Eat Drink & Be Merry. Food, Travel and Photography in Los Angeles and Beyond.

Hot Pot. Remixed.

2009-11-01T21:03:00.000-08:00

Winter is coming and for Jeni and I it means one delicious thing to add to the menu: hot pot. But the problem is, she being Japanese, loves her nabemono, Japanese hot pot. Me being Chinese, I love Chinese/Mongolian style hot pot. There isn't really a difference between the cultural versions of hot pot, but rather the sauces are what makes it unique. The Chinese typically use plain water from the start, but I myself really enjoy Mongolian style hot pot because it's flavorful right from the get-go. After all, Mongolians did invent hot pot and brought it down to China, probably Sichuan (Szechuan) first. They even invented the style of food called Korean BBQ in which meat was grilled upon metals shields and open fire. If you've eaten at Mon Land Hot Pot or Little Fat Sheep, then you've had this flavorful dish. The soup used for dipping/cooking is simply an awesome array of over 35+ ingredients that really creates a nice aroma throughout your house. And for us, there's nothing more homey than a hot pot meal.

So rather than push each other's button on which type of hot pot we should do, we did a little compromise. A remix basically. We both get to buy our own goodies, use our own sauces and enjoy. She likes udon, I like my bean thread vermicelli. She hates my fish cake but throw in some dumplings to make her happy. Luckily, she digs the Mongolian flavor and I like this kimchi flavor package she uses from time to time. So everyone is happy. Here's what we eat.

According to a waitress at Little Fat Sheep, she said there are over 50+ ingredients for their hot pot. Forget trying to recreate this at home and look for this brand with an imitation 'little sheep' cartoon on it. It even SAYS 'fat sheep' in Chinese too. I think this one tastes the most like Little Fat Sheep and Mon Land Hot Pot and will cost you only $1.79. They have two flavors... the one pictured above is regular and there is a spicy one. What we usually do is use the plain one for the base and add the spicy one in for kick – probably only 3-4 tablespoons are needed. I got this at the Shun Fat Supermarket on San Gabriel Blvd. & Valley Blvd. in San Gabriel. These were so good I bought like 15 packs of each flavor, walking around like I'm on that Supermarket Spree gameshow.

This is the ingredient that separates Mainland China (typically Northern) from the rest of Chinese cuisine. It's cold up there and they like food that will keep them warm inside, even numbing the mouth. These is red peppercorn powder, or as its labeled, prickly ash powder. One teaspoon of this and the packaged broth is taken to another level. It has a slight 'limey' taste on the tongue, but it's really a numbing feeling.

You can simply pour the flavor package into a pot with water and proceed to eat. But to really call it your own, you can try adding a few things. I like to add shrimp shells, 4-5 ginger slices, daikon and some garlic. Adds a real nice flavor to it all.

Here you can see the Japanese and Chinese melting pot in action. I've got my Chinese/Chiu Chow meat/fish balls and she's got her beef and fish cakes.

In Chinese hot pot, you usually eat napa cabbage, spinach and hollowed morning glory. But napa cabbage is the common denominator in our remix. Along with Japanese leeks, dumplings and usually 3 types of mushrooms including shitake, king and shimeji. King mushrooms are the best because you can cut them somewhat thick for a 'meatier' texture.

In Chinese hot pot, this is a popular condiment: Bullhead satay barbecue sauce (sa cha jiang). A potent sludge that is made with chilis, dried shrimp, small fish, shallots and oil. I cannot live without this sauce. A lot of people use this differently and I was taught by my parents to add an egg into this sauce with some soy sauce, green onions and cilantro. Some people like vinegar in it as well. Either way, everything that goes into the hot pot will be dunked in this sauce. Mmmmm.

Jeni likes these sauces. On the left you have goma dare, which is a sesame sauce. She will grind fresh sesame seeds with her mortar and add this for a nice aroma. On the right, you have ponzu, a citrus-based sauce that is as dark as soy sauce but is made with mirin, vinegar and seaweed. Both are solid sauces.

And here are a few important utensils: chopsticks and scooper to get the runaway bits.

I'm up for trying new hot pot ingredients or sauces. How do YOU hot pot? Thanks for reading.

Barbacoa Hidalgo, Echo Park - $3 Echo Park Happy Meal

2009-10-29T08:19:00.001-07:00

I was driving back home on my normal route through Echo Park into Silver Lake, and my taco radar went off. My eyes dilated the way they did in Requiem For A Dream, which by the way, is one of the most depressing movies ever. Through my peripheral vision, I spotted the Home Depot clamp lamps that I've grown all too familiar with. Home Depot clamp lamps = good street food. I parked and to my surprise, they had quite a small setup, not the usual 1-2 griddle tables, but rather a large pot and a steaming lid. I looked closely at the sign... barbacoa. Even better. What a relief it was to find someone selling something other than the usual suspect tacos.

I asked the taquero to lift the lid and it big mushroom steam cloud of 'lamb bomb' hit all of us.

Along with your taco is an offering of a consome, also known as consomme in French, or simply... broth. Like Asian cooking, bones are not discarded after the meat has been removed. They are reserved to provide further sustenance, usually in soup form. Depending on the state in Mexico, they may offer different types of broth. I've had it at Highland Park's My Taco and East LA's Breed Street, which offer consome de chivo, a goat broth which is even better than the taste of lamb in my opinion. But Barbacoa Hidalgo does a consome de borrego... so you've got a lamb soup to go with your lamb taco. Which I'm calling the $3 Echo Park happy meal. Sorry no toy included.

Taco de Borrego (Lamb Taco)

For $1.50, it seems like I got 2-3 tacos worth. They piled the meat high and with a smile. The meat was moist and pretty tasty. The hot sauce offered was quite spicy. Never worry, there's always a bucket of Mexican sodas or water.

Consome de Borrego (Lamb Broth)

For $1.50, you also get this. A lamb broth with onions and chickpeas. I always pile in a ton of onions, cilantro and 1-2 squeezes of lime. No need for hot sauce, this has a nice kick already. The soup was a bit on the salty side but it's important to note that some people will eat this almost like a French Dip. They'll dip their taco in the broth for a flavor kick, and it's tasty.

Barbacoa Hidalgo sets up shop every night from 7-11 pm in Echo Park off Sunset/Echo Park Avenue. Thanks for reading.

Wat Dong Moon Lek, Silver Lake - A New Noodle Addition on the Eastside

2009-10-24T20:05:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles is a city with over 4 million people, and it's a surprise that this massive tally still lends itself to many it's-a-small-world occurrences. Cut back 10+ years to high school. I was much different then, as most people are. I actually did really well in school, I was a soccer jock and I spent a good part of my days practicing how to do windmills, flares and headspins only to have my parents scream at me about studying for SAT's. Like most high school groups, you had your own territory somewhere on campus. For that 10 mins between every class, my friends and I would report back to basecamp, which was a tree that probably heard way more than it should have. Not surprisingly, being in San Gabriel Valley, my group was entirely Asian except for this token white guy named Willie Wood, which we later knighted as Willie Woo. Behind us was a nice mix of girls that were really into SKA & punk music that we would say hi too. One of the girls, was this really quiet and sweet half Thai/half Caucasian girl that wore short hair, dressed in black and carried a lunchbox tattered with band stickers.

And then forward 10+ years later at a dinner put together by TonyC of Sinosoul, I find myself sitting at the table staring at this girl. I told J, I think that girl went to my high school. She told me to find out if it was her.

Me: "Anjali?!"

Anjali: "Dylan?!"

I waved her over to sit with us, and it was truly a weird experience because we were never close. But it's always cool to see where people are a few years down the line.

Me: "Dude you like food?!"

Anjali: "Yeah! I write Delicious Coma."

J fell in love with her and they hung out a few times. A few nights ago, we met up w/ her and her man to check out the new Umami Burger on Hollywood/Vermont, which was very good. I love that they have a good supply of Hitachino beers, a fine brew from Japan with a dope logo of an owl. Anyway, Anjali mentioned this Thai noodle place that she had just checked out and one that I've seen on the way back home in Silver Lake.

My noodle alarm woke me up at 7:30 am, thirsty and hungry. The noodle alarm clock usually happens when I've had a little too much to imbibe. The body needs liquids and solid food. And I immediately thought about Wat Dong Moon Lek (WDML).

Jeni, my friend Tyson and I showed up on a Saturday morning to this quaint place tucked inside of a strip mall. Its turquoise/teal walls and colorful chalkboard really gave a nice vibe that attracted young people. On the chalkboard, the menu was drawn with different colors along with photos. I love places with chalkboard menus. If we have money for it someday, we'd have some installed in the kitchen/dining area to write up menus for dinner parties.

Being a noodle shop, we went for the soup noodles. This place, like Ord and Thaitown Noodles in Hollywood, offers miniature and regular-sized portions for a few of the dishes. We decided to do halfers so we could try more food.

Wat Dong Moon Lek Beef Noodle Soup

This was first on their noodle category so I assumed it was their signature dish. The broth was very light and delicate and I almost wished it had some beef blood in it to really thicken that broth.

Wat Dong Moon Lek Pork Noodle Soup

This was the pork sibling of the previous dish. Again, same broth with different meat. I was hoping for some pork offals.

Tom Yum Pork Noodle Soup

I have seen tom yum style soup noodles, but never anything orange colored like this. It almost looked like a prude, Catholic school girl version of Vietnam's punch-in-the-face pork lemongrass soup noodles known as bun bo hue. The usage of udon in Thai cuisine was new to me and probably just a homemade creation. I would order this again and a lot of chili sauce.

Hainan Chicken Rice

This is a dish the Hainan Chinese brought all over Southeast Asia. You can find this pretty easily in a Thai restaurant. The chicken was pretty moist but the hoisin & peanut butter sauce was different than the sweet, ginger-garlic sauce that is traditionally served.

Ham Hock Rice

I think I favored this dish the most out of everything. It's also a take on a popular Chinese dish that includes five-spiced braised pork, pickled mustard greens, a five-spice boiled egg and a tasty sauce.

The food was on the lighter side here as I'm pretty used to straight-forward, bold flavors from Thai food. But I think we've completely missed the point here. I forgot that Anjali had recommended the Rambutan salad, which consists of a lychee-like fruit, shrimp and coconut milk and some type of spicy mussel dish that a lot of patrons had ordered. I'll be back here again to try those dishes out. The service is great, the people are cool and it's a nice break from the limited parking in Thai Town.

I highly recommend trying the soup noodles over at Ord and Thai Town Noodles as well. Thanks for reading and to Anjali, Jeni and I had a great time with you and R. Ready for part two.

Animal, Los Angeles - The Bold & The Beautiful... Food

2009-10-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

Jeni and I finally got around to eating at Animal. I know, late right? I think when I first heard about their decadent food, I got a little turned off. Foie gras loco moco? Whoa. Prior to this, I was scarred by this peanut butter, jelly & foie gras sandwich I had eaten in San Francisco and I guess I steered clear of overly decadent food for a while. If it weren't for an invitation from an old school blogger in Hawaii called Ono Kine Grindz and from the queen bee of LA food blogging, Daily Gluttony, I might not have known that Animal would become a favorite of mine.

Ever since I started writing this blog, there have been numerous first time meetups with people we had been reading. Before this, I had experienced a blind date that I wish never happened but stuck through it to be nice. This was different though because we actually knew the writers themselves even before forming a visual of the personality, and food was the common goal. And that made things a little easier for both parties. This included meeting my now wife, Jeni.

On a Saturday night, we drove down to Fairfax to meet Reid of Ono Kine Grindz and Pam of Daily Gluttony. Problem was, we didn't know what Reid looked like. Or at least I think I did.

J: "What do you think he looks like?"

Me: "He's a skinny white guy. I've seen his photo."

J: "You sure? I didn't see his photo on his site."

Me: "I have. He's white"

J: "Ok."

As we're walking to Animal, we don't see a skinny white guy and we kind of stand there. We see Pam talking to an Asian gentleman. We look at each other.

Guy: "Dylan?"

Me: "Reid?"

Guy: "Yeah."

Me: "I thought you were white haha."

So much for the guess. Right away we walked in and it was time for straight food talk. Reid had been writing long before I started in 2005 and writes a popular blog based on Hawaii. Again, one of the best things about eating with other foodies is the willingness to try anything. We all have the Bourdain-ness in all of us – no second thoughts about trying things that are unique.

I also like the story of Chef John Shook and Vinny Dotolo, two guys that used to run a catering business before successfully opening Animal. Not many catering companies will make it to the restaurant level but as you'll see, these guys prove to be more than just catering chefs. Man, what a blessing it is to be at one of the parties they've cooked for. Anyway, here's what we had. A suggestion for eating here – go with a group. Eating here with one other person might be a little much because the dishes tend to be on the richer side. Plus when you eat in a group, you can try way more dishes. The following dishes are ONLY appetizers... we couldn't even make it down to the entrees!

Grilled Squid & Chorizo

On my second visit, I already had three dishes in mind. This and the following two have been on my mind ever since eating here. The squid is grilled beautifully where it is still soft and not rubbery at all. The smokiness of the chorizo and the squid really melded together. And not to mention, this dish is quite light.

Smoked Trout & Crispy Trout Skin Salad

This was probably my 2nd favorite of the night. The fish was beautifully smoked and man, the skin was like a potato chip.

Amberjack & Peach Salad

I think all of us at the table wanted to engage in some bizarre, gastronomic orgy with this dish. It was light, sexy and had a very different salad personality. Again, an indication of how good these chefs are.

Crispy Pig Ears & Fried Egg

Offals and eggs? Yes, please. I love that these guys tackle the parts of the pig, the ones that always get picked last for the kickball team. I thought the pig ear was sliced a little too thin and fried a little too long. But I can tell you, the mixing of the egg yolk with the pig ears created a nice harmony.

Pig Trotter Croquettes

Another unfavorable part of the pig. This one is the trench-coat wearing guy with long greasy hair that wrote dark poems about what he would do to asshole football jocks. If you haven't had pig trotters, think of them as mini goo bombs fried beautifully. Once you take a bite, the texture inside is almost gelatinous and super tasty. This was done really well.

Duck Confit with Cherries & Farro

I think this is one of the best duck confit dishes I've eaten. Most places will braise it way too long. After a perfect braise, it's either sent to the fry-o-lator or pan friend perfectly. I loved this combination.

Crispy Veal Sweetbreads

I never ignore a sweetbread dish. I love the nutty taste and chicken-like texture. Gooooood.

Chicken Liver Pate

Pate. It was basically my peanut butter & jelly sandwich as a child. Cut to me enjoying this while other kids stare at me in awe. Three pieces are given per order.

Kimchi Pork Belly

This is one of the dishes that I had heard people talking a lot about. Although the 'kimchi' was more like a Thai slaw, this was an interesting dish. I think the sauce was a bit overpowering because of too much vinegar, but man, the pork belly was done well indeed. I was kind of confused as to whether I was eating a Korean or Thai dish. On a second visit with Portland's Guilty Carnivore, I have to say this dish was even better. Especially with a nice glass of Stone.

Oxtail Poutine

I had heard tall tales about this dish Canadians speak so highly of... poutine. What is it? It is almost like their version of chili fries only they use gravy and cheese curds over their fries. I recently got back from Nova Scotia and had a very delicious version of poutine and have fallen in love with it. What's not to like about moist shredded oxtail, a beefy au jus, cheese curds and crispy chips? This was by far the most 'manly' dish we had tonight and I think this really defines what John and Vinny are about. We loved this.

In a time where popularity relies on the amount of foam you dump on a plate or the number of scientific processes your food has been through, it's nice to know that there are these Two Dudes. The majority of the food is meat heavy, but then they also offer a nice assortment of seafood to really offer some yin & yang. Each dish I can tell comes from passion, care and the desire to make people rub their bellies in joy. I'll be back here for sure. Reid, it was great meeting you finally. Pam, always a pleasure laughing with you. Kevin, I like that you mix wine and beer without hesitation. And J, another great meal we get to share together.

Thanks for reading.

Animal Restaurant

435 N. Fairfax Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90036

(323) 782-9225

www.animalrestaurant.com

Le Club de Grub - A Concept for those Bored with Their Lunch

2009-10-22T12:01:00.001-07:00

Lunch time is an interesting time of the day at work. You can tell who's really into food and who's eating for the pure sake of sustenance. I know exactly what my coworkers like to eat because I see them eating the same thing almost every day. Well not every day, but enough to generate a pattern. Some are happy, some don't look happy. This person likes making gigantic salads in a large glass bowl. This person only eats sandwich and fries. This person eats a lot of last night's pasta. I'm hardly in the kitchen eating unless I've brought some home cooked food. Other than that, I'm out and about trying different things. I've decided it's time to sexy up my coworkers lunch by introducing them to places I enjoy near where we work. You can only eat so much of the downtown Culver City area I call the Culver City Corporate Cafteria.

So I started Le Club de Grub. We would try a different restaurant every four weeks and really try to educate people on food. I'd like to show them there's more to life than chicken, wraps and potato chips. Zzzzz. I'm still thinking about the induction process... maybe have them snort a fat line of wasabi? haha.

The first place we're going to eat at is Santouka, which makes a fine bowl of ramen. 3 hours later, I am a bit overwhelmed by the response. "Santouka, do you take reservations???"

A few of the places on the list are Mariscos Chente, a plethora of Koreatown places, Indian and Ethiopian. We're blessed with good food in our wonderful city of Los Angeles – and it's a kind gesture when you can direct people to a good meal. If I made them smile just for that few hours, then I've done my job. Thanks for reading and start up your own Grub Club!

WonderTune: What Am I Eating in Halifax, Nova Scotia?

2009-10-08T11:23:00.000-07:00

And yet, another compilation for those that enjoy music as much as I do. I'm being sent to Nova Scotia for a video shoot. If you know of ANYTHING tasty out there, please inform me. I'll let you know how the pho and Mexican food is up there. Hope you enjoy the WonderTune Nova Scotia mix.

WonderTune Nova Scotia compilation
WonderTune Portland compilation
WonderTune Hawaii compilation

Los Angeles Roadside Chicken - Delicious Pollution from Oil-Barrel BBQ Grills

2009-10-06T20:00:00.000-07:00

I never knew just how much pollution there was in Los Angeles until I flew back from Portland a few months back. I've lived here all my life and have been immersed in this gray cake of smog for so long that we've all become so used to it. It IS the norm. Proof: there are millions of stars when you look up in a place like Santa Barbara. But in LA, you'll see 17. So much for making wishes.

In addition to thousands of commuters, people that evade smog checks and freight trucks that paint our skies gray, I've recently noticed there's a new contributor to our lovely pollution, that in my opinion, isn't so bad. But you'll have to part the nose hairs like Moses on the Red Sea to deconstruct the smog. If you're lucky and in the right part of town, you may hit the goldmine: roadside grilled chicken. If you read this site, you know that I love street food and wouldn't back down on this. And I'm glad to share my food findings with you guys.

Besides the obvious preparation of the chicken, there are a few other things essential to this equation. There's a commonality in the equipment used to produce such a succulent piece of work, that I am most interested in. Let's cut to a random island out in the middle of nowhere. You're in your loin cloth with one oil barrel, a soldering iron, a grill plate, matches, charcoal and a few stupid chickens clucking away. What would YOU do to survive? Not much probably. But if your name was MacGuyver, things might change for the better. How about cutting the barrel in half and soldering them on top of each other lengthwise, adding some legs and a grill plate? Voila, you've got yourself a mean-ass looking BBQ grill. One that makes a Weber look like a puny Foreman Grill. When J and I buy a house, I know exactly what's going in the backyard next to my Dora the Explorer jumper. The grill itself is built to accommodate more meat but still a bad ass piece of work.

Another thing I found to be essential is the type of charcoal used: mesquite charcoal from Sonora, Mexico. I learned that the vast majority of charcoal production happens in Sonora, Mexico and in Arizona, due to the concentration of mesquite trees. This particular charcoal really does have a more robust, distinct smokiness that is a palate pleaser. I've never achieved this taste because I've always used Trader Joe's charcoal mix, Kingsford briquettes and old shoes. But now we all know how to.

A few things before we indulge:

(1) The chickens are usually served with rice, beans and tortillas. Extra tortillas will cost more.

(2) Grilling takes practice, and not everyone is perfect. So if you see pink in your chicken, ask them to grill it longer.

(3) Never settle for the chicken that's already been grilled. I've waited a good 25-30 mins at places like Dino's and Pollo ala Brasa for my chicken, and it's always worth it. How do you know if that chicken's been out for an hour, slowly overcooking itself? Aye, unacceptable.

(4) Say no to BBQ sauce. Latinos don't deviate too far from their common culinary rituals. They've always got a hefty supply of red and sometimes green salsa for you to "dip your chick in."

(5) If you want to make the most out of your meal, may I suggest this really miniscule, geeky food tip? Because I am patient enough to wait for a chicken hot off the grill, I'm getting a really hot piece of food. What happens though is that the food is still cooking even when you've removed it from the heating source and all the juices have not rested. Once you get your boxed-up chicken, give it 5-7 mins before you eat and you'll find that you've basically caused a mini steam-box that allows the chicken to rest and 'sweat'. The result? A nice pool of chicken broth that tastes so good with tortillas and salsa. Mmmmm.

(6) I don't usually like to give 'judge's score' on food because I just like eating/talking about food, and not pretend I'm a self-appointed food critic, but because the competition is FIERCE enough to be on ESPN, and within inches of each other, I had to.

Price: $6.50 half chicken; $12 whole chicken.

Sides: Rice, beans & tortillas.

Hot Sauce: A+

Schedule: Fridays only, 9:30 am to 3 pm (or when sold out)

Overall: B+, 3rd place

I take Adams to work every day off El Diez and spotted these guys. I missed them twice, getting there too early and getting there too late. Finally, after a 3-week attempt, I got to try the chicken cooked by this sweet family from Colima, Mexico. The chicken here was fantastic. Nicely charred skin, generous spicing and strong flavor. I think the only thing was that the chicken was a bit overcooked. The hot sauce on the other hand is really pleasant. The day I picked up the chicken, I bought another 1/2 portion to divvy it up amongst 4 co-workers I've slowly turned on to places I enjoy. They all came back with me 3 hours later to get their own. Everybody was happy.

Price: $7 half chicken; $11.50 whole chicken.

Sides: Rice, beans & tortillas.

Hot Sauce: C-

Schedule: Everyday, 9:30 am to 11 pm (or when sold out)

Overall: C+, 4th place

Amidst all the Korean BBQ places adding to the good pollution quota, this Koreatown vendor is not ashamed to cause smoke signals off Western Avenue. This one isn't exactly a roadside griller as it is part of a Mexican restaurant. They just choose to help paint the sky more gray. But I do love the fact that I have basically 12 hours everyday to feed my face with tasty pollo asado and the people are super nice. The skin was excellent, with that right amount of char. The meat was cooked pretty nicely, but overall, it was a bit light in flavor.

Price: $6 half chicken; $11 whole chicken.

Sides: Rice, beans & tortillas.

Hot Sauce: B+

Schedule: Saturday & Sunday only, 9 am to 5 pm (or when sold out)

Overall: A-, 2nd place

Did you know that good things come to those that take the wrong fucking exit on the freeway? This is how J & I found these cool roadside grillers. J didn't know to look for smoke signals like I did. I could see these guys from blocks away because they were lighting up the street. The skin was very very good – thin and more on the crispy vs. charred side. Meat was very moist, even the breast meat was good. I hate that part, it's boring and dry. Zzzzzzzzzzz.

Price: $6 half chicken; $11 whole chicken.

Sides: Rice, beans & tortillas.

Hot Sauce: B

Schedule: Everyday, 9 am to 9 pm (or when sold out)

Overall: A+, 1st place

This roadside griller actually belongs to the cleverly-named Mexican market, Mercado Mexico. Of the four vendors I saw today, this would be the big formidable corporate monster of the roadside grilling industry. With an impressive 4 oil barrel length and at least 40 chickens grilling at one time, these guys will have me back here again in no time. Skin was nice, but the meat and flavoring was the best in my opinion. Jeni and I loved it. It's clear they are doing well when they have that many chickens grilling and a line of 4-5 people buying only grilled chicken.

This is also proof that the roadside grillers of Mercado Mexico have been around for some time now. I can barely read the sign on top!

The truth is, I'll take any of these places for a meal anyday. There's something about street food that really arrests me. The taste of the food? The honest authenticity? The unibrow-raising prices. The hardworking families doing what it takes to see the next day? Yes, but for me, I'm all about the experience.

Enjoy. Thanks for reading.

LA Weekly Squid Ink Blog: Meet My Lovely Wife, Jeni

2009-09-30T08:11:00.001-07:00

We had a nice surprise this week. My wife (and some random man in a suit) is featured in this week's segment of LA Weekly's Squid Ink blog. Congrats to my best friend, wife and eternal food pal. Thanks to LA Weekly for the feature.

Pho Garden, San Francisco - Man vs. Pho: An Actual Survivor of the World's Largest Bowl of Pho

2009-09-10T00:12:00.001-07:00

Man vs. Pho
Today, I received an email from a reader by the initials of HB. She had read my posting on Pho Garden up in San Francisco, the proud host of the pho challenge. If you can eat this mammoth bowl of pho, your $22 bowl of pho is FREE. I did not realize just how big this bowl of pho was until HB emailed me these photos. Just look at it. Do the servers need a weightlifting belt just to haul this to the table? I think I see the hooves and horns of the cow in that bowl as well. Worth it?! Not in my opinion. But for an eating-challenger like this gentleman, it's worth the bragging rights and a well-deserved virtual high-five from me. Here's what HB wrote:

"I was witness to my boyfriend Brian completing the Pho Garden challenge last weekend. I originally saw your post with Pho Garden pics and of course had to send him the link since we are pho freaks and he recently discovered the world of eating challenges. He emailed the photos around and issued a challenge to his friends. 2 months later 3 challengers sat down to the huge bowls of boiling pho. Holy cow you should have seen the mixed emotions these guys went through in the span of 60 minutes while eating- fear, happiness, relief, denial, nausea, disgust. My boyfriend Brian was the only one to finish in 47 minutes and I have to admit that I've never been so proud! haha! So thanks for the idea and now this triumph will live on forever for us. Oh yeah, I wanted to mention that Brian said that initially he thought the pho was good, but that he seemed to be slowly blacking out while he ate and cannot remember the taste of a single piece of meat even though he ate 2 pounds. Pretty funny, right? Has this ever happened to you?"

Fear, happiness, relief, denial, nausea, disgust? Talk about an emotional meal. And no I have never had a euphoric, near-death experience from eating. Well maybe the f'd up shrimp I ate in Brazil that pained me for 3 days and earned me a 60-minute morphine ride at the hospital.

If you look carefully, the bottom of the bowl says "You did it!!!" Good thing it didn't say something like...

"Congrats, this was just the appetizer."
"Good job, the hospital is a few blocks down."

Thanks again to HB for the email and congrats to Brian.

holga in hawaii. photographs from a plastic camera.

2009-09-08T00:06:00.000-07:00

hi, i'm still behind on writing the posts about my wonderful trip to Hawaii, but thought I'd post some photographs from my Holga camera, that I purchased a few years back for only $14.95. this along with my lomo lc-a are probably my favorite cameras I own because of the unexpected results and texture the film captures. enjoy, the poke party is coming soon!

Hello Hawaii & WonderTune Hawaii

2009-08-27T14:48:00.000-07:00

Food... alcohol... music... and red silk boxers. These are the good things in life. So I leave you with yet another compilation for your listening pleasure. Jeni and I will be in Hawaii and I've got to be on my best behavior since it's the first time meeting her family there. And of course, we'll be eating. It's been four years since I last went and I have a lot of catching up to do there. Enjoy.

Tracklisting
(1) Little Dragon - Feather
(2) Dirty Projectors & David Byrne - Knotty Pine
(3) Gruff Rhys - Just War
(4) Bat For Lashes - Daniel
(5) Miike Snow - Burial
(6) Burial & Four Tet - Moth
(7) Black Moth Super Rainbow - Gold Splatter
(8) Nouvelle Vague - Road to Nowhere
(9) The Field - A Paw in My Face
(10) Passion Pit - The Reeling
(11) Hudson Mohawke - Overnight
(12) Phoenix - Lisztomania (Classixx Remix)
(13) I Monster - A Sucker For Your Sound
(14) Ra Ra Riot - Can You Tell
(15) The Field - The Little Hear Beats So Fast
(16) Grouper - Heavy Water/I'd Rather Be Sleeping
(17) Klaus & Kinski - Shell For the Morning
(18) The Flaming Lips - Revenge
(19) Of Montreal - A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger
(20) Discovery - It's Not My Fault (It's My Fault)

Download via Sendspace
Download via Zshare

And here's WonderTune Portland if you're interested.

Sundays at The Verdugo Bar, Glassell Park

2009-08-21T10:48:00.000-07:00

My favorite beer bar in Glassell Park has been doing a Sunday summer thing. Every Sunday at 1 pm, there's beer, BBQ, beats and boredgames. If you haven't been here and enjoy beer, get ready to fall over and passout. This place is a regular meet up for the beer geeks of Beer Advocate.com - a collective of twenty-forty something men chatting about beer.

Finding Figueroa - A Small Taste of Highland Park Part 1

2009-08-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

A while back, I spent some time checking out the Highland Park food scene. And by now, it's quite obvious that I see tacos the way Pac-Man sees those yellow pellets. I was attending Art Center for some night classes and by the time I've been thru an hour and a half of traffic – I'm hungry. I didn't want to give into fa(s)t food restaurants and eventually started driving on the surface streets looking for food, since it is quite difficult to locate a restaurant from the freeway. And that's where I ended up in Glassell Park and Highland Park – two parts of the Northeast side that I feel, along with East LA and the 710 freeway area, deserve a 'taco town' nickname. But I can't eat always tacos...

I eventually found myself driving further east on York Blvd. until I hit Figueroa. My eyes lit up with the numerous latino restaurants – mainly Mexican and Salvadorian cuisines. I was getting hit left and right by them. Here are my thoughts on a few of the places I decided to try out.

La Estrella #3, the Restaurant

Yes, this is the immobile brother of the three other taco trucks in Eagle Rock (Colorado Blvd.) and Highland Park (one on York Blvd. and one on Figueroa Street). I saw this place and stopped right away. I am a sucker for burger restaurant takeovers – the ones that are run by some guy named Jim or Tommy, and always claim they have the best burgers and fries. That can't be possible if all of them buy the same food from Sysco, right? Anyway, I had heard that it is not the taco and burritos they are known for, but their fish taco.

I was surprised when the counter guy rang me up for a $3.75 fish taco – I've never paid that much for a fish taco. Ricky's Fish Tacos over in Silver Lake clocks in at $2.50 each, but if you've tried it, you'll know it's worth it. Anyway, I then knew why La Estrella charged more for their fish taco when it was ready for pickup. It was massive, or at least, appeared to be massive. It looked like a Rose Bowl Parade float with a piece of fried fish on top with fixings.

Like a tribal man foraging in the bushes, I parted the lettuce and found what I was looking for. They gave two decent-sized pieces of nicely battered fish and served it with hot sauce and cream. I know some people prefer their fish tacos served as is, like at Tacos Baja Ensenada in East LA, while some others prefer dressing their own at Best Fish Tacos in Ensenada in Los Feliz. But I was completely happy with this set up. Eating this was quite messy and difficult, it's no wonder they give you a regular sized plate. The fish was fried nicely, moist and batter was not overdone. Cream and salsa were perfect. I just felt that they could have held back on cabbage, for the sake of making it look like a Rose Bowl float. I would come back here for more.

Mariscos Estilo Nayarit Mariscos Truck

I first experienced Nayarit-style seafood when I ate at Mariscos Chente in Mar Vista. Nayarit is a Mexican state located along the Pacific Ocean, near Guadalajara and Mazatlan. There, people eat, drink and breathe seafood. I was thrilled to find a truck serving Nayarit-style food. Screeeeeech. I'm not really in a position to distinguish the delicious types of ceviche available to us, but if I see lime-soaked seafood on a tostada with hot sauce and avocado, I'll drop my silk boxers. I parked my car, and got the usual stare down from the 100% latino clientele. I took a look at the menu and ordered the ceviche and the mixed seafood soup (caldo de mar).

Here we have a glimpse of a part of the menu. I love the signage and photos on roach coaches - so simple and so real. Straight to the point – no Photoshop or food styling needed because what you see is what you get. Notice, the shrimp cocktail image, the food stylist decided to place the lime in a standard Chinese sauce dish.

Caldo de Mar (Seafood Soup)

I also love when I get food in a cup. It totally makes sense if you're driving and feel the need to eat. I think beef noodle soup would be fantastic in a coffee mug. You could totally bring this into a meeting and NOT look like a ( o o ) ! Anyway, I haven't eaten enough of this to form a comparison. But for a few bucks, I was more than content with my soup. A slightly sweet broth comprised of shrimp, imitation crab (jaiva/jaiba), octopus (pulpo) and fish. I added a few drops of lime juice and hot sauce – good stuff but I know there are way better joints out there.

Tostada de Ceviche

Ceviche is one of those things for me that just work. Even if it was the worst ceviche in the world, some lime juice, smoky hot sauce and avocados can make a world of difference.

There are three seafood trucks on Figueroa. This one and the truck from Mexico City (D.F.) are pretty decent. Again, I don't know much about seafood trucks – I just eat the food from them.

Papa Pollo Restaurants

This is a chicken-chain originating from Mexico. A house-turned-restaurant screaming in yellow paint with a lovable mascot cartoon, I had to try it out. Who doesn't like rotisserie chicken?

When you walk into the 'patio' of the restaurant, you'll see the menu printed on large tarps. The orange reminded me of Little Caesar's growing up. I was surprised to see potatoes and taquitos offered as a side order to the roasted chicken. Looks like I'll be having a nap really soon.

Roasted Chicken (Pollo Rostizado)

From the outside of the restaurant, you can definitely smell the action-packed chicken. They have a lot going on in their spices which can be a good thing. The chicken is very moist and the skin full of great flavor. I've been here twice and the first time the chicken was fabulous, the second time, I found myself downing a ton of water because it was so salty. I'm curious about my third visit.

Taquitos

If taquitos are your thing, then I guess this wouldn't be that bad of a side order. But I had eaten so much chicken that when I looked at this, felt even more full. But I tried it anyway... chicken was kinda dry inside and the tortilla was over-fried. Definitely not the best flauta/taquito you'll have.

As if the taquitos weren't enough, you get roasted potatoes. For your information, these potatoes are not fried, but rather placed directly underneath the chicken carousel. So all the drippings fall gracefully into the cut-up starch grenades we call potatoes. I could taste a lot of Lawry's seasoning salt and man, I was thirsty. And very sleepy.

I think if I eat here again, I'm ordering chicken. Only. Good night.

And of course, on my journeys, I snuck in a few taco stands. I can't turn away a street vendor. Here's a brief description of the types of tacos offered by taqueros (taco vendors).

Asada (CA) - flap/flank/skirt meat. Usually grilled. Sometimes fried in oil.

Suadero (SU) - brisket. Fried in lard/roasted.

Lengua (LN) - cow tongue. Steamed/braised.

Cabeza (CZ) - head meat and cheek meat (cachete). Steamed.

Sesos (SS) - cow brain. Steamed.

Nervio/Ojos (OJ) - cow eyes. Braised.

Carnitas (CR) - pork shoulder/picnic/butt. Fried in lard/roasted.

Al Pastor (AP) - pork shoulder/butt. Spiced and marinated over a day and roasted on a spit. Originated in Mexico City by Lebanese immigrants. An onion or pineapple is usually placed above the spit for extra flavoring. Try with pineapple!

Chorizo (CH) - pork sausage. A mushier, spicier and oilier version of its Spanish counterpart.

Buche (BU) - pork belly/pig stomach lining/hog maw. Fried in lard. My favorite taco filling. When fried longer adds a nice texture.

Tripas (TR) - pig intestines/chitterlings. Washed, boiled and fried. People love these for the texture and 'filling'

CA, CZ, AP, CH,

This guy has a great visible location, right in front of an auto repair shop. Who knows, he probably works there during the day. I've learned that a lot of employees of businesses will stay on the property after closing hours to sell food. Pure diligence. I enjoyed the CZ.

CA, CZ, LN, AP, BU, CH, TR

In addition to the taqueros that operate right on business property, you've got some that will sell outside their homes. Like these two nice guys from Jalisco. You would never find them unless you were paying attention to the Home Depot clamp lamps. Out of the three taco stands I reviewed in this posting, they are my favorite because pretty much everything they offer tastes great. I enjoyed the CZ, LN, AP and BU. Ask for a crispier buche by saying "bien dorado, por favor."

Right at the end of the York Taco Town strip is this nice couple, also from Jalisco. I think I know which Mexican state I'll be visiting next as their is a pattern of good tacos from Guadalajra. Anyway, they've got everything you need. And if they like you, will give you a free deep-fried potato and offer you some boiled beans for your tacos. I enjoyed the AP, CZ, LN and BU here.

More to come from the Figueroa area of Highland Park. Thanks for reading.

Ord Noodles and Thaitown Noodles, Hollywood - Mini Bowls of Joy

2009-08-10T13:12:00.000-07:00

Just kidding... they aren't THAT small. Just wanted to bring to light, some of my favorite soup noodles from the Thai Town area in Hollywood. When I was writing the Noodle Whore blog, I started out researching the Thai Town area – places like Yai, Sanamluang, Sapp Coffee Shop and Rodded were definitely popular. In a matter of 5 years, my dad (Noodle Whore Sr.) and I have seen Thai Town change quite a bit. A few changes in ownership and new chefs really kept it dynamic. So it's not a wonder that I, maybe you as well, jump around the restaurants a lot in Thai Town. In my opinion, one thing remains true though. Besides the spicy curries, hand-mixed food, soups and stir-fries, the Thais are outstanding at producing tasty soup noodles. And it's why I continue to eat here at least twice a month.

It was only a few years ago that Thai Town introduced their version of a Jack-in-the-Box/Burger King slider, or as they call it Mini Sirloin and Burger Shots. My Dad said that I was being too much of a fat, greedy, over-consuming American because this is how they do it in Asia – smaller bowls. Face it, we all like miniature things. As much as I hold myself back in using the C-word, miniature things are CUTE. And I think the same thing can be said about these smaller bowls of soup noodles – or as I call them, Diet Soup Noodles. It's not that they are healthier in any way, it's just that you get a smaller serving. For anyone that enjoys soup noodles, this is great because you can try more than one type of noodle each time you visit. Or you can be a Debbie-downer-pessimist and see that you're actually spending more money for two miniature bowls than a regular sized bowl. Whatever the case, your stomach will thank you.

Ode to Ord

This place has always been solid. The crowd here is typically younger and the clientele primarily speak Thai. At any time of the day, you can find yourself bobbing your head to Thai R&B slow jams busting out from the mini stereo system here. Ord has also started closing daily at midnight – oh joy.

They have 4-5 different types of noodles you can pick from in the mini $3 bowl category. Not everything is offered in a midget form, just a few. Most people come here for the Crispy Pork & Basil Rice and Thai Boat noodles, but Ord prides itself most on these noodles called hoy khaa. Literally, it means 'dangling feet noodles'. Don't worry, the cooks weren't soaking their feet in your broth, it's a reference to the makeshift-seating at this particular noodle shop along the rivers in Thailand. I believe Ord is the name of the city this family is from. When you go in, look at the photos of the dangling feet and you'll know what they mean. $3.50 for diet bowl, $5 for regular bowl.

Ground Pork, Pork Ball, Dried Shrimp & Pork Liver Soup Noodles (#1 Hoy Kha)

This is a true pork-heavy treat. Nice chunks of ground pork, a toothsome pork ball, slightly-bloody pork liver with your choice of noodles - served dry or with soup. I almost always go with the soup and thin rice noodles. The soup has a nice pork bone base with a sharp sweetness and a bit of tartness to it. There are so many delicious things to pick at and excavate from the bowl. Thinly sliced green beans and fresh bean sprouts are added for texture.

Note: medium spicy is pretty SPICY. I'd go with mild and add your own chili flakes. Also, for some reason, if you order hoy kha with glass noodles, you can't get a small bowl – only a large bowl. Also #2, I sometimes find the regular-sized bowl isn't filling enough, simply add $1 more for noodles.

Recommendation: Thin or thick rice noodles with soup. Egg noodles just don't seem to work well with this.

Thai Boat Noodles (Kuay Tiao Luh)

This is the most common bowl of soup noodles in Thai Town, much like Chinese beef noodle soup in San Gabriel Valley. The soup is made with Thai soy sauce, fish sauce, herbs, spices and of course, beef blood for the rich flavor. I really enjoy their soup, as it has a nice beefiness and vinegar kick to it. Compared to Sapp Coffee Shop's bold kick-in-the-face TBN, this is more on the delicate, sour side. I used to eat at Sapp a lot, but lately, it has become a bit salty for my taste. But they do a great TBN.

Recommendation: Thick rice noodles with soup. Choose from Beef or Pork, both are good.

On the other side of the street and just a few blocks east is another strip mall gem that doesn't get as much attention. We've been coming here for years to this noodle shop run by a mother and daughter. In January '09, the mother retired and sold the business to another woman. My Dad and I still call it "Mama's Noodle shop" though because it's so homey. The space is no bigger than your average dining room/kitchen, seats approximately 20 pigs and really feels like you're eating at someone's house. The chef is pretty much within arm's reach. And they barely have any room to contain their restaurant products. I remember one time having to use the restroom. The place was so small, the cook AND the waitress had to stop cooking and move out of the way just so that I could walk through haha.

On the outside of the restaurant is a giant hint as to what you should order. I want one of these to hang over my fireplace but I think you-know-who would be upset. Nam tok can be translated as 'beef blood' noodle soup. But it doesn't matter, just saying these two words will get you to a happy place. $3 for a diet bowl, $5 for a regular bowl.

You are looking at one quarter of the restaurant.

Here's another soup noodle worth trying. Think TBN with tendon and minus the blood.

Here's the chef in the second quadrant of the restaurant.

Preparing the nam tok noodle soup.

Nam Tok Beef Noodle Soup (Kuay Tiao Nam Tok)

I'm sad that the previous owner is no longer here because she truly made a great bowl of nam tok noodles. Although these are a bit different, I still think it is decent if you don't want to wait at Ord, which can sometimes be crowded. The major difference between this version and Mama's is that they add a lot of fried garlic, fried pork skins (chicharrones) and have a clearer soup. Mama's was way more rich in beef blood, while this is stronger on the five-spice powder flavor. Still, both are good. Meat is cooked perfectly as I love my liver pieces to be more on the bloody side.

Tom Yum Pork Noodle Soup (Kuay Tiao Tom Yum)

I usually order a small bowl of this along with my nam tok noodles. It's nice to have two different flavors going on. Tom Yum, as you're probably familiar with, describes a distinct sour taste in food – almost limey and spicy. The soup noodles here don't employ the same broth, but something way more delicate than its counterpart, tom yum goong. This is served with similar ingredients as Ord's hoi kha, and also includes fish cake, fish ball, fried garlic and fried pork skin. Try this out sometime.

Thanks for reading. Both places are cash only.

Ord Noodles

5401 Hollywood Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90027

(323) 468-9302

Monday - Sunday 10am - Midnight

Thaitown Noodles

5136 Hollywood Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90027

(323) 667-0934

Monday - Sunday 8am - 8pm

Shisen Ramen, Torrance - A Szechuan-Style Ramen Shop

2009-08-07T16:46:00.000-07:00

I think my appreciation for ramen came after my friends and I went to Japan for the first time. We weren't particularly hunting for ramen, but more so, let the smells and signage of a ramen shop attract us. And we fell in love. Japan made it really easy for us to find food through one simple principle: cook nothing but delicious food. Every shop we went to was simply solid. From light, salt-based and soy sauce-based soups (shio and shoyu) to thicker-stock soups (tonkotsu), they were all good. For a while, the ramen shops on Sawtelle row represented the ramen capital. And it wasn't until coming back from Japan, that we realized that those noodle shops just didn't cut it. We reminisced and lamented for a while. We tried to find a place that offered a more rich-style broth other than salt and miso paste.

Then came Shin Sen Gumi (Gardena, Costa Mesa & Rosemead) and Daikokuya (Little Tokyo) opened, creating this pork-bone soup craze that changed the Los Angeles ramen scene. Shortly after, a wave of new ramen shops hit the Los Angeles area after 2000, introducing more and more varieties of ramen. Santouka, Asa, California and Gardena ramen to be exact. Our friend Rameniac really helped define the differences in the shops available here and really made ramen a hot topic.

After class, Jeni and I continued our ramen adventures in the South Bay area. We had a really tasty experience at Shigetoshi "Sean" Nakamura's California-cuisine/ramen experiment – in which he combines farmer's market ingredients like heirloom tomatoes and cheese in ramen. A combination that would surely raise the eyebrows of any pre-nisei Japanese, but has somehow got both Jeni and I craving it. And we find ourselves here at about 10 pm – at a ramen shop offering Szechuan-style ramen. Funny when you think of it, since it was the Chinese that inspired Japanese ramen. FYI, ramen means 'pulled noodles', and it's pronounced 'la mian' ( 拉麺 ).

I was so stoked to try this because we had a similar dining experience in Yokohama, Japan, shortly after visiting the Ramen Museum. Ridiculous, I know. Basically, take your traditional Chinese dishes like BBQ pork, black bean sauce noodles, mabo tofu or sesame paste noodles and dump it on top of noodles and soup... voila Chinese-style ramen. But it's actually more complicated than that as you'll see.

We sat down and took a look at the menu. The main feature was the shisen ramen, which is Japanese for Szechuan. We were about to order from it until we saw tonkotsu and a special ramen called the Garlic Black Shisen which got us wide-eyed. A few months ago, I was at Ippudo Ramen in New York begging the chef to make a 'burnt soy sauce' ramen (kogashi) I had heard about. My friends had just gotten back from Japan and bragged about it - I couldn't take it! I was declined in New York but suddenly reminded of that style of ramen when I saw the Shisen special. One please.

Garlic Black Shisen Ramen ($9.80)

Although it looks like a mini Exxon oil tanker ran into some rocks, this was one promising bowl of noodles. We both took a whiff of the ramen – the smell of fried garlic was marvelous. Thinly-sliced scallions, bamboo shoots and a few pieces of pork... we were ready. The soup was really excellent, but super oily. That's expected out of any tonkotsu-style soup.

They used yellow noodles, which had just the right texture to it. I usually go for medium cooked noodles because I like more bite to it. I am actually craving this bowl of noodles right now. They've had this on special since July and the servers said that they do change frequently. I would go eat this ASAP.

Tonkotsu Chashu ($7.50)

We also ordered the tonkotsu chashu ramen to really gauge the restaurant. We do this all the time with pho restaurants. If the pho isn't any good, chances are, it's not their focus or they really need a new chef. I looked at the broth and kind of hesitated. After eating that Black Garlic ramen, I was a bit greased out. But it was everything but oily, and packed with a strong flavor of pork, salt and a lot of ginger. I even dumped in some of the pureed garlic offered by the restaurant. This was really good. Except for...

the overcooked noodles. Aye. It could have been a stellar bowl.

But to make up for that, Shisen Ramen is quite generous with the chashu portions. It was almost too much for me since the pieces were pretty fatty.

I also noticed in the chashu photo, an uncanny resemblance to Scarecrow in Batman Begins. Not the most beautiful photo of chashu, but I promise it is very palatable.

We also ordered gyoza and paiko for appetizers (not pictured). The gyoza (in Chinese 'jiao zhi' or 'gao jee') were tiny as hell, but fried beautifully. You know you're eating a good gyoza when you have that tiny crunch from the crisped up wrapper – something the Japanese are masters at making. The paiko here (in Chinese 'pai gwut' or 'pai gu') are very similar to the fried pork chops sold in Taiwanese joints, but nothing comparable to it. They were fried nicely with a nice dash of five-spice powder and served with a Sriracha-based dipping sauce.

I am already thinking about my next meal here. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy.

Shisen Ramen

1730 Sepulveda Blvd. #6

Torrance, CA 90501

(310) 534-1698

Ricky's Fish Tacos - The One Man Stand

2009-08-02T18:23:00.000-07:00

***UPDATE: Ricky's Fish Tacos has moved to 4006 Santa Monica Blvd. in front of the old Reform School arts and crafts store. Same schedule... Saturdays & Sundays 12:30 - 4 pm .

In Los Angeles, a whole vending truck craze started going around, ever since the debut of Kogi BBQ. Not only are there copycat Korean BBQ trucks, Indian food from the Dosa Truck, a Vietnamese banh mi truck in Westwood (Nom Nom), a sushi truck called Fishlips, and a Japanese snack truck called Marked 5, just to name a few. But, for me I prefer the wheels of a stand versus the wheels of a truck. And it's nice to know that some people are still keeping it real, like this gentleman, Ricky.

After having some friends tell me about this one-man-fish-taco-stand, Jeni and I drove over on a breezy Saturday afternoon to hopefully eat Ensenada-style food. We were told that Ricky showed up sporadically on Sunset, in front of a laundromat, just across from Intelligentsia. The only way to know if he's there is to look for a sign, or more specifically, a rainbow parasol. My brain has learned that rainbow parasols are often linked to delicious street food together after a visit to the wonderful Breed Street food fair in East LA.

We were fast approaching Ricky's location but there was traffic, so we couldn't see anything in front of the laundromat. But good things happen if it was meant to be... there it was, the rainbow parasol. Fish tacos... on the street... on a sunny Saturday...

Like a one-man band armed with his bass drum, harmonica, knee cymbals and trombone, Ricky had his own arsenal of utilities. A deep-fry cart, tongs, his condiments, a griddle underneath the fryer, an Igloo for keeping tortillas warm, a fish cooler and of course, the rainbow umbrella. We walked up to the 'store' after Ricky served his customers, he smiled and asked us, "fish taco?" Most definitely. And this is how you make an Ensenada-style fish taco. The way Ricky does out of a small cart on Sunset Blvd. "Two please."

We watched as he reached into a small cooler. He pulled out a small ziplock bag of fresh fish and took out a few pieces. Ricky, like Joseph of Best Fish Tacos in Ensenada, also uses basa, a Vietnamese catfish from the Mekong river delta. With tongs, he carefully dipped each piece of fish in his special batter. Right before frying, he made sure that any excess batter was shaken off. I've had too many fish tacos that were nearly 50/50 batter and fish – gross. I remembered someone on Chowhound saying that the fish tacos at Tacos Baja Ensenada in East LA, are good, but pack on way too much batter. I couldn't agree more as I ate the fish tacos. There was so much batter that the fish had broken off from the batter itself. If there was ever an audition for a salt shaker position in a Latin band, I might actually have a chance with those babies. TBE, without a doubt though, is still one of LA's best.

As you can see, Ricky's got all his settings right. Fresh oil, no overcrowding, no burnt bits and a new cooking technique foreign to me, can only lead to a beautiful product. When the fish is almost ready, he makes a large piercing with his tongs into the center of the battered baby, bringing in a gush of hot oil that not only makes cooking a lot faster, but a nice jolt of flavor. Healthy, by no means. Ricky then pulls out some warmed tortillas from his Igloo and lays the fish down to sleep.

Finely-chopped pico de gallo and cabbage are then added in a proportional manner. Fans of Best Fish Tacos in Ensenada might have to hold themselves back and let the chef do the work. I myself can learn a lesson or two, as I tend to overload my FT's with crema and cabbage.

For me, one of the things that differentiated BFTIE and TBE was the cream used. BFTIE was a bit sweeter than TBE's that added a finishing touch to a solid fish taco. I asked him if he used crema mexicana, and he politely said,

"No, I use mayonnaise and milk. It's how we do it in Ensenada." This is the word of the lord.

Going in for the Kill

For $2.50, Ricky offers a well-endowed fish taco. Not an appropriate adjective to use, but it's a good size. I had to hold the taco with a wide grip above the taco, careful not to poison the cream with my own palms. When I took a bite, I felt a layer of textures:

- the creamy sauce

- the slightly cold pico de gallo and salsa

- the crispy-battered fish

- the warm tortilla

And all of it made sense. So much sense, that I had to order another one.

We both really enjoyed the fish tacos served by the extremely nice, Ricky. What's not to love about a man earning an honest buck selling something that was passed down from his mother. At one point, Ricky stopped during our conversation. He saw the meter maid on Sunset Blvd. and told us to watch his 'store' as he fed the meter. Awesome.

Ricky offers two types of salsa but both were really delicate in spice. I think all that was needed was a spicy kick to the salsa, to really make this one fish taco to beat. A very nice customer was kind enough to set Ricky up on Twitter and you can find him on Saturdays and Sundays from 12-4 pm. As we left, I quickly texted some friends to hurry on down to try his fish tacos. They all loved it, and I'm sure you will too.

Ricky's Fish Tacos

Corner of Sunset & Santa Monica Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90026
Saturdays & Sundays 12:30 - 4pm
Check his Twitter Before You Go

Izakaya Bincho, Redondo Beach Pier - Agedashi Tofu & the Japanese Fried Food Diet

2009-07-22T00:51:00.000-07:00

Jeni and I have been eating more in the South Bay area since we started taking some classes over at Otis. She enrolled in a aluminum-foil-based class, Fashion with Foil, and I finally realized my dream in basketweaving, under water. All the blood, sweat, and tears from these extracurricular activities, as usual, leads to a loud, bellowing stomach that can only be shut up by savory food. So on this night, we found ourselves heading to the Redondo Beach pier to eat. Most people come here to taste the abundant offerings at places like Quality Seafood, an L-shaped market that is the modern age smorgasbord for Gods of the sea. You've got steamed dungeness crab, large conchs, about 36 types of oysters (30 which I've eaten in one sitting), shrimp, lobster, etc. While expensive, there's enough to leave any epicurean hot & bothered. And there's the highly-mentioned, Korean-owned Pacific Fish Center & Restaurant, with their admired crab soup. I've yet to try that. Thoughts on the soup?

When Jeni told me that we'd be eating at an izakaya at the Redondo Beach Pier, it took me a few seconds to register that – for it seemed a little non sequitur. Like finding a coupon for Osteria Mozza in the Penny Saver. Eating foie gras from a little ice cream store. And your first time seeing a Vietnamese pho restaurant in the middle of Koreatown. None of these make any sense.

For those too lazy to type up izakaya in wikipedia, I'll save you the trouble. Basically, it's a Japanese pub with all the shenanigans of drinking included. A place where sarariman, or in real English, "salary man" go to discuss charts and graphs over ice cold draft beer and savory skewered-meat and various small plates. Tough life! I remembered my trip to Osaka a few years back. We walked into a shopping center and found at least 3-4 izakayas that were packed to the brim. Almost all of the male clientele were still in their business suits chatting away. Keep in mind, that this was around 11:30 pm. These guys either got off just now or have been there since happy hour started.

But it's important to remember that the concept of an izakaya, with its mostly-male clientele and delicious food, really wouldn't exist if these had not been invented. Beer... and sake...

... two things that seem to be the common denominator for much of Japanese dining. I couldn't imagine eating sushi, yakitori and shabu shabu sans beer and sake. It's like driving a car with no wheels – you're ready for the ride, but you're not going anywhere.

We walked into the tiny izakaya with no more than a 24 person capacity, and we were greeted by a smiley young chef that seemed to be the only employee in the restaurant. He walked out from the kitchen and quickly switched to server mode, passing out menus. He then walked back to the kitchen and proceeded to cook. I love double-duty people at restaurants – so hard-working. My friends and I once frequented this dive bar that deserved a shittier title than, dive bar. The old, cigarette-wielding woman in the bar was not only making drinks and serving them. She was also the server and the chef. She probably had to clean up and close down the place too. Poor lady.

Izakaya Bincho is owned by Tomo Ueno from Tokyo. It used to be called Yakitori Bincho until the Health Taliban slapped Ueno's wrists for lack of ventilation. What a pity. Seems like one of the better places to get yakitori in LA is at Shin Sen Gumi. But not without walking away with bleeding ears. If you search for Yakitori Bincho on Yelp, you'll see that it is closed – so the review is completely useless because there is no more yakitori being offered. We were bummed to see on the menu, that there was really nothing skewered over hot charcoal. Oh, the pain...

But there was something else here in store for us that Jeni and the Serial Ramen Killer had mentioned: the agedashi tofu, a dish that consists of fried potato starch-battered tofu cubes wading in a pool of soy sauce/mirin/dashi broth, topped with green onions and grated daikon.

Amuse Bouche from Tomo

Tomo started us out with a small Sanrio gift from the sea. A little package that included sliced octopus, pickles and seaweed.

Because there was an absence of yakitori, which is usually a major part of the izakaya experience, it seems Chef Tomo filled in the voids with quite a bit of fried appetizers. Usually I can only eat 2 types of fried dishes, as it gets too greasy, but I don't think we had much of an option besides ordering soups. So here begins the Japanese Fried Food Diet.

Potato Croquette (Korokke)

I like it when the sauce is nice and tangy. This was fried beautifully, but not really an appetizer I'm into. It reminds me of crabcakes – which I am quite sick of from my catering days.

Fried Chicken Meatballs (Tsukune)

This is a popular yakitori dish – ground chicken mixed with soy sauce, mirin, ginger and green onions. Because Tomo is banned from grilling, he simply dunked these into the Fry-o-lator. And this is what emerges. Very good.

Fried Chicken Wings

This was one of two highly recommended dishes by the chef. These were fried beautifully and glazed with the perfect amount of sauce. Nice job! Reminds of tasty Korean fried chicken.

Deep Fried Chicken Thigh

Hey, that rhymes. +10 points. This was the other dish Chef Tomo highly recommended. As you can see, it is fried beautifully and served upon a 'salad', which makes it look less unhealthy. I really enjoyed the flavoring and tenderness of this but I wish it wasn't fried as long. Good nonetheless.

Fried Sea Spiders (Soft-Shell Crab)

What's not to like about Soft-Shell crabs, the ocean's most sensitive/tender/wimpy insects. If they stopped writing sappy poems, laid off the RomComs and Cheesy & Sleazy compilations, they'd increase their testosterone levels. These weren't bad.

Fried Tofu Cubes in Dashi Broth (Agedashi Tofu)

I have to admit that when I saw Chef Tomo take out the same brand of tofu I buy at the market, I didn't think it would taste too good. For some reason, I always think great chefs out there make their own haha. But when Chef Tomo served us the tofu, I knew I was wrong. The cubes were fried beautifully. It had a crisp texture, yet it was plump and bouncey once I pressed it with my chopsticks. The glistening broth had a delicate aroma of grated daikon and dashi. I watched Tomo, just before serving, boil the broth in a small pot – bringing it to a rigorous boil. I can't tell you how many times I've eaten 'flat' dashi at room temperature. It's terrible. This wasn't.

We halved the tofu cubes with our chopsticks and watched as the starchy batter slowly ripped apart – in my opinion, a sign of nicely textured stuff. And man, this was so good. Every bite, piping hot with gooey, toothsome flavor. Outside of Japan, this is my favorite agedashi tofu.

Next time you're at the Redondo Beach pier and DON'T feel like dropping $40 for a dungeness crab served merely with butter and lemon, say hi to this kind gentleman. I give him respect for continuing to offer tasty izakaya dishes even when the yakitori menu was stripped from him. Along with Asa Ramen and Ramen California, Yakitori Bincho is a nice addition to a South Bay Japanese-food crawl. Thanks to Tomo for facking derishus agedashi tofu and to you for reading.

Izakaya Bincho
112 N. International Boardwalk
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 376-3887

Nutella Fingerchips

2009-07-13T10:32:00.001-07:00

This reminds me of what I used to do with those fabulous Bugle chips. Remember those? Anyway, I'd imagine that this genius idea would set off a new trend amongst bakeries/dessert shops. Macaroon fingerchips from Jin Patisserie?

Portland, Oregon - A Humble Point on the Culinary Map - PSU Farmers Market, Bunk Sandwiches, Pinestate Biscuits, Pok Pok, Tanuki & Ten 01

2009-07-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning, I woke up with a complete food hangover from yesterday. For those that have never participated in a food hop or food marathon, it is quite a caloric feat. It's what a foodie would do given a short amount of time in a new destination. We had only been in Portland for less than 24 hours and probably did 2-3 days worth of eating/drinking – yet it was the only beginning. We got up and Jeni immediately blurted out, "Stumptown Coffee" with a Tourette-like excitement. Again, as we waited in the elevator to slowly take us down to coffee heaven, I saw this sign again.

I thought about all the food we ate and we had to do something about it. We had recently purchased some bikes and took them with us to Los Olivos. The next best thing we could do in the U.S.'s most bike-friendly city is to go rent one. That way, we wouldn't feel so bad about inflating ourselves with delicious food for the remaining three days we had here in PDX.

We found a bike shop near the Burnside Bridge, which takes you over to the North East and South East side of Portland. It wasn't cheap but a lot more fun than riding a cab.

After grabbing some coffee, we took Ron's advice on visiting the Saturday farmer's market held at Portland State University. And I'm glad we did. The trek from the Ace Hotel to the farmer's market took 15-20 minutes, but went by quickly with the site of super green trees and cool weather. For a minute we didn't know if we had passed the market but the sound of street musicians and indistinct chatter suggested otherwise.

The farmer's market was filled with vendors selling the usual stuff and things I really wished we had down in Los Angeles. Like...

This gentleman representing the pickle company, Picklopolis. They offered interesting stuff like pickled fiddleheads, ramps and beets. Love the white suit.

And here was this young man selling eggs. Freshly laid eggs from his chicken farm about 45 mins outside of Portland. He was stoked to show us photos of his chickens/roosters in his album. Jeni really loved his hillbilly-suspender look.

Besides the usual farmer's market fare, there are quite a few hot food vendors serving breakfast, Mexican food and sandwiches. By far, the booth drawing the most attention was Pinestate Biscuits. Ron did not warn us on what we were about to experience. Jeni waited at the back of the line as I walked down the line towards the booth to investigate. I walked up to this guy and just watched in sheer disbelief.

In one hand, he held a plate with a fried chicken on a biscuit. He then placed two pieces of bacon and a slice of cheddar cheese on top of the fried chicken. Wait, I'm not done. He then tops everything with a big sloppy spoonful of sausage gravy. And finally, placing the other biscuit on top. He saw me shooting photos and smiled for me – knowing how unhealthy and decadent this creation was. It was almost like having a meal served to you by the Devil. Topped with butter, cheese, fat – all things that are delightfully bad for you. I was waiting for him to ask me if I wanted this super-sized.

It was time for the Devil to take our order and we went for the Gold Medal trophy of fatty food. We got the works which also included a fried egg!

And here it is, the Pinestate Biscuit with the works. Look at the stopping power. Even the people at McDonald's are running for the hills. If you want a diet version, you can just have the fried chicken topped with gravy and cheese.

Now it was time to taste it. With something as big as this you really don't know where to start. I gripped the beast with two hands, and gravy started to drip all over my plate. Nice. Where was a bib when I actually needed one? Jeni and I looked at each other with the "what are we doing?" look. I even saw another couple staring at me in bewilderment – getting ready to eat the biscuit vicariously. At that moment, my name wasn't Dylan anymore. It was Gus, the tow truck driver wearing a blue collared shirt and navy blue Dickies with full butt-crack showing. Tow truck drivers don't eat tofu crepes with strawberry parfait for lunch. They eat food with bold flavors and size. With my hairy arms and blackened finger nails from car grease, I picked up that thing like it was my bitch and bit into it – my protective eyelids rolling up like a Great White shark's.

And it was... seriously tasty. It didn't seem to make sense at first but when put together it was a delicious ode to what every Maxim-reading, college boy enjoyed eating. There was something grisly and barbaric about it; it was in fact, a man's meal. There was no herbal garnish to 'fancy' it up or a nice plate for presentation points. It was exactly what it was... a biscuitsandwichwithfriedchickenfriedeggcheddarcheesewithsausagegravy. I don't know when I would eat this again but it's one of those things that you can definitely say you've eaten. The guys at Pinestate Biscuits have seriously found an area right between pain and pleasure and slapped it in between two delicious biscuits. Note: can easily feed a small village in China or one hungry tow truck driver.

It was a good thing that Jeni and I shared that beastly biscuit, and rode our bikes to work that off. We cut through the suburban area and admired the beautiful houses on the tree-lined streets. We didn't bring any water with us but thanks to a kind young man named Riley, we were rejuvenated for a mere 50 cents. Notice how Riley has a hesitant look on his face. I think we were the first Asian people he's laid eyes on haha. Riley, I can assure you we are nice people – now give me that lemonade.

Again, I know it may seem ridiculous to readers on here, just how much we eat. You see, most people on vacation will engage in activities like shopping, site-seeing and amusement parks. We don't do any of that. We simply eat and drink all throughout town. After an hour of riding, the consensus (based on two voters) was that we needed to eat some more food. Ron, where do we go?

We rode our bikes down to a quaint Southeast sandwich shop called Bunk Sandwiches. According to Ron, sandwich shops are creeping on the town of Portland in a good way. In addition to Kenny & Zuke's, which is right next door to the Ace, Bunk Sandwiches draws a steady crowd during the 6 hours it is open. I remembered Bunk Sandwiches being mentioned in a magazine for its creative creations, such as the pork belly banh mi, but it wasn't on the menu the time we were here. "Get the pork belly and pulled pork," says the Ron located within my head.

Sandwiches are served with Dirty Potato Chips and Picklopolis pickles on a clean sheet of paper. All for only $8. NO TAX.

By far the best pork belly sandwich I've eaten. The cuts of pork belly were so damn moist and tender. The small amount of crisp lettuce and aioli really made this a perfect sandwich. To wash this down, may I suggest a "bunkmosa" for the extremely hip, skinny-jean wearing hipsters? An innocent cocktail made of Miller High Life and orange juice.

The pulled pork sandwich was served with a type of slaw on a poppy seed roll. Good, but I enjoyed the pork belly more.

Chef Tommy Habetz is pictured in the lower corner and is super cool. On my next trip here, I'll definitely be stopping by to see what other creations he has in store.

During the millions of emails sent by Ron and Kevin of Guilty Carnivore, we had thrown in the idea of possibly seeing a show. M83 sounds great, but we really didn't know how full/tired we'd be. We continued riding throughout the suburbs to kill time. We were about to meet Ron for the first time in two hours for a snack, followed by a formal dinner with some more foodies.

Guess we'll eat again. Unfortunately, this popular food cart called Potato Champion wasn't open. They serve french fries and a Canadian treat called poutine, which entails the dumping of gravy and cheese curds on top of your fries. I think I've had enough gravy-as-a-topping for a few years. Sorry Potato Champion.

We rode around longer to kill time and came across my favorite barber shop, Rudy's. Jeni and I looked at each other and simultaneously yelled, "haircut!" In addition to riding bikes/scooters on vacation, we like getting our hair cut by whoever because each city has its own hairstlye. I was convinced that I would be getting a 'normal' haircut compared to barbers I've had in Taiwan, Guilin and Buenos Aires. Heck, Rudy's is only FROM the Pacific Northwest so I'm in good hands.

We decided to meet up with Ron and his friend at Pok Pok, a popular Thai restaurant. But why eat Thai in Portland when we have Thai Town in Los Angeles? It wasn't until I saw Pok Pok featured in the May '09 issue of Food & Wine that I became interested in eating here. And to top it off, Pok Pok is run by an American by the name of Chef Andy Ricker, who goes to Thailand 2-3 times a year to learn/acquire recipes to bring back to PDX. To me, that sort of effort deserves a fair review.

We were surprised to see that Pok Pok was really not a restaurant, but more so, a house with outdoor/patio seating. It was 5 pm, the time of opening, and there were already a good 25 people waiting outside (im)patiently. The rest of the house had already been filled up – crazy. And the next door take-out order area, known as Pok Pok Whiskey Soda Lounge, was packed with PDXers.

There was something really cool about eating Thai food in a cabin-like house. I could smell chicken being roasted on a special type of grill that Chef Ricker could only have devised through the influence of visits to Thailand street vendors. It was so dainty, yet functional like any one of McGuyver's gadgets. The foil above the grill gave me a feel of being along the street in some Asian country. Yet we were brought back to Portland reality with the mostly-male waiters wearing baby blue t-shirts and various arm tattoos.

There's peace of mind when you can trust the host to order delicious food for you and not have to look at the menu once. Ron highly recommended the Fish Sauce-flavored Chicken Wings. And they were super tasty – spicy, good amount of fish sauce and a nice crisp skin. I could have easily eaten a dozen of these with ice cold Thai beer.

I didn't catch the name of this dish but it involved a duck egg, warm noodles and herbs in a coconut milk broth. I was expecting a sour/sharp taste to the soup but was mildly reminded of the some of the delicate, well-balanced dishes I had tried at Los Angeles's Jitlada restaurant. Most mediocre Thai restaurants will offer dishes on extreme ends. Your food is either really strong on fish sauce, sour, spicy or sweet. Compromising taste to appeal to newer, less-adventurous diners only leads to bastardization. I can't remember the last time my parents ordered Sweet & Sour chicken or egg rolls in starchy red sauce. Anyway, all I could remember about Chef Ricker's food was how well balanced his tastes were. Not to mention the fact that his menu highlighted regional dishes I had never even heard of, more so than common dishes like Pad Thai or Tom Yum Soup. I have never been to Thailand but I got a good feeling when tasted the food here at Pok Pok.

We were in a hurry to meet for the formal dinner and only got to try three different things. I was quite bummed but this only makes Pok Pok an even bigger priority on my next trip. I highly recommend this place if you have the sudden urge to eat something non-Portlandish. Everyone we had talked to in Portland asked where we were going to eat, and we would tell them Pok Pok. We would get a nice, "Ah!" response. Apparently, a very good thing.

Note: Chef Ricker also has a skewer joint called Ping in the Northwest side of town.

We rode our bikes back towards the Northwast area, near the Pearl District, and Ron and a group of foodies for an izakaya meal at Tanuki. We walked into a small room lit with red lights and a TV playing some strange Japanese drama. Here we met Kevin of Guilty Carnivore, a wonderful couple that really enjoyed food as well and Nick, who joined us earlier at Pok Pok.

Before we could even start ordering food, we were poured sake as part of a welcome toast.

Again we let Ron, Kevin, Matt and Nick do the ordering. Tanuki is considered an izakaya for its smallish plates. But not everything was Japanese. There were hints of Chinese, Thai, Korean and even Pacific Islanderish in some of the dishes we ordered. All were done really well.

My favorites were the skewered duck hearts, skewered bay scallops, ahi tuna, fried egg udon and braised pork with fresh mango over rice.

Like Ricker's Pok Pok, I was very surprised to see that the food was prepared by this young lady – Chef Janis Martin. According to Ron, she studied in Japan (I believe Okinawa) for quite a few years, before coming back to Portland to run Tanuki.

Now it was time for dessert in a cocktail glass. The night before, we had awesome cocktails at Clyde Common. None were priced more than $8. But here at Ten 01, drinks are up to $10 and with good reason – it's purportedly one of Portland's best cocktail lounges. Ron mentioned that the owner sent all the stellar bartenders down to Tennessee for a lesson in Whiskey. Don't pull my arm, boss.

And this concludes another exhausting yet wonderful day of eating and drinking. Again, tomorrow will be a groundhog day for my wife and I. Again, we looked at the elevator sign, but smiled at each other. Hey, at least we rode off a ton of calories today. Thanks for reading.

Portland, Oregon - DAY ONE

Portland State University Farmer's Market

Saturdays, 8:30 am - 2:00 pm

www.portlandfarmersmarket.org

Pinestate Biscuits

(at PSU Farmer's Market)

Pinestate Biscuits (Restaurant Location)

3640 SE Belmont Street

Portland, OR 97214

(503) 236-3346

www.pinestatebiscuits.com

Bunk Sandwiches

621 SE Morrison Street

Portland, OR 97214

(503) 477-9515

www.bunksandwiches.com

Pok Pok

3226 SE Division Street

Portland, OR 97255

(503) 232-1387

www.pokpokpdx.com

Tanuki

413 NW 21st Street

Portland, OR 97209

(503) 241-7667

www.tanukipdx.com

Ten01

1001 NW Couch Street

Portland, OR 97209

(503) 226-3463

www.ten-01.com

Pho Garden, San Francisco - The 8th Wonder of the Culinary World

2009-06-23T14:18:00.000-07:00

I did a double-take when my friend sent me an email with this ludicrous image. Apparently, Pho Garden in San Francisco offers a pho challenge. Free if you can finish this in one hour or it's a $22 bill that excludes stomach pumping. Can you hold your own? Anyone actually go here?

Mark Menjivar - You Are What You Eat

2009-06-10T10:31:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how you can tell a lot about a person by looking at their CD or DVD collection. Guys, if you're ever at a girl's place for the first time and she has movies like "The Notebook", "Titanic" or "A Walk to Remember", do yourself a favor and exit the building ASAP. You're in for an unscripted, real-life romcom. Yikes.

Or how about someone that has Celine Dion LIVE or Mandy Moore Unplugged on CD. Is it a coincidence that both Celine Dion and Mandy Moore are involved with shitty music and shitty movies.

And Texas-based photographer, Mark Menjivar, knows that you can tell a lot by what a person eats. I go through photographer portfolios frequently in advertising, and particularly look for interesting projects. Thought I might share this one.

"You Are What You Eat is a series of portraits made by examining the interiors of refrigerators in homes across the Untied States.

For three years I traveled around the country exploring the issue of hunger. The more time I spent speaking and listening to individual stories, the more I began to think about the foods we consume and the effects they have on us as individuals and communities. An intense curiosity and questions about stewardship led me to begin to make these unconventional portraits.

A refrigerator is both a private and a shared space. One person likened the question, "May I photograph the interior of your fridge?" to asking someone to pose nude for the camera. Each fridge is photographed "as is." Nothing added, nothing taken away.

These are portraits of the rich and the poor. Vegetarians, Republicans, members of the NRA, those left out, the under appreciated, former soldiers in Hitler’s SS, dreamers, and so much more. We never know the full story of one's life.

My hope is that we will think deeply about how we care. How we care for our bodies. How we care for others. And how we care for the land." - Mark Menjivar

Bartender's fridge. Goes to sleep at 8am and wakes up at 4pm daily. My good friend's lifestyle is exactly like this. He comes home in the morning, sleeps during the day and eats take-out. It's a Groundhog Day lifestyle. But you make the tips and you get the chicks. Works for him. BTW, why is there an American flag chilling inside there?

Street Advertiser that lives on $432 fixed monthly income. This is very sad. Even college kids utilize the space better with their cheap beer and midnight burritos.

Botanist from Indiana. Says that he likes plants more than people. I like how the Pepsi bottle was converted into a giant, cap-less water bottle. And that chili on the right doesn't look promising.

And this is probably the most interesting one. A werewolf that likes Jose Cuervo? I like the frozen lemon in there – his only source of vitamins.

What's in my fridge?
Jeni actually brought up a funny point. Before she met me, her fridge/freezer was full of snacky stuff like our favorite frozen pizza, Jeno's, chicken strips and take-out. Now her fridge is full of exotic Asian sauces, all types of ball-shaped processed meats that I love (fish, beef, pork, shrimp, mushroom), vegetables, egg noodles and ice.

What's in your fridge usually? Thanks for reading.

A Weekend Getaway in Oxnard & Los Olivos, California

2009-06-08T00:14:00.000-07:00

A month ago, Jeni and I headed up to Ventura County for my good friend's wedding. Finally, a wedding that didn't take place in a Sheraton, Hilton or Holiday Inn. I knew that my friend JC would do something differently because of her unique tastes for things and open-mindedness. It's why we still kept in touch for nearly 14 years. And this weekend, a whole group of us drove of a hundred miles to witness the union of her and her husband – in a lovely barn that was quite worthy of being featured in some Bridezilla forum.

Knowing we would probably be drinking fun juice, we decided to check in at the Q Hotel before heading to the wedding. The W Hotel is now obsolete, it's all about the Q Hotel, aka La Quinta Inn. The prices are great at $89.99 a night but man, they sure punish you for being poor. Two elevators you had to walk 2-3 mins to. An ice machine only available on the penthouse floor, which is also the 3rd floor. Chubby out-of-town kids altering the color of the water in the pool. The hotel receptionist might as well say, "Thanks for checking in at The Q. You are your own bellboy. Maybe you should've worked harder in life. Enjoy your stay." Hey, it's a place to sleep. We're not there to relax.

Driving to the wedding venue, the weather wasn't looking good. I started to feel concerned for J&J, but once we got there, we knew the weather wouldn't even dent the evening. With the barn and wild flowers all around, it felt rustic and miles away from Los Angeles.

In Los Angeles, you would not see these kinds of beautiful weeds.

Only the kind you can smoke.

I was three drinks away from rolling down these hills.

I can't say the same about a lot of weddings. Because although they are fun, they all kind of follow the same pattern. Not J&J's. After the ceremony, we were quickly moved to an area for drinks and hors d'oeurves. And then we entered the barn, which probably held 120-130 people, which I think is a perfect size. The decorations, art direction and lighting were perfect tens.

Here is my friend, Mr. Groom, absolutely devouring his meal. At my wedding reception, I ate ONE TACO.

And here is my friend, Judy. Congratulations to you and Jonathan. The night was very, very young. And easily one of the best weddings I've been to.

The next morning, instead of packing up and heading home, we took the 101 and drove even more North. We decided to bring up our new bikes and maximizing the weekend with a little wine tasting and exercising – at the same time.

We've been trying to be a little more green by not driving around too much. We eat at local places and frequent the market by bike. And it's been SUPER fun. If you're going to eat a fat piece of foie gras for dinner tonight, you won't feel as bad knowing that you're biking to and from the restaurant. You're still going to be fat, but not AS fat right?

You don't realize how beautiful California is until you drive through places like Sequoia, Napa Valley and Santa Barbara. Not to mention the fact that you can appreciate beauty at 5 mph versus 50 mph. The scenery looks like this for miles. With the window rolled down and some good beats, you're in a good place.

Again, there really is beauty in everything. We saw this little guy on the way to a winery. Rather looking like typical roadkill, he actually looked like he was at peace. Or really drunk off the grapes he found in the dumpster of a winery. Rest in peace.

As Jeni will tell you or rather show you, never start a wine tasting trip on an empty stomach nor Doritos Bleu Cheese & Ranch flavor. I really feel bad for our two friends sitting in between her that glorious day haha. All I have to say is, I think Doritos REALLY uses Bleu Cheese in their crap. Anyway, we stopped at the Los Olivos Grocery store for some grub. For those planning on picnicking along the way, this is your fancy-ass 7-11 – it's a grocery and cafe.

The second we stepped out of the car, we were pulled in by THIS... a delicious, perfect-colored piece of brisket smoked with oak wood. Damn.

A sandwich, three sides and absence of Doritos Bleu Ranch chips make for a great day of wine tasting in Los Olivos. Right Jeni? Was everything good, yeah not bad! The brisket was damn tender – I'll be back here again for sure.

We do this every where we travel, bike with a buzz. China, Argentina, Portland and right here in Los Olivos. There's just something wonderful about riding with the wife and a nice buzz. No BUI's this time.

As we were riding down a shaded street, J suddenly yelled out, "Lavender!" We pulled into the driveway of Clairomont Farms, which you guessed, grows lavender. I would never give the time of day to a place that reminds me of a natural Bath & Body Works. She had tried a cocktail that used lavender and wanted to buy some home for some experimentation.

Jeni rolled out of the farm with a bunch of lavender and smiles. I rolled out with a peppery nose, dry cough and itchy eyes. It was TERRIBLE. If I go back here, I'm wearing a bio-chemical bike suit.

We tried three places that day and gave in to one more place one we saw how nicely designed the tasting room was. Family owned for decades, the Sarloos Brothers successfully mix interior decorating and wine.

If you ever see this 6'2" man walk off his Harley with some Locs, you might want to obey his commands. Even if he says "EAT THE CUPCAKES NOW." Which is exactly what he told us to do. Apparently, he knows the cupcakes served here.

And this is the cupcake man, drinking wine and selling his cupcakes. Seems fair enough.

If you do a tasting of wine, you can also get a discount on a flight of cupcakes.

I believe this was Lime & Chardonnay flavored. Too sweet for me.

Next time you're out in Ventura County, plan a stop over at Los Olivos or Santa Barbara. It's truly a quick weekend getaway that won't leave you too poor. If you are too poor like us, you can always stay at The Q to cut down on costs. Thanks for reading.

Portland, Oregon - A Humble Point on the Culinary Map - Ace Hotel, Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Beast PDX, Clyde Common & Broder Scandinavian

2009-05-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

A few months back, J took me to Hatfield's for a fantastic birthday dinner. When we were about to leave she told me she had one more gift. She presented me with an unsealed envelope. I opened it and found two photocopied menus from restaurants i had never heard of.

Me: "What do I do with these? We ordering delivery?"
J: "Pick one."

I looked closer at the info under the two restaurants and noticed that one was based in Seattle, the other one in Portland.

J: "They are both oyster restaurants. Choose one."
Me: "I think i'm going to have to go with Portland."

Why Portland? Maybe it's because of the strong influence of Indie music bands there? The large social movement of thirty-somethings escaping big urban monsters; seeking a new place to live and restart? The fine coffee, breweries and distilleries spread out all over the state? My coworker said, "If Silver Lake, Los Angeles was its own city, it would be like Portland."
But for whatever reason Portland is the way it is, it has claimed much attention in the culinary world in the last few years. I read a few articles recently in NY Times, GQ and Food & Wine... all had great things to say about the food of Portland.

And if that was not convincing enough to settle on Portland, I only needed to think about two gentleman in Portland that would ensure that Jeni and I ate well. These two guys are Ron of PDX Plate and Kevin of Guilty Carnivore. We have never met the Guilty Carnivore himself, but we DO know him through his 3+ years of writing. He is a man who loves to mix food and politics together and always seems to be in search of the ideal Vietnamese sandwich. And there's Ron, who some of you may know as SauceSupreme on Chowhound. An ex-Angeleno who moved to Portland for work and for the food. But his knowledge of food alone makes the "work" part a complete lie. After a few weeks of email correspondence with Ron, Kevin and another generous foodie by the name of Matt, we had the most important thing taken care of: the food itinerary. I have to say one of the best things about writing a food blog is having a connection to other bloggers anywhere in the world. And it is very likely they will do their best to make sure you enjoy your time.

Only $250 for a 2-hour flight to Portland, we arrived on an early Friday morning with nothing but duffle bags, hunger and sheer excitement. It was a different feeling entering a city much smaller in relation to New York or Chicago. But thanks to the internet, you can very much see what you're getting yourself into. We got out of the Portland airport (PDX) and hopped on a train into town.

As the train slowly slithered through the city, I could only think about one thing – green. Green as in true chlorophyll. I think the product designers of Glade bathroom spray cans based their artwork on the Portland scenery. I couldn't believe how green the trees and grass were and how clean and fresh the air felt. So THIS is what fresh air is SUPPOSED to feel like. Part of this is due to the bicycle as a common means for transportation. In LA, we have parking meters. In Portland, where there is a meter, there is a bike rack.

We got dumped off in the South West area of Portland - it's one of four quadrants in the city divided by a river and major bridge. Speaking of bridges, it IS known as Bridgetown – 12 to be exact! We stayed at the Ace Hotel franchise, which also has locations in Palm Springs, Seattle and New York. If Urban Outfitters were to have their own hotel, this would be it. It's a great combination of Pacific Northwest/wilderness chic and design. Not to mention very reasonable in price for a room that is decorated by individual artists.

We walked into the Ace and smiled upon seeing the lobby area with dark wood walls. A good 10-12 people sat on the couches and chairs reading their Mercury's and sipped quietly on what smelled like some of the best coffee ever. But I couldn't attest that as I don't drink much coffee – I prefer fun juice.

We checked in and J already knew what she wanted to do. That coffee we smelled earlier in the lobby was none other than Portland's favorite coffee shop, Stumptown Coffee Roasters. I put this next to Vietnamese iced coffee as my favorites. But for a coffee that was unaided by velvety condensed milk and a tiny drip press, this was some asskicking coffee. A few sips of this and I was awake. We sat over in the lobby, sipped on our asskicking coffee and people watched like the creepy tourists that we were.

10:32 am.
Our stomach rumbles and I rub my hands together. Time to start Ron's food tour.

Portland is a big breakfast town. Ron said that even if you served the shittiest breakfasts, you'd still be doing okay because people will still eat it – something to that extent. That is how Norm's and Denny's has survived for so long. He sent us out to a place in the Southeast that serves breakfast Scandinavian style. Whatever that meant, I hope it tasted better than Ikea's breakfast and didn't require me to walk 1.8 miles through a showroom just to get to the exit.

And here we are at Broder, which is known for danish pancakes called Æbleskiver, pronounced 'eh-bleh-skee-vah'. I was lucky enough to find someone on Yelp who previously typed out that Æ letter.

What is an Æbleskiver? Think ball-shaped pancakes similar to a beignets and Japan's takoyaki. Its cooked in a pan with seven round grooves. Like takoyaki, once the lower hemisphere of the batter is cooked, it is then flipped over with a skewer/needle and naturally molded into a round ball. Topped with powdered sugar and a trio of dipping sauces that includes lemon cream, lingonberry jam and maple syrup.

We both enjoyed these as they were very light and tasty. If you're near Solvang, you can stop over at the Solvang Restaurant for some Æbleskiver as well.

I saw people at neighboring tables ordering eggs baked in square skillets. I love square things. So Scandinavian to shape food into squares and present them to you in a grid layout. I had the farmer's special which included smoked trout and shallots. I am now wearing a "#1 Scandinavian Smoked Trout Fan" shirt – that's how awesome it was.

And what is there not to like about potato latkes charred perfectly for toothsome texture. Served with walnut bread.

After breakfast we headed back to the hotel, but not before seeing a bartender extracting fresh juice from an old-school juicer through the window of a neighboring bar/restaurant. One of the things Ron mentioned was the prevalence of stellar cocktail lounges in Portland. I told them that while we enjoy places in LA like The Association, The Varnish and Rivera – $12-15 for a drink can do damage to a wallet. Enter Clyde Common for the $5 happy hour and regularly priced $8 drinks. He also mentioned that $9 is what the best bar in town will charge, so if a bar charges $9.01 – you'd better taste that extra penny. And Clyde Common did not FAIL with their drinks.

One thing you'll notice in Portland is that quite a few respectable bars/lounges will display their Bohemian Absinthe fountain. This seems to be the trend of late for a drink that was brought to attention by artists and writers – Van Gogh for example. If taken as a shot, you could find yourself feeling very ill in the style of too much Jagermeister or Ouzo. Used in moderation as an aromatic, your cocktail is taken to another level. Thanks to John, the wonderful bartender at Clyde Common, for the conversations and cocktails.

A few hours later, it was time for dinner. One of the restaurants that caught our eye was a place in the Northeast called Beast, headed by a female chef named Naomi Pomeroy. She was most recently nominated as one of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs 2009, along with the two guys from LA's Animal. We made reservations a month back.

Me: "I'd like to make a reservation at 7:30."
Beast: "We only do two seatings. 6 pm or 8:45 pm."
Me: "Okay 6 pm then."

Not knowing why they only had two seatings, I just went ahead and picked 6 pm. I looked on their site and realized that the menu was what-you-see-is-what-you-get. Chef Pomeroy quotes: "SUBSTITUTIONS POLITELY DECLINED."

Our cab dropped us off in front of the cozy and quaint restaurant named Beast. What we thought would be a very strict dinner all of a sudden made sense once we stepped foot inside the square dining area no larger than a deluxe living room. On the left was a table for 8 and on the right, a table for 12-16. And right in the center was a large counter top covered in plates. This was HER kitchen AND dining area. Awesome.

We took a seat and watched as Pomeroy's sous chef plated salads on the counter top. Pomeroy, in a black top and black pin-striped apron, walked around her kitchen gracefully. Jeni and I felt relaxed because there was absolutely no kitchen havoc. Quite notably, a huge difference between a male and female chef's kitchen. Working in a restaurant before, I knew how noisy and stressful it could get. These two chefs could have been walking barefooted on glass, stacked dishes on their head, two monkeys climbing on their backs and still serve food with a smile.

We really loved the idea of sitting with other guests, a style of cuisine that could only come from someone who loves her home as much as her food. Another thing we loved about Pomeroy's restaurant was the clear view of her cookbooks perching on shelves. Whether or not they are put to use or merely restaurant fodder, we assumed that she is a humble and homey cook, not afraid to experiment or refer to the books in a pinch. I highly doubt any egotistic chef would display books for guests to scrutinize their level of experience. We introduced ourselves and sat patiently for the meal to start. If you really want to know, she enjoys Joy of Cooking, Judy Rodger's Zuni Cafe, Suzanne Goin's Sunday Supper at Lucques and Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking – all very solid cookbooks we could not live without.

And here's what Pomeroy served.

Chilled Fresh Shelled English Pea Soup
With english peas in season, you'll see this delicious ingredient everywhere. It's sweet, crunchy and can go well with salads, meats and of course soup. She pureed the peas with herbed creme fraiche/cream and served it quite cold. I really enjoyed this.

Spring Greens with Sauvignon Blanc Vinaigrette and Shaved Sheep's Milk Cheese
I loved the presentation of this – rustic and fresh. The shaving of cheese made it easier for it to melt on your tongue.

Shaved Fennel Salad & Charcuterie Plate
Wow. This plate had everything - variety, colors and pate-like objects. This was a fabulous carnival of hors d'oeurves. I think this is where Chef Pomeroy shines.

Steak Tartare & Quail Egg Toast - I read about this in a magazine and could not wait to try this out. A+ for the combination of two things I enjoy - quail eggs and steak tartare. I actually asked if I could 'buy' a few more of these but was POLITELY DECLINED. I had to try.

Pork Liver, Sour Cherry & Pistachio Pate - what I liked about this was not the usual mushiness of a pate. This was in fact more of a terrine/cake because I could taste all the texures. The pistachios still had a decent bite to it. Similar recipe found here.

Chicken Liver Mousse & Maple Candied Bacon - if I could eat this everyday I would. By far, the table's favorite on the charcuterie plate. The combination of creamy liver and candied bacon had a yin & yang relationship.

Foie Gras Bon Bon - our table considered this the 'dessert' of the charcuterie plate and it sure was. it was like a scoop of really savory buttery ice cream on top of shortbread.

Rabbit Saddles Stuffed with Brioche & Spring Vegetables and White Wine Braised Leeks with Prosecco Butter
Probably the best rabbit I have ever eaten. Flavorful seasoning on the skin, moist meat and crunchy vegetable filling. The leek was a bit strong on the wine but great in texture.

Selection of Steve's Cheese, Anise & Fleur de Sel Shortbread, Fruit & Hazelnuts
Whoever Steve is, nice job.

Brown Sugar & Cream Cheese Custard

What a great casual dinner this was. The food, the service and the fellow diners really helped us enjoy our first night in Portland. I would definitely come back and ask to put in a pre-order of those Quail Egg & Steak Tartare toasts.

Day one of four came to an end. We were too tired to go anywhere else and decided to call it night. Standing in the elevator, we noticed this sign. A simple reminder that because we would be eating a lot, we needed to do something about it or buy new jeans. To be continued...

And here's a mix that I made for the Portland trip. Enjoy!

Breed Street Food Fair, East Los Angeles - Taking A Trip on the Mexico Time Travel Machine

2009-05-19T08:46:00.001-07:00

If you could time travel, where would you go? More importantly, where would you LIKE to travel to solely for food? If you ask me, it would be very difficult for me to answer. But, I would consider...

Shanghai. For some of the crispiest, juiciest pan-fried dumplings ever. A line with no less than 30 people at any given moment. One bite of these, and you'll know you're in China.

Hong Kong. For some of the crunchiest, toothsome wontons ever. So crunch you can hear the friction between the shrimp and your lucky tooth.

Vietnam. I could die eating a bowl of pho on a tiny stool at 7:15 am, inhaling the toxic gas from scooters passing by.

Paris. For those gigantic oysters known as belons, or European Flats. They taste like Duracell batteries at first, but with one swig of a fine wine, you''ll understand the relationship between the sea and land, and ascend into oyster heaven.

I could go on and on about things that would get me hot & bothered, but until I nail the Lotto or if Virgin surpasses its galactic endeavors with an actual time travel machine, I'm stuck in Los Angeles. But if you're interested in all things Mexican and strapped for cash, like I am, during the economic hardship, you may find what you're looking for – a portal into Mexico. Right in East LA.

I first heard about this food fair from Anjali of Delicious Coma, Abby of Pleasure Palate and Bill of Street Gourmet LA – who write fantastic blogs. On a Friday night, some friends and I met up with Anjali and Pam for some time traveling. We got off the 5 freeway and as we neared our destination, I really didn't know what to expect. Would it be similar to our trips to Oaxaca and D.F.? Or would this be an overhyped event. Once we saw the Big Buy Foods market and people crossing back and forth on the street, we knew it would be stellar. There were a good 25-30 people working the 10+ booths and about 100 hungry patrons walking around with cash in their hands.

If you haven't been to Mexico, I'd say this is a pretty good simulation of it. Portable lights affixed to poles, rainbow-colored parasols, Tejano music pumping from old boomboxes, people's voices and the pattering of spatulas on metal griddles. All within a parking lot on a Friday night. This was fantastic.

We also ran into a nice couple that we had met at a La Casita dinner in Bell, hosted by a certain teenager. Jocie and Al are also heavily involved in the Los Angeles food scene and head their own 'food tours', including stopovers here at the Breed Street food fair. With their guidance and generosity and our swine-like instincts, we would only eat the best tonight.

This couple offered fish tacos, flautas and pupusas. Quite a cultural mix of food.

Taquitos/flautas getting a spicy, green bubble bath.

Pozole/posole. One of my favorite Mexican soups made with pork feet, tomato sauce, broth and hominy. Topped with thinly sliced radishes (rabanos), onions, cilantro and lime – so good on a cold night. A large container of this for only $5.99.

Esquites. A Mexican favorite. What is there not to love about

corn, mayonnaise, cheese, chile and lime? I always get stinging

red lips after eating this but it's so worth it.

Tortillas hecho a mano. Yummy corn tortillas.

This vendor, Nina, as written on her t-shirt, specializes in Mexico City (D.F.) style quesadillas. The tub in the center with the dark filling is huitlacoche, Mexican corn fungus. It has a pungent, sour taste similar to parmesan cheese. Great stuff.

From the same female chef, Nina, is this variation of enchiladas that

has huitlacoche. Jocie's friends were kind enough to order this

and share some with us. Thanks!

Have you had barbacoa? If not, you should eat it because it's fabulous. It's slow roasted lamb served on a tortilla.

But what I love most about eating barbacoa or even birria, is the accompaniment of rich, flavorful broth known as consome. Usually in the flavor of goat (chivo). You take a bite of the taco and refresh your palate with a shot of this soup. So good. Might even taste good dipping it in the consome.

If you've been to a taco stand/table, you'll usually see a pan covered in saran wrap or even a white towel. That type of meat, usually cabeza or lengua, is being steamed. Mexicans call it tacos al vapor, as in steam/vapor, because they steam both the meat AND the tortilla. And it's hot enough to leave blisters on your hands. I had the cabeza here and I can't explain to you how moist this meat was – melted right away.

Of course you'll find your standard taco vendor. But to tell you the truth, they become the lonely stepchild of the family when there's so many other new things to try. I'm sure they are good.

But what I found to be the most delicious and interesting was the Churro Man and his son. They were situated next to the barbacoa people and told me that he had constructed the churro machine at home. An ingenious contraption that involves a crank, star-shaped tip and a pool of hot oil. You can't see, but the man has his right hand on a crank that pushes out a segment of churro dough. He then carefully catches the churro and gently lays it in the pool of oil. The whole process takes a few minutes and is finished off in a bowl of cinnamon sugar, done by his son. Only 4 pieces for $1. Crunchy on the outside, and doughy in the middle - a perfect churro in my opinion. I wonder how these compare to the churro truck in Echo Park.

Just an FYI, there are only 10 vendors in a small portion of a parking lot. It may look small from the outside, but once you see the amount of food offered by the vendor, it is definitely larger in one's perspective.

Bill of Street Gourmet LA's writeup.

Abby of Pleasure Palate's writeup.

Anjali of Delicious Coma's writeup.

Big Buy Foods (Across the street)

2233 E. Cesar Chavez Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90033

Thursday - Sunday, 7-10 pm

Idiots Found at 99 Ranch Market in Monterey Park, CA.

2009-05-18T14:09:00.000-07:00

Saw this a few weeks back. Idiots are now on sale, for only $4.99/lb. Looks like 99 Ranch market is trying to get rid of these idiots, so you better hurry.