Chino Farms

WooHoo!!! It time for another post! This one is gonna be quickie with a good amount of pictures and less of me babbling about...I don't know, whatever is I usually bitch about.

This episode, we are going to visit Chino Farms in Rancho Santa Fe, CA. This place is really an organic farm that sells to everyone, restaurants and the general public. If you are in some swanky San Diego eatery that talks about serving organic vegetables, there is a good chance they got it here.

There's not a whole lot I can say that the pictures won't say for themselves. The food is absolutely beautiful here. Everything I saw looked like it had been plucked from the ground just minutes earlier.

My brother and I left with some veggies for the restaurant he works at, Kitchen 4140, and some strawberries and blueberries just for us. All I can say is, I've never had blueberries with such an intense flavor like that EVER!

Enough of my yapping! See for yourself!

Awesome, right? All you foodies out there should have all the blood in your body rushing to you privates right about now. Don't worry, I'm right there with you. :) Here is one last shot for you. Open wide for this one!

I think I need a cigarette after that, and I don't even smoke!

Thanks for stopping by. As good as this was, I got something special planned for next week. I'll give you a hint...wait...fuck that! No hints! Bring your ass back here to get your mind blown!

I'm out

J. Miller

Cornbread, Chili and Me

Truth be told, I was planning on doing one more post about a place in San Diego, but it's gonna have to wait a minute. What you see above is simply last nights dinner. The key word in that last sentence is simply. There is absolutely nothing complicated about this! I'm gonna say it one more time: There is NOTHING...COMPLICATED...ABOUT THIS!!!

As much as I'd like to take credit for inventing this, I was actually inspired by something I saw on D,D and D. Mr. Fieri was at a spot in Tennessee called Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint. This place was cooking up whole hog, and from the look of things, doing it very well. But what caught my eye was a dish they called the Redneck Taco.

The Redneck Taco was basically a large cornbread pancake covered with chili, pulled pork, and a ton of fixings. If you have ever seen that episode, you know what I'm talking about. That thing was piled high.

After seeing the guy cook cornbread like pancakes, I knew I wanted to try it. I looked around the house, and sure enough, I had a box of Jiffy cornbread mix. Let's be real, you can't go wrong with this stuff! It's idiot proof. Even that C.H.U.D at your job can make cornbread this way!

I still needed to go to the store for the rest of this dish. A half hour later, I came back with a smoked sausage link, chili from the grocery deli section, and a few other odds and ends for the house.

The box of cornbread mix has a recipe for using it like pancakes. I followed it and the batter seemed a little too wet for my taste(Never thought something would ever be too wet for me). So, I stirred in a little more cornmeal until I got the consistency I liked.

After letting it rest for about 15 minutes, I heated a pan and dropped in a couple ladles of the mix.

Unlike pancake batter, this tends to spread a bit more in the pan. Just be cautious on how much batter you ladle in.

I sliced up the sausage and sauteed it to put a little color and crisp on them. The chili I kept warm in a pot. A quick dice of half a red onion and I'm done. It really was that simple.

Once the pancakes are done, put a little butter on there and load 'em up.

Seeing as how I didn't have to put that much effort in to making this, I wasn't expecting that much from it, as far as taste goes. I have to say that it was incredibly satisfying. The cakes had a nice little crust on each side. All these familiar flavors, just presented slightly different. Plus, it was a real rib-stickin' meal.

On a cold night, this would be an awesome meal. Too bad it's October and still 100 FUCKING DEGREES!!! This really fucking sucks! I am so looking forward to getting down and dirty with some fall comfort foods, but it's still blazing hot outside! Mother nature must be on the rag or something.

That's it for this one. If you want an easy weeknight meal, give this one a go. No muss, no fuss. And relatively cheap to put together. So save the excuses for next time and try this!

I'm out.

J. Miller

Kitchen 4140

Hi Everybody! Glad you could make it back for another post. This time around, we are gonna check out a happening spot in San Diego, CA by the name of Kitchen 4140.

Now, before I get started, let me be upfront about something: I'm gonna be a little bias about this one. Why? Because my brother is a chef there. Yup, I got an inside connection. And yes, I am gloating about that. But don't let me feeling cocky about my connection stop you from checking out a really cool spot.

Lets get started!

First off, I'm not really that familiar with San Diego. I don't know my way around town. So, when I drove to the restaurant, I had my phone close by my side, with the directions showing on the first screen. When I got close, one thing started to become clear: There wasn't any other restaurant in sight! It's not the type of place you happen to drive by everyday. If you are headed there, you had it in mind to go there.

When I arrived, it was about 1p.m. on a Thursday. This place was hoppin'! Almost all the seats outside were taken and only a few spots were open inside. Luckily, I was able to squeeze in at the bar.

I mentioned at the beginning that this was a "happening spot". What I mean by that is there was a lot of energy in the air. It was a hot day to begin with, but the vibe was just.....DOPE! OK, that isn't the clearest description I can give, but damn it, that's what it was! You could see everyone talking, laughing, really enjoying their time and meal. The staff was on their toes, moving quickly, but not running around like chickens that lost attachment to their heads. Like I said, lots of energy in the air.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a lot of pictures. Maybe I was feeling a little lazy being on vacation. Maybe I was just diggin' the scene and not worried about the pics. I think it's a bit of both. In any case, I'll try my best to describe things.

As I stepped up to the bar, I was greeted and asked what I would like to drink. I got an iced tea and was handed a menu. The guy behind bar lets me know that all of the days specials are written on the wall. I look over, and they a huge roll of butchers paper about 6 or 7 feet above the counter. They pulled some of it down and wrote all the specials in red ink on the paper. Kinda slick, if I do say so myself.

I knew what I was gonna order, but I'll get to that in a minute. :) One more observation, then the food.

Sitting at the bar, you are facing the kitchen. From my seat, I was right in front of the pass, where Chef Kurt was holding things down. While the window to the rest of the kitchen was a little higher up, you could still see all the chefs working hard to get each order out. If you have never been to a restaurant with an open kitchen, don't be shy and request a seat with a clear view. On a busy night, it really is a sight to behold.

Now for the food. One of their specials was a burger with smoked pork belly and a fried egg. I was sold on the pork belly. I looked the menu over for a second, but that pork belly was calling me. I made my order, and what I got.....well, see for yourself.

I can't remember it all, but I know that beef was high grade and it was served on a brioche bun. I believe the fries were tossed with a little truffle oil.

I'm not sure how big this last picture is gonna be on your screen, but that was a big burger. I'm serious, it was fuckin' massive. And it was fucking delicious! A clear, smokey flavor from the pork belly. The egg was cooked perfectly, runny, but not completely raw. The bun added even more richness on top of everything else. And, to top it off, it was a bit messy.

Now, I'm not always a fan of messy burgers. Especially if I got some nice threads on. But when it tastes this good, messy is not a problem. So you get some food around your mouth or all over your hands. That's what napkins are for! After the first couple bites, I knew I was gonna have to dive in head first.

The fries were great. They were the kind of fries you can only get at a place like this. Hot. Crisp. Tender. Tons of flavor, to the point where you have to debate on if you really want to dip it in ketchup.

Half way through the burger, I started to make plans for the last bite. I know that may sound a little crazy, but when I'm eating something that I really like, I make sure the last bite is gonna be exactly how I want it. I wanted to make sure I had bits of pork and egg left. I wanted to make that last bite as special as the meal itself. Sure enough, that last bite was as satisfying as I wanted it to be.

After finishing the burger, I hung out there for another 10 minutes or so, just to let the food settle. As I was leaving, I still had most of a glass of iced tea left over. The guy behind the bar offered to put it in a to-go cup. I said yes, and was grateful. I know it's not the greatest thing ever, but stuff like that always leaves a great impression on me.

I know I'm a little bias on this one, but I really enjoyed it. Great food. Great atmosphere. You can't ask for much more. If you happen to find yourself in San Diego, go check it out.

Kitchen 4140

4140 Morena Blvd

Ste A

(at Avati Dr) 

San Diego, CA 92117

Neighborhood: Clairemont

(858) 483-4140

I'm out!!!

J. Miller