From the category archives:

Starters | Small Plates

Thumbnail image for January at the RGB | Curry Chicken Wings with Honey and Sriracha

January at the RGB | Curry Chicken Wings with Honey and Sriracha

January at the RGB (clockwise from top left): A daffodil sprouting out of the ground. Pink rose. The number of eggs we’re getting each day. Geranium. More daffodils. A daisy. Sage… strawberry… and the Cuckoo Marans (who started laying last week; her first egg was a double yolker!). – With Super Bowl around the corner, [...]

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Thumbnail image for Salmon Sashimi with Shishito Pepper Sauce | In Sketch We Trust

Salmon Sashimi with Shishito Pepper Sauce | In Sketch We Trust

I was 22 the first time I had sushi. I don’t remember it being so glorious because it was likely an overcooked tempura shrimp concoction with krab. Probably smothered in sweet sauce. And topped with brown avocado. To be fair, it was only $8.99 for all-you-can-eat, and that’s a steal! Fast-forward a few years. I [...]

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Thumbnail image for Summer Market Platter | It’s Okay to Keep it Simple

Summer Market Platter | It’s Okay to Keep it Simple

If I had a second sub header for the RGB blog, it would probably be: How to make really complicated food using over ten ingredients, three burners, two people and a very long time. This doesn’t work very well when you’re in the middle of a remodel.

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Thumbnail image for Burrata with Pea and Asparagus Puree over Pan-Toasted Baguette | Beyond the Dust

Burrata with Pea and Asparagus Puree over Pan-Toasted Baguette | Beyond the Dust

Until you’ve been through the middle of a home remodel, you cannot image how much dust can collect. It doesn’t matter that there are ET-like plastic walls everywhere, that piles are neatly stacked in corners, or that Mr. RGBistro actually still vacuums. By time I come home from work, it is hours after the days’ [...]

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Thumbnail image for Pernod-Scented Mussels | The Girl and the Fig

Pernod-Scented Mussels | The Girl and the Fig

Sonoma Wine Country Springtime is lovely for an 8-hour road trip to the Sonoma Wine Country. Pulling into Sonoma Square late in the day, our road-exhausted selves were starving, thirsty… and miffed because we couldn’t find parking. (Thanks, Sonoma Film Festival.) So when we finally got out of the car, we ducked into the first [...]

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Thumbnail image for King Crab and Avocado with Yuzu Aioli | The RGB Knocks Off Marché Modèrne

King Crab and Avocado with Yuzu Aioli | The RGB Knocks Off Marché Modèrne

    Marché Modèrne in Costa Mesa is self-described as a “modern French bistro.” We love it because the chef is creative, the dishes are beautiful and the food is delicious. Their 30-tap wine bar is pretty fantastic, too. On a recent (New Years Eve) visit to the bistro, we lunched on a Dungeness crab [...]

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Thumbnail image for Tempura Fried Squash Blossoms | Another Weekend Experiment at the RGB

Tempura Fried Squash Blossoms | Another Weekend Experiment at the RGB

We’ve haven’t shared with you our non-edible garden photos in awhile, so here is a recent favorite:   This morning, we hit up the Irvine Farmers’ Market specifically to pick-up some hummus and pita from the guys at the Baba Foods stand for a Greek-themed dinner event tonight.   You mean we’re not making anything fancy [...]

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Thumbnail image for Pacific Oysters with Herb Mignonette | Pearls of Wisdom

Pacific Oysters with Herb Mignonette | Pearls of Wisdom

Mr. RGBistro and I are gettin’ smart. Last Saturday, we planned out an entire morning of errand-running: 1) Irvine Farmers’ Market, 2) Roger’s Gardens, and, 3) lunch at Taco Rosa’s. We wanted to hit the market first (before the rest of the free world arrived), but the dilemma was keeping the goods cold while we [...]

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Thumbnail image for Gettin’ Hitched – Part I of II

Gettin’ Hitched – Part I of II

You can’t plan fate. You just have to let it happen. When you call Chez Panisse on a Tuesday (7/20) to ask for restaurant reservations, and they tell you they can take you in at 9:15 PM on Friday, you gladly give them a $25 deposit and let them know you’ll be there. Since you [...]

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Thumbnail image for Church & State Bistro: Moules Marinière

Church & State Bistro: Moules Marinière

Romance in Los Angeles? To paint the picture: It’s early Wednesday evening. We’re in downtown Los Angeles, and we need to eventually get home. Instead of sitting in two hours + of stop-and-go rush-hour traffic on the I-5 freeway, we opt to wait it out by having a nice dinner in the Industrial District of [...]

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Thumbnail image for Happy Summer, Y’all!

Happy Summer, Y’all!

RGB Caprese Salad   Can you believe it’s already summer?!?! Yikes!!!! While most of you may be looking forward to the warm days and sunny skies, we’ve been dreading this moment. Absolutely dreading it… Because, my dear friends, we live in Southern California. Without. Air conditioning. To reiterate, we live… in Southern California… without… air [...]

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Thumbnail image for Grilled Chicken, Spinach and Blueberry Salad | Quick Weekend Getaway

Grilled Chicken, Spinach and Blueberry Salad | Quick Weekend Getaway

   Sometimes, a girl just needs a weekend Holiday. Not because the house is a disaster, the spouse has gone missing, or the dog has gone batty. Just because.  So this past weekend, a girlfriend and I holed up at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs, CA. It was everything we wanted it to be: [...]

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Gone Nuts

June Gloom came a little early this year: Raindrops on the rose leaves…    the sage…      …and the rose petals.   We recently had the pleasure of serving lunch to about 30 friends at the tail end of a long weekend in the Sonoma Wine Country. The venue: Chateau Felice, 10603 Chalk Hill [...]

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Solution for the Undecided

Winter arugula flower. I really should do a better job at eating my arugula before it goes to seed. There’s just so much, it’s hard to keep up. At least I get pretty flowers out of them. I wonder if they cut well? Poll: When you eat out, do you zoom into a particular dish [...]

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Thumbnail image for Award Winning… for Most Ingredients Used | Ring of Fire Chili

Award Winning… for Most Ingredients Used | Ring of Fire Chili

In our previous lives as urban planners, the office we worked at participated in the Tustin Street Fair and Chili Cook-Off. In 2008, our “Ring of Fire” chili even took 2nd place in the People’s Choice Award. (We maintain we only didn’t win because we couldn’t compete with corporate-volume Tustin Brewing Company.) We also think looping 16 [...]

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Thumbnail image for Pizza, Upgraded | RGB Pizzetta

Pizza, Upgraded | RGB Pizzetta

Is it just me, or when we were kids, a pizza meant phoning Pizza Hut and having pepperoni and cheese delivered? (Note from Barry: I had Me and Ed’s Pizza or Shakeys.) When did fancy pizzas get popular, and why am I so late to get on board? Last Autumn while dining on Britta’s couch, [...]

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