halloween!

Halloween is tomorrow and we are gearing up. no, not literally gearing up, we are preparing our menu for a halloween party. our new friend michal heard about us through our friend doug. Michal decided to put the task on yo soy to create the food for his annual halloween bash! and we were excited! Michal's friends consists of a group of "goodies", and he wanted to please them by presenting a twist on halloween parties. So, instead of orange coated cookies with pumpkins iced on them, he called on us! Brian and I jumped at the opportunity to create a fall menu, not a halloween menu! listen, just because you are dressed in a see through bunny outfit, we'd like to believe there is still a bit of class lying underneath! So we came up with a fantastic menu!

We have beef sliders with roasted poblano peppers with a lemon aioli making their debut. I swear this dish is always one that hosts pick to have prepared for their event. Most of the time the order is followed by a quick " it will help absorb the alcohol" statement! which is very true! another one we came up with is a pork and sauteed apple wonton. the dipping sauce is still being tweaked, but will consist of a fig and cocoa creation! the one i am most excited about however is the mini cajeta apples with pepitas! i love cajeta (mexican goat milk caramel)! and it is a great play on caramel apples, and the texture of the pepitas (small roasted pumpkin seeds) with their savory touch makes me freak out! 

we will be posting pictures of the event, and the crazy costumes that surround the halloween inspired menu!

stay tuned, and be safe!

viva dia de los muertos!

So, the day of the dead is coming up, and we are excited. There are many latin american traditions for this day, and each one is just as meaningful as the next, but the core is remembrance. So, the way my family used to celebrate it was through "all souls day" which is basically the catholic version of the celebration, but with much more prayer, and a lot less booze and food. You would typically go to the graves of your loved ones and clean it and put fresh flowers as well as candles (they acted as beacons for the souls) and you would pray all day. I particularly like the "dia de los muertos" celebration which is November 1st and 2nd, because it's much more festive. This is the CELEBRATION of deceased loved ones memories and favorite things! So, just imagine, 2 days out of the whole year where it is encouraged to celebrate the fun times, the favorite music, food and even the dress of some of the people you hold close to your heart, that are no longer with us. I love it! The use of bright colors on food, the marigolds that are used to place at homemade altars throughout homes, the mariachi music, and of course, the tequila! I have always said that when i die, i do not want a funeral , i want a celebration! after all, the first three letters of funeral are FUN! You should celebrate the life people led and the memories that will never die. So, this weekend, while the majority of people are gearing up for October.31st, we will be anxiously awaiting November 1st and 2nd, so that we may light all my saint candles, prepare colorful foods with our friends, and make the favorite dishes that i learned to cook at my grammy's house. We will also sit around and eat, and tell stories to each other about our past loved ones, become closer as we get to know parts of our friends we do not normally see, and we will also plan out our menu for our offering when our time has come. I know, I know, some people reading this are probably thinking that is kinda morbid, but it is life, and life is a celebration, and to make sure a celebration is successful it takes planning!  

salud to vida! salud to familia! salud to comida! salud to tequila!

update in "goodies" dinner! and more ....

 

so, a lot has come up in the past couple of days! some for good, and one for bad! brian has recently taken a position with a new company in the hospitality industry, and we are excited about it! He has been hired for some time now, but was put on an "on call" status for a start date. And, of course, the week we want to do our yo soy dinner, is the week he gets the call to begin work! UUURRGGHHH! but, that is fine, he is going to perfectly perfect his talent in the hospitality industry, which will then in turn, bring better service to what we at yo soy have to offer foodies and friends alike. so, we are hoping in the next 2 to 3 weeks for him to get settled in and have a more solid schedule, so that we may be able to plan our much-missed monthly dinners. I apologize to the people who have made the plans to attend the dinner this sunday, and would like to offer something special to you guys for the next one (email me, cause you know who you are!). 

so, now that we have clarified that drama, let's talk food and media!

We listen to a number of podcast everyday, and for some reason, the majority of them all seem to be based out of chicago. I am not sure if it is the winter weather that we have for 8 months that keeps us inside and makes us turn to our macs, but there is a connection. So, in that aspect, as they possibly may have been influenced by the weather, brian and I are influenced by these podcasters in their passion to spread their voice and message through any and all medium possible. So, we have extended yo soy into the "libro de caras" or in english, facebook! We thought it was time for everyone to know exactly what yo soy was watching before it went to bed! and also to make sure you know about any last minute foodie spots we are at that are a "must get here now, to get this deal" type of situation. So, thank you chicago podcasters for the insight, and the inspiration! 

p.s.- for those who have dined with us before and had the opportunity to try us, please be one of the first to review us on yelp! (just click and it will take you right to us!)

p.s.s.- also having to do with the topic of food and media, for our diners at the next event, I will definitely suggest you arm yourselves with plenty of websites for conversation over the meal! I cannot tell you how many times we have discussed the latest youtube sensation, or the latest crazy podcast with people who have yet to witness it! And, 95% percent of the time those stories will lead us to the computer after dessert to see and hear for ourselves! It almost acts like a virtual digestif!

"goodie" dinner..a new term coined for the gay foodie!

Hello all! So, it has been a while since we have posted a blog, and much apologies! but from here on out, promises of much more , and more frequency is what we swear! We have been sidetracked by so many other things happening in our lives, that we have decided to get back into full swing by doing one of our infamous monthly dinners scheduled for october.25th, 2009! We will be presenting a 4 course dinner, served family style, with wine pairings! we are asking for a suggested donation of $50 per person, just to cover our costs, but the evening is chock full of promises of great food, discussion, music and company! We are excited as well about the change in seasons, it is beyond our control, so we have no other option! But, as we are huge fans of squash and all of its various relatives, we look forward to presenting our signature mexican + chinese cuisine with the fresh fall produce. 

As for the term "goodie" being a gay foodie, was influenced by my recent adventures (mikey). I recently took part in the National Equality March in Washington D.C., where I was fortunate enough to be in the front lines documenting the movement first hand! I have always pushed brian to acknowledge the fact that we are gay people wanting to open a place in a gay neighborhood, boasting the fact that we, as a minority group, are doing it for ourselves, and always believed in the support our community would reciprocate and appreciate. He (brian) has not always been on that same bandwagon, but after the visit to D.C., we have a renewed vigor for our community, and wanted to be surrounded with like minds in a place where we can celebrate or various degrees of beauty over an appreciation for creative food! So, after googling gay foodies chicago, I came up with no groups I could contact, and being in the creative field, my eyes saw a great opportunity for a fun word used for people in the GLBT community who love food as much as we do, but also would like to meet new people in a less awkward situation, and "goodie" was born. As far as I know, no one else has coined this term, so I would like to think we are pioneers in the use of this term, and it's idea! Now, do not get us wrong, we do not want to isolate ourselves, and we are most definitely open to having hetero's over for dinner that are serious about food and fun, but we just want to create an atmosphere that has  "bold, beautiful personalites" coming together over "bold, beautiful food". 

So please email us with a quick 3 lined email telling us about yourself, and then in turn we will let you know if there is still room at our table! We will send out an email Wednesday October.21st letting you know if we had room for you, or if we need to put you on our next list.

xoxox my fellow goodies!

-mikey and brian

Mexicali

Recently we have been doing more and more historical research, coming across Mexicali, which is not just the capital of the Baja California State in Baja mexico, but the confluence of our two favorite cultures.  The exchange of goods dates to the Manila-Acapulco galleons, began in 1565, bringing spice, porcelain and ivory in exchange for Mexican silver. This came into Acapulco, through Mexico City and eventually onto Spain. But left behind were also human cargo, while this was the beginning of a lucrative and ongoing trade Read more...