445 S Figueroa St · Los Angeles, CA 90071 · Neighborhood: Downtown
I was recently invited back to Border Grill to enjoy a little cooking demonstration and brunch courtesy of chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger! Little did I know that they have been doing these “cooking class” demonstrations for while now. It the was the first time I had the opportunity to watch them cook together up close and personal and I really get a feel for how well they really work off one another. Together, they are a blast of humor, energy and charisma. It’s no wonder they had their own show on the Food Network for so many years.
These “two hot tamales” demonstrated some easy, yet sophisticated alternatives to making eggs and toast for breakfast. They cooked, we watched and then ate.
“Who buys Bloody Mary mix?” (no one raises their hand)
“Who makes it at home?” (no one raises their hand)
“Does ANYBODY drink Bloody Marys anymore?” (silence then laughter)
“Well, what DO you guys drink in the morning!?” joked Mary Sue.
Throughout the two-hour long demonstration, they engaged in the entertaining banter that made them the well-known celebrity chefs that they are. They shared simple tips like “listen for the sizzle,” discussed the importance of wiping off your kitchen knife’s blade to preserve it longer, or why one should make sure to flip pastry dough as you roll it out — so that it doesn’t stick, of course. They even went into explaining proper knife skills and the basics of honing and sharpening your knife at a 45 degree angle. The audience “ooooh-ed” and “aaaaah-ed” (a la Emeril Live). Some took notes while others insta-gramed each dish.
The pair encouraged us to ask questions and comment throughout the demo. Someone in the audience shouted out, “You two should go on Iron Chef!” To which Susan replied, “We did! And we beat Bobby Flay!” Mary Sue humorously corrected, “Well… we tied.” This was way back in 2005 and just goes to show how long their career as a successful duo has spanned.
Their cooking show was one of the first to put Food Network on the map. They were the first female chefs at Chicago’s El Perroquet (where they met in 1978), and have numerous successful restaurants and cookbooks to boot. There really isn’t anything these two haven’t achieved during the course of their 35+ year long careers.
If I may be blunt, they are pretty badass. These are savvy business women and amazing chefs. As a young woman, business owner and food enthusiast, I am super inspired by the the work they do and the great example they set for young girls and aspiring chefs everywhere.
This cooking class was a great reason to get up early on Saturday morning, devourer some tasty dishes and meet these two incredibly talented and super friendly ladies.
Here’s a look at what we drank and ate:
Thanks to Yoko Isassi for being my date and special thanks to Megan and Border Grill for inviting me!
BYB Tip! For $20 bucks Border Grill downtown is featuring a weekly changing menu of bottomless small plates every Sunday from 5 to 9 pm. Short ribs, shrimp and grits (see above pic) and quinoa fritters are on the menu along with half-off pitchers of margaritas. Whoo!
Tonight, Ting Su, co-owner of Eagle Rock Brewery is celebrating the two-year anniversary of the Women’s Beer Forum with a new line of special beer glasses. A forum that started out recognizing a need to educate women about craft beer, has grown a loyal following among avid beer drinkers and those merely “beer-curious”.
Ting wanted to take advantage of this special anniversary to help raise money for a great cause. A portion of proceeds from ticket sales tonight and from the beer glasses sales will be given to the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition. Also, those in attendance this evening will get to take the specially designed glass home for keeps.
As the only women’s beer group of this caliber in the City of Los Angeles, I wanted to speak with Ting about what achieving the two-year mark means to her and what she foresees for the future of the Women’s Forum.
Read on for the full interview after the jump:
What was your original intention when you started the Women’s Beer forum back in 2011?
When we first started, it was something I wanted to do to recognize a need to educate women about beer and encourage women to try more types of beers. When I was representing the brewery at events, people would see me walk up to the bar and almost assume (because I was a woman) that I didn’t know what I wanted to drink or that I didn’t know anything about beer. I had this idea to educate women, it was always something that I wanted to do.
Why do you think it has grown to become so popular?
I think that women are drawn to the fact that the event is unique and also genuine. It was designed specifically for the ladies by a lady. It is not contrived in that sense. I think the authenticity behind it means a lot because it is both educational and fun. Like other women, when I am having a shitty week or month and I just want to decompress, I just want to hang out with my girlfriends. Maybe it’s because I am in the beer industry and I am surrounded by a bunch of dudes all the time, but I think ultimately there is a draw to this type of experience with other women. You can learn something, you can try some new beers and it’s just a really fun, relaxed environment.
Have you had to turn anyone away?
I have to turn guys away all the time! Particularly the way that that I structure the flights and the types of beers that I curate for it, I get a lot of guys who ask if they can cross dress to join the crowd. It’s silly, it’s really funny. But I hold firm, it’s just for the ladies, guys.
How do you choose topics for each event?
When I’m curating, I look specifically for beers that are incredibly drinkable, unique, well-made beers. Beers that fit the theme well and are quite balanced and have really good taking points. They might be interesting beers that you can discuss not just on their merits but also with fun stories. I try to get some special beers that you really couldn’t get otherwise. For example, this week we are going to be focusing on beers from Pizza Portin Solana Beach. They don’t distribute their beers, so you don’t generally see their beers outside of San Diego. Having a relationship with Devon Randall, the head brewer, being able to go down there, talk about the beers and decide which ones are going to be included in the flight… there’s a lot of thoughtfulness and planning that goes into each of the flights – I think that’s the draw.
Do you have mostly regulars or new faces?
Both. It’s pretty evenly spread. We get everyone from newbies to female home brewers coming out to the events. We have our consistent regulars and there are always a handful of new faces for each one. We are pushing 70 RSVPs on this one tonight. We take over the entire brew house sometimes.
You’ve done some interesting themes and you haven’t repeated a single one yet. What has been your favorite event to host thus far?
There are so many! I like the pairing ones a lot because they are fun to set up. We had a beer and cheese-pairing event where we teamed up with Hot Knives, they are vegan chefs and cookbook authors. Also, we did a sort of “How To” on pairing – how to identify flavors and how to determine which beers would go with certain foods. For me that was really entertaining. I teamed up with Jessica Christensen over at Rush Street and City Tavern in Culver City. That one was a lot of fun. Each theme is so meaningful to me, it’s like choosing a favorite kid. It’s hard to choose.
Why did you pick the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition as your charity partner?
We have been really fortunate with the amount of support we have had for the Forum and I wanted to tie in something that would be beneficial to women. I wanted to work with an organization that focuses on women’s health.
You have a background in healthcare?
I used to be a physical therapist and I have a doctorate degree in physical therapy. I have always been really involved with patients who have medical needs. I wanted to raise awareness for something that is not very well funded, not very well recognized and supported, you know, not on such a large scale as the pink ribbons that you recognize with breast cancer awareness. It is just something that I really wanted to do.
What are some plans for the future of the Women’s Beer Forum?
I think it would be fun to do a roving beer class for my home girls that are always traveling over up from the Orange County or the Westside… Also, one of the things that I have been wanting to do, and it might be totally insane, but I think it would be a lot of fun to take a group of ladies on a field trip Belgium and explore the brewing processes and visit the different breweries as an insider.
That would be rad! I think a lot of ladies would be down with this idea!
I would probably go insane figuring out the logistics and I don’t know if it will actually ever come to fruition, but it’s an idea that’s been bouncing around in the back of my head and I think that would be a really fun and unique experience.
Well, the Women’s Beer Forum started out as just an idea and look how much it has grown. You never know…
Thanks for sharing your story with us, Ting!
The Women’s Beer Forum is held every third Wednesday of each month. Be sure to RSVP on the Eagle Rock Brewery website and come thirsty!
Read more about Backyard Bite’s adventures at the Women’s Beer Forum in a previous post, here!
Last week I received an invitation from my blogger pal and actress buddy, Lynn Chento accompany her to a blogger event hosted by Thermador Home. The party / meet up / inspirational talk was thrown by dynamic food-photography duo Todd and Diane from whiteonricecouple.com and I was blown away by their photography, recipes and positive messages about lifefrom their site. I wanted to get the chance to meet them and partake in the festivities.
So off Lynn and I went to the “White Party”. Don’t worry they weren’t being racist, they just wanted us to all wear white to see which blogger could last the longest without spilling red wine on themselves. Only kidding. I am amazed I made it out clean and dry!
After Diane and Todd led a chat about blogger goals, common fears and positive creative encouragement, we all headed to the luxury kitchens to mingle, drink and sample some very tasty bites prepared by Thermador Executive Chef Kyle Jakobi.
It was a great chance to meet some bloggers (cooks, photographers, reviewers, fashionistas) from all around — some coming from San Diego, others (like us!) drove over an hour and a half in traffic from L.A. Yikes! Or even farther! Yes, we are a dedicated bunch of foodies…
Fun from the photo booth…
And then…
The loooong ride down was indeed a trek but well worth it. Our foodie conversation in the carpool lane helped to work up our appetites!
Thanks Lynn for inviting me as your +1! And thank you Todd, Diane and Thermador Home for throwing such a fun little soirée!
537 S Western Ave · Los Angeles, CA 90020 · Neighborhood: Koreatown
Strip mall goodness. I had been wanting to try the sweet potato latte at Mr. Coffeeever since a party goer mentioned it in passing at a recent Superbowl party.
Sweet potato and coffee? The combination really piqued my interest. So a few weeks later I headed to…
In a nutshell, it’s a loungey, hotel lobby type coffee house located on Western in the heart of K-town (right across the street from the popular craft brew pub Beer-Belly). The café was pretty empty for an early Thursday afternoon, but with it’s sexy interior and sleek decor, I got the feeling that it was more of a late afternoon or late night, after the bars joint.
My awesomely talented relative friend,Lisette Schuster was my coffee date as we sipped and sampled.
There was no “scene” and I love that the place was a bit reclusive and quiet compared to so many other coffee houses that double as virtual student offices.
So, how did the sweet potato latte taste? Well, imagine pureeing a purple yam and then heating it up with milk. It tasted a bit how you would imagine it would – sweet potato-y. Because it was a really warm drink it actually made me want to curl up and take a nap. It felt like a good dessert beverage. I’m not sure how much espresso was actually in there but it sure was pretty to look at.
I found this easy recipe to make it online so I’ll experiment and make it at home with some adjustments.
I was however really digging on the frappes that our neighbors at the table next to us ordered. Maybe on my next visit I’ll order one of those or get a sweet crepe orBingsoo (shaved ice with fruit) dessert which is their supposed claim to fame here!
It was lunchtime and we were looking for savory food (which they don’t serve), so we finished our drinks and headed down the street to Fat Fish for some dive sushi – a Lissette recommendation! Located at…
3300 W 6th St · Los Angeles, CA 90020 · Neighborhood: Koreatown
It was your classic conveyor belt sushi place. Nothing fancy, but the big draw is that they have Happy Hour all day — $2 dollar plates ALL DAY!
But good luck trying to take a picture as your lunch is zooming by!
I had about 5 plates (2 pieces of sushi per plate) and a cup of miso soup which totaled just over 10 bucks. This is a great place for anyone like a student who is on a budget!
BYB Tips:Mr. Coffee is great for late nights (open until 3 am), comfortable lady chit-chat, after-the-bar-chillaxin, quiet day-time work zone w/ wifi and laptop plugs.
Fat Fish is a cool budget friendly sushi dive! — Just don’t bring a date here or she’ll think you are a cheapo.
With all it’s rich history and diversity, you can expect everything from touristy sticker stores, peanut butter makers, fruit and meat stalls, ethnic restaurants (Singapore’s Banana Leafand Pampas Grill), various resident mom and pop shops and current food trendy restaurants like Short Order and E.B’s…
Now, throw in a stall that is modern, yet whimsical, providing unique and quality coffee beverages and you get… Single Origin.
Located in a stall in the rear of the Farmer’s Market, or the front, depending on which way you’re facing…
Sourcing the best high quality ingredients: Tcho chocolate, Verve coffee roasters & Strausmilk — they are committed to making a quality cup of Joe. These guys care about what you drink. Sharing a space with the tasty pastry shop and bakery Short Cake which whom they also share owners, (the late) Amy Pressman, Bill Chait & Nikolas Krankl, you now have a place to fill that third wave coffee craving right in the mix of all those familiar shops of the Market.
Single origin coffees, in which the beans are sourced from a single geographical origin are the purest form of coffee available. Coffee nerds, rejoice! The flavors are bold and pure and go well with a hazelnut croissant. Speaking of croissants…
I had the pleasure of meeting with head-baker of Short Cake, Hourie Sahakian (Named one of Zagats 30 under 30!) and some of the good people at L.A.’s newest fave bakery-burger-coffee trifecta. Tourists don’t know just how special these places are, but us locals know what’s up.
Standouts include Nik’s Cold Brew and Aunt Nancy’s Shakerato which is a whopping four shot espresso drink!
Still not sold? Here’s a little video to help you wet your whistle…
BYB Tip: Leave the laptop at home, it’s a stall in the market guys! Just come, enjoy a drink, and buy a stickerat the Market while you’re there!
Enjoy!
Special Thanks to Chris, Mike, Cesar and Hourie for showing me around!
5000 York Blvd., Highland Park · Neighborhood: Highland Park
I happened upon this super cute little coffee shop while touring the neighborhood with a friend. It’s nice to be able to walk down a street in L.A. and see the community out and about. We passed a few hip bars, lunch spots and Scoops ice cream shoppe as we sipped our coffees and admired the dog walkers and hipster passersby on the gentrified street of York.
Café de Leche use the Portland brand, Stumptown coffee – which is AWLAYS a plus in my book. Also, they offer horchata espressos. Sure, why not?
Yes, it was laptop central, but there is also a small play area in the back for toddlers… a thoughtful touch catering to hip-ilies (hipster + families?).
Best of all… this neighborhood bird awesomely photo-bombed the picture I was taking of their storefront sign!
Notice his location… he clearly wanted to make it into the blog.
I am so excited to be co-sponsoring this super fun food and beer event with the sausage kitchen, Knackig and my new favorite L.A. craft brew house Eagle Rock Brewery! This event will be an intimate gathering of great food, great beer and amazing people. Cost is 20 bucks and includes tastings of four gourmet sausages from Knackig and local craft beer pairings fromEagle Rock Brewery. If you’ve never had their beers, you are in for a treat. Read about my recent beer re-education, in my previous poston Eagle Rock Brewery and see below for details.
The location for this shindig is downtown at Mignon Wine Bar· Located at: 128 E 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90014
Seating is limited and tix will sell fast so if you want IN, click the link and bring your appetite.
It’s Valentine’s Day! Being a big fan of artisan chocolates, I ran a quick poll on Backyard Bite’s Facebook page to see what sorts of chocolate/ chocolatiers are on people’s radar these days. The results were somewhat expected and also delightfully surprising.
As a kid, I loved Hershey’s, Crunch and Nestle brands. They are of course, a good introduction to the world of chocolate for your average kid. They were perfect then for my young unrefined sweet tooth and my meager allowance budget. However, these chocolate brands are the equivalent to taking your beau to a Sizzler or an Olive Garden for V-Day. They are predictable and generic.
As I got older, my taste buds became more refined, as well as my obsession with darker chocolates – especially artisan, hand crafted chocolatiers and chocolate makers.
In my Facebook poll, my friends gave shout outs to their favorites like the easily available classics such as Leonidas, Lindtand Ghirardelli. A teacher of mine mentioned the popular and funky, hand-made dark chocolate company, Dude, Sweet Chocolate based out of Dallas (thanks, Andrew!) which offers the “Love Potion”, a vodka and coffee infused chocolate sauce as well as some of the tequila and bourbon varieties. (Yum! Pass the bourbon chocolate, please!)
As for me, whenever I’m stumped for Valentine’s Day gift ideas or just want to give someone I love something casual, cool and tasty, I give of course, some really good chocolates. Without further adieu, here is my Top 10 list of gourmet Chocolate ideas – for Valentine’s Day (or any day really!)
1. Coracao Confections – Truffles to die for. Gluten free, dairy free, soy free, killer-delicious, raw cacao truffles that are made by a bay area native who’s committed to making you fall in love with these good-for-you chocolates. I love their caramel bar and espresso ganache truffle. It’ll will be hard to restrain yourself from eating the whole box in one sitting!
2. Cocoagraph – I ordered a picture of my abuela and myself and sent the custom chocolate picture over to my special lady. This trending chocolate company allows you to snap and send your favorite photos to be made into custom edible chocolate polaroids. Perfect for gifting that special someone with an edible memory.
3. Moonstruck – I first sampled this Portland based chocolatier a few years back, instantly admiring them for their intricately decorated chocolates and handcrafted truffles. I was happy to learn recently that they sell their chocolate barsat my local Whole Foods!
4. Mast Brother’s – These bearded chocolate makers make making chocolate look easy. (Say that 5x fast!) Based in NYC they are available locally at Monsier Marcel locations (3rd and Fairfax farmers market, 3rd St. Promenade & Beverly Hills).
5. Compartes Chocolatier – Chocolate = Art. I started following this Westwood based chocolatier simply because of their artisan crafted chocolates were so cool and beautiful. Perfect for someone with an eye for design or art. These are so unique looking, you may have trouble eating them for fear of parting with such beauty!
6. Teuscher Chocolates – Good truffles and legit dark chocolate will run you roughly $2-4 a piece at this Swiss chocolatier. With chocolates imported directly from Zurich, Switzerland, this chocolate boutique is definately all about the quality, not the quantity. I used to work around the corner from Teuscher and would grab a mid-day truffle or I’d drink one of their gourmet hot chocolates to warm up in a sweet way. Speaking of hot chocolate…
7. Spazio Café – Gourmet drinking chocolate is this Euro cafe’s specialty! Get your sweetheart a gift card to this newly opened Italian café in Santa Monica. Along with decadently flavored espressos, you have 18 different varieties of gourmet sipping chocolates to saver and swoon over as well. It’s a perfect sip of chocolatey heaven for any chocolate lover. I liked the hazelnut and banana flavored hot chocolates!
8. Madame Chocolat – Hasty Torres, the wife of Jaques Torres, the famed New York based chocolatier a.k.a, “Mr. Chocolate” creates decadently beautiful creations. Forget chocolate hearts – get your lover some high-heels! – of the chocolate variety that is.
9. Christopher Elbow – This is a popular company based out of Kansas City which combines “modern culinary artistry” and “traditional hand craftsmanship” in their chocolate creations. I got a really cool box of colorful chocolates as a gift from my beau upon returning from a business trip in San Francisco (they have a satellite locationthere). These chocolates were a lovely, tasty and beautiful chocolate treat and are definately a fancy-pants (or should I say, fancy-“elbow”) chocolatier. Spy their websiteand drool.
10. Choffy, The Chocolate Coffee – This chocolate and coffee hybrid uses 100% Premium organic cacáo beans and supplies you with longer lasting energy without the crash or negative side effects of caffeine. It’s brewed just like a cup of coffee in a french press. Watch the video to see Choffy in action. Read more about it, here.
Want more chocolate? Watch my recap from the Chocolate Invitational,a festival of chocolate, from this past year by clicking, here.
5410 W San Fernando Rd · Los Angeles, CA 90039 · Neighborhood: Glendale
Last month, I was able to check out the super brew gem, Golden Road Brewing Companywhile attending my first ever, Winter Situational, a beer and bloggers networking event located in the “pub within a pub,” Chloe’s secret large back room. I call the brewery a super gem because I had to take two highways, make a couple of shady back alley turns over what looked like abandoned train tracks and then bust out my keychain flashlight to find the place.
The place reminded me of the mid-western breweries I used to visit in Chicago. It was a packed house full of beer aficionados – definately not bad for a Tuesday night. For the special event they provided small appetizers, beer sampling and plenty of networking opportunities.
I tried the Get up offa that Brown a traditional English-style ale which had a subtle smokey malt taste. Their Barleywine was also good and strong. As a fan of darker beers – these two were nice as they were big in taste and full in flavor.
John Palmer and Drew Beechum, authors and home brewers, partook in a little Q and A and gave some tips to the attentive (mostly dudes!) beer-loving audience about home brewing methods and on writing about beer.
I chatted with the super cool Bobby Solomon from The Fox is Black blog and Tim Mather the creator of the rad, UnTappdapp which allows you to “check in” to beers as you drink them.
I ordered a bread pudding croissant off the bar menu to wash down my beer.
Then wandered around the rest of the bar and made mental notes for a speedy return with a gang of friends.
Being that I never went to culinary school but always wanted to go, I love taking the occasional cooking class. When my foodie friend Marianasked me if I wanted to check out Foodstory, a cooking workshop about authentic Japanese cuisine, well, that was an easy “Hai onegai shimasu!” Translation… “Yes, please!” I went to see Yoko to find out more.
Yoko told me that she wanted the experience of her classes to resemble what cooking was like in your own home kitchen. I asked her how it all began…
Click to watch her story.
Read more about Yoko’s classes from a previous post!
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