Friday, April 29, 2011

Smoked Turkey Cobb on Brioche Flatbread at Corner Bakery Cafe



We have the Smoked Turkey Cobb on Brioche Flatbread for our random meal. I normally associate the word Cobb as a salad but this salad on a bread actually works. The flatbread sandwich contains "Turkey breast, applewood smoked bacon, bleu cheese crumbles, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, lettuce and avocado mayo." All the ingredients seems to balance each other and the flatbread was refreshing.

Found at Corner Bakery Cafe in Manhattan Beach, CA.

(Nikon D7000, 35mm, f5.6, 1/80, iso 280, +0.67ev)

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Corned Beef Sandwich at Brent's Delicatessen



We have the Corned Beef Sandwich as featured on "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" for our random meal of the day. This classic sandwich has corned beef piled high on rye bread. Simple but yet so wonderfully good. Originally I was only going to eat half of this gigantic sandwich but it was so good that before I knew it, the entire sandwich was gone.

To our regular random mealers, this photograph has a different look to it because I actually used two external flashes. To flash or not to flash, that is the question. So far in over 600 random meal postings, there have only been two instances that a flash has been used and both those instances have been at wedding receptions. The goal of random meal is to actually use only available ambient light for the photos. I will still strive to maintain that goal at the restaurant locations but I am considering using flash photography for takeout orders for a different random twist...

Found at Brent's Delicatessen in Northridge, CA.

(Nikon D700, 105mm, f5.6, 1/125, iso 400, +2.67ev, SB900 Flash used)

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Carrot Cake Cupcake



Our random meal of the day dessert treat brings us some wonderful home baked Carrot Cake Cupcakes. These cupcake treats were baked by my company's Director and are actually going to be birthday cupcakes for her husband. She turned her famous carrot cake into these wonderful cupcake treats. There is actually a special secret surprise to the cupcakes. The center of the cupcakes are actually hollowed out and filled with some more wonderful cream frosting inside. The inspiration for this is actually the chocolate Hostess cupcakes that you see in the grocery stores. This actually made the Carrot Cake Cupcake so much better as you don't run out of frosting halfway though the cupcake. I think all cupcakes should follow this pattern. Yummy!

(Nikon D7000, 35mm, f5.6, 1/80, iso 140, +0.67ev)

Monday, April 25, 2011

Rajas Fries at Frysmith Food Truck



One morning I went to the break room to get a cup of water and the way back to my desk i noticed that there was a small crowd gather there. They were admiring the Rajas Fries that I am currently using as my desktop screensaver. It was actually kind of funny because I always have some sort of food photo as my screensaver and for some reason, this one just got the people around my office a bit hungry at 9AM in the morning. The key is that I display the pictures when I leave my desk and not while I am working at my desk. I guess the best thing about being the actual photographer is the fact that you have the high resolution photo to do what you like with it. Normally for Random Meal Of The Day, I resize the photos that I post to 1024px which makes it a great to view on the iPad at the native resolution. My desktop LCD is 24 inches so the current screensaver was resized to the native 1920 x 1080 resolution. I guess if you do work around me, you get a sneak peak at future random meals. ;)

Our random meal of the day is an order of the Rajas Fries. The wonderful fries are "charbroiled angus steak in a marinade with roasted poblano peppers, caramelized onions, jack cheese, rajas sauce, lime and cilantro." Yes this random meal is from a Food Truck. I actually had my eyes on Frysmith for awhile now and last week my friend emailed me and told me that the truck was going to be near my office. The funny thing, is that I was only able to wrangle one other coworker to go try the fries with me. Well I guess the crowd that gathered around my desk regretted not joining the adventure. As always, sometime a picture is really worth a thousand words as the simple picture will be enough to encourage someone to try something new.

Found at Frysmith in Los Angeles, CA.

(Nikon D7000, 35mm, f2.8, 1/320, iso 100, +0.33ev)

Friday, April 22, 2011

Burrito De Camaron at Sol y Luna



We have an order of the Burrito De Camaron which is also known as the Shrimp burrito for our random meal of the day. The burrito is actually overflowing with large shrimp. The burrito contains grilled shrimp, pico de gallo, avocado and cheese. I held the beans from this order. The burrito is topped with ranchera sauce and melted cheese.

Found at Sol y Luna in Tarzana, CA.

(Nikon D700, 35mm, f5.6, 1/50, iso 450)

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Viking Dogs for the Scandinavian American Festival at Holy Trinity



Our Scandinavian American Festival adventure continues with a Viking Dog. The Viking Dog looks very much like a bratwurst from just the initial inspection but it is so not the case. The Viking Dog is made with a combination of veal, potatoes and pork in a all natural casing. This is definitely a unique random meal treat.

Found at Holy Trinity at the Scandinavian American Festival in Thousand Oaks, CA.

(Nikon D700, 35mm, f5.6, 1/80, iso 1600)

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Norsk Plate for the Scandinavian American Festival at Norseman Lodge



Our random meal of the day brings us the Norsk Plate from our visit to the Scandinavian American Festival this past weekend. The great thing about this plate is that it gave us a sample of some of the many Scandinavian countries cuisines. The plate contains some Norwegian Meatballs with gravy, potatoes, and Lefse. We also have some Old World Style sausage and red cabbage. Yummy!

Found at Norseman Lodge at the Scandinavian American Festival in Thousand Oaks, CA.

(Nikon D700, 35mm, f4.0, 1/1000, iso 200, +0.33ev)

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Aebleskiver for the Scandinavian American Festival at Arne's Famous Aebleskiver



Yesterday we attended the Scandinavian American Festival. It was fun festive event. The last day of the festival is today! We have Aebleskiver for today's random meal of the day treat. Aebleskiver are Danish pancake treats that are prepared in a special pan. The way they rise up in the pan and becomes this larger than bite size treat is just absolutely awesome. Every order comes with 3 delightful Aebleskiver that are covered in jam and snowed on with powdered sugar. This is utterly fabulous.

Found at Arne's Famous Aebleskiver at the Scandinavian American Festival in Thousand Oaks, CA.

(Nikon D700, 60mm, f4.0, 1/250, iso 200, +0.67ev)

Friday, April 15, 2011

Juicy Shrimp Fajitas at Sharkeez



Our random meal of the day brings us some Juicy Shrimp Fajitas. It is kind of funny when browsing Sharkeez on Yelp. When you click on the photo section, all you see are pictures of people and not the food. I am the only one uploading food pics so it was to my surprise that today's random meal was actually excellent. I was really surprised at the quality and the quantity of the shrimp. I was expecting more of a dive bar quality food but I guess if you venture away from the typical dive bar menu items, you may be pleasantly surprised with your random meal.

Found at Sharkeez in Manhattan Beach, CA.

(Nikon D700, 50mm, f4.0, 1/80, iso 2800)

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Brown Butter & Candied Bacon Ice Cream Sandwich at Coolhaus Ice Cream Truck



We have for our random meal of the day an order of Brown Butter & Candied Bacon Ice Cream Sandwich. Yup, that's right, bacon ice cream... The ice cream is sandwiched between a pair of maple waffle & white chocolate chip cookies. The wrapper that I am using to hold the super duper gigantic ice cream sandwich is actually edible. The paper is actually made from a potato and the ink that they use on the paper is soy. This has to be my most wildly random; random meal of the day yet!

Found at Coolhaus Ice Cream Truck in Los Angeles, CA.

(Nikon D700, 60mm, f5.6, 1/250, iso 200, +0.67ev)

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The Miller Pizza Special at Fresh Brothers



We have "The massive meat pie!" for our random meal of the day. The deep dish pizza is called The Miller Pizza Special. It contains five different types of meat. We have sausage, pepperoni, ground beef, bacon and chunks of ham. This is no dainty little pizza. I never understood the calling of the deep dish pie until I took my first bite. We actually ordered a whole medium pie and between myself and "Mr Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese" and surprisingly we left a third of the deep dish one inch thick pizza unfinished. We both could not eat another bite despite the fact that this had to be to most delicious pizza ever. I really enjoy the fact that you can actually taste most of the different meats distinctly and that it was not just a salty blend. Now with the picture in hand, it is time to recruit a third member to attack and actually finish the next deep dish pizza pie.

Found at Fresh Brothers in Manhattan Beach, CA.

(Nikon D7000, 35mm, f4.0, 1/80, iso 140)

Monday, April 11, 2011

Wedding Reception Dinner at The Langham Huntington



Congratulations to Johan and Louisa on your wedding yesterday. Thank you for allowing us to join your special day. Today we showcase the wonderful Seared Beef Filet with Gorgonzola Walnut Crust for our beef entree from the reception dinner. For weddings events, I break my no flash photography rule.

Found at The Langham Huntington in Pasadena, CA.

(Nikon D700, 35mm, f5.6, 1/100, iso 800, SB 900 flash bounced)

We also have the other delicious entree choice, Chicken Cordon Bleu with Risotto.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Cappuccino Mousse Cake Cup at Aux Delices



We have for our random meal of the day treat a Cappuccino Mousse Cake Cup. This is a very interesting dessert treat as the cup is made completely of edible chocolate goodness. Yes the wonderful chocolate is molded into the shape of a coffee cup. Moist cappuccino flavored mousse cake may have actually been baked right into the chocolate cup as the cake layers are perfectly form fitting inside. Whipped frosting adorns the top of the cake and cocoa powder is snowed on top for the finishing touch.

Found at Aux Delices French Bakery & Cafe in Pasadena, CA.

(Nikon D700, 60mm, f11, 1/3, iso 400)

Friday, April 8, 2011

Corn Empanada for National Empanada Day at Nonna's Empanadas



Happy National Empanada Day! Today we feature a Corn Empanada to celebrate this holiday. The corn empanada is filled with corn, mozzarella and green onions and then baked until slightly golden. The baking process makes the empanada a healthier random meal of the day treat. Each type of empanada is actually stamped with the type of filling inside and folded uniquely. The corn has "CO" stamped on it. The other empanada in the background is a beef version and stamped with a "B" and actually only lays flat as it has a slightly different shape.

Found at Nonna's Empanadas in Los Angeles, CA.

(Nikon D700, 35mm, f4.0, 1/160, iso 200, +0.33ev)

Blue Grenadier (Hoki) at McCormick & Schmick's



We have an order of the chef recommendation, the Blue Grenadier for our random meal of the day. The Blue Grenadier or Hoki is a native New Zealand fish. It is Macadamia Nut-Crusted and topped with a tropical fruit salsa and miniature bay shrimp. This was a nice, light and healthy mild manner random meal.

Found at McCormick & Schmick's in El Segundo, CA.

(Nikon D700, 35mm, f4.0, 1/50, iso 900)

Thursday, April 7, 2011

The Baco at Lardon Food Truck



We have The Baco for our random meal of the day. What is the Baco you ask? The Baco is "potatoes and cheddar in a bacon shell". Yes, you read that correctly, a bacon shell instead of a taco shell. The Baco is just magical. Yes, this random meal is from a gourmet food truck that specializes in Bacon goodness.

Found at Lardon Food Truck randomly in El Segundo, CA.

(Nikon D7000, 35mm, f2.8, 1/1250, iso 100)

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Frontega Chicken on Focaccia Panini at Panera Bread



We have for our random meal of the day an order of the Frontega Chicken on Focaccia Panini. This delicious panini contains "smoked pull chicken, tomatoes, mozzarella, onions, fresh basil & chipotle mayo.". I heard from one of the many food shows that I watch is that the key to a great panini is actually half baked bread. I wonder if this Focaccia bread is half baked because the bread is still moist and soft on the inside and the panini press creates a nice crispy outer crust without it being too hard.

Found at Panera Bread in Los Angeles, CA.

(Nikon D700, 60mm, f8.0, 1/80, iso 360)

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Crispy Steak Tacos at Chipotle



We have three Crispy Steak Tacos for Taco Tuesday. I really enjoy the crunch of these tacos. These shells are light and airy. Yummy!

Found at Chipotle in Hawthorne, CA.

(Nikon D7000, 35mm, f2.8, 1/100, iso 100)

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Whoopie Pie at SusieCakes Bakery



We have a Whoopie Pie for our random meal of the day treat. This gigantic five inch super sweet and moist indulgence was actually featured on the Cooking Channel "Unique Eats". I actually had to eat this in two separate sittings as it was just a large dessert. The most surprising thing about the Whoopie Pie was how soft the cookies were. It is best describe for the Unique Eats show as the mix between a brownie and cake. Yum!

Found at SusieCakes Bakery in Manhattan Beach, CA.

(Nikon D7000, 35mm, f5.6, 1/80, iso 2000)

Friday, April 1, 2011

Grilled Hamburger at Automobile Driving Museum



We have a Grilled Hamburger for our random meal of the day. This was actually an interesting twist to my normal random meal adventures. The company that I work for is having "a non company sponsored" Payday Cruise Lunch events every other week that coincides with our payday. What this is, is for employees to bring in their car to showcase and then cruise on off to lunch. Let's just say that the company that I work for have a bunch of car enthusiasts to put it mildly. The funny thing is that when I saw the subject line of the email stating Payday Cruise, I thought we were going to go on a boat. Hey, we do only work about two miles away from the Pacific Ocean. This was actually the first Payday Cruise Lunch that I attended and it was parking lot BBQ provided by El Segundo's own Automobile Driving Museum. I really didn't know what kind of photograph I was going to get because we prepaid for our random meal the day before and it was a bit mysterious. All in all, it was a great fun adventure and I did really enjoyed my grilled hamburger and the tour of the museum.

Found at Automobile Driving Museum in El Segundo, CA.

(Nikon D700, 35mm, f2.8, 1/640, iso 200, +0.33ev)