Boudin Bakery Presents: NEW Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwiches! @Boudinbakery #BoudinGrilledCheesePlease

Boudin Bakery Presents: New Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwiches!

By Erin

*I was invited as a guest to a media tasting for purposes of this review.  All thoughts and opinions remain my own.*

What happens when you take an American Classic comfort food like the Grilled Cheese Sandwich and have the creators of Boudin Bakery spice it up a bit? You get 3 new Gourmet Grilled Cheese favorites! The Great Grilled Cheese (with or without bacon), the new Jalapeno Grilled Cheese, and the Grilled Brie with Apples & Fig Jam!

Boudin-Chef-Alan-Skversky

 We got to meet with Corporate Chef Alan Skversky who enlightened us about these new creations and Boudin Bakery’s history. Boudin’s sourdough bread uses only 4 ingredients, contains no yeast, it’s started with a wild yeast that’s only found in the air of San Francisco, or “mother” dough that provides the bread with a unique tang. A portion of the original mother dough still starts each and every sourdough loaf that Boudin makes. The types of sandwiches that Boudin has created over the years have evolved into gourmet tastes and flavors to please every palate.

Boudin Bakery

The Great Grilled Cheese

Boudin-the-great-grilled-cheese

The Great Grilled Cheese- (vegetarian)includes Havarti & sharp cheddar melted to perfection on Parmesan-crusted sliced sourdough bread. According to Chef  Skversky, Havarti cheese is used because they only wanted to use the best, and most flavorful premium ingredients. Love Bacon? Who doesn’t!? 😉  You can also order this delicious sandwich with bacon or ham. Three strips of applewood smoked bacon on your grilled cheese sandwich? Yes please! That sounds like heaven to me. Chef also told us that the bacon is strategically cut and placed on the sandwich in a way that each bite, from start to finish, is the same from crust to crust. This one was my favorite, and I know I’ll love this one even more with the bacon!

Grilled Brie with Apples & Fig Jam

Boudin-Grilled-Brie-With-Apples-and-Fig-Jam-2

The Grilled Brie with Apples & Fig Jam-(vegetarian) This one was a close second favorite for me. Grilled with melted brie, Havarti cheese, sliced Granny Smith apples, and fig jam, all on Parmesan-crusted multigrain bread. This one is on the sweeter side. Think of it as a dessert grilled cheese sandwich. 😉 I loved it!

Jalapeno Grilled Cheese

Boudin-Jalapeno-Grilled-Cheese-2

The Jalapeno Grilled Cheese-(vegetarian) Melted cheddar on their Jalapeno Sourdough Bread makes up this one. Not overly spicy, the jalapenos are mild, bringing just the right amount of heat. It might be pretty simple, but it packs plenty of flavor. If you don’t like spicy at all, then you might want to stick to the other two options above, but if you don’t mind a little bit of spice, then this ones for you.

Boudin Turtle

Boudin Bakery creates such adorable bread animals like this turtle! Too cute!

Be sure to Download & Print this Coupon for an awesome deal!!

Looking for Fundraiser Ideas?  Attention Teachers, Sports & School Organizers!

One other awesome thing I need to share about is the amazing opportunities Boudin has for communities, sports teams and schools. Coming from a family of educators, I know how important it is to keep students motivated. Boudin has some special awards that teachers can inquire about to reward their students with for achieving their goals. Reward your students with a FREE Kid’s Meal at Boudin Bakery. You can email David Keller at dkeller@boudinbakery.com to inquire about setting up a fundraiser for your school or organization and for copies of the award certificate!

Boudin-Grilled-Cheese-3Now, which grilled cheese sandwich would your taste buds want to try first? 😉

Detour Bistro Bar Opens in Culver City #BestDetourEver @DetourBistroBar

Detour Bistro Bar Opens in Culver City

By Erin

As if there weren’t enough detours already in Los Angeles with all the freeway and street construction that is continuously going on, this is a Detour you will want to take. I took this Detour myself the other night as part of a media preview, and it left me curious to try more. The Detour Bistro Bar has arrived in the Los Angeles area into Culver City. The Detour combines farm-to-table produce with seasonal California and European inspired dishes to create a unique neighborhood  dining destination in Culver City. This westside restaurant  belongs to Los Angeles locals Ranni Kumgisky and Dane Pearson who are long-time caterers. These two are always searching for the most fresh seasonal ingredients to create weekly menus that will keep customers wanting to come back for more.

The Detour is open daily for happy hour, dinner and weekend brunch. Starting April 6th, they will be opening for lunch at 3pm Monday-Friday.

Why don’t we take a look into what the Detour has to offer?

Detour-Restaurant

The Detour is a quaint little place, but the decor is very LA. I loved the layout of the space, it made it feel bigger and more spacious that what it actually is. It is a very nice, bright and airy space and also has an outdoor patio you can enjoy on a nice sunny California afternoon or evening.

Detour-Tables

Best Detour Ever. I love the walls here.

Detour-Wine

I know many people, including myself who would love to have one of these! So creative.

Detour-Menu

The menu for the media preview.

Detour-Drinks

We started the evening out with some drinks. From left to right; The Diablo, Honey Old Fashioned, and the Summer Splash. I had the Summer Splash which consisted of vodka, cranberry, pineapple, and sweet and sour. It was very refreshing and not to fruity, perfect for a nice warm spring evening.

Detour-Shrimp Tacos

Shrimp Tacos: Cabbage, cilantro sauce, corn tortillas. So simple, yet so good. This was my favorite item from the night. I love shrimp, and these shrimp were pretty darn good, I also love tacos. It always makes for a great combination.

Detour-Lamb-And-Goat-Cheese-Flatbread

Lamb & Goat Cheese Flatbread: Lamb, Goat cheese, apricot marmalade, and mint. This was also a pretty tasty bite that we tried. Very flavorful and tender.

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Celebrate Your Inner Child at Stacked: Food Well Built! @FoodWellBuilt

Celebrate Your Inner Child at Stacked! Food Well Built.

By Erin

Trying to think of an innovative place that has something to please everyone that you can take the family or some friends to? Then you will want to take a trip out to Stacked the next time you dine out! When I got an invite to come in for a visit, I couldn’t pass it up. Stacked: Food Well Built is a full-service, casual restaurant with a unique way of ordering that enables you to get exactly what you want, as you customize your meals in a comfortable, relaxed way on a tablet at your table. Whether you want to let your inner child out and customize all sorts of delicious and creative concoctions, or you like to go the more traditional route and order items that already have a set list of ingredients, Stacked is a place you will want to try if you have not already!

The tablet-based ordering system allows you to use a drag and drop feature that gives you the ability to visually build your meal right on the screen. I am a very visual person myself, so it helps me to see exactly what I am attempting to order.  Other benefits of having this system is the ability to control when you order and when you pay. This lets you easily customize your meal as you select your favorite ingredients to create your own personal masterpiece. However, if you do prefer a traditional approach, where a server takes your order for you, the staff is always happy to do so!

STACKED-ORDER

What the tablets on the tables look like that you order from. It is a very user-friendly way to order.  Stacked has lots of TVs everywhere, making it a great place to stop in for Happy Hour and to watch one of your favorite teams play.

As a true kid at heart, I just had to order my “dessert” first, by ordering a Mint Chocolate Chip Milkshake! 😉

Stacked-Milk-Shake

The Mint Chocolate Chip Milkshake is a rich, refreshing blend of Chocolate Chips and mint topped with a generous dollop of Whipped Cream. I also added on strawberries to my shake. It had been a very warm day, and I had been outside at the barn for the past 4 hours. This was the perfect option. A light, creamy, mint flavor with chocolate and strawberries mixed in, with whipped cream on top!

Next, since it was so warm out, we decided to order The Cow In The Garden Salad.

Cow-In-The-Garden-Stacked

I loved this salad! Think of an amazing explosion of flavors that blend together perfectly. What’s in the Cow in the Garden Salad? Flat Iron Steak with a Spring Lettuce Mix, Point Reyes Bleu Cheese, Sundried Tomatoes, Cucumber, Red Onion, Toasted Pepitas, Bleu Cheese and Balsamic Vinaigrette dressings topped with crispy Onion Strings.

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