Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

Black is the new black — Continuing our Food Coloring Series at midnight in recognition of all shades of black.  Is there a color with more associations?  See its depth in relation to food.

Nobu Black Cod With Miso and Squid Ink Pasta start our black mack pack.

Black Pepper Crusted Tuna Steaks on the BBQ.

Steamed Mussels in Curry Broth and the recipe.

A black and white kitchen with dining — I see laughs and passionate happenings there.

The above foods aren’t really black — Sshhhhhh.

Pretty in pink Chocolate Cake or a Chocolate Cake on fire — It’s a good look either way.

Black Coffee in bed?  The stain on my notebook says nothing to me, just sayin’.

And now back to Black Food Coloring — It’s available too.  I just learned that.

Food related words above — It’s a bit repetitive I now see, but initially looks interesting.

Creative use of Black Licorice and Candy Corn in the Haunted Licorice Forest – Love it.

I’ve burnt many a Toast, as proven here – Is it me or the Toaster Oven?  Mostly me.

Blackened Catfish and the recipe.

Do you remember Davey and Goliath in black and white?  I loved watching it as a kid.

Olive, Cream Cheese & Carrot Happy Feet Penguin Appetizers and step-by-step instructions.

Who is behind the bar?  Many chairs pulled-up over and over again in time.

Blackberries, a bucket of purple pickins amongst black nuance.

Olive – I’ll live, Lord willing.  Thanks for this food.  Amen.

Black Bean Soup and its origin, Black Beans, rock hard first.

Black Tea telling you so.

A simple life is a beautiful thing — My Mom knew the car-hop experience with school friends.  She tells the stories.  Sonic Drive-In is the closest thing to that for me.

Colorful Salad Greens against a striking black background — I just like it.

The next color in the series will be                  .

I fancy hanging snowflakes during Christmas time that attempt to look half as good as above.

One of the best reds is perfectly cooked Filet Mignon.

Red Velvet Cake, very popular now.

Shrimp Cocktail Teasers — I make the best Cocktail Sauce in seconds.

A Lobster Roll — Never had one, always wanted one, will get one (someday).

Pomegranate Margarita and other interesting Margarita concoctions are here.

I love Beets and used to make them all the time.  The drawback is they stain everything.

I receive a lot of love and find Watermelon Juice irresistible.

Apple credit goes to God, then here.

While picking Strawberries as a kid in a nearby field, I almost got shot with a Salt Gun.

Planet Earth Apple — Do you think it was coincidentally bitten that way?

I’ll forever support cute and sweet, with consideration over cuteness, consider it!?

Chef Niece Bailee could paint these Cherries with ease, I just eat ‘em with simplicity.

Another staining food, but superb in countless ways are Pomegranate Seeds.

Oh so beautiful – Standing there now in spirit.

Note:  Continuing our Food Coloring Series with RED — Click color links to see previously posted orange, green, yellow, blue, white and purple food photos.  Have a favorite?

I grew up conducting neighborhood Pepsi vs. Coke Challenges and the results were always split down the middle — Each argued passionately for his/her choice.  I rarely drink either today, but clearly knew which I liked better back then.  At the time, I lobbied heavily for Pepsi.  I believed it to be less sweet and more carbonated, though current co-workers feel strongly otherwise in favor of Coke.  The Cola Wars continue.  Do you have a favorite?  With respect to the infografic, I found the acquisitions interesting.  The next challenged may be between Naked and Odwalla.  Credit: Business Insurance Blog.

Our freshly dubbed Parade of Colorful Food series “gives new meaning to food coloring,” said Steven Woo, DC Contributor.  In contrast to the yellow, orange, green and purple food currently on display and linked here, not much in the food world is naturally blue.

Blue is otherwise a surrounding color in nature — In the oceans and wondrous sky, and it also seems to be the favorite color of most.  Mine will be in the spotlight next in the series.

We like the posted photos because they’re aesthetically pleasing, interesting, idealistic, unique, inspirational, educational and fun – Credit for all is linked throughout.

Learn about Five Ways to Raise Seafood here and above.

Does anyone eat Jellyfish?

If fried, would they disintegrate or crisp up?  I’ll look it up later.

I endlessly appreciate a fresh, well-prepared, handsome Macaron and more of them.

And couldn’t feature blue food without Blueberries, my preferred fresh Berry.

It’s blue and relates to food — Always had an interest in vintage documents and photographs.

The best Cookie Monster Cupcake I’ve seen.  It doesn’t look too difficult to prepare.

The photo below just trips me out, especially the Banana – Crazy for blue food perhaps?!

Food coloring as I know it and craft glue with eyes – Things should have eyes too.

The first to identify these blue eyes wins a prize, said the brown eyed girl.

Where the folks are fine and the world is mine on Blue Bayou with a BBQ.

I so want to see this bottle amongst the Wine on the shelf — I’d buy it in a heartbeat.  Why not tie its price around the bottle neck with a green leaf scarf.  It’s one of the coolest Wine bottle labels (or non-labels) I’ve seen.  No label needed here, it’s in the design.  Would you want to drink it?  You know, the outside doesn’t actually need to be made of dirt/earth.

My lovely Mom in front of PREP Kitchen Essentials — A Cooking School and specialty store.

It’s located in the Shops at Rossmoor in Seal Beach.

Take a Cooking Class or taste the Antica Extra Virgin Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars.

We fell hard for Antica’s 18 year aged Balsamic Vinegars – They are staggeringly tasty.

Took home a bottle of Antica’s Dark Aged Espresso Balsamic Vinegar and can’t stop drinking it.

And left with a bottle of the Ultra Robust Frantolo/Leccino Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  We’re ready to return for more Balsamic Vinegar, oh my.  Once upon a time I lived within walking distance from this store, before it was ever conceived.  Didn’t take a Cooking Class but you might want to!?

One of the Best Happy Hours in town is at McCormick & Schmick’s Pilsner Room in Irvine.  We’ve now tried almost everything on McCormick’s Happy Hour Menu and the $2.95 full size Cheeseburger and French Fries will always be a must.  It’s filling, cheap and tasty. 

We highlight it and supplement our previous post with Ceviche.  It’s good too, though not as delicious as Mary Sue Milliken’s Ceviche had a couple days prior, but enjoyable in its edible bowl for $4.95.  Their Happy Hour is generally between 4 – 7 PM.  This day we practically killed ourselves trying to make the 7PM cut-off, then learned that HH is all night during Monday Night Football.  Cool, we didn’t need to order everything at 6:55PM.  It seems that Monday is a good day for some things.

After the Irvine Spectrum, the Cadillac Culinary Challenge Test Drive Event drives on.

As reported, I was one of five Food Blogger Judges at Cadillac’s Irvine stop.

As one lucky Judge, I got to taste the dishes prepared by Mary Sue Milliken and Yvon Goetz.

The event’s sponsors also include Share Our Strength, Bon Appétit and Epicurious.

Samples were delivered to the first two rows of the audience — Get to the next event early.

Halfway through Mary Sue’s sample the Judges were informed they’re to receive larger samples than the audience.  Wow, okay.  I quickly finished the small sample of Ceviche to prepare for the larger sample.  Happiness, because it was perfectly tangy and spicy.

And then tried Chef Yvon Goetz dish, Chili Lime Rubbed Hawaiian Mahi Mahi (above). 

Both dishes were impressive and the Mad Hungry Woman wrote more about ‘em here.

Voting – Three of five Judges voted for Chef Yvon Goetz dish and two voted for Mary Sue’s.

Beautiful, fresh ingredients were used by both.

And the winner of this challenge was Chef Yvon Goetz.

I voted for Mary Sue’s Ceviche — It received the popular (audience) vote.  No losers here.

I like taking photos of other bloggers taking photos of FOOD.

Before, during and after the competition, some test drove Cadillacs — Love the Escalade.

What a terrific, well run event — Check the schedule to see if it’s heading towards you.

Can I just travel the country judging food competitions?  Thanks for the taste.

We liked the Crow Burger Kitchen, whew.  Pre Nibbles of Tidbits we ate and drank at The Crow Bar and Kitchen in Corona Del Mar and haven’t been back.  Didn’t have the best experience at the time — Food was not as described and we didn’t like their touted Bloody Mary.  We like unique, but tasty too.  We had high hopes for their distinctive menu and may need to give it another try.  We’ll definitely go back to Crow Burger Kitchen for the Green Bean Fries.

It’s a limited menu at Crow Burger Kitchen — Mostly Burgers, matchless Fries and Beer.

We had the Cheeseburger Cheeseburger Cheeseburger, which includes Black Pepper Cheese, Cream Cheese and Goat Cheese.  It’s rich but good and comes on a Wheat English Muffin, but we opted for a Buttermilk Bun.  And a friend previously had the Green Label Burger, which was described as “excellent” – It’s 3 ounces larger than their other Burgers.

All Burger meat is fresh and ground in-house and we love the Fry Sauce selection.

And must also mention that the service at Crow Burger Kitchen was outstanding this day.  We will be sure to try The Crow Bar in CDM again, as they must be doing something right – We’ll just have to find and eat [it] next time.  Caw, caw.

All wasn’t exactly pretty, but it sure was sweet.

Attended the Los Angeles Luxury CHOCOLATE SALON at the Pasadena Center Ballroom.

Chocolate combined with almost anything – One darling was the Chocolate Wine.  Yes it did.

I was on the Salon Awards Tasting Panel and one favorite, Ciel tied for Best in Salon.

And David Bacco Chocolatier (above) with a Balsamic Reduction is Top Artisan Chocolatier.

We had fun trying the heat variations crafted by the Monterey Chocolate Company.

French Macarons, who isn’t loving them these days?!  Cutting ‘em up just didn’t seem right.

We needed more and larger samples in most cases — A true test you know.

As told I mainly anticipated the unique flavor combinations to be had and most were spot on.

And the above Ciel Gift Box would be a fantasy to receive.  It also tied for Gold.

The Official Results are linked here – Gold, Silver and Bronze for all categories.

The Chocolates were sweet, but the space was too small and the lines were too long.

Jer’s Chocolates – I’m not a big Peanut Butter and Chocolate fan, but Jer’s is special.  The people behind it are nice and Jerry happens to be my Dad’s and Bro-in-law’s name.  Go Jer’sss!

Remember the Tequila?  Well, the Chocolate Salon was interesting.  Thank you TasteTV, etc.

Though they taste good, the pictured Chocolates won’t be featured at the Los Angeles Luxury Chocolate Salon this Sunday, as they’re way too basic — It’s for that reason I’m most excited to be on the Salon Awards Tasting Panel.  I want to try the unique, daring and unusual.

To simplify, I get to eat and drink all the Chocolate and Wine I want, then vote for the ones I like best.  Cool or what!?!  I’m ready to pick up the Judges Panel Ticket and get tasting.

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and taste of Gorton’s Grilled Tilapia.

It’s not something I usually eat, but it was on special and cooked up fast.  I had yet to prepare pre-cooked frozen Fish in the microwave.  After seeing and eating Gorton’s Signature Grilled Tilapia, I wanted to do it again.  The Tilapia was all white and flakey, mandatory to me.  It really doesn’t have that much of a grilled flavor, but it’s more than all right for a quick bite.

It looked like a frozen block out of the freezer and turned into an enjoyable lunch.

Happy with the results, I tried Gorton’s Grilled Fillets Garlic Butter, but they didn’t measure up.

It appeared to be made of Fish pieces pressed together and had way too many dark strains running throughout — Opposite of the Grilled Tilapia, it was sadly inedible.  No bueno.

What’s up Gorton?  I’m told to trust you – Quality consistency is important.  Who likes a hodge podge of this kind of dark meat?  Not I, but still glad you’re around.  It’s 50/50 for now.

I’m excited to be a part of The Official Chocolate Salon Awards Tasting Panel at the Los Angeles Luxury Chocolate Salon taking place September 25, 2011 at the Pasadena Center Ballroom.  I get to EAT ALL THE CHOCOLATE I WANT and vote for my favorites — Now that’s a good time!  And YOU CAN TOO if you buy a ticket.  They’re reasonably priced.  The event is a must for Local Chocolate Lovers.  Discover, savor and taste products from some of the Finest Chocolatiers and Wineries in Southern California.  Show highlights include Premium Chocolate Tasting, Artisan Chocolate Demonstrations, Chef and Author Discussions, and Wine and Beverage Tasting.  All is being presented by Taste TV.  Hope to see you there.

It seems the number of Gourmet Food Trucks has grown exponentially and several were at the OC Foodie Fest – Previously noted, we were lucky enough to taste and judge many of them.

The Savory Judges consisted of me, the Pig, the guys from Food Beast and Ryan of Foodoofus.

Various media sources were photographing all.

As you can see, we were pretty busy eating.

It was a little tricky keeping track of all the food coming our way, but we managed.

And completed our score forms after each new Slider, Taco, Pizza, Hot Dog, Sandwich, etc.

Eating and scoring — Separate Judges were assigned to the Desserts.

You see it, we ate it.

One favorite was the Lobster Grilled Cheese Sandwich and Gazpacho from The Lime Truck.

We were excited to finally try The Lime Truck and it delivered.  As many know they’re currently one of the top contenders on The Great Food Truck Race.  They put forth a lot of personality and impressive food.  Didn’t make it to the Skyy Vodka VIP Lounge — Too busy eating, judging and drinking a lot of water.  It was a hot Summer day at Angel Stadium.

Tables filled with hand delivered food described by proud Gourmet Food Trucks.

Kind Bars happened to have a booth at the event — Yeah they’re a fave!

Its representatives were cute and kind too.

Didn’t try their food, but liked the back of the Flavor Rush Truck.

We enjoyed the OC Foodie Fest at Angel Stadium though wish the trucks were on the field.

Last year it was held at the Honda Center — Read about it here.

Swing down next year.

I always want to JUDGE a FOOD Contest, I think — Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it.  Today I helped judge food from endless Gourmet Food Trucks at the OC Foodie Fest.

It happened at Angel Stadium and one favorite was the Oki Slider from Ranchan Ramen.

Shown here is just the tip of the iceberg — Truck after truck, after truck, after truck delivered their respective goods for the Judges to sample.  We were stuffed.  More about ALL post digestion.  Though full, wish we had to-go boxes for all we tried.  Most was above average.