tiffin unboxed

Sips, Swirls and Comfort Food at Vinoteque and The Foundry

A couple of months ago I enjoyed a wonderful evening at Vinoteque on Melrose wine bar and restaurant, followed by comfort food dinner next door from The Foundry on Melrose's bar menu.


At Vinoteque, which I'd been to and enjoyed great tastings and food, I attended one of their Sip n Swirls events (click on the link to read their current schedule). The events offer three or more wine tastings along with small bites of food by Chef Sheila R. Gomez.


Vinoteque's charming European ambiance and indoor/outdoor setting provide enough incentive to try the place, but in my opinion, Sommelier Ryan Hess enriches the experience with his charming Irish gift of gab and extensive knowledge about their 350 bottle wine collection.

I've been riveted to every word whenever he's spoken at these tastings.


Second tasting was a Chianti Classico of Sangiovese grapes along with gnocchi. The flavors mirror each other more. Ryan explained that the higher acid wines make us salivate.

This principal of matching the acids in the wine to the acidity of the tomato sauce in the food keeps flavors harmonious.

On the other hand, acidic wines do not go well mixed with cream.

After the tastings, Ryan took some questions on specific pairings. I asked about pairing with Chinese Peking duck. He suggested a dry muscat and also pulled out an obscure (to me!) Greek wine from the collection called Agiorgitiko.


We also discussed how strongly spiced food can destroy the flavors in wine. But if it's something one must have, a spicy and sweet varietal such as Gewurtztraminer or Riesling work best.


The tasting whet our appetite for dinner. Although Vinoteque serves a full dinner menu, my friends and I headed next door to The Foundry for some comfort food on their bar menu.

And does Executive Chef and Owner Eric Greenspan ever know how to serve up the comfort food!



The night we dined there happened to be Fried Chicken night, and you can order individual pieces.

The chicken here falls apart at the bone. Probably because I heard Chef Greenspan first confits the chicken (cooks in its own fat), THEN batters and fries it. Nothing is left to chance here. The herbs in the breading add a fresh flavor.

And if that doesn't do the trick, the side dish of goat cheese waffles with maple bourbon syrup seals the deal. Sweet and savory in one bite always wins me over. They were a home run.

Comfort Carbs at Great Harvest Bread Co

Like many people these days, in my daily diet I limit my carb intake. When I indulge, it really has to count. That doesn't mean the carbs have to be decadent.

At Great Harvest Bread Company, located in South Pasadena, and many other franchise locations, you can eat your hand-crafted bread and feel good about it.


Each day, they take high-protein wheat kernels from their farmer partners in Montana and stone grind it on a stone mill into fresh whole grain flour.

Within 48 hours the flour gets baked into fresh, nutritious and tasty baked goods. In the morning from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. they serve up hot out of the oven breads.


The chalkboard menu in the store indicates the offerings of the day. You can also pick up a flyer in the store or join their mailing list from the website to hear about specials.


Although I often overlook the flyers into the case of sample breads that they offer for tastings. They will cut you a whole slice to enjoy right away.

In addition to breads, they serve cookies, muffins, scones and other extras. Inside the bakery one can find enticing pancake/baking mixes, kitchen accessories, and recently I picked up some E. Waldo Ward preserves.


Among their sandwich offerings I discovered this gem of a grilled cheese sandwich. You pick your bread, of course. I go with the Dakota, multi-grain bread,  with a seed-coated crust. Just look at the grill marks on the bread!

They melt in a generous selection of cheeses along with Boursin garlic and fine herb cheese spread which adds even more great flavor. The cheese invariably comes perfectly melted and gushing out.

And they even serve this savory treat with an Andes chocolate mint.

Along with the carbs, the cheese has taken a reduced role in my diet due to recent lactose digestion issues. But when I need the solid comfort of a grilled cheese, this one appeals to every sense.

The flavors in this sandwich form a very 'adult' flavor, not your childhood Kraft single wrapped cheese on white bread with the crusts cut off. Hearty and satisfying.

Stay tuned for a more comfort carb recommendations.

National Grilled Cheese Month: Eva's Grilled Cheese Night and the 2010 Invitational Retrospective

April is National Grilled Cheese Month. So to celebrate this cheesy month, I engaged in a Pleasure Palate dinner at Eva Restaurant for Grilled Cheese Night. Eva Chef/Owner Mark Gold partnered with Chef/Co-Owner, Dave Danhi, of The Grilled Cheese Truck to offer several courses of grilled cheese sandwiches and side dishes.

Tillamook was the sponsor of GCI

Tillamook sponsors the GCI, so this cute little cheese wagon was parked prominently at this large, crazy cooking contest, dedicated to perfecting the art of grilled cheese.

Judging Table

A couple of friends and I applied to be judges and were able to get into this sectioned off area and sample entries to our bellies' desire. Still, one had to be assertive and crafty to snag a tasting as the melted sandwich quarters were being served, small batches at a time. It was also a warm day and crowded event.


With over 230 competitors, people spared no creativity in order to stand out, along with their creations. It was as much fun watching them than it was tasting the "sammiches".

The Cheese Ballers

This one was called the Panty Dropper - oh my!

Cute aprons and Tower Sandwiches

10 year old Jake was rocking out a delicious self-invented entry

The Jakester

An awesome 12 year old named Jake Feldman made this most creative concoction containing sauteed chorizo, onions, grilled portabello mushrooms, tomatoes and of course, lots of cheese. The outer red color comes from a crust of ground up Flaming Hot Cheetos. It was so wrong, it was kind of right. My brain said no, but the child at heart in me said YES.

L: Duck confit grilled cheese R: Saigon Spice

The duck confit sandwich was decidedly gourmet and I had two tastings while watching many judges wrinkle their noses at duck and pass it up! It contained duck confit, duck foie gras and goat cheese.

The competitive categories broke down into The Missionary Style, The Kama Sutra and The Honey Pot (this year they are adding a Love American Style category. My friend Cecilia Fabulich won Judge's Choice with the delicious entry on the above right. Her Saigon Spice sandwich contained pulled pork, mango, slaw and cheese of course!

Peanut Butter Jelly Cheese Sandwich

This flatter sandwich had cheese and jam on the inside and peanut butter coating on the outside which just worked really well.

The Honey Pot category

I passed by a lot of the sweet entries, preferring savory. But this one stood out and was worth a long wait. It contained cranberry bread, dulce de leche, goat cheese, cream cheese and  banana tempura. Great flavors and textures.

Creative presentations

Not all servings came in little white paper plates. The two above came in very tropical packages. On the left is the Flatbread Jam Sandwich, peeping out of the creature's mouth. On the right is a sandwich wrapped in a banana leaf.

Collecting ballots

Mayor of Cheese

More competitors in costume