Welcome to The Jungle

Posted on December 15, 2009 by Val

Pasadena, California
Turtle and kangaroo (Luigi Ortega’s)

This is a kangaroo taco - you could accidently eat this

This is a kangaroo taco - you could accidently eat this

With Pasadena’s Luigi Ortega’s being located directly across the street from Pasadena Community College, you would expect to see a noisy, college hangout. Sandwiches and pizza come as no surprise, nor does the East Coast atmosphere. What usually causes a double-take is the Exotic Menu; a separate menu offers dishes such as Gator Pie (a pizza topped with garlic-marinated alligator) and Ostrich Quesadilla (exactly what it sounds like.) For a nominal fee, you can also substitute ostrich, kangaroo, alligator or turtle for meat items on the regular menu (think cheese steak sandwich with kangaroo.) The concept is simple – blur the lines between a Philly or New York pizza and sub shop with a California taco stand. The logo features caricatures of what we can assume to be Luigi and Ortega – Luigi looking like one those ceramic Italian chef utensil holders and Ortega being a throwback to the politically incorrect days of the Frito Bandito. One of the house specialties is a foreboding-sounding “Dr. Death’s Suicide Pie”, a jalapeño pizza topped with 6 whole habañero peppers ( a good late-night drunken dare menu item). Continue reading →

Posted in Trippy Food (Tasty flora and fauna), USA | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Vampires, Beware!

Posted on December 12, 2009 by Val

Gilroy, California
Gilroy Garlic Festival

Herbie, mascot of The Gilroy Garlic Festival

Herbie, mascot of The Gilroy Garlic Festival

There are several urban legends about Gilroy, California: that you can smell the town before you get to it, and that you can marinate a steak simply by hanging it from a clothesline. Although neither of these is true, Gilroy is renowned for its claim of Garlic Capital of the World, and its annual Garlic Festival. Held the last weekend in July since 1978, the Gilroy Garlic Festival is the brainchild of Dr. Rudy Malone, president of Gavilan College. After hearing about a French festival that drew 80,000 people, Dr. Malone was determined to wrest the title away from the French and bring it to Gilroy, nestled in the green hills of southern Santa Clara County in California. Although they are not the world’s leading producer of garlic, they are probably the most famous, presumably because of the Garlic Festival.

Gilroy Garlic Queen (center) and her court

Should your love of all things garlic convince you to attend the festival, keep in mind that it draws in people from all over the world – it is best to get there early, and when I say early, I mean when the gates open. Local hotels sell out fast, but the drive into Gilroy is picturesque farmland and wild scrub, and not far from the rugged California coast making the journey worth the destination. Admission to the festival is currently around $12, worthwhile just for the sights, sounds and smells. Don’t worry too much about following directions to Christmas Hill Park, for as soon as you get into Gilroy you will hit traffic being diverted to festival parking. The entrance is a short walk from the parking area, but as soon as you arrive you are hit with the smell of food being broiled, fried and otherwise cooked with varying degrees of garlicness.

My advice to you is to hit the garlic ice cream booth first. Trust me on this, by noon the line wends its way across the park and they have been known to run out. There are several booths featuring garlic ice cream, but only one that hands out free garlic ice cream in tiny cones. For some, this is the main draw to the festival – you can get garlic ice cream year round at The Stinking Rose restaurant in either Beverly Hills or North Beach in San Francisco for about $7 bucks, but spend the extra $5 for the Garlic Festival and enjoy the other festivities as well. For you vampires that the mention of garlic ice cream strikes fear into your hearts, fear not – it is truly delicious and worthy of being called dessert. As you bring the soft-serve delight up to your mouth, you get the slight aroma of garlic, but it is not overwhelming. The first bite (or lick) is creamy, smooth and sweet, and after about a minute the light flavor of garlic creeps in, but blends so well with the sweetness that you can’t help finishing it and going back for another.

At the most popular booth, small samples of garlic ice cream are free

Two large centrally located areas of the event are dedicated to vendors’ tents, selling a variety of cooking items and garlic-themed products. Christopher Ranch (one of the biggest sponsors) sells fresh garlic from their booth, and at 25 cents per bulb, you’d be wise to stock up.  At three different stages, live bands perform all day and into the evening; the festival also hires roving performers such as ragtime bands, barbershop quartets, accordion players and other acts worthy of an outdoor festival. The festival historically has been a fundraising event, and a big, metal garlic bulb shoots flame from its top and displays how much money has been raised for charity.

In a small area surrounded by bleachers, chefs challenge each other with garlic-themed cuisine at the Garlic Showdown. The audience gets to watch the teams prepare the food while an MC gives the play by play. Unfortunately the cuisine is judged by a panel, which gets to taste the entries leaving nothing for the spectators. At several other tents with smaller bleachers, chefs perform live cooking demonstrations with liberal amounts of garlic that the small crowds do get to devour with great gusto. Running through the center of the festival is Gourmet Alley – a variety of food is prepared inside a huge tent, with specific items available from booths on either side. At the south end, the Pryo Chefs prepare the food in a manner that is as much about performance as skill. These chefs don’t get the moniker “Pyro Chef” for nothing – their “flameouts” are truly a spectacle to behold, cooking the food over a ball of flame that looks like a small nuclear detonation. Gourmet Alley serves up standard garlic fare such as garlic sausage, chicken and shrimp scampi, stuffed and marinated mushrooms, calamari and garlic bread. For the more adventurous, vendors on the outskirts serve up delicacies such as garlic corn on the cob, popcorn, oysters, crawfish, French fries, alligator, venison, frog legs and tacos. I opted for one from Column A and one from Column B; the garlic stuffed mushrooms from Gourmet Alley were broiled to perfection, being cooked through yet still having “pop” and rich, garlic flavor. The alligator tail chunks from one of the vendors were marinated in garlic, lightly breaded, skewered and fried. They were crisp, slightly chewy and thoroughly delicious. Although many who try alligator state that it “tastes like chicken”, I find the taste and texture closer to veal.

Garlic-marinated alligator on a stick - yum!

After leaving the festival I thought I would check out downtown Gilroy. Monterey Street runs through downtown, but sadly many of the historic structures remain abandoned, some condemned. Many of the Victorian-era homes on the side streets have been beautifully restored, but downtown is in need of rescue. Some of this is in progress – the beautiful 1905 old City Hall building has neared completion of its renovation and will soon host an Asian fusion restaurant, maybe not a fitting fate, but welcome if it keeps the history alive. I stopped off at the house of a cousin who was grilling in the back yard, and said, “I wish I had some garlic!” One of the bulbs from the festival provided the perfect kick for grilled oysters by the pool.

I highly recommend the Gilroy Garlic Festival for the atmosphere (which will have the distinctive aroma of garlic.) Just make sure you bring someone willing to kiss you afterwards!

Gilroy Garlic Festival
Christmas Hill Park
7050 Miller Avenue
Gilroy, California 95020
GPS coordinates:  36°59’49.52″N 121°35’3.86″W

GALLERY: See images of the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California

Posted in Trippy Happenings (Events) | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Florida, Land of The Giant Carnivores

Posted on December 9, 2009 by Val

Islamorada, Florida (World’s Largest Lobster)
Christmas, Florida (World’s Largest Alligator)

The largest spiny lobster returns to the Florida Keys

The largest spiny lobster returns to the Florida Keys

North Dakota is home to a fair number of the world’s largest beasts (at least in sculpture form), but Florida vies for runner-up status with several oversized local carnivores. Two of the more impressive are separated by almost 300 miles of U.S. Route 1 – Betsey (a contender for the title of world’s largest lobster) and Swampy (undeniably the world’s largest alligator).

Betsey was originally commissioned by a Florida restaurant in the 1980s and sculpted by local artist Richard Blaze out of fiberglass and metal. The restaurant went out of business prior to the work being completed, but was purchased by Tom Vellanti for his display outside his Treasure Village shops in Islamorada. Treasure Village itself had an interesting history – it was formerly Art McKee’s Treasure Museum, a place where diver and shipwreck recovery expert Art McKee displayed the treasures reclaimed from the sea. Betsey had stood guard for several decades until Treasure Village’s owner died in 2007; shortly afterwards Treasure Village was converted to a Montessori schooland Betsey was dismantled and stored for sale on eBay.  Early in 2009, Mike Forster (owner of The Rain Barrel Artisan Village across from Treasure Village) purchased Betsey and began rebuilding her across the highway from where she formerly stood. At 35 feet long 25 feet tall, Betsey is a competitor in the category of World’s Largest Lobster, but faces strong competition from a lobster in Shediac, New Brunswick made of reinforced concrete. Although the Shediac lobster is the same length and shorter in height, they may be counting the sculpture’s base in the total size. Regardless, it is safe to say Betsey is the world’s largest spiny lobster, since the Shediac lobster is representative of an American (alternately Maine) lobster. Betsey’s visibility along U.S. Route 1 in the Florida Keys is assured for at least another decade, so don’t start heating the swimming pool and melting a bathtub of butter quite yet.

Swampy the Gator (largest alligator in the world)

Swampy the Gator (largest alligator in the world)

Swampy has little competition for title of the World’s Largest Alligator – the second place entry from Kissimmee’s JungleLand comes up 74 feet short of Swampy’s impressive 200-foot length. Swampy’s birth appears to be shrouded in mystery – Jungle Adventures states he was built in 1992, but some structural alterations were made when JungleLand sued, stating Swampy bore too close a resemblance to their gator. More of a building than a sculpture, Swampy houses Jungle Adventure’s ticket window and offices – tickets for the park are purchased by braving Swampy’s open, toothy mouth. The park has wild animals on display on an island and around the perimeter of a pond filled with alligators. At $20, admission to see animals that can attack you for free in the Everglades may seem a bit pricey, but if your goal is to see Swampy, don’t fret – he stands guard over the parking lot and can be accessed free of charge. Swampy and the park are located in Christmas, Florida, approximately 30 miles east of Orlando, but while you’re there consider visiting the post office. The post office is famous for processing postcards and letters with a “Christmas” post mark – they also have stickers and will ink your hand with a Christmas stamp on request. Seems like the ideal place to mail your postcard of Swampy from.

It is always Christmas at the Christmas, Florida post office

It is always Christmas at the Christmas, Florida post office

When considering a trip to Florida, consider an alternative to the Disney World / Universal Islands of Adventure tourist prison camps and take a driving trip across the real Florida. Stop to see the roadside oddities along the way, have some fried alligator and conch chowder and return home with something besides mouse ears and an empty wallet.

Betsey the Lobster
at The Rain Barrel Artisan Village
86700 Overseas Hwy.
Islamorada, FL 33036
GPS coordinates:  24°57’32.87″N 80°34’16.56″W

Swampy the Gator
at Jungle Adventures Nature Park & Zoo
26205 East Colonial Drive (State Road 50)
Christmas, Florida 32709
GPS coordinates: 28°32’17.51″N  80°58’37.81″W

U.S. Post Office
23580 E. Colonial Drive
Christmas, FL 32709-9771
GPS coordinates: 28°32’9.62″N 81° 1’10.45″W

Posted in Trippy Trips (On the road and overseas, things to see along the way), USA | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Florida, Land of The Giant Carnivores

Address to a Haggis

Posted on December 6, 2009 by Val

Windsor/Slough, Berkshire, UK
Haggis (Waitrose Supermarket)

A delicious Macsween haggis from Waitrose supermarket

A delicious Macsween haggis from Waitrose supermarket

Although I had been to the UK many times before, I had never tried haggis; I seriously felt I was missing out on something. I was in Slough, UK to interview a candidate for an open position in the company I worked for at the time, and mentioned the omission in my list of unusual food after offering him the job. To get to the Slough office, I boarded the Number 81 bus, passing through the Brunel Bus Station (just like on the opening of the British version of “The Office”). For anyone who has not been to Slough, it is a city just east of London that has been appropriately replaced in the NBC version of “The Office” with Scranton, Pennsylvania. William Herschel, the astronomer who discovered Uranus was not born there, but he did die there. It was deemed such a miserable city that the BBC did a mini-series as a social experiment called “Making Slough Happy.” Slough is like a small Midwest industrial city trapped in the 1970s – there’s a Slough Museum on High Street that could take up a tidy little 10 minutes on your lunch break. It is probably best known for the bleak John Betjeman poem, “Slough.”

Haggis - a taste from the pastures of heaven

Haggis - a taste from the pastures of heaven

On one particular day I encountered a gentleman wearing full kilt and regalia while boarding the bus. Looking like an expert in all things Scottish, I asked if he knew a good place in the area to get haggis. Unfortunately he was from Scotland, on his way to Windsor Castle to be honored by Queen Elizabeth on St. George’s Day, and was unaware of where to get haggis locally. I wondered silently why someone on his way to Windsor Castle to be honored by Queen Elizabeth would be taking the Number 81 bus, but I assumed there was a valid reason. We discussed the taste treat on our ride; haggis is traditionally made by mixing ground sheep organs (lungs, liver, heart, etc.) with oatmeal, onions and light spices (particularly black pepper) and then steaming it in a lamb’s stomach (possibly the same lamb who donated the organs). It is designated as the national dish of Scotland (immortalized by the famous Robert Burns poem, “Address to a Haggis”); however, it can be found all over the UK. It is eaten in mass quantities during the Burns Night supper celebrations on January 25 annually. The traveling Scotsman suggested that if I truly wanted to have haggis in traditional style, it should be eaten with “neeps and tatties” (turnip and potatoes, although I won’t even tell you what I was thinking that meant). He also suggested I “take a wee dram” (a small glass of fine Scotch) alongside, but the trick at hand seemed to be finding the elusive haggis. I don’t recall if he suggested wearing a kilt while eating it, but I left mine in my other suitcase.

Haggis, neeps and tatties at Buchanan Arms in Burbank CA

Haggis, neeps and tatties at Buchanan Arms in Burbank CA

By the end of the week I was convinced that my search for haggis was not going to bear fruit (or meat). On Thursday I planned lunch with the UK staff, and the new hire joined us. Nigel (what a great British name) arrived at the office with a bag from the Waitrose supermarket and handed it to me; inside were two haggis (haggi? hagisses?) that were pre-cooked and ready to microwave and enjoy. The company that makes the haggis (Macsween) cooks it traditionally, but in a non-organic skin rather than a sheep stomach. Although a haggis in an artificial skin heated in the microwave sounds like the farthest thing from traditional, it was a close as I had the opportunity to try. The taste was amazing, rich, earthy and flavorful. It was like a stout liver meatloaf, and I mean that in the best way. The strong flavor of the sheep organs were slightly subdued by the sweetness imparted by the oatmeal; the onions, pepper and spices gave it just the right amount of zest. It was a meal that brought to mind images of home and hearth, eating by the fire in a windswept Scottish cottage. I wanted to stand on the roof of the office tower and yell, “Freedom!” for all to hear (ala William Wallace), but I thought the citizens of Slough might think I was leading a helicopter exodus.

Stahy canned haggis, available in the U.S. (sans lungs)

Stahy canned haggis, available in the U.S. (sans lungs)

Just the name “haggis” conjures up images of some creature emanating from the murky depths of some Scottish loch, and the description doesn’t do the taste justice. If you have the opportunity to try it, overcome your fear and scoop up a rich forkful of Scotland’s favorite. If you like dirty rice, picture that flavor with four legs and multiply by 10, and you get somewhat of the idea of how haggis tastes. An old Scottish saying states, “He was a bold man who first ate a Haggis” – be the bold man (or woman) that gives it a try.

Waitrose Supermarket
37 King Edward Court
Windsor, Berkshire, SL4 1TF, UK
GPS coordinates: 51°28’54.87″N  0°36’38.75″W

GALLERY: See more images of haggis Val has eaten

Read blog article of Val attending a Burns Supper

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Pie Are Round, Not Square

Posted on December 3, 2009 by Val

Canoga Park, California
KCRW’s 1st Annual Good Food Pie Contest (Westfield Topanga Mall)

A chicken eye view of the pie judging in progress

A chicken eye view of the pie judging in progress

Friend and fellow food blogger Eddie Lin posted on his blog (Deep End Dining) that he was going to be one of the judges of the 1st Annual Good Food Pie Contest (an all around optimistic title.) The nature of the contest wasn’t completely clear – visions of sugarplum pies danced in my head, then were hurled into someone’s face; I also envisioned a pie eating contest (always fun if a contestant overdoes it and causes a chain reaction of sympathy blowing of the groceries.) After reading through the information I deduced that this was a pie making contest and the only ones who had the potential of projectile vomiting were the judges, including food writers, bloggers and chefs. The real draw for me was the tantalizing come-hither of free pie (the crowd gets to devour the winners and losers). I could only imagine the diversity of pastry oddities contestants might come up with.

I could grab a pie and be past The Gap before they noticed

When I arrived at the Westfield Topanga Mall’s food court, a huge crowd was gathered around the velvet ropes, paper plates and plastic forks in hand. The contest had already started, and so I joined the crowd in eager anticipation of the names of the winning pies (who cares who baked them – tell us about those rich, decadent pies!) Judging was already underway, and it looked like the bakers, judges and crowd were all having a great time – hopefully KCRW will be able to pull off a 2nd Annual Good Food Pie Contest next year. I watched the slow process of tasting and judging – Eddie was taking sips of water in between forkfuls, presumably to assist in the pie consumption. I said a brief hello, but his face gave away that he was more stuffed than the animals mounted on the wall at the Buckhorn Exchange in Denver. I stood in eager anticipation while the winners and their creations were announced in different categories by Evan Kleiman, Master of Ceremonies and host of KCRW’s Good Food program and blog. I kept waiting – where was the durian pie? Certainly someone made kidney pie? Oh, the horror! Apple, pumpkin, chocolate cream, Boston crème – no! This can’t be (well, they did look good)!  My ears perked up at chicken tarragon, but that was as risqué as it got. Finally the winner (Barbara Treves) was announced – for her apple pie.

The sweet, meaty goodness of duck pie

As promised, once the awards were given out, the flood gates were opened and a swarm of plastic fork-waving villagers stormed the pies like the general admission crowd at a Cincinnati Who concert. To be fair, the pie vultures were civilized and polite; I scanned the tables for something off the beaten path (or had been pulled off of it dead), but pie after luscious pie seemed to be made with the most traditional of ingredients. My reputation would not allow me to have a thick, sweet slab of prize-winning strawberry rhubarb, regardless of how mouthwatering delicious and flaky it looked, so I stood on the sidelines and caught up with Eddie. I asked how he was holding up and he said he felt like he was going to burst, adding that drinking the water in between helped keep all that pie down.

We talked for a few minutes and a friend of his walked up with a pie covered in foil. She stated that nobody seemed to have an interest in it, and that she was taking her duck pie home. I had to confirm what I heard; “Excuse me – did you say DUCK pie?” I sheepishly extended my paper plate and asked for a slice. She suggested I take a slice from the un-mangled side of the pie, and there it sat on the plate, layers of orange, tan and brown sandwiched between a golden crust like some beautiful sedimentary rock formation. In went the fork and then a complex wave of flavor hit me. Duck can have a strong, almost sour taste, but the waterfowl in this pie was ground and took control of the bottom layer without the strong taste normally associated with duck. I deduced that the orange layer was sweet potato (it didn’t have the consistency or taste of pumpkin) and it added a sweetness that perfectly contrasted the duck. I thought to myself that this would be the perfect pie to serve on Thanksgiving – you could have your meal and desert at the same time. Come to think of it, warm, tart cranberries on top would be a nice touch. I was totally in my comfort zone, quietly enjoying this unusual pie, and I complemented the baker on her creation.

Perhaps I’ll enter a pie next year, if for nothing else to hear a judge say, “Excuse me – are those ears sticking out of the crust?”

Westfield Topanga Mall
6600 Topanga Canyon Blvd
Canoga Park, CA 91303
GPS coordinates:  34°11’24.13″N 118°36’12.32″W

GALLERY:  See images of KCRW’s 1st Annual Good Food Pie Contest

See Eddie Lin’s Deep End Dining post on the pie contest

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