Rick Rifle: Hi everybody and welcome to Snackable Content. I'm Rick Rifle.

Kristin Casey: And I'm Kristin Casey. Here we are today at the Melrose Bar and Grill in West Hollywood, California, and we’re going to meet the owners Julie and Chris Bennett, and we’re going to pick up an appetizer and a cocktail for you.

Rick Rifle: Actually, pick up a couple of cocktails because there’s two of us I ain’t sharing. You know what I like the most about this place, when I first walked in, knowing it was a bar and grill, was that it didn’t look like a bar grill. It has a light, casual sort of California atmosphere. A lot of on tone colors, really open, very airy.

Kristin Casey: Yes and I, myself as a greeny, noticed they have a lot of sustainable materials and re-useable materials incorporated as well.

Rick Rifle: Oh! That’s right. They have bamboo ceiling by the bar and those natural grasses from the lampshades as well. Did you see the wine seller?

Kristin Casey: I did.

Rick Rifle: It has all those recycled wine crates on the outside, very cool. Well, you’ve chosen kitchen today, right, you’ll walk with Chris.

Kristine Casey: I'll walk with Chris.

Rick Rifle : Alright, and I'm with Julie behind the bar.

Kristin Casey: Okay.

Rick Rifle: Alright. Well, let’s go if you can’t stand the heat you’re stacked in the kitchen.

Kristin Casey: Whatever. So, I'm in the kitchen with Chris and you can show me how make what today?

Chris: A quesadilla. Today, we’re going to use a bun, steak, chicken and a little cilantro.

Kristin Casey: Well, that’s exciting.

Chris: Want to try? Go ahead.


Kristin Casey: Okay.

Chris: Right more, more–

Kristin Casey: More cheese, okay, walnut.

Chris: No, that’s good, then little chicken.

Kristin Casey: Chicken. Chicken any kind of chicken, chicken breast.

Chris: You know what it’s best with leftovers.

Kristin Casey: Okay.

Chris: If you want go ahead and cook chicken to make it easy for you not too soft.

Kristin Casey: Alright.

Chris: There’s a little steak.

Kristin Casey: Oh! That’s something I like, a little red meat.

Chris: Yes, this is definitely good.

Kristin Casey: Okay.

Chris: Perfect. These are roasted red bell peppers.

Kristin Casey: Now, are these hot?

Chris: No. The heat comes from the amount you put, I’ll be putting it in and this is just kind of sweetens it up a little bit.

Kristin Casey: Alright.

Chris: So, a little cilantro.

Kristin Casey: Cilantro. Now, what does the cilantro do? What kind of–

Chris: It tastes good.

Kristin Casey: It tastes good. What type of flavor the cilantro have here?

Chris: It’s kind of it’s own unique flavor.

Kristin Casey: It’s own unique flavor. Well, I like how diplomatic you are Chris. There are lots of people who are vegetarians.

Chris: Oh sure, sure.

Kristin Casey: So, it’s just as easy to make with vegetables.

Chris: My advice if you have a vegetable is going to make carrot.

Kristin Casey: Alright, spoken like a true chef.

Chris: It’s a grilled cheese. I mean, if you can’t eat cheese–

Kristin Casey: You shouldn’t have a quesadilla. It’s a case of who doesn’t each cheese.

Chris: Yes, you could throw some grilled vegetables in there, I'm sure you can shred something and put it in there.

Kristin Casey: Why don’t you show me your presentation with the quesadilla?

Chris: Okay.

Kristin Casey: How will I serve this to my guest?

Chris: It’s really simple. Julie try it.

Kristin Casey: What do you know there’s one ready.

Chris: Yes, how about that?

Kristin Casey: Wow! How about that?

Chris: You can cut it up as small or as large as you want, and then it just goes around like this.

Kristin Casey: And you know what’s really nice about your quesadilla is there’s not too much stuffs spilling out from either side. So, if you have a guest in your house walking around and not spilling things all of your carpet.

Chris: Or chill it first.

Kristin Casey: Or chill it first.

Chris: Oh don’t chill it, let it come up a little bit to room temperature then the cheese are done.

Kristin Casey : Okay.

Chris: Everything look like kind of lined together and if you’re really worried don’t put in some sausages on the side.

Kristin Casey: Do you do that at the restaurant, do you guys let it sit for a minute before you serve it.

Chris: No we send it out gooey.

Kristin Casey: Okay.

Chris: Yeah gooey is good.

Kristine Casey: So, they can be –totally fine.

Chris: Absolutely. It’s totally fine.

Kristin Casey: Alright, well, can I have a bite?

Chris: Yes, go ahead. The salsa is a little spicy, but you’re from so—

Kristin Casey: No, I doubt it, it’s spicy enough for me. Really, really good. But, you know what, it really needs a drink. So, I’ll continue to take it and in and see –

Chris: And get a watermelon margarita.

Kristin Casey: With the water melon margarita.

Chris: You got it.

Kristin Casey: Thank Chris.

Chris: Thank you.

Rick Rifle: Julie, today you’re going to teach me the person that cannot make the margarita, how to make a full proof margarita.

Julie: Water melon margarita.

Rick Rifle: All right, that’s just any margarita and that is a margarita that I know I would screw up.

Julie: No, you won’t. This is easy anybody can make this.

Rick Rifle: Alright.

Julie: Okay, ice in a glass, on mix surf. We’re going to get one and a half ounces of tequila.

Rick Rifle: Alright.

Julie: We’re going to put one ounce of triple sec or any kind of orange liqueur. You can add–

Rick Rifle: And not to be confused with orange juice which is one of my typical mistakes, I told you I could screw up margarita, I'm not kidding.

Julie: No orange juice can go in pomegranate margarita. You can use it for virgin margaritas, but we’re not using this in the watermelon margarita.

Rick Rifle: Okay.

Julie: So, I’m going to do about two shots of the fresh squeezed is lime juice.

Rick Rifle: Okay.

Julie: And I'm going to do a little shot of the simple syrup. Okay?

Rick Rifle: Simple syrup. This is the tem I’ve heard you used a lot, and I know that it is something sugary. It’s all I know.

Julie: It’s equal part sugar and wine.

Rick Rifle: Okay.

Julie: So, you can make this at home. We make it here, all bartenders used it.

Rick Rifle: Right.

Julie: It’s sugar and water mixed together, melted down.

Rick Rifle: Okay.

Julie: Two seconds to make this. Okay.

Rick Rifle: And you didn’t use much, so I'm going to guess it’s really strong stuff.

Julie: No, little bit. It goes along way.

Rick Rifle: Okay.

Julie: Okay. Fresh squeezed lime juice.

Rick Rifle: Alright.

Julie: Last step, I'm going to take a big bunch of fresh cup water melon. Now how much–

Rick Rifle : You’re not using watermelon juice, you’re using real watermelon.

Julie: I mean, fresh water melon and how much you use, it depends on how sweet it is. This is pretty sweet.

Rick Rifle : Okay.

Julie: So.

Rick Rifle : How do you go for a chunk of water melon to liquid water melon.

Julie: Watch.

Rick Rifle: Okay. You’re just shaking it.

Julie: We’re going to mix this up.

Rick Rifle: So, does the ice beat it up, is that what you’re doing?

Julie: I just mixed it up, pulverizes, foams up really nicely.

Rick Rifle: Right.

Julie: Pour it into the glass.

Rick Rifle: Now, you’re not serving this in a big fancy margarita glass. It’s just a simple, little–

Julie: Yes, just simple easy.

Rick Rifle: Well, presentation is everything. I mean, you know.

Julie: Okay Rick, come have it.

Rick Rifle: Alright. Oh!

Julie: Is that good?

Rick Rifle: It’s a great summertime drink I like this. This will be really nice with what Chris and Kristin are making in the kitchen.

Julie: They’re making a quesadillas. Yes, that’s great and that’s wonderful for the summertime, great outdoors by the pool, and it’s impressive. I mean, people really love that.

Rick Rifle: I can’t wait to taste the two of them together. Thank you, Julie.

Julie: You’re welcome Rick.

Rick Rifle: Alright, Miss Casey what did you bring to the table?

Kristine Casey: What did I bring in the table? Well, Chris and I made a steak and chicken quesadilla. It’s got two different kinds of cheeses. Some sweet red peppers and some cilantro in it.

Rick Rifle: I don’t know if I had had a quesadilla with sweet red peppers, that’s a variation. Alright, I want to try this.

Kristine Casey: Okay, what do you have?

Rick Rifle: Well, Julie felt that the appropriate pairing to Chris’s quesadilla will be a fresh water melon margarita. I actually– well ,I didn’t shake it. I'm not going to lie. You know I can kill a margarita in five seconds.

Kristine Casey: You can kill anything in five seconds.

Rick Rifle: Thank you, this is a full fruit margarita.

Kristine Casey: Alright.

Rick Rifle: I don’t think that I can replicate this at party at my house. You wait and you’ll see. They’ll be drinking this outback next to pool.

Kristine Casey: Alright, let’s dig in. We’d like to thank Chris and Julie from the Melrose Bar and Grill, and bon appetite.

Rick Rifle: Okay, cheers baby.