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This site isn’t about to become my personal crusade against SB-1520 or California’s “foie-banning bill” but recent happenings have made this an important enough issue for me to ask for your support.

Most of you probably could not care less about foie gras itself, but the issue is much larger than that. Allow me to give a quick overview so that you can feel good about taking the 30 seconds to sign this petition.

• Foie gras is not unethical
• C.H.E.F.S. wants to set an example by IMPROVING the standards
• The way the bill is written potentially limits much more than just foie
• Regardless of where you stand on the ethics of eating animals, the violent threats, and disgusting verbal harassment by some of these foie bullies is completely unacceptable

Foie + Short Rib from Chef Pekarcik @ Spoon in Pittsburgh, formerly of Bertrand and Mister As

That's my whippet (racing dog) being held by my vegetarian father.

Here are your pictures for the post. I eat foie, and I care about animals (including the vegetarian).

Poop. Okay?! It’s poop. I thought a lot about it, and that’s where I draw the line. I won’t eat poop. Non food items should go without saying, and I’m not eating anything that’s going to cause me physical harm. However, after cracking this raw balut egg, I began to question that as well.

I won't lie - that's gross.

In all honesty, I’m not interested in anything that doesn’t at least have a chance of tasting good. I’m not doing this for shock value (though at times it’s a bonus), I’m just genuinely curious about foods that are so popular in other cultures. Now this isn’t the correct, or traditional way to eat Balut, but how bad can a fried egg and a fried duckling be?  That’s right, it can’t.

That might be grosser

But it sure can look it. This was the first time in awhile I was given pause in my approach. I wasn’t grossed out so to speak, it was more of a safety issue. Okay there’s another one – I’m not doing raw balut…nobody is.

but then it started to get better.

So once homeboy started to fry, everything began smelling pretty good. Again, it’s really just a fried duck egg, and not-quite-duck. As I mentioned with the traditional preparation, you don’t have to worry about any off textures from feathers or bones – nothing should be that far developed, and any resistance is very slight. In the case that you do get really developed bones – someone let your egg develop a few days past it’s prime. Trust me, I’ve eaten these twice now.

Balomelet TM

This definitely isn’t a surprise breakfast-in-bed type item. A delicious balomelet is not the way most would choose to start their day. Still, if you’re into trying new foods, and can stomach the site, I can’t think of a much tastier way.

…except maybe deviled duck egg with duck embryo confit. Keep on the look out for that one.

Grade: B+

Lately I’ve been bothered by the amount of terrible food writing I come across. Whether it come from a professional news source, an amateur blog, or anything in between, the amount of garbage content that I see has been increasing at an alarming rate. So the chocolate chip caramel bars at the top of this post are just to grab your attention. Now that I hopefully have it, let’s talk about shitty food writing.

Tonkotsu Ramen at Hinotez from a meal with with a @yaowong of insert-food. Check his site for great writing/photography.

Now, I’m not claiming that my writing is on par with Mark Bittman and the like, but it is at least above the level of a second grader with English as a second language. Some of the shit I’ve seen would be criticized by kids who still have to sound it out before they can make sense of it. So I’m going to use this post to highlight some of the most common problems I’ve been seeing.

Your Descriptions Suck – This is the by far the most common offense. Let’s get a few things straight.
-Crunchy is not a taste
-Yummy is not a texture
-Ommy-nommy is not a fucking word, and is deserving of a punch in the mouth.

Sprinkles cupcakes from @erinjax - one of the best I know. Use her as an example ejeats.com

You’re Dragging it Out – If you’re going to write at some length about a particular item, try to do so efficiently.  Your description of the cherry flavor from your box of popsicles should not be dragging on for more than a paragraph. Further, depending on the complexity of the item(s) it should be covered in one review. If today’s review is grape kool-aid, and I’m supposed to check back another time for orange, guess what? Nobody cares and….nobody cares.

Brown Butter Rice Krispies from Kitchen Konfidence - another good example.

Your photos suck ­– alright, this isn’t writingper se, but it’s probably the second largest problem I see. Get yourself a clean background – don’t have ketchup stains, and crumbs all over your work space..and get that sticker off your poster board. If that feels too plain, table-scape that shit. Hey, add a storm trooper! Just make sure it’s clean, and make sure it’s clear. We all had that first LG camera phone back in 2001 man…time to upgrade.

Takeout from Sushi Ota...yeah I really did that.

So that was just some quick and general advice. If you would like a thorough analysis on why your shit is horrendous how to improve your content, feel free to get in touch for a private consultation. I may be heavy on the criticism, even offensive, just remember it’s constructive.

Now, you might be saying, “Well your site isn’t perfect Mr. Rodzilla!” and you’re absolutely right, Street Stang Tiffani, it’s not. In fact, I get routine critical (and creepy) emails from an online stalker, but hey, at least I’ve got one…and with a little work, you can too.

When the major criticism of the evening has to do with the naming of a dish rather than it’s taste, I would say that’s a pretty good sign that the Evolve Cuisine team is doing something right. So right from the beginning I’ll tell you this was another successful event. If that’s all you needed to read to get you to one of the next events, you can stop reading now. But if you came for pictures and prose, I’ve got that too.This menu was described as, “a modern tribute to the classic cuisine of America’s finest city”. To start Servers came by providing a 3 different amuses each prepared by a different member of the Evolve team.

Green Strawberry White Balsamic Gelee

Prawn Ceviche

Tempura Beef Shank - Chile, Mustard

My favorite was the tempura beef shank from Sheena Villegas. I thought of it as a nod to San Diego’s many Japanese eateries where patrons are given chicken karaage to start the meal. So if you like that type of fried chicken – try fried beef. The additional sweet mustard and mild spice from chili threads made this a opening bite one that I’ll remember for some time.

Uni - Flan, Gonads, Uni Sugar, Pineapple,

Our first comprised dish was the favorite of many. Along with a fresh piece of local San Diego urchin, each component carried some essence of the delicately briny, sweet flavor.

Roasted Corn Broth, Cabbage crusted Wahoo, Crema Spheres

What was originally going to be yellowtail ended up being a a great piece of Wahoo (an even better choice for a play on fish tacos). What made the dish for me was semi-spicy guacamole moderated by a cool crema sphere, and additional crunch from the radish chip. Another one that many called favorite.

Bacon Cheeseburger - Brioche, Grassfed Beef, Eazy Cheese

The smell of this dish immediately brought a Big Mac to mind, and I mean that in the most fondly nostalgic way. My best guess as to where that came from is the horseradish/white cheddar mixture inside the brioche giving me a sense of special sauce. Conceptually, I think this may have been the best dish of the night.

Pomegranate Mojito Sundae

Our intermezzo was another palate annihilator from Mike Yen. I thought the cuisine was involved, until I got the ingredient list for this cocktail. You will will wipe palate clean with one of these, and you’ll have fun doing it.

Cali Burrito - Shrimp Fries, Fizzy Tomato, Potato

This course was the naming controversy I alluded to earlier. Apparently you HAVE TO HAVE CARNE ASADA in order for it to be a California Burrito. After tasting, I wouldn’t have cared if it had been called spaghetti & meatballs, it was still my favorite. I’ll take a tortilla filled with Barron’s cilantro potato espuma and crispy shrimp against any filled with carne asada and fries. Shoot me.

Short Rib - 72 Hour Sous Vide Beef Cheek, Flank threads, Smoked Tomato, (Matt Gordon collaboration)

The short rib was collaboration with a dish created Matt Gordon. My personal preference is still for Matt’s more traditional prep, but a number of diners noted just how similar the flavors were to the beef cheeks being served at Urban Solace. A worthy dedication, just not a replacement.

Cupcake - Chocolate, Raspberry, Chocolate-Sour Cream Frosting

The final dish was…a cupcake? After having Chef Jeff Bonilla’s dessert be a highlight of the last event, I was fucking furious a bit let-down to be presented with a standard cupcake. Luckily, it was only a joke and the initial disappointment only heightened my feelings for the actual dish.

Real "Cupcake"

The cupcake proper had a similar composition to my last Bonilla Dessert. My favorite components this time being the chocolate cremeux, raspberry sorbet, and the tiny Bunch-a-Crunch like chocolate spheres.

The food is good. It’s inventive, fun, and most importantly tasty. But aside from  cooking technique, what really distinguishes Evolve Cuisine events is the atmosphere they provide. The food is refined, but there’s no pretension. The same people making the dishes are serving them, and if your dining companions weren’t already your friends at the beginning of the evening, they likely will be by the time you leave. I’m really enthusiastic about what the Evolve team is doing, and can only see them getting bigger and better.

*Thanks to all of my dining companions, especially Gastrobits for his elaborate note taking and dorky-ass endearing fascination with superheros.

People tend to think I’m kidding when I say that I’m addicted to frozen yogurt. It’s not a joke. I figured out that I have been eating 20+ lbs a month and spending somewhere between $120-$150 dollars. You don’t have to tell me how repulsipressed (tm) you are. So I picked up a Yonanas machine to see if it might help with my problem. New problem – I can’t stop playing with it.

Standard goods - The classic mix

Listen, I was skeptical too. I’m not the type to pick up gimmicky as seen on TV products, but Yonanas has exceeded my expectations. So far it has taken all types of frozen fruit and turned them into a creamier soft-serve consistency than I would ever get with a blender. Click here to see the action.

Peaches with cinnamon

However, it isn’t perfect. The machine is loud enough to double as a desk-top wood chopper, and a good amount of the frozen yield tends to stick to the inner compartment. Still, that’s an easy scoop into the bowl, and clean up take all of 30 seconds. Ever clean a frozen yogurt machine? You don’t want to.

Mixed Berries + Protein Powder

A few tips if you plan on picking one up – and I recommend that you do.
-Use very ripe bananas.
-let the frozen fruit sit out for a few minutes
-careful about stains when using berries

For the calorie conscious crowd Yonanas will be even more appealing. Values will vary by fruit, but consider this:
10 oz of my frozen peach Yonana dessert = 100 calories (Ingredients: just peaches)
10 oz of peach frozen yogurt at yogurt-land = 300 calories. (based on 83g serving size)

Grade: A

Foie Gras. I can’t think of any other food item that has drawn so much negative publicity without reason.

The completely uninformed might ask what the hell that “fooey grass” stuff is, and after they’re told what /fwɑːˈɡrɑː/ is, they wonder why people seem to like it so much.
The somewhat familiar may ask what all the recent commotion has been about.
…and the terribly misguided (ahem PETA) seem to be under the impression that it’s an item only enjoyed by rich, fat hedonists, who dress in furs, and club baby seals for sport…that’s not the case.

I didn't even need the translation

For instance, I picked up this 8oz duck mousse with foie gras for around $12. I then made the plate you see above to be enjoyed while perusing the world wide intrawebz in my super-comfy sweatpants (a cotton polyester blend, not mink). I won’t pretend I was watching save the whales videos, but I was uploading some pictures from Sea World.

Eggs and cream - the non gavage fattening technique

The ingredients had me a bit worried. Beside the fact that this was only part foie, I wasn’t (and am still not) crazy about the additives.  Maybe it was the influence of the $125 foie terrine this mousse was sitting beside, but $12 seemed like an okay hit to take in the case that this ended up tasting like game and filler funk.

One serving down

I lucked out. The main flavor was foie. Not just duck, not just liver, foie. I’m suspecting it was the eggs and cream made for a non-gavage liver fattening with a similar flavor.

-Texturally mousse’s are my least favorite foie preparation, but this had a thickness closer to a terrine or torchon. Still spreadable, but heavy enough to feel substantial.

-The sauternes and raisins may have added a slight sweetness, but neither them or the aspic (gel like substance on top) added much by way of flavor. I didn’t mind – I bought this in hopes of finding a fatty liver fix without spending a fortune, and I got just that.

with mini toasts, berry preserves, and roasted chestnuts

So if you’re curious about the taste, or just aren’t in the mood to visit a favorite restaurant, this is a good option. It’s not on par with a perfectly seared lobe or amazing torchon, but for the price and convenience it’s hard to beat.

Grade: A

and if you’re curious to know more about the impending ban, please take a minutes to inform yourself. Regardless of which side you’re on, please take a minute to read this. With all the issues in big food and animal rights, I’m not sure why there has been this focus on foie. However, I’m hopeful that both sides can find a way to create something that pleases both parties, and move on to fighting some larger issues.

BEN & JERRY’S GIVEAWAY!! and reviews you probably won’t read.  You might remember a few reviews back I called the B&J team a rather crude name. Apparently I got their attention. They contacted me, they flattered me and…they tried to buy me out!

They offered to send along the rest of the greek yogurt line up with some swag to boot. I didn’t want it to appear as if I had made my initial remarks as a ploy for free Ben & Jerry’s..but I also didn’t want to turn down free Ben & Jerry’s. NahwhatI’msayin’? 

Slicing minis

So I decided it would be okay so long as they offered the same to a reader. They agreed. While waiting on my B&J coupons and the swag which never came (unless envelopes are swag these days). I found these mini’s for a dollar a piece.

Raspberry Fudge Chunk- Raspberry Greek Frozen Yogurt with Fudge Chunks

The raspberry fudge chunk wasn’t bad, just boring. I’m sure the fudge chunks are larger in the full size, but I still don’t think it would be all that appealing. I’ll stick to Graeter’s when I’m feeling like raspberry chip.

Banana Greek Frozen Yogurt with Peanut Buttery Swirls

The Banana peanut butter wasn’t too exciting either. JFG was spot on describing the base flavor as unripe banana and laffy-taffy-esq. I did like the peanut butter swirl. It reminded me of a salty natural peanut butter.

Grades: C

So honestly, not my favorites. But let’s be honest, most of you don’t care. I could say these gave me dysentery and would still get entries from first time readers. 2 ways to enter the giveaway – leave a separate comment  for each.

Winner: Donna @Cookistry !

This is the only warning shot you’ll get. If you didn’t like century eggs or lambs testicles, you should close your eyes before reading any further…wait a minute, ok just get as far as you can.

Forced hatching

Really, for as much of an event as everyone makes it out to be they really aren’t that bad. I would actually say mine were good.
I’ve read the traditional way to eat balut is to crack the top and drink the juice. And so I did, I was ready for the worst but instead was met with a mild yolk flavor. – Good so far.

Looks more tired than dead

-The white is unsurprisingly like any egg white, save for one really hard piece at the top. I still ate that, prob my least favorite part- but not bad.
-The yolk, tastes like any other duck yolk, which is to say like most any yolk, which is to say awesome.

like really, really exhausted though

Then there’s the little fella himself. Kind of cute right? You can see he started to develop wings, and feet – you can see feathers but I didn’t notice them while eating.  The bones and beak were are so soft that there was only an ever so slight resistance if any at all. And the taste?

okay, borderline comatose

My favorite part. It’s not foie, but it’s savory, slightly gamey, and undeniably ducky.  Add a touch of gourmet finishing salts, and I can see why this is a delicacy in some parts of the world.

I did manage to pull some nutrition information, seems heavy, but considering you’re getting an entire duck with your egg – it’s not a bad deal!

okay, now he looks dead.

While I enjoyed these, I don’t think I’ll find myself craving them like I do century eggs…and I don’t think century balut is something even I want to try. My next go might be an omelet, or my roommates Easter basket. I’ll update accordingly.

Grade: B-

 You may have read about the best meal I ever had, or the best one I never reviewed, but now thanks to my friend Quelcy at WithTheGrains, I have another one to add: the best meal I kinda-sorta never ate. Check it out!

I first made plans to visit Urban Solace over a year ago. It’s not that reservations aren’t that hard to come by, it’s one of San Diego’s most popular restaurants, but a week should secure you a table. It was just one place that I had every intention of visiting during my initial visit to San Diego, but somehow missed before returning to PA. 

"Thinking of you is working up my appetite"

Well, I finally made it out to Matt Gordon‘s namesake restaurant, and it couldn’t have happened at a better a time. The restaurant just finished with an updating of the interior, and coincidentally some anti-foie ass-hat protestor decided to try and get himself some publicity the night before I visited. He won’t be getting any of the attention he so desperately desires here, but my two dining companions and I would like to thank him for his accidental recommendation.

Seared Artisan Foie Gras, Brandied Cherry Reduction, French Toast, Cress

I don’t want to turn this post into a foie debate, but I will say that for anyone who considers themselves a proponent of environmentalism; trying to start a feud with Urban Solace seems an awful lot like friendly fire. I wonder if said jackass protestor even read about the restaurant..or took a look at the menu aside from one misunderstood ingredient.

Free Raised Strauss Sweetbreads, Mustard Crust, Pickled Chard and Mustard Seed

Moving on, I don’t see sweetbreads on menus nearly as often as I’d like, and if you know anything about veal..let me emphasize the free raised. These had a very light mustard crust which complemented rather than hid the flavor of the pancreas itself.  I’m generally not much of a mustard fan, but the various forms in this dish won me over.

Steamed Black Mussels, Potatoes, Bacon Lardon, Herbs, Touch of Cream

Not a bad mussel on the plate. Every shell was open and showing sweet, plump pieces meat. The accouterments spoke for themselves.

Seared Albacore Chop Chop: Avocado, Cilantro, Cucumbers, Peppers, Spiced Pine nuts

There was no shortage of albacore or avocado, which gave a very light- tasting dish a bit more substance. The cucumbers, peppers, and pine nuts added a great textural element that I feel it often times missing from ceviche-esq dishes. Would order again…and again.

Duckaroni: Mac 'n Cheese with Duck Confit, Blue Cheese, Roasted Garlic, Arugula, Scallion

I can see why the duckaroni is a signature item. The noodles and cheese would be enough, but add in huge pieces of duck confit and I only recommend ordering this as a side so there is more room for entrees.

Sumac Rubbed Wild Sockeye Salmon, Quinoa, Spiced Roasted Lemon Butter

Choosing an entree really comes down to what you’re in the mood for. All three were great. However, I wanted to pay special mind to the Wild Salmon, the one that comes “direct from the fishing vessel Vortex in Bristol Bay“

Seared Maple Leaf Duck Breast, Caramelized Brussels and Squash, Root Veg Gratin

I also tried a famed cheese biscuit with orange-honey butter (highly recommended) and that would have to suffice for sweets on this visit. As our waiter was all too happy to remark on the amount of food the three of us had taken down, we thought it best that we give our stomachs a rest…which ended up being about 30 minutes before we saw a sign for frozen yogurt…

"Not Your Momma's Meatloaf", Ground Lamb, Bacon, Figs, Pine Nuts, Feta, Fig Jus, Sweet Potato Mash

I’ll have to leave desserts for my next visit, but I surely sampled enough to see why Urban Solace has become one of the most popular restaurants in San Diego. The space is great, the menu is accommodating to carnivores, vegetarians, and vegans alike, and it’s food that people can feel good about eating.

Ethically sourced meats, sustainable seafood, and regionally sourced ingredients won’t make great dishes alone; but they’re certainly making the ones at Urban Solace that much better.