
Bakersfield

Sunday
Atwater Village Farmers' Market
Hollywood Farmers' Market
South Pasadena Farmers' Market
Long Beach (every other Sunday)

Thanks for reading!