Food is Food

On one of our recent trips to Los Angeles, we went to the restaurant Love & Salt and fell in love (as seen in this post).  They have the type of menu that makes you want to go back every day to try something new.  Nothing disappoints, and I mean NOTHING.  Like their salad that's made up of black kale, soppressata, olives, pickled peppers, breadcrumbs and ricotta salata.  Everything about this salad is perfect, especially the way they julienne the ingredients so they are perfectly uniform.  When everything is the same size it's just easier to eat!  That's my jam.  And then let's talk about the breadcrumbs which, if I had to guess, are toasted in olive oil or butter until they reach a crisp, golden perfection.  The crunch they offer the salad is beyond... and such a nice change from biting into a big crouton.  The pickled peppers and olives give off the perfect, salty bite.  I can't imagine a better protein than the soppressata or a lovelier, creamier cheese than the ricotta salata and the black kale is the perfect vessel for this salad... a sturdy, earthy green that holds everything together.

My son would say, why don't you marry this salad??        

Maybe I will, son, maybe I will.   

As you can see, I tried to recreate it at home using a red-wine vinaigrette and it was pretty damn close to the restaurant version.  Excuse me while I pat myself on the back.  If you decide to try this combination... make sure to julienne your ingredients and do NOT forget to toast your bread crumbs.  In fact, I took leftover focaccia bread from our pizza delivery, put it in the food processor and THEN toasted it in the best olive oil I had!  I made a ton and now I put it on every salad.  The End.  

Want to know something?  I love olive oil.  Some women collect shoes, or handbags, or jewelry... and I collect olive oils.  One of my favorite brands, Bertolli, is celebrating their 150th anniversary and they sent me that beautiful anniversary bottle above.  It's so pretty!  I want to carry it around like a handbag or wear it on my feet!  I'm very normal!  Anyway, to celebrate, Bertolli is having a recipe contest in which you could win a trip to Tuscany (as well as other prizes) just by submitting a dish using Bertolli oils.  Check it out here and enter soon, the deadline is July 31st!

The other night, using Bertolli olive oil (duh), I tried to recreate a dish we recently had at the Manhattan Beach, CA restaurant Love and Salt.  If you follow me on Instagram, then you know I pretty much fell in love with this restaurant right away.  We ate insanely crispy yet juicy roast chicken, and pasta with bone marrow (yup), and a salad with crispy garbanzo beans... all while sipping spicy margaritas.  And we began the meal with an albacore tuna and avocado toast.  This toast was something magical... every bite so full of bright texture and flavor.  I could have made love to the toast alone... perfectly crispy and probably soaked in delicious olive oil.  Creamy avocado, with a hint of lemon, topped with fresh, chunky tuna that melted in your mouth, and sprinkled with some sort of olive (caper?) mixture and a sliver of onion.  Am I still talking about this toast??

I thought it would be the perfect appetizer to make with my fancy olive oil, see what I did below...      

I had ciabatta bread leftover from our local pizza joint, so I used that, however you could use sourdough or french bread.  Just slice, and sauté on the stove in a splash of olive oil over medium heat until both sides are golden.  Take a can of solid white albacore tuna (soaked in water), drain and place in a bowl.  Scoop out an avocado into another bowl and mash with a fork.  Take the juice of half a lemon, and sprinkle over both bowls.  Drizzle both bowls with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  To assemble toasts, spread avocado first, then tuna and then top with some chopped kalamata olives (or use an olive tapenade).  Serve and enjoy!  

Who doesn't love Chipotle?!  (No, that's not a rhetorical question, I really need to know if someone in this world exists who doesn't love Chipotle.)  It's a magical place with fresh ingredients, quick service, salty chips and BEER!  There's even beer.  The kid portions rock, the guacamole is insane, and you can customize your order pretty much any way you like it.  Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, we don't live very close to one, so I decided to make our own bowls at home!  

I followed this recipe using black beans instead of pinto (that I warmed on the stove with some chopped cilantro and green onions) and leftover grilled corn off-the-cob (with lime juice and zest).  Oh, and I may have gone to the restaurant to get their guacamole and chips to-go.  In case you're wondering, the Chipotle cheese is a blend of monterey jack and white cheddar.  Brilliant.  

What's your Chipotle go-to order?

*Even though I wrote their name 1700 times, this post was NOT sponsored by Chipotle, but hey, IF YOU'RE OUT THERE READING THIS, YOU MAGICAL PLACE YOU, FEEL FREE TO SEND ME COUPONS.  That was classy.   

HELLO!  I have been away for awhile and you hate me.  You've totally written me off, forgotten about me, and I am nothing more than the robot lady on your phone who can't answer a single question correctly.  But wait!  I'm back!  I love you!  I have exciting things to share with you on the horizon!  For now, though, I will leave you with a few Instagram photos from our trip to Los Angeles.  Of food, of course.  The above photo was taken at The Griddle Cafe on Sunset.  If you ever find yourself in Hollywood, this is a must.  The pancakes and french toast are ridiculous, and the entire restaurant smells like that freshly made batter.  I ordered the Fiesta Scramble, and then also ate the majority of my kid's Chocolate Chip Pancake.  Why do I order my own food again?

The photo below is of the Chocolate Pizza at Craig's on Melrose.  It's not on the dessert menu, but you MUST ask about it if you're ever at this restaurant.  Also order the Honey Truffle Fried Chicken.  I SAID HONEY TRUFFLE FRIED CHICKEN.  But don't worry, plant eaters, they have four featured vegan dishes as well!  Love this place... and it's always a fun spot for a celebrity sighting or two (ahem, Pat Sajak and John Stamos).    

We also went to Katsuya this trip.  Not my favorite sushi restaurant (Sugarfish, Sasabune and Nobu are much better in my opinion), but a fun spot nonetheless.  Even though the geisha in the bathroom scared the S*@T out of my son: 

Be back soon!