Holiday Bites: Top Gift Ideas for Your Fav Foodie / Jetsetter 2016

The holidays are officially upon us again. If you procrastinated like I did and are now scrambling wondering what to get the food / drink lover in your life, here are some ideas that may have you going PayPal credit to enable double-downs (my gifting philosophy when it comes to cool foodie items seems to default to: one for you, one for me ;)).

All gifts are under $150, and where scaled options or deals / discounts are available, I have noted them below each product description.

1. For the Multi-tasking Overachiever / Cocktail Enthusiast / Closet Alcoholic

Photo credit: Pickeringsgin.com

For the overachiever never content with focusing on 'one thing at a time': give the gifts that do double duty: decorative and functional at the same time, like these ornaments filled with craft / high end spirits that are sure to lift theirs.


Bonus tip:  if your recipients are local, bring them a mini Rosemary tree from your local tree lot or grocer, to hang their ornaments on, and they will be able to use the tree to enhance their mixology experiments this holiday.

Buy from: 

• Gin filled: pickeringsgin.myshopify.com 30 pounds

  

  Photo credit: BoozyChristmas' Etsy page

• Bourbon: Woodford Reserve, Bulleit and many others by BoozyChristmas from Etsy.com $14

2. For the Cubicle Warrior Foodie

Add a little bit of fun to any office setting, with items sure to get foodies over their morning - afternoon slumps and into the bright beacon of lunch hour / dinner time.

Mix and match the below according to your recipient's fav cuisines and to fit your budget.

Bonus tip: Papyrus has this amazing birthday card topped by pieces of 3D plastic nigiri that you could repurpose with a little bit of craftiness as a holiday card to complete the set!

Buy from:

• Ikura sushi thumb tacks by Maki Tacks: Amazon.com $19.65
• Sushi memo pads: whiterabbitjapan.com $19.20
• Sushi shaped erasers: Amazon.com 
• Sushi / hamburger / watermelon USB memory sticks: Newegg.com $17.25 
• Sushi greeting card: Papyrus $9.95

3. For the Coco for Coconuts / Fresh Fruit Fanatic



Love fresh coconut water straight from the shell, but afraid of hacking off a finger or two with that meat cleaver? With this brilliant tool kit, you can gift that coconut fan the gift of DIY, safely - just place the round shaped metal tool over the top of the coconut and mallet it down to break through the shell, in a shape perfect for putting a straw (and maybe an umbrella) through and also to scoop out that luscious coconut meat after. And save them from having to feed their addiction at Whole Foods with their whole paycheck (and waiting for someone from the produce department to open the coconut for you).


Buy from: Coco-jack.com 

• Deluxe pack: $88.95 includes complete kit of everything you need to serve up a freshly cracked young coconut: one each of Coco Jack, mallet, scoop tool, noodler tool, mat, baby brush, sack and two coco sippers.
• Coco Jack pack: $49.95 includes base kit of one Coco Jack, mallet, scoop and sack
 

 

4. For the Jetsetting Foodie Always in Search of Next Taste Adventure

Pull together a travel / food themed care package to fuel that wanderlust throughout the year with inspiration.

• Lonely Planet magazine - one year subscription to stories from the most adventure filled locations in the world to give them ideas for their next trip
• World Map necklace - let them wear their heart (and mind) on their sleeve close to heart with a lovely world map silhouette cast in gold
• Scratch off map - for the globetrotter to mark where they have been, and easily see what remaining ground they need to cover
• Try the World - subscription box off food finds from a new country every month.  Can include ingredients with recipes, gourmet snacks, drinks - whatever treasures their curators find and pull together for your lucky recipient that month.  Occasionally they will even have special edition releases where highlights from different countries on the same theme will be offered, like this month's holiday edition with buttery toffees from South Africa and date spread from Israel.

Buy from:

• Lonely Planet magazine: lonelyplanet.com 4 issues for $8 
• World Map necklace: modcloth.com $19.99
• Scratch off map: uncommongoods.com $
• Food subscription box: trytheworld.com $39 for single box, $105 for three months subscription [Deal alert: 15% off all gifts this month - use promo code DEC15]

5. For the Black Truffle Enthusiast

What's more beautiful in this world to a foodie than a fragrant black truffle? 

Pair it with dark chocolate and you have this pun-and-foodie worthy treat from Urbani, the most esteemed and prolific distributor of European truffles and truffle products in the world.

And if you have the gumption to chase it down, there is an all natural Périgord-truffle infused vodka that is distilled five times and triple filtered, very elusive in the US that could be amazing for a truffle lover to add to their collection (see buy from details below).

Buy from:

• Black truffle chocolate truffle: Eataly $14.80
• Black Moth truffle vodka: extremely limited distribution in the US, currently only noted as sold at Pemberton Fine Wines & Spirits in Vegas (contact them directly for details, or ask your local fine wines & spirits store how to get a hold of this)

6. For the Holiday Enthusiast Foodie (Who Just.Can't.Wait.For.Every.Day.In.December.)

Let them countdown to Christmas...with a daily dose of their favorite food or beverage from wine to beer to chocolate.

These lovely gift boxes have a compartment to be opened for each day in December til Christmas, with a surprise behind each. (Because I was so late to finish this post, at this point these gifts are probably on sale price which means your recipient gets to drink / eat a LOT all at once :P, or savor it past holiday as the gifts that keep on giving)

The Vinebox is an especially fun one for single wine enthusiasts who want variety but don't want to open and waste good wine in giant bottles that can never be finished on their own: their brilliant 12 Day *by the glass* advent calendar includes:

• 12 individual glasses of wine hand-curated for the holiday season
• Includes Burgundy, Barolo, Bordeaux and more
• Holiday-themed tasting notes and pairings

Hotel Chocolat Advent calendar in dark, milk and white chocolate:  yes, there are hotels built entirely built around the celebration of chocolate, and yes, they sell chocolate advent calendars.  Sweet dreams... :)


Buy from:

• Wine: VineBox $129
• Chocolate: Hotel Chocolat £12.50
• Beer: 
• USA: Costco select locations
• Canada: select locations as noted on site: Craft Beer Imports  

Happy holiday shopping!

Lao Tao Street Food: Modern, Tasty Taiwanese in the Heart of Chinatown

Food lovers have been flocking to Far East Plaza for Korean/Asian fusion bowls or Nashville style hot chicken, and now they have another reason to visit: it's called Lao Tao Street Food, a serene nook of a space upstairs from Chego, and serving fantastic Taiwanese street food inspired fare that lives up to its name (which translates to foodie, and has its origins in an ancient, mischievous creature who ate everything he could find).

It's been soft open since mid-September, just for lunch...

...and I was impressed with everything I've had.

One of my absolute favorites by first time professional Chef David Wang so far has been the Century Egg Tofu Salad ($6): it's a very simple yet well balanced and super satisfying dish made of century eggs (preserved duck eggs), soft silky tofu, pork floss to add textural contrast and bit of sweetness, chopped scallions for crisp crunch and pops of color, and hong you (Sichuan chile oil) for hint of heat and to tie all the ingredients together.

For eggs that are essentially black/grey in color from the preservation process, I know it sounds weird to describe them as super fresh, but the best ones really are the ones that taste 'fresh': the yolk is creamy/buttery, full of luscious umami, and the parts formerly known as 'whites' are translucent and like a medium firm gelatin that is still structured and springy to the bite.

I was so excited to be able to have this dish since I don't remember having any century egg dish this eyes-rolled-back good since Yung Kee in Hong Kong. A definitely must get on any visit.

Then there was the curiously named 'Chicken Neck' Roll ($7) - which is not actually made with chicken neck, but pork and fish paste stuffed into fried tofu skin.  A nice delicious balance of crisp crunch outside and a fish-ball like consistency inside.

Lao Tao offers a number of far too easy to eat bowls on their 'mains' section.  My favorite so far is Beef Ban Mian ($12), made with wide flat noodles that are coated with 8-hour bone marrow broth.  It's inspired by Nou Rou Mian, or beef stew noodle soup, but instead of putting the noodles and beef shank in a heavy broth / stew, the noodles are generously coated in a sauce made with broth, concentrated with flavor after hours of slow-cooking.  Pickled greens add nice touch of acidity to cut through the umami / fat, and cubes of tomatoes add nice juicy bursts of color and texture contrast.  Again this bowl is remarkably well balanced in flavor, texture and presentation.

As if there weren't already enough things to love about the place, they also offer my favorite tea: osthmanthus oolong on their drink menu.

You almost can't tell that this is the product of first time restaurant chef-owners - if not for their pure heart, love for food, humility, (FOH staff led by partner Ying Xie's) friendliness and eagerness to seek feedback.

Definitely wishing this neighborhood gem much success. And excited to see how they evolve the menu.  Lao Tao's grand opening is coming up October 4th - check them out soon!

On a 7 point scale:

Flavor - 6 bites  
Presentation - 6 bites
Originality - 6 bites
Ambience -  6 stars
Service - 6.5 stars
Overall experience - 6 bites
Price - $ (1 bite mark)
Probability of return visit - 100% 

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Lao Tao Street Food

727 N Broadway #207, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Ph: 213.372.5318

 

Website: laotaostreetfood.com  
Parking: underground structure below Far East Plaza (1 hour free with validation)


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Countdown to Los Angeles Food & Wine, Tomorrow Through This Weekend!

The 6th annual festival, presented by FOOD & WINE and Lexus, features four days of events held at iconic venues in LA (from just outside Disney Concert Hall and The Broad Museum downtown, to the Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica) and highlighting some of the finest restaurants from around the country.

If you're into celebrity chefs, there will be over 100 at the event, from Hugh Acheson to Jet Tila to Nyesha Arrington; Food Network stars Tyler Florence, Emeril Lagasse and Robert Irvine are also on the roster, and there are always opportunities at these events to get up close and personal.  Enjoy cooking & mixology demos, sit down dinners, grand tastings and even a concert by De La Soul this year.

For highlights the event from last year, see below!

When: Thursday August 25- Sunday August 28, 2016


Where: Various venues in Downtown LA, Beverly Hills (see event site for details)

How much: $115-$175 general admission, $175 VIP (see event site for details)

[Deal alert: 15% discount for Lexus Preferred Drivers via this link]


Event website: lafw.com

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One of my favorite events from last year was the Lexus Live on Grand Saturday night.  An outdoor event held on Grand Avenue in presence of the breathtaking Disney Concert Hall, even more impressive lit up under the DTLA night sky, and and The Broad Museum (which hadn't at the time opened to the public yet - but drew even more wonderment from the crowd with its mysterious design that to me looked like a giant eye in the center of an almost benign reptilian inspired exterior), it was a night to remember.

At LAFW events, it's always fun to discover samplings from new restaurants you hadn't been to yet.  My first stop was at Hot's Kitchen's station, which featured Seared Foie Gras with Pig Ear Crisp and Cara Cara Orange by Chef Sean Chaney.

One of my other favorite bites of the night also came from a restaurant I'd never been to before, this time up in San Francisco - Mourad, a Moroccan fine dining restaurant with a California twist.

Chef Mourad Lahlou himself was there plating up tartlettes with smoked salmon, dill, cucumber and lebni.  It was so delicious I went back shamelessly for four.  (And on a subsequent trip to SF, based on this unforgettable bite I actually stopped in to dine at Mourad - post on this to come.)

The Strand House's Chef Greg Hozinsky offered an incredible Spicy Rock Shrimp & Chorizo Broth dish.

Then there were the familiar and beloved stations like Hudson Valley Foie Gras, where Chef Michael Ginor served up a decadent Torchon of Hudson Valley Foie Gras with Caramelized White Chocolate.

We chowed down on this one to the sounds of The Roots perform live on the Lexus stage!

As us Food-Obsessed finished our rounds collecting luxe bites and sips, we started to check out the fun stations like Joe's, where chefs were rolling with the spirit of the outdoor street market style set up by pressing cubanos with actual clothes irons!

Hendricks Gin had an awesome steampunk-esque booth with a 'curious' contraption that enabled hand-cranked mixing of a gin cocktail.



At other stations, they also served craft cocktail shots on a wooden plank, so that you had to line up with other friends you'd just made while queuing up for drinks, and down the shots at the same time.  Definitely great insta-bonding station!

Be sure to explore every station and duck into all areas of the venue - if we hadn't stopped by the Lexus Lounge last year we would have missed out on the fantastic Summer Peach Tres Leches with Tokaji Gel (Tokaji being my recently discovered favorite, amazingly balanced sweet wine from Hungary known as the "elixir of the tsars").

(And at the Friday night event, it was in the Lexus Lounge that Chef David Lefevre from my favorite restaurants in Manhattan Beach - Fishing With Dynamite, MB Post and Arthur J - was there to shuck oysters to order and hand fed them to guests!!!!  Talk about a bucketlist moment! And no I am NOT sharing that photo of my #cryface)

All in all, LAFW is always an unforgettable time from the decadent food, free flowing drinks, face time with amazing chefs, to fantastic entertainment.

Looking forward to the start of this year's festivities tomorrow!