I got a chance to work with LamroN a couple of weeks ago for a pop-up dinner at Nieuport 17 in Tustin and had a blast! LamroN was cooking food for a Safe Families for Children Council Fundraising Dinner, and I’m glad that I had a chance to document some of the work that was going on behind the scenes. Of course, it was also great seeing Cody again and meeting Jeff from the LamroN crew and Cameron from Nieuport 17. Enjoy the pictures!

Check out this classic sign that is in the kitchen at Nieuport 17 … Winner winner …

Here’s Cody at work …

And here’s Jeff …

All together now …

And here’s Cameron …

I had a great time guys, look forward to seeing you all soon!

Woo hoo for food! Today, in conjunction with the Super Bowl, my friends and I had our annual food Invention Day, where we create some sort of gluttonous (and hopefully delicious!) concoction. Past contenders have included: Tommy’s chili cheese dog pizza, char siu ribs, kalbi katsu, Guinness ice cream, Thanksgiving balls (turkey and gravy wrapped with mashed potatoes and then deep fried), and a whole assortment of other items. Every year has been gloriously indulgent and this year was no different. So without further ado, the lineup for Invention Day 2011!

Strangely enough, the men did pretty much all of the cooking. The ladies just hung out and read magazines. There was even a time when all the guys were in the kitchen cooking and all of the ladies were sitting on the couch watching the Super Bowl. Not. Right.

Sammy’s homemade Aji Sauce, which went into his Peruban Sandwich. Yes, that is a sandwich with the aforementioned aji sauce, swiss cheese, chicken saltados, roasted pork belly, fried egg, caramelized onions, and french fries.

More of the sauce and swiss cheese …

The roasted pork belly and chicken … 

The sandwich before the egg and getting pressed in the panini press … 

The final product!

Ah yes, the King’s Hawaiian bread French toast.  A solid foundation for a Hawaiian Monte Cristo.

Why yes, that is chicken katsu. And Spam. You know exactly where this is going.

On top of some Swiss …

I included this picture because of the festive pineapple decoration.

This was spectacular! And Richie even added his homemade katsu sauce, which was amazing.

This one was mine. These are egg rolls al pastor. Basically egg rolls with marinated pork filling, chopped cabbage, cilantro and onions. 

Here’s a picture of one with a bite taken out of it. The sauce that I made to accompany it was a Sriracha aioli sauce. It was awesome!

This was our friend Jen’s chili sort of quiche-type thing. There was chili in the middle with mozzarella and cheddar, all inside a croissant bowl!

These were Kekona’s Nutella turron (banana egg rolls). He also made this awesome kahlua whip cream with a reduced chocolate stout chocolate sauce that was freaking amazing. I didn’t get a good picture of it though, because by the time I remembered, it was pretty decimated from us eating it.

I’ve got to say that this year was a most excellent turnout. We have typically had more contestants in years past, but this year was just all around solid. Every entry was outstanding, and even though I’m still stuffed beyond belief, these pictures make me feel hungry all over again. I think we might have to make Invention Day once every six months …

My good friend Cody is the manager at a new restaurant called Taco Asylum located at the Camp over in Costa Mesa. They serve these crazy awesome (think fusion-gourmet-y) tacos so you should totally go check it out when you get a chance! Tacos plus all kinds of craft sodas and beer = rad!

I had the opportunity to head over there this past weekend, have a quick shoot and try some tacos and I had a blast! Hope you guys enjoy …

Here’s the storefront right over by Patagonia.

Since the theme is like that of an asylum, they’ve got all kinds of chalk writing on the walls (like the writing-on-the-walls decor of a regular ‘asylum’), but it’s a pretty cool motif.

A quick look at the menu …

Some more pictures of the interior …

I love the detail they put into everything, down to the cagey light fixtures.

Even the fire extinguisher is awesome!

Make sure to get out to the patio for outdoor dining …

And now for the food! Here is the sampler tray of tacos – 8 different types of tacos!

A different view …

Octopus!

Short rib!

Pork belly!

It’s a real shame that I live so far away or else I would be here all the time! Best of luck to you guys!

Whewww chalk up another party for the LamroN folks! This one was a lot of fun – they fixed up an old Mel’s Diner (in Seal Beach) and used it to serve dinner to a bunch of lucky folks for Valentine’s Day! There was an outdoor bar area, Bubba and the Big Bad Blues rockin’ the joint, and an awesome 5-course meal served by LamroN! I didn’t stay the whole night, but apparently they were having so much fun that the cops came and shut it down!

Or was it hors d’oeuvres? Regardless, had another LamroN event last night at the Hayden Tract in Culver City and man, that area is AWESOME! There’s all these design-y, architectural, advertising firm type buildings and they look rad! Unfortunately the event was for the untimely passing of a gentleman who passed on at the age of 47 and it was a night of celebrating his life. The primary servings last night were hors d’oeuvres so it ended up being a pretty big portrait session and shenanigans with Stephen, Cody and the gang. Here’s to working with the flash in outdoor nighttime situations!