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Tag Archives: Beef

Sandwich meats and beyond – Sprouts

29 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by yummcha in American Food, Food, Lifestyle

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Beef, Cold cut, Cooking, Food, Home, Meat, Roast beef, Sandwiches

“That was the juiciest, most delicious, succulent, bestest roast beef I have ever tasted!” With such eager enthusiasm that I have not seen in him for a long time in regards to food, my son exclaimed excitedly.

I think that I might had forced him to listen to me describing the food in my blog a bit too much.Was it actually that good? I tore a small piece and proceeded to taste it. He was right. There is a very wholesome, natural flavor to this meat. The seasoning is appropriate and not uncomfortably salty as other sandwich meats tend to be. The beef is moist, smooth, and a tad pink. Most importantly, the beef looks and tastes undeniably fresh, because it is. The deli meats are cut each day on premise, and wrapped with cellophane, and sold by weight. The best part for me is the fact there is no nitrates in the roast beef and the turkey that I buy – research has shown that sodium nitrates are linked to increased cancer risks.

This was the first time trying the roast beef. I have been purchasing the turkey breast there for over a year. Prior to discovering the turkey, I was buying the ones without preservatives at Trader Joe’s. The main difference is that the ones here at Sprouts are cut daily, in thicker slices, instead of the paper thin, overly processed unnatural looking ones at TJ.

Some days, when I am feeling lazy, I would just serve some of these deli meats with some brown rice and sliced cucumbers to my son for dinner. The reason I don’t just make a sandwich in the evening is because somehow the dinner meal seems more legit, more presentable, more like I did something when rice is served along side.

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There is also a low sodium version of the turkey breast, which is my preferred choice. In addition to turkey, roast beef, there are ham, roasted chicken, mesquite turkey, etc. Be sure to check the labels though, since there are quite a few varieties with preservatives.

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To go with the sandwich meats, I find that the Alpine Valley Organic breads are absolutely addictive. I tried the Multi grain, 12 grain w/Omega-3, Nine grain, they are all uncommonly moist, wonderfully chewy, with a bit of sweetness. Just as good, but slightly cheaper are the Sprouts sandwich breads,  with similar textures and taste. I almost never eat the crust on any sandwich breads, but obsessed with the fabulous chewiness of the multi-grain version, and the sunflowers seeds that are scattered all over the soft and malleable crust, I find myself just eating the entire plain slices of the bread continuously throughout the day.

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Another reason to shop at Sprouts, is the bulk bins. There are so many fun and tempting choices, such as the assorted types of nuts, seeds, grains, dried fruits, and best of all, different milk and dark chocolate covered fruits and nuts, and my favorite – chocolate covered espresso beans. The bitterness and the hard crunch of the coffee bean is a perfect balance for the sweet candy coating. The unique hotness of the wasabi coated edamame gives a surprising kick to your taste buds and provides a bizarre stimulation to the nasal passages.

fruits

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The Produce department always have unbeatable specials on seasonal fruits and vegetables, such as the pop-in-your-mouth, fruitiest tasting organic grape tomatoes, as well as the sweetest blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, all for $1.50/dry pint this week. Raw meat selections such as the organic chicken drum sticks, Old Tyme organic beef, and the natural pork chops are all excellent in quality.

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Sprouts:  1515 Hawthrone Blvd. Redondo Beach, CA 90278  Phone: 424-903-7028

See Sprouts website for other locations.

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Seongbukdong – Great Galbijjim!

25 Thursday Jul 2013

Posted by yummcha in Food, Korean Food

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Beef, Food, Galbijjim, Gimbap, Los Angeles, Mackerel, Meat, Short ribs

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The phone rang. “Hello,…”. “…, do you want to try that place with the beef ribs and mackerel?” “You mean Seongbukdong?”

It was Wednesday morning, and I had just finished my morning cereal when my friend suggested trying this place known for the Galbijjim (steamed beef short ribs) and Braised Mackerel. Why not, life is short, and one should enjoy whenever possible.

Almost a mandatory stop whenever I go to Koreatown, I made my way over to the Koreatown Galleria Market to get some Gimbap, seaweed snacks, Persian cucumbers before heading over to the restaurant. Since Cake House was just right across the market, I got some ham and cheese croissants, corn muffin and some vegetable rolls for snacking later on.

The restaurant sat in a small strip mall, and I would have drove right past it if I had not seen a photo of the store front prior. Fortunately, there were quite a few parking spaces left in this tiny lot when I pulled up.

There were some empty tables when I walk in, and I wasted no time in ordering. “Steamed beef short ribs and braised mackerel, please”, I said to the waitress. She pointed to some photos from some newspaper clippings posted on the wall next to my table to confirm the order. “Yes”, I reassured her of my orders.

The Beef short ribs arrived – a little anxious that it might not meet my expectations. Incroyable! (Incredible, I mean) Not only was the beef unequivocally succulent, luscious, and remarkably tender, but one could even taste the essence of the meat itself because of its freshness and quality. Though the sweetness of the sauce is slightly more than I would have preferred, I still managed to devour most of the meat in the small pot, leaving my companion scrounging the left over bones for more meat.

mackerelWith its oiliness and strong “fishy” taste, the mackerel itself is already an extraordinary flavorful fish. The addition of the kimchee, peppers and radishes to the Brasied Mackerel enhanced that richness of the fish without overpowering it. At some restaurants, the texture of the cooked mackerel could be a bit tough at times, but the mackerel here still managed to retain some moistness. It would have been even more satisfying if there were more than just the three small pieces of mackerel in that pot.

I was not entirely full after the meal, perhaps that would leave me wanting to come back again sooner for more.

Seongbukdong: 3303 W. 6th St. Los Angeles, CA 90020  Phone: 213-738-8977

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Genwa Korean BBQ- Best of All Worlds

23 Sunday Jun 2013

Posted by yummcha in Food, Korean Food

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Beef, Bibimbap, Bulgogi, Galbi, Korean barbecue, Los Angeles, Meat, Wilshire Boulevard

genwa

Back in the carefree days of my senior year in college, my friend and I would venture out to Koreatown at least once or twice a week to have a barbeque dinner at The Corner Place. She would always ordered the Galbi (marinated beef short ribs), while I persisted with my Bulgogi (marinated beef). We had such a wonderful time wrapping the meat with the lettuce, adding the different varieties of bachan (side dishes) to the wraps and devouring everything in sight. One might have thought we were starving art students.

The only complaint I had those days was that once we came outside, got into the car, I could smell the smoke and sweat on my T-shirt and on my hair, pretty much all over. As I arrived home, I had to make the difficult decision of whether or not to wash my hair even though it was not my normal hair washing day.

Fast-forward to present day at Genwa. Imagine my relief and joy when I realized that I will no longer have to suffer neither the inhalation of the smoke, nor the lingering odor, when I do decide to have a good Korean barbeque – actually, I meant to say the best Korean bbq.

The modern interior with the contemporary wooden furnishings is quite atypical of Korean barbeque restaurants in LA. There is a full bar along one side of the restaurant. The service was impeccable, the attentive young waiters patiently answered all my questions about the menu, and later even asked if we wanted any refills when the dishes became empty. I was impressed.

The twenty or so tiny dishes of bachan were spread around the “smokeless grill”. I was excited and ready to try each and everyone of them. Luckily there were only two of us at the table; I could not imagine a big party sharing such tiny portions of the side dishes despite the abundance of varieties.

We ordered the Prime Galbi (marinated prime short ribs) and the Vegetable Bibim-Bap (mixed rice with vegetables). There are set courses that one can order for 2 to 5 people that come with a House salad, and choices of items which might include Soon Tofu, or Japchae (a clear noodle stir fried w/vegetables and beef), or Kimchee Jigae (kimchee stew), and varieties of different meat.

The prices are not cheap, but the quality of the meat is superb. The prime short rib slices were definitely well-marbled, and the texture could not have been more tender, it absolutely melted  in my mouth. For someone like me who don’t consume much beef anymore, I certainly did not hold back with this meal. I also adored these thinly sliced radishes that one can wrap the meat in, it seemed to help in balancing the fattiness of the beef.

The Bibimbap was served in a sizzling stone pot mixed at the table . The flavors and consistencies are similar to most of ones I tried else where. It was not as impressive as the meat dish.

Genwa Korean BBQ: 5115 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90036   Phone: 323-549-0760

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