FOOD MARATHON

New Food Marathon Site, Please Update Your Links

2009-01-22T09:14:00.000-08:00

I've switched over to http://www.FoodMarathon.com
Please update your links, bookmarks, blogrolls, etc.

The Fancy Food Marathon

2009-01-21T08:06:00.000-08:00

The good people at Foodzie bestowed upon me such a great honor that a simple blog post can't do it justice. I was allowed to join them at the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco to serve as an additional stomach and palate for the team. The vast convention featured 80,000 healthy and fattening, natural and chemical, chocolates, cheeses, frozen meals, chips, candies, teas, pickles, patés, cookies, olive oils, curries and more tastes than a food marathoner could dream of. Overall it was a brilliant whirlwind of eating from 10am-5pm.
I was on sauce detail for Foodzie and my favorite was San Angel Mole. Cooking mole is a complex task, which Foodzie can attest to. With 20 ingredients it's imperative that each one is fresh. San Angel's flavors were strong, and it's the subtle difference between their red and black varieties that stood out in my mouth.
I wasn't impressed with that many hot sauces because I have an affinity for Marie Sharps (who unfortunately were not in attendance). Half Moon Bay Trading Company's lines of Iguana and Bee Sting hot sauces were good. They had distinct flavors that rose above the tomato-based options throughout the show.
The other decent salsa company was Xochitl, who were one of the few sauce makers to actually sell a tongue-searing habanero salsa- the rest were masked behind other flavors.
Also, to all the salsa companies, enough with the mango/habanero salsa people- I get it, the sweet cuts the heat. However, it's boring and everyone else is doing it. Are mangos really the only other fruit in the forest?

My overall recap:

- Blue Cheese Chocolate?I haven't posted about The Bazaar's foie gras cotton candy yet, but if food items could fall in love with each other I found the cotton candy a stunning bride. Lillie Belle Farms' Smokey Blue Truffles were easily the best tasting bites of the convention. They were unique, smooth, evenly balanced and demand that everyone try them as soon as you can. The result of extensive gag-inducing tests, this was the type of innovative thinking I wish I'd seen more of at the show. Their spicy chocolate covered caramelized almonds were terrific as well.

- Spain 's Super Kick A chorus line of Ibérico Pork legs thronged the aisles of the Spanish section of the south hall. The current home of the world's best restaurants held the title belt high at the show, boasting more foot traffic than Italy and France combined.

- Ghost Ride the Dip (that's a bay area rap reference....) Dave shows why he is the all-powerful dictator of spice with a new hot sauce made from the spiciest pepper in the world, the naga jolokia (aka ghost pepper). His Ghost Pepper Jolokia Private Reserve only requires the dip of the tip of a toothpick to assault your mouth, tongue and lips. Keep in mind I've been in spice training for the past few years and I was totally floored by the powerful punch this sauce packs.

- It looks like the cupcake trend has finally gone away. I only saw two exhibitors with cupcakes in the whole show.

- Fresh Natural Gourmet International
The show proves that it's a frightening task to enter the food marketplace. There are so many similar companies, selling such similar products that standing out is extremely difficult. It begs the question why some exhibitors chose such boring names. When there's already Gourmet Village, Sisters Gourmet, Gracious Gourmet and Original Gourmet Food, do you really need Gourmet in your name? Sweetriot, Grumpy's and the old standby Yoo-Hoo were all notable names on the positive side. Spicy Nothings stood blandly on the negative name side, while Looza just didn't translate. Then there was the Fartless Factory. Agree to disagree with whoever thought that was a good idea...

Foodzie

2008-12-19T10:35:00.000-08:00

Just because it's future predictions season here's one more: Foodzie will be the main online marketplace for small artisan food producers and growers, eventually becoming a brick and mortar chain that will rival Trader Joes and Whole Foods.It may be because they sell Luca Chocolate's Bacon Box which includes Chocolate Covered Bacon, Bacon Caramels and Bourbon & Black Pepper Truffles. Or the best popcorn on earth. Or Cayenne Habanero Hot Sauce.Most likely, however, it's because they sell all of the above on one site.

2009 Food Trends

2008-12-15T17:16:00.000-08:00

What does the future hold? Food and Wine says sandwich shops and butlers that cook. Bon Appetit says the new American tavern will be the trend to watch. I made my own food Oscar predictions and now I'll do some other food forecasting. Trends of 2008, like pescatarians, locavores and post-Atkinsians, have made diet labeling a bit absurd. So here are some food/diet trends that just may be idiotic enough to be real:

Typovores- People who only eat animals that have the same blood type as they do. This stems from the Blood Type Diet. We realize this diet might be difficult, as it requires knowing your own blood type and getting a blood sample from every animal before they hit the grill. That said, you'll be amazed by how thin and energetic you feel after just two months on the diet...

Greenkillivores- Combining the environment-saving and locovore trends, this group only eat roadkill hit by hybrid and fuel efficient vehicles. Inconveniently Truthful dinner.Last, but certainly not least seems to be everyone else aka Bacon-eaters. Between the bacon bowls, bacon weaves (filled with cheese no less) and bacon-wrapped turducken it seems the bacon industry is recession-proof.

Vegan Hanukkah Test Drive

2008-12-12T09:12:00.000-08:00

I skipped Thanksgiving this year because I was sick and I kept getting these shocked, remorseful responses like I missed a free meal at Mastros. Honestly, if you had to base a meal around one animal would you ever choose turkey? Over pork, over beef, over lobster? Really? Turkey? And I'm sorry, but cranberry sauce- that's your sauce of choice over all the other sauces in the world?

Anyway, agree to disagree on the whole Thanksgiving thing... Let's talk about a meal that's not worth missing- Hannukah.
Here we have a meal centered around fried potato. That's what I'm talking about- rich, flavorful, crunchy yet soft, hand-held, greasy goodness:My uncle tested out his vegan latke recipe last night, which if you didn't tell me, I wouldn't know were vegan:

Vagan Latkes (Potato Pancakes)
5 large Russet potatoes peeled
1/4 of an onion; white or brown or sweet if you prefer
1 Tablespoon flour
3 Tablespoons egg substitute powder
Salt and Pepper to taste.
plenty of peanut or Canola oil

Grind or food process potatoes and onion together as course or fine as you like. Mix egg powder with 3 Tablespoons warm water until it is very smooth, no lumps. Move potatoes to a bowl, add flower and egg substitute, salt and pepper, mix well. If it is too watery, add a little more flower, but not too much.

Heat a thick layer of oil in pan, get it fairly hot. Spoon in the latkes about 3" in diameter, not too thick. Watch for brown edges and turn over. When just brown, remove and drain, don't over cook them, they will continue to cook a little as they drain. Replace oil and heat as needed. Makes about 30 latkes.

The vegan pumpkin cheesecake with maple pecan topping was delicious as well.Vegan Pumpkin Cheese Cake with Maple Pecans
1 pre-made graham cracker pie shell
1 15-16 oz can pumpkin pie filling
2 8 oz tubs of Toffuti cream cheese (blue lid)
2-3 oz maple coated pecans

Combine pie filling and cream cheese in a bowl and blend well. Pour mixture in pie shell. Bake in 350 oven for 25 minutes. Layer pecans on top, refrigerate until chilled and firm.

Stay tuned for a full Hanukkah dinner report in a few weeks.

Food Oscar Preview

2008-12-11T09:29:00.000-08:00

With the announcement of the totally useless, meaningless and altogether unnecessary Golden Globes today, I thought I'd present some of the food related Oscar favorites:

Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett and a curiously delicious pork butt... I smell an Oscar for The Curious Case of Benjamin Pork Butt-on.

Frank Langella gives a powerful yet sweet performance in Frosting/Nixon.

The compelling story of how an impoverished Indian teen uses one of the finest deep fried foods to earn true love in Corndog Millionaire.
A young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s struggle to come to terms with their personal problems with a certain ice cream fetish in Revolutionary Rocky Road.

Milk, Doubt and The Reader didn't work well for puns so they didn't make the list.

Missing Matsuhisa

2008-12-10T09:11:00.000-08:00

I have to admit, I've been down on Nobu Matsuhisa lately. His La Cienega-based Matsuhisa was a go-to spot for work lunches and dinners over the past few years, but didn't make the list once this year. In part it's due to the opening on Nobu up the street. Maybe it's also because Sushi Park, Sushi Zo and Izakaya by Katsuya all have fresher fish (and better prices at the latter).
So I was pleasantly surprised when I saw Nobu featured on Bizzare Foods' Japan episode recently. Zimmern and Nobu stood in the kitchen of his Tokyo restaurant eating a brilliant array of dishes including octopus egg (simmered in a mix of fish stock and soy sauce), sea cucumber eggs (harvested eggs formed into a solid sheet of cucumber egg jerky) and turtle blood shooters (fresh blood mixed with sake).
It renewed my interest in Matsuhisa and reminded me why he was able to create the empire that he has today, with scores of imitators (Katsuya...) around the world. To pay my respects I'm making a reservation for before the end of this year.

The Fancy Burger Food Marathon

2008-12-09T09:51:00.001-08:00

Choosing the best burger in LA is as futile as choosing the best sushi. The argument will rage on longer than the Arab/Israeli conflict. So why not add fuel to the already out of control fire:

The Pug Burger from The Hungry Cat
I didn't get an egg on it, which might render my opinion obsolete but it's a damn good burger. Juicy, rich, almost too big too eat... all wonderful attributes for a burger. The blue cheese is very pungent which could overpower the burger for the faint at taste. With avocado and bacon this burger pulls out all the stops.

The Comme Ça BurgerA more subtle, refined burger bursting with flavor. Pound for pound it might be the best in LA. The way the cheese melts around the patty, it's almost like a cheddar casing. And the bun is worthy of eating on its on.

The Classic at 8oz
This was my second visit to 8oz and I can confidently say it doesn't belong on any "best of" lists. The meat is mealy and dry, the buns don't have that freshly baked quality- it's just outclassed by the other gourmet burgers in LA.
Next time will be the Dirty Burger Food Marathon, for those wonderful greasy under-$5-gut-bombs that LA does so well...

The Trucks Trump

2008-12-08T09:22:00.000-08:00

Recently there's been a few of examples of the right way to open a restaurant and a lot more examples of how not to do it:
First the Americanized/fusion Korean bbq. Shin, Jian, Gyenari all opened outside of the delicious confines of Koreatown boasting smokeless bbq and high quality meat in a trendy/upscale environment. Not sure how their doing financially but I haven't heard great things about any of them. Shin was ok, but I'd much prefer a Koreatown restaurant than one in the heart of Hollywood (especially one where most of the tables don't have bbq's and can move for "parties"- be a restaurant, focus on the food first and worry about the parties later).
At the same time a brilliant new concept has opened to rave reviews in the form of Kogi Korean BBQ taco truck. It's an example where fusion works, price is right and eventually they'll grow (while Shin, Jian, Gyenari will eventually disappear).
Another concept that continues to fail is the foodie nightclub. Three ventures opened this year; Foxtail, One Sunset and Kress (Apple can probably be added soon)- all of which initially claimed to be for foodies but have scaled back their menus to simply be bar food to accommodate the freeway-and-canyon club-goers.
At the same time Let's Be Frank started selling healthy/gourmet hot dogs from mobile locations outside the otheroom and now outside Silverlake Wine. There's a right way to combine drunk people and food- don't serve both from the same location. Let the bars and clubs handle the booze and let the foodies handle the food.

Food Marathon Counter-Programming

2008-12-05T09:32:00.000-08:00

Food marathoning can take its physical toll. I've been blessed with a fast metabolism but certain 3,000 calorie binge days slow the heart down a bit. That's why I counter my monthly weekend marathons with light/healthy weekday meals. Besides the occasional tom yum soup from Jitlada I tend to eat turkey sandwiches from Subway (no cheese, no mayo). Another standby is Mickey and Sam's Ice Cream Plus. It's a no frills ice cream shop that serves salads, soup and sandwiches exactly how you would make them at home. Regular old iceberg lettuce, store-bought wheat bread, brown rice, microwaveable tofu, jarred sauces... it's really nothing special at all. It's healthy, inexpensive, easy and then there's the dessert. There's yogurt, gelato, sorbet, fat free, low fat, sugar free, low sugar and different combinations. Flavors range from cinnamon to lemon, raspberry ice tea to peanut butter. This one is banana and chocolate hazelnut.For around $10 it's my go to weekday spot for lunch and/or dinner.

The Welcome to the Jungle Food Marathon

2008-12-01T13:55:00.000-08:00

As I did with the Koreatown Food Marathon, it's time for another quiz. First do your homework:
Food Destination
Dig Lounge
L.A. & O.C. Foodventures
Teenage Glutster
Gourmet Pigs

1. Which of these flavor/consistency combinations was not tasted on the marathon?
a. Sewage/Mush
b. Blue Cheese/Feet/Snot
c. Rubber/Glue
d. Chocolate/Chalk

2. Which restaurant did not have a fish tank?
a. Nkechi African Cafe (Nigerian)
b. El Rocoto (Peruvian)
c. Siem Reap (Cambodian)
d. Quan Hop (Vietnamese)

3. Which restaurant could easily be the set for a martial arts or gangster movie?
a. Nkechi African Cafe
b. El Rocoto
c. Siem Reap
d. Quan Hop

4. Which restaurant had the most addicting sauce/condiment?
a. Nkechi African Cafe
b. El Rocoto
c. Siem Reap
d. Quan Hop

5. Start time was 11:30am. What time was final drop off?
a. 3pm
b. 5pm
c. 7pm
d. 2am

Extra Credit. Which of these names do you like best?
a. The Welcome to the Jungle Food Marathon
b. The Jungle Cruise Food Marathon
c. The Gorge of the Jungle Food Marathon
d. The Apocalypse Chow Food Marathon (thanks to the Haphazard Gourmet)

Highlight the following for answers:
1. d. Chocolate didn't make the menu but the other odd combos rounded out an adventurous day of eating.
2. a. Nkechi African Cafe. But they did have soccer.
3. c. Siem Reap, where you'll find me every weekend dancing to Dhoom Dhoom and other Cambodian/Bollywood hits.
4. b. El Rocoto. The aji rojo and aji verde are like crack. However Quan Hop's fish sauce took a close second.
5. c. 7pm. Making it the longest food marathon in history.

Ain't No Future

2008-11-24T16:14:00.000-08:00

My last post celebrated the words of MC Breed and now we celebrate his life and mourn his loss.

RIP

Back in Black

2008-11-04T22:55:00.000-08:00

I've written about the 90's before and there's no question that they're back in fashion and music. Now it looks like the 90's have made their way in to politics as well. It's appropriate that the young vote made a difference in the 2008 election as I will quote vernacular that I'm sure only the MTV generation would easily understand-from MC Breed's 1991 single "Ain't No Future in Yo Frontin'":
"That's the way I am, MC Breed cannot be different
Never change my ways for the world or the government.
If I was the president, then I would state facts
You leave it up to me, I'd paint the white house black
It ain't no future in your frontin'"

The Spiciest Food Marathon

2008-10-30T09:03:00.000-07:00

We consulted Jonathan Gold, we prepared the Burn-Be-Gone-Box (you'll see what that means shortly) and we conquered Los Angeles' spiciest restaurants. It was a stunning day with one of the most well-planned, well-navigated, well-executed marathons to date. The food was fantastic, the pain was intense and the show began at:
11:30am. Orochon Ramen literally has a spice wall of fame (wall of pain?) honoring the capsicum cowboys that blazed trails before us. What better place to start.As we had a long way to go we decided to split the famous Special 2 with cha-shu pork. Upon its arrival we realized why there's a wall of fame- not really for the spice, but for the quantity. It was a bathtub of sweet, scalding, heat-saturated broth packed to the rim with firm noodles, chopped peppers, tender pork and vegetables. The volume itself could end a beautiful Saturday morning, then throw in the temperature (very hot) and spice (not that hot) and I envision a severe food coma for the wall-of-fame-worthy.
To be honest, we were surprised that the spice wasn't more intense (for the reputation it has). It was the perfect level, causing slight pain but 100% manageable.
We each ate a healthy portion which was equal to about 1/15th of the total bowl. The first to-go container of the day was almost overflowing with food which meant great leftovers for the week to come.
Orochon FM Spice Rating: 7.5
Next up was Chichen Itza, a restaurant notorious for their habanero salsa. We actually just wanted chips and salsa but we made a game time decision. Not only were we allowed to sample the sauce we were also given fresh from the oven bread, just for being there.... We bought one bottle of their milder bottled habanero version and also bought their freshly made and bottled nuclear salsa. We walked down the street and just outside the Mexican Consulate we found El Serranito, a typical LA taco truck. We ordered one carne asada taco and one al pastor. We walked across the street to MacArthur park to enjoy the sunshine and spice. As is always the case, the tacos were fantastic. Rich with flavor on light tortillas, they would become the perfect home for our newly purchased bottle of pain.
The hanabero flavor is very pronounced in Chichen Itza's salsa. It's tangy and sharp, formidably spicy and complimentary to anything it coats. Not as painful as I remembered but serious nonetheless.
Chichen Itza FM Spice Rating: 7
So in preparation for the marathon we put together the Burn-Be-Gone-Box (BBGB). The items enclosed were water, toilet paper, wet naps, cups and baking soda. Baking soda is a natural base that fights the acid found in most spicy foods. It can quell the internal burn, acting like a powder blanket on top of hot sauce. The BBGB first made an appearance at this stage of the marathon. Relief.
Next up was Kyochon. Although Crazy Hook was recommended their hours didn't work for this marathon. They'll definitely be part of the wing marathon.
After Hite Kwang-Jang I was really excited about Kyochon. (Korean chicken wings are new to me, so excuse my fervor.) We ordered 4 spicy wings, keeping portions small for marathon-sake. It took a while to get the wings, probably because of all the takeout business they were doing.They weren't spicy at all- sweet in fact. Definitely tasty, but providing a respite from the pain in what was soon to become a spice cacophony.Kyochon FM Spice Rating: 3
1:45pm. Northbound to Jitlada which I've written about many times.
In the past we've urged Jazz to kick the spice up to toxic levels so we could learn our limits. We reached our limit a few times. We haven't since returned to that level by choice... until now. The beauty of Jitlada is their Southern Thai dishes are so inherently spicy to begin with, that with a little goading you get to an incomprehensible spice stratosphere. One such dish is the phat luuk taw “Meuang Khon” (stir-fried sator beans with shrimp, pork, and squid). It's like Sloppy Joe's psychopathic cousin. We told the waitress to make it as spicy as possible and the results were numbingly brilliant.Nothing on the food marathon compared in spice or flavor, as Jitlada delivered the one-two knock out punch. The only way to battle the pain is to continue eating. Thai iced tea doesn't help, rice doesn't help, water definitely doesn't help. We hurried to pay to get to the only remedy from the BBGB- baking soda. A couple gulps later and we were on our way to Wing Stop.
Jitlada FM Spice Rating: 10+++
Although it's a chain we included Wing Stop because of it's location on the marathon path and their Atomic buffalo wings. We ordered and a hellish prophecy stared us down. $6.66. What were we in for?
After a tongue-singeing day our taste buds were affected so there was a discrepancy in our Wing Stop rating. I had 2 boneless atomic wings and Peter only had 1. The flavor wasn't good, as all thought was put into the tongue torching qualities of the sauce. And torch it did- the pain built and built. I was hurting in the car 10 minutes after finishing the wings. Peter wasn't. He thought they were weak. Agree to disagree. We'll have to wait for the chicken wing marathon to decide.
Wing Stop FM Spice Rating 5 or 8 depending on who you ask.
3:30pm. For our last stop we made our way to Ice Pan for the only soothing meal of the day. Ice Pan is a high-concept ice cream parlor- the equivalent of what you'd find in Back to the Future 2.The idea is that each batch of ice cream is made before your eyes as you order it. I chose their special pumpkin flavor thinking a nice pumpkin pie ice cream would cap the gluttonous day. Unfortunately they didn't have graham cracker topping and instead put mango and pineapple.It's a cool concept but ultimately what you're eating isn't as good as ice cream from a regular ice cream shop. So the idea is it's fun to watch ice cream but more natural and healthy. The problem is if I want ice cream, I want unhealthy, unsaturatedly fatty ice cream.
Ice Pan FM Spice Rating: -9
I won't go into the details of the next 48 hours. I didn't eat anything else that night, just drank scotch to kill any bacteria that was left. Peter had Indian food for dinner. I had Jitlada for dinner the next day, but ordered it mild (don't tell anyone). I'm not at 100% yet but I will be eating the leftovers this week.

Costume Ideas for the Food-Minded

2008-10-27T10:43:00.000-07:00

I have nothing against sexy chef costumes for Halloween but here's some more creative costume ideas:

Super Mario Batali

Bobby Flayvor Flav

Surgeon Gemeril

Muay Thai Ice T and Coco Kripies

Peter Panda Express

The K-Town Food Marathon

2008-10-20T09:24:00.000-07:00

This food marathon was extraordinary for many reasons:
a. It was lead by Matt and Christine who not only told us where to eat, but what to eat and how to eat it.
b. Two of LA's best food bloggers (Food GPS and Dig Lounge) rounded out the table with creative food commentary.
c. It was the first marathon where alcohol was involved- sorry Crown Royal, only beer this time.
d. As the other bloggers are gonna write intelligent exposés with vivid photographs I decided to do a pop quiz, so get your #2 pencils ready:

1. Which of these sweeping generalizations is NOT true:
a. The food marathon is actually a Korean concept (Koreans often eat at many establishments per night)
b. Koreans hate pork.
c. Valet in Koreatown rarely costs more than $2.
d. Portions in Koreatown are always twice as big as necessary, and half as expensive.

2. Bizzare Foods was filmed at which marathon stop:
a. Western Soondae
b. Hite Kwang-Jang
c. The Prince
d. Honey Pig

3. What pork product was NOT eaten on the marathon:
a. Belly of the pig that lives under the outhouse
b. Feet
c. Ears
d. Ribs

4. Boiled peanuts taste like:
a. Cardboard
b. Chicken
c. Garbanzo beans
d. Sweet potato

5. The best chicken wings in LA are from:
a. Kyochon
b. Hite Kwang Ja
c. BonChon
d. Furaibo

Highlight the following text for answers:
1. b. I might be Korean too, as I was in pork heaven.
2. a. Western Soondae
3. d. Ribs are so pedestrian.
4. c. however I actually like garbanzo beans.
5. Cannot be determined until the upcoming Chicken Wing Food Marathon.

Kassava's Carribean Kitchen

2008-10-08T09:24:00.000-07:00

I live walking distance from a lot of good restaurants, but most are very similar. Between Le Pain Quotidien, Cuvee, Newsroom, Jack & Jill's Creperie and Breadbar, brunch options are covered. Then Loconda Veneta, Orso, Il Cielo, Gardens at the Four Seasons and The Ivy take care of the expense account meals. So when Kassava recently opened serving inexpensive home-style Carribean food I took note. It's still in its infancy but is starting strong.
The space is simple and warm.
They're aiming for lunch and dinner business, as well as take out and delivery with a menu of soups, salads, sandwiches and meat/veggie-based stews and curries. Plastic silverware and plates keep costs down with the highest priced item topping out at $18.95 for the conch stew. Average entree price is $12.95 with 3 dollars off each at lunch.
I chose the fresh mango juice to start. When it gets cooler out I'm definitely going for the pumpkin soup. For dinner I chose the spicy curry goat which comes with rice, beans, sweet plantains and cabbage.The meat and potatoes were succulent and prepared with love. The sides were fine, but nothing to write home about. The small container of spicy cabbage on the side was like curry coleslaw and worth eating straight. Overall a very pleasing dinner.For dessert some mini red velvet cupcakes. In these cupcake-filled times it's hard to beat some of the high-end confectioners, but there's still time to make adjustments.
Overall I'm happy about the new addition and will be back throughout the fall and winter for the hearty, home-style cooking.

The Hot Dog Food Marathon Pt.1

2008-10-07T09:41:00.000-07:00

The Dodgers are in the playoffs and to me the Dodgers mean one thing- hot dogs.So on a recent excursion to the valley I did the first of what will likely be many hot dog marathons.
Shortly after the Wiener Factory closed (RIP) The Infield opened just down the street on Ventura Blvd.Their menu features a decent variety ranging from New Zealand wagyu dogs to a pastrami dog to their notorious Twinkie Dog.
As it was the first stop I just went with a standard dog with ketchup and mustard.
It's a good dog, not world changing but satisfactory.
Sitting in the stadium seats definitely adds to the overall effect, but next time I'll try the Twinkie.
Onward to QT Chicago Dog, which is just around the corner on Woodman.
I like the setup. Sharing space with a grocery store the restaurant portion of the building is sparsely filled. There's some arcade games, a tv, some tables, a miss-matched array of signs offering different types of hot dogs, sandwiches, desserts... Overall a pleasing place to eat a Chicago Dog.
The dog is smaller than The Infield's but with a better bun. The toppings were a bit limp but the flavor was fine. It sufficed for a quick snack but would inevitably get clobbered by the dog at the next stop...
Vicious Dogs in North Hollywood. I'm not sure if the whole NoHo Arts District thing is working out or not, but I do know Vicious Dogs is the best addition to the area in years.
After QT's I wanted to compare the Chicago Dog. It would prove to be a great choice.
First, the hot dog itself is 100 times bigger, fresher and tastier than QT's. The meat actually tastes like meat (even if it just lips and hooves). The relish, pickle, peppers and tomatoes all were so flavorful that I considered having another. Rationality kicked in and I just read the LA Weekly Best of LA issue instead. Jonathan Gold loves Fab so that will definitely be on the next marathon.

Great Sushi?

2008-10-01T17:53:00.000-07:00

Once in a while my slight obsession with food leads to something good in my life (besides satisfied taste buds). For example, I've met a lot of nice, interesting people in the LA area thanks to this blog. LA has such a bad rap so I just wanted to throw that out there.
More specifically, I was at the Natural History museum and came across this:
Because I have "issues" my first thought was, "oh, this could be an interesting post. I'll see if anyone serves flamingo or its tongue." I in turn found this:
..the Flamingo Tongue Snail.
Definitely one of the cooler looking creatures on the planet. Is it wrong that I immediately thought it would make great sushi?

Prepare for Peri-Peri

2008-09-26T12:35:00.000-07:00

I was just informed by one of the original food marathoners that Nando's will be the next notable restaurant chain to conquer America. Serving Portuguese chicken dishes with either lemon and herb, medium, hot or extra hot peri-peri marinades (properly known as Galinha à Africana), Nando's has already made its mark on the rest of the world. He recently ate at the Nando's in Melbourne and it was the best meal of a 3 week trip. With their first American location in Washington, DC it's only a matter of time before we get the sweet spice on the west coast.
Coincidentally, I just bought my first bottle of Nando's peri-peri hot sauce and judging by the delicious flavor I hope he's right.

The Dumpling 5k

2008-09-05T15:36:00.000-07:00

Another Food 5k down, this time in the SGV. It started early Saturday morning at Din Tai Fung. We tried the original location but were referred to the new one around the corner. I'm not sure if the food quality is any different as everything was delicious. The service was a bit slower due to the size of the restaurant I assume.We had juicy soup dumplings and garlicky string beans.On the sweet side we had red bean buns and sesame buns.We saved room because we knew there was more eating to do.
First we bowled a couple games at the alley next door to Din Tai Fung. Note to parents, the dumpling/bowling combination- possibly combined with the arboretum makes for a great outing with the kids. I don't have kids so the food 5k continued.
Per Matt's recommendation we went to Hawaii Supermarket. Between the durian and live turtles it was much more exciting than Gelson's. We stocked up on some basics and moved on to Monterey Park.
We weren't the first to follow Exile Kiss' recommendation of Noodle House. I haven't really done dumpling due diligence so it was presumptuous for us to try this newer edition before hitting the more established SGV restaurants. I say this because the food was just mediocre. When compared back-to-back with Din Tai Fung, Noodle House's dumplings were bland and cumbersome. I even like Wonton Time's better.
The noodles were covered in sauce like broth. Unfortunately the sauce was too overpowering and not flavorful enough to garner such abundance.That said, I'm glad to have tried Noodle House. There's so much more to discover in that part of town and just too little time.
Later in the day we attended two parties, both of which had cheese plates with Marcona almonds.
Quite a day.

More BBQ

2008-09-04T15:14:00.000-07:00

Forgot to post about Lucques BBQ night.
Lucques' patio, drinks and service are all phenomenal. On any other night I'd say the food is included in that list, but the BBQ was hit and miss.
The cocktails were strong and sweet and perfect for summer.
The beans werer full of bacon- thus making them excellent. The corn was good, the watermelon was ok, the cole slaw was fair and the greens were good. The first batch of ribs we got weren't as good as the second. I think they were sitting for a while the first time.
The pecan pie was very good. Ultimately I'm glad I got to experience the famous BBQ night.

Finally, the Nike Food Marathon

2008-08-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

I've been looking for a food marathoning shoe for a long time. It's finally here. The Nike Air Max 90 Burger:

Best Show Ever...

2008-08-19T09:27:00.000-07:00

The recent episode of No Reservations in Spain was the single greatest hour of television in the history of the medium. With Usain-Bolt-like effortlessness, Anthony Bourdain and his producers deliver one brilliant food television moment after another.

Why can't the Food Network be more like this...

The Deep Fried Life

2008-08-08T10:16:00.000-07:00

On the list of greatest things ever invented, deep frying is near the top. Here's a list of the wonderful world of heart attack.The deep fried cheeseburger with fries. Almost as good as bacon-wrapped... anything.

Complicating Simple Burgers

2008-08-06T10:00:00.001-07:00

Dear 8oz,

Here's a tip. Less is more.

-FM

Baddest Bitches in the Kitchen

2008-07-31T10:00:00.000-07:00

After the Yo Mamma list we're turning a bit more aggressive, to the baddest bitches in the kitchen. Gordon Ramsey just missed the top 5:

5. Martha Stewart
Have you ever been to jail? Well Martha has. Not sure if she had to shank anyone with her own brand's 8-inch Chef's knife, but next time she fills out a job application she can write a tidy little 4 in the box asking if she's ever been convicted of a felony.

4. Bethenny Frankel from the Real Housewives of NYC
I haven't watched this show but anyone on a reality show about rich socialites has to have some bitch in them. She cooks wheat-, egg- and dairy-free baked goods, and delivers custom meals to other camera whores like Brooke Hogan and Paris Hilton.

3. Iron Chef Cat Cora
To be on the same stage as Mario Batali and Masaharu Morimoto, she obviously has survived her share of sexist remarks in the kitchen. She's one of the more positive role models on this list.

2. Lisa from Top Chef season 4
With a scowl only a mother could love, Lisa became one of the most loathsome reality gameshow contestants to date. Not that I was watching anything except Padma...

1. Competitive eater, Sonya "The Back Widow" Thomas
Although she's an eater as opposed to a chef, weighing in at 105 lbs with world records that include:
-Acme Oysters: 46 dozen (552) in 10 minutes.
-Maine Lobsters: 11.4 pounds of lobster meat in 12 minutes.
-Zocalo's Soft-Shell Chicken Tacos: 48 in 11 minutes.
-Hard-Boiled Eggs: 52 in 5 minutes.
'nuff said.

Seated Street Food Marathon

2008-07-29T10:05:00.000-07:00

The naming of a food marathon is not a simple act. Sometimes geography plays a major role (as with the F#@K the Westside Food Marathon). Sometimes the type of food is the dictator (like the Big India vs Little India Food Marathon).
This time there were a number of factors. It could have been called The Blogger Food Marathon because I was joined by Food GPS and Mattatouille. At one point it was the Gentrified Food Marathon because each place was an upscale version of it's more ghetto predecessor.
Finally I went with Matt's suggestion- the Seated Street Food Marathon- because the marathon consisted of street food; hot dogs, tacos, shawarma and Thai street stall fare. The seated part was added as every restaurant we visited was a step above their street counterparts because they had seating- some even took our order and served us. Whether the food stacked up against it's street-side originators... not quite, but definitely a close relative.
First stop was Skooby's... on a Sunday in July on Hollywood Blvd. It's dirty, there's traffic, there's hooker stores, stripper stores, electronics shops, tour guides, bums, junkies and all the other crap that crap that Hollywood is world renowned for. I had a chili cheese dog,fries and a lemonade.
The dog was good but small compared to Pinks. Carney's chili is better but overall it was an enjoyable experience. The fries weren't crispy enough and their seasoning salt/dipping sauce were good but not amazing. The lemonade was fantastic.
Next was Loteria Grill. It's located kitty-corner to Skooby's making it one of the closest one-two punches on any food marathon. We opted for the taco sampler platter
which are basically silver dollar tacos. My favorite way to eat is one bite of each flavor so this was an ideal dish. It leaves you wanting more but can't compare to a good LA taco truck.
I like the new Loteria and think they've done a great thing for their franchise. Hollywood Blvd needs more upscale lunch/dinner places that aren't aiming to draw the douchebag freeway & canyon crowd.
It's comfortable and spacious with a full bar, outdoor seating and solid food.
This is where the marathon switched from the gentrified food marathon to the seated street food. 8 oz. is closed on sundays.
And although it could have been the foot traffic food marathon (between the tourists on Hollywood and skaters/shoppers on Melrose), we shifted gears towards Falafel-Arax and Spicy BBQ.
We had a delicious Shawourma sandwich and a lamb tongue sandwich. Both were very good but couldn't compete with the real thing in Israel. That said the tongue was extremely tender and flavorful- much better than I expected.
How two phenomenal places like Arax and Spicy BBQ can share a wall is a geographically perfect miracle. Before the lamb had even cleared my esophagus we were eating delicious Northern Thai chili sauce.We ordered three dishes that I hadn't tried on previous visits:
Glass noodles with chilis, eggplant, shrimp and overflowing with flavor,
Crisp on the outside, soft on the inside sausages,
and superb pork patties with fried mint.
This was my favorite dish of the day. The mint is what makes it.
Finally the marathon came to an end and I was quite full. Now that I have some serious eaters on the team we can do some major marathons in the future. Next time Teenage Glutster's invited too.

Healthy Hip Hop

2008-07-28T14:41:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I'll post about the most recent food marathon. Before that here's some health-conscious hip hop. After you see what we ate on the marathon, we probably should be paying better attention to the lyrics:

Hood Diet by Loer Velocity featuring Donnan Links

(note this is not me dancing)

Be Healthy by Dead Prez

Yo Mamma

2008-07-23T08:34:00.000-07:00

Meryl Streep is the lead in Mamma Mia and will play Julia Child in the forthcoming film Julie and Julia. So today I made a list of the Top 5 Mammas in LA restaurants:

5. Angeli Caffe- In terms of motherly figures in food, Evan Kleiman is one of the most positive, loving and dedicated there is. Of course there are chef/moms like Nancy Silverton, Suzanne Goin and Suzanne Tracht, but Evan's garden-grown meals and cheery demeanor put her a notch above. I don't know if she has kids of her own, but the way she treats guests on her show and in her restaurant make them feel welcome and loved like only a mom can.

4. Jitlada- The matriarch of Thai Town, Jazz Singsanong lovingly welcomes everyone like their her own children (a few of which also work in the restaurant). I don't know if she even does that much cooking but she regales patrons with stories of Steven Spielberg and Jonathan Gold loving her kua kling Phat Tha Lung. Matt Groening gets name-dropped more often than the delicious phàt lûuk tàw gets ordered, but no one would ever call into question Jazz's passion for food. She just has a little Hollywood in her, just as she brings a little southern Thailand to east Hollywood.

3. Crustacean- Helene An has been cooking in the kitchen for years. Coming through San Francisco from Vietnam she melds Chinese, French and Vietnamese influences to create superb and health-conscious dishes. Did you know that Crustacean has a secret kitchen where only family members can cook in order to secure the secrecy of their recipes? When she's not cooking she can be found bestowing infinite thank you's on everyone around her.

2. Osteria La Buca- The once tiny, familial location of La Buca has since expanded, but Lora Donna Cecchinato still (wo)mans the kitchen like she's cooking at home. Her hearty pastas and best-in-LA tiramisu transport you to her home kitchen in Italy. She was wandering around the grand opening of her newly renovated restaurant in the same old t-shirt, track pants and clogs. Bless Mamma and her namesake hat.

1. Yuca's- To me, Socorro Herrera is the original mamma in LA. For more than 15 years we've been ordering carne asada burritos from Yuca's, and still reminisce about eating at those old rickety tables when we were teenagers. Not to be messed with, mamma once banned my friend from the restaurant after he accidentally flicked a piece of steak that fell from his burrito onto another diner. She yelled "You want to play, you go to the park!" Sorry mamma...

Eat and Drink for Billy Walsh

2008-07-15T09:11:00.000-07:00

Last night's Balshstille Day event at the Foundry was fantastic. Great cocktails, good food, fun crowd and all to raise money for Billy Walsh (he was hit by a car).You should help Billy too. Donations can be made via PayPal through Matt Wise at wisemc@mac.com.

No Brits Allowed

2008-07-07T12:45:00.000-07:00

I spent the 4th of July without any British people. By the 5th they were back, but at least I had one day of freedom.
Starters were plentiful, including a delicious anitpasto plate overflowing with vegetables and meat (and a delicious jalapeno or two).Artichokes,a salad with toasted almonds, strawberries and cheese,and corn on the cob (of course).
Salmon two ways:
one with smoky wood chips and cumin,
the other with rosemary and lemon.
Meat two ways: sliced tri-tip,
and requisite hot dogs.
More Americana in the form of mac and cheese,
apple pie (with blackberries),
and a healthy bite of fruit for dessert.
Unphotographed items included homemade cream soda, chips, salsa, and double stuffed Oreo cookies. It was a gourmet meal that required several trips to and from the pool.

Hour of the CHIPwreck

2008-07-03T14:26:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since my last chip post, so today I bought Doritos new mystery flavor.The snack has gone interactive in this "Quest" to guess the flavor. I opened the bag and they looked like regular Doritos, but such is the nature of our new chemical food culture. Read Fast Food Nation to find out about the flavor experiments taking place along the New Jersey turnpike.
So the chip immediately tastes sweet. At first I thought it was mango, then lime, but those seem like pedestrian choices for Doritos (considering they've already ventured into Hot Wings Blue Cheese territory).
So there's definitely a salty and sweet thing happening, which I love. (Kettle corn, chocolate covered pretzels, bacon and maple syrup- all genius combinations in my opinion.) There's something about them, however, that isn't perfect.
I cheated and looked online to find the answer. The result is synergy at its finest, cross promotion that breaks previously untried taste combinations... the flavor in question is MOUNTAIN DEW?! (Yes, both chip and soda are owned by PepsiCo).
Because I have no self control I ate the whole bag, but I definitely won't buy them again. Perhaps if they were Dr Pepper flavored...

Even Better than the Real Thing?

2008-07-02T08:30:00.000-07:00

From the annals of the Top Secret Insider's Recipe Master Edition Cookbook I present the recipe for the:

Taco Bell Chalupa Supreme
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1/2 cup water
Flat bread (pita will work)
Oil for deep−frying
Sour Cream
Shredded lettuce
Shredded Cheddar/Jack cheese
Diced Tomatoes
Mix dried onion with water in a small bowl and let stand for five minutes. Combine ground beef, flour, chili powder, paprika, and salt. Mix well. Add onions and water. Mix again.
In a skillet, cook beef mixture until browned. Stir often while cooking so no large chunks form; it should be more like a paste. Remove from heat and keep warm.
In a deep−fryer (or you can use a skillet) deep fry the bread for 30 seconds. Let drain on absorbent towels.Build Chalupas starting with meat, then sour cream, lettuce cheese, and tomatoes in that order. Top with hot sauce or salsa if desired.

Something makes me think this just won't have that same flavor as the real thing. It takes a special kind of deep frying love to recreate such a masterpiece.

Drive Thru Coming Soon

2008-07-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

One of the original food marathoners is currently driving across the country. I guess eating across the country would be a better description. He will be guest posting once he arrives at his final destination in San Diego. In the meantime he directed me to this must-have He's in the heart of the red states so you can imagine what's to come...

Weekend's Eatings

2008-06-30T08:58:00.000-07:00

My desire to visit southeast Asia has grown so significantly in the past few years that a trip may actually happen... some day. In the meantime I'll just keep eating the best culinary imports countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam have to offer.
Vietnamese Soy Cafe is a great little cash-only spot on the east side. We went at 2pm on a beautiful summer Saturday and sat outside.
The spring rolls were light and fresh. The sauce was average. Vegetable salad doused with hot sauce.Rice noodles with vegetables.Chicken Bahn-Mi which was as good as anything I've had in the San Gabriel Valley.
Topped it off with a Vietnamese iced tea and C-shot (cayenne, lemon and sugar cane).

Summer Defined

2008-06-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

Baby Blues Bar-B-Q has been open for a few years but it saw recent hype thanks to some well-placed media attention
I finally got a chance to try it over the weekend and it easily is one of the best on the westside.
The music was good, the atmosphere was fun and the food was the definition of summer.
Service to patron ratio is almost 1:1, meaning lemonades stay refilled, extra sauce is quickly delivered and recommendations are easy to get.
We started with delicious BBQ shrimp on cornbread.Because they're cooked on the same grill as the ribs and burgers they have a shrimpy, meaty, smokey flavor. It was decided that they'll be making an appearance at Thanksgiving as a reminder or summers-gone-by.
The Memphis Queen is a half slab of baby backs and a half slab of Memphis ribs with two sides (mac-n-cheese and cole slaw). We added a side of corn on the cob and sauteed okra as well.The baby backs were fall-off-the-bone perfect. Tender, succulent, not too smokey- quite different from Mr Cecil's pedestrian counterparts. The mac and cheese was brilliant, with soft mac, not-too-runny cheese and not-too-crisp edges.The okra was fantastic as well, probably due to the heavy garlic. The corn on the cob wasn't anything special- it was salty as opposed to sweet which I'm not a fan of. The coleslaw was dry.
We didn't have room for dessert but it's a long summer and there's gonna be plenty more trips coming up.

My Eyes Will Go Hungry

2008-06-13T11:03:00.001-07:00

Tastespotting was one of the best sites on the internet. It's a major loss to the food porn world...

Underwhelming Weekend's Eatings

2008-06-09T09:20:00.000-07:00

It wasn't a food marathon... barely a food 5k but Saturday I had a very mediocre day of eating:
First, a place I've never been despite growing up in Los Angeles- John O'Groats. Their menu is fantastic, with so many good options that it was hard to decide what to order. We'd heard about their biscuits
but they weren't anything special. The lemonade was good, not too sweet or tart. The Huevos O'Groats come on a delicious buttermilk tortilla. Ultimately though, the whole dish was a bit bland. The mango Macadamia pancakes and Aidell's smoked chicken apple sausage were good too, but not out of this world. Their potatoes were flavorful, but the goat cheese, spinach scramble was nothing special.In the end I will go back to try some of the other items but O'Groats definitely didn't wow us the way we hoped it would. Immediately after we walked a few doors down to a hamburger stand called Marty's. There was a line which was a good indication of quality.
The guys in line looked like this so you know what type of food you're in for.Marty's is known for their combo; a burger with a hot dog on top. You can get it with cheese and chili on top, but I opted solely for cheese. It was good, but the foot-long hot dog isn't cut into four small pieces- they're still kind of connected. This made eating the combo annoying because the hot dogs kept pulling out of the bun with each bite. The burger itself was actually the least flavorful element- the rest was good.
We ended the mediocrity with the least impressive stop of the three, Il Cono in Beverly Hills. It's usually crowded so we thought they might actually have good gelato. It turns out they're just crowded because of the tourist-centric decor and location. The chocolate covered banana gelato could easily have been Dryers ice cream. The pomegranate was refreshing but can't touch Scoops.So it was a spontaneous day of eating and I'm glad to have tried three new places. That's about it.

Weekend's Eatings

2008-06-02T09:24:00.000-07:00

The original Loteria Grill's tacos (tinga, pipian and papas) with rice and beans:...followed by a delicious ring of flavor from Bay Cities courtesy of the grease from a Godmother:...complimented by Artisan Cheese Gallery's duck confit sandwich:
which was amazing and requires many more visits...
...and topped off with a massive cheese plate:
I appreciate how they give the right portion of accoutrement with their cheese, unlike Joans' dainty serving:
It's all just practice for the forthcoming sandwich food marathon.

Best Ribs Ever...

2008-05-30T10:32:00.000-07:00

... and I didn't even get to eat them.

Continuing Eating Indian

2008-05-28T09:46:00.000-07:00

After a recent trip to Little India and years of eating LA's best Indian food I finally got to Agra in Silverlake to try their Balti dishes. They're described as A Rich & Hearty Stew That Maintains a Nice Balance of Hot and Sweet Spicing... Balti Stews Include Chopped Onions, Green Peppers, Tumeric, Cumin, Garlic, Ginger, Crushed Tomatoes, Are Garnished with Yogurt and Fresh Tomatoes, and served In a Hot Balti Hanich. served with Rice.
Their basics were a nice start, but would hint at the saltiness we would experience later in the meal.The vegetable samosas were notably light - in a more pastry-style dough than their typical fried counterparts.The mango chutney, rice and naan all were very good.
We asked them to make the lamb balti pot and channa sagwalla as spicy as possible but it wasn't spicy at all. On the contrary it was very salty, so we wondered if they got confused and made it extra SALTY instead of SPICY?In the end I'll definitely go back as it the flavors were terrific.

King Truffle

2008-05-19T09:02:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I was treated to a gourmet, home cooked meal. So I was excited when I was invited to a Sunday dinner celebrating the truffle.
Since my truffle-heavy meal at Guy Savoy I haven't had the opportunity to eat the decadent fungi, as they're quite expensive.
Starters included fresh tomato and basil bruschetta,
roasted garlic hummus with pita,
and Marcona almonds, truffle cheese and harissa cheddar cheese.Dinner included two types of pasta with different but complimentary sauces: shaved black truffles with linguine and truffle carbonara with strozzapreti pasta
Guanciale is an excellent pork product. It's unsmoked so it doesn't overpower the dish, however it still has the incomparable consistency and flavor of pork.
Dessert was magnificent- fresh berry tart on lime shortbread crust.
It's a testament to the chef's skill, because the meal was outstanding and allowed the truffle to be king. None of the flavor components challenged the truffle yet the meal didn't come out bland as a result.

Lemonade's Gonna Get Paid

2008-05-13T14:57:00.001-07:00

Lemonade is a trendy cafeteria with gourmet salads, sandwiches, desserts and, of course, lemonade.
Their organization is lacking, with poor circulation between ordering and paying. I'm sure in time it will smooth out.
We had:
-roasted beets with hazelnuts and red onions $3
-roasted cauliflower with golden raisins and curry vinaigrette $3
-quinoa, butternut squash, and whole orange vinaigrette $3.50
-Israeli couscous, feta, tomato and lemon vinaigrette $3.50
-corn chowder $3
-freshly blended blueberry, mint lemonade $2.75
-freshly blended peach, ginger lemonade $2.75
The food definitely stacks up in flavor compared to Joan's on Third- and it's less expensive. The namesake lemonade actually was too sweet- it's not Hot Dog on a Stick, they could cut some of the sugar.
Lemonade won't have a problem doing business as they serve the entertainment industry's publicists and design savvy shoppers and salespeople. Hopefully it won't turn into an Urth Cafe scene...

A Sweet Mother's Day

2008-05-12T08:59:00.000-07:00

My mom summed up mother's day pretty well when describing the Gulab Jamun at Bombay Cafe: "it's like a donut covered in maple syrup"... so basically it's as sweet and wonderful as she is.

I'm Not the Only One...

2008-05-09T08:46:00.000-07:00

These guys in Malaysia went on a 24 hour, 25 food marathon at 23 different locations.

I'm speechless.

Jin-n-Out

2008-05-08T12:22:00.001-07:00

Had a quick bite and tea at Jin Patisserie.It's a serene environment with music playing.
The Darjeeling G.F.O.P. is called the champagne of teas and deserves the name.
The chicken salad sandwich on seven grain was nice. Nothing world-changing but good.
Ditto for the ham sandwich.
The dessert was obviously the highlight. A vanilla and raspberry mousse.
I think I liked Jin better when it was part of the food marathon, as dessert is really the only thing you need to get there.

Francine's Friendly Froma

2008-05-07T09:10:00.000-07:00

I'm late in finding Froma, but better late than never...It's Francine Diamond's wonderful little gourmet market and kitchen in a central shopping location on Melrose near Fairfax.The menu includes breakfast, crostinis, soups, salads, paninis and some desserts.
The crostini can be topped with spreads like chestnut honey robiola, sun-dried tomato chutney, prosciutto speck, salmone marinto and a long list of other delicious choices.
I had the Bellwether fromage blanc, horseradish blue crab and duck mousse basquaise.I sat at the small bar facing one of Melrose's top lingerie shops and Argentine restaurants, drank my wine and thoroughly enjoyed me food.
As a special treat, Froma sells Ostrich eggs. If you ever need that eight-egg-omelet but don't want to bother with all those small shells...Froma sells specialty oils, mustards, cheeses, sauces, spices and wines in addition to
a unique find,El Bulli's Texturas. These are the components of molecular gastromist Ferran Adria's kitchen, which include everything you need for Emulsificacion, Sferication, Gelificacion and Espesantes. I'm not quite at that level with my cooking but for those who are, get your Agar and Gellan at Froma.

Financial Food

2008-05-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

With rising food costs and tough economic times Chef Costing is the place for the financial aspects of food. Chef Costing provides news and numbers for chefs, but ultimately is helpful for everyone as food is becoming more expensive for all consumers.
A friend of mine who works in a well known steakhouse recently noted that Saturday nights' seatings have diminished drastically. She said servers are worried, as their tips aren't what they used to be.
Just One Plate is helping those who want food from their favorite restaurants but can't afford to eat out. By featuring recipes from LA's best restaurants, anyone can eat Providence's Arctic Char or Fraiche's beet and ricotta salad.

Ortolan's seared calamari with oxtail and spaghetti

Red Mango is Better

2008-05-05T08:49:00.001-07:00

Red Mango is better than Pinkberry.

Save Our Taco Trucks Night

2008-05-02T09:03:00.000-07:00

First, the $6.66 bill on Monday didn't have any ill effects on the week. So take that superstitions.
Second, taco trucks are the quintessential food marathon purveyor. They provide easy access, quick, inexpensive, delectable food and can be found throughout Southern California. So when the recent movement to save them from recent regulations by the LA County Board of Supervisors, I jumped into action. Well, I ate at a taco truck, but that's about as politically active as I get...
After the Does It Offend You, Yeah? show last night
I drove around the corner to El Chato. Located nightly in a parking lot at the busy intersection of La Brea and Olympic, this taco truck is an area favorite.
With ample parking, the truck is adorned with artwork beckoning a visit.
Fresh lime, radishes, onions and peppers garnish the pungent tacos.
The tacos al pastor and carne asada were delicious. The flavor to size ratio is ridiculous.
Thick, gooey quesadillas....
The Board of Supervisors are trying to protect the citizens of Los Angeles from unhealthy meat on wheels and local businesses from roaming restaurants. To the first point, I think there's a certain person who will eat at a taco truck and that person is willing to endure whatever repercussions ensue. I personally have never had a problem, and until widespread cases of food poisoning are exposed I think they should be left to serve the community delicious meals.

Great Weekend, Great Week?

2008-04-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

Another summer weekend in April- packed full of unhealthy ultraviolet rays and ultra fatty food.
Saturday I was back in Malibu, this time for their best restaurant, Malibu Seafood.While watching morning beach traffic I had a squid steak sandwich, fried oysters and french fries... a healthy way to start your weekend.The sandwich was good, with fresh squid that wasn't too rubbery. The oysters were juicy and the fries well done. Next time I'll get some grilled fish with raw oysters.
Saturday night had dinner at Pane e Vino which I still think is a great restaurant for the price. One of the nicest patios in LA, good portion sizes for fair prices and ultimately the food is good.
Sunday went to the Dodger game. It was hot, we had great seats and the Dodgers won. More importantly though, the new concession system is much faster and easier to use. First the service stations are all larger and streamlined. Second the condiments have been moved out from the deeper recesses of the halls to the aisle directly behind the seats. Third, the addition of Ruby's, Canters and Camachos doesn't mean much to me as I'm a die hard Dodger dog fan. I did try Ruby's cajun frieswhich were basically fries covered in pizza seasoning. They needed some cheese and pepperoni and then might be worth the $5+ price tag. Had a Dodger Dog and footlong corn dog as well...
All in all another great LA weekend. It will be interesting to see how this week goes, as my total at the market this morning was $6.66:

The 'bu Food Marathon

2008-04-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

Before Hollywood's most talented thespians seek refuge from their tumultuous shooting schedules (with their adoring fans in tow), I thought I would do a Malibu food marathon.
Starting from the north end of the Pacific Coast Highway and working south, we hit Neptune's Net first.This biker-haven has a ton of mechanical eye candy, but very little in the human variety. The fried fish is as described.
Can't really do wrong in my book when you fry something... but next time we'll try some of the less battered options. With a wide selection of cold beers it seems like a great place for cycle enthusiasts to reduce their reaction time before speeding down one of the most beautiful pieces of asphalt in America.
The newly opened Malibu Pier Club was our next stop.
We spent a couple of hours there enjoying the sun and view.
Once the Rudy's Shake Shack opens at the end of the pier and The Beachcomber (next to the Pier Club) this place definitely will draw the Duke's and Paradise Cove crowd.
The food, which currently is being cooked in a 'roach coach' behind the Pier Club was average at best. Once the Beachcomber opens, its kitchen will serve both restaurants. They have a lot of blankets for guests, which is a nice touch on a sunny but breezy spring day.
The buffalo shrimp salad was six fried shrimp covered in buffalo wing sauce served amidst a head of lettuce. There was a tiny amount of blue cheese crumbled on top. For $15 it's a ripoff- then again, we're in Malibu so I'm not surprised.
Alice's Truffle Chips should have been french fries and shouldn't have been covered with melted goat cheese. They should have just been truffle fries. The sauce congealed before we'd even finished eating them.
The Tiny Ahi Tacos were pretty good. Fried wontons filled with fresh tuna...
The desserts included an ice cream sundae on a stick, which were ordered covered in whipped cream.
Also the chocolate and mascarpone pudding- they gave it a fancier name but that's all it was...
For now I'd say it's better than the Ferrari-fest at Moonshadows, with easy access, comfortable chairs and a nice view. The parking is $4 for 2 hours and 20 minutes- otherwise it's $10.
Last stop was Cholada Thai Beach Cuisine. Again, Malibu prices for mediocre food (at least compared to Thai town). You pay for the view.
The Golden Bags- crispy wonton filled with ground chicken and shrimp served with sweet sauce were nice looking but the meat was dry and bland.
The jungle curry (my picture didn't come out so I stole this one) was ok. The curry wasn't overpowering but had a slight kick. The quality of the ingredients (string beans, squash, bell peppers, chicken) was passable.
It was a beautiful weekend and great catching up with friends I hadn't seen for a while. Malibu is really a great place until the summer- then it can be a bit of a hassle... Until then I think it's best to pack a lunch from Bay Cities or stick to Malibu Seafood.

Pinknest in NYC

2008-04-16T12:44:00.000-07:00

Pinknest leads a charmed life of eating.
This masterpiece is steamed lobster with uni mousse layers in a lotus wrap, garnished with smoked uni and caviar. That might be one of the best dishes I've seen this year.

The Block Party Food Marathon

2008-04-14T09:35:00.000-07:00

Back in Wisconsin, spring was a brilliant time of year. Absolutely dreadful winter conditions subsided and unanimous sentiment was to proceed directly toward the sun. Everyone was infused with life and happiness. Block parties, like the infamous Mifflin Street celebration drew crowds from all over the state. As Los Angeles is beautiful year round, there isn't that spring relief that's felt in the midwest. After this weekend, it doesn't seem like there's any spring at all- just blazing, apocalyptic summer.
Yesterday in Hollywood, there was a block party for the spring celebration of Songkran (Thai New Years). The event is marked by country-wide water fights that are intended to wash away the bad of the previous year. Oddly, there weren't any water fights on Hollywood Blvd yesterday despite the perilous heat. There was, however, a two mile long block party with Muay Thai (kick boxing), a beer garden, music, monks, food and thousands of people.
If you look carefully you can see two eight year olds beating the hell out of each other in the ring:My gripe with festival food (at Coachella, Sunset Junction, yesterday) is that it's always the same restaurants from Arleta and Covina and other off-the-map places. I realize these "Chinese BBQ" and "Thai Sweets" stalls are equipped to cook on location, but I really would have liked to see Ocha, Jitlada, Yai and the other Thai town favorites. I know it's never gonna happen...The waits at Ord, the Thailand Plaza Restaurant and Ruen Pair were too long we ate pork, chicken, beef, Issan sausages, lobster balls, meatballs, dumplings and bao from the street vendors.
Nothing was great. Greasy, not that cheap- overall just average.
We drank beer in the beer garden in front of the misting fans before watching some of the skilled kick boxers.
The fighting wasn't exactly first rate (two old timers showing off their skills and one fight between a 42 year old and a 22 year old- you can guess who won) but it was fun to watch.
It wouldn't be a trip to Thai town without Jitlada's mango sticky rice, so we stopped there on our way to the car.
We wanted to make ice cream sandwiches with Square One's chocolate chip cookies and Scoops' gelato but Square One doesn't sell their cookies anymore. Despite our disappointment we headed towards Scoops.
Luckily Heliotrope was closed off for the Bike Kitchen's block party. This meant a lot of hipsters in vintage t-shirts and small hats on expensive bikes. They had contests, DJ's and prizes. We walked over to Scoops and chose the alcohol flavored gelato: Vanilla Jim Beam, Chocolate Guiness and Corona Lemon.My favorite was the Vanilla Jim Beam, but they all had the perfect balance of sweet to liquor.Although it wasn't a food-heavy marathon, it was a marathon with great flow and diversity. I mean what's better than music, kick boxing, sunshine, ice cream and beer?

The Grand Finale

2008-04-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

Fine dining is as foreign to me as driving a Rolls Royce. I bet the two experiences are very similar and, after my recent birthday dinner at Guy Savoy, my goal is to drive a Rolls Royce very soon.

I'd read a lot about Guy Savoy's Menu Prestige (the $290, 10 course, 3-4 hour tasting menu) before our trip to Vegas. I don't know why, but I didn't expect the level of impeccability and perfection that they brought... course after course after delicious course. My immediate reaction was I need to win the lottery immediately for any other meal would now pale in comparison.

I'm pretty sure our meal would register on most foodie's top lists of tasting menus in America (except maybe Joel Plotnicki who seems to eat like this every week).
From the stool to keep our female guest's purse off the ground, to the wine list that easily could replace wikipedia in its vast content, no detail was left unattended. With Guy Savoy's son running the restaurant (even serving dishes when no waiter was immediately available), there's a comfort and elegance to the service that we sorely lacked the night before. To enjoy the meal thoroughly I decided not to take pictures (every photo in this post is stolen).
Floating back and forth through the restaurant throughout the night were a number of gourmet carts including: the cocktail cart featuring six champagne choices and a range of scotches, the bread cart featuring more than ten breads that would be paired with each course, the cheese cart strewn with cheese from all regions and finally the dessert cart which really deserves a trip of its own when one hasn't gorged on 14 courses prior.
While we waited for our third guest to arrive we were treated to a mini foie gras club sandwich on a sturdy metal toothpick. Our first of many pieces of bread was delivered as well. To give you an idea of the type of abundance we're talking about, we got another mini sandwich once our guest arrived, and she got a second just so she'd be even with us... Next was a similar toothpick but this time it skewered a mini black truffle hamburger. In three indulgent bites they'd made most tray-passed wedding appetizers seem like Burger King leftovers.
We were served sparkling and flat water before we chose a glass of champagne from the cocktail cart. We opted for one of the less expensive bottles of French wine (they range from $100-$16,000). All this and we were still only on the amuse bouche portion of the meal- the third of which was a small cup of onion soup with diced root vegetables. The cup was fused to another cup which was facing down. When lifted it revealed a surprise post-soup treat, some kind of cream and cracker combination.
The actual tasting menu began with a pairing of seaweed bread with
--Oysters in Ice Gelée - Huîtres en Nage Glacée
For a menu of this size one oyster would have been plenty. Somehow we were each served three oysters each, which I wouldn't have complained about unless I knew what was to follow. Of course they were succulent and delicious. The sweetness of the oysters with the citrus glacee was very memorable (like we’re still thinking about them right now).
--« Colors of Caviar » vinaigrette of caviar; cream of caviar; string bean puree; Iranian golden Osetra caviar; warm Saboyan.There's no need to go in to detail as the decadence is self-explanatory. Again, if only we knew how much there was to follow. A multi-grain bread referred to as "cereal bread” followed with:
--Crispy Sea Bass with Delicate Spices- Bar en Ecailles Grillées aux Epices Douces
The fish was a delicate and flavorful masterpiece beckoning an encore.
More bread followed including chestnut bread with:
--Roasted Foie Gras “en Cocotte”, Cardamom Infused Duck Bouillon, - Glazed Chestnuts and Galette Grand Caraque- Foie Gras de Canard Rôti en Cocotte, - Bouillon de Canard à la Cardamome, Châtaignes et Galette Grand Caraque
As if the foie gras wasn't rich enough in the amuse bouche, this course was a stunning presentation of intense flavor and rich texture. The chestnuts provided a nice crunch to compliment the softness of the foie gras.
--Artichoke and Black Truffle Soup, -Toasted Mushroom Brioche, and Black Truffle Butter- Soupe d’Artichaut à la Truffe Noire, Brioche Feuilletée aux Champignons et Truffe This course was slightly less powerful than the previous delicacies, but not by much. I don’t remember the bread pairing but it may have been lemon bread or bacon bread.
--Roasted Veal Chop, Black Truffle Potato Purée, -Young Vegetables Braised in Veal Jus-Côte de Veau Juste Rôtie, Purée de Pommes de Terre à la Truffe Noire, -Légumes Braisés au Jus de Veau
If this wasn't so tasty I probably could have resisted finishing every bite. Unfortunately I couldn't pass it up and as a result ate all of it including the richest, mashed potatoes that stuck to my ribs on the way down.
The special of the night (which we didn’t get with the tasting menu) was guinea hen cooked in a pig’s bladder. The steam and hen filled bladder was presented tableside where it was cut to reveal a fantastic aroma. Which reminds about the regenerative properties of a pig's bladder.
Another special (which was added to our tasting menu) was:
--Black Truffle Rissoto
To be honest, at this point I was getting full, but it was definitely very good. I don't actually remember that well....
--Sélection de Fromages Affinés
Apple walnut bread, something with raisins and one other were paired with an assortment of cheese including french cheddar, a camembert, a french blue goat cheese and some sort of sheeps milk cheese that I can’t remember. I love cheese as much as I love bacon, and it was disappointing to be so full by this course. Again, I would go back just for the cheese and dessert next time just so I could marvel at them on their own.
--Citrus Salad- Salade d’Agrumes
This course was perfect as it was light and refreshing. An array of fresh, colorful fruit was served on a perforated ceramic plate which sat atop a wide ceramic bowl. Chamomile tea was poured over the fruit, before dropping through the holes to ignite hidden nitrogen sending plumes of tea-infused steam up like flavored towers.
--Chocolate Fondant, Crunchy Praline, Chicory Cream- Fondant Chocolat au Pralin Feuilletée et Crème Chicorée
The chocolate began the dessert course, followed by a cart of the most insane looking lollipops, banana sorbet, 5 kinds of pudding, peanut butter and jelly macarons, truffles, mini chocolate chip cookies, short bread, chocolate short bread, caramels, pineapple marshmallows and a list of other sweets that I don’t remember.
Bescause everything was special, the teapots were beautiful.
At one point during the meal a diner at another table asked for a bottle of Tabasco sauce. We asked our waiter what happens in a situation like this and he admitted that they go to a different restaurant in the hotel, as they obviously don’t have Tabasco sauce in their kitchen, but will always make the customer feel at home.
It's actually not hard to justify the $480 per person price tag. In Vegas many people go through $500 in a few minutes or hours, so spending it on a 4 1/2 hour meal is worth it. Also, you're paying for the theater and experience. Some people pay $150 an hour for a massage or at a show, but I'd rather spend the money dining.
On the way out our female guest was given a gift box with little caramels and chocolates with hazelnuts.
I've been asked if it was the best meal I've ever had. The sheer volume and scope of the meal really puts it on a different level, but it's not comparable to a regular three course dinner. It was definitely my most memorable meal and longest blog post to date.

Which Sandwich?

2008-04-08T09:06:00.000-07:00

There's a common gripe that LA, for all its variety, doesn't offer a lot of good sandwiches. Burgers, yes. Hot dogs, maybe. Bahn mi, perhaps. But with all the possibilities it seems odd that there aren't more amazing sandwiches. So this will be the inspiration for the sandwich food marathon:

Clementine
"Roast Beef Caliente: In-house roasted top round thinly sliced then grilled with avocado, red onions, pickled jalapenos, lettuce and mayo on toasted rustic bread”

Joey’s Smokin’ BBQ
“Brisket sandwich - generously sized, I love their sauce, also not too fatty”

Artisan Cheese Gallery
“Duck Confit - Duck, fig spread, yummy cheese, pressed on a ciabbatta”

Throw in Bay Cities, maybe Stuffed Sandwich and it has the makings for a very filling food marathon...

How?

2008-04-07T14:26:00.001-07:00

After this post I really was expecting something better.... How did they screw up so badly? Eats was featured on Thrillist today. Unfortunately the site has been down for the better part of the day, squandering possible users and deflating my hopes that someone will build a master food site. Was the traffic so overwhelmingly large that they couldn't handle it? Were they hacked?

UPDATE:

Eats.com was inundated with traffic which crashed their server. It's exciting that so many people are interested and their gonna work out the kinks.
I like the restaurant Wishlist concept and suggest creating a profile.

Once Was Enough

2008-04-01T13:29:00.000-07:00

I love to eat so much that I'm shocked when I come across something that I don't like. Further, I love Jitlada so much I never thought they could shock me. But I was shocked with this dessert:It's the sweetest syrup over regular old white bread, ice, garbanzo beans, red beans, palm seeds and jello cubes. Alone, the ingredients were fine (except for the syrup). Together it was like the culinary Tower of Babel. I'm sure it's an acquired taste, just one I don't choose to obtain- especially when the alternative is the harmonious mango sticky rice.

The "Why Isn't There" Rant

2008-03-27T09:44:00.000-07:00

Why hasn't anyone come up with a comprehensive food website yet- an ESPN.com for food. The major food magazines are doing a good job but they're not comprehensive enough. I want searchable, aggregated restaurant reviews from pros and bloggers alike (like what Rotten Tomatoes does for films) with up to the minute information on new restaurants like Eater. Sorry Zagat and Citysearch you're as antiquated as the Yellow Pages. I want message boards like Chowhound and eGullet tied to reservation capabilities like Open Table with photos like Tastespotting and chef interviews like Just One Plate and social networking like Yelp or Myspace. A one stop shop.
With their wide market share, I think the Food Network is best equipped to do it.
Side rant: Unfortunately, FN's narrow minded focus is sucking the life out of me. Not all Food Network fans are Walmart shopping mid-western housewives. We don't really want to see a lifeless battles of which Holly homemaker makes the best "'hoppin' jalapeno cornbread." Anthony Bourdain isn't the only guy out there that makes food look interesting- he's just the only one that has a TV show about it (sorry Daniel Boulud, I don't get MojoHD).
Jennifer points out that there's a lot of food sites trying to capitalize on the growing foodie market. Hopefully one of them will either buy up all the good food sites and blogs and combine them or take the reigns and get a comprehensive food site together. We're out here and we're hungry for it.

The 30 Going on 13 Food Marathon

2008-03-26T11:25:00.001-07:00

The scents, sights and sounds of food provide the sensory experience that most often trigger nostalgia. So as my 30th birthday rolled around I thought back about my life and the best times- many of which involved food. As a youngster in junior high school, before I had the freedom of a car, I was bound to locations in a walking radius from home and school. I'm pretty sure my affinity for Taco Bell comes simply because it was the closest fast food location (besides Pioneer Chicken and Wienerschnitzel). In 7th grade we weren't allowed to leave campus without a teacher/escort. I'm sure we were a nuisance, begging daily for teachers to walk us down to Taco Bell or Yum Yum donuts. At an even earlier age in elementary school, the best award of all was a trip down to Henry's Tacos, which was a rare and lauded event. To commemorate all these good times I decided the perfect way to spend my birthday was on a 30 Going on 13 Food Marathon- hitting all the old spots in one final calorie-filled night.Henry's was obviously the first stop. One item each (a taco and burrito) with their delicious sauce was all we ordered as it was gonna be a long night.I could drink this sauce:Next was Carney's, which I've written about before . This time we ordered a spicy polish Red Eye New Yorker (sauerkraut, mustard and peppers) to go with the chili cheese fries. Both were greasily delicious.
Stop three was a quick dessert of In N Out milkshakes. The only comment I have here is about how dirty the Universal City location was. The trashcans were all overflowing, there weren't any paper towels in the bathroom and the overall quality of the operation was not being maintained. Just a mile away, the busy Hollywood location on Sunset is twice as crowded and five times cleaner.
Stop four was the second dessert stop at Yum Yum Donuts. When I was young I ordered an old fashioned glazed but they didn't have any. So what does one do when they can't get their second dessert of the nigh- they have a Taco Bell Nacho Supreme instead. A fitting end to marathon celebrating birth, old age and suburban youth. These pictures actually make the food look gross... If there ever was a final food marathon this should be probably be the one- but I'm not ready to quit just yet.

The End of An Era

2008-03-24T22:31:00.000-07:00

This trip to Vegas was the final blowout trip of my 20's. Decadence is the best word to describe it; a decade of fun ending with a debacle of a party and ridiculous meal.
Not wasting any time, we went straight from the airport to Lotus of Siam. The hope was that it would rival Jitlada but it fell short across the board. Jitlada's Southern Thai specialties and Spicy BBQ's Northern menu both feature tastier dishes packed with spicier spice and more flavorful flavor. The fish cakes were weak, the tom yum was average, the egg noodles were good but not great, the jackfruit was totally disappointing after my last two jackfruit experiences and neither the nua sao renu (beef with tamarind sauce and fried dry chili) nor the nua yum katiem (beef with fresh garlic and spicy sauce) could touch Jitlada's khûa klíng Phat Lung. The trio of sticky rice (sans mango as they said it was out of stock...), coconut ice cream and fried bananas were redemption but far too little too late.
Luckily the crowd favorite Joe's Stone Crab delivered the following afternoon. I could easily eat their hash browns with any meal, any time, any day- with sushi, salsa, soup or spaghetti. Large oysters rockafeller, cool cracked stone crab and college basketball on every screen provided a perfect midday meal. Just a note that the Key Lime Pie was too cold and obviously was kept in a freezer or fridge that made it unenjoyable.
Miss and hit were followed by another miss at Carnevino, where before we even checked in for our reservation I was worried. I should have trusted yelp as the complaints were totally on point. The restaurant is split across a large casino walkway. Slot machines can ring through your meal with billows of cigarette smoke spread like fog machines at a hair metal concert. Cheesy couples parade by like an H&M dressing room webcam come alive. Luckily we got a private room off the main dining room, but it proved to be too small for the service to properly place plates in their proper positions. The prices were through the roof, the food was typical Batali but everything else fell flat. There was a lot of effort put into the service but nothing delivered. The plates were served in unison but not to the right table positions. The meat carved tableside couldn't be seen, and as a result the show was a waste and should have been served whole for us to cut ourselves. The best suggestion of the night was a value bet on El Dorado rum at $15 per glass. $160 per person, however, was too much for the mediocre display and left a bad taste in our mouths.
Poolside days and tableside nights are the standard for our vegas trips. Twelve hours of basketball are the norm and anything else is just icing. So it was out of our element to book a table at Guy Savoy for our final night. The theory was that it was a once-in-a-lifetime 30th birthday celebration and whoever had won big could afford the lucrative prices for the finest French meal most would ever have. It was no surprise that true to Vegas odds no one was up big by Saturday night. As a result the reservation for dinner at Guy Savoy dwindled to three for the only die hards who cared more about their meal than their gambling allowance. What followed was an intensely rich, elaborately long masterpiece of a meal spanning 4 1/2 hours, over 15 courses and almost $500. Stay tuned for the full run down....

Two-Cents Plain

2008-03-19T09:24:00.000-07:00

I'd never heard the term before but I saw Two-Cents Plain on Marty D's menu. It reminded me that up until recently my grandparents had bottled seltzer water delivered to the home every week. Growing up there always would be large glass bottles with metal taps strewn about the table at holiday meals. They often let out a carbonated hiss once they were emptied and sometimes splashed all over the table when they were shaken before use.Been eating a lot lately but not taking a lot of pictures: Ago, Kappo Ishito, Canele, LA Mill, Mr Cecil's, Apple Pan and a food marathon tonight...

Munch Madness

2008-03-11T09:55:00.001-07:00

We're headed back to Las Vegas and this time we're gonna eat better than we ever have before. For over ten years of March Madness trips we've been building up to this trip. The 30th birthday extravaganza will feature meals at Jitlada-competitor Lotus of Siam, Prime steakhouse, perennial favorite Joe's Stone Crab and the ultimate, Guy Savoy. Although Hugo's and Rosemary's seem to be the blogger favorites, I won't be able to pull the whole crew off the strip for dinner. Lotus of Siam will be an early bird special to start off the trip, but other than that I don't anticipate seeing much sunlight... unless it's after a long night out.

3 Things

2008-03-10T09:33:00.000-07:00

1. LA is much more than just the strip of densely populated real estate between downtown and the ocean. Jonathan Gold proves this daily in his food writing. On par with Gold, Food GPS travels throughout southern California with the same fervor and frequency. From Little Saigon to Santa Barbara and Bell to Laguna, he blogs with attention to detail, clear photographs and a diverse palate. He also writes about food outside of LA, which is a great addition from a trustworthy blogger.
2. J Restaurant & Lounge is a good place to go before, after or during a Laker game. At 25,000 square feet I always worried that quality would suffer for quantity, but they manage to maintain good service and food despite the size and crowd. We had dinner in a curtained off room that had a flat screen playing the Laker game, a couch, table and view out to the patio. The food was flavorful (with large portions) and the scotch pairings (an added bonus) were terrific. Which leads to..
3. Oban scotch is fantastic and I want to drink it all the time.

The LA Marathon Food Marathon

2008-03-05T09:07:00.000-08:00

I've said it before and I'll say it again, a food marathon is the only kind of marathon I will ever run. 26 miles is about 21 miles too long. I could run for a short distance... maybe- No, I don't like running. I played baseball through my formative years. I kickbox. Those are sports that don't require copious amounts of running and those are sports that I like.
We began the food marathon in Hollywood, not far from where the runners started their their four hour tour of pain. They ran endlessly while we sauntered lazily towards the Hollywood Farmer's Market. We figured with the distraction and road closures the farmer's market would be less crowded and I finally could try the famous pupusa stand. We were right. No line at 10am is a rare occurrence. We ordered pork and cheese pupusas with strawberry and pineapple lemonades. We sat on the dirty curb and enjoyed a salty breakfast of champions. Not far away real marathoners were jealous, whether they knew it or not.
Next up was Hollywood's newest breakfast spot, The Waffle. With the success of places like The Griddle, Toast, Swingers and the Alcove, combined with a prime location, The Waffle shouldn't have any problems getting business. It's too bad their decor, music and food sucked. We had a bacon infused waffle- yes, a waffle with bacon in the batter, AND IT WASN'T GOOD. You won't hear me say that a lot, but the bacon wasn't flavorful enough. The waffle (as in the namesake of the restaurant) wasn't hot, wasn't light, wasn't airy... It didn't matter whether the side of hash browns with jalapeños and cheese was good or not, because they screwed up the waffle and wasted bacon. They're dead to me. Throw in Shawshank Redemption-looking uniforms, a country-pop version of Raspberry Berret and twelve clashing colors on the walls and you have the recipe for hot plate of suck.
Luckily we were redeemed tenfold at our next stop. Evan Kleiman's Good Food is always a good source for local restaurant info. She has great guests including Thai correspondent Jet Tila. He suggested a northern Thai-specializing hole-in-the-wall called Spicy BBQ. I was intrigued because I love Jitlada's Southern Thai menu, and looked forward to comparing the Northern with the Southern. Like all the best restaurants in LA, it's located in a strip mall. It's next to Falafel Arax which will definitely be on our next marathon. The tiny restaurant actually plays Thai music (as opposed to Jitlada and Torung which play weird covers of oldies). The owner took our order than ran in back to prepare the food- just like eating in someone's kitchen. We had the egg noddle and spicy jackfruit (jackfruit on back to back food marathons). Both were phenomenal- the egg noodles were like the Thai version of Fettucin Alfredo.
They even have a rotating spinner of spicy sauces.To all of the people who ran the marathon, I'm very proud of you. I hope you built up an enormous appetite and ate something really good after.

Rock & Roll Recipe Radio

2008-02-29T08:07:00.000-08:00

Simple food-music puns are one thing, but Home Sweet Homewrecker takes it to an intelligent step above with Rock and Roll Recipe Radio. They invite you into their kitchen via a podcast of music that inspires their cooking. From the B-52's and Beastie Boys to The Klaxons and Stereolab, these musically inclined chefs have good taste in their music and cooking.This episode features a rock and roll suicide birthday cake to a soundtrack of Radiohead, Cowboy Junkies and.... Cake.

Get Flipped

2008-02-28T09:25:00.000-08:00

For the launch of Piper-Heidsieck’s new Rose Sauvage Champagne designed by Victor & Rolf a pre-fashion week party was held at the W Hotel's Whiskey Blue. I'm not one to pass up champagne in any incarnation, but the upside bottle is pretty cool.
I'd eaten before, which was a shame because there was tons of food that looked very good.The bottle's something out of a a Michel Gondry film where the top (which is the bottom) looks like the giant wrapped cork of a champagne bottle.

Juices

2008-02-27T16:04:00.000-08:00

In the lieu of the healthy food marathons that are planned, I finally made it to The Juices Fountain in Hollywood. I've always known it as Juices, but it's called Juice on the sign...
Back when I worked in Hollywood I always wanted to try the little stand on Vine, but never made my way over there. They moved to a slightly larger location on Hollywood Blvd and I passed up free lunch at Katsuya to try it.The Fruit Rainbow is a simple $3.75 blend of watermelon, pineapple, strawberry, blackberry, orange and banana. The prices rival other juice bars in town, with a sandwich added for a total of $7.50. More fun than Subway or Jamba and probably healthier.

The Academy Awards

2008-02-25T10:01:00.000-08:00

If you're invited to the Oscars you work in the film industry and thus aren't phased by seeing celebrities... supposedly. It's therefore bad form (and prohibited) to take cameraphone pictures during, before and after the show. It's not enforced but I also had to maintain a little professionalism so I didn't take pictures of all of the tray-passed appetizers before the show. At $750 per ticket for non-nominated guests, I also didn't attend the Governor's Ball.
I did however, sneak this picture of Daniel Day Lewis and Wolfgang Puck.The food was what you'd expect for a party of 3,000 and not nearly as fancy as the Governor's Ball's Spicy Tuna in Sesame Miso Cone, Mini Kobe Cheeseburgers with Remoulade Tomato Goat Cheese Tart, Miso-Glazed Black Cod on Rice Cracker and Spicy Chicken Mango Rice Paper Rolls.
We had the more pedestrian bite-sized tomatoes with truffle goat cheese, spicy tuna rolls, jidori chicken, red pepper hummus, seared yellowtail and baba ganoush. Some were served on rice crackers and some on tortilla chips. The shrimp ceviche in a shot glass was cumbersome, especially with a tortilla chip in the top- another example of the expanding need for one-handed meals.

Course One of the Cheese Food Marathon

2008-02-20T08:53:00.000-08:00

As part of another project (you'll notice the difference in quality of photography below) I'll be going on cheese food marathons over the next few weeks. This is the first post in the series.
The day started with a Tuna Melt from CJ's Cafe.Last time we were there it looked really good and proved to be upon finally tasting it. It's one of the few times where the low quality of the ingredients (mass produced white bread, frozen french fries, industrial mayonnaise) actuality contribute to the greatness of the meal. I guess it's the unhealthiness of these ingredients- hitting directly on the salty, sweet, greasy flavor sensors in your brain.
In an effort to explore the top cheese shops in LA we started with Cube. I've been a fan for a while for their extensive list of cheeses.We sat outside and were served a starter plate of Ubriaco al Prosecco. Simple, easy- a palate cleanser of cheese. The main cheese plate from Cube featured a variety of cheese including a hard (vintage 5 year cow's milk gouda from Holland), a bloomy rind trio (cow's milk, goat's milk, créme fraice from California) and a blue (Tilston's Point cow's milk from Wisconsin).The gouda was paired with pecans, the trio was paired with hazelnut créme (créme de noisette) and the blue was paired with New York basswood honey. I liked the trio, but not with the hazelnut. My favorite was the blue.
Next was Joans on Third for another cheese plate. We kept the cheeses similar to compare and contrast. This time hard (Beemster Gouda, cow's milk), blend (Robiola due Latte, cow and sheep's milk from Piedmont) and blue (Crater Lake, raw cow's milk from Central Point, OR).
Pairings included fig paste, Marcona almonds and honey. The gouda had a much more defined flavor than Cube's. The texture of the Robiola was exquisite. As I'm a fan of blues, the Crater Lake was also one of my favorites.
Joans has a such a vast array of products in their marketplace that it's hard not to choose it as the main place to buy cheese in LA- it's also two minutes from my house. I do like the ease of Cube though, with their BYOB policy, long menu of cooked dishes, easy parking and access.
Stay tuned for much more from Silverlake to Beverly Hills and others in between.

La Buca Design Party

2008-02-19T09:26:00.000-08:00

The decor of a restaurant isn't always something worthy of a party, but in the case of venerable Los Angeles eatery Osteria La Buca it is. La Buca previously had one of the smallest dining rooms in LA, making reservations difficult and privacy impossible. The small space used to be a turn-off for some diners. The food always was terrific, with mama churning out simple pastas and pizzas in portions that left you stuffed, but some just thought it wasn't worth the hassle.
Many rejoiced when word spread that the space next door would be turned into a proper sized restaurant and many eagerly awaited the opening. Finally last night I was able to see the fully functioning space (a few weeks ago I ate there but one stairwell was closed and the current lobby/former dining room was not complete).A lot of people have already talked about the wine bottle chandeliers. Under them, the downstairs bar/dining area is comfortable and open. The lobby features pictures hanging across the wall where the kitchen once opened into the dining room. The upstairs is the real draw though, with an open skylight, large fireplace and voyeuristic views of the dining room below. My only complaint was smelling like smoke from the fireplace.
Food included bruschetta, mozzarella wrapped in prosciutto, ham and cheese sandwiches, fried risotto balls, pizzas (cheese, artichoke, sausage, pepperoni) and eggplant parmesan.
Mama held court, greeting guests and spreading her Italian mama-ness throughout the party.

"Look Mom- No Hands"

2008-02-15T09:29:00.001-08:00

Because America isn't lazy and fat enough already, fast food chains are focusing on ways to eliminate the use of two hands while eating. "Last year McDonald's started selling chicken and other stuff wrapped in tortillas. This product was a response to consumer appetites for something to eat between meals and with one hand on the steering wheel."
At 300 calories each they're meant to be eaten between meals (to help diminish your appetite?). Not the most scientific method of weightloss, but they're probably healthier than Taco Bell's 4th Meal concept.

So it was funny when the only complaint about this genius idea was that you need two hands to eat it. It's a cup that contains both the meal and the soda together. Perhaps if there was a spout the chicken bits could be poured directly in your mouth....

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T09:21:00.000-08:00

Recipe and story behind Madame Chocolat can be found at Just One Plate.

The Forgot-It's-February Food Marathon

2008-02-13T07:26:00.000-08:00

With the unseasonably warm weather (read: inconveniently truthful global warming) we headed beachward for a day of eating at summery restaurants with outdoor seating.I'm not sure why I felt like this was summery but we started with Samosa House, the Indian market/restaurant for a quick bite. After checking out the goods we opted for more than just a samosa and added spinach, cauliflower in yogurt sauce and their house specialty jackfruit.More than any other food that "tastes like chicken," the jackfruit literally has the look and consistency of chicken. We washed it down with a thick mango lassi.Next stop was Tacomiendo. Seated outside in full summer mode, we noticed an interesting advertisement under the "Open" sign.
I know Kenny G is in with Starbucks and Pinkberry, but Tacomiendo too?Just one carnitas taco with chips, salsa and guacamole was a perfect mid-marathon meal. We always get the same thing at Taco-miendo, which is unfortunate because they have a long menu with a lot of good choices. If only it was a little closer to home.
The final stop was the most summery of all- Diddy Riese. One mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwich with chocolate cookies and one cappuccino chip on chocolate chip cookies later and we success'full'y rolled ourselves home.
After living in Wisconsin, I never take LA's amazing weather for granted. Nor it's food.

There's a list of upcoming food marathons planned including the the cupcake marathon (because someone has to support all 500 designer cupcakes shops in LA), the sandwich marathon, the under $2 marathon and the LA Marathon food marathon amongst the many others.

Hour of the CHIPwreck: Audible vs Edible

2008-02-12T08:15:00.000-08:00

Update: I should have saved this post as now that the album is out and getting radio play it's probably more appropriate.
My last food music post was a face-off between Frittellis donuts in Beverly Hills and a Fratellis concert at the Troubadour.
This time I decided to combine a post about Hot Chip's new album with Kettle's People's Choice hot chips.

Hot Chip
vs
hot chips

The battle of audible vs edible occurred on Christmas Eve. The potato chips were the front-runner, because it's hard to beat a Kettle potato chip- even with club banging bass and vibrant electro hooks. But first let's get up to speed on the Chips:
October 2005- I downloaded "And I Was a Boy From School" by Hot Chip after much hype (probably from Good Weather for Airstrikes). The song is a terrific electronic blend of intricate harmonies, head-nodding beats and memorable melodies. Since then Hot Chip has managed to recreate this magic on numerous synthy hits. Overall, however, I've never been blown away by their albums.
Kettle chips, on the other hand, have been impressive in almost every flavor since their inception-including their new baked pretzel crips. With an affinity towards spice I was elated when I saw their "people's choice" fire and spice 5-pack. I ordered it immediately and it arrived with a party pack of stickers, placards and booklet. It wasn't easy but I saved them for over a month to be tested at a Christmas Eve dinner.
July 2007- I first heard Hot Chip's new single "Shake A Fist." It was a live version on KEXP (home of John in the Morning, the greatest show on the radio) and didn't even feature the song's highlight breakdown.
September 2007- I heard the album version of the song featuring said breakdown and was impressed enough to seek out the whole album, Made in the Dark.December 2007- I got a hold of the pre-released full length and I listened steadily up until the Christmas Eve chip-off:
ROUND 1 - DEATH VALLEY CHIPOTLE vs. OUT AT THE PICTURES (track 1)
I was drawn to the Death Valley Chipotle first because they were supposed to be the spiciest of the 5-pack. I stress "supposed to be" because I've been building up my tolerance to spice and this would be a good gauge. There's definitely a kick, some heat in the afterburn, but nothing too painful. It was a very flavorful chip but ultimately too similar to Lays BBQ flavor to earn a top spot.
"Out at the Pictures" is a great track to start the album off with. An array of time signatures throughout the song identify Hot Chip as a talented, risk-taking band. The chorus lacks a little but should afford them some key commercial and trailer licenses as it's catchy and reminiscent of Fatboy Slim's popular late 90's electronica.

ROUND 2 - ORANGE GINGER WASABI vs. SHAKE A FIST (track 2)
Hand's down my favorite track and chip. The song's rich, layered production is akin to the chip's depth of flavor. Jangly bass undertones in the song are similar to the chip's subtle ginger flavor. The bass and wasabi are the highlights the song and chip respectively- notable in the aforementioned mid-song breakdown. The citrus in the chips is best represented by the overall synths in the song- both are well-defined, well-chosen and blend well with the other elements.

ROUND 3 - JALAPENO SALSA FRESCA vs. READY FOR THE FLOOR (track 3)
My second favorite track and chips were the Jalapeño Salsa Fresca and "Ready for the Floor." The jalapeño chip is not a new creation. I remember eating Crunch Taters at the beach when I was a kid. They were the first jalapeño chips that I'd ever had and I loved them. I felt the same about Kettle's version.
"Ready for the Floor" is similar to Hot Chip's past triumphs. Their signature harmonies, smooth electronics, bouncy beat and pop sensibility create songs that are as enjoyable as... well, a bag of potato chips.

ROUND 4 - WICKED HOT SAUCE vs. WRESTLERS (track 10)
Wrestlers is Hot Chip's version of R Kelly's hit song Ignition. Although thinner in its production, lyrically and musically it could have been a chapter in the genius creation that was Trapped in the Closet.
Similarly Wicked Hot Sauce could be any boutique chip company's spicy flavor (Tim's Cascade, Cape Cod, etc.). I think the chip is more of a cop-out than the song, as Kettle could have attempted a spicy curry or kung pao flavor.

ROUND 5 - MANGO CHILI vs. THE REST OF THE ALBUM
I had high hopes for the Mango Chili chips. The sweetness of the mango wasn't pronounced enough, perhaps because the flavor couldn't be replicated in the factory in New Jersey where they were chemically produced.
I had high hopes for a lot of other tracks on the album. They range from weak dance tracks to semi-soulful r&b to uninspired ballads not worthy of full reviews.
Also, all the chips have the same nutritional information, confirming the chemically produced nature of their construction.

Conclusion: I think Hot Chip should produce Britney Spears' next album. It would earn her street cred with the hipsters and capitalize on the endless media coverage, while exposing Hot Chip's pop-friendly song writing. Plus the tour would put Britney back in her dancing shoes and pull her away from those calorie-filled potato chips.

The Grammy Food Marathon

2008-02-11T09:30:00.000-08:00

In honor of the Grammy Awards I made a trip around LA on a Grammy Food Marathon. You know there's an awards show in LA when the limo population doubles and the rented Bentley convertibles triples.At first I was trying to think of music-inspired restaurants like the Rainbow Room (Guns N Roses), Roscoes (Tupac), etc but wasn't really excited about the options. So I just based the marathon around Staples Center, the site of the Grammys.They were setting up for the big event.
The Original Pantry Cafe was the first restaurant I thought to visit, because it's one of the closest places to Staples and an LA landmark. I've been to the Pantry, however, and preferred places that were new to me. I've never eaten at Grand Central Market and had heard their pupusas and tacos were good, so that was my first stop.It should be noted that parking downtown is as expensive (or more expensive) than Beverly Hills, Santa Monica or any other area in LA. 2 minutes for a nickel, 4 minutes for a dime and 10 minutes for a quarter...
I started with a pupusa at Sarita's. In trying to describe a pupusa to someone who didn't know it was, I found myself trying to mimic the process of its construction. Thanks to the wonders of the worldwide web you can just watch here.
I ordered one with queso and chicarrón (fried pork rind), and about ten minutes later was served my handmade creation. It was a little greasy actually, but the flavors were good. The sauce wasn't terribly hot. Overall, not a bad start.
Next was Ana Maria's for a taco.
Normally on a marathon tacos are good choices because they're small, but at Ana Maria's they might have been trying to inhibit forward marathon progress. The taco (note, it was just one taco and cost $2) came with two extra tortillas because it was so large. The carne asada was spiked with onions and cilantro, and the fatty meat was flavored to perfection. Standing on the side of the food stall, I happily hit the tacos with fresh lime juice and salsa and finished them quickly. Definitely tasty- not the best in LA but certainly not the worst.
The final stop would be dessert at Grandma's Deli Babushka (get it Grandma/Grammy... ). Grandma's is a Russian deli/market with a variety of fresh salads, side dishes, entrees and other Russian treats.
They sell Dadu- these pre-packaged ice cream cones, which are surprisingly good.
After that I stopped by the famous Capitol Records building. The stack-of-records architecture reminds us of the changes the music industry has gone through recently. Follow that up with this shot of American Idol, and you'll see how the business model of artist development has changed drastically- with songwriting being completely omitted from the equation and television used as the means of growth (over radio). Note also Juno, which featured songs by Kimya Dawson (of The Moldy Peaches). The song made famous by the film was released back in 2001 and took seven years to reach mainstream audiences. Credit Juno's director for having the good taste to use the rare gem-of-a-song. Suffice it to say my favorite song from that Moldy Peaches album was "Who's Got the Crack."

Tofu-Schnickens

2008-02-05T18:29:00.000-08:00

After last week's posts about the 90's and vegetarians, I thought what better way to combine the ideas than talking about the Fu-Schnickens and the crazy things you can get get made out of tofu.The Fu-Schnickens were a zany trio of rappers named Chip Fu, Moc Fu and Poc Fu. Add to that their novelty of being some of the fastest rappers around (before Twista took the Guiness Book of Records crown) and endorsement by then rookie basketball sensation Shaquille O'Neal (aka Shaq Fu) and you've got mild mainstream success. Not everyone's favorite, but they made their mark with a select few.
At our Super Bowl party on Sunday we had vegetarian meatballs, which were met with mostly negative reviews. Some people just aren't into mock meat. So, like the Fu-Schnickens there's only a small market for some of the unique tofu creations out there:
I happen to like the Fu-Schnickens and tofu dogs.

One More for the Vegetarians

2008-02-01T09:03:00.001-08:00

A cheeseburger in a can ... doesn't sound that bad. It probably tastes like a Boca Burger.

One for the Vegetarians

2008-01-31T10:46:00.000-08:00

Despite my steady diet of legged and finned animals, there are a number of people very close to me that are vegetarians or vegans. As a result Real Food Daily, Vegan _ (insert word here- Plate, Glory, etc...)___ and other similar restaurants are in regular rotation. Daily Candy recently posted about the girls at Spork Foods who seem like they have a good thing going.
I'm really just talking about vegetarians because I wanted to post about Mandler's Sausage Company's Sausage Fondue- a Gruyere and Emmenthal cheese in white wine. Also, this rather gross looking meat house (maybe if they cooked it?) and this man's best friend: Last year was sausage and biltong for the Super Bowl. This year a request for mini sausages was made. Stay tuned for a full report.

Taco Bell Biv DeVoe

2008-01-30T08:48:00.000-08:00

Today's food music post is about two things that I liked just as much 18 years ago as I do today: Taco Bell and Bell Biv DeVoe. My post about the time I ate 20 tacos is as much background as you need on my interest in Taco Bell.
As the 90's come back into fashion I nostalgically reminisce about my adolescence. It was a time when I wore three different pieces of Stüssy apparel at once. I wore Cross Colours, not really understanding the intricacies of Afrocentric living, but absorbing it 100% into my white suburban lifestyle. I wanted to do the Buffalo Stance but wasn't exactly sure what it was- something about a gigolo, sucka.
At the time the Wu Tang Clan and NWA were changing the face of music, but my virgin ears were more intrigued by New Jack Swing (and House of Pain .... I was new at music. Forgive me). Artists like New Edition and Bobby Brown, and songs like "Just Got Paid," "Motown Philly" and "Rub You the Right Way" appealed to my pop sensibility and youthful energy. Bell Biv DeVoe was my favorite, with chart topping hits, flashy clothes and singable lyrics.
If I had to compare Taco Bell's food to BBD's songs directly, it probably would break down like this:

Taco - "Poison"
Some people would call a Taco Bell taco poison, but they'd be wrong. Both the Bell Biv DeVoe song and the taco are very popular and very satisfying. Although the taco can be assembled in a matter of seconds (after the ingredients are rehydrated and sorted by their chemically produced colors), they still combine for a complex flavor- one that is very specific to a Taco Bell taco. There's also something to be said for lyrics like "never trust a big butt and smile," which could be most fast food chains' motto.

Burrito - "Do Me"
"Oh yeah" are the lyrics seductively repeated throughout the song. Although they're meant sexually, they could also could be about a simple, delicious burrito. Just beans, cheese, diced onions and hot sauce- the bare essentials oozing together to create a meld of salty flavorfulness.

Chilito (aka Chili Cheese Burrito) - "I Thought It Was Me"
Not as popular but definitely my favorite song and item of all. "I Thought It Was Me" didn't chart as high, but it featured every element of a true new jack swing cut and stood out as one of my favorite songs by Bell Biv DeVoe. The Chilito, which was renamed the Chili Cheese Burrito before disappearing from the menu all together (and causing an online petition demanding its resurrection), was literally a tortilla filled with soft, gooey chili and cheese. The contents could have been mistaken for something found in a diaper, but instead tasted like pure Taco Bell gold.

Also, on a similar subject, check out these Taco Belles. Holy Taco provides photos of the type of girls Bell Biv DeVoe sang about, but probably not the type of girls that eat a lot of Taco Bell.

The Matching Game

2008-01-29T08:35:00.001-08:00

Below you will find 5 chefs and 5 of their stunning dishes. Can you match each dish with its culinary creator? Visit Just One Plate for the answers.

1. STROZZAPRETI AL GAMBERI

2. TUNA AU POIVRE

3. FIG AND HERBED GOAT CHEESE TART

4. NEW BEDFORD SCALLOPS

5. WARM CRAB CREPE

A. CHEF NADAV BASHAN, BASHAN

B. CHEF QUINN HATFIELD, HATFIELD'S

C. CHEF DAVID MYERS, SONA

D. CHEF GIUSEPPE MUSSO, AMARONE KITCHEN + WINE

E. CHEF JOSIE LE BALCH, JOSIE

The Balls are Banana

2008-01-28T17:22:00.001-08:00

Another mini vacation to Corona del Mar, this time sans the food marathon and sunshine.
Just two meals at home:
-the first was takeout from Gina's Pizza: Rasta Salad, one pizza with artichoke, basil, pepperoni and mushrooms, one pizza with sausage, mushrooms and olives.
For dessert, despite wanting Häagen-Dazs Bailey's Irish Cream, we got Coffee and Hawaain Lehua Honey & Sweet Cream.
-the second meal was an impressive breakfast of specialty banana pancake balls with fresh banana syrup and bacon.Nothing like a cold, rainy weekend in Newport beside a fire with friends, music and great food.

The Hour of Sour

2008-01-25T13:55:00.000-08:00

Flavor Tripping is doing something special. They throw food parties surrounding The Miracle Fruit. This intriguing ingredient has made headlines because it numbs your sour tastebuds, making sour foods taste sweet.

Video Game Snacks

2008-01-24T18:49:00.000-08:00

Rad... ...and rad.
Do they make T&C Surf cupcakes too?

The Big India vs Little India Food Marathon

2008-01-21T19:26:00.000-08:00

While one of the original food marathoners was 8,000 miles away in India, I was in Little India in Artesia, California. Besides actually going to India, Little India has been our prized destination for years. We've eaten westside Indian food to the point of exhaustion. It wasn't a fair comparison, as Little India features moderate and inexpensively priced meals for families, while he ate at lavish restaurants at hotels throughout India.

First, some interesting firsthand information about food in India:
- Indians do not eat out at restaurants. The best restaurants in India are typically inside hotels and are filled with tourists, rich Indian businessmen, or politicians.- The best food in India is street food. You can walk one block in India and see several dozen food stalls frying, dicing, blending, boiling, etc everything under the sun. A popular mid morning snack is what is called a "Sweet Lime." You go to a cart where they are squeezing limes in a glass and grinding whole cane sugar. They blend the two together and make a wonderful beverage, more refreshing than lemonade. At lunch, you will see people line up eating curries, naan, nuts, fruit juices, deep fried samosa looking things, etc. Notably BBQ'd corn, roasted until the kernels turned agolden brown, rubbed with lime and salt.
- The food overall has the most amazing and diverse flavors. In one bite, you feel immense spice, and taste 100's of ingredients that are unfamiliar to you:

Chicken Tikka

Chicken Tikka Masala

Kebabs

Gulab Jamun

Homemade Kulfi

- Even the airline food was spicy and delicious.- Most Indians are vegetarians. Lamb is clearly only for tourists. Some Indians eat chicken. Most restaurants are advertised as VEG or NON-VEG
- They serve no beef at McDonald's in India and in fact beef is almost impossible to find to to its holy qualities. The Chicken Maharaja Mac was a spicy, curried, delicious Indian version of the Big Mac.
Back in Los Angeles a handful of restaurants rose to the top of the Little India list, the first being Ambala Dhaba
It's in a strip mall on Pioneer Blvd, a street that resembles Palm Springs in its size, newly landscaped center divider and elaborate street signage. Right off the bat the colorful vision and sound of a high budget Bollywood film playing on two flat screen tv's in each corner of the room set the tone. In another corner is a large indoor fountain that actually runs into a river that lies beneath glass flooring throughout the restaurant. So that was a first for a food marathon- an indoor river. The menu is vast, featuring many dishes that we regularly see and a lot that we don't. As we were on a marathon we went with a the chef's lunch special Dhaba Chicken (sauteed in yogurt, garlic, mint & green chilis) and Channa Masala (chick peas cooked with ginger, mango powder and other spices- their description, not mine). Each came with rice, beans, naan (we got chili naan) and rice pudding.
Moving on to Rasraj, the pinnacle of Indian foods I'd never heard of (phulkas, gujrati daal, dhokla, motichur ladoo). The and were by far the most unique flavor combinations of any food marathon. A crunchy exterior pastry shell was filled with cold, sweet, runny yogurt, a red salsa-type sauce, a green sauce, lentils and cubed potatoes. The balance of liquid to starch was weighing heavy on the juicy side... Without a thicker shell to absorb some of the sauces, the overall consistency was bad. The flavor didn't help- sweet, cold and something else... The flakey, mildly flavored topping didn't bring much to the table either. The mango lassi was very tasty, however.
Our final stop was by far my favorite on the marathon. Tirupathi Bhimas's open floor plan reminded me of Palms Thai and had a large sky painted within the dome on the ceiling. Thalis are a selection of different dishes, served in small bowls on round metal trays- my favorite way to eat. I was full of naan and rice by this point so we didn't order a dosa to accompany our spicy thali.
which featured rice, papadom and naan that were dipped into lentil, eggplant, yogurt, onion and soup-filled dishes (the names our waiter ran through too quickly to remember).
The sauces on the table weren't as tasty or spicy as we often find in Thai restaurants.
Lastly, the marathon could easily have been called the Shah Rukh Khan Food Marathon- he's the Johnny Depp of Bollywood and he was watching over us from televisions and posters throughout Artesia. He's even bigger in India. It should be noted that present-day Shah Rukh Khan looks very similar to Johnny Depp circa his 21 Jump Street days.

And in the final look alike contest, this man who was seen on the streets of India looks strikingly similar to RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan.