Cheers to 2013!

h a p p y  n e w  y e a r !

2012 was an eventful year.

I accomplished several personal and professional goals; deepened my appreciation for the abundant blessings in my life; and above all, developed friendships with folks whom I'll cherish for many years.  I don't have anything particularly wise to say, but there're a couple of things on my heart I'd like to share.*  (These aren't New Year's Resolutions, but rather ongoing self-reminders for the year).

Eating and traveling can bring so much joy to one's life.  

Though I can hardly say I've eaten many obscure culinary dishes or ventured off to exotic countries, 2012 was full of unforgettable adventures with invaluable people.  Remember: You don't have to eat at a three Michelin-starred restaurant to eat "well" or hop on a plane to "travel often."  Stay open-minded.  Stay hungry for food, for life.  Make every little thing count, because what may seem insignificant to you may be the world to someone else.  

Worthwhile results don't get handed to you on a silver platter.

I don't think I've ever worked as hard as I did this year.  I pushed myself physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally.  Each time I wanted to give up, I somehow made it (by the grace of God).  Despite earning some bragging rights, I learned humility is a key factor in testing perseverance, managing self-improvement, and building character.  Stay mindful, always.

Be the best version of yourself.

Look forward and strive for the best.

Generally, the beginning of something is exciting, whether it be the start of a new year, new job, new friendship, or life in a new city.  Rather than being worried or nervous, try to think positively about any given situation.  Be bold and relish all upcoming opportunities, even if (especially if) they're not what you expect.

To my dear readers:

THANK YOU for your continual support and inspiration!  I promise to be more consistent this year.  Stay healthy and be well!

Cheers to 2013,

Doah's Hungry [dot] com

* All photos are from Ian Coyle's "73 Letterpress" project. { link }

Duff's Cake Mix / Charm City Cakes West

They say fat kids love cake.  But what about everyone else?  If you're like me, you're experiencing some major sugar OD/ overeater's remorse this Christmas season.  But the silver lining, aside from getting gifted a new pair of stretchy yoga pants, is that all this cake-eating most likely means there is much to celebrate.  And if you're just eating cake for cake-eating's sake, then cheers to that, too!

Lucky for us Angelenos, we can decorate our cake, eat our cake, and have it too, at any time of the year, thanks to Charm City Cakes West and Duff's Cakemix!  

Charm City Cakes West is the West Coast sister to the Baltimore flagship cakery known simply as Charm City Cakes.  Here, Chef Duff Goldman and his creative team whip up some amazing creations, as featured on Food Network's "Ace of Cakes."  Seriously, are these even cake?  Are these people really bakers or engineers and architects?  Or maybe closet magicians?

Next door to Charm City Cakes West, you'll find more cake fun at Duff's Cakemix in a more interactive atmosphere.  After all, their motto is "We bake... you create!"  It's all about teamwork, folks.

Spotted: Duff's Icings (also available at Michaels)

Supplies galore!

Chef Duff's nerdy side coming out while explaining the science behind flour.

After a thoughtful and comprehensible snapshot of the art of cake-making, condensed in less than a hour, Chef Duff asked, "Are we ready to taste some cake?" Without any hesitation we responded with a resounding "Yes!"  Wouldn't you?

The line-up

                  Chocolate Espresso                              Cardamom & Pistachio                              Butterscotch Walnut

Chocolate Espresso - The analogy Chef Duff gave us was this: coffee is to chocolate as salt is to beef.  In other words, coffee helps chocolate taste good.  And taste good, it did.

Cardamom & Pistachio - Having had cardamom used only in curries and teas, this was an unexpected flavor to experience in cake form.  But paired with one of my favorite nuts, this was easily one of my faves of the night.

Butterscotch Walnut - This is a high-ratio cake, meaning there is relatively higher amount of sugar than flour.  Plus, it uses browned butter, which you pick up from the subtle nutty aroma and fluffy cake.  Top 3 of the night.

                 Ginger & Green Tea                                      Vegan Chocolate                                                Carrot

Ginger & Green Tea - The green tea frosting is hidden in the middle of the cake, but there is enough flavor there without overpowering the rest of the cake.

Vegan Chocolate - Ooh, vegan!?  * skeptical look*  Trust me, I reacted the same way.  But in all honesty, it was delicious.  While the texture was denser, the chocolateyness was not compromised.  The frosting is made from dark chocolate, soy milk, vegan chocolate ganache, and whipped sugar.  Yum. 

Carrot - I love carrot cake.  Not only does this cake exclude raisins (bonus for moi), it still has small pieces of shaved CA carrots throughout the cake.  The "secret" ingredient that makes this cake extra tasty is not the cream cheese frosting, but the Chinese 5-spice that goes in the batter.  Winner, winner.

I am neither a cake expert nor a cake snob, but it doesn't take much to distinguish a great cake from a mediocre one.  The cakes that are produced by Chef Duff are fantastic!  It's unsurprising since he only uses the best quality ingredients like flour from Giustos' in SF.  Moreover, it's amazing how much you can learn about something you only gobble up without much thinking.  Maybe 2013 will include more mindful eating.

Go Duff!

Whether you're looking for a place to have a party, or just wanting to wake up your creative juices, check out Cakemix.  It can be fun for all ages who can appreciate the art of baking.  So go ahead, roll up your sleeves and get your sweet party on with the wide array of frostings, fondant, and other nifty decorating supplies.  And before you know it, you'll be walking out with your own special creation that may or may not look edible -- we all have different talents -- but will taste delicious!



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cuisine: Cake, cake, cake!
location: WeHo
websites: { Cakemix | yelp | facebook | twitter }
attire: Casual
parking: metered street or small lot in the back
notes: Vegan & gluten-free cakes available!
other reviews: { oh joy! | the minty }

Homegirl Cafe

Last Friday night was very special to me (in a non-Katy Perry way).  After remembering/ re-learning three years of legal education in nine weeks (thus forcing me to go on hiatus), persevering through three draining days, and waiting four months for results, I learned that I'm a member of the California Bar!  

As a newly-minted attorney, I'm reminded of why I decided to pursue this career in the first place, and am inspired to stay true to those roots.  Instead of rain-making, I hope to direct my energies towards leaving this world in a better condition than it was last year, even if it's in the slightest way.  (Ask me how I'm doing in a few years to see how jaded I've become).  I think I'll be okay, especially with people like Father Greg Boyle to inspire me.  

Many Angelenos are familiar with Homeboy Industries, a youth program founded by Boyle to help rehabilitate kids, namely former gang-members, and integrate themselves into a functioning society.  As  more men and women sought Father Boyle's help, Homeboy Industries continued to expand with new divisions such as Homegirl Cafe.  Watch this video!

Homegirl Café, a division of Homeboy Industries, is a social enterprise assisting at-risk and formerly gang-involved young women and men to become contributing members of our community through training in restaurant service and culinary arts. Homegirl Café offers a one year training program within the food and service industry, empowering young people to redirect their lives and providing them with hope for their futures.  [ more here ]

Lunch menu

Lunch menu

Everything on the menu sounds delicious, so I had a tough time choosing my lunch.  I ended up going with the Kale Grilled Cheese sandwich with roasted tomatoes, red onions, kale & fresh herbs, and chopped bits of smoked bacon.  The cheese was a Mexican cheese blend, which was an interesting departure from your typical cheddar cheese flavors.  'Twas yummy.  The sourdough bread, freshly-baked at the cafe, was delicious, too -- and this is coming from someone who isn't even really a fan of sourdough.  But the real highlight were the smoked bacon bits!  You can't tell me you're surprised...

Kale Grilled Cheese - $11

Nom!

House Salad  - baby greens, sliced jimaca, mango, apple, and roasted pumpkin seeds - $10

Veggie Grilled Cheese - fresh veggies and roasted tomatoes with jalapeno pesto - $11

Taco Platter - choice of three - $10

Pork Carnitas w/ apple-tomatillo slaw and cilantro

White Fish w/ cabbage jicama slaw, crema fresca, morita salsa, and cilantro

Red Mole Chicken w/ habanero pickled onions, sesame seeds and cilantro

Even though there are several homegirls working, it gets busy during lunch hours so as you can imagine, service can be somewhat slow.  Our server (I wish I knew her name) felt so horrible for "neglecting" us that she gave us a dessert plate on the house! I didn't feel neglected at all, but how can I turn away a delicious-looking dessert sampler such as this?  So I didn't.  Thank you.  :) 

This gives away how behind I am on my posts.  Oops.

Definitely check out Homegirl Cafe!  Great food, kind service, and worthy cause.  

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cuisine: American w/ a splash of Latin-American 

location: Downtown LA (in Chinatown)
hours: Mon: 8am - 1:30pm; T-Fri: 8am - 2:30pm; Sat: 9am - 3pm; closed Sun.
websites: { HC | yelp | twitter | FB }
attire: Casual
parking: street or small lot in the back
note: They cater, too!

For Auld Lang Syne

As the world wraps up 2011 in words, photos, and reflections, I too, want to share a few of my thoughts.

Oh, 2011. Even the idea of putting some of the year's highlights into a paragraph is daunting. So instead, I'll do an equally challenging task of summarizing it into one word, and that word, my friends, will have to be: eventful.

For both the world and myself personally, 2011 was full of surprises, victories, losses, good news, tragedies, discoveries, and mistakes. It seems like one huge blur, despite my extra efforts to catalog the special moments and now, memories. But overall, the sentiments are good and I can honestly say that 2011 was better than 2010.  And I wish with all my heart that 2012 will be even better and greater. {Care more, dream more, risk more, work more}

As far as my love for food and this little food blog goes, I didn't churn out nearly as many entries as I wanted to, but I promise to spend the final week of my final "winter vacation" (ever?) to bring ya'll up to speed on all the delicious ways the latter part of 2011 was good to me.

And on that note, I end with this message from two darling folks:



Whatever you end up doing, please be happy and safe!

Thank you for visiting and reading. See you in 2012. I wish you all the best! Cheers!

Checkin' In

I really thought I'd be better about updating this blog while abroad, but alas, I was very wrong.  Needless to say, I've been eating well, as evidenced by my 7 lb. weight gain in 8 days during my recent travels to Espana -- the land of endless tapas, sangria, and siestas.

I have so much to share with you -- recipes and delicious eateries alike.  I hope to do it soon!  Thanks for coming by and not giving up on me and my site.  Besos.

Mental & Physical Challenge: Doah's Hungry --> Doah's Crazy?

I am registered for Tough Mudder SoCal 2012 (Feb. 25, 10:00 AM heat). 
I'm either off my rocker or as my friend so keenly put it, I'm just a "tough mudder-fukker." 

This "not your average lame-ass mud run or spirit crushing endurance road race" is about five months away... and I haven't really wrapped my head around the idea of training... though the thought definitely crossed my mind when I awoke this morning with a taste of panicked regret ('What the heck have I done?!'). 

Even though I run an average of 5 miles, 3 times a week, I realize that I need to drastically up my training if I want to survive the test, much less be somewhat alive the day aftah.  I was also informed (somewhat alarmingly) that my diet will also  have to change.  To my dismay, I've already received a list of "What To Eat" from a fellow trainee.  Furthering my dismay, gelato, chips, chili cheese fries, and Haribo candies are NOT on that boring list.  I pray that he will not send me a "What to Avoid" list because that list will hurt me A LOT.

There are a number of reasons why I've paid money to, more or less, torture myself.
2012 will be a trying year for me (hello California Bar Exam).  In an effort to prep for the nearly-abusive (mental and psychological) process, I've decided to push my mental and physical limits too (go big or go home?).  I am loco.  I admit it.  But at least I own up to it.  Plus, let's not forget that training for this might just put me in the best physical shape I've been in my entire life... and I'll still be able to eat like a beast (yay carbs!).  So don't worry, the food I consume may have a slight face-lift (healthier is better anyway?), but this blog won't suffer as a result of it.  Woohoo! 

If you have any interest in joining me on this journey, let me know!  It'll be quite the experience.

Cheers!

A Few Things

1. I am not a food critic.

2. I am not trained in the culinary arts.

3. I am really no different from any ordinary eater... though my appetite may be bigger and my hunger, remarkably consistent.  What can I say?  I love everything about food!  But I still have a lot to learn.

4. This humble slice of the "world wide web" is my amateur way of sharing my honest passion for cooking, baking, eating, and enjoying food in its fullest capacity.  By no means is it meant to wow you with my writing or photography skills.  There are so many food blogs I can direct you to if those are your expectations.

5. I am so grateful for each and every reader that stumbles across my page.  Whether you're a regular or a stranger, thank you, thank you!  Thank you for subscribing, reading, "liking" me on Facebook, and sharing the love with your networks. :)

Okay, back to the reviews!~

How to Cook... Everything!

Great cookbook!* { link }

If I wasn't a full time law student, my ideal day would look something like this: early morning hike or yoga outdoors (overlooking the beautiful Pacific, please); long, leisurely brunch at some quaint cafe (like this place); shopping spree at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's; readreadread; writewritewrite; and cookcookcook.  Smile, repeat.  Some of you would join me in my daily "carpe diem" adventures in a heartbeat, but "not the cooking part.  I can't cook!"  Oh darling, you can cook -- you just think you can't.

Great cooks aren't born overnight.  In fact, some, if not all, of the world's top chefs have labored -- and I mean labored -- as the bottom-rung, sous-sous-sous chef for many a year, learning, practicing, and refining skills with hopes that one day, those skills will manifest into something great.  While it's true some folks have a knack for certain things, special God-given talents and shining attributes, cooking is a gift that can truly be learned.  

So don't be intimidated!  Instead of being overwhelmed, take a deep breath and start simple.  And just know, cooking is often one huge experiment that doesn't always have to follow an exact recipe (though following one is recommended for newbies).  Also, don't feel discouraged if your first dish comes out undercooked, burnt, or just plain ugly.  Cooking takes time, patience, and lots and lots of practice.  Before you know it, you'll be servin' up your own 3-course meal!

The world is your oyster, friends!  Be inspired.  And feel free to share with me your kitchen adventures (failures and successes alike)! :)

*I don't plan on pulling a Julie Powell with Matt Bittman as she did with Julia Child, but I hope that someday I can say I've cooked everything in the above-pictured cookbook.  Besides, it'll be nice to tab it, mark it up, and wear it out like a well-used & familiar baseball glove.  (Speaking of baseball, go Dodgers!)