Fogata Mexicana

I've drove by this place a few times within a week. And every time I would check the reviews, it would remind me that they have a $1 fish taco deal every Wednesday. I was feeling a bit under last week and decided to stay home to rest (conveniently on a Wednesday). Being pretty hungry and wanted to stay local, I remembered this place, finally.

2123 San Gabriel Blvd
Rosemead, CA 91770

Pulling in, I had high hopes that this was going to be one of those "hole in the wall" gems that people rave about. Honestly, I am sick of people raving about how great a joint is because it's small, cheap, family owned, friendly service, in a ghetto neighborhood where you shouldn't be bringing your Chanel, the best secret find. Yeah, I'm sure you can tell where I'm going with this place.

When pulling into the small cramped parking lot shared with the donut shop, you kind of think to yourself "Ooo, donuts sound amazing right now" but then you remembered, "Oh that's right! $1 fish tacos!", and you think you are winning because this was going to be a gem in the neighborhood where nobody knows about.

Once we stepped in, all you can smell was oil and bad insulation. You know, when you are frying up some chicken or potatoes at home and you realize the oil is too hot creating a whole mushroom cloud of smoke that you are fighting to open all the windows and doors to air out your house? That's what we walked into. And there was definitely no chance of escaping from it. It made me skeptical. Doubt my judgements. Maybe the donut route was the better choice. But I am a sucker. Just give me that smile and you can just take my money.

Just take my money.

View fullsize

Fish Tacos

The batter for the fish tasted like it was soaked in oil for a long time. Oh, by the way, it took a while for these tacos to come out. Yes, it looks beautiful and delicious, which it kind of is if you like the flavor of burnt oil, but the flavors could've elevated if the oil that was used didn't taste old, cooked at the right temp (one of my fishes were burnt on the bottom), and added some more flavors and seasoning to the fish and salsa.

View fullsize

Eggs and Chorizo

Was overcooked and the chorizo had no flavor. This was a safe dish to order, but I've had dirt cheap chorizo eggs that tasted a lot better (even the samples they make at Costco are tasty!).

Maybe it's just a bad day? There was only one chef and one guy running the whole place. He was very kind and hard working. I would come back just to show support for their dedication to serve the community.

Next time I go back, I'll try their meat tacos, their fish tacos again, and this giant taco called Old California. Just imagine a giant taco that's deep fried.

There are also a lot of other joints in Montebello/Whittier/East LA has a TON of $1 fish taco Wednesdays that are AMAZING. I'll venture off on that soon, just for you.

Daiisies

Hashbrown Breakfast

Here I go again. OK, so watching Homeland till like 2-3 in the morning has not been the best thing for me. I am groggy during the day and my blood pressure has possibly gone up from all the stress that has been going on from seasons 1-3. Now that I've completed season 3, I can relax for a bit, because there wasn't really a cliffhanger that begs me to start season 4.

Don't tell me I don't have a life. I have a life, and that involves watching whatever I want, eating whatever I want, and basically doing whatever I want. Don't you want this life too?

Breakfast was simple this morning. It consisted of Eggs, Bacon, and homemade Hash browns.

The video was shot on my iPhone 5S so please forgive the quality.

Everything is pretty much self explanatory. Eggs and bacon.  For the Hash Browns, I got one large russet potato which feeds 2 people and sometimes even 3 depending on how large it actually is. I scrubbed the potato under some running water making sure that it is clean. I didn't peel my potato, but you can always do so.

I grated the potato on the coarse side with a standard box grater (I used OXO < click for reference). A quick rinse will help relieve the starchiness of the potato. Make sure the potatoes are dried with a towel to relieve the moisture. On medium high heat with your choice of oil, layer on your hashes. I let it go for about 3 minutes before deciding to flip. You will know it's read to flip when the hash browns become a sheet from crisping on the bottom.

One important rule! Don't forget to salt your hash browns! I'd rather have NO hash browns than to have bland ones. AND! A nonstick pan was also used.

I sliced up a Spanish (Yellow) onion and sauteed it to pour over the hash browns. The dish is served with ketchup and hot sauce.

View fullsize

Daiisies breakfast plate

This face was inspired by all of you. Because this is how you make me feel. I don't even know how to explain the way it looks. Kind of like the cookie monster right? Gosh I feel so freaking creative right now. Give me a moment....

I am forever turned to home making hash browns. If you are going to make a big batch, use a food processor. I decided to use a hand grater instead since I didn't feel like washing an appliance for one potato.

Good Morning ;P

Daiisies

Pop's Cafe - Hangover post #1

It was one of those mornings. One of those 'I know my body is not going to cooperate with me' type of days. It was a hot humid Sunday, and I felt like I was crawling in my own guilt. Dehydration.  My Jameson rendezvous from the night before. Those 2 thoughts just circled my head all day and I would think about how I am just going to stop, and never drink again. And then, I started thinking 'wow, I'm really hungry'. Like, really hungry. So hungry I drank some soup my dad made me that has been sitting in my fridge for a whole week.

After a short glimpse of what's in the hood, we ended up somewhere a little stretched away from the hood. Because the food looked like it was going to be bad for me. And my body needs more bad, to counter out the other bad that is making me upset. Yes that makes a lot of sense to me.

Pop's Cafe is in Downey going South of the 5 freeway. 12 miles away from my nest.

 7840 Florence Ave Downey, CA 90240

View fullsize

Pop's Country Breakfast: Sausage Biscuit and Sausage Gravy. Served with Irish potatoes and egg.

This was what brought me here. This is the ultimate hang over cure. A heart stopper that will put you out of your misery. A day like this, coffee is not your friend (even though I did have coffee). I've been to a few diners, and for some reason, they don't serve gravy with sausage in it. Why? WHY?

“Tell me why, Ain’t nothin’ but a heartache
Tell me why, Ain’t nothin’ but a mistake
Tell me why, I never wanna hear you say
I want it that way”

— BackStreet Boys

Sorry, when I happen to say a phrase that's in lyrics I know, I submerge myself in the moment.

Pop's do carry their biscuits and gravy in real sausage gravy. The consistency of the gravy was a little thick, but it was the perfect choice for my current state. John as you can see there, ordered the 2 stack with hashbrowns and 4 slices of bacon. No, he was not hungover.

Irish potatoes here, are hashbrowns with sauteed onions and green peppers on top. I chose a sunny side up egg because I want the rich yolk with the rich gravy. I'm telling you, I am going all in. But that's not the reason why I chose this dish.

View fullsize

sausage

A sausage patty between the biscuit. That's it. That's why I chose it. I wanted the sausage patty and thought it sounded ridiculously satisfying for my painfully twisted body with a throbbing head. I ate as much as I could before feeling a dark cloud closing in. Like my body was ready to go into a deep sleep.

That is when you know what the term Hangover Cure means. You need something that will take you down. Because trust me when I say sleep is what you need. I went home after this, and knocked out. Woke up in sweat thinking my hair was still wet from the shower this morning. I felt so freaking amazing! Well not 100%, but at least I'm not feeling like I'm rocking in a boat anymore.

The rest of the day consisted of watching more Homeland with John and doing laundry. There were a few intermissions where I would contemplate about how I survived. And how much I appreciated life. And how I love everyone and everything. The couch, my water, being able to watch Homeland, awaiting dinner, going to work the next day. My hangovers are pretty serious.

So to recap. Hydrate with water. Eat crappy, comforting food that puts you in a coma. Drink more water. Pee a lot. Take a nap. And be a couch potato.

What's your hangover cure? If it's drinking more, we definitely cannot be friends.

daiisies

Instant Ramen - Frozen Dumplings - Egg. dead.

What time is it? Whether it's 2am, 10am, or 2pm, it's always a good time to whip up a quick meal before dinner time. I went to the gym today and was starving when I got out. I was thinking about everything I wanted to eat while spinning. As I closed by eyes, I started going through what I had at home. Within no time, my hour on the bike was up. Peace out 20 miles, it's Friday and I shouldn't be at a gym.

View fullsize

Instant ramen, dumplings, and egg.

Ingredients are simple. Get your favorite instant ramen or whichever one you are craving at the moment. Frozen dumplings. Don't know which ones to get? Sorry I don't know either. HAH! Just kidding but not really. If you go to an Asian Market on the weekends, there will probably be samples with a lot of bags going on this blowout sale. That's when I would buy a few body bags of frozen dumplings. I am not going to pay $6+ for a bag, so wait till they go on sale for like $2.50-$3ish. It's a steal.

Timing. The first thing that I do is heat up a non-stick pan with some oil heated on medium high to high depending on how hot your stove is. I like my pan HOT (By the way, I used canola oil). I also started heating water for the ramen. Once you drop the dumplings in the pan, it will start sizzling like sh*t. This is when I would tuck my arms in like T-rex. After about 1 minute, I would add water and cover it with a lid to steam the dumplings. Add enough water where it cooks out after 3 minutes or so. If there is still water left, don't worry it will cook out/evaporate.

Once your dumplings are steaming, drop the ramen in the boiling water to cook. This will be quick. After your noodles are done, pour it into your bowl and arrange your dumplings (the bottom of your dumplings should have a nice golden brown). Now, quickly crank up the heat on the same pan you used to make your dumplings, add some oil and fry up an egg. I season my eggs with salt and togarashi pepper. Slide your egg on top of your noodles and voila, I am your BEST friend.

The egg should be crispy with a nice golden butt. The yolk should goo lusciously all around.

Comfort Food. E N J O Y.

Daiisies

Pan Roasted Asparagus, Fried EGG, lemon everything, Oro del Tempo Piave Vecchio

This dish is SUPER easy to make. So cancel all your plans, and grab yourself a bunch of asparagus, lemons, eggs and Cheese! Because there is no excuse. It was hot as hell this week in LA and I still managed to cook, so put on that apron or that one cooking outfit you know you haven't washed in weeks.

View fullsize

Beautiful Citrus Asparagus Egg - But... you should see how my kitchen looks after...

This dish is so decadent, you will look like you were in culinary school for years. I am SO hooked on this dish right now, and it doesn't take much at all. Tell your friends you had this in Italy.

Recipe (for 3 people or one... lol)

• 1 pound of asparagus - try to get the thicker stems for more texture and flavor.
• 1 Lemon - juice and zest
• 3 eggs (Happy Eggs)
• Cheese: A lot of people use Parmigiano Reggiano, but I am using Oro del Tempo Piave Vecchio, which can be found at Whole Foods. The flavors taste like a matured Gruyere. ABSOLUTELY SHAAABBAANNGG.
• red chili flakes.

Ok. First thing FIRST. I started heating the pan on high while I shave off the ends of the Asparagus. Please do not skip this step, unless your asparagus still have a beautiful elasticity on it. Also, cut off the dry ends. No one wants to have a hard, dry chewy bottom, not even your dog. When your pan is hot enough, throw in your asparagus and coat them with the olive oil. Once they start charring, I tossed in some Kosher salt. On a separate nonstick pan, I started frying up an egg.

And next thing you know, it feels like so much sh*t is going on because you didn't prep anything. *runs for cheese*, *oh sh*t the grater*, *omg the asparagus!* *THE EGG!*. Please get your prep together, unless you can work extremely unorganized like I do. When the asparagus has a good char all around, remove it away from the heat and start plating.

Zest your lemon over the top of your asparagus and put some in the pan for the oils to release. I then squeezed half a lemon into the pan to pick up on any excess flavor. After about 15 seconds, pour your light dressing over the asparagus.  Top the egg, dazzle with some red chili flakes (or black pepper if you prefer), and shave loads of cheese.

Please show off to your friends, and tell them I taught you. But if you destroy the recipe, tell them someone else taught you. Make sure your eggs are sunny side up. Crispy edges is a major plus. GOOD QUALITY EGGS ARE A MUST (I used Happy Eggs).

Enjoy. And let me know what you think. Lastly, don't cook your asparagus to death.

View fullsize

It must look like this.

Cheers!

Daiisies