This Week's Appetizing News - Bacon, Seafood, and Stuart

Happy Spring everyone!

I have been Facebook-ing about having spring fever so before it sets in once and for all today, I wanted to send this dispatch to keep in touch! We have just a few quick notes for you, so here we go!

We have so many bacon fans on our tours, and in general in life, do we not!? So if you are a local, or you're planning a visit to LA soon, we think you need to know about where to eat some of the best bacon in town. This tip comes from our fabulous friend Chrysta Wilson of Kiss My Bundt Bakery (whose Maple-Bacon and Chocolate-Bacon cakes are phenomenal, by the way!) ~ she considers herself obsessed with what I'm about to tell you, and now I can give excellent testimony as well. Little Next Door on West 3rd Street offers breakfast 7 days a week. Their bacon is so incredibly delicious because, they buy it whole and fresh, from an organic farm, and slice it themselves. Nicolas Meschin, the charming owner there, told us the other day that the larger the quantity you buy, the better quality you get. His chef from Switzerland, Nicolas Peters, is all about buying and serving only the best. What you need to know, is that it is gorgeous on the plate. Cooked to perfection, its almost-curly presentation is like no cooked bacon I have ever seen. On my plate it sat next to two perfectly prepared farm-fresh organic eggs and a small portion of their potatoes gratin, so I have a second-to-last comment: Be sure to use the fresh baguette slices on the side, to mop up every last bit! Last comment: Rise-and-Shine special, Monday-Friday 8-10am, egg dishes are 30% off!

And while on the topic of what's delicious about spring, I had a wonderful conversation with Bob Tusquellas (the Bob of Bob's Doughnuts, Tusquellas Fish and Oyster Bar, and Seafood Market) the other morning. I am proud and privileged to pass his good news onto you. Coming next week or so, there will be a brand-new crab sandwich, and also a fresh ("incredible", says the man) salmon burger on the menu at Tusquellas. That's all we have on that for now, stay tuned for a gushing report (like the one above, about the bacon), at a later date!

Lisa and I were just talking about how proud and very pleased we are to have such fantastic tour leaders to represent our company! Trish Procetto and Mike Albanese do such great work to show off both Old Pasadena, and Farmers Market with 3rd Street, while taking excellent care of our wonderful tour guests. Now, with some more pride and joy, I am equally pleased to introduce Stuart Popkin, who is our newest tour leader. He is a native of Los Angeles, his 4 aunties really lived in a 4-plex home in the Fairfax District and, he used to visit Kiddieland so, that neighborhood is very close to his heart! When he is not offering stellar hospitality as a tour guide around town on other contract assignments (and now with us), he is a resident expert at "Relax the Back" and, a secret shopper! He appreciates fine dining and the rich culture and arts our great city boasts, and we know he'll be a great addition to our team. He will begin hosting our LA tour this Sunday, and we are very excited to welcome him to Melting Pot Food Tours!

Our April e-zine/newsletter is due up in the next week or two, we will let you know when to expect it in an email box near you! For now, please enjoy a beautiful week celebrating the joy of spring, ideally sharing fabulous foods around the table with those you love!

Until next time, I remain ...

Diane Scalia
Your Tour Maestra

This Week's Appetizing News - Think Green in Delicious Ways!

This week's post comes right on time for St Patrick's Day, so let me start by wishing everyone the Happy Luck of the Irish and reminding you to wear something - or better - to eat something green, on Wednesday!

If you're stumped as to what that ought to be, may I gently suggest some homemade cupcakes topped with either green icing, deco-sugar, or candies?! Try one of my favorite chocolate cake recipes morphed into cupcakes that have a simple chocolate-mint twist, at the end of this post.

If you'd rather have someone else do the baking, our favorite Cake Maestra Chrysta Wilson is busy as usual and at your service at Kiss My Bundt Bakery. This week (even perhaps all month; all cakes are available to order) she'll have specialty cakes that range from "Green Velvet" (which we hope to sample on Wednesday's tour!) to Bailey's Irish Cream to pound cake drizzled with a fantastic Irish Whiskey glaze ... and that probably is just the beginning; she never ceases to amaze us. Become their fan on Facebook and follow them on Twitter to be in-the-know this week and at all times!

Now is the perfect time to chat up the "green" restaurant owned by Jesse James (husband of Oscar-winning actress Sandra Bullock). In Long Beach, next to his world-famous West Coast Choppers motorcycle store, sits Cisco Burger. I am always on a great burger hunt (she writes, as swimsuit season approaches ...) and I can't wait to check this one out. There is lots to love about them besides their simple handcrafted/homemade menu items that are "wallet friendly", and made with farm-fresh and local ingredients. Their hybrid delivery car brings goods home from their mostly solar-powered facilities, they participate in local recycling, and all packaging containers are biodegradable paper products. There is no drive-thru at this "old world hamburger stand with a modern eco-friendly philosophy", but surely enough allure to call a crowd to their breakfast and lunch tables, 7 days a week!

And speaking of allure, sweeten the day of your favorite loved one(s) with this recipe, and enjoy the good luck that will inevitably yield!

Chocolate Mint Cupcakes

1 cup flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder (make sure date on bottom of can is in the future!)
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup strong, brewed coffee or espresso - warm is best
12 unwrapped Andes thin Creme de Menthe pieces
Chocolate-Mint icing + Green sprinkle sugar or green candies to decorate

Preheat oven to 350F, and prepare 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or coat with cooking spray. Sift first 6 ingredients into large mixing bowl. Whisk oil, vanilla, egg, and milk until smooth, in medium bowl. Stir moist ingredients into dry ingredients, with wooden spoon (hand mixer not necessary) until just combined. Add coffee and stir until blended well; do not overmix. Gently spoon batter into muffin cups, distributing evenly. Tuck one Andes mint into each cupcake. Bake for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in a center cupcake comes out clean. Let cool completely before topping with Chocolate-Mint Icing. Yields 12 cupcakes.

Chocolate-Mint Icing
3 Tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pure peppermint extract
3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted with 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
Combine butter and extracts until smooth. Gradually add cocoa-sugar and stir until thick and creamy. Adjust flavor with more sugar or extract(s). Frost cupcakes as desired, decorate with green sugar or candies to serve favorite leprechauns. (3 green M&Ms placed together yield a sweet a 3-leaf clover!)

Wishing you and yours the best of fun, love, and luck around the table this week!

Until next time, I remain,

Diane Scalia
Your Tour Maestra

This Week's Appetizing News - Hope you're Hungry!

We hope you all enjoyed our March e-newsletter, which is posted now on our Facebook Fan page in case you missed it.

This week's post is a little delayed but, that is no accident ... I like to believe that delays are good and our having discovered a brand-new dining gem is what this one yielded today. So! Without further ado, let's get right in to this week's ...

We recommend ...

Sophy’s Cambodian and Thai Cuisine, Long Beach
Eyes-roll-back-in-your-head delicious! Sophy came here as a young refugee from Cambodia and finally has her own exquisite and spacious haven, where she proudly serves over 100 fresh, authentic menu items. I tried (and loved) the Asian crepes (Banh Cheo; pictured in photo), and Fried Eggplant with Ground Pork. Tons of vegetarian and wheat/gluten-free selections (crepes, wraps, and noodles made of rice flour). Heads up: entrance at back parking lot! Open 9am - 10pm, 7 days.

TODAY's GEM: Canteen Burger Bar and Grill, Redondo Beach
Trish, our fabulous Melting Pot Food Tours leader and I, so couldn't wait to devour our burgers dressed with fig-balsamic aioli, arugula, and a Parmesan crisp 'slice' ... that we, mmm, don't have a photo to show you (same for the fries, sorry) but, we promise that they were beyond fantastic!! We collectively, definitely recommend you run, not walk, to this brand-new pearl near Riviera Village in deep south Redondo. Their site is only their menu at the moment, but note that non-carnivores might really enjoy their vegetarian falafel burger. Half-price burgers through tonight (11 March) to celebrate their grand opening!

Holy Cow Indian Express, West 3rd Street near LaCienega, LA
This little sister restaurant of the former Surya on 3rd Street is some of our favorite Indian in town. Brothers Sheel and Neel take tremendous pride in their fresh and innovative offerings. Here we love the Paprichat (like Indian nachos) and the chicken tikka masala, which will have you looking for either more fabulous naan to mop up the last of its sauce or, a straw to just slurp it up! Free parking while dining. Open at 11:30am weekdays, at 3pm on weekends. 8474 W. 3rd Street, LA 90048 323.852.8900

In other news, the annual Spring Wine Fest event is taking place in the upper dining deck of the LA Farmers Market next Saturday, March 20 from 1-4pm. $30 ($25 for paid reservations by March 17th) is quite the fair ticket price for tastings of 40 wines and wine cocktails, plus gourmet cheeses from Monsieur Marcel. Quite possibly the main event will be samples from Chef Steven Brown's brand-new "small plates" menu at Ulysses Voyage restaurant, which promise to be spectacular.

Please remember that this Saturday is the night to change your clocks before sleeping! We spring forward Sunday at 2am, and have an extra hour of daylight to look forward to that evening and from now on!

That will do it for this week, food fans ... next week I promise a very special "St Patty's Day" Salute to GREEN issue, including the perfect cupcake recipe to sweeten your favorite leprechaun's tooth!

Wishing you and yours a fabulous week of dining well, especially at the table with those you love!

Til next time, I remain ...

Diane Scalia
Your Tour Maestra