Restaurants

Welcome to mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog.  Kirk is vacationing-following plans, ed(from Yuma) is planning for a vacation and Cathy is writing today about something unplanned. Yesterday I was talking with a friend I hadn't seen in a year.  We were (of course) talking about food and somehow the conversation went to the new Zion Market, which she told me was going to open today. Finally!!! (Kirk wrote about Zion Market in 2005 and again when announcing it would be moving (look at the date when he knew it would be moving). (Zion is a Korean Market, in case you didn't know). Located inside the old Kmart/Sears building on Clairmont Mesa at Convoy, the parking lot is able to handle the crowds.  I don't exactly remember the footprint of the old Kmart, but when I walked in, this place seemed a LOT larger than I recall! To the right will be the many individual run shops and franchises.  None are open yet.    To the left when you walk in - the grocery aisles.  Wide aisles that run far to the back of the store.    A refrigerated wall runs along the front...   Items for sale are the usual suspects.  Quite a few sale items are located interspersed in the store (not necessarily on the end caps).  The seafood and meat counters dominate the back wall...   as well as a really large refrigerator of panchan...   Sort of near the center back of the store is an 'island' area that looks like it will have ovens going all the time.  for now, the surrounding counters are holding the pre-cooked grab and go items. The produce area is at least three times larger than at the 'old' Zion.   There is extra space and a greater selection.  This Zion has 12 cash registers. This is the view from the cash registers to the 'other side' - the storefront area of the building...see all the storefronts to the left?   If you look to the right from the checkout registers, you can see the soon to open Paris Baguette store.   Today was the first day and so things are a bit of a frenzy, as I would think will be happening all this long three day Memorial Day weekend.  Zion Market 7655 Clairmont Mesa Boulevard San Diego 92111 (858) 268-3300  Website

The Drunken Botanist: The Plants that Create the World's Great Drinks opens with a tale of author Amy Stewart on a quest for ingredients to make a gin cocktail. She does this not so much becaus...

Araxi Long Table Series – Summer 2013; Edible Canada: Introducing Canadian Comforts to Vancouver Craft Beer Week; Local tech startup iTendr has been chosen over Open Table by the downtown Vancouver BIA ARAXI LONGTABLE SERIES Summer 2013 As summer approaches, we near another exciting season featuring Araxi’s famed Longtable Series. This year, we are pleased to announce a new location as part of the series – in addition to Lost Lake in Whistler and North Arm Farm in Pemberton, Araxi’s Longtable dinner is also coming to Stanley Park in Vancouver! The striking long table has a capacity of 300 people, and guests will have an opportunity to experience Araxi right in the heart of the city. Award-winning Executive Chef James Walt will craft an exclusive four-course menu, showcasing his internationally recognized farm-to-table creations. Chef James celebrates locally sourced ingredients, and has built close relationships with the regional farming and ranching communities. As part of this year’s Longtable Series, an exclusive Farmers’ Market will be on site at the Vancouver and Whistler events, allowing guests to meet the producers and taste Chef James’ favourite ingredients in their raw form. Participating suppliers will include, amongst others, Root Down Organics and Pemberton Meadows Natural Beef. Guests attending the event at North Arm Farm can look forward to a guided farm tour with proprietor Jordan Sturdy. Chef James says, “We are very excited about expanding our Longtable series into Vancouver, and offering three very special settings to choose from this summer. We look forward to introducing our guests to our valued producers and showcasing the vibrant flavours of BC’s harvest.” Samantha Rahn, Araxi’s Wine Director and 2013 Sommelier of the Year, has invited some of the region’s top winemakers to partner for each dinner, giving guests an opportunity to meet and mingle with the industry’s finest talents. Each event will begin with a cocktail reception, followed by a magical family-style dinner thoughtfully paired with select BC wines. A percentage of ticket sales will go to The Chef’s Table Society of BC, supporting regional chefs, producers and the local food industry. DATES: Saturday, July 27th – Prospect Point in Stanley Park, Vancouver 3pm cocktail reception. Wines by Mission Hill + spirits by Pemberton Distillery. Saturday, August 3rd – Lost Lake, Whistler 3pm cocktail reception. Wines by Quails’ Gate + spirits by Pemberton Distillery. Saturday, August 17th – North Arm Farm, Pemberton 3pm cocktail reception. Wines by Le Vieux Pin + LaStella + spirits by Pemberton Distillery. FOR TICKETS: Neil Henderson, Restaurant Director, 604 932 4540 or longtable@araxi.com $175.00 per person, per event (includes reception, wine, four-course menu, tax and gratuity) —————————————————————————————————————————— EDIBLE CANADA: INTRODUCING CANADIAN COMFORTS TO VANCOUVER CRAFT BEER WEEK May 24 2013. Vancouver, BC. In celebration of Vancouver’s fourth annual, and fast approaching, Craft Beer Week, Edible Canada will be joining the party by hosting one of the festival’s Feature Events. On Sunday June 2, from 7pm-11pm, we will be showcasing a collection of Vancouver Island’s finest breweries during our ‘Canadian Comforts‘ shindig. Our best-of-craft (no pun intended) brew master line-up will include Phillips, Spinnakers, Hoyne, Driftwood and Vancouver Island Brewing for a night of uniquely crafted pints paired with high comfort foods, non-stop entertainment, beer education and more. Tickets will include the beer, entertainment and an array of fare fitting to pair with the diverse tastes and flavours of these craft beers. The event menu is as follows (please note that slight

Image of Tabla courtesy Avila/EPDX Last Friday, Eater asked readers to shoutout their favorite pasta dish in Portland, and if there's one thing we've learned, it's that every neighborhood really does have its one go-to pasta joint. So here now — in random order — are 13 of Portland's Favorite Pasta Dishes, as voted by Eater readers. If your favorite still isn't on the list, do give it a shout in the comments. Click here to view the map. · All Previous Open Threads [Eater PDX]

Food GPS - Food. Drinks. People.Las Vegas is a city of many high-end restaurants, celebrity chefs, and over-the-top dining experiences, and rummaging through the sheer number of options can be overwhelming. What I’ve found over the years is that the off-Strip dining can often times be as impressive as what’s in the well-known casinos and resorts. The premium paid for the on-Strip dining experiences can be tremendous, leading many restaurateurs and bars to find more affordable, approachable places. With the explosion of Downtown Vegas as a viable attraction, there are now some impressive spots to visit, like one of the best Thai restaurants in the city, and a great cocktail bar. The ethnic dining in the Chinatown section of the city rivals some of the best restaurants in L.A., though no particular cuisine dominates. The following is a diverse guide to 16 of Las Vegas’ best restaurants and bars. View Las Vegas Restaurants in a larger map Numbered establishments on the map correspond to information below for easy reference. Establishments also appear in alphabetical order instead of in order of preference. 1. Abriya Raku: Raku presents one of the highest examples of the izakaya genre in the United States, at once restrained and in another, completely unexpected and extraordinary. The cuisine itself is derived from the Japanese drinking restaurant, or a type of gastropub. Chef Mitsuo Endo opened Raku in 2008 to great fanfare and critical acclaim, beloved by chefs across the city. The strip mall setting belies the elegant, if dark, interior, and the service remains more standoffish than particularly attentive. It still doesn’t detract significantly from the experience, which almost always starts with a serving of fresh house-made tofu that will shift your paradigm about how delicious soybeans can be. Agadashi tofu, served with a soy-dashi and topped with dancing bonito flakes, melts in your mouth. The foie gras egg custard is also extraordinary, unctuously stuffed with fatty duck liver. Finally the parade of charcoal-grilled yakitori skewers makes the meal last forever – a good thing at a restaurant like this. MUST ORDER DISHES: Raku House Tofu, Foie Gras Egg Custard, Tsukune – Grilled Ground Chicken Skewer, Kobe Beef Tendon Skewer, Foie Gras Don 2. Bachi Burger: This inventive burger joint deep in the suburbs does great takes on the simple American hamburger, adding things like foie gras, shishito pepper, and lup cheong sausage to go along with seared Wagyu patties. The oxtail fries are also a popular order at this strip-mall dining room that’s not particularly interesting on the design side, not that it matters. The burgers are too interesting not to order in pairs, with things like the banh mi burger, crab cake burger, and kalbi burger on the menu. There’s also a good list of Japanese craft beers. MUST ORDER DISHES: Oxtail Chili Cheese Fries, Pork Belly Steam Buns, Ronin Burger, Miyagi-San’s Grass Fed Beef Burger, Shogun Burger 3. Botero: The Wynn properties have a very high level of quality on the whole, though prices are a bit on the expensive side (this is the Wynn). Botero is a nice mix of both the steak and seafood side in one of the best overall rooms in Vegas, highlighted by a massive Botero sculpture in the center. The plush seating, dark lighting, and view of the outdoor patio and swimming pool makes it an ideal early dinner when the sun is waning or a nice late supper just when the clubs are starting to heat up. Chef Mark LaRusso does a solid menu of crudos and seafood dishes while keeping a tight steak list that might not be better than the likes of CUT or Carnevino, but would be very good for most diners, especially when steaks are topped with a piece of seared foie gras. The wine service is also stellar, with plenty of good picks in the $80-100 range that would go great with the meal. MUST ORDER DISHES: Crudo Tasting, Baby Beet Salad, Day Boat Scallops, Wild Mushroom Tart,

Chaya Downtown is running a few different special events. They’re kicking off their popular Summer Beer Garden on Tuesday, May 28 and having a celebration on Thursday, May 30 with live music performances… Read More →

It seems as though more and more states are becoming willing to demand labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. The most recent state to move in that direction is C...

Looking for some summer reading material? Check out these books by Curbed Network editors. · The Audacity of Hops: The History of America's Craft Beer Revolution by Tom Acitelli [Editor, Curbed Boston] · The Glasgow Style: Artists in the Decorative Arts, Circa 1900 by Laura Euler [Editor, Curbed Hamptons] · Dirtyville Rhapsodies (Short Stories) by Josh Green [Editor, Curbed Atlanta] · How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way To Brainwash Your Child Into Becoming A Syracuse Fan by Sean Keeley [Editor, Curbed Seattle] eBook on wine? Why not. Gamay: Beginners Guide to Wine by Julien Perry [Editor, Eater Seattle] And coming soon, but available for pre-order now: · This is How I Find Her by Sara Polsky [Editor, Curbed New York] · Arts and Crafts Embroidery by Laura Euler [Editor, Curbed Hamptons]

Another new BBQ cooking competition premiers on Monday, May 27th on the Destination America network.  I'm always excited to watch BBQ cooked on television and this new show looks pretty interesting and good. Let me know what you think of the show. Smoked Promo 1 Minute 43 Seconds from Citizen Pictures on Vimeo. One up and coming Pitmaster is about to get his dream shot - to go head-to-head with a BBQ Legend.  Will he face Myron Mixon, Tuffy Stone or Johnny Trigg?  He won't find out until moments before the competition!  Over the course of 8 hours, they’ll cook head-to-head in three delicious categories – with host Marc Ryan throwing in a few twists along the way.  Pride, the ultimate BBQ bragging rights and the Smoked championship belt are on the line - and an expert judging panel will decide their fate.  Who will stand tall - and who's gonna get Smoked?  Smoked is produced by Citizen Pictures for Destination America.The post Who’s Gonna Get Smoked? appeared first on Embers and Flame.

The loveable Bobby Navarro of 100Eats is presenting Nepenthia Beer Garden in Costa Mesa on June 8 with Evan Price of Noble Ale Works and Leonard Chan of The Iron Press. The one-day… Read More →