Major Dave’s Chicken, Pasadena

Major Dave’s Chicken

163 N Hill Avenue

Pasadena, CA 91106

Ever wish you could eat fried chicken and not feel the guilt? You’re probably thinking, “duhh, but we all know there’s no such thing”…or is there? I think I’ve found just the thing..ok maybe it’s not “go out of your way and do this on the daily” healthy, but its probably the closest you’re gonna get to guilt-less fried chicken.  I’m talking about a place where there are no GMOs, no hormones, no additives, no antibiotics, and no preservatives in the food. Just free range Mary’s Chicken, the same chicken sold at Whole Foods. Where everything is prepared with REAL and FRESH ingredients, and the chicken is made to order.

I’m talking about Major’s Dave’s Chicken, the newest and tastiest thing to happen to Pasadena.

I was honored to have the opportunity to interview the owner Dave Caldwell and his lovely wife Jill. I was initially greeted by Jill, who started us off with all of their side dishes to try.

…Alright, now what’s the first thing that comes to your mind as a side dish to fried chicken? Waffles, sure, but we’ll get to that…for me, I think of either french fries, mashed potatoes, or anything equally unhealthy.  Well, you won’t find that here, and if you do, it will probably come in the healthiest version possible. At Major Dave’s Chicken, their sides are literally things you could eat on a daily basis such as:

Creamy Cole Slaw

Bourbon Baked Beans – sweet and smokey

Bourbon Baked Beans

Fresh Fruit Salad

Toasted Brussels Sprouts & Bacon – lightly salted brussels sprouts with bacon bits

Toasted Brussels Sprouts & Bacon

Kale Caesar Salad – Rich green kale with their homemade Caesar dressing. Definitely one of my favorite salads there because man, its so crisp & fresh, and they use the expensive kale too!

Kale Caesar Salad

Roasted Corn Salad with Tomatoes & Feta – you can’t go wrong with this one. The corn gives it a sweetness and the feta gives it that salty taste, mixed with the sliced cherry tomatoes, makes it a perfect combo.

Roasted Corn Salad With Tomatoes & Feta

Black Bean & Corn Salad – all fresh ingredients. The fact that they use cherry tomatoes in just about everything blows my mind away.

Black Bean & Corn Salad

All the sides pair perfectly well with the fried chicken, and help balance it out, but my two favorite sides were the Whipped Garlic Cauliflower and the Honest Mac & Cheese.

Honest Mac & Cheese

I love mac & cheese no matter what form, so that was kind of a no brainer.  It is seriously one of my top five favorite foods.  Usually if its on a menu, I’m gonna order it.  But theirs is made with REAL cheese, three to be exact.  Truly homemade and delicious!

Now, the whipped garlic cauliflower was something I was really looking forward to trying. At first bite, my fiance thought it was mashed potatoes and didn’t even know he was eating cauliflower! That’s when you know you’ve got something good.

Whipped Garlic Cauliflower

Ok, you’re like, “stop teasing me already.” So on to the good stuff…of course, the fried chicken.  If only I could put into words how good the chicken was.  First off, until now I have yet to come across actually “spicy” chicken. The ones I’ve had thus far were simply slightly peppered. But at Major Dave’s I was introduced to this new and trendy Nashville Spicy Chicken. We were totally blown away at how it was perfectly seasoned, and actually had a good kick to it. Crispy on the outside, but not too thick a layer of batter.  This was truly done well.

Spicy Chicken with Corn Bread Muffin

Best of all, their batter is homemade, not some mass produced, preservative laden batter.  Major Dave even did his research on the best oil to use when frying, so he opted to fry in a beef tallow. According to his research, this is not only a better oil to use, health wise, but it also helps the chicken stay crunchy even after refrigeration.

Can’t handle spicy? Not to worry, they’ve got non-spicy chicken for you too!

Fried Chicken with Corn Muffin

Remember I said I’d get to waffles, well, I’ll let you in on a little secret…they are currently working on adding waffles and sandwiches to the menu! And guess what, here’s a sneak peak!

Chicken Sandwich

How amazing does this look? Their chicken sandwich was topped with pickles, creamy cole slaw, and CHERRY tomatoes, drizzled with the most amazing homemade buttermilk chive sauce. Not to mention, their bbq and honey mustard sauces are homemade as well. Incredible!! You can just tell that they’ve taken their time to think about everything and deliver the best quality ingredients at every turn.

All this, “made by a real major, not a fake colonel,” in Major Dave’s own words. I already see myself substituting my usual fried chicken go-tos for Major Dave’s Chicken.  Its literally the “Chipotle of fried chicken.”  No matter where you are in LA, this place is definitely worth the trip.

Guess what! Dave is giving you the chance to come in and try his chicken sandwich. Buy one chicken sandwich, and get a second one free! Just add your email to his mailing list, and look out for the coupon.  Click on this link to get your free chicken sandwich today: Yes, I want my free chicken sandwich! and tell them Nellie from Foodecall sent you!

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Denica’s Real Food Kitchen, Livermore Ca

Denica’s Real Food Kitchen

Livermore, Ca

www.denicascafe.com

I went up to Pleasanton California for a wedding at the Casa Real at Ruby Hill Winery. It was such a beautiful wedding at a beautiful venue.  Since we stayed at the Courtyard Marriot in Livermore, the next morning before heading out, we stopped at Denica’s Real Food Kitchen.  It was a great choice because the food was fresh, locally grown, organic, and portions were quite large.  They have a chips and salsa bar for the taking. The service is great, as all the servers will ask you how you’re doing when they walk by the tables. And the best part about Denica’s is that if you tell them it’s your first visit, you get one of their homemade cookies free!

Here are some pictures of hair, makeup and outfit details:

Pictures of Denica’s Real Food Kitchen:

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Shutters On The Beach, Santa Monica

Shutters On The Beach

Santa Monica, CA

www.shuttersonthebeach.com

Shutters On The Beach is a beeeeautiful hotel located in Santa Monica, and its kind of a no brainer to figure out where its at…on the beach (duh!). This place looks like it was plucked straight out of Cape Cod or the Hamptons, equipped with white linen, fresh flowers, and all the sunlight you’ll ever need.  With stunning views of the ocean and boardwalk, it makes for the perfect Sunday brunch place. They validate parking for $8, better than the local parking lot that goes for $12.  Prices are little higher than your average restaurant, but then again, when you go to Shutters you go for the location, not necessarily for the food. Although, I did really enjoy my turkey club sandwhich  Be sure to ask to sit outside on the patio!

The perfect spot for a Sunday Funday!

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Cabanna, Tijuana Mexico

Cabanna

Tijuana, Mexico

I must have traveled to Mexico at least 10 times so far this year. During each visit, I try to venture out to try different restaurants or taco stands.  On one visit, I tried Cabanna, a restaurant that everyone was raving about.  It was honestly so good that I have to share it with everyone.  I know that navigating Tijuana might be difficult, especially if you don’t know where to go or what to do there, but I highly recommend taking a day trip just to hang out by the beach and try something new. At night when you are looking for a nice place to eat, Cabanna is THE place to go.

Cabanna is not your traditional Mexican restaurant. It definitely had some Japanese influence with the sushi options, or rather their sushi had Mexican influence. Regardless, it was amazing.

Specifically, there were 3 dishes that were to die for. The first one was their Atun Azul, in other words blue tuna. It was basically their not so basic cubed tuna, marinated in their oriental sauce, atop a crispy wonton, topped with my favorite part of the dish…fried green onion.  Can we say YUM!?

My second favorite dish was the Kesitos Cabanna taco.  This was unlike any other taco I’ve ever had. First of all, the cheese they use is Chihuahua cheese, very common in Tijuana, and so delicious.  When melted, it becomes almost cream-like.  This was mixed with shrimp, and possibly egg to create this really creamy and delicious omelette type patty (although I can’t say with certainty that they used egg), topped with their homemade secret sauce. Ah! So good!

Last but not least was their Pirata…fresh shrimp sushi, marinated in their mango and jicama sauce. The shrimp…fresh as ever. But the best part was the mango jicama lime sauce, with chunks of real mango and jicama in every bite. Very tangy and fresh from the lime, with a subtle sweetness to it from the unripened mango. Absolutely Perfect in every way!

I swear, it is totally worth making the drive to Tijuana to hang out for the day, enjoy the beach at Rosarito and then swing by to Cabanna for a really classy dinner with amazing food. I can’t wait to go back!

Kesitos Cabanna

Atun Azul

Salmon & Jalapeno

Pirata

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Lou Malnati’s, Chicago

Lou Malnati’s

Chicago, IL

www.loumalnatis.com

I’m not saying this is the best pizza ever, but I can tell it’s probably my favorite Chicago style pizza.  This was my first time trying it, and I ended up going to the one place that everyone recommended…the iconic Lou Malnati’s.  I’m actually quite happy I did so. Lou Malnati’s has been around since 1971, using the same recipe handed down for generations. Each pie, being made from scratch, is made with only the finest ingredients. We did wait quite a while for our pizza, but I knew its because they don’t just make pizza, they create an experience for their customers. Each and every single pie is special and made with extreme care.

We ordered the Malnati’s Chicago Classic, made with sausage, extra cheese, and their signature Buttercrust.  The crust had a combination of crunchy, flaky, and buttery deliciousness.  But surprisingly, I wasn’t overwhelmed by it. I’m not a fan of really thick pizza bread, but this actually had a perfect balance.

The sauce was fresh and perfectly seasoned.  Our waiter recommended we get extra sauce on top because we ordered pepperoni and pepperoni dries out the pizza…and of course I opted for more sauce because I always ask for extra sauce.  In addition, we ordered onions and hot giardiniera peppers to give it that extra kick. Now, the sausage totally took me by surprise.  Normally, I wouldn’t even order sausage because I’m not a fan of fennel seeds (which a lot of sausage have), but this one was totally different!  No fennel, just a really good tasting meat.  All in all, I was thoroughly impressed with Chicago deep dish pizza and I would totally order this again if I go back.

Malnati’s Chicago Classic

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Katana, West Hollywood

 Katana

West Hollywood, CA

katanarobata.com

I absolutely love coming here.  The ambiance is everything. Dimly lit, very romantic, but also great for a night out with friends. In short, it’s perfect for any occasion. My favorite part is the beautiful outdoor seating area that oversees Sunset Blvd. — cool lights, LA vibe and great for people watching and celebrity sightings.

They have some nice drink and sake options, and so far I’ve never been dissatisfied with the food. The white lotus is one of their popular orders and I can see why, it was delish! Overall their sushi was very tasty and fresh.  I also love their shishito peppers. This time, we ordered two desserts for the three of us, and they were instantly devoured, albeit they were not small. Not interested in eating? Its totally cool to just get drinks at the bar.

Best of all, its open late so its great for a last minute option. I’ve been there several times myself, both in small groups and once in a group of 20+. They do have private dining rooms if you’re ever looking to celebrate your birthday here.  If you’re an LA native and you’ve never been, it is absolutely worth trying!

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Taste of Chicago

Taste of Chicago!

What a way to start my personal food quest in Chicago by going to the 35th Annual Taste of Chicago, a food festival where popular restaurants from all over Chicago come together to showcase their goods.  Its a free festival, but you have to purchase tickets in order to get food.  It cost $8.50 for 12 tickets, and each sample of food required anywhere from 4 to 5 tickets.

I traveled from one end to the other in search of the best food and I honestly am so happy with my choices.

Homemade Popsicles

Fried Catfish

Pierogi’s at Kasia’s

But the BEST food in the entire festival has to go to La Bomba, a Puerto Rican Restaurant for their Pork Shish Kabobs.  I meannnnn…..Hello! This was hands down the tastiest thing in the entire festival. It was so good we ordered 3 of them. OH, and their secret ingredient is such an odd one, (I saw them add it to the boiling pot), but it makes all the sense in the world. Sorry, can’t divulge that. You’ll just have to try them out whenever you get a chance. This is somewhere I would definitely seek out the next time I’m ever in Chicago.

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Granville, Studio City

Granville

Studio City, CA

www.granvillecafe.com

I kept driving by this place, and was so intrigued by how busy it always was, and equally amazed by how stunning Granville looked from the outside.  I finally got a chance to see what all the hoopla was about.  Stopped in for dessert and got way more than I had expected.  They had a list of amazing desserts of which we really couldn’t decide which one to pick so we ordered the dessert sampler. I mean, literally everything was so so good. Brownie with glazed bananas, strawberry shortcake, and chocolate lava cake, all with their homemade whipped cream. This MUST be ordered with coffee or one of their exotic teas that come in the cutest miniature tea pots…totally hits the dessert spot!

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