faulker056

If there's one place that warms both Jeni's and my soul, it's a place called Portland, Oregon. I love New York City for its fast-paced, aggressive culinary scene and multi-faceted culinary offerings due in part to large populations of ethnic minorities. I love Chicago for its hearty, savory food that strikes the chords and memories for many Americans. But there's something about Portland that has created waves for us. If you have not been to Portland , I'm sure you have visions of the Jailblazers, flannel-wearing lumberjacks and genius, marijuana-smoking pupils of Reed College. Sure you are correct but you don't know Portland until you step foot there. In a quadrant-divided city tucked neatly inside a lush green patch of land, progression is happening very fast. When we were there, we encountered the nicest people. Most were locals but many were transplants from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix and Austin. Whether it is for the music or art scene, a...

Place To Be from Joel Kuwahara on Vimeo . Our friend JK shot this one evening while we made Chinese beef noodle soup and cocktails. Random combo I know - but this is how we do it. Video shot on a Canon 7d with 50 mm 1.4 lens. Thanks JK, you made us look very dramatic.

I saw this place a while back and was immediately attracted to the word "noodle town". I don't know why, but I have an affinity towards establishments that incorporate "town", "village", "city" and even catchy names like Pizza Pit, Burger Barn and especially, my dream restaurant... Taco Town . "Pizza, now that's what I call a Taco," says Adam Samberg. So with "Noodle Town" in the name I had a feeling it would be worth checking out. This restaurant was previously Dai Ho, not to be confused with the Taiwanese Noodle Nazi in Temple City, and it served some really solid beef noodle soup before it closed down. Bad location/feng shui obscurity due to too much focus on an unknown Chinese cuisine... who knows. Contrary to the name, this place is literally a shack. I was greeted by a very sweet woman. Mrs. Ho is the chef and it seemed as though she was the only person working in the whole restaurant that seats no more t...

The other day at McCall's Meat & Fish Company , which was probably the third time in a week I was there, I saw that Nathan and Karen started offering smoked ham hocks. Oh joy. This reminds me of a particular ham that the Chinese, particularly Hong Kong, use in their stir fries. It's called "Virginia ham" and it's absolutely delicious. Think of it as an Asian version of spam-on-a-bone. The Chinese use the bone primarily for flavoring soups and can be treated like bacon. According to Wikipedia, "Virginia ham" is reminiscent of Jinhua ham from Mainland China. This is all new to me. At a few bucks a pound, I bought one smokey hock. Instead of using it to flavor a split pea soup as Nathan suggested, I decided to make a "hash". I cut the meat off the bone, including my favorite parts, tendon and connective tissue. The meat is completely smoked through so you can start sampling the tasty meat. It really is tasty. Since a hash tast...

Right before our amazing trip to Southeast Asia , Jeni and I were burdened with some drama that almost caused us to cancel our trip - I was going through a separation with my employer. Besides feeling confused and down, we were now in a situation that many people feared - financial hardship in this economy. We had also spent a good sum of money on the flights and lodging and had no way of really turning back. The thought of trying to enjoy delicious food in another country with no job was difficult. But I always try my best to be optimistic. I said to her... look, this is inevitable and we'll be alright. We can't let something like this hold us back. We love to travel and we will make this happen. In addition to the layoff, we were also dealing with a bad living situation. My landlord had really destroyed the joy in living in Silver Lake. We would both come home from work and feel this negative energy. We were very unhappy with her management and it got to the poin...

In Los Angeles, the restaurant scene is indeed one that is competitive and dynamic. Aside from the chefs native to the city, there are a good number of chefs that will arrive from places like Chicago or New York to expand their cooking empire. Some make it, some don't. In the new school of chefs, names like Michael Voltaggio, Ludo Lefebvre and Jose Andrés seem to be catching the spotlight with their exquisite techniques and plating, and of course, the eventual Foam Party. Although the food they cook is amazing, I still have an affinity for chefs like Centeno, Becerra and the 2 Dudes Catering. They cook food that for me seems to be soulful and less about bells and whistles. They don't really follow the mainstream trends and you could taste it in their food. These guys are all definitely in the New School of Los Angeles chefs. With all the attention on the New School, it's definitely hard to regain attention especially if you're a veteran of the Los Angeles dining...