CHUCK’S

My dear brother took us to Chuck’s Produce and Street Market in Vancouver, Washington.  It was a combination of all the goodness of Trader Joe’s, Ralph’s and Whole Foods.  As usual,TBW had a blast in this place.

Organic garden essentials, chilled & fresh fruit juices, organically grown fruits & vegetables, bakeshop

Cheeses, prepared food from salads, soups, sandwiches to main entrees from all over the world. Proud to say that chicken adobo was on display and was actually running out.

The best handmade gelato and sorbet. My fave: Blackcap raspberry sorbet….just like moi…not too sweet & not too tart with the right consistency =)

A must visit!

FIND ME YES!

Lovely food finds.  Made more special because they were given by special people.

Spinach cream cheese given by Paolo from The Best Food Forward event. TBW has used this countless times. Together with kani sticks for sushi. Inside soft taco rolls. As a chip dip. Any item that needs full flavor. Yes, even in soups.

Artisanal jams. One of my favorites. Can be eaten with everything. A dab on foie gras and you're in heaven. New flavors mango lavender and strawberry mint in a dainty box of 6 tiny bottles. A gift from Cheska.

Food life becomes easier with these on stock in your pantry or refrigerator.

PORTLAND FOOD CARTS

Another favorite place is where a dear cousin took me for lunch one chilly day in Portland, Oregon.  Right somewhere in the middle of downtown Portland, similar to a CBD (central business district), are  sidewalks lined with food carts with cuisines ranging from Thai, Fijian, Hawaiian, Ethiopian, Korean, Spanish, Mexican, Cuban…gee…name every nationality and it’s aptly represented via these carts.

United Nations food carts all around

It was such a surprisingly cold noon time that visiting all food carts was not a favorable choice unless one wanted to end up frozen.  Best bet was to scrutinize 1-2 sidewalks only.  Good thing, we happily found Asian food we liked which we thought could also help with the cold weather.

Comfort food for the cold. One of the best meals had in Oregon. There were other food carts to be "discovered" but very little time and tolerance for the weather. This is a must do next visit.

Grab take-out food containers and walk to the nearby park and dine in true al-fresco style.  Marvel at the beauty of nature’s blooms and be amused with the number of doves frolicking for attention.  And as a fitting end, cheerfully give left-overs to the homeless plying the streets.  A truly fulfilling meal. ♥

FARMERS MARKET L.A.

Gone away and back to stay.  While out venturing into both new and familiar territory, a number of favorite places were ticked off and deservingly found its way to TBW’s posts.

A top favorite is Farmers Market on 3rd and Fairfax in L.A.  For those who are regulars of L.A. but are unfamiliar with the place, it is located beside The Grove.  This specific direction will surely elicit a “ahh, yes, beside The Grove” response.

Farmers Market may not be as popular as its next door neighbor, The Grove, but it surely tops my list as a must place to go.  Why?  Because of the food, produce and quaint stores within the complex.

The freshest produce, artisanal goodies, food offerings and hard to find home essentials abound.  The vibe is laid-back, friendly and easy.  A rustic feel even. Very realwith absolutely no pretensions.  Botox, thick make-up, siliconed skins, fake eyelashes and smiles prevalent in Hollywood and most of L.A. are nowhere to be found here.  Definitely our kind of place.

Food ranging from good ol' American to Mexican to Korean, Chinese, Brazilian, Seafood, Mediterranean, Thai, French and more are for the taking.

Under-roof or al-fresco dining are parallel with the stores.

A real gem in L.A.

MCDONALD’S SISTER

Yummy Roast.  Roasted chicken and pork in a fast food setting.  This piqued my interest and in I went.  Upon further investigation, found out from one of the crew members that McDonalds Phils. owns this.

Yummy Roast owned by McDonalds Philippines. Chicken was tenderly roasted. Flavorful =) Spaghetti had an unusual hint of spice in the sauce and had ground beef and diced carrots. A far cry from the sweet McDonald's spaghetti people are accustomed to. Unlimited rice is also available. Worth a try!

This Yummy Roast branch is located in SM Southmall near the main entrance.

NOT EASY TO FIND FOOD FINDS

Coming across food finds makes TBW very happy especially if they are not easy to get.

Tabbouleh,  tabouleh or tabouli is a Levantine (countries bordering on the eastern Mediterranean Sea from Turkey to Egypt)  salad traditionally made of bulgur (cracked wheat grain),  tomato, cucumber, finely chopped parsley, mint, onion, garlic and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice and salt.   In the present generation of instant food, finding tabbouleh in a box almost ready to eat is a treat.

Easy does it. Just add hot water, diced tomatoes and olive oil and it is ready to go. Best eaten with lamb, any grilled food or by it's lonesome self. A great carb replacement.

Bibingka (Philippine native rice cake cooked over heated coals topped with cheese, salted egg or left alone).  This version which was a gift from the Dagelets was a beautiful cross between a fluffy mamon (light buttery cake) and a pancake.  Judging from the phone number on the box, this must be made in the province, probably Lipa Batangas where Brenda hails from.

Served lightly charred on both surfaces, toasted banana leaves wrapped around each one, with a hint of smokey flavor in every bite. Sarap (Yum)!

Mirabell’s Salzburger Mozarttaler.  Heavenly chocolates from Austria gifted by an Austrian friend.  Layers of delectable goodness in each chocolate.  Rich, dark chocolate followed by light and dark praline cream and a center of fine marzipan laden with pistachio nuts.  Deliriously good!

Most of the chocolates from Salzburg, Austria are named after Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and have his face on the box or wrapper. World famous and brilliant composer, Mozart was born and raised in Salzburg.

Anything hard to get is usually treasured and more appreciated.  Be it career, money, love or food!

TEPPANYAKI ENTERTAINMENT

Teppanyaki is a style of  Japanese cuisine that uses an iron griddle to cook food like beef, chicken, shrimp, fish, vegetables and anything and everything one wishes to be grilled.   The word teppanyaki is derived from teppan  which means iron plate, and yaki  which means grilled, broiled or pan-fried.

Most of teppanyaki restaurants have several teppanyaki grill stations surrounded by chairs.  A few are located in private dining rooms (if available) and most are on the main dining area.   Each station is  usually occupied by your own group especially if it is in a private dining room.  In the main dining area, a teppan grill may be shared by people who do not know each other especially if there are many customers to be accommodated.

In Taipei 101, we discovered an interesting teppanyaki place in the food court area.  Only one teppanyaki grill, U shaped is found.  Each of the 20+ chairs surrounding the grill are numbered.  Customers come in groups, pairs or  arrive alone and just take any empty seat available.  An overhead menu board and a menu card with all the food offerings are conveniently accessible to all.

Select from the menu and let the show begin.

Orders are placed.  Meat, seafood, vegetables are grilled using sea flakes salt and a special sauce. As customary, grilled food items are proportioned and served on individual plates although one has the option to have the entire piece on a serving plate.

Lights, camera action!

TBW was enthralled with the show’s performance and experience, observing the comings and goings of the crowd, amazed at the queue of people wanting a seat that photos of the final product (food) were not taken.  But believe me when I say, the food looked very appetizing and tasted so good that we ordered more.

There were 3 teppanyaki chefs to service the entire U shaped grill.  They work as a team.  When one chef was loaded with too many orders on his side, the other two would help him cook on their sides.  Having a good memory must be a requisite to work here as chefs have to remember and match ordered food with the seat assignments.

The chef assigned to our grill area did not mix up any orders, knew the menu inside out and spoke and understood a bit of English.  All that made our entire lunch experience from orders to check payment very pleasant.

Not only did our teppan chef cook excellently, he was very amiable and patient with us as well. Best performance by a Chef indeed =)

What a great way to spend lunch time!  No wonder it was (and continues to be) a box-office hit among the dining crowd.

WORTH FINDING FOR

A few snack items that are good to have in your kitchen or bedroom pantry.

Found at Nathaniel's Pampanga. Puto pao dinuguan is a new kid on the stock =)

Have someone bring this freshly baked from Bohol. This torta is nothing like the Spanish torta de patata. This is similar to mamon but consistency is thicker & richer.

Forget-me-nuts. Healthy way to snack. Look for the ones low in sodium or better yet, sans salt.

The biggest & tastiest calamay (or kulangot---our term of endearment for this delicacy since we were kids). Thanks to Betchay for the introduction to Roger's =)

Seek and you shall find =)

PRICELESS FAMILY DINNER

This is the post on how happily we used the super griller that was bought and featured previously.  See http://thebutcherswifey.com/2011/08/09/finds-at-wofex-2011/

We were overly excited with this amazing purchase that a raclette and grilled steak dinner was had at home a couple of times in a span of 3 days.  

Ready the raclette and favored accompaniments...pickled onions, marble potatoes , gherkins if you fancy...

...cured dried meat. Add some whole grain crackers with cumin and ham cheese spreads from Holland, bought in WOFEX.

Bring out the chilled white wine even if it's "cheepo" =)

Then unveil the apparatus maximus =) and lay those cheese slices on the non-stick trays to melt away. A Swiss lady friend was told of this find and she wants one pronto!

And melt it does...

Voila! Raclette in the house =)

Those that are not fond of pickled stuff can eat raclette with dried meats, even crackers, as long as white wine is drank right after =)

Use the granite top to grill steaks while the lower portion does the raclette motion.

One can even put meat slices on the non-stick trays to broil. Meat juices remain on tray and thus, served au jus =) Granite top is an easy breezy clean. For a no-hassle clean, wrap granite top with aluminum foil. No worries as foil will have the granite's temperature. When done, unwrap foil and throw.

Steak slabs on heated granite.

Paolo prepared a wonderful mushroom risotto, on a stove top this time, to complete the menu.

Grilling your own meats and melting your own raclette is a healthy, inter-active and fun way to have a family dinner at home.  This experience significantly contributes to precious bonding moments.  All these on account of  a 765 peso “apparatus maximus”.  Priceless!

FINDS AT WOFEX 2011

TBW has attended the WOFEX (World Food Exposition) for many years as a wide-eyed, avid spectator, searching for new & bright ideas in the vast area of food & beverage be it equipment, supplies, service, packaging, handling, business and more.  The past years had TBW’s bags filled with brochures, flyers, business cards & products to take home or to use & file at the office.  This year was no exception.  The only difference is that some photos were taken of those that were found interesting.   Just a few though, as there was a tendency to be too engrossed on the topic or product at hand that camera-clicking took a back seat.

Large & small booths at the WOFEX 2011

Many of the exhibitors had products & equipment from China & Taiwan. An indicative of power presence now & of things to come...

Was on the look out for heavy-duty blenders for the resto and found quite a number.

Longan & red date, plum, mulberry vinegar. The ones packaged in tetra packs can be drank straight like juice. These concentrated ones in bottles are to be diluted with water for a drink or used in pure form for cooking. Pineapple, apple and grape flavors are also available. Contact Hsueh-Fang Wu at excellencefood@gmail.com for orders. They carry an extensive range of vinegars, sauces & even miso.

Funny decorative plates to hang on kitchen walls or to use as spoon rests.

Uncle George bread. Found in weekend markets. Most if not all their products are preservative-free, reason why only a couple of variants are found on supermarket shelves for retail.

Spelling of pichi pichi (grated cassava patties) caught my eye....

...and taste buds. Good, not too sweet, firm & topped with generous amount of cheese. Branches are in Malabon, Quezon City, Makati with tel number: 7295689

They also sell chili-garlic sauce which is a best seller.

Crocodile meat! HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point), NMIS-AAA (National Meat Inspection Service) and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) certified. Low in calories, good for asthma & heart, a natural aphrodisiac. Healthy indeed =)

Croc meat tenderloin. Available cuts are paws, fillet, ribs, legs, tail end, cross bone & neck chunks.

Croc cuisine: croc meat sisig & bicol express style. Also available in teriyaki & sausage. Call Coral Agri-Venture Farms 6348387 local 1675.

This super electric griller (as sold by sales people, good for 4) was the best discovery & buy for moi! The non-stick trays quickly gave me an idea to use this as a raclette maker!!! The granite top is ideal for grilling meats, seafood & more. It was a steal at 765 pesos. Others may have had the same mind-set as mine because this was the last piece left. A few days later, TBW saw a raclette maker, for 8, similar in design at Williams-Sonoma for US$150 or 6,500 pesos. Hope you dear readers get to spot this in local appliance stores (surprisingly with the brand Caribbean). Very happy not just due to the price but for the fun family eating activities we've had centered on this. Watch for the details in a future post.

These are a few of TBW’s many discoveries in this WOFEX 2011.   Looking forward to WOFEX 2012 for more finds!