Magic Words: Bea Bea’s

Posted by Hirono

The surest way to get me out of bed before noon on the weekend is for my husband to yell, “Bea Bea’s!” from the other room. I don’t usually see a day light until well past 10:00 a.m., (Saturday and Sunday are my days off from the toddler) but with those two magical words, I’m up, dressed, and ready to go. Time is crucial since the only way to get a table at this super popular breakfast / lunch joint in Burbank without having to wait five hours is if we get there before 9:00 a.m.

The food there is worth it, especially the yummy smoked salmon plate. And I can always go back to bed. And I did.

Here’s Kevin’s Sicilian Omelet with corned beef, pastrami, mushrooms, basil, tomato, and parmesan cheese.

Rolling

Posted by Hirono

Breakfast (10:15 a.m.): Smoked salmon sandwich on ciabatta bread, with coffee, for breakfast. I meant to buy a sourdough baguette but picked up ciabatta by accident. The bread was good, but I prefer my usual baguette. I’ve been hooked on mayonnaise lately … eeek.

Lunch (3:00 p.m.): I couldn’t eat lunch at a decent hour so I was starved by the time I was able to take a break from work. I was going to roll myself a California roll but didn’t have the energy for it, so I had a California roll bowl, with imitation crab, avocado, cucumber, seaweed, on the bed of sushi rice.

Dinner (7:30 p.m.): I decided to finally roll up my sleeves and roll California rolls for dinner (that was a lot of rolls) … but maybe I should have stuck with the deconstructed version, as my sushi-rolling skills are pretty embarrassing.I really debated whether I should post the picture of the rolls, as I might have to turn over my Japanese card after this.

My boss at work gave the entire team egglings for the holiday, to celebrate our future growth. It’s like Chia pet but million times cooler. This has to be one of the best gifts e.v.e.r. I’m still thinking what to call this frog. He seemed to already found a friend in Mr. Dragon.

Smoked Salmon Tarte on Naan

Posted by Hirono

I was in Atlanta several months ago for business, and across the street from the hotel I stayed was this little French bistro with outdoor patio, just like you would see in streets of Paris. My colleagues / friends and I stopped by there for dinner one night, and went back for late lunch the following day. It wasn’t that the food was particularly special (the beuf bourguignon that I ordered was slightly on the bland side) but the atmosphere was so lovely that we had to go back for one more time before we headed to the airport. On both occasions, we shared a plate of Tarte Au Saumon, a thinly sliced smoked salmon, capers and tangy sauce layered on top of a flatbread, and loved every bite of it.

I decided to recreate the French appetizer for lunch today, using the leftover Indian naan I had in a freezer from Aarti’s Indian Pizza I made over the weekend (delicious!). I purchased mine at Trader’s Joe’s (look for a package “Tandoori Naan” in a frozen food section. One package comes with four naan flatbreads). This dish is really easy to make but sophisticated enough for a special occasion (like a luncheon with your girl friends) and is absolutely delicious. Too bad it was for a weekday lunch and I couldn’t wash it down with a chilled glass of Chardonnay!

Smoked Salmon Tarte
(Serves 1)

The Sauce:
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon capers
Salt and pepper to taste

1 Frozen Indian Naan
3 pieces of smoked salmon, or enough to cover the top of the flatbread
1/8 of onion, finely sliced
More capers to garnish
1 lemon wedge

Baked the naan based on the package instruction (I baked mine in 375 F degree oven for about 5 minutes). When the naan is baked, smear the sauce on top. Layer the smoked salmon and sliced onion on top, and sprinkle capers. Serve with a side of vegetable such as asparagus spears or broccoli rabe.