Little Sister

It seems like a lot of chefs these days are incorporating Asian flavors into their cooking.  I guess this is one of the aspects comprising "New American" cuisine.  I guess Little Sister isn't so much "New American" as it is "Asian/Asian fusion", but its smack dab in the middle of one of the whitest parts of the South Bay, Manhattan Beach, so that makes it American enough.

Grilled Pork Spring Roll "Nem Nuong" red leaf lettuce, mint, carrot, cucumber, house sauce
The "peanut" sauce was pretty bland, so the fish sauce was more flavorful.  The rolls themselves were just OK.  I can definitely make better ones myself.  They were also a bit too loosely wrapped.  No doubt, a spring roll wrapping noob was in the back making these.

Singapore Chili Soft Shelled Crab Banh Mi spiced tomato relish, pickled garlic
My dining companions, Old Bear and his gf, had never tried soft shell crab before.  After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I jumped at the chance to order this.  It was really solid.  I highly recommend this one.  I think I'll leave it at that.

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Quince

My summer of fancy schmancy eating didn't end with Grace.  Oh no, no, it just started there and continued with my visit to Quince with The Pouter.  It felt like a hot date.  We both got all dolled up, she picked me up,  we had wine, great conversation, and then the date took a turn towards doomsville.  The check came and we went dutch!  Well not every date that starts well, ends well =P.  Anyways, the place is pretty elegant, and would be a great place to celebrate a special occasion.  The Pouter and I were celebrating, um...life, love, and food?  Heck, we don't really need an occasion to blow some cash on any ole weekday.  I guess I was visiting SF, so that was occasion enough!

Green Garlic Parmesan Chips
They had the texture of shrimp chips with a very subtle cheesy taste.  A bit on the greasy side but its just so easy to eat anything in chip form.

Pickled Green Tomato Tartlet squash chips
These were some of the best bites of the night.  This one tasted like a fresh tomato pie.

Arugula Financier seville orange purée
Wow, this was soo good!  Like a sweet yet savory vegetable pound cake.  I wanted a whole loaf.

Russet Potato Skin guanciale marmalade
Yum!  A singular bite that encompassed all the flavors of an awesome baked potato.

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Incanto

It's been a while since I've dined with Weeners.  The last time was when she still lived in LA and that seems like ages ago.  Now, she is proud to call herself a San Franciscan and has really adapted to the hippy dippy lifestyle of those folks up there and she loves it.  SF is too cold and gloomy if you ask me, but on those rare occasions when the sun is shining, I will admit the city has its charm.  I love visiting, since the food is so derricious, and since I have yet another friend who has relocated up there, Craire (formerly known as CMac Attack).  All of us met up at the Italian restaurant of Top Chef Master, Chris Cosentino, winner of season 4.  To my shock, he was actually IN the kitchen cooking when I arrived, but moved to expediting by the time we were seated.  Expectations were certainly high for me knowing this.

Foccacia Bread olive tapenade
Pretty tasty, even more so because we were pretty hungry by this point.

Handkerchief Pasta rustic pork ragu, sizzled duck egg
A really solid, hearty meat pasta dish.  No complaints here.

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Roku

Triple F and Running Man really love this place. Apparently the guy who opened up Roku actually had a food truck serving Japanese curry and was successful enough to open up a brick and mortar joint serving a larger selection of food, izakaya style. The menu is surprisingly extensive here so I was a bit wary of the quality. I mean the place serves pretty specialized Japanese dishes like takoyaki, okonomiyaki, and ramen so it could easily do it all wrong. Fortunately, it does it all right!

Mentai Bowl crab meat, spicy cod roe paste, rice

I'm not sure why Triple F loves mentaiko so much. It's quite fishy funky and Triple F is not usually one for unusual foods. Anyways, this was ok but I'm not a fan of mentaiko I guess.

Mochi Bacon

Running Man loooved this, which again was not my thing. The bacon wasn't crispy enough and it wasn't enough meat to balance out a big hunk of starch.  

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LA Food & Wine Festival 2013: Live On Grand

I like going to food festivals, almost exclusively the non-FREE ones. You may be asking yourself, why would you prefer to pay for something rather than get something for FREE? I really hate large crowds and long lines. Free food festivals just attract a TON more people, so you end up having to elbow your way around and stand in a long ass line in the, usually, brutal hot sun, to pay for your food plate for plate in the end.  I'd rather pay a larger sum of money upfront for an all-you-can-eat experience, which naturally weeds out a good chunk of people. Buuuut, I suppose I took this attitude a bit far when I gathered the forces, Triple T and Smooth Obturator, for the LAFW festival at $250 a ticket. Was it worth it you might ask?  Wine was pouring from every place you turned, lines moved quickly, celebrity chefs actually prepping and serving their food, and Gavin DeGraw performed live! I guess most of your probably care more about the food though, so on we go...


Kris Morningstar | Ray's  & Stark Bar spiced lamb with pistachio yogurt
Salty but a good amount of spice and heat.

Johnathan Sadler | Rivera autumn corn custard, asparagus, morel mushrooms

Definitely one of my favorite dishes of the night. It's summer, so all the corn dishes I've been eating have been fantastic and this was no exception. It was just a pile of umami goodness. Sweet from the corn, salty from the mushrooms, crunch for the asparagus. Smooth Obturator and Triple T went back for seconds. 

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Little Goat

Stephanie Izzard's first restaurant, Girl & The Goat, is probably one of the hottest tickets in town since it opened in 2010.  Reservations are still hard to come by and sometimes can't be snagged even months in advance.  I dined here some time ago and was very pleased with my meal here, though I feel like there are plenty of other restaurants in Chicago that are just as tasty, if not tastier, and a lot easier to eat at.  Anyways, Triple F and I needed a place to brunch at and even though Chicago had many other stellar offerings and Buff Bear only gave it a lukewarm recommendation, we were intrigued by Little Goat, mostly because of our good experiences at Girl & The Goat.

Little Goat is more like a diner, which means more typical American fare like burgers, sandwiches, eggs/bacon, pancakes, biscuits/gravy.  But, this is Stephanie Izzard here right?  Everything's got a twist.

Breakfast Spaghetti 'N Clams 'N Crabs eggs, parmesan, pork guanciale, bok choy
We were intrigued by the possibilities of this dish but SEVERELY let down.  Don't order this.  It's frankly BAD.  I guess they took spaghetti and fried or baked it with cheese to make this giant carb conglomerate sitting in a pool of clam broth? topped with all that stuff above.  It was difficult and messy to eat.  It tasted fishy.  I didn't understand what was going on here.  FAILURE.

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Grace

Grace came highly recommended by Buff Bear, who has been living in Chicago for the past 2 years.  He said it was better than Alinea.  Dems strong words there Buff Bear!  So of course I had to try the place out, on my now third visit to Chicago.  Triple F never heard of the place, I guess because it hasn't been open for even a year!  It definitely falls under the category of fine dining, with a tasting menu costing $185.  Yes, I know, really steep, buuuut you only live once right??  After the wine pairing, tax, tip, oh god, it was a killer to the wallet to say the least.  Buuut, it was good.  Modern, innovative, tasty.  Better than Alinea?  I guess we'll see...

Amuse Bouche
Alaskan king crab, encapsulated butter
The plating here is so beautiful, I almost didn't want to eat this but it was a delicious, more elevated version of steamed crab legs dipper in butter.  The buttery sphere burst in your mouth with an intense butteriness.  It was a tad too salty overall but still good.

Black pepper melon juice, caviar, mint

This was another ball that exploded in your mouth.  This may be the first time where I didn't find the caviar too salty.

Plum sodaTriple F didn't seem to like this refreshing palate cleanser as much as I did.  It wasn't that sweet, it was more tart and watery.  I like the little seed pulps swimming in my mouth.

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Marugame Monzo

I love all kinds of noodle soups.  It wasn't like that when I was a kid.  I was all about rice and my mom always had to make me something else when everyone else was eating pho.  I also was a big tomboy and hated wearing dresses.  It's amazing how some things change so much.  Marugame Monzo is known for making fresh udon.

Here's the udon man slinging fresh noodles.

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Tokyo Fried Chicken Co.

Since getting back to the blog after a long hiatus, I haven't had any real noteworthy dining experiences.  But along comes Tokyo Fried Chicken Co., which restores my faith in the delicious possibilities of this world.  You're probably thinking, what's so special about this fried chicken?  The meat is juicy and tasty, while the outside is just perfectly battered and seasoned.  Mmm, my mouth is watering just remembering it.  It tastes like a more mildly seasoned karaage chicken.  But what really makes the place special are the Japanese style sides.  Lo-Ma Linda and Big Head Talks ALot did not know what to expect coming to this little joint all the way out in Monterey Park, but they were very very pleased with the food.

So much beer! Too bad I don't like beer, except to wash out the taste of stinky tofu in my mouth (long story).

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DK Donuts

The cronut craze has taken LA by way of Santa Monica.  What's a cronut you might be asking yourself?  Uhh, have you been living under a rock?  I guess there are actually a lot of under rock dwellers.  It's been described as a "half donut, half croissant pastry hybrid."  It originated at Dominique Ansel's bakery in NYC and there have been many knockoffs popping up across the country.  

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Maccheroni Republic

When I was in college, too many years ago, the only reasons we went to downtown LA was to volunteer at the soup kitchens and feed the homeless people by Skid Row.  Fast forward, again, too many years, and downtown is a destination to dine and spend a night out, what with LA Live, the Nokia Theater, Staples Center, and many restaurants popping up throughout the area.  It certainly feels a lot safer hanging out in downtown LA, so I was a bit surprised to find Maccheroni Republic in a sketchy part of DTLA on Broadway.  The rustic Italian cuisine showcasing a variety of handmade pastas is a stark contrast to the neighboring McDonald's and random shops selling bridal gowns, CDs, discount goods, etc.  I think what was more off putting was the fact they don't serve wine!  What kind of Italian restaurant does not serve wine?  There's no corkage fee so we could have brought our own bottle had we known.  Or we could have hiked over a few miles to the nearest wine shop like our waiter had suggested.  I think The Face Puncher and Lactose Intolerant T (formerly known as Quack Man T) were both thinking the same thing I was, which was "you want me to what?!"


Polpettine di Gamberi crispy pan fried shrimp cakes, caramelized onions
These were golden fried on the outside and shrimpy and snappy on the inside.  The caramelized onions were sweet and added nice contrast, though really I'm not sure how they two went together.  I'm not even sure what was Italian about this, but I do believe the place was authentic.  Our waiter was a real Luigi, with the accent and all!

Fettuccine slow cooked venetian braised duck sauce
The pastas were perfectly al dente.  The duck could have been any other meat really, but tomato sauce was not too overpowering.

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Fundamental LA

If you know me, you probably know I'm not a huge fan of Dine LA.  First of all, I haven't had very good experiences.  Second of all, I'd rather spend more money to get what I want than to be restricted to a prix fixe menu for less money.  What can I say?  I'm particular about my food and I don't mind paying for it.  That being said, I made reservations for Fundamental LA not knowing it was Dine LA week, but we decided to partake in the offering anyways because it pretty much included most of the things we would have ordered anyways.  Since there were 3 of us, we were able to order 1 of everything off the Dine LA menu.

Requisite open kitchen shot

Summer Salad mesclun greens, hazelnut, white nectarine, celery, champagne vin
I could have made this at home!  Really not much special going on here, and I would have expected the nectarines to be sweeter.  Fun fact, Oregon produces 99% of the U.S. hazelnut crops!

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Maruhide Uni Club

In the past 2 years I've really developed an appreciation for uni.  Smooth Obturator would order it all the time but I would just give him and those ugly fleshy orange blobs the stink eye.  I don't really know when/how things changed for me, but I just can't get enough uni nowadays.  So when I heard about Maruhide Uni Club as a restaurant solely dedicated to serving uni bowls and other more interesting preparations of uni, I jumped at the chance to go.  Big Willie, who should probably be renamed to Ugly Mullet Head, and Speaker Monkey were down to join me for a slice of uni heaven.

The place is pretty spacious with high ceilings which is sort of unusual for Japanese restaurants as we all know.  They have a fridge with all sorts of uni preparations including the marinated uni, or uni shuntou.

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Mo-Chica

Oh Ricardo Zarate, you've come such a long way since your days at Mercado La Paloma, the original location of Mo-Chica.  I first dined at Mo-Chica when it was housed in this food court-esque type venue.  It really blew my socks off at that time, probably being the best fancied up Peruvian food I'd had, even better than the highly lauded Andina in Portland.  Since then, I've tried Picca, Zarate's second effort, but was a bit disappointed.  I left that meal still wearing both my socks.  The H.o.P. (House of Piggy - this is the reference for my family for all of those new to my blog) dined there without me and was also unimpressed.  Soooo, I have yet to try Paiche and instead wanted to try Mo-Chica again to see if it was still just as good as a I remember.

Ceviche Mixto halibut, prawns, scallops, squid, red onion, rocoto, leche de tigre, camote
I think I'm REALLY over ceviche at Peruvian joints.  They're just SOUR SOUR SOUR.  It's hard to appreciate anything else, say the inherent freshness of the seafood?  Nope, nope, NONE of that.

Yellowtail Tiradito rocoto ponzu, garlic chips, green onions
I apologize for the poor quality photos.  It's been awhile since I've blogged and I'm still trying to remember how to use my camera again!  Anyways, the yellowtail was not as fresh as it could have been.  Not much special going on here.

Causa de Cangrejo Aji amarillo mashed potatoes, fresh crab, avocado
I thought the causa was really good last time with the freshness of the crab shining through on top of a tasty mash of potatoes.  The crab seemed a bit too mayo-y this time.  It was still a pretty dish.

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Woodsman Tavern

I had been wanting to go to Woodsman Tavern for a long long time and finally got around to it thanks to some friends.  Verde, Perpetually Underwhelmed,  The Gunner (though she's not doing much of that anymore these days), Big Spoon, joined me for some good ole grubbin'.  

Marinated Octopus pickled lemon, oregano capers
This was a big disappointment.  It had a fishiness to it that I could not overcome.  Big Spoon and Verde did not seem to mind it.  Texturally, it was meaty without being too rubbery or too soft.  I'll give this one a pass but I wouldn't order it again.  

Pacific Coast Oyster on the Half Shell Kusshi (BC), Sea Cows (WA), Shigoku (WA)

Pacific Uni grapefruit vinaigrette

I love me some oysters! I can't remember which were which, but I loved them all!  They were fresh, sweet, briny, and meaty on the whole.  I think oysters taste great with just a squeeze of lemon, no mignonette or horse radish needed usually.  I thought the uni was well done with an interesting flavor profile from the tangy vinaigrette.  Perpetually Underwhelmed seemed unimpressed (duh, look at her name!) and preferred her uni unadulterated.  

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The Playground

Welcome to the first post of 2013!  I apologize for my long absence from the blogosphere.  It's not that I have lost interest in blogging or am no longer into food documentation.  I've simply NOT eaten out at any new interesting places, nor have I cooked anything new or notable.  I guess I've been in a food rut. I have also learned that when you're in a food rut, it's really easy to lose weight!  All that poppycock about diet and exercise being the key to weight loss?  No friends, just DON'T EAT and you'll lose weight.  Americans eat too much and we have no self control, plain and simple, but this is a whole other conversation for a whole other type of blog.  I'll get off my soap box now.

The holidays brought me back home to The OC, and back to some old friends Soprano Man and Teety.    Soprano Man was so kind enough to drive down from Riverside to meet up with Teety, Dumpling Man, and I in Santa Ana.  Boy was dinner such an amazing surprise since New American cuisine in OC is pretty unimpressive if not nonexistent.  I had heard they have secret foie dishes here, but after being interrogated and asked if I was a cop, the waiter told us they had no more "special bread" that night.  Maybe next time?

Brussels Sprouts baby potatoes, honey mustard vinaigrette
This was a fantastic way to start off.  Although it looks like a glistening pile of dead weeds, this was actually an intensely flavored almost warm salad of charred brussels and luscious potatoes.  The vinaigrette was so spot on.  The table was hands down in love with this dish.

Citrus Salad di steffano buratta
Everyone loves buratta, and it was fresh and creamy here.  It was an interesting pairing with the varying citrus fruits but it was no match for the deliciousness of the brussels.

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The Purple Pig

I can't express how much I love this place.  My first visit with Ho Bag left an indelible impression on me.  It simply is everything I love in food, flavor that packs a punch, no frills, great ingredients, and a strong focus on charcuterie.  I normally don't go to a restaurant twice, but I wanted Dumpling Man to try this place because if you visit Chicago, and you don't go to the Purple Pig, well, you really haven't visited to Chicago, at least your stomach hasn't.

While this is a bit heavy for lunch, it was the only time we could squeeze in a visit.  See Fat Gwai spent the night at our hotel after we karaoked late into the wee hours of the night.  We woke up and rolled on over to the Purple Pig, which fortunately was a short walk away from our hotel.

Broccolli roasted garlic, anchovy vinaigrette
To my dismay, this was a warm salad.  I wish they had mentioned that in the description.  Still though, it was pretty good, maybe a bit heavy on the dressing.  Really not fishy at all, but left my mouth with a pucker from the acidity.

Roasted Corn mushrooms, walnuts, fried rosemary
Dumpling Man loves anything with corn, while See Fat Gwai loves anything with mushrooms.  This was the perfect dish to please everyone!  It had a similar flavor profile to the previous salad, so again a bit heavy on the dressing and pretty tart.  I was still a fan.  These are salads you definitely need to eat with something on the side or its just too overwhelming.  I didn't like the fried rosemary at all though.

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Girl & The Goat

I don't think any other restaurant has as much hype as this place.  I don't think any other restaurant has as crazy a waitlist as this place either!  Yelpers say you need to snag a reservation at least 2-3 months in advance, which is what I managed to.  Buff Bear, now a Chicago resident, said my 8:45 Monday night reservation was a great achievement.  I think he's only been able to eat there even later.  I guess being the restaurant of Top Chef season 4 winner, Stephanie Izard, has a lot to do with all the hype.  I personally was pretty bummed that she beat out Richard Blais to win, but good thing he ended up winning the All Stars season.  

Anyways, the space is pretty large with darks and neutrals coloring the interior.  This large painting really stands out, obviously, and brightens up the joint.  The large googly eyes kinda creeps me out but I love the vibrant colors.  See Fat Gwai, a poor student, took an hour train to meet us here, in the rain no less, so Dumpling Man and I treated him to a dinner here.  After all those years of being poor and having others pay my way, it's nice to do the same for someone else now.

Kohlrabi Salad fennel, evalon, pears, roasted shiitakes, toasted almonds, ginger dressing 
I love eating salads when I go out because someone it's always so much more interesting than the sh*t you get at the local salad bar.  Kohlrabi and pears were definite flavor and textural highlights here.  The almonds added nice crunch too.

Mushroom Ragout sweet potato agnolotti, shroom creme fraiche, capers
Triple F thought the food here was a bit heavy handed with the salt.  The 3 of us argued about the salt level of this dish.  I thought it was on the saltier side, but Dumpling Man thought the salt level was off the chart.  Aside from that, I was intrigued by the flavor profile, which I can't really pin down.  It had a creaminess and tomatoey-ness that reminded me of chicken tikka masala.  The capers didn't help with the salt level.  The dish packed a punch of flavor, but maybe too much so?

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Next: Kyoto

Our last trip to Chicago was really highlighted by some of the most delicious food I've eaten in a long time.  This trip back was no exception.  Alinea was probably the stand out restaurant last time for its sheer creativity.  It's sister restaurant, Next, managed to wow us again.  Now if you haven't heard, both restaurants now work on a ticketing system, sort of like buying tickets to a musical or a concert.  You buy them, and then you're stuck with them.  NO REFUNDS.  I guess restaurants lose money on last minute cancelled reservations, no shows, and having to staff someone to and take phone calls and manage the reservations.  I'll admit, I am guilty of making last minute cancellations but I'm a customer and I can do as I please, right?  Grant Achatz (chef/owner) says, "screw you."  I didn't actually think I was going to get a spot at Next, but tickets for Kyoto opened up just a day or two before my trip and BOOM, I was so there!  It helps to be friends with Next on Facebook!

I think I'm too dumb to really appreciate the cerebral experience Grant Achatz is trying to create in all his restaurants.  There was this teeny scroll explaining the theme of the dinner.  All I got from it was fall, Kyoto, tradition, experience.  The rest of it was just too many words.  These days, I can only communicate in abbreviations (CAD, HTN, SDH, ARF, etc).

Kaiseki traditional multicourse Japanese dinner (12 to be exact!)

Corn Husk 

We started off very gently with some simple corn stock.  It was very sweet, very clean tasting corn.  Imagine the juice that comes with canned corn.  It tasted just like that!

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Portillo's

So on my last trip to Chicago, the city's famous hot dogs and pizza didn't make it to eating itinerary.  I'm proud to say that despite having every meal planned, I still managed to fit in a tasting of Portillo's and Lou Malnati's.  

I really wanted to try Hot Doug's or Franks 'n Dawgs but they were just too far and Portillo's happened to be a few blocks away while I was out with Dumpling Man and his old high school buddy, See Fut Gwai.  Even though it was just 2 hours before our dinner reservations at Next, Dumpling Man and I wanted to see what all the rage was with Chicago and it's hot dogs.

Hot Dog relish, mustard, onions, tomatoes, pickle, sport peppers

I'm not so sure I understand what the big deal is about the hot dogs here.  It was good, but not great.  The noticeable absence of ketchup bothered me.  I just LOVE piling on the red stuff, but I guess that's considered criminal in Chicago.  Dumpling Man was giving me the evil eye as I chowed down on the hot dog since dinner was so soon.  He can be such a dictator sometimes.

Anyways, I'm glad I finally tried a true Chicago hot dog.  I can honestly say I'm quite content with just a good ole Costco hot dog.  I don't need pickles, peppers, and tomatoes on my dogs, just everything else AND lots of ketchup!

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