The Village Idiot (no, I am not calling you names...it's a restaurant....I swear)

The Village Idiot, Los Angeles

This place was great! We wanted beer and bar food and were not dissappointed! The place is open and loud. With white strips blaring in the back ground it was a fun night. Here's the food line up:

Appetizers:

Pan roasted mushrooms, crispy pork belly, warm ricotta tart, chorizo stuffed bacon wrapped dates. (the last was a table favorite)

Entrees:

Roasted chicken, pub burger, bangers & mash, fish tacos, oak grilled hanger steak. (again, the last was my favorite, I loved tasting the oak charred on the outside of my perfectly cooked rare steak).

Dessert:

Bread pudding, chocolate chip cookie, brownie with burnt marshmallow, peppermint gelato chocolate cake. (can you guess which was my favorite? That's right, the last one. The table favorite was the brownie).

Beer Battered Pickles with Dill Dressing

One of my very favorite things to make, although I only do it once or twice a year.

Beer Battered Pickles with Dill Dressing

Makes 8 servings

1 cup Fresh Dill

2 cups Mayonnaise

½ cup Milk

1 teaspoon Salt

½ teaspoon Onion powder

½ teaspoon Garlic powder

1 each IPA Beer

1 gallon Canola Oil

2 cups All Purpose Flour

2 each Large Jar of Whole Dill Pickles

Remove the large stems from the dill and discard. Finely chop the remaining dill. Combine and mix chopped dill, mayonnaise, milk, salt, onion powder and garlic powder. Let rest in refrigerator for at least 2 hours. (The dressing can be prepared over night and refrigerated).

Thirty minutes before serving:

Put canola Oil in a large deep stock pot. Make sure that you have at least 5 inches above the oil to the top of the pan. Bring oil to 350 degrees. Cut pickles into ¾ inch thick slices. Dry on paper towels. Mix flour and beer until you have a thick batter. Dip a pickle in the batter and then gently put it into the oil. Repeat until you have one layer of pickles frying. Make sure not to let them stick to the bottom of the pan. Fry for about 5-7 minutes per batch. Remove pickles from oil with a slotted spoon and put onto a stack of paper towels. Salt lightly and repeat until all pickles are cooked. Serve with dressing immediately.

My Valentine Dinner

This year for valentine's day dinner Brein made arrangements for me to sit and eat at the end of service. This NEVER happens! He sent us 13 courses, with 13 wine pairings! It was so sweet and unexpected. Joining me were my mom (who doubled as my date), Sheena and Ronaldo. Originally Teresa and Kern were suppose to join us but she is sick. So sad. Hope this helps you see what you missed!!

first: oysters on the half, our pineapple vinegar

second: bisque of celery root, black olive caramel

third: hamachi sashimi, asparagus, lemon, duck fat hollaindaise

fourth: petite salad of randy's vegetables, brioche, sauce ravigote

fifth: red rice, cooked like a risotto, soft egg, reggiano cheese

sixth: maine lobster, columbo spice, creamed garlic, endive, raisin, almond

seventh: potato gnocchi, glazed with leek, gruyere, black garlic

eighth: stonington scallops, soft polenta, tarragon 'pesto', yuzu emulsion

ninth: beef cheek, braised in root beer, carrot puree, spicy gremolata

tenth: house cabecou, strawberries poached in pinot noir

eleventh: vanilla crepe brulee, cara cara, local honey

twelth: yuzu custard cake, pink peppercorn, blueberry, olive oil

thirteenth: chocolate 'gooey', strawberry ice cream

Cheaters Storganoff

one package chicken tenders
one package Lawrys beef stroganoff
two cups chicken stock
one pound egg noodles
two cups sour cream

First, don't follow the directions on the beef stroganoff package. Place chicken broth in a deep frying pan on high heat. Whisk in the stroganoff package contents and then add the chicken. bring to a boil then drop to a low, low, low simmer and cover for 30 minutes. You can check it at anytime, stir it, turn the chicken over whatever. Next boil your egg noodles. This normaly means 8 minutes in boiling water. I like to salt my water. Brein taught me to taste the water and when it tastes like the ocean you're good. Once its cooked strain (but never rinse)! You can now turn the heat off the chicken and add the sour cream. Toss the pasta and the chicken sauce and serve! Tonight I am serving a side of green beans that I just quickly boiled and seasoned.

Ford's Filling Station

Ford's Filling Station
Chef Ben Ford

We went last Monday and had a nice time. The dining room is dark so my pictures came out a little grainy. I would recommend this place if you're in LA. The best part was watching Ben Ford's son refilling water glasses. (I am horrible at guessing kids ages but I'm betting he's close to ten). I'll start with my favorites and go from there.href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CRoryann%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml">

My favorite dish was the Fried Fresh Chickpeas in a pod. They were very yummy. Brein chose to eat the pods whole and I pulled the pea out with my teeth like edamame. Fresh squeezed lemon juice and salt topped them. I could have eaten an entire pound!

Deviled Eggs- simply done but great flavor! I wanted a few more of these by the time we finished them!!!

Double Chocolate Sundae

ice creams, bruleed bananas,

chocolate sauce, whipped cream

and candied pecans OMG! OMG! OMG! So yummy! I'm a sucker for a throw back dessert and this one hit the spot! It was so yummy I forgot to take a picture until it was all gone!

Head Cheese – In House

terrine of swine head and trotters. Yep, Brein ordered this and I was surprised to find myself eating half of it. The flavor was wonderful.

Mac and Cheese with ham hock and fresno chili. I did not really dig this dish. The heat from the chili was too much at times and then when you got no chili it was bland.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

malted chocolate ice cream - ohhhh la la! The malted ice cream was wonderful!

Pub Burger

freshly ground angus beef

cheddar cheese and smoked bacon
This isn't anything I would order again. I was dissapointed in the seasoning of the meat and wished I had gone with the fish and chips almost immediately. BUT the onion rings were perfect! Light tempura batter, fried crisp. I would gladly order these babies al a carte!

Salt Cod Brandade with toasted garlic bread - the top was too fishy. it wasn't until I got to the bottom of the bowl that I enjoyed the flavors.

Beer Battered Fish and Chips

8 cod filets
1 bottle of beer
2 cups flour (plus 2 tablespoons reserved)
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon red pepper
1 bag of frozen fries
1 ounce mayo
2 ounces ranch
1 tablespoon relish
1 lemon, juiced
1 lemon, cut
1 cup vegetable oil





It looks like a lot, but it's really easy! Combine the mayo, ranch, relish and lemon juice. Place in frig until ready to use. Whisk the beer, flour, salt and red pepper until the consistency of a pancake batter. Place batter into frig until needed. Cook the fries in the oven. I like really crisp fries (so the vinegar doesn't make them soggy)!!! So I tend to cook them for about twice the time as indicated on the container. Make sure to check them and move them around so they don't burn. Place the vegetable oil in a deep frying pan an heat to smoke point. Next dust the cod fillets in the remaining flour and then cover them in the batter. Immediately place into the hot pan of oil. Do this with four pieces then lightly shake the pan until the fillets release from the bottom and float in the oil. after about four minutes the fillets should be ready to flip over. Gently turn them and then shake until they release. Once fully cooked remove and lightly salt. Serve with matl vinegar, lemon wedges and tarter sauce!

Jewish Deli Pastrami Sandwich

Okay, maybe it just tastes like it came from your favorite deli. Or almost like it came from your favorite deli! Here is a quick mid-week dinner I love to throw together for Brein.

Sliced pastrami (from the meat counter at your grocery store)

Dill Pickles

Yellow Mustard

Provolone Cheese Slices

Four slices of Bread (Traditional is rye, in this photo I used the new thin buns from Thomas)

The key to this is the toasting of the meat. Lay the Pastrami out on a cookie sheet (with sides) and heat in the oven at 350 until the little pieces get crispy. Remove the meat and place your bread face dow2n on the same sheet in all the juices. Cook until lightly toasted. Then layer to your liking. My tip? Bread, mustard, cheese pickles, meat, pickles, cheese, mustard, bread. Once you've layered pop back into the oven to melt the cheese. (If you layer it as suggested the cheese keeps all the goodness in and makes it a little less messy)!! Serve with a nice green salad. WALAH! An easy dinner fit for a chef.

What is my favorite Deli in So CAL?? Hands Down it's Katella Deli - Los Alimitos, CA

Bacon Cheddar Burger with asparagus "fries"

The other night we were wine "tasting" for Forgotten Grapes at our friend Sheena & Ronaldo's house. They pulled out the best looking burger patties I have ever seen! Apparently at the Stater Bros meat counter you can get flavored sirloin patties! I had no idea. (and now that I am sharing this secret with everyone I know I find I am the only person who did not know about this)!!! Among the top flavors: jalapeno and bacon & cheddar. They were so good I made them again last night. We don't have a grill at our place so I pan fried them (five minutes on each side in a smoking hot cast iron skillet) and served all the fixings. I also found Onion cheddar rolls in the bakery section which I toasted in the oven and used as buns. My alternative to french fries was asparagus. I simply cut off the bottom two inches and threw them away, then took the tops, tossed them in a ziplock bag with a little olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper then popped them into a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes on a cookie sheet. All in all this meal only took to thirty minutes from start to finish and was yummy, yummy, yummy.

Canaletto at the Venetian – Las Vegas

Quick appetizers were had here. It was a beautiful setting. We sat on the patio and listened to a man singing as he rowed the boats on the canal. Brein ordered the fried calamari (I am convinced he does that because he knows how much I love fried calamari and not because he wanted to have it)! I ordered the roasted pear salad with prosciutto. Mine was delicious. I loved the texture of the pears, warm on the outside cold in the middle. Very sweet and juicy. The calamari was also delicious. The dipping sauce seemed to be from a jar/can/box. The only complaint was the service. We were neglected but hardly noticed due to the fun people watching we did. It wasn't until it took 20 minutes for him to pick up the credit card that it annoyed us. I would go back if we were walking through the Venetian again, and nothing else caught our eye.

Canaletto Menu

White Girl Taquitos

That's right, white girl taquitos. I have an obsession with flour tortillas. No, really. I do. Later on I will post a mid-week dinner favorite of mine (Mac n' Cheese burritos) but today we make Brein's favorite: hot dogs, kraft cheese, tortilla, fried to a crisp perfection.

You'll need:

a pack of hot dogs
Craft Singles Cheese Squares
Flour Tortillas
tooth picks
Vegetable Oil
Salt

So start by placing enough oil in a fry pan to cover the bottom (about 1/4 of an inch high). Turn heat on high. Next cut your tortillas in half and open your cheese. I do this assembly style. Take a half tortilla and place a cheese square in the center. Place the hot dog at one end and roll. I use a tooth pick to keep them tightly rolled until its time to fry. Do this with all your hot dog. By the time you are done your oil should be hot. (To check your oil place 1 small drop of water in the pan, if it flys back out, its hot.) Turn your heat down to medium and place all the dogs tortilla seam side down, removing the tooth pick. Fry on all four sides until golden brown. Remove from the fry pay and place onto a stack of paper towels.

Lightly salt and serve immediately.