Not recently though. In fact, typing this right now, required a LOT of motivation. I had let my domain registration lapse. I even started balancing my checkbook as a way to procrastinate writing…yeah. I don’t know what has been up with me, but I’ve been doing a LOT of reading lately. Reading all kinds of books. Let’s call it R&D….

But the fact that it has taken so long for me to post isn’t fair. It’s not fair to anyone who reads this blog, and it’s not fair especially to the people who made the food that makes up the content of this post much MUCH earlier.

I wanted to post earlier, but I just for some reason, couldn’t get my butt into the chair in front of my computer. I sincerely apologize, and here it is:

Some people look forward to Thanksgiving every year. Some people to Christmas. Me? I look forward to Oscar Sunday every year, because it is consistently one of the best meals that I’m guaranteed to have all year. (I’m pretty sure any posts I’ve done about Oscar Dinner in the past are tagged as such, so please feel free to check the archives.) It’s not just that the food is delicious, because it always is, but it’s that I get to spend an evening with one of my best friends, Chrissy, and her wonderful family. That they have included me in their family tradition year after year, never ceases to make me feel just a little bit extra special and I love them for it.

This year’s menu featured some items we’ve done in the past – I think Tom started off thinking that this year would be a “Greatest Hits” kind of menu, but Chrissy informed me that he kept finding new stuff he wanted to try, so there were a couple of new additions as well.

Our first course was this beautiful Corn and Lobster Chowder. I like corn, I like lobster. Can’t really go wrong here. Especially since it had a little bit of a kick – just enough to cut through the sweetness of the corn and make you go, “Oh!” and then smile…

That was followed by a “re-run” of a lovely Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Pistachios that we’d had a few years ago. I enjoyed this dish the first time, and I enjoyed it again this time. Beets might be one of my favorite root vegetables…

Along with the beets we enjoyed some expertly baked Gruyere Gougeres, which I think we may have had last year, and they were definitely a hit. This was another great item to see again, and I was lucky enough to be given a bag of yet unbaked gougeres to take home and bake and eat later…basically the next day because I wasn’t going to let them wait to be eaten!

A couple of new additions included this beautiful Yukon Gold Potato Pancake with Creme Fraiche and Caviar. Golden brown perfection…

And also, this portion of Spaghetti Squash with Fresh Herbs. Spaghetti squash is all the rage right now, and I’m not going to lie, I liked this so much, I ended up trying to duplicate this dish for dinner later that week…

We couldn’t have had an Oscar Dinner Greatest Hits without a return of the Striped Bass in a Salt Dome. This dish is not only massively impressive, but absolutely delicious. I wish I could eat all my fish prepared this way, but that seems like a lot of work. It’s just that it comes out so tender and flavorful and, well, perfect. I remember the first time Tom made this, after dinner, Scott and I literally stood over the carcass and with our fingers, picked out any remaining bits of fish flesh we could find, like ravenous vultures.

To top off the dinner, Tom traditionally does a chocolate dessert, and this year was no different. This was an Orange and Almond Chocolate Tarte.

Some other highlights of the evening…a nice dry bottle of champagne:

Winning the Oscars game…again!

And this Cream Sherry I brought…which was perfect with our chocolate dessert!

I am so blessed to count these people among my friends, and I look forward to next year!

Sometimes a gal just needs chocolate.

Smooth, creamy, chocolate.

Frankly, I don’t like chocolate all that much, I don’t seek it out. I prefer fruity desserts. But like I said…sometimes a gal just needs chocolate.

This is Martha’s recipe, of course, and the girlfriends I made this for really enjoyed it. And it’s incredibly easy. And a little sexy.

Ingredients
4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate
3/4 cup heavy cream

Directions
1. Finely chop chocolate; reserve. In a double boiler, whisk yolks, sugar, and salt until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes. Off heat, quickly whisk in chopped chocolate until melted and cocoa until smooth (mixture will be thick). Cool to room temperature.

2. In a medium bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form. Whisk half of whipped cream into room-temperature chocolate mixture. Gently fold in remaining whipped cream with a rubber spatula. Divide mousse among four serving dishes. Chill at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

3. Remove mousse from refrigerator 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with shaved chocolate.

Or, as in my case, use the rest of the heavy cream you have left over and whip up some homemade whipped cream and top with that. You can’t go wrong with homemade whipped cream.

Their claim to fame seems to be the Xiao Long Bao (which if you believe the menu, in English are otherwise known as Shanghai Soup Dumplings). We went with the pork. I’d never eaten these before so again, I reiterate, I may not be the best judge. I thought they were fun; the soup broth comes pouring out and they were pretty tasty.

We also had the Scallion Pancake with Ginger Soy Dipping Sauce. We really liked this. It was crispy and savory, and the ginger soy went really well.

Aimee had heard good things about the Sauteed Shrimp with Shishito Peppers, which was pretty good flavor-wise, but the shrimp had a little bit of that rubbery, over-done quality. That’s an easy fix though.

When we looked over at another table, we noticed an awesome looking rice dish. So, of course we had to order it! ROC Fried Rice is made with real Dungeness Crab, Green Onion, Egg, and Vegetables. Aimee and I agreed this was delicious.

Here are some things I don’t understand. 1) They’re a fairly new restaurant, why on earth they don’t have a website is completely beyond me. If I’m opening a new restaurant, one of the things I’m sure I’m doing, is setting up a website. I mean it’s one thing if you’re this old taqueria or hole in the wall place that’s run by someone’s gran. But it’s my belief that any new business who can’t manage to set up a website is just exhibiting poor business sense. 2) They don’t have a website, but they do appear to have a Facebook. Okay I acknowledge that is a step in the right direction. But why the hell can’t they post their hours anywhere?! Seriously? That really grinds my gears. They also don’t have a sample menu posted anywhere. Frustrating. 3) According to this Grub Street LA post, they opened sometime in the vicinity of last october. But according to the menu we got, they are still in soft opening 4 months later. I don’t know what that means!! 4) They are over crowded. The tables have to be moved back and forth just to let guests sit down. The layout is terrible too. 5) There is no signage outside. How am I supposed to even know that this place is there, if there isn’t even a sign?

If ROC hasn’t figured out in several months all the kinks that most restaurants manage to work out in the their 1 week-ish of soft opening, I’m a little concerned they never will. Maybe they are just counting on their food to get them through, but frankly, despite my lack of Chinese food expertise, I can’t say they are THAT good. But like I said, good enough that I might be convinced to go back. Maybe…

ROC Kitchen
2049 Sawtelle Blvd,
West Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 235-2089

PS. Today is Oscar day!! So look forward to an awesome post about amazing food!

Happy New Year, by the way.

So, Bankers Hill Bar and Restaurant. Wow. I found this little San Diego gem while trying to find something to eat before our theater evening. We were down in SD to see Allegiance: A New American Musical - a musical about the Japanese internment in the US during World War II, featuring George Takei. I think this musical is headed to Broadway. I thought it was a lot of fun, and if it makes it to Broadway, I recommend seeing it. Although I was incredibly distracted by how much the chap who played Sammy Kimura SPITS!! I mean, I could see it from the BACK ROW. EWW!

Anyway, after that lovely imagery…Bankers Hill was great. We got there more or less when they opened, since we were trying to eat before the show, so it was nice and quiet. Our server was very attentive (although, I can’t say that this wasn’t because we were like the only ones in there) and universally our group thought the food was GREAT. Now I think these guys make seasonal adjustments to the menu, so I can’t promise any or all of this stuff is still on the menu, BUT, if the food WE had is any indication, I’d be more than happy to eat there any time.

Crispy Buttermilk Fried Chicken “Oysters”
Yellow Corn, Ranch, Sweet & Sour Watermelon, Chipotle Honey Glaze

“BLT” Bruschetta
White Cheddar, Crispy Bacon, Tomatoes, Tarragon-Avocado Dressing

Crispy Duck Confit
Creamy Polenta, Corn, Swiss Chard, Cumin Glazed Carrots, Smoked Duck Jus

Cast Iron Seared Hangar Steak
Crispy Onions, Grilled Tomatoes, Gorgonzola, Black Peppercorn Relish
(This was my entree, and it was stupid delicious. BTW, Bankers Hill peeps, if you want to tell me how to make that bomb-dot-com Black Peppercorn Relish, I’d love you forever and ever and ever. I mean FOREVER!)

Spice Seared Local Red Snapper
Succotash, Potato Puree, Cherry Tomato & Fennel Salad, Saffron Beurre Blanc

Apple Crostata

If you live in San Diego, or you’re headed down there for any reason and need a dinner rec, I suggest hitting up Bankers Hill. And if you’re down there to see some theater amazingness at the Old Globe, it’s a little bit of a walk from the park, but it’s definitely walkable. We did it. And some of us are old. And have bad knees. Or hips. Yeah.

Oh and here’s a little something extra special for you. Due to a tense and dramatic lost wallet moment I got to meet, in person, the illustrious George Takei himself! (By the way, if you can’t tell, I’m totally geeking out here. I mean, this uber-nerd -aka me- was like, OMG IT’S SULU!!) SO here it is…a gratuitous picture of Mr. Takei and I.

Yep.

Bankers Hill Bar and Restaurant
2202 4th ave
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 231-0222

‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. Wait. Who am I freaking kidding?! It’s the night before Christmas and you’re standing on line at the department stores because you forgot Great Aunt Ida’s gift, or at the grocery store because you forgot Cousin Timmy is allergic to celery. You’re in a panic because you can’t find this year’s hot dolly or robot or space car. You didn’t bake enough cookies, you don’t have enough clean towels, your Christmas even roast is burning, and your kids are screaming like like crack addled vagrants. IF you’re reading this it’s because you’ve locked yourself in the bathroom because you needed two seconds to find a cookie recipe you haven’t yet tried (and ruined).

So here it is. Easy and delicious. Remember how I was raving about the ranger cookies I had in Homer, Alaska?

Well I can’t say I have THEIR recipe…although that would be great. (Hey, Boardwalk Bakery Ladies!! If you want to send me YOURS I wouldn’t mind!!) But I spent a ton of time going through what felt like HUNDREDS of recipes, and what follows below is pretty damn good if I say so myself. And somewhat comparable to the taste of the ones I had in Homer.

Ranger Cookies
1/2 Cup Shortening
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar, packed
1 Egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup Oats
3/4 cups cornflakes
1/2 cup coconut

1. Cream the shortening with both sugars
2. Beat in egg and vanilla. Don’t overmix
3. In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, oats, cornflakes, and coconut. Slowly add into wet ingredients mixing slowly.
4. Place heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes.

Note: Cookies will be a little soft when they come out of the oven. Let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before trying to remove or they will just fall apart.

I hope you enjoy these. And I wish you the most wonderful and merry Christmas. I hope it’s filled with love and joy and friends and family. And I hope you take a moment to remember the true meaning of Christmas – whether you believe in God or not, at its most basic, Christmas is about peace, love, and hope.

I’m not going to lie, I’m having a hard time remembering that today. I’m feeling a little surly, and frankly I’m thinking about those families in Newton, and some of the kids I teach who are having problems. I’m trying to remember the important things, and count my blessings; it seems difficult this year. I’m really trying though.

May you be safe and have a blessed holiday.

A Note Regarding Newton:
I mentioned this to my uncle, who is a professional photographer and he decided to participate. This is open to Southern California Residents – please share:

The Olivia Act is named after one of the children killed in Newtown. Olivia’s family had family portraits created a short time before she was taken from them. I can’t even begin to imagine how important those last photographs must be to that family. Upon hearing this, photographer Leslie Spurlock was moved to give away a 30 minute family photo shoot and has challenged other photographers to do the same.

So many of us go through our daily lives and sometimes we don’t take the time or have the resources to have family photos taken.

We will be taking nominations for a family who *you* think would appreciate this gift. This session will take place after the New Year. We will be taking your nominations until December 31st. Please send us their name, contact information and a brief summary of why you chose them to Peter@PYPhoto.com (for their sake, do NOT post their information here) and put “The Olivia Act Nomination” in the subject line. And yes, you are absolutely free to nominate your own family.

The chosen family will be contacted via email or phone call. The gift is a 30 minute session and a collection of digital portraits, so they may have priceless keepsakes to adorn their home. Please share this blog post. Thank you.

And if you’re another photographer, please consider taking part in The Olivia Act.