Burp. Hiccup. Ahh.

Thankful For... My Thanksgiving Centerpiece!

Love how this randomly came together with sparkly leaves my Mom had and a mixture of pumpkins, squash and leaves from the market. A festive display that everyone around the table can enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving!

Signed. Sealed. Delivered. In ink.

I had been salivating over ink. since its LA debut and couldn’t wait to indulge for our November Monthly Foodie Roadshow! As I approached the old Hamasaku spot, I was eagerly optimistic, but curious if the resto would live up to its hype. Who was I kidding? This is Michael Voltaggio! ink. didn’t just live up to the hype. It surpassed it.

As we waited for our table, we ordered drinks at the bar. It was fun to take everything in and sample some of ink.’s tasty cocktails! We tried the vodka lime, ginger, soda; tequila serrano, lime, grapefruit, soda and a special concoction of vodka, cucumber, mint, soda.

We nestled into a fabulous corner booth with a great view of the room… and Michael Voltaggio creating magic in the open kitchen. This was going to be good.

Charred avocado, hen of the woods, whipped fish sauce, mushroom chicharrón. What I love about Michael Voltaggio is his whimsical plating. Each dish comes out like its own work of art. Just breathtaking! What an incredible pairing of flavors and textures. The dish tasted three dimensional as you started out with the charred avocado flavor, moved through the hen of woods and were left with the tangy taste of fish sauce.

Bigeye tuna, parsnip-sesame cream, grapefruit, soy gel. Refreshing with a pungent kick!

Brussels sprouts, pig ears, house-cured lardo, apple. I’m a huge fan of brussels sprouts, and my favorites are the ones that look black as they've been heavily sauteed. Was a bit trepidatious about the pig ears, but they were salty, crispy and didn't taste like pig ears at all! I only had a tiny bite of the house-cured lardo, as it was rich, but getting a bit of each flavor in one bite was lovely!

Beef tartare, horseradish, hearts of palm, sea bean chimichurri. This dish looked like a work of art. I saw it arrive at the table next to us and had to order it just so I could take a picture! While it was gorgeous, the flavors were slightly muted. I wanted the horseradish to pack a bigger punch and the beef tartare to have a bit more salt and texture to it. Enjoyed the dish, but it definitely looked better than it tasted. Sadly.

Spaghetti, giant squid, squash, hazelnut-ink pesto, piment d’espelette. Loved the mixture of the squid and squash. Such fresh, bold flavors!

Berkshire pork, charcoal crust, macaroni and cheese, leeks. One of my favorite dishes of the night. Again, the plating? Wow! So creative. Me, the foodie, didn't want to eat it, I just wanted to stare at it! But boy, was I glad I tasted it! The pork was juicy and cooked perfectly. I’ve been saying I want to go on a quest to find the best macaroni and cheese in Los Angeles. Forget that search… I accidently found it! The long macaroni tube piped with frothy cheese was sinful. I hope they make an entire dish out of this!

Peanut butter, milk chocolate, coconut, banana. What a sight! I love these playful desserts with so many textures, flavors and cooking treatments. Makes me feel like a kid! A very lucky kid!

I felt so fortunate to eat at ink. It was not just a meal, it was an experience. The resto has made its way up to the top of my favorite LA restos and I definitely will be dining there again.

ink. West Hollywood, CA.

Epic Night at Campagnolo

I love that my friends know me so well. When I arrived in Toronto and checked into Toronto Pearson International Airport on foursquare, a local friend, who knew I was coming to town, left a resto check-in and recommendation for me! Love it!

Turns out Campagnolo was featured in latest issue of Air Canada's magazine, En Route, as one of the “10 best new restaurants” in Canada! My Dad read it on the plane wanted to check it out! With two recos, we had to go!

From the street, I could see that Campagnolo was packed. This was definitely a hot spot! We of course sat at the bar, and were joyfully greeted by Colin, the charismatic bartender who took care of us all night.

Collin talked us into ordering the burrata with roasted grapes. When it arrived, I whipped out my iPhone and started taking pictures before we dug in. Shocker, I know! There was a gentlemen sitting at the chef’s table – a bar space for four that overlooked the open kitchen. He turned around and asked, as we were within earshot, what I was doing. He came over and I explained to him that I was a foodie and that I loved taking pictures of food! Turns out he was Chef/Owner Craig Harding’s Stepdad! We talked shop and then he said he’d send Chef Craig over to say hi.

Ok, back to the food… This was the first time I’d had roasted grapes. Delicious!!! Such a great pairing with crusty bread and fresh burrata. Heavenly.

Chef Craig came over and we gushed about the burrata, talked some more shop and got his recos on the menu. Such a thrill to talk with a chef and see the passion exude from within. He was delightful!

Campagnolo touts itself as “good honest home cooked food,” and that’s just what it was. Ok, maybe from a home with a personal gourmet chef! This was complemented by love and warmth that radiated from the walls. Such a special place.

My Dad ordered the naturally raised flatiron with pork belly hash and smoked gorgonzola butter. Every bite was just as good as the dish's title. Wow. Each bite was unbelievably tender and nestled in a blanket of silky smooth gorgonzola butter. I secretly wanted to take this away from my Dad and eat both entrees, but, I'm a giving daughter ;)

Chef Craig’s Step Dad and Mom stopped by our stools on their way out and we learned how Chef Craig couldn't even point water when he was younger! Craig, you’ve come a long way!!!

I am a sucker for homemade pasta, so when I saw pappardelle with rabbit and BC chanterelles on the menu, I just had to have it! It was exquisite! I've come to enjoy authentic Italian pasta dishes more than the Americanized versions. Homemade pasta and a concentration on just a few ingredients sends it soaring!

A lone Argentinian man, George, sat at the bar next to us and joined in our on conversation with Colin. He shared his prosciutto with us and then when he found out my Dad and I just celebrated our birthdays, he insisted on buying us birthday drinks! If you insist ;)

At this point, we were having such a good time with our new friend George, Colin the bartender and other waitstaff who circled the bar area to pick up drinks. So much fun!

I ordered Mary’s Tears, a spin on a Bloody Mary from Campagnolo’s eclecticly unique cocktail menu. This cocktail showed up clear and was made with and tomato water. This clear tomato water, which Colin gave me a sample of first, was unbelievable. Campagnolo infused water with tomato, olive oil and spices. Tasted like you were drinking a freshly roasted tomato… but the liquid was clear! I am craving one now.

Round two of birthday drinks? Ummmm... ok! This time I lasted the Limone, which was equally as fabulous!

Chef Craig delivered a complimentary dessert and coffee to wrap up our night. Wow. What an epic evening!

Watch A Night at Campagnolo.

Campagnolo. Toronto, Canada.

Have A Souper Day!

Checked out The Soup Bar today at lunch in El Segundo. Perfect day for it as it was cold and ominous out. 

Felt very "Starbuck's"-esque! Super cute concept!

I had The Soup Tasting Flight with three soups - Turkey Chili, Tuscan Vegetable Bean and Butternut Squash with Ginger and Lime. Each was delicious but the Turkey Chili was the standout! You can order just soup, soup and salad and a variety of other combos. I learned that their menu has four staple soups, which are served all the time, and the other few rotate on a weekly basis. Check their website for the current soups!

A thick slice of fresh sourdough, multigrain, malted brown or rosemary-sage, is served with your soup and there is an adorable olive oil can on each table!

The Soup Bar. El Segundo, CA.

Fatto Con Amore Dalla Tua Mamma Italiana

We were walking around Little Italy in Toronto, and my Dad eyed Marinella Italian Restaurant. It was winking at him, so we decided to go in and indulge. We were happily greeted by John, one of the owners (family-owned and operated), who ran the front of the house. We of course sat at the bar and the night began! We decided on a fantastic bottle of Primitivo, and pocketed a Malbec recommendation from the Argentinian waiter. Must go purchase as it’s my favorite wine right now!

Throughout our meal, we engaged in fantastic conversation with the John. Such friendly people in Toronto! And at the bar! I love talking with fellow passionate foodies and talking with the bartender/waiter definitely adds to the meal! I always walk away with some interesting local tip or factoid I never would have gotten had I been sitting at a table for two.

John encouraged us to start out with the burrata, tomatoes and beets served with olive oil imported from Italy. The burrata was made from local Ontario cream! The tomatoes were meaty and the burrata tasted so silky and smooth.

When I see seafood linguine on a menu, I’m done for. I have to have it! The seafood linguine was piled high with shrimp, P.E.I mussels, Alaskan king crab legs and a lobster tail in a homemade Marinella sauce. They also make all their own pastas and pizza. I refuse to eat boxed noodles again! It was delicious and tasted like my Italian Mom was in the back cooking it... oh wait, she was! All the food is prepared my the family-run restaurant's Mom (front of the house owner's Mom)!

My Dad ordered the Veal Parmiggiana, as it brought back memories of dinner growing up as this was a favorite of his Mom’s to cook. The portion of tender grain fed veal, breaded and lightly fried, topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese was ginormous!

By the end of the meal we were fast friends with John. He said we weren’t allowed to leave Toronto without a piece of his Mom’s homemade ricotta cheesecake, which he brought to us on the house. Wow. The ricotta texture makes for such a unique, rich cheesecake experience. Loved it with the graham cracker crust!

Eating at Marinella Restaurant is like eating at home. If your Mom were Italian! I loved the comfort food, the conversations, the ambiance and the elegant resto decor.

Marinella Restaurant. Toronto, Canada.

Eating Ethiopian

We are so fortunate to have Sarah in our lives. For the past five years, Sarah has been an amazing around-the-clock caregiver for my Grandpa. She is such a warm soul and has become part of the family! She migrated to Toronto from Ethiopia and we’ve been talking about going to an Ethiopian restaurant for ever. This trip, we made it happen!

We met Sarah at one of her favorites, Lalibela Restaurtant, a family operated Ethiopian resto!

We left the ordering up to Sarah! We ordered a vegetarian and meat platter so we could taste a variety of authentic Ethiopian dishes! Both were served on injera, the traditional Ethiopian flatbread with a slightly spongy texture. No utensils were in sight! We ripped the injera apart and scooped up dollops of marinated meats, chickpeas and lentils. Quite an interesting food experience!



The spicy pureed split peas cooked with red onions and garlic were one of my favorites!

We tasted Ethiopian honey wine, which was uber sweet and tasted like honey!

After our meal we got treated to the most memorable part of the lunch… Ethiopian coffee with the traditional ceremony! Our waitress freshly roasted coffee beans and brought the smoking pot over for us to view and take in the aroma.

Once the coffee was prepared, it would brought over and served with incense and popcorn, another Ethiopian tradition! Sarah explained that coffee is a daily tradition in Ethiopia. It’s more than just a cup, it’s a moment for yourself and she makes it daily to feel like she’s at home. Much thicker and stronger than Starbuck’s, it definitely needed some sweetness added to it but perked me right up!

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Lalibela. Toronto, Canada.