Century City: Gulfstream

Gulfstream, owned by Hillstone Restaurant Group (the company which I will begin working for next month!), is a nod to America's classic seafood houses. I could see Don and Betty Draper sliding into a booth here and digging into a plate of oysters, some peel n' eat shrimp, and sipping on a round or two of martinis. Tonight my mother and I were treated to dinner at Gulfstream. As my mother proclaimed: it was a slice of heaven!

A manageable menu with all the classics [Classic Caesar, Fried oysters, Rotisserie chicken, Cedar plank salmon], as well as some twists [Scallops with wild greens, beets, and tomatoes, Braised short rib pavé, and Seared ahi with ponzu]

French Sea Salt makes everything better

A Kettle One Martini + a Cucumber Hendrick's Gin Martini (delicious!)

Grilled artichokes with Creole remoulade:
smoky and charred to perfection, complimented by the creamy remoulade

Peel n' Eat Shrimp:
plump and firm, served with a classic cocktail and remoulade sauce

Classic Caesar:

DROOL. This salad was perfection. Romaine hearts dressed in a dressing bursting with anchovies and saturated (as any correct Caesar should be) with salty, satisfying parmigiano reggiano. Topped with torn ciabatta croutons and corn. So good.

Pork Ribs:

Fall off the bone tender. The ribs are so good because most of the fat has been cooked out, leaving sticky, chewy, tender meat. Slathered with mustardy carolina-style BBQ saucemmm

All behold the Hot Fudge Sundae:
sometimes you just gotta feel like a kid againServed with a literal VAT of chocolate sauce. Made in house.

The artwork perfectly compliments the restaurant's classic retro American feelThank you ^ all for a wonderful meal. And a special thanks to Tambi...what a wonderful evening!

Israel: The Land of Falafel + Shawarma

Some sexy pictures of the falafel and shawarma I sunk my teeth into in Israel...Unlike most falafel you come across in the states (with the exception of Maoz), this falafel's crispy golden fried surface perfectly contrasted its soft, creamy interiorChicken shawarma outfitted with all the fixin's: tomato, cucumber, pickled cabbage, tahini, onions, hummus, and spicy chili sauceAll behold the greatness that is shawarma: strips of meat (in this case, lamb) slowly roasted on a spit, then shaved off into your very own pita.
Remind you of something? Maybe the al pastor a few posts down?

Israel: Bedouin Hospitality

No, these are not stills from Sex and the City II. These are pictures of a Bedouin camp in Israel at which I was lucky enough to stay, complete with camels and tents thatched with palm fronds. Bedouins are a desert-dwelling, seminomadic Arab people who make their home in a multitude of Middle Eastern countries. As it happens, Bedouins make a really mean magluba (see below) and a cup of Turkish coffee that'll wake you right up after a strenuous camel ride through the desert.At the traditional bedouin meal, you eat on pillows as you sit around a large communal platter on which the food is served

Arabic flatbread with tehina (sesame paste), tomato and cucumber salad, and magluba

What is megluba you ask?: a mixture of lamb meatballs, saffron rice with chickpeas, veggies, and potatoesWatch out, they spit!

Jerusalem: Machane Yehuda Market

Yes, Israel is The Land of Milk and Honey, but it is also the land of falafel, shawarma, figs, dates, nuts, spices, turkish coffee, salty bulgarian cheese, creamy hummus, fluffy pita and laffa, flaky rugelach, buttery borek...In other words, the land of Israel is a militant gastronomic force armed with all the right mouth-watering culinary ammunition. Consequentially, this Middle Eastern culinary oasis stole my foodie heart. A man selling the freshest of fish at the bustling Machane Yehuda Market in the heart of Jerusalem.

Buttery, flaky, chocolaty, tender rugelach. SO. FREAKING. GOOD.

Orthodox jam sesh on a אבטיח

An assortment of Halva: sesame paste and sugar based confections

Beautiful loose leaf teas and spices sold at a spice shop near the market

Red and black peppercornsCinnamon sticks and dried mushrooms

Freshly baked Lafa (arabic flatbread)

Dried and cured whitefish

Mexico: Salsa Roja

Typical Salsa Roja recipe (taught to me by my friends' family's cook):

• 3 plum tomatoes
• morita (chipotle) chilis (however many you dare to put in!)
  
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/8 cup of chopped onion
• 1/8-1/4 cup water
  

Method: Roast the tomatoes and chilis on a skillet until slightly charred. Throw the roasted tomatoes, roasted chilis, garlic, onion, and water into a blender and puree until still slightly chunky. Add salt to taste. Muy rico!
Salsa can also be made the traditional way in a stone Molcajete or "mortar and pestle" (pictured below). First pulverize the garlic, then the onion, then the chilis, then the tomatoes, mixing in the water and salt at the end.

Oaxaca: Tacos al Pastor @ El Rodeo

There's tacos al pastor, and then there's tacos al pastor from a small stand in Oaxaca, Mexico a block away from the bus terminal where all the locals are stationed for their daily taco fix.

al Pastor: Marinated pork roasted (shawarma-style) on a skewer and crowned with a pineapple

served on handmade corn tortillas with lots of cilantro and onion

Horchata to cool down your mouth after you've doused your plate of tacos with salsa roja and salsa verde...

topping your al pastor taco with pickled onions makes all the differencedame un taco, guey!

another satisfied customer

Mexico DF: Summer BBQ in Toluca

Upon arriving in Mexico D.F. to visit a friend, I was whisked away to a house in the small town of Toluca, about 30 minutes outside of DF. It turned out to be a delicious evening involving grilled meats and vegetables, paloma cocktails, and the omnipresent shots of tequila. A blissful evening if there ever was one.

The host, Javier's, breathtaking house in Toluca. (And his cute dog).

A charming table setting

Chicharrones in salsa verde, grilled cebollas, nopales, and flank steak
Arranchera (flank steak) shipped in from Chihuahua

Prawn taco anyone?

MANning the grill

Carne, carne, carne!Sigh, just the beginning of the trip of a lifetime...
*photo crdt: Madelyn Somers*