Video: Datapop 3.0 Introduction and Mysterious H

Michael Lerman introduces the Datapop 3.0 showcases at the Highball and The Mysterious H, local Austinite, kicks off the show!

Cooking: Homemade Ricotta Cheese with Truffile Oil

Homemade ricotta cheese in 5 minutes or less? BS ! There's no way I can do it in my kitchen without the right chemicals. The Food Lab (on Serious Eats) is probably one of the most comprehensive and amazing food blog segments I've ever encountered and its truly amazing how it can enable you to do the improbable! I found a post on making your own ricotta. The research that went into the post was so thorough, wish I had the time to study techniques like this ! But if you skip to the end, you find the quick kitchen secret: the microwave. I started with a cup of milk and a little bit of white vinegar:

I microwaved it and vavoompf, I had ricotta after I strained out the whey ! I probably would have had more if I had raw milk or whey from mozzarella, but it was still awesome ! I took the fresh ricotta and dressed it with a little olive oil, tiny drop of truffle oil, chives, salt and pepper. Wish I had more milk !

Let me know if you try it !

Video: Mystery Roar at Glasslands Gallery

And then the band took a minute to talk to me about food while they were loading out of the venue:

Couple more videos coming soon! Catch Mystery Roar at Coco 66 on April 1st!

More Mystery! // Photos from Glasslands

Cooking: Ham & Cheddar Biscuits

Look ma ! I can bake ! I was really craving some ham biscuits. Like really really wanting them, but I didn't want to get crappy pre-made biscuits from the store and assemble a sad sandwich. I found this recipe for ham and cheese biscuits made with lard by Emeril. I always have a ramekin of bacon fat laying around, so I gave it a try. First, I cut the lard (and maybe a tiny bit of butter) into the dry ingredients. When it was crumbly, I added shredded cheese, buttermilk and chunks of spiced ham.

Here is the slab of ham that I spiced with cinnamon , sugar and cayenne pepper.

I was so happy when I pulled the biscuits out of the oven and 1) they were not burned and 2) they tasted amazing !!!

Video: SxSw / Datapop Soundcheck with Random (and a new fan)

One word: AWESOME.

Restaurants: La Superior

Have you ever had two brunches on a Sunday? I had already gone to Lovin' Cup with Bethany for the all you can drink brunch. I was walking my bike around Williamsburg when Steven called me to hang out. In my state, I agreed to get brunch with him. I had never been to La Superior for the tacos, so it was more reason to go. We started out with the ezquites (corn with lime, cheese and mayonnaise) and a tall cool glass of watermelon juice:

I got one taco with carnitas and Steven got a couple others. The one at the top of the photo is cactus! I wish I was hungry, I would have gotten more tacos ! Definitely coming back to try more.

Have you been?

Tweets This Week

• Photos from Datapop 3.0. Sry my camera sux. http://ow.ly/1rOGJ
• I was hungry but there were cannons! http://ow.ly/1rJbE
• Nevermind the things you've heard about milkshakes bringing anyone to the yard.
• Whoaaa Hippolyta is really impressive, super hard though ! http://ow.ly/1rIgN
• Sushi Cat is making me laugh so hard right now: http://ow.ly/1rHPm
• SHAREBROZ! Anamanaguchi- Scott Pilgrim theme tune http://ow.ly/16UnEt
• http://twitpic.com/1b6gfc - lol, loserrrrrr
• So. Very. Full. Can't move....what? Slot machines with grandma? Where?
• Makin' friends with the basque sommelier. Learned "baiguri" means "yes! Red!"
• K guys , definitely too much ke$ha and not enough $$
• http://twitpic.com/1b3h21 - um, that mountain is all NACHO
• Something odd about eating leftover ramen and working on my computer next to a view of the Vegas strip, 48 floors up.
• I FREAKING LOVE YOU @mikechino : http://ow.ly/1r5IY
• I think grandma just gave me a bible for my birthday, is she trying to tell me something?
• Grandma: " little wayne? The one with things in his tooth? He has lot's of tunes like P. Diddy?"
• I said that grandma walked like ET. My uncle said i am going to turn out the same.
• lol http://www.formspring.me/jenndlv
• Every time Ina Garten says "juice of a lemon", I think it sounds like "Jews of a lemon."
• Cole: "No one thinks you're cool for photoshopping yourself into a picture with a boy band guy. FYI"
• Me and Dad DLV are having black russians with my calamansi t-bone steak and bitter greens
• Haaa, I'm in this BV post about Datapop: http://ow.ly/1pDfE                   

I'm back in New York ! What's good this week?

Snacks I've Been Eating

Snack: Boy Bawang Cornick

The first thing I did when I got to my parents' house in Palmdale was survey the kitchen landscape. What was I going to cook this week? I was immediately distracted by a Costco sized bag of Boy Bawang, Filipino-style garlic flavored corn nuts. It is one of the few snacks in the world that I can snarf all day and night without thinking about it. My mom said I went into the pantry and emerged without a word, cradling the bag.  I took it with me to inspect the garage freezer, the rest of the pantry, cabinets and kitchen fridge.

When I'm at my parents' house, there's always a bowl of cornick near me or I'm hugging the bag while watching the Food Network. I also love that its mascot is a head of garlic punching the air!

Have you had it?

Cooking: Bacon, Egg & Cheese Sammy

Since I eat so much bacon, I reserve the fat in a little ramekin for things like this. I slowly fried an egg in bacon fat for this sandwich. This way, I don't add extra salt to the egg for seasoning. Ok, yeah, it's still bacon grease but I'm not letting it go to waste. Instead of trying to flip the damn thing (breaking the yolk and ruining it like I usually do), I tilted the pan and spooned the hot oil over the yolk. Genius, right?
I trimmed some of the egg whites off so it'd fit on my english muffin and saved them for another sandwich. Accompanying my heart attack was two thick strips of bacon and melted cheddar cheese.
I was so proud of what happened next. The yolk was partially cooked, but some of it still runny. When I put the sandwich together, it produced a yummy yolk drip.
More eggies ! // Eggy Toast// Eggs Benedict // Hard Cooked Eggs

Off to Las Vegas!

What's good in the city of sin this weekend? It's my mom's birthday and we're diving a couple hours out of Palmdale to eat our hearts out in Las Vegas. Since we lived so close as I was growing up, we've hit all of the buffets already (except for Wynn, but I'm not into that idea as a birthday dinner). I'm ready for the real stuff ! I've already been to the Hooters Hotel, watched all the fountain shows at Bellagio and even rode the rollercoaster at New York, New York.

It's going to be interesting. Practically my whole family doesn't (or can't) drink for a whole night, grandma gambles only the slots and I hate going to shows.

What would you do?

Photos from a Vegas trip with my cousins

Restaurants: Sapporo (Midtown)

Ricardo and I needed somewhere to eat in midtown that wasn't touristy or $40 for each of us. I wasn't feeling too good, so I wanted some comforting ramen. I was so out of it and totally walked by the giant Sapporo sign at 49th and 7th avenue. Sapporo has mixed reviews, but there is always a line! Luckily we beat the crowd. Ricardo got the donburi katsu-don (breaded pork with egg, over rice):I got the kimchee ramen with pork, not on the menu but a picture taped to the wall. It wasn't mindblowingly awesome, but it sufficed to make me feel better! I love a garlicky scallion kick and really spicy broth, wish there was more pork.
You probably aren't going to find decent ramen 'round Times Square, so this is your best bet.

Restaurants: Momofuku Noodle Bar

Chris W. and I ventured to Momofuku Noodle Bar for dinner. It was packed and the wait was probably 25 minutes out of the 45 they quoted us. My only complaint about this place was the cramped seating. We shared a 4 top with 3 other people, dude. And the lady behind me kept elbowing me. If anyone in my 2 person radius needed to get up for any reason, 4 of us would have to stop eating, get up and mind someone's butt, jacket or bag brushing across your back. We were really hungry, so we ordered a bar snack to tide us over until the food came. The spiced chips were pretty underwhelming, but Chris liked them. We shared a course of pork buns with fatty goodness, cucumber, sriracha, hoisin sauce and scallions:We also got the ramen (I'm on a kick lately, huh?). The broth was pretty great and the noodles very silky, but sturdy enough to take the soup with it. I'm not a fan of fish cakes, in general. If I were to come back, I'd probably go at lunch time. The crowd was just too much to deal with. It was pretty weird to squeeze past people sitting at the bar on my way to the bathroom.
Have you been?

Cooking: Bagna Cauda Lunches

Whenever I have an abundance of vegetables from the farmer's market, I tend to make a lot of bagna cauda because it's really cheap and easy. I always have a tube of sardine paste, garlic, butter and olive oil and salt on hand!

I make this stuff all the time...
Veggies // Broccoli Rabe

Bands: Explosions in the Sky at Capitol Garage (2005)

I remember the first time I heard "First Breath After Coma." I was hanging out at KDVS and Steve Camacho played it. After it was over, I asked him what it was. Hm, Explosions in the Sky huh? It didn't feel like 9 minutes, I got lost in it and listened to the same 5 tracks on The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place for a week. I hadn't planned on going to the show in Sacramento because I didn't drive and never really left my little Davis 5 mile radius. My friend Brian Martinez messaged me online a couple hours before the show and asked if I wanted to go. It was one of those "We'll worry about the logistics later" type of conversations. I somehow jumped into a car with him and our friend Jerome. Our friend Azver came to the show and brought his physics homework, I'll never forget that. We said hello outside and asked if we could take a photo:

Cooking: 2PP Herb Pasta in Beef Broth (Portland)

The dudes at 2pp make their own pasta. Egg, water and flour. Sounds easy right? I watched Paul go through the arduous process of making the dough for one of the most beautiful pastas I've ever seen! First, he started by making a well of the finest semolina flour he could find and mixed in egg, water and a little bit of truffle salt.He was moving too much for me to take a picture of the kneading, but he threw his weight into it! I asked how long he was supposed to do that and he said, "Eh...probably to the end of this New Order song..." Once he was finished, he wrapped the dough and put it in a dark pantry to rest for an hour.
Meanwhile, I set to making a potent beef broth. I also helped wash and lay out fresh basil, oregano and sage that we were going to press into the pasta dough.
Paul began to cut the dough up and make the thinnest sheets he could muster in his pasta roller.He took a long thin sheet, cut it in half, arranged fresh herbs on it and layered the other half of pasta over it. When it was secure, he ran the sandwiched pasta through the press a few more times.
When he finished a sheet, he dusted them with more flour so they wouldn't stick to each other. Our pasta looked like a collection of leaves in a scrapbook !
I took the leftover herbs and made a gremolata to garnish our soups. The pasta didn't take long to cooking a rumbling pot of water.
It was extremely satisfying!

Have you made your own pasta before?

Tweets This Week

• When I asked mom why the fridge was buzzing, she said "it's saying goodbye"
• Think I was sitting across from JD (Le Tigre) at the Austin airport.
• Man, my abs hurt. Who am I kidding, they're not abs. I have a 2 liter
• @mikerosenthal and I consumed 2 pounds of bb at Sam's. I'm going to die.
• Dream remix project: wampire + max justus    

What's good in Los Angeles this week? Holler at me !

Restaurants: Country Korean and Yuzu (Beaverton)

I've been told that the best ramen in the Portland area is actually in Beaverton, about 10 minutes away. Yuzu is one of those reliable hole in the wall Japanese places with no sign. We attempted to hit that shizzle on a Friday night without a reservation. No dice! We settled for Country Korean Restaurant next door. The tables were still dirty from the people that last ate there, yeahhh that kind of place. Nevertheless, my eyes lit up at the sight of pork belly on the menu. I was shot down when I ordered though because they only make a minimum of two orders.

Amy got the bim bim bap:
I got the regular bulgogi:
Pretty much everyone else got the spicy bulgogi, which was excellent. We had the usually accompaniments to Korean dinner, but my hands down favorite was the marinated dried fish that had the consistency of jerky. Upon leaving, we stopped by Yuzu to make a reservation for the next night.
While I was delightfully tipsy from my bowling adventure the following day, we piled into the cars and went to Beaverton again. My phone had died again, so I couldn't document our Japanese feast. Asif was bent on getting the beef tongue. I've had Puerto Rican style tongue and I liked it; I was curious to see what Japanese tongue was like (lol). The serving came thinly sliced and deeply marinated. Needless to say, it didn't last long at our table. Paul and Gabe ordered a side of pork belly. Four thick, gelatinous cubes came in a tiny bowl. My chopsticks punctured them like jello. It was melty, flavorful and downright satisfying; a preview of the giant bowl of ramen I was about to consume. When it landed in front of me, I looked around the table at everyone else like "Are we about to pass into the light?"

The ramen noodles were homemade with a pillowy mouthfeel, yet stood up enough to carry the savory pork broth. Chunky jewels of pork were like the prizes in cereal boxes, I couldn't wait to tear into them! I don't know how the guys could eat an extra side order of noodles, I was completely stuffed and only got 1/3 of the way through my bowl. When I asked if I could take my leftovers to go, the server looked confused. I guess no one ever takes ramen to go at Yuzu ! They seriously don't carry soup containers for take out ! Instead she gave me a flat box and she was worried that I would take the broth with me and make a mess. I took only the noodles and the bits of pork; they absorbed enough of the broth! I felt so sneaky when I ate them the next morning, like I had stolen something sacred.

Nom Nom Namen! Have you had a good bowl of ramen recently?

Restaurants: Pine State Biscuits (Portland)

We headed out on another adventure with Dave! Pine State Biscuits was crowded! My friend Adam had told me it was a "must-try"in Portland. Dave said that it wasn't busy until Guy Fieri stopped by on his show Diners Drive-ins and Dives. Guy spray painted a stencil of his head on the wall by the bathroom:We couldn't get a table inside the small shop, so we took our biscuits to the bar next door and enjoyed them with some beer! Paul got the McIsley biscuit which is a sandwich with fried chicken, mustard, honey and pickles:
I got the Reggie biscuit with bacon, fried chicken, cheese and gravy:

Dave got the Reggie Deluxe, which is just the Reggie with a fried egg!
Oh boy, look at that grease droplet hanging off the cheese in that last shot. So bad for you, but oh so very good.

Have you been there?

Bands: Mystery Roar Played Glasslands Gallery

I like going to shows at Glasslands. It's always decorated differently whenever I go. I really loved the cottony clouds above the stage, the lights flickered behind bands to appear as if the higher powers were angered. The clouds reminded me of this short film called Tactical Advantage by Mangello Tipperary. Anyway, I biked out to see Mystery Roar ! They were awesome!


Videos and interviews coming soon !

Cooking: Asif's Meatballs and My White Pepper Zabaglione (Portland)

During one of our epic dinner nights, Asif tackled the task of making making meat balls. I didn't check out the recipe, but they definitely had two kinds of sausage meat, bread crumbs and dairy product (may have been ricotta?) that gave them a nice mouthfeel. After he made the meat mix and formed them into balls, he fried them in oil:When they were done, they were laid to rest in a pot of tomato sauce and topped with Parmesan cheese.
For dessert, I made grapefruit zabaglione with white pepper and citrus whipped cream. Zabaglione is almost an Italian custard, but with lot's more air. You whip the egg mixture over a double boiler instead of baking it in a water bath like creme brulee. In France, this is referred to as sabayon and here in the states, tv personalities get away with mispronouncing it as sauvignon.In a dish, I layered chopped fruit that had been tossed in sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla with the zabaglione and dollops of citrus whipped cream. Pretty, eh?
Let me know if you try making it yourself !

Blogs: HIPSTER WIFE HUNTING

I have mixed feelings about this blog interview that I did for HIPSTER WIFE HUNTING (link). I didn't think it'd be a big deal because 1) I got to talk about the awesome compilation that my friends and I released this month and 2) the blog wasn't crazy big... or so I thought! The FMLY (one of my go-to music blogs) left my favorite comment on the post: "WE’D TAP!" Sneaky Alla Hough from Mission Mission re-posted the interview and photo for all of my West coast cohorts to see.

Here's a documentation of the aftermath:
Cole R.: Hahahahaha
me: let me guess
Cole R.: Yeah
Cole R.: I wish a blog would solicit for a spouse for me.
me: I was reluctant
Cole R.: It would probably have to be Regretsy or lolcats though. YOU ARE VERY POPULAR ON THE INTERNET
me: muh
Cole R.: I'll bet you wish you could live in it.
THE LAWNMOWER JENN. Hipster (Trophy) Wife
me: awww, If only the public knew how little I showered

Christopher: hipster wife hunting?
me: lol, great.

Travis G: TAKE IT EASY DLV
me: I know, I need to calm down so I can attract proper hipster husbads
sivart13: 'husbads' is probably the appropriate term
me: Right !

Alan Dickson: haha some guy i met at the rope just became a fan of hipster wife hunting and i was like hmmm what is that and then i see a small picture and i was like that looks like jenn
me: HAHA. That is random.

Twitter:
@facundorules sup @ u
@suzaneraslan OH, PREPARE FOR THE TANK TWITTER FEED TO TELL THE WORLD. BUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
@sivart13 jennifr dlv will you hipster marry me
@acarboni Hahahaha! Nice work, miss!

Even in Google Reader comments:
you - TAKE ME WITH YOU [Re: post about pastries in France]
Mike Chino - OK ON Y VA!
Mike Chino - PS: HIPSTER WIFEY
you - Guhhhhhh...

And at work, my boss kept referring to me (and announcing) that I was #16 on Hipster Wife Hunting. In the end, I think I was honest through the whole thing. Hope you enjoy reading it.

Restaurants: Mio Sushi and Hollywood Bowling Alley (Portland)

Another 2pp regular spot, Mio Sushi (on Halsey). They never go on the weekends, so they didn't know how busy it would be. The single server lady was buzzing around the entire place, exchanging quick greetings when she came to drop off waters and menus. We had some lovely sake, I don't even remember what she poured for us. It was clean and crisp, like biting into an apple. The server also left me with a glass of another sake, which was even better but the glass was all that was left.
The nigiri was beautiful and had generous slabs of fish. We had some salmon, sea bass and yellowtail. The yellowtail and tuna rolls didn't have much fish, but they were good.

Later on that afternoon, I hung out with Dave Drusky who had gone on tour with me and Capybara last Summer. I challenged him to a couple rounds at the Hollywood Bowl. The instant I started talking about my father Jose "The Hammer" de la Vega and how I'm a terrible bowler, this magic happened:
Probably the best bowling of my life! We also had a couple pitchers of Dead Guy and met up with Erik Noftle (formerly of the Ed N' Remy show on KDVS!). Good times !