We have a winner

"Excuse me sir, you can't take any more pictures in here with that camera; everything is copyrighted". This is the first time anyone has every stopped me from taking pictures. It felt good.

That aside, if I had more time I could have gotten a better burger shot. Fathers Office. Best Burger. Hands down. More quality and cheaper price than its closest competitor [in my opinion Black Label burger from Crow Bar]. What you see above is a burger made with Dry Aged Rib eye, sweet caramelized onions, blue cheese, arugula and unicorn's horn served on a toasted French bread. It is the best burger I have ever tasted. I have no taste for gourmet burgers any longer. I quit. Seriously. Don't even look at me with your petty attempts to duplicate this burger. Marvel in its simplicity, soak in its magnanimous savor, salivate with anticipation of the day you might taste something so splendid as this.

Also we had grilled summer figs on the side, those are that other thing. prosciutto wrapped, stuffed with
chèvre, and finnished with a balsamic reduction. They were sweet, and tangy. A nice side.

ISO 320
31mm
f/11.0
1/100 sec
speedlite 430ex [hat bounce]

Chicken with Chimichurri

Tonight I decided that I was tired of looking at pictures of savory grilled meats served with spicy chimichurri. The time has come for me to make my own. So I did. Above you see grilled chicken  thigh fillets with a spicy chimichurri served along side grilled Brussels sprouts. It turned out to be a meal filled with rich savory flavors.

ISO 350

26mm

f/10.0

1/80 sec.

speedlite 430ex [with soft box]

Memphis: Build your own burger

Tuesday nights are build your own burger night at Memphis in Santa Ana. Needless to say I built a burger. [Top] Mid Rare buffalo on baby greens, tomato slices, caramelized onions, with bacon, chèvre and chermoula. The chèvre was nice, but a bit over powering, the chermoula came out quite nicely adding just the right amount of spice to compliment the buffalo without covering it up. You can imagine the rest, bacon, onions, greens etc. A very savory burger. Buffalo is a touch dry, I'll go rare next time. My friend had a southern sandwich as his custom burger, I hesitate to call it a burger though. Fried Chicken with red onion, bacon, and a fried egg, with melted aged cheddar, smothered in rich country gravy. Both came on a very nice egg burger bun. I got sweet potato fries, and he got gumbo. It was good.

ISO 300

30mm

f/4.0

1/50 sec

Canon 430ex speedlite [bounced off of the wine list]

The Three Sisters: a Panorama

16 shots wide, this is a 360 view from the peak of Second Sister of the three sisters peaks in the Dinky Wilderness. You can see the other two sisters in this stunning collection of mountain tops. The breath taking views of this week left my camera speechless, no photograph that I could take could capture the overwhelming awe and beauty of these locations. Maybe if I were Ansel Adams. Alas, I am not.

Hamburger Club 2.0

So two weeks ago I met with my dear friends and it turns out that I am now a member of a bi-weekly (every two weeks, correct me if thats not what that means) gourmet burger club. This week we went to Slaters in Anaheim Hills. The table shared a Slaters 50/50 Peanut Butter Jealousy [top], and I had a custom Slaters 50/50 [mid and bottom] with mozzarella, baby greens, grilled onions, and anchovies (yes anchovies, and yes they are delicious). Slaters specialty 50/50 is a burger made half of ground beef and half ground bacon. These burgers are half bacon so they only come fully cooked, but the bacon content keeps the texture moist and tender. I prefer the dry aged goodness of the Crow Bar, but the price point on these was about half, so I won't complain. The bacon flavor inside the patties comes through in a salty and savory compliment to the beef, but does leave something to be wanted from the beef. Though these burgers are quite good they simply are not as juicy as I want my burgers to be, and I believe this is due to the bacon/beef mix.

The Peanut Butter and Jealousy, was a nice bite of nostalgia however. This burger is topped with peanut butter, strawberry jelly, and thick cut bacon. At first all you get in your mouth is sticky peanut butter and jelly, which tastes (at least for me) just like childhood, then the smoky thick bacon and the savory patty meat your palate with a satisfying chew. Although the top of the mouth stickiness of the peanut butter and jelly doesn't quite suit my burger needs. 

ISO 1600

17mm  27mm  21mm

f/4.0

1/50 sec

Speedlite 430ex [bounced off my hat]

Dinky Lakes

Every year I make a trip out to Dinky Lakes wilderness in northern California with the youth from my church, and every year the beauty of it all reminds me that there is certainly something greater than I could ever imagine. There is something about the quiet and simplicity of nature which speaks deeply to my heart and soul. It was a refreshing and restful week and a tradition which I will always honor.

ISO 500 1600
16mm 17mm
f/16.0 f/2.8
1/40 sec 30sec            resp.

Old Friends

Sometimes an old friend texts in the middle of the night to ask you to meet with him the following week. Sometimes he tells you that no matter what you have planned this is more important. And sometimes, on rare occasion, your friend knows you well enough to understand that spending an evening enjoying a gourmet burger and a pint with people you love is exactly what you need. Thanks Chris and Paul. Above you see the Crow Black Label Burger, from The Crow Bar in Corona Del Mar. What looks like a simple burger could be no farther from that then a hurtful cliché is from what I want to write here. What you see is a made of a blend of dry aged prime rib eye, and a proprietary blend of all natural Angus and prime beef. In addition to this wonderful blend of beef, the burger is topped with caramelized onions and [I kid you not] Veal Marrow Butter. Coupled perfectly with the potato bun, this burger was packed with flavor and texture, and I loved it. Also those are duck fat fries.

A Cup of Coffee and a Read

And some quality time with my best bunny. Odin had quite a the hop today while I enjoyed some excellent coffee and a good sit with my old friend Dostoevsky. He hopped, and dug, and climbed in a pile of old hay and leaves. Then we took a nap. It was grand.

ISO 200
50mm
f/9.0
1/30sec