Girlfriend, don't get me started on cafes. I love cafes. Give me a latte, anything from the bakery and some soft but lively music churned into the low hum of regulars mewling over humdrum life events, and you will be giving me a shot of happiness. Cafe culture is my forte; I live for cafes. And though Fire City is not a purveyor to the sauntering lifestyle (to which cafes typically cater), it does try hard to pretend. Isn't that what this city is about? Pretending? And thus, it has a high number of cafes stationed county-wide, albeit far apart.
LITERATI CAFE in Yupwood is a new discovery of mine. After it had been recommended to me by a number of friends, I looked it up and realised it was down the street from my place of business. I fancied a stop-in. I've been there twice now, and each time was wonderful. LITERATI is not flawless, however. But would I recommend and revisit? Most definitely.
Having recently undergone a makeover, Literati now inhabits two side-by-side locations. Side A is casual but always crowded, with Ikea-like wooden tables crammed too close together. But there is wi-fi, and the service is quick. Side B is a bit more upscale, more "this-is-strictly-business" lunch. The food items seem a touch more refined, and they are also pricier. I have only eaten on Side A and only during lunchtime. First visit, I had a grilled portabello mushroom panini with melted swiss on focaccia (amazing); second visit, I had carrot ginger soup with a side of Mediterranean salad replete with olives and pine nuts and a splash of house vinaigrette. Are you salivating yet? It's okay. I did, too.
I have yet to try the desserts or the classier end of the half-cafe-half-restaurant, but if the first two tastes are anything to go by, I doubt I could ever be disappointed. Now, I don't know if I could do work at Literati--for a place with that name, it seems a bit too busy for any sort of literary endeavor--but it is on my cafe radar. But when it comes to places to station yourself for an afternoon of laptop time, I think my picks are elsewhere.
the place: 12081 Wilshire Blvd 90025 - (310) 231-7484
the taste: Light, farm-fresh, American organic.
in five: 4/5
dine out: http://www.literaticafe.com/
Affichage des articles dont le libellé est fooding. Afficher tous les articles
Affichage des articles dont le libellé est fooding. Afficher tous les articles
dimanche 22 mars 2009
ONE SUNSET | dinner
Yes, yes, it's true. Meant to write about this one eons ago. But it's still on the mind, so I thought I'd finally get around to it.
The better part of a month ago, a group of friends and I decided to take advantage of a foodie tradition in Fire City known as Restaurant Week. It's a misnomer, really, as this year's Restaurant Week (which historically lasts a fortnight) actually lasted an entire month. God bless the recession and desperate chefs citywide!
Restaurant Week features some of the best eateries in the city offering prix fixe menus at reduced prices for those who like to scale up when masticating but don't like to part with their hard-earned. Well, I am among that number. So I made a schedule of places to go and things to eat, detailed by cuisine and price, with the intent to eat out at least twice per week for the entire month-long affair.
Alas. Not even this foodie could spare the cash. Luckily, ONE SUNSET was one of the first stops on my still-uncompleted schedule (which, for the record, will remain unfinished indefinitely), so we did make it there, at least. Funny story, though--we didn't do the Restaurant Week menu. Realising upon arrival that we could upgrade for a mere $10 (bringing the meal-sans-drinks total to $45) to the Chef's Tasting Menu, we did that. And boy, what a treat.
From the sweet potato fries to the mac & cheese to the beet salad to the Angus beef sliders (yeah, I didn't eat those--but I did get my own salmon slider, compliments of the chef) to the mushroom flatbread to the fabulous desserts (creme brulee, blueberry bread pudding & red velvet cupcakes!) everything was great. Our server was kind and knowledgeable--and obviously good at her job, seeing as she upgraded us against our intentions--and the ambiance was classy without being pretentious. Perhaps that's because we went on a Thursday night instead of the high-volume Friday or Saturday scenester's dining time. But we were the better for it. Good food was elevated to great thanks to the entire atmosphere of the place. I've already recommended the joint to several friends, none of whom have left hungry or disgruntled, so I say one point to ONE SUNSET. You're not too shabby at all.
the place: 8730 W Sunset Blvd 90069 - (310) 657-0111
the taste: American with a mock-Asian twist.
in five: 3.5/5 (for the fusion factor--you can't score a four if you serve Asian fusion, sorry)
dine out: http://www.onelittlewest12.com/sunset/
The better part of a month ago, a group of friends and I decided to take advantage of a foodie tradition in Fire City known as Restaurant Week. It's a misnomer, really, as this year's Restaurant Week (which historically lasts a fortnight) actually lasted an entire month. God bless the recession and desperate chefs citywide!
Restaurant Week features some of the best eateries in the city offering prix fixe menus at reduced prices for those who like to scale up when masticating but don't like to part with their hard-earned. Well, I am among that number. So I made a schedule of places to go and things to eat, detailed by cuisine and price, with the intent to eat out at least twice per week for the entire month-long affair.
Alas. Not even this foodie could spare the cash. Luckily, ONE SUNSET was one of the first stops on my still-uncompleted schedule (which, for the record, will remain unfinished indefinitely), so we did make it there, at least. Funny story, though--we didn't do the Restaurant Week menu. Realising upon arrival that we could upgrade for a mere $10 (bringing the meal-sans-drinks total to $45) to the Chef's Tasting Menu, we did that. And boy, what a treat.
From the sweet potato fries to the mac & cheese to the beet salad to the Angus beef sliders (yeah, I didn't eat those--but I did get my own salmon slider, compliments of the chef) to the mushroom flatbread to the fabulous desserts (creme brulee, blueberry bread pudding & red velvet cupcakes!) everything was great. Our server was kind and knowledgeable--and obviously good at her job, seeing as she upgraded us against our intentions--and the ambiance was classy without being pretentious. Perhaps that's because we went on a Thursday night instead of the high-volume Friday or Saturday scenester's dining time. But we were the better for it. Good food was elevated to great thanks to the entire atmosphere of the place. I've already recommended the joint to several friends, none of whom have left hungry or disgruntled, so I say one point to ONE SUNSET. You're not too shabby at all.
the place: 8730 W Sunset Blvd 90069 - (310) 657-0111
the taste: American with a mock-Asian twist.
in five: 3.5/5 (for the fusion factor--you can't score a four if you serve Asian fusion, sorry)
dine out: http://www.onelittlewest12.com/sunset/
mardi 10 février 2009
Messob Ethiopian Restaurant | dinner
True to my word, I have given Ethiopian food a second chance. And I have to say, apparently, the restaurant I tried the first time around was not the best Ethiopian Restaurant in Little Ethiopia, the street-long, East African culture bubble in central Fire City. Nyala was good, but Messob, my Ethiopian round two, was great.
It was work that brought me there, I must admit. I've always been one to spend money on a new place than go back to one I was only half keen on, so I suggested Messob, and luckily the boss had heard good things. The injera (sourdough-like flappy bread) was fluffier, the spices much more resonant, and we ordered trout...and they brought a whole trout. Like with the head, and I had to slice it. Fun! And delicious.
After Messob, I can say, confidently, that I like Ethiopian food. And I don't mean to fault Nyala too much; I think when I went there, I didn't know what to expect at all, so my palate wasn't ripe for assessment, too confused by curiosity to levy any proper critique. I think Nyala is good; I just think Messob is better. And I definitely hope to go back! Care to join me?
the spot: Messob Ethiopian Restaurant | (323) 938-8827
the thought: 4/5
to try: honey wine! tastes like nectar of the slightly alcoholic gods
use your hands: http://www.messob.com/
It was work that brought me there, I must admit. I've always been one to spend money on a new place than go back to one I was only half keen on, so I suggested Messob, and luckily the boss had heard good things. The injera (sourdough-like flappy bread) was fluffier, the spices much more resonant, and we ordered trout...and they brought a whole trout. Like with the head, and I had to slice it. Fun! And delicious.
After Messob, I can say, confidently, that I like Ethiopian food. And I don't mean to fault Nyala too much; I think when I went there, I didn't know what to expect at all, so my palate wasn't ripe for assessment, too confused by curiosity to levy any proper critique. I think Nyala is good; I just think Messob is better. And I definitely hope to go back! Care to join me?
the spot: Messob Ethiopian Restaurant | (323) 938-8827
the thought: 4/5
to try: honey wine! tastes like nectar of the slightly alcoholic gods
use your hands: http://www.messob.com/
dimanche 4 janvier 2009
Palomino | happy hour
Hey, I've found my new favorite happy hour hang. But actually, since I didn't have a happy hour place to begin with, I guess I've found my one and only.
Palomino has wonderful locational attributes, being located between my work and my castle, which makes it quite easy for my driver to take me there.* But the fun doesn't stop there--it features a fabulous hard-to-find deal: the "double happy hour." This is when a restaurant realises that a happy hour that ends by 7pm is inadequate, considering most people get off work at 7pm these days anyway. Instead of taking merciless advantage of our late schedules, hunger desperation and thirst for swift libation and just charging full price around the clock, some spots think twice and say, "Hmm. If I get them to come back before they go out...I might convince them to duck out of work early a different night!" Hence, at Palomino and a few of Fire City's similarly savvy drinking holes, happy hour is from 4-7 and from 10-12midnight. Thanks, Palomino.
Having visited for both installments of this happy happy hour schedule (on different occasions, mind), I have to say the late night version tends to be a little less full and a younger crowd--but on Saturday night, they carded us and gave us wristbands. What? If this counts as a club experience for the nearby college kids, I do not envy them their night lives. I therefore prefer the early showing--the crowd is a little more "business" and the wait staff a little less friendly, but I at least didn't feel like a freshman with a fake ID sneaking into a fancy place with plans to scrimp on tip after eating a five-dollar pizza.
Oh--that's right, pizza. FIVE DOLLARS. Drinks: FOUR DOLLARS. I recommend the pomegranate margarita. Goes down like juice, though, so watch yourself. My friend Fratlet (who "never gets drunk") put four away in short order and suddenly was asking me for a ride home. He fiercely recommends the cranberry mojito, by the way.
Food-wise, there was more than pizza to be had--which is a good thing, since the pizzas really only seemed to taste as good as we thought they did because they were five dollars. (They weren't bad at all--they just were what they were: big, five dollar pizzas.) The rave-worthy happy hour dishes are really (1)the always $4 hummous appetizer and (2)the hot crab and artichoke dip, served with salty, garlic flatbread. Actually, everything at Palomino (for better or worse) kind of smells and tastes like salty garlic. Though delicious, it is a flavor that will eventually limit your repeat visitation for its lack of flux. It makes Palomino good for a once a week or once every other week stop, should you like, but probably not a daily fixation as a libation station. Which is probably best, since those $4 drinks do eventually add up.
spot: http://www.palomino.com/index.php?cook=1&locations=Los+Angeles
in five: 4/5
Palomino, I will return to you. And soon. My driver will bring me there.
* = Yeah, you didn't know? I'm rich, bitch!
Palomino has wonderful locational attributes, being located between my work and my castle, which makes it quite easy for my driver to take me there.* But the fun doesn't stop there--it features a fabulous hard-to-find deal: the "double happy hour." This is when a restaurant realises that a happy hour that ends by 7pm is inadequate, considering most people get off work at 7pm these days anyway. Instead of taking merciless advantage of our late schedules, hunger desperation and thirst for swift libation and just charging full price around the clock, some spots think twice and say, "Hmm. If I get them to come back before they go out...I might convince them to duck out of work early a different night!" Hence, at Palomino and a few of Fire City's similarly savvy drinking holes, happy hour is from 4-7 and from 10-12midnight. Thanks, Palomino.
Having visited for both installments of this happy happy hour schedule (on different occasions, mind), I have to say the late night version tends to be a little less full and a younger crowd--but on Saturday night, they carded us and gave us wristbands. What? If this counts as a club experience for the nearby college kids, I do not envy them their night lives. I therefore prefer the early showing--the crowd is a little more "business" and the wait staff a little less friendly, but I at least didn't feel like a freshman with a fake ID sneaking into a fancy place with plans to scrimp on tip after eating a five-dollar pizza.
Oh--that's right, pizza. FIVE DOLLARS. Drinks: FOUR DOLLARS. I recommend the pomegranate margarita. Goes down like juice, though, so watch yourself. My friend Fratlet (who "never gets drunk") put four away in short order and suddenly was asking me for a ride home. He fiercely recommends the cranberry mojito, by the way.
Food-wise, there was more than pizza to be had--which is a good thing, since the pizzas really only seemed to taste as good as we thought they did because they were five dollars. (They weren't bad at all--they just were what they were: big, five dollar pizzas.) The rave-worthy happy hour dishes are really (1)the always $4 hummous appetizer and (2)the hot crab and artichoke dip, served with salty, garlic flatbread. Actually, everything at Palomino (for better or worse) kind of smells and tastes like salty garlic. Though delicious, it is a flavor that will eventually limit your repeat visitation for its lack of flux. It makes Palomino good for a once a week or once every other week stop, should you like, but probably not a daily fixation as a libation station. Which is probably best, since those $4 drinks do eventually add up.
spot: http://www.palomino.com/index.php?cook=1&locations=Los+Angeles
in five: 4/5
Palomino, I will return to you. And soon. My driver will bring me there.
* = Yeah, you didn't know? I'm rich, bitch!
mardi 16 décembre 2008
Ulysses Voyage | dejeuner
Who says malls don't have good food?? Well, those who say that usually have a point: Sbarro's, McDonald's, Tastee Freez and Wetzel's Pretzels aren't exactly what I would call "good food." Not if you like an original meal and/or your original waistline (not necessarily in that order). But for every ten malls in middle America that get it wrong, there's at least one mall in Fire City that gets it right.
We're a pretentious crowd, admit it. Wetzel's doesn't satisfy anything but our need to look sideways at our girlfriends and say, "Really? Extra cheese? Do you need extra cheese?" And that need, though often strong, is not noble. Therefore, in an attempt to maintain a shred of nobility, Fire City malls "class up" (did I just coin a new term?) and serve better food. Look at our favorite outdoor mall, The Grove. Sure, it's got its share of Cheesecake Factory and a bit of Wetzel...but The Grove also has Ulysses Voyage, a modern Greek bistro that wowed my business lunch socks off.
What am I talking--I don't wear business lunch socks. Until the weather dipped last weekend, I barely ever wore socks. This is California, after all.
But Ulysses Voyage, from the first taste of house-made hummous to the last nibble of grilled calamari shrimp pizza, was ridiculously awesome. I don't know how Greek that pizza really is, but who cares, I'll take it. And it's the perfect size for a waistline-watching gal to nibble at lunch and re-visit for dinner.
My work friends and I went there for a special send-off: I was leaving their lovely fold of fun, and as a last hurrah, we went to Greece. It's true: I may hate MAMMA MIA, but I do love Mediterranean food. From falafel to gyros and several variations on a theme of the chick pea, Ulysses served up great afternoon fare, fit for the office crowd or a romantic lunch date, and its location provided a great deal of people watching without the horrible mall atrocity of "people touching." The world looks best, Bette Midler and I agree, from a distance.
A note on that location: blink while walking and you might miss the place--I have until now. It's located near the clock tower and the Coffee Bean, between the mall's entrance proper and the tail end of the boisterously unkempt and expensive Farmer's Market. (The Farmer's Market, might I note, has a GREAT funnel cake section. Besides that, it's mostly skippable since the prices have escalated to spite the economy's malevolent frown.) Also, you'll do best to make reservations: though the place never seems to be full, reservations allow you the option of first pick for patio (great when it's sunny!) or indoors near the fire--where I wonder if they allow traditional Greek plate-breaking. L'Chaim!
the takeaway: Good food and good service.
in five: 4/5 for a mall; probably 3.5/5 for a restaurant (docked .5 for location--the Grove may be nice, but it's still a mall)
tastes better than ABBA: http://www.ulyssesvoyage.com/
We're a pretentious crowd, admit it. Wetzel's doesn't satisfy anything but our need to look sideways at our girlfriends and say, "Really? Extra cheese? Do you need extra cheese?" And that need, though often strong, is not noble. Therefore, in an attempt to maintain a shred of nobility, Fire City malls "class up" (did I just coin a new term?) and serve better food. Look at our favorite outdoor mall, The Grove. Sure, it's got its share of Cheesecake Factory and a bit of Wetzel...but The Grove also has Ulysses Voyage, a modern Greek bistro that wowed my business lunch socks off.
What am I talking--I don't wear business lunch socks. Until the weather dipped last weekend, I barely ever wore socks. This is California, after all.
But Ulysses Voyage, from the first taste of house-made hummous to the last nibble of grilled calamari shrimp pizza, was ridiculously awesome. I don't know how Greek that pizza really is, but who cares, I'll take it. And it's the perfect size for a waistline-watching gal to nibble at lunch and re-visit for dinner.
My work friends and I went there for a special send-off: I was leaving their lovely fold of fun, and as a last hurrah, we went to Greece. It's true: I may hate MAMMA MIA, but I do love Mediterranean food. From falafel to gyros and several variations on a theme of the chick pea, Ulysses served up great afternoon fare, fit for the office crowd or a romantic lunch date, and its location provided a great deal of people watching without the horrible mall atrocity of "people touching." The world looks best, Bette Midler and I agree, from a distance.
A note on that location: blink while walking and you might miss the place--I have until now. It's located near the clock tower and the Coffee Bean, between the mall's entrance proper and the tail end of the boisterously unkempt and expensive Farmer's Market. (The Farmer's Market, might I note, has a GREAT funnel cake section. Besides that, it's mostly skippable since the prices have escalated to spite the economy's malevolent frown.) Also, you'll do best to make reservations: though the place never seems to be full, reservations allow you the option of first pick for patio (great when it's sunny!) or indoors near the fire--where I wonder if they allow traditional Greek plate-breaking. L'Chaim!
the takeaway: Good food and good service.
in five: 4/5 for a mall; probably 3.5/5 for a restaurant (docked .5 for location--the Grove may be nice, but it's still a mall)
tastes better than ABBA: http://www.ulyssesvoyage.com/
mardi 25 novembre 2008
Zankou Chicken | dinner
I know! There's 'chicken' in the title, and I'm vegetarian. But just like the maker of a little booze monkey I know as Captain Pepper, a title doesn't always tell the whole story. There's more than "pepper" in that drink, and there's more than just chicken at Zankou Chicken.
Zankous is a chain of Armenian fast food joints in LA that feeds anyone looking for a taste of the motherland (i.e., the Mediterranean region). I'm usually hankering for something from the region. And really, any place that sells hot, fresh falafel for only sixty cents a ball gets my vote. I spent just over five dollars and still had enough mutabbal (that's eggplant hummous) to take home! But eating there, dwelling on the greatness of fresh pita bread and enjoying good conversation...that was good, too. It was quick and delicious. And that hummous? Mmm, Zankou. You have pleased me.
in five: 3/5 (docked 1/2 point due to ambiance?)
yummy in the tummy: http://www.zankouchicken.com/
Zankous is a chain of Armenian fast food joints in LA that feeds anyone looking for a taste of the motherland (i.e., the Mediterranean region). I'm usually hankering for something from the region. And really, any place that sells hot, fresh falafel for only sixty cents a ball gets my vote. I spent just over five dollars and still had enough mutabbal (that's eggplant hummous) to take home! But eating there, dwelling on the greatness of fresh pita bread and enjoying good conversation...that was good, too. It was quick and delicious. And that hummous? Mmm, Zankou. You have pleased me.
in five: 3/5 (docked 1/2 point due to ambiance?)
yummy in the tummy: http://www.zankouchicken.com/
dimanche 14 septembre 2008
WE EAT THE CITY II (Taste of Santa Monica)
Let's say you lived in a city that had tons of great restaurants. Like tons. Let's say you wanted to eat at all of them, but they were all fairly expensive, and you had both a shortage of time, money and patience, but a surplus of hunger. Let's say this city heard about you and decided to have a yearly, day-long, reasonably-priced food festival that featured the dishes of forty of said city's great restaurants, all for your immediate and repeated consumption. Oh, what a wonderful city that would be.
Welcome to Santa Monica.
I know I usually nickname places and people, but Santa Monica--previously and soon-again-to-be "Beach City"--deserves her props, because Taste of Santa Monica is not just a novel idea, but also a delectably delicious one.
Taste of Santa Monica, in its seventh session this year, features the notable offerings of the best of Beach City's eateries for one entrance fee that lets you try them all. Drinks are on you, but if you bring your own water, order your tickets in advance from my fabulous friend Goldstar and then park on Main Street instead of closer to the pier, the whole day costs you twenty-five bucks. $25! For samples from FORTY restaurants that are ALL GOOD and leave you STUFFED and HAPPY?!?! In the words of Cartoon SaMo: "This must be what heaven is like."
The event lasted from 12-4pm, but we didn't need the whole time. Starting off at about 12.30, it took us two hours to visit every booth, and even though not everyone in our foodie group of five tried every booth, we all departed with our stomachs full and our feet a little tired, but we felt very proud of our progress. It's definitely going to be a 2009 must-do.
Top Five Tastes, Savory:
1. EL CHOLO MEXICAN RESTAURANT - Green corn tamales (sweet tamale filled with aged cheddar, cheese and ortega chili): Not only was the texture spot on--not at all overcooked, despite the hurried festival delivery--but the portion was a whole tamale (!), and it came paired with a crunchy almond & brown-sugar cookie that almost pushed El Cholo to be one of our top sweet picks. [Website]
2. FAIRMONT MIRAMAR HOTEL - Wild mushroom tartine with an apple frisee salad: One of our first good finds. The mushrooms, served chilled atop a tuffled fromage blanc, were perfectly seasoned, and the salad beside them light and delicious. [Website]
3. LA VECCHIA CUCINA - Penne zingram (pasta served with sundried tomatoes, leeks, zucchini, fresh tomatoes tossed in an olive oil and garlic sauce): Usually I say "pasta is pasta," I'm hardly ever that interested in noodly carbs, but this pasta took the cake with its light, aromatic sauce and two types of tomatoes. Yummy! [Website]
4. OCEAN & VINEAT LOEWS SANTA MONICA BEACH HOTEL - Lobster/shitake ravioli lobster reduction: We ate it too late to truly appreciate it while ingesting, but in post, we were all talking about it! Apparently, hotel food is better than airport food--by a lot. [Website]
5. WOKCANO - Tuna tartare...served on a Dorito: Years of Doritos early in my pre-pubescent youth has made me hate Doritos. So when I saw this, I wanted to groan, "What the f, you lazy fools, can't you give us some real crostini?!" but after deciding to calm down and give it a try, I was more than pleasantly surprised. I've never really liked Wokcano, but this uncooked tuna was the best of the day (it's California; there was a lot of tuna sushi around), and the Dorito...reluctant to say it, but it added a pleasant kick. [Website]
Runner Up, THE ORGANIC PANIFICIO - Fresh bruschetta with crostini and truffle cheese sacchetti: Three cheers for three cheese pasta! [Website]
Top Five Tastes, Sweet:
1. ACADIE HAND CRAFTED FRENCH CREPES - Nutella crepe: What's not to love? And it was fun to watch the crepe makers flips their wrists so expertly. Crepe-making is truly an art, meaning crepes are edible art. Thank you, France. [Website]
2. EVERGREEN TEA HOUSE - Iced matcha green tea: So refreshing and just barely sweet. I went back for seconds. [No website]
3. HOTCAKES BAKES - Red velvet cupcake: Served in a one-bit size with a healthy (or unhealthy) dollop of cream cheese frosting, this cake just may be Sprinkles' rival. Guess I'll have to go back and do a cupcake bake-off. [Website]
4. SPN FOR MAHATMA RICE - Basmati Bombay dream rice pudding: Very dreamy. The rice was a smidge undercooked, but I'll forgive them for the smart addition of bitty almonds they decided to sprinkle on top. [Website]
5. IL FORNAIO - Assorted yummy cookies (though they also had bruschetta al pomodoro and prusciutto melone): I skipped on the savory and took a cookie to go--a buttery number with strawberry jam baked into its soft middle. Delicious, and a wonderful pair to the iced matcha. [Website]
So full, so happy, hooray for heavenly food.
Welcome to Santa Monica.
I know I usually nickname places and people, but Santa Monica--previously and soon-again-to-be "Beach City"--deserves her props, because Taste of Santa Monica is not just a novel idea, but also a delectably delicious one.
Taste of Santa Monica, in its seventh session this year, features the notable offerings of the best of Beach City's eateries for one entrance fee that lets you try them all. Drinks are on you, but if you bring your own water, order your tickets in advance from my fabulous friend Goldstar and then park on Main Street instead of closer to the pier, the whole day costs you twenty-five bucks. $25! For samples from FORTY restaurants that are ALL GOOD and leave you STUFFED and HAPPY?!?! In the words of Cartoon SaMo: "This must be what heaven is like."
The event lasted from 12-4pm, but we didn't need the whole time. Starting off at about 12.30, it took us two hours to visit every booth, and even though not everyone in our foodie group of five tried every booth, we all departed with our stomachs full and our feet a little tired, but we felt very proud of our progress. It's definitely going to be a 2009 must-do.
Top Five Tastes, Savory:
1. EL CHOLO MEXICAN RESTAURANT - Green corn tamales (sweet tamale filled with aged cheddar, cheese and ortega chili): Not only was the texture spot on--not at all overcooked, despite the hurried festival delivery--but the portion was a whole tamale (!), and it came paired with a crunchy almond & brown-sugar cookie that almost pushed El Cholo to be one of our top sweet picks. [Website]
2. FAIRMONT MIRAMAR HOTEL - Wild mushroom tartine with an apple frisee salad: One of our first good finds. The mushrooms, served chilled atop a tuffled fromage blanc, were perfectly seasoned, and the salad beside them light and delicious. [Website]
3. LA VECCHIA CUCINA - Penne zingram (pasta served with sundried tomatoes, leeks, zucchini, fresh tomatoes tossed in an olive oil and garlic sauce): Usually I say "pasta is pasta," I'm hardly ever that interested in noodly carbs, but this pasta took the cake with its light, aromatic sauce and two types of tomatoes. Yummy! [Website]
4. OCEAN & VINEAT LOEWS SANTA MONICA BEACH HOTEL - Lobster/shitake ravioli lobster reduction: We ate it too late to truly appreciate it while ingesting, but in post, we were all talking about it! Apparently, hotel food is better than airport food--by a lot. [Website]
5. WOKCANO - Tuna tartare...served on a Dorito: Years of Doritos early in my pre-pubescent youth has made me hate Doritos. So when I saw this, I wanted to groan, "What the f, you lazy fools, can't you give us some real crostini?!" but after deciding to calm down and give it a try, I was more than pleasantly surprised. I've never really liked Wokcano, but this uncooked tuna was the best of the day (it's California; there was a lot of tuna sushi around), and the Dorito...reluctant to say it, but it added a pleasant kick. [Website]
Runner Up, THE ORGANIC PANIFICIO - Fresh bruschetta with crostini and truffle cheese sacchetti: Three cheers for three cheese pasta! [Website]
Top Five Tastes, Sweet:
1. ACADIE HAND CRAFTED FRENCH CREPES - Nutella crepe: What's not to love? And it was fun to watch the crepe makers flips their wrists so expertly. Crepe-making is truly an art, meaning crepes are edible art. Thank you, France. [Website]
2. EVERGREEN TEA HOUSE - Iced matcha green tea: So refreshing and just barely sweet. I went back for seconds. [No website]
3. HOTCAKES BAKES - Red velvet cupcake: Served in a one-bit size with a healthy (or unhealthy) dollop of cream cheese frosting, this cake just may be Sprinkles' rival. Guess I'll have to go back and do a cupcake bake-off. [Website]
4. SPN FOR MAHATMA RICE - Basmati Bombay dream rice pudding: Very dreamy. The rice was a smidge undercooked, but I'll forgive them for the smart addition of bitty almonds they decided to sprinkle on top. [Website]
5. IL FORNAIO - Assorted yummy cookies (though they also had bruschetta al pomodoro and prusciutto melone): I skipped on the savory and took a cookie to go--a buttery number with strawberry jam baked into its soft middle. Delicious, and a wonderful pair to the iced matcha. [Website]
So full, so happy, hooray for heavenly food.
vendredi 12 septembre 2008
I am my own Urban Dictionary II
Word: "food" as a verb.
Definition: the act, figurative or literal, of eating something with gusto, most usually in the presence of friends. One rarely foods alone (that would be binge eating, not fooding, which like binge drinking, is usually a sign of a problem).
Examples of usage:
1. Hey, wanna food this weekend?
2. I'm about to food this house down.
Note 1: "Food" is accompanied by a perceived element of commonness when used in the present simple tense. When modified to the present or past continuous tense ("-ing"), the word value increases in prestige. (Example: "We're going to food after happy hour, if you're interested," versus, "We'll be fooding this weekend after a day of wine tasting, if you're interested.")
Definition: the act, figurative or literal, of eating something with gusto, most usually in the presence of friends. One rarely foods alone (that would be binge eating, not fooding, which like binge drinking, is usually a sign of a problem).
Examples of usage:
1. Hey, wanna food this weekend?
2. I'm about to food this house down.
Note 1: "Food" is accompanied by a perceived element of commonness when used in the present simple tense. When modified to the present or past continuous tense ("-ing"), the word value increases in prestige. (Example: "We're going to food after happy hour, if you're interested," versus, "We'll be fooding this weekend after a day of wine tasting, if you're interested.")
Luna Park | dinner
I'm convinced I have some of the best friends in the world. Somehow, they've learned how much I love to eat--and eat well--and have accommodated my epicurean habits into their personal lives and social calendars. My friends save coupons from the market to go to IHOP and watch me salivate like a Pavlovian dog at the mention of a buttermilk short stack. They email me when they hear about places to get good cookies and every time Fire City decides to hold a Cupcake Challenge. I mean, really. I'm fast realising that my loving relationship with food is one of my defining characteristics. And why shouldn't it be?
Most recently, my friend Cartoon SaMo (he lives in Santa Monica and has the endearing loveability of a Saturday morning cartoon--look, SaMo has a double meaning!) started a tradition he's monikered Dinner Club. Weekly--and we're currently trying for Thursdays--he and his chosen list of invitees will meet at a different notable Fire City food joint to make conversation, make friends, and simultaneously food ourselves to our hearts' content. Yeah, that's right, in my world "food" is a verb. And one place that knows how to use it is Luna Park.
Luna Park was the destination, last night, of the inaugural meeting of Dinner Club. I'd been there before, to enjoy a prix fixe dinner during Fire City Restaurant Week, and at the time, I walked away saying, "Those wasabi mashed potatoes were a bad choice," but the ambiance, I remember liking, and its proximity to my workplace also earned it some points. When Cartoon SaMo suggested it for Dinner Club, I was at first a little disappointed. Still enjoying the newness of fooding in this town, I don't tend to double-hit many locations outside my fave five, but I realised if our first visit impressed SaMo that much, then we'd better go back.
This visit, no wasabi mashed potatoes. But yes to drinks at the dimly lit bar. Reservations were at 7.30, but I'd heard stories of Luna's cocktails, so I strolled over after work (hurried over, actually; SaMo beat me there) and ordered at the bar. The early-arriving boys went masculine: SaMo's friend Theme Park Parking (he works for Disney) ordered whiskey on the rocks, and SaMo downed a dirty martini. I went androgynous and ordered a gimlet: vodka and lime juice, apparently. Presentation was so-so on the beverages (the dirty got spilled all over the glass and wasn't even pat dry...which was kinda dirty), but our 'tender was smooth and friendly.
When the rest of the guests arrived, we settled in for the eats, and the night rolled along nicely. Our table started with Luna's signature fondue, a goat cheesy number that I didn't try, but that disappeared quickly. Obviously, we were pleasantly stuffed by meal's end (though I boxed up half my pizza to go--thirteen bucks actually bought me that night's dinner as well as the next day's lunch and maybe more dinner), but there was no way we were saying no to the create your own s'mores for dessert. Oh man, to be at the campfire again! But without the bears, ghost stories and too many soccer moms wearing sleeveless tops.
the food: I think I scored highest. Others raved about the mac and cheese, but my choice, El Camarone pizza, was magnificent. Shrimp on mozza with fresh arugula and this...ever so delicately spiced lime sauce drizzle...don't know what they called it, but I'm calling it fantastic sauce.
the mood: They describe themselves as "kitschy, flea market chic." Interesting. I say...they're like the lantern booth in a casbah with the daytime lights turned off and the sexy lights glowing at half-mast.
the cocktail: LA Gimlet, get it while it's there. Absolut LA vodka (the special edition blend with notes of acai berry and pomegranate) makes the gold.
in five: 3.5/5
a walk around the park: http://www.lunaparkla.com/
Most recently, my friend Cartoon SaMo (he lives in Santa Monica and has the endearing loveability of a Saturday morning cartoon--look, SaMo has a double meaning!) started a tradition he's monikered Dinner Club. Weekly--and we're currently trying for Thursdays--he and his chosen list of invitees will meet at a different notable Fire City food joint to make conversation, make friends, and simultaneously food ourselves to our hearts' content. Yeah, that's right, in my world "food" is a verb. And one place that knows how to use it is Luna Park.
Luna Park was the destination, last night, of the inaugural meeting of Dinner Club. I'd been there before, to enjoy a prix fixe dinner during Fire City Restaurant Week, and at the time, I walked away saying, "Those wasabi mashed potatoes were a bad choice," but the ambiance, I remember liking, and its proximity to my workplace also earned it some points. When Cartoon SaMo suggested it for Dinner Club, I was at first a little disappointed. Still enjoying the newness of fooding in this town, I don't tend to double-hit many locations outside my fave five, but I realised if our first visit impressed SaMo that much, then we'd better go back.
This visit, no wasabi mashed potatoes. But yes to drinks at the dimly lit bar. Reservations were at 7.30, but I'd heard stories of Luna's cocktails, so I strolled over after work (hurried over, actually; SaMo beat me there) and ordered at the bar. The early-arriving boys went masculine: SaMo's friend Theme Park Parking (he works for Disney) ordered whiskey on the rocks, and SaMo downed a dirty martini. I went androgynous and ordered a gimlet: vodka and lime juice, apparently. Presentation was so-so on the beverages (the dirty got spilled all over the glass and wasn't even pat dry...which was kinda dirty), but our 'tender was smooth and friendly.
When the rest of the guests arrived, we settled in for the eats, and the night rolled along nicely. Our table started with Luna's signature fondue, a goat cheesy number that I didn't try, but that disappeared quickly. Obviously, we were pleasantly stuffed by meal's end (though I boxed up half my pizza to go--thirteen bucks actually bought me that night's dinner as well as the next day's lunch and maybe more dinner), but there was no way we were saying no to the create your own s'mores for dessert. Oh man, to be at the campfire again! But without the bears, ghost stories and too many soccer moms wearing sleeveless tops.
the food: I think I scored highest. Others raved about the mac and cheese, but my choice, El Camarone pizza, was magnificent. Shrimp on mozza with fresh arugula and this...ever so delicately spiced lime sauce drizzle...don't know what they called it, but I'm calling it fantastic sauce.
the mood: They describe themselves as "kitschy, flea market chic." Interesting. I say...they're like the lantern booth in a casbah with the daytime lights turned off and the sexy lights glowing at half-mast.
the cocktail: LA Gimlet, get it while it's there. Absolut LA vodka (the special edition blend with notes of acai berry and pomegranate) makes the gold.
in five: 3.5/5
a walk around the park: http://www.lunaparkla.com/
samedi 23 août 2008
Happy Endings | dinner, etc
I'm not so good with birthdays.
My birthday is next Thursday, and I find myself drowning in the familiar pit of despair associated with the yearly internal struggle concerning my ordinary and inefficient existence, as evidenced by the fact that I've plodded the earth for one more year--bringing the grand total of passed time to just shy of a quarter of a century--yet still have failed to blip on the world's radar, i.e., the social radar of success as measured by the Recognition Trifecta (tm) of Wealth, Endorsement and Long Bouts of Good Luck (if you have all three, you're usually viewed as pretty successful). My birthday serves as the annual reminder, and I always battle almost a manic-depressive state of elation and depression at experiencing one more exhausting year of glorious life; it's surreal. I want to be the Cheshire cat, and I'm the rabbit.
But the solution, I've found, for the past three years or so, is to devote myself to celebrating my birthday as if it's the last great time I may ever have--who knows, it just might be--so as to draw my mind off the fact that I have yet to invent something cool, like an electric car or a portable dishwasher or a gluten-free pound cake that tastes just like the real thing (as if I was trying), and to focus on the fact that I have friends and family who love me, and in the grand scheme of things, considering all I've done and seen up until now, my life is pretty sweet.
This week, I decided on a week-long celebreezy that kicked off on Thursday night at a bar in Gritwood called Happy Endings. Great name. I'd never been there before, but after having the place recommended to me three times in one week, I decided it was time. Ambled my way over, solo after work, to meet my friend Bellini (she gets dizzy off half a Bellini), so we could have dinner, shoot the shit and see where the night took us.
Happy Endings was a happy surprise. Well...the food was mediocre: bar food with a struggling-at-upscale twist that missed the intended mark but washed down easy given the wrestler-strong cocktails. I had their classic cosmo, and Bellini tackled the Rub My Raspberry (that's right) Lemon Drop.
The food portions, on the other hand, were enormous. We both ordered appetizers, supposedly, but finished nearly too full to have dessert. Nearly. Ordering the plate of fresh cookies (one sugar, two oatmeal, two chocolate chip), which came partnered with a glass of cold milk (I handed that off to Bellini, natch), was probably a bad choice, given the amount of food we scarfed down. But I can't say no to cookies! They, too, were only ok--better than some, and they were warm, so that was good--but I ate them anyway. So by the time our friends joined as after our meal, we were both a little too full to enjoy the game of beer pong that highlights Happy Endings' already convivial charm on Thursday nights.
The restaurant space is big, and the crowd is boisterous. Even when Bellini and I were there with just the post-work crowd, the bright wood, scratched tables, hot waiter and laughing patrons made me glad to be. Plus, they have a wheel of fortune of drink specials (whatever drink the wheel lands on becomes the special until next spin), and as the Birthday Girl En Residence, I got to spin. Sadly, I missed out on granting the entire bar $5 car bombs, and instead everyone got 2-for-1 Trump vodka. Boring! What ever, I was too full to drink. Milk (and cookies) *was* a bad choice. Luckily, we decided to walk it off by heading up the street to the Roosevelt Hotel, which offers a fabulous jazz night on Thursdays (free cover!) at their sultry street-level bar, Teddy's. A must-do, it was chill and free and, despite the mediocre star-candy, made me forget I was in Gritwood at all. Great night, perfect start.
the food: Fish and chips, not your traditional. It's breaded chunks of ahi tuna with sesame-wasabi fries and a soy dipping sauce. Weird but good-weird. Sharing recommended!
the mood: A frat party on a good night, before the freshmen show up.
in five: 4/5, definitely would like to go back, for the vibe and drinks, if not the eats.
get happy: http://www.thehappyendingbar.com/index.html
My birthday is next Thursday, and I find myself drowning in the familiar pit of despair associated with the yearly internal struggle concerning my ordinary and inefficient existence, as evidenced by the fact that I've plodded the earth for one more year--bringing the grand total of passed time to just shy of a quarter of a century--yet still have failed to blip on the world's radar, i.e., the social radar of success as measured by the Recognition Trifecta (tm) of Wealth, Endorsement and Long Bouts of Good Luck (if you have all three, you're usually viewed as pretty successful). My birthday serves as the annual reminder, and I always battle almost a manic-depressive state of elation and depression at experiencing one more exhausting year of glorious life; it's surreal. I want to be the Cheshire cat, and I'm the rabbit.
But the solution, I've found, for the past three years or so, is to devote myself to celebrating my birthday as if it's the last great time I may ever have--who knows, it just might be--so as to draw my mind off the fact that I have yet to invent something cool, like an electric car or a portable dishwasher or a gluten-free pound cake that tastes just like the real thing (as if I was trying), and to focus on the fact that I have friends and family who love me, and in the grand scheme of things, considering all I've done and seen up until now, my life is pretty sweet.
This week, I decided on a week-long celebreezy that kicked off on Thursday night at a bar in Gritwood called Happy Endings. Great name. I'd never been there before, but after having the place recommended to me three times in one week, I decided it was time. Ambled my way over, solo after work, to meet my friend Bellini (she gets dizzy off half a Bellini), so we could have dinner, shoot the shit and see where the night took us.
Happy Endings was a happy surprise. Well...the food was mediocre: bar food with a struggling-at-upscale twist that missed the intended mark but washed down easy given the wrestler-strong cocktails. I had their classic cosmo, and Bellini tackled the Rub My Raspberry (that's right) Lemon Drop.
The food portions, on the other hand, were enormous. We both ordered appetizers, supposedly, but finished nearly too full to have dessert. Nearly. Ordering the plate of fresh cookies (one sugar, two oatmeal, two chocolate chip), which came partnered with a glass of cold milk (I handed that off to Bellini, natch), was probably a bad choice, given the amount of food we scarfed down. But I can't say no to cookies! They, too, were only ok--better than some, and they were warm, so that was good--but I ate them anyway. So by the time our friends joined as after our meal, we were both a little too full to enjoy the game of beer pong that highlights Happy Endings' already convivial charm on Thursday nights.
The restaurant space is big, and the crowd is boisterous. Even when Bellini and I were there with just the post-work crowd, the bright wood, scratched tables, hot waiter and laughing patrons made me glad to be. Plus, they have a wheel of fortune of drink specials (whatever drink the wheel lands on becomes the special until next spin), and as the Birthday Girl En Residence, I got to spin. Sadly, I missed out on granting the entire bar $5 car bombs, and instead everyone got 2-for-1 Trump vodka. Boring! What ever, I was too full to drink. Milk (and cookies) *was* a bad choice. Luckily, we decided to walk it off by heading up the street to the Roosevelt Hotel, which offers a fabulous jazz night on Thursdays (free cover!) at their sultry street-level bar, Teddy's. A must-do, it was chill and free and, despite the mediocre star-candy, made me forget I was in Gritwood at all. Great night, perfect start.
the food: Fish and chips, not your traditional. It's breaded chunks of ahi tuna with sesame-wasabi fries and a soy dipping sauce. Weird but good-weird. Sharing recommended!
the mood: A frat party on a good night, before the freshmen show up.
in five: 4/5, definitely would like to go back, for the vibe and drinks, if not the eats.
get happy: http://www.thehappyendingbar.com/index.html
lundi 18 août 2008
letop5 names five restaurants
...that I may never review.
And it's not because they suck! It's because they're so awesome that I go to them so often that it's not worth my time to write about them like a record stuck on repeat. It may, however, be worth someone else's time (are you really that bored?) to know what I think about them. So I want to mention these five fantastic food stops now, so as not to confuse people who know me who might wonder (if they are, in fact, that bored) why I haven't mentioned them before.
1. URTH CAFFE - I love Urth. Next to IHOP, it's the place I've frequented most in Fire City. And though it's usually my go-to brunch destination, I discovered last night that they do dinner delectably well as well. Go for the hummous and tabbouleh half salad. With warm pita on the side, not only is it a hefty, healthy meal, it's also delicious. And for the beverage to try at this organic coffee haven? I'd suggest the honey chai latte (unbeatable!). Gotta keep your breakfast prices down? Go for the Urth Breakfast: a massive croissant, jam and a healthy helping of cheese of your choice. And it's only $5.50!
2. IHOP - Oh, yeah. I said it. They have *the* best pancakes! Others may try, but as Kokomo, Jack n Jills, The Griddle Cafe (stupid big!) and Toast have before...others will fail. The only place where I've ever had better hotcakes is at Blueberry Hill in Meadow City. I often go for The Hop's corn cake pancakes, which have cornmeal mixed into the buttermilk pancake batter for a slightly savory addition to the sweetest breakfast tradition. But note: every hop is not the same hop. The Wilshire & Hauser location is my usual.
3. BOSSA NOVA CAFE - Brazilian! Delightful! The only place I actually like to order from home from, because they deliver, both literally and figuratively, and it's great. Their plantains are so good, they rival my mother's (Mom's still win!), and their vegetarian options are super numerous. They've recently added a pizza menu, so now there's even more to love.
4. BJ'S BREWHOUSE/PIZZERIA - Another chain! It's true, not all chain's are loathed. Especially not if they carry the best dessert known to man: the pizookie. The pizookie is a personal pan pizza-sized cookie (pizza + cookie = pizookie) served piping hot in your choice of five flavors, in order from best to forgettable: oreo, peanut butter, classic chocolate chip, oatmeal walnut and white choc macademian. But the fun doesn't stop there. Atop this piping hot cookie is served a mound of ice cold vanilla bean ice cream. Naturally, the ice cream melts into the cookie, creating the most delicious, gooey concoction of sugar and yummy to ever hit your lips. Add the oreo whip from the oreo pizookie, and you've got magic in your mouth. What's great about BJ's, though, isn't just the pizookie. Like the typical American chain, it hits a lot of different food varieties, but it actually hits them well. Their pizzas are their staple, but I also recommend their pastas, most of the appetizers (bruschetta wins), their french fries (both shoestring and steak cut) and all their house-brewed beers, though the blondes and stouts are best.
5. IN-N-OUT - Omg, wait. Did I just list a burger place? Am I not vegetarian? Yeah, but In-n-Out rocks. They make a grilled cheese sandwich on their "secret menu" that is better than any burger could be. In fact, it is the equivalent of an In-n-Out burger, just without the meat. Hence, better (if you're me). Loaded with veggies and juiced with the special In-n-Out secret sauce, the grilled cheese is the perfect treat for any Fire City outbound road trip. It's pretty wet, though, so not best to steer while chewing.
So those are my five, so far, after ten months of living here. I do realise I listed Urth Cafe and IHOP on the same list of my favorite restaurants. In terms of lifestyle, that's mildly contradictory. But it's also the truth. I should add, however, that I wouldn't recommend eating anything at IHOP but the pancakes and breakfast fare. Like, seriously. It's not called International House of Steak for a reason.
1. The organic experience: URTH.
2. Pancake heaven: IHOP.
3. Something different at your door: BOSSA NOVA.
4. Five million calories of love: BJ's.
5. Faster than you can say "animal-style": IN-N-OUT.
And it's not because they suck! It's because they're so awesome that I go to them so often that it's not worth my time to write about them like a record stuck on repeat. It may, however, be worth someone else's time (are you really that bored?) to know what I think about them. So I want to mention these five fantastic food stops now, so as not to confuse people who know me who might wonder (if they are, in fact, that bored) why I haven't mentioned them before.
1. URTH CAFFE - I love Urth. Next to IHOP, it's the place I've frequented most in Fire City. And though it's usually my go-to brunch destination, I discovered last night that they do dinner delectably well as well. Go for the hummous and tabbouleh half salad. With warm pita on the side, not only is it a hefty, healthy meal, it's also delicious. And for the beverage to try at this organic coffee haven? I'd suggest the honey chai latte (unbeatable!). Gotta keep your breakfast prices down? Go for the Urth Breakfast: a massive croissant, jam and a healthy helping of cheese of your choice. And it's only $5.50!
2. IHOP - Oh, yeah. I said it. They have *the* best pancakes! Others may try, but as Kokomo, Jack n Jills, The Griddle Cafe (stupid big!) and Toast have before...others will fail. The only place where I've ever had better hotcakes is at Blueberry Hill in Meadow City. I often go for The Hop's corn cake pancakes, which have cornmeal mixed into the buttermilk pancake batter for a slightly savory addition to the sweetest breakfast tradition. But note: every hop is not the same hop. The Wilshire & Hauser location is my usual.
3. BOSSA NOVA CAFE - Brazilian! Delightful! The only place I actually like to order from home from, because they deliver, both literally and figuratively, and it's great. Their plantains are so good, they rival my mother's (Mom's still win!), and their vegetarian options are super numerous. They've recently added a pizza menu, so now there's even more to love.
4. BJ'S BREWHOUSE/PIZZERIA - Another chain! It's true, not all chain's are loathed. Especially not if they carry the best dessert known to man: the pizookie. The pizookie is a personal pan pizza-sized cookie (pizza + cookie = pizookie) served piping hot in your choice of five flavors, in order from best to forgettable: oreo, peanut butter, classic chocolate chip, oatmeal walnut and white choc macademian. But the fun doesn't stop there. Atop this piping hot cookie is served a mound of ice cold vanilla bean ice cream. Naturally, the ice cream melts into the cookie, creating the most delicious, gooey concoction of sugar and yummy to ever hit your lips. Add the oreo whip from the oreo pizookie, and you've got magic in your mouth. What's great about BJ's, though, isn't just the pizookie. Like the typical American chain, it hits a lot of different food varieties, but it actually hits them well. Their pizzas are their staple, but I also recommend their pastas, most of the appetizers (bruschetta wins), their french fries (both shoestring and steak cut) and all their house-brewed beers, though the blondes and stouts are best.
5. IN-N-OUT - Omg, wait. Did I just list a burger place? Am I not vegetarian? Yeah, but In-n-Out rocks. They make a grilled cheese sandwich on their "secret menu" that is better than any burger could be. In fact, it is the equivalent of an In-n-Out burger, just without the meat. Hence, better (if you're me). Loaded with veggies and juiced with the special In-n-Out secret sauce, the grilled cheese is the perfect treat for any Fire City outbound road trip. It's pretty wet, though, so not best to steer while chewing.
So those are my five, so far, after ten months of living here. I do realise I listed Urth Cafe and IHOP on the same list of my favorite restaurants. In terms of lifestyle, that's mildly contradictory. But it's also the truth. I should add, however, that I wouldn't recommend eating anything at IHOP but the pancakes and breakfast fare. Like, seriously. It's not called International House of Steak for a reason.
1. The organic experience: URTH.
2. Pancake heaven: IHOP.
3. Something different at your door: BOSSA NOVA.
4. Five million calories of love: BJ's.
5. Faster than you can say "animal-style": IN-N-OUT.
Nyala Ethiopian Cuisine | lunch
Ok, letop5, you call yourself a foodie. You think you have a sophisticated palate. And you think you know Africa. So why did Ethiopian cuisine throw you for such a loop?
I ate Nigerian food off and on my entire childhood, and I've lived, briefly, in Morocco. But the thing is...Africa is huge. Nigeria is west. Morocco is north. Ethiopia...it's on the other side. And their food is entirely different. Not bad. Just different. And I think I've got a project on my hands, where Ethiopian food is concerned. I've got to figure that stuff out.
I was supposed to attend a French luncheon on Sunday with a friend who was visiting me named Bright (he did a Fulbright in Thailand). We got lost in Hollywood trying to find the location of the lunch (apparently Franklin Ave is not the same as Fountain Ave; my bad), so we gave up, out of hunger, and decided to go somewhere new and original and all that good stuff you always say you'll do right before you order pizza. This time we did it.
I'd heard from a few random online sources that Nyala is the best Ethiopian restaurant in Fire City, so I was psyched to finally be giving it a try (split infinitive!). And from the get-go, I was very impressed. You walk in, and this enriching smell of cloves, allspice and autumn, envelopes you, cradling you comfortably close to Nyala's kitschily decorated bosom. You seat yourself at a table that has no silverware and wait til a kindly smiling waitress presents a menu. You can't pronounce anything on it, and you absently wonder to yourself, "...should I wash my hands?"
Yes, you should.
Ethiopian food is eaten communally, like Moroccan food, with the hands. By tearing flaps off a huge flappy hunk of flappy, more-tangy-than-sourdough-tasting flap bread (it's actually called injera), the food is scooped from the plate and deposited by the mouthful towards one's stomach. The food is rich with spices but not with sodium, and I wanted to add salt--but I didn't, because I also wanted the experience to be pure. If this was the best, I needed to eat it as the chef presumably intended.
Not starving-mad hungry, Bright and I ordered the Vegetarian combo and a pot of Ethiopian tea to share. The tea smelled amazing, but tasted just alright, a bit weak. But I guess that was our doing, because they gave us an extra bag, and I decided to pocket it (un-steeped, mind you) for a later time. Food-wise, my favorites on the veggie plate were the yemisir wot (red lentils simmered with garlic, ginger, some chilis and random spices) and the YeAtkilt Wot (fresh cabbage and carrots sauteed in garlic, ginger and olive oil). There were also yellow lentils that kind of reminded me of Indian dahl, but with different spices.
That was one thing I really, really will remember about Ethiopian food: the spices. Ginger and garlic are two of my favorites, and the Nyala chef seemed to be sauteeing or simmering or marinating or seasoning or otherwise flavoring every dish in this place with a liberal helping of G&G. So though I may not be able to pronounce the foods, aside from the bread, which will take some getting used to, everything struck me as pretty worthwhile.
in five: I think a 3.5? I don't know what a 5 would be, but I think this was a 3.5; just a little bland for me. Maybe I should have added that salt.
highlight of the meal: the free appetizer of pita bread and spicy hummous/fava bean/something good dip with chili-spiked olive oil swirled through it. Delicious, with a capital "D."
(Website not working as of post): http://nyala-la.com/
I ate Nigerian food off and on my entire childhood, and I've lived, briefly, in Morocco. But the thing is...Africa is huge. Nigeria is west. Morocco is north. Ethiopia...it's on the other side. And their food is entirely different. Not bad. Just different. And I think I've got a project on my hands, where Ethiopian food is concerned. I've got to figure that stuff out.
I was supposed to attend a French luncheon on Sunday with a friend who was visiting me named Bright (he did a Fulbright in Thailand). We got lost in Hollywood trying to find the location of the lunch (apparently Franklin Ave is not the same as Fountain Ave; my bad), so we gave up, out of hunger, and decided to go somewhere new and original and all that good stuff you always say you'll do right before you order pizza. This time we did it.
I'd heard from a few random online sources that Nyala is the best Ethiopian restaurant in Fire City, so I was psyched to finally be giving it a try (split infinitive!). And from the get-go, I was very impressed. You walk in, and this enriching smell of cloves, allspice and autumn, envelopes you, cradling you comfortably close to Nyala's kitschily decorated bosom. You seat yourself at a table that has no silverware and wait til a kindly smiling waitress presents a menu. You can't pronounce anything on it, and you absently wonder to yourself, "...should I wash my hands?"
Yes, you should.
Ethiopian food is eaten communally, like Moroccan food, with the hands. By tearing flaps off a huge flappy hunk of flappy, more-tangy-than-sourdough-tasting flap bread (it's actually called injera), the food is scooped from the plate and deposited by the mouthful towards one's stomach. The food is rich with spices but not with sodium, and I wanted to add salt--but I didn't, because I also wanted the experience to be pure. If this was the best, I needed to eat it as the chef presumably intended.
Not starving-mad hungry, Bright and I ordered the Vegetarian combo and a pot of Ethiopian tea to share. The tea smelled amazing, but tasted just alright, a bit weak. But I guess that was our doing, because they gave us an extra bag, and I decided to pocket it (un-steeped, mind you) for a later time. Food-wise, my favorites on the veggie plate were the yemisir wot (red lentils simmered with garlic, ginger, some chilis and random spices) and the YeAtkilt Wot (fresh cabbage and carrots sauteed in garlic, ginger and olive oil). There were also yellow lentils that kind of reminded me of Indian dahl, but with different spices.
That was one thing I really, really will remember about Ethiopian food: the spices. Ginger and garlic are two of my favorites, and the Nyala chef seemed to be sauteeing or simmering or marinating or seasoning or otherwise flavoring every dish in this place with a liberal helping of G&G. So though I may not be able to pronounce the foods, aside from the bread, which will take some getting used to, everything struck me as pretty worthwhile.
in five: I think a 3.5? I don't know what a 5 would be, but I think this was a 3.5; just a little bland for me. Maybe I should have added that salt.
highlight of the meal: the free appetizer of pita bread and spicy hummous/fava bean/something good dip with chili-spiked olive oil swirled through it. Delicious, with a capital "D."
(Website not working as of post): http://nyala-la.com/
Ami Sushi | dinner
I've been on a sushi kick recently. Perhaps it's because I keep eating mediocre or slightly-north-of-mediocre sushi. And I'm not trying to knock on Ami Sushi or anything (though maybe I do want to deliver just a light jab...but not a jungle punch), nor on Miru/Some Numbers from last week, but after dining at both...I'm still on my quest for cheap but stellar sushi, if it exists. That's probably because the last sushi I ate before them both was at Katsu-ya in Studio City. And just like travellers say eating in Italy will ruin food for you, Katsu-ya has probably effectively ruined sushi for me. It was so good, everything else is seeking--and failing--to compare.
Ami Sushi is located in the college-friendly neighborhood of a certain campus we'll call "U C Lots of Asians," which is probably why there are a number of Asian restaurants in the area (was that racist?). I haven't tried many of them, but Ami, I've had the pleasure of visiting twice (it was probably racist). The first time I went, back in December, I was new to Fire City and basking in its smoky haze of love (and flames), and too fresh at the feat of critiquing American food, I dismissed my meal to the bland category of "good." But that's just the thing with Ami. It is good. It's blandly good. It's basic and does the trick, if the trick is easy, but if you're wanting more, get thee to Studio City.
Nevertheless, one great appeal of Ami Sushi, besides their more-or-less college friendly prices (though they're no Crazy Fish), is the ambiance. You step off College Street Central into this restaurant decorated with black wood and red accents, and you almost feel like you're at a fancy place. The bright red staircase towering before you to a velvet-roped balcony level that makes your head go "must be VIP" (HA! As if) draws you away from your mundane, cheapfares.com life into a nice little evening. My little evening was slightly marred by the fact that they sat us by the window--in fact, both times I've come, they've sat us by the window--and that gave me both a mag view of the staircase and a mag view of Homeless Holmes outside, shouting to over-privileged passersby. But that didn't detract from the spicy tuna tempura roll I got to enjoy. The aptly titled Rose Roll tasted just like my surroundings: part wow...mostly whatever. But that's just because everything fried well gets a little wow.
food: The dinner combos offer a lot (two entree choices + rice + miso!) for a little (twelve dollars!).
mood: Geisha House on foodstamps.
in five: 3/5
tastes like fish: http://www.ami-restaurant.com/index.html
Ami Sushi is located in the college-friendly neighborhood of a certain campus we'll call "U C Lots of Asians," which is probably why there are a number of Asian restaurants in the area (was that racist?). I haven't tried many of them, but Ami, I've had the pleasure of visiting twice (it was probably racist). The first time I went, back in December, I was new to Fire City and basking in its smoky haze of love (and flames), and too fresh at the feat of critiquing American food, I dismissed my meal to the bland category of "good." But that's just the thing with Ami. It is good. It's blandly good. It's basic and does the trick, if the trick is easy, but if you're wanting more, get thee to Studio City.
Nevertheless, one great appeal of Ami Sushi, besides their more-or-less college friendly prices (though they're no Crazy Fish), is the ambiance. You step off College Street Central into this restaurant decorated with black wood and red accents, and you almost feel like you're at a fancy place. The bright red staircase towering before you to a velvet-roped balcony level that makes your head go "must be VIP" (HA! As if) draws you away from your mundane, cheapfares.com life into a nice little evening. My little evening was slightly marred by the fact that they sat us by the window--in fact, both times I've come, they've sat us by the window--and that gave me both a mag view of the staircase and a mag view of Homeless Holmes outside, shouting to over-privileged passersby. But that didn't detract from the spicy tuna tempura roll I got to enjoy. The aptly titled Rose Roll tasted just like my surroundings: part wow...mostly whatever. But that's just because everything fried well gets a little wow.
food: The dinner combos offer a lot (two entree choices + rice + miso!) for a little (twelve dollars!).
mood: Geisha House on foodstamps.
in five: 3/5
tastes like fish: http://www.ami-restaurant.com/index.html
dimanche 10 août 2008
Miru8691 | dinner
Fusion. Sometimes I hate that word. It often incorrectly entitles restaurants to serve nachos, fish of the day, pizza, sashimi and lentil soup on the same menu. I was nervous, therefore, to give the restaurant "M...random numbers" (change your name!) a try, but since my stalwart sushi favorite CRAZYFISH was closed on Friday night--God knows why--the friends and I had no choice but to wander somewhere else at least mildly sushi-related in walking distance. Miru, you won.
I've fallen on the random belief that, at a fusion restaurant, the fusion category listed first in the menu--or first among the chef's specials--is the actual strength of the restaurant's repertoire, and all other items offered within somehow stupidly flopped their way into the kitchen based on a series of shoddy judgments on the part of the bottom-line-loving owners and their spineless kitchen staff. I don't know if it's true. But since Miru listed sushi first (and, might I remind, since I was in the mood for uncooked food), I went for the sushi.
I liked what I ate. But much like their website, Miru the restaurant tries a little too hard. There's a little too much flair, a little too much variety (yeah, it can happen), and just a little too much going on in general. Their menu, like a book, offers up a series of chapter-like food categories, each item numbered therein. And though the names for the meals are all witty ("America's Most Wanted" is a spicy roll; "Victoria's Secret" has smelt egg within--hardyhar), I find myself skeptical concerning the universal quality of a restaurant's menu options when there are over sixty meal choices. I think little Miru, which is tucked into a not-very desirable corner of an otherwise randomly located mini strip mall a block west of Olympic and Doheny, would do well to scale back and pick on some food her own size.
My friend BiCoastal (she hails from Atlanta but lives in Berkeley) had the 8-piece sashimi plate, which she rated as rather amazing; and my other friend Hotpocket (she's short and has an enviable rack...it's just a fact) tried something with steak on it that looked way too daunting. To say the least of the place, at least their portions fit their prices (spent a little more than I'd expect to spend, given the location). I myself enjoyed #18 under the Fushion House section of the menu, a lightly tempura-fied spicy tuna roll called "Palm." I miss the irony in that title, but I loved the roll. And I especially liked the "samples" (read: free appetizers!) our waiter brought around while we waited for our food. And why not? Mexican restaurants give you chips; Italian restaurants give you bread; McDonald's gives you germs...so shouldn't fusion restaurants serve you a little bit of their staple specialty at the door? Tonight was a smidgen of a delicately fried vegetable egg roll, a small veggie/faux crab rice roll topped with dried beets or something purple (deeeeeeelicious!) in a light, sort of wine-tasting sauce, and thirdly, some silk tofu. Nice touch, Miru. If Crazyfish is ever closed again (for shame!), I very well might come back. Mostly because you're right across the street.
food to swoon over: my #18 was a #1, but I think the sashimi plate (actual #1, under "Fresh Sushi" in the menu) wins, if I choose to believe BiCoastal's yum's and mmm-hmm's.
drink to think about: WATER. This place is a little spensy for folks on a budge (so poor, I can't afford the "T"). But I'd love to try their soju cocktails another night.
in five: 4/5 for a random neighborhood quick find, but rates lower, I'd say a 3, in terms of an overall package (ambiance docks half a point; so does their crazytown fusion menu and their slippery, "fancy" chopsticks)
eat it, suckafish: http://www.miru8691.com/
I've fallen on the random belief that, at a fusion restaurant, the fusion category listed first in the menu--or first among the chef's specials--is the actual strength of the restaurant's repertoire, and all other items offered within somehow stupidly flopped their way into the kitchen based on a series of shoddy judgments on the part of the bottom-line-loving owners and their spineless kitchen staff. I don't know if it's true. But since Miru listed sushi first (and, might I remind, since I was in the mood for uncooked food), I went for the sushi.
I liked what I ate. But much like their website, Miru the restaurant tries a little too hard. There's a little too much flair, a little too much variety (yeah, it can happen), and just a little too much going on in general. Their menu, like a book, offers up a series of chapter-like food categories, each item numbered therein. And though the names for the meals are all witty ("America's Most Wanted" is a spicy roll; "Victoria's Secret" has smelt egg within--hardyhar), I find myself skeptical concerning the universal quality of a restaurant's menu options when there are over sixty meal choices. I think little Miru, which is tucked into a not-very desirable corner of an otherwise randomly located mini strip mall a block west of Olympic and Doheny, would do well to scale back and pick on some food her own size.
My friend BiCoastal (she hails from Atlanta but lives in Berkeley) had the 8-piece sashimi plate, which she rated as rather amazing; and my other friend Hotpocket (she's short and has an enviable rack...it's just a fact) tried something with steak on it that looked way too daunting. To say the least of the place, at least their portions fit their prices (spent a little more than I'd expect to spend, given the location). I myself enjoyed #18 under the Fushion House section of the menu, a lightly tempura-fied spicy tuna roll called "Palm." I miss the irony in that title, but I loved the roll. And I especially liked the "samples" (read: free appetizers!) our waiter brought around while we waited for our food. And why not? Mexican restaurants give you chips; Italian restaurants give you bread; McDonald's gives you germs...so shouldn't fusion restaurants serve you a little bit of their staple specialty at the door? Tonight was a smidgen of a delicately fried vegetable egg roll, a small veggie/faux crab rice roll topped with dried beets or something purple (deeeeeeelicious!) in a light, sort of wine-tasting sauce, and thirdly, some silk tofu. Nice touch, Miru. If Crazyfish is ever closed again (for shame!), I very well might come back. Mostly because you're right across the street.
food to swoon over: my #18 was a #1, but I think the sashimi plate (actual #1, under "Fresh Sushi" in the menu) wins, if I choose to believe BiCoastal's yum's and mmm-hmm's.
drink to think about: WATER. This place is a little spensy for folks on a budge (so poor, I can't afford the "T"). But I'd love to try their soju cocktails another night.
in five: 4/5 for a random neighborhood quick find, but rates lower, I'd say a 3, in terms of an overall package (ambiance docks half a point; so does their crazytown fusion menu and their slippery, "fancy" chopsticks)
eat it, suckafish: http://www.miru8691.com/
dimanche 3 août 2008
Kokomo | brunch
Or: The Peach Pit lives!
The place on Third that was once Eat Well has changed its name to Kokomo, and it also apparently moonlights as ye olde hangout, The Peach Pit, for "90210: The New Class." I spotted the camera crews myself one afternoon...er, sort of.
It was here at Koko-Pit that I tried the vegetarian breakfast somewhat-staple, the tofu scramble for the first time. And I give it...two thumbs up! That fake food was good! At Kokomo, it was served tumbled about in pesto with sliced tomatoes flanking its heapy, crumbly whiteness. Now, I'd never had a tofu scramble before, so I've got nothing to which I can compare this one, but...it tasted pretty splenderific to me. My friend Connecticut who ordered eggs grimaced, however, calling her real food "nowhere near as good as at The Waffle," and I must share that their pancakes were also sub-par. Spongy, a bit flavorless and, well, kinda gross. But I didn't order that stuff, so I win. I should note that one friend, Melrosey, we'll call her (she lives off Melrose...and is rosy...in temperament, at least), really enjoyed her waffles. The fruit compote generously piled atop them definitely looked top notch.
What Kokomo gains for is tasty, if a bit runny, tofu scramble, however, it kind of loses in decor. The inside is long, but narrow, meaning wherever you sit, you're pretty close to the kitchen. Due to our proximity, our ice cubes melted rapidly, and by the meal's end, our water was room temperature. This probably wouldn't have been a problem, had our server been quick to replenish, but alack, he failed there. I guess we were feeling benevolent, though, because we still tipped him nicely. Oh, we're so nice. So, so nice. Give us an award.
KOKOMO: http://www.kokomo.com/
in five: 3/5 (sorry, Kok, but the brunch oasis of 3rd Street hosts several betters: Toast, Lulu's, Joan's, King's Road Cafe, MILK...in that order)
The place on Third that was once Eat Well has changed its name to Kokomo, and it also apparently moonlights as ye olde hangout, The Peach Pit, for "90210: The New Class." I spotted the camera crews myself one afternoon...er, sort of.
It was here at Koko-Pit that I tried the vegetarian breakfast somewhat-staple, the tofu scramble for the first time. And I give it...two thumbs up! That fake food was good! At Kokomo, it was served tumbled about in pesto with sliced tomatoes flanking its heapy, crumbly whiteness. Now, I'd never had a tofu scramble before, so I've got nothing to which I can compare this one, but...it tasted pretty splenderific to me. My friend Connecticut who ordered eggs grimaced, however, calling her real food "nowhere near as good as at The Waffle," and I must share that their pancakes were also sub-par. Spongy, a bit flavorless and, well, kinda gross. But I didn't order that stuff, so I win. I should note that one friend, Melrosey, we'll call her (she lives off Melrose...and is rosy...in temperament, at least), really enjoyed her waffles. The fruit compote generously piled atop them definitely looked top notch.
What Kokomo gains for is tasty, if a bit runny, tofu scramble, however, it kind of loses in decor. The inside is long, but narrow, meaning wherever you sit, you're pretty close to the kitchen. Due to our proximity, our ice cubes melted rapidly, and by the meal's end, our water was room temperature. This probably wouldn't have been a problem, had our server been quick to replenish, but alack, he failed there. I guess we were feeling benevolent, though, because we still tipped him nicely. Oh, we're so nice. So, so nice. Give us an award.
KOKOMO: http://www.kokomo.com/
in five: 3/5 (sorry, Kok, but the brunch oasis of 3rd Street hosts several betters: Toast, Lulu's, Joan's, King's Road Cafe, MILK...in that order)
Citizen Smith | dinner
Or: They're a little 'rosebud' in their decorating, wouldn't ya say?
I think the food is of a Spanish flair. At least the music was. So I'll go with that.
Citizen Smith, which offers food of a Spanish flair, is located between Sunset and Santa Monica Blvd, off Cahuenga, and it's a little off the beaten path. It's lost amongst parking garages and a few record stores, t-shirt stores and I suppose what should smack of a hipster scene, except everyone wandering around has obviously gotten lost on their way to either Amoeba Music (best thing in LA!) or the Hollywood & Highland complex (worst intersection in LA!).
We rolled in for an early dinner after "Wicked" and were seated right away, despite the fact that we made up less than half of our dinner party. I liked that. Places in Hollywood try to nab your cash-money by "preparing your table" and offering you a perch at the bar far too often these days. Two drinks and forty dollars later, you wish you never came. Well, that is not the case chez Citizen Smith. Perhaps that's because their drink menu was out of date. It was scrawled on their blackboard wall in huge writing that called out, "Drink me, baby," what with names like "Skinny Bitch" and "Screaming Orgasm" (I think I also saw "Blow Job," so obviously, this place hates women...or loves them), but the menu was all wrong. Apparently, they were waiting for an artist to come along and re-write the new drinks. Who got fired, I wondered; the original artist or the original bartender?
Given the eclectic decoration in this place, I figured it was the artist. The walls varied between exposed brick and deep wood, the rafters boasted the usual Hollywood decorating scheme of exposed air conditioning vents and ceiling beams, and the artwork, which hung from said beams was a random assortment of...exposed foreigners smiling for various photographers. It was all very weird. Different. Unique. I kinda liked it. Kinda didn't get it. Kinda like the movie CITIZEN KANE.
The food, on the other hand, was only okay. They had nachos, they had pizza, they had burgers...so I was confused, as noted above, about what country, exactly, the restaurant was attempting to celebrate. But the Mexi-Spanish items did outweigh the others.
I had a shrimp salad that, sadly, only welcomed four, small grilled shrimp amongst its spinach leaves. My friend Lovejoy had the nachos which, sadly, were overcome by monstrous amounts of pico de gallo. My other friend Country had a burger which, sadly, still was not as good as KooKooRoo's (like, seriously? who knew?), but the desserts we all shared were pretty nice. No more sadness. You can't get sad at dessert time. Especially not when that dessert is a marzipan ice cream cake, complete with a birthday candle.
Now, I probably won't go back to Citizen Smith any time soon--it's kind of in the middle of nowhere, the food wasn't that grand (note the sadness), and I don't have any coupons--but I imagine I'll drop its name to others every now and again, because I find that people don't know about it. Is it new? Don't think so, it's on opentable. So could it still be destined for future greatness? I know other citizens that have been, after time. So we'll wait it out.
CITIZEN SMITH
in five: 3/5
eat me, baby: http://www.citizensmith.com/
I think the food is of a Spanish flair. At least the music was. So I'll go with that.
Citizen Smith, which offers food of a Spanish flair, is located between Sunset and Santa Monica Blvd, off Cahuenga, and it's a little off the beaten path. It's lost amongst parking garages and a few record stores, t-shirt stores and I suppose what should smack of a hipster scene, except everyone wandering around has obviously gotten lost on their way to either Amoeba Music (best thing in LA!) or the Hollywood & Highland complex (worst intersection in LA!).
We rolled in for an early dinner after "Wicked" and were seated right away, despite the fact that we made up less than half of our dinner party. I liked that. Places in Hollywood try to nab your cash-money by "preparing your table" and offering you a perch at the bar far too often these days. Two drinks and forty dollars later, you wish you never came. Well, that is not the case chez Citizen Smith. Perhaps that's because their drink menu was out of date. It was scrawled on their blackboard wall in huge writing that called out, "Drink me, baby," what with names like "Skinny Bitch" and "Screaming Orgasm" (I think I also saw "Blow Job," so obviously, this place hates women...or loves them), but the menu was all wrong. Apparently, they were waiting for an artist to come along and re-write the new drinks. Who got fired, I wondered; the original artist or the original bartender?
Given the eclectic decoration in this place, I figured it was the artist. The walls varied between exposed brick and deep wood, the rafters boasted the usual Hollywood decorating scheme of exposed air conditioning vents and ceiling beams, and the artwork, which hung from said beams was a random assortment of...exposed foreigners smiling for various photographers. It was all very weird. Different. Unique. I kinda liked it. Kinda didn't get it. Kinda like the movie CITIZEN KANE.
The food, on the other hand, was only okay. They had nachos, they had pizza, they had burgers...so I was confused, as noted above, about what country, exactly, the restaurant was attempting to celebrate. But the Mexi-Spanish items did outweigh the others.
I had a shrimp salad that, sadly, only welcomed four, small grilled shrimp amongst its spinach leaves. My friend Lovejoy had the nachos which, sadly, were overcome by monstrous amounts of pico de gallo. My other friend Country had a burger which, sadly, still was not as good as KooKooRoo's (like, seriously? who knew?), but the desserts we all shared were pretty nice. No more sadness. You can't get sad at dessert time. Especially not when that dessert is a marzipan ice cream cake, complete with a birthday candle.
Now, I probably won't go back to Citizen Smith any time soon--it's kind of in the middle of nowhere, the food wasn't that grand (note the sadness), and I don't have any coupons--but I imagine I'll drop its name to others every now and again, because I find that people don't know about it. Is it new? Don't think so, it's on opentable. So could it still be destined for future greatness? I know other citizens that have been, after time. So we'll wait it out.
CITIZEN SMITH
in five: 3/5
eat me, baby: http://www.citizensmith.com/
The Waffle | brunch
Or: The Egg.
What is it with restaurants bearing the name of their signature item that then go on to offer a subpar version of said item? I've seen it with Ketchup (read yesterday's entry), I've seen it with Pink Taco (get your mind out of the gutter), I've seen it with Le Coissant in Beverly Hills (menteur!), and now, here we are with The Waffle. Listen up, guys--unless you're IHOP, you should not put the name of a food or condiment that you think you know well in the moniker of your eatery until I have eaten at your establishment and sanctioned the christening. New rule. Follow it.
But on that note: The Waffle has amazing eggs. Like, fantastic. And not that their waffles are bad--it's just that my college dorm dining halls offered better ones. Their eggs on the other hand? Mayhap unbeatable. I took one bite of those scrambled surprises, and closed my eyes, smiled slowly, then said aloud: "These taste just like my mom's...and she makes the best scrambled eggs in the world." By default of my mother being related to me and the fact that The Waffle, like most restaurants in this town, will probably deflate in quality with time, my mom still owns the title of Best Scrambled Egg Scrambler in the World, but man...The Waffle is worthy competition. So maybe they should rename that place.
THE WAFFLE: http://www.thewaffle.us/Site/Index.html
in five: 3.5/5 (worth trying, but not really worth making it a regular destination)
TIP: To save a bit o' dough, order from the sides menu. Except for the size of their waffles (naturally), their servings are rather plentiful.
What is it with restaurants bearing the name of their signature item that then go on to offer a subpar version of said item? I've seen it with Ketchup (read yesterday's entry), I've seen it with Pink Taco (get your mind out of the gutter), I've seen it with Le Coissant in Beverly Hills (menteur!), and now, here we are with The Waffle. Listen up, guys--unless you're IHOP, you should not put the name of a food or condiment that you think you know well in the moniker of your eatery until I have eaten at your establishment and sanctioned the christening. New rule. Follow it.
But on that note: The Waffle has amazing eggs. Like, fantastic. And not that their waffles are bad--it's just that my college dorm dining halls offered better ones. Their eggs on the other hand? Mayhap unbeatable. I took one bite of those scrambled surprises, and closed my eyes, smiled slowly, then said aloud: "These taste just like my mom's...and she makes the best scrambled eggs in the world." By default of my mother being related to me and the fact that The Waffle, like most restaurants in this town, will probably deflate in quality with time, my mom still owns the title of Best Scrambled Egg Scrambler in the World, but man...The Waffle is worthy competition. So maybe they should rename that place.
THE WAFFLE: http://www.thewaffle.us/Site/Index.html
in five: 3.5/5 (worth trying, but not really worth making it a regular destination)
TIP: To save a bit o' dough, order from the sides menu. Except for the size of their waffles (naturally), their servings are rather plentiful.
samedi 2 août 2008
Ketchup | dinner
Or: What did letop5 say to the restaurant? (Ans: "Ketchup.")
Had friends in town who we'll call Lovejoy and Country (endearingly, I promise), and for their First Time in LA, I wanted to take them someplace trendy and known, someplace dripping with the egocentric honey of Hollywood. I asked them what kind of foods they liked, and Lovejoy told me, "Anything. Though one of my friends who watches 'The Hills'"--she then immediately barfed into a bag, and after an half-hearted apology, resurfaced to complete her sentence--"mentioned some restaurant called 'The Ketchup' where those non-stars of that non-show apparently don't really eat much. Have you heard of it?" That, I had. Not only is Ketchup (sans the "the") nearly consistently in the top five of opentable.com's weekly most requested, I also had a coupon for $15 off from work. So, manned with this coupon and a knee-length-but-still-somewhat-flirty dress, I took my out of town friends there to regale them with over-priced diner food via five types of ketchup: maple, mango, chipotle, ranch and regular.
Now...I'm not going to say that Ketchup was disappointing. In fact, I quite liked the joint. It's just that...for a place called Ketchup...one, they should have offered more ketchup than a quarter of a ramekin's worth, and two, the ketchups offered should have been better. That mango ketchup...no. And the ranch? No, no. Even the regular seemed sans pizzaz somehow. I vote Heinz above Ketchup's ketchups. And I don't even like Heinz. One thing I did like, however: the crab-lettuce wraps. Though messy, they were tasty. The Threesome starter was good, too (would have been "great," had I been smart enough to BMODK--bring my own damn ketchup), as were the sweet potato fries, which, deliciously slicked with cinnamon and sugar probably just after frying, were like dessert before dinner. Who doesn't like that? Actually, I usually don't. But for their attempt at originality, I'll salute The Ketchup this time around.
The one thing unoriginal about it all were their prices. Yeah, I know I'm dining in Hollywood, but for heaven's sake: you're on the edge of a shopping mall. And catch up, Ketchup: gas prices are really high right now. So cut it out, and give me my diner food for diner prices. Because I see you and your cheap, linoleum tables.*
Maybe Ketchup is scared if the prices went lower, the clientèle would get fatter. And what with all the short skirts slinking about in there...we wouldn't want that.
the food: I took my friends to KooKooRoo the day before. They preferred KooKooRoo. All I'm sayin.
the mood: Mod diner stuck in a lava lamp.
in five: 3.5/5 - Three, because you're not *that* bad, just unspecial, and the .5 because you've tricked us all into thinking you ARE special. Clever girl.
KETCHUP: http://www.dolcegroup.com/ketchup/
*=I'm mostly bitter about the prices, because I forgot to use my coupon. Blarg!
Had friends in town who we'll call Lovejoy and Country (endearingly, I promise), and for their First Time in LA, I wanted to take them someplace trendy and known, someplace dripping with the egocentric honey of Hollywood. I asked them what kind of foods they liked, and Lovejoy told me, "Anything. Though one of my friends who watches 'The Hills'"--she then immediately barfed into a bag, and after an half-hearted apology, resurfaced to complete her sentence--"mentioned some restaurant called 'The Ketchup' where those non-stars of that non-show apparently don't really eat much. Have you heard of it?" That, I had. Not only is Ketchup (sans the "the") nearly consistently in the top five of opentable.com's weekly most requested, I also had a coupon for $15 off from work. So, manned with this coupon and a knee-length-but-still-somewhat-flirty dress, I took my out of town friends there to regale them with over-priced diner food via five types of ketchup: maple, mango, chipotle, ranch and regular.
Now...I'm not going to say that Ketchup was disappointing. In fact, I quite liked the joint. It's just that...for a place called Ketchup...one, they should have offered more ketchup than a quarter of a ramekin's worth, and two, the ketchups offered should have been better. That mango ketchup...no. And the ranch? No, no. Even the regular seemed sans pizzaz somehow. I vote Heinz above Ketchup's ketchups. And I don't even like Heinz. One thing I did like, however: the crab-lettuce wraps. Though messy, they were tasty. The Threesome starter was good, too (would have been "great," had I been smart enough to BMODK--bring my own damn ketchup), as were the sweet potato fries, which, deliciously slicked with cinnamon and sugar probably just after frying, were like dessert before dinner. Who doesn't like that? Actually, I usually don't. But for their attempt at originality, I'll salute The Ketchup this time around.
The one thing unoriginal about it all were their prices. Yeah, I know I'm dining in Hollywood, but for heaven's sake: you're on the edge of a shopping mall. And catch up, Ketchup: gas prices are really high right now. So cut it out, and give me my diner food for diner prices. Because I see you and your cheap, linoleum tables.*
Maybe Ketchup is scared if the prices went lower, the clientèle would get fatter. And what with all the short skirts slinking about in there...we wouldn't want that.
the food: I took my friends to KooKooRoo the day before. They preferred KooKooRoo. All I'm sayin.
the mood: Mod diner stuck in a lava lamp.
in five: 3.5/5 - Three, because you're not *that* bad, just unspecial, and the .5 because you've tricked us all into thinking you ARE special. Clever girl.
KETCHUP: http://www.dolcegroup.com/ketchup/
*=I'm mostly bitter about the prices, because I forgot to use my coupon. Blarg!
dimanche 1 juin 2008
WE EAT THE CITY (Memorial Day weekend)
A friend in town, who we'll call Alimenti (which apparently means "food" or "nourishment" in Italian), forced me to stretch my stomach muscles last weekend. I haven't fully recovered (just ask the full plate of cheese, crackers, cookies and brownies I crammed down the hatch last night as "light appero" at a friend's soiree), but it was a mission worth eating for.
The project goal was to take Alimenti to a number of eating and drinking destinations that, in my opinion, define Fire City's ever-changing, lip-smacking, lick-worthy palate. Starting Saturday of the loooong weekend, we enjoyed an early morning cupa at my favorite organic anytime eatery, Urth Caffe. Their honey chai latte is definitely worth revisiting. But that's for another weekend, since we zipped off shortly after for brunch at Toast.
The first time I ate at Toast, I was awed and amazed not just by their food, but also by the ambiance and the pleasurable waitstaff. This time, though the sofa seats were still sublime, the tri-berry pancakes...not so much. I know better than to get pancakes anywhere but IHOP! What was I thinking?
We took a break after Toast then decided on late lunch. Why? Because I'd made 3pm reservations at the uber-up tight Pizzeria Mozza and didn't want to upset them by cancelling. This place is nothing but annoying before you get in the door, but once seated, you're well taken care of and deliciously content. It is worth the hassle. I almost don't want to say that, but it's true. The pizza is that good. Not to be outdown by the appetizers, though! We started with the avocado, agretti & walnut (a MUST!) and went big with the Eggplant Caponata. Both so delectably and interestingly flavored. "Agretti" is a bitter green, tastes kind of like spinach but looks like a small, grassy fern. And it's great against the avocado and the light brushing of mustardy vinaigrette over the walnuts. Our all-star pizzas included the BIANCA (very best, pure perfection), SQUASH BLOSSOM (the burrata is heavenly!) and the FUNGHI (over-salty, unfortunately, and the mushrooms were overcooked...but it was the one-pizza-too-many that we shouldn't have ordered anyway, so I almost blame us).
Because lunch at Mozza set us back one hundred dollars (yeah, 'cause we got wine, too) and filled us--or at least me--in an unnatural way, I swore off food for the rest of the day. But I did take Alimenti to pick up dessert at Michel Ricard, a French patisserie just next door to the Robertson location of my nostalgic favorite, LE PAIN QUOTIDIEN. If I hadn't been so full, I would have tried something to re-imagine myself in France....
Sunday brought on a new rush of food and beverage activities, for Sunday was unofficially Wine Day. Along with another friend who I'll call Ithaca, we set off early (after a pit stop at Urth) for north of Santa Barbara to tour the wine region. On our way we stopped at my new favorite in-the-midde-of-nowhere bakery (did I have an old favorite?) called Anna's Bakery in...well, the middle of nowhere. Their cookies were fantastic (I had gingersnap and snickerdoodle--oooh, one too many). From there we managed to hit four great wineries: Palmina, Melville, Babcock and Mosby. Alimenti bought a half case at Palmina (their Treminer wooed him in); I bought a wonderful white from Melville, as did Ithaca, and she also bought a delicious raspberry dessert wine at Mosby. We've got food and dessert plans galore as a result.
Post-wineries, we traveled back downward to Santa Barbara, stopping at a cute coffee bistro off State Street called Pierre Lafond. Like I hadn't already had one, I had *another* gingersnap cookie (Anna's was way better!) and downed an okay espresso (only okay) to make the drive home.
Monday morning before Alimenti's flight we trekked out to Santa Monica to Caffe Luxxe, where I had the best espresso of my life since coming back to the States...and the worst madeleine ever. I think they were a few days old. But the coffee did the trick, and I will recommend them in the future. We skedaddled our way to the airport after that, and I bid Alimenti adieu...that is until weekend after next when I head up to Town City to enjoy a gastronomic visit of my own.
Oy, I'm full just thinking about it.
THE SPOTS
urth caffe - http://www.urthcaffe.com/
toast - http://www.toastbakerycafe.net/
pizzeria mozza (and the even more pricey osteria) - http://www.mozza-la.com/
michel ricard - http://www.maisonrichard.com/
anna's bakery - http://www.annas-bakery.net/mozilla/index.html
wine country - http://www.sbcountywines.com/
pierre lafond - http://www.pierrelafond.com/
caffe luxxe - http://www.caffeluxxe.com/
THE RATINGS
urth - 5/5
toast - 3/5 this visit, 4/5 usually
pizzeria mozza - 4.5/5 (i *almost* blamed me for that pizza. but it was them.)
michel ricard - looked good
anna's bakery - 5/5 for cookies!
palmina winery - 4.5/5 (loses for ambiance, gains for snack and obviously wine quality)
melville winery - 3.5/5 (mediocre wines except the one I bought...but they forgot to charge us for our visit, so hey, I still like them!)
babcock winery - we missed the tasting, can't say
mosby winery - 3/5
pierre lafond - 3.5/5
caffe luxxe - 4/5
Updates to come:
- Sushi at the famous Studio City KATSU-YA (five stars!)
- The fabulous SEX AND THE CITY film (five stars!)
The project goal was to take Alimenti to a number of eating and drinking destinations that, in my opinion, define Fire City's ever-changing, lip-smacking, lick-worthy palate. Starting Saturday of the loooong weekend, we enjoyed an early morning cupa at my favorite organic anytime eatery, Urth Caffe. Their honey chai latte is definitely worth revisiting. But that's for another weekend, since we zipped off shortly after for brunch at Toast.
The first time I ate at Toast, I was awed and amazed not just by their food, but also by the ambiance and the pleasurable waitstaff. This time, though the sofa seats were still sublime, the tri-berry pancakes...not so much. I know better than to get pancakes anywhere but IHOP! What was I thinking?
We took a break after Toast then decided on late lunch. Why? Because I'd made 3pm reservations at the uber-up tight Pizzeria Mozza and didn't want to upset them by cancelling. This place is nothing but annoying before you get in the door, but once seated, you're well taken care of and deliciously content. It is worth the hassle. I almost don't want to say that, but it's true. The pizza is that good. Not to be outdown by the appetizers, though! We started with the avocado, agretti & walnut (a MUST!) and went big with the Eggplant Caponata. Both so delectably and interestingly flavored. "Agretti" is a bitter green, tastes kind of like spinach but looks like a small, grassy fern. And it's great against the avocado and the light brushing of mustardy vinaigrette over the walnuts. Our all-star pizzas included the BIANCA (very best, pure perfection), SQUASH BLOSSOM (the burrata is heavenly!) and the FUNGHI (over-salty, unfortunately, and the mushrooms were overcooked...but it was the one-pizza-too-many that we shouldn't have ordered anyway, so I almost blame us).
Because lunch at Mozza set us back one hundred dollars (yeah, 'cause we got wine, too) and filled us--or at least me--in an unnatural way, I swore off food for the rest of the day. But I did take Alimenti to pick up dessert at Michel Ricard, a French patisserie just next door to the Robertson location of my nostalgic favorite, LE PAIN QUOTIDIEN. If I hadn't been so full, I would have tried something to re-imagine myself in France....
Sunday brought on a new rush of food and beverage activities, for Sunday was unofficially Wine Day. Along with another friend who I'll call Ithaca, we set off early (after a pit stop at Urth) for north of Santa Barbara to tour the wine region. On our way we stopped at my new favorite in-the-midde-of-nowhere bakery (did I have an old favorite?) called Anna's Bakery in...well, the middle of nowhere. Their cookies were fantastic (I had gingersnap and snickerdoodle--oooh, one too many). From there we managed to hit four great wineries: Palmina, Melville, Babcock and Mosby. Alimenti bought a half case at Palmina (their Treminer wooed him in); I bought a wonderful white from Melville, as did Ithaca, and she also bought a delicious raspberry dessert wine at Mosby. We've got food and dessert plans galore as a result.
Post-wineries, we traveled back downward to Santa Barbara, stopping at a cute coffee bistro off State Street called Pierre Lafond. Like I hadn't already had one, I had *another* gingersnap cookie (Anna's was way better!) and downed an okay espresso (only okay) to make the drive home.
Monday morning before Alimenti's flight we trekked out to Santa Monica to Caffe Luxxe, where I had the best espresso of my life since coming back to the States...and the worst madeleine ever. I think they were a few days old. But the coffee did the trick, and I will recommend them in the future. We skedaddled our way to the airport after that, and I bid Alimenti adieu...that is until weekend after next when I head up to Town City to enjoy a gastronomic visit of my own.
Oy, I'm full just thinking about it.
THE SPOTS
urth caffe - http://www.urthcaffe.com/
toast - http://www.toastbakerycafe.net/
pizzeria mozza (and the even more pricey osteria) - http://www.mozza-la.com/
michel ricard - http://www.maisonrichard.com/
anna's bakery - http://www.annas-bakery.net/mozilla/index.html
wine country - http://www.sbcountywines.com/
pierre lafond - http://www.pierrelafond.com/
caffe luxxe - http://www.caffeluxxe.com/
THE RATINGS
urth - 5/5
toast - 3/5 this visit, 4/5 usually
pizzeria mozza - 4.5/5 (i *almost* blamed me for that pizza. but it was them.)
michel ricard - looked good
anna's bakery - 5/5 for cookies!
palmina winery - 4.5/5 (loses for ambiance, gains for snack and obviously wine quality)
melville winery - 3.5/5 (mediocre wines except the one I bought...but they forgot to charge us for our visit, so hey, I still like them!)
babcock winery - we missed the tasting, can't say
mosby winery - 3/5
pierre lafond - 3.5/5
caffe luxxe - 4/5
Updates to come:
- Sushi at the famous Studio City KATSU-YA (five stars!)
- The fabulous SEX AND THE CITY film (five stars!)
dimanche 18 mai 2008
The leaf is always greener... (lunch)
A new "you must think we're healthy"-themed restaurant has opened in My Hills called GREENLEAF. Two words that immediately make me think of spas, golfing and zero-calorie living, or in short, the good life. Had to try.
Now, poor little GREENLEAF has some stiff competition at its post on the edge of BH, sandwiched between a Subway and what seems to be an antique store at a little-to-no parking spot on Wilshire B, but I want to give her the benefit of the doubt. Only open two weeks, and already the line at the door is long and hungry and long and...waiting.
My friends and I (one, yes, Connecticut, and the other we'll call Sparks) ventured to eat cheaply at our newfound eatery, one, because we were in a rush and two, because we're only feigning to be living on that side of the fence (the good life side). But lucky for us, though the joint is slow, pricey, it isn't. With under ten bucks spent, I ate and was content, if not for a few shortcomings that the newbie restau has yet to iron out.
FIVE TIPS TO KEEP GREENLEAF FROM WITHERING AWAY
1. Carbon Copies. Invest in them. The man at the door who (unnecessarily) took our orders wrote everything down--count it--one, two, TWICE; one copy for us, one for the salad preparers to begin making our meal. And he wrote SLOWLY. I enjoyed the so-called "personal touch" of having him take jabs at the lettuce wraps I chose to construct, but honestly, would have been better if that time spent on banter had been put towards efficiently preparing my meal.
2. Shorthand. This is another speed issue. Silly me (so silly!), I ordered pomegranate vinaigrette for my first tofu cilantro mushroom lettuce wrap (weird huh?). And slowish, bantering manager man wrote it out, letter by letter, on each of his non-carbon-copy-producing receipt pages. Um...pom vin, anyone? Or even PV. Learn shorthand, and you will save at least 30seconds per customer.
3. Amenities. I would have liked a place to get more napkins, a place to get some spices to flavor my meal, if desired, some cups next to the water machine...these things make a restaurant go round. As opposed to "go down."
4. Staff. The man at the register was very nice, even after he handed me someone else's order (and I didn't notice until I sat down and opened it, about to bite in). But there were about seven others behind him running about and to what end, I couldn't tell. For all their bustle, the line was still long, and their overall confusion was pungent. But then again, maybe we should blame manager man.
5. Desserts. I think they mentioned cookies. I saw a few, packed into a bowl behind the register, stacked like so many forgotten Pillsbury break-and-bakes waiting to find love at the lips of an unpicky child. I was not that child. Give me REAL cookies, Greenleaf. 'Cause I know your salads aren't that healthy. You don't have to hide your cookies in shame.
OVERALL: 3/5, with hope of improvement
WHAT I GOT: two orders of lettuce wraps: (1)grilled tofu, cilantro and mushroom with pom vin - $3; (2)bbq shrimp, candied ginger and almonds - $4, total = $7.58 w/tax (though really, they should round off their prices to multiples of five...tip #6).
THE SPOT: http://gourmetchopshop.com/
After lunch, we saw PRINCE CASPIAN, and today (dimanche) I saw MADE OF HONOR. More on that to come.
Now, poor little GREENLEAF has some stiff competition at its post on the edge of BH, sandwiched between a Subway and what seems to be an antique store at a little-to-no parking spot on Wilshire B, but I want to give her the benefit of the doubt. Only open two weeks, and already the line at the door is long and hungry and long and...waiting.
My friends and I (one, yes, Connecticut, and the other we'll call Sparks) ventured to eat cheaply at our newfound eatery, one, because we were in a rush and two, because we're only feigning to be living on that side of the fence (the good life side). But lucky for us, though the joint is slow, pricey, it isn't. With under ten bucks spent, I ate and was content, if not for a few shortcomings that the newbie restau has yet to iron out.
FIVE TIPS TO KEEP GREENLEAF FROM WITHERING AWAY
1. Carbon Copies. Invest in them. The man at the door who (unnecessarily) took our orders wrote everything down--count it--one, two, TWICE; one copy for us, one for the salad preparers to begin making our meal. And he wrote SLOWLY. I enjoyed the so-called "personal touch" of having him take jabs at the lettuce wraps I chose to construct, but honestly, would have been better if that time spent on banter had been put towards efficiently preparing my meal.
2. Shorthand. This is another speed issue. Silly me (so silly!), I ordered pomegranate vinaigrette for my first tofu cilantro mushroom lettuce wrap (weird huh?). And slowish, bantering manager man wrote it out, letter by letter, on each of his non-carbon-copy-producing receipt pages. Um...pom vin, anyone? Or even PV. Learn shorthand, and you will save at least 30seconds per customer.
3. Amenities. I would have liked a place to get more napkins, a place to get some spices to flavor my meal, if desired, some cups next to the water machine...these things make a restaurant go round. As opposed to "go down."
4. Staff. The man at the register was very nice, even after he handed me someone else's order (and I didn't notice until I sat down and opened it, about to bite in). But there were about seven others behind him running about and to what end, I couldn't tell. For all their bustle, the line was still long, and their overall confusion was pungent. But then again, maybe we should blame manager man.
5. Desserts. I think they mentioned cookies. I saw a few, packed into a bowl behind the register, stacked like so many forgotten Pillsbury break-and-bakes waiting to find love at the lips of an unpicky child. I was not that child. Give me REAL cookies, Greenleaf. 'Cause I know your salads aren't that healthy. You don't have to hide your cookies in shame.
OVERALL: 3/5, with hope of improvement
WHAT I GOT: two orders of lettuce wraps: (1)grilled tofu, cilantro and mushroom with pom vin - $3; (2)bbq shrimp, candied ginger and almonds - $4, total = $7.58 w/tax (though really, they should round off their prices to multiples of five...tip #6).
THE SPOT: http://gourmetchopshop.com/
After lunch, we saw PRINCE CASPIAN, and today (dimanche) I saw MADE OF HONOR. More on that to come.
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