Eat With Joe: June 2011

6/29/2011

The 100th Post!

This is the 100th blog post of eatwithjoe.com !!! so, what should I do for this special occasion?

How 'bout a...
4th of July Plus 100th Blog Post Giveaway!

Introducing Lila's Lemoyne St. Hot Sauce. ("like" them on Facebook)

This pretty much sums it all up:

"From deep in the hills of Echo Park, CA; Lila's Sauce is made with the sweetness of mangos and the punch of habanero peppers. The result is a 'Sweet then spicy' flavor - great on anything from BBQ ribs to fish tacos or even just to add a little pep to your salad."

Summer time is here and it is also time for barbecue season! To have a perfect barbecue, you will need the perfect hot sauce!

To win this special hot giveaway you must submit in the comment box below (DO NOT submit on Facebook) with your favorite summer barbecue recipes! The recipes selected will be featured by me and the winner will receive a bottle of Lila's Lemoyne St. Hot Sauce!

If you don't have a recipe, you can also submit your favorite summer barbecue food or just summer food! Basically if you submit something in the comment box below, you could win a bottle!

Not from LA? No problem! I will ship the hot sauce to you ! so don't hesitate to share your summer favorites !

GOOD LUCK !!!

Winners will be selected after the 4th of July weekend!

6/23/2011

Bring Salad Bar to Work

Last Wednesday we had a small work potluck and I was assigned to bring salad. This is my opportunity to show y'all how to prepare a simple salad, that is both delicious and healthy!

Preparation is the key.
Topping

a can of corn
halfs of small cherry tomatoes
carrot peels (I used the peeler and peeled the carrots to the core)
pack an avocado (its better to cut up fresh avocado on the spot... black avocado is gross)
pack fresh Parmesano Reggiano or you can bring regular Parmesan
dressing (scroll down for recipe)

Lettuce

You can just chop up your own lettuce or get them in pre-chopped packs. I like to chop my own, it's crunchier and fresher.

The Dressing

Mix (whisk) the following ingredients in a bowl

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon of mustard
i/2 tablespoon of agave syrup

Chicken (optional)

I used two large chicken breasts, butterflied and marinated with lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper. This is actually a perfect chance for you to develop your "eye-balling" skills... Trust me, you can't really mess up the seasoning on this one... just few pinches of salt and pepper... drizzle olive oil... squeeze one lemon... that's it!

My favorite marinating technique is zip-lock bag the meat and marinate... push out the air... zip and refrigerate... in this case, refrigerate minimum 3-5 hours or overnight.

When the marinating stage is done, pan grill the chicken in an oiled grill pan. 3-4 minutes on each side on high heat, cut into strips and serve.

There ya go, bring your own salad bar to work!

I Love Presents!

Sorry readers... It's been WAY too long since my last post.
Don't worry, I have lots of photos that are lining up to be posted in eatwithjoe.com!

Last week, I got two packages in the mail. One from my cousin Justine and one from my buddy Joey (JTI).

Cousin Justine thought that I need a glass mug in my life, so she mailed me one! She packaged it with handles, made it easier for the UPS guy to carry around the neighborhood.

Great gift! Thanks Couz!

My new official coffee mug! looks great with my highlighters!

Joey aka Joey the Intern, was the famous URB magazine intern... After Peace Corp, he moved to Northern California and then... he became Joey the Baker! Joey made a batch of chocolate chunk and walnut cookies and he wanted me to try some. So I ate some and it was surely delicious. Beth even said that the cookies taste like the cookies her mom would make! Good job Joey! We want MORE !!!

I love presents! feel free to mail me things so I can take photos and write about it! Maybe eat it too!

Thanks again, Justine and Joey!

6/16/2011

My Lunch is Better Than Yours! Tamales and Pozole

This post is dedicated to two awesome Hispanic ladies that made this possible, Vanesa's Mom and Anna!!! BIG THANKS TO Y'ALL!!! for bringing out the Mexican in me.

Anna, our office cleaning staff brought us two bags of tamales from La Estrella (a well known Mexican restaurant in Pasadena). I gotta say, that was one of the nicest things anyone has ever done! She wouldn't even take our money... and the tamales were really damn good! Thanks Anna!

a little internet planking fun :)

smokey chipotle hot sauce is the bomb!

Also, thanks to Vanesa's mom, we got to try this ethnic version of homemade mexican soup! Pozole!

Pozole is a Mexican soup with spices, pork and corn harmony. Well, at least that's what was in my soup hah. It feels like eating menudo, except it was made with green sauce and it didn't have the intestines and tripes... but it was really good nonetheless.

Can we have Mexican food day everyday?

6/14/2011

Curry Sloppy Turkey and Sweet Potato Chips

...is what's for dinner

Patrick P. Responded...

I guess its all about the rainbows and butterflies!

Indian With the Feather

Uncle Yu's Indian Themed Restaurant is probably one of my favorite Taiwanese restaurants here in the US of A. Basically it's a Taiwanese Hooters with Rainforest Cafe decor... Asian girls in short skirts and a feather head piece... beers on tap... fried bar food... sporting events on the telly... you name it! It is a FUN place!

Before I move on to the foods we ordered from our last visit... I'd like to point out this one specific Yelp reviewer. His name is Patrick P. and I find his review very inconsistent and stupid...

I have a few problems with this review.

1. why are you reviewing the parking lot?

2. excuse my French but, why in the fucking hell would you order a strawberry milk in a bar/restaurant? what are you, on your period or something?

3. Douche is spelled "d-o-u-c-h-e" not "doosh", i mean really?! really?

4. what's wrong with people taking pictures in the restaurant, if the restaurant staff doesn't have a problem with it, why should you?

5. Oh, so you have a problem with one of the customers? tell them in their face! last time I did that, the dude ended up filling up my beer glass. True Story

6. There IS a security that hangs out in the parking lot... to keep you away from this town... my advice for you is GTFO of SGV you do not belong.

7. Patrick, don't you find it weird that you are the only one that gave the restaurant 2 stars?

Its people like that messing up the star average of restaurants... I mean really? you call this a review? I am not sure why I am so upset with this reviewer, but if you've actually been to Uncle Yu's Indian Themed Restaurant you will know that this review is full of shit!

I will reply this list to his Yelp account... and post the response back to my dearest readers :) that's how I roll!

Just like Patrick P. would say... moving on...

First when you get seated, you have to order one of these... Taiwan Beer Gold Medal... I got introduce to the "Gold Medal" when I was in Taiwan with Beth... we are totally hooked!

Taiwan style popcorn chicken - I don't know if you can tell... it was hard for me to get a steady photo of this dish... only because once the dish was delivered... chopsticks were flying every where!!! no one gave me time to snap a good photo of this dish, they just couldn't wait... it was good... really good.

Just rice... white rice... white fluffy rice...

Cuttlefish with basil is a dish that Beth orders EVERY SINGLE TIME! It is her favorite!!!

Move aside Kung Pao... you got nothing on Taiwan's very own Three Cup Chicken! It is cooked with three main ingredients (sesame oil, Chinese rice wine, and soy sauce). I can eat this all week with rice... I want this NOW!

If you are interested in visiting this place... visit Uncle Yu's Indian Themed Restaurant Yelp Page for directions! Don't believe in Patrick P. he drinks strawberry milk at a bar.

6/13/2011

Papa Chang's Big 60

My dad's big 60 birthday is coming up and we wanted to take him out to a nice lunch. Our only challenge was to find a restaurant that's close to our neighborhood and a restaurant that specializes in Central/South American flavor. Thanks to Yelp, we found the restaurant that fits the requirements - 1810 Argentinean Restaurant in Old Town Pasadena. We were really excited about this place.

Typically, if you are to dine in any South American restaurants you are expected to order and try their version of Empanadas... we did, and it was delicious! Beth and Sean (my little brother) liked the beef Empanadas a lot and I enjoyed the chicken Empanadas more. Overall, Mission Empanadas was successful.

The other appetizer we ordered was Croquetas de arroz (risotto croquettes, mozzarella, tomato sauce)... This dish was absolutely and perfectly prepared... from the texture of the croquettes to the tomato sauce... this dish blew me away! I have to say it's better than Little Dom's version of fried risotto balls, and less expensive.

Moving on to the main entrees... We ordered two entrees and one salad... which was plenty enough for all 5 of us

The salad was a big hit! Beth even said that she would come back to the restaurant just for the salad. Well, what's this awesome salad we ordered? its called Lentejas (mixed greens, lentil, red beet, egg, feta cheese, lemon vinaigrette), it's simple and fresh... But I'm not too sure whats so Argentinean about it :/

Churrasco (8oz flat iron steak) - the steak was cook really well... and that's about it, the rice was meh... reminded Beth of Uncle Ben's rice... which is NOT GOOD! Same with the other Entree we ordered... It's basically the same but with sea bass instead... and the fish was over cooked... Overall the entrees were disappointing... we should've just ordered a bunch of Croquetas de arroz and Empanadas...

After the lunch we walked over to Dot's Cupcakes. Not much to say about this place... cupcake was too sweet and the staff was not sweet enough... sigh... BUT Happy Birthday Dad regardless!!! Hope you had a good one :)

6/09/2011

Dana "Skampy" Robinson - Featured Food Iphonographer

Skampy is a friend of mine that I would consider as a social network guru and an outstanding iphonographer. Her photos are both beautiful and tasteful... It sure inspired me to work harder to become a better iphonographer. Check out her photos and let's all get INSPIRED !!!

An healthy dish that smiles at ya! Veggie patty, peas and Sriracha.