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Thrive House - Algae Oil

October 29, 2015

I've got to say, I was really excited when I received an invite to taste Algae Oil by Thrive. I know what it is... but in oil? I've never heard of such thing. Thrive is the first and currently the only culinary Algae Oil on the market. With that being said, their mission is straight to the point:

“Our mission is to advance nutrition through algae oil to help people live better lives”

— Thrive Culinary Algae Oil

Being at this event, we learned that the average person gets only half the daily monounsaturated fat -Also known as MUFA-. What is Monounsaturated fat? I hope it's pretty obvious by now that I am not a dietitian. All I can tell you, is that Monounsaturated fat is the good fat that we find in an avocado. The GOOD fat we are talking about here. Guess what one tablespoon of this oil gives? It's equivalent to one avocado. One. I don't know about you or if you've noticed, but avocados are expensive. And I'm sorry, I can't eat an avocado a day even though I love it. But Algae Oil? I can use that in absolutely everything. And being at this dinner proved that.

Upon entry, we were greeted with friendly smiles, and Oh My God look at that view

Gorgeous right? Tucked away in Hollywood Hills, this was definitely a million dollar view. But honestly, we were greeted with wine. A definite yes! And here I thought, I was going to eat vegetables and extremely raw green food.

No. I hear something in the background. Sizzling. The smell? Beef fat. What is it? Oh you just wait.

I was just talking with my coworkers today, about how I cannot do Goat Cheese. Just something about the earthy, grassy, musky taste of it. And I knew, this was goat cheese. But like all foods, I try to keep trying foods to appreciate why everyone likes it. Verdict? I loved the combination. The goat cheese was very mild which complimented beautifully with the sweet roasted grapes. The grapes are roasted in balsamic, rosemary oil roasted and infused with Thrive algae oil. I am definitely going to make this at my next cocktail party that I throw. I knew I should've ate more. I just should've.

Forgive me for the camera shake. It was such a challenge to keep the chicken on the stick without it twirling around. These were fantastic. So juicy, tender, flavorful. Served with a roasted red pepper salsa with some Thrive oil. ideas? Chimichurri madness. I am so excited to make this dish on my own with the Algae Oil.

Not going to lie, I had 2. These are minis I know, but when you have an extensive course ahead of you, you would want to pace yourself. Simple, clean, crunchy and decadent. By the way, I was not even think that I was consuming Algae Oil. So far, the flavors are very light and balanced.

Attention! take your seats. At the table, we talked about ourselves, what our blog entails, and most importantly, what Thrive is all about. I can really see the passion in their eyes when speaking about the difference they want to make in every household, every beating heart.

Without further ado, it's time to eat.

First Course

Roasted Beet Salad - Marinated Goat Cheese, Toasted Walnuts, Champagne Vinaigrette, Roasted Beets marinated and Blended with Thrive Algae Oil.

Seared Kampachi & Ahi Sashimi - Togarashi, Citrus Segments, Lotus Root Chips, Jalapeno Ponzu, Shiso, Seared, with Thrive Algae Oil.

Beef Tataki Salad with Fall Greens - Mizuna, Daikon Radish Sprouts, Shiitake Mushrooms, Miso-Dijon vinaigrette dressed with Thrive Algae Oil.

So yummy, and one of the best beat salad compilations I've had. Again, I'm not a big goat cheese fat, but the way they infused the oil into the cheese just made it more mild and smooth. It definitely compliments the beets an the toasty walnuts. This might just change my perspective on goat cheese because of the oil.

Remember earlier when I said I smelled sizzling beef fat? This was it. So on this note, Thrive's Algae Oil has a high smoke point at 485 compared to Peanut Oil at 440, to Canola at 400, to olive at 375, and to corn at 320. Is that amazing or do we need to shut the door? I am so interested to see how this will sear with my Ribeyes. This dish was extraordinary. Exceptional. The beef was beyond tender. And this was one of the best Tataki takes I've had. I loved the vinaigrette that they created, with the subtle touch of the oil to give it a slight slick. Amazing.

This was love x's infinity. Throughout the course, everything was extremely balanced. I told the Brand Manager Joshua, that I am eating food. Like, literally. Everything that I was tasting, tasted like how it should be. Nothing was masked in any flavor, but the ingredients spoke true to itself. The serrano pepper that made my ears hot in the best possible way, drizzled with ponzu, with the shiso... it almost felt like I was having a Kaiseki.

Second Course

Tea Smoked Salmon with Crispy Skin - Soba Noodle Salad, Baby Bok Choy, Sweet Peppers, Edamame, Yuzu Vinaigrette, Wild Salmon seared and dressed with Thrive Algae Oil.

Crispy Chicken - Blistered Green Beans, Tamari Ginger Dressing, Sesame Seeds fried, baked and dressed with Thrive Oil.

They delivered on crispy. This dish reminded me of something my mom or dad would make as I was growing up. The flavors of the green beans is not something you will find typically in a restaurant. I honestly, haven't flavors like these beans since childhood. It definitely made me reminisce to the foods I grew up eating.

This was one of my favorite dishes. I loved how the tea smoke gave the salmon this beautiful sweet seaweed flavor to the skin. There was slight peaks of Yuzu that brought the dish together, not too much, just perfect. The bok choys were also a nice texture element to this dish. I am such a happy girl.

Dessert

Flourless Chocolate Cake - Black Sesame Brittle, Mandarin, Green Tea whipped Cream. Cake is baked with Thrive Algae Oil.

This cake was so moist. It felt like a Molten lava cake. The center was slightly wet with crusty edges. Not trying to freak anyone out, but this opened up my palette and I was hungry again. I don't even know how this is possible... to taste so freaking good, but it did. And I hate myself for loving everything so much.

As we are finishing up the rest of the wine, some guests were headed out as Ubers were being called. Me? I just wanted to stay in this house. They have enough oil to last me a while.

The end results? I am definitely going to start using Algae Oil. I am extremely pleased and impressed by this product, and how pure the flavors were to the dishes that were created. Not only that, it's better for the planet. At Thrive, they believe in nourishing people today and for generations to come with the earth's resources in mind. Their target for Thrive Algae Oil will be one of the most sustainably produced cooking oils, with more Thrive Algae Oil per acre of land, and a low carbon and water footprint, than nearly all other cooking oils.

Currently, you can only find Thrive Algae Oil at a Los Angeles Gelsons Market. But don't worry, you can always order their oil at their website: http://www.thrivealgae.com/buy-now/

I can't wait to share some culinary adventures with this product. It really reflects a lot of purpose with my blog, Food Within Reach. You don't always have to eat out to have a fantastic meal. Thrive proved that with their oils with their Gourmet, but yet simple meals.

Stay tuned for recipes you see above.

Go get your Thrive Algae Oil today!

Daisy

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LaLas Argentinian Grill

October 28, 2015

A colleague took me here for the first time back when I worked in Hollywood. I didn't know what to expect, but knew the food was going to be great based off of tasting their chimicurri.

Going a little deeper with their chimichurri sauce, it was basically freaking amazing. I never remembered it to me pulverized like some restaurants, but you can still see a few of the leafy bits. My friend ordered 2 because he didn't want to share. Now I get why.

I've tried many things here. But one thing I was surprised on how delicious it was, were their burger.

I'm a burger snob. There's just nothing I love more than a good patty between bread. And when they ask you how you like your burger done, you know you are in for a good treat. It had good meat flavor, a beautiful char, but the best part was slathering the chimichurri sauce on. ALL over. Slow motion. Big bite. Finger-licking-napkin-faced- GOOD.

I've never had this before, but I did enjoy this. Yes. Chimichurri met the sausage. It has a nice snap and well balanced with the salsa. I've also tried blood sausage before. Unique and actually quite good. As long as you can get passed the blood part.

I'll definitely be back soon because this place makes bad ass food. So if you are ever in town and want to eat here, take me.

7229 Melrose Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90046

Tel (323) 934 6838

Sunday / Thursday 11AM till 11PM

Friday and Saturday 11AM till 12AM

wine alllll night.

cheers,

Daiisies

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Phoenix south eash asian cuisine - Alhambra

October 27, 2015

This is my dad and his sister. My aunt is the oldest out of 6 followed by my dad. All of my family has immigrated to Canada making my cousins 2nd generations. From my dad's side of the family, my aunt Betty is the only that resides here in Los Angeles, California with her 2 daughters that live up in San Francisco. I'm not sure what the term is in Cantonese, but I am pretty sure these 2 are best friends. They spend every Saturday having breakfast together for almost 2 decades. With that being said, my aunt recently moved to San Francisco a year ago for her retirement, and to be a caretaker for her first granddaughter, Abigail. With the mentality that my aunt was leaving, I remembered how sad this whole situation must've been for these 2. My dad doesn't talk much about it, but I knew he was saddened.

Wow. Writing this makes me a bit choked up with them staring at me in this photo.

I decided to be breakfast buddies with my dad now that my aunt has moved (John comes along of course). This means a lot. This means no sleeping in, up at 9AM to meet my dad at the same Chinese Cafe that he likes. No matter if I sleep at 3AM from shows, coming home late at night, or hungover in the morning. The breakfast still goes on. This has become one of my sacred mornings that I cherish.

My aunt and her first daughter (don't want to say anything that makes my cousin Celia feel a certain again.. ooops!), came to LA to finish up some errands. I am happy I got to catch dinner with them, because I don't have much family in LA, so it's amazing and always a fantastic time to be around each other.

Now. FOOD.

This is definitely one of my favorite dishes. I actually grew up eating at Phoenix in Chinatown in DTLA. That location has been around since, I believe, 1960, so just imagine the history and the type of classic Chinese dishes that are served there. This chicken is served cold. Extremely comforting over a big bowl of hot rice. The cold sauce will slowly melt through the rice, heavenly. Yes, I would 100% recommend to order this.

I don't even know how I would explain this. Ong Choy is a water spinach. The stems has a nice snap and crunch to them. The soft leafy parts get really tender as you cook them through. I normally like to order this with fermented soybean, but my family felt like the shrimp paste.

Come on, have you seen my dad? He needs his beef. I think that's where I get it from. This is something we would order, but it made it to our table that night. Tender, and the sauce was not too powering as it looks. The rice always acts as support to any saucy dish.

The tofu fried with a simple corn starch batter, topped with seafood that's cooked in a broth with more corn starch to thicken. This is something we always order. I don't know why, we just do. I like to splash a little soy sauce and chili oil. Just a simple sole, shrimp, squid, canned mushrooms and snow peas.

This is a classic Cantonese dish. But, beware. The melon is obviously bitter. We eat it because the taste is acquired, and it's good for you. My parents would always cook this for me as a detox, especially when I had pimples or oily coughs from eating too much fried foods. People always ask me what I do with my skin. Besides drinking a lot of water, I grew up eating stuff like this and Chinese herbal tea drinks. Let me know if you are ever interested and I'll talk about that.

The sea bass was really butter and cooked to perfection with the fermented black bean and garlic sauce. They normally add sugar to the bitter melon to balance out the bitterness, but not so much in this case.

You guys... do know I'm Chinese right? This is one of those "what's wrong with this?" foods that is second nature to me. I don't find it disgusting. I am hooked on the taste. and my brother eats this too. He likes the ones especially with the dirty brown bits inside. No not really, but we joke around with that. I can tell that Phoenix, in Alhambra, doesn't really serve this too often. Some places that I order this from, have more finesse with the presentation. Like, a green onion is stringed through, fried, and sliced in an angle, presented in perfect alignment. This looks a little like... "Oh shit! someone actually ordered the intestines tonight! do we have anymore?". I have a lot of leftovers still. I cleaned out the gutter, and popped it in my breville at 450 for maybe 10 minutes to crisp it up. SO much better. Oh, and it comes with a sweet and sour sauce that helps with this, none. MAN UP AND EAT THIS! One of my favorites if done right.

Black rice, with coconut cream and jelly. One of my favorites and something that my dad taught me to make growing up. You can find mixed black rice in any asian market to make this at home. I'll look into it and share it with you. This is sweet, hot, a little sticky, but thick. The coconut milk/cream thins out this hot dessert. It's really lovely, and different. I'll bet you've never had this before.

Durian, black rice, coconut jelly and coconut milk.

But.. this might be my new favorite. Yes, Durian has a strong scent, but I love it. A lot. I'm a secret Durian lover even though it's not a secret anymore. Durian.. is like.. a sweet rotten onion. Ok that doesn't sound delicious, but I don't know how else to describe it besides that. with the black rice... and the coconut noodle.. Oh MAN! I need a large spoon, with Homeland, and I can be a caveman for THE REST OF MY LIFE. Don't you like moments that make you feel that way? I live for those. If you've never had durian, make sure you have a group of people to try it with. Chances are you won't like it. But, you never know.

And that was that. My aunt left 2 days later. It was easier to say bye this time since it wasn't a vacation visit. My next trip will be to San Francisco. Are you ready? I can't wait to visit Chinatown, by some Chinese sausages, and make some cooked rice.

Stay tuned.

Eat well, Travel well, Family first, and always, food within reach.

Daiisies

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Table Crush - Gracias Madre

October 22, 2015

I got the pleasure this week to have dinner with a group of foodies hosted by Table Crush. This dining experience is something new, fun, definitely delicious, and stress free. Well, meeting the group for the first time is always a bit tense, and sometimes, awkward. BUT! We are foodies. And as foodies, feel assured that your food taking photos are welcomed and appreciated. A common interest of where the best steak you had recently, or your next venture to a different city, state, country.

Table Crush works pretty simply. You just sign up for free on their website, put the most beautiful photo of yourself (though I prefer mine to be a big sexy hamburger), find a meal you would like to have, and then reserve! The meals are prefixed and sometimes paired with drinks as an option. But really, why wouldn't you drink? I love to drink. Love the big eye balls that everyone gets when the cute short glasses come along, the arrays of colors, that one peel a poor orange had to endure... just for you and me.

Basically, the concept of Table Crush is to bring people who enjoy food together at various restaurants in LA to share unique food experiences in a group of 6-8 people.

(First off, I quick apology to the photos not being the most clear or sharp. Shooting at night is still something I am working on)

Table Crush had their dining event that evening at Gracias Madre. This is my first time here, with that said, I was super stoked to have a beautiful Mexican VEGAN dining experience. Yeah, Mexican Vegan. From their website, this is the story of Gracias Madre:

“We first conceived the idea of Gracias Madre while visiting the families of our employees in Mexico. We wanted to both; offer organic Mexican food to the communities we serve as well as honor the mothers who work tirelessly in the kitchens of Mexico and often live without their husbands and children while they work side by side with us in California. Inspired by some of the recipes of these families and the love of their mothers, Gracias Madre serves organic, farm fresh, locally sourced food, full of flavor and love.”

— Gracias Madre

Going back to the photo above, that is the full menu that we received for our tasting. Ready? First things First. Drinks. Because I am NOT an alcoholic, but I just like to get belligerently drunk with my meals. Not really but really. No I don't have a problem.

To start

Is it gorgeous looking or what? The drink consists of :juniper infused mezcal, lime, mint, sparkling wine, spherical ice of absinthe. This drink had a light smoke, the tang from the lime, and the dry finish from the wine. It reminded me of the sour warheads because of the color. Are you old enough to remember what Warheads are?

"mezcal espadin, house quince tepache, crushed ice, smoked table side in a whole pineapple with organic apple wood". Is that ridiculous or WHAT! Your drink is in that pineapple, they bring a freaking smoke gun, and that infuses the cocktail! That lady in the back wants to steal it, just look at her.

Appetizers

Their escabeche are made in house and it was really delicious. The jalapenos weren't too spicy, the carrots had a nice snap to it (I hate it when they are soggy socks), and there were also garlic. There were also a few bowls of guacamole. Simple, fresh, creamy, and a punch of lime. Also, a salsa trio was sent compliments from the chef. The salsa trio consisted of mango salsa, pineapple habanero salsa, pico de gallo, and with some house made tortilla chips.

Chef Chandra Gilbert came out to greet us and explained the concept of Gracias Madre. Which by the way, is a perk of dining through Table Crush, you get to meet the chef. HOW freaking cool is that?! She explained to us how they source their ingredients from local farmers market as well as owning their own farm (so freaking badass). I am not a chef. But I've worked in a restaurant for 4 years and I know how hard it is, for the head/exec chef to step out to greet you, and to show their appreciation for you dining with them. It's very humbling, and makes the food that much better to know there's a lot of heart and soul that the whole team is pulling together. Definitely worth meeting the chef.

Sorry! Back to the meal.

Oh! Hi there! I think they should make one with Habanero! Ultimate butt fire game. By the way, I love their ice cubes.

Ensalada de espinacas - Spinach, shitake mushrooms, mint, mandarins, and aged balsamic. The salad was huge, looked simple, but PACKED with delicious flavors. I loved the play with the shitake mushrooms, it reminded me as if I was eating a Octopus salad. The aged balsamic with the mandarins made the salad very distinct and it's own character. I would definitely order this again, and I'm not even a spinach salad fan.

The next appetizer that we also tasted, and is a MUST, was their Coliflor Frito. Cauliflower, cashew nacho cheese, and lemon. GUYS! I am going nuts with this cashew stuff. Cashes nacho cheese? We all did the mmMMmmmMMmm *eyes roll back* - *died* - *risen*. I loved it. Cauliflower is one of my favorite veggies. It's so meaty, stands within the heat really well, and takes up a lot of flavor if you give it a lot of nurture and love. Now, I would definitely come back just for this.

Entrees

A rolled up tortilla with sweet potatoes, DEEP FRIED - caramelized onions, pico de gallo, guacamole, cashew nacho cheese. All you sweet potato fans. You will love this. Out of everything I ate that night, this really reminded me that I wasn't eating meat. The sweet potato was very smooth and creamy, a perfect way to smack a wall in your face to tell you "HEY! if you are not full yet, this will do it!".

Sorry for the blur, but this is their potato masa cake, pineapple habanero salsa, guacamole, pickled cabbage, black beans, cashew crema, cilanto and more escabeche. I doused their red and green chile sauce on this sope (and my flauta). I loved the black beans and the masa very much. The flavors were well balanced. The habanero in the salsa finds its way to stab you. I like to be stabbed. But don't worry, the cashew crema and pickled cabbage will make the ride easy. I also loved the sweetness of the pineapples and the components in this dish. It was very well thought out and well executed.

Dessert

Peanut Butter Cup Bites - Raw Cacao crust - toasted peanut ganache. Wow. Just wowsers. This was so decadent and different from all the peanut things I've ever had. It was really creamy and rich. Basically, it's everything you would want in a giant tub, with a giant spoon, watching Homeland, Ray Donovan or the Walking Dead. I would like a quart of this NOW.

Followed by their Fudge Brownie - salted caramel, coconut bacon and coconut cashew whipped cream. Uhhhh we all slathered the peanut butter cup spread on this. How full I felt after entrees, immediately disappeared when I was having this dessert.

Rounding it up, I am happy I tried Table Crush. The owner of Table Crush, Jay Park, was with us to share his passion, his visions of bringing a whole new game to the foodie community, and to definitely bring light to the underdogs in the restaurant industry. It's cut throat in this world, and sometimes, one bad review by someone ignorant of a culture, can depict the whole image of a restaurant, causing patrons to steer away.

What I love about Table Crush is how it stays true to the values that I believe in. It sets up random spots for you to try, and you go blinded without really knowing what you are in for. This was a great way for me to kick off my first reservation with Table Crush at Gracias Madre.

I would never think of dining at a Vegan restaurant, and now, look at me. I've became a guppy for cashew nacho cheese and peanut ganache.

Happy eatings, and hope to see more faces on the next Table Crush event!

Salud!

Daiisies

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Hong Kong Baked Pork Chop

October 20, 2015

Ok. This is a really simple recipe with what I can find at home (and you should too). Baked Pork Chops are one of the dishes I order when I would dine in at an Asian Cafe in Alhambra/San Gabriel area. Why? Because it's always one of the safest dishes to order. Kind of like.. ordering Pad Thai at a Thai restaurant or Pho in a Vietnamese restaurant. Get it?

Back to pork chop.

I got 4 slices of pork probably totaling 2 pounds. I seasoned both sides with salt, white pepper and a little garlic powder. The chops were dusted light with some flour.

Heat up your pan with a few tablespoons of olive oil (or your oil of preference) and cook pork until nice and golden on each side.

For the rice portion of this dish, I made fried rice. Just a very basic garlic fried rice. I sauteed some minced garlic in the same pan as my pork (I have a large Scanpan), and dropped some white Jasmine rice that I made (3 and a 1/2 scoop was rinsed and cooked on the dryer side). After most of the moisture is cooked out of the rice, 6 eggs were beat before dousing it over the rice. The rice was just seasoned with salt, soy sauce and white pepper. Feel free to throw in some frozen peas and carrots if you have any, I was just salvaging what I had at home.

The fried rice was cooked on high heat until the most of the moisture was gone. This is not my official fried rice recipe, so chill if you don't like this. Feel free to use plain white rice as well.

The tomato sauce was made from:

one 28oz (or around this size) can of crushed tomatoes
mixed with 1/2 a cup of ketchup
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of sugar (the tomatoes I had were tart)
3-5 minced garlic (depending on how large your cloves are)
1 teaspoon of white pepper

Everything was cooked down for about 15 minutes.

Layer your fried rice (or plain rice), top with a layer of your tomato sauce, layer your pork, add more sauce, top with cheddar cheese, and then put it in your broiler for 10 minutes.

Enjoy while it's still hot!

Yes, there isn't anything crazy about the recipe. This again, is something you should be able to find in your kitchen. For the tomato sauce, you can find more ingredients to add in and the same goes for the fried rice. The tomato sauce for this is supposed to be sweet, so don't freak out. I love to add carrots to the to the tomato sauce and let the sweetness of that carry over the sauce. You can also splash a little cream in your tomato sauce to thicken it a bit as well.

Honestly, this dish is basically fried rice, with sweet tomato sauce, fried pork with cheese melted on top.

Feel free to share your recipe. I've been really busy, so a dish like this where I don't have to think hard on specific ingredients is my go to. There are many versions to make this, but I don't have time to marinade anything, and I definitely don't have some seasonings that recipes asks for... but this was comforting! So yeah, I don't care.

I have enough for lunch it it only costed be less than $10 for 4 meals. Stay tuned for a fried rice recipe.

Daiisies

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Wine & Dine

Thrive House - Algae Oil

LaLas Argentinian Grill

Phoenix south eash asian cuisine - Alhambra

Table Crush - Gracias Madre

Hong Kong Baked Pork Chop