Dogzilla in the OC

Since my kitchen has been closed for renovations, Eric and I have been dining out and about in the town. We have enjoyed some tasty treats from the usual fast food places but with the recent wave of mobile eats more apparent in the OC - we had a night out with some fellow foodie friends. We took my girlfriend, Amy, on her first go-around on mobile eating, too! We roamed the streets for a night out grubbing at OC DinDin-A-GoGo and the first outing of the Dogzilla truck to the OC.  Dogzilla's tagline is "not your typical wiener" - it's a wonderful fusion of the iconic American classic of hot dogs and fusing it together with Japanese culture. I missed them at the OC Foodie Fest, but I knew they would be awesome enough to return to their loyal fans in the OC. Thank you baby Jesus!

We got there promptly at 830pm and there was a small line. They had twittered about their location that day at the Atomic Ballroom in Irvine and I was tickled pink of their whereabouts because it was within close proximity of the other event - OC DinDin-A-GoGo. Unfortunately for Dogzilla's luck, they had technical difficulties with their truck but it quickly got resolved and they graciously and quickly got to work on serving the hungry foodies. While waiting in line, we noticed the familiar logo of Saturday Night Foodies and we met the super fun foodie-loving couple behind the awesome mobile eats & food blogging of Saturday Night Foodies. Meeting other fellow foodies and fellow bloggers is very cool because it's nice to meet people face to face versus online banter on twitter/Facebook/blog comments. Thumbs up to these guys, and we can't wait to see you for the next foodie event!

My favorite fellow foodie is Marlon, and I can always count on him for coming to a mobile eats event whenever we text or call each other. We first went to Kogi BBQ together, so it was natural to visit Dogzilla together as well. Lucky ducky Marlon did get to sample some tasty treats at the OC Foodie fest from Dogzilla, and had said these were amazing hot dogs. In fact, my sister and my coworker both had a taste as well and said they were the best hot dogs they ever had.

Word of mouth drove me here to sample this hot dog - so here I am and stuck between two awesome choices to order - Dogzilla or Yakisoba. The Dogzilla had all toppings familar to me -  hot dog with grilled onions, avocado, teriyaki sauce, japanese mayo, furikake, and bacon on Hawaiian bread roll. (Bacon is meat candy, so it was already a winner!) The Yakisoba was a hot link with yakisoba noodles, red ginger and okonomi sauce on Hawaiian bread roll. (Okonomi sauce is Japan's version of Worcestershire sauce.) Eric and I decided to get one of each hot dog and we would split the dogs to get a sample of both.

The verdict? OMG....both hot dogs are smack-tastic. The Japanese toppings melded together like perfection on these hot dogs. Something about the wonderful fusion of hot dogs and Japanese toppings was flawless. I loved the sweetness of the Hawaiian bread roll mixed with the spicy and tasty toppings. I'm a big baseball fan, so I've eaten alot of hot dogs..and man, I would love this hot dog at a baseball game. Overall, we had a great time checking out Dogzilla. The guys were really gracious and thanked us for waiting patiently. I even got a free soda from them, thanks again for my Kiwi Strawberry soda. A big thanks to Dogzilla for coming out, and I can't wait for the next time you roam our streets. Check them out because this hungry foodie gives them two thumbs up!

Note: Dogzilla is based out of the OC, so they will be frequenting the streets more often. Check out their Facebook page and twitter for their whereabouts!

OC Foodie Fest 2010

This past weekend, we attended the first ever gourmet fest of mobile eats at the OC Foodie Fest. The OC Foodie Fest was hosted by Taco Dawg/OC Register and OC Foodies at the Honda Center. The gourmet food trucks craze is in full spin in LA, and the my hometown the OC is finally getting a taste of it. I know what you all are probably thinking...its a "roach coach." What are you thinking? However, I will have to digress and argue that mobile eats is revolutionary for gourmet foodies - think of it as fast food that's gourmet and highly enjoyable by all. Food trucks is taking "fast food" to a higher tier of fusion food that's affordable and roaming the streets for your dinner. I love the concept of fusion food - you take the best of both worlds and combine them together. It can't get any better than foodie fusion heaven.

One of our favorite food trucks that we frequent maybe once a week is Kogi BBQ.  The fusion of Korean BBQ and Mexican food is pretty stellar and one of my favorite items to order is the Pacman. (I was sad that they weren't at the Fest but it gave me ample opportunity to check out other food trucks.) The social media of Facebook/Twitter and their websites elevated the hype and the search for the latest and greatest food truck. Foodies can check the location of each trucks and line up to enjoy their latest fusion cuisine.

This OC Foodie Fest showcased many of the other trucks hitting the streets that fly under the radar of the popular ones. Most of these food trucks frequent the LA areas, and I absolutely hate the traffic and nitty-gritty of LA drivers. (Sorry!) This was perfect for many of the Food Trucks to get some hype from the OC foodies. I did not get to try all 50 food trucks, but I was able to check out a small handful. I came with my husband and family and we were able to slowly divide and conquer some of the best of mobile eats that were offered. Here are some highlights of my day at the OC Foodie Fest. Enjoy!

There were general admission and VIP tickets for the event, and I chose VIP because for all the extra perks we got and it was well worth the money. We had a preferred seating area to watch the entertainment stage, we got free tasting samples for the VIP Food truck sponsors, free snacks from PopChips and Kind bars, free Fiji water and Honest tea, our own exclusive VIP bar, and a swag bag of goodies. We also got in a half hour early compared to the general admission and there was at a limited amount of VIPs. (500!) Getting in early was the key factor for a successful day of grubbing!

We checked out the Buttermilk Truck and ordered red velvet chocolate chip pancake bites and the Hawaiian breakfast sliders. The sliders were priced at 2 for $4 and filled with Portuguese sausage, sauteed onions and shoyu scrambled eggs - it was a great bite to start my day. The pancakes were perfection at it's best, and didn't need any syrup. The fluffy cream cheese frosting was the perfect topping.

The main plan of attack of the day was to check out various food trucks before our stomachs were full. Half of the group was in line for one truck and vice versa, and then we would meet up and share the treats. I only took a couple bites and was already looking for the next truck to stand in line. Think of it as a treasure hunt and a race for food! Maxine got some awesome Hawaiian-Korean sliders from Uncle Lau's BBQ. The brisket was so tender and the pork was so juicy. (I didn't get a picture of the pork slider because it was already in my tummy!) 

Maxine and my aunt Elen also got tacos from Komodo - an awesome Global food truck. I'm still dreaming about these skirt steak tacos with a spicy corn relish and the shrimp taco with the sweet dressing. I'm going to have to roam the streets to find you again. Wow...

Food Network also has a TV show currently on air called the Great Food Truck Race and I spotted Nana Queens and Nom Nom truck. I avoided them because I figured there would be another OC opportunity to enjoy them at a later location. I have had sampled the tasty crepes from Crepes Bonaparte at the Anaheim Farmers Market and they are featured on the show as well.

Eric wanted a taste of some of the Top Chef fried chicken from Ludo Bites. Chef Ludo Lefebvre is known as a mad genius and I loved his interpretation of fried chicken and the Ludo slaw with a touch of jalapeno...it totally hit the spot!

We also sampled some sushi from FishLips Sushi. It was fresh and looked pretty adorable shaped into little balls of sushi. It was ordinary, and nothing crazy as the other dishes we sampled.

Eric and I checked out Piaggo Gourmet on Wheels - we had tasty beef empanadas and wonderful chimichurri that I'm still drooling about. We'll roam the streets again for you, too.

One of Eric's favorites of the day was from Taco Dawg - the Cowboy hot dog. It had smoky bacon, onion strings, cheddar cheese and their tasty and tangy Tex Mex sauce. You know anything with bacon is always a winner.

I snuck away for some sweet treats over at Morsels Bakery Co. These guys ran their line the smoothest that I witnessed, and once I walked up to the front of the line- someone was immediately available to take my order and gave my ticket to the cashier. Then I paid and waited for my treats. They were really sweet and nice. Average waiting time was 10 to 15 minutes for the majority of the trucks, and this was one of the shortest wait times I had (5 minutes!).

Whenever we had free time or were waiting on our next VIP sample - we were under the VIP tent. Unfortunately, the Foodie Fest was held outside on the parking lot, and lots of people suffered from the blistering rays of sun. There was a nice cool breeze, but let me tell you - I'm glad I had shade! We sampled more food from Komodo, meatballs with romesco sauce. They were a little crispy but the red pepper sauce on top was full of flavor. I was bummed we didn't get some of those lovely skirt steak tacos.

Eric and I got a taste of Brazil from Ta Bom and met up with some of my spin class family. (Ta Bom translates to "It's good!). We waited the longest in this line for 30 minutes, and I think this was at it's busiest time of the day - everyone had started arriving around 1 to 2pm. We sampled their Coxinha - a chicken croquette with cream cheese. Very tasty!

After 4 hours of being at the Foodie Fest, I was spent and tired from the heat. The last item we enjoyed were some wonderful cool-irrific treats from Get Shaved in the VIP area. It was a great way to end the day. Monkey Brains (Strawberry and Banana Shaved Ice with sweet condensed milk) and Island Breeze (Mango, Coconut and Guava Shaved Ice) were absolutely delicious. I missed the dance performance from The Beat Freaks, and there were so many other food trucks to enjoy - but the lines were ridiculously long. I heard that some people waited 1.5 hours to order food, and another 30 minutes to wait for it. It was a sold-out event of 8500 people, but I left a very happy and satisfied foodie. I can't wait for next time, and there is certainly room for improvement for this event, but overall a great fest for foodies like me.

I also submitted some of my foodie photos to OC Register to the awesome foodie column that I read - Food Frenzy, check out the article here - Best Eats at OC Foodie Fest. Till the next food truck roams in our streets, I'll be muttering "nomnomnom."

Lucca Cafe Ribeye Steaks with Tomato Bearnaise

Two months ago I attended a culinary demonstration held at Bloomingdales in South Coast Plaza. I hate this mall because of all the crazy hype and O.C. MILF-ers out there...but for the love of food, I ventured out there with my girlfriend, Monica. We fell in love with the fresh & simple flavors of Executive Chef & Owner, Cathy Pavolos. She did a cooking demo on her beef hanger steak, yukon gold potatoes, crispy artichoke, tomato béarnaise and her swiss chard soup - which is to die for!!! We received handouts on all of the recipes. I knew this would be the perfect recipe for our BBQ steak dinner to test out on my family!

Ribeye Steaks, Yukon Gold Potatoes & Tomato Béarnaise

Adapted from Lucca Cafe - Executive Chef/Owner - Cathy Pavolos

Serves 6 **We served 8**

Ingredients:

2.5 - 3 lbs Certifed Angus Beef Hangar Steak or Tender Rib Eye Steaks *We bought an 8 lb rib eye roast, and cut the slices up ourselves.*

5 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes

Beef Marinade: *I doubled the recipe to serve 8 or more*

Juice of 2 oranges

3 tablespoons of Fresh oregano

6 garlic cloves

***Optional: Zest of 2 oranges
1. Put all ingredients in a food processor, and mix. Marinate the beef with the marinade for at least 2 hours, and remove the beef from the refrigerator for at least 15-30 minutes. *Tip, we used large plastic ziploc bags to marinade the meat, and flipped them over after 1 hour.*

Fork Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes:

Steam or boil the peeled potatoes until tender, mash potatoes with a fork or potato masher while warm. Mix in warmed heavy cream, melted butter, salt & white pepper to taste. **ADD lots of BUTTER!*

Easy Tomato Béarnaise in Two Steps:

The Reduction:

3 tablespoon Fresh Tarragon, minced

3/4 teaspoon Dried Tarragon

5 each Dried Green Peppercorns, crushed

1/2 cup White Wine

1/2 cup White Wine Vinegar

3 Shallots, peeled & minced

3 Garlic cloves, peeled & minced

The Completion:

6 Cage Free egg yolks

1 1/2 tablespoon Tomato Paste

3/4 lb Salted butter, melted

Preparation:

Add all of the Reduction ingredients into a small saute pan and simmer until reduced to about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons - usually about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Then in a blender, blend the egg yolks, tomato paste, and the reduction together. With the blender running, take the center part of the top out and add 1/3 of the butter in a slow steady stream. Once the sauce emulsifies, turn the blender speed up to high and add the remaining butter. It should thick and creamy and ready to go.Review: My cousin loved the Tomato Béarnaise sauce so much, that he used it to dip his bread...like 4 or 5 rolls!!! Eric said Chef Cathy did a mistake by handing out her recipe to me, because I made it better than her!! YEAH!

Adventures at Portillos

So I've been dreaming about this chocolate cake shake ever since Elisa and Kara have been talking about it. I was planning a trip out to Chicago to check this place out and meet Kara as well!! However, to my surprise - there are 2 California locations, Buena Park & Moreno Valley. Luckily, the Buena Park location is only 15 minutes away from our house. I was absolutely tickled pink, I couldn't wait to get my hands on that shake! Eric and I headed out to Portillos this past Friday. We're big fans of the famous Pinks Hollywood hot dogs and knew we had to check this place out! Here's my adventure at Portillos:I've seen this place before but I never paid much attention to it...and now it holds a warm place in my tummy! Nice bright lights welcome you outside.

We were waiting in line to place our order and there are cute signs everywhere...AND a reminder of what you should order. Portillo Chocolate Cake, my mouth started the drooling.

My cute husband waiting patiently for our order to be called. *Eric ordered a chili cheese hot dog.*The line cooks are pretty fast putting up the orders, we probably waited less than 10 minutes for our order.

My order, the Italian meat with sweet peppers...it was a big sandwich, it was really warm and tasty!

Eric & I shared the cheese fries...nom nom nom.

HELLOOOOOOOOOOO, chocolate. I'm having a love affair with Portillos tonight!

I'm trying really hard to not get a brain freeze, it's really hard to suck the cake out of the straw! OMG...it was delicious, the little pieces of cake and chocolate is heaven in your mouth! ::drooling::
Unforunately, this is the best I could do...that's how much I drank. Sorry Kara, I didn't mean to waste it, but it was enough for my tummy.

The verdict...Portillos is a great hot dog place, but my vote for best hot dog place, Pinks is still number one! The chocolate cake shake is the best thing here. Don't worry Kara, I'll still plan a trip out to see you, but you'll also have to experience Pinks Hot Dogs, too!