Great Taste Magazine

Currently ablaze with 3.6 million lights in a Christmas wonderland, the Historic Mission Inn’s history and architecture make a visit a must for anyone visiting California’s Inland Empire. There’s still time to go, the Festival of Lights runs until January 8, 2012!
The Historic Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, a National Historic Landmark, is about an hour’s drive east of Los Angeles in Riverside.

The annual Festival of Lights in its 19th year beckons thousands of families to enjoy the display of multi-colored bulbs. Disney-like animated elves, angels, nutcrackers and other figures complement costumed carolers, falling snow (weekends) and fireworks.

Please visit The Historical Mission Inn for more information.

Currently ablaze with 3.6 million lights in a Christmas wonderland, the Historic Mission Inn’s history and architecture make a visit a must for anyone visiting California’s Inland Empire. There’s still time to go, the Festival of Lights runs until January 8, 2012!
The Historic Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, a National Historic Landmark, is about an hour’s drive east of Los Angeles in Riverside.

The annual Festival of Lights in its 19th year beckons thousands of families to enjoy the display of multi-colored bulbs. Disney-like animated elves, angels, nutcrackers and other figures complement costumed carolers, falling snow (weekends) and fireworks.

Please visit The Historical Mission Inn for more information.

The American Beverage Institute Urges Congress to Reject Funding for Invasive Alcohol Detectors in All Cars

Washington—In recognition of the December 5 anniversary of the ratification of the 21st Amendment to the Constitution repealing Prohibition, the American Beverage Institute (a restaurant trade association) urged Americans to push back against anti-alcohol groups seeking to marginalize responsible social drinking.
ABI’s website, TheNewProhibition.com, profiles anti-alcohol activist groups such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Alcohol Justice, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), and the Center for Alcohol Marketing and Youth and the anti-alcohol policies they promote. Read more »

Bad Santa! Santa got drunk on bourbon and tossed an elf into the snow.

The cakes are little snow piles of chocolate bourbon coconut cake, iced with vanilla buttercream and finished off with chopped coconut snow.

The elf feet are hand-sculpted of green and red chocolate, and are then attached to white and dark chocolate striped straw legs with melted white chocolate. After resting for a few minutes, the legs are then gently placed into the snow mounds.

Kimberly Bailey, owner, baker, artist, dishwasher www.thebutterend.com

STACKED: Food Well Built just opened its third location in Cerritos to guests ready to use iPads to stack their own custom made burger, pizza or salad.

CERRITOS, Ca. Nov. 17, 2011—A new fast casual dining option, STACKED, opened today to diners eager to try design-your-own meals. After being seated, servers demo the iPads on each table, then leave guests to play with the rolling menus of burgers, pizzas, salads and sausages; along with endless toppings, sauces and extras. Read more »

STACKED: Food Well Built just opened its third location in Cerritos to guests ready to use iPads to stack their own custom made burger, pizza or salad.

CERRITOS, Ca. Nov. 17, 2011—A new fast casual dining option, STACKED, opened today to diners eager to try design-your-own meals. After being seated, servers demo the iPads on each table, then leave guests to play with the rolling menus of burgers, pizzas, salads and sausages; along with endless toppings, sauces and extras. Read more »

Gourmet Walks culinary walking tour of downtown Napa delivers some of the spectacular local flavors of artisan olive oil, bread, charcuterie and, of course, wine to participants who also get a healthy dose of local history.

NAPA, Ca—Napa City itself was often bypassed by tourists on the way to the celebrated wineries of Napa Valley. Recent developments have transformed the city, making it a destination on its own. Read more »

Well-respected veteran of Orange County's food scene, chef and restaurant owner Zov Karamardian has published her second cookbook Simply Zov: Rustic Classics with a Mediterranean Twist. Karamardian makes sure that cooks of all levels are comfortable. Read more »

By Linda Mensinga
November/December 2011

Chefs are always on the move, particularly in the early stages of their careers while they are gathering experience, but also later still eager to learn and meet new challenges. We discovered several of our past featured chefs have moved so we will tell you where they are cooking now. The four we caught up with shared a recipe so be sure to check them out!

Fred Mensinga, Executive Chef

Mission Inn Hotel & Spa
3649 Mission Inn Avenue
Riverside, CA 92501
951.784.0300

Restaurant Hours

S-TH: 6 AM – 11 PM
F-SAT: 6 AM – 1 AM

Lobster Bisque Read more »

Insights, solutions and menu hits are second nature for the talented caterers we surveyed. They make special events happen for happy clients and willingly shared the latest menus, marketing techniques and tips on how to please guests. Caterers continually update menus and services to meet guest requests and expectations. Menus that range from box lunches to seven course dinners are customized to fit the client’s budget and desires. Read more »

Casual, family-friendly Rosti Tuscan Kitchen serves Italian specialties with entire separate vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free menus.

SANTA MONICA, Ca—Arugula & fig salad, penne with asparagus, and pesto hazelnut pie are just a few vegan options at Rosti Tuscan Kitchen in Santa Monica, California.

Italian is an easy choice for many vegetarians because many pasta and pizzas can be meatless. Rosti goes an extra step offering separate menus with vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options.

Busy owner Kevin Goldfein took time out to answer questions about his unusual—and welcomed—spin on tradition.

Why did you decide to create vegan, gluten free and vegetarian menus?

At Rosti Tuscan Kitchen in Encino and Santa Monica, I started getting frequent requests from guests with dietary restrictions and I wanted to accommodate these individuals. I then decided to expand my menu and added gluten-free, vegan, heart-healthy, and vegetarian choices to better cater to my diverse clientele.

Tell me a bit about your background. Read more »

Experience a traditional crawfish boil without leaving the OC this fall at Memphis at the Santora. Crawfish look like miniature lobster, taste just as sweet but are freshwater delicacies now raised commercially in Louisiana where riends and family gather to feast on pounds of the creatures found in the mud of the bayous.
The Crawfish Boil at Memphis includes 1.5 lbs of fresh crawfish, smoked sausage, corn, potatoes, cornbread muffins, salad and one Dixie Lager per guest all served on New Orleans butcher paper for $30 a person. Read more »

For the January/February issue of Great Taste Magazine we are working on a duo feature about marketing through social media; Twitter, Facebook etc. Our experts, Jennifer Morris of AjendaPR, and Genae Girard, have practical suggestions for how and what to email, tweet and post. The word is out that social media is an effective and fast way to reach customers and potential customers. You’ll find practical new ideas to implement right away.

Not just a wine bar, the food at Carpe Diem in Napa is eclectic, tasty, and happy-making. Owner/chef Scott Kendall serves a creative assortment of Small Bites meant to be sampled and shared, along with Bigger Bites.

NAPA, Ca. October, 2011—“People didn’t know we had food. It took a while for them to understand. Now they’re coming to eat,” says Scott Kendall, 28, owner/chef of Carpe Diem Wine Bar in downtown Napa. Although his menu offers wine-friendly snacks, it’s much more than cheese and crackers, "Even when they do come in just to drink, they end up socializing and eating something.” Read more »

by Linda Mensinga Carpe Diem Wine Bar in downtown Napa has grown a local following with an ever-evolving wine list and eclectic food menu. Wine director Steve Distler treats their guests to lesser-known discovery wines that are just as delicious and well made as the large estate bottles. NAPA, Ca.—“Napa Valley has a lot of small-scale wine producers. I love these because I can see and feel the heart and effort packed into their wines. For them it’s a dream. They put in the time and just won’t make crappy wine,” says Steve Distler, owner/wine director about the many discovery wines on the menu at Carpe Diem Wine Bar, “What I try to do is give them exposure." Most of the wines on his list of 95 bottles and 40 by-the-glass choices are boutique vineyards that cannot be found at the supermarket. Read more »

Good fats vs. bad fats, which is which, how to cook with the best ones and make appetizing dishes were the topics of an enlightening cooking class at True Food Kitchen in Newport Beach.

We all know that fat is bad. Consider the universe of food products that have appeared with the label “fat free.” But fat is actually essential to good health.

Understanding the difference is what Brand Executive Chef Michael Stebner made clear at his class. Even better, he prepared delicious examples in a three-course luncheon, shared the recipes and cooking tips to a full room of students recently. Read more »

Z’Tejas Southwestern Grill at South Coast Plaza is raising money for the Costa Mesa Firefighters Widows & Orphans Fund with their annual Chile Fest Sept. 6-25. The fundraiser kicked off with firefighters arriving aboard their rig with Fire Chief Kirk Dominic leading the brigade. Guests enjoyed the special service provided by the firefighters who accompanied servers carrying plates and drinks, greeting and seating guests, chatting and answering questions.
Chile Fest is an annual celebration that pays tribute to the harvest of the chilies in Hatch, New Mexico. During this time, Z’Tejas offers a special menu from which a portion is donated to a local community charity. This year Firefighters Widows & Orphans Fund will receive a dollar for each item sold off the Chile Fest Menu. In addition, the firefighters will donate any tips they earn to the fund. Read more »

Sept/Oct 2011 by Chef Katie Averill When you walk into Bad to the Bone, San Juan Capistrano, you are immediately struck with two things: the space is huge compared to what is expected walking in, and the customers look like they have sat in their seats many times before; there is an instant sense of familiarity. Co-owners Chef Marty Wells and Al Meyling have the monopoly on true American BBQ in Orange County. Read more »

Chef Michael Chiarello’s Bottega Restaurant is one of Napa Valley’s most popular new locations. His book, aptly named Michael Chiarello’s Bottega, has received as much critical acclaim as the restaurant itself with award nominations by the IACP and the James Beard Foundation. Read more »

Butternut Squash and Leek Soup

by Linda Mensinga

Butternut squash is hands down the fall’s most iconic soup, an ongoing favorite that inspires countless variation in kitchens everywhere. Pumpkin, lentil, leek and pepper soups also make appearances on local menus. We surveyed chefs about their plans for the season’s menus. Soup’s comfort food status guarantees the beloved classics never go out of style. Read more »

Newport Beach, CA – Top musicians will perform to raise funds for the “Jeff Golub Medical Fund” on Thursday, September 15 at 7:00 p.m. With all of the entities involved in the production donating their time, resources and talent, 100% of the proceeds will assist Golub with mounting medical expenses resulting from the recent unexpected loss of the talented guitarist’s sight.

Read more »

Iron Chef Judge Donatella Arpaia shares her cooking secrets, her favorite places to eat, and her pregnant cravings.

New York, Aug. 2011— Donatella Arpaia is a restaurateur, cookbook author, Iron Chef judge and soon to be mother. As a frequent judge on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America and the Next Iron Chef, she’s become a household name. Read more »

Ghiradelli is helping defeat breast cancer with fans of their Intense Dark chocolate bars.

September, 2011—In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company is supporting the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) through its Be an Intense Supporter program. Available for a limited time, beginning September 15 through the end of December 2011, specially marked pink ribbon packages of Intense Dark™ found at grocery and specialty retailers nationwide will carry a code inside the package redeemable for a $1 donation to NBCF. For each Intense Dark pink ribbon code entered at www.ghirardelli.com/intensedark up to $100,000, a donation will be made by Ghirardelli to help further the Foundation’s mission of saving lives through early detection and to provide mammograms and supportive services for those in need.

Products featuring the pink ribbon packaging in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month include: Evening Dream™ 60% Cacao, Twilight Delight™ 72% Cacao, Midnight Reverie™ 86% Cacao, and Toffee Interlude™. Over the past two years Ghirardelli has donated $200,000 to NBCF.

See recipes for coconut almond torte, another way to enjoy Intense Dark.