Insider Tips

Taste Something New This January

Posted on January 5, 2017 by Conejo Valley

New year, new you, right? Good news is we are kicking off 2017 with Restaurant Month and are giving you a list of delicious, different and even daunting dishes to expand your tastebuds and push your culinary limits. We’ve worked with the chefs of four local restaurants to highlight some dishes for those seeking something healthy, ethnic, comforting or wild. Check out the options below and let us know which one you’re most excited to taste!

Treehouse Tavern & Grill
29008 Agoura Rd. Agoura Hills, CA 91301
(818) 865-3700

We’re starting this list off with some classic Tennessee Style Hot Wings. Treehouse Tavern & Grill is one of the newest local hot spots, and they aim to breath new life into one of Agoura Hills’ most historic locations by bringing live music and delicious food to the people of Conejo Valley.

These hot wings may look simple, but they pack a tasty punch. Serve ’em up with ranch and hot wing sauce, and you’ve got yourself a plate of chicken you can’t resist.

Ingredients: Rub for chicken (cayenne, chili powder, garlic, brown sugar, paprika), flour, salt, pepper, hot wings sauce (tobacco, garlic, butter, chili powder, cayenne), buttermilk

Directions:

• Lightly blanch full chicken wings
• Soak chicken in buttermilk
• Toss in flour mix before frying (makes them extra crispy)
• Add spice mix on top
• Plate with cucumber & carrot rosette
• Serve with ranch and hot wing sauce

DeLiteFul
322 W. Hillcrest Dr. (lower level, The Oaks Mall). Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
(805) 418-5118

DeLiteFul makes it easy to stick to your New Year’s resolutions with mindfully created menus. Every ingredient, from the salt on the tables to the liquid in your glass and the food on your plate, is cultivated in a sustainable and kind way. DeLiteFul boasts no added sugar, no artificial ingredients and no chemical additives. How’s that for wellness?

The dish that’s one of our faves is the Spaghetti Bolognese with Zucchini Noodles. It’s hearty and filling without all the bad stuff that will ruin your New Year’s resolutions.

Ingredients: Ground chicken, spices (black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, paprika), zucchini noodles

Directions:

• Brown ground chicken in pan
• Add spices & let simmer
• Spiralize zucchini to create noodles
• Sauté briefly in another pan with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper
• Serve chicken over noodles & add shaved parmesan on top

Himalaya
720 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. Thousand Oaks, CA 93160
(805) 409-1041

Himalaya in Thousand Oaks is genuinely one of those hidden gems that you would never know is there unless a friend recommended it to you. And we are recommending it to you! The Nepalese dishes served here are are made with traditional recipes and ingredients, and will have you feeling like you just took a trip around the world just for dinner.

Ingredients: White basmati rice, zucchini, bell peppers (red, green, yellow), carrots, onions, tomatoes, cauliflower, chicken, mango chutney, naan, lentils (yellow and orange), Curry sauce (cumin, chili, coriander, garlic, ginger, turmeric powder, salt, mixed veggie spice)

Directions:

• Dish #1:
  • Peel all veggies & remove seeds (on bell peppers)
  • Chop veggies
  • Create curry sauce (mix spices, water, oil) and mix with veggies
  • Mix together in a pan with oil
  • Add water & let cook for about 30 min
• Dish #2:
  • Add oil, yellow & orange lentils, cumin, coriander, turmeric powder, 1 red chili, red tomato, to pan with oil, garlic & ginger paste
  • Add water
  • Cook for 45 min
• Dish #3:
  • Using dark meat, cut chicken into small pieces
  • Use whole cumin, coriander, chili, garlic and ginger paste with onion & tomato for curry
  • Add turmeric powder, vegetable spice, cumin, coriander, salt, water
  • Add green onion, cilantro
  • Cook for 1 hour on stove
• Rice:
  • Use white basmati rice
  • Cook on stove using water, salt, oil
• Naan:
  • Made with all purpose flour, yogurt, salt, sugar, milk, oil, water, baking powder
  • Mix milk, yogurt together with sugar and salt, baking powder
  • Add oil, water
  • Whisk all ingredients together
  • Knead by hand (add little bit of oil if too sticky)
  • Cool for 2-3 hours
  • Flatten by hand
  • Bake in Tandoori oven for 30-45 sec.

Twisted Oak Tavern
30105 Agoura Rd. Agoura Hills, CA 91301
(818) 735-0091

Okay, we know this one might be a little scary, but the Hogzilla dish at Twisted Oak Tavern is seriously delicious! Twisted Oak brings a modern take on the traditional tavern along with a brewery producing their very own craft beers on site. This is the cool place you’d go to grab a beer with your buddies and maybe dine on a whole roasted pigs head. That’s a normal Friday night, right?

Ingredients: Roasted pig’s head, bibb lettuce, pickled vegetables, grilled lemons, cold vermicelli (rice noodles), house spicy hoisin sauce, brine (garlic, thyme, fennel, peppercorn, cinnamon, salt, sugar)

Directions:

• Brine pig’s head (24-48 hours)
• Remove from brine and place on baking sheet. Cover with hoisin sauce and roast in oven.
• Grill flatbread and prep with spread
• Plate
• Enjoy!