4 Chefs I follow on Instagram

   Alright, so here is the deal I love Twitter and Instagram and so I have decided to share with you guys my list of favorite chefs I am following on Instagram. This list is in no particular order.

Chopsticks for nose picking..DOPE

1)Jamie Bissonnette (jamiebiss): I found out about Jamie becuase of a book called Primal Cuts (a must own). Jamie is the chef/owner of Coppa Boston and is an old hardcore kid, so this automatically made me a fan.

Cosentino and Denis Leary

2)Chris Cosentino (offalchris): I consider Chris Cosentino one of the most important "nose-to-tail" chefs in California. If you have not check out his book "Beginnings" you should especially if you are into cooking seasonally

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3)Michael Voltaggio (mvoltaggio): Owner of LA's INK and INK.SACK and oh yeah he won Top Chef season 6. There is just something cool about the guy. If you can slurge for INK do it. If you can not then you need to go to INK.SACK and have the Crab Cake Chips!

4)Nate Appleman (nappleman):  Best New Chef of 2009, James Beard winner and walked away from Pulino's in New York to go work for Chipotle. Yeah you heard me right, Chipotle (which I love by the way)! He left for his son. Anyone willing to give it all up for family is tops in my book.

Election is over....Now we eat!!!

    So the election is over and in the state of California one of the most talked about propositions on the ballot was prop 37 "Genetically Engineered Foods Labeling".

   I got up this morning kicked on the news to see that it actually was voted down on. I was quite suprised. For the supporters of this bill it was very straight forward, let us know what is in our food. That was it. It was supported by a union (UFW) and some other organizations.

   People that were against it had a huge list of reason (price hikes for food, effects on farmers, lawsuits...etc). They were concerned about exemptions for some foods and not others. The people that were for "NO" for this bill were Coca-Cola, Nestle and some other major chemical companies (BASF to name one).

   Now that labels are not going to be put on our food by the state what is next...It is really simple. It is our responsibility as consumers to pay attention to what we are buying and eating. Spend the extra money at your farmers market, ask questions of your butcher (find a real butcher). It is not hard to find out what you are putting in your body...Just start paying attention.

    I understand why people wanted to see 37 pass and I thought it was going to, but now it is up to us to take care of ourselves and our families without interuption from the government or big business!!

    Now go eat!
   

My View On Veganism...The Can Is Open!

   So I am going to write this and try to do it without sounding like an ass and being disrespectful to my friends who are vegan.

   I do not support veganism especially as a for of protest. As a healthy lifestyle option if done right I will accept, my boy Burrito has already lost one pant size in less then a month (way to go!!)

   This whole conversation stated when i posted the following quote..."Be a vegan, be vegetarian, but know that you're not actually changing any industry. You're just opting out, not actually supporting small farmers who treat their animals well." -The Ethical Butcher. This is a statement that I actually agree with.

   There are some great farms that are family run that raise there animals in good conscious and when it comes time for slaughter it is done humanely. There are meat markets that are totally sustainable and only sell organic meats and restaurants that support these markets,butcher and farmers.

   Listen I am not talking about shit with Paula Deans overly tanned face on them, I am talking about people that actually care about what they are raising and selling to the public. So then all these vegan "activist" are so against animal cruelty why do they not even give a nod to those who are working hard to things right for those of us who are not vegan.

   Listen I am willing to post vegan recipes here if they are good but this will be the only time I post anything about my view of  being a vegan when it comes to animal rights....Thank you and good night!!

   Bring on the hate!!!

FOODxCORE...Official Fat Boy Meatloaf

   We all grew up eating meatloaf. Good or bad it is a staple of dinner time. This is what I like to call "The Official Fat Boy Meatloaf". The recipe is two parts: the actual meat loaf and the sauce for the meatloaf. It sounds like a lot of work but trust me....well worth it! Like always I hit up my local meat market to get my meat. Nothing is better then meat from a local butcher and meat market!!


Ingredients:
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
1 1/2 lbs. fresh ground beef
1 1/2 lbs fresh chorizo
3 Bacon Slices cut into quarter inch pieces
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp Tapatio
1/2 Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tbsp of creamy style horseradish

Glaze:
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tsp Tapatio
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp of creamy style horseradish

   Preheat your oven 325 dgrees. Beat the eggs and add them to the bread crumbs. Put the ground beef in a large mixing bowl add salt and pepper. Add the chorizo and bacon. Mix lightly. Add the egg and bread crumbs mixture, ketchup, tapatio, Worcestershire sauce and horseradish. Knead the mixture by hand until it all begins to hold together.

   Grab a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, shape the meatloaf by hand. Smoothing the edges and cracks. Place in the middle of the oven.

   Making the glaze is super easy, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl.

   Put a thermometer in the center of the meatloaf for the first 30 minutes or until it reaches 100 degrees. When it hits 100 degrees baste the meatloaf  every 10 minutes until it reaches 145 degrees. When it hits between 145-150 degrees pull out of the over and let it rest for 10 minutes. Whenever I make it I usually make a batch of mashed potatoes. If there is anything left it makes good sandwiches!!

Top Chef Masters...Hope you are watching!!

   Ok so it is time for the new season of Top Chef Master and I hope everyone pays close attention to what the chefs are doing.

    After the first episode of TCM on Twitter Chef Chris Cosentino posted the question "What ingredients did I use in the quick fire challenge?" If you answered the question correctly Chris and Mozo Shoes picked a winner. The winner won a pair of Chef Cosentino;s signature MOZO Kitchen shoes and a signed copy of his book "Beginnings"

   So follow Chef Chris Cosentino @offalchris and also follow MOZO Shoes @MOZO_Shoes just because!!

I need a job in a kitchen so I can wear my new shoes!!

FBxHC Travel Tip!!!

     First I just found out that September 3rd we will see the final season of No Reservations....This makes me sad!

    So this weekend the wife and I took another trip to L.A. and in all reality you guys should not be surprised by this. This trip was not about finding cool food but as a barber I had the chance to participate in a cool promo event with a local LA barbershop. When I got done on Saturday we were trying to figure out what we were going to do for dinner.

Chinatown Summer Night

    When I travel out of town I never eat at restaurants that exist where I live. So this trip I had caught wind that there was a big event in Chinatown called Chinatown Summer Nights. Kung Fu movie blasting on a wall, about 10 food trucks, dj's and craft vendors. Just a super cool event to hang out at (wish I would of  had my girls with me, they would of loved it). Oh yeah, it was free!!!

    So here is my travel tip. You go on holiday to a place that has Disneyland, Magic Mountain or Knott's Berry Farm why are you going to spend your time and money at crappy corporate chain restaurant when there is so much more to the city and surrounding area! Grab a local paper (OC or LA Weekley in So.Cal),check the internet for cool local events or local restaurants and when in doubt ask. Trust me it is worth it!!

    Enjoy your travels and enjoy the city you are visiting.

  

  

   

INK....Another 24 hours in the City of Angels

The only picture I took!

   On one of our last trips to Los Angeles the wife and I went out of our way to eat at Micheal Voltaggio's sandwich joint called Ink.Sack (which is on the same block as INK). Last time we already had dinner reservations at The Playground in Santa Ana so Ink was going to have to wait.

   Last week the wife and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary and due to unforeseen circumstances we really did not do anything, but as soon as a few things cleared up I called down and made a reservation for us. It was kind a late reservation but considering we did not leave the central valley until almost 1 pm on Sunday that was a good call!

   Checked into the Westin at LAX around 5 relaxed for a bit and then headed out. We got to INK a little early so we grabbed a couple of cocktails at the bar while we waited. As we sat with our drinks Micheal Voltaggio is working his own line. The restaurant is laid out with two kitchens the hot kitchen and the cold kitchen (I think the bar tender said "They use a lot of liquid nitrogen in the cold kitchen". Sorry if this is incorrect!)

   When we sat down Beth already new she wanted the scallop dish, but we have decided next time to come with more cash so we can do his tasting menu! Below is exactyle what we ate for dinner:

• hamachi, dashi sponge, soy-yuzu, radish, rice cracker
• baja scallops, egg yolk gnocchi, mushroom hay
• brussels sprouts, pig ears, lardo, apple
• wagyu beef, carrots, tendon, horseradish tofu

   I am going to be honest...this was hands down one of the best meals I have ever had. I think I ate most of the brussel sprout dish, the egg yolk gnocchi was so good (I think this was Beth's favorite dish of the night) and the Wagyu beef was so tender. I wish I could explain how good and odd the hamachi dish was. The menu had three pork items and I wish I could of tried them all (I love pork)

   You will notice there are no pictures, well the reason was...I could not bring myself to be that dude!! I believe that sometimes there is a time and place for busting the phone out and taking picture but I think if you are out at a nice restaurant with your wife for your anniversary you should keep the phone down and so I did.

   My last trip south I had the chance to meet Mr. Voltaggio briefly and he signed my copy of VOLT Ink (which I have read straight thru). As I read the book it made me a big fan of these guys and in the book I found this calculated genuis in the way they looked at the food they prepared. Now that I have had the chance to eat at Ink I am hoping to re-read the book and maybe get a whole new perspective. I told Beth that I would do dishes at Ink if it meant I could learn as much as I could possibly learn.

   Thank you Ink for a great dinner and nice evening!