LOS ANGELES — Californians have been told to stay home as much as possible during the coronavirus pandemic and to only go out for essential needs like food.

From grabbing something to-go to cooking up something yourself, The SoCal Scene takes a look at a couple options.

CARHOP EXPERIENCE

Mel’s Drive-in Hollywood came up with a plan to bring back the carhop experience since dining in can't happen.

They set up a jukebox in the parking lot and are taking several safety precautions.

The SoCal Scene correspondent Alison Martino shows us what that looks like.

JAR'S POT ROAST

Host Melvin Robert then partners up with Jar Restaurant in Los Angeles to talk about their famous pot roast and shares the recipe for you to try at home.

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1 denuded short rib or boneless short ribs 3 to 5 pounds
  • 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
  • 3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
  • 1 leek, white and light-green parts coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 bulb of garlic, cloves smashed but unpeeled
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 cup sherry
  • 3 to 4 cups chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Set rack to the lower third of the oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Dry beef with paper towels, season with salt and pepper.

Set a Dutch oven on high heat until it is very hot; add oil and heat until just smoking. Sear beef until it is a deep, rich brown, about 3 to 5 minutes a side.

Remove beef from pot; discard all but a teaspoon of fat. Add sherry to pot and reduce by half, about 4 minutes, while scraping up flavorful brown bits with a wooden spoon.

Put all vegetables into pot and cook until slightly soft, about 5 minutes. Add bay leaf and beef, with any accumulated juices, then pour on chicken stock until the beef is three-quarters covered.

Cover pot with tin foil or a tight-fitting lid and place in oven. Check after 15 minutes to make sure liquid is simmering lightly; adjust heat as needed. Continue cooking for a total of three hours.

Allow the meat to cool in the liquid. When cool, degrease, either by using a degreasing pitcher or by chilling in therefrigerator and removing most of the hardened fat from the surface of the liquid.

To serve, place a colander over a large bowl. Remove meat from liquid. Strain the liquid, pressing down on vegetables to remove all the juice.

Discard vegetables. Return the meat to the liquid and reheat. Cut meat into portions and place each in a pasta dish; spoon a generous portion of the braising liquid around the beef.

Top with a spoonful of caramelized onions and a roasted carrot. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve with horseradish cream.