Mimosa

Here's a sampling from an authentic little French bistro that doesn't break your wallet.

The setting is very casual and can get pretty loud as the dinner hour progresses. Brightness and tone of the lights also change the later it gets. This'll make for very dim lighting that requires either flash or a tripod. I used neither, thus the mediocre pictures that have been "rescued" using Photoshop.


Appetizers:

French Onion Soup Gratinee
w/ "Comte" Cheese

I can count the number of times I've had French onion soup on one hand, but my brother orders it whenever he spots it on a menu. He's one helluva picky eater and he gave the soup two thumbs up. The two of us have similar tastes, so I trust him.

House Country Pate
Onion Marmelade

I was hoping for a more liver-dominant pate (my favorite), but these meaty ones certainly did not disappoint. Mimosa's pate is comparable to Pascal's. Rich, meaty, fatty. One could easily make a meal out of this appetizer since the bread basket is endless.

Steamed Mussels Marinier
with White Wine, Shallots, and Herbs

I can't remember the last time I had mussels this good. Swear to God, they were so fresh that I wouldn't doubt it if Mimosa has a tank of live ones out in the back. There are a total of three flavor options for steamed mussels at Mimosa and I opted for the simplest one as to better taste the meat. These were steamed to perfection and subtly flavored.

Tomato "Confit" Tart "Tatin"

A great light appetizer for a summer evening. My brother ordered this item so I really couldn't get a good taste in since he really tears into his food. The small bit I did get to try, though, was glorious. Tart was so light and flaky that it almost melted in my mouth. Literally. I'm sure it's from all the butter! As you can see, Mimosa has cooked(stewed?) the tomatoes and removed the skin, leaving only the sweet flesh.


Main Courses:

Grilled Filet of Sole
Artichokes "Minestrone" with Fava Beans, Piquillos Pepper and Preserved Lemon Relish

Here we have a nice slab of juicy sole filet topped over an artichoke "minestrone" (aka artichoke soup). You won't believe how tender and juicy the fish is until you try it. None of that rubbery nonsense that you might encounter in some restaurants. Flavor of the artichokes fits really well in this dish and the lemon relish bumps up the flavor profile just a tad bit more.

Steak Tartar
(Black Angus) Hand Chopped Lightly Spicy with Condiments

Some folks feel uneasy about eating raw beef. I can't imagine why, though. Maybe this dish can convert some non-believers? It is strange to associate the word "creamy" with meat, but in this case, it will have to do. Creamy, lightly spicy, hint of green onion, and sweet raw Black Angus beef. Mmm mmm!

Veal Sweetbread with Haricots Verts, Potato Puree, Capers, Lemon Confit

My star of the night! Mimosa dumps a real sizable portion of sweetbread on the plate. A little too much, if you ask me. These were so rich and judging from the taste of the grease, it seems like they were seared in yummy animal fat or something. Thankfully the lemon confit helps to cut some of the richness, but not enough to make me swap plates halfway with my mother's lighter plate of grilled sole. I highly suggest sharing this. Seriously. The portions are huge at Mimosa.


Dessert:

Pot de Chocolate Mousse

Dark chocolate mousse that is not overly sweet = I get a mouthgasm. Mimosa's is very light and airy. I hope to one day learn how to make choco-mousse of this caliber...

Pear Financier
Served Warm, Pecan Caramel Sauce, Vanilla Ice Cream

I had no idea what a "Financier" was, but turns out it's kinda like a sponge cake that tastes like almonds. Top it with ice cream and caramel and you get a big plate of YUM.






Mimosa
8009 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90048
323.655.8895

Joe's Pizza (Santa Monica)

Wow this has been a crazy summer. Haven't had a lot of time to organize my photos and thoughts to post on here. Boohoo. Like anyone really reads my humble little blog anyway...teehee!

Somewhere in between the partying, smoking, shopping, screaming at my dysfunctional family, and job searching, I found a pretty solid pizzeria in Santa Monica while hanging out.

Joe's Pizza hails from the East Coast and has quite the celeb following. They've got pictures across their walls of Hollywood celebs having a slice of Joe's pie. I have never eaten pizza outside of California so I can't compare West Coast Joe with East Coast Joe. It would be awesome to hear how the two locations compare.

We bought a whole pepperoni pizza (8 slices/pie) and being the glutton that I am, I ordered a slice of their white pie:

Caution: Sharp edges

I think I was expecting too much when eating at Joe's, especially after seeing all those Hollywood endorsements and reading all the buzz on the 'net . Food was great, but certainly not worth the high prices and definitely not reflective of all those endorsements. Though who takes Hollywood celebs seriously these days anyway? :P

The pepperoni pizza is very comparable to Bronx Pizza's. Both have a crispy crust that'll tear up the lining in your mouth, but Joe's tastes a bit better. Sauce was real similar too. All in all, a good pizza...but certainly not worth $18. I've had better.

<3 Cheese <3

White pie seems to be a very popular item at Joe's, and with good reason. I don't care if a slice costs $3.50. It was GOOD. See how much cheese there is?! If you love cheese, then buddy...this is the pizza for you. The drizzle of olive oil on the pizza further enhances the taste of mozzarella and (correct me if I'm wrong) ricotta. Despite it being 1-2pm, orders for white pizza constantly came in. I must try Bronx and Luigi's for a comparison.


I think the prices at Joe's are way too damn high, but if you're in the neighborhood and don't feel like eating at one of Santa Monica's many fabulous restaurants, then hop on over to Joe's Pizza and buy yourself a slice of awesomeness. Yes. I mean the white pie.






Joe's Pizza
111 Broadway (@ Ocean)
Santa Monica
310.395-9222 OR 310. 395-9220

Pizzeria Luigi

A lot of people tout Bronx Pizza as #1 in San Diego for thin crust pizza, but there are still improvements/tweaks that can be made to their pies. I particularly hate their hard, flavorless crust since my mouth gets cut up every time. Bronx could also use better tasting pepperoni.

After some digging around on the internet, I found a little place called Pizzeria Luigi that supposedly makes pizzas at or above the level of Bronx. Parking in the 25th St. location is a nightmare, so the new one on El Cajon* next to Eclipse Chocolat has been my preferred pizza destination.


Pepperoni+Sausage Pizza from Luigi's:

Blotting your pizza can eliminate as much as 45kcals/slice! I do it all the time.

SO MUCH CHEESE!

Looks just like a pizza from Bronx, but take a bite and the differences will be obvious. Luigi's has a delicious and chewy crust that is as sturdy as Bronx's--sans razor-sharp edges. Toppings and cheese also taste significantly better than Bronx's. I'll have to compare these pizzas side-by-side one day, but during this visit I felt that Bronx's pizzas tasted bland in comparison. Sauce at Luigi's just tastes like it has bit more depth and complexity. We can probably attribute this to the sauce's delicate sweetness, among other factors. Lastly, Luigi's is quite generous with the cheese, as you can see from the photo above, yet the balance of flavors and textures is not sacrificed. :D AWESOME.


As always, I'd love to compare notes with you guys if you've been here. And of course, please offer any recommendations if you know other kick-ass places as I am a big lover of pizza!


*updated August 09



Pizzeria Luigi
1137 25th St.
San Diego Ca, 92102
619.233-3309

2121 El Cajon Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92104
619.294-9417

Eclipse Chocolat (#5): Roger loves this place!

It's been awhile since I dropped by to visit Will at Eclipse due to all the midterms/finals/graduation craziness, so when my brother and his girlfriend came to visit me it was a great opportunity to check out the Summer Seasonal Dessert Tasting Platter.

Will has been really busy creating new cupcake flavors and just recently, Eclipse Chocolat hosted quite an epic cupcake party. Wish I could have made it D: You guys can check this all out on his blog.

Mmmm. Lunch!

On to the summer platter! By the way, I totally screwed up depth of field in the following photos. f/4.0 doesn't cut it...next time, I'm trying f/6.3 and actually examining each shot in the dinky little LCD on my Rebel XT.

Grilled White Chocolate Corn Gateau-

[grilled almond-corn cake, studded with 31% white chocolate chips+orange-caramel drizzle]

Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding with Milk Chocolate-Cinnamon Sauce-
[cinnamon roll bread pudding, warmed+milk chocolate-vietnamese cinnamon sauce]

White Chocolate Lemon-Thyme Sauce with Frozen Berries-
[white chocolate sauce infused with vanilla bean, lemon peel, & thyme+frozen mixed berries]

Dark Chocolate-Rhubarb Mousse-
[chilled 61% dark chocolate mousse+rhubarb, red wine, & vanilla bean compote+dried pomegranate arils]

I wasn't a big fan of the corn gateau since I just hate sour desserts, but my brother absolutely loved it. Good corn cake, though. Bread pudding was fantastic with the cinnamon sauce. I would lick the plate clean if eating it at home! You can't tell from my photos, but the frozen berries are plump and gorgeous. Not a single flaw in each one. Also, they're sweet even without the white chocolate sauce! Never had such great berries in my life. I was really looking forward to the dark chocolate mousse, but I found its consistency to be much too thick. Each spoonful of the mousse packs in a big whallop of flavor. This might be overwhelming for some, but lovers of dark chocolate will really enjoy this. I think I liked the mousse from the Spring Platter more though, but only because it is lighter/more airy. Hopefully the mousse's thickness was a fluke on my visit.

Presented in a much too shallow DoF: The three items I liked.

During this visit, the generous Will let me taste one of his sweet 'n savory cupcakes--Crispy Bacon & Dulce de Leche. Or was it with chocolate...? No matter. Tasted great, and reminded me of cha siu bau. How can you not like sweet and savory pork tucked into airy bread?


Eclipse Chocolat is having another chocolate-themed 5-course meal, this time with seafood! RSVP ASAP...assuming there are still tables available. See you guys there!




Eclipse Chocolat
2121 El Cajon Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92104
619.578.2984