Who doesn't love a SALE?

OK, you're reading a food blog, so obviously we're talking about food-related sales here.
Some of you may have made it there already, but 2 weekends ago (Dec 14-15th), a food import warehouse (Epicure Imports in Hollywood) held their seasonal public sales event. I couldn't made it on the first day, but I did go on the second day. Hopefully I didn't miss anything significant?

It was a huge warehouse and they carry everything from oil, imported water and sparkling lemonades, to baking goods, raw nuts by the pound, and truffles.

The best part, of course, was the cheese room! Basically a walk-in fridge, they had all kinds of cheeses from all over, and of course, foie gras.
Duck foie gras, goose foie gras, ... 2 oz can, 1 lb bag, you name it, they have it.

I bought a tiny can, and also 2 oz. of whole black truffles. Not sure how to best prepare them at the moment. Any suggestions??
They had Valrhona chocolates on sale for $1.99 per bar so I got a bunch of those. Also a carton of Orangina.

Some of the items were not that much cheaper than normal, and some items were already expired. I heard the wine was heavily discounted but I didn't buy any since I decided to drink only socially :P

All in all though it was definitely a fun event to go to, and some good buys can be had. And it's fun just to see everything they carry.

Epicure Imports
6900 Beck Ave
North Hollywood, CA 91604
818-985-9800

Sushi Katsu-Ya Encino- where sushi seems an afterthought

I met up with some friends at the Katsu-ya in Encino a few nights ago. While I've been at the Katsuya in Brentwood, I haven't been to the other ones so this Encino trip is a first. It is a decidedly different atmosphere than the Brentwood robata bar (although they are both loud).

We ordered some standard sushi dishes, along with their specials of the day. All in all, I thought the sushi was ... so so. Maybe because we were not sitting at the sushi bar? The yellowtail and salmon nigiri sushi were okay, but nothing special. The special dishes however (the cooked and marinated sashimi plates) were amazing and very unique/creative.

The first of those was the seared foie gras with scallops (the scallops are hidden underneath the foie gras). This was a very good dish. Not the best foie gras ever, but interesting and definitely flavorful.

Next was the scallops and kiwi with yuzu vinaigrette. Who would've thought of putting scallops and kiwi together? I guess they did :) and the size even fit perfectly too. The kiwi goes very well with the freshness of the scallop sashimi, and the yuzu adds an excellent touch.Then there was the garlic albacore with black truffles. They come and shave the black truffles tableside. Garlic albacore was standard, good marinated albacore. The black truffles were aromatic and a really great addition.

Also, not pictured (camera was giving me trouble at that point) was the baked eggplant. This eggplant dish was really really good! It had a unique flavour that we all went ga-ga for. The baked eggplant was stuffed with albacore and other various yumminess.

We also had the lobster dynamite, baked with mushroom. Very good lobster dish. I was not too crazy with the mushrooms, but all in all still quite tasty. We had the green tea tiramisu for dessert. Really liked the taste, and the cream was excellent. The only down side was that in certain parts there were no ladyfingers and just cream, so we couldn't really eat it.


Sushi Katsu-Ya in Encino
16542 Ventura Blvd.
Encino,CA 91436
818.788.2396

Why I like my own birthday ....

My birthday has become an annual excuse for me to order a whole cake ... for myself (minus a couple slices)!

Last year unfortunately I was back home in Indonesia, but this year I get to have my favorite cake again. And lots of it ...

I ordered the Spring Bouquet from Jin Patisserie in Venice, who always does a really nice job decorating it also. This cake is made with mango and strawberries and cream, with layers of meringue. Some people are shocked that I don't get a chocolate cake for my birthday, but this cake is just that awesome!
I ate half of it myself :">

A picture update. This is the Poire cake that I also like to get.
A layer of light and creamy chocolate mousse, topped with layer of white chocolate mousse, with poached pear flambee.

Jin Patisserie
1202 Abbot Kinney Blvd
Venice, CA