Monday Small Bites

Cafe Surfas (the offspring of kitchen supply warehouse Surfas) in Culver City is old news for most food-loving Angelenos (see here and here), but thought I'd throw in my two cents: it rocks. A few weeks ago I brought in this mix of lavender lemon bars, pear-walnut bars, and mini orange-corn cakes into my office--all were gone within a few hours. I've also sampled its Cobb Salad--full of chopped deliciousness--bacon, turkey, blue cheese, cranberries, sauteed leeks, tossed with maple dressing. As a bonus the salad came with a small side of mixed olives.

Good Food
Even if you reside outside of SoCal, due to the wonder that is podcasting, you have no excuse for not listening to local chef Evan Kleiman's weekly radio program, Good Food, broadcast on NPR affiliate KCRW. I savor her show via my ipod on my bus ride home from work--each show starts with the Market Report, highlighting what's in season, often with a recipe or two thrown in. The rest of the hour melds an eclectic mix of interviews--the best BBQ recipes, new French chocolates, global bug eating traditions, you name it. In the past month, she introduced me to the website of a LA-area food-loving cop, The Culinary Detective, and the story of a cyclist trekking through North and South America, looking for good food, and taking suggestions from locals, The Hungry Cyclist. He's currently in Mexico, so send him your tips!


Citrus, 4 Ways
Finally, check out the variety of citrus I scored at the Sunday farmer's market. New to me are the Oro Blanco (far right), a mix between a Pomelo and a Grapefruit, and the Page Mandarin (second from left), a cross between a Minneola Tangelo and a Clementine Mandarin. Whoa. The Oro Blanco is just sweet enough that I would eat it out of hand, and it would mix nicely in a citrus salad of any sort. The Page (or at least this Page) is sweet and more dusky than your typical orange. The one with the green leaves is of course a Satsuma, which I officially declare The Best Citrus Ever. Easy to peel, no seeds and incredibly sweet. The large yellow guy--Meyer Lemon, which I first tasted a couple years ago, after discovering in a box outside an antique store in South Pasadena, selling for 10 cents a piece. Okay, I'll admit it, sometimes I really, really, really love living in California.