FoodDigger Blog

Ricky's Fish Taco Stand-Ensenada Style Fish Tacos

2009-08-15T14:14:00.000-07:00

When will I learn? Too much of a good thing is bad, right? Thing is, I don't necessarily believe that, as I'm sure Monsieur et Madame Lefebvre will attest to. I guess I've got to realize portioning is the key, as in, when I have to stop mid chew and take a few deep breaths. That's enough of a portion for you, sir.

Let's just say I haven't learned just yet. Today, on my way to the office(yes, it's Saturday. What's it to you?), I suddenly got the urge to change flight plans. For no reason at all, Eat, Drink and Be Merry's blogpost about Ricky's Fish Taco Cart popped in my head. It's a good read: http://eatdrinknbmerry.blogspot.com/2009/08/rickys-fish-tacos-one-man-stand.html

Then I remembered LA-OC's blogpost, http://la-oc-foodie.blogspot.com/2009/08/mini-foodventure-132-tacos-strawberry.html, and decided to do a Google search for the spot in Silverlake that Ricky spends every weekend at. Considering there was no address, and the fact that I was on the 405 going south, it was quite the task. But I remembered HC mentioning that it was in front of Intelligentsia on Sunset. A few hairy moments on Google maps, and I had directions.

From reading the posts, I found that Ricky sets up shop across the street from Intelligentsia, on the corner of Sunset and Hyperion, from 12pm-4pm on Sats and Suns. Since I arrived early, I bought some cheeses at Silverlake Cheese and began searching for the rainbow umbrella that was also mentioned. Noon came and went, and no rainbow umbrella. At 12:20, I spotted a rainbow something moving behind a parked car. A few moments passed, and I realized it was a shirtless, somewhat obese man, pushing a baby stroller with a rainbow flag. At 12:30, I gave up and hiked the 3 blocks to my car. Always the optimist, I passed by the location, did a u, and gave it another pass. Truly giving up, I did a last u to get back to the office. On this last u, I saw the umbrella. A smile creased my face and I cut off three cars to grab a parking spot.

Right away, I got a good feeling about Ricky's stand. Though completely mobile(as in, I'm out in 5 if the cops show), everything was clean and orderly. Since he just arrived, the oil needed a few minutes to heat, so we chatted at bit. I mentioned Eat, Drink and Be Merry's blogpost, and he smiled. We talked about his food, and as some time passed, I learned that Ricky was indeed from Ensenada. His batter, which looked amazing, comprised of self rising flour, baking powder, various spices and saffron flower. The fish? Vietnamese Basa, whose flesh is tender and juicy. The condiments? Pico de gallo, finely chopped with onion, tomato and parley. Crema made with skim milk. Cabbage, finely chopped and fresh. Salsa, slight heat and great flavor. The tortilla? Corn. When I asked how he heated it, he said there was no need. He knew the vendor, and they were just made two hours prior.

I noticed the oil seemed different than the oils I've used. I love frying everything, so I asked what the oil was. He told me exactly what it was, but asked that I not tell. Let's just say, I can think of no better 'oil' to use!

As Ricky finally handed me my first taco, I remembered to take a picture. Only one, so enjoy:

Upon sinking my teeth into this montrosity, I immediately got all of the flavors of the condiments at once, followed by the crunchiness of the fried batter and finished with pillowy soft fish. I finished that thing in 30 seconds, shoving the last two bites into my mouth. As I struggled to not choke to death, Dylan of Eat, Drink and Be Merry walked up with some colleagues. How fitting, I thought to myself! So, I re-introduced myself and let him know I was there because of his blogpost.

After finishing a second, I ordered three more to go. I told Ricky about my cheese in the car, so he quickly assembled three more monstrosities and sent me on my merry way. Dylan was a little astonished that I had ordered so many, but I ignorantly professed that I could eat ten of these. After arriving at the car, I scarffed down numero tres, and started feeling a little push in the gut. After the fourth, I was downright full. It was at this point that I started thinking about how far I'd travelled, and how long I waited for Ricky to show up. I decided I couldn't wait any longer and powered through the fifth, and most painful, taco.

Even though I feel disgusting, I'm glad I was able to find Ricky's Fish Taco Stand. At $2.50 a pop, these gorgeous tacos are a bargain. Needless to say, I will NEVER go to Rubio's again. Set yourself on a mini food adventure and head over to Ricky's in Silverlake. Just don't eat five...I need to go lay down now.

The New Double O at BondSt

2009-07-17T21:53:00.000-07:00

In the Bond series of movies, Ian Fleming's portrayal of an MI-6 agent gaining double 0 status has excited movie goers for decades. James Bond is a ruthless killer with a weakness for women. BondSt's new man? Executive Chef Brian Redzikowski. Much like an MI-6 agent, Chef Redzikowski goes about his job with a focused precision. Unlike an MI-6 agent, he strives to be known.

Recently, I received an email from the Chef, asking us to come by and try his cuisine. Up until receiving that email, I knew little of BondSt, which is located in the Thompson Hotel in Beverly Hills. I'd heard a chef came in and was turning things around, but that was really it.

Considering we had just finished a smashing success of an event with Ludo Lefebvre at Ludo Bites, I was ready to focus on our next event. My thought processes never brought me to BondSt, but with that email, I thought I'd give them a go and see for myself what was going on. As founders of an online food review site, we are the fortunate recipients of a good number of offers of meals. We tend to say "thanks, but no thanks" if the restaurant doesn't fit our criteria. You see, we try to look for some sort of cachet in the restaurants we choose for our events, and if I don't see it right away, I won't waste the restaurant's time just for a free meal.

After some back and forth with the Chef and my fellow founders, we decided on Wednesday. Chef Redzikowski decided to create a 13 course menu so that we could experience his cuisine and see what he'd done to turn things around.

At the last minute, we had a spot open up, so we invited Sook of http://www.yutjangsah.blogspot.com/ to join us. At 8:00 pm sharp, we arrived and spotted Sook sucking down a cocktail at the bar. We were then seated and handed menus. "Um...I think the chef is creating a tasting menu for us", I say. The lovely hostess then said that this was our menu for the evening. A bit confused, I opened up the menu to find our 13 course meal printed out, with our logo at the bottom. After a few moments of internal confusion and turmoil, I realized what was going on was was quite pleased. Our drink orders were taken, and Chef Redzikowski came out and introduced himself.

Before we get to the food, a little background on the Chef. He graduated first in class from the CIA. After completing his externship at Le Cirque 2000, he secured a job at Alain Ducasse. After a stint as Executive Sous Chef at Nobu Matsuhisa in Aspen, he was opening Sous Chef at Joel Rubuchon in Vegas. Still in Vegas, he left to open Yellowtail at the Bellagio before he decided to take on the challenge of revamping BondSt.

Now, to the food:

Tuna Tarts with micro shiso and white truffle oil on a crispy wonton. Beautiful slices of tuna atop a friend wonton round. The truffle oil was delicious, with the micro shiso adding to the earthiness.

Sashimi consisting of two items, king crab encased in sushi vinegar gel, and hamachi belly with a thin soy film strip. The crab was sweet and decadent, and the hamachi was rich and fatty.

Skeena River Salmon Nigiri with soy 'caviar', or mini soy spheres. The salmon nigiri was wrapped in a shiso leaf, and topped with the soy spheres. It was a departure from what I was used to eating, but quite nice. I'm not normally a fan of raw wild salmon, but this one was very good.

Santa Barbara Spot Prawn on a steamed corn flan with carrot marshmallow, sweet pea foam. One of the favorites of the night, the seared pieces of spot prawn brought all of the components in the dish together.

Jidori chicken sous vide, with baby root veggies and fingerling potato puree. Another favorite, the chicken was cooked perfectly, with a nice sweetness and slight gaminess.

Japanese Bouillabaisse with squid, lobster and uni rouille. The favorite of the night, we were instructed to mix the uni rouille into the hot lobster bouillabaisse. The rouille added additional richness and flavors of the ocean like only uni can. Simply delicious.

Snake River Farms Pork Belly, with artichoke foam and olive oil powder. We were instructed to mix the foam with the powder, which formed a very nice olive oil flavored sauce for the silky smooth pork belly.

Foie Gras x 2 which consisted of a foie gras strawberry cone, and foie gras lollipop. The foie gras mousse in the cone was marvelous, with hints of strawberry rounding out the finish. The lollipop, which was prepared en torchon, was served with cocoa, yellow pepper glaze and yogurt pudding. I love foie gras, and this did not dissapoint.

Australian Wagyu Rib Eye with cippolini onion puree, mini veggies, soy-garlic laze. The wagyu was prepared sous vide and was accompanied by a carrot "sphere" atop a bed of crispy house made bacon. The rib eye had a nice fattiness to it with the bacon adding a smoky complexity.

Vosne Romanee, a nod to the great pinot noirs of the Burgundy Region of France. This was a pinot noir and strawberry sphere with a spiced red wine glaze and chocolate orange galette. This was a nice segue to the desserts.

Caramel Popcorn with Kaffir lime. The flan of caramel, which had the essence of Kaffir lime, was accompanied by popped popcorn and topped with popcorn froth. The flavors were intriguing and complex.

Mochi, which was deep fried, along with candied rhubarb and coconut ice cream. If you read Sook's blog, she wants to change her name to Mochi. I see why. The mochi was crispy on the outside, and slightly chewy on the inside. Absolutely delicious.

Chocolate with liquid vanilla bean ice cream, atop a bed of caramel powder. We were instructed to break open the round "truffle", which led to the release of the liquid vanilla bean ice cream. Mixing the liquid with the caramel powder created this deeply complex sauce that I remember most from this meal.

At the end of the meal, I actually wasn't sure how much I liked it. The first three courses left something to be desired, but in the days since the event, I've realized it was because I didn't know what to expect. Once I got into the flow of Chef Redzikowski's philosophy, I really started enjoying what we were experiencing. Truth be told, I wasn't sure how I felt until I phoned Thi, a FoodDigger founder who was unable to make the event. I went over each dish with her and realized that I really loved most of the dishes.

Prior to this amazing dinner, which by the way was accompanied by wine pairings, I was leaning towards another restaurant for our next event. Now I'm not so sure. That, my friends, is something different for me. Once I get my mind on an idea or place, it takes mountains to change my mind. This mountain, in the form of the new double 0 at BondSt in Chef Brian Redzikowski, is making me rethink things.

After dinner and a tour of the kitchen, Chef took us upstairs to the rooftop. When the door opened, I saw a gorgeous bar with a clear night in the background, and beautiful people left and right. Chef led us to a little "room" that can accomodate 12...how fitting, since our events generally involve 12 people! It was the perfect setting.

Regardless of whether or not we have our next event at BondSt, I do recommend trying Chef Redzikowski's cuisine. He uses his classic French roots and mixes it with Asian inspired ingredients and modern technique driven cuisine. In theory, much like Ludo. In practice, something so different, but still amazing.

Dinner And A Show With Ludo

2009-06-30T21:37:00.000-07:00

"What izz zat?!?! Can't zey understand me??? Why do zey do zat!?!"

We all bust out laughing, as Ludo goes nuts commentating about the subtitles on his appearance on Top Chef Masters. This is essentially the beginning of the end of a truly special evening...a night which truly began just hours after our last FoodDigger event on April 24th, at Church and State. As we continue watching the huge LCD, my mind wanders...flashbacks of how this all began start to flood my mind.

It was exactly two months from that moment, when I hopped online to see if anyone had written a blog post for Walter Manzke's masterpiece 11 course tasting menu that he prepared for our little group of bloggers. While searching through the blogs of each attending blogger, I felt the inclination to look up Ludo Lefebvre. It truly came out of nowhere, this random thought, so I was surprised to find that he was coming back to LA to do a second coming of his Ludo Bites menu at BreadBar. It was over a year since we had experienced his first stint at BreadBar, an experience that had remolded our ideals of haut cuisine. The second I found out he was coming back from his year long stint in Las Vegas, I felt that fleeting, yet all too familiar twang in my gut. "We're having our next event at LudoBites!", I said to myself.

Without consulting my FoodDigger cohorts, I sent an email to the address listed on Ludo's site, http://www.ludolefebvre.com/. For a couple of weeks, I heard nothing. Then out of the blue, I received an email. "Hi, this is Kristine, Ludo's wife. We'd love to have you for your next event."

As I continued watching Top Chef Masters, I continued laughing and finding myself rooting for Ludo like he was my brother running a race. I starting despising his competitors. Rick Bayless, whom I've always admired and who won the night's battle, started sounding annoying to me. I actually started hating them all, like I started hating the Orlando Magic players during the NBA Finals.

"I'll make a comeback!", Ludo exclaims, after finishing last in the Quickfire Challenge.

It was then that my mind wandered back to the evening as it started. Marshal extolled the virtues of the new functionalities on our site. The EasyLinks that enables bloggers to more easily move their content to our site, and the revamped FlavorMatch that hopefully, after some tinkering, will give users ideas on which reviews to trust. As Marshal finished, I introduced Ludo, who announced that this was the first, and the last, tasting menu that would be experienced at BreadBar. It wasn't for a lack of interest, he stated, but the difficulties of performing a tasting menu, in addition to providing the regular menu, was a daunting task in the kitchen of a bakery with one sous chef...about a dozen fewer than he's accustomed to working with.

"Hey guys, cooking is about fun." That simple statement set the tone for the 11 course tasting menu which began.

-Deconstruction of Bloody Mary

Served on spoons, the celery root puree worked in pefect harmony with the tomato cocktail and vodka gelee.

-Tuna Sashimi with Sushi Rice Ice Cream, Shishimi Togarashi-Sushi grade sushi slices topped with sushi rice ice cream, fried shallots and Togorashi. Beautiful interpretation of nigiri with the fried shallots leaving a lasting richness on the tongue.

-Chorizo, Onions, Cornichon-"How pedestrian", I had thought to myself when I first eyed the menu days before. "Hmmm....I wonder what twist he's going to throw at us?" Sure enough, the dish came out as a chilled soup. The smooth and cool soup had the essence of Spanish chorizo meshed with the richness of heavy cream. Topped with a canele of cornichon ice, this dish blew me away with it's simplicity and thoughtfulness. All preconceived notions of sausage were thrown out the door with each spoonful and lick of the empty bowl.

-King Red Salmon, Smoked Vinegar, Watermelon, Mint

Signature Ludo, as we were instructed to take the tuna in one bite, than follow with the watermelon. The mint tied all of the flavors together.

-Shrimps, Sweet and Sour, Rosemary-These were perfectly cooked shrimp topped with a slightly sweet, slightly tangy sauce that really enhanced the natural flavors of my favorite crustacean.

-Foie Gras Tart, Lemon Paste, Mushrooms, Four Spices

This maple tart, topped with foie gras and mushroom slabs, was accompanied by a thick lemon paste. I refuse to give more, as only tasting it can do it justice. Truly a "blow me away" dish, that is now on the regular menu at LudoBites.

-Diver Scallop, Port, Creme Fraiche-The perfectly seared scallop was enhanced by the creme fraiche foam. Absolutely delicious.

-Halibut, Spiced Butter, Fresh Porcini, Tonnato Style-Once again, the halibut was perfectly cooked. The spiced butter enhanced the natural sweetness of the fish, with the mushrooms bringing a gorgeous earthiness to the party.

-Duck, Almond, Crispy Skin Puree, Tapenade, Turnip-Ok...I have to admit, I had trouble understanding this dish. The duck was moist, the chopped almond topping sweet, the tapenade added a nice saltiness and the turnip texture. This dish, however, inspired countless thoughts and observations...a true testament to Ludo's cooking. Good food not only tastes good, but makes you think. This dish made me think.

-Cheese-Brin D'Amour, Epoisse, Affinois, Etorki, and a fifth I cannot remember. These were accompanied by toasted hazelnut, edible honeycomb, a date puree and a couple of other housemade sides. Perfect segue to dessert.

-Panna Cotta, Caviar, Caramel-Last...definitely far from least. This is the one dish I truly wish I had taken a picture of. Truth be told, I was intrigued by having caviar on my dessert. So distracted was I that I jumped right in, never giving thought to my camera. Before I could even realize what I had done, I had finished. My eyes were closed, visions of fleur de sel atop a caramel candy, but somehow better.

"I'll be back!", exclaimed Ludo, as the show ended and Rick Bayless was announced the winner. As Krissy turned the tv off, we all broke off into smaller groups to take in the memory of the evening. Seeing the satisfied looks on everyone's faces allowed me to finally relax a bit. Instantly, exhaustion came over me. The work put into making this event the best possible all hinged on Chef Ludo working his normal magic. I had hoped for best, and he came through in spades.

I'd like to offer a big thanks to each attending blogger:

Sook of http://www.yutjangsah.blogspot.com/
Diana of http://www.dianatakesabite.blogspot.com/
Javier of http://www.teenageglutster.blogspot.com/
Wesley of http://www.twohungrypandas.com/
Victor of http://www.grubtrotters.com/
Alli of http://www.alli411.com/
Cathy of http://www.gastronomyblog.com/
Danny of http://www.kungfoodpanda.blogspot.com/
Fiona of http://www.gourmetpigs.blogspot.com/
Pam of http://www.rantsandcraves.com/
Kevin of http://www.kevineats.com/

You each came in ready for anything, and you took the time to understand the food and the chef.

Special thanks to Krissy for making this event a success and for allowing the last minute addition of two very special bloggers, Sook and Diana. You were very patient with me and all of my emails and requests.

And finally, special thanks to Ludo for deciding to do this event, and then blowing us all away with thoughtful, creative dishes that toyed with our ideas of food. I am happy for the friendship you've shown us, and I'm grateful that you have returned home to Los Angeles. I didn't realize how much that first experience at Ludo Bites affected me, and I didn't know how much I missed having you in LA. Many of the times I've seen you, you've been exhausted from all of the heart and soul you put into your food. I, and many others, are thankful for that. A blogpost about that first visit was written on my personal blog. It spoke of how your food touched me. This FoodDigger dinner blew that away.

If you haven't been to Ludo Bites, do yourself a favor and make a reservation asap. It's only around until August 22nd, although he is looking for another location. But just remember he ended up in Vegas after the first Ludo Bites!

Church and State Blogger Wine Dinner

2009-04-24T20:50:00.000-07:00

For our latest FoodDigger blogger dinner, we had the pleasure of working with Chef Walter Manzke of Church and State. Formerly of Bastide, El Bulli, Patina and most recently, Bouchee in Carmel, Walter joined forces with restauranteur Stephen Arroyo and Yassmin Sarmadi in December of '08. And he didn't come alone. With him, he brought along Josh Goldman as Maitre d' and sommelier, and a number of staff from Bastide. Josh was previously GM of Bastide and a former sommelier at Bin 8945.

Walter, who is old friends with FoodDigger founder Marshal, agreed to come up with a four course meal with wine pairings. Bloggers in attendance included H.C. of http://www.la-oc-foodie.blogspot.com/; Sharon of http://www.weezermonkey.blogspot.com/; Cathy of http://www.gastronomyblog.com/; Kevin of http://www.kevineats.com/; Mike of http://www.pepsimonster.com/; Ila of http://www.inomthings.blogspot.com/; Danny of http://www.kungfoodpanda.blogspot.com/; and Kathleen of http://www.kats9lives.com/.

After some back and forth with Walter and Yassmin in the weeks prior to the event, our four course meal became an 11 course extravaganza of a chef's tasting menu. Walter was given carte blanche of the menu, and decided on the fly what would be served. Josh noted that in addition to his duties as maitre d', it was quite the task to pair 9 wines for our party of 12 as Walter decided what would be served.

Our dinner began.

Apertif of Floc de gascogne. A vin de liqueur fortified with armagnac, it was served with ice and orange zest. This sweet wine had hints of almond and honey.

Beignets de Brandade de Morue- Bacaloa, or salt cod, mixed with mashed potatoes and deep fried as fritters. With barely any potatoe, these beignets were amazing, especially accompanied by the saffron aioli.

Iced Kumamoto Oysters-Served simply on a bed of ice with lemon wedges and a red wine mignonette. Kumamoto oysters, originally from Japan, are now farmed in Washington, in particular bays that have similiar characteristics to the Japanese waters whence they originated. Always a favorite of mine, with their delicate sweetness and brine.

The initial dishes were paired with a Hugues Beaulieu-Coteaux de Languedoc. This white wine paired nicely with the oysters, with hints of grapefruit and lemon.

Gambas a la Nicoise- Santa Barbara spot prawns, halved and broiled, then topped with lemon and olive oil. Sweet, tender...simple and delicious, topped with a vegetable relish.

Bistro Sushi-a tiny, molded slice of fingerling potatoe salad topped with smoked herring. The smokiness from the herring dominated the dish. I like it very much.

The shrimp and herring were paired with a 2007 Domaine de Persenades-Cotes de Gascogne. Refreshing hints of citris and floral notes made this wine from the southwestern region of France a great pair for both dishes, although the smoked herring almost overpowered the wine.

Assiette de Charcuterie-This was a selection of housemade pates and meats that included saucisson sec(dried sausage), foie gras terrine with port gelee, pork rillettes with prune confiture, among other items. The charcuterie was incredible...one of the signature offerings of Walter's menu. It paired with an N.V. Terres Dorees FRV100 Beaujolais.

Asperge a la Tashiro-Hog Farm's Asparagus topped with Maine lobster. Hog Farm, owned by Ray Ranscioni and located in Carmel, began over 30 years ago and produces a thick and beautifully tender asparagus. The lobster, generously donated for the meal by Marshal, was poached and topped the steamed asparagus, which was lightly seasoned and dressed with olive oil. Marshal included a few extra lobsters, intended as gifts to Walter and Yassmin. Walter, however, chose to create this dish and dedicate it to Marshal, and included it on his menu for the night. Apparently, Josh saw a number of orders come through, so hopefully, it will become a mainstay.

Escargots de Bourgogne-snails in garlic and parsley butter, placed in a tiny ramekin and topped with puff pastry. I can honestly say this is the best escargot I've ever had. Pushing the flaky baked pastry into the melted butter allowed the already butter-rich topping to absorb more butter and garlic. Truly awesome!

The asparagus and escargot were paired with a Domaine Boisson-Cairanne Grenache. I'm not a fan of Rhone wines, so I wasn't thrilled by the pairing.

Flamenkushe-A flat bread topped with caramelized onions, bacon, gruyere and veggies. The bread was light and airy, and the smokiness of the bacon lardon and the sweetness of the onions dominated the dish. Some opinions were that it was too sweet, but I found it delectable.

This paired with an '07 Maupertuis La Guillaume-Auvergne. Guillaume is William in French, so I had no choice but to love it.

Moelle de Boeuff-Roasted marrow bone. Marrow bones, about 8 inches long, halved and seasoned simply with salt and pepper, were roasted. Served with toasted slices of brioche and a radish relish, this was my 'heavenly light shining down on me' dish/moment.

The marrow was paired with an '07 Domaine Cros de Romet-Cairanne. I can't really remember the grenache/syrah blend's pairing, as all that comes to mind is that rich flavor of roasted marrow tempered by the radish relish.

Steak Frites-Frites au lard, with steak. Accompanied by a Bernaise and Beaujolais sauces. Quite franky, after the richness of the marrow, I was done, especially after finding it was too rich for some and luckily having much more than my share. The beef was a bit overdone at medium, making it a bit tough. I enjoyed the sauces, as it allowed a segue on my palate from the marrow. Kevin noted that it overpowered the beef in a negative way. I agree that it did overpower the beef, but I think it was necessary after the marrow.

Paired with an -06 Domaine Etxegaraya.

Dessert-Creme Brulee, Cherry tart, apricot tart Croustade aux Baies Pot de Creme au Chocolate.

This gorgeous platter of desserts looked amazing, but my senses were in overdrive. I did not partake in this last dish, but I heard the 'hmmms' from numerous bloggers. I did, however, partake in the pairing of Julien Fremont Cidre Brut Par Nature.

Overall, the meal was amazing. Incredible food, thoughtful wine pairings and phenomenal company are always a recipe for a memorable meal. Walter came through with this special meal, and he even found a number of opportunities to chat and take photos. Special thanks to all of the bloggers who made it out for the evening, and also to Walter and Josh for making this 'one of best events yet', to quote Kevin. Based on the glazed looks and satisfied smiles of Mike, H.C., Danny, Kathy, Kat, Kevin, Ila and Sharon, I would agree.

These events are great fun and we thank the bloggers for their continued support. Only with their support can we truly make our visions of a viable restaurant resource a reality. If you're a blogger whom we haven't reached out to yet, let us know and share a future memory with us.

Saam-The Restaurant Within A Restaurant

2009-04-18T00:41:00.000-07:00

The restaurant within a restaurant. Continuing with his concept of having a restaurant within a restaurant, Chef Jose Andres has now introduced Saam. Much like MiniBar in Cafe Atlantico, Saam is a separate restaurant inside the Bazaar. Saam offers a chef's tasting only for $120 per, and provides a 20 course experience of Bazaar's cuisine, in addition to some items not offered at the Bazaar. Unlike MiniBar, which only offers seating for six, Saam can accomodate closer to 40.

Named after Sam Nazarian, Chef Andres' partner and founder of SBE, Saam allows for the enjoyment of the cuisine in a more formal atmosphere, with attentive waitstaff at your beck and call. We came here tonight for a reservation of seven, and were blown away. The cuisine, apparently having matured and perfected since our initial visits, was enjoyed in a much different fashion than it has been in Blanco or Rojo, Bazaar's two dining rooms. The quieter, more formal setting only enhanced the dining experience and the ability to appreciate the food. Our 20 course meal began as soon as Brian and Jan arrived, joining Javier of http://www.teenageglutster.com/, Kevin of http://www.kevineats.com/, Ryan of http://www.tangbro.com/, Mike of http://www.pepsimonster.com/, and myself.

We began with a complimentary chef's cocktail, the salt air margarita. It's a margarita topped with salt and lime foam. The foam plays the part of the salted rim, and was infused in every sip. Then the food began:

Sweet potato chips: Super thin cut slices of sweet potato, fried and accompanied by a yogurt, tamarind and olive oil sauce. Simple, but so good.

Cotton candy foie gras: A cubed piece of foie gras terrine, covered in cotton candy, on a stick. The sweet cotton candy made for a playful companion to the richness of the terrine.

Olive oil bonbon: A olive oil from California with a green and nutty flavor, was encapsulated by a candied exterior. As you can see, the exterior was like a glass syringe.

Caviar steamed bun: A Chinese bao stuffed with creme fraiche and topped with paddlefish caviar and salt foam. The saltiness from the caviar and foam contrasted well with the slight sweetness of the bun and cream fraiche.

Bagel and Lox Cone: The cream, filling the crispy cone, was topped with salmon roe. Simply, it was delicious. The saltiness and texture of each individual salmon egg bursting in my mouth paired well with the creme inside.

Olives Ferran Adria: Juice made from the finest olives of the season from Spain, dipped in a calcium bath and sodium alginate. Dropping spoonfuls of the olive oil juice into the calcium bath forms a skin, giving liquid olives. Always a winner here.

Jose's Ham and Cheese: Air bread filled with cheese and topped with thinly sliced Jamon Iberico. A sophisticated interpretation of such a simple sandwich, this bite sized portion was heaven in my fingers.

Sea Urchin Conservas: Sea Urchin served in a can, over what was described as close to a pico de gallo, with the vegetables minced finely. Not as good as what we've had in the past at Bazaar, but still very refreshing.

Boneless chicken wing: Deboned wing, topped with olive puree and greens. Another favorite.

Shrimp cocktail: Santa Barbara spot prawn, poached rare, with a syringe of broth made from the head. One of the highlights of the evening, with the sweetness of the shrimp sharpened by the broth in the syringe.

Nitro gazpacho: Made exactly in the same fashion as the nitro caiparinha, gazpacho is added to a bowl with liquid nitrogen, almost freezing the gazpacho and provided a creamy texture to this clean and delicious dish.

Bluefin tuna toro: A tender slice of toro accompanied by compressed watermelon, a slightly poached quail egg and salt foam. Though I heard some opinions that the sweetness of the watermelon didn't work with the toro, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The watermelon brought out some of the fishiness of the toro, and the quail egg yolk brought back the richness.

Norwegian Lobster: Another favorite, a sliver of lobster over fresh seaweed, accompanied by a broth in an espresso cup made from the head. The essence of lobster is revealed here in marvelous fashion.

"Smoked salmon": A one ounce to one and a half ounce portion of brined salmon, poached, was served with a tzatziki sauce that went through the spherification process similar to the olives Ferran Adria. The salmon was moist, with hints of the brine. Quite nice.

Not Your Everyday Caprese: A cherry tomato, compressed, with the 'sexy tomato seeds' and a mozzarella sauce prepared with the spherification process. Topped with a pesto sauce, this made a normal caprese seem pedestrian.

Tournedos Rossini 2009: Our final savory dish of the evening.

A dish was created in honor of Italian composer Gioachino Rossini, a noted gourmand. In Chef Andres' new interpretation, a piece of A-5 Japanese wagyu is topped with a truffle gelee, mushrooms and slices of foie gras. This extremely rich and decadent dish was a great finish to the savory dishes. I cannot adequately explain how delicious this dish was.

Dragon's Breath Popcorn: Candied and carameled pieces of popcorn, dipped in liquid nitrogen. Eaten with mouth closed, a puff of smoke comes through the nose. This dish has come under a bit of fire in the recent past. Intended by Chef Andres as something playful and unexpected, numerous internet writeups have taken the surprise away, causing Chef Andres to essentially remove it from the rotation.

Chocolate Biscuit Coulant Michel Bras- a mini chocolate souffle like cake over a bed of whipped creme flavored with cardamon and sugared ginger pieces. The souffle was runny on the inside and the cardamon added an interesting flavor contrast. Pleasant, but still trying to decide how much I enjoyed it.

Coconut in 'Half Shell': Coconut creme in a cocunut flavored edible shell. Passion fruit sauce made this dish Fiji on a plate.

Petit Fours: Candied passion fruit, chocolate drizzle on a stick and saffron truffles. Although the truffles were way too sweet, this was a great ending to a great meal.

At the end of the meal, our server got us a tour of the kitchen, where chef de cuisine Michael Voltaggio thanked us for our patronage. Our group of seven caused a bottleneck in the kitchen, but no one seemed to mind. Each and every person in that kitchen welcomed us like family, including Marcel Vigneron, of Top Chef fame. We stayed much too long in the kitchen, talking food with Chef Voltaggio. They even took the time to take pictures with us, and offered us full run of the place. We graciously got the heck out of there, as we saw how busy they were.

Saam is a true success that allows for the diner to have an option to enjoy the meal in a formal setting. In some instances, the lack of quality in food is exposed when eaten in a nicer atmosphere(try Father's Office). In the case of Saam and the Bazaar, the food was allowed to shine. This was truly a special meal.

Authentic Regional Mexican Food...In LA?

2009-04-14T18:08:00.000-07:00

Surprising to some, but burritos are not authentic Mexican cuisine! I know it must be a shocker to some people, but authentic, regional Mexican cuisine is much more complex than what you'd normally find in most LA Mexican restaurants.

Because of what Javier of http://www.teenageglutster.blogspot.com/ described as serendipity, he had the opportunity to meet Chefs Ramiro Arvizu and Jaime Martin Del Campo, both of La Casita Mexicana. Jaime and Ramiro were two chefs Javier became acquainted with while watching Univision's Despierta America. Gathering up his courage, he walked up to these two television personalities one day at the Gold Standard and began a new friendship. After a lengthy conversation on food, specifically regional dishes of Mexico, the two chefs generously offered to host a dinner for Javier and some of his pals. So, a special night was born at La Casita Mexicana, where a lesson, and amazing Mexican cuisine, were had.

Javier sent out an email, and we all converged on this tiny restaurant in Bell. As we all settled down in our seats, the chefs began the evening by showing us ingredients used in different regions of Mexico. Dried chiles, black corn, cactus...there were so many things I've rarely or never seen. It was evident, though, the chefs' passion for their food. They inspiringly conveyed their desire to showcase what Mexican food is truly about.

They then began the meal by making three salsas in thier molcahete, or mortar and pestal.

-Salsa de Jitomate con chile serrano y cilantro Mexicano.

-Salsa de Tomatillo de Milpa con semillas de calbaza y chiles de arbol tostados.

-Salsa Cruda de Tomatillo y Hoja Santa.

All three were beautiful. However, the chefs would not allow for chips, as they were concerned that we would fill ourselves up too quickly. They planned on serving 18 dishes that night, so they were so right!

The dishes were:

Sopa de Pescado con Hoja Santa(fish soup with Hoja Santa leaf)-A clean fish soup with a squeeze of lime.

Chile Jalapeno Rellenos de Atun-Jalapeno chiles stuffed with Tuna. Very good, with the spiciness muted by the removal of the seeds and the veins.

Queso Azteca-4 different types of cheeses blended with Epazote, and baked in a fresh banana leaf, then grilled on flame. A bit salty, a bit tangy...bested any queso fundido I ever had growing up. Served with fresh made tortillas.

Tomalitos de Huitlacoche-small tamales filled with corn fungus. My 1st experience with huitlacoche...definitely not my last. The beautiful earthy flavors of the fungus opened my eyes to what was once considered a pest to corn harvests.

Enchiladas de pollo con tres moles-Three enchilas, each topped with a different mole.

Each mole, consisting of well over a dozen ingredients, was painstakingly created by the chefs. Experts in mole, the chefs served up six different types of mole this evening.

Enchiladas Rojas de Queso Cortija. Made in the Michoacan style, these simple enchiladas consisted of tortillas dipped in chile sauce and filled with grated Cortija cheese. Really simple, yet marvelous.

Mole de Almendras con carne de puerco-Almond mole with slow cooked and shredded pork.

Mole Blanco-made with white chocolate over chicken breasts.

Puerco Adobado-reminiscent of a Filipino pork adobo. The smokiness from the dried chiles made this dish a winner.

Cochinita Pibil-Pork roasted with achiote and habanero, wrapped in plaintain leaf

Pescado en Salsa de Tamarindo con Chile de Arbol-Sea bass with a tamarind sauce. One of the weaker dishes, but still quite good

Cecina al chipotle-dry cured beef sauteed and covered with a chipotle sauce. By far my favorite dish, as the concentrated beef flavors from the curing really came through. The chipotle only accentuated the flavors of the beef. Dish hails from Veracruz.

Chiles en Nogado

These stuffed poblano chiles topped with a mile cream sauce were indescribably delicious.

Churros Rellenos de Cajeta-Churros stuffed with caramel. Not anything you'd find normally in LA...or Baja, for that matter. Crunchy on the outside, sweet and creamy on the inside. Paradise in a bite.

Flan de Calabaza de Castilla-Pumpkin flan. The massive flan served 20 of us, and was only half gone!

Ponche de Jamaica con Jacotes y Nuez-Hibiscus punch with chopped pecans and Jocote fruit. Sweet and nutty...a great drink.

Flan de Calabasita-Zucchini Flan

Toronja Grajeada con pasta de Chocolate Mexicano-These were crystallized pieces of grapefruit rind, with a dipping sauce of super thick Mexican chocolate. To create the dried grapefruit rind requires a 24 hour process involving multiple techniques. Originally served to cardinals of the Catholic Church. A truly religious ending to a religious meal.

Throughout the evening, the chefs answered any and all questions and were amazingly gracious. They not only enlightened us on what true Mexican cuisine was, but they showed us their passion with the foods they created. Our evening at La Casita Mexicana will not be one soon forgotten. Many thanks to Javier for having the huevos to begin a conversation with these two super chefs, and many thanks to Ramiro and Jaime for an unforgettable night.

DineLA Week Kicks Off With Press Conference at The Bazaar by Jose Andres

2009-01-15T18:29:00.001-08:00

Mayor Antonio Villagarosa officially launched dineLA week today at a press conference held at SLS Hotel. Held in front of a raucous crowd of press and LA chefs, the Mayor introduced, among others, speakers Chef Jose Andres of The Bazaar and Chef Evan Kleinman of Angeli Caffe.
Chefs Andres and Kleinman captivated the crowd with brief story telling and charm, as they conveyed the importance of what has become one of LA's most exciting dining events.
DineLA Restaurant Week, in its second year, is the annual event held by LA INC. The Los Angeles Convention and Visitor's Bureau and American Express. The event features over 160 participating restaurants in LA. Each restaurant will be offering prix-fixe lunches for $16-$28 and dinners for $26-$44. The event will be held two consecutive weeks, on January 25-30, 2009 and February 1-6, 2009. Participants such as The Bazaar, Valentino, STK, Patina and Grace head the formidable list of LA dining options.
At the conclusion of the press conference, Chef Andres presented Mayor Villaigarosa with his interpretation of a Philly Cheesesteak, then invited the crowd into The Bazaar for food and drink. Waitstaff passed around "liquid olives", Philly Cheesesteaks, King Crab with Raspberry, Croquetas de Polla, and a variety of other tapas. The Jamon bar was in full swing, with chefs slicing Jamon Iberico straight from the leg.

Some of the chefs mingling in the crowd included Ben Ford(Ford's Filling Station), Neil Fraser(Grace), Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feninger(Ciudad), Piero Selvaggio(Valentino), Joachim Splichal(The Patina Restaurant Group) and Kerry Simon(Simon LA).

We were able to get a few minutes with Chef Andres, who continued his conversation with us about cooking and creativity, as well as Chef Ford, whom we thanked again for the amazing confit of suckling pig dinner he cooked for us. We also ran into Joshua of FoodGPS.com, who was a participant in our Shibucho red wine and sushi pairing.

The press conference was like no other we'd been to before, with Chef Andres again playing the gracious host. Upon exiting, two stations serving up goodbye snacks provided caviar cones and liquid nitrogen dipped popcorn bites. The popcorn bites were expecially entertaining, with Executive Pastry Chef Michael Gillet dipping the bites into liquid nitrogen, then instructing us to put the bite into our mouths and only biting down once our mouths were closed. The resulting puffs of 'smoke' coming out of our noses was fun and a great way to close the event.

DineLA week, as expressed by the Mayor, is a great opportunity to try the many dining options LA has to offer, for a great price tag. Although the economy is sagging, it's a great reminder of some the more positive things life has to offer. Being able to eat some amazing meals created by some amazing chefs for great prices...it's a once a year chance. I'm making my reservations asap...I suggest you do the same!

Shibucho-Old Reds Paired With Sushi and Bloggers

2008-12-21T15:53:00.000-08:00

Shibucho
3114 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90057

213.387.8498

For our latest event, we chose to experiment with a red wine and sushi pairing. We all know that beer, sake, champagne, softer whites or even pinot noir could pair with most types of sushi, but Bordeaux and Rioja? Generally, Bordeaux is highly tannic...Rioja, not so much, but still overpowering. We were concerned that the wine would simply overpower the delicate flavors of raw fish. Not so, according to Shibucho's Shige-san. He's been promoting the pairing of Bordeaux and sushi for decades. The secret? The wine has to be OLD!

And so, our event was born. We invited a group of our favorite bloggers, mixed in with a couple of new faces. In attendance were Ryan of tangmeister.com, Kevin of Kevineats.com, Ila of inomthings.blogspot.com, Fiona of GourmetPigs.blogspot.com, Joshua of FoodGPS.com and Tony of sinosoul.com. Brian, Marshal and I rounded out the group. The three of us brought:

'82 Pavie-Decesse
'78 Ducru Beaucaillou
'76 Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Rioja Vina Tondonia
'76 Lopex de Heredia Vina Tondonia Rioja Vina Boscania
'75 Leoville Barton
'75 Montrose
'89 Beycheville

Kevin and Ryan generously provided a '78 Dom Perignon, which we started the meal with.

We paired the Dom with Ankimo, or monkfish liver. Shige-san provided two different cuts. The one on top had an orange hue. The ankimo was topped with ponzu, scallion and chili infused daikon. Paired well with the Sauternes-like champagne. The orange hued piece was a better match, as opposed to the bottom piece.

Next, we had the Pavie Decesse paired with a mirugai, aoyagi, hotate and seaweed salad. The salad, with a white miso base, was really mild. This was our first test with the red wine pairing. Even though the wine was young compared to the other bottles, it didn't overpower the clams and scallops.

We followed next with an albacore salad, toro sashimi, maguro sashimi, Buri sashimi and Hirame sashimi. Shige-san then threw us a curveball and served an eggplant parmesan. After that, we had a sake and ikura salad, followed by toro nigiri, hamachi belly nigiri, sea bream nigiri and golden eye snapper nigiri.

Getting a bit intoxicated at this point, we had all discussed the different pairings. Some were definite hits, like the toro...some were not quite there, like the halibut and it's fishiness being drawn out.

We moved on to a buri daikon and anago nigiri. Some of us finished with an uni handroll, which blew away any crabroll I'd ever finished with at Sasabune, Echigo, Kiriko or Wa.

Kevin and Ila did an amazing job of recounting the meal, picture by picture...so please read their blogs for a blow by blow, and some history.

Towards the end of the evening, I stepped outside to make a phone call. As I finished, I looked up and noticed Shige-san gesturing me to come over. He was at the back door entrance, and he led me inside. Slightly confused, I followed. Shige-san lead me in and began showing me his immense wine collection.

As we went through the closet, and additional temperature closets not pictured, he showed me, with great pride, the many bottles he's collected over the years. Petrus, Screaming Eagle, different vintages of all of the first growths...the list was endless. I was so excited, I asked if I could bring everyone else in. 'No...it's a secret! Only you can see!'

The evening itself, with the amazing conversation, incredible company and thought provoking pairings, was memorable. Shige-san showing me his personal cellar? Now that was priceless. As we left after midnight, we all took pictures with him. He welcomed us back and bowed goodbye. Our first visit weeks before, Shige-san was guarded...so I know where some people come from when they criticize his demeanor. But once he sees a love of food and wine in you, it's almost like he becomes your mentor. He had so many words of wisdom and was so kind. I'll always remember my little tour of the secret wine cellar.

Philosophy, Food and Wine with Jose Andres

2008-12-03T11:01:00.000-08:00

For the soft opening of The Bazaar on November 17th, I had dinner with Kevin of kevineats.com, Ryan of tangmeister.com, and three of their friends. On that night, we set out to try each of the 63 dishes on the menu. We got as far as 48 before we threw in the towel...to be fair, we had two of each dish up to about dish 30.

As soon as he got home, Kevin went about composing his blog entry, finishing around 7 or 8 the next morning. In the blog, which you can read at http://www.kevineats.com/2008/11/bazaar-los-angeles-ca.htm he included pictures of every dish we tried.

Interestingly, Kevin received an email from Chef Jose Andres, inviting him to get together to talk about "creativity and cooking". Apparently, Chef Andres got wind of Kevin's blog and wanted to meet him.

Kevin asked if I was interested, and so we met up with Chef Andres last night at 8:30 pm at The Bazaar. Going into the evening, I wasn't sure what to expect. Was Chef Andres going to chastise us, or Kevin, for writing this blog? Was he going to have an attorney present to personally present Kevin with a cease and desist order, since he took pictures even after we were told we were not allowed to?

On the contrary, we were treated like family. I arrived an hour early, so I tried a couple of nitrogen caipirinhas. It's the traditional caipirinha drink mixed with liquid nitrogen, forming a sorbet-like consistency, and topped with edible flowers and herbs. The consistency was creamy, the drink a big winner. On my second, Chef Andres stopped by to say hi. He warmly welcomed me and we made small talk. I let him know Kevin and the rest of the party were on the way. Once everyone arrived, Jose sat with us in Bar Centro and invited each of us to order a drink. I got a third nitrogen Caipirinha, and thus the evening began.

While scooping up my 'drink', Jose asked what description came to my mind regarding the drink. "...and don't say molecular gastronomy, or I'll throw you out of the restaurant", he jested. He explained that he simply wanted a certain consistency, and since the drink was almost pure alcohol, this was the only way to freeze it. He then segued into discussion regarding his cooking. He essentially asserted that his cooking was based on his experiences growing up, when eating at home was a necessity. Although I'm rather certain his family dinners growing up didn't include liquid olives and nitrogen caipirinhas, I got his point. His menu, although extensive, was an acknowledgement of his past and things new. Every dish was carefully thought out and executed to his liking.

After an hour or so, we moved over to Rojo, where Jose ordered a bunch of stuff, and a gorgeous white wine. He also directed his head sommelier to decant the '95 Vega Sicilia that Brian and Jan brought. Throughout the rest of evening, Jose was greeted by friends. On two or three occasions, dishes were brought for his opinion. He explained that they constantly discussed dishes, always perfecting them. He went on about the importance of doing things right, whether it be cooking or writing.

Among the items ordered were some of the dishes that Kevin did not appreciate. As we tasted each one, he gave us either a brief history or explanation of the dish. I'm not sure what it was, but the dishes such as the Japanese eggplant and the salt cod fritters tasted much better the second time around. It could have been that we were too full that first night, or it could have been that the kitchen staff was on point for us, since the chef was sitting at our table.

Overall, Jose sat with us for close to three hours. He told many stories. He expressed the importance of seeing things not only from your own perspective, but from many. He gave us some suggested reading so that we could learn more about what we're writing about. He spoke fondly and often of his wife and kids, and of his responsibilities to each and every one of his staff.

Although many lessons were taught and learned, the most intriguing thing was Jose's passion for life, which poured over into his cooking. He got a bit emotional at times, speaking of certain things. He was even a bit patriarchal at other times, extolling the importance of not necessarily liking or not liking something, but looking at it from different perspectives for a better understanding. As busy as he is(he had just landed a few hours before), he took the time to explore the minds of people who took time to write about food. He wanted to understand and be understood. Never pretentious and always sincere and honest, he was a delight. He ended by thanking us for coming and by telling me that I would have to cook for him, so that he could critique me. I told him I would be more than happy to, but only if he was in for a good laugh. He said he'd give me a year, but we'll see if I ever get the courage to do that.

I'm not sure if we changed our opinions on his cuisine that much, but the experience really made me think about what we write. Jose, who really could have a God Complex at this stage in his career, was welcoming and warm and somewhat open to criticism. He showed a very human side that is sometimes forgotten when we criticize. He showed a great passion, telling us that he poured three years of his life into The Bazaar. Most of all, he showed that he cared about what his diners thought. Breaking bread with us for three hours proved that.

A Pinkberry on Every Corner

2008-11-21T16:52:00.000-08:00

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Or something like that. I went to Abbot Kinney Blvd for dinner last night. I love that stretch of shops and restaurants in Venice, Ca. Over the years the area seemed to somehow resist the growing intrusion of corporate chains and is home to many specialty furniture, craft, and boutique stores as well as up and coming restaurants - most notably the recently opened Gjelina and AK Restaurant and Bar.

As I surveyed the street at night a brightly lit store stood out from the rest with its signature green and blue stripe facade and ubiquitous trademark. Pinkberry is definitely a chain but I was a bit surprised at how it made no effort to blend in to Venice's artsy neighborhood. The first thought that came to my mind was how similar it was to Starbucks. Not too surprising since Starbuck's founder, Howard Schultz, has famously invested $27.5 million in Pinkberry from his venture capital firm. I see that Mr. Schultz has left his mark on his investment making Pinkberry as accessible as Starbucks has become - with one on every corner.

I actually like Pinkberry's frozen yogurt quite a bit but it had more appeal to me as the fun, upstart company founded by a young Korean couple. Now that they have honed its brand, design, and image I feel like it has lost its innocence and I hope its presence on this street is not a sign of what's to come.

Riva - Jason Travi's New Restaurant in Santa Monica, CA

2008-10-30T10:40:00.001-07:00

Riva
312 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA
310.451.7482

On October 28, Riva opened it's doors for the first time. Hours are 11:30 am to midnight, 7 days a week. However, the first two weeks will have a special schedule of 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm from Mon-Thur, and open til midnight on Fri-Sat.

Jason Travi's newest Italian restaurant features a decor that's a bit more upscale than that of his first child, Fraiche. On one side, there's a bar that seems a bit less approachable than the lively and welcoming bar at Fraiche; on the other, a pizza bar.

We stopped by a few days ago simply because of our love of Fraiche. We first got wind of Riva's impending opening 6 months ago during a conversation with Chef Travi. He was apparently having difficulty getting served at his bar one night, so he sat and talked to us for 45 minutes.

Upon seating, we decided on the following:

Geoduck, orange, watercress, mint, basil seeds

The raw geoduck slices were really tender and sweet, and the orange royales and basil seeds really worked well.

House made head cheese

Simply amazing with the fattiness cut by the radish slices.

Roasted quail, farrow, butternut squash, pistachio pesto

Tender roasted quail on farro...beautifully tender and flavorful.

Pignoli pizza made with pine nut, tomato, smoked pancetta and reggiano

Interesting pizza. Couldn't taste the pine nuts, but the pancetta was great.

Tradicionale pizza made with proscuitto, arugula, and pecorino romano

Best pizza of the night. The proscuitto and arugala were fantastic. Also noteworthy, the three pizzas we did have had inconsistency in the dough. The crust for this pizza was close to perfection, but the others were chewy.

Bianca pizza with spinach, ricotta and pecorino romano

House made ricotta with spinach. Slightly browned ricotta was delicious, but the spinach left something to be desired. The crust on this pizza was lacking...too chewy.

Considering there were only three of us, and none of us were hungry, I think we did a good job.

Riva did a good job too, I would say. New restaurant jitters and the need for some time to get things down were evident, but not glaring deficiencies. Service was decent and food just a tad under great. Like a fine wine from Chef Travi's list...a little time and it'll be great.

The Food Event: From the Vine, Oct. 26, 2008

2008-10-22T11:50:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick post about a food event this weekend.

The Facts:

Presented by: The Los Angeles Magazine
When: Sunday, October 26th 1 - 5 pm.
Where: Saddlerock Ranch, 31727 Mulholland Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265
Restrictions: Must be 21 and over (sorry parents, this means no kids) and no pets.
Tickets: Advance Tickets:$60, Day of Tickets:$75. Tickets can be purchased here. Type in foodevent08 for a $10 discount when purchasing the tickets online - tip courtesy of HC of L.A. and O.C. Foodventures. Thanks HC!
Charities benefited: $20 of each ticket will be shared between two non-profits - Los Angeles Regional Foodbank and Concern Foundation

Who should go:

Anyone interested in celebrity cooking demonstrations with highlights to include the likes of the two dudes of Animal, Nancy Silverton of Mozza, and Top Chef Season 3 Chris "CJ" Jacobson.

Anyone who wants to sample cuisine from restaurants such as Café Rodeo at Luxe Hotel, Chaya, Dakota Steakhouse, The Foundry on Melrose, Four Seasons Westlake Village, Frida Restaurant, Joss, La Cachette, La Provence Patisserie, Luxe Hotel Sunset Blvd, Saddle Peak Lodge, Tra de Noi, and Paperfish.

Anyone who wants to taste wine from 337 Cellars, Gnarly Head Cellars, HammerSky Vineyards, Irony Napa Valley, Kenwood Vineyards, Lake Sonoma Winery, Loredona, Peju Province Winery, Raymond Vineyards, Saddlerock, Semler, Valley of the Moon Winery, Vina Robles and more.

Anyone who wants to talk to experts about cheese and wine pairing, selecting beer and wines and other food trends.

More information can be found on the LA Magazine website and press release.

How to Eat Pho

2008-10-21T13:02:00.001-07:00

This post is intended for those who have wanted to try this popular dish but may have been a bit intimidated by all the garnishments and meat choices encountered at pho restaurants in the U.S. To the rest, who already know it well, you can keep me in check.

Pho is one of the most beloved Vietnamese dishes. Pho (pronounced "fuh") to most Americans means Vietnamese beef noodle soup but that is technically beef pho or pho bo. There is also chicken pho and lesser known pork pho. Beef pho is the bridge for many Americans when it comes to trying Vietnamese food as numerous pho houses have popped up in cities across the nation. I am always pleasantly surprised when someone tells me they’ve become addicted to this traditional dish. To me the pho broth has magical, restorative benefits - it is the first meal I want after a weary trip, the cure for a hangover, and the perfect meal on a cold night.

Pho gets its distinctly sweet, savory flavors from hours of stewing beef bones with charred onion and ginger and a cheesecloth of spices ranging from cloves, star anise, cinnamon, and black cardamom - in combinations that vary from chef to chef. Each person's broth is different and distinguishes one pho house from another.

Trying pho for the first time in Vietnam might actually be simplest. When I was back in Hanoi recently there wasn’t a list of five meats and twenty combinations to figure out. You simply ordered pho and then a bowl appears before you as you sit on a small stool and eat in an open restaurant. However, in the U.S. some pho menus are a full page long with several permutations of the various meat combinations for each bowl.

If you’ve decided to try pho and have now found your way to a small neighborhood restaurant, you’ll most likely open the menu and see words and meat combinations you don’t understand. Well let’s walk through it now.

The Meats - Here are all the different meat options:

Tai- rare eye of round steak (served rare but cooked by the broth)
Chin – well done lean meat
Nam – well done flank
Gau – fat brisket
Gan – soft tendon
Sach – tripe
Ve Don –skirt flank
Bo vien – beef meatballs

To the beginner I suggest starting with pho tai, the simplest pho with rare beef. It is the most approachable. Pho tai is made by assembling cuts of rare beef on top of rice noodles in a bowl. The rare beef is cooked when the boiling broth is ladled into the bowl. (Some folks request the rare beef on the side so that they can add it to their bowl themselves – ensuring that the meat remains barely cooked). Pho tai nam or tai chin is the next suggestion giving a bit more variation to simple pho tai with the addition of well done lean meat or flank. I prefer the tai nam to the tai chin because the chin meat tends to be more dry. If you want to dive in and try them all, then the pho dac biet (literally, special pho) order generally includes all the different cuts of meat. The bo vien is chewy and fun to eat. Sometimes you can specify plain bo vien or bo vien gan (meatballs with bits of tendon for extra texture). Also you should know that you can request any combination of the available meats at a pho restaurant, even if they are not among the enumerated No. 1 through No. 20 combinations provided for you on the menu. This is usually fine and accepted as each bowl is made to order. At the end of the day what you choose to include depends on your personal taste.

The Broth – You can actually specify the kind of broth you want for your pho. The broth is referred to simply as nuoc pho (literally, pho water). For the nuoc pho, you can request nuoc beo (fatty broth) or nuco cham (clear broth).

The Noodles – Pho is eaten with rice noodles called banh pho. Banh pho can vary in width from a thin 5mm noodle to a toothier 1cm or more. Generally a pho restaurant offers one kind of banh pho and it is not something you can specify. However, there are some that offer fresh banh pho which tends to be of the wider variety. I prefer the fresh banh pho and recommend trying it if you are at a restaurant that offers it.

The Accoutrements – Before I get to the many things you can do to customize your pho experience, you will find that a bowl of pho already comes garnished with scallions, sliced onions, and cilantro. I mention this only because some people have an aversion to cilantro (although, I personally think it is one of most wonderful herbs on the planet). You will find this sensitivity recognized at many Korean pho restaurants, where they will “warn” customers that pho has cilantro and allow you to order it without.

Now onto the garnishments and condiments. After you’ve ordered your bowl, a plate is brought to the table containing: bean sprouts, Thai basil, sliced chili peppers, lime wedges and sometimes saw herb.

On the table you’ll also find: hot chili sauce (typically Sriracha sauce), Hoisin sauce, black pepper, and fish sauce.

Before you start putting things in I suggest trying the broth first. See what it tastes like and note how it changes with what you add.

Now what to add? Here’s where a bit of history helps. Pho originated in Northern Vietnam and there the people tend to be purists. The only thing they add to pho is lime, chili sauce, and sometimes Thai basil. Their philosophy is that the broth is the focus of this dish and less is more when it comes to messing with it. As someone who is Northern Vietnamese, I try not to wince when someone adds Hoisin sauce or bean sprouts into their bowl as those will completely overpower the broth’s beefy flavor. That said, do what you like.

When adding the herbs it is nice to shred them to release their flavors. A dash of black pepper will provide some spice. I add sliced chili peppers instead of the Sriracha to give spiciness without altering too much of the broth. However, either is fine. A squeeze of lime is a must as the tanginess is a nice balance to the richness of the broth. If the broth is too salty, more lime can mellow it further. I like the flavor of Hoisin sauce and Sriracha but I don’t like the way it overpowers the broth. So I use one of the small dipping plates and squirt a bit of each onto it for dipping my meats. This way the broth remains as pure as possible.

For the Advanced - Never on the menu but always ordered by my parents is a side dish of hang giam (sliced onions soaked in vinegar) or hang tran (green onion bulbs blanched in pho broth). I’ve only eaten pho with hang giam and find that it is a nice way to cut the fattiness of the beef broth. If you order it, you can add a bit of sugar and lime juice to the onions to temper the flavors and then mix in some hot chili sauce.

Enjoy!

Ryugin-Michelin 2 star in Japan better than 3 star in California?

2008-10-16T16:41:00.000-07:00

Ryugin
Roppongi 7-17-24
Roppongi Building 1F

6 pm- 2 am daily, closed Sundays

On my recent visit to Tokyo, I had the task of choosing one great meal. Initially, my intention was to explore the finest dining Tokyo had to offer over three nights and three amazing dinners. However, my plans changed and I felt it best to cut it down to just one. I still took advantage of Tokyo's great cuisine...I just wasn't able to fully utilize the list of Michelin rated restaurants I received from Kevin, of kevineats.com.

After a bit of soul searching, I decided on Ryugin. Per my research(and a generous helping hand from Thi), I found that Chef Seiji Yamamoto presented a non traditional kaiseke meal. I secured a 6:00 pm reservation and showed up on Ryugin's doorstep on my second night in Tokyo.

Upon seating, I was presented with two different meal options. The first, for about 21,000 yen, looked quite good. The second, for 27,650 yen, looked quite similar, with the main difference being an offering of Ryugin's House Special Soft-Shelled Turtle Soup. My waiter, Takeo, was extremely responsible and immediately relayed his concerns that Americans usually didn't like the soup. So...I opted for the meal with the turtle soup.

I proceeded to go over the sake menu, and Takeo came up with two great sakes to go with my food.

We started with an Ichiaban Dashi Soup with puree of Maitake mushrooms and conger eel.

The soup was slightly tangy and a fantastic start to the meal. Hidden in the soup was a nice piece of conger eel that gave a textural parade in my mouth. I was then presented with a deep fried sea urchin wrapped in seaweed.

The uni was accompanied by slightly seasoned sliced of Matsutake mushrooms and spinach. Lightly battered, it was rich and smooth. Next, we had Aichi figs with port flavored foie gras terrine and sesame cream.

This picture doesn't do it justice. The terrine was silky smooth and delicately flavored. The figs were tender and a bit sweet. The combination, with the sesame cream, was absolute heaven.

Each bite melted in my mouth and I began to realize the depth of the Chef's skills and culinary knowledge.

After this bit of heaven, the dish I'd been waiting for all night came. Blue japanese swimming crab meat and Shanghai River crab eggs, on top of tender abalone. The crab was topped with apple vinager gelee.

The last time I had Shanghai River crab eggs was 25 years ago in China. I remember begging my parents to bring back some crabs each time they went back for 4 or 5 years after that. The chef added the Japanese Blue Swimmer crabmeat because the meat of the Shanghai River crab lacks in flavor. With the tender and sweet abalone, I felt like I could have died and been happy. This dish was everything I could have ever wanted in a last meal. I contemplated begging for one more serving, but refrained.

The next dish was the infamous soft-shelled turtle soup. Meat from the turtle was minced and wrapped in napa cabbage, making meatballs in the soup. A piece of turtle skin topped it all.

The soup was encapsulated with the flavor imparted by fried leeks. Overall, this was thought provoking and...weird. Good, but strange. I've been trying to figure out how to describe the flavors, but I can't. I'm just happy I was able to try something so different.
The next dish was an assortment of sashimi.

We had saury, Japanese bluefin toro, slightly seared lobster claw meat from the English Channel, and Japanese squid topped with incredible Beluga caviar. Each offering was the best I'd ever had. The chef came out and poured the house made soy himself. This is where I learned he was only the tender age of 38. I praised him on his grasp of food, secretly hoping he would hook me up.

The next dish was Japanese ankimo with house made tofu.

Never have I had ankimo that had no hint of fishiness, and such a pleasant sweetness. At this point, I truly felt like I was on a journey. Next was a chargrilled seaperch.

The fish was encrusted with rice that was crisped. The image of the fish was actually sauce that I was instructed to rub the fish into. Freeze dried tofu and lotus root rounded out the flavors of the dish.

The next dish was Japanese pigeon.

The rare pigeon meat, with its slight game-like taste, was thought provoking and, quite frankly, close to being the best dish of the night. If it wasn't for memories of Shanghai crab eggs, this would be the deal maker. Paired with soy mash topped with seasonal white truffle shavings, this gorgeous dish made me rethink life. The generous portion of white truffle shavings completely engulfed its aroma into the soy mash. I immediately promised myself to shop for white truffles as soon as I returned($250 a truffle on the internet. I'm rethinking my posture on the issue)

The last savory dish served was a chargrilled Pacific Saury and shaved chestnut form Kyoto, on rice, with miso soup.

The saury was a bit fishy, but paired with the charred skin and the salty miso, this dish was quite good. I'd like to think this dish was better than I remembered, but every single dish prior to this was awe inspiring, and this dish fell a bit short of that.

Now we had the finishing touches, to cleanse the palate and to enrichen the tongue.

Ginger gelee made with six degrees pressure with fresh Asian pears. The ginger gelee bubbled from the CO2. The flavor was overwhelmingly strong of ginger, but was tempered nicely by the pear.

Caramel ice cream with 'Wasnbon Sugar'. Served with grated milk curd and a genmai tea on the side(not pictured). The caramel ice cream, topped with what was essentially dried condensed milk shavings, was familiar, yet new. The shavings melted on my tongue along with the ice cream, and left a slightly burnt sugar flavor.

Baked yuzu and orange cake, served on a red maple leaf presentation. The cake, slightly tangy, slightly sweet, was an amazing finish to this culinary journey. Slight hints of orange peel, with the tartness of yuzu, balanced well on the palate, and left me refreshed.

Overall, this was a thought provoking meal that took me on a journey I'd never been on before. This was an excercise on the use of the best ingredients available, not only in Japan, but in the world. It was a meeting of old world kaiseke with new world ingredients that included the implementation of state of the art tactics and new world flavor combinations, along with classic pairings.

So the question comes to mind...is a Michelin 2 star in Japan better than a Michelin 3 star in California? My answer is juvenile, at best, as I've only been to one 3 star in California, and one 2 star in Japan. But based on my minimal experience, I would give a resounding yes. Maybe my tastes have something to do with it...I've grown up with many of these Asian flavors. To pair them with my favorite non-Asian flavors, and to do it successfully, makes me think so. Ryugin was an eye opener, and 8 days later, I'm still smiling at the memories of that crabmeat on my tongue.

How to Edit Your Reviews

2008-09-30T11:54:00.001-07:00

I've been asked a question recently about how you can edit a review you've submitted on FoodDigger. The first thing you need to do is make sure you are logged in to FoodDigger. Once you are logged in, you will see that on the restaurant page for any restaurant you have reviewed the "Write a Review" button has been replaced with an "Edit Your Review" button.

For example, I have not been to Cut in Los Angeles yet (although it is on my Try List) and haven't written a review for it. Therefore, when I go to the Cut restaurant page on FoodDigger, the button underneath the restaurant reads "Write a Review".

However, one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco is A16 and I have written a review for it. So when I go to the A16 restaurant page the button now reads "Edit Your Review". (If you are not logged in though it will still say "Write a Review" because we don't know if you have reviewed it. That's why it's important to log in first.) Click on this button to edit your review at anytime.

To get to a restaurant page for one of your reviews you can use the Search box or click on the restaurant name when browsing through your reviews from your MyFD page. I hope this helps!

Are you a wine-o?

2008-09-22T13:39:00.000-07:00

I think we all know what wine is...fermented grape juice. It's such a simple concept, really, but in reality, wine is so complex.

I don't think there's enough space here to go over every aspect of wine, and quite honestly, I'm the last person to give a wine class. My knowledge of wine is limited to my consumption...which I guess can be considered quite vast(if only based on consumption!). Truth is, I love wine. I love pairing it with different foods, I love drinking it on its own. I even love learning about it. I can see, however, that wine drinking could seem daunting to many people.

I hear and read about a wine's tastes..."possesses that liquid minerality that denotes a great terroir, along with a tremendously sweet liqueur of black currants and cherries intermixed with melted licorice and spice box. Dense and full-bodied yet remarkably elegant and delineated, this is a stunning achievement for the 2002 vintage."

This is Robert Parker's description of the above pictured Chateau Pavie from St. Emilion in Bordeaux. 'Sweet liqueur of black currants and cherries intermixed with melted licorice and spice box.'? We drank this at French Laundry, and I remember none of that. All I remember is that this wine was good!

Truth be told, I am far enough along to know a few things, but when I'm eating a great dinner, the last thing I'm looking for is hints of creme de cassis in my wine. I'm still not certain what creme de cassis is, much less what it tastes like.

That, though, is the great thing about wine. You can drink it and enjoy it; but if you choose, you could spend a lifetime mastering it. You could learn about the infinite varietals, like cabernet sauvignon, cabernet frank, viogner, marsanne, merlot...to name a few. You can learn about terroir, which is the piece of dirt and the climate the vines grow on. You can learn about the 5 classes of Bordeaux, or about the difference between Left Bank and Right. You can argue why LaTour is a First Class while Pontet Canet a Fifth Class, even though they're spitting distance away from each other. Or...you can just enjoy a few different varietals with dinner amongst friends, and judge which wine goes with which dish.

We at Fooddigger have had many a wine pairing since the idea of our site was born. The best meals have been the ones where the conversation bloomed from the pairings. Wine is a beautiful thing...something that is close to our hearts. We've even created a Fooddigger wine pairings card with a tip chart on the other side as a giveaway to help people with food pairings, and with the tipping in case you're too drunk from the wine. If you'd like one, let us know and we'll see if we can get one to you. Otherwise, grab yourself a glass of pinot noir and pair it with an aged Gouda.

Port of Los Angeles Lobster Festival - September 19, 20, and 21

2008-09-19T16:31:00.000-07:00

Who knew that the world's largest lobster festival takes place in Los Angeles where the lobsters eaten are shipped in from Maine? The reason for not serving Pacific lobster? Well it is not in season, of course. At least that's what they claim on the website for the Port of Los Angeles Lobster Festival which starts today at 5 p.m. and goes on through Sunday in San Pedro. The main draw is the discounted Maine lobster meals for only $17 but that is not the only draw foodwise - many other seafood delicacies as well as roast corn and other festival goodies can be found at this annual event. I've never been and the low priced lobster meal gave me pause but I was told by a friend that it was actually quite good last year.

Entertainment: For families, the Lobster Festival has a free magic show (2 pm) and a treasure hunt (3 pm) at the pirate camp for kids on both Saturday and Sunday. There will be street performers, and a full musical line up with performances going as late as 9pm on Friday and Saturday.

Good to know:
Cash only is accepted at the gate. Tickets are $8 for adults, reduced to $6 with this coupon. Children under $12 get in free. Once inside, there is an ATM to get cash for your food and other purchases but I'd bring plenty of cash as standing in line may not be fun.

LA BBQ Fest

2008-09-15T12:54:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we stopped by the LA BBQ fest. Situated in the parking lot next to Santa Monica Pier, it was not difficult to find. The smallish event consisted of a number of local bbq joints, two out of town joints, a cupcake stand and various other booths selling vacations, and what not.

Strolling passed the booths, we quickly decided to focus on the out of towners. The first thing we noticed was a line forming for LC's BBQ from Kansas City. No other booths had a line(except for the beer line), so we hopped right in. We were fortunate on two counts. First, we had about 5 people ahead of us, but by the time we were served, the line was about 50 behind us. Second, LC served up some mean ribs. They were pork spare ribs, smoked over hickory with a dry rub. The meat was slightly charred on the outside, and moist and tender on the inside. Delicious, especially with the baked beans that accompanied them.

While we were waiting in line, I slipped over to Bandana's BBQ of Louisville. The baby back ribs were dryer, and it was also seasoned with a dry rub. I'm pretty sure they used hickory, as well, for smoke. They offered 4 different sauces, all of which were a bit more vinegary than LC's. Bandana's also came with baked beans, but they were too sweet.

After gorging on these ribs, we hit up the cupcake booth, or Leyna's Kitchen. They offered two mini cupcakes, one a pink velvet, the other a strawberilicious, for four dollars. These delicious cupcakes were a welcome contrast to the smoky ribs.

We were there for just an hour or so, but we walked away full and satisfied. If you missed the BBQ fest this year, mark it on your calendars for next year. Ten dollar entrance, ten dollars a plate, and they have a beer stand.

How to Add a Restaurant to FoodDigger

2008-09-12T15:46:00.001-07:00

I've been asked this question many times so I thought I'd write a quick post about it. The question is: "How can I add a restaurant to the site?" or "I searched for a restaurant that I wanted to review and it wasn't there." Although we would like to have every restaurant you are looking for already in our database sometimes things slip through the cracks. I'm sorry about that but please help us make the site better by adding it to our list.

We are working on making it more visible but right now I thought it worthwhile to point out that there is an option to add a restaurant to the site. If you scroll down to the bottom of any search results page, you'll find our "Add a restaurant" button. In the above screenshot, you'll see a search results page based on my search for African restaurants in San Francisco. Only two results currently appear. Right under that you'll see the option I'm talking about. See the words "Don't see the restaurant you're looking for?" and the "Add a restaurant" button? Click on that button and you'll be on your way.

After you submit a restaurant it goes to our administrator who checks for errors and possible duplicate entries before it gets approved. We don't want more than one entry for the same restaurant as that just gets confusing. Approval can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours depending on what time you made the submission. Sorry but there are actual people who review these submissions so you might have caught us while we were sleeping or (what's more fun) out eating. Thanks for asking the question and I hope this helps.

Now back from the 2008 Summer Olympics - Here's the Scoop on Beijing Eats

2008-09-10T12:40:00.000-07:00

[Guest post from Snooshiking.] Before going to China for the Olympics, we weren't exactly looking forward to the food in Beijing. Sure, I've had Peking Duck, but aside from that (and real authentic Chinese Ja-Jang Mein, not the Korean version), what else was there to eat there? The northern part of China is not known for its food. Aside from hearty dumplings and stews, what else was there? I've been to the Northern Chinese restaurant in San Gabriel before, but only when I was in the mood for rustic, peasant food.

Day 1: The first few days in Beijing confirmed my fears. At a friend's suggestion, we went to Hua Jia Yi Yuan (Flower Family Garden) on DongZhimen Inside Road. It was a really nice location, felt like a '30s style grand courtyard with natural lighting and chirping birds in cages. Mostly northern Chinese, with a few Szechuan dishes thrown in. Tried their famous Mandarin fish, fresh bamboo, hot and sour cabbage, vegetables with mushrooms, and even their Peking Duck. But the food was a bit rough around the edges, a bit too salty and a bit too oily. Decent, but not great. The duck - definitely not great. In fact, not even good. (I later learned that to really have good duck, you have to go to a place that specializes in duck.)

Day 2: On the second day, we tried the Red Capital Club, located down a small alley in a traditional hutong. A few years ago, it was named as one of the hot 60 tables in the world by Conde Nast, so we thought it would be good. The vibe is fantastic - an old, restored courtyard home filled with Communist memorabilia, including furniture from Lin Bao's office (former defense minister under Mao) and Madame Mao's Red Flag limousine parked in front. The menu features interesting historical tidbits, and the owner just might be one of the longest-residing Americans in Beijing (25 years). A real friendly guy with great stories. But the food - just so-so. A mixture of different cuisines. Mao's pork is bland. Spicy chicken - OK, but not that special. The best dishes - the cold vegetable appetizers. Clearly made for the western palate.

Day 3: It wasn't until the third day that we finally had something good. Lu Lu, right near the entrance to the Military Museum, is a Shanghainese restaurant that can almost compete with the best from Shanghai. Thoroughly modern, clean and authentic. We had a group of 10 people and ate almost 15 dishes, so I can't remember any with any particular detail, except that it was all pretty good.

Day 4: Next up, authentic Peking duck at Ya Yuan, in the City Hotel. Not the most modern place, vibe is a bit "local," but my friends told me this was the best duck in Beijing. Not as well known and not as big as the mega-duck restaurants, but the best because it's prepared the old-fashioned way. First came the appetizers. Duck tongue - amazing! Cold sliced duck liver - sublime. And then came the actual Peking duck. Sliced in front of you, the duck skin and meat is rolled into something like a thin flour tortilla, along with green onions and sauce. Most important is the skin - the best I've ever had. A rich dark brown, it has a crisp yet resilient texture, but once you place it in your mouth, it almost melts. The meat is infused with the taste of apple wood, which is the traditional way of roasting the duck. The chef explained that each duck takes approximately 1 week to prepare, drying and refrigerating, to get the skin just right. And the sauce is rich and multi-dimensional, almost like a fine Bordeaux. He explained that he gets it from one particular small producer, then adds his own secret ingredients.

Day 5: That night, I go to sleep craving for more duck, so the next day, we go to DaDong one of the most famous (and many people say the best) duck restaurants in Beijing. Now, this is a big, fancy restaurant. Four floors, private rooms, nice tablecloths. Their menu probably the thickest thing I've ever seen! Imagine a wedding album, full of beautiful photos, but triple the size. It must have weighed 15 pounds! The opening courses were fantastic! Seared foie gras, cold numbing hot sesame chicken, prawns, etc. All were amazing, and almost French-Chinese fusion in their execution. I was getting excited, and I later learned that they're particularly well known for having great dishes aside from the duck. They even have good Chinese wine (the price is directly proportional to the quality in China, and the expensive wine (by local standards) can actually be quite good. Now, about the duck - it's just OK, especially compared to Ya Yuan. The skin is crispy, but the texture is like a shrimp chip - a bit too crisp. The meat is almost flavorless. I mean, it's definitely good, but is it the best? For me, no.

Day 6: On the sixth night, we stumbled onto a restaurant right by our hotel. We had just finished watching Track & Field, it was almost midnight, and we were starving! Luckily, Beijing has lots of late-night choices (like most Asian cities). We choose this restaurant, Meizhou Dongpo, because the large number of government plaques on the outside. (In China, the government will give awards to certain restaurants, and you'll see these plaques proudly displayed by the front door.) Once inside, we knew we were in the right place. It's Sichuan food, but in a refined style. Supposedly, the famous poet who invented Dongpo Pork (otherwise known as Pork Pump, or Roasted Pork Leg) was actually from the city of Meizhou in Sichuan before he moved to Hangzhou (near Shanghai), where the dish eventually became more famous. This restaurant's version of the Dongpo Pork is roasted with ginger, picked green peppers, and other assorted goodies that, in my opinion, make it much more interesting than the typical Shanghai version. In the Beijing Food Olympics, before the actual Olympics, the dish even won a gold medal! In fact, three of their dishes had won a gold medal award from the city, including their Bang Bang Chicken and smoked numbing sausages.

Day 7: The next night, when we came there again, we enjoyed a spicy buckwheat noodle as well as this amazing fish. It was a live fish, cut into a fan shape, and steamed with fresh green numbing peppers which impart almost a pine-like fresh scent with just a little bit of numbness.

What started off badly definitely ended well. Overall, I think Beijing offers greater variety than Shanghai in terms of cuisine styles, and if you know where to go, you'll definitely be rewarded.

Hua Jia Yi Yuan
235 Dongzhimen Nei Dajie
(two other locations as well)
Phone: 6405 1908

Red Capital Club
http://www.redcapitalclub.com.cn/club.html

LuLu
9 Fuxing Road, West side of the Military Museum entrance
Phone: 6858 3661

Ya Yuan
Inside the City Hotel, Beijing
No. 4 East Gongti Road, Chaoyang District Phone (hotel): 6500-7799 Call 1 hour ahead so that they can begin preparing your duck

Da Dong
Bldg 3, Tuanjiehu Beikou, Dongsanhuan Lu, SE corner of Changhong Qiao, Chaoyang District (Other locations as well)
Phone: 6582-2892

Meizhou Dongpo
Multiple locations
http://www.meizhou.com.cn/

Take a Bao - Asian Fusion?

2008-09-04T16:59:00.001-07:00

Generally, I'm not a fan of Asian fusion. To label a place Asian fusion is equivalent to giving it a death sentence - I will never go there. Asian fusion was the code word for Westernized Asian food. So if you love authentic Asian dishes like I do, the bastardized Asian fusion versions represent a step backwards. But lately I've been grappling with places that seem to be less about fusing two different cuisines and more Asian inspired. I started thinking that unless we allow Asian food to evolve in the United States, will authentic Asian dishes be limited to those recipes brought by immigrants to this country? Can true Asian food evolve outside of its native country?

This brings me to Take a Bao. Although there are probably better restaurants to illustrate my point, it recently opened and the thought came to me as I was biting into my Pomegranate Steak bao. I love the traditional Chinese bao filled with bbq pork or chicken. And I've also always liked peking duck where the same bao pancakes hold delicate slices of peking duck skin, with a bit of fresh scallions to cut the richness, and a brushing of hoisin sauce to extend the sweetness. So why not take the bao dough and fill it with other Asian ingredients?

The owners of Take a Bao thought of this concept and ran with it - using Asian inspired ingredients for filling such as miso braised beef, teriyaki chicken, japanese radish, pickled carrots, and marinated cucumbers. If that was done in China by an up and coming chef no one would say it was Asian fusion. But we are not in China.

So for now, Take a Bao is under Asian Fusion on FoodDigger.

Don't drive away, Mr Taco Truck!

2008-08-29T23:35:00.000-07:00

You see them driving down any street, stopping by construction sites to provide workers with a quick, hot meal. You see them parked in all types of neighborhoods, from East LA to West LA. Our favorite has been a fixture, parked outside of Pep Boys on Pico for 6 days a week, for as long as we remember.

In April, the county supervisors passed an ordinance that fined violators for parking in one spot for longer than an hour. The violators? Taco trucks. The fine? $1000 and six months in jail. The ordinance, penned by Supervisor Gloria Molina, was in response to complaints placed by restauranteurs who felt that taco trucks were taking business away.

This week, Judge Dennis Aichroth overturned the ordinance, ruling that it was vague and unconstitutional. Taco trucks all over LA have earned a reprieve, but the county vows to appeal and fully expects to win.

Although we at FoodDigger prefer to stay neutral from the political standpoint, we have a soft spot for taco trucks. We understand the concerns of restaurant owners...taco trucks don't have to pay rent, except for that quarter every 30 minutes. But, there is definitely something to be said about eating tacos on the sidewalk. It's an experience few, if any, restaurants can provide. And honestly, if a restaurant is competing with a truck, really...how good can it be?

We can go on and on about all the pros and cons of taco trucks in LA, but we're just happy we can hit up our local favorite for at least a little bit longer.

A Picture Says a Thousand Words

2008-08-27T18:07:00.001-07:00

Sometimes you can try your best to describe something that a picture would take a second to shoot and just a few more to upload. Eating is a sensory experience that captivates you visually as well as through your sense of smell before you even take the first bite. Although after the fact, we can only try to share the aromas and tastes of our dining experiences through words, a photo is still a great medium for sharing what we saw and more.

A photo captures the food and also the atmosphere of a place through even the subtlest expression of its presentation. Just look at this photo from minimal. Not only does the crawfish look deliciously seasoned but from the plastic bag presentation you also get a sense of the casual vibe of the Crawfish House.

Or take a look at the oysters enjoyed by RawPepper at Jinpachi. The precision of the presentation reflects the elegant dining at Jinpachi itself.

And from the rustic wood table, hearty slices of bread, and bistro porcelain bowl in this picture of the gazpacho from Le Pain Quotidien, you can see the focus on artisanal breads and the café setting.

But I know how it is. Sometimes you write a review and your camera, which holds that photo you took, is in your car or at the bottom of your bag. No worries. You can easily add the photo later (as well as edit your review) by clicking on the “Edit Your Review” button on the restaurant page of your review.

And as always, please photograph your food responsibly. No flash (which is just rude) and no photos of other people (because you may have eaten at Pink's in Hollywood at 1 a.m. on Saturday night but there are others who may not want the rest of the world to know they were there too).

Cantaloop in Culver City!

2008-08-22T22:36:00.001-07:00

Frozen yogurt has become such a fad since Pinkberry brought it back into the LA mainstream. Back in the day, it was Penguin's frozen yogurt. They had this great combination of vanilla frozen yogurt, topped with brownies and chocolate fudge. Memories of eating that are reminiscent of most everyone's memories when they were a kid. Running down the street after hearing 'The Entertainer' being blasted in the distance...that knowing feeling and growing excitement that the ice cream truck was coming through.

Froyo was dead for awhile, with Big Chill carving a niche in the West LA market, hitting the young, healthy and attractive bunch. Pinkberry restarted the fad, but with tart yogurt. The fad, becoming more mainstream, forced the likes of Big Chill to come up with a tart flavor when business started to slow.

With the re-emergence of froyo through Pinkberry came dozens of copycats. There are so many, we can't even begin naming them all. But there is one that is not only serving up great tart yogurt flavors, but bringing back the old school flavors of vanilla and chocolate. Cantaloop, with it's newest location in Culver City, is hellbent on serving not only premium tart yogurt, but providing these almost overlooked flavors. We recently had the vanilla yogurt that I could almost swear was vanilla soft serve ice cream. Its texture creamy, its taste not unlike the best vanilla bean ice cream. All with the benefits, and lower calorie count, of yogurt.

For an even better experience, they've created a list of Cantaloop Creations, with a combination very similiar to that of our Penguin's days. We're not certain if the other Cantaloops in LA offer the variety of flavors and combinations, but Cantaloop in Culver City has definitely become a FoodDigger favorite.

Dim Sum and Then Some

2008-08-19T18:04:00.000-07:00

Dim sum...the phrase itself means to 'touch the heart'. In Cantonese, the meal is more commonly referred to as 'yam cha', or to drink tea. To yam cha, or go eat dim sum, is to experience a myriad of small dishes pushed around on little carts in a busy, and loud, Chinese restaurant.

Historically, the origins of dim sum take us back to the travellers and farmers on the Silk Road. Needing a place to rest, the weary travellers and exhausted farmers would go to teahouses to relax over some tea. It was soon discovered that drinking tea aided in digestion, so teahouse owners began serving small snacks. Dim sum was born.

With the establishment of Chinatown in LA in the late 1800's, dim sum's arrival was a natural progression.

Today, dim sum is offered in Chinese restaurants all over LA. While you can get decent dim sum in West LA or Santa Monica, the best bet for an authentic experience is in Chinatown or Monterey Park. Empress Pavilion and Ocean Seafood in Chinatown offer up amazing dishes of har gow, shu mai and dumplings, to name a few. Empress Harbor and Elite are just two of the many places to go in Monterey Park.

Diners will be pleasantly surprised at the variety of dishes offered. Ladies pushing carts will stop at every table to offer their goods. Just pointing your finger or giving a slight shake of head is all that is needed to order or pass on a cart.

If you've never tried, please do. Our FoodDigger staff believes it's truly an experience that can touch the heart.

Mulberry Street Pizzeria – Even a kid could tell you it’s like NY’s

2008-08-15T08:44:00.000-07:00

My sister and her husband took their three kids to New York City this past July. My sister is an avid foodie who made sure that along with visits to the American Museum of Natural History, the Met, and Times Square, her kids also had a taste of New York’s famous deli sandwiches, pizza, and Crumbs cupcakes on their trip. Because of my sister’s passion, her kids have developed a particularly sophisticated palate. Her youngest daughter was eating sashimi without any garnishment of wasabi or soy sauce at the early age of four. The other two kids will eat things at yakitori restaurants that I don’t even try, such as, gizzard, heart, liver and cartilage. This is all to give you enough background to appreciate an exchange I had with my sister yesterday about Mulberry’s pizza.

Our staff is particularly fond of Mulberry Street Pizzeria – with many holding the conviction that it is the most authentic New York style pizza in L.A. About a month ago I was at my parents’ house in the Valley and picked up some pizza at Mulberry’s Encino location. As usual, I underestimated the size of their large pizza and was left with two full pizzas for leftovers. I packed them up and put them in my parents’ freezer - making a mental note to grab them the next time I went to visit and bring them home. My sister beat me to it and took it home for her kids. She mentioned to me yesterday that upon eating the reheated Mulberry pizza her eight year old son, Russell, proclaimed: “This tastes just like the pizza we had in New York!”

Well, Russell, our staff would wholeheartedly agree with you.

LA ban on Fast Food: What is Fast Food?

2008-08-12T12:48:00.000-07:00

Many of you may have read about the recent bill banning new fast food restaurants in South Los Angeles that was approved by the Los Angeles City Council on July 29th. What I've found most interesting about this is the bill's definition of fast food restaurants. According to the bill, a fast food restaurant is "any establishment which dispenses food for consumption on or off the premises, and which has the following characteristics: a limited menu, items prepared in advance or prepared or heated quickly, no table orders and food served in disposable wrapping or containers."

This is so broad that several restaurants not labeled "fast food" on FoodDigger may actually be swept in by the law's definition. Of course, we want to take a cue from the law and not mislabel any restaurants on the site. Fortunately, the bill exempts certain "fast-food casual" restaurants such as El Pollo Loco and Subway, that do not have drive-through windows or heat lamps and that prepare fresh food to order.

Based on this definition is In-N-Out fast food? I'd probably say, yes. Although, what is great about In-N-Out is that the food is made to order. I think in this case In-N-Out cannot escape the consequences of its own branding. However, if El Pollo Loco is not fast food, I think KFC and Popeye's should make a run at the fast-food casual exemption.

Cuisine Expert Challenge

2008-08-05T13:14:00.000-07:00

To spread the word about what makes FoodDigger different we are having a Cuisine Expert Challenge. Our goal is to highlight the cuisine expertise of our members. So instead of reviewing everything you are eating, may we suggest starting with the foods you are passionate about? Show us your cuisine expertise!

New FoodDigger Comment Feature

2008-08-05T10:53:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have noticed that there is now a "Post Comment" link at the bottom of all reviews. Click on it. It won't bite. It will just open a window so you can comment on a review. Try it out. I'm doing it. Tell your fellow FoodDigger members what you think.

Welcome to FoodDigger!

2008-08-02T13:09:00.000-07:00

Thanks for stumbling upon our blog. We created this to have a more direct dialogue with you. We want to share with you a bit about what's going on behind the scenes. What you see at FoodDigger is the result of many months of work by people devoted to the idea of creating a community for food enthusiasts with the most interesting and influential members and the most useful and compelling content. This site is for all the people who love to eat and who want to get recommendations from people equally serious about food. This site is for you.

No traditional media can capture the expertise that each individual brings to a community based on his or her unique experience. No one food critic can know the ins and outs of all the restaurants in a city like the multitude of people that make up each neighborhood of that city. No one person knows his way around all the cuisines of the world. But a community of food lovers can. That is why we need FoodDigger and FoodDigger needs you. Because FoodDigger is a community and the community is you.

We want this to be a dialogue. Please comment, report bugs, and tell us what you like and what you don't. We want to hear from you!