Today we continue on to the second part of our Zov Karamardian interview. Tomorrow, a recipe! Didya miss the first part? Click here to catch up.
Favorite music to cook by:
Classical, of course any of Mozart's collection.
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Best food city in America:
New York.
Favorite restaurant in America:
Too many, but my all time favorite is Gotham Bar and grill their food is truly fantastic; and of course, Milo's for their amazing fresh seafood collection. I also Love Lupa.
What you'd like to see more of in Orange County from a culinary standpoint:
More chef owned and passion driven restaurants. And family restaurants with healthy menu items that are well prepared from scratch.
What you'd like to see less of in Orange County from a culinary standpoint:
I have not put any thought into that question.
Favorite cookbooks:
I have the Bon Appétit and Gourmet Magazine Collections of every issue bound from 1965 to present!!!
What show would you pitch to the Food Network?
“Real Chefs of OC”, you just have no idea the kind of stories go behind the scenes. And also how to run a successful restaurant. Most people think it is a glamorous business. But it is the passion that keeps you going.
Weirdest thing you've ever eaten:
When I was in China, we were served some kind of stir fry and no one knew what it was, all I kept doing is chewing and chewing then I found out it was the pigs vocal cords. I was so grossed out that I never ate anything after that other than noodles and rice until I got home.
You're making an omelet. What's in it?
Tomatoes, fresh herbs, avocadoes, and feta cheese.
You're at the market. What do you buy two of?
Wine, any kind of cheese, and nuts.
Weirdest customer request:
Some once asked the server to remove the skin from the grapes and another one asked to remove the seeds from already cut cucumbers from her salad.
Favorite OC restaurant(s) other than your own:
Marche Moderne and Hamamori.
Hardest lesson you've learned:
Don't sweat the small stuff, things will work out, always.
What would the last meal on Earth be?
Steamed mussels with garlic and wine, platter of prawns, Lobsters, crab legs, oysters on the half shell with a bottle of chilled Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame Champagne with crusty white bread! HEAVEN!
Who's your hero? Culinary or otherwise?
My mother!
What cuisine that you are unfamiliar with would you want to learn more about and why?
Definitely Thai and Japanese. They have so many amazing ingredients that I am not familiar with and would love to learn more about them.
Zov's Bistro, 17550 E. 17th St., Tustin, (714) 838-8855; www.zovs.com.
Before becoming an award-winning restaurant critic for OC Weekly in 2007, Edwin Goei went by the alias “elmomonster” on his blog Monster Munching, in which he once wrote a whole review in haiku.