GO FISH IN A STRIP MALL - Two Fishermen

GO FISH IN A STRIP MALL

Two Fishermen

OK, let’s be real, dining at a strip mall isn’t my idea of fine dining.  It’s not that I’m a food snob (well, I kind of am) – I love funky clam shacks, diners, dives and hot dog stands.  I’d eat cheeseburgers and corned beef on rye w/ Swiss everyday if this were a perfect world… but going to a restaurant in a strip mall just doesn’t ring my bell, tickle my toes or float my boat…  but life is full of surprises, and Two Fisherman was definitely a surprise.

First, I’ve never been to Santa Ana, but we were meeting up with our friend Roger who suggested the restaurant for lunch.  Santa Ana is miles from my home in Studio City and to get there it’s miles of driving on construction riddled freeways.  Not an auspicious beginning… but I’m always up for a fresh fish food adventure… so Richard and I braved the cranes and traffic and arrived just in time to join the lunch crowd at Two Fishermen.

Owned by Don Kim and Chase Oh (hence the “Two” Fishermen)

Chase Oh

the little restaurant is bright (lots of window) w/ a simple, modern cafeteria-style design

 with a wall-sized mural of – what else?  A fish. (Well, there is that chef and lovely pier, but the fish rules.) 

Chase is one of the chefs, along with the restaurant’s manager, Daniel Cahauntzi. 

Chase Oh

Daniel Cahauntzi

Together with their sous chefs, they offer a variety of starters, salads, power “bowls” tacos, burrito wraps, gyros, special rolls (ie: Calif. roll, spicy tuna roll, etc.) and “fryer” dishes (served w/ pita bread and 2 sides) and grill entrees (served w/ pita bread, 2 sides, various sauce choices or tarragon garlic butter).

There are ahi tuna, Mahi Mahi, salmon, tilapia, catfish, haddock, shrimp, wahoo, crab, and calamari dishes – and for the non-fish lovers there are also chicken, lamb, tofu, and even Korean barbeque selections.  And don’t forget the “sides” which include a mint peanut slaw, a hummus veggie dip, grilled veggies, French and sweet potato fries.

What to order?  Roger helped us navigate the menu.  Richard zeroed in on the crab cakes…

 
Roger the salmon gyro… and I opted for the grilled shrimp gyro (it was lunch, after all, and I love “sandwiches” at lunch)…

We chose the sweet potato fries and the mint peanut slaw as our sides.

We got our number and grabbed a table.

The food arrived and, of course, I had to taste Richard and Roger’s choices, then I dove into mine… The crab cakes were served with a chipotle aioli sauce – soooo good!  The sweet potato fries were crisp on the outside and yummy soft on the inside. The gyros were filled with perfectly cooked, “just off the boat” fresh fish, crisp lettuce, ripe tomatoes, cucumber, olives, red onion, feta cheese, with a citrus creamy sauce (or a fat free yogurt sauce) on a sweet wheat bun (or you can choose a white bun) -- all, and I mean ALL, of my prejudices against eating in a strip mall vanished – well, at least at Two Fishermen.

The food was so good we had to try one more thing… deep fried shrimp, coated in panko.  Another winner.

Of course, no meal is complete without dessert… and Chase’s tiramisu was the perfect choice to end a perfect lunch.

So, if you’re in the Santa Ana ‘hood and are in the mood for some delicious fresh fish fare, have your car speed over to the Two Fishermen mini-mall – you won’t be disappointed.  And, it’s kind to the pocketbook, too.  I didn’t see one thing priced over $12.95 – and most dishes were in the $7 - $10 range.

If you go for dinner, be warned, the restaurant doesn’t serve wine, beer or hard liquor.  But don’t let that let that stop you.  Have a nightcap when you get home.

Two Fishermen Grill & Rolls

2321 East 4 St. Suite G

Santa Ana, California 92705

714-648-0695

STUCK IN LODI, AGAIN - Pt. 3 - Berghold Vineyards

STUCK IN LODI, AGAIN

Pt. 3

Berghold Vineyards

Yup.  Still stuck in Lodi sipping some delicious wine.  Tough job I know, but you know what they say (whoever “they” are): “Someone’s gotta do it.”

And, remember… this was Thanksgiving week. Richard and I have a “tradition” when going north to Sacramento and the Bay Area for the turkey holiday.  No Christmas music on the drive up… but, once that turkey’s been carved and eaten, Christmas music in the car prevails.  However, even though we’d devoured the turkey two days prior, I wasn’t getting into the Christmas spirit.  Well, that was about to change.

When we walked into the tasting room (actually two large rooms) of the Berghold winery, “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” streamed through my head. Owner Joseph Berghold and his wife (and winery manager) Julia...

...had decorated every corner and tabletop in the rooms with a holiday visual wonderland.

 

Transplanted from Pennsylvania, the Bergholds have been farming grapes since 1986 and opened their winery and tasting room in 2005.  Their son Miles is their winemaker, keeping it all in the family.

The winery’s décor is Victorian and filled with marvelous American antiques (circa 1800s) the Bergholds have been collecting since their antique business days back in Pennsylvania. The winery is filled with one of the largest collections of fine American antiques in the country including a clock from Amish country

stained glass windows, one from a Mainline Pa. mansion

 

banjos, guitars, accordions, cymbals

 

 armoirs galore (including one turned into a wine refrigerator and another into a cigar humidor)

and a carved, mahogany bar that began its life in New York, but was moved to a bordello in a coal mining town in Pennsylvania (love this provenance) and now graces the winery where tasters can sidle up and sip to their hearts’content.

But above all, this is still a winery and, as Joseph gave us a tour of his collection, we sipped wine made from grapes on the surrounding 85 acres.  And, what an early Christmas present these wines turned out to be.  

 

The 2008 viognier ($19.99) with its rich fruit and spice flavors and buttery aftertaste was my favorite white.

 

And three reds topped my list: The 2007 Foot Stomp Zinfandel ($22.99), the 2007 Merlot ($22.99) and the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon ($29.99). 

Well, four. Can’t forget the non vintage 2009 Crankcase red ($34.99), a secret blend of four varietals  - big, bold, bawdy and bursting with fruit.  Perfect for sipping at a bar with a bordello in its past.

We marveled at the antique collection, sipped wonderful wines, then bid farewell to the Bergholds.  Our tasting adventure was over, but I do hope to be stuck in Lodi again.

Berghold Vineyards

17343 N. Cherry Road

Lodi, Calif. 95240

209-333-9291

info@bergholdvineyards.com

www.bergholdvineyards.com

Note:  As is customary, wines are discounted for wine club members.

STUCK IN LODI, AGAIN - Pt. 2 - Harney Lane Wines

STUCK IN LODI, AGAIN

Pt. 2

Harney Lane Wines

With our trusty Lodi wine-country map in hand (and make no mistake about it, this is “country”) Bob, Nguyen, Richard and I jumped back into the comfy Forrester happy to still be stuck in Lodi.

After driving down country roads, we pulled onto Harney Lane with high hopes that more fine wine awaited us. Within a nanosecond we were parked and walking past a lovely garden...

an outdoor patio, fire pit and all...

 

and up to a simple, tasteful modern structure of stucco and flagstone bricks.

Simple, clean lines with a beige and brown color palate prevailed inside the tasting room.  We sidled up to the honey and brown-hued granite bar to start some serious sipping.

Brindy and Courtney were our baristas. 

Their names suited them. Warm, welcoming, and outgoing, they were perfect ambassadors for the winery that adds “love, laughter and family” to every bottle of wine.  I don’t know how you bottle love, laughter and family, but Harney Lane is a family owned and operated winery (and vineyards) headed by George Mettler who, like his ancestors, has been growing grapes his whole life (the first family vineyard was planted in 1907).

Brindy and Courtney offered to serve us in the lounge area that boasted comfortable woven rattan and leather chairs in front of a cement fireplace, and surrounding an old luggage train depot cart serving as a coffee table. 

But I like standing at the bar – it’s more conducive for conversation with the baristas and for asking questions about the wine… so at the bar we stayed.

One of the first things I noticed was a proudly displayed autographed bottle of wine.  The girls told me that it was from the winery’s very first vintage in 2006 signed, in celebration, by its wine club members. 

Though I liked the Harney Lane’s whites, especially it’s crisp and citrus-y 2010 Albarino ($19) that would be a perfect match for some spicy Thai food, it’s the winery’s red wines that are the stars.

The 2008 Lodi Zinfandel ($22) a gold 2011 Orange County Wine competition winner was just that – a winner.  And the “just released” 2009 old vine Lizzy James Vineyard Zinfandel ($33) was velvety smooth, rich and delicious.

 

Three other favorites were the 2009 Tempranillo ($25), the 2008 Petite Sirah ($24) and the “I could sip this all day” Old Vine Zinfandel Port ($35), dessert in a bottle.

All wines are discounted for Wine Club members – a club definitely worth joining if you’re not able to visit Harney Lane.  It’s out in the country and far from the fast lane, but if you find you’re stuck in Lodi, again, don’t kick into the passing lane for this one.  Stop and smell the bouquets.

Harney Lane

9010 E. Harney Lane

Lodi, Calif. 95240

209-365-1900

www.harneylane.com

The tasting room is open Thursday through Monday 12-5pm.

STUCK IN LODI, AGAIN = Pt. 1

STUCK IN LODI, AGAIN

Pt. 1

OK – I’d actually never been to Lodi until this past Thanksgiving week when we visited brother Bob and sister-in-law, Nguyen, in Sacramento.  Always up for discovering new wines, we piled into their comfy refrigerator white Forrester, popped Creedence Clearwater Revival into the CD player and headed out to Lodi wine country, an area Richard and I were anxious to explore.

Our first stop… the Lodi Wine & Visitor Center for a map of the local wineries with tasting rooms and, lo and behold, we discovered the center had it’s very own tasting room: “Wines of Lodi.”  Let the “games” begin!

James was our barista, a fun, knowledgeable young guy who loved talking wine.  He told us that Wines of Lodi represented about sixty wineries and that a panel of judges, in a blind tasting, pick the best wines for the room’s wine club.

First up - the 2009 Peirano Estate The Other ($14) white blend of 65% chardonnay, 25% sauvignon blanc, and 10% viognier. Just scrumptious. Fruity, but with some vanilla keeping the wine from being “thin.” 

                                                                                                               

On to the reds.  My favorites included the 2009 Twisted Roots Cabernet Sauvignon ($23), the 2008 Ripken Vineyards Petite Sirah ($25), and two fabulous “old vine” wines… the 2009 Van Ruiten “Old Vine” Zinfandel ($23) and the 2008 Mettler Family Vineyard “Old Vine” very smoky zinfandel.                                                                                    

We could have tasted there all day, but it was time to get the map we came for and plan a winery root with James’ help.

Next stop: Harney Lane. 

Lodi Wine & Visitor 

2545 W. Turner Road

Lodi, Calif.  95242

209-365-0621

NGUYEN'S CARROT SOUP

NGUYEN’S CARROT SOUP

  

It’s the dawn of 2012 and both Richard and I are trying to regroup after we crashed and burned the day after Christmas.  It’s a good thing we had a selection of comfy flannel pjs and flannel sheets as we recovered from whatever ailed us.

But, a diet of white toast, white rice, and plain white spaghetti with cans of Campbell’s chicken noodle soup to "go with" only encouraged visions of real food to float in my head like sugar plums… so much so my that New Year’s Eve opinion piece for The Patch was all about The Holiday Binge.  Food, glorious food!

http://studiocity.patch.com/articles/the-holiday-binge

But that’s not all… memories of warm, sumptuous, delicious, creamy carrot soup also danced around in my head… specifically my sister-in-law, Nguyen’s, carrot soup.  Well, it’s not really “Nguyen’s” carrot soup, though she did tweak it here and there, but the carrot soup from the 1977 edition of Moosewood Cookbook.

It was so good, I thought I’d share.

Happy New Year everyone!!!  May you all have a wonderful food, wine, and travelicious 2012!!

CARROT SOUP

1977 Moosewood Cookbook

Ingredients:

2 lbs peeled or scrubbed, chopped carrots

4 cups stock or water

1-1/2 teaspoon salt

1 medium potato, chopped (optional, for heartier soup)

3-4 tablespoons butter

1 cup chopped onion

1-2 small cloves crushed garlic

1/3 cup chopped cashews or almonds

Choose one:

1 cup milk

1 cup yogurt or buttermilk plus a little honey

½ pint heavy cream

¾ cup sour cream

Seasoning choices:

2 pinches of nutmeg, ½ teaspoon dried mint, dash of cinnamon

1 teaspoon each of thyme, marjoram and basil

1 teaspoon grated ginger

Directions:

Place carrots, liquid and salt (and potato if you’re using it) into a medium sized soup pot and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes.  Let it cool to room temp.

Sautee the onion, garlic and nuts in the butter until the onions are clear.  You can sprinkle in a little salt to help draw the moisture out of the onions.  Towards the end of cooking, stir in the seasoning combo of your choice.

Puree everything together in a blender until smooth. You can deviate from the recipe at this stage and dump the sautéed onions, garlic and nuts into the pot w/ the cooked carrots and use an immersion blender to puree.  It saves on dishes and energy.

Whisk in the dairy product of your choosing.  If you want, you can leave this step out until you’re just about to eat a bowl of soup.  Stir in a little milk, a spoonful of yogurt or some cottage cheese just before serving.

Garnish w/ toasted nuts, some toasted bread crumbs or eat just as it is.

OVER THE RIVER & THRU THE WOODS... Pan-roasted Sunchokes

OVER THE RIVER & THRU THE WOODS…

Pan-roasted Sunchokes

“Over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go…”

Well, actually we go over the Grapevine and up the I-5 to cousin’s house, but you get the picture.

http://mydinnerswithrichard.blogspot.com/2009/08/picnicking-on-i-5.html

As some of you may remember, Richard and I travel north to colder California climes and foliage for the Thanksgiving holiday.  We first hit brother Bob and wife Nguyen’s house for a yummy “pre-turkey day” rib roast dinner and sleepover, then traveled west to the lovely East Bay area outside of San Francisco for a few days of cousins, golf and great food.

Last year I posted about some of the goodies we had on Thanksgiving (a few replicated again this year), but this Thanksgiving dinner introduced me to a food I’d never heard of, never mind eaten: the sunchoke.

I’m still not sure what a sunchoke is other than it’s not a meat and may be related to the artichoke.  They’re both “chokes,” after all.  Perhaps, they’re half-siblings w/ the same mother or father… or perhaps, like Michele who made this dish and is my cousin (actually second cousin, but think of as a niece), the two chokes are cousins, but I digress…

When I queried her (yeh, “queried” – I like the word) about the dish, she told me it was an “acquired taste.”  So, ever the food taster adventurer (unless snake or eel are involved), I was looking forward to tasting it and to see if it was something I’d want to “acquire.”

It was.  And, if you’re looking for something new and different to serve at your Christmas/Holiday dinner, I definitely recommend this dish (though, as you’ll see from Michele’s note at the end, in moderation).

Below is the recipe she “borrowed” from the Feb./Mar. 2010 Fine Cooking magazine. They called it pan-roasted sunchokes and artichoke hearts with lemon herb butter.  It serves 4-6, but she embellished a lot and made enough for our large crew.

Below are the recipe and her comments:

PAN-ROASTED SUNCHOKES & ARTICHOKE

w/ LEMON HERB BUTTER

Ingredients:

2 T of extra virgin olive oil... or more
1 lb sunchokes scrubbed and cut into 1/4 inch wedges.. “I ignored this and sliced thinly.”  Keep the skins on.  (“They cook much more quickly the thinner they are, and you do not want to overcook.”)
8 oz frozen quartered artichoke hearts, thawed
2 T finely chopped shallot...”I used regular yellow onion and about 1/2 cup or more”
3 T dry vermouth or dry white wine.  “I had neither so used beer =)”
1 T fresh lemon juice....”I just squirted a bunch from the "bottled" stuff”
2 T cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 T fresh parsley, chopped...

2 t fresh tarragon, chopped...
pepper and salt
”and I used fresh sage from my garden also”

Directions:

”I used a Dutch oven (or you can use an ovenproof skillet) to heat oil and brown the sunchokes with 1/4 t salt until browned on both sides...don't over cook. 2-3 minutes.” 

Add the artichoke hearts and more salt.  cook till browned. 

Move the mixture to the oven at 400 for about 20 minutes. Sunchokes should be tender.

Transfer the veggies to bowl to keep warm. 

Set the skillet (or dutch oven) over med heat, add shallot and cook stirring with wooden spoon till soft and lightly browned.  Add the vermouth and cook stirring and scraping to loosen any brown bits.  Reduce heat to low, add lemon and butter, one piece at a time, swirling pan to melt.  Stir in herbs, return veggies to pan and toss to reheat and coat with butter.

Salt and pepper to taste.

”Just a note...some blogs warn that sunchokes can cause gastrointestinal distress!  They contain inulin that gets things moving.  I ate the leftovers day after Thanksgiving and had more than I should have, and yes. What they blogged is true.  So, just keep in mind to enjoy in moderation!  Like our w

LAVENDER - FROM FIELDS TO TABLE - Part 4 - Lavender Walnut Cake

LAVENDER – FROM FIELDS TO TABLE

Part 4

Lavender Walnut Cake

Remember our friend Kyle who’s working on a second lavender cookbook for the annual Ojai Lavender Festival? The cookbook Richard’s been trying out and adapting recipes for?  Well Kyle and her husband, Stuart, came for dinner the other night and Richard decided to surprise her with his own lavender dessert concoction.

Years ago I found a walnut cake recipe in a magazine that I’ve baked often with great success.  I know, I know – me?  Well, yeh!  You know I really do cook, right?  And often.  I’m just not the cook Richard is.  Anyway, Richard always loved this cake and thought it would be even better with a hint of lavender.

He was right.

Check it out.

LAVENDER WALNUT CAKE

Ingredients:

Cake:

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Dry bread crumbs

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1-1/4 cups walnuts, ground

1-3/4 cups sugar

8 eggs, separated

2 teaspoons ground culinary lavender buds

½ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Syrup:

1cup water

¾ cup sugar

½ cup brandy

1 tablespoon culinary lavender buds

Directions:

Cake:

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Using 1 tablespoon of butter, grease a 9-inch round cake pan and dust it w/ bread crumbs, shaking out the excess.  Set aside.

Stir together flour, baking power and ground walnuts; reserve.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter, the sugar, egg yolks and lavender until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is very smooth.

In another bowl, whip the whites until firm.  Fold them into the butter mixture.  Little by little, add the flour mixture to the batter. 

Turn the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle w/ chopped nuts.

Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.  (Richard suggests you start testing after 45 minutes.)

Syrup:

While the cake is baking, bring 1 cup of water, lavender buds and sugar to a boil in a small sauce pan. Turn off heat and let steep for 15-20 minutes.  Strain and discard lavender.

When the cake is baked, turn it out onto a rack, invert, and place, right side up, on another rack.  Position the rack over a baking pan or plate w/ raised sides.

Re-warm the syrup.  Add the brandy.

Prick the cake deeply all over w/ a skewer or toothpick.  Brush the syrup over the hot cake.  Work slowly so that the cake has time to absorb the syrup.

Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Serves 6 to 8

Check out Volume 1 of the lavender cookbook.

http://www.ojaivalleylavenderfestival.org/pages/cookbook.html