MILK always has good food and yummy ice creams and sorbets and baked goods, but they're always coming up with new tasty seasonal treats as well.
They've recently changed their daily specials (though they haven't updated their website yet), which are as follows:
Weekly Daily Specials
Monday Chicken pot pie with root vegetables, carrots and peas, $13.00
Tuesday Slow stewed chili con carne with a cheddar cheese and jalapeno muffin, $12.00
Wednesday Braised beef brisket, a twice baked potato with “The works,” green beans and red wine sauce, $13.50
Thursday BBQ Meatloaf with horseradish mashed potatoes, steamed spinach and crispy onions, $12.50
Friday Chicken Chilaquiles Verdes: tossed crispy chicken nachos with chile verde, queso fresco, "frijoles de olla" and two sunny side eggs, $13.50
It all sounds so good! I've actually already had the chili con carne, and yeah, it was really yummy.
The chili had a nice mixture of different beans and had a lot of meat in it as well. And I'm not usually a fan of corn bread, but wow, theirs was really moist and tasty, with a bit of a kick because of the jalapeno. And the salad on the side was a nice touch too.
The chicken pot pie sounds good, but the braised beef brisket sounds amazing. Hmmm, I'm really going to need to try all the specials. For research purposes, you know? Yeah, that's it.
Of course, it's not just the food that's great at MILK.
MILK's Holiday Bakeshop
Sugar, spice, and everything nice! We are celebrating the season of giving with a number of delectable treats. Grab some for a friend, coworker, or just yourself!
Holiday sugar cookies An assortment of holiday sugar cookies, $1.25 ea
Apple Crisp Roasted apples topped with an oatmeal walnut crisp, 9" pie $25
Lindser Tart with Raspberry Jam Cinnamon and spice dough layered and baked with home-made raspberry jam, 10" tart $25
Chocolate and Candy Cane Cupcakes MILK's signature chocolate cupcake baked with crushed candy canes, topped with cream cheese icing and candy cane crumbles, $3.75 ea
Seasonal Hand-Packed Ice Cream Our award-winning ice cream now available in Gingerbread and Candy Cane!, $8.00 per pint
I was able to duck out for lunch at MILK today. It had been a while since I'd been there, and I wanted to drop by before this weekend.
I'd also been trying for some time now to be able to go on a Wednesday, because I know that one of their Wednesday specials is an ahi tuna salad, and it sounded really good, and I've really been wanting to try it.
The shared parking area between MILK and the nearby Mexican restaurant seemed to be under construction so is currently unavailable, but luckily, there were a few empty metered spots on Beverly Blvd., so I parked at one of those. They are one-hour parking spaces only, so keep that in mind if you plan to stay a bit longer.
I ordered the ahi tuna salad and a large iced tea and found an empty table. Dave, the executive pastry chef, was talking to someone at the next table, so I had a chance to say hi to him, but we were only able to have a short conversation since he was busy and I didn't want to take up his time.
My iced tea was brought to me, and then the salad was brought to me a little while later. Wow, that salad looked amazing! Officially, it's chile crusted ahi tuna with hummus, romaine lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, pita chips, mint and lemon, at a price of $12.
The four slices of fish were very good quality tuna. The chile really served as flavoring rather than being spicy, and I would have actually liked if there was a bit of a kick to the flavoring - not too much - because it would have been tempered by the cold salad anyway. I really liked having the hummus around the edges. The flavoring of that with the crisp lettuce and lemon juice was *really* good, and the hummus makes the dish more than "just" a salad. The heirloom tomatoes were cut into nice chunks, and there was just a bit of cucumber - not overwhelming to the salad as a whole. The pita chips were seasoned and broken up, adding a bit more flavor overall and a bit more texture to the salad.
Can you tell how much I enjoyed this salad? It was the perfect lunch, especially on a hot day like today - the salad was filling but also refreshing.
I'm really glad I had a chance to try the salad, but when Dave asked how I liked it, and I told him how much I enjoyed it, he said it would probably only be on the menu for another month or so because they like to keep their daily specials seasonal.
I had noticed earlier that they had a few interesting flavors for dessert today. The peanut butter ice cream and the pineapple sorbet both sounded intriguing, but what really caught my attention was the mojito sorbet. After my salad, I asked for a taste of that to see how I liked it. Wow, it was good. I decided to have a scoop of that to enjoy on my drive back to work. The girl at the counter asked if I wanted it in a cup or cone, and I said that I thought it might be weird in a cone with the added sugar and asked what she thought. She said she agreed with regard to the hard sugar cone, but she thought the cake cone (what I've always called a "soft cone") would be ok, so I said ok to that.
When I tried the mojito sorbet, I happened to be talking to Bret, executive chef and owner of MILK, and I told him how much I enjoyed it. He said that he had to be careful how much rum he put in it because rum doesn't freeze, so if he puts too much, the sorbet won't set. I was surprised that there was actually rum in it! We also joked that he had to be careful how much rum he put in because you wouldn't want people to be unexpectedly tipsy from having that sorbet!
The mojito sorbet was very tart, which I really enjoyed, but it did also not hold together as much as normal sorbet, and I had to be careful not to let it drip while I was eating it. (The picture above was taken after I'd already had some of the sorbet, making sure that there were no rivulets of sorbet that were going to drip off.) The cone was useful for holding the sorbet, but when I got down to it, it was kind of weird to have the tastes mixed together.
I had wanted to visit MILK this week because Bret had mentioned some time ago that MILK had been asked to provide the desserts for Entertainment Tonight's post-Emmy party this Sunday night, so they were very busy preparing for all of that. The party starts late, as you'd expect, so they're going to have a very late night, but I envy all the party-goers who will be able to enjoy MILK's dessert delicacies on Sunday night, but I know that those who aren't yet fans of MILK will surely become fans after Sunday night.
This has been a particularly difficult week at work, so today, as a little break from the craziness, I decided to treat myself by having lunch at MILK. It was actually quite busy when I got there. All of the inside tables looked to be taken but I noticed that the very last table in the back was empty, so I put my order number on it to claim the table. As I waited for my food, I looked around the store, noticing that they had even more offerings than the last time I'd been there, which was a couple months ago.
The chicken minestrone was quite good. The pasta I had was good, but it was a bit saltier than I normally like. I picked up a few goodies to go, some for me, a treat for the husband, a treat for a friend, and a few things for the office.
As I was browsing the goodies and mentally going through the laundry list of what I wanted to get, my arm was unceremoniously twisted into sampling the red velvet poppers. I'd seen them before but cupcakes aren't really my thing, so I'd never thought to try them. Oh my goodness, they were yummy. There was only a bit of frosting on top, which was good because I'm not big on sweet frosting either. I ended up getting two dozen to bring back to my co-workers.
I didn't notice until I looked at the picture that even though I ordered two dozen, I actually got two bakers' dozen.
My co-workers seemed to enjoy the treats, and all the poppers were gone by the end of the day.
While I was at MILK, I had a chance to say hi and chat for a couple minutes with Bret, who owns and runs the restaurant, and Dave, who's the head baking dude. It was pretty busy, though, and I didn't want to monopolize their time when they obviously had work to do, so I didn't get a chance to talk to them as much as I would have liked to. Maybe next time.
Begin your Sweet Sunday with a sparkling toast and a light buffet. Afterwards one of the acclaimed pastry chefs in our lineup will demonstrate how to make three signature desserts. You'll get an opportunity to sample these luscious sweets throught the session.
Sunday, May 17, 2009 Bret Thompson & Dave Baker, MILK Cafe and Bakeshop, Los Angeles
Registration for that is in about two weeks, so we're planning to go.
Thanksgiving is two weeks from today, and many people are planning their Thanksgiving menus.
As I mentioned in May, MILK entered into a partnership with the got milk? folks, and for Thanksgiving, that partnership has launched another promotion.
Here's the press release that includes comments from Chef Bret Thompson, owner of MILK, with regard to the low-cost recipes that he has for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Here's the link to the tasty recipes. The corn soup looks really good, but the husband and I laughed when we saw that, knowing Bret's penchant for corn. The thing that looks best to me is the green beans with caramelized onions and toasted almonds, since I'm a fan of green bean casserole. I'd leave off the rosemary sprig, though, since it's just a garnish and I have issues with rosemary. The husband was impressed with the apple cranberry bread pudding, but apple cranberry doesn't scream my name, so I'm not really into that, but the pumpkin profiteroles look pretty good.
After the recipes, you'll also find a list of top 10 money saving shopping tips.
Early last week, a friend mentioned that a local theatre would be showing a double feature consisting of the original "Battlestar Galactica" movie and Disney's "The Black Hole". Being an original BSG fan, the chance to see the movie in a theatre again really intrigued me. And, I'd never seen "The Black Hole" before, so that was just an added bonus. The husband and I made plans to meet the friend for the double feature.
The films were being shown at the New Beverly Cinema. They apparently routinely show older movies, always as a double feature. We had arranged to meet our friend for lunch nearby before the first movie. The husband thought there was some kind of small parking lot behind the theatre, but if there was, it was full from the patrons at the nearby restaurant. We were luckily able to find parking on a nearby residential side street, and since this was on a Sunday, there was no parking restriction.
The New Beverly Cinema is conveniently located about two blocks east of MILK, so that's where we met for lunch. Yep, I can always use an excuse to go to MILK. The start of the first movie was approaching, so we headed to the theatre.
We go to the movies quite a bit, and we're pretty much used to all the new high-tech fancy theatre complexes. This was so not one of them, which was fine - I'm very familiar with quaint art-house type theatres too. When we got to the theatre, there was a piece of cardboard blocking the little opening in the box office that said the box office opened 15 minutes prior to the movie. I thought that was funny. Definitely not high-tech - more mom-and-pop. So we waited. And waited. And waited. Not so much 15 minutes. The first film was supposed to start at 3:05, and right before 3pm, the box office opened. We bought our tickets and headed inside. There's a tiny lobby with a small concession stand. We headed into the theatre to find seats. It wasn't very crowded at all, so we had no problem getting our pick of seats. The seats were padded but not nearly as much as I was used to at the new complexes. Sitting through one movie was a little uncomfortable, but sitting through two movies was actually painful. I'm one who tends to fidget or shift periodically while watching a movie. As I sat there, I noticed that I could feel if anyone else did the same, since the seats were so close together, so I was mindful not to shift too much so as not to disturb others. That probably made it even more uncomfortable to sit for that period of time. During the intermission between the two movies, we stood up and stretched to try to alleviate some of the stiffness. I didn't mind all the other low-tech aspects of the theatre, but the seats would be the only thing that would make me hesitate to return to the theatre unless it was something I really, really wanted to see. Or at least I'll be better prepared on future visits.
The first film shown that afternoon was "Battlestar Galactica". This was a movie version that was edited from the pilot episode of the late 1970s TV series. It's been years since I've seen the movie, and while there were bits I actually didn't remember very well, there were still a number of parts where I could recite the words right along with the actors. And I recognized one line and one quick shot that were cut in the transition from pilot to movie. It's now been 30 years since the show was on, and yes, some of it shows. Everyone is incredibly young and somewhat green. Even though I knew exactly what was going to happen, I did get teary when Zach got killed (Rick Springfield being much more petulant and whiny and "little kid" than Luke in the original "Star Wars"), and I got even more teary as I watched Caprica and the rest of the 11 worlds burn in flames from the Cylons' surprise attack. (I always liked that the planets were named after the zodiac signs.)
Richard Hatch was as good as I remembered him, and Dirk Benedict was as funny and roguish as ever. And really, casting Lorne Greene as the patriarch was a brilliant move. He was such an amazing actor, and he was riveting every time he was on screen, giving immediately credibility to anything he did. Terry Carter was great as Colonel Tigh, and I particularly loved the scene where he had to surreptiously steal as many uniforms as he could. Maren Jensen was as bad as I remembered her being. Her Galactica uniform was completely drab, but she looked quite beautiful when she had the dress on. Pretty to look at, couldn't act her way out of a bag. On the contrary, Laurette Spang (now McCook) was terrific, giving nuance to a fairly simple character. And she was gorgeous to boot, but then, she had all the flowy, showing-a-lot-of-skin dresses. I always have a soft spot for Herb Jefferson, Jr., partly because I always loved Boomer (he was my favorite non-main character - he always had this great calm, suave air about him - and he also had my favorite line in the entire series - it's the first entry in my list of "favorite television show lines" on the right column of this blog) and partly because he was so nice when I saw him at a con. John Colicos was as devilish as ever - they should have known not to trust him. After all, he's a Klingon! And Noah Hathaway was just the cutest thing. The one surprise was that Jane Seymour wasn't as good as I remembered her being. But then, in those first episodes, all she really did was moon at Apollo.
Other random thoughts about the film:
The special effects really did not survive the years, with the problem probably compounded by showing the film theatrically. You could very clearly see the background and then the ships, outlines and all, right on top of them.
When Apollo, Starbuck and Boomer were sweeping the mines, I did notice that the shot of the three mines was used twice. In the first shot, they take out two of the mines. In the later shot, they take out the two mines again, and this time, they also take out the third.
Speaking of the "sweeping the mines" segment, I laughed that Starbuck said that the heat outside was melting his canopy, but he was barely sweating - while sitting in the cockpit with his open helmet. And what's with the lights on the helmet anyway? OK, so we can see their faces better, but logistically speaking, wouldn't that make it harder for them to see, with this big light shining in their faces?
Dress uniforms apparently means use a cape rather than a jacket. I laughed that even Boxey had a cape for the ceremony. But someone needed to train Muffy better. Muffy was always running away, and then Boxey would run after him, and then they'd have to run after him, and then they'd run into bad things. And remembering a later episode, if Muffy is mechanical, how on Kobol do mushies end up being a favorite of his? (And yes, it's a chimp inside the Muffy outfit. I think there was a fully mechanical version for the scenes where Muffy is twitching different parts of himself.)
I've always loved Starbuck's lines when he gets back to the Galactica, when he is angry about seeing his own base ship leaving.
I've always loved the outside shot that tightens on the "Galactica" on the outside of the battlestar.
I also love the sound of the base star.
And yeah, I love that incarnation of the Cylons. Walk awkwardly and even slower than a stormtrooper and don't shoot very much better than them, and have that moving light that KITT steals later and talk all mechanical. They're awesome.
When Baltar is taken to the Imperious Leader, who tells Baltar that he has altered their bargain, my first thought was "pray I don't alter it further". But then I realized that this film pre-dated "The Empire Strikes Back"!
I love the sleekness of the viper, but I did note inconsistencies with the markings on the joystick. The left button is supposed to be "fire", the middle button is supposed to be "turbo", and the right button is supposed to be "im", whatever the hell that means, but I think at some point in the series, we find out that's the "reverse thrusters" button. But in many of the shots that show the joystick, it sometimes said something like "stores" on the left button. Very confusing. Were they shooting supplies at the Cylons? No matter, Cylons blow up cool.
Ovions are creepy and they eat you.
I forgot that Randi Oakes was the party girl who encounters Starbuck and Boomer.
It was funny to watch the Cylons track the motion as the vipers flew past/over them. But then, Vader did that too.
What does the Imperious Leader do all day sitting up there? It's not like he has a computer or has a console or anything.
A daggit is apparently off-world for "dog".
The new Council of 12 are stupid. The Cylons have just destroyed your home planets and killed millions and are still pursuing you. I know, let's lay down our arms, and I'm sure they'll leave us alone. Sire Uri is an idiot and an asshole - loved Apollo's speech to him.
Cassiopeia started off as a sociolator but then became a nurse later in the show.
They're purple and orange squadrons. Don't ever argue with me about those colors.
Fleeing from the Cylon tyranny, the last battlestar, Galactica, leads a rag tag fugitive fleet on a lonely quest. A shining planet known as Earth.
The second film was "The Black Hole". Generally, I liked the film, but I'm not sure I'd be interested in seeing it again. It too suffered from really old special effects and adversaries who couldn't hit the side of a barn. I thought it had a decent story, and I was even willing to accept the premise that the scientist had found a way to keep them stable that close to a black hole. Loved having the view of the black hole outside the window - kinda reminded me of Milliways. You knew that something was going to be up with his "missing crew" - and you knew that if Ernest Borgnine was in the movie, something awful was going to happen in general and specifically to him. Hey, he ended up saving their lives. If he had actually waited for them, they would all have been blown to smithereens. The husband thought Anthony Perkins was wooden, but I liked him - I think he's just wooden all the time. Joseph Bottoms was just a little kid almost! Maximilian Schell was great as the crazy scientist.
Random thoughts:
Why did Dr. McCrae only have ESP with VINCENT, the robot, and then didn't even have a clue that all the "robots" around her were actually human? I laughed when she was talking to Anthony Perkins' character, and she said to him, "You want to go with him, don't you?" Yes, you cow, how did you figure that out? Because he's practically drooling and chomping at the bit and is so totally mesmerized? Are you from the Deanna Troi school of empaths?
Max was whack. That was gross when he killed Anthony Perkins' character.
Why did that other robot have a Southern Texas drawl? But you knew he wasn't going to make it.
What the hell was up with the ending? And the scientist fuses with Max? And are they on the other end of the black hole? The husband thought the planet at the end was earth. I have no idea what it was. But, it was a shining planet.
I had occasion to be in the area on a Saturday afternoon, so I figured that was a perfect excuse to drop by MILK for lunch. The parking lot off Poinsettia behind El Coyote that MILK also uses in the daytime was full, so I ended up finding a metered spot close by on Beverly. As I walked up around 1pm, I noticed that it was pretty busy. About 3/4 of the tables outside were full, and these also happened to be the tables that had an umbrella to protect from the hot sun. Once I got inside, though, I was glad that there were a couple tables open, so I eventually ended up at a small table in the back after placing my order.
Bret had seen me as I walked in, and he had said hi, and when I got to my table, I had noticed that David, the pastry chef I'd met on my last visit, was working in the back kitchen, so I said hi to him through the glass.
For lunch, I had the herb roasted chicken breast sandwich with fresh mozzarella, portabello mushrooms, tomatoes and pesto sauce and a large iced tea. I've had that sandwich before, but it's one I really like. The chicken was very moist, and there was a good serving of it in the sandwich, and the cheese and tomatoes are a good accompaniment. I also happen to love that it comes with a side of field greens salad with balsamic vinaigrette because it gives a better vegetable balance to the sandwich, but I wish the menu board indicated that the sandwiches included a side salad.
After that, it was time to get some dessert. I opted for 2 coffee toffee milkies and a double scoop of blood orange sorbet and pineapple sorbet, and I also got a slice of banana nut, a peanut butter cookie and a walnut chocolate chip cookie to go. MILK is definitely one of those places where your eyes are bigger than your stomach. There are so many good things to choose from, and I have to remember that if I'm actually eating a meal there, I so don't have room for two scoops after that. When I got the sorbet, I discovered that they had actually given me two scoops of the blood orange sorbet with pineapple pieces on top. I decided it wasn't worth the trouble (and I really didn't have the time) to have it fixed so just enjoyed what I had, though I ended up tossing almost all of the second scoop. I figured I'd just try the pineapple sorbet another time.
As I was on my way out the door, I ran into David again. I had talked to him a bit earlier (when I mentioned them being busy, he said it was actually a little slow at that moment, but that in a couple of hours, it was going to pick up to the point where the line was out the door), and I ended up talking to him about the shopping trip that had prompted my visit. He was interested in what I was describing but not getting exactly what I was talking about, so I told him I'd come back to show him. A couple hours later, I did end up dropping by for a couple minutes to show him some of what I'd purchased. It was funny because we were sitting at a table with some of the product laid out for him to see, and someone else from the kitchen as well as one of the women behind the counter that I'm familiar with came by to see what we were doing, so they were marvelling over the products as well. It was funny but also really nice to feel so comfortable there because the staff is so nice and friendly.
The week prior, I had occasion to be bringing in breakfast for my department at work, and I had decided I was going to treat them to MILK goodies. I put in the order with MILK about a week before to make sure they'd have what I wanted and so I wouldn't wipe out their stock first thing. When I got there Friday morning right after they opened at 8am, everything was ready and laid out for me, and I ended up buying a few more last-minute-request items as well. The goodies seemed to go over really well with my co-workers.
It's probably a good thing that MILK isn't terribly convenient for me to get to, but any excuse to visit them works for me.
This morning, I got an email from someone who's trying to help me destroy my life ... I mean ... ummmm ... from a friend, telling me that he came across an article mentioning an event at a store called The Valley of the Dolls.
Oh...my...heck! I am so going to this! I browsed the store website, and they don't have a huge selection of little boxes of joy, but they do indicate they carry a couple lines that I haven't found elsewhere yet, and with a Re-Ment rep there, I can ask about the Disney Cafe line as well as the kaiten sushi bar set, which I'm afraid was probably released ages ago and is no longer available.
The only weird thing is that when I was looking at the on-line store, the little boxes of joy cost $32, but it appears that they sell them in sets of 10, so that's only $3.20 per box. On the one hand, I wasn't planning on buying 10 boxes of one set at a time. On the other hand, even the single box price of one of the sets that I want is only $3.50, so the prices overall are a lot cheaper for little boxes of joy than I've seen elsewhere. Hmmm, we'll see what happens when I get there.
And, this store is just a little over a mile away from MILK, so I'm thinking lunch at MILK and then two hours of little boxes of joy.
It's going to be a good Saturday. If anyone's looking for me on Saturday or wants to join me, you know where to find me.
Thanks, Mox! You might want to stay away from the husband for a little while, though, because he might not be too happy with you for telling me about this. ;)
As I mentioned previously, MILK has entered into a partnership with the "got milk?" folks, and to kick off the introduction of the partnership, food bloggers and media were invited to an open house held at MILK on May 20 to sample some of the treats available at MILK as well as to learn more about the partnership in general and the "got milk?" campaign specifically. I was fortunate to have been one of those invited.
the event begins
We arrived just before the 5pm start time, and everything was already set up. MILK was closed to regular customers for the duration of the two-hour event, and a sign-in table was in place at the restaurant's entrance.
We checked in and were given name badges and a little packet that had a "got milk?" logoed pencil as well as an electronic press kit. We were invited inside, and we saw that the restaurant was decorated with balloons labeled for the event.
We had also each been given a raffle ticket, and there was a table displaying some of the prizes to be raffled off later in the evening.
As more invitees arrived, the restaurant was filled with people mingling and chatting and enjoying the treats.
Shortly thereafter, our attention was called by Tatum Wan, a representative of RL Public Relations, who welcomed us to the event.
She also introduced the two special guests for the evening, Chef Bret Thompson, owner of MILK, and Steve James, Executive Director of the CMPB (California Milk Processor Board).
Both Bret and Steve welcomed us to the event, with Bret talking a little about MILK (all of the treats are hand-made there, but Bret joked that they did not grow the fruit that was available on the counter) as well as his love of milk, and Steve talked about his involvement with the "got milk?" program.
After the introductions, the rest of the evening was spent sampling the goodies and getting a chance to talk to Bret and Steve.
the treats
A menu of seven items had been prepared for the evening for everyone to sample, all of the items with milk as an ingredient, of course.
Each of the items was brought around on trays by MILK employees, and people were able to help themselves.
My first treat was the cornbread with raspberry jelly.
I'm not a particular fan of cornbread, mostly because I generally find it to be very hard, crunchy and chalky. I have only on rare occasions found cornbread that I like, that's of the right consistency and flavor to suit my tastes. This version was like a cornbread muffin with raspberry filling. Whereas cornbread muffins can be very hard, I found this to be very light and fluffy and moist, thanks partly to the fact that the muffin was very fresh and still warm. I actually liked the muffin a lot. I did find that the added raspberry jelly made it sweeter than I would normally prefer, but others seemed to like it.
As I was enjoying the cornbread (yes, my friends who know me well have just fallen over because they never thought they'd ever see me write such a thing), I was thinking that having some liquid with it would be very nice. And what should come along but little glasses of milk on a tray!
Well, how perfect was that! (Yes, there was bottled water available as well.)
Next up was the savory butternut squash soup. While I have friends who adore butternut squash, it's never been something I've particularly been interested in or cared much for when I have tried it, but hey, I'm at MILK, so of course I'm going to try it. It was nicely presented as well, in a little champagne glass.
Wow! I can't tell you how much I loved that soup. It was really smooth and had a really nice flavor. I can't tell you what specific taste got to me, but I think it was a similiar kind of spice that you might find in pumpkin pie, which I love. I told the husband and a friend that if this is what butternut squash soup always tasted like, then I was now a fan. Sadly, they informed me that this was not typical for butternut squash soup. I have decided to have a taste the next time the husband or a friend orders it, but I have a feeling that I am going to be sorely disappointed because it won't begin to be as delicious as this was. Yes, I had a second glass of the soup later in the evening. This was one of my favorite items of the evening.
By the way, there was no particular order that I chose to try any particular item. It was really a matter of what was next available if I wasn't talking to someone or doing something else.
Next was the banana dulce de leche ice cream. They had made cute little ice cream cones and they were being served from glass dishes nestled on top of what looked like white chocolate and caramel chips.
The ice cream was quite tasty as you'd imagine, and the little cone was just the right tasting size.
Next up was the arroz con leche ice cream sandwich.
This was the only item that I had which I didn't really care about. It was cute and kind of crunchy, but otherwise, it didn't make much of an impression on me. It may be that because of the small size, the cookie overpowered the ice cream, so in a regular portion, the flavors might be more distinctive.
My other favorite item of the evening was the milkie way malt.
It was just incredibly delicious. The funny thing is that after I took a glass and had a sip and tasted how amazing it was, I noticed that the server had gone over to Steve James, and I watched as he picked up a glass and sipped himself - and then this look of total bliss just came over him as he closed his eyes for a second, savoring the flavor. I had spoken to him a bit earlier in the evening, so we shared a laugh about how you just can't help physically reacting to something so delicious.
Last up for me was the ice-blended green tea.
It was tasty and refreshing.
The only thing on the menu that I didn't have was the berry tres leches. I had seen it on a tray going by, but by then, I'd had plenty of sugar, and while it looked nice, it wasn't appealing enough to me to want to have any more. There was plenty of everything to go around, so there was definitely enough for seconds for anyone who wanted them. People were also arriving at different times during the two-hour event, so it was nice that the different items kept rotating around so people coming a bit later didn't miss out on anything.
the special guests
In between tasting all the wonderful various treats, I had a chance to speak to both Bret and Steve individually.
Bret Thompson
I've been acquainted with Bret for some time now, since I first met him when he was executive chef of Catal Restaurant. We've had the pleasure of seeing him at various events as well as when visiting MILK. When I asked him how he came to be partnered with "got milk?", he said that they had actually approached him. RL Public Relations, which is one of the firms that represent "got milk?", was made aware of MILK, and upon further investigation and a meeting, it seemed like the perfect partnership. Bret is also going to be appearing in a few media shows in various places in California as well as some possible television spots to further promote the partnership.
In addition, there is information on the "got milk?" website about the new partnership, from which there is also a link to a recipe book, which includes recipes for everything available for tasting this night (including the delicious butternut squash soup) as well as a few other treats.
Steve James is the Executive Director of the California Milk Processor Board, and Steve explained that the CMPB was established in 1993, and in the last 15 years, the Board has worked to "promote the consumption of milk", as described on the got milk? website, as well as to educate the public about the benefits of milk.
I asked Steve about the various companies that comprise CMPB, and while he obviously couldn't tell me if one brand of milk was better than another, I asked him if there really was a difference between brands. He explained that the processing of milk is pretty much uniform across the board, but while there are minimum requirements for what must be done to pasteurize milk with regard to time and temperature, different companies choose to tweak their product in slightly minute ways. One company might like the taste of the milk better if it's heated for a few degrees above minimum or for a few seconds longer than minimum, both of which can vary the taste of the finished milk. It's not really a matter of "better", but more a matter of preference.
We also discussed the different containers that milk can come in (glass, plastic, carton), and how that can also affect the taste of milk. I'm one of those who prefers my milk to be ice cold. Just "cold" isn't nearly as good, and tepid/room temperature is nasty. I've never been a fan of warm milk, but I understand the appeal it might have for some.
I also mentioned to Steve that I was finding that even with as successful as the "got milk?" campaign has been and how many people positively react to the humour in the ads, there still seems to be a strong feeling in the public that milk is for kids, that once you're an adult, you don't really drink milk anymore. Sure, lots of adults use milk for their cereal or in their coffee, but I actually find it rare for adults to just drink milk as a beverage. On the occasions that I've had milk at a restaurant, or when I've purchased milk at the store and it happens to come out that I'm not buying it for any children, just myself or the husband, I sometimes come across odd reactions of people who don't understand why I would be drinking milk as an adult, especially if I'm not pregnant. I've heard people talk about how they've not had milk in 10 or 20 years since they're adults, and they almost treat milk like baby food. Personally, I find this to be an extremely odd viewpoint. Oh, yeah, I know, they tell you milk is good for you growing up, so once you're grown up, you don't need it anymore, right? Wrong. As an adult, you still have bones that need calcium, moreso if you're a woman. I take a daily calcium supplement, but having the extra calcium from having milk on a regular basis is good too. And the calcium benefits aside, I really just like the taste of milk - cold, of course. I asked Steve if the milk mustache and other campaigns had had an effect on the adult population, and he said that while they didn't necessarily have hard numbers or percentages since it's hard to measure the direct correlation between ad awareness and actual product use, they have charted a marked increase in consumption attributable to certain specific campaigns.
conclusion
As the event was nearing a close, we were thanked for attending that evening, and raffle numbers were chosen to award various prizes, including gift certificates to MILK. Overall, I thought it was a very nice event, and to me, appealing to food bloggers was a great idea. Sure, the regular media is a definite necessary outlet, but nowadays, many people are avid followers of certain blogs, and you get the personal opinion from blogs that you don't necessarily get from a corporate media company. I know that some of the people there had already been previously aware of MILK, but I'm glad that new people were introduced to the place as well.
press release
Here is the press release issued to announce the partnership.
MILK ADDS MAGIC TOUCH TO SUMMER TREATS Chef Bret Thompson Partners with GOT MILK?; Reveals Secret for Velvety Shakes and Creamy Comfort Foods
San Clemente, Calif., May 20, 2008 – MILK, the way-hot ice cream parlor and cafe in Los Angeles, brings food lovers and plenty of enamored critics to the Archie and Veronica days when diners and neighborhood parlors dominated American society. MILK's homemade ice cream, malts, breads, cakes and soups bring delight (not to mention the inner child!) to those who enjoy nothing but the best. Bret Thompson, former Corporate Executive Chef of the Patina Restaurant Group and now owner and executive chef of MILK, relies on his talent and expertise to create delicious recipes, while staying true to the star of his shop: good old-fashioned milk. Taking his passion for milk to another level, Thompson has partnered with GOT MILK? to show food enthusiasts at home his secrets. Everyone can use a simple ingredient like milk to create out-of-this-world gourmet treats.
"Milk is just one of the best ingredients out there," says Thompson. "What better way to create velvety shakes, silky summer ice cream flavors or rich, buttery autumn breads! It's an honor to partner with GOT MILK? and share some of my recipes with food aficionados everywhere."
Distributed exclusively by GOT MILK? online on www.gotmilk.com starting today, Thompson adapts some of his signature dishes and treats at MILK for food enthusiasts to recreate: from his mouth-watering MILKIE Way Malt to his kernel-popping cornbread to his pan-Latin inspired Berry Tres Leches.
"Thompson’s MILK recipes are just amazing," says Steve James, Executive Director of the California Milk Processor Board, the creators of GOT MILK?. "You can taste his passion for cooking in his food. And the line out his MILK shop is testament that many more people think so!"
About Bret Thompson & MILK Before opening MILK in Los Angeles in 2007, Bret Thompson was the corporate executive chef of the Patina Restaurant Group. In the United States, he worked with renowned chefs like Roy Yamaguchi. In Europe, he trained under Michelin starred chefs like Martin Berasategui as well as Alain Passard of L’Arpège and Bernard Loiseau. MILK is located on 7290 Beverly Blvd. in Los Angeles, where Thompson can be found delighting his clients daily.
About the CMPB The California Milk Processor Board was established in 1993 to make milk more competitive and increase milk consumption in California. Awareness of GOT MILK? is over 90% nationally and it is considered one of the most successful campaigns in history. GOT MILK? is a federally registered trademark that has been licensed by the national dairy boards since 1995. GOT MILK? gifts and recipes can be viewed at www.gotmilk.com. The CMPB is funded by all California milk processors and administered by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
MILK
There were a number of items that we saw at MILK that we had not seen on a prior visit, but the item I noticed most were the cupcakes.
I am not a particular cupcake fan, but I'd heard that MILK was now offering cupcakes. I found out that they've had them for several months now, and at first, they had the traditionally shaped cupcakes, but they then switched to their present incarnation, which they thought made much more sense and fit in much better given the focus on ice cream products in the restaurant.
We also noticed that MILK now has a gift card available, something that's very popular in many establishments, but we were amused by what the gift card was called.
The husband made a comment to Bret about the gift card, and Bret said that it just made sense, that he remembered getting milk money for school from his parents, a memory that I'm sure a lot of people have regarding their own parents, so this was just perfect. I know that if you've been reading my blog and website, you'll have gotten that I'm a huge fan of Bret's, but that kind of comment illustrates just one of the reasons for that.
We also had an opportunity to talk to pastry chef David, who joined MILK several months ago, and he expresses the same enthusiasm and passion for food and his creations that Bret does. In our interactions with other employees at MILK, they all seem to be excited to be working there and dedicated to their jobs, which definitely shows through in your dealings with them.
"got milk?"
One of the comments that Steve James made to me is that there are now generations of people growing up never knowing a world without "got milk?". More than just a branding for milk, the phrase has become a part of the public vernacular for all kinds of uses with minor tweaks. To me, a lot of why the campaign has worked so well is the appeal to humour of the ads. The "Who Shot Alexander Hamilton?" ad has been one of the most memorable and one of my favorites.
I also remember one where a dog is given some peanut butter, and he just continues to lick and lick and lick. Of course, everyone is aware of the multitude of celebrities who have sported milk mustaches over the years.
Well, they've recently launched a new campaign centered around White Gold, a fictitious rock band. Here is their official website. I have to say that this campaign does absolutely zero for me and to me, doesn't nearly have the appeal of prior campaigns, but then, since this campaign is apparently targeting the teen crowd, and I'm not in their demographic, maybe that's why it's not working on me. Also, I'm already a milk lover, so I don't really need more campaigns to entice me to drink more.
A friend sent me this link for a cupcake challenge being held this Sunday. She brought it to my attention because if you click on the "competitors" link, you'll see that MILK is included. I'm not a big cupcake fan, mostly because I usually find the frosting to be too plentiful and too sweet, but the mini-cupcake sounds interesting. I don't remember seeing cupcakes at MILK before, but then, it's been a while since I've actually been there, and it doesn't surprise me that they'd have them. At MILK, I'd probably be more willing to have a cupcake.
I considered going to the cupcake challenge for a second - until I saw the $60 price tag. I'm presuming that's partly because they're serving "free flowing wine" and partly because of where they're holding it. However, it's too pricey for me for something I'm not all that fond of just to stalk MILK, especially when I'll be there next week.
I'm a little surprised that Sprinkles isn't a competitor. People at work have gotten goodies from Sprinkles for parties of various sorts, and people seem to really like them. Cupcakes seem to be fairly popular now. When we were in New York a couple years ago, there were quite a few little stores dedicated to only making cupcakes. I remember seeing a cupcake place in Costa Mesa (across from the South Coast Plaza) the last time we were in the area - ahh, here it is. As I looked in the window, the cupcakes looked pretty cute. I think I'm more a fan of looking at cupcakes than eating them.
Anyway, I thought I'd mention this for anyone who's a cupcake-and-wine fan.
Catal Restaurant in Downtown Disney is one of my favorite restaurants. Our first visit was shortly after they opened in early 2001, and because of our frequent visits, we got to know some of the staff, including the then-executive chef Bret Thompson. Bret was there for a couple of years and then moved to a position with Catal's parent company The Patina Group. He left a few years ago to pursue his dream - to open up a neighborhood ice cream shop. And he's done just that.
Each of the seats at the demonstration had supplies set out.
Bret talked some at the start of the presentation. He's on the right, with MILK's pastry chef on the left. The item they were going to prepare during this particular session was buttermilk panna cotta (panna cotta means "cooked cream" in Italian) with berries and champagne granita.
During the demonstration, Bret and the pastry chef would explain what they were doing. There was an overhead mirror angled so that the audience could see what they were doing.
And here's the finished product, which we all had the opportunity to try. It was delicious!
We also had a chance to speak to Bret briefly afterward. One thing you'll notice if you have occasion to speak to him or listen to him talk is that he is so enthusiastic when talking about food and ingredients and different creations. We noticed this from the first time we were introduced to him at Catal. His excitement is absolutely infectious. During the presentation, he was talking about the dish being prepared that day and how you could make so many variations of it simply by changing a few of the ingredients around. You could hear the audience oohing and aahing as he was talking about the various combinations you could make. He even mentioned that MILK has served a foie gras panna cotta with duck on the side! Mmmmmmm.
MILK has a mailing list that you can sign up for, and I was happy to be notified recently of an open house being held at MILK on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 from 5pm to 7pm. The event is intended for media and people who blog about food, so if you fall into one of those categories and are interested, feel free to RSVP. We'll definitely be there.
There's a part of me that can't believe that they've managed to secure a partnership with the Got Milk? people. And then there's another part of me that isn't surprised because of how driven we've seen Bret to be and how much he loves and enjoys having MILK. And then, of course, there's the part of me that's really happy MILK will be getting this kind of worthwhile exposure.
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