GD Bro Burger

February 5, 2016

First of all. GD Bro Burger has been breaking the internet with their gnarly looking red freaky bun burger. With that said, it looks like one hell of a delicious gnarly red freaky bun burger. A lot of you know me by now, as a burger porn whore. I love my burgers. And what I love about a burger is the unexpected flavors you may find. It's amazing to think, a meat patty, between a bun, can be innovated in so many different ways.

I am delighted to share with you, my burger experience at GD Bro.

1798 East Willow Street, Suite B. Signal Hill, CA 90755

I was lucky to be invited today by Andy Nguyen (Co-Founder/Investor) for a friends and family preview night. You better get there on time or early. Because those pictures you see on social media is real. That long line either wrapping the restaurant or literally invading someone else's backyard.

There was a good selection of burgers to try from. But, I had my eyes set on one.

The "Juan & Only".

This was their specialty spicy burger. As much as I absolutely love spicy foods, there's also a slight hesitancy on how much I could actually tolerate. Will my #Buttfires be too extreme tomorrow? Who knows. But, let me tell you that this burger is well balanced. Yes, it's slightly spicy, but not overpowering where it destroys every sensor on your tongue. This burger consisted of : Meat, Jalapeno Cream Cheese stuffed, Pico de gallo, avocado, chipotle mayo. The chipotle mayo, was the best I've had. SO creamy, perfectly spiced, and rich with the avocado and meat. I would get this again. The burgers were also pretty decent sized.

All American

Of course, John had to order a burger that is least frightening to him. John is normally the western burger type of guy, or the straight up In & Out lettuce-tomato-onions-special sauce dude.

It's pretty decadent huh? Before I forget, these are raspberry buns. I forgot to mention that to John.. he actually thought it was red velvet and freaked out because it didn't taste like it. The All American has good ole American and Swiss cheese, bacon, caramelized onions, lettuce, homemadeBBQ sauce, and kettle chips. Bobby Flay would be proud.

The best for last, KBBQ Kalbi Poutine Fries

These were out of the world. The short ribs were fatty and full of flavor, not overly sweet. Perfectly pickled onions, gravy, shredded mozzarella, sesame and green onions. Call it heaven or sweet baby Jesus. Every bite of my burger I took a big forkful of this. The only thing is, you better eat it quick before the cheese congeals. Would love more gravy next time I come. And, the kalbi had a beautiful smoky black pepper flavor that tasted very familiar. Love it all.

Everything was a thumbs up. I know I am going to pay for it tomorrow. Cheese never sits will in my stomach. This guilty pleasure is always worth it. I don't care what day it is. I am always up for a good burger.

Check them out on:

http://www.gdbrotruck.com/

https://www.instagram.com/gdbroburger/

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DTLA Dinner Club - Arnold Myint

January 30, 2016

If you don't live in Downtown LA, now you will really want to. DTLA has really evolved over the past few years. From catching the metro before sundown (more like before the crazies come out), to now, staying out after a few drinks, roaming the streets passed midnight with friends searching for food. DTLA has definitely become the next hot spot as well as home for passionate LA residents. With the perks to live in LA, there comes a little gem with big time chefs rocking it out amazing food for the community. All you need to do is sign up, and RSVP for the next dinner (you better be quick). All that is asked in return, is to bring a bottle of wine or of course a beverage. This is the DTLA Dinner Club.

Previously, DTLA dinner club was hosted by Josh Gray-Emmer, but has passed down the torch to Arnold Myint as he takes a big, beautiful leap, to Bali.

I was lucky enough to get invited to be able to share with y'all the wonders of this night. And of course, what the DTLA Dinner Club has to bring to their neighbors.

So. Arnold Myint. That name sounds extremely familiar. But from where? All I knew was he was a contender on Top Chef. Without looking into this further, I headed out to NCT lofts in DTLA. As I walked into the loft, the first person that greeted my was this man, with the biggest warmest smile. And for a minute, I told myself "I know this guy" but I just don't remember where. Or, if we grew up together. It gave me a weird yet nostalgic feeling in my gut, but it made me feel comfortable with my surroundings instantly.

This was the face, (taken from his website: Arnold Myint):

Before going into his passions, a brief history of Arnold Myint besides being the contender on Food Network Star that I wanted to win. Arnold is just the sweetest guy from good ole Nashville, Tennessee.

From his own words taken from his site:

"I was born in Nashville, TN, spending a majority of my childhood climbing 100 pound rice bags at my parents' market and traveling to their homeland of South East Asia for summer break. Having toured as a competitive and professional ice skater, attending the Institute of Culinary Education, and working in Jean Georges Vongerichten’s culinary empire, I returned to Nashville for my own pursuits."

-Arnold Myint

There's more to his life, but we can talk about that in a bit.

So going back to walking in and instantly falling in love. Arnold is extremely comfortable in the kitchen. He had no trouble asking one of us for help. And I had no trouble assisting him as long as I have my glass of Cabernet in my hands.

It wasn't long before the first course was flying out from the open layout kitchen.

Here is the Roasted Garlic Panzanella:

As beautiful as it looked, it tasted even better. I almost crapped my pants knowing that he is serving this with crispy baked chicken skin. Where the skin is pressed between 2 sheet pans. And yes, cooked in it's own fat. Scream till no one can hear anymore. I am dying. Such a fantastic thought out dish. The brightness of blistered tomatoes is exactly what you need to cut through the richness of the egg and hummus. I'm salivating as I am describing this. The tartness of the mustard seed, the roasty smokiness of the garlic, and the light touch of dill and mint.

Ok you want to see the yolk right? Here is some yolk porn bitches:

I feel like I get extremely vulgar and poopy mouthed the better the food gets.

Yes, I had seconds of the chicken skin. I am not ashamed. I can eat a big bowl if that any day.

Next up? A surprising twist to family style. I love family style just because, hey I am Chinese and that's what we do growing up. Just sit near what you want to eat the most. But in this case, everything was within my reach.

So let's start with the Eggplant Rollatini:

This was a classic twist with the red pepper jam. I loved the sharpness of the feta, but it was balanced by the creaminess of the ricotta. The peaks of caramelized onions made each bite sweet and savory. Meat was not missed. The eggplant also played a part in texture. Cooked to perfection.

Oven Roasted Carrots:

Such a simple dish, but looks and taste decadent. To wow every party, this is a great idea to harvest seasonal veggies from your grocery store. Make it bright and fresh by topping a handful of pomegranate seeds. I will definitely think of this when hosting spring BBQs.

Arnold Meatballs

So, I think key to a good meatball is the quality of the meat. These lamb meatballs were fantastic. It wasn't seasoned too much where you can't taste the meat, but it was perfectly balances. I dredged these balls with the cilantro yogurt as well as on the carrots. It was heavenly. Also, these meatballs was something that Arnold made in Food Network Star. So these pretty much were home to him. When no one looks, just take 5 more for yourself. Or just drop them in your purse to take home. Just saying. Wouldn't this be fantastic on a sandwich? Good gracious.

My first plate to start off. Classy and elegant. What I did afterwards, you don't need to know.

Are y'all ready for dessert?

Arnold recently bought an ice cream machine. So we were definitely in for a treat.

Arnold getting ready to serve this ultimate Orange Olive Oil Cake. More like I love you Olive Oil. The final touches before it gets crowned with ice cream. Sit back an relax.

Orange Olive Oil Cake

That cardamom ice cream was everything. The cake was so moist, but had a nice density to eat with the ice cream. I've never had flavors like this before, so besides omg this is f*cking good, I don't even know how else to explain this.

So after wining down, we got to speak with Arnold a little bit about himself.

Arnold has an Alter Ego. One that I don't think you can handle. That's pretty much how fabulous she is.

I only have one word to describe her: Queen.

If you don't know the tails of the original Suzie Wong, it's basically a romantic love story found in a what ifs of 2 different worlds. One American man, falling in love with a prostitute in Hong Kong hotel brothel.

Arnold as Suzy Wong. I can't picture anything else that suits him.

Ms. Boss Lady running a brothel in Tennessee. I'm sure walking in the restaurant, you would feel the naughtiness creep up your neck. Oh yes, you are naughty.

Arnold was also inspired a lot by his culture and of course, family. Arnold talks highly of the memories he had growing up with the flavors of his heritage. Which brings up my next question. What are you going to serve next for DTLA dinner club. And I already had a gut feeling it was going to be home. Thai food. Now, if you aren't living in DTLA, you have time to do so now.

Click here to find out details.

So. This leaves me in an awkward departure. I would love to get invited again and document the wonders of different chefs that whips up their spin. Arnold is also working with the Tourism Authority of Thailand WHICH by the way, teamed up with William Sonoma. Arnold will be making a debut in William Sonoma here in Southern California so stay tuned for updates.

Until then, au revoir.

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800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria

January 27, 2016

I'm pretty sure all of you know by now that I love to drink. And if you didn't, know you know that I do. I also love tacos too, and fried chicken... and burgers.. and french fries and pasta and sushi. I know I get carried away.

It was my coworkers birthday, celebrated on a Friday night. I was staying back a bit at work to help out a colleague with some reports. Our anxiety was off the charts. But that's what booze is for. The first stop we headed to was Edward Mills in Old Town Pasadena. With $3 drinks and appetizers till 7, it doesn't get any better than that. Or, does it?

Thinking the party was almost over, I was hungry and ready to roam the streets for food. One coworker was ready to head over to King Taco which is genius after the drinks. I didn't know what I wanted. I just wanted something good.

I don't know how it happened, but we ended up here at 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria. My colleague mentioned an Instagram special where you order their pizza of the day. $5. No substitutions. But, you better check instagram first to know what the pizza of the day was. We were lucky and they were kind enough to let us slide. But next time we don't check, we just get bread sticks.

This is their Bianca with red onions, spinach and smoked provolone. A definite wowsers.

What I love about Neapolitan Pizzas is how thin they are. It also has a nice chew with a beautiful unique tang/sourness from the yeast. And honestly, the simpler the better. I feel like with Neapolitan pizza, it's all about the dough, the fresh sauce, cheese and just a few ingredients. Drink with a glass of wine or a nice cold brew is something I can envision myself doing on a casual afternoon.

For $5, it's definitely worth it. Seats were plentiful. I left my cellphone, and was definitely thankful no one took it... yet at least.

Find them on Instagram @800degreespizza to figure out what the next pizza of the day is. You might find me there.

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Tokyo Central

January 17, 2016

One of the questions I kind of get stuck on answering is always "What do you like to do?". I'm always thinking what do you mean? like, as a career? oh... you meant on my free time.. It's kind of like asking someone what do you cook? or what's your signature dish? I want to get a pan and whack someone every time I get asked that. It can't be something simple either. If I say steak and white rice, I get this "Oh.." Umm sorry? were you expecting me to say some fancy bouillabaisse?

So day off. What do I like to do. To be extremely honest, I love to go grocery shopping. But, on a really good day, you will find me here at Tokyo Central. It's fantastic. It has the best meats you can find for shabu shabu or a night of sukiyaki. If you want to crank up some yakitori, they sell shichirin and coals for you to do so at home. If you want to make sushi, they have a great fresh variety of seafood as well as different oshinkos and tsukemonos for you to make a spread. From different shoyu to different tare, you will also find tons of Japanese snacks to host at your next sports fare.

Oh, don't ever forget to stop by their liquor selection. From a wide range of sake and shochu, they also carry a few Japanese whiskeys that's worth some fancy quarters to put on your top shelf. But, hurry before they sell out.

What I love about Tokyo Central, like many Japanese markets, have a pretty kick ass food court. Tokyo Central in particular, has a pretty glorious sushi bento selection. From decadent chirashis, to cute little nigiri boxes, to your basic cut rolls and colorfully stuffed inari. With that being said, you cannot beat the price. They focus mostly on sushi for their bentos, though they do a few bentos with salmon shioyaki, katsu bentos, curry and some pasta.

Cutting to the chase. Me. Super hungry. Need food now.

I can't pass this up. Once I got my eyes on this, the anxiety of walking around the selections thinking someone might snatch this box got me feeling a bit uneasy and violent. What is also included in this bento besides ikura and uni, is ika. And if you don't know what any of these are: uni=sea urchin, the best mother f*cking tasting part of the ocean. Ikura = salmon roe, pops in your mouth with sweet sea salty pockets. And Ika, squid, snappy and slightly slimy as you chew it. But flavors are mild and slightly sweet.

But what's the kicker here. I obviously mentioned the price before. But you can't even guess. $7.49. I mean I can stop there, or I can keep going about how f*cking awesome it is. The uni was extremely fresh and creamy, exactly how it looks and why I was drawn to it. If you don't know, uni and ikura are like a match made in seafood heaven. You can't beat these 2 together, ever.

Ate this with some wasabi, soy sauce, and some citrus ponzu. By the way, a shiso was hidden under the ikura (normally the case). A lot of you don't know what shiso is. I don't even know, but I can tell you how it taste. It's citrusy and slightly spicy in a not hot in your mouth way (kind of like arugula spicy), but people don't normally eat this. Your life is missing out. Eat the shiso with the ikura and a bit of rice and you will have a mouth explosion.

So that is my hobby. And one of the things I love to do. Not just shopping for groceries, but going to specialty markets like Tokyo Central to enjoy a great experience.

1420 S Azusa Ave, West Covina, CA 91791

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Breakfast with Dad - Ledo Cafe - Rosemead

January 9, 2016

It's my first meal with my dad for the New Years. How's everyone feeling about 2016 so far? Even though it's already been over a week, I am really feeling like I'm living into this year already. I am feeling pretty positive and ambitious for this year. I don't really know what to expect this year, but I'm going to make sure it's going to be a whole hell lot of fun with family, friends, and new faces.

I called my dad this morning like every Saturday morning to have breakfast. I mean, it's pretty obvious where my dad wants to go, but it's always nice to confirm because once in a while he will throw a curve ball at me and suggest a different restaurant. Not today. He's been craving his steak from Ledo Cafe in Rosemead.

Open 7AM - 2AM

8168 Garvey Ave, Rosemead, CA 91770

Chinese Hong Kong cafes in this area is the spot for us around here. I don't know what it is besides cheap eats and some nostalgic feels for our hometown. The food is "alright". Not just saying for this place in particular, but just all across the board. From cafe to cafe, you will literally find the same items on the menu: steak and eggs, instant noodles with spam and eggs, spam and eggs sandwich, preserved egg congee with your choice of: soy egg noodles with sprouts, chinese donuts, chinese radish cake, etc, you get the point.

But my dad loves the steak at Ledo's. He's also saying the same thing EVERY time his order comes. He would raise his glasses above his head and look at his steak very closely. And picks up that one piece of rosemary and say "They use rosemary" (in cantonese) and smile thinking it's super fancy. I'll give it to him though, after eating a bite of it every Saturday from his plate, their steak is starting to grow on me as well.

He orders his steak medium rare with over easy eggs. He grabs a toast, spread a little butter, put one egg in, squeeze the toast in half so the yolk oozes out, and eats it like an egg sandwich.

When you order chow mein, unless you are chinese, they probably won't ask you if you want it "2 face golden". Which basically means the noodles are fried on both sides. If you don't speak any cantonese, say "learn-mein-wong" and they will understand. If they look at you like you cussed, just tell them in english noodles fried on both side.

By having the noodles golden on both sides, it doesn't just create texture, but it adheres to the sauce better. The chow mein here wasn't bad either.

I ordered a cup of 1/2 coffee 1/2 tea called "yean-yern" which basically means ying yang. My dad just ordered coffee.

The rest of the conversation we had though, is classified. He did mentioned to me where he took this hot shot of himself:

Happy 2016!

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Wine & Dine

GD Bro Burger

DTLA Dinner Club - Arnold Myint

800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria

Tokyo Central

Breakfast with Dad - Ledo Cafe - Rosemead