Chubby's Food Odyssey

The Best of the Best: Dim Tai Fung Xiao Long Bao -- Seattle

2015-10-03T13:27:00.000-04:00

I grew up with Din Tai Fung in Taiwan! Even then I didn't take it for granted, but it actually tastes better and better now after the many inferior xiao long bao (soup dumplings) that I have been subjected to in the U.S.

It is also a company with expanding ambition and strict operational model. The Taipei flagship location is marked by a wait staff that is trained and behaving like 5-star hotel employees.

That's not quite the case in the Seattle location, as the mostly Caucasian staff seemed overwhelmed and stressed. But I thoroughly enjoyed sitting at the bar and being able to sip local craft beers while having my dumplings and soups, which you can't do in Taipei. And the orders came in a timely and orderly fashion.

The famed Xiao Long Bao. They exhibit a golden ratio of skin, filling, and savory juice (soup).

Pot stickers with a beautiful layer of crunchy bottom.

Two cold appetizers. Very well seasoned, though served a bit too cold.

Red-oiled wontons. The sauce is tangy with good kick of vinegar, and the wontons are simply sublime.

Soup with stuffed fried tofu skin and cellophane noodles. My mom's favorite, and she is right!

Shrimp fried rice. Very photogenic. Very tasty. Simplest of pleasure.

Dessert time! Steamed baos with red-bean paste. My personal favorite: there's no telling how many I could actually eat.

THE Reason to Visit Portland: Blue Star Donuts

2015-09-20T13:27:00.000-04:00

(From top left) Apple fritter, old-fashioned buttermilk, and Valrhona chocolate

To think that we almost didn't have the time nor stomach space to visit Blue Star Donuts make me shudder. These donuts far exceeded my expectation and what I thought was possible to find in such a humble sweets. Considering we weren't that hungry to begin with, we ate three back-to-back within minutes.

From just about every angle these donuts were marvelous. Not only they looked great, but they had such well-calibrated textural contrast that had you going back for more.

The old-fashioned was perhaps the biggest surprise. The dough was rich, firm, yet moist, and the crust achieved just the right thickness. The apple fritter had even more crustiness and it easily exemplified what an apple fritter should be. The Valrhona chocolate belongs in an high-end restaurant: super fine chocolate icy with silky cream filling, topped with small crunchy, cereal-like chocolate pearls.

Cross section of the Meyer lemon donut.

We took another box on the drive, but waited a bit too long to eat some of them. Like many great pastry, these don't last. And coincidentally the other kinds we tried, which meant they didn't make our first flavor selection, were more straightforward and less memorable. The Meyer lemon was of course filled with amazing lemon zestfulness, but both the green tea and Mexican chocolate flavors (not pictured) were just okay. But, again, I would put part of the blame on us for not consume them right away, because we didn't want to set a record for half a dozen donuts in one day!

I Committed Doughnut Murder! Voodoo Doughnut in Portland, OR

2015-09-19T23:10:00.002-04:00

It's still kinda cute...though the pretzel sticks were completely soggy and therefore not appetizing to eat.

The cash-only, 24-hour location.

For an out-of-town tourist with questionable eyesight, I couldn't read the board at all nor see the display case while lining up behind this big group of people. I was panicking about what to order...

The distinct and now classic pink box

Our harvest--Maple bacon and Portland cream on the left, voodoo doll and lemon chiffon on the right.

This is our favorite. It's the lightest of the bunch with intense lemony scent and acidity.

The best part of all these doughnuts is the icing. No matter it's chocolate, maple, or lemon, the icing is super smooth, creamy, and with a really spot-on flavoring. Many people have commented on the relatively airy and light quality of the dough, which is true, though that doesn't mean one can really eat a lot of them--they are still very, very rich. What I got most from these is the playfulness that exudes from almost all of them. Doughnut is guilty pleasure, so why not have a great time with it?

A (Mini) Portland Food Carts Trip

2015-07-14T15:03:00.000-04:00

If I were younger, slimmer, the weather cooler, not 100-degree heat, and the parking easier, I would hit up at least another handful of these food carts during my 3-day stay (to call them "trucks" would be erroneous: these are largely immobile pods parked together in a lot/park). It took some cross-reference research before I could decide which ones to go, and I was not out to search for the new and yet-to-be-famous stalls. The three here are well-established and deservedly so.

POD #1: The Flying Scotsman

Location: Downtown, SW 9th and Alder

Hours: Lunch Only

These delicious fish and chips are made to order and very reasonably priced. While it pales in comparison with the one I had in London, it is still very solid and worth a try. The batter is light and crisp, the fish flaky and juicy, and the chips are starchy with just the right amount of crispness.

POD #2: Nong's Khao Man Gai

Location: Downtown, SW 9th and Alder

Hours: Lunch Only

Perhaps one of the most successful carts in Portland, it can be found in a few locations plus a sit-down restaurant. It specializes in one particular Thai street food dish of boneless, skinless boiled chicken breasts served on rice infused with the nice juices and fat from the chicken with a tangy, garlicky dipping sauce on the side.

This was indeed very good, and the star is the rice here: very aromatic and densely flavored. It's a bit tricky to eat it as they just wrapped the whole thing in parchment paper with no hard container. They do provide round, plastic (somewhat dirty) flat baskets so you can lay things out if you eat it nearby, which was what we did. The soup was actually decent and not to be ignored, though not exactly what I was looking for under 100-degree heat!

POD #3: Pyro Pizza

Location: Cartopia, east side of the river, SE 12th and Hawthorne Blvd

Hours: Dinner and late night

First of all, Cartopia is a cool food-cart lot that is situated in what feels like the middle of nowhere to an out of towner like me. Lots of young people on a Friday night yet it wasn't difficult to find a table and seat (yes, they have them!).

Pyro Pizza is certainly one of the crown jewels of the lot. It was so popular that they had to stop taking order for about 15 minutes so they could catch up.

I got the "Quattro Formaggi": romano, mozzarella, Kefalo Graviera, and blue. This was one of the best pizzas I've tasted! The crust was thin but had just enough chew and flavor in it so it wasn't boring like charred thin card boards. And this combination of cheeses was magnificent: the blue cheese really added some funk and kick to it and even the crust had some melted romano on top. Worth the wait!

Throwdown: Kouign Amann

2015-04-20T12:53:00.002-04:00

Kouign amann (pronounced KWEEN ah-MAHN) isn't a household name yet, but that day is quickly approaching. Personally I didn't know of it until last summer after visiting Dominique Ansel's famed NYC bakery and ate my first DKA, short for Dominique's Kouign Amann.

The moment I bit into it I knew my pastry eating life was forever changed. It was incredibly rich, buttery, dense, sweet, savory, and flaky all at the same time. There's simply nothing like it. It remains my favorite item in the bakery (more than the Cronut) and I have been craving it ever since (with it's roughly 2-day shelf life, DKA isn't available for shipping, and although the recipe is in his new cookbook, which I have, it is a tremendous undertaking).

According to various online sources, Kouign amann started out as a traditional pastry from the Brittany region in France. The name stems from the Breton words for "cake" and "butter." It is somewhat similar to a croissant in that both apply layered dough with plenty of butter. Kouign amann is less airy and flaky and it does come closer to a cake-like texture, as well as being much sweeter with sugary coating surrounding the pastry.

So you can imagine my excitement and suspicion when I found out not only a bakery here in Salt Lake City has been making it for years, but Trader Joe's just came out with its version of frozen, bake-at-home kouign amann!!!

As obsessed as I am, I decided to give the two non-Ansel ones a try, and here we go...the first ever THROWNDOWN on this blog!

ROUND 1: Appearance

From Dominique Ansel's Bakery

Cross-section of the D.K.A.

Dominique Ansel's differentiates itself from the other two by having a muffin-like mushrooming top, which is created by baking it in a ring mold with the top portion spread out over the ring. The cross-section demonstrates the density and layers of the dough.

From Les Madeleine in Salt Lake City

Cross-section of Les Madeleine's K.A.

Les Madeleines' (which have been featured on Food Network) has a beautifully crafted top by bringing all corners of the layered dough together (the other two applied the same process just not to the same exactitude). The cross-section reveals that it's less airy towards the bottom.

Trader Joe's home-bake version

So to make this in the morning, you need to take the dough out from the freezer and the box the night before (at least 6 hours). Then it's quite simple from there: just bake it on a sheet inside the provided paper pastry cup and it's done in a few minutes.

The appearance is a bit messy, but sort of in a good way. The cross-section shows that it's more flaky with more air pockets than the other two.

Conclusion: Honestly, all three covey the message that you are about to bite into a delicious, sugary, and buttery pastry. With Trader Joe's, you get to experience the process of seeing a plain piece of dough blossoming into the golden caramel pastry. Les Madeleine has the most carefully crafted exterior; however, when looking at the cross-section, Dominique's won out for its beautiful consistency.

Winner: A tie between Dominique Ansel's and Les Madaleine.

Round 2: Taste

I might be biased because I had the D.K.A. first and fell hard for it. Had I not have that experience, both Les Madaleine's and Trader Joe's are stellar. The former's exterior is a bit too crisp for my taste, and the interior is a tad dry; the latter is actually quite satisfying though somewhat too similar to a croissant--very buttery, flaky, but lacking in density.

Winner: Dominique Ansel's.

Round 3: Value

For 4 for 5$, or 1.25$ for each, Trader Joe's can't be beat, even if you want to add the cost of the electricity or gas consumed by your oven. The most expensive one is actually Les Madaleine's, at 5.50$ each last I checked. Dominique Ansel's is actually only 5.25$! Since I can't make the argument that the two fancy ones are 4 times better than Trader Joe's...

Winner: Trader Joe's

The Grand Winner of this Throwdown is...

I must still give it to Dominique Ansel's D.K.A. The taste and mouthfeel are much better than the other two, but that's not to say Les Madeleine's and Trader Joe's are without merits. For the simple fact that the D.K.A. didn't just have a walk in the park in this contest says a lot.

Wasatch Polygamy Nitro Porter

2015-03-25T03:09:00.000-04:00

Utah's own Wasatch Brewery loves to antagonize the Mormon culture, and they will probably never top the "Polygamy Porter," which comes with the tag line: "Why have just one?"

The original Polygamy Porter is only 4% abv, which is the legal limit for draft beers in the state (ugh, double ugh!), but this one is at an elevated strength of 6%, which more and more I feel should be the baseline (5% still feels rather light...)

Now, I'm not an expert in beer bottling, except knowing that most beers are pumped with CO2 unless it's "bottle-conditioned." As a lover of English style beer, I am also familiar with the creamy foam on top of many English ales, such as Guinness, which is the result of using nitrogen instead.

Guinness and others have come up with a special canning that has a plastic sphere inside the can to somehow reproduce that much priced creamy, foamy head, but no such gadgetry here. A label at the bottle neck simply instructs you to "pour like you mean it!" And here's the result:

There are still rather visible bubbles and the head isn't nearly as smooth and creamy as a Guinness can or a real nitro pour from a tap. It feels a bit flat, even though the beer itself is quite drinkable. Even at 6% abv, this can be categorized as a session. Not demanding. It won't get in the way of anything else you're eating or tasting. Fine on its own as long as that's not all that you are paying attention to.

Chubby's scores: 1 1/2 cheers out of 5

Product Review: I-Mei Pearl Milk Tea Ice Bar (Snack Time!)

2015-03-11T14:41:00.000-04:00

I-Mei Foods' ice-pop products have always been stellar. With Taiwan's almost year-round hot and humid climate, ice pops are tremendously popular as a snack or after-dinner dessert. While in the U.S., most flavor experiments come in the form of ice cream, in Asia the ice pops are where the action is.

So how's the "Pearl Milk Tea Ice Bar"? In case some of you are confused, pearl milk tea is synonymous to bubble, or boba, tea, in which dark-caramel colored, "pearl-like" tapioca balls of chewy texture are added to milk tea. It has been around since I was a kid some 30 years ago and it can be found even here in Salt Lake City.

But how to reproduce not only the flavor but also the chewy sensation in ice-pop form? First of all, the milk-tea flavor here is spot on. The white milky portion adds more sweetness and the color split makes it possible to eat the bar in three ways: just the dark, just the white, or both together.

Now, about the tapioca component: understandably you don't get the actual-sized pearls because they would just become small stones; instead, you get shreds of something that truly resembles the texture and flavor of the tapioca balls. It's really quite ingenious and simulates the bubble-tea drinking experience quite accurately.

However, the more I ate I start to believe that the tapioca shreds might just be Chinese grass jelly, which is black in color and is usually served with a sweet syrup despite its innate herbal and bitter flavor. Still, it doesn't diminish my enjoyment of it and don't hesitate getting a box of this if you can find it.

Chubby's score: 4.5/5

Perhaps this box stayed in the freezer at the store a bit too long and probably was on the verge of melting away at some point. Still, I rate highly of this product.

Lagunitas Night Time

2015-03-05T03:26:00.000-05:00

I'm not always a fan of Lagunitas' brews because they tend to be hit or miss for me, but one thing is for sure: Lagunitas' beers are never passive or boring.

As I'm trying to savor the dark, full-bodied beers while the weather is still cold, this one seems a perfect fit. Lagunitas' copywriters do a good job at coming up with good descriptions, and this one is no exception. Plus the label looks enticingly mysterious--sold!

The beer is pitch dark. So dark that no light comes through when you hold the glass up against it. A nice, tall creamy head, the beer has a grassy aroma, typical of a hops-heavy beer, and slight caramel and herbal notes rounding off the fragrance.

The taste is strong and robust, full of hops but with considerable smoothness. There's some smoke and hints of spices. It's not to say that it's malty, but somehow that's the impression after you down half a glass. Nevertheless, it has a long, lingering finish of persistent dryness and bitterness. Cuts through food really well and quite wonderful on a wintry day.

Chubby's rating: 4 cheers out of 5!

Snack Time: Lay's Wasabi Ginger Chips

2015-03-04T09:41:00.000-05:00

I was only vaguely aware of Lay's Do Us a Flavor contest when the 2014 finalists--Mango Salsa, Cappuccino, Cheddar Bacon Mac N Cheese, and Wasabi Ginger--hit the shelves. Little did I know the finalists would receive 50,000$ and the winner either 1 million$ or 1% of the net sales of the winning flavor for a year (though the start of the one-year period is not until the flavor has debuted for almost a year--sneaky!). So a lot was at stake.

Frankly, only Cappuccino and Wasabi Ginger, the eventual winner, interested me. I didn't even try the other two. The Cappuccino flavor actually tasted like cappuccino--and that was the problem. I couldn't even finish a bag--its oddly savory-cocoa-sweet-coffee taste quickly went from being a novelty to becoming unappealing.

On the other hand, I was utterly won over by the Wasabi Ginger flavor. How the heck did the flavor engineers at Lay's managed to evoke such an exact and vivid recall of sushi condiments? What impresses me the most is the precise potency level of the wasabi: it's always present but never overpowering, never sending your sinus running. The pickled ginger flavoring provides the right pinch of acidity and sweetness over the soy and wasabi base.

Glad that it won so now I can get Costco-sized bag of it whenever I want. I still haven't found the right beverage to go with it. I suppose a Japanese lager might work since that's what one drinks with sushi (sake would be going too far...). I can see a soda like Sprite or 7-Up be a good (and cheaper) pairing as well.

Product Review: Dogfish Head Off-centered Brats

2015-03-02T12:16:00.000-05:00

Sadly, the state liquor store here in Utah doesn't import Dogfish Head beers (don't get me started). The next best thing? How about delicious brats made with brews from the esteemed brewery?

Left: Pork bratwurst with Raison d'Etre. Right: Chicken bratwurst with Chicory Stout

I picked two flavors made with beers that I am reasonable familiar with:

(There are two other flavors made with Dogfish Head's Midas Touch, a terrific mead-like beer)

As a spicy lover, I was really looking forward to the dark brats. Plus I love the espresso-stout combo!

Each pack costs about 7$, although one of them was on sale for 4.99$. Yup, these aren't your Oscar Mayer franks.

Since I don't have a grill yet, and I like to get as much char as I can, I cut them in half length wise and pan fried them on a cast-iron pan with a little oil. The pork brat with Raison d'Etre, which is a very fruity and rather sweet Belgium style beer, looks a lot fattier, while in the chicken brat one can see dots of minced habanero.

The verdict? I initially enjoyed the Raison d'Etre pork brat more because I can actually taste the beer. It also has a chunky texture that makes it far removed from the overly processed super-market sausages. I really couldn't discern the stout in the darker brat, but the espresso and habanero notes did come through clearly.

But after adding condiments (mustard and ketchup) and having them back and forth, back and forth, the stout brat stood out more vividly and I actually came to prefer the smoother, more snappy mouthfeel it gave.

Both are unusual sausages with complex and subtle flavors. I could only dream what it would be like to pair them with the beers that are in them...

Whisky Tasting Class

2015-02-27T12:43:00.000-05:00

As I dabble in the world of scotch and whisky, I am fully aware of how dangerous and costly a habit it can become. But somehow it feels easier to get into than the wine spectrum, especially coming from a beer-drinking background.

And as an almost daily beer drinker who has built up a good tolerance, sometimes only a shot of whiskey can deliver that quick buzz. And in the wintry months, frankly it's often nicer to hug a glass of good scotch or bourbon than cold beer.

The Caputo's Market here in Salt Lake has a series of whisky tasting classes that are paired with good cheeses and chocolates. For 45$ per person with 4 pours of good whisky, that sounds like a no-brainer to me!

This class focused on the famed Islay region. The price ascends from right to left: Bowmore Legend, Laphroaig 10 Year, Ardbeg Uigeadail, and Lagavulin 16 Year. All of these shares certain common characteristics of the region: peaty (bacon-like aroma), medicinal, with notes of sea salt and smoke.

Our favorite of the night is the hardest one to pronounce: Ardbeg's Uigeadail (something like Oo-ga-doll). Comes in at a whopping 54.2% alcohol, this is a powerful drink. Despite its huge flavors (menthol, honey, smoke, perfume), it is balanced, complex, with a super long and satisfying finish. It will cling close to your tongue and throat but neither will you want to let go.

Our least favorite is probably the most popular one of the bunch: Laphroaig 10 Year. I have yet to try Laphroaig's other vintages, so perhaps not all is lost. But this entry-level one is really an acquired taste. There are many interesting characters in it: it has a rather creamy mouthfeel with aroma of orange peel and smoke, and the taste is medicinal, spicy, and dry. We found it intriguing but ultimately not enjoyable.

The Bowmore Legend presents the best value: only 25.99$ at the state liquor store here. The Lagavulin 16 Year I actually have at home. I got it at a Costco in California (Costco has a rotation of really good whiskies on sale) for about 65$. It's the smoothest of the bunch, and since I'm not a huge peaty fan, it fits me well. But the Ardbeg was quite a revelation and looking forward to have it again!

Brewery Tour: Absolution in Torrance, CA

2015-02-25T09:41:00.000-05:00

We came here on a Groupon deal, which, as usually the case, wasn't worth the discount. The problem was mainly that the deal only covered about less than two-thirds of the beers (a fact omitted on the Groupons), and the ones covered were lower in alcohol and incidentally not as good as the higher ones. To make sure we got a complete sense of the brewery's offerings, we ended up paying quite a bit of surcharges.

So I am being fair when I say that Absolution Brewing Company is an example not all craft beers are worth your time or live up to the eye-catching names. In fact, most beers here probably wouldn't have an audience if they are placed in the mass market.

The only beer that I would want again here is the "Fallen Archangel", which is robust, full-bodied, hoppy, with a very assertive bitterness. The "Sinner" stout was disappointing, especially from a brewery with an English-style focus. The "Wander'in Star" was fine but pales in comparison with other bourbon-barrel-aged beers elsewhere.

The bar seating is nice, and largely missing from the other breweries in the area. The service was friendly and informative; in other words, the place has its charm. I wouldn't mind going if I live really close to it, but otherwise there are just too many other great craft beers around...

Beer menus in late December, 2014

Home Kitchen: No-knead Bread (Thanks, Jim Lahey!)

2015-02-23T11:43:00.000-05:00

As an experienced home cook, I have learned to curb my enthusiasm before attempting any recipe, especially on the first try. But not only was this my very first attempt to make bread, it turned out ridiculously well. And you know what? It was so easy!

This recipe was published in NY Times almost 10 years ago, and the credit goes to Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery. What you need is time--plan for 22 hours from making the dough to eating the bread. That sounds like a lot, but most of the time it doesn't involve you doing anything.

Step 1: Mix everything in a large bowl and cover. Store it at room temperature (the recipe calls for 70 degrees but my kitchen was probably in the mid to high 60s). And go away for 18 hours.

Freshly mixed dough

After 12 hours

After 18 hours

Step 2: Pour the hugely expanded dough out with some flour on the counter to prevent sticking. Then loosely fold it over itself 2 or 3 times (I did 3). Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for 15 minutes.

Folded

Step 3: Get one or two cotton cloths (I used a couple undershirts of mine), sprinkle corn meal (or either flour or wheat bran, which I don't know where to find) over the bottom cloth, put the dough--after you mold it into a ball--seam side down on it. Then sprinkle more corn meal on top of the dough and cover with cloth on top. Let it rest for 2 more hours.

Step 4: Now we are almost ready to bake. About 75 minutes into the 2-hour waiting period, heat up the oven to 450 with a heavy pot in it (I used a large Le Creuset). You want to heat up the pot. Then once the 2 hours are up, take the now very hot pot out of the oven. Flip the dough over so the seam side is up, and drop the dough into the the pot. Cover, bake for 30 minutes.

Step 5: After 30 minutes, take the lid off. You should be able to see the crust already. Bake without lid for another 15 to 20 minutes than it's done.

After the first 30 minutes

I let it rest for an hour before cutting into it. The crust appears really hard at first, but as it cools down and the steam started to come up from the inside, it became just right.

There are suggestions by Mr. Lahey and Mark Bittman to speed up the process by adding more yeast or using very warm water with some red wine vinegar. I haven't tried them but I can see that being advantageous. Say you want to have a fresh loaf for Sunday brunch, with the original recipe you'd have to get up at about 7am in order to eat it around 11am: 2 hours and half-ish to rest the dough after folding plus baking it for 45 minutes and resting it for another 45 minutes to an hour.

Restaurant Review: Somtum Der in New York City

2015-02-20T03:06:00.001-05:00

Papaya Salad with Salted Duck Egg

Hailed from Bangkok, Somtum Der continues the recent upward trend of good northern Thai food in NYC. Using assertive and elaborate spices with more emphasis on grilled meat and dishes like papaya salad and larb, northern Thai food packs more heat and is less predictable than its southern counterpart.

To help introducing this less familiar style of food, Somtum Der's menu is super clear and well-organized. There are photos accompanying most dishes and it even has a page towards the end that guides you on how to order and compose a good meal.

Duck Larb

Grilled sticky rice

The highlights of the night were the first three items we got: papaya salad with salted egg, duck larb salad, and grilled sticky rice. There're probably few things better in a warm summer day than having these exuberantly spiced salads and deliciously crusted sticky-rice sticks with an ice-cold Asian lager. The flavors of the salads were intense and relentless, which made them all the more irresistible.

Deep fried chicken thighs

Grilled coconut milk marinated pork skewers

The meat dishes were satisfying but not nearly as memorable as the salads. The pork skewers in particular were just overly sweet and one-dimensional. Deep fried chicken, on the other hand, is worth getting. It was ultra crisp and well-seasoned.

Pad See Eiw

We got Pad See Eiw as a control item of sorts. It's my girlfriend's favorite Thai noodle dish so we get it everywhere. The version here was too sweet and lacked that wok char on the noodles.

Black jelly ice

This was surprisingly good and fun to eat. Maybe the brown-sugar crumbs on top were a bit much, but as a whole it was a great way to incorporate the wonderfully herbal and cooling black jelly and ended the meal on just the right note.

Somtum Der

NYC (east village/alphabet city)

Food: 3/5

Service: 2.5/4

Vibe: 1.5/3 (clean, welcoming, traditional motifs mixed with modern chic)

Value: 2/3 (quite affordable)

Total: 9/15

Snack Time: Sumo Citrus

2015-02-18T02:05:00.000-05:00

Saw this at Whole Foods today, which they proudly showcased it in prime fruit-aisle location. I grew up eating this variety of orange/mandarin back in Taiwan but haven't had it in the U.S. except occasionally from someone's backyard. It's a winter fruit and something that always accompanies the Chinese New Year.

So I picked up three--they are a tad larger than a baseball and feel heavy for the size. But I had one of those moments of instant panic and regret when the cashier weighted them and revealed the price--over 7$ for three!

Granted, they are immensely juicy, sweet, and tangy. Don't let the thick looking membrane bother you--it is barely noticeable once you bite into the flesh. The flavor is much more concentrated and intense than the ones I had before, and usually there are quite a bit of seeds--but not these. They are now grown in California and hopefully the price will come down eventually. Addictive these can be, but for more than 2$ per unit is just way too much!

Brewery Tour: Monkish in Torrance, CA

2015-02-15T11:16:00.004-05:00

In an industrial part of Torrance there now have a hub of thriving microbreweries, turning delicious and interesting beers. The format for tasting in these breweries is generally you pay out front, for which you receive tokens that you can exchange for fresh pours (one at a time). Of course, one could also get a full glass/pint. And the setting is in close proximity to the actual brewing equipments, and you may bring in outside food!

Monkish Brewing Co. is one of my favorites there. Their beers cut a distinct profile even amid so much competition. As the name implies, Belgian style is the modus operandi, but they aren't restricted by the tradition. I was thoroughly impressed by many of the creative and delicious beers served here.

Beer menu in late December, 2014

Of these, we really liked "Oblate" (clean and floral), "Shaolin Fist" (somehow the Sichuan pepper gelled with the beer--can't wait to try it with Chinese food!), "Caffee Della Vita" (an incredible golden beer that is packed with coffee aroma and flavor), "Magnificat 2013" (the one-year age made it rounder and more embracing than the 2014, a classic Belgian red ale), and "Magnificat--Bourbon Barrel Aged" (simply one of the best beers I've ever had and aging beer in bourbon barrel is quite a trend now even though it's not something new; the downside is the high price tag--a 750 ml bottle (think wine) here sells for 20$.

A glimpse of the backroom tasting area.

Free peanuts and pretzels for you to munch on.

The huge bourbon barrel for aging the beer.

Restaurant Review: L'atelier de Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas, Part II

2015-02-13T11:13:00.000-05:00

It's always a bummer when your dinning experience is soured by poor service--and it's much worst when it happens at an high-end restaurant. I'm sorry that with the high price of the menu we couldn't afford a bottle of wine; I'm sorry that your list of wine by glass is rather limited and I happened to recognize and know a few on it, and this knowledge informed me of the ridiculous up charges that were taking place; nor were we terribly interested in cocktails approaching 20 bucks--no, thank you.

And I did order something (twice): Chimay Red on draft (which is quite a rare find, but the beer selection is otherwise abysmal). Plus we got tricked into getting a bottle of water (fine, our stupidity), which was something like 5 or 6$. So why was the service so inattentive, cold, and borderline negligent while it wasn't even really busy? And if you end up going, there's a really heavy, floor to ceiling, sliding glass door with wooden frame at the entrance, and we had to do the pulling of it ourselves when we were leaving the restaurant! This isn't California Pizza Kitchen!

The salmon dish (salmon confit, collard green and juniper berries with kale emulsion) was nice and probably great for a lesser restaurant but rather forgettable here. It's like "Wolf of Wall Street" would be a great movie for most directors but not quite there for Scorsese.

The cod dish (confit with poached eggplant in a dashi broth and wild mushrooms) was funny because it tastes so identical to a (very good) Chinese steamed fish dish that for a moment it felt like a parody. I get that part of Robuchon's innovation is incorporating Asian elements into French cuisine, but there's a difference between paying homage and simply duplicating. And the latter done in this fashion is rather uninspiring.

A meal here isn't complete without a small bowl of Robuchon's (in)famous potato purée--a potato to butter ratio of 2:1, i.e., 2 pounds of potatoes to 1 pound of butter. It did feel a bit like eating butter at times and thankfully it was served in a small portion.

Just when we thought we have topped the daily ration of Asian-like dishes, here was another one: suckling pig with cabbage and mushroom. The meat was so damn similar to a braised pork in Chinese cuisine that it was uncanny. And I also wished some crackling skin was part of the dish.

The overall flavor and presentation of this lobster pasta was great--creamy, spicy, and comforting. I thought the lobster could be more tender and expected it to be butter poached, but it seemed that it was just sauteed a little too long as the meat seized up.

I ordered these sliders as extras because I had such fond memory of them in NYC. We were really full by this point but I couldn't resist having nice chucks of beef and foie gras sandwiched in cute sesame buns in one bite. But this was ruined, RUINED, by an overpowering sweet and sour relish (rather Chinese tasting) that wasn't there last time, and it totally obscured the taste, the precious taste, of the foie gras. Ugh!!!

The desserts were fine though not stunning--perhaps I was expecting too much from my previous meals. (There was a yuzu sorbet dessert in Toyko that I still remember; the same can be said of the candied sphere in the NY meal.) The green apple souffle was stellar, and the presentation for the deconstructed cake with lemon meringue was very cute (the golden trail of the bees, which I thought was part of the plate design, was actually painted on).

Food: 3.5/5

Service: 2/4 (inattentive and unwelcoming)

Value: 1.5/3 (if you don't count the ridiculous prices for wine and don't order a la carte)

Vibe: 2/3

Total: 9/15 (there are many better options in town and better versions of the same restaurant in the world).

Restaurant Review: L'atelier de Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas, Part I

2015-02-10T10:42:00.001-05:00

I've eaten at L'atelier de Joël Robuchon three times in three different cities (Tokyo, New York City, and now Las Vegas) over the last nine years. The memory of the meals as well as what was happening in my life at those moments leading up to each meal are itched in my mind. No other single restaurant could I relate to it quite in this manner. In short, a strangely emotional attachment to the restaurant has formed over about a quarter of my life without me being truly aware of it until now...

L'atelier is Robuchon's most accessible and casual branch that easily outnumbers his others in the world. Besides the three cities I visited--in fact, the NYC one, which was in the Four Seasons, had been closed since 2012, but there's report that a new one will open in lower Manhattan--L'atelier is also in Paris, London, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taipei, my hometown.

Interestingly, in cities where Michelin stars are awarded, L'atelier ranges anywhere from one (Las Vegas--which hasn't been Michelin rated since 2010 after the guide stopped going there, at least for now--and London), two (Tokyo, Paris, and the former NYC location), to three stars (Hong Kong). So either the Michelin system isn't consistent across the board or that the restaurants aren't.

I'm not unsympathetic towards the difficulty of having to maintain such a high-level operation all over the world, but this is revealing. First of all, one could easily spend 3-star money in any of these restaurants and it has the most pricey small-plate menu I've ever had to navigate through (and here's the appetizers and entrees menu). I'm sad to say that after this Las Vegas visit, the Michelin system, though dated due to the lack of recent review, proves to be accurate--this is the least satisfying L'atelier meal I've had.

The main motif of design has remained unchanged. A good portion of the restaurant is always devoted to bar seating surrounding the open kitchen. Strong, focused, and almost theatrical lighting coming from the top and one finds lots of decorative vegetables and fruits in glassware as well as red against black color scheme.

The bread basket was luxurious and generous (this was for two people). I just love those mini baguettes. No, they weren't served warm but the butter is flavorful and soft.

The amuse-bouche was stunning: foie gras and its cream topped with Parmesan foam in a shot glass. It was warming and it just popped open my taste buds. But little did I know, I would be seeing a little too much of these two ingredients/elements over the entire meal. (I know some of you might be rolling your eyes, but just bear with me.)

We decided on the 109$ prix-fixe menu with two appetizers, two entrees, and a dessert. I must say that the portions were ample and some of the appetizers were almost entree sizes.

The Marinated Calamari in Coriander White Wine Broth was an upscale seafood salad. I found the calamari rather chewy and the broth not that memorable.

This crispy noodle dish was overtly Asian-influenced. There was a soft-boiled egg hidden underneath, but the noodles quickly lost their crispness with the sauce and running egg yolk and frankly I could just go to a Cantonese restaurant for something like this. I suppose the plating is playful with one of the spinning rays made of sriracha, but one (or a Michelin taster) could complain about the unevenness of even the decorative element on the plate.

These Foie Gras Gyozas were very good, and I still don't know how these thin strips of green were ingrained onto the dumpling skins. Not that they made any difference in the taste of the dumplings but we do eat with our eyes. One could imagine the work that went into creating this one single dish, and over all it is impressive that the restaurant was able to handle so many complex creations.

This Kabocha Pumpkin Gnocchi with Seared Foie Gras and Parmesan foam was one of the highlights of the night. It was everything you could imagine it to be and better (no wonder it is still on the menu as I wrote this, while the gyoza and crispy noodles have disappeared). Everything worked in harmony in this dish and I would be ecstatic if every dish of the night was like this. Yes, it was incredibly rich, creamy, and buttery, but the sweetness of the kabocha squash really did wonder on balancing every thing else here.

But you can also see that both the foie gras and Parmesan foam already appeared in the amuse-bouche, and here they were, showing up together no less (plus the fatty liver was also used in the dumpling dish). As an amateur, somewhat ambitious but highly inefficient home cook, I could see if you went through the trouble of making a great Parmesan foam, you would want to use it on different plates. And while I've never bought and cooked foie gras, I could image it's hard to resist adding it to just about everything. Perhaps what I'm hoping in retrospect is that why not make a different amuse-bouche, despite its greatness, so that the dinners would be less likely to feel the repetitiveness of latter dishes?

Stay tuned for part II, which will cover the rest of the meal and other aspects of the experience. And of course, my rather arbitrary 15-point grading system of the restaurant.

Snack Time: Zapp's

2015-02-08T18:01:00.001-05:00

It's not always easy to come by Zapp's chips, and some of their flavors require a leap of faith (I'll get to the "Voodoo" flavor at a later time). So what's "Spicy Cajun Crawtators"?

I suppose we all have some vague idea of "Cajun" flavoring swimming in our heads--something spicy, smokey, and garlicky--and foods like gumbo, jambalaya, and Andouille sausage come to mind. As for crawfish, I have only had it once cooked in a spicy Chinese style. I am not going to pass judgement on this tiny crustacean yet--for me they look like a cross between a lobster and cockroach with not much meat in it--as I need to give it a few more tries, but I am not "getting it" yet.

But somehow I totally bought into Zapp's concoction and was able to briefly imagining myself enjoying sucking off heads of crawfishes and tasting the spice doused over their shells. Once a flavoring is able to convey such a strong sensory connection and transform you to whatever place it is that they want you to believe, you got a winner.

Of course no animal product is used, so it's all make-believe. But it's no wonder this is Zapp's best selling chips. The chips themselves are light and crisp, and they are all rather uniformed in shape and size. The mouthfeel is light and very crunchy, not overly greasy. But the star is the spice, which had me licking my fingers after the chips were gone. The spicy level won't come near to burn your mouth, but it's definitely pronounced and persistent.

Restaurant Review: Carson Kitchen in Downtown Las Vegas

2015-02-02T20:07:00.000-05:00

Fried Chicken Skins with Smoked Honey

Away from all the mega-star chefs' outposts on The Strip, downtown Las Vegas has quietly turned into a place where foodies (and budget travelers) can rejoice. While the area still appears rather sketchy and I've only been there during daytime, I cannot see myself not making a stop (or two) there in my future Vegas visits.

Carson Kitchen isn't a great restaurant, but it hits enough high notes to be memorable. While the gastropub modus operandi is clear, with many dishes that highlight the fat, the crunch, and strong seasonings, the lack of draft beers is truly unfortunate. The bottled beer list is eclectic but needs more punch, and the wine list is very limited albeit affordable.

Gyro Lamb Tacos

It is easy to pick the favorites: the fried chicken skins and the oxtail risotto are the kind of dishes that can single-handedly carry a restaurant. Both bring out contrasting textures and flavors in very different ways: the coating for the chicken skins is aggressively seasoned, which pairs well with the sticky honey; by using black rice it gives the risotto an interesting chew and appearance, and the dish as a whole is anchored by tender shredded flesh of oxtail.

Black Rice and Oxtail Risotto

On the other hand, the gyro taco sounds better than it is. The problem for me is I much prefer my pita to be buttery and soft, but here they are dry and kinda tasteless. The steak actually tastes better than it looks, but it doesn't let you forget that it's a cheap cut.

Coco-espresso NY Strip Steak

Glazed Donut Bread Pudding

Carson Kitchen is situated right next to a stellar doughnut shop--O Face Doughnuts--and they sure take advantage of the convenience by soaking and pressing two glazed doughnuts from O Face together and do what you do when you do a bread pudding. The result is a bit over the top, even though the caramel sauce is ridiculous. Yes, you can definitely tell it's made from doughnuts but we really missed the almost burnt ends in a good bread pudding.

Carson Kitchen

Downtown Las Vegas

Food: 3/5, Service: 2.5/4, Vibe: 2/3, Value: 2/3, Total: 9.5/15

Why Bother? Lee's Banh Mi Sandwich

2015-01-30T11:37:00.001-05:00

When one sees the claim of "the world's largest Banh Mi Chain," two reactions jump to mind: the first is a healthy skepticism--could it really be and who could really tell--and the second is to immediately give it the benefit of a doubt--I guess it must be pretty good...

The first reaction is both answered and further deepened by the ridiculous low prices: you can get most of the 10-inch sandwiches for less than 4 bucks. That just about beats every sandwich shop I can think of. But years of eating experience has told me that there's no free lunch in the world and you almost always get what you pay for.

But how can I express the total shattering of my initial second reaction? This is THE WORST Bahn Mi ever! The meat slices are in a grotesquely artificial coloring and the sandwich is so loosely and haphazardly packed that it screams "I'm cheap!"

So, I got what I paid for. But what about that claim on world domination? Lee's Sandwiches does have many stores, but whether 55 stores that are mostly in California and all limited in the western/southern US justifies the claim is up for debate. (FYI: In-N-Out Burger has just about 300 locations in similar areas but feels so much bigger.)

I am just glad this wasn't the first Bahn Mi I have had; otherwise, I probably wouldn't care for it at all.

Snack Time: Sriracha Popcorn from Pop!

2015-01-27T12:00:00.000-05:00

It's quite remarkable that Huy Fong's sriracha hot sauce is becoming as ubiquitous as Tabasco and it has morphed into a brand that shows up in T-shirts, mugs, potato chips, and now popcorn. Like Tabasco, Huy Fong's sauce is so masterly calibrated that it is loved by true spicy-food lovers and tolerated by people for whom adding spiciness to food represents one of the last options. The flavor profile of the sauce, like Tabasco, allows it to be applied to different kinds of food (I've heard it's great on pizza), thereby broadens its appeal.

So how does this hybrid do? Surprisingly well. Don't let the lack of bright red color fool you: the popcorn packs a good amount of heat and kick if you have a couple handful of it. Buttery sweetness is nevertheless the flavoring backbone and the garlic, vinegary aroma of the sriracha comes through clearly.

It is reasonably addictive. But perhaps I am not a big popcorn eater to begin with, I don't find myself craving for it. It's also hard to pair it with beer or even water, although sodas would probably do just fine.

Why Bother? "Croissant Donut" at Dunkin' Donuts

2015-01-26T12:42:00.000-05:00

I wish I could call this a poor man's Cronut but it ain't. Frankly it's your regular DD with a bit more texture and a nice looking glaze, nothing more. Not to say that it costs 50% more than a regular DD (1.49$ in Salt Lake City), they didn't bother with rolling it in flavored sugar or inject it with cream filling, which they definitely could do.

Assuming most people haven't tasted a real Cronut, does this help or hurt the Cronut identity and image? While many many Cronut copycats already exist, DD undoubtedly has the widest reach (some seven thousands stores in US when last counted in 2011).

But maybe there's no need to worry. As it is, DD's imitation doesn't even compare with DD's other varieties (I'm still a fan of the French Cruller). And I find it hard to see DD's core consumers paying 50% more for it on a consistent basis. I'm predicting its quiet demise in the very near future unless they are willing to upgrade and improve upon it.

Sushi Nakazawa, Part III

2014-11-11T00:36:00.002-05:00

Tuna (aged)

One could sense the meal approaching its grand finale as the tuna pieces arrived. I myself never prized the tuna as highly as I probably should. The normal cut (red) always feels boring and the fatty cut, while extravagantly marbled with fat, just makes me crave a nice slice of Kobe beef instead. The ones served here are certainly as marvelous as any I've ever had, but they didn't quite manage to alter my biased point of view. The aged factor does add some noticeable depth to the piece first piece.

Fatty Tuna

Uni with Truffle Salt

Quite contrary to the tuna, I look forward to the uni as much as one anticipates the ending of a great movie. Uni by itself over rice is terrific; uni served with a quail egg is classic; and I once had the experience of spooning uni directly out of its shell with its spikes still moving at a restaurant in Tokyo. So it says a lot when I was nevertheless delightfully surprised at the perfect union of clean, fruity uni and savory, umami-packed truffle salt. It was a thing of beauty, simplicity, and, for the lack of a better word, foodgasm.

BBQ Eel

Tuna Hand Roll

Both the eel and the hand roll were good in a comforting, non-challenging way. They aimed to please, not to wow--a graceful coming back to earth after the climactic uni. Had the main meal ended here, I would be more than content. But Nakazawa had one last trick up his sleeves...

Tamago

One of the most memorable scenes in the Jiro movie features Nakazawa explaining his arduous journey in first gaining the right to learn making the egg omelet, then the time it took to finally getting it right. If I remember correctly, it involves mixing the eggs with some substance so the batter is rather thick and elastic, then the mixture is cooked very slowly in a square pan for a long time, which at some point a laborious and highly risky flip has to be executed...

Even after all that, nothing prepared me for how unbelievable this tamago tasted. It was almost surreal. Comparing this--dense like a custard with sweetness, which still carried a savory backbone, calibrated like the best French pastry--with the regular pale-yellow, watery variety that is served in even decent sushi restaurants is like comparing a Ferrari with a Kia.

And to serve it unadorned without rice was the right decision. It needed nothing else. A true revelation.

Yuzu Sorbet and Green Tea

Nakazawa made sure he chatted with each of us for a few seconds to provide some personal touch on top of serving us sushi. One thing I felt I missed is the playful banters between a chef and his/her regulars that could spread cheers over the entire bar. With reservations so difficult to procure, it is unlikely for anyone to be a regular--supposedly even the owner's parents couldn't get a seat at the bar. This is a bit unfortunate because I believe all restaurant and chef values returning dinners, who in turns crave the little extra attention they receive from the restaurant as a token of appreciation. And eating at a sushi bar intensifies every aspect of this transaction. A sushi chef, I would think, gains pleasure in seeing regulars returning, like a barber who knows how a regular likes his hair to be cut. No doubt the business is good and it'll likely continue for as long as Nakazawa remains there for the majority of time (he only does Mondays through Fridays now). It's just that I can't think of many other better places to be a regular than here.

Sushi Nakazawa

Food: 4.5/5, Service: 3/4 (I wish the sushi wasn't served after all ten pieces were made; reservation process is maddening), Vibe: 2.5/3, Value: 3/3 (the price justifies what you get) , Total: 13/15 (I would not doubt for a second to return if given the chance).

Sushi Nakazawa, Part II

2014-10-21T09:56:00.000-04:00

Trigger fish with its liver

The next few pieces were more subtle in flavor and at first my taste buds had trouble adjusting to it. On the other hand, I figured out the best angle to take the pictures: I inverted the iPhone upside down so the lens were on the same level as the plate.

With this new angle, one can clear see the beautiful rice kernels, which carried the sliced fish like small clouds. Nakazawa's rice was first-grade--perfect temperature (not at all chilled nor was it really warm, though it probably was a bit warmer than room temperature), sticky yet the mouth feel was terrific because the individual kernels were kept whole.

Nakazawa was a showman. He made sure there were interactions and some demonstrations, such as this one. I have to say I couldn't quite understand his English and I have a poor knowledge of fish names (and faces) anyway, but immediately after the following piece was served:

Mystery fish...

Hake Mackerel

Baby Chard

Horse Mackerel

I feel at this point the first half of the meal had concluded: it began with the pairs of savory pieces and clams and followed by some relatively lighter-tasting fish that nevertheless varied greatly in texture and taste.

Octopus

With this, Nakazawa said with a smile: "massaged 45 minutes!", and then he tapped a person working busily at the sushi bar and said "he did it!"

Just before serving, these pieces were pounded further with something like a small plastic meat hammer. This is by far the best piece of octopus I've eaten in this form (15 East, a stellar Japanese place near Union Square has mastered the slow-stewed octopus). Nakazawa's transformed the rubbery chewiness into something that almost had a slight snap when you bite into it. Pure sorcery.

Prawn

Golden-striped yellowtail

This will be the first three-part post of this humble blog--more to come!