Our Crepes and More, Wilmington's newest Crepe Restaurant

As you can see from the title, this post is going to be all about Crepes. The family Marguerat (featuring French chef Sylvain and Swiss wife Jacqueline) has brought a European flair to Midtown on Oleander. The former Schlotzsky's has been transformed into an adorable express French cafe.

My Fiance Lauren and I went for a breakfast for dinner after an appetizing walk in the nearby park. She ordered the Ham Egg and Cheese Crepe, while I ordered the Spinach and Feta, and the Spinach, Egg and Bacon all in one crepe.

We started off with a delicious carrot salad that Lauren didn't care for (more for me) and then out came our piping hot crepes. Lauren's had a beautiful presentation with the corners folded up to make a square and an egg over easy right in the middle. Her's was excellent. I started into mine and only found Spinach and Feta, it was ok, but not really what I ordered.

Minutes later without prompting, Jacqueline came out and said in a heavy Swiss-French hybrid accent (may not be Swiss or French I can only assume), I am so sorry, I will bring you another. And another one came. Very quickly, and was much more delicious with the other flavors to balance out the sauteed Spinach. We decided to finish off the evening with a delicate helping of Sorbet. Wow, although extremely small (I heard they are making larger portions), this was the most amazing sorbet. Homemade, with a pure creamy texture. I think we got Raspberry, and it had been strained of its seeds (a detail many sorbet makers overlook). I would go again just for the sorbet, or the carrot salad, or Lauren's crepe (mine wasn't bad, I would just like to try everything else on the menu).

The only bad thing I can say about this place is they aren't open on Sunday, which is when we are always looking for a perfect brunch spot. But I imagine as they grow, so will their hours. Hit them up and support this fantastic new restaurant.
Our Crepes and More
3810 Oleander Drive
Wilmington, NC 28409
Phone (910) 395 0077
ocm3810@yahoo.com
OPEN MONDAY THRU THURSDAY 8 AM - 8 PM FRIDAY & SATURDAY 8 AM - 9 PM

Denny's Free Slamwich

Denny's if you recall, offered us a Free Grand Slam. And now, the diner chain famous for baseball themed breakfast plates and smokey late nights is offering a Free Slamwich with purchase of a Grand Slam. While it is not as good as just free for showing up, I still expect a great turnout April 8th from 6am - 2pm. Get them while they are hot, as they say.

Valentine's Surprise

This February 14th, or as some of you know it, Valentine's Day, I awoke to the smell of Bacon... well Turkey Bacon. Lauren got up extra early, went to the store, and made a delicious breakfast. Before I get to the breakfast, a quick side note about her trip to Harris Teeter.
Lauren later told me that it was a very odd assortment of people. Unusual for our Harris Teeter, other than one or two other female customers, the store was filled with males doing some type of last minute shopping, getting flowers, balloons, cake, who knows what at 7:30am. Just interesting and something to think about.
Back to the breakfast. So we have the Turkey Bacon at bottom, going clockwise, the bowl on the left has some delicious biscuits beneath the cloth. The glasses and carafe are filled with fresh squeezed orange juice, pulp in. I mention that the pulp was left in because Lauren hates it, and as an act of compromise I ended up straining the rest of the carafe (luckily I got to keep all the pulp for myself, some would call it selfish, but I think of it as a compromise) for a pulp-free end to the meal. Continuing to 12 o clock, is a delicious fruit salad, with banana, apple, strawberry and yogurt. There may or may not have been other fruit, delicious though and it was the gift that kept on giving for a few days. The omelets are next with mushroom, cheese (not sure what kind), onion and basil. Last but not least a nice card at my plate. What a sweet girlfriend.

I hope you had a fun day of St. Valentine yourself.

Random Picture #3: Alice's Egg Sandwich, Mayview Style

One of the local restaurants (you could say favorite for many) in Los Feliz is Fred 62. A diner, known for slightly overpriced American fare that may or may not fill you up. Consequently, it is also the place known for a few celebrity sitings. I am terrible with names and faces, but was able to recognize Glenn Fitzgerald from Dirty Sexy Money. I wasn't like, "ooh, I am stalking him and have to meet him." It was more of an, "I think I have seen him before, oh yeah, Dirty Sexy Money, have no idea what is name is, glad to see he gets out and about and eats like the rest of us."
Long story short, Fred 62 does make one delicious Alice's Egg Sandwich. Which happened to be the first thing I had when I arrived in Los Angeles my first night. Goat Cheese, Avocado, Tomato, Eggs, and Hash Brown, served on a buttery bun sounds great. It was, even though it was tiny. When the bill came at $7.85 per, The Food Monster was grumpy.A few months later, we set out to make our own. Thus, we come across Random Picture #3, from my photo archives. I remember John David made the hashbrowns, and we all helped out to make a better sandwich, for way cheaper.From the looks of things, the ingredient list included:
Tomato
Basil
Avocado
Hashbrowns
A Cheese (probably goat)
English Muffins
Scrambled Egg

Denny's Free Grand Slam

I hope everyone enjoyed watching the "biggest game of the year". I didn't find the commercials as good as years past except for the one by Denny's. Anytime you offer free food to all Americans, I think you are a good commercial. So with that, I hope you made it out today between 6am, and 2pm for your free Grand Slam breakfast.

Good Morning Beach Breakfast Biscuits, Los Angeles Style

Remember the Good Morning Beach Breakfast Biscuits? Well, here I was on another vacation, this time in Los Angeles. My girlfriend flew out for 4 days, and we went to the Getty and hosted a brunch among other things. Our teamwork paved the way for some Beach inspired Ham Steak, Egg, and Cheese Breakfast Biscuits. For the fruit salad, we added, Blackberries, Raspberries, 2 Oranges, and a large Apple, a little lemon juice and a generous drizzle of Vanilla Yogurt. Enjoy!

5,000 Hits at The Food Monster

Hi Everybody,

During my brief Food Blogging hiatus, The Food Monster Blog reached another benchmark, 5,000 hits! (hits from the former address, http://reviewsandrecipes.blogspot.com don't count). In order to celebrate, I will leave you with some photos of our best looking posts.

-The Food Monster


Panqueques


Dark Chocolate Almonds
Asian Themed Night Part 3: Sushi, Crab and Crunchy Shrimp Roll
Good Morning Beach Breakfast Biscuits
Mango Smoothies

Sweet Fr î tes! (Sweet Potato Fries Part 2, Still to come)
What were your favorite posts/photos?

Town and Country - a Review

Town and Country was a recent place we stopped to get some brunch. Located in the Silver Lake area of Sunset, it has a nice feel to it, with outdoor seating and a deli case featuring lots of goodies.

The other good thing about this place was the awesome blackberry jam/preserves/compote/concotion.
Unfortunately, that's where the good parts ended. It wasn't a hectic morning, half of the tables were empty and we were lucky enough to get two waiters. They were both unattentative at best and we couldn't figure out which one was the real waiter. It took a long time to get an extra set of silverware, I had to get up to get some salt from a table across the room that nobody was using and to top it off, they could only accept two forms of payment. Either Cash and one card, or two cards and no cash, but definitely not 5 cards.

Listen, we are trying to pay you money, if you do not have the means to accept it, i.e. no credit card machine then that's one thing, call yourselves cash only, but if you are half empty and can't take the money that I want to give you, then don't charge for the meal.

I skipped one part, the food, it was pretty good, despite it being overpriced, and outrageously priced for add-ons.
The tiny fruit salad cup that comes with the pancakesdoesn't even come with it unless you ask for it. I understand you are trying to save money and all, but at least accompany the pancakes with it, as somebody else at the table will probably eat the poorly assembled blend of melons. While I am at it, making the $5-6 pancakes cost an extra $3-4 for an egg and some bacon on the side is a bit much don't you think?

The other people at my table got some sort of breakfast burrito which wasn't bad, and what appears to be eggs and avocado.
I can't exactly pinpoint what it was, but there were a lot of things off about this place, and you should never leave with several bad tastes in your mouth. I rate this place slightly above average for the food, poor for service, below average for value and the experience. If you have the guts to venture in here, let me know how it goes, otherwise save yourself the trouble and money and walk down the street in either direction and find something better.

Broccoli, Pea, Tomato Omelet with Avocado and Rye Bagel

I made pasta with white sauce, and threw in some broccoli and peas. I over estimated the amount of veggies to use, and ended up with a large container of leftovers, which fueled my broccoli and pea omelet craze.I cut up some tomatoes, threw in a small handful of broccoli and peas, 2 eggs, splash of milk, salt, pepper, quattro formaggio cheese, and a tsp of Garlic. In a bowl I whisked with a fork until well blended.

My pan was at medium heat and in went the omelet mixture:
After one flip and a little bit longer to cook, The omelet came out of the pan. While it was cooking I had prepped a rye bagel, with melted butter and seedless boysenberry jam, and a ripe avocado.
But really, you can have any bagel, with any condiment, a side of your choice, and any combination of omelet ingredients and you would end up with a healthy great tasting breakfast.

Enjoy!

The Griddle Cafe

A couple of weeks ago, I was treated to breakfast by Lauren's brother while he was out in Los Angeles on business. When he lived in Los Angeles, he had the chance to eat some of the city's best food, so along with a fantastic breakfast, I got a few great recommendations to try out.

We went to one of his breakfast staples. The Griddle Cafe. The place is known for their gigantic buttermilk pancakes, and sometimes they get carried away with sweetness. Nobody will argue with you, if you try to pass off their "A Time to Love" pancakes as a dessert. The description reads, Enter into a world of Wonder with our streusel, butterscotch chip, and caramel filled "Tis the Season" originals... Topped with powdered sugar, whipped cream, and caramel. (Signed, Sealed, Delivered!)
In order to fully appreciate this pancake, you have to understand what the "Tis the Season" original is. Which just so happens to be, what I ordered.
"Tis the Season", pancakes are... "Our "Good Ol' Fashioned" recipe mixed with our own pumpkin pie filling. Topped with real whipped cream and powdered sugar (Everyday is like a holiday at The Griddle!). The Good Ol' Fashioned just refers to their original buttermilk recipe.

They don't lie, it felt like a holiday when I took a bite of the pumpkin goodness, which not only had real whip cream on top, but some of the pumpkin pie filling as well. It wasn't as sweet as a pumpkin pie in the cake part, which was a welcome relief. Anything that sweet would have been overpowering in bulk.

I got the short stack (2), apparently, you can order a single cake, which by the size (bigger than my head and the plate), would have been enough for two. Lauren's brother and I made it through half of it, as he had his own breakfast to eat.

He ordered an eggwhite omelet which came with fruit, and a side of Griddle Potatoes, which was more like a Potato casserole. The Griddle Potatoes were cooked well, and were great with a dash of salt, ketchup or both. Definitely worth getting. I didn't hear any complaints from his end of the table, which meant we were free to talk about other exciting places to dine and mundane things like the Olympics.

I hear they also have a lunch menu, if that's what you are into. Even though the place is called The Griddle, sometimes you just want lunch food. Even though, I didn't try any of their lunch foods, I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be above par (as in better than the norm, which is different when playing golf, where they use par regularly).

Thank you to Lauren's brother for bringing The Griddle and other Los Angles restaurants to my attention, and if you ever find yourself in Los Angeles, swing on by and give it a try.

7916 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90046 (cross street is Fairfax)
(323) 874-0377
griddle@thegriddlecafe.com
Hours: Mon-Fri: 7 a.m.-4 p.m.
Sat & Sun: 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

Beach Rewind Wrapup - Elmo's Diner

Wow, I guess the Dessert post, was the last food from the beach that I have photos of. This next post will conclude the Beach Rewind.
Before Lauren and I left for the Beach, we decided to hit up our favorite Diner in Chapel Hill/Carrboro, in Elmo's. Elmo's isn't your typical diner. Sure they have killer pies, good food throughout the day, and Diner booths, but they are nestled in a corner of a refurbished warehouse, with beautiful photography on the walls, outdoor (heated) seating, and they serve a fantastic breakfast, good enough to not be expected at a Diner.

After a short wait, we had a jumbo booth large enough for 4 adults. We each grabbed a water with a lemon wedge floating in it and delved into the menu. Lauren had come for one thing and one thing only, the Blueberry pancakes.Me, I needed some more time to peruse the menu. I have been here several times and have never disliked my experience, yet I usually try to switch it up and get something different.

The restaurant does attract the granola crowd, complete with crying babies, however, that is just another component of the atmosphere. After all, the website says it's kid friendly.
After a little debate over getting a Waffle, one of their 8 specials of the day, Peach Pancakes with eggs, or something else, I decided to make my own omelet. I added Spinach, Mushrooms, Bacon, and Feta. What a great combination of ingredients. The omelet was cooked well, and had the Feta all gooey inside, their home fries, or quartered red potatoes, left a little to be desired. Only about half of them were cooked all the way. The others were a little bit on the raw side of al dente. The sourdough toast was light and crispy. Especially after I applied a mixture of Strawberry Jam and Apple Cinnamon Jelly from their Jelly caddy.
Lauren's blueberry pancakes, were as always delicious and worth returning for.

I guess it doesn't matter what you get, Elmo's is always hopping, and worth a-stoppin'. Next time you can make it to Carrboro or Chapel Hill, get over there to eat any meal of the day.
(There is also a rumored Elmo's in Durham, although I have never been, and don't recommend it as it is probably filled with Dook students/fans)

Elmo's Diner
200 N Greensboro St
Carrboro, NC
919.929.2909

Good Morning Beach Breakfast Biscuits

Good Morning Beach Breakfast Biscuits as seen on Tastespotting.com

Now on to food actually from the Beach trip. Going back over my photos, I realized I didn't actually take that many. When meals rolled around, I often was halfway through it before I realized it would go perfect in the blog. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

We started things off by grilling out the first night. Lauren and I brought marinated Chicken and 24 Ears of Corn from the Farmer's Market. We also had a Farmer's Market Melon feast (Cantaloupe and Watermelon). This was one of those times I forgot. However, I will tell you, giving that chicken a good day and a half in the marinade really helped with having a moist flavorful meat.
Breakfast was usually something simple like cereal or fried egg and English muffin. So no need to photograph those. Then, one morning her brother made everybody a tray full of biscuit sandwiches. With ingredients pulled from the fridge we had 4 types.

Grands Biscuits
Fried Eggs
Sausage or Turkey Bacon
White American or MuensterAll contained Grands Biscuits and a Fried Egg. Then some had Sausage and White American Cheese, Sausage and Muenster Cheese, the rest had Turkey Bacon, with either White American or Muenster. Once all the Biscuit Sandwiches were assembled, they returned to the oven to finish melting the cheese. Due to the abundance of these, I had both a Sausage and Muenster and a Turkey Bacon and Muenster. Both were some of the best biscuit sandwiches I have ever had. Growing up in NC, that's saying something. Don't knock Turkey Bacon when you don't have real Bacon. It's still better than nothing. I hope you can get a group of friends together soon and whip up a batch of these.

On the Set, with Hollywood Caterers

As an actor, I have many jobs. I temp for offices, and get random jobs off of craigslist, and I also partake in background work. I know it isn't acting, but at least it pays the bills. For the past couple of days, I have been on set in the middle of the desert for a cell phone commercial. Luckily for me the production company hired, Hollywood Caterers.
I started off my two-day journey with a Roast Beef Croissant. Now I wasn't really in the mood for sandwich Roast Beef, so I tried to get a different meat, but Ham was another option so I just went with it. I added avocado and bacon. I don't know what they made in there but out came a gem of a sandwich. A perfectly toasted halved croissant with juicy flavorful warm Roast Beef (Not like the dry sandwich crap you find at a deli), fresh ripe avocado, (would have been tomato as well if not for the salmonilla scare), bacon egg and cheese. Delicious. I checked in and got my uniform on, and went back for another.
RB Croissant count: 2

I would also like to add they had an assortment of normally great breakfast items, with cereal, yogurt, danish, muffins, fresh fruit, etc. however, I normally pass that up when they have a hot grill and cook you something made to order. There was also a thin layer of dust forming on the food set out as we were in the middle of the desert (near Edison Air Force Base past Lancaster).
No worries, after 6 hours on the set, it was lunch time.
In those 6 hours, they were ready to serve us grilled to order New York Strip, Sliced Roast, and Salmon, with an accompanyment of an Indian Style Chicken Breast, Rice Pilaf, Pasta, Fresh Asparagus, etc. There was just too much food to eat something of everything. I was quite pleased. I didn't think they could do as well as breakfast.

Day 2
The second day brought about 200 additional extras. I arrived just in time to get another RB Croissant Sandwich.
RB Sand count: 3
The head guy knew me by this point, and how I liked my breakfast. Even with a line, the boys in the trailer were speedy, efficient, and gave each individual order the precise attention it deserved, unheard of with catering companies these days. The line oohed and ahhed at the finished product as I sat down to eat. There were many other things on their list I wanted to try from the banana pancakes to a poached egg with hollandaise sauce. From experience, I knew it would all be good.
As I was getting dressed in my costume for the day, I wasn't really hungry, but decided to go back down to the trailer and finish the last day's breakfast with another sandwich.
RB Sand count: 4

Boy am I glad I did, Yum!!!

Lunch proved to be more of the same deliciousness. This time with filet and cooked to order Tuna with a Pineapple or Mango Salsa. They also had a delicious pasta, rice, etc., three types of salad greens and Cesar salad, where did they find the time to make all this goodness?
I want to make my own movie just so I can hire them. If you are looking for a good catering truck, I suggest you hire Hollywood Caterers. I hope I am on a set with them again real soon. Like their motto says they go coast to coast and sometimes beyond!

Catering Ranking: A- (highest score given so far)

Hollywood Caterers
www.hollywood-caterers.com
7527 Reseda BLVD #B
Reseda, CA 91335
818.345.6718
f. 818.345.6719
hollywoodcaterers@yahoo.com

Fred - 62

If you know anybody who lives in Los Feliz, or frequents this East-side neighborhood in Los Angeles, they can all tell you about the diner that is open late, and serves all kinds of foods. From goat cheese egg sandwiches, to south of the boarder items, everything categorized as traditional and non-traditional diner fare can be found at Fred - 62

The above photo, shows a smattering of options, from a sandwich, to an egg sandwich with sidecake, to a burrito/wrap off of their south of the border menu. The only thing missing is a hand scooped milk shake.


As it was around brunch time, I went with a giant sandwich, known as the Tower of Babel. This vegetarian option, uses avocado, Lettuce and Tomato to make up for it's lack of meat. With Cheddar, and fried onion strings on a grilled sourdough bun, you won't be leaving hungry.
They even throw in a side kick of fries, salad, fruit or potato salad.
The things I were impressed with: The avocado, perfectly ripe. The fried onion strings, works on the sandwich without meat. The tomato, it made it on the sandwich.

A few things I was not impressed with: The lettuce, they could have used a higher quality lettuce than iceberg. The cheese, super cold, nowhere near a melting point, tasted like it was only out of the freezer for an hour or so. The sandwich itself, it needed lots of mayo, and mustard in order to get it down, very very dry. The price: $11 without a drink. I won't be getting this sandwich again.

Looking back on Fred-62's menu, all that came to mind was overpriced diner fare. Sure you can't get some of their unique creations anywhere else, and sure most of it tastes great, but I was a little underwhelmed in the price to quantity of delicious food ratio. It therefore goes into my average diner category with a C+. The sandwich wasn't amazing, but it wasn't terribly either. A little too expensive and dry for my tastes.

I think I will stay home and try to make a better sandwich next time. I will see what I can come up with that is similar yet still full of flavor.

1850 N Vermont Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90027-4215
Phone: (323) 667-0062

Mediterranean Breakfast Bagel

You will need:
1 Tomato
1/4 Cup of Olive Oil
4 Cloves of Garlic
1/4 Cup of Balsamic Vinegar
2 bagels (cut in half)
4 oz. of cream cheese
Dash of Black or Cayenne Pepper

Slice 1 Tomato (the thinner the better)
Spread out slices on a plate, add pepper
Drizzle lightly with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (2 Tbs.)
Place in Fridge
Thinly Slice Garlic
Place Garlic, remaining Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar in a small non-stick frying pan
Place pan on Medium Heat for 6 minutes (Garlic should turn deep purple)
Retreive tomatoes
drizzle warm oil/vinegar garlic mixture on top of tomatoes
Let sit one hour in fridge or over night
Slice 2 bagels in half
Toast lightly, then broil for one minute
Spread with cream cheese
top with Tomatoes

Yields 4 Open Faced Mediterranean Breakfast Bagels