The Original Hat, 1951

there are really no words,

Pastrami Sandwich

still, no words,

Chilli Cheese Fries

uuuuuuuuuuuuuugh... man...

thanks to Ian Kraft for the recommendation, and  Big Chef Eric Murray, and Chris for rolling thru.

w/ kokoro,

chefcidney

cresent moon pose, sorta...

w/ kokoro,

chefcidney

-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

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

guacamole

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

tacos

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.

yummy

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

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

More videos can be seen here.

-Conrad

go Ducks!

my first hockey match and for me, it’s a total luxury to attend any sports event.

Executive Chef Mark Bolton

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, Moises, and Jose-Luis

Gino makes a mean wrap, sandwich, or whatever you want!

Moises, Maggie, Roberto, and Grayce

it was nice to hang out w/everyone outside of work and have a drink.

time for another!

the view was amazing and the cool air was refreshing.

Jeanette, Roberto, Moises and wife

i plus 1′ed a camera, some plus 1′ed w/ the lady

jacket's off

this was a great experience and we were all appreciative

hello

Jen and Grayce

totemo arigato gozaimashita Jen and Grayce for putting this together.

your goodwill towards us is truly something special.

w/kokoro,

chefcidney

Shin Sen Gumi Yakitori, Fountain Valley

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.

First of three rounds!

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.

great night!

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…

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

]]> http://sushisoul.com/2009/12/intimate-course-event-six-courses-yea-we-got-that/feed/ 0 http://sushisoul.com/2009/12/review-dinning-sd-celadon-fine-thai-cuisine/ http://sushisoul.com/2009/12/review-dinning-sd-celadon-fine-thai-cuisine/#comments Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:05:58 +0000 cidney http://sushisoul.com/?p=262

SD: Celadon Fine Thai Cuisine

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