BREAKING: DeathbedFood® is selling gourmet popcorn!  I’m super excited to announce that DeathbedFood® has partnered with Chef Dakota Weiss to offer Chef Dakota POP©, a new gourmet, artisanal flavored popcorn dreamed up by Chef Dakota. Our first flavor is called “Toffee Turmoil©”! Sweet and savory, it combines an exotic mixture of caramel, curry, smoked pistachios and Hobbs’ bacon … though bacon and/or nuts are optional.

This is an exciting new chapter for DeathbedFood®.  For almost two years now (time flies!), I’ve been sharing news about my ah-mazing food and wine adventures.  It’s been quite a time, filled with lots of joy, some trauma (“Why, Hello Technology. Nice to meet you – NOT.“) and tons of personal growth.  I’ve often equated it to having the child I never had …

“Oh, it’s 22 months old now!”

“Tons of work but don’t know what I’d do without it.”

“Yup, I feel guilty all the time – should be blogging more – but it’s just part of me now.”

“Yeah, I struggle to get some ‘alone time’ to just read a (non food) book or see a (non food) movie …”

Still, there’s been something missing: Meaning.

For two years, I’ve been questioning what it’s really about.  Was it just about what I’ve eaten or the loss of Bandera’s Mac & Cheese?  NO – and Chef Dakota helped me discover that.  It began in February when I waxed poetic about her popcorn, gushing:

Dakota makes almost nothing BUT DeathbedFood® at NINETHIRTY Restaurant at the W Westwood.  How can I say that?  Because she hands out snacks such as her “Curry Toffee Popcorn with Bacon & Smoked Pistachios” … Wowza!  And because every time I try one of her menus there, I’m transformed – inspired with DEEP THOUGHTS.  This time, a moment of clarity came to me during dinner about the DeathbedFood® brand … what it’s really about … that, simply, it’s that I’m meant to share my food joy.

At that moment, I knew what my real purpose was: to share the joy.  And I knew I just HAD to sell that popcorn.  As Chief POPpusher for Chef Dakota POP©, I’ll put my almost two decades of sales and marketing experience to excellent use – with DeathbedFood® serving as the distribution company for the brand (see, Mom and Dad? That MBA was worth it!).

Dakota Weiss, Chef POPologist

Meantime, Dakota is the phenomenal culinary talent.  As the Chef POPologist, she will be crafting the artisanal popcorn on a made-to-order basis.  What makes her so good?  For starters, she’s Executive Chef for the W Los Angeles and Choice Hospitality – and has competed on Bravo’s Top Chef in Season 9.  Plus, just check out where and who she’s worked with, including:

• The James Beard nominated Chef Jeff Drew at Coyote Café in Santa Fe, New Mexico;
• The Ritz-Carlton including the Ritz-Carlton in Atlanta where she working with Chef Bruno Menard (currently cooking up a storm in Singapore)
• Jer-ne Restaurant and Bar at the Ritz-Carlton in Marina Del Rey;
• Sunset Tower Hotel’s Tower Bar;
• Stephen Starr (Founder of STARR Restaurant Group and recipient of numerous awards including Restaurateur of the Year 2005 by Bon Appetit) having helped him open Parc Restaurant in Philadelphia;
• Hotel Shangri-La in Santa Monica; and
• W Los Angeles currently.

While we’re starting with the one flavor, Toffee Turmoil©, Chef Dakota will be crafting new, sure-to-be mind-blowing flavors shortly.  Meantime, Toffee Turmoil© is available in multiple sizes and two types of packaging (boxes and jars) to provide joy for snacking, gifts, parties and more (and, by the way, I’m confident will pair well with your favorite beer or wine as well!).

So where can you get Toffee Turmoil©?  Right now on our website, ChefDakotaPOP.com, where you can purchase it with FREE SHIPPING using “Pay with Amazon” to securely purchase it online. Alternatively, you may call us (213-545-6951) or email us (customerservice@ChefDakotaPOP.com) – but, if you call or email, please don’t leave your personal credit card or billing information – we’ll get that from you when we speak with you.

And remember: Toffee Turmoil© is an artisanal food … that means Chef Dakota cooks it to order. Please allow 2 – 3 working days for her to make it for you – we’ll then ship it to you via 2-day delivery to ensure freshness. So please be patient … I personally promise it’ll be worth it!

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Concluding my Jose Andres Washington DC tour after Oyamel and Jaleo was Zaytinya, his homage to Turkish, Greek and Lebanese cuisine. Well, truth be told, it didn’t really conclude it … after Zaytinya, I made a quick stop by barmini (the bar next to his minibar restaurant – I know, confusing?) … and then just had to fit in one more visit to both Jaleo (for lunch) and Zaytinya (for dinner) before leaving town.  So, with all that, I tweeted that I unlocked the Jose Andres badge (to which @chefjoseandres agreed!).

From The Zaytinya Menu (Isn’t everything about storytelling?)

What struck me was that the experience was very much like what I’d had in Montreal and New York at Milos, the very high end Greek restaurant chain that’s known for incredible seafood.  More accurately, while Zaytinya’s food was on a similar level to Milos’, there were several advantages Jose Andres’ venue brought – more menu items, livelier atmosphere, friendlier and more approachable service, and lower prices.  All very welcome!

So, let’s cut to The DeathbedFood then, shall we?  While all we tried was phenomenal, the unquestionable DeathbedFood was the “Keftedes Kapama” (beef and lamb meatballs with feta, rustic tomato sauce, cinnamon and allspice).  The combination of lamb and cinnamon made these truly spectacular.  Sorry there’s no photo but they were devoured so fast, I didn’t know what hit me.

There were other DBF contenders too: (1) Grilled Mediterranean Octopus – among the most tender ever; (2) Crispy Brussels to die for – flash fried for what must have been a second to create the lightest ever decadence; and (3) Ouzo Battered Trout – just take a look at that photo below!

Really, the only problem at Jose Andres restaurants appears to be how difficult it is to work your way through the menu.  This visit, I didn’t even make it to dessert.  Crazy, right?!  Oh well, maybe next trip … or maybe I should just move to DC so I can conquer all of his menus?  Or, maybe, Jose, you should just open a Zaytinya here in LA?  Personally, I vote for that option!

Meantime, at least we have the photos …

Grilled Mediterranean Octopus ($14) – with yellow split pea puree

Crispy Brussels ($8.50) – with coriander seed, garlic yogurt

Seared Sea Scallops ($12)

Ouzo Battered Trout Skordalia ($9)

From The Dessert Menu … Enticing!

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After dinner at Oyamel, stop #2 of our Jose Andres Washington DC tour was Jaleo for lunch.

The Bull Awaits At Jaleo

Here’s a tip: When you make a reservation, ask for a corner table near the front … private via rows of long beads, there are two of these rooms in the house.  With background decor as below, it’s among the best seating at any restaurant I’ve seen …

The Corner Table Rocks

Getting started, who knew that Spain loves gin?  That was news to me – and music to my ears since gin is my new favorite.  I mean, isn’t Hendrick’s Gin & Tonic the new Cosmo?

Gin & Tonics: London Dry and Herbal – each $14

At Jaleo, we ordered two different Gin & Tonics to get a “flavor” for what they offer – Herbal (coriander blossom, lemon, lime) and the London Dry (grapefruit, mint, lemon and white pepper).  While you can’t go wrong with the beautiful Herbal, I’d recommend the London Dry as it’s a world apart from anything else.  Not even looking like a Gin & Tonic, it’s absolutely among the finest cocktails I’ve sampled.

Now, on to the Jaleo highlight for me – the Ferran Adria liquid olives …

Ferran Adria Liquid Olives $1.50 each

Having been a fan of El Bulli – and wishing I had eaten there (see “IWIAAEB – I Wish I Ate At El Bulli), I’m also a Ferran Adria groupie – longing for the day when I could sample just one of his molecular gastronomy creations.  Well, at Jaleo, that day came with lunch and the liquid olives which literally explode in your mouth.  More intense than actual olives, I definitely prefer these!

Of course, we had to order a few cones …

La Serena Cheese Cone ($2) and Salmon Tartare / Trout Roe Cone ($4)

Reminding me of The French Laundry (always a good thing), we sampled the “Cono de La Serena con membrillo” (La Serena cheese and quince paste) cone as well as the “Cono de salmon crudo con huevas de trucha” (salmon tartare and trout roe). Both lovely starts to a meal.

Highly recommended, we also ordered the “Pan de cristal con tomate” …

pan de cristal con tomate $8.50

Toasted slices of crispy bread – flown in from Barcelona (with more water than flour) – brushed with fresh tomato. XO!

Mushroom fans, we tried the “Setas al ajillo con Cana de Cabra” …

Sauteed Mushrooms $8

Translated, that’s sauteed mushrooms with cana de cabra cheese (a very subtle goat’s milk cheese) potato puree.  A little rich for lunch for who’s going to worry about that, right?

And how can you NOT order ham when at a Spanish tapas restaurant – especially Jaleo?

All three jamones $25

In our case, we ordered the “Three Jamones” … “acorn-fed Iberico”?  I’m in.

Meantime, if given a chance, I’m gonna go sea urchin …

sea urchin $4

Translated in Spanish, the “Erizos de mar con pipirrana” was one of my favorites – sea urchin with diced peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and trout roe.

Finally, the main problem with Jose Andres restaurants it seems is that they simply have SO many dishes on the menu.  Granted, they’re small, but it’s still impossible to sample a good proportion.  In our case, we had to wrap up by barely touching on selections from only the first two of four menu pages – going with our server’s favorite tapa: sweet red pepper confit …

sweet red pepper confit $9

What sold me on trying this was our server’s enthusiasm over its topping of Iberico ham fat.  Iberico ham + fat?  Please.  This dish was a great way to end our first Jaelo DC experience.

So, with two Jose Andres DC visits down, what next?  Zaytinya!  Stay tuned.

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When I found out I was going to Washington DC recently, my first thought was, “Jose Andres restaurants!”  With that, I planned to make the most use of the time by visiting as many of them as possible which included Oyamel one night, Jaleo for lunch and Zaytinya for dinner the next day.  Starting my food tour with Oyamel was a good move as they delivered on their promise to provide: “The real flavors of Mexico, elevated.”

But first, let’s talk service.  Because as important as good food is, it can’t be DeathbedFood as a dining experience if the service isn’t there.  And Jose Andres sure appears to know how to do service.  In each Jose property we visited, the staff could not have been more flexible.  At Oyamel, for instance, we changed our party size at the last minute from 3 to 9 (which they graciously accepted) … then, upon arriving, we changed it back to 3 (which they also graciously rolled with).  Our server there (as at Jaleo and Zaytinya) was exceptionally knowledgeable – impressive, with a small plate restaurant which has 60 or more dishes on the menu!

So, on to the food.  Not to waste any time, let’s cut to the DeathbedFood!  The Papas Al Mole …

Papas Al Mole, $5.50

… Pro-Poutine, I’m becoming somewhat of a Poutine connoisseur.  I deem these fries, covered in a mole poblano sauce of almonds, chilis and chocolate, to be DeathbedFood Poutine.

It’s always nice to try something totally new.  For me, that was Baby Cactus Salad …

Baby Cactus Salad, $7.50

… while gorgeous, I’m thinking cactus may be an acquired taste.  Its slimy texture takes getting used to.

Meantime, Jose Andres always seems to deliver on the cocktail front.  I’ve had a few samples at The Bazaar in LA so I was excited to try their Oyamel Margarita …

Oyamel Margarita (Jose’s Favorite), $12

… made with milagro blanco tequila, triple sec, lime and ‘salt air’ (foam), it’s easy to see why this is Jose’s favorite.  The salt foam should be mandatory on all margaritas!

Paired with the margarita, the Ceviche de peje-sol (Hawaiian Sunfish with Avocado) was a wonderful start to the meal …

Ceviche of Hawaiian Sunfish with Avocado, $11

… the roasted corn nuts were like crumbled Fritos on top – a nice complement to the otherwise smooth textures.

In many restaurants, as the saying goes, you can judge quality by the salad.  In Mexican ones, I think the same holds true for the guacamole.  Oyamel’s guac was exceptional …

Oyamel Guacamole, Made At The Table. $13.50

…  made at the table, this guac with serrano chili really popped.

Finally making it to the second side of the extensive menu, we tried the Camarones al mojo de ojo negro …

Shrimp with Sweet Aged Black Garlic, $10

… sauteed with chili, poblano pepper, lime and sweet aged black garlic, these babies were among the best shrimp I’ve had anywhere.

And dessert, Sweet Potato Flan …

Sweet Potato Flan, $7.50

… really nice as the sweet potato added substance not usually found in flan.  Plus, it was served with apple sorbet which cut through the richness and tamarind, a spice often associated with Southeast Asian cooking but which is also popular in Mexico.

So, Jose, thanks for an ah-mazing meal.  But I have just one request: PLEASE open an Oyamel in LA as I know your “elevated” Mexican cuisine would be much appreciated there!

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I’m super excited to be attending my very first Dirty Kitchen Experience (“DKE”) in the Washington, D.C. this Saturday, April 20th.  Why?  Because I’m told Frank Solivan is The Man when it comes to delivering on both the food AND music fronts.

This Saturday’s evening will begin with a three-course meal prepared by Frank, including:

• Frank’s famous caprese salad featuring fresh mozzarella from Blue Ridge Dairy;
• Handmade meatballs from local farms served with saffron risotto, shaved fennel and arugula with toasted pistachios – paired with a delightful Cabernet Franc from Virginia’s Ox Eye Vineyards or a brew from local Port City Brewery; and
• Frozen custard (by definition, DeathbedFood in my book!) with fruit compote.

Frank Solivan

Then the music … his show will feature songs from their new project, On the Edge, (Nashville label, Compass Records). All guests will receive a signed copy of the CD, ten days in advance of the official release date.

Here, check him out jamming!

Again, the event is this Saturday, April 20th, from 7:00pm – 10:30 pm. $125, per person.  You may purchase tickets here: http://www.instantseats.com/index.cfm?r=911A&fuseaction=buy.event&eventID=4B50E5BE-FDF3-B74D-8D93698BBFBCECE8.  Hope to see you!  And if I don’t, stay tuned for my behind-the-scenes coverage on Twitter @DeathbedFood.

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Melissa McCarthy Presenting Her Business (Photo: Serious Eats)

Who doesn’t love some good food humor these days? This week, Saturday Night Live hit it with Melissa McCarthy who applied for a small business loan for her “pizza business” – pizza eating that is!  Eater and Serious Eats both enjoyed …

Applying for Pizza Business Loan (Photo: Eater)

And who can blame her?  She was inspired by the best-selling business book, “Do What You Love, The Money Will Follow“.  But did she really read it?

Regardless, SNL food humor is always welcome in my world.  Equally funny was her opening where she so perfectly mocked the world of High Heel Hell (I feel your pain, girl!).

And, finally, if you still have the episode on DVR, check out her Honey Baked Ham “presentation”.  Too funny.

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A foodie to the core, I’ve said exactly that throughout my entire adult life when I’ve lucky enough to have had ah-mazing food or wine.

It’s become so ingrained in my vocabulary that, naturally, I thought I invented the term. Well, that was until I told my parents that I’m doing a food blog and had the epiphany to call it “DeathbedFood®.” My Dad then informed me that he actually invented the term. My first post (“DeathbedFood: The Super New Untold Story … An Anthropological Look” tells it best). In any case, thanks Dad, the true Founder of DeathbedFood®!

So what is DeathbedFood®? It’s all about Celebrating Food & Wine To Die For … food or wine so good, that if you had it today, you could die happy tomorrow. Dining experiences, Chefs, restaurants, or food trends – anything that could make you say, “OMG! This is DeathbedFood®!“

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