Deep Fried Ramen Dog

The Cooking Channel’s Unique Eats is one of my favorite, food shows on TV. The recent Hawaii / Polynesian Paradise episode included one of the most interesting hot dogs I’ve seen in years.

The Ramen Dog from Hank’s Haute Dogs in Honolulu is a skewered hot dog wrapped in sticky, cooked ramen then deep fried until crispy. Genius!

Even though I’ll be in Hawaii soon (for the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival), my schedule is so packed that I’m actually not sure I can make it to Hank’s. So last night I attempted to make the Ramen Dog at home. It was SUPER EASY and definitely a special (once-in-awhile ONLY) treat. Peter and my brother Greg loved it too!

My version of Hank’s Ramen Dog

Ingredients

4 hot dogs

4 skewers (soaked in water for at least 30 minutes to prevent burning). Note: I cut each skewer to fit in pan.

2 Packs of cooked ramen (no seasoning), drained and dried. You want LONG strands and it should be very sticky (and DRY).

Vegetable oil for deep frying.

Optional Garnishes: I cut up Nori and sprinkled each finished dog with Shichimi and Furikake.

Instructions

Skewer each hot dog with wet, wooden skewers.

Wrap each dog with various strands of sticky, cooked, DRY ramen. Set aside on plate.

Heat oil to 350 (make sure to prepare ramen dogs before eating oil).

Using tongs, gently lay ramen dog into hot oil, turn if needed.

Watch until the ramen strands are golden brown and drain on paper towels.

Garnish (optional).

Eat!

The Cooking Channel

Video of Hank’s Haute Dogs

Hank’s Haute Dogs
324 Coral Street
Honolulu, HI 96813
802-532-4265
Website
Facebook: Hank’s Haute Dogs
Twitter: @hankshautedogs

Hawaii Memories

Next week I’ll be heading to Oahu for the 2nd Annual Hawaii Food & Wine Festival, as a guest of the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau. Besides all the amazing food, I’m most excited to experience bits of Hawaii that I hadn’t on previous trips.

Some of my itinerary includes a visit to Doris Duke’s 1937 “Shangri La” estate,  Hawaiian Fire Surf School 
(taught by off-duty Honolulu firefighters!), and an afternoon at the Honolulu Museum of Art. My culinary schedule is packed with various food events and lectures, then winds down with a pop up dinner at Honolulu’s Miso and Ale.

The last time I travelled to Hawaii was a summer trip in 2004 with my two (then teenaged) nephews. We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and spent most of our holiday surfing (them), eating and drinking (me) with a little bit of sightseeing along the way.

The previous year, Peter and I booked a room at the Ilikai Hotel on Waikiki Beach. I’ve always been a huge fan of the original “Hawaii Five-O”, and if you remember the opening credits with the cool, balcony shot of Jack Lord (aka the legendary Steve McGarrett!), then you’ll recognize the Ilikai Hotel.

We had such a fun time visiting random locations from the show, and definitely made an effort to eat like the locals. Our favorite dish back then was the Loco Moco. The traditional version is made with white rice, hamburger, fried eggs and brown gravy. We first ordered the burger version for breakfast at our hotel, and also tried a SPAM version (instead of beef) that we loved as well.

My ex-husband Perry (we married in 1987) was an airline pilot and surfer. With his free air travel (my tickets were gratis as well) he would trek to the world’s best surf spots, including Indonesia and South Africa.

Since we lived in California, Hawaii was of course a favorite. I went on one of his surfaris in 1991 and pretty much spent the long days watching his extra surfboards (so no one stole them) as he caught waves on the North Shore.

In exchange for being Perry’s “board watcher” I insisted we check out the “Al Harrington Show” at the Reef Towers Hotel. Al Harrington played the roll of “Detective Ben Kokua” on, you guessed it, “Hawaii Five-O”. The dinner show was a mix of stand-up comedy, singing and Hawaiian dancing. Perry cringed throughout the entire evening, but I was thrilled at being one step closer to Steve McGarrett. I never got to meet my favorite TV cop, and when Jack Lord died in 1998, a good friend of mine sent ME a condolence card. I still watch H5O repeats to this day.

During the upcoming trip I’ll be tweeting (of course) and posting photos on instagram. Both user names are MyLastBite in case you’d like to follow along. If you plan on attending the event, feel free to drop me a tweet! Please do check back for a full blog post upon my return.

Aloha & Mahalo!

About The Festival:
The Hawai‘i Food & Wine Festival is the premier epicurean destination event in the Pacific. Set in the lush island paradise of O‘ahu, our four-day Festival features a roster of over 50 internationally-renowned master chefs, culinary personalities, and wine and spirit producers. Co-founded by two of Hawai‘i’s own James Beard Award-winning chefs, Roy Yamaguchi and Alan Wong, the Festival in Honolulu and Ko Olina Resort will showcase wine tastings, cooking demonstrations, one-of-a-kind excursions, and exclusive dining opportunities with dishes highlighting the state’s bounty of local produce, seafood, beef and poultry.

The Festival is a benefit for the Hawaii Agricultural Foundation and UH Culinary Institute of the Pacific, with the inaugural Festival raising $250,000 for the community.

Dates: September 06, 2012 to September 09, 2012 6:00pm, Daily
The Festival will be held on Oahu at The MODERN Honolulu, Halekulani, Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort and Spa, and Ko Olina Resort.

Complete Schedule here

Download the FREE Hawaii Food & Wine App

Many thanks to:
Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau, Oahu Visitors Bureau: Go Hawaii Website  Follow @GoHawaii on Twitter

Hawaii Food & Wine: www.hawaiifoodandwinefestival.com
Follow Hawaii Food & Wine on Twitter on FaceBook

Rebecca Pang. Account Supervisor, Travel & Tourism, McNeil Wilson Communications

More of my older Hawaii photos on Flickr

Sunny Spot

When I was twenty-two years old, I had the ridiculous pleasure of living in the Caribbean for a few months. It was 1986 and my then-boyfriend Perry (a newly licensed pilot) scored a winter job flying for Air St. Thomas / Virgin Air (no connection to Sir Richard Branson). The small island-hopping airline was based in the U.S. Virgin Islands on St. Thomas, so we made our home above the hills in the capital city of Charlotte Amalie.

Our upstairs apartment had a large kitchen (Perry did most of the cooking back then), and just one other room with floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking the island.

Mr Wayman, our landlord built a ramp near the back door so our dog Warhol (who moved with us from the mainland) could run up the side of the mountain. We loved our tiny bit of paradise.

Always a photo buff, I spent most of my time photographing and getting to know the island. I loved pretending to be a “local” for those few months, and on Perry’s days off we would rent a small boat and head to the nearby British Virgin Islands.

Our favorite spot was Sidney’s Peace and Love in Jost Van Dyke Island’s Little Harbor, just 7 miles northeast of St. Thomas. Once docked, I would pick out a live lobster from a trap near the shore and the cook would grill it on the spot. Perry always ordered barbecue chicken (he didn’t like seafood) and we BOTH drank heaps of rum at the attached open-air bar. It was “serve yourself” at Sidney’s, and also “total the bill” yourself if you weren’t too drunk. An honor system that you just didn’t mess with in the Caribbean.

My favorite shop on St. Thomas was called Sunny Caribbee, where I picked up island spices, oils and trinkets for the kitchen. There was an elementary school nearby and I loved listening to the students pounding on steel drums in the afternoons.

We left the Caribbean when Perry was offered a job with United Express, the commuter division of United Airlines. He now lives with his wife and kids near San Diego. (More about Perry here)

Walking into Roy Choi’s Sunny Spot for the first time made me smile from ear to ear. I flashed back to 1986 and was suddenly transported to my carefree, twenty-two year old, vagabond self.

After several visits (including dinner and brunch) I still get that happy feeling when I walk in the door. It’s a mini-holiday, a few hours of vacation. A delicious and less expensive trip to the sunny Caribbean, that’s for sure.

Don’t Worry… Be Happy!

Sugar Cane Fried Pig’s Feet

Roy Choi’s take on Mofongo! Muh-F*K*N Mofongo: Plantains, Bacon, Garlic, Black Pepper

LET’S PARTY!
Left: Fleur-De-Lis: Gin, Hibiscus, Honey, Chartreuse, Lemon
Middle: Death in the D.R.: Dominican Rum, Lime, Honey, Absinthe, Champagne
Right: Dry Harbour: Pot Still Rum, Lime, Absinthe, Habanero Pineapple Shrub

Cuban Torta: Pork Terrine, Prosciutto, Provolone, Pickled Jalapeño, Mustard

“What A Jerk” Wings: Double coated, double fried

Bridgetown Swizzle: Barbados Ru, Averna, Falernum, Lime, Angostura

Diablo Prawns w Rum Glaze, Garlic Butter & Herbs

Yucca Fries w Banana Thai Basil Ketchup

Jamaican Roasted Lamb w Lettuce Wedges & Pickled Mango

Whole Roasted Red Snapper w Ginger Oil, Cilantro, Chili Vinegar

The Silver Goblet: Coconut Ginger Sorbet

House-Made Caramels w Maldon Sea Salt, Toasted Cashews

The “bird cage” table in the back dining room

Dinner in the bird cage: Me, Peter, Evelina & Greg

Brunch Menu Festival Bread w Goat Butter, Guava Jam & Rum Honey

Brunch Menu Bloody Mary: Vodka, Dirty Sue, Tomato, Jamaican Jerk Spice

Brunch Menu Banana French Toast: Rum Coconut Whipped Cream, Caribbean Spiced Maple Syrup

Brunch Menu Sunny Spot Egg Plate: Korean Style Baked Eggs, Jerk Seasoned Potatoes, Mo Jo Glazed Grilled Pork Belly

Brunch Menu Eggs, Sausage & Grits: Fried Eggs, Jerk Sausage Patty, Anson Mills Grits, Maple Syrup

Take a seat!

Sunny Spot

More photos at Sunny Spot

More photos of the Caribbean

Sunny Spot
Website
822 Washington Blvd
Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
(310) 448-8884

Mexicali Taco and Co.

Downtown L.A.’s Mexicali Taco is open for lunch and dinner, but I’m a big fan of the lunch deals. For WAY under $10, I get a garlicky vampiro (photos below), taco and drink. The crispy cachetada is a GREAT hangover meal, on it’s own or with a fried egg on top. Trust me, I’ve tested it out!

Jonathan Gold wrote:
But like everybody else who visits Mexicali Taco & Co., I am obsessed with the vampiros, rather larger flour tortillas folded over chorizo, chicken or carne asada, maybe all three, as well as a squirt or two of garlic sauce and what can technically be described as a boatload of gooey, stretchy melted Mexican cheese. (A vampiro is supposedly a creature of Sinaloa, although I’ve seen them in Guadalajara and they are apparently endemic in northern Baja at the moment. I refuse to take sides.) Think of a  CPK-size pizza folded in half, only a million times better. A folded pizza you can have with giant grilled guero chiles — chiles dusted with dried chiles! — if such is your pleasure. Or really, about a pint of that taqueria guacamole. ~ Read more at L.A. Times

Carne Asada Vampiro. GET EXTRA GARLIC SAUCE!

Cachetada: The classic tostada reinvented with choice of meat and melted Mexican cheese, topped with a savory aioli chipotle sauce.

Cachetada con Huevo. HANGOVER HELPER.

Dinner is great with a group of friends (and family). My brother Greg’s favorite is the MEATY Zuperman: A gigantic portion of all three meats & cheese sandwiched between two tasty haring tortillas.

Chorizo Nachos w special Salsa Raja. Ridiculously GOOD! I shared, but didn’t want to.

Gueros: Cantonese-Baja Style Peppers. At $1.50, a MUST ORDER every time.

All about Mexicali Taco & Co (they cater too!).

Follow Mexicali on Twitter

Mexicali on FaceBook

Make sure you wave hello to founders Esdras Ochoa & Javier Fregoso!

Mexicali Taco & Co.
Website
702 N. Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: (213) 613-0416
Located one block north of Sunset Blvd/Cesar Chavez Blvd, just north of downtown and west of Chinatown.
Map

ALL YOU CAN EAT Fried Chicken!

What: All You Can Eat (AYCE) Super-Crispy Fried Chicken

Where: Chef Roy Choi’s A-Frame in Culver City

When: Every Saturday & Sunday, 12-3pm

Cost: $18 per person (including two side dishes)

Beer: Add endless Hite lager for $10 per person

Roy cooks his KILLER chicken legs and thighs sous-vide, using rice flour for extra crispy breading. Personally, I was thrilled the platter was without breasts. Gimme them juicy thighs (and legs) anytime!

Sides: Zucchini/Cabbage Cole Slaw and “Supermarket” Deli-Style Sweet Potato Salad.

Two awesome dipping sauces for the chicken are included: Lemongrass Creamy Dip and Housemade Tonkatsu.

My favorite of the two salads was the Zucchini and Cabbage Cole Slaw. I eat low-carb when I can and the flavors of the slaw were just like my grandma’s potato salad… sans the carb-loaded spuds. Of course my sweet-toothed Peter loved the Sweet Potato  Salad.

And YES, I know fried chicken has carbs. I’m telling you… these are WORTH IT.

The inaugural AYCE Fried Chicken day (July 14) was a HUGE hit! Many thanks to Roy Choi & Natasha Phan for organizing the food crawl last week! Both food and drink were hosted.

A-Frame Website
12565 Washington Blvd
Los Angeles, CA.
(310) 398-7700

A-Frame on FaceBook

Follow Chef Roy “Papi” Choi on Twitter

“The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.” Arnold H. Glasgow

Please check back for Sunny Spot & Chego posts!

Eats On My List

I don’t know about you, but my restaurant “to do” lists (yes, plural) are enormous. I keep various copies (sorted by location & cuisine) on my phone and desktop computer, just to remind myself that I need to venture out of my comfort zone more often. I know there’s nothing wrong with me going back to my favorite restaurants again and again, but one of the reasons I love Los Angeles so much is the availability of authentic, ethnic foods.

My go-to food critic is Jonathan Gold (L.A. Times), so it’s not surprising that he’s the source for most of the restaurants I add to my lists. When Jonathan wrote for L.A. Weekly, his “99 Essential Restaurants” guide was my foodie bible, and the only paper issue I regularly saved. Many of my food blogger (and twitter) pals come from diverse culinary backgrounds and I constantly learn about exciting (mostly strip mall) joints from them as well.

Obviously there are many wonderful places to eat in Southern California, and I cannot count how many times someone has blurted out, “WHAT? You haven’t been to (insert Sawtelle ramen house, newest pizza parlor, or a thousand other restaurants here)?”…

The simple fact is that I will never get through my restaurant lists, and that’s fine by me. It’s more fun knowing that I can plan a tasty adventure with friends anytime I’m craving it.

Photos below from:
Chung King Sichuan, Wang Xing Ji, Elite Dim Sum (Chinese)
Ramayani (Indonesian)
Cafe Fusion (Taiwanese)

Chung King Sichuan (San Gabriel)
Shared with Danny (he speaks Mandarin), Remil, & Hanh

“Chung King’s brand of Sichuan cooking, sizzling with four or five kinds of chiles and smacked with the cooling, numbing sensation of Sichuan peppercorns, lies halfway between dentist’s-chair Novocain and the last time you could afford a lot of blow.” ~ Jonathan Gold
Please read Jonathan Gold’s review of Chung King

Fried Chicken Cubes w Hot Pepper at Chung King

Boiled Fish Slices in Hot Sauce at Chung King

Crispy Rice w Seafood at Chung King

Quick Fried Pig Kidney Slices at Chung King

Chinese Bacon w Garlic Sprouts at Chung King. More photos on Flickr

Wang Xing Ji (San Gabriel)
Shared with Danny, Remil, Hanh, Craig, Esther, Wes & Peter

“The first American branch of a popular dumpling house in Wuxi, a city just outside of Shanghai, offers giant pork dumplings bursting with flavor, as well as smoked fish, crab and pork buns, and spare ribs” ~ Jonathan Gold (Read full article)

Look for this Wang Xing Ji JUICY DUMPLINGS sign

Pork XLB aka Xiao Long Bao (juicy indeed!) at Wang Xing Ji

Salt and Pepper Crispy Cakes at Wang Xing Ji

Inside the Salt and Pepper Crispy Cakes at Wang Xing Ji

Hand-tossed Crispy Onion Pancake at Wang Xing Ji

Preserved Egg w Tofu at Wang Xing Ji

Juicy Pork & Crab Bun at Wang Xing Ji

My friend Hanh going for the HUGE Juicy Pork & Crab Bun at Wang Xing Ji. More photos on Flickr

Dim Sum at Elite (Monterey Park)
Meals shared with Danny, Remil, Darin, Marilyn, Wes (he speaks Cantonese) & Peter

Check out 10 Best Dim Sum Restaurant in Los Angeles by Clarissa Wei

There is usually a LONG line for dim sum at Elite, and it’s worth it.

Mushroom Dumpling with Shrimp at Elite

Silver Fish w Spicy Salt at Elite

Pork & Shrimp Shu Mai at Elite

Crispy Shrimp Rice Noodle at Elite

Macau Egg Custard at Elite

Deep Fried Dumpling with Minced Pork at Elite.  More photos on Flickr

Ramayani Indonesian (Westwood)
Meal shared with Fiona (she speaks Indonesian), Hanh, Vivian & Peter

Ramayani entrance, close to Santa Monica Blvd.

Martabak: Pan-fried flour tortilla filled with beef, onion and eggs. Served with pickled vegetables at Ramayani Indonesian

Nasi Gorend: Pork Fried Rice at Ramayani Indonesian

Beef Rendang: Slow-cooked in red chili, garlic and coconut gravy at Ramayani Indonesian

Sayur Lodeh: Vegetables in coconut milk soup. (Sayur means vegetables) at Ramayani Indonesian

Ikan Bumbu Tumis: Whole pomfret smothered in a spicy lemongrass, onion, shrimp paste & tomato sauce at Ramayani Indonesian

Otak Otak: Gourmet Fish Cakes grilled in Banana Leaves at Ramayani Indonesian

Cafe Fusion Taiwanese Cuisine (Arcadia)
Meal shared with owner Arthur Chen & Eddie
Note: This meal was graciously hosted by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles. Many thanks to Amy Wang & TK Lee!

Entrance to Cafe Fusion. Note: It’s NOT really “fusion”. The owner just didn’t change the building name.

Smoked Shark at Cafe Fusion

Fresh water clams, cooked in soy sauce, lemon juice, wine, garlic & chile at Cafe Fusion.

Eel Noodles at Cafe Fusion.

Amaranth is also called Chinese red spinach

Cold Squid w Ginger Slices

Steamed Whole Black Cod w/ Taiwanese Tree Seeds. More photos on Flickr

Restaurant Addresses:

Chung King Sichuan
1000 S. San Gabriel Blvd.
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 286-0298

Wang Xing Ji
140 Valley Blvd., No. 211 (upstairs)
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 307-1188

Elite Restaurant Website
700 S Atlantic Blvd
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(626) 282-9998

Ramayani Indonesian Website
1777 Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles , CA . 90024
(310) 477 3315

Cafe Fusion Taiwanese Cuisine
510 E Live Oak Ave., Arcadia, CA 91006
(626) 447-6488

Follow Jonathan Gold on Twitter!

Whist

Back in January I was honored to host a wonderful Wild Game dinner by Chris Crary, the Chef de Cusine at Whist Restaurant in Santa Monica. Recently, I returned to taste (gratis) the current menu offered by Executive Chef Tony DiSalvo (Jean Georges, Gramercy Tavern).

Like most of my friends (and family), I’m a big fan of small bites and sharing plates … ESPECIALLY in such a beautiful, relaxing (yet elegant) location.

My brother Greg (who recently moved here from Scotland) joined me for the incredible dinner and we so enjoyed spending some quality brother/sister time together. Needless to say, there was plenty of eye-rolling (it was so good!) and laughing at our table. Just sitting in the beautiful, outdoor dining room… we both appreciated every bit (and bite) of the Whist experience.

NOTE: A new menu will be available after July 9th (some new items have already been added), so go SOON to taste dishes below!

Crostini Heaven (details below)

Uni (Sea Urchin) Crostini, Sea Salt, Lemon & LARDO. Dungeness Crab Crostini w Yuzu Mayo.

Petrossian Caviar, Egg Yolk, Cucumber Dill Crostini

Chicken Liver Mousse, Pancetta Crostini

Dungeness Crab Crostini w Yuzu Mayo

Roasted Beets, House-made Goat Ricotta, Grapes, Endive, Local Pistachios

Japanese Mackerel Escabeche, Tapenade Crostini

Crispy Pork Terrine, Sour Cherries, Pickled Shallots, Mustard

Lamb Keft Meatballs, Orange, Pistachio, Yogurt. I don’t like lamb but my brother LOVED these.

Sweetbreads, Favas, Morels, Sherry

Cured Hamachi, Rhubarb “Ponzu”, Cucumber, Radish, Celery

Torchio Pasta, Rabbit Ragu, Swiss Chard, Olives, Salami, Rosemary (+ extra truffles!)

Soy-Braised Short Ribs, Pickled Radishes + Asian Pear

Chili-Fried Chicken, Spring Vegetable Kimchee

Potato Gnocchi, Asparagus + Morels

Wild Black Sea Bass, Braised Ramps, Tom Yum Broth

Grilled Octopus, Romesco, Potatoes, Charred Wild Leeks

Scallops, Fennel, Celery, Treviso + Bottarga Salad, caper, Lemon + Basil Vinaigrette

Chocolate Tart, Orange Sorbet

Ephemere Beer on a warm evening

Rhubarb Tart, Walnut Crumble, Vanilla Ice Cream

My brother Greg. He loves FOOD almost as much as I do!

More photos on Flickr

Whist Restaurant
Viceroy Hotel, Santa Monica
1819 Ocean Ave
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 260-7511
Website

Dining Date: 6/19/12
Many thanks to Tony DiSalvo and Chris Crary!

About Chef Tony DiSalvo

5 Questions for Tony DiSalvo by Betty Hallock, L.A. Times

Chris Crary’s Wild Game Dinner

Follow Tony DiSalvo on Twitter

Follow Chris Crary on Twitter

Whist Chefs on Twitter

Viceroy Hotel on Twitter