I used to be one of those people who thought 'there are certain things that shouldn't be fucked with' and Mexican food was one of them. I rejected the idea that the flavors of my childhood could find a home in the world of fine dining. My personal perception of food has changed, mostly thanks to Chef Edward Lee. The global perception of what fine dining is has also changed in a really wonderful way, where the access to quality ingredients prepared with skill and refinement is seemingly  everywhere.

Native Los Angeleno Chef Ray Garcia and his team create a bold menu of authentic flavors that truly caters to everyone. We got there just after opening, before the dinner rush, so we could appreciate the space. The dining room was very warm with lots of sunlight and neutral colors. It felt like a elevted version of my mother's family home in Mexico. The cement blocks caught the light in such a satisfying way, and the delicate details that lined the walls gave the restaurant a sense of calmness. Mexican culture is normally associated with loud parties and bright colors so it was really nice to see this type of aesthetic, rustic and homey but still refined.

We started our meal with a bowl of Papas. German butterball potatoes deep fried with perfectly crispy exteriors and warm fluffy centers, coated in apple cider vinegar, avocado salsa and cotija cheese. A burst of acidity cuts through the richness of the potatoes, while the heat of the salsa, the saltiness of the cheese and the freshness of the herbs helps balance it all out. I couldn't eat them fast enough.

For my main dish I ordered the lamb shank, conft in lard over a bed carrot puree with onion marmalade, chimichurri, cotija and micro cilantro. There was a lot of sweetness in this dish to counter the big, gamey flavor of the lamb. I love lamb, and was worried the sweetness would take away from the lamb but I was wrong. Plus the chimichurri, cheese and cilantro brought a lot to the party. I ate most of this dish on its own, but did make a few tacos with their house-made blue heirloom corn tortillas.

One of the most interesting desserts I have ever had was the Isla Flotante comprised of a masa harina meringue torched on one side and topped with dill, a rhubarb and mezcal sorbet over fresh strawberries, and avocado crema pearls and creme anglaise. Not overly sweet and insanely complex, it almost didn't feel like dessert. The meringue was out of this world, really reminiscent of the raw tamale masa I snack on when I help my mom make tamales, but sweeter of course. The mezcal balanced out the sweetness in the dish and the pearls added a much needed, and very interesting texture. 

 The meal not only left me feeling satisfied but it left me feeling hopeful for the future of food. How ingredients and techniques from different eras and different time zones can come together under one roof and create something extraordinary. I am looking forward to another meal here one day. To read more of my food adventures click here.

Michelda's have certainly evolved from their Mexican Revolution era origins, where the people of San Luis Potrosi enjoyed cold beers mixed with hot sauce and lime juice. The classic Mexican cerveza preparada consists of tomato juice,  lime juice, something spicy and something tart. As their popularity increases bartenders have taken the dink to the next level, playing with ingredients and adding new ones, showcasing the versatility of the popular Mexican cocktail. 

I love michelada's, so obviously I had to put weed in one. I'm using Ficks Bloody Mary Mix instead of regular tomato juice for the added spices and flavors. Mixes like these make michelada making a breeze, but to keep the flavor profile Mexican I have to add my favorite hot sauce - Valentina. Spicy and rich, it adds a needed spice without adding the tartness of vinegar based hot sauces. I get my tartness from the lime juice and Chamoy, a sweet and sour sauce that gives the drink a bright red color. 

 Manzanita Naturals Kwik Ease is a perfect option for a drink like this, and mixed drinks in general. Bursting with tartness, the 100mg lemon-ginger shot holds up against the big flavors we are working with. Dosing is easy so you don't have to worry about over-medicating. 

Micheladas can be made to suit personal preferences, use your favorite ingredients to create your favorite drink! We start with the salted rim. I used Don Chelada's Beer Salt but you can use the classic Tajin, margarita salt or regular salt. Cut some lime wedges and use them to moisten the rim of your glass so the salt will stick.

Next the hot sauce, about 4 or 5 shakes depending on how spicy you like it. Follow this with the chamoy, be careful here - a little goes a long way. Then, the cannabis. I used about 50mg in mine.

Once you have those ingredients in the glass, give a stir. These are thick sauces so make sure you get them nice and blended. 

Top it off with the bloody mary mix and give it one last stir. Finish with fresh squeezed lime juice and enjoy with a blunt. Make them even better with the additions of tamarind, mango, pineapple, or anything else that suits your fancy! The one thing I did find myself missing the carbonation from the beer. Adding The Fizz or Hi-Fi Hops wouldn't hurt a thing!

I look for any opportunity to replace alcohol with cannabis so making this came naturally to me. I hope you are inspired by this recipe to make your own personal michelada, and I hope you love it as much as I loved this one. You can see more of my recipes here.

I took The Throwback Cannabox to Portland with me! Rolled up a few Juicy Jay Hemp Wraps in Oakland with Alexis, packed up the rest to enjoy with Nikki up north.

Twisted a few Mashmallow Flavored Juicy Jay joints in the Ghostbusters stoner tee. 

Followed by a few bowls in this super cute slime green steam roller. 

The throwback theme hi hard with some childhood favorites included: neon slime and Mrs.Pac Man candy.

No better way to get stoned, with friends. 

See my first experience with Cannabox here, and for $5 off your first box click here!

​Here we are, more than halfway through the first year of recreational cannabis in California.  While I may not be thrilled with the changes we've been experiencing, not only as an employee in the cannabis industry but as a consumer as well, I realize that eventually the dust will settle and things will feel normal again. Plus, recreational cannabis opens the door to an array of new products, like this Absolute Extracts and Lagunitas collaboration: HiFi Hops.

This is not the pairs first collaboration. In 2017 the SuperCritical series debuted; two cannabis vape cartridges infused with hop terpenes plus the Supercritical IPA - a non THC beer infused with cannabis terpenes. Lagunitas has a long history of cannabis appreciation since they opened in 1993. In 2001 the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureu asked them to rename their 'Kronik' Copper Ale because of its reference to cannabis. They changed the name to 'Censored.' In 2005 the brewery was shut down for their weekly 4:20 parties, upon reopening they brewed a Bitter Ale named 'The Undercover Investigation Shut Down Ale.' In 2011 they brewed an IPA in commemoration of The Waldos, the group of guys who made 4:20 a time and day we celebrate.

Complete with compliant, child-proof pop tops, each can contains 10mg of active cannabis, a 10mg THC drink and a 1:1 version with 5mg of each THC and CBD. It's different than other edibles because the cannabis used is water soluble. Technically a sublingual, your body starts absorbing as soon as it hits your mouth and is absorbed into your bloodstream through your stomach, rather than having to be digested. This results in a fast acting, long lasting high.

The flavor is familiar, enjoyable and refreshing. It tastes like what it is, hoppy sparkling water. It does not taste like beer, in my opinion, but that's also not a bad thing. I felt refreshed while I was drinking it, not something I can always say with beer. I drank both cans, and I can certainly felt stoney. If you're  looking for a beer replacement and have a low tolerence to edibles and want to try something new, go snag a can and sip it slow. For more experienced cannabis users, this may be a fun drink to have in the fridge but you might need a few to get you going. Beer lovers might not enjoy this product as much because of it's lack of mouthfeel. But if you're like me, a lover of both, you will most definitely enjoy this refreshing cannabis infused hoppy beverage. 

The good people at Cannabox recently reached out asking if they could share their Stoner Legends box with me. I currently have VYNL and Brat Box subscriptions and was excited to see what a cannabis focused one would be like. I have to say, I could have only been happier if a box of weed showed up on doorstep instead.  The box included:

Cheech & Chong incense burner with peach incense. 

RAW & WIZ king size papers. I love these packs because they include crutches and even a little poker to pack your joints it. I always roll joints using my rolling mat, they come out perfect every time! 

Double Platinum Gin & Juice blunt wraps, which Alexis and I put to good use. 

She also helped me figure out how to use the bubbler included in the box, which deceptively resembled a dry pipe.

Along with a bag of Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies and the Blazed Australian t-shirt I am wearing above, the contents of the box certainly lived up to their name, legendary. For $5 off your first Cannabox click here!

If you’re like me, you like your greens crispy. Preferably, fried. Brussels sprouts are something that wasn’t introduced to me until my adult life and I’m so happy for that. I always heard horror stories about them as a kid, but since my mom didn’t know what they were - I didn’t have to worry. The perks of growing up on pinto beans and Mexican rice, I never complained.

This recipe is super simple and easy to adjust to ones taste. Fill a saucepan with enough oil to cover the amount of brussels sprouts you're using and heat over a high flame. This time I used about two cups of brussels so this particular dressing recipe is good for that amount, you can scale up or down from here. Slice the bottoms off your sprouts and cut them in half. Pull off any nasty leaves and toss along with the bottoms. Set aside the clean brussels while you make the dressing. It starts with one heaping tablespoon of OM Edibles Toasted Sesame Miso.

Then the juice and zest of one lime. Don’t cut your lime in half before you zest it, because the stoner did.

Next, a tablespoon of honey. You can add more or less if you like, but I think this is a prefect balance.

You can add as much or as little as you want of these two, depending on your taste. I didn’t add salt or black pepper to this dressing, but you definitely could.

The most important part of the recipe, in my opinion, is the raw garlic. 2-4 clove’s depending on your preference.

Mix it up all up and set aside while you fry the sprouts.

You could always crisp these in the oven if you wanted to, but I prefer to fry them. Brussels contain lots of water, so they will spit a lot when you drop them in the oil. Use a lid if you can protect yourself.

As they start to crisp remove them from the oil with a spider or large fork. Place a lined bowl to absorb excess oil.

Dress the fried goodness with your miso mixture. Be careful not to overdress as you don’t want to ruin the crispness.

The finished product is a rich, tangy, slightly spicy bowl of fried greens that’s easy enough to make any day of the week and will never disappoint.

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NEW PRODUCT AVAILABLE: White Buffalo patches designed by Ses Uno, order yours here.

This September was packed full of adventures thanks to The Cheba Run, which means this month my reviews are coming from the road! Each month Phoenix based dispensary Swell Farmacy shares 5 different concentrates with me. I review these products and then share those opinions with you! These are listed in order from favorite to least.

Canamo Concentrates: Chocolope
Color: 5
Consistency: 4.5
Aroma: 4
Taste: Smooth, sweet, floral. 
Effect: Stoney & uplifting with a good body high.
Overall: 4.5

Swell: Carrie Fisher OG
Color: 4.0
Consistency: 5
Aroma: 4.0
Taste: Sweet, fruity, tangy. 
Effect: Very strong, heavy body high, spacey.
Overall: 4.0

Canamo Concentrates: Platinum Girl Scout Cookies
Color: 4.5
Consistency: 4.5
Aroma: 4.5
Taste: Slightly sweet, floral, clean.
Effect: Very stoney, strong body high, heavy.
Overall: 4.0

Swell: Flodica
Color: 2.5
Consistency: 3
Aroma: 3
Taste: Clean and smooth but not much flavor.
Effect: Very strong, heavy body high, spacey.
Overall: 3.0

Ever since eating at David Chang's Fuku on my first trip to New York City, I've been craving more. When I found myself in Las Vegas for a day, I knew I had to make it for dinner. Momofuku Las Vegas opened in early 2017 and is Chang's first West Coast location. As resident of the Cosmopolitan and neighbor to Christina Tosi's Milk Bar, the pair look right at home amongst the neon lights of the strip. The restaurant has four distinct menus; lunch, social hour, dinner and late night. Drawing inspiration from the US, Japan and Korea the menu features a constantly evolving selection of steamed buns, noodles, and large format dinners. 

We started with an order of crab deviled eggs and a dozen raw oysters. The eggs, topped with Dungeness crab, smoked trout roe and crispy bonito, were the perfect bite of richness and saltiness. Paired with the freshness of the oysters, accompanied by a sochu melon ice and a combination of lime juice and  black pepper,  these appetizers were an ideal way to start our dinner.

Our first table side preparation of the night was 4 ounces of 5A Hokkaido Wagyu beef. The meat was sliced and cooked on a blocks of pink Himalayan sea salt. The propane torch used to sear the meat was outfitted with a special filter used to keep the propane from touching the meat. 

Aside the salt blocks, the meat was only seasoned with a little sesame oil and served with fresh grated wasabi. The final result were bite sized morsels of soft, deeply flavorful beef served at the ideal temperature. Enjoyed alone, the product speaks for itself.

Our second table side preparation was Chang's signature 5 spice rotisserie duck. The perfectly cooked duck breast was sliced and served over Jasmine rice with duck leg confit. The meal was served ssäm style, with ​bibb lettuce, chive pancakes, kimchi, hoisin, ssäm sauce, ginger scallion sauce and fresh herbs. The lettuce and chive pancakes were used to warp the rice, duck and any of the sauces one desired, the ginger scallion sauce was my favorite.

The bones were taken back to the kitchen and deep fried, creating almost a duck chicharrón. It felt so primal to be chewing on bones, looking for the perfect little bites of crispy skin and meat. Totally worth it.

Our sides were just as delicious as our main dishes. We had crispy potatoes loaded with tofu truffle sauce, parmesan and chives. The fry factor was so appealing. We also snacked on shishito peppers dusted with smoked salt and lime, because why not?

Dessert was complimentary, and consisted of Milk Bar's crack pie and signature cereal milk soft serve with a cereal crumble. The texture of the ice cream was unlike anything I've tried and definitely lived up to it's expectations. The whole meal did honestly, and I can't wait to visit more of David Chang's restaurants. Might have to try the fried chicken and caviar dinner next time. Yeah, you read that right.