RoobiFood

Sometimes when spending time in Ojai, I feel as if I’ve stepped into the enchanted valley where Brigadoon was nestled. Ojai Valley is a jewel box filled with gems such as lavender fields, orange and lemon groves, music under the stars and pink moments off the Topa Topa mountains. The people are warm and friendly. The charming town offers fine dining and great shops, all with an artistic flair. But the dazzling, many-faceted diamond amid all these jewels is the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, an oasis of heavenly beauty and earthly delights.

Recently I shared a birthday with President Obama, and my husband planned a romantic getaway at the Inn. The Inn itself is a stunning reflection of California’s Spanish mission heritage. Our elegant room had a dark wood four-poster covered with lush linens and pillows, a stucco fireplace and luxurious fabrics in yellows and blues. Our large balcony overlooked the Inn’s manicured, 18-hole golf course. A cheese platter with fresh crusty bread and fruit was waiting for us.

After cocktails in the Inn’s pub, we dined under a vine-covered trellis on the terrace of the Inn’s Oak Grill restaurant. Our table faced the Topa Topas and, as we sipped our Cambria chardonnay, we were treated to a fleeting pink moment. For those glorious few seconds, the mountains turned a lovely shade of rose before they subtly turned blue-gray as the sun faded behind the horizon.

Executive chef Jamie West’s menu is comprised of ‘starters’ that are interesting blends of California cuisine and old favorites, from ahi tuna tartar with avocado, crispy wonton and a ginger soy dressing to chilled jumbo shrimp cocktail. His entrees are ‘grill’ favorites with a twist, and range from USDA prime NY steak with mushroom bread pudding, grilled asparagus and a cabernet sauce to oven roasted natural chicken breast with mushroom barley risotto, swiss chard and cider bourbon glaze.

I started with a chilled cantaloupe, mint, pineapple blended soup with lavender infused honey, bits of pineapple and a dollop of crème fraiche. A taste of liquid ‘sherbet’ to tease the palette. My husband chose the farmer’s market salad of greens with Granny Smith apples, candied walnuts, goat cheese, pickled red onions and apple cider vinaigrette. A tangy and fresh combination of tastes and textures.

The sky was dark and the terrace lights glowed, as did the candle on our table when our entrees arrived. Because I had been dreaming of lobster, I chose for my main course the butter-poached Maine lobster tail on a bed of lobster risotto, crisp pork belly and savory cabbage. This was so delicious that lobster and risotto now fill my culinary dreams.

My husband decided to switch his wine choice to a Melville pinot noir when he chose the natural Kurobuto pork loin with a port wine reduction for his entrée. The pork, seared on the grill, came with garlic mashed potatoes, red cabbage and gala apple chutney. When I tasted the dish, I decided I could just pour the port wine sauce in a glass and sip it like, uh, port. Pork Port – the new after dinner ‘aperitif.’

To finish the meal, we shared the crème brulee with that Oak Grill “twist”… a cookie underneath and a bit of cinnamon gelato on top. Delicious.

Back in our room and before crawling into that big four-poster, we curled up on the cushioned bench on our outdoor patio and gazed at the stars. The perfect end to a perfect birthday. Complete with a Brigadoon moon.

ilona

“My Dinners With Richard & Other Musings”
www.myspace.com/othermusings

110 W. Illinois St.
Chicago, IL 60654

A new kid on the block in Chicago fine dining, Sunda takes its name from an extension of the geographical continental shelf of Southeast Asia and has crafted as its menu an amalgamation of the various cultures, spices and cooking techniques in the region. Japan, China, Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand are among the influences for this contemporary Asian fusion restaurant.

Sunda goes for an über trendy vibe with its dark, sleek, cavernous space containing several dining areas including private tables, long communal benches, a cocktail lounge and seating at the extensive sushi bar. A newly opened restaurant, Sunda is already busy enough that diners without reservations are usually relegated to communal or bar seating (which is not really an inconvenience as the top notch service and delicious, innovative cuisine are unaffected).

The menu is a dizzying array of choices ranging from edamame beans to entrees such as a half chicken fried with coconut milk and Thai chilies and a Malay style Chilean sea bass. Appetizers and small plates alone take up two pages of the menu, with entrees covering one page and a full sushi menu of traditional and specialty rolls, sashimi and nigiri comprising the rest of the menu. Sunda has a plethora of sake, domestic and imported beer and wine (red, white and sparkling) offerings by the bottle and some by the glass as well as a long list of specialty cocktails.

With such a range of mouth watering choices, my boyfriend and I were thankful for our server who was polite, friendly, extremely knowledgeable about the menu and able to offer helpful suggestions without a hint of persuasion. We finally decided on a few small plates, sushi rolls and sashimi. As we sipped from a reasonably priced, clear and just sweet enough bottle of sake, our parade of food began to arrive.

Among the several options we had that evening, our clear favorite was the rock shrimp tempura, delectable bits of fried shrimp and walnuts lightly covered with honey. The lemongrass beef lollipops offered five pieces of tender NY strip beef skewered on lemongrass sticks with a spicy chili glaze. Our salad comprised of chili caramelized watermelon pieces topped with slices of unagi fish prepared to taste like bacon. Determined to explore the sushi side of the menu also, we enjoyed a Sunda signature roll of hamachi poke with mango and macadamia nuts in a citrus marinade. Our tastes diverged at sea urchin sashimi- I am willing to try many things but this was just too much for me. My boyfriend cheerfully found it exotic and different. We ended our meal with the “great white tuna” roll, another specialty, which was topped with a crispy potato chip.

While Sunda is definitely not an everyday restaurant, the high level of service and interesting menu makes for an enjoyable evening of fine dining.

For more information, see www.sundachicago.com

While tooling around town today, my husband and I decided to try the new brasserie on Ventura Blvd. in our little Studio City, Calif. hamlet.

It’s name: Bokado Market-Brasserie (Bokado is Spanish for little tastes or something like that) –

Anyway, the restaurant is a Spanish influenced brasserie with an elegant, but simply designed room and a large outdoor patio with a canopy of umbrellas surrounded by a lovely array of potted plants. Inside there’s a long bar with its own tapas menu on a blackboard which includes a paella on Tues. and Thurs. Two long bar-height tables with tall chairs for a communal eating experience are set up end-to-end in the middle of the room, and regular restaurant tables line the front window overlooking the patio and blvd.

The lunch menu is diverse – My husband had the burrata panini, with handmade burrata cheese, serrano ham, tomato, basil, tons of garlic and market greens… My taste buds did a happy flamenco when I had a bite! The sandwich came with terrific skinny, string french fries and fresh, homemade ketchup.

I had their ‘classic’ Caesar salad with chicken, though I take issue with the ‘classic’ adjective since the salad had no anchovies which is a traditional ingredient and the original salad never had chicken, but I digress. This version of a ‘classic’ Caesar was pretty good, even though the tender, moist chicken was cold and when I touched the plate it was apparent it just came out of the refrigerator. I prefer my Caesar with those anchovies and the chicken hot off the grill. So, as good as it was, it still was a miss for me.

One of the side dishes for lunch or dinner on the menu is mac & cheese with manchego – a Spanish cheese that I can’t wait to try — hopefully after I lose 100 pounds.

Dinners include a variety of salads: from a Jess salad comprised of oxnard, strawberries, Asian pears, romaine, croutons and grilled chicken to an heirloom beet salad with triple cream cheese and market greens. Soups include onion soup gratinee with caramelized onions and manchego crustini (I really have to try that when it’s not 100 degrees outside)… then there are crab cakes, steamed mussels in pernod with saffron & fennel and a cheese tasting — all appetizers. Among the entrees is a selection of certified angus steaks (a petite filet, a NY strip, and a rib eye) with a choice of sauces from bearnaise to chimuchurri to maytag blue cheese. For fish lovers, there are scallops with a vegie relish, squash and charred calarmari (ok, my taste memory is dragging me out the door and back to the restaurant to try this dish), seared Alaskan halibut in a bed of white bean cassoulet with a jamon serrano (basically a Spanish prosciutto), a few other fish and chicken dishes, lamb and pork chops and sides of creamed spinach, potato gratinee, wild mushrooms, broccoli parmesan with bacon, market vegies and those hand cut fries among them.

There’s also a ‘deli’ counter with artisan cheeses and all kinds of breads/baguettes.

I really liked this place.

Bokado Market-Brasserie
12345 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City, CA 91604
818-752-9222
laloggia@earthlink.net

“My Dinners With Richard & Other Musings”
www.myspace.com/othermusings

1647 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647

The tagline for this small, intimate space in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood is “Midwestern farmers, Mediterranean flavors.” They live up to this by utilizing four farms within 50 miles of Chicago to construct an Italian centered menu with influences from everywhere along the Mediterranean coast. Mado is BYOB- fresh food expertly prepared is their focus, wine and other drinks are up to the diner.

Things got off to a delicious start with a complimentary appetizer of fried pig skins served with an ever so slightly spicy crème fraiche and chipotle dipping sauce. We then moved on to a serving of wonderfully fresh and crisp radishes accompanied by creamy homemade butter and English and snap peas served on a bed of ricotta cheese and fresh marjoram. Always up for trying something a little different, my boyfriend ordered the tripe, which came in a rather large appetizer portion in a tomato and fresh marjoram sauce. Inspired by his expressions of delight, I tried some for myself and found the tripe itself actually quite delicious with the hint of spice in this fresh sauce.

From there, we ordered a half portion of the pasta special- penne with green beans and small red potatoes in a pesto sauce. As with everything else it was extremely tasty but we both agreed that as an entrée the combination of carbs smothered in pesto might just become a little tiresome.

And then, the moment of the entrée had arrived. I ordered the rainbow trout with couscous, saffron and harissa. The fish’s exterior was crispy and the meat tender and flavorful with the harissa (a spicy North African paste of smoked or dried chili peppers, garlic, coriander and cumin) adding a nice kick. My boyfriend ordered the beef heart with spicy turnip slaw and green garlic trencher. It was presented with the heart seared medium rare, cut into several slices and served on a piece of toasted bread that had been spread with the green garlic. The turnip slaw featured wide slivers of crispy turnip dressed lightly with an olive oil vinaigrette that was spicy, as promised, without being overwhelming.

We capped off the meal with a dessert of almond cornmeal cake with sour cherry jam and a marscarpone-goat cheese cream topped with candied almonds which added a lovely crunch without being overpoweringly sweet. It was a wonderfully crafted dessert with a great balance of tartness and sweetness and a perfect way to end a stellar meal.

The service matched the food’s high level of excellence. Our server was friendly, attentive and extremely knowledgeable about the menu. Her solicitous manner topped off our fine dining experience.

More information can be found at www.madorestaurantchicago.com.

So it was breakfast time, and I was in one of those moods. I was looking for the delicious egg and vegetable combo of an omelet and yet I really wanted the comfort of a nice “dipping-style” (also known as sunny-side-up or over-easy) egg. What to do, I wasn’t hungry enough for both and that is when it hit me. Why not combine the two into one morning treat. Here’s how to make a dipping-yolk omelet, omelet aficionados will probably cry afoul but the end result is still scrumptious.

So here’s the mix. You’ll need 2 eggs, I prefer using eggs from Ameraucanas, but Rhode Island Reds produce a good yolk flavor as well. Some finely chopped vegetables/grated cheese(fine grate), roughly 3 Tbsp. And a Tbsp. Of butter, and of course Toast for dipping. I’m a fan of cheese and onion, but other mix-ins will do.

Here’s the process, separate out yolks from whites, being careful to reserve yolks intact. Place whites into a bowl, and add chopped mix-ins. Stir together (do not beat).

In a skillet melt butter over medium-low heat until it froths lightly. Add egg whites with vegetables and cheese. Then replace yolks in the center. Cook either sunny-side-up or over-easy and enjoy a great twist on two breakfast classics.