Diverging Paths

(Pictures for this recipe taken with my Canon Rebel XTi.)



It's bell pepper season at the farmers' market! With modern growing and transportation methods, bell peppers have become so ubiquitous as a year-round staple that most of us probably don't think about their natural growing cycles. However, bell peppers are actually a type of berry. Like all fruits, they're best enjoyed at the peak of their ripeness and freshness. Bell peppers become the most sweet and flavorful between July and November, which means that now is the perfect time to load up at your local farmer's market!



The optimal way to appreciate bell peppers in season is raw. However, if you intend to cook your bell peppers, you should pick a cooking method that preserves their natural sweetness and crispness. Stir-frying is ideal for this, since the short cooking time leaves the bell peppers close to their natural state. This basic recipe for Bell Pepper Beef Stir-fry is quick, easy, and delicious to make. It's a great meal on a hot summer day.


Get the complete recipe, Bell Pepper Beef Stir-fry - [Cooking], on Chubbypanda.com.

(Pictures for this review taken with my Canon PowerShot SD800is.)



What's your snack of choice when you're cruising the city late at night? Do you like wrapping your lips around the obscene, incestuous porcine coupling that is the Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dog? Are you lured to the kaleidoscopic glitter of roasted meat served up at the many taco stands that dot La La Land? Maybe you're the kinky type, seeking out flavor-packed abominations that aren't completely one thing or another, only to find yourself crying in a shower the next morning. No, it never washes off. But, if you're like me, you'll find yourself obsessively checking Twitter again later that day.



Still, I usually like my after dark street food encounters like I like my women; sweet and almost too hot to handle. Near downtown Los Angeles that can mean only one thing. Hotteok, the Korean version of crispy fried napalm with a nutty finish. Luckily, I can always get my fix in front of Kaju Market on the corner of 5th and Western.


Read the complete review, Kaju Market Hotteok Stand - Los Angeles, CA [Eating], at Chubbypanda.com.

(Pictures for this review taken with my Canon Rebel XTi.)



Last Sunday was the city of Tustin's 25^th annual Street Fair & Chili Cook-Off. Believe you me, people in Tustin know how to throw a good bash.




Read the entire review, Tustin Street Fair & Chili Cook-Off - Tustin, CA [Eating], on Chubbypanda.com.

(Pictures for this review taken with my Canon PowerShot SD800is.)

I am one seriously pissed off panda. I can't remember the last time I was this angry. We have rising gas prices, plummeting real estate values, double-digit unemployment, the specter of economic depression, and stock markets that have fallen with such rapidity that they threaten to drag the rest of the country into the Abyss with them. While criminally irresponsible Wall Street CEOs demand handouts from the federal government, and usurious financial institutions exploit us with our own tax dollars, small businesses, the backbone of the American economy, collapse left and right.


(What we're losing.)

Are you worried about your job? I am. Everyone I know is. Consumers aren't spending. Retirement savings, home values, and investment portfolios have been cut in half. The unemployment rate hasn't been this high since 1983. People aren't just feeling poor, they're becoming poor. Businesses can't get the short-term loans they need for day-to-day operations. Even if they could, who's going to buy their goods or services? Credit card rates are being arbitrarily jacked up in excess of 30%. 30%! You'd get a better deal from Big Tony. Sure, his boys might break your legs, but at least he'd have the decency not to do it while taking a federal handout. It's not just us, either. Thanks to globalization, the world is now flat. Everyone is getting screwed with their pants on in an international clusterfuck.

If you're not worried, you haven't been paying attention.



"But Chubbypanda," you say, "Isn't this blog supposed to be about food? Why are you ranting about the economy like Rick Santelli before his entirely justified and glorious bitch slapping by John Stewart?"

Because, dear reader, everything is about the economy these days, even food. People are eating out less. A lot less. Restaurant spending is down 12%. Around the county, independent restaurants are closing shop left and right. From small mom & pop eateries to iconic mainstays like New York's Rainbow Room Grill, the recession is taking its toll.


(You'd pick a Big Mac over this Croque Madame?)


Read the complete article, Hamilton Petit Cafe (A Call to Action) - Huntington Beach, CA [Eating/Crazies], on Chubbypanda.com

(Pictures for this review taken with my Canon PowerShot SD800is.)


(Olive Original Chicken)

Southern-fried chicken is one of life's perfect pleasures. Locked in an armored shell of crunchy batter, the chicken is practically steamed in its own rich juices. The intense heat gelatinizes and draws collagen and marrow out from the bones, then forces it into the meat. Biting into a well-prepared piece of fried chicken is an experience akin to eating deep-fried stock; a lip-smacking good time.



The opening of Diamond Jamboree, Irvine's latest Asian mega center, brings a new wave of spectacular Korean, Japanese, and Taiwanese eateries to an area of Orange County second only to Little Saigon for great Asian eats. Among them is my latest go-to place for Southern-fried chicken; BBQ Chicken. A restaurant which, ironically enough, serves no barbecue chicken at all.



Any American barbecue enthusiast worth his disposable plastic bib can tell you that true BBQ requires a dry rub, charcoal, and smoke, the holy trinity of this slow-cooked art. Keeping these immutable tenets in mind, BBQ Chicken's "Barbecue Chicken" isn't actually barbecued, it's grilled. What's more, while the grilled items on its myopic menu are good, where BBQ Chicken really shines is with its Southern-fried chicken. South Korea, that is.




Read the complete article, BBQ Chicken - Irvine, CA [Eating], on Chubbypanda.com

(Pictures for this review taken with my Canon PowerShot SD800is.)

My friend Kimchee is a really interesting guy. A Korean orphan, he was adopted at a very young age by a Caucasian family in the mid-West and had a traditional American upbringing complete with sock hops, football, and mom's apple pie. By every measure except the most superficial, he's a good ol' corn fed farm boy.


(Kimchee in front of Green House.)

However, he never stopped being curious about his roots. Like many other acculturated Asian-Americans, Kimchee began seeking connections with his ethnic heritage. His Korean identity has been painstakingly earned, the result of a lifelong exploration of the food, language, and customs of his ancestral homeland. Each experience reveals a little more about a place he's never known and a people he continues to discover.



Kimchee's enthusiasm for all things Korean, and his former life as a restaurant chef, makes him the perfect guide for my Korean food adventures. Any question I can think of, he's already asked and has an answer to. His finely-tuned tongue has never led me astray. Where he goes, my gluttonous self is only too happy to follow.



One of his latest finds specializes in home-style Korean dishes seldom found in any of the more popular tabletop grill establishments. A mom & pop eatery of the finest kind, Green House occupies a claustrophobic storefront in the middle of Gardena's surprising treasure trove of tasty ethnic restaurants. The space is tiny, barely large enough to seat a dozen people, with just enough room for Mom to work the front and Pop to cook up a storm in the back.




Read the complete review, Green House - Gardena, CA [Eating], on Chubbypanda.com.

(Pictures for this review taken with my Canon PowerShot SD100 and Canon PowerShot SD800is.)



One of Little Saigon's worst kept secrets is Brodard Nem Nuong Restaurant. It's also one of the best hidden. A bustling oasis for local Vietnamese food lovers, the restaurant is incredibly difficult for first-time visitors to find. Even Google Maps will lead you astray.



However, those who persevere in their search will find Brodard's signature dish, Nem Nuong Cuon (Pork Spring Rolls), well-worth the effort. A specialty of the house, these chewy tubes of grilled pork paste and herbs are *the* reason people flock to the restaurant.




Read the complete review, Brodard Nem Nuong Restaurant - Garden Grove, CA [Eating], on Chubbypanda.com.

(Images for this review taken with my Canon PowerShot SD800is.)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!



Japanese society during the Edo period was rigidly striated into four impermeable classes. Merchants, because they produced no goods and did not serve the State, comprised the lowest officially recognized caste. To keep the merchant class in its place, the Tokugawa bakufu regulated what merchants could spend their money on. Displays of wealth in the form of lavish homes or personal adornment were strictly prohibited. Instead, the merchant class turned to other, less material ways to flaunt their success; food, sex, and entertainment. Centered in urban red light districts, the services and subculture that arose to support the hedonistic lifestyle of affluent merchants was described as Ukiyo, a "floating world" separate from the unyielding confines of the Pax Tokugawa.



Tucked away in an odd little fold of the border between Irvine and Newport Beach, Kitayama evokes storied descriptions of life in the floating world. The restaurant is a beautiful, labyrinthine sprawl surrounding a peaceful Japanese garden. Attentive, kimono-clad servers glide through the dimly lit halls, waiting on each table with polite efficiency.




Read the complete review, Kitayama - Newport Beach, CA [Eating], on Chubbypanda.com.

One of the sites my company owns, Bargainist.com, has an 80% off coupon code when purchasing $25 gift certificates to member restaurants. The average $25 gift certificate costs $10. The coupon knocks it down to $2.

http://www.bargainist.com/deals/2008/11/restaurantcom-80-off-25-gc-coupon/

It's an awesome deal. Last time this coupon came around, I picked up $375 worth of gift certificates for $27, and I'm still eating like a king. The coupon expires tomorrow, though, so you should check it out ASAP.

(Pictures for this review taken with my Canon PowerShot SD100.

Read Elmomonster's review of TK Burger's other Costa Mesa location.

For another great local burger chain, check out my review of Knolwood.)

Beginning with its flagship Balboa Island operation in 1986, TK Burger (aka The Kind Burger) has expanded to four locations along the central Orange County coast. At each satellite establishment, the small diner chain attempts to evoke the beach grill shack feel of the original. Surfboards, skater paraphernalia, LP covers, and stickers from local bands feature prominently, and sometimes haphazardly, in their decorations. It's a display that ends up coming off as trying just a little too hard. However, behind the nostalgia-inspired trappings TK Burger is the type of short-order greasy spoon near and dear to my heart.



TK Burger's cheeseburgers are legend amongst local high school and college students, and are frequently mentioned in online food forums and discussions as among the best in Orange County. It's a reputation that has been well-earned. Each grilled beef patty is served sizzling hot on warm egg bread buns with the freshest possible classic fixings. The simple honesty of each ingredient is what elevates these burgers. There are no gimmicks, no secret sauces, and no strange add-ons used to disguise substandard materials. The Cheeseburger, and the Big Bargain Special (Cheeseburger & Fries), just can't be beat.



However, my favorite TK Burger is the one on Costa Mesa's 19^th Street. Unique amongst its brothers, it harbors a delectable secret. Years before it became a TK Burger in 2005, the 19^th Street location was home to Johnny G's, an charmingly schizophrenic neighborhood haunt that offered an eclectic mix of American, Mexican, and Greek dishes, as well as damn good breakfasts. When the diner became a TK Burger, much of the original menu was slashed. However, what few people other that former Johnny G's regulars know is that most of the original breakfast items were kept, making the 19^th Street location the only TK Burger to offer breakfast in the mornings.


(Denver Omelet)


Read the complete review, TK Burger - Costa Mesa, CA [Eating], on Chubbypanda.com.

(Pictures for this recipe taken with my Canon Rebel XTi.)



With Halloween coming soon, I've started thinking about some fun party appetizers to use for my next spooky shindig. This week, when I was at my local farmers market, I came across these cute Thai eggplants. They sorta look like little green pumpkins, don't they? Perfect for Halloween hors devours.



Since miso, beef, and eggplant are ingredients in several classic Japanese recipes, I knew they'd play well together. I decided to stuff my eggplants with beef and top them with a miso-based sauce to make little eggplant "pumpkins". To bring out the orange hue in the eggplants' skin, I roasted them before stuffing. However, you can also blanch the eggplants if you want to preserve their natural green tone.




Read the complete recipe, Miso Beef Stuffed Eggplant "Pumpkins" - [Cooking], on Chubbypanda.com.

(Pictures for this review taken with my Canon PowerShot SD800is.)

Earlier this week, one of my Canadian readers emailed to ask if I was planning to put up any more posts from my last trip to Vancouver. Since a number of readers have written in recently about my lovable sidekick, Ton-Ton, I thought it was time for him to make a reappearance.


(Back by popular demand.)

The Boathouse is a small chain of restaurants serving the West Coast and fusion cuisine native the west coast of Canada. The quality of the food is surprisingly good for a franchise establishment, emphasizing the abundance of fresh, seasonal seafood readily available in British Columbia. Near the end of our trip, Cat and I were invited to brunch at the Richmond location by Cat's grandfather and uncles. Of course, we wouldn't dream of leaving Ton-Ton behind.




Read the complete review, The Boathouse (Ton-Ton's Journey: Vancouver 2007 Part 11) - Richmond, BC [Eating], on Chubbypanda.com

(Pictures for this review taken with my Canon Rebel XTi.

Read my reviews of the 2006 and 2007 festivals.)


I've got one heck of a cold right now. Here are some scenes from this year's Irvine Global Village Festival while I recover. Cat and I had a real blast. I hope some of you managed to make it!


The Irvine Global Village Festival
Bill Barber Park
4 Civic Center Plaza
Irvine, CA 92606
Irvine Global Village Festival Website

One Saturday at the end of September or beginning of October from 10:00am-6:00pm.


Irvine Global Village Festival2006

Irvine Global Village Festival 2007

(Pictures for this recipe taken with my Canon Rebel XTi.)

Crunch time is an inescapable fact of life in the IT industry. As a software developer, you're inevitably called upon to work through lunches, stay late into the night, and come in on weekends. To "make up" for the inconvenience, most companies will provide lunch and dinner during extended work hours. Since pizza is the cheapest and fastest way to feed a large number of people, you end up eating a whole lot of it. Pizza and caffeinated soft drinks practically fuel the software development business.



After the working on a big project for the better part of a week, and a number of calorie dense meals later, yours truly was feeling like an overstuffed calzone. There was pizza in my belly, pizza in my veins, and pizza coming out of my pores. Luckily, my local farmers market held the cure for my abused, bloated, and sluggish body; bitter melon.



Popular in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean, bitter melon is a used as a digestive stimulant. It's considered a purgative, and is recommended by the Chinese as an aid to cleansing the body of heavy or oily meals. Although the melon can be quite astringent, the bitterness can be made mild and refreshing when properly prepared. I eat stir-fried bitter melon as part of a detox diet whenever I've overindulged in too much fatty food.




Read the complete recipe, Chinese Bitter Melon Stir-fry (How to Prepare) - [Cooking], on Chubbypanda.com.

(Pictures for this review taken with my Canon Rebel XTi.

A quick reminder that the Irvine Global Village Festival is coming up this Saturday, October 4, at Bill Barber Park in Irvine. The fun lasts from 10am - 6pm. Don't miss it!)



Rosy-fingered Dawn had barely brushed the horizon when I arose from my slumber, unable to rest as visions of Loukoumades danced through my thoughts, the fluffy golden orbs dripping with honey and cinnamon. I knew I had to have them. I knew where I could get them.



Every year, St. Paul's Greek Orthodox Church in Irvine holds its "Taste of Greece" Greek Festival. Nearly 10,000 visitors attend this still-growing event to tour the church, taste the food, participate in craft and art exhibits, and enjoy the sense of community fostered by the friendly parishioners. The money raised during the three day celebration goes towards church maintenance and charity work.



Read the complete article, St. Paul's Greek Festival (A Taste of Greece) - Irvine, CA [Eating], on Chubbypanda.com.

(Pictures for this review taken with my Canon Rebel XTi and Canon PowerShot SD800is.

If you missed the Los Angeles Korean Festival, don't worry. You can still catch the Garden Grove Korean Festival coming up on October 11 & 12. Cat and I will be there too!)



Every year, Los Angeles' vibrant and eclectic Koreatown holds a festival celebrating Korean culture and cuisine. Its purpose is the bridge the gap between the tightly-knit Korean community and the city's other diverse ethnic groups. Wildly popular, the event regularly draws tens of thousand of visitors, clogging the area's already congested streets and turning a normally placid park into a bustling open-air market.


(Bin after bin of glorious pickled vegetables.)

Tempted by tales of the fiery delights that awaited me, I ventured from behind the Orange Curtain to take part in the 35^th Los Angeles Korean Festival with local friends Kimchee, Kare Bear, and Kare Bear's vivacious girlfriend, Debian. The food alone was worth the two hour drive through LA's twisting freeway system.



Read the complete review, Los Angeles Korean Festival 2008 - Los Angeles, CA [Eating], on Chubbypanda.com.

(Pictures for this review taken with my Canon PowerShot SD800is.)

It's always difficult when a favorite restaurant closes. There's emptiness in your soul from the removal of something familiar and comforting. A place that used to bring you pleasure is gone, taking with it all the small memories housed within. Given the high failure rate of restaurant ventures, it's an ache all too familiar to foodies.


(Chef Chen took over New Shanghai's home for over a decade.)

When our beloved New Shanghai closed, Cat and I found ourselves adrift, castaways without the safe harbor of our usual Saturday morning brunch spot. For a while, we flitted from eatery to eatery, searching for something to fill the hole in our weekend routine. We were unsuccessful. It's hard to find a replacement for a restaurant you frequented for over nine years. Yet, all good things must come to an end. Cat and I eventually accepted New Shanghai's departure and turned to its successor, Chef Chen, with open arms.


(Stylishly redecorated.)

Serving a blend of Shanghai and Taiwanese cuisine dishes, Chef Chen has been repeatedly recommended to me by my readers. Its collection of authentic dishes rarely found in this part of Southern California have generated favorable buzz amongst the local Chinese community. There are some who contend that Chef Chen is the best Chinese restaurant in Irvine, placing it squarely in a head-to-head, North vs. South battle with reigning champion China Garden.



It's a fight that Chef Chen is more than capable of holding its own in, with a selection of superb Northern Dim Sum dishes and a stunning number of entrees.




Read the complete review, Chef Chen (Northern Dim Sum) - Irvine, CA [Eating], on Chubbypanda.com.

(Pictures for this review taken with my Canon Rebel XTi.

The Los Angeles County Fair runs from September 5-28 this year. There's only one week left. Check it out while you still can!)



The arrival of autumn is also the start of fair season here in California. The largest fair in the United States, the Los Angeles County Fair is also one of the oldest on the West Coast, having begun in 1922. Every year, over a million people travel to Pomona to enjoy the food and fun.



County fairs have a long and rich history in the United States. Held around harvest time, they were a way for dispersed agrarian communities to gather and socialize through contests, activities, and communal events. Rides and games were slowly incorporated following the Chicago World's Fair, held in 1893.



Food has always been an integral part of county fairs, sold from stalls, served during events, and as the focal point of numerous cooking or eating competitions.




Read the complete review, Los Angeles County Fair 2008 - Pomona, CA, on Chubbypanda.com.

(Pictures for this review taken with my Canon PowerShot SD800is and Canon PowerShot SD100.)

Every hero can use a good sidekick, someone to watch his back and get him through the rough times. Batman had Robin. Mulder had Skully. Frodo had Sam. Serenity captain Mal Reynolds had Zoe. I have Elonweis.



My frequent partner in food adventures, Elonweis will uncomplainingly follow me into whatever strange hole-in-the wall has managed to catch my eye. Despite a severe mishap or two, she's always game for our next excursion. However, she does have one request when the weather gets nippy.



Soon dubu, a fiery hot Korean tofu stew, is Elonweis' preferred way of combating autumn chill. Some research online turned up Light Town House in Garden Grove's Koreatown as a possible source for this searing ambrosia.



Reputed to be the best spot in Garden Grove at which to sample Korean home-style cooking, Light Town House offers all of the dishes common to Korean BBQ restaurants in the States, as well as more esoteric fare. Their menu is extensive, including delicacies such as Yhang Jool Gi (BBQ Boiled Honey Tripe), Janguh Gooi (Charbroiled Eel), Nakji Gooksoo (Noodles with Fried Octopus), Nakji Dolpan Gooi (Stone-Grilled Octopus), and Kalchi Jorim (Broiled Belt Fish). Despite repeat visits, I have yet to sample all of their specialties.




Read the complete review, Light Town House - Garden Grove, CA [Eating], on Chubbypanda.com.

(Picture taken with my Canon Rebel XTi.)



Happy Moon Festival everyone! Hope you had some tasty cakes and enjoyed the nice full moon.