Rancho Cucamonga, o boy…
there are really no words,
still, no words,
thanks to Ian Kraft for the recommendation, and Big Chef Eric Murray, and Chris for rolling thru.
w/ kokoro,
chefcidney
Sometimes an invitation to a friend’s home for mom’s home-cooking is all one needs to get grounded. here’s Mike Rivera.
-cidney
My mom often makes dinner for my family and many times enough for the entire block. She really enjoys making food for anyone who wants to come over. On today’s menu: salsa, guacamole, chicken tacos, mexican rice, and beans with chorizo.
This is the smaller portion of our family. A shih tzu named Poopies. She’s definitely the most loving of the family.
Salsa:
Mom’s salsa came out a little greener because she put a little too much cilantro. The end result was still really good.
Salsa:
4 Tomatoes
5 Serrano Chilies
1 Yellow onion
Cilantro
1 Garlic clove or granulated
S+P
Boil the tomatoes, serrano, and yellow onion until soft
Put all of it in a blender and turn in on medium
Add the cilantro and granulated garlic
End in with some salt and pepper
This is my one contribution to mom’s tasty meal. The avocados come from a tree behind a friend’s house. They made for a perfect simple guacamole.
Guacamole:
3 Hass Avocado
1 Jalepeno Finely chopped
Green onion
1 Tomato Chopped
Cilantro Finely Chopped
Granulated Garlic
Lemon Juice
S+P
Mix everything in a bowl until it all taste amazing.
Finish it with Salt and Pepper
These are the crispy shells that my mom fries for the juicy white meat that she braises in a very well seasoned broth for over 3 hours.
This is the finished product of my mothers love. We have three chicken tacos with some mexican rice, lettuce cheese and tomato. The only thing missing is the tangy kick of her salsa. We all ended the night laughing and enjoying each others company. Which was a great way to end a great dinner.
Mike Rivera, guest contributor
Hello again. I just wanted to share with you a great post from one of my favorite blogs: MrKimSays.com.

It must be the fact that myself and Mr Kim are about the same age and I feel that this image/blog post nailed it for me. Atleast for how I feel at the moment. Lets keep it moving for 2010 people.
-Conrad
Hope everyone is having a great 2010 thus far. Its been awhile since I’ve posted something but I felt seeing this great mtv video series is worth mentioning especially when they pit together 2 creative forces whom I respect. Super producer Pharrell Williams and pop art icon Kaws.
More videos can be seen here.
-Conrad
a friend pulled some strings and treated the 2009 kitchen staff to the owner’s box!
my first hockey match and for me, it’s a total luxury to attend any sports event.
Chef Mark and his wife are big Duck’s fans. The box included some awesome seats right on the glass adjacent to one of the goals! Mark and wife took full advantage!
Gino makes a mean wrap, sandwich, or whatever you want!
it was nice to hang out w/everyone outside of work and have a drink.
the view was amazing and the cool air was refreshing.
i plus 1′ed a camera, some plus 1′ed w/ the lady
this was a great experience and we were all appreciative
totemo arigato gozaimashita Jen and Grayce for putting this together.
your goodwill towards us is truly something special.
w/kokoro,
chefcidney
My buddy and I were the 3rd group on the list for dinner at Shin Sen Gumi in Fountain Valley. I was surprised that on a Wed. evening there was a line prior to the 6pm opening. When the door opened, we were seated at the bar, immediately we felt like we were transposed into a traditional Japanese restaurant, a cozy and vibrant atmosphere. All patrons were greeted by the cooks and servers; at times it did get loud! This was our first experience eating Yakitori, with some assistance from our server we dove in and marked up the ordering form. Some of our items were discounted for happy hour.
Our meal included: bacon wrapped quail eggs, bacon wrapped tomatoes and my favorite was the bacon wrapped enoki mushrooms which were delightful. We also ordered chicken breast with wasabi skewers and chicken breast with thin slices of basil which provided a floral taste which was surprisingly good. My favorite was the chicken thighs and green onions skewers which paired nicely when dipped in the fresh green spice paste /relish along with vinegar. We enjoyed the beef skewers and the salmon with mushrooms even though the sauce was a bit too salty.
The cook was genuine, enthusiastic and even shook our hands as we left. Overall the dining experience was wonderful, as we were departing the restaurant the line outside had grown, I now understand why Shin Sen is a favorite restaurant in the community.
Thanks for letting me share,
Brent, guest contributor
kid cudi did not disappoint. the 20+ hour day, long line, freezing wind chill, and immaturity faded with every song as kid cudi defined exactly what the hype was about. the venue was plush. club nokia. perhaps one of the few venues where every seat in the house is a good one. we posted right behind the VIP seats on some older folk type shit upstairs on the balcony. standing the whole show was not an option tonight. so already, kid cudi was at odds to impress us. cudi came out around 11 and was off to a slow start as he blanked on his lines blaming it on the grey goose he had in hand. oh man, i thought, we were in for a long night.

photo: l.a.weekly.com colin young-wolff
it wasn’t a hard crowd to please (a sell-out, all-age pot fan base crowd), but our crew had higher standards. as he went more into his album, the energy fluctuated with his singing, rapping and talk/hyping. beat after beat, line after line, kid cudi delivered a performance filled with passion and intensity. perhaps his hardest challenge was keeping the energy up with verses that were meant to be melodically sung not overly amped. overall, the balance of his music style and translating it into a live performance was exceptional. there definitely was a surge of energy in kid cudi when special guest kanye appeared for his verse in “make her say” and “the good life.” it’s this energy that should resonate even in the absence of a seasoned vet like kanye. we were really, really lucky for that surprise as he didn’t appear for the show the following night.
the concert came to a climatic end with “pursuit of happiness.” overall, it was a great concert to end the year and that’s coming from someone who has seen common, wale, the roots, mos def, talib kweli, erykah badu, santigold and other experienced artists throughout 09. kid cudi definitely has a lot to bring to hip-hop. it’ll be an interesting trek for the spaced-out kid and his journey.
up up and away…
shidoni: purplericesushi.com most humbly shares one of our most popular course menus:
beautifulholly and dearestguests,
clean/ sensual/ beautiful
one

sesame calamari salad w/ spinach english cucumber flower frame
two

luxurious blue-crab california rolls w/ togarashii seared maguro nigiri

luxurious blue-crab california rolls w/ togarashii seared maguro nigiri
three

ebi nigiri w/ sexycilantro spicy tuna rolls
four

special korean soowon short-ribs w/ beautiful tamaki-haiga rice
five

shrimp tempura rolls w/ name-sake, kaiware sashimi

shrimp tempura rolls w/ name-sake, kaiware sashimi
six

broiled unagi nigiri w/ hamachi sashimi

broiled unagi nigiri w/ hamachi sashimi
adele and lykke li playlist
prepared w/ kokoro,
chefkyle, ryan raymundo, conrad alberto, and chefcidney
to book your “Intimate Course Event,”
contact Conrad Alberto
the other night i decided to visit an old friend’s restaurant. Mr. Alex Thao of Celadon Fine Thai Cuisine. he’s a bit of a legend in the restaurant scene in San Diego. his mother does menu, runs the kitchens, and adds that special Thao touch.
saturday I stopped by for the “crispy duck salad.” Celadon is a beautiful restaurant. distractingly beautiful. i caught myself dreaming to have something similar to this one day. the color scheme is simply black and white. the furniture is classic-fresh. the music playlist set a lounge-urban feel.

Chef Kyle and our friend Shannon, from an earlier visit
with all the impeccable ambiance stuff said, Mother Thao’s food is wonderful. the menu items are not super-servings, but portioned just right. the food is balanced, light, and uniquely Mother Thao’s. have a bottle of wine or a drink and enjoy w/your dearest friends and family.
w/kokoro,
cidney