PIE-NOT celebrated Australia Day with Aussie friends around Orange County, CA

On Sunday, January 26, 2014, PIE-NOT threw a big, family-friendly celebration for Australia’s official national holiday, Australia Day. Historically, it signifies the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the first fleet of British ships in Sydney Cove, New South Wales and the raising of the Flag of Great Britain at that site by Governor Arthur Phillip. Currently, it celebrates the diverse society, landscape, history, and presentation of the Australian of the Year Awards. PIE-NOT celebrated the day with food, fun, and animals.

PIE-NOT was open for regular business but in the courtyard across from their location, they had set up a tent and served samples of the Sag Rolls (standard Aussie sausage roll with premium ground beef and pork with finely grated onions and carrots rolled into a puff pastry), Vegemite and Cheese pastries, and Digger (an egg-less biscuit mix of rolled oats and desiccated coconut with golden syrup). I’ve wanted to try Vegemite ever since I heard the lyrics of the Men at Work song “Land Down Under”: “Buying bread from a man in Brussels. He was six foot four and full of muscle. I said, "Do you speak my language?" He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich.” This dark spread has eluded me until this historic Australia Day. I really loved the taste of it. It’s salty and reminiscent of kelp or seaweed. When it was mixed with cheese and put in a puff pastry, it was even more delectable. PIE-NOT needs to put this on the menu!

To read more and see slideshow, please visit: http://www.examiner.com/article/pie-not-celebrated-australia-day-with-aussie-friends-around-orange-county-ca

Mahalo,

OC Food Diva

Rubio’s® revamped the Burrito Especial

Rubio’s has a lot in store for 2014. To start the year off, they launched the new Ancho Citrus Burrito and elevated the Burrito Especial. The restaurant chain is going through a “culinary renaissance” providing new and loyal customers with innovations on the menu and in the restaurant itself. I visited the Foothill Ranch, CA location and the first thing I noticed was the new dine-in plates and silverware versus the plastic basket with wax paper liner. This new presentation is a nice touch and makes you want to dine in rather than take away in a plastic bag.

The revamped Burrito Especial is grilled steak (or chicken) wrapped in a warm flour tortilla with citrus rice, fresh-made guacamole, black beans, salsa fresca, romaine lettuce, creamy chipotle sauce and red tomatillo salsa. I’ve ordered this with steak in the past and it was never consistent. But, I must confess, I was really impressed by the updated version. The citrus marinade made the meat tender, but I would have added a little salt to boost the beefy flavor. The rice and beans were good with a nice texture contrast to the crispy lettuce. The tortilla was elastic and slightly chewy. The tomatillo salsa paired the best with this burrito. Thumbs up!

Pacific Mahi Mahi Burrito contains Pacific mahi mahi, seasoned with olive oil and garlic or house blackened with a mix of spices, grilled on an authentic comal and wrapped in a toasted flour or whole grain tortilla with fire-roasted corn, a pinch of ancho chile, handmade guacamole, Mexican rice, creamy chipotle sauce, a cilantro/onion mix and red and green cabbage. I ordered it blackened which gave the fish the ultimate boost in flavor. The only thing that didn’t match was the corn as it was just too sweet with the fish. Thumbs up!

Can’t wait to see what else Rubio’s has in store for 2014!

Atmosphere: 4 out of 5 stars

Service: 4 out of 5 stars

Décor: 4 out of 5 stars

Food: 4 out of 5 stars

For more information:

Rubio’s

Locations in California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado

Chef Joe Youkhan battled for the title of “Chopped Champion” on the Food Network

On Tuesday, January 21, 2014, friends and family gathered at Rudy’s Pub and Grill to watch our favorite chef, Chef Joe Youkhan battle for the title of “Chopped Champion”. Rudy’s was gracious enough to have most of the television screens on the Food Network so everyone could have the best vantage point for the show.

As the show title came on, we started to cheer for our local culinary hero from Orange County, CA. Chef Joe owns and operates Tasting Spoon food truck and catering. Some of his family, including his dad, traveled here from New York to help cheer him on. If you have not seen Chopped before, there are 3 rounds: Appetizer (20 minutes), Entrée (30 minutes), and Dessert (30 minutes). At the beginning of each round, the chefs are given a basket of mystery items and can use items from the show’s fully-stocked pantry (staples like eggs, milk, vegetables, seasonings, spices, flour, etc.) It’s a similar premise as Iron Chef, but they just need to make one dish for each round. The mystery items usually throw a curve ball to the chefs, making them think on their feet and turn on the creativity. Chef Joe’s competitors were Chef Maxcel Hardy (personal chef to the stars in NY), Chef Ashley Fahr (freelance catering chef and food stylist in NY), and Chef Laurie Potts (Executive Chef of Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville, TN).

To read more, please visit: http://www.examiner.com/article/chef-joe-youkhan-battled-for-the-title-of-chopped-champion-on-the-food-network

Mahalo,

OC Food Diva

Angel’s Envy Bourbon from Louisville, KY

Louisville Distilling Company is a relatively new player to the bourbon industry. Started in 2010 by Master Distiller Lincoln Henderson (an inaugural member of the Bourbon Hall of Fame), who had more than 40 years of experience working for world class brands such as Woodford Reserve and Jack Daniels. Lincoln wanted to create the world’s finest bourbon, by returning to the original process of hand-blending whiskey in small batches of 8 to 10 barrels. The name started from the term “Angel’s Share” which is the percentage of evaporated bourbon that is lost during the aging process. As Lincoln Henderson said, “[I] sat the angels down and got them to agree that they could take a larger share if they agreed to leave behind something even better.” Hence, Angel’s Envy was born. Wine Enthusiast Magazine awarded Angel’s Envy 98 out of 100 points which is the highest-ever rating for a bourbon.

Angel’s Envy Bourbon Port Cask Finish (aka Expression 10/10) is described as “a warm spirit, lacking any hint of edginess with ephemeral hints of port wine and rich amber hue.” It is distilled for an unparalleled smoothness, aged for 4 to 6 years in American white oak barrels and finished in hand-selected port casks for an incremental 3 to 6 months. The result is exceptionally smooth, nuanced, and refined bourbon. Tasting notes: vanilla, spice, and oak flavors.

Manhattan made with Angel’s Envy, Sweet Vermouth, and Angostura Bitters. Musty, oak, and vanilla aromatics were experienced. It had a strong alcohol taste with classic masculine flavor and menthol backend – reminded me of my grandpa. Possible food pairings would be chargrilled steak, black forest ham sandwich on squaw bread, or dark chocolate dessert.

Drink one of the finest bourbons around and toast your drink to Master Distiller Lincoln Henderson who passed away too soon last year at the sprite age of 75.

For more information:

Angel’s Envy

Louisville, KY