I chose the title “Foodies Block” for my blog based on the term “writer’s block.” I would use the term to describe the state of blankness my head would go into when trying to create special dishes for each evening or (which was most often the case), holidays. When faced with “foodie’s block,” I usually would go for a walk, drive or chat with friends in hopes of clearing my head in order to allow inspiration to enter. It was in these short little wanderings that I found the locations and eateries I write about. In the past year or so those wanderings meant never leaving the kitchen and included social media. Sites like Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare have been instrumental in taking me to that special clear headed state.
My methods are unorthodox but hey, they work. In another unusual moment of spontaneity, I decided to ask my fellow twitter buddy Aurora Snow to help me choose 5 foods considered to be aphrodisiacs. I would then use these culinary “love potions” as a basis for specials to be served on Valentine’s day. If you don’t know who she is….well, when I first met her, I didn’t either. Something I hoped she was not offended by as now I have come to learn how popular she really is. She’s an adult actress. Before you start questioning my judgment here I ask you, “Can you think of a more qualified “sexpert” than someone who works in the San Fernando Valley?”
 
Yeah, me either. Don’t judge.
 
When asked I half expected her to take a day or two in deciding her choices for me to work with but to my surprise, she rattled them off within 10 minutes. It’s obvious she really knows her stuff. The following are the choices Miss Snow selected for me as well as the dishes created. While it’s possible (actually likely) that these dishes will still get modified somewhat before service, I’m very happy with the initial conceptualization.

 Aphrodisiac: Basil

For centuries, Basil is said to have stimulated the sex drive and boosted fertility as well as producing a general sense of well being for the body and mind. The scent of basil was said to drive men wild — so much so that women would dust their breasts with dried and powdered basil. Basil is one of the many reported aphrodisiacs that may have the property of promoting circulation and used in love spells. In Italy, where sweet basil is called “kiss me Nicholas,” “bacia-nicola,” it is thought to attract husbands to wives, and a pot of basil on a windowsill is meant to signal a lover. In Moldavian folklore, if a man accepts a sprig of basil from a woman, he will fall in love with her. In modern aromatherapy, basil is used to cheer the heart and mind. The sweet, energizing aroma seems to aid in curing depression.

Dish: Curried Basil Roasted Chicken Breast over Coconut Rice and Portobello Mushroom

Mixing fresh basil with traditional indian curry spices and olive oil, the mixture is then spread over a free range chicken breast. Roasting the basil releases it’s oils into the breast along with the curry. It is served over a grilled portobello mushroom stuffed with a fragrant basmati rice cooked in coconut milk. A fresh basil chiffonade is added at the end.

Aphrodisiac: Pine nuts

As far back as medieval times, pine nuts have been used to stimulate the libido because they are rich in zinc, a key mineral for maintaining male potency. “Pine nuts first got their aphrodisiac reputation from the effort required to get them. They’re nestled in the cones of the pine tree, and the best were said to come from the Himalayas,” says Martha Hopkins, author of InterCourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook. Like most nuts, they also offer protective cardiovascular benefits and are especially good sources of thiamin, iron, magnesium, and manganese.

Dish: Pine Nut crusted Chillean Sea Bass w/ glazed Carrots and Clarified Chive Butter

Textures, Textures, Textures. Crunchy pine nuts, flaky fish flesh, al dente carrots and creamy butter. The sea basshere is  topped with the light crunch of pine nuts. Roasting releases the oils in the pine nuts and gives them an amber color creating a great contrast to the sweet carrots underneath. The carrots are cooked in a shallow mixture of water, sugar and nutmeg coating them in a sweet, yet savory syrup. The chive butter is lightened slightly by clarifying and garnishes the plate. 

Aphrodisiac: Arugula

Arugula or rocket was a popular aphrodisiac among the ancient Romans and ancient Egyptians. It was quite often associated with Priapus, a minor Roman god of fertility.  Arugula is said to help clear the mind and although neither of these curative properties specifically raises sexual energy, they are both attributes that promote the right mood for romance. It should be added that this peppery spring and autumn lettuce is rich in vitamins A and C and many minerals that are essential for putting the body in its sexual prime.

Dish: Arugula and Macadamia Nut Pesto Veal Chop w/ roasted Yukon Potatoes

Given the ingredients of basil and pine nuts to use here, the obvious thing to do would be to make a pesto but that would be to easy. Who says pestos have to be made with basil and pine nuts?  Using arugula here gives the sauce a very peppery bite which is cut through with the oily and sweet macadamias. Parmasean cheese adds a saltiness that truly brings out the flavor of the veal. The Yukon potatoes are crispy and fluffy giving a great contrast.

Aphrodisiac: Oyster

Although the aphrodisiastic qualities of oysters are considered to be mostly phallic, the Romans placed the oyster high on their list of prized aphrodisiacs. Casanova, the legend goes, would eat 50 raw oysters for breakfast. Yet interestingly, oysters (like pine nuts) are high in zinc, which is necessary for sperm production. Raw oysters are also high in D-aspartic acid and N-methyl-D-aspartate, which increased testosterone levels in a study on male rats, which could in theory increase libido.

 Dish: Raw Kumumoto Oyster w/ Cucumber Champagne Migonette

While migonettes are classic with oysters, this one is lighter. Rice wine vinegar is used. Mixed with champagne and added to a small dice of shallots and cucumber, it gives an unexpected and juicy crunch to the oyster.

Aphrodisiac: Dark Chocolate

Chocolate has phenylethylamine and serotonin; two chemicals that light up pleasure areas in the brain. Chocolate is similar to sex in that it makes you feel good. This doesn’t imply, and no studies have shown that chocolate increases sexual desire.

Dish: Dark Chocolate Cake topped with Chocolate Ganache; Bittersweet Chocolate Wrapper

Moist CHOCOLATE cake is topped with a whipped airy CHOCOLATE ganache and wrapped with a bittersweet CHOCOLATE sheet. See a pattern here???

Happy Eating!

-Frank

If you have a twitter account you can follow Aurora here: www.twitter.com/MissAuroraSnow , me  here: www.twitter.com/FrankBarajas and the blog here: www.twitter.com/FoodiesBlock

For over 100 years at Horton Plaza in downtown San Diego stands one of the towns most beautiful landmarks and curious oddities.  The pendulum street clock built by Claude D. Ledger who was an employee of the Jessop and Son’s jewlery company has 21 dials telling the local time in hours, minutes and seconds as well as the day of the day of the week and month of the year.

Mr. Ledger being the first employee by the Jessop’s to be hired outside of the family became infatuated with the construction of the clock. The construction of the clock began in 1905 and was completed in 1907 taking a total of 15 months and coinciding with the state fair in Sacramento. The clock movement was entered at the fair and won a gold medal pleasing Mr. Ledger greatly. It was his pride and joy.  It is rumored the owners, when closing up the store always had to check to see that Ledger had left the shop as keeping him away from it was difficult. 

For years the clock kept perfect time, surviving earthquakes, automobiles, wars, and rainstorms requiring only minor maintenance. Throughout his life Mr. Ledger refused to let anyone touch it besides himself.

In Mr Ledger’s later years he began to develop arthritis, and became ill. He would travel to the desert and the drier climate to elevate his soreness. On one of his trips to the desert, he passed away. On the very day of his death, miles away in San Diego, the clock mysteriously stopped. The story made all the newspapers of the day calling it the “The Clock that Grieved.”

While on display at the State Fair in Sacramento, the glass enclosure to the movement was not enclosed.  A little boy looking at the clock thought the a small carved bear he was holding would like to ride the pendulum and placed it inside. Removing it proved to be to difficult a task so it was left inside to ride forever. Looking carefully, one can still see the bear sitting inside to this day.

The top "patty" is bacon!!!

“Under 99 billion sold” because “Cows taste good” boasts Hodad’s website.

I agree. Cows do taste good. That being said, listen here, I’m only going to say this once:

This is the best bacon burger in the world. Yes, the WORLD. If you haven’t been, you can’t argue the point. Go. I won’t wait for much of an argument. There’s never been one. While some may argue this burger is better than that one, as soon as you put bacon on it, there is no argument. It’s the best. Period.

There.

I said it.

The bacon on the burgers here borders on unreasonable. Rendered and then placed by the “tongful” on a flattop grill,  it is flattened and grilled until it becomes it’s own cripsy bacon patty. Adding it to a burger turns a single into a double. “Super sizing” food isn’t an “option” here. It comes that way; and it’s a good thing.

Owned and operated by Mike “Boss Man” Hardin and Terry Rhodes and located in the coastal community of Ocean Beach in San Diego, Ca; this local standout isn’t much of a secret anymore. Upon entering, the atmosphere screams at you. This is a beach town. Vanity licence plates cover the walls. A VW bus turned booth with a makeshift table where the dashboard used to be make the interior truly unique. ”No shirt, No shoes, No problem,” reads a sign over the cash regiser. Everyone is welcome but bring your appetite. A basket containing a burger and fries will cost you around $11.00. You’ll start to feel full about half way through it but you won’t stop eating.

Offered in 3 sizes;  mini, single and double pick the one you think you have the appetite for but the must do is to do it with bacon. I’m lucky enough to live in San Diego but I would have no problem flying or even driving across the country for this burger.

This burger can turn a vegetarian.

Classic french dip and potato salad

Sometimes the history of an eatery adds a little something extra to the food being served there.  Philippe the Original is one such place. Laying claim as the longest continuously operating restaurant in Los Angeles, Philippe the Original is popular for something even more famous.  It is the birthplace of the French Dip Sandwich. While the story of how exactly the sandwich was invented is up for debate, from a happy accident for a fireman named “French” to the owner not wanting to throw out stale rolls, the flavor of the sandwich is unmistakable. 

The cooks at Philippe’s, roast their own meat in house and from that the gravy or “jus” it’s served with is made.  They don’t stop there though. They also make their own mustard and it’s of the spicy variety.   Available as an accompaniment to the sandwiches and for purchase by the jar in the gift shop, it takes the sandwich to a whole other level.

Typical day at "Frenchy's"

With as many as ten “carvers,” many of which have been working there for over 20 years, the service is special and unique. Sandwiches are offered with half of the roll dipped, both sides dipped or the entire sandwich soaked in gravy. While roast beef is the most popular, other cuts offered are roast pork, ham, turkey, and lamb.

Located in the historic district of Downtown Los Angeles adjacent to Chinatown, Frenchy’s  as it’s also known is open for breakfast and offers awesome soups, salads, and desserts. While they do offer other sandwiches including a peanut butter and jelly “jamwich.”  It’s the french dip the people line up for; and they do line up.  You may be waiting awhile for it but it’s well worth it. .  Have it once, and you’ll find yourself craving it. I live 2 hours away yet still consider myself a frequent customer. It’s the best french dipped lamb I’ve ever had.

A few simple secrets that seperate your favorite restaurant food from your own:

1. Get rid of the iodized table salt. It is basically iodized beach sand. A dish is only as good as the ingredients going into it. This includes the seasoning. I always have kosher salt in my kitchen. A good sea salt is great to have on hand too but may be a little more costly.
2. Shop local farmers markets. To be more specific, shop as local as possible period. Especially when it comes to produce. Most produce in supermarkets is sub par. This is because a lot of produce received by supermarkets must be picked BEFORE it’s at its peak ripeness to increase shelf life. Tomatoes are a great example. Supermarket tomatoes (even those “on the vine”) are picked green and exposed to ”ripening” gases to turn them red on the truck while in transport. Perfectly safe to eat and look pretty, but pale in comparison in taste to one left to ripen entirely on the vine.
3. Do the work. Peel your own garlic, chop your own veggies, don’t buy salads in a bag. As soon as you cut something, you break its cell structure. Whatever aroma, oils, etc present begin to be released and decompositon is sped up. Fresher is better. It takes a few seconds to take the peel off the clove of garlic. Put in the time. It will be worth it. Whenever possible break down your own proteins. It is cheaper to buy a chicken whole and cut it to your needs. Chicken without skin? Seriously, why bother? Get some tofu and marinate it.
4. Do the work pt. 2. Ever read the ingredients on a box of mac and cheese or how about your favorite salad dressing? You’ll find a lot of ingredients there that aren’t necessary. Not only are they not good for you, they don’t taste good. Boil your own pasta, make you’re own sauces/vinaigrettes. Do it once and you’ll see how easy it is. Don’t be intimidated. Need a recipe? E-mail me.
5. Know your oils/fats and their smoke points. Different fats burn at different temperatures. The more solids it has (like butter) the faster it will burn. Good rule of thumb, the clearer it is, the hotter you can get it. You don’t want to sear your steak with a dark green extra virgin olive oil. Burnt olives don’t taste good. Even on steak.
6. Don’t be afraid of high heat and know when to use it. If you don’t want it to stick or you would like the benifit of having a nice crust on it, GET THE PAN/GRILL SMOKING HOT! If you want that nice crust on your fish or steak, the pan has to be smoking. Literally. (Remember, clearer oils with high smoke points! Grapeseed, canola, etc.)
7. When buying pans for home use stay away from plastic handles. The secret to using high heat correctly is knowing when to turn it off. Sear on the stove, finish and cook to temperature in the oven where the food won’t scorch. If your pan has plastic handles it can’t go in the oven without melting. Consider this when purchasing.
8. If your pan is hot, it’s non stick. If you’ve ever put a drop of water on a hot pan and watched it skip around, you’ve seen this concept first hand. The number one reason most people’s food sticks to the pan is not for lack of fat/oil. It’s because the pan is cold. You should really only need one non stick pan in your kitchen.
9. If it’s done in the pan, it’s over done on the plate. Just because you’ve turned off the heat or taken the roast out of the oven doesn’t mean it’s stopped cooking. Food holds onto heat for a good amount of time. As long as it’s hot, it’s still cooking!! If you want your roast cooked to medium and you take it to medium in the oven, it will be medium well in about 10 minutes sitting on the table. Very important when cooking eggs and baking cookies. In fact, this concept is easiest learned when cooking scrambled eggs. Put them on the plate just a “little runny.” They will set in a few minutes on the plate. NO RUBBERY EGGS!! Imagine that?
10. Use sharp knives. Not only is this safer (less force used to cut means fewer slips and mishaps) but it effects the flavor of your food. Once again, cutting means cell damage. “Cut” cell damage produces a cleaner flavor than “torn” cell damage. Chop herbs with a dull knife and then try again with a VERY sharp knife. Just 5 mins on the cutting board and you’ll see a difference between green parsley and black parsley. Green parsley tastes better.

Now go to it!!  Happy cooking!

-Frank

Breakfast. It’s the most important meal of the day. Mom said so. Yet it’s 7am and San Diego urbanites are looking to over-caffinate the conscience back into themselves with a venti, half-caff, soy latte, no cream. Sound familiar?  Yeah, I thought so.

Would mom ever send you off to school with that? Not sure what school you went to but I’d never make it on coffee mixed with a lil soy juice. I’d probably pass out by reccess  -and IT is JUICE people. Milk comes from mammals. I’m not a botanist but I’m pretty sure soybeans don’t have nipples. In my house asking for something like that would’ve got “the stare.”  Where did we lose are way?

Not sure, but I’ll tell you where I found it: On the corner of Island Ave and 2nd in Downtown San Diego. Opening in 1991 and operated by owner Tarryl Gavre Cafe 222 has made a quite a name for itself as a local morning/mid-afternoon hotstpot. The menu is funky and ecclectic and the decor whimsical with chandaliers made from coffee cups and silverware. The peanut butter and banana stuffed french toast was labeled “The Best Breakfast I ever ate” by Food Network Chef Bobby Flay. I’m a fan of  the pumpkin waffle (the mix of which is available for sale) but it’s tough to argue with chef Flay. The French toast is out of this world.  The hash and granola is house made, orange juice fresh squeezed and coffee is strong. Open for for breakfast and lunch seating from 7am to 1:45pm.

Mom would approve.

Mmmmm….dooooooughnuuuttts. As much a roadside distraction as delicacy, it’s hard to miss the 32 1/2 foot ”big doughnut” that sits atop Randy’s Doughnuts in Inglewood, CA. One of at least 4 other “big doughnut” shops in the Los Angeles area and easily the most recognizable,  if it looks familiar it may be because it’s been used as a backdrop in numorus  films from “Coming to America” to last summer’s “2112.”

Randy’s hasn’t gone Hollywood though. This place has the goods. Open 24 hrs this tiny bakery is working around the clock to produce some of the best honey glazed, jelly filled, chocolate covered fried, doughy goodness around. Sticky fingers are a must.

Do one thing and do it well. For Rock ‘N Jenny’s Italian Subs that one thing is a 9 ” turkey grinder. Served warm on a toasted roll with turkey breast sliced so thin you can see through it and loaded with all the fixins (including a wonderful italian vinaigrette. The eatery is owned and operated by its namesakes and some very friendly (and young) locals. Photos of friends and family adorn the walls and the sandwiches are served on those famliar small plastic baskets. While the sub shop does serve a wide variety of sandwiches, it’s the warm turkey grinder that made ‘em famous.

Go during lunch time and more than likely you will be wating in line. While Rock ’N Jenny’s were making their turkey sub famous, the space next door kept going under. Eventually the sub shop bought the space, knocked the wall out and added more seating -which was great. The sandwich is juicy and I was getting tired of staining shirts from eating standing up.

Rock ‘N Jenny’s Italian Subs