The Lunch that Changed my Life

The title of this post might have been misleading, because you're probably expecting me to tell you about some phenomenal food I ate, but that's actually not the case (although I definitely will be telling you about some phenomenal food, that's just not the reason this lunch changed my life).

I feel incredibly lucky that my job allows me the opportunity to do a lot of traveling around the country and to connect with so many amazing people.  For those of you who don’t know, I manage the social media and blogger relationships for two Whirlpool appliance brands, KitchenAid and Jenn-Air. Through my job, I have been traveling to amazing places, as I mentioned, and recently had the chance to visit Miami for the South Beach Wine and Food Festival, Los Angeles for the Design Bloggers Conference and Costa Mesa, CA for a custom blogger event all in one long trip.

As a member of the food blogging community myself, connecting with other bloggers is one of my favorite parts of my job. What could be better than meeting other passionate foodies and getting to call it “work?” I do feel very lucky that it’s part of my job description.

About a year ago, I went to the International Association of Culinary Professionals conference in Austin, TX. While I was there, I attended a session hosted by the White on Rice Couple, Todd Porter and Diane Cu, a married photography and blogging couple from California. I instantly fell in love with their style, their work ethic and their adoration of food, travel, photography, life and, above all, each other.

When I started my job last July, I noticed their names on the list of bloggers that my predecessor left for me to work with. From the first time I spoke to Diane on the phone, I was smitten. She was sweet, lively and full of wonderful ideas for how we could work together. I was thrilled when she told me that she and Todd were coming to NYC for meetings and they wanted to get together for coffee.

Our coffee date ended up lasting almost 3 hours, during which the three of us talked about our mutual love of dogs, taking pictures of food and, of course, KitchenAid. Diane was excited to share an idea she had for me about a custom blogger event that they could host at their studio in California. As luck would have it, I was going to be traveling to LA for the Design Bloggers Conference in February, so the idea for the KitchenAid lunch was hatched.

Fast forward to two weeks ago. After months of intense planning that included many phone calls, emails and texts, the KitchenAid lunch was finally taking shape. I wish I could take credit for this fabulous event, but it was really Diane & Todd’s hard work and dedication that made this whole thing come together. I like to say that all I had to do was show up!

They invited some friends of theirs to demonstrate KitchenAid appliances including Joy the Baker, Cristina Ferrare and Cristina’s daughter, Alex Thomopoulos who blogs at Against the Grain. They also invited about 45 bloggers to attend the event. The night before, Diane came and picked me up in Los Angeles and drove me to her home in Costa Mesa. Yes, Diane and Todd were kind enough to invite me to stay in their lovely home. I was greeted at the door by their amazing dog Sierra who I instantly fell in love with and dropped down to the ground to cuddle with (I mean it, I LOVE dogs).

(Sierra the Wonder Dog)

Diane spent most of the night cutting out name tags and finishing planning for what we had dubbed the KitchenAid Lunch.

We woke up the next morning to arrive early to the studio for last-minute preparations. I was thrilled to meet Cristina who was warm, welcoming and absolutely stunning.

(Cristina & me)

Her daughter Alex had me laughing from the moment I met her. A beautiful girl with bright eyes and a huge smile, Alex looked just like her mother and had all her best qualities.

(Cristina & Alex)

Finally, I couldn't wait to meet Joy the Baker. She's one cool chick who I knew to be a total badass in the kitchen from reading her blog. In person, she’s down-to-earth, sweet as pie (no pun intended)  and a total blast to hang out with.

(Me & Joy - photo credit: Anson Cu)

As the bloggers began to arrive, I almost had nervous butterflies. I hoped that the event would be a success, that everyone would have a good time and that it would show just how darn much I adore meeting and working with bloggers. As I mentioned in a post last year, I was absolutely blown away by the food blogging community and they way it reacted to the passing of Jennifer Perillo (of In Jennie’s Kitchen)’s husband, Mikey. The community came together, offered support and love, baked Peanut Butter Pies per Jennie’s wish and showed true compassion. A lot of money was raised to help Jennie rebuild her life after her husband’s untimely passing, and the story absolutely touched my heart. It was Diane and Todd’s video tribute that really got me (I mist up just thinking about it), and if you have a tissue nearby, you should definitely watch it. It was one of the most moving experiences I have ever been a part of, and was exactly why I couldn’t wait to meet these incredible bloggers.

From the moment the KitchenAid lunch started, I couldn’t contain my excitement. I introduced myself to everyone and every person there was beyond nice.

(#kitchenaidlunch)

Fresh-squeezed orange juice made from the KitchenAid Stand Mixer Juicer attachment was mixed with sparkling wine to make fabulous mimosas for everyone.

(Thank you Jen!)

After we got to chat for awhile, we all took our seats for Diane & Todd’s presentation about telling stories through photography, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house (including mine, obviously) as they shared stories about their work, their love, their dog Dante who they lost recently and their amazing “Life Recipe” video.

(Everyone watching the presentation - photo credit: Anson Cu)

The message that resonated the most from their presentation was that when you do what you love and embrace the natural imperfections that happen in life, great things result. For Diane & Todd, their greatness shows in their incredible photos and videos that they share with their friends and fans. Their greatness also shows in their overwhelming kindness. Can you tell I absolutely adore these two, or what?

Over the course of the afternoon stories were shared, friends were made and we got to witness some fabulous recipe demonstrations. Cristina whipped up some Potato Cakes in the 13-Cup Food Processor that she then baked and covered with smoked salmon and crème fraiche. This dish was absolutely amazing.

(Cristina - photo credit: Anson Cu)

(Cristina's Potato Cakes)

After Cristina, Alex stepped up and sliced up Cucumbers and Zucchini to make a fresh carpaccio out of the vegetables.

(Alex - photo credit: Anson Cu)

(Zucchini & Cucumber Carpaccio)

She had everyone laughing with her sharp humor and drooling over her delicious food. This girl is someone I’d love to be friends with, and I'm so excited for her to come visit New York. Diane, Todd and I watched some of Alex’s stand-up comedy later that night and I was laughing so hard, juice almost came out of my nose. More on that later.

We were all then treated to an outstanding lunch prepared by Diane and Todd. Vietnamese Chicken Salad (phenomenal), Red Rice with Beans (delicious) and Veggie Chili (so yummy) were served alongside luscious cheeses, hearty charcuterie, delicious crackers and homemade pickled vegetables. I barely had room on my plate for all that goodness, and I was blown away by how fresh everything was. Diane and Todd are truly masters in the kitchen.

(My plate)

After lunch, Joy was up, whipping up Marshmellow Meringue frosting in the KitchenAid 7-qt Stand Mixer.

(Joy - photo credit: Anson Cu)

Diane then announced that we would all be decorating the 300 cupcakes they had baked the day before, and the room buzzed with excitement. The frosting was a huge hit, even with me, an official dessert hater. I snuck in a bite of a mini chocolate cupcake with Joy’s awesome chocolate buttercream frosting. Don’t tell the dessert police!

For the rest of the afternoon, we decorated cupcakes, chatted, laughed and took lots of photos. The event felt like a gathering of old friends even though many of us in the room had never met each other. It felt easy, natural and was just so much fun! As the afternoon began to wind down, we decided it would be a great time to give away the KitchenAid appliances that were generously donated. Everyone was SO excited about the possibility of winning a Stand Mixer, Food Processor or Convection Countertop Oven. Those that did win were beyond thrilled, and it was so great to be able to bring such huge smiles to their faces.

These are my favorite photos from the event, Todd, Joy, Cristina, Diane, me and Alex laughing because we felt famous with all the camera flashing at us:

(Photo credit: Anson Cu)

I also want to take a minute to thank all of the phenomenal bloggers who attended the event. You were all so great to meet and I'm looking forward to future opportunities for us to work together and enjoy more great events. We couldn't have done this without all of you!

(Bloggers during lunch)

(Bloggers during Cristina's demo - photo credit: Anson Cu)

(Bloggers trying Cristina's Potato Cakes - photo credit: Anson Cu)

After everyone had left and the studio had been cleaned, Diane, Todd and I set out on another adventure: walking on the beach and dinner! Our first stop after we went home to pick up Sierra was Newport beach where we walked, talked, took some pictures of the beautiful California sunset and played Frisbee with Sierra.

(Newport Beach)

We did our best to work up an appetite for dinner, Diane and Todd knew how badly I wanted to have an In-N-Out Cheeseburger while I was in California, so off we went. I was so excited for my burger that when our number was called, I squealed. How embarrassing! All 3 of us had a Cheeseburger and we shared 1 order of Animal Style Fries. For those of you who don’t know what Animal Style is, it’s not listed on the regular In-N-Out menu, but those in the know love the melted cheese, sautéed onions and Thousand Island-style dressing that make the famous Animal Style topping. I’m on the fence about it, I do love the cheese and the onions but I’ve never been that into sauce or dressing so I could take it or leave it. On fries though, I have to say, it’s pretty dang delicious.

(3 Cheeseburgers at In-N-Out)

(Animal Style Fries at In-N-Out)

(Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.......)

We hopped in the car and drove back to Todd & Diane’s where I was served two of the most incredible cocktails I have ever had. A margarita made with fresh lime juice (the limes had been picked from their back yard) was the best margarita I’ve ever had. I usually don’t like them because they can be sugary and heavy, but this was fresh, light and went down a little too easy.

Lately, anytime Patrick orders a whiskey cocktail and I take a sip, I find that I don’t hate it. Actually, I have kind of been enjoying it. Todd made me an Old Fashioned with fresh tangierine juice (again, he picked them from their back yard) and Tangierine bitters that he made himself. Seriously, is there anything these two CAN’T DO?! I loved the drink and finished every last drop. While I was drinking it was when we watched Alex's comedy and juice almost came out of my nose. Yes, almost. Then Diane and Todd said that they were going to take me for the best pizza ever. Pizza? After In-N-Out? Surely they were absolutely insane. And let me tell you, that’s my kind of crazy!

We climbed into the car again to head to Pizzeria Mozza where we got 3 seats at the pizza bar. This gave us the prefect view of the pizza oven as we watched our second dinner being made. We ordered (of course) three individual pizzas so that I could try a bunch of different kinds. Todd ordered the Potato, Bacon and Egg pizza, Diane ordered the Fennel Sausage pizza and I requested the Funghi pizza with Fontina cheese. The restaurant was warm and smelled like heaven, and when the pizzas were placed in front of us, I almost drooled. First, the Fennel Sausage Pizza.

(Fennel Sausage Pizza at Mozza)

I LOVE sausage, and this was delicious, but what really blew me away was the crust. It managed to be light and airy but also chewy and substantial at the same time. It was like no crust I had ever tasted before, and I instantly understood why they insisted upon taking me to Mozza. I wasn’t crazy about the red onion or scallions on the pizza, but the crust and sausage were amazing.

Next up, the mushroom pizza. Wow. This was so good. So so good. The mushrooms were the tastiest I’d ever had and paired with that amazing crust, THIS was a pizza! My mouth is watering thinking about it now…

(Funghi Pizza at Mozza)

I did also try Todd’s Potato pizza and yes, it was very good, but just not my preference. It tasted like a yummy breakfast dish, not a pizza.

(Potato, Bacon & Egg Pizza at Mozza before the yolk is broken)

(Potato, Bacon & Egg Pizza at Mozza after the yolk is broken)

I thought about that  mushroom pizza the whole ride home and the second we got home, I climbed into bed and was asleep instantly. It was the most decadent but incredible dinner I’d had in a long time.

The next morning, even though I was still full from our meal the night before, Diane and Todd drove me to Little Saigon for a Vietnamese Banh Mi breakfast. I feel like I’m gaining weight just by re-writing this! We made a few stops once we got there from a fruit market to try Jack Fruit (a huge, sweet fruit with an enormous seed) and other colorful delights.

(Diane in the Fruit Market)

Then to Van’s Bakery for Chicken Pate Chaud (flaky, buttery, tastes like a chicken pot pie) and fried mochi.

(Chicken Pate Chaud from Van's Bakery)

(Mochi from Van's Bakery)

Finally, we went to Banh Mi & Che Cali for Banh Mi Sandwiches, the breakfast of champions! Diane got a Lemongrass Beef sandwich and a traditional Pork sandwich. What really surprised me was the price of the sandwiches. They were each under $3! I don’t think we’re in New York City anymore, Toto. As I was taking a huge bite of the sandwich and had sauce dripping down my face, I received the best compliment Todd ever could have given me, “Rachel, you’re a really good eater!” he said. I have arrived.

(Lemongrass Beef Banh Mi from Banh Me & Che Cali)

(Pork Banh Mi from Banh Mi & Che Cali)

The Lemongrass Beef was SO awesome. I’d never had it before and I loved it even more than the traditional Pork Banh Mi. I hope I can find this version of the sandwich in New York because I loved it! Don’t get me wrong, the pork was great too, but the beef! Wow the beef.

After “breakfast,” I was so sad to have to say good-bye to Diane, Todd and Sierra. They drove me to the airport and we hugged and said our good-byes. While I definitely was sad to leave, I was so happy to have formed this amazing friendship with these incredible people.

(Todd & Diane, Breakfast)

Diane and Todd, words can’t express how much our visit meant to me. You two hosted an event like I’ve never been to before. You are beautiful people, full of love and it’s clear how much you mean to the food blogging community. Thank you thank you thank you for welcoming me into your home, for the incredible cappuccinos Todd made me each morning, the amazing local food you shared and thank you mostly for the memories of this incredible trip.

(New friends)

Let's Eat!
-The Fabulous Foodie

Did You Say Pepperoni Soup?!

Only 7 short months ago, I told a tale (over 3 blog posts) of my insane eating vacation in Austin, TX while I was there for the IACP conference. I ate so much BBQ that I was afraid I'd turn into a whole hog and I gave you every last fattening detail.

As luck would have it, Patrick's cousin lives in Austin and was getting married, so I got to go back for the week between Christmas and New Year's. I won't torture you with the details of every single thing I ate, but a few meals are necessary to highlight. Boy oh boy, Austin is quite the foodie town!

Our first meal was lunch right after checking into our hotel. A bunch of us went to a place on South Congress called Hopdoddy Burger Bar. You are right if you think the name is a little odd, so here is what it means: Hopdoddy was created to express the perfect union of burgers and beer: handcrafted beer (hop) + (doddy), the nickname given to the native cow in Aberdeen, Scotland. You learn something new every day!

The line was nearly out the door (usually a good sign) and as soon as I saw the frosty chalices of beer being held by many of the patrons in line, I knew the wait wouldn't be too difficult for us to endure. We all jumped into the line and, even though I don't usually love beer, I couldn't pass up an icy glass of Real Ale Fireman's #4.

We only had to wait about 20 minutes, and they had a great policy where the table is ready for you as soon as you order your food. I went for the burger called The Goodnight, which was Angus Beef, Tillamook Cheddar, Hickory BBQ Sauce and Sassy Sauce. What the heck is Sassy Sauce?! That's a great question, and I don't entirely know the answer to that, but I think it was some kind of mix of mayo and mustard. Whatever it was, it was delicious!

Here I am with my refreshing chalice of beer.

 

And here is my awesome burger, The Goodnight. 

It was a great burger, perfectly cooked (medium rare, of course), juicy, flavorful and awesome toppings. The bun was great and the sauces were very tasty. Best of all, it was about 65 degrees and sunny, so we got to sit outside and enjoy our food in the sun. Perfect!

The other meal that I have to mention was our lunch at Second Bar + Kitchen on the corner of Second Street and Congress. My friend Rev (better known as Burger Conquest) introduced me to his amazing friend Julie down in Austin, and Julie is engaged to Second Bar + Kitchen's Chef de Cuisine, Ethan Holmes. Julie and Ethan are both totally awesome people, and I wanted Pat to try the Buffalo Frickles I had last time I was in Austin. To my great surprise, Ethan was in the kitchen, so we got to say hi to him as well.

We, of course, started with the aforementioned Buffalo Frickles with Gorgonzola Cheese Sauce.I can't say enough good things about them. Spicy, tangy, pickle-y and honestly just downright amazing. Pat was a huge fan of them, as I knew he would be, and we finished the plate off in no time at all.

Next up, and another thing I must give credit to Rev for telling me about, the Pepperoni Soup, truly one of the most unique soups I have ever tasted.

An amazing bowl of San Marzano Tomato Soup with Pepperoni, Melted Mozzarella and Garlic Croutons, you would swear you were biting into a slice of pepperoni pizza with every taste. Ethan, I don't know how you do it, but keep doing it!

Finally, another repeat visit, I had to take Pat to Juan in a Million for the Don Juan Taco, "A secret combination of potato, egg, bacon and cheese in a deliciously hot tortilla" for only $3.80!

I think Pat likes it, don't you?!

We did eat a lot of other great things, like BBQ for Pat's cousin's Rehearsal Dinner, Fish Tacos at the Turf N Surf Po' Boys Food Cart (you have to try the Blue Marlin Taco!) and so much more. Austin is an awesome city with incredible food. I'm going back in March for South by Southwest, and I can't wait for lots of new eating adventures.

What are some of your favorite spots in Austin? I'm looking forward to checking out Congress next time I'm there.

Let's Eat!
-The Fabulous Foodie

My First Bone Marrow at Minetta Tavern

As I round out my 3rd year living in NYC, there are a few restaurants that have moved from my "Must Try" list to my "Seriously, Why Haven't I Gone There Yet?!" list. Per Se. Le Bernardin. Minetta Tavern. After last night, I can finally move the latter to the "Been There, Done That" list, and oh what an experience it was!

I'm working on an article on Bone Marrow (the kind you eat, not the kind in human bones) and when I polled my Twitter followers on where to get the best in the city, several people swore by Minetta Tavern's version. After a lazy Sunday afternoon, I rounded up my usual restaurant-going gear (my camera and my boyfriend) and hopped on the 1 train down to Christopher Street around 5pm. When I called Minetta earlier that day, they informed me that absolutely no reservations were available for that night, but if we showed up at 5 when the doors opened, we'd likely snag a few seats at the bar. Challenge accepted!

We walked in the door around 5:15 and the front bar was already pretty crowded. The hostess assured us that many of the patrons around the bar were just waiting to be shown to their reserved tables at 5:30, so we caught the bartender's attention and told him we needed 2 seats at the bar. They have a system in place where the bartenders control who sits at the bar to eat based on first come, first serve. No sketchy hovering for us, we would get the first 2 seats that opened. Brilliant!

As soon as the clock struck 5:30 (can we talk about how absurd it is that we were having dinner at 5:30 by the way? Early birds? US!?) 2 people got up and we had our seats. This is where the real adventure began. Regardless of the fact that the menu looked amazing, we had tunnel vision for the Bone Marrow and the Black Label Burger. We decided to skip the $15 cocktails to save some cash, and we anxiously awaited the arrival of the food.

I have to mention that there were 3 bartenders manning the bar, and they were all SO incredibly nice and helpful. We observed as they poured some mean-looking cocktails and waited on everyone in the bar. They were friendly, bubbly and all had huge smiles on their faces. I really appreciated this, and it made for a fantastic vibe.

As the plate of bones approached us, I began to have second thoughts. Could I do this? I mean, I'm an adventurous eater, but was I really about to eat the goo straight out of the bone?! My stomach did a few flip flops as the plate was placed in front of us. There was no turning back now.

I'm shocked at how much the sheer idea of the dish bothered me, but it did. Regardless, I scooped it out, put it on the toast, covered it with the accompanying garnish of roasted onions, closed my eyes and in she went. Okay... it was a little salty... and a little gooey... but it was pretty good.. okay, it was REALLY good... and before I knew it, we had cleaned out all 3 bones! Reflecting back on the dish, I have to say that I enjoyed it even though the concept and the consistency made me a little queasy. Since I am planning to try 2-3 more bone marrow dishes at other restaurants, I hope it gets easier with each experience.

Then the burger arrived. I have heard many say that the Minetta Tavern Black Label Burger is the best in the city (Rev, care to weigh in?) so we knew we had to try it. We decided to split the $26 hunk of beef on a bun and when it arrived my first thought was that it was TEENY tiny. Since we were splitting it, I'd say it was about 4 bites per half. Not nearly enough burger for the expensive price tag.

We ordered it Medium Rare and I'm happy to say our burger was practically mooing. I often find with rare beef that it can have a slightly metallic flavor but I'm happy to report that this burger had no such negative quality. The burger was delicious! Smothered in carmelized onions and served with the advice to avoid condiments, it was simple but tasty. Juice flowed from the meat with every bite, and I thoroughly enjoyed my portion. Again, it would have been nice if it was a little bigger, but I guess that's what we get for sharing a burger.

I plan to return to Minetta Tavern to try the rest of the menu, and maybe have a Black Label Burger all to myself!

Okay, let's hear it, what are your thoughts on Bone Marrow? Love it? Hate it? Repulsed by the thought of it (mom)? I'm planning to have the Bone Marrow at Beauty & Essex tomorrow night and at either Landmarc, Blue Ribbon or Prune later this week (suggestions welcome.)

Let's Eat!
-The Fabulous Foodie

PS- Check out this post on the Bone Marrow craze on MMMelody's blog

Burgers at Wall Street Burger Shoppe

There are few things as satisfying as biting into a good, juicy burger. When two of my fellow food-loving buddies, Rev. Dave Ciancio (aka Burger Conquest) and Lea from Bizzy asked me to join them for a burger lunch at Wall Street Burger Shoppe down in FiDi, I couldn't resist! I met them on a dreary, rainy day, but as soon as I smelled the aroma of burgers the weather outside no longer mattered. I walked up the stairs and joined Rev & Lea at a high-top table as my stomach growled in anticipation.

I knew Lea, the Queen of Mac & Cheese was planning to order the Mac 'N Cheese burger (Char-grilled 8oz blend of Hereford beef, macaroni and four cheeses [Gruyere, American, Pecorino and Cheddar]), but given my lactose-intolerant stomach I had to stay away from it. Rev also wanted to try it, so I felt a bit of burger envy as I ordered my Becky Burger (Char-grilled 4oz Hereford beef burger with aged cheddar, sliced pickles, tomato and ketchup) with Avocado and a side of onion rings. I should have realized my burger was only 4 oz. while all the others were 8 oz, but I was so hungry I didn't notice. Rev ordered the Porterhouse Burger (Char-grilled 6oz blend of Porterhouse tail and chuck burger with lettuce, tomato and steak sauce) in addition to the Mac 'N Cheese burger for a taste test. Trust me, this guy knows his burgers.

We ordered a round of drinks (beers for me & Rev, Guinness Milkshake for Lea) and waited for our burgers to arrive. Lea and I both checked in on Foursquare because the special was a free side of fries or onion rings. When our order got to the table, I was immediately filled with envy because my burger was about 1/2 the size of the other 3 on the tray. The waiter put the food on the table and although my burger was tiny, it still looked solid.

This is when I realized that the waiter had never asked me how I wanted my burger cooked (I like red meat "bloody as hell") and I cut into the meat to disappointingly realize it was cooked well-done. My own fault for not specifying. I covered the burger in ketchup and went in for the kill. Flavorful, even though it wasn't cooked to my preference, it was still a good burger. But my eyes filled with longing as I watched Lea & Rev chow down on the Mac 'N Cheese burgers, they looked amazing. Lea was kind enough to offer me a bite, and it was GOOD. I cursed my stomach for its inability to handle butter and polished off my meal. While I wasn't thrilled with my order, Wall Street Burger Shoppe definitely cranks out some good burgers. Next time I'm ordering the Mac 'N Cheese burger and I'll handle the stomachache!

Make sure to check out Lea's review of her Mac 'N Cheese burger here (click the arrow over to #9) and Rev's here.

Also be sure to check out all the great food writing Lea & Rev have to offer, they're good foodie friends of mine and really know their stuff!

Lea on Twitter: @MacCheesy, @LvM and @BizzyLea
Lea on Facebook: MacCheesy
Rev on Twitter: @yeahman
Rev's blog: Burger Conquest

(photo compliments of Rev)

Let's Eat!
-The Fabulous Foodie