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Celebrity Chef Michael Mina Shares Secrets of His Ahi Tartare

Celebrity chef Michael Mina created his signature Tartare of Ahi Tuna almost twenty years ago when he opened his first restaurant, Aqua in San Francisco. Now he has three restaurants in that city, plus numerous eateries from coast to coast, including Stonehill Tavern at the St. Regis Monarch Beach in Dana Point. Instead of the standard beef-centric tartare ingredients, he…

Authentic Mexican Dishes From the Slow Cooker, Chef Deb Schneider’s No-Rush Bliss

Uncategorized By Aug 30, 2012

Deborah Schneider, executive chef-partner of SOL Cocina in Newport Beach, says that a trusty slow cooker can replicate the kind of authentic dishes that are patiently cooked in earthenware pots in Mexico. Her new book, her fifth, “The Mexican Slow Cooker” (Ten Speed Press, $19.99) showcases irresistible dishes that traditionally cook for hours and hours at the back of the…

Chef Jenny Ross Converts a Raw Food Skeptic – Oh-So Luscious Zucchini

A pasta-free, feels-like-pasta dish using raw zucchini. Jenny Ross is the chef-owner of 118 Degrees in Costa Mesa, a raw foods restaurant that showcases a cuisine that is entirely plant-based. She utilizes fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and sprouted grains, that when heated are taken to no more than 118 degrees. The goal is to preserve valuable nutrients. Watch this short…

The Ranch Behind THE RANCH Restaurant & Saloon

Uncategorized By Jul 18, 2012

The ranch for THE RANCH (lovingly dubbed “The Farm”). A parcel filled with well-tended fruits and vegetables that supplies about 70 percent of the summertime produce used in Chef Michael Rossi’s exquisite cuisine at THE RANCH Restaurant & Saloon, Anaheim. Let’s start with the quail. I have to. Then we’ll go to the crops, and then the table. THE RANCH’S…

Bruxie’s Salad, Delicious Inside or Outside The Waffle

Uncategorized By May 02, 2012

Imagine a restaurateur’s delight to be featured in Jay Leno’s monologue your first week in business. Bruxie’s “bold fold” waffle concept intrigued the entertainer, as it did the lines of customers queuing up at the Old Towne Orange eatery. Dean Simon, Bruxie’s managing partner, found out fast that the idea for gourmet waffle sandwiches could capture a loyal audience. Now…

Great Eats This Week: Delicious Bites From Diamond Jamboree Center in Irvine

Uncategorized By May 02, 2012

85C: (bottom to top – Milk Pudding Bun ($2.40), Lemon Taro Swirl ($1.60), Berry Multi-grain Loaf ($4.90) and Brioche ($3.25) Diamond Jamboree, a vibrant, bustling retail center in Irvine (Jamboree at Anton), features a wide array of dining destinations. It’s unique in the variety of Asian cuisines that are represented in its eateries. Here’s a small sample: My favorites at…

Culinary Gardener Kathryn Agresto Shares Four Chef’s Vegetable Gardens

Uncategorized By May 01, 2012

I’m not a jealous person. But when I saw Chef Zov Karamardian’s home vegetable garden, I was overcome with envy. Just steps from her kitchen, cucumbers, tomatoes and herbs flourished, alongside a spectrum of lettuces and greens. Espalier fruit trees snuggled walls. Fully-bloomed artichokes showed off their stunning buds. (Photo above shows Zov sitting in her home vegetable garden.) Zov…