SUGARFISH by sushi nozawa

Sugarfish has been on my radar for a while but I never got around to trying it.  I was reminded of this by the many recent blogger posts on the new Sugarfish that recently opened in Downtown LA.  So I feel like a bit of a bandwagoner with this, but perhaps I can stand apart because I did not dine in Downtown, but rather Marina Del Rey at the original Sugarfish.   My dining companions for the evening, Miss Rheeee and Me So Hairy! decided on this more central location.

Sugarfish is an offshoot of Kazunori Nozawa's original and more traditional sushi restaurant in Studio City, Sushi Nozawa.  His mission at Sugarfish is to provide similarly high quality sushi, but at an affordable price by cutting out the sushi bar, and streamlining service.   At both locales, Chef Nozawa aka "Sushi Nazi" serves his infamous "Trust Me" style of sushi, where we, as diners, basically trust that he is going to serve you the best damn sushi without the frills and distraction of fancy sauces, rolls, or fusion flavors.   Also, Chef Nozawa hand picks the sushi to be served in all his restaurants, so the quality is consistent throughout.

In addition to ordering a la carte, you have the option of 3 pre-set menus: The Nozawa ($35-$38), Trust Me ($28.50), andTrust Me/Lite ($19.50).  As most diners go with the pre-set menus, we all opted for the "Trust Me" while I added an order of the "Daily Special" which happened to be large scallop.

The most notable thing about the sushi here, aside from the fresh high quality fish, is the rice.  It's served pretty warm.  While I have experienced the "warm sushi rice" style at Sushi Sasabune and found it utterly unappetizing, I thoroughly enjoyed it here.   The main difference was that the fish didn't taste like it was being cooked while sitting atop the rice.  The contrast of the chilled fish and the warm rice made for a nice little party in my mouth!   The rice was also seasoned deliciously.  Probably the tastiest sushi rice I've had.

Organic Edamame
Edamame isn't something terrible special, but this version was pretty good.  It was chilled, perfectly salted, and with each little bean soft and substantial.


Tuna Sashimi big eye
The fish was fresh and perfectly complimented by the home made ponzu and sprinkling of green onions.  I can't pinpoint what was so special about the ponzu, but it was very tasty and I really wanted to get every last drop in my mouth.

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Sea Harbour Seafood

I was fortunate enough to work with a family medicine physician in the San Gabriel Valley back in the day.  It was great, because I went home at noon everyday and on some days I got to taste some of the best food in the SGV at the expense of some pharm reps.  Sea Harbour Seafood (or as I like to call it, Seafood Harbour, because that's the name I was told and it's stuck ever since) was one of the restaurants I was fortunate enough to try.  It has to be one of the BEST dim sum restaurants in Southern California.  Please correct me if you think there is something better out there.  But when you serve fresh meaty shrimps bigger than my eyeballs, you can only be known as the BEST in my opinion.  Even Ludo Lefevbre and his wife are fans.  I saw them take a gigantic bag of takeout from here one Sunday.   It's a wise decision to get take out, because the wait here is RIDICULOUS.  A few years ago, I'd wait for over an hour to get a table.  Nowadays, the wait isn't as bad, probably because the place is pretty pricey and times have changed.

Chinese Greens in brine
You just can't beat the vegetables from the good Chinese restaurants.  It's like they get the pick of the crop and the rest of the mid quality vegetables goes to market.  Whenever I try to make vegetables at home, they never have that same freshness or clean taste.  Here, they are cooked in a tasty brine with some slivered radishes.  Today's version was a bit olier than usual, but still delicious.


Chicken Feet
I never really eat these, but not because I don't like it.  I do, but it is just a lot of trouble to eat with all those little bones.  Mama H.o.P. and Smooth Obturator love chicken feet so they gobbled it all up.  Smooth Obturator says "This is the BEST chicken feet I've ever eaten!"  I forgot to ask why, but he's pretty critical.

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Soowon Galbi

I haven't traveled the world. I have barely even traveled the country, but I'm just gonna put it out there.  Where is there better Korean food, or at least as wide a selection of Korean food, than LA?  Of course, I'm excluding Korea obviously.  Good food is born out of fierce competition to be the best.  There is a lot of that going in LA's Koreatown.   Korean bbq joints are a dime a dozen in Ktown.  You'll find one on every block.  I always wonder how any of them stay afloat.  I guess one could say the same about Pho restaurants in Little Saigon.  They're everywhere!  I guess everyone just has their personal favorite.  My favorite Korean bbq joints are Soowon Galbi and Shik Do Rak.  I haven't been to Shik Do Rak in a while, favoring the newer cleaner Soowon Galbi.  I'm pretty sure there are better bbq places, but I haven't been motivated to find any new ones.  Once you eat the galbi here, you'll be satisfied to make this place your own too.

It was an occasion to dine here, because Zhu Zhu Hamster was in town.  I called up The Communist to make it a girl's night out.  By that, I mean eating till we drop, not drinking or partying because I'm so boring like that.  The Communist invited Soprano Man.  I was like, "Oh fine, I see how it is!"  So then I called out Wontuan who begrudgingly drove his pale ass up from the LBC.  It turns out Zhu Zhu Hamster called out #1 Fan to join as well.  What started out as a private 3 person affair turned out to be a mish mosh group of 6.  Anymore and I would have been annoyed.  I do not dine in groups large than 6 when I intend to enjoy the food and specific company of the people around me.  In any case, it turned out to be a really fun night and I'm glad everyone brought a date.

The spread...


Hae Mul Pa Jun seafood pancake
Pretty standard.  Packed with seafood, onions, and crispy goodness.

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Two Tarts Bakery

I love a good cookie.  I like cookies more than brownies, ice cream, and cake.  Pies and tarts are a close second.  I had a craving for something sweet and buttery.  Two Tarts Bakery is popular for the variety of mini cookies they bake up daily.   They just have a case filled with many mini delights.



You might think its a bargain that everything is just 75cents, but the cookies are pretty darn small.  It would be better if the cookies were normal sized and 75cents, but oh well.  I still ended up buying 5.


Lil' Mama
This was probably one of my favorite cookies, because it is their version of an Oreo.  I love Oreos, but only the cookie part.  I'll buy a package of Oreos and cut out all the frosting and place all the cookies back to be eaten later.  It's just unnecessary unwanted fat and sugar that does not taste good.  This version has similar great cookie taste but with a delicious frosting center.  It gets sorta messy because the frosting is much softer so it all squishes out with each bite.

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A-Frame

I'm not usually into to trying brand new restaurants.  I like to allow the reviews and word of mouth to build up before I go jump in.  My stomach space is precious real estate these days!  I can't be wasting it on some bad caloric investments.  But when it came to Roy Choi (Chef/owner of Kogi and Chego) and his newest venture, A-frame, which just opened a few days ago, I thought "This is a risk I'm willing to take!"  After reading Grubstreet's review outloud for Smooth Obturator and Triple T to hear, we decided it would be a good choice for a Sunday night.  Smooth Obturator is really particular about eating certain foods on certain days of the week after reading Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential.  I've learned to be wary of ordering mussels at less than reputable establishments because there is a good chance they are sitting in their own urine, and not to eat the "fish special" on Mondays.

We could smell delicious Asian aromas wafting from the restaurant as we approached, a mix of grilled/fried deliciousness with notes of tangy, sweet, savory, and spicy.  The hostess was super friendly and introduced me to Roy himself, at the nudging of my brother.  I got the whole "I'm a foodblogger" introduction.  Somehow that seems to change things a bit to chefs.  I think they understand the power of foodblogs.  We can make you or break you.  I probably can't because I only have 5 readers.  In any case, he seemed to relate to the name of my blog!!

I could regurgitate the concept summary from A-Frame's menu, but in short, A-Frame = MAN FOOD.  A-Frame = GRUBBIN'.

Kitchen Fries purple okinawan sweet potatoes, yam, korean sweet potato, kimchi sour cream, sea salt
Before I even got my introduction, Roy served us these, on the house!  It was pretty dark, and they honestly looked like ugly black logs.  Of course, they tasted just fine.  A mix of sweet potatoes but I really couldn't tell them all apart.  They lacked that additional battering on the exterior but still had a light crunch.  The kimchi sour cream was a nice departure from you're regular ketchup or mayo based dip.  The kimchi flavor was quite subtle.


Moooooo Kimchee cubed white radishes, pickled
We went pretty heavy on the proteins and only had these pickled radishes as our side dish/palate cleansers.  They were refreshing and perfectly pickled.  Smooth Obturator kept insisting there was some sort of herb or spice that added a different flavor.  Cinnamon?  Cloves?  Nutmeg?  I don't know.  I would have appreciated bigger pieces.  They were hard to fork or even scoop, so I was forced to use my fingers to pop them in my mouth.

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Beijing Hot Pot

What do you crave on a cold rainy day?  Usually something hot and soupy right?  I turned to my trusty Yelp to find something that would hit the spot on this cold rainy Portland night.  I came up with 2 hot pot spots, one all you can eat (AYCE) and one traditional pay as you go.  One always has to be wary of AYCE: low quality ingredients, poor preparation, etc.  Just to be safe, we opted for the traditional spot.  We were quite pleased with our choice, since everything was fresh, service was friendly, and we ended up paying less than the AYCE place and we were pretty full.

The decor left much to be desired.  I hate whitewash color walls.  It's so harsh yet so dull. 



Pickled Cucumbers
Very tasty.  Lightly pickled with the unique added ingredient of sesame oil.  Maybe that's how it's supposed to taste, but I never picked up on it before.  I'll have to try making this at home.

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Maneki

Maneki is Seattle's oldest Japanese restaurant at over 100 years old.  Hard to believe a restaurant could be that old huh?  The restaurant is typical for a lot of Japanese restaurants in my experience, small with limited seats.  This place goes so far as to deny anybody without reservations a chance to dine.  The first thing you will be greeted with when you walk in is not a "hello" or "how are you doing," but "Do you have reservations?"  Dumpling Man was not so lucky last time since he did not know about their strict "reservations only policy.  He insisted we try this place on this visit.  It's reputation simply preceeds itself.

I was suspicious about how good this restaurant could be.  It serves everything Japanese from sushi, teriyaki, udon, and small plates izakaya style.  I can't remember the last time I went to a restaurant with a gigantic menu and no focus on a specific specialty cuisine that was outstanding.  Most people agree that when a restaurant spreads itself to thin, the food suffers.  The best restaurants usually have small menus and focus on making a few things really really good.  The prime example is In N Out, damn I wish I could have one right now.

Potato Dengaku miso glazed, roasted
I usually prefer nasu dengaku which is the eggplant version of this dish, but Dumpling Man does not like eggplant.  It was a last minute choice that I really regret.  I'm not sure if they don't do dengaku well or the potato was the wrong choice.  The potato was just too starchy and the glaze was too sweet.  The dish fell really flat.

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Lola

So in Seattle, Tom Douglas is King.  You may ask why?  Well when you own 6 restaurants and 1 bakery that garners outstanding reviews and is wildly loved by the masses, then you can be king too.  Oh, when you stick all those restaurants within a 1 mile radius of each other, that just shows people your royal attitude.  "Hey I own this town, and if I want to stick all the restaurants right next to each other, well goddamit I'm gonna do it!"  Seriously though, Serious Pie, Dahlia Lounge, Dahlia Bakery, Lola, and Palace Kitchen are all in the same block in Belltown!!  Etta and Seatown are also right next to each other but by Pike Place Market.

Anyways, when you're looking for good brunch, there seems no shortage of it in this town.  I decided on Lola for their Mediterranean/Greek inspired brunch fare. Good thing we had reservations because the place was pretty packed.  It's connected to a pretty nice hotel so we had a comfortable and warm place to wait since we showed up early.

Ginger Mint Spritzer housemade ginger syrup, mint, lemon, soda
A bright start to brunch.  The ginger taste was stronger than expected but much appreciated.



Roasted Sweet Red Pepper freshly grilled pita bread
The pita were especially fresh, soft, and fluffy.  The pita were sitting in a little pool of rich high quality olive oil.  This subtle touch really added some oomph to the pita bread.  There was a good selection of spreads to choose from, but we went with the red pepper one.  It was bright, lightly tangy and sweet. 

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Restaurant Zoë

So for our first dinner in Seattle, we decided to go with Restaurant Zoë.  This was Dumpling Man's choice, and what a nice choice it was.  I wouldn't go so far as to say it beats a place like Providence or comes anywhere near it, but it definitely holds its own.  Fresh ingredients, simple but spot on flavors, lovely service and dining ambience.  Perfect for a nice date!

Salmon Tartar (amuse bouche) plums, cucumbers
A quick simple bite of raw salmon, plums, and cucumbers on a crostini.   I'm not a huge fan of salmon, cooked or raw.  If I eat it, it usually has to be the best freaking piece of salmon ever for me to give it my full stamp of approval.  This tasted too salmony for my liking.  Not a bad start though.

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Sweet Iron Waffles

I used Yelp for the majority of my Seattle eats for this trip, but I also turned to other bloggers.  Namely, The Gastronomer, is a bit of a world traveler and she does a great job documenting all her eats throughout her travels.  Sweet Iron Waffles happened to be the subject of one of her posts.  I think she is a Liège waffle fan.  Liège waffle you ask?  A Liège waffle is a "richer, denser, sweeter, and chewier waffle...it features chunks of pearl sugar, which caramelizes on the outside of the waffle when baked."




They had many different flavors, but I decided to go with the classic to really get a good taste of a pure Liège waffle.  I will have to say that I was somewhat disappointed.  I think my expectations were just too high because, really, the waffle was served hot off the griddle, soft with a delicate chew and just a hint of sweet.  I could see why people love the waffles but I needed more.  I think I should have gotten a waffle with toppings.  Also there was some distracting flavor on the waffle, I think from the grease they use on the griddle.  I tasted/smelled something glue like?


If you love a Liège waffle then this seems the place to have them in Seattle.  I think I'll keep trying the popular waffle places.  I'm sure I'm bound to find one I like.   How can I resist sweet fluffy carbs??

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I Want Mee Sum Pastry!

Get it??  I usually don't get lame or corny on the blog, but I could not resist with that title.  Today I just saw a Chinese restaurant called Hung Far Low.  I was cracking up.  Sometimes you wonder if the naming is a deliberate process.  Dumpling Man says Mee Sum doesn't mean anything in Chinese, so who knows.  But yeah, a Chinese bakery specializing in char siu bao smack in the middle of touristy Seattle?  It can't be all that good.  After reading some of the reviews on Yelp, some people said that the baos in LA and SF are much better.  So I wasn't that interested in trying baos pandering to the tastebuds of the American masses.  But since Dumpling Man already tried Pike Place Chowder I told him to go get some baos while I waited in line for soup.





It's strange, but they call their goods "hom bow" instead of bao.  Dumpling Man put on his best Chinese face and asked why they were called "hom bow" but the lady working the counter was not so interested in conversing with her fellow brethren.  She just mumbled something like hom bows are the same thing.  They have many varieties including the traditional bbq pork, chicken, beef curry.  They also have the steamed versions and potstickers and eggrolls.

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Pike Place Chowder

If you think about Seattle, 2 things probably come to mind: endless rain and GREAT food.  When we decided to make a weekend trip to Seattle, I immediately started looking up places to eat.  What is good travel without good food?  That's my philosophy anyways.  I'll probably never visit a place for the sole reason of visiting unless its got something good too eat.

Pike Place Market has to be one of the main tourist attractions in Seattle.  I don't know why it's so famous exactly because it seems like any other farmer's market, fresh produce, meat, seafood, handmade goods, and ready made eats.  Maybe its the fish tossing?  Missed any of that action.  Pike Place Chowder happens to be a great little attraction in the market for its award winning chowder and crab roll.

Instead of going with just the famous New England clam chowder, I opted for the 4 chowder sampler.  Four  5 oz cups of any 4 chowders of your choosing for $10.95.   I went with all the chowders except the salmon chowder, and swapped it out for the seafood bisque instead.  All of the soups were good but nothing to write home about it.  They certainly hit the spot on the cold rainy day we were having.

Southwestern Chicken & Corn Chowder grilled chicken, corn, assorted vegetables, creamy southwestern style broth
Creamy with a great grilled chicken flavor, accented by sweet kernels of corn in every bite. 

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Davis Street Tavern

I haven't had a bad dining experience in Portland.  I wouldn't go so far as to say that Portland is a "total foodie town" but it's fair to say it does well for itself.  It's size and limited diversity will always be the limiting factor in its rise to greatness like the cities of LA, SF, and NYC.  I think there are probably more restaurants out there that are solid, but it doesn't seem like a lot of people Yelp about it enough.  So that also limits my ability to come across the good finds.

Davis Street Tavern is a well reviewed good little find in Portland.  Solid New American cuisine that's not too fancy, but probably pricier than most would be willing to shell out.  Nice, spacious, and pretty happening for a Friday night with a live bluesy rock band.   Dumpling Man opted for the 5 course tasting menu at $48 while I choose some things a la carte.

Kunamoto Oyster fresh cucumber, pickled shallot, rainbow trout roe *tasting menu*
I've never quite acquired the love for oysters.  It's just one of those things that taste too much like the ocean for my liking.  But I certainly can appreciate people's love for this raw shellfish.  In fact, I've had a wonderful oyster or two and they were fresh, perfectly chilled, briney, and always highlighted by some wonderful flavors.  This version for instance had the pickled shallots for that contrasting flavor and crunchy texture also enhanced by the cucumbers.  

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Red Onion

It's official, I LOVE Thai food.  I love the harmonious interplay of bold flavors: sour, sweet, spicy, salty.  It's probably the food I crave the most when I've gone a period of time without it.  It's a good thing Dumpling Man also likes Thai food, but his version of Thai food is limited to Thai curries and pad se ew.  Anything beyond those staple dishes is all on me, meaning I'm the only one who's gonna eat it.  That is why I jump at any opportunity to eat Thai food with other larger groups of people so I can try other Thai dishes I'm sure I will also love.  Alas, this rarely happens, so I'm stucking eating the same things.  It's not really all that bad because I always leave a Thai restaurant satisfied.

I was worried that Portland would be lacking in the Asian food.  While I have been underwhelmed by the dim sum, the Thai food has well exceeded my expectations.  I would easily say the Thai food here is better than any Thai food you could find in LA, excluding the Hollywood area where Thai Town thrives. 

Tom Mamuang & Pla Trout Tod Krob shredded green mango, carrot, mint, cilantro, cashew nut, crispy rainbow trout, sweet spicy lime juice
I will not belabor the point I've made before about my love for Thai salads.  This was an interesting variation with the addition of crispy trout as the protein.   The shredded mango and carrots were not overly sour or sweet.  They took up the dressing without imparting too much of their own strong flavors, like a really really sour green mango can.  The dish was of course brightened up with the use of mint and cilantro.  It was all rounded out with the earthy soft flavors of cashews sprinkled throughout.  I can't complain about this salad.

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Built to Grill

Another trip to Portland would not be complete without more visits to the Portland food carts.  I ventured out to the 3rd & Stark food carts which are about 10 blocks away from where I'm staying.  I didn't go here last time because my little delicate LA feet thought it was too far to walk.  I manned up and went trekking for good eats.  After a quick walk, maybe 10 minutes, I arrived to another block teeming with food carts.  I had to try Built to Grill, the only food cart rated on yelp with 5 stars!





You'd think Built To Grill specialized in burgers or meat of some sort with a name like that.  Stand corrected, because Buil to Grill is all about Italian, pastas and paninis.

The downside of the majority of the food carts are the limited hours.  They target the working lunch crowd, so if you happen not to work in the area then its probable that you'll never get to experience the wonders of the food carts.  Lucky for me, I have all the time in the world when I'm here in Portland.  The only limiting factor is the size of my stomach and the fact I'm usually going by myself so I can't order that much food.  Or can I?

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Whiskey Soda Lounge

I think Portland has a lot of Vietnamese and Thai people.  I could be wrong, but that is just my initial assessment just based on the type of Asian eating establishments.  There just seems to be a lot more good Vietnamese and Thai places.  Ironically, the most popular Thai restaurant happens to be owned and operated by a white guy.  What does a white guy know about Thai food?  How authentic could this food be?  People wait 1-2 hours just to be seated at Pok Pok Restaurant.   Andy Ricker even opened up a bar across the street, The Whiskey Soda Lounge, to deal with the overflow.  It offers many of the same dishes, including the famous chicken wings.

Ike's Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings
Can you say "crack wings"?  Holy Jesus!  These wings are DELICIOUS!  DELECTABLE!  FANTASTIC!  WONDERFUL!   They really pack a punch of flavor with a strong salty sweet tang from a blend of fish sauce, sugar, lime, garlic, chillies.  They were served hot and crispy from the fryer, with a golden crusty layer of caramelized sugar from the savory marinade.  I actually found the recipe online so will one day attempt to make them.  If you make just one trip to Portland and eat only one thing, I suggest you make it these wings!  BEST WINGS EVER!

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Kobawoo House

Since we had such a gay ole time at K-Zo, our gang of 3 (Me, Lo-Ma Linda, and Bighead Talksalot) decided to make another dining trip.   It was my chance to show Lo-Ma Linda that there is more to Korean food than just tofu and bbq.   It was Bighead's chance to eat something more than tofu and bbq.  After listing off all the Korean food I know that did not consist of the aforementioned foods, we decided on Kobawoo House.  I know of no other restaurant in Ktown that is as popular as Kobawoo is for bossam.  Ssam literally means "wrapped" and refers to a dish where meat (specifically pork at Kobawoo) is wrapped in leafy vegetables traditionally.  At Kobawoo, pork is taken to a whole new level.

First, the banchan...

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K-ZO (DineLA)

My next DineLA adventure was inspired by His Majesty, King Arthur.  He spoke great things about Chef Keizo and his extraordinary sushi skills.  Too bad King Arthur wasn't around this time to foot the bill to his pharm rep buddies.  Lucky for us, the DineLA menu offered 3 courses at $44, which actually still  amounts to a significant amount of $$ after tax, tip, and drinks.   As long as the food isn't atrocious and the portions bitesize and I am dining in good company, you won't find me bitching and moaning at the end of the night.


Bouillabaisse seafood soup, sashimi grade scallop, green mussels, shrimp, white fish, salmon
I was expecting something more exciting from this dish.  It was served as bowl with the seafood, and the broth was served table side out of a giant teapot.  The presentation was a step from the ordinary, but the soup splashed a bit and was on the tepid side.  And the seafood?  Well don't they look sad and lonely?  One shrimp.  One clam.  One mussel.  One white fish.  One salmon.  The broth didn't taste as authentically French as proclaimed.  I tasted a hint of soy sauce?  It did have a really rich deep flavor, but nothing that knocked my socks off.

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The Water Grill (DineLA)

DineLA descended upon the hungry citizens of Los Angeles last week.  For $26/$34/$44 (depending on where you dine), you are offered a pre fixe dinner menu from a wide variety of restaurants throughout LA.  My previous experience with DineLA has been really hit and miss.  Locanda Veneta was superb, but Craft was stinkin'!.  Sometimes Dine LA may not be reflective of a restaurant's true quality because you may not necessarily be offered the best things off the menu or the restaurant gets lazy and does a half ass job (ie Craft).  So I made reservations at various restaurants hoping for the best, but not surprised if I got something average.

The Water Grill seems like a restaurant that has been around for ages.  As you could imagine, a well established restaurant serving more traditional American cuisine doesn't generate much buzz in the food community.  I was hoping the food would quell any doubts I had about dining at a place nobody talks about.   Besides, Amanda works here, and I was very much impressed by her sous chef skills.


Amuse Bouche spicy tuna
Served on ice cold spoons, the amuse was a singularly harmonious bite of perfectly brunioused accoutrements and tuna wrapped in a thin cucumber slice.  It was refreshing and clean with well balanced light flavors.

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Nem Nuong Khang Hoa

The Vietnamese spring rolls usually brings to mind a rice paper roll filled with rice noodles, lettuce and aromatics, and pork and shrimp slices to be dipped in a peanut sauce.  My family never ate this very much.  I don't know why.  In recent years we've become fans of nem nuong cuon, or grilled pork spring rolls.  I feel like Brodard, in Westminster, popularized this to the masses.  If you think Brodard is da bomb then you need to try Khanh Hoa because it is da shit.  I think the differences are probably subtle and if you don't eat this a lot you probably will not be able to tell the difference.

Nem Nuong Cuon (Grilled Pork Spring Rolls) grilled pork, lettuce, mint, cilantro, perilla, cucumber, deep fried egg roll wrapper
The key to a good roll is good meat.  Here, the meat tastes very meaty and is perfectly seasoned with the right balance of salt and sweet.  The reason why half the restaurants in Westminster suck is because they are heavy handed with the sugar.  That is my hugest pet peeve.  But here, they do the meat right.  The grilled pork is always served warm too, which makes each bite that much more succulent and tasty.  At Brodard, the meat tastes just a tad bit overprocessed and artificial.  Here, you know what you're eating.  Don't ask me what the sauce is made up of.  I can never figure it out nor can I really detect any strong flavors.  At best its slightly sweet and chunky, from what?  I don't know.

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Test Kitchen: Marcel Vigneron

I'm a groupie through and through.  I freak out when I see a celebrity of any caliber, from the A list to the D list.  I'm scream.  I point.  I gawk.  Then I hide into the farthest corners of my shyness.   I will not approach them.  I will not talk to them.  I will dart my eyes away if they there is any hint of potential eye contact.  Sadly, this holds true for even reality TV stars, who are at best C list celebrities, but are probably more like a solid D.   Celebrity chefs are no exception, if not a large focus of my undeserved attention. 

Marcel Vigneron, being the runner up of Top Chef Season 2, was the main draw for my visit to Test Kitchen this time around.  When I walked into the restaurant and laid eyes on that giant mane of hair from scalp to chin, I became especially effusive with girlish immaturity.  Just as quick as the inane giddiness washed upon me, compelling me to snap photos of Marcel, did the feelings of embarassment soon follow, quelling the stalkarazzi in me.  I did manage to get one good photo before the restraint of my sheepish nature kicked in.

Marcel fared quite well on Top Chef.  He seemed like a young, but truly talented and innovative gastronomist.  I was eager to taste his culinary creations.

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The Bazaar

Maybe it's just me, but I feel like food is like the new "it" thing.  By that, I mean food seems to be on everyone's minds.  Whether it's talking about favorite foods, eating at the best new restaurants, or checking out foodie events.  Food is everywhere!  Dumpling Man voiced a similar sentiment.   Maybe food has always been "in" and I'm just coming late to the party.   Maybe this is just a natural process of getting older, appreciating fine dining and having a bit more cash to spend on it.

In any case, you'll need a lot of all of that (especially the cash) to dine at The Bazaar.   It's one of those places that has been the talk of the LA foodie scene since its opening in 2008.  Most people rave about it, but I have run into a few non believers.  One thing, that I think most people would agree on is that the restaurant itself is beautiful.  It is in the SLS hotel, which is about as trendy, hipster, and "LA" as it gets.   The crowd ranges from Hollywood beauties to wannabe hipsters to flaming douchebags.   Unlike most other trendy LA eateries, The Bazaar actually has some credibility rooted in its famous executive chef, Jose Andres.

The H.o.P. descended upon The Bazaar for Smooth Obturator's birthday.   To make sure no member of the H.o.P. went hungry, we made sure to order multiples of many of the dishes since the restaurant offers tapas style dining.

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Patina

What is a "shill"?  Wikipedia describes a shill as a "person who is paid to help another person or organization to sell goods or services. The shill pretends to have no association with the seller/group and gives onlookers the impression that he or she is an enthusiastic independent customer."   King Arthur (not the fabled one from the stories and movies) may be considered the king of shills with his support of many a pharmaceutical company or two.   Lucky for me, I have fallen into the good graces of His Majesty.  And when a king looks favorably upon you, you reap the rewards of his bounty.  Bounty, of course, being fine dining with free flowing libations.

Melisse was just the start of it all, with Patina being the continuation of what I hope to be a fruitful foodie harvest this year.  I dined with King Arthur and his loyal subjects, Wontuan, The Communist, Soprano Man, Tofu, and a smattering of the king's groupies from The View (not the morning television show).  

The wine was divine...

...the cocktails, ambrosial.

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Carnevino @ Palazzo

I've become a BIG fan of Mario Batali since trying Osteria Mozza.  So after hearing we would be going to Carnevino during Triple F's bachelorette party in Vegas, I was pretty excited.  Eating out in Las Vegas always brings much anticipation and excitement.  I can't think of any other city, besides NYC, that has such a concentration of fine dining establishments from so many well renowned chefs.  One day, I hope to work my way up to a night at Joel Robuchon, but a Mario Batali restaurant is more than enough for now.

Carnevino is an Italian steakhouse created from the culinary minds of Mario Batali and his partner Joe Bastianich.  Granted Batali does not really cook at all his restaurants, I was still expecting great things.  Nobody has ever seemed to convey any sort of disappointment after dining at one of his outposts.  It seems like he, unlike many other chefs that slap their name on various restaurants across the country (I'm looking at you, Michael Mina), has been able to maintain the quality and integrity of food while bringing fame and glory to his name and furthering the brand.


Amuse Bouche
These were some cheesy bread balls, served piping hot.  They had a slight crunch to the exterior which revealed a slightly chewy and cheesy texture within.  I'm not sure what cheese was used, but it was a little bit too salty. 

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Spago @ Caesar's Palace

I remember when California Pizza Kitchen first opened up near my house when I was in high school.  It was a wildly popular restaurant back then.  It took traditional restaurant items such as salad, pizza, and pasta and transformed them into hip trendy eats with a "California" twist.  How do you define "California Cuisine"?  Wikipedia says California cuisine is "marked by an interest in 'fusion' -- integrating disparate cooking styles and ingredients."  I think BBQ chicken pizza certainly qualifies as "fusion."  Wolfgang Puck is considered one of the pioneers of "fusion" cuisine.  He is known for his Euro-Asian flare on food, as well as his smurf like qualities. 

I have long since moved beyond the novelty of "fusion" cuisine, instead preferring more authenticity and innovation than the different ways to make Asian food not taste very Asian.   I think it took me a while to get here, because only after having Spago's did I realize where I used to be with regard to my food preferences. 

Bread Basket focaccia bread, herb parmesan flatbread, rustic italian bread
The focaccia was doughy and soft.  There were bits of caramelized onions on some pieces.  I loved it.  The flatbread was also very addicting.  Light, but intensely cheesy.  You could keep munching and not realize that you just went through a whole baskets' worth.

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Ondal 2

You're probably thinking, how's Ondal 1?  That is a question I have no answer, but I would guess it's probably closer to Ktown than this place.  Yes folks, this very KOREAN restaurant is not really located in the general vicinity of Koreatown.   There's a lot of Hispanic businesses around.  In any case, the place was filled with Koreans, so we knew it had to be good.  It's a place many have been wanting to try, but requires bigger parties.  Ondal 2 is known for their spicy crab soup.  When you walk into the restaurant, you know for sure that there is definitely some seafood cooking.  The air is rich with that indescribable delicious ocean smell.  Hates Asian Food, The Communist, Soprano Man, Buff Bear, and myself gathered for some seafood spicy soup goodness.

Salad


Pan Chan
All pretty standard...


...but this was my favorite.

Tofu spicy sauce
We loved how the tofu still retained the shape of the container from which it came, like a plastic tube.  It was silky smooth and deliciously seasoned with the spicy sauce.


Raw Crab
I don't see this dish too often at many Korean restaurants.  I've only had it at So Kong Dong, but I never like it much there.  Here, it was ok.  Maybe my taste for Korean things is just growing.

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