The Happy Tastebud

kleine Imbisse

2009-06-14T05:59:53Z

(meaning "little snacks.") please click on photos to enlarge! i've just returned from a family visit in Germany, where the asparagus & strawberries are in season. no photos of asparagus, but the first photo shows the berries...so luscious. so sweet. so addictive. next photo: this night shot is of the excellent late-night snack o' choice of drunk (okay, sober too) Germans all over. it's called currywurst, which is basically sausage covered in some kind of curry ketchup and eaten with a hard roll. this is from an infamous Imbiss shack called "The Curry Sau" (curry pig). it's right down the... Continue reading "kleine Imbisse" »

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Shallot

2009-06-05T02:13:57Z

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The Amazing and Fabulous Twenty Salads at Itzik Hagadol

2009-05-26T05:35:59Z

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Hawaiian Mango, on its Way to Being Eaten Before Entering the Airport

2009-05-23T00:41:12Z

Fri 05.22.09 - Joe Hernandez purchased the above mango at a farm stand on Oahu's North Shore two days ago. A kindly USDA Agricultural inspector at the Honolulu Airport let me sit outside the security check point and eat my mango rather than throwing it away. He also told me that its varietal name was the 'haiti mango' and that in his opinion the best mango in Hawaii. Even though the mango was only half ripe, it was already full of mango flavor, quite sweet, and marvelously tangy with very few fibres. While it was half ripe, this Hawaiian... Continue reading "Hawaiian Mango, on its Way to Being Eaten Before Entering the Airport" »

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Tsukemono

2009-05-19T07:19:42Z

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The Great Mango-Off

2009-05-18T19:02:59Z

Photos taken by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95. Mon 05.18.09 - Yesterday morning, I conducted the great Mango Off to determine which was better the standard Mexican mango purchased at any SoCal grocery store or the fabled Alphonse Indian mangos that get shipped to LAX just after being picked and then distributed to Indian grocery stores that then sell out very quickly even though their prices are relatively high. A few days ago, I blogged "Travelling Mangoes: One from India, Two From Mexico" about purchasing two Mexican mangoes and one Indian mango at India Sweets and Spices in... Continue reading "The Great Mango-Off" »

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Travelling Mangoes: One from India, Two From Mexico

2009-05-14T21:45:31Z

Photo taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N95. Thurs. 05.14.09 - File under: The Opposite of Local-vore but Darned Tasty Anyways. Today I was at India Sweet and Spices after dropping Scruffy off at the dog groomers and I spied a pile of big, plump, yellow and red mangoes from Mexico. As I brought the two chosen mangoes up to the counter, the owner of the shop asked me, "Would you like one of the Indian mangoes that have just arrived?" Behind him was three cardboard cartons with specially packed Indian mangoes, I said, "Yes, I will take one."... Continue reading "Travelling Mangoes: One from India, Two From Mexico" »

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Ms. Jen's Whole Herbed Roasted Chicken

2009-05-13T15:50:18Z

On Mother's Day, while at my Grandma Grace's place, my aunt Anne and I got in a discussion about recent cookbooks and what my favorite are. While not super recent, one of my favorite cookbooks of the last 10-15 years is Patricia Well's Bistro Cooking. I went through a period where I cooked a bunch of the recipes faithfully from the book, but now, 10 years later I mostly cook from memory of how the recipe should go. This morning, I received an email from my aunt asking what herbs I used, so I pulled out Bistro Cooking and looked... Continue reading "Ms. Jen's Whole Herbed Roasted Chicken" »

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hospitality

2009-05-04T17:48:55Z

(please click on photos to enlarge) i was recently in England working on a TV show about real estate, and was pleasantly surprised at the quality ethnic food choices available in almost any neighbourhood in London. while the "best" ethnic eateries are still to be found on the East End (according to several locals), it's not as hard as it was even just 5 years ago to find something other than fish 'n chips or roast beef with Yorkshire pudding (although those dishes are still, and will always be ubiquitous). while in London, i enjoyed Japanese noodles, a Turkish... Continue reading "hospitality" »

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Udupi Palace :: The Spring Uttapam

2009-04-04T05:46:21Z

Fri 04.03.09 - Today whilst at lunch at Udupi Palace in Artesia, I heard someone at the table next to me order a spring dosa, so when the waiter came to take my order, I asked for a spring uttapam. While a spring uttapam was not listed on the menu, tomatoes, red onions chopped fine, peas, and green hot peppers all in cased in the the rice-lentil uttapam batter and cooked until crispy... it was delicious. Photo taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N79.... Continue reading "Udupi Palace :: The Spring Uttapam" »

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Lunch at Phở Basil Leaf

2009-03-27T06:47:35Z

[Re-posted from Black Phoebe :: Ms. Jen with express permission.] Thurs. 03.26.09 - This afternoon, my Mom and I walked over to Seal Beach's Main Street to try out the new Vietnamese restaurant, Phở Basil Leaf. I had been watching the arrival of a Vietnamese place with trepidation, as I am so spoiled with being less than 15 minutes away from the mecca of Vietnamese food - Westminster and Garden Grove's Little Saigon. My trepidation was further fueled by the menu that Phở Basil posted in the window of the storefront just a few buildings closer to the Seal... Continue reading "Lunch at Phở Basil Leaf" »

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Excellent Pork Larb at Thai Hut

2009-02-22T04:16:10Z

Photo taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N95.... Continue reading "Excellent Pork Larb at Thai Hut" »

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Eggplant Napolean at Portland's Wine Bar

2009-02-22T04:14:38Z

Photo taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N95.... Continue reading "Eggplant Napolean at Portland's Wine Bar" »

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Overfull Risotto Pan

2009-01-31T07:53:00Z

Photo taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N82.... Continue reading "Overfull Risotto Pan" »

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Skratch

2009-01-27T15:40:59Z

hi, i'm hadashi, and i'm a Skratch addict. (we love you, hadashi!) okay, the lunch scene here in the downtown o' my formerly humble CC 'hood is getting more crowded than a good surf break on a holiday weekend. not that i'm complaining; i'm spoiled for choice. but i have to say, Skratch definitely stands out in the soup 'n sammich 'n salad category. i could go on and on about the swoony deliciousness of the mushroom & brie soup or the ridiculous tastiness of either roasted pork sandwich, but i won't. i'll just tell you that for mere dollars,... Continue reading "Skratch" »

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