Homegrown tomatoes in the urban garden make for fun and abundant summer gardening.

There’s much to be said about growing your own things to eat. A small strip of unused land behind our apartment has become our urban garden and that strip of land has brought large amounts of food and joy to our friends and neighbors.

“Using small parcels of urban land to compost, cultivate, care for and grow food to fortify our lives is a great way to unite people and nature in a wholesome and caring way. ” Peter Pearce co-owner https://guerillagardenersocal.wordpress.com

Peter goes on to say, “We prepared some dried earth to be growing ready by weeding, watering and naturally fertilizing with compost and have created a meeting area for people to chat, have a drink, a smoking section and a garden place to be at peace with nature all in one.”

“The main thing we have grown so far are tomatoes that are doing really well, but we have also grown potatoes, Lebanese mint, artichokes, white onions and bell peppers. We are trying to get a couple citrus trees going but I think they are stupid GMO controlled seeds that are having troubles getting past budding. We have also started nearly a dozen avocado trees and have donated them all to the community. It’s good fun.”

“Our group has grown to include nearly 20 neighbors who all enjoy the space. We drink sangria and pitch in to keep the area maintained. Our group is expanding into a local landscape business where we help clear, care for and maintain other peoples landscapes now too.”

The Dude of Food tours Dillinger in Munich, a Chicago Grill.

Dil front While visiting good friends in Munich, Munchen or Minga, depending on whom you speak with, the Dude of Food can work up an appetite as there is much need for fuel to keep a body in motion while taking in all the culturally glorious things this beautiful Bavarian city has to offer.

There are quite a few good places to eat in the Sendling area of Munich and one lunch spot that stands out to me is called Dillinger Chicago Bar & Grill on Passauer Strasse. The Dude of Food has eaten many lunches here and is always satisfied at the meals presented. The staff is friendly and efficient. The prices are reasonable. The food is made fresh and always prepared with care. The soups are always really good and prompted me to request to meet the chef of Dillinger. Dil chef

The chef is a nice, interesting and caring guy named Harjit Signh. He welcomed the Dude of Food into his extremely clean and organized kitchen despite it’s size and was very transparent about his passion for doing food preparation right. The Dude of Food was impressed with Harjit’s passion for making his opportunity to create quality food work out right. Dil food

Feel free to visit Dillinger’s web page http://www.dillinger-bar.de/ or email them at dillingerobersendling (at) gmail and tell them hello for me and that you heard about them at the Dude of Food web page. Danke schon Harjit und Dillinger.

Dillinger Bar & Grill

Hofmann Strasse 19

81379 Munchen

089-787-490-22

Enjoy und prost!

The Dude of Food discovers Shucks Pop up Oyster Bar in DTLA

Shucks Oyster Bar LA

It seems that oysters are a popular item on LA menus. The Dude of Food, a local LAist foodie, found himself working in downtown Los Angeles where next door was a bar that had a pop up oyster bar out in front of it called Shucks Oyster Bar. The oyster bar tender was a nice guy and the Dude of Food tried a couple of each kind of oyster to check them out. The oysters were fresh and reminded the Dude of Food of how well beers go with oysters.

If you are on Spring St. near 7th in DTLA then look for the Shucks Oyster Bar pop up.

The Dude of Food makes Obatzda just like a Munich beer garden, kind of.

The 1st Obatzda the Dude of Food ever made in his westside kitchen was fairly decent. It wasn’t just like Munich Obatzda but I have to say it sure helped ease the longing I have to be back in Munich with my friends at one of its many beautiful beer gartens. The Obatzda made by the Dude of Food wasn’t exactly the right color and was lumpier. It also wasn’t mixed as well as the Obatzda you find in Munchen and probably had something to do with the Gruyere cheese I used.

What mine did do for my spirit though, was remind me of all my Bavarian friends und the gut times we’ve spent together eating obatzda, stecklefisch, pizza, chicken, goulasch, knudel, donors or pretzels while drinking Augustiner Brau Helles beer and enjoying nature.

The Obatzda the Dude of Food made was pretty darned good and my mind happily filled in the blanks. I love brotziet und look forward to having more my next time back in Minga, Bavaria. Prost.

Flippin Pizza in Long Beach is home to one of the neighborhood’s best pizzas.

flippin-pizza-ent If you are a pizza lover, like many folks who now live in Los Angeles are, then you will be happy to know the Dude of Food has picked up where the LA Weekly Best Pizza Search has left off in the search for Southern California’s Top Pizzas and has found another contender for the Top 10 Pizzas in the Area list at the Flippin Pizza location. flippin-int

Upon entering Flippin Pizza it is apparent the place is fresh and clean. A friendly staff member greeted and informed me of the daily specials. The nice staff member turned out to be the owner, Anthony. We chatted and I learned that the restaurant had been open since August 2015 at 6269 East Spring Street, Long Beach.

They offer daily pizza specials and also offer a happy hour from 3-6p with $4. pints. (Hello, Pizza, Beer & NHL Hockey!) Besides carefully crafted pizzas you can find really nice salads too. The lunch specials offer various versions of slices, salads and drink options.

flippin-pie The Dude of Food tried a slice of the 4 Cheese and a slice of the Little Brooklyn and was satisfied with both. The crust is thin and lite. It is not all rubbery and sweet which is a good thing. Both slices could have been a little greasy but both showed signs of very little accumulation on top. flipin-pie

The two slice and a drink lunch special will run you $6.50 and will satisfy your pizza craving for the time being. Flippin Pizza is Dude of Food approved and will be appearing on the list of Top 10 as the survey works towards the Top 5 round.

If you are craving pizza in the Long Beach / Lakewood area give Flippin Pizza a call and have something delivered. 562/421-1111 http://www.flippinpizzalongbeach.com

The Dude of Food email – weallgottaeat on g mail

Wake up and love Butter Cafe in Munich!

https://www.yelp.com/biz/butter-münchen According to Dude Food G. on Yelp, this Butter place found on Blutenburg Strasse in Nuehausen, Munich is really cool. You know right from the beginning that this is not your normal everyday cafe. Butter is the diamond in the ruff waiting to be discovered. This place has babies, art, coffees, music, food and is full of life’s positive vibrations. These guys are a couple of psychologists dressed as music loving ravers.

If you just need a coffee to blow out the cobwebs from the previous nights Augustiner Helles, then Butter is perfect. If you need a veggie or meaty sandwich to go with your coffee than Butter is perfect. If you need a ginger, apple, carrot fresh juice than Butter is perfect. If you need a shoulder to cry on and a doorway to block than Butter is probably not for you.

Stop in and say “Aloha dudes” to the guys from Butter from the Dude of Food.

Butter

Blutenburg Strasse 90

Nuehausen, Munich

Open 8am http://alles-butter.de

The Dude of Food learns about Apples

apples

The Dude of Food is one of those folks that had no idea there are so many types of apples to choose from. I read in National Geographic that apples have been modified by grafting for the last 100 years.

I knew that apples are sprayed with edible wax before they get to the market for preservation, but really had no idea the number of varieties of apples that are available.

For example who knows the difference between a Benton Red and a Blue Pearmain apple? There are Scott Winters, Seek No Further, Esopus Spitzenburg, Zabergau, Empire, Twenty Ounce, Wolf River, Ribston Pippin, Opalescent, Nodhead, Deane 9 ounce, Wagner, Rolfe, Starkey and Orange Pippin’s. That is a list of some of just the red ones!

In green apples you can choose from Winter Banana, Bramley’s Seedling, Tolman Sweet, Stark, Calville Blanc d’hiver, Pound Sweet, Gary Pearmain, Rhode Island Greening, Crisps, Granny Smith’s and more!

Then you get into the mixed green and red apples! Whew, the Dude of Food is thinking about having an apple martini right now.

Apples are a food that have been grafted and modified for years and who knew? The Dude of Food wonders now if avocados are the same way?

weallgottaeat@gmail.com

The Dude of Food really likes Joe Matos Cheese Factory in Santa Rosa, CA

The Dude of Food met the chief of cheese in Santa Rosa, Joe Matos. He has been making cheese since 1979.

To get to Joe Matos Cheese Factory you will need to go to the end of a small road. Inside you will find and sweet woman at the counter and tons of cheese behind her. The aged is really good. The Dude of Food thanks you Joe Matos.

Keep up the good work.

The Dude of Food discovers California’s Best Sushi

http://www.hanajapanese.com

If you love sushi then all you need to know is the above web address. This will lead you to a place called Hana Japanese Restaurant and the Best Sushi in California!! I have never heard of black throated mackerel and normally don’t like mackerel unless it’s aji, but this black throated mackerel is great. The blue fin tuna belly was so good I had seconds. Same with the black throated mackerel.

The special thing in a spoon was really good. It was all good. The bill was $100. for lunch and the Dude of Food could have easily gone bigger but it was awesome tasting and well worth the splurge.

If you are ever near Santa Rosa or in Rohnert Park, CA, go to this place and see for yourself what quality sushi is supposed to be like.

The Dude of Food hangs out at Third Street Aleworks in Santa Rosa

This place is cool. Not all creepy and crowded like the Russian River bar. Third Street Aleworks has a cool staff, good beers and also makes a good pizza too.

These are beers the Dude of Food would like to rep and add to my international food sales portfolio.

http://thirdstreetaleworks.com/Home.aspx