Marcus Samuelsson’s fried chicken is hands-down one of the most irresistible I’ve tasted. The celebrity chef/TV personality-restaurateur uses boneless-skinless thighs, the part of the bird prized for its deep richness. He cooks the chicken twice, insuring that each piece is perfectly done.
First, he simmers the chicken in a flavor-packed coconut milk mixture for 10 to 12 minutes. Once cooled, each piece is blanketed with a cornstarch-panko breadcrumb combo and quickly deep fried. It ends up crunchy outside and moist inside with a just-right spiciness. He likes to serve it over a bed of cooked greens.
Samuelsson’s Fried Chicken
Yield: 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons peanut oil, plus 4 cups for frying, divided use
Cook’s notes: I prefer a little less spiciness and substitute either one jalapeno or one Serrano chili for the two Scotch bonnet chilies. Use caution when working with fresh chilies; wash hands and work surface thoroughly upon completion and do NOT touch face or eyes.
PROCEDURE
1. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large deep skillet on medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, add chicken and brown on both sides. Remove chicken. Add garlic, chilies and curry paste to pan; cook until golden and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add coconut milk, lime juice, and 1 cup water; return chicken to pan. Bring to simmer and cook, uncovered, until chicken is cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
2. Combine cornstarch and panko in shallow dish. Place egg whites in separate dish. Dip chicken in eggs white, then roll it in panko mixture. Coat well.
3. Heat 4 cups oil to 350 degrees in a large deep pan. Cautiously add chicken pieces and fry until golden brown on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes total cooking time. Transfer to paper towels to drain excess oil. Season with salt.
Source: “New American Table” by Marcus Samuelsson (Wiley, $40)
KoJa Kitchen, a blend of Korean & Japanese cuisine, is coming to Tustin side of The Market Place this summer.
The Asian fusion restaurant — born in a food truck in San Francisco in 2011 — is known for its gourmet “KoJa” burgers made with crispy garlic rice buns. Most of its locations are in the Bay Area. The Irvine location will mark the restaurant’s first move to Southern California.
San Diego-based Grater Grilled Cheese has opened in Irvine. The restaurant franchise’s mission is “making the world a grater place, one grilled cheese at a time.” The Lobster Grilled Cheese, seen here, is a fan favorite, made with a “secret” five-cheese blend, butter fried lobster, crab, and signature Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Beer Chipotle Aioli. Other selections include soups, salads, mac n cheese, and pomme frites. (Courtesy of Grate Grilled Cheese)
San Diego-based Grater Grilled Cheese has opened in Irvine. The restaurant franchise’s mission is “making the world a grater place, one grilled cheese at a time.” Seen here is the avocado grilled cheese sandwich. (Courtesy of Grate Grilled Cheese)
San Diego-based Grater Grilled Cheese has opened in Irvine. The restaurant franchise’s mission is “making the world a grater place, one grilled cheese at a time.” Seen here is the Grater Burger. (Courtesy of Grater Grilled Cheese)
San Diego-based Grater Grilled Cheese has opened in Irvine. The restaurant franchise’s mission is “making the world a grater place, one grilled cheese at a time.” (Courtesy of Grate Grilled Cheese)
San Diego-based Grater Grilled Cheese has opened in Irvine. The restaurant franchise’s mission is “making the world a grater place, one grilled cheese at a time.” (Courtesy of Grate Grilled Cheese)
San Diego-based Grater Grilled Cheese has opened in Irvine. The restaurant franchise’s mission is “making the world a grater place, one grilled cheese at a time.” (Courtesy of Grate Grilled Cheese)
San Diego-based Grater Grilled Cheese has opened in Irvine. The restaurant franchise’s mission is “making the world a grater place, one grilled cheese at a time.”(Courtesy of Grate Grilled Cheese)
KoJa’s best-seller is a garlic fried rice bun stuffed with kalbi, Korean-style barbecued short rib. (Photo courtesy of KoJa Kitchen)
A Happy Meal featuring non-fat chocolate milk and a cheeseburger with fries, are arranged for a photo at a McDonald’s restaurant in Brandon, Miss., Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018. McDonald’s will soon banish cheeseburgers and chocolate milk from its Happy Meal menu. Diners can still ask specifically for cheeseburgers or chocolate milk with the kid’s meal, but the fast-food company said that not listing them will reduce how often they’re ordered. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
More than 200 varities of tomato seedlings will be available at Roger’s Gardens annual “Tomatomania” sale, which starts Saturday, March 2. (Courtesy of Rogers Gardens)
More than 200 varities of tomato seedlings will be available at Roger’s Gardens annual “Tomatomania” sale, which starts Saturday, March 2. (Courtesy of Rogers Gardens)
One Potato was co-founded by former model, actress and celebrity chef Catherine McCord, seen here. The service includes organic, semi-prepared boxes and is available in certain cities from Northern California all the way to San Diego. All meals, OP say, can be made in 30 minutes or less. (Courtesy of One Potato)
One Potato includes organic, semi-prepared boxes and is available in certain cities from Northern California all the way to San Diego. All meals, OP say, can be made in 30 minutes or less. Seen here is the chicken arepas dinner entree. (Courtesy of One Potato)
One Potato includes organic, semi-prepared boxes and is available in certain cities from Northern California all the way to San Diego. All meals, OP say, can be made in 30 minutes or less. Seen here is the pot sticker dinner entree. (Courtesy of One Potato)
One Potato includes organic, semi-prepared boxes and is available in certain cities from Northern California all the way to San Diego. All meals, OP say, can be made in 30 minutes or less. Seen here is the stuffed shells dinner entree. (Courtesy of One Potato)
One Potato includes organic, semi-prepared boxes and is available in certain cities from Northern California all the way to San Diego. All meals, OP say, can be made in 30 minutes or less. Seen here is the beef broccoli dinner entree. (Courtesy of One Potato)
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The main event is the KoJa burger. Customers choose their protein — miso-coconut braised pork, Korean barbecue short rib to soy, portobello mushroom patty and Korean barbecue chicken — which is sandwiched between a signature fried garlic buns. You also can opt for a bowl, tacos, salad or sandwiches, which include chicken katsu, tofu or ahi tuna.
Yelp reviews rave about KoJa’s Kamikaze fries, described on the menu as “crisscut” waffle fries, minced Korean barbecue beef, kimchi, red sauce, Japanese mayo and green onions.
According to the Richmond District blog in in Berkeley, the restaurant also touts a secret menu. You’ll have to ask the staff about that when the restaurant opens.
Happier meals?
McDonald’s and Disney are getting together again.
The titans of food and entertainment have signed a multi-year agreement to use the Happy Meal as a promotional campaign for movies from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Disney Live Action, Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm.
The last time the duo paired up via the Happy Meals was 2006.
Kids can expect new toys in their Happy Meals boxes starting in June. The alliance will start with Incredibles 2 (in theaters June 15), followed in the fall by Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 (Nov. 21).
McDonald’s recently lowered the price of its popular Happy Meals to $3 for its regular size portions. The meals also went on a diet, with the fast-food giant shrinking the fries order, eliminating chocolate milk and its cheeseburger from the menu (but not as a requested item), and including water as a beverage.
The fast-food chain recently revived its bargain menu of $1, $2 and $3 items. It’s too soon to tell if the campaign will undercut sales and profits. In its fourth-quarter earnings report in late January, McDonald’s reported U.S. same-store sales were up 4.5 percent, higher than the expected 4.3 percent expected from Wall Street analysts.
Get your tomatoes on
Roger’s Gardens is hosting its sixth “Tomatomania” plant sale March 2-11.
The Corona del Mar nursery will have tomato-growing seminars with experts each morning at 9 a.m.
More than 200 varieties of heirloom and hybrid tomato plants will be available, including new varieties for 2018 and the Tomato of the Year Madame Marmande. The red beefsteak has “the toughness of a hybrid and the taste and character of a timeless heirloom,” according to a statement. For more information, call 949-640-5800 or go to rogersgardens.com. Address: 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road.
Grand re-opening
A relocated Juice It Up! in Huntington Beach will celebrate its new location on Warner Avenue from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 10. The owners chose to open a new location just down the street from the original store. The shop will offer a free small Strawberry Wave smoothies to its first 50 customers, 50 percent off all classic smoothies, and $5 Smoothie Bowls till closing. Address: 7171 Warner Ave., Suite A.
1 Potato, 2?
A new meal kit delivery service has landed in Southern California.
One Potato was co-founded by former model, actress and celebrity chef Catherine McCord with the idea of helping families simplify dinnertime meals. The service includes organic, semi-prepared boxes and is available in certain cities from Northern California all the way to San Diego. All meals, OP say, can be made in 30 minutes or less.
Orange County cities with One Potato delivery include Huntington Beach, Irvine, Orange, Newport Beach, Anaheim
Rancho Santa Margarita, Ladera Ranch, Santa Ana, Fountain Valley, Los Alamitos and Mission Viejo.
“As any busy parent knows, finding the time to cook even a simple meal after a long day is unrealistic, no matter your intention,” McCord, chief executive of One Potato, said in a statement. “Research shows that regular family meals can be a more powerful predictor of high achievement scores in children than time spent in school, doing homework, playing sports, or doing art, and we are thrilled that One Potato’s unique approach to helping parents save time while making food that will appeal to even the pickiest of eaters is empowering parents to stop stressing about what’s for dinner and instead spend time on what matters most.”
Menu items the week of Feb. 26 included one-pan chicken, steak frites, sweet and sour pineapple chicken, roasted pepper croquettes, and a Spanish omelete.
Customers can choose from several meal subscriptions that range in price from $77.70 weekly for the Two Potato Plan (two servings per night) all the way up to the Six Potato Plan for $131.70.
The company is based in Los Angeles and serves eight states in all.
Pop-up shop in CM
Prism Boutique and Amuse Society will launch a monthlong pop-up shop Saturday, March 3 in Costa Mesa. Prism features vintage-inspired clothing, specialty jewelry and housewares. Amuse Society is known for its beach chic fashion.
The pop-up will be located at 1796 Monrovia Ave. next to Outpost Kitchen and the barbershop Eagle & Pig.
New in Irvine
San Diego-based Grater Grilled Cheese has opened in Irvine. The restaurant franchise’s mission is “making the world a grater place, one grilled cheese at a time.”
The menu is certainly more than just your mom’s grilled cheese sandwiches, too.
The restaurant uses a trademarked and “secret” five-cheese blend. From there, the options are pretty endless.
The Lobster Grilled Cheese is a fan favorite, made with the five-cheese blend, butter fried lobster, Krab, and signature Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Beer Chipotle Aioli. There’s also a handful of Grater burgers with an Angus beef burger patty on bread with the cheese mixture. Other “burgers” include chicken and surf and turf (beef and lobster). The Chicago sandwich includes roasted ham, fresh tomato, sliced onions, pickles and jalapenos with deli mustart.
Other selections include soups, salads, mac n cheese, and pomme frites.
Grater Grilled Cheese is owned and operated by Santa Monica Group.
Address: 6628 Irvine Center Drive. Phone: 949-387-6455 and online at gratergrilledcheese.com.
New BBQ in SJC
Bad to the Bone BBQ opened an event center and general store on Feb. 23. The center includes a full bar, outdoor patio and spaces for semi-private gatherings. The shop is owned by former rodeo cowboy Marty and Mary Wells. Address: 31738 Rancho Viejo Road.
BBQ meats are slow-cooked in a J&R all wood-burning pits over hickory wood for 12-24 hours. The menu includesribs, brisket, tri-tip and pulled pork and sides chocolate pecan pie, beer, wine and cocktails.
More information at badtothebone-bbq.com or by calling 949-218-0227.
Send new restaurant and retail news to Business Editor Samantha Gowen at sgowen@scng.com.
Olivier Rousteing is living the dream: at 32, he heads a historic French fashion house, counts celebrities like Kim Kardashian among his close friends, and has a “Balmain army” of fans, including his 4.7 million followers on Instagram.
That he has polarized opinion along the way is no secret, but Rousteing is OK with that. His fall collection saw him take off in a new direction with a lineup so shimmering, it almost upstaged the gilded ballroom at Paris City Hall where the show was held.
The designer, who never met a gold braid he didn’t like, supplanted embellishment this season with high-shine surface effects. Silver foil, PVC, holographic sequins, liquid-look organza and crystal mesh were just some of the materials he deployed in his quest for sparkle. “It’s a bit the story of my life, in a way, just trying to look for the sky,” he mused backstage.
The reflective looks had iPhone cameras working overtime to compensate for the glare. A glistening pink coat with raw edges was paired with a mermaid sequin top, while an oversized T-shirt with a cellophane print topped a plastic shower curtain skirt and yellow PVC thigh-high boots.
Rousteing worked trouser suits with sharp-shouldered jackets and bouffant
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Gabriele “Bebe” Moratti went to town for fall — to Paris that is. Describing Redemption’s endeavor for the season as a “Love Letter to Paris,” he sent out an offering that was heavy on the glitz, moving away from the more grungy feel of the past couple of seasons.
A panoply of ostentatious fabrics, from giant houndstooth designs in all-over sequins to lurex jacquard motifs, paraded down the runway on bustier dresses and tuxedos to a soundtrack of French classics from artists like Charles Aznavour and Edith Piaf.
Flowing silk and georgette and crepe halter-neck dresses in black, red or regal purple were regularly punctuated at the waist with diamanté cummerbunds or paired with felt fedoras and ankle boots.
In a less dressed up register, there were wide-hipped leather pants and some fun dungarees, their workwear shape providing a quirky contrast when worked in shimmering black velvet or as a black leather playsuit.
This was all topped off by a multiplicity of fake-fur coats in an array of hues from deep purple to yellow and even in a giant houndstooth pattern.
Moratti said the fall collection was put together in just four weeks since pre-fall was presented in January, and that he is planning to focus
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Alessandra Rich is no longer the hidden jewel she was just a few seasons ago when she showed her intoxicating gauche-glam collection by appointment out of a boutique hotel. She’s upgraded to mini shows at fabulous Parisian apartments, choosing a Jacques Garcia-decorated duplex in the 16th for her fall collection. Big retailers, big editors and big influencers tripping over each other to be photographed in Rich’s floral dresses from last season were seated around the velvet and animalia-clad rooms with painted ceilings.
Rich has been mining the fantasy side of the Eighties long before nouveau-nouveau riche reclaimed its broad-shouldered, rhinestoned and ruched perch this season. The trend caught up with her brand of tongue-in-cheek glamour, making her lineup feel very on point. She called it Mirage. “You can see a mirage, but it’s not there,” said Rich after the show. “This is about a woman called Mirage — she’s someone who’s in the scene, she comes and goes, does what she wants, but she wants to be a little bit unknown. Nobody even knows her real name.” By day, she swans around in a purple off-the-shoulder cropped mohair sweater over silk harem pants in red leopard print, sheer black stockings, pastel satin
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“The idea was, kind of take out the noise,” Jonathan Anderson said backstage after his Loewe show. “I wanted something which was like, you know, we’re leaving noise and [embracing] calmness, and kind of comfortable…grounded.” Exactly what noise he wanted to extract — whether that of political statements on the runway, or luxury chasing street, or the obsessive zeal for Millennial affirmation — he didn’t say.
He didn’t have to. Anderson’s show said it all, populated by young women who looked as real-world comely as is possible within their runway-model demographic.
It was one of the season’s strongest shows so far and reminded that beautiful, well thought-out clothes crafted in careful consideration of the women who will ultimately buy and wear them are clothes with noble purpose. In that regard, while watching Anderson’s parade pass, the thought struck that he could fill the void created by Phoebe Philo’s absence — a void that has left countless devotees of hers wondering, “what will we wear?” Anderson obviously can’t engage in the powerful woman-to-woman dialogue that marked Philo’s Céline tenure. He can let his clothes speak for him.
For fall, with the noise extracted, they spoke volumes. The first look out triggered the Phoebe comparison.
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Julie Paskal has spent a lot of time in boxes over the past few months, following the move with her family into a new apartment in the city of Odessa in the Ukraine, as well as a new design studio.
She channeled this idea of garments and objects mixed together through a play on combinations of patterns, textures and fabrics.
A jacket and skirt with plastic layers formed the illusion of a trenchcoat when worn together. The designer peeled back a spearmint green trench to reveal a spotted beige puffer underneath, with the label’s playfulness intact.
Highlights in the dress-centric offer included a retro tiered polka-dot dress and a ruffle style in a collage of black-and-white polka-dot prints in different scales.
She also played with optical illusions on a dress featuring a laser-cut layer over a printed base.
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Jockey is looking to its past for its newest launch, but considering a more modern vehicle for promotion.
The underwear and apparel brand is introducing its Retro Stripe collection, which is influenced by the brand’s first women’s line, For Her, which was released in 1982.
Jockey is an American brand with a rich heritage dating back to 1876,” said Erica Rendall, vice president of marketing at Jockey. “The Retro Stripe collection has a fun aesthetic with vintage styling and a super soft fabric that is just the right weight with a hint of stretch”
The line includes a bralette that comes in five different colorways, and underwear that comes in four different silhouettes: a thong, hip-hugger, string bikini and high cut style. The collection is priced from $11.50 for the underwear to $24 for the bralette. The items can also be bought in packs. A package of two bralettes retails for $38, and a pack of three for the underwear retails for $28.50. The line will be available in Macy’s, Kohl’s, J.C. Penney, Lord & Taylor, Belk, Hudson’s Bay and Bon-Ton.
To introduce the line, Jockey worked with influencers including Arielle Nachmani (@SomethingNavy); Christine Andrew (@HelloFashionBlog); Cara Loren (@caraloren); Jessi Malay (@jessimalay); Genevieve Padalecki (@nowandgen),
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ARTISANAL OFFERING: In an effort to highlight the craftsmanship of India — and honor the store’s founder Sir Arthur Liberty and his love of Indian designs — Liberty has curated a 3,347-square-foot space dedicated to modern and vintage Indian homeware and furniture.
“Made in India” is a temporary space on the fourth floor of the retailer’s store. The offering is in the former Les Couilles du Chien space, and will remain on display until Christmas.
Bold colors such as yellow, turquoise and orange are splashed on the walls and the pieces on display include phulkari floral embroideries from Punjab, colorful pottery from Rajasthan, and sari border textiles from Varanasi made by artisans. There are also ornate Lassi cups and hand-carved ornamental doors as well as an intricately carved brass chest. Modern wares include handcrafted cushions. Prices range from 10 pounds to 10,000 pounds.
Julie Hassan, Liberty’s senior buying manager, said: “It’s all about the juxtaposition of the old and the new — like a shiny New Delhi tower block that’s right next to a crumbling Mughal temple.” Homeware buyer Bryony Sheridan said: “We really like the makers and the handmade projects. Many of these skills have been passed down from generation to generation.”
This
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JAMES’ DAY: Savile Row tailor Richard James swung by Buckingham Palace on Friday to collection his Queen’s honor for services to men’s fashion. He received the OBE, or Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, from Prince William, and wore the gold cross-shaped medal on the front pocket of his peacock-blue jacket.
“Prince William was delightful, and he remembered me, which was very sweet,” said James who’d visited Kensington Palace years ago to alter some suits that he’d made for the prince. He didn’t make as much fuss about his own suit. “It’s off the peg,” he said during a celebratory Champagne tea at his store on 29 Savile Row. The soggy snowstorm outside did nothing to dampen the mood inside, as James was pulled in multiple directions by friends and well-wishers.
The past 12 months have been major for James, who last year marked the brand’s 25th anniversary and sold the company to one of his clients, Charles S. Cohen, the American multibillionaire. Later this year, Cohen plans to open the first Richard James store in New York, on Park Avenue and 57th Street.
The 1,800-square-foot space, will be housed in what was once the tallest residential building in Manhattan and will
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