Jason "Saturday Night Foodies" I.'s Profile

I love spicy food; I love shrimp, clams and other seafood.  Put those together and you have an addiction that I've had to feed every week for the last two months.  

It started about a year ago when someone turned me onto a place called Boiling Crab in Garden Grove.  This place was good but it was crazy busy and a little out of our way.  Someone else told me about the Kickin' Crab.

Kickin's Crab serves up Louisiana seafood, served Cajun style. They boil your choice of seafood - clams, shrimp, crawfish, to name a few, and offer up different seasonings: Lemon Pepper, Garlic Butter, Cajun, Louisiana and our favorite, Kickin' Style which is all of aforementioned combined.  You can also pick how spicy you want it; Mild - with a little sting, Medium - sort's hot, Spicy - dis stuff really hot mon!, and Spicy Spicy - Yeehaww!! Hot Hot!! I usually get the second hottest, "spicy", which is a nice level of heat, but not quite make-your-head-sweat or your eyes tear up kind of hot.  

I will warn you this is not where you go when dressed in your Sunday best. This is a place to go when you are ready to roll up your sleeves, get messy and want to play with your food.  The food comes to the table in a clear plastic bag and it is dumped onto your wax paper-covered table.

If you like seafood and your food spicy, you will like this place.  They have other things on their menu like tacos and garlic noodles and Vietnamese specials, but I stick to the seafood boil with potatoes, corn, and sausage, all swimming in a bag of buttery, Cajun spices.

We have been twice in the last couple of months, both times everyone was very friendly and helpful.  One of the two times the tasting room was packed and they still took the time to explain their wines, make great recommendations and made it feel like we learned something when we left.  

We have taken the wine tour which is a must, i could get lost in their wine caves and special library wine room and be happy.  Last time we enjoyed Deborah's Room, a 6 table one seating a night restaurant on the property.  Again the service was perfect and the food was tasty.  

Next time we want to book far enough in advance to stay in their 4 room inn.  What an amazing place!

Tonight Kim and I got to visit The Playground in Downtown Santa Ana as part of the friends and family pre-opening event.  We were lucky enough to try a number of their dishes and as you would expect from owner and executive chef Jason Quinn, he did not disappoint.  The restaurant concept is based around small plates.  When you arrive you should head straight to the bar.  They have a great selection of beers bottled and on draft available.  We picked out two that were on draft and at the same time we ordered our starting courses.  We seated ourselves at one of the communal style dining tables. It's a lot like eating at a gourmet food truck in that way, where you are sitting with strangers but soon chatting with them about the food, and you may even find yourself sharing plates.  

The service was SUPER friendly.  They are all foodies, and at least one we recognized as a Lime Truck chaser.  For the soft opening event the place was very busy, but even amongst all the bustle, everyone that was working seemed to be having a great time.  We were very impressed and enjoyed the attentiveness.  

The food was amazing, and we sampled a number of the small plates and cannot wait to go back again!  I attached some pictures of the restaurant and the food we ate.  Be warned, they change out parts of their menu every week so if you wait too long to go, there is a good chance that you will miss out on some of the incredible dishes that we tried.

There were two delicious desserts provided by Blackmarket Bakery. Farmer's Daughter's pudding was made from scratch butterscotch pudding, chunks of butterscotch crisp, caramel and chocolate cookies topped with fresh whip cream. The Thanksgiving woopie pie was made with two soft, pumpkin cookies and filled with an airy, spiced cream cheese filling with cranberry chutney and bits of butterscotch crisps. Divine!

We were very surprised to find this food truck by chance right by our hotel.  The owner was very nice, and we really enjoyed the fried shrimp and calamari.  They were both cooked perfectly and were of good quality.  The rice was perfect as you would expect in Hawaii.  The rest of the sides were not that great so we did not eat them other than a couple of bites.

If you are in Kihei, check this truck out.  Well done.

I was surprised by how easy they made changing 6 tires on our RV.  Called the day before to price check, gave me a price on par and slightly less than other tire outlets, were very nice on the phone.  Brought it in, job took about 20 minutes longer than they said it would. All was done right and they did just like they said they would.  

So in the end, prices were reasonable, they were quick, very friendly on the phone and in person and lastly did what they said they would without giving me any grief.  We will use them again.

Last November, Kim surprised me with a dinner at the Bazaar in Beverly Hills for my birthday.  Prior to visiting the Bazaar I didn't know much about Chef Jose Andres but now I am a fan.  Located in the SLS hotel, the Spanish-born chef known for his culinary skill in molecular gastronomy, offers both traditional tapas  and those with a unique twist in this upscale restaurant.

The Bazaar is made up of several distinct seating areas, which are eclectically and individually decorated.  We had the opportunity to enjoy Rojo Y Blanca and the Patisserie.  From the moment we walked in to the time we left, the experience was outstanding.  Much had to do with our server Jorge who made sure everything was beyond expectations.  He took the time to explain the dishes we were eating and to make sure things were paired up nicely.

Why would he need to pair up the dishes?  The Bazaar designs its menu around tapas-style dishes you can share. This allows you to have a variety of small plates and taste many flavors.  You pick the items you want to enjoy and the server pairs them together based on what you choose, which course and what you are drinking.

We went a little crazy because we wanted to try everything, but here are photos of some of our favorites..  There was nothing that we did not like but our favorite was the Wagyu beef "Philly".  This is the Bazaar's interpretation of a Philly cheese steak, is made with air bread, liquid cheddar in the middle and thin slices of Wagyu beef on top. They also had the "Hilly", a vegetarian option with mushrooms on top.  These are not only big on flavor but also very fun to eat.  Once you bite into the crunchy outer shell the liquid cheddar cheese pours over your tongue giving you the perfect combination of flavors.  They may seem small but these are now on my list of favorite cheesesteaks. We liked these so much we ordered another round.

The Foie Gras Floating Island soup was another one we both really enjoyed.  This little cup and saucer was filled with creamy buttery goodness.  When you drink it you get the warmth of the slightly salty soup and the chilled creaminess of the topping.  There are some crushed corn nuts on top that added a third layer of texture.

After dinner we were escorted to the Patisserie which was a different open kitchen filled with a delicious dessert bar.  We had a fair sampling of these too.

Nitro Coconut Floating Island with Passion Fruit and Vanilla
We had an amazing time.  We look forward to trying the SAAM tasting menu on our next visit.

Kim and I have talked about going to the annual Taste of Greece, at the Saint Paul's Greek Orthodox Church for a number of years but never did. This year we had no excuse thanks to Mona Shah of Moxxe PR (@Moxxe) and Executive Chef George Kookootsedes. They put together an amazing spread of food, desserts and drink for a few of the local food bloggers. We were lucky enough to be asked to join in on the tummy-stuffing fun.

The Greek Festival is very laid back and relaxing. The food is prepared by an all volunteer team and it takes months to get prepped for this three day event. Most of the food is cooked right before you order it and you can hang out and watch if you like.

Foodie View of the Orange County Fair 2011

The OC Fair did something new this year that was a lot of fun.  Not only did they invite Southern California gourmet food trucks to be inside the fair on Thursdays but they also kicked off weekly Chowdowns.  A Chowdown is a friendly competition between one of the weekly, guest gourmet food trucks and one of the fair food vendors.  I was asked to emcee the Fried Potato Chowdown and Kim was one of the judges.  It was between Tornado Potato and Tasti Chips.  Both brought out their best dishes but Tasti Chips won.  This was the first Chowdown where a fair vendor beat out a gourmet food truck. Tasti Chips' fresh sliced potatoes were fried to perfection and covered in a spicy, cheesy, jalapeno sauce.  I was lucky enough to get a batch of my own.  These definitely made my must-get-again next year list! Other Truck vs. Fair Food Chowdowns included:  the Hamburger Chowdown - The Burnt Truck vs. The Burger Joint; the Hot Dog Chowdown - The Greasy Wiener vs. Pink's; the Bacon Chowdown - Chocolate-Covered Bacon vs. Bacon Mania and the Deep-Fried Dessert Chowdown - Chicken Charlie vs. The OC Food Truck.  

In addition to the Chowdown and in full support of this year's theme, "Let's Eat", we had an opportunity to try a lot of other food.  The biggest surprise was Deep Fried Butter.  It was introduced last year but I chickened out trying it then and have been kicking myself ever since.  The butter is mixed with cream cheese, some sugar and a touch of cinnamon.  It is put in the middle of what I would describe as a very wide hollow churro.  The whole thing is fried and topped with whipped cream.  It had a nice crunch with a buttery, sweet flavor.  If you get a chance and are brave enough, you should also check out their Jumbo Mexican Churro. It is piled about 10" high and topped with fresh made whipped cream and strawberries.  The vendor has a competition where if you can eat this within 20 minutes, you get it for free!  Less than 30 people, over the last 4 years, have been able to do it.  I couldn't do it, however it was hard for me to give up...oh, and did I mention I was defeated even with the help of three other people?  Kim says this vendor's churros take the place of her funnel cake craving (a smaller version of course!).  They make AWESOME churros, some of the best and crispiest we've ever tasted.

The best dish at the fair for me was the Bacon Maple Donut from Texas Donuts.  This thing was a monster but it was not all about shock and awe, as it was prepared perfectly!  I have tried a few of these over the last couple of years and most are terrible.  I think people like them because hey it is bacon and we are supposed to love anything that uses bacon.  However, this donut was incredible, soft and chewy, the maple was almost creamy and the bacon was crispy and served slightly warm.  Perfect!  Another item added to our must have next year list!

One of the long time vendors "Chicken Charlie," adds new fried concoctions that are whimsical and sometimes a little over the top.  Previous years they had fried White Castle burgers and a chicken sandwich with Krispy Crème donuts as buns.  This year, the two we tried were the Fried Kool-Aid and the Fried Girl Scout Cookies (Thin Mint). The fried Kool-Aid was very good, like a fresh strawberry donut that was both sweet and sour.  The fried Thin Mint was good when dipped in the chocolate syrup.  The syrup added some much needed flavor to the batter that the cookie was fried in.  My vote, they should keep the Fried Kool-Aid.

One of the friendliest and coolest vendors was Legendairy Gelato.  It is family run and the staff appeared to be having a great time with customers.  We were given the rare opportunity to take a behind-the-scenes tour, meet the team and sample some amazing, made-fresh-daily, gelato.   In addition to producing a delicious, quality product, they give much of their profits to help people in need.  What started as a senior college paper for one of the owner's sons has turned into a big focus for the company. That is pretty cool! If you have a chance, go check them out!

A buddy of mine by the name of Nathan joined me for this.  This is one of the few places that he wanted me to check out in Denver.  One thing that you may find a little weird is there are ZERO Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives in Colorado.  What is up with that?  You cannot tell me there are no funky joints around.  That is just not possible!
Nathan and I headed out to Sam's No.3, which is in Downtown Denver.  It is in a very nice part of town on the corner of 15th and Curtis.  This is one of three of their restaurants in the Denver area.

Sam's is a diner that looks to be mostly known for their breakfast.  They have a full bar, good number of tables and some counter seats.   They call themselves a Mexi Grill and Bar.  The bar had a good selection.  I had a Patron Silver Margarita, which was pretty good.  Food wise they have a good-sized menu, breakfast was about half of it.  They had an impressive breakfast burrito selection.  I would guess there were 15 to 20 available.  In addition to breakfast they had entrees, sandwiches and a number of Mexican dishes.  They are proud of their hot turkey sandwich, their two-pound burrito and their green chili.

Both Nathan and I got burritos (not the two pounder) that were covered in pork green chili.  The chili was very good.  It is a tomatillo based with pork chili.  It reminded me to of a traditional Chili Verde.  Not spicy but with tons of favor.

Overall everything was good.  In the future I am planning to check them out for breakfast.  I have a feeling that will be incredible.  However if you are in the Denver area check them out.  Breakfast is key but I am told there will be a wait.  Dinner was not very busy for us but it was worth stopping by.

This was is another DDD and when you see it you will understand why.  This is a very funky joint from the outside and a lot of fun on the inside.

Lots of people using their drive thru and a good stream of people picking up food and eating inside.  This joint serves Mexican food (if you did not get that from the name).    I walked in an ordered a camaron (shrimp) taco and a carne adovado (marinated pork) taco (Now I know what my buddy Jeff keeps talking about carne adovada).  Both of these tacos were incredible.  WOW.  The carne adovada was very tender with a ton of flavor, the chili powder and cumin stand our along with the gloves and garlic.  Each of these was in a soft corn tortilla.  Once again WOW.

They were so good I grabbed a carne adovada burrito to go.  The burrito had a ton of meat with rice, beans, lettuce and pico de gallo.  This is another joint that I will be back to