Month: November 2013

Food Dreams: The Park’s Finest

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I wrote about The Park’s Finest for Colorlines earlier this year and ever since, when I get a craving for MEAT–as in all caps, I’m not messing around MEAT–what I usually mean is I want to go to The Park’s Finest. The restaurant is a paean to the wonders of barbecued meat. In fact, Kevin refers to The Park’s Finest as “The Meat Palace.”

The restaurant, in Los Angeles’ Echo Park, is known for exceptional Filipino-style American barbecue. We’re talking tender smoked cuts of beef, pork and chicken, with every bite full of delicious, slow flavors that you can season with pungent and sweet-spicy sauces. Every visit is a treat. We get a couple meat dishes–the beef shortrib is always one of them–along with some rice, their signature cornbread bibingka of course, and we’re set. (No need to bother with vegetables here.) Just thinking of that rounded beef rib right now is making me hungry.

Olive Oil Banana Chocolate Bread

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Noelle calls hers, adapted from Melissa Clark, the “chicest banana bread.” My version was a decidedly more down-market affair, but delicious nonetheless. I daresay it’s the best chocolate banana bread I’ve made yet.

Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Adapted from Melissa Clark via xobreakfast
Makes one 9×5 loaf and four muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
3-4 ripe bananas
¾ cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 eggs
¼ cup plain yogurt or sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon zest
juice of half a lemon
¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Notes: I didn’t fill the loaf pan completely to leave room for some extra muffins. If you’re not in a muffin mood the batter will fill out one 9×5 loaf pan perfectly.

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and butter the loaf pan.
2. Mix dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt) in small bowl.
3. In a larger bowl, mash the bananas, then mix in sugar, olive oil, eggs, yogurt, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice.
4. Incorporate the dry into the wet in three parts. Fold the chocolate chips in at the end. Pour batter into pans and muffin cups and bake 45-60 minutes, about 25 minutes for muffins. It’s ready when a toothpick inserted into the bread comes out clean. Cool in the pan.

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