Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

Yellowtail Chowder:  It’s just as good as Clam Chowder.  In a quest to make Yellowtail everything, the latest is this Yellowtail Chowder, which turned out perfect.  I didn’t miss the Clams and loved the meaty pieces of Yellowtail Fish.  Unfortunately I didn’t write down the recipe, but used the best combination of the following ingredients — Fresh Yellowtail cut into good size chunks, Chicken Stock, Clam Juice, Sweet Onions, Potatoes, Carrots, Celery, Thyme, Parsley, Garlic, Butter, Olive Oil, Flour, Heavy Cream, Salt & Pepper.  I meant to add crumbled, cooked Bacon, but forgot, and then decided it wasn’t needed.  I didn’t use much Cream either. All was cooked to optimum consistency. What to make with Yellowtail?  Other ideas are here.

Bacchus Bar & Bistro — Classy is a word that comes to mind.  It may look small on the outside tucked in a corner, but there’s a lot of stylish space inside.  Their menu is impressive too.

I’m happy to discover Bacchus Bar & Bistro (formerly Bacchus Secret Cellar) — It’s down the street from my Irvine office, in the Quail Hill Shopping Center, amongst other businesses.

It’s a perfect place to gather with friends after work — A plan is in the works.

There is comfortable seating throughout — Tall and short tables, couches and a bar.

We tried a few menu items this visit — The Warm Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Chinese Sausage, Shishito Peppers, Fried Garlic and Sesame Ponzu (above).  There’s more to be tried.

Lobster & Spanish Chorizo Fondue with Manchego Cheese, Smoked Peppers and Cream Cheese, served with a French Baguette (above) — It’s creamy, unique and pretty good.

We also had the Prosciutto Flatbread with Fontina, Gorgonzola, Fig Jam & Red Onion (above) and the Butterscotch Pot De Creme (below).  The Fig Jam was terrific on the Flatbread and the consistency and flavor of the Pot De Creme was ideal, though rich, but not overly so.

It’s a seamless Wine Store along its parameters and the prices are surprisingly good for such an expensive looking place. Their food prices are reasonable too, another reason to go back. And there’s live entertainment… A guy played the guitar in front of the Wine Case behind me.

The Roman God of Wine’s Wine was delicious as well — Thanks Bacchus!

Note: Camera issues beset this visit. Subsequent dishes shall be posted as clear updates.

Did you know that you can make a Pizza Dough using only two ingredients?  You can.

Two Ingredient Pizza Dough is made with Self Rising Flour and Plain Greek Yogurt.  I heard about it and had to try it.  And it’s true, it works with (1 ½ Cups of Self Rising Flour & 1 Cup of Plain Greek Yogurt).  I simply combined the two, then kneaded both into Dough.

It didn’t take much time or effort to convert into a blank Pizza canvas.

I made a basic Pepperoni & Pineapple Pizza, with a Pineapple homegrown by my husband, I might add.  I also added Pizza Sauce, Parmesan and Mozzarella Cheese — Other Recipes.

The Pizza was baked in a preheated 450° oven for 12 minutes and all turned out well, though the flavor of the Pizza Crust is a little bland and would taste better as a Three Ingredient Pizza Dough with the addition of a little Salt — That’s what I’ll make next time.

His name is Leon (above) and he just turned 8 — We celebrated him and his birthday at the Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar at Cerritos Mall.  It’s an ideal place for a Dog’s Birthday or any day, since dogs are allowed on their patio and served a complimentary Bowl of Water.

It’s a good place for adults too, though it was Leon’s day, but we pay. 😉

We tried the Sangria Sampler — The White Peach Sangria (middle) was my favorite.

The Lazy Dog Hand Crafted Drafts Sampler hits the human spot too.

Leon chose the Grilled Chicken Breast and Brown Rice from the Dog Menu.

He ate all quickly, much how he eats everything, and appeared to like it.

We had the Brick Oven Spinach & Sundried Tomato Cheese Dip (below), which could use more Spinach and Sun Dried Tomatoes, but the Cheese combination is good.

And the Chipotle Chicken Quesadilla — Overall, Lazy Dog’s food is consistently good.

Afterwards we went for a walk along Dog Beach in Huntington Beach.

It’s a true dog day afternoon at the Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar and Dog Beach.

There’s a Dog Friendly Patio at the Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar — Enlarge photo to read their Patio Rules and don’t be shy, bring your dog with you, especially if it’s his or her birthday.

I’ve had a lot of great Brussels Sprouts lately, but DANG — The Brussels Sprouts glazed with Honey and Sriracha at the Egg Cracker Restaurant in Fullerton are the BEST.  They’re perfectly crispy on the outside, sweet and hot, and each is tender enough to eat, which is very important.  If any are still too hard to eat, it’s often bitter and inedible though served.  Twice we’ve had the Brussels Sprouts at the Egg Cracker and each little Sprout was cooked to perfection, which is specifically important we learned from one of the owners.

Not only do they have the Best Brussels Sprouts, but the Egg Cracker Restaurant has one of the best-priced, high-quality, convenient-time Happy Hours — It’s from 3:00 pm – 9:00 pm, so you don’t need to speed after work to get there.  You order off a menu too and the price for the quality is fantastic.  The Brussels Sprouts are $3 during Happy Hour and $5 regularly.

Current Happy Hour Food Menu (above) and Chilaquiles (below).

We also tried the Portobello Fries (below), which are sliced Portobello Mushrooms with a Panko Breading to form Fries — They’re meaty and crunchy and good with the Sauce.

Zucchini Bread (below) is served to all, with all, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner — I think.

We had breakfast at the Egg Cracker twice before and received it then also.

For Dessert we had one of the Egg Cracker’s most popular Breakfast items, the Campfire Pancakes with Chocolate, Graham Cracker Crumbles and Homemade Marshmallow Cream.  I just love the Egg Cracker’s MENU.  There are many things I want to try — Breakfast is served all day too.  And it should be mentioned that Beer & Wine is only $3 during Happy Hour.

We’re going back for more of everything (and much we have yet to try).

It’s been a long time coming, but it can’t go unreported — We have a favorite Bar and Restaurant in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  We traveled there in February during our honeymoon and fell in love with La Factoria, a Bar in San Juan, Puerto Rico, pictured above and below.

Cheers to La Factoria‘s artsy style and unique, gourmet cocktails.

The cocktails are thoughtfully made by scratch and hand.

There are different rooms with different vibes, and some go off later than others.

It was serene during our visit, thus we explored its cool spaces.  Look close — We’re in the mirror below with one of the hip guys running the place.  Our photos turned out magical.

After La Factoria for a drink (all photos above), we went to Restaurant El Jibarito (all photos below) for dinner.  It was recommended by the locals, thus we went and enjoyed our meals.

There we were and wish we were now at El Jibarito in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

It’s casual and comfortable inside and the prices are good.

Cheers to us at El Jibarito — A few others there were celebrating birthdays.

Much is served in Sauce and/or Gravy with Plantains — I like that.

I don’t recall our exact dishes, but the meat in both was very tender.

We were happy to have found El Jibarito too.

El Jibarito is our current favorite restaurant in San Juan, Puerto Rico, though we look forward to trying others in the future, after another stop at La Factoria, a Bar that’s hard to outdo.

Cruising in to San Juan, Puerto Rico — Our favorite stop on the Celebrity Reflection.

My husband, Matt recently went on a 3/4 day sport fishing vessel called The San Diego and caught some nice-sized Yellowtail.  He brought home approximately twenty pounds of fillets and one whole Yellowtail for smoking.  It was Operation Yellowtail at our house.  We prepared several dishes immediately, gave a few fillets to neighbors and co-workers and froze the rest.

The San Diego is known as one of the best sport fishing vessels in San Diego and Matt agrees. He loves fishing and even holds a state record for catching the largest California Sheephead Fish at 30lbs., 8oz., from his kayak in 2009.  It was quite impressive, like the Yellowtail above.

As shown, we smoked the whole Yellowtail for 4 1/2 hours and it turned out amazing.

It was tender and flaky with the perfect amount of smoke flavor.

Smoked Yellowtail is a real treat with Cocktail Sauce, Lemon Caper Dill Sauce, Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Cream Cheese, Red Onions, Capers, Pickles, Crackers, Red Bell Peppers and Pickles.

On the first day, I made Ceviche and Poke with a few of the Yellowtail fillets.

The Ceviche was simply made with Red Onions, Red Bell Peppers, Jalapenos, Cilantro, Lime and Lemon Juice — The Yellowtail marinated quickly and was ready to eat in 15 minutes.

Another batch of chopped Yellowtail was mixed with Soy Sauce, Ponzu Sauce, grated Ginger and Green Onions to make Poke, which was pretty much ready to eat immediately too.

We grilled Yellowtail fillets and ate ’em with a Mango Salsa made with fresh cut Mango, Red Bell Peppers, Red Onions, Jalapenos, Cilantro and Lime Juice — It was all so fresh tasting.

We fried Yellowtail fillets to have with leftover Lemon Caper Dill and Cocktail Sauce.

Yellowtail fared well with all preparations — Raw (Hamachi), rare, smoked, grilled and fried.

The rest was frozen to later prepare differently — Perhaps bake, stew and/or broil, etc.

Preparation of the frozen Yellowtail fillets shall be posted as updates below.

Yellowtail Recipe Update:  Yellowtail Chowder.  Check back for more to be linked here.