Posted on April 7, 2008 by burbankbizbuzz
Once upon a time, I was a waitress at California Pizza Kitchen (nope, not the one in Burbank) and I met a number of CPK big-wigs. One of the funniest people I’ve ever met, was also the creator of the CPK Mac & Cheese recipe.
CPK has Mac & Cheese on the kids menu…BUT DID YOU KNOW, that there is also an “adult” version? No, this item is not listed on the menu, but you better believe that you can order it…and you should! The Mac & Cheese from CPK has been one of my little secrets for a number of years now. When ever I run into a Mac & Cheese enthusiast, they always have a recommendation for me as to where to find the “best” mac & cheese in town. I always politely jot down their recommendation, but then I ask them to go try the adult mac and cheese at CPK…then to email me and let me know what they thought. Without a single exception, the enthusiast always come back to me thanking me profusely (and sometimes cursing me) for intruding them to this addictive and undisputable champion.
Now, it’s not “fancy” mac and cheese, in fact there’s nothing gourmet about it. I don’t know about you, but when I’m craving this kind of comfort food all I want is three things: for it to be filling, reliable, and so good that I can’t wait until my next craving strikes. CPK’s Mac and Cheese is so good that I’m sure they don’t put it on the menu simply because they want people to continue eating their pizzas…having the mac and cheese known by the public at large might create some kind of mass hysteria should they ever run out.
By publishing this article, obviously I’m willing to risk mass hysteria…the mac and cheese is just that good…people should know about it, and it saddens me to think of how many mac and cheese enthusiast have been going without. So go, be satiated my comfort-food-loving friends! You can thank me later…
Filed under: Ya Gotta Try This | Tagged: children's dishes, comfort foods, Entrees, mac & cheese, pasta | 1 Comment »
Posted on April 7, 2008 by burbankbizbuzz
I stopped in Market City Caffe while I was out doing research for the Where’d You Get That blog. I wasn’t planning on featuring them for WYGT, but after pounding the pavement for hours, a girl’s gotta eat.
I always get the same thing whenever I go to Market City, the Pancetta Shrimp. If I’m super hungry I’ll get it as an appetizer and then another entrée as well, but more often I just get the Pancetta Shrimp and have it as my entrée.
I was trying to try new things, and find a new favorite, so I ordered a pasta dish, and had a bite of the entrée’s that my friends ordered. Not to my surprise, nothing could beat the Pancetta Shrimp. All my friends loved it, and I found myself wanting more after the last bite. When you eat something that just sings to you and calls your name as you walk by the restaurant, you know you have to feature the item in Ya Gotta Try This.
So, that said, here’s what the Market City Caffe menu has to say about the Pancetta Shrimp, “A Market City Caffe favorite since 1988. Jumbo shrimp marinated in balsamic vinegar and fresh basil, wrapped with pancetta and grilled.” Okay, as if that isn’t good enough to inspire a ride in the car, here’s what they left out: the appetizer order comes with four of these scrumptious jumbo shrimp and they are all served on a bed of broccoli, tomatoes and olives that are all equally as delicious as the shrimp themselves…I never know what to eat first, or what to save for the end, because it is all so good.
Practice what I preach: “If it is a nice day, eat on a patio. If you are at Market City Caffe, order the Pancetta Shrimp.”
Filed under: Ya Gotta Try This | Tagged: Appetizers, broccoli, pancetta, shrimp | 1 Comment »
Posted on April 7, 2008 by burbankbizbuzz
With a name like Pizookie, how can you not be a little curious?
Well, I’ll be frank, even as a hard core Doritos connoisseur, with a love for all things salty and dip related, I enjoyed this cookie lovers dream. The Pizookie at BJ’s is a large cookie baked and served in a single serving pizza tin, that is topped with vanilla bean ice cream. Yes, it is as good as it sounds. Not too long ago, I had a craving. Not Doritos this time, they just were not going to do the trick. I NEEDED a good cookie, and I knew that BJ’s was the only place that was going to do my craving justice.
Just read the description, “A freshly baked, hot out of the oven, rich and delicious cookie topped with 2 scoops of vanilla bean ice cream and served in its own deep dish. Your choice of chocolate chunk, white chocolate macadamia nut, peanut butter or oatmeal raisin walnut.” I mean, come on…really…it’s the mother of all cookie desserts. And if you just feel like having your dessert in your pj’s while watching a chick flick at home, call BJ’s, place the order over the phone, and pick up your gooey chocolate goodness at their curbside take out without ever leaving your car…how perfectly great does that sound!?!
To top it all off, BJ’s is open late: Sun-Thurs 11am-12am, and Fri-Sat 11am-1am. Thanks to BJ’s late hours all of the midnight cravings of Burbank can breath a little sigh of relief.
Filed under: Ya Gotta Try This | Tagged: chocolate, cookies, Desserts | 3 Comments »
Posted on April 1, 2008 by burbankbizbuzz
Kate (who is my mother and business partner) was always collecting business ideas. She was the idea woman. There are files full of potential businesses ideas/plans in her office. She only had one obstacle…she always wanted a partner. Enter Me: Libby. I was brought up to believe that there would be nothing better in life than becoming an entreprenuer. My mom couldn’t find a partner to do business with, so she bred one. Not really…but it makes the story more interesting…
While my mom was always good at coming up with original and practical business ideas, she was not very fond of marketing…and taking the next step and the next, to make her ideas come to fruition. Odd as it may seem, this was my strong point. I am a very practical, very logical, a very anal retentive planner…give me the goal, and I’ll get you there. Unlike my mother, I am not an “idea girl”…I may be creative, but I can’t make something from nothing in the same way she can. Once Kate realized that I was the missing piece in her plan to take over the world, she pushed me to finish college and get back to Burbank ASAP.
And so I did…During my college years she came up with the Local Directory idea. We brainstormed over the phone, and sent each other articles from Business Week and Wired magazines and generally just talked about the “what if’s” should we move on this venture. Then, I finally came back to Burbank.
On the plane flight home I sat next to a man who was reading the Wall Street Journal. Over his shoulder I saw the title of an article, “Why Can’t Google or the Yellow Pages Go Local” (well it was something like that anyway). I tried to be discreet, and I read the whole article over the poor man’s shoulder during the flight. Here I was, on my way back to Burbank, getting ready to start a business with my mom, and sitting next to me was the perfect article…one that encourages me still. I knew while reading over that man’s shoulder that I was on the right path.
So began our little venture into the world of local directories. City Sites Inc, my mom’s website design company since 1995, became my place of work. Once a week we put time aside to discuss justBurbank.com. We had a white board and wrote any and every idea down. The board became very messy and totally covered in ink. We spent about a full year doing research, honing our idea and planning the development. The programming began in November of 2007.
Our little idea became a reality. And tomorrow, April 7th, 2008, we launch. I promise mom, I’ll try not to freak out. And that’s our story…at least chapter one.
Filed under: Biz Buzz | 5 Comments »
