Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

Pretty in Purple Deviled Eggs — Any Deviled Egg recipe will do.  It’s the addition of Beet Juice that makes them pretty in purple.  Once boiled the Eggs were peeled, and then soaked in Beet Juice in the fridge for a day, way longer than necessary to give them a striking color.

It only takes minutes to give the Eggs color – Less time in Beet Juice yields more of a contrast between the purple and white (a purple ring), and more time in makes ‘em mostly purple.

The Beet Juice imparts a sweet, earthy flavor into the Eggs adding a tasty dimension.

Pie Society is inconspicuously set within the back of Pitfire Artisan Pizza in Costa Mesa.

When I first read… Experience the Speakeasy Sanctuary from Tedium — I thought, what?

It’s Pie Society, a separate, connected, somewhat secret Bar, open Tues. – Sun., from 5p.m. to “Close” whenever that may be – Enter through Pitfire Artisan Pizza, if you can find how.

There’s also a back entrance to this speakeasy-type Bar — I love the idea.  It makes it cool.

And you can tell from its look, menu, drinks and related peeps — It is cool!

The Bar is framed with parts of the old Marie Callender’s Pie oven that once occupied the spot.

Pie Society has its own Signature Menu, with mostly different food than Pitfire Artisan Pizza.

Prior to its opening last week, media got to experience the reminiscence of Pie Society.

Signature Menu items are pictured throughout and ‘loosely described’ herein from top down.

Loosely, yes, since the Pie Society House Drinks and Iconic Selections positively detonate!

I tried a few and the El Primo with Sombra Mezcal, Home-made Lime Cordial, shaken with a Lime Wheel was a favorite.  I fell for Mezcal at Pie Society – Good thing I walked there.

Cheers to El Primo (above), the Pool Side (below) and the Hemingway Daiquiri — Ask for ‘em.

I can’t name all pictured Pizzas, but Pie Society offers a few from Pitfire and a few unique to it.

It’s very dark inside which is part of the fun, but it makes it tough for photos.

Food media events bring out the best to capture ALL best.

Drinks Stars — I love the house-made (almost) everything… Juices, Syrups, Cordials, etc.

When there, sliding doors sometimes open up to a Pizza oven and additional seating (below).

The view back into the Pie Society Bar area (below).

See the exit sign in the Pitfire Artisan Pizza restaurant (below)?  It’s a way in to Pie Society.

Pizzas are exceptional on both sides of the building, at Pie Society and Pitfire Artisan Pizza.

We tried a Trio of Bread & Butter Pickles with Sriracha and Dill, Pastrami Peanuts with Smoked Sea Salt, and Smoked, Marinated Olives, and Superba Fried Chicken, Tater Tots with Chorizo Fondue, Crispy Dim Sum Shrimp, Cheeseburger Hot Pockets, Kimchi Deviled Eggs and Sweet & Sour Crispy Pork Belly.  The Chorizo Fondue and Pork Belly stood out as superstars to me.

I felt big love and blow its cover.  Another provides more information here.

We enjoyed stiff Cadillac Margaritas, Pizza and more at Black Knight Gastro Lounge (new and improved) at The Triangle — It once was on 17th Street as The Little Knight, a cool dive bar.

It has a more polished, clean look and a larger outdoor patio, something I usually hope for in a place.  Pizza is available inside and at times via the pass-through window adjacent to it.

The Cheese Platter was generous in size and unique with spicy, sweet and colorful Cheeses.

Our Salad (forgot which one) was good to share too — Check their website menu when it’s up.

Upstairs view from The Triangle at Broadway and Newport Boulevard.

And the Wild Goose Tavern has landed at The Little Knight — It too looks spiffier.

We look forward to trying it, especially the Grilled Romaine and Truffle Herb Fries.

Happy Birthday fellow June Birthday family and friends — This is your shared birthday card.

Burrissimo Fresh Italian — One try got me hooked on the Pasta Bowl with Salmon.

It’s in Costa Mesa and I’ve already been back for seconds of the same.

Burrissimo makes me think of an Italian Chipotle.

It’s similar in that YOU choose the Entree… a Burrissimo, Pasta Bowl or Chopped Salad Bowl.

And then choose a Grill Item… Chicken, Crispy Chicken, Meatballs, Steak or Salmon.

Choose a Sauce — Pomodoro, Diavolo and/or Alfredo.

The final step is to Top-It-Off with a combination of whatever YOU like best.

I’m now hooked on the Peppadew Peppers — They’re perfectly sweet and hot.

It has a good size interior and an outdoor side patio and/or it’s well set up to-go.

The Salmon Pasta Bowl decorated with my faves is too good – I may never try anything else.

What is a Burrissimo?

It’s Angel Hair Pasta, a grill item, fresh Vegetables & Sauce wrapped in Italian Flatbread.

It’s different and actually quite tasty — Pictured is the Meatballs & More Burrissimo.

My first Pasta Bowl (above) doctored to my satisfaction, awaiting the Garlic & Lemon Salmon.  I ended up liking this place a lot more than I thought, and one Pasta Bowl can be two meals.

EXTRA EXTRA:  Friday, June 7th is National Donut Day. To celebrate, Burrissimo in Costa Mesa is offering a Free Zeppole Italian Donut with any purchase that day.

June is National Candy Month and boy do I like Candy.  It’s fitting to now discover the finest Rock Candy artisans in the world – They’re at Sticky making traditional hand-made yummy (they describe) and will customize the Candy to look however and say whatever you want.  It’s the coolest.  Check out Sticky’s well-designed website for easy options and a quote.  Each Candy piece is a little work of art.  I’m happy to discover ‘em and plan to design one sometime.

Yes, it’s also National Egg Month — There seems to be a day or month for every food.

I bought this Microwave Egg Poacher because it was under $2.00, but PEEEE. UUUU.

It stunk up the house while cooking and just plain stinks in all ways.  When the lid/top is fully open, it tilts the bottom/base causing some of the raw Egg to fall out — Not good.

The result was an Egg horror film, hahaha — I was literally frightened by how they looked.

The Yolk was desperately trying to get away and/or cooked to hell – A stinky, scary situation!

Didn’t even want to taste it, so all went into the trash – Eyes were reserved for transplant onto other food.  They were added to improve its look and for a redeeming feature chuckle.

As a better replacement, I was hoping to find an Eclair on top of the trash.  I’d eat it.

Thank you isn’t enough for such an important sacrifice — We’re forever grateful here.

Now free to BBQ in America.

Honor, and then chow down — A Hot Dog and Hamburger for me, please.

If you don’t enter, you can’t win.  Why not enter?  Anyone can win a Culinary Arts Competition at the Orange County Fair.  The deadline for competition entries is fast approaching.  Do you know how to enter?  Do you know what to do after you enter?  If not, this post may help.

First, enter (most competitions) online – The OC Fair’s website can get you on the way.

Go to the OC Fair Competitions’ page to learn ‘How to Enter an OC Fair Competition’.

When you’re ready to enter, visit the OC Fair & Event Center On-line Entries page (below).

Entrants are called Exhibitors, thus register as such before entering a competition.

Choose Department (Culinary Arts in this instance), then Division and Class for each entry.

Each entry costs $5.00 and one ticket to the OC Fair is presented on delivery day.

After online entry, note delivery date and time and have all goods ready — Learn more here.

On delivery day you’ll drive onto the fairgrounds, while all is being assembled for opening day.

Culinary Arts Competition entries are generally submitted at the Exhibit Promenade (above).

All entries must have a list of ingredients on an index card attached, as shown above.

Pictured herein are previously submitted entries and a was-gonna-be entry mishap below.

The above was going to be Tangerine Dream Bars (similar to Lemon Bars), but it didn’t set.

Fortunately most past entries have turned out well — It’s what’s hoped for on delivery day.

Above shows what YOUR entry/submission should look like, and below shows what it could look like when checking the competition results displayed on opening day at the OC Fair.

It’s exciting to see how well you did or didn’t do — You can’t win ‘em all.

Entering a competition at any Fair makes all more fun.

June 10th, 2013 is the last day to enter the Culinary Arts Competition (excluding Special Culinary Contests) online — See the Culinary Arts Competition Guidelines for all specifics.

Guidelines are available for all OC Fair Competitions.

Come & Get It is the theme of this year’s Orange County Fair.

Good luck to all!

Have you ever wondered what a raw, frozen Egg looks like underneath its shell?

We wanted to know, thus froze an Egg and dropped it on the concrete to see what happens.

It didn’t crack, shatter or peel, like I hoped — We had to peel it, but it wasn’t hard to do.

Our frozen Egg looked like this (below) underneath its shell.

It was somewhat clear with an opaque cloudy line running through it.

We threw it down (shell-less) a couple more times, but it wouldn’t crack.

So we power washed it until it mostly disappeared onto now smelly grass — Hhmmmm.

The Yolk became more and more visible.

We won’t have to wonder what it looks like anymore — Check .

Ta-da!  The Yolk wouldn’t disappear fast enough, so we gave it to the Dog.  He’s still alive.

We probably should of cut it in half, but it’s too late now and our curiosity is satisfied.

Does your daily happiness level look like this?  Mine does.

The purpose of this post is to publicize the addition of more Chili Cheese Fries to our Chili Cheese Fries Comparison Post – It’s Wendy’s Chili Cheese Fries which are made with Chili that’s meant to be served in a bowl with a side of Buttered Crackers, not poured over French Fries and topped with Cheese.  I think not on this one.  Better options are found here.

Best to slice ‘em for Bananas Foster, Banana Cream Pies, Banana Bread, Banana Splits, etc.

Photo credits here and here.

I’m still excited about Nibbles of Tidbits’ version of Chipotle’s Barbacoa Beef Recipe — It’s one of our most popular posts and rightly so.  Many think it tastes like the real thing and so do we.

Since it was recently made again, the ingredients were photographed and added to the original post (and here to announce it) to assist with shopping and preparation.  Enjoy.

It’s easy to grow a Pineapple in a pot, or at least Mr. Freis makes it look that way.

You don’t have to live in Hawaii to enjoy the splendor and luxury of growing a Pineapple.

It takes a long time to grow — At least 2 years before it first bears fruit.  Know that.

It’s a special day when your homegrown Pineapple is ready to pick and eat.  Exciting!

Cut it off the stalk, trim excess stalk if necessary and voila — You’ve got a Pineapple.

It’s like you chose a perfectly ripe, juicy Pineapple, but instead grew and picked it – Brilliant.

It’s a magnificent thing — I’m grateful for the visual experience, education and tasting.

Let’s get more Pineapple growing ASAP – It’s going to take a while, but it’s worth it.

We’re also growing grapes and may attempt Wine – Post title inspired by a B-52′s song.

Off Street Café — It’s off a street alright, but twice I could hardly recall where.  I now know it’s off Studebaker and Artesia in (yes) Cerritos and it’s worth finding, especially for breakfast.

We last enjoyed the Eggs Benedict, a Southwest Skillet and a Coconut Pineapple Muffin.

Off Street Café’s English Muffins are surprisingly extra good — They’re made in-house I’m told.

The restaurant was once featured on Restaurant Impossible with Robert Irvine.  Chef Irvine revamped their Dinner Menu and a one-and-a-half-day renovation gave Off Street Café a French provincial, livelier atmosphere.  It looks okay, but we prefer the old fashioned counter.

I prefer an Iced Tea and small Cheeseburger, but like the photo and others linked here.

Guess who/what will be celebrating a big anniversary this month?  It’s not the pictured couple if you’re trying to decipher the faces – I don’t know who they are (probably models), but what a great way to commemorate.  Come back April 24th with Champagne in hand for the answer.

Do you know The Triangle (f/k/a Triangle Square) in Costa Mesa?  Yes, it’s called The Triangle now and it’s hoping to attract more guests than there ever was – I hope it does too, since the space has historically underperformed.  I’m not sure why, since parking isn’t that bad.

New Restaurants and Bars are open and due to open this Saturday, April 20th — The Saddle Ranch Chop House and El Corazon de Costa Mesa to name just two.  And I’m most excited to see a coming soon sign for Tavern Bowl.  Things seem to be pointing upward for The Triangle.

I liked the colors of Triangle Square better, but perhaps it’s one of the ways The Triangle is hoping to capture more attention – And one should pay attention, and GO, since it is built and looks to be tasty and fun there.  Be there or you’re a square.  Success is wished to all by us!

From Alaska to California and hopefully back for more – I’ve never been there, but our resident photographer cruised Alaska last year and came back exclaiming he had the ‘Best Crab Bisque’ ever.  It was at Tracy’s King Crab Shack in Juneau and he couldn’t stop talking about it.

I tried to find its recipe online, but could not, thus resorted to having it shipped from Tracy.

It’s not cheap (mostly due to shipping), but I learned it’s worth it — Wow!  I see now.

Though not as pretty as when it’s served to you in Juneau, Alaska, it cooked up flawlessly.

One has the option to add Cream, Milk or Stock — I added Cream, as recommended by Tracy.

She also suggests a squeeze of Lime at the end — It has generous pieces of King Crab.

This King Crab Bisque is superb without a Lime squeeze and magnificent with one.

Tracy’s King Crab Shack was recently featured on Top Chef, as shown in a few TV pics.

Chef-testants had to quickly create a dish with Tracy’s Crab Legs — The Best Legs in Town.

Tracy’s King Crab Shack Story and Stovetop Instructions are above.

Thanks to Matt for the beautiful Alaskan photos and tip on Tracy’s — I’m hooked on all!

Meet Yolanda’s Fridge — The latest STAR on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.  It would inspire me to cook and eat (and drink) well.  All is easily identifiable and accessible.  It’s pretty like Yolanda too, and better stay pretty since it’s a walk-in fridge with see-through doors.  I love its contents in both photographs.  Pre-washed and ready to eat is a most ideal treat.

Where’s the Grey Poupon?  Hopefully there’s a hidden fridge too for the less attractive food, condiments and leftovers.  I wonder!?  Yolanda’s Fridge is on Twitter – Why not ask it.  Huh?

May your day be filled with Jelly Belly Corn on the Cob, quartered Orange Starbursts, Green Apple Runts, Caramel Sauce Gravy, Yellow Starburst Butter and Graham Cracker Chicken.

Don’t pass up allowable time to pull one over — Photo credit and recipes are here and here.

I want to pull up a seat in front of this setting — Looks like much is about to be served.