The Italian Farmers Market

In Rome, our hotel was right on this wonderful piazza called Campo de Fiori. In the mornings it was a bustling farmers market, with white umbrella'd stalls filled with produce straight from outlying Roman farms. The tomatoes, artichokes, zucchini, strawberries and blood oranges were practically screaming at you, their vibrant colors and aromas permeating the air as we walked by. On our first morning in Rome, we walked through the Campo and I could barely get by a stall of tomatoes without shooting a round of 20 photos. I've never seen tomatoes so plump, so bright, so red...all without hormones or pesticides. They tasted even better...sweet, slightly acidic and juicy, juicy, juicy!

Here are a few photos from our first morning at the Campo de Fiori farmers market. In addition to the produce there was a fresh fish stand, a truffle stand and flower stands that were just gorgeous. Sadly we weren't able to buy anything because we didn't have a kitchen, but these photos are one day going to be blown up, framed and hung in our future kitchen. I can't wait.

Just a tiny portion of the stalls at Campo de Fiori

Artichokes

Roma tomatoes

Zucchini, blossoms and all!

Tomatoes...ahhhh, the tomatoes.

Sicilian blood oranges

Strawberries

Fresh fish stand

Pate al Tartufata (Truffle pate)

Beautiful selection of flowers

My Husband & Gelato: A Love Story

While we were in Italy, I suspected that my husband was cheating on me. He watched what he ate, exercised more and got a twinkle in his eye every time he spotted her. I have to admit; she was cool, smooth, had a great sense of style as well as the admiration of men (and women!) everywhere. Not to mention, she was on every corner, practically taunting me. Just who grabbed my husband's heart and threatened our relationship?

MS. GELATO.

It's rare that Bryan falls so head over heels in love with a food. In Italy, it became such an obsession that I started documenting the experience, dubbing it "Bryan & Gelato: A Love Story." I don't have to do much more explaining; you can see his obsession in my photos below. Look into his eyes; they have a certain je ne sais qoui to them.

Giotti gelato in Roma

In Venezia, patiently waiting his turn.

In Venezia...success!

In Venezia again, in St. Mark's Square.

Waiting...again...in Firenze

I have to admit, Firenze's gelato is GOR-GEOUS.

In front of Firenze's Medici Tower.

I'm staring at Firenze's Duomo. He's getting gelato.

What kind of animal turns his back to the Duomo???

In a tiny medieval town, Spello.

In an even tinier medieval town, Norcia.

Delirious from volcano-related flight cancellations.

He survived off gelato alone the last three days of our trip.

On the Amalfi coast in Positano. I got a cannoli with Sorrento lemon filling.

In Positano again, from a spinning gelato machine.

THE END. :)

Truffles, Salumi and...a Volcano???

Bryan and I got back from Italy late last night. Jetlag aside after 24 hours of travel, it it was a truly incredible trip – we hunted truffles with hounds, took a cooking class with an Italian family, toured a salumi farm and pretty much ate (and drank!) our way through the entire country. Oh, and got stranded in Rome for an extra several days due to the Icelandic volcanic eruption. Can't forget that part. But what better place to be "stuck," so to say, than Italy?

I've barely slept and my brain can't fathom writing a longer post, but in the meantime here are a few teaser photos. I already miss the morning cappuccinos...

Our morning ritual...the perfect cappuccino.

Pizza with sliced zucchini in Rome.

Salumi plate from a pig farm near Assisi.

Our truffles! We "hunted" these with hounds in Citerna.

Crostini with salsa tartufata & salumi in Norcia.

"Dinner" with a view in Positano.

And of course, gelato!

Take a Bao's Crispy Chicken Bowl

One of my favorite lunches comes from Take A Bao. Surprisingly, it's in a local shopping mall but it's just so darn good. I like to say that's in a high-end Westfield shopping mall with a completely renovated food court; it just makes me feel better. :P

Take A Bao's menu focuses on steamed bun (aka Bao) sandwiches, salads and rice bowls. But hands-down, my favorite thing on the menu is "Take A Bowl," which I get with half brown rice/half shredded lettuce and crunchy citrus chicken. Listen, I know fried chicken isn't good for you; I justify it by the fact that I only eat it at Take A Bao. The citrus sauce is fantastic and the entire bowl is a party of colorful vegetables, brown rice and sliced chicken. Not to mention, it's very pretty:

Along with the brown rice and shredded lettuce (you're supposed to pick one or the other; I like to mix it up and get both), you get marinated mushrooms, steamed broccoli, picked radishes, shredded carrots and crunchy cucumbers. I like to get a little bit of Sriracha sauce on the side, dip my chopsticks in it and mix it throughout the bowl. Sure, by the time I finish the bowl I can barely feel my mouth but it's a good burn. At the end of the day, lunch (or dinner) is less than $10 and you're definitely full. And if you just can't accept the fried chicken option, go for the grilled chicken. Just make sure you add the citrus sauce. I might go get some right now...

Willoughby Road Food Truck: Southern Comfort

Another lunch truck experience, this time at the Willoughby Road food truck. I've got to tell you; this lunch truck was awesome, easily better than some LA so-called BBQ restaurants. The menu had a traditional barbecue focus with a few innovative touches (Atlantic cod po' boy or curried grits with shrimp, anyone?), but more importantly, the food was straight-up solid.

Willoughby Road Food Truck

Willoughby Road's Menu

Keeping it short and sweet, Bryan got the Harissa brisket soft tacos while I got the pulled pork sandwich. The brisket tacos were served on corn tortillas and topped with cabbage slaw and spicy salsa. I was surprised that the brisket was chopped rather than shredded, but the taste was great. As we stood holding the tacos, a guy walked by and demanded to know what we had. Ten minutes later we saw him as we drove away, tacos in hand, shoving one by one into his mouth. Guess he liked them as much as we did!

Willoughby Road Harissa Brisket Tacos

The pulled pork was great. A toasted bun piled high with tender shredded pork (bonus point for no gristle whatsoever), full barbecue flavor but not overpowered by the sauce. The crunchy cabbage slaw was a smart topping, adding contrast and refreshing flavor to the shredded meat. I forgot to ask if Willoughby Road makes their own barbecue sauce or a store bought version, but either way, I loved it. We were happy to pay $7 for the sandwich and $6 for the tacos, eating in the shadow of a bubbling fountain on a beautiful Southern California day. All in all, thirteen bucks and two full tummys later, we were happy lunch truckers.

Willoughby Road Pulled Pork Sandwich

Hitting the "Downtown Dog" Lunch Truck

Sometimes there's nothing better than a quick lunch at a food truck. It's cheap, it's fast and if you're lucky, it can be just as good as restaurant food. This time we stopped by Downtown Dog, parked right in front of Bryan's old work at the Miracle Mile's E! Network building.

Downtown Dog Food Truck

We were there for less than twenty minutes, grabbing a California Dog: An all-beef snap dog topped with avocado spread, arugula, tomatoes, fried onions and served with a basil aioli.

Downtown Dogs' California Dog

It was like the hot dog version of California Pizza Kitchen, kicking up the traditional snap hot dog with great flavors and cool, crunchy textures. While the toppings were fun and interesting, at the end of the day it's still a hot dog. Overall, we give it a B. Next time, however, we might go for the breakfast dog (all beef snap dog wrapped in applewood smoked bacon topped with a fried egg) and buffalo tots with blue cheese crumbles. Sounds like a winning combo!

Downtown Dogs' Menu

Best Thing I Ever Ate: Chocolate

I was literally rendered speechless by this chocolate cake. It's not five, not ten, not twenty, but TWENTY FOUR layers of unparalleled chocolate decadence. I mean, how do you even make a cake with twenty four layers, especially layers so thin, so whispy and so filled with rich, oozing ganache? It's like magic. Just look at this thing!

The chocolate cake I'm talking about is from Strip House Steak House in New York, a restaurant I'd never heard of, much less planned an entire trip around. It was Michael Psilakis' meal of choice during Food Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Guilty Pleasure episode and once I saw it, the entire rest of the episode was a wash. But now, I'm totally committed to finding – read: devouring – this majestic tower of cake.

Where's your LA location, Strip House???

Michael Psilakis showing off his prized possession

Now, towering chocolate cakes are nothing new; they're all over the place. Cheesecake Factory has one, many deli's have them, etc. But I've never walked by those cakes and lost my breath. Or imagined (literally) cutting and running out the door with them. The oversized cakes I've seen always appear dry, far too cakey (ironic, I know) and big for "big" sake. When you imagine cutting through it with your fork, it doesn't bring to mind thoughts...well, like this:

Can you even imagine? I was so inspired I made Bryan rewind the episode so I could take photos of it. That's right, I took photos of my TV screen. I realize that's somewhat insane, but I figured if I could share the love with at least one other person, it would be worth it. Not like viewership of BTIEA isn't high enough. :)

If you live in New York, New Jersey, Vegas, Key West, Naples or Houston, please please please go eat this and let me know how it is. All I know is the next time I'm in Vegas, I'm all over this cake. I might as well make my reservation now. Until then, talk about sweet dreams...