Thursday, September 29, 2011
Exotic Thai - Ojai, CA
Monday, September 26, 2011
Winner Winner. Chicken Dinner!
Meet Buster...
Friday, September 23, 2011
Harry's Plaza Cafe - Santa Barbara, CA
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Andria's Seafood - Ventura, CA
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
The Jester - Ojai, CA
Monday, September 19, 2011
FATS - Folsom, CA
Friday, September 16, 2011
Meet My People - Jodie
1. You feel an urge to cook, you have the energy and the ingriedents. What is it? Chile verde (pork shoulder roast, tomatillos, cilantro, hatch chilis), refried beans (not from a can), salsa (not from a jar), tortilla chips (not from a bag), margaritas (with my margarita mix & patron tequila, grand marnier or cointreau) & a good mexican cerveza (for those who don't want my margs).
Thursday, September 15, 2011
MGT is now a painter!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Meet My People - Melissa Good Taste!
1. You wake up in the morning to a chef in your kitchen. What do you ask him/her to make you?
Meet My People - Allison & Shannon
2. Lunch or Dinner - Which would you rather skip? Why? Dinner. If I skip lunch there is a very real possibility I might shrivel up & die.
3. Your go-to drink for a good time? Crown & 7up with a lime – although this summer I’m in love with Sangria…
4. You walk into your favorite Mexican food joint. What do you order? Enchilada, tamale, or chili relleno – always with rice & beans!
5. Sushi. A once popular craze or a staple in your cuisine? It’s always been a once & a while treat… probably always will be…
6. Your friend asks you to lunch at a generic Chinese Food restaurant. What do you order? Sweet & Sour Chicken
7. McDonald's, Burger King or Jack In the Box? Why? Cheeseburger, Whopper Jr., or Chicken Fajita Pita – sooo hard to choose!!!
8. Restaurant trend - Dessert served before Dinner. Would it work? Nope – then I’d have nothing to look forward to!
9. Why is Coffee more popular than Tea? Your take. You can’t add chocolate & whipped cream to tea!
10. Italian Food - More than just noodles? Do you get tired of just ordering different shapes of the same dough? For some reason I never get tired of different shaped dough…
SHANNON SAYS:
1. Something with eggs and strawberries/grapefruit
2. Dinner. if I skip lunch I will be shakey and grumpy the rest of the day
3. Vodka tonic w lime
4. Shredded beef enchilada
5. Don’t eat if…food allergies scare me so I usually get chicken terriaki
6. Fried rice, chow main, sweat and sour pork, and wan ton soup.
7. Jack in the box. They have mozzarella sticks.
8. No…cause I would fill up and only eat desert. I would like it…but it would not be good for me.
9. It is stronger. I need the caffeine!!
10. No. I love Italian food. I take any shape noodle.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Meet My People - Aunt Cindy & Cousin Drew
3. Your go-to drink for a good time?
4. You walk into your favorite Mexican food joint. What do you order?
5. Sushi. A once popular craze or a staple in your cuisine?
6. Your friend asks you to lunch at a generic Chinese Food restaurant. What do you order?
7. McDonald's, Burger King or Jack In the Box? Why?
8. Restaurant trend - Dessert served before Dinner. Would it work?
9. Why is Coffee more popular than Tea? Your take:
10. Italian Food - More than just noodles? Do you get tired of just ordering
different shapes of the same dough?
I only cook noodles at home. If I'm going out, I'll go to a Italian place and have them cook something that I could never be capable on my own. The more elaborate the risotto, the better.
1. Veggie omelet
2. Lunch because I am always busy during the day.
3. Glass of Calera chardonnay
4. Fiesta salad served in a tortilla shell
5. Sushi never!
6. I would order whatever someone else at me table reccommended because I don't particularily like Chinese food.
7. Burger King because I like the junior hamburger.
8. I don't generally do dessert, so it wouldn't work for me.
9. Coffee tastes better than tea to me.
10. My favorite Italian dish is gnocchi, (not a noodle but a potato dumpling) with tomato, mushroom and garlic sauce with a
hint of lemon peel. Yum!!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Meet My People - Jennifer & James
JENNIFER SAYS:
1. You wake up in the morning to a chef in your kitchen. What do you ask him/her to make you? Can I wake up at 6:00 pm and request a 7 course tasting menu from Chef Stephan Richter? If so, that is what I would ask for! If not, I would request fried chicken and waffles – just for the fun of it.
2. Lunch or Dinner - Which would you rather skip? Why? Skip? What is this word “skip”? Do you know how grouchy I would be if I skipped either?
3. Your go-to drink for a good time? A Root Beer Freeze from A&W! For an even better time, a Root Beer “Float” from Serendipity!
4. You walk into your favorite Mexican food joint. What do you order? Guacamole to go with the chips & salsa! I also really like chicken fajita salads!
5. Sushi. A once popular craze or a staple in your cuisine? Still popular with me; I appreciate a good sushi chef that surprises me with something beyond a basic roll!
6. Your friend asks you to lunch at a generic Chinese Food restaurant. What do you order? I ask her to go to another restaurant, I am too afraid of MSG!
7. McDonald's, Burger King or Jack In the Box? Why? Jack in the Box for their jalapeno poppers! Yum! Arby’s makes great poppers too – dip ‘em in their Bronco Berry Sauce!
8. Restaurant trend - Dessert served before Dinner. Would it work? Not in my book! I always want something sweet after the savory!
9. Why is Coffee more popular than Tea? Your take. The way coffee smells in the morning is fantastic, but poor tea is underrated! If it had the marketing prowess behind it that SBucks did for coffee, it would take off through the roof!
10. Italian Food - More than just noodles? Do you get tired of just ordering different shapes of the same dough? Definitely more than just noodles, but that type of food is hard to find at your local OG. Maybe I will have to plan a trip to Italy with Melissa Good Taste to do some “research”!
JAMES SAYS:
1. You wake up in the morning to a chef in your kitchen. What do you ask him/her to make you? Kathy's ham quiche with cantaloupe and tomato juice.
2. Lunch or Dinner - Which would you rather skip? Why? Although bad I enjoy an early 3-6ish. Don't know why.
3. Your go-to drink for a good time? Gonna go with the old classic. 7n7.
4. You walk into your favorite Mexican food joint. What do you order? Carne asada plate rice beans flour tortillas.
5. Sushi. A once popular craze or a staple in your cuisine? Not so much a staple, but great for mixing it up once in a while.
6. Your friend asks you to lunch at a generic Chinese Food restaurant. What do you order? Chow mein, Sweet n sour chicken, deluxe fried rice.
7. McDonald's, Burger King or Jack In the Box? Why? McDonalds...the number 2 never ceases to fail at any location in the world.
8. Restaurant trend - Dessert served before Dinner. Would it work? Negative...work on kicking out better dishes to get people in the door rather than grasp for straws.
9. Why is Coffee more popular than Tea? Your take. There are so many choices in a cup of coffee. From Starbucks to am pm it's every where. Something for everyone.
10. Italian Food - More than just noodles? Do you get tired of just ordering different shapes of the same dough? Yes it is more than just noodles...but I tend to lean toward the heavy hitters: lasagna, meatball sandwich, raviolis.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Meet My People - Mary
2. Lunch or Dinner - Which would you rather skip? Why? Dinner, I like a "real meal" for lunch and a lighter dinner anyways, so I could just step lunch up a notch and skip dinner, no problem! Cocktails count as dinner, right?!
3. Your go-to drink for a good time? Frozen mudslide
4. You walk into your favorite Mexican food joint. What do you order? One chicken, one cheese enchilada with mole sauce ... and you gotta have cheese on your refried beans and plenty of yummy spicy salsa!
5. Sushi. A once popular craze or a staple in your cuisine? Don't eat it, ever.
6. Your friend asks you to lunch at a generic Chinese Food restaurant. What do you order? Veggie spring roll with homemade hot mustard and chicken and broccoli with white rice, plenty of srirachi sauce on the side
7. McDonald's, Burger King or Jack In the Box? Why? Burger King, all about the flame broiled and onion rings
8. Restaurant trend - Dessert served before Dinner. Would it work? No, I'm not a big dessert person to begin with, I much prefer savory over sweet.
9. Why is Coffee more popular than Tea? Your take. I hate coffee, can't get over the bitterness, but I do love a good cup of tea, nice spicy chai in the winter or a light lemony tea in the summer. I'll brew my own tea and refrigerate it to mix with Absolut Citron for a refreshing summer cocktail!
10. Italian Food - More than just noodles? Do you get tired of just ordering different shapes of the same dough? I like pasta, especially with a spicy fra diavolo sauce, but I really prefer the other Italian meals, francese, marsala, etc. I do a simple peasant type of Italian dish int he summer, where I basically do veal cutlets and you serve them with lots of fresh lemon wedges which you squeeze all over them, very light and refreshing! Serve it with some skillet potatoes with onions, peppers and basil, some sugar snaps, very yummy!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Meet My People - John
1. You wake up in the morning to a chef in your kitchen. What do you ask him/her to make you? Crab cake with spinach eggs benedict with pressed coffee and bowl fresh fruit.
2. Lunch or Dinner - Which would you rather skip? Why? Dinner.......just better for you this way.
3. Your go-to drink for a good time? JUMBO MARGARITA'S
4. You walk into your favorite Mexican food joint. What do you order? Fresh chunky salsa.....chicken enchilada's a la carte. JUMBO MARGARITA'S
5. Sushi. A once popular craze or a staple in your cuisine? Staple...if I can persuade wife to go.
6. Your friend asks you to lunch at a generic Chinese Food restaurant. What do you order? Wonton soup, sweet sour chicken, house chow mein.
7. McDonald's, Burger King or Jack In the Box? Why? Jack.....best of the worst.
8. Restaurant trend - Dessert served before Dinner. Would it work? For schizophrenics.
9. Why is Coffee more popular than Tea? Your take. Coffee has more bold flavoring.
10. Italian Food - More than just noodles? Do you get tired of just ordering different shapes of the same dough? I should but don't.....skinny noodles LOTS RED SAUCE.
Meet My People - Donna & Mike
1. You wake up in the morning to a chef in your kitchen. What do you ask him/her to make you? Banana Pancakes with Hawaiian Coconut Syrup
2. Lunch or Dinner - Which would you rather skip? Why?
This one depends on what I'm doing on any given day. Most of the time; Lunch.
3. Your go-to drink for a good time?
No, I don't really drink. Maybe a nice cold beer or a strawberry Margarita or even one glass of wine. That's it for me.
4. You walk into your favorite Mexican food joint. What do you order?
Albondigas soup and a crunchy taco
5. Sushi. A once popular craze or a staple in your cuisine?
NO raw fish for me!
6. Your friend asks you to lunch at a generic Chinese Food restaurant. What do you order?
Deluxe fried rice and war wonton soup
7. McDonald's, Burger King or Jack In the Box? Why?
Jack has the best salads of the three. and I do like the egg-rolls.
8. Restaurant trend - Dessert served before Dinner. Would it work?
Not for me
9. Why is Coffee more popular than Tea? Your take.
I don't drink Coffee I drink Tea. No take on this
10. Italian Food - More than just noodles? Do you get tired of just ordering different shapes of the same dough?
Absolutely. Pass the pasta on by and grab the totally decked out Antipasta salad and Minestrone Soup!
1. Depends on where I am if it's near a beach I want fresh fish or seafood. If its a beef town just steak baby.
2. Skip lunch take a full dinner like a 7 course Caesar's in San Francisco.
3. Margaritas with my favorite Mexican food.
4. Progresso Tamales and refried beans or Carnitas with green sauce.
5. Sushi hands down a must, again in Hawaii even better.....
6. Garlic Beef or Kung Pow Chicken with Chow Mein can't go wrong with these ones.
7. Mickey Ds always the same anywhere across the whole USA you know what your getting every time.
8. No people like it the way it is, say what about say breakfast for dinner?
9. I think because it evolved this way due to the British embargo of tea in colonial time we started coffee and been addicted from then.
10. Silly girl see answer 2 go to Caesar's get real Italian food not Olive Garden.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Meet My People - Rebecca
Monday, September 5, 2011
Robert's - Paso Robles, CA
Friday, September 2, 2011
Amy Witt - Friend, Cowgirl & Fashionista
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Cafe Nouveau - Ventura, CA
Stuffed Poblano with Crab, Shrimp and Halibut covered with melted cheese, cream sauce and over a bed of julienne squash and rice. It was the must pricey on the lunch menu and sounded fabulous on paper. When it was set down in front of me it looked like a hot mess. Piled so high and seemingly stuffed with everything in the kitchen sink. The rice was under done and the squash was probably the most flavorful thing on the menu. To be honest I never got in one bite of the chile and the seafood had a faint funk. What a disappointment and a waste of food - too big of portion for sure.