Show 48, November 16, 2013: Chef Chris Oh and Ted Kim of Seoul Sausage Co. in West Los Angeles

Seoul SausageA little over a year ago those three wild & crazy, youthful Korean-Americans (Ted and Yong Kim and Chef Chris Oh) opened the Seoul Sausage Co. in Little Osaka, West Los Angeles. They are known for melding distinctive Korean flavors into American sausages. Their other signature item is the “flaming balls.” Korean Fried Chicken (KFC) with corn bread is another specialty.

Seoul Sausage Co. opened right after the three partners won Season 3 of Food Network’s Great Food Truck Race. First prize was a cool $50,000 and the new food truck they took across the country on the series. It’s affectionately known as “Big Mama.” The “Flaming Balls” was a dish (think giant Korean suppli with dipping sauces) created by necessity in an intense competition on “Great Food Truck Race.”

The (always entertaining) Seoul Sausage Co. guys are with us to talk about the sweet ride that has been the last year. The lines are still out the door.

There’s more…Young, Ted, and Chef Chris also have some exciting news to share with the listening audience. It’s a “SoCal Restaurant Show” exclusive…

November 16: Seoul Sausage, Taps Fish House, Linda Burum, The Lobster, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, A Restaurant, Front Porch Pops

Podcasts

Segment One: Host Jet Tila and Producer Andy Harris
Segment Two: Chef Chris Oh and Ted Kim of Seoul Sausage Co. in West Los Angeles
Segment Three: Joe Manzella, proprietor of TAPS Fish House & Brewery in Brea and Corona, and The Catch in Anaheim
Segment Four: Linda Burum, food journalist & contributor to Los Angeles Magazine and L.A. Weekly
Segment Five: Collin Crannell, Executive Chef of The Lobster
Segment Six: Jay Isais, Senior Director of Coffee, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
Segment Seven: Jon Blackford, Executive Chef of A Restaurant, Newport Beach
Segment Eight: Erin Whitcomb, POPrietor of Front Porch Pops

Chef Jet and Producer Andy preview the show.

CBTL by the Coffee Bean and Tea LeafIt’s National Espresso Day on Saturday, November 23rd. To celebrate our friends at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf will be featuring a Black Friday promotion.

The CBTL, the single serve beverage system from The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, will be part of a special promotion from November 29 through December 1, 2013. Enthusiasts can purchase one CBTL Single Serve Machine and get a second CBTL Single Serve Machine (of equal or lesser value) free!

Seoul SausageA little over a year ago those three wild & crazy, youthful Korean-Americans (Ted and Yong Kim and Chef Chris Oh) opened the Seoul Sausage Co. in Little Osaka, West Los Angeles. They are known for melding distinctive Korean flavors into American sausages. Their other signature item is the “flaming balls.” Korean Fried Chicken (KFC) with corn bread is another specialty.

Seoul Sausage Co. opened right after the three partners won Season 3 of Food Network’s “Great Food Truck Race. First prize was a cool $50,000 and the new food truck they took across the country on the series. It’s affectionately known as “Big Mama.” The “Flaming Balls” was a dish created by necessity in an intense competition on “Great Food Truck Race.”

The (always entertaining) Seoul Sausage Co. guys are with us to talk about the sweet ride that has been the last year. The lines are still out the door.

There’s more…Young, Ted, and Chef Chris also have some exciting news to share with the listening audience. It’s an exclusive…

Joe Manzella of Taps Fish House and Brewery and the CatchRestaurateur Joe Manzella is the proprietor of TAPS Fish House & Brewery in Brea and Corona, and The Catch in Anaheim on Katella near Angel Stadium.

Joe is also a lifelong sandwich fan and a history buff. He’s traveled the country researching regional favorites. Working with his executive chef he’s launched the “Famous 50” sandwich program. Each week a different regional favorite is showcased at both TAPS in Brea and The Catch in Anaheim. Thus far the Famous 50 has included favorites including lobster roll, Mama Manzella’s meatball sub, muffuletta, Chicago Italian Beef, and the Cubano.

According to Manzella to reach true sandwich nirvana five critical points must be met. He shares them with us on the show. One clue…All his bread comes from star baker Dean Kim at the OC Baking Co. in Orange.

Linda BurumLinda Burum is a well-known food journalist who currently contributes to Los Angeles Magazine and LA Weekly.

Linda is just back from a trip to Taipei, Taiwan where she did a bit of restaurant research.

Linda reports on her dining adventures there and mentions where you can get some of these same signature dishes locally.

Executive Chef Colin Crannell of the Lobster in Santa MonicaThe guests still think of Executive Chef Collin Crannell of The Lobster in Santa Monica as the “new” chef even though he’s been there four years. He has serious fine dining background going back to Joachim Splichal’s Patina and luxury hotels.

Of course he’s a lobster specialist. There is even a lobster ravioli on the menu with Santa Monica farmer’s market vegetables. He also does some pretty wonderful thinks with steak.

Chef Crannell impresses with soup, too.

The Lobster is located at the top of the entrance to the historic Santa Monica Pier. It’s an incredible ocean view. The restaurant proudly defies the notion that if you offer a great view you can probably get away with serving mediocre food.

It’s National Espresso Day on Saturday, November 23rd.

Jay Isais of the Coffee Bean and Tea LeafJay Isais, Senior Director of Coffee for The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf joins us to chat about creating the perfect cup of espresso. There is a lot more to this than you may imagine.

To get you into the Holiday Spirit our friends at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf will be featuring a Black Friday promotion.

The CBTL, the single serve beverage system from The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, will be part of a special promotion from November 29 through December 1, 2013. Enthusiasts can purchase one CBTL Single Serve Machine and get a second CBTL Single Serve Machine (of equal or lesser value) free!

Jon Blackford of A RestaurantWhat is now the popular A Restaurant on Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach is a classic dining spot dating back to 1926. A few years ago new, local ownership completely restored the place to its current ageless steakhouse atmosphere. It’s handsome with a very popular bar.

Jon Blackford is the executive chef. His charge is to continue to serve great steaks but also elevate the rest of the menu. Believe it or not he loves market fresh vegetables and amazes with beets.

He impresses with creative charcuterie and cheese plates and house-made grilled sausages.

Erin Whitcomb of Front Porch PopsErin Whitcomb’s Front Porch Pops were the hit of the Orange International Street Fair in Old Town Orange over Labor Day Weekend. They were being enjoyed everywhere on the Festival site. The pops are handmade in small batches.

Tangy Lemon Cream was the first frozen novelty sold back in 2010.

Erin’s Pop Philosophy:

  • We use real fruit and fresh dairy to make our pops.
  • Our pops are handcrafted by our staff using our own recipes.
  • You’ll never find artificial colors, flavors, or high–fructose corn syrup in our pops. Ever.
  • We use locally grown, organic produce whenever we can. We sell our pops at farmer’s markets and take great pride in saying, “The plums from that farmer over there are in this popsicle right here!”

New to the line (and just in time for the Holidays) are small batch pies. The crust is hand-rolled.

A colleague described him as “passionate, dedicated, creative, stubborn, tough, great vision, and healthy.”

Podcasts

Segment One: Host Jet Tila and Producer Andy Harris
Segment Two: Chef Chris Oh and Ted Kim of Seoul Sausage Co. in West Los Angeles
Segment Three: Joe Manzella, proprietor of TAPS Fish House & Brewery in Brea and Corona, and The Catch in Anaheim
Segment Four: Linda Burum, food journalist & contributor to Los Angeles Magazine and L.A. Weekly
Segment Five: Collin Crannell, Executive Chef of The Lobster
Segment Six: Jay Isais, Senior Director of Coffee, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
Segment Seven: Jon Blackford, Executive Chef of A Restaurant, Newport Beach
Segment Eight: Erin Whitcomb, POPrietor of Front Porch Pops

Lucky Rice Market 2013

We were out on July 27, 2013 at the 2nd annual LA edition of the LuckyRice Festival and Night Market featuring our own Jet Tila and host Sang Yoon of Lukshon, but also past guests like the team from Seoul Sausage Company and some of the best Asian inspired food and cocktails we’ve had all year! Some of the restaurants we tried include Spice Table, Night+Market, Starry Kitchen, BEP Vietnamese Kitchen, B Sweet Catering, Phorage, RockSugar Pan Asian Kitchen, Komodo, Zengo, Ayara Thai Kitchen and a lot more. Not to mention the Katsuya VIP Dragon Lounge. Missed it? Check out our photo gallery to see all the fun we had. Balloon Animals? Oh, yes. That was a blast.