as one of my last adventures in new york, ruby and i took a cooking class at the institute of culinary education called 'quick pig' (don't you just LOVE the name?!). we were to be making ALL pork dishes, so this was definitely not a class for the faint of heart. (i'm just happy ruby survived! great job, ruth! oops, i meant ruby!)
as we stood around in the reception area upstairs, with a billion other eager students waiting for their classes, i couldn't help thinking that the school needed some serious work on their people/space management. i mean, there were 3-4 classes worth of students waiting in a tiny reception area, PLUS there was a special event going on. so as soon as the guests for that event started showing up, the whole floor was even more congested. and let me say this (if i haven't already): i absolutely HATE crowds. i mean, i can deal w/them, but i hate feeling like i don't have my own air to breathe. how annoying!
at any rate, as soon as they directed us where to go, we made our way upstairs to our kitchen. after being advised by richard (our chef) to remove any valuables from our pockets, we stowed our coats down the hall and joined him at the main table. it's been years since my time at the french culinary institute, so it was fabulous to be in the kitchen again, w/everything all silver and shiny, and just slightly larger than what you'd see at home.
after we all got seated, richard introduced himself and went over all the dishes we were going to make for the night. he spoke fast and w/quite a bit of flair. a little dramatic for a cooking class, but i love anyone who can include words like trychinosis and gluteus maximus in the discussion w/o a blink of an eye. and as awful as this is going to sound (and who cares really?), i secretly (and now openly) relished the fact that one woman had to raise her hand and ask "what's trychinosis?" (i mean, are you stupid?) especially since she was the one who was later competing for who made the best bundt cake. (i mean, are you retarded? how old are you?) so there, i'm a snob. what can i say? i love words. and if you can use them in the correct manner and shoot them off at a rapid fire pace, you get brownie points. and lots of them at that!
let me say that there were NINE dishes on the menu. NINE. and it was a FOUR-hour class. FOUR. granted i'm the the little asian girl that can't do math, but i don't think it takes a lot to figure out that, unless you're robert irvine, this meal ain't comin' together -- at least not on your own! at first, i'd thought that ruby and i were supposed to make all of these dishes b/w the two of us (b/c we worked in small teams @ FCI). needless to say, i was quite relieved when richard started assigning different tasks to different groups and tables. for example, he assigned us (me, ruby, and our new friend bernie) to work on the mojo for the marsitas fritas (which received rave reviews from the class, even though it was a bit too citrus-ey for me).
richard was QUITE sarcastic, but also QUITE witty, which totally made for fun times since i couldn't take his barbs too seriously. he was really quite hilarious and i'll be sure never to say nor cal to a nor cal native again! (ok, richard?) as for the rest of the class, we interacted mostly w/bernie, who was our partner in crime. while her hubby worked on the bundt cake and the shanghai meatballs w/another student, we focused on the marsitas fritas and the spaghetti squash w/pancetta. to be honest, i felt like i was chopping garlic the WHOLE time, but i also didn't really mind. especially since i wasn't too excited about possibly burning myself or tiring myself out given that i had to wake up at 5am the next morning.
at any rate, i thought our marsitas fritas came out a bit dry, and our spaghetti squash a bit salty, but very few dishes came out perfectly. (i mean, seriously, FOUR hours? plus, we actually didn't come close to cooking for the whole time. especially when we started at 6:30, and were cleaned up, fed, and dismissed by 9:30. didn't i say richard was speedy?) not that it mattered b/c it was so exciting to see everything all come together at the end. we even go to use nice ICE china & utensils -- no scrimping here! only the best for the best.
we started off w/the onion & chorizo soup, which was a teensy bit salty, but very good. then we all got to go around the other table and grab a plate and pile on whatever we wanted. i had a little bit of everything -- and then went back for seconds! from the dishes we didn't make, i thought the mushrooms, bacon, & mustard greens were a bit salty, and the pork-filled meat pies (like empanadas) were a bit bland. the prosciutto-wrapped pork tenderloin was probably the easiest to make (roll up a piece of meat in a piece of fat -- i mean, seriously!) and, more importantly, the juiciest! but i had to have seconds of the shanghai meatballs (which had a bit of crunch from what i thought were the rice noodles but were actually the water chestnuts -- who would've thunk?) b/c they were oh-so-flavorful AND MOIST, and the serrano ham pressed sandwiches (like cubanos and/or paninis -- i haven't decided which) which were UNBELIEVABLE b/c of the spiced guava paste. i seriously HAVE to find me some of that. i totally love the combo of sweet & savory (which apparently derek dislikes -- you're a chump, derek, but i love you!), so these sandwiches were AMAZING.
we ended the night on a sweet note w/two versions of the lemon poppy seed bundt cake. even though the annoying girl was trying to make richard pick the "better" one (again, how fucking juvenile!), he didn't. and i decided that the poppier one (which was a paler yellow and quite a bit more speckled) had a lighter, milder flavor (which richard noted was probably a good palate cleanser) and the sweeter one (which was a brighter yellow and less speckled) would've been perfect w/a nice cup of coffee. and though richard pointed out the coffee in the corner, i thought i'd stay away from the caffeine for fear of staying up all night!
other than the competitive girl (and her poor significant other -- oh how i felt for him), everyone else was pretty nice and friendly. bernie & her husband were very into the cooking and had taken a few classes before. ruth & jeff were a really cute couple who worked in publishing together. kate & jeff were another cute couple who we found out went to dartmouth too! (it's hilarious how your ears perk up as soon as you hear your alma mater.) i felt bad when they said their partner in crime was an asshole know-it-all. (god how i hate those too. am i hypocrite though?) but the guy who made the soup was very sweet. as was the woman who made the poppier bundt cake -- i think she was a personal chef who worked upstate. richard himself went to cooking school out in northern california (happy, richard?) and spent many years out there before moving to new york. i'm not sure which coast he's actually from, but he could totally be bi-coastal.
at any rate, this dinner w/12 strangers (just about) was quite lovely. and i really do love being surrounded by people who love food and cooking. there's something so warm and fuzzy about that. it's just not the same staring at food network....
institute of culinary education
50 west 23rd street
new york, ny 10010
800.522.4610
http://www.iceculinary.com/
oh! and richard also has his own blog:
http://www.unitedtaste.blogspot.com/
Saturday, March 29, 2008
kittichai
i swear that every time i have dinner w/nicole (and her friend fernando), i always end up at the most fabulous restaurants having the most engaging conversations. god, how i love life sometimes....
my last trip to new york took the three of us to buddakan (http://www.buddakan.com/), which was amazing and delicious -- and absolutely spectacular in terms of decor. i swear we ate so much yummy food that we could barely roll ourselves out the door. (no worries, i'll blog about it the next time i go!)
this recent trip to new york took us to kittichai, which was yet another fabulous asian joint picked out by nicole. who is, for all intents and purposes, asian. (and yes, darling, that's a compliment!)
after catching up w/ev and her beloved (and animated) kikyo, we raced over to the restaurant, admittedly not knowing *quite* exactly where we were going. after several calls and much jaywalking (which you simply *have* to do in new york b/c they don't ticket you), ev and kikyo dropped me off and waved happily as my dinner dates and i made our way inside.
as with buddakan, the decor was absolutely spectacular at kittichai. totally asian modern chic. and as someone who's asian modern chic, i loved it. (just kidding! ok, not really. no no, kidding for sure. who'd ever call ME chic?!) lots of dark wood, flowing water, dangling orchids. while the hostess had a bit of the dragon lady look about her, the waiters were very well dressed and put together.
more importantly, the waiters offered just the right amount of attention throughout the entire meal. our main waiter was fabulous and kind enough to adjust our table as soon as i mentioned that it was wobbling. (i mean, who wants to eat on a wobbling table?! the whole experience would've been ruined.) which made for a much more enjoyable experience overall. while we couldn't always locate our main waiter right away, the other waitstaff weren't ones to keep us wanting. all we had to do was beckon -- now THAT's service.
although we gave some consideration to the tasting menu, we decided that it was way too immense for us to tackle on this night. so we decided to do what always seems to work -- eat family style! after being pressed by fernando, we all picked different appetizers and entrees, as well as various sides to go along w/the meal. we even picked three different desserts to end the night on a sweet note. with so many different flavors to entice the taste buds, it was definitely not a boring evening -- and we haven't even gotten to the dinner conversation!
appetizers:
kittichai fishcakes -- interesting consistency, especially the slight crispy outside, but considering that i'm not a fan of fishcakes, this was definitely not one of my favorites. fernando, on the other hand, devoured them. (go fernando!) a key to reading reviews: different strokes for different folks. especially when different folks have different palates. remember that.
chocolate baby back ribs -- nicole and i found these online the night before, and she made sure to order them. OMG. whoever was brilliant enough to pair chocolate w/ribs (two of my favoritest foods in the world) deserves a freaking MEDAL. i mean, it was a perfect combination of sweet and salty, plus there was a bit of a kick at the end. in fact, the ribs were so ridiculously delicious that fernando suggested they be made into a meal unto themselves. (i can't agree more.)
banana blossom and artichoke salad -- left much to be desired. quite honestly, i picked the dish b/c it sounded exotic. but it simply didn't taste all that great. plus, it had a weird mouth-feel that just wasn't appetizing. i would've done w/the green papaya and mango salad, especially since nicole and fernando (as i found out this night) were both allergic to shellfish and couldn't really sample two of the dishes i'd chosen. (bummer!) a key to eating out: check for food allergies! b/c even if one of your dinner companions doesn't mind not skipping some of the dishes, it's just not fair. (you'd know how YOU'D feel. oh, stop lying to yourself.)
entrees:
pineapple braised short ribs in green curry -- first things first, nicole didn't taste the pineapple, and neither did i. (would this be considered false advertising?) these ribs didn't quite fall off the bone (they seemed a bit dry actually -- how is that even possible?!), but they were still quite tasty, especially when dipped in the green curry
crispy whole fish -- this thing was a MONSTER. they literally presented it to us completely fried and shaped into a perfect curve, which made it look like it was still swimming. literally like a fish out of water! now that i think about it, they must've held the fish in place while they were frying it. how else would they have been able to achieve that shape? at any rate, i had the honor of cutting up this behemoth and i was applauded for my efforts. in no time, i was able to cut up this beast and get it soaking in the sauce underneath. and it was absolutely delicious. especially when you got the contrast of crispy skin, tender meat, and yummy juices. i don't even remember the sweet chili-tamarind sauce b/c the fish juices were just that good. mmm....
for the life of me, i can't seem to remember our third dish. (probably b/c the other two were way more memorable.) i think it was a chicken curry of some sort w/peppers in it. (yeah, when i can't remember it or find it online, it's probably something you could order at some local joint.) for sides, fernando and nicole both ordered some jasmine rice, while i indulged in a thai omelette w/lump crab meat and sriracha sauce. i must admit that the egg was a little burnt, but i love lump crab meat and i'll order it pretty much whenever i see it on the menu. w/a little bit of sriracha for a kick, the bites were scrumptious.
before i segue into desserts, let me tell you about the brain-hurting (in a good way) conversation that we had. i'm not quite sure how we got on the topic in the first place, but we started talking about perspective-taking at some point. and seeing as how that's my area of research (as well as a quality i look for in my closest friends), i was certainly talking it up. fernando agreed in a most animated fashion. however, nicole wasn't quite sold. especially since she'd had an annoying day in court and wasn't sure how valid some people's opinions/positions should be.
i certainly don't disagree with that point of view, but then it's a question of what you consider perspective and how far you're willing to take the notion of perspective-taking. fernando's attitude is that he's willing to respect anyone who can back up their opinions -- however asshole-ish or outlandish those opinions might be. my attitude is that i'm willing to respect anyone's right to have an opinion, to acknowledge that their position is shaped by their experiences, and yet to dismiss their point of view completely if they don't have the argument to back it up. my point is that anyone should have a right to their opinion, but they better have put some thought into why they have that opinion if i'm going to even attempt to understand where they're coming from. but i think if you don't respect someone's right to have an opinion, then you're narrow.
nicole had a most interesting perspective though, especially when we took it to the level of morality. i said, "it's not like murder where there's a right and wrong" and she said, "well, i think there are some things that ARE right and wrong." that brought about an interesting turn b/c i suppose that the exent of our moral codes can really impact how far we're willing to take on other perspectives. and given that different professions have different (and often higher) standards, there may be certain limits you can't (and don't want to) move past. which is understandable, and respectable to some degree.
i think fernando was trying to get us to come to some consensus, which isn't always the point of such engaging conversations (at least in my perspective). to be honest, i think it's even more interesting when the discussion comes to a standstill b/c it means that everyone's put their positions out there and really defended them, which i find admirable. (well, at least when the logic makes sense!) at any rate, i'm a proponent of dialogue, and this one was certainly challenging. especially when we were trying to enjoy the food at the same time!
btw, one more thing before i move on. i must admit to being somewhat louder and more animated when i feel like people are listening to my dinner conversation. (i mean, if your dinner companions are so boring that you have to listen to me and mine, we might as well make it easy for you, right?) at any rate, i'm not quite sure whether the folks at the next table found our dinner conversation (or fernando's frenetic aura) particularly fascinating, but the gentleman kept looking at us throughout the night. nicole and fernando determined that they were probably on a first date. and my thought is that i'm glad the lady got an expensive meal out of him b/c she should NEVER see him again. i mean, how rude is that (to everyone involved) to ogle the next table the whole night? if we were so distracting, he really should've asked for another table. i mean, simple solution. what an idiot. i hate stupid people.
on a more positive note, DESSERT. there was no way we could skip it. as i mentioned earlier, we ordered three different ones. and since the dessert menu isn't online, i can't refer back, so i'll do my best commenting from memory.
the chocolate cake -- not my fave. it could've been moister and it didn't do it for me. there was something about the mouth-feel (my current fave term, i have no idea why, probably b/c it's just a funny combination of words) that wasn't quite right. i've just had a lot of chocolate cake in my lifetime (as short as it may be), and this version wasn't airy and fluffy or smooth and creamy. it was like something in the middle. and unlike goldilocks, i just didn't find that very appealing.
the banana spring rolls -- yes, i wanted them. yes, i ordered them. but no, they weren't very good. what w/the tofu spring rolls at gobo, i should've known that not everything tastes good (or better) in a spring roll. (i know, i'm stupid. AUGH!) these were just so very plain. plus the bananas weren't even moist or warm -- or ripe! and given that i don't even really like bananas, this was just a waste of a dessert. well, except for the luscious ice cream that came on the side of the dish. i think it was the burnt honey ice cream that came w/this dish (as opposed to the next one), but whatever it was, it pretty much made up for spring rolls. (well, almost.)
the panna cotta -- at this point, i'm clueless as to what flavors were in this dish, but i absolutely LOVED them. i literally remember scraping the bottom of the plate. there was just something so fabulously intriguing about the combination of subtle flavor (jasmine perhaps?) and smooth texture. there was also a delicious ice cream that came on the side, but it was really better to have the two separately. especially since the density of the ice cream easily overwhelmed the lightness of the panna cotta. (i must thank derek and jerry for bringing out this newfound appreciation for panna cotta -- they've always been such fans.)
needless to say, i was enthralled by this entire dining experience. many thanks to nicole for treating me (you're so lovely!) and fernando for delighting us w/his tales (good luck on you know what!). i can't wait till we do it again -- in a month maybe?!
kittichai
60 thompson street
new york, ny 10012
212.219.2000
http://www.kittichairestaurant.com/index2.html
my last trip to new york took the three of us to buddakan (http://www.buddakan.com/), which was amazing and delicious -- and absolutely spectacular in terms of decor. i swear we ate so much yummy food that we could barely roll ourselves out the door. (no worries, i'll blog about it the next time i go!)
this recent trip to new york took us to kittichai, which was yet another fabulous asian joint picked out by nicole. who is, for all intents and purposes, asian. (and yes, darling, that's a compliment!)
after catching up w/ev and her beloved (and animated) kikyo, we raced over to the restaurant, admittedly not knowing *quite* exactly where we were going. after several calls and much jaywalking (which you simply *have* to do in new york b/c they don't ticket you), ev and kikyo dropped me off and waved happily as my dinner dates and i made our way inside.
as with buddakan, the decor was absolutely spectacular at kittichai. totally asian modern chic. and as someone who's asian modern chic, i loved it. (just kidding! ok, not really. no no, kidding for sure. who'd ever call ME chic?!) lots of dark wood, flowing water, dangling orchids. while the hostess had a bit of the dragon lady look about her, the waiters were very well dressed and put together.
more importantly, the waiters offered just the right amount of attention throughout the entire meal. our main waiter was fabulous and kind enough to adjust our table as soon as i mentioned that it was wobbling. (i mean, who wants to eat on a wobbling table?! the whole experience would've been ruined.) which made for a much more enjoyable experience overall. while we couldn't always locate our main waiter right away, the other waitstaff weren't ones to keep us wanting. all we had to do was beckon -- now THAT's service.
although we gave some consideration to the tasting menu, we decided that it was way too immense for us to tackle on this night. so we decided to do what always seems to work -- eat family style! after being pressed by fernando, we all picked different appetizers and entrees, as well as various sides to go along w/the meal. we even picked three different desserts to end the night on a sweet note. with so many different flavors to entice the taste buds, it was definitely not a boring evening -- and we haven't even gotten to the dinner conversation!
appetizers:
kittichai fishcakes -- interesting consistency, especially the slight crispy outside, but considering that i'm not a fan of fishcakes, this was definitely not one of my favorites. fernando, on the other hand, devoured them. (go fernando!) a key to reading reviews: different strokes for different folks. especially when different folks have different palates. remember that.
chocolate baby back ribs -- nicole and i found these online the night before, and she made sure to order them. OMG. whoever was brilliant enough to pair chocolate w/ribs (two of my favoritest foods in the world) deserves a freaking MEDAL. i mean, it was a perfect combination of sweet and salty, plus there was a bit of a kick at the end. in fact, the ribs were so ridiculously delicious that fernando suggested they be made into a meal unto themselves. (i can't agree more.)
banana blossom and artichoke salad -- left much to be desired. quite honestly, i picked the dish b/c it sounded exotic. but it simply didn't taste all that great. plus, it had a weird mouth-feel that just wasn't appetizing. i would've done w/the green papaya and mango salad, especially since nicole and fernando (as i found out this night) were both allergic to shellfish and couldn't really sample two of the dishes i'd chosen. (bummer!) a key to eating out: check for food allergies! b/c even if one of your dinner companions doesn't mind not skipping some of the dishes, it's just not fair. (you'd know how YOU'D feel. oh, stop lying to yourself.)
entrees:
pineapple braised short ribs in green curry -- first things first, nicole didn't taste the pineapple, and neither did i. (would this be considered false advertising?) these ribs didn't quite fall off the bone (they seemed a bit dry actually -- how is that even possible?!), but they were still quite tasty, especially when dipped in the green curry
crispy whole fish -- this thing was a MONSTER. they literally presented it to us completely fried and shaped into a perfect curve, which made it look like it was still swimming. literally like a fish out of water! now that i think about it, they must've held the fish in place while they were frying it. how else would they have been able to achieve that shape? at any rate, i had the honor of cutting up this behemoth and i was applauded for my efforts. in no time, i was able to cut up this beast and get it soaking in the sauce underneath. and it was absolutely delicious. especially when you got the contrast of crispy skin, tender meat, and yummy juices. i don't even remember the sweet chili-tamarind sauce b/c the fish juices were just that good. mmm....
for the life of me, i can't seem to remember our third dish. (probably b/c the other two were way more memorable.) i think it was a chicken curry of some sort w/peppers in it. (yeah, when i can't remember it or find it online, it's probably something you could order at some local joint.) for sides, fernando and nicole both ordered some jasmine rice, while i indulged in a thai omelette w/lump crab meat and sriracha sauce. i must admit that the egg was a little burnt, but i love lump crab meat and i'll order it pretty much whenever i see it on the menu. w/a little bit of sriracha for a kick, the bites were scrumptious.
before i segue into desserts, let me tell you about the brain-hurting (in a good way) conversation that we had. i'm not quite sure how we got on the topic in the first place, but we started talking about perspective-taking at some point. and seeing as how that's my area of research (as well as a quality i look for in my closest friends), i was certainly talking it up. fernando agreed in a most animated fashion. however, nicole wasn't quite sold. especially since she'd had an annoying day in court and wasn't sure how valid some people's opinions/positions should be.
i certainly don't disagree with that point of view, but then it's a question of what you consider perspective and how far you're willing to take the notion of perspective-taking. fernando's attitude is that he's willing to respect anyone who can back up their opinions -- however asshole-ish or outlandish those opinions might be. my attitude is that i'm willing to respect anyone's right to have an opinion, to acknowledge that their position is shaped by their experiences, and yet to dismiss their point of view completely if they don't have the argument to back it up. my point is that anyone should have a right to their opinion, but they better have put some thought into why they have that opinion if i'm going to even attempt to understand where they're coming from. but i think if you don't respect someone's right to have an opinion, then you're narrow.
nicole had a most interesting perspective though, especially when we took it to the level of morality. i said, "it's not like murder where there's a right and wrong" and she said, "well, i think there are some things that ARE right and wrong." that brought about an interesting turn b/c i suppose that the exent of our moral codes can really impact how far we're willing to take on other perspectives. and given that different professions have different (and often higher) standards, there may be certain limits you can't (and don't want to) move past. which is understandable, and respectable to some degree.
i think fernando was trying to get us to come to some consensus, which isn't always the point of such engaging conversations (at least in my perspective). to be honest, i think it's even more interesting when the discussion comes to a standstill b/c it means that everyone's put their positions out there and really defended them, which i find admirable. (well, at least when the logic makes sense!) at any rate, i'm a proponent of dialogue, and this one was certainly challenging. especially when we were trying to enjoy the food at the same time!
btw, one more thing before i move on. i must admit to being somewhat louder and more animated when i feel like people are listening to my dinner conversation. (i mean, if your dinner companions are so boring that you have to listen to me and mine, we might as well make it easy for you, right?) at any rate, i'm not quite sure whether the folks at the next table found our dinner conversation (or fernando's frenetic aura) particularly fascinating, but the gentleman kept looking at us throughout the night. nicole and fernando determined that they were probably on a first date. and my thought is that i'm glad the lady got an expensive meal out of him b/c she should NEVER see him again. i mean, how rude is that (to everyone involved) to ogle the next table the whole night? if we were so distracting, he really should've asked for another table. i mean, simple solution. what an idiot. i hate stupid people.
on a more positive note, DESSERT. there was no way we could skip it. as i mentioned earlier, we ordered three different ones. and since the dessert menu isn't online, i can't refer back, so i'll do my best commenting from memory.
the chocolate cake -- not my fave. it could've been moister and it didn't do it for me. there was something about the mouth-feel (my current fave term, i have no idea why, probably b/c it's just a funny combination of words) that wasn't quite right. i've just had a lot of chocolate cake in my lifetime (as short as it may be), and this version wasn't airy and fluffy or smooth and creamy. it was like something in the middle. and unlike goldilocks, i just didn't find that very appealing.
the banana spring rolls -- yes, i wanted them. yes, i ordered them. but no, they weren't very good. what w/the tofu spring rolls at gobo, i should've known that not everything tastes good (or better) in a spring roll. (i know, i'm stupid. AUGH!) these were just so very plain. plus the bananas weren't even moist or warm -- or ripe! and given that i don't even really like bananas, this was just a waste of a dessert. well, except for the luscious ice cream that came on the side of the dish. i think it was the burnt honey ice cream that came w/this dish (as opposed to the next one), but whatever it was, it pretty much made up for spring rolls. (well, almost.)
the panna cotta -- at this point, i'm clueless as to what flavors were in this dish, but i absolutely LOVED them. i literally remember scraping the bottom of the plate. there was just something so fabulously intriguing about the combination of subtle flavor (jasmine perhaps?) and smooth texture. there was also a delicious ice cream that came on the side, but it was really better to have the two separately. especially since the density of the ice cream easily overwhelmed the lightness of the panna cotta. (i must thank derek and jerry for bringing out this newfound appreciation for panna cotta -- they've always been such fans.)
needless to say, i was enthralled by this entire dining experience. many thanks to nicole for treating me (you're so lovely!) and fernando for delighting us w/his tales (good luck on you know what!). i can't wait till we do it again -- in a month maybe?!
kittichai
60 thompson street
new york, ny 10012
212.219.2000
http://www.kittichairestaurant.com/index2.html
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
gobo
seeing as how i'd loved this place when i took my mom & ivana a few years ago, i thought i'd try it again w/alex on this trip home. and b/c i'm exhausted from walking all day, i'll keep this review relatively short and say that i was totally disappointed. yes, totally disappointed. granted, i might've had one too many cheap hors d'oeuvres at the UCLA reception earlier in the evening, but i'm sure my stomach and taste buds weren't THAT out of whack.
needless to say, the company was fabulous. and alex (w/her tales of joy and woe) totally distracted me from the food most of the time. in general, this isn't always a good thing, but when the food's mediocre, it's actually a blessing. and while my iced green tea was perfectly light (though i asked the waiter 2-3 times whether it was unsweetened, only to have him ultimately NOT answer me), there were some serious taste issues w/the food.
from the quick bites list, we ordered the crispy spinach & soy cheese wontons and the five spice tofu rolls w/mango puree. the wontons (which came out a bit later in the meal) actually had quite a bit of flavor, though i'm not sure i tasted any soy cheese. (i suppose you have to be looking for it maybe?) at any rate, the dipping sauce was what gave the wontons the most flavor. (which actually seems to run true for all of gobo's dishes unfortunately. unfortunately, b/c i think the dipping sauce should be a nice compliment, not the originator of flavor for the dish.) the rolls (which came out first), on the other hand, were totally and completely bland until you dipped them in the puree. even though i love anything mango, the fact that the dish itself had no flavor meant that the chef didn't think to season it at all. and while i can understand that keeping a dish mildly flavored allows the diner to season to his/her taste buds, i think it's a bit slacker-ish to not use any salt whatsoever. (and yes, it totally tasted that way.)
from the small plates list, we ordered the seitan skewers w/green tea mustard sauce and the hot spiced bean curd, red onion, & pepper stir-fry. an even starker contrast in terms of flavor. the seitan skewers -- completely bland and flavorless. i can't remember the last time i tasted seitan, but gobo's version came off as a weird textural cross b/w meat and veggie. substantive but oddly chewy, which came off a little bizarre. and once again, the dish was flavorless. the chunks of seitan had to be seriously dipped in something, ANYTHING, before i could even think of enjoying the chew. on the flip side, the stir-fry was overwhelmingly salty -- as if the whole dish had been marinated in soy sauce and doused again in it during the stir-fry process. OMG. talk about needing rice -- and i hate rice! (well, hate's a strong word, but i come really close.) the bean curd slivers were fairly yummy, but seriously, all i can really remember is the salt.
as our last dish, we ordered from the large plates list and decided on the soy protein & spinach roll w/jade mushrooms. this dish was a bit of a mixed bag b/c the actual roll (cut into sections) was DEE-LISH, as were the hefty mushrooms. unfortunately, the dish came w/peppers that were pretty basic and some mashed stuff that i thought might've been taro root or turnip or potato. (and god knows how much i hate potato!) at any rate, it was a mushy, carb-ey mess that i totally did NOT enjoy at ALL. ick!
next time i eat here (and i AM eating here), i think i'm going to order ALL mushroom dishes. one, b/c mushrooms are one of my all-time favorite foods in the world. and two, b/c gobo seems to be able to actually get those RIGHT. i suppose they should stick to what they do best. though perhaps they'd have to re-name their restaurant to something like...'SHROOM? any thoughts?
gobo
401 avenue of the americas
new york, ny 10014
212.255.3902
http://www.goborestaurant.com/west/index.htm
needless to say, the company was fabulous. and alex (w/her tales of joy and woe) totally distracted me from the food most of the time. in general, this isn't always a good thing, but when the food's mediocre, it's actually a blessing. and while my iced green tea was perfectly light (though i asked the waiter 2-3 times whether it was unsweetened, only to have him ultimately NOT answer me), there were some serious taste issues w/the food.
from the quick bites list, we ordered the crispy spinach & soy cheese wontons and the five spice tofu rolls w/mango puree. the wontons (which came out a bit later in the meal) actually had quite a bit of flavor, though i'm not sure i tasted any soy cheese. (i suppose you have to be looking for it maybe?) at any rate, the dipping sauce was what gave the wontons the most flavor. (which actually seems to run true for all of gobo's dishes unfortunately. unfortunately, b/c i think the dipping sauce should be a nice compliment, not the originator of flavor for the dish.) the rolls (which came out first), on the other hand, were totally and completely bland until you dipped them in the puree. even though i love anything mango, the fact that the dish itself had no flavor meant that the chef didn't think to season it at all. and while i can understand that keeping a dish mildly flavored allows the diner to season to his/her taste buds, i think it's a bit slacker-ish to not use any salt whatsoever. (and yes, it totally tasted that way.)
from the small plates list, we ordered the seitan skewers w/green tea mustard sauce and the hot spiced bean curd, red onion, & pepper stir-fry. an even starker contrast in terms of flavor. the seitan skewers -- completely bland and flavorless. i can't remember the last time i tasted seitan, but gobo's version came off as a weird textural cross b/w meat and veggie. substantive but oddly chewy, which came off a little bizarre. and once again, the dish was flavorless. the chunks of seitan had to be seriously dipped in something, ANYTHING, before i could even think of enjoying the chew. on the flip side, the stir-fry was overwhelmingly salty -- as if the whole dish had been marinated in soy sauce and doused again in it during the stir-fry process. OMG. talk about needing rice -- and i hate rice! (well, hate's a strong word, but i come really close.) the bean curd slivers were fairly yummy, but seriously, all i can really remember is the salt.
as our last dish, we ordered from the large plates list and decided on the soy protein & spinach roll w/jade mushrooms. this dish was a bit of a mixed bag b/c the actual roll (cut into sections) was DEE-LISH, as were the hefty mushrooms. unfortunately, the dish came w/peppers that were pretty basic and some mashed stuff that i thought might've been taro root or turnip or potato. (and god knows how much i hate potato!) at any rate, it was a mushy, carb-ey mess that i totally did NOT enjoy at ALL. ick!
next time i eat here (and i AM eating here), i think i'm going to order ALL mushroom dishes. one, b/c mushrooms are one of my all-time favorite foods in the world. and two, b/c gobo seems to be able to actually get those RIGHT. i suppose they should stick to what they do best. though perhaps they'd have to re-name their restaurant to something like...'SHROOM? any thoughts?
gobo
401 avenue of the americas
new york, ny 10014
212.255.3902
http://www.goborestaurant.com/west/index.htm
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
sanctuarytea
so you know how you always hung out with your own clique in high school and you never ventured too far out of your own comfort zone to get to know the other kids? well, it's been years since high school and you start to wonder whether you'd missed out on some really cool people....
needless to say, facebook is a dream in terms of picking up where high school left off. without it, i'm not quite sure how i'd ever have been able to get back in touch w/joanne & silvia (both of whom never go to stuy reunions) -- and both of whom are totally fabulous and worthy of mention in this oh-so-fabulous blog. (yes, i'm totally self-congratulatory. so what?)
on the second day of this new york adventure (sponsored by mom -- thanks, mom!), i met up w/these two fabulous ladies at sanctuarytea, a cute little restaurant i found on citysearch or opentable or some combination thereof. it was perfectly lovely walking all the way from nicole's cool upper east side studio to 42nd & b'way (where i caught the subway), but it was absolutely FREEZING when i got out of the station. (OMG!! thank goodness for layers.) so i was happy that the restaurant wasn't too far away and i showed myself right in despite being 15 min early. (i mean, the door was open, right?)
the hostess seated me right away and i was mulling over the immense tea list (and i mean immense) when i saw joanne waiting outside. i dialed her digits right away (so she wouldn't freeze either) and told her i was inside. as soon as she sat down, i ordered the watermelon tea, which came right away in a super deep white cup with a rock sugar stick -- oh so classy! as i was letting my tea steep, in wanders silvia, who i literally haven't seen since the last days of high school. i'm totally serious! and until a few months ago when she and sue came out to LA, i hadn't seen joanne either! it was really an amazing little stuy reunion. who would've thunk?
at any rate, my fellow foodies and i had already checked out the menu online (such a given), but we had to scan through the printed menu again since some of the dishes had changed (including the pumpkin soup i'd wanted!). seeing as how i'd just stuffed myself on red meat the night before, i thought i'd keep dinner light. plus, i'd just walked all the way downtown, so eating heavily would've negated all the calories i'd just burnt. (so sue me for caring about my figure!)
i decided on the celery root soup (hoping that it wasn't all cream) and the crab salad (seeing as how i love crabmeat). joanne chose the strip steak and silvia had the salmon. now when you're eating out, you always consider whether you're getting enough bang for the buck. and as soon as the food came out and i *smelled* seafood, i knew i wasn't -- at least not for the seafood. b/c as all foodies know, you're not *supposed* to smell seafood. i wasn't quite sure whether it was my dish or silvia's, but that was *so* not appealing. plus, the portions were WAY small considering what we were paying -- and the fact that we weren't at a michelin-starred restaurant. i mean, seriously. even though joanne's dish looked pretty enticing, i was still a bit unnerved until my celery root soup came out. if anything was going to make up for paying too much for mediocre, funny-smelling seafood, it was going to be my big bowl of soup.
b/c it was SO good. i'd been worried that it was going to be all cream, though i really shouldn't have been. i mean, does celery root even go w/cream? then again, what doesn't go w/cream? at any rate, i suppose i could've asked, but i seriously didn't taste any cream at all! so either there wasn't any in there, or else they were really darn subtle about it. either way, i was very pleased. i couldn't even fish it b/c it was so thick and filling! though i'd wish i'd order two soups rather than paid way too much for a pathetic crab salad that had no flavor. that and i hate olives and i don't remember any matcha genmaicha tea jelly on my plate. needless to say, i was disappointed.
silvia's fish looked pretty basic (i wonder if she could taste the tea), so i think joanne's dish got best in show. though i noticed that her plate was completely lopsided, with the meat all on one side of the plate and a few streaks of sauce on the other. (quite odd, i must say.) after dinner, joanne & silvia both said their dishes were pretty good, though we all agreed that the portions were quite small. i'm sure they were being polite when they said that it was a good meal to treat yourself to every once in a while. but seeing as how i eat out all the time, my attitude is that your food better be worth your money. and this place needs quite a bit of work before it has the right to charge what it's charging.
seeing as how i can't end any meal w/o dessert, i ordered the green tea panna cotta. to be honest, it was quite good actually. i guess it would've been nicer in a dessert dish (b/c it was in a plastic cup from what i can remember), but it tasted pretty yummy. plus, at that point, i was already so distracted by our hilarious conversation that i wasn't too focused on what i was putting into my mouth. i mean, how can anyone focus w/coffee prince on the mind? (ladies, i need that link!)
sanctuarytea
337b west broadway
new york, ny 10013
212.941.7832
BLT steak
so the first time i was here, i was w/two of my favoritest (and hottest) gentlemen -- mr. jeff and mr. soon. all dressed up and taking lil ole me out to dinner. (FYI: i love you guys!) and when i say that the company makes the meal, well, they totally fit the bill. we didn't have a reservation and we had to wait quite a while, but it was totally worth it for all the gluttony we partook of that night. at this point, the meal was pretty much a blur. all i remember is ordering a LOT, eating a LOT, and somehow trying to get back to caroline's place w/o falling asleep on the train from food coma.
so when linda asked for a quintessential new york dining experience, i knew *exactly* where to take her. i took the ladies route and made a reservation *months* in advance. and even then, i wasn't able to get the time i wanted. so i took what was available and we were set for a late dinner on the *one* night that our new york trips overlapped. isn't that crazy? she's in hawaii and i'm in LA, and we had one night to meet up in new york of all places. thank god we're both whirlwind travelers!
after many back-and-forth calls on the cell phones (b/c we simply can't get enough of each other's melodic voices), we both finally made it to the restaurant. and just in time for our reservation! after we checked our coats, we were seated right away. in b/w a table of four loud, middle-aged women, and a two-person table that transitioned from two gentlemen at a business dinner to a cute couple who were out for a late supper. as i think about it now, even the diners were quintessential new yorkers!
at any rate, i'm glad linda got the inside seat so that she could look out at the sea of people and the amazing decor. not only was the place crowded with lovely new yorkers (and visitors, i'm sure) in all their upscale and semi-upscale dress, it was also decorated in the most soothing brown tones -- a ton of dark wood and a lighting scheme that's reminscent of soft candlelight. the atmosphere is totally bistro/brasserie, making it the perfect end-of-day retreat. i must admit that all the talk in the room (and the slightly large size of our table) made it somewaht difficult to hear each other, but i suppose that's what you have to give up for the overall relaxing atmosphere. (sorry, linda!)
almost as soon as we sat down, the waitstaff brought over some crisps and a foie gras mousse -- compliments of the chef. can i tell you how much i love it when stuff is brought to the table -- compliments of the chef? granted, the same dish is brought to every single table, and it's not like we're the *special* people getting the *special* dish. but there's just something nice about being given a gift of food -- no matter how small. needless to say, the foie gras was DELICIOUS. and YES, i know what it is. and YES, i know what they do to the poor ducks. and YES, it's still absolutely and amazingly delicious. so there.
after we ordered from both the regular menu and the specials list, the waitstaff brought over the oh-so-memorable BLT popovers. FYI that there is no possible way that i could've EVER forgotten these popovers from my first time at BLT steak. why? b/c these things are IMMENSE. granted, they're all air, but they're seriously GINORMOUS and oh-so-yummy in their fluffy glory. w/a bit of a butter, they're absolutely perfect. the waitstaff also offered a huge salt shaker, but i thought that was a bit gratuitous. the best part was that the popovers came w/the popover recipe! that i quickly handed over to linda so that she could expand her cooking repertoire. (go, linda!)
as if the meal couldn't get any better, it did! not only did we have great catch-up conversation about all of life's ups and downs (which we decided that we can only share w/certain people in our lives -- like each other), we were served some seriously AMAZING food. we'd decided on the duck and the hanger steak, as well as the cauliflower gratin and the broccoli rabe. i would've ordered the mushrooms too, but i thought we should save ourselves for the fabulous desserts. (which i'm so glad we did.)
the duck: INCREDIBLE. the skin, perfectly crispy. the meat, perfectly juicy. the pears, drenched in alcohol. (i think we got drunk from eating them.) the juice underneath: just sweet enough. the whole dish was ABSOLUTELY delicious. i think we might've liked that better than the steak even! (i know, blasphemy.) the steak: YUMMY. an interesting contrast of textures b/w the almost burnt exterior and the oh-so-smooth interior. i must admit that i found the outside a bit *too* crispy, but i thought the inside was done nicely. and w/the slight tang of the bearnaise sauce, the bites were perfect.
to complement our meal of meat, we had the cauliflower and the broccoli rabe, which were both off the specials list. i'm glad we had some other options, b/c i was looking for something different. and i wasn't feeling the spinach, asparagus, or green beans at all. the gratin was lovely on the creamy cauliflower. and the broccoli rabe offered a nice bitter contrast. i think i'm always looking for something similar to the bitter leafy greens that i was used to having at dinner growing up. and while the broccoli rabe certainly wasn't leafy, the bitter flavor did the trick.
as linda was munching on the last piece of duck, i asked whether she'd saved room for dessert. at that point, she mentioned the old japanese notion of having multiple stomachs. (is this true?!) so her answer was decidedly YES. i'd been oooh-ing over the chocolate coconut cake on the specials list from the beginning, so that was definitely being ordered. i thought linda might go for the creme fraiche parfait or the buttermilk panna cotta for a lighter contrast, but she chose the crepe souffle off the regular menu.
i was slightly disappointed (only b/c the two other specials sounded so good), but i needn't have been b/c the crepe souffle was AMAZING. i have no idea how it was made, but it was AMAZING. wonderfully light, yet also smooth & creamy, w/the faintest layer of crunchy caramelization on top. it was really the most delectable dessert. in contrast, the chocolate coconut cake was denser, but equally delicious. and given linda's new-found love of chocolate (!!) and her tropical roots, this dessert simply had to be ordered. plus, i'm THE biggest fan of coconut (this side of the pacific, that is). seeing as how i'd yet to have real coconut cake, this was the perfect way to start. b/c this dessert was WAY coconut-ey and WAY chocolate-y -- what more could a girl ask for? and w/a little bit of the ice cream (which we swore also had alcohol in it -- talk about getting two asian girls tipsy), the bites were (again) perfect. w/dessert also came two little brownies -- compliments of the chef. yes, we all know what i think about that.
needless to say, this is (and continues to be) one of my favorite restaurants and fine dining experiences. when we got the check, we weren't even fazed. simply b/c the food, the service, and the ambiance had been amazing all night -- and totally worth the money. i never tip 20% unless i'm impressed in some way, and it was definitely a 20% night. folks, if you're planning a trip to new york anytime soon, make your reservation at BLT steak ASAP.
BLT steak
106 east 57th street
new york, ny 10022
212.752.7470
http://www.bltsteak.com/
so when linda asked for a quintessential new york dining experience, i knew *exactly* where to take her. i took the ladies route and made a reservation *months* in advance. and even then, i wasn't able to get the time i wanted. so i took what was available and we were set for a late dinner on the *one* night that our new york trips overlapped. isn't that crazy? she's in hawaii and i'm in LA, and we had one night to meet up in new york of all places. thank god we're both whirlwind travelers!
after many back-and-forth calls on the cell phones (b/c we simply can't get enough of each other's melodic voices), we both finally made it to the restaurant. and just in time for our reservation! after we checked our coats, we were seated right away. in b/w a table of four loud, middle-aged women, and a two-person table that transitioned from two gentlemen at a business dinner to a cute couple who were out for a late supper. as i think about it now, even the diners were quintessential new yorkers!
at any rate, i'm glad linda got the inside seat so that she could look out at the sea of people and the amazing decor. not only was the place crowded with lovely new yorkers (and visitors, i'm sure) in all their upscale and semi-upscale dress, it was also decorated in the most soothing brown tones -- a ton of dark wood and a lighting scheme that's reminscent of soft candlelight. the atmosphere is totally bistro/brasserie, making it the perfect end-of-day retreat. i must admit that all the talk in the room (and the slightly large size of our table) made it somewaht difficult to hear each other, but i suppose that's what you have to give up for the overall relaxing atmosphere. (sorry, linda!)
almost as soon as we sat down, the waitstaff brought over some crisps and a foie gras mousse -- compliments of the chef. can i tell you how much i love it when stuff is brought to the table -- compliments of the chef? granted, the same dish is brought to every single table, and it's not like we're the *special* people getting the *special* dish. but there's just something nice about being given a gift of food -- no matter how small. needless to say, the foie gras was DELICIOUS. and YES, i know what it is. and YES, i know what they do to the poor ducks. and YES, it's still absolutely and amazingly delicious. so there.
after we ordered from both the regular menu and the specials list, the waitstaff brought over the oh-so-memorable BLT popovers. FYI that there is no possible way that i could've EVER forgotten these popovers from my first time at BLT steak. why? b/c these things are IMMENSE. granted, they're all air, but they're seriously GINORMOUS and oh-so-yummy in their fluffy glory. w/a bit of a butter, they're absolutely perfect. the waitstaff also offered a huge salt shaker, but i thought that was a bit gratuitous. the best part was that the popovers came w/the popover recipe! that i quickly handed over to linda so that she could expand her cooking repertoire. (go, linda!)
as if the meal couldn't get any better, it did! not only did we have great catch-up conversation about all of life's ups and downs (which we decided that we can only share w/certain people in our lives -- like each other), we were served some seriously AMAZING food. we'd decided on the duck and the hanger steak, as well as the cauliflower gratin and the broccoli rabe. i would've ordered the mushrooms too, but i thought we should save ourselves for the fabulous desserts. (which i'm so glad we did.)
the duck: INCREDIBLE. the skin, perfectly crispy. the meat, perfectly juicy. the pears, drenched in alcohol. (i think we got drunk from eating them.) the juice underneath: just sweet enough. the whole dish was ABSOLUTELY delicious. i think we might've liked that better than the steak even! (i know, blasphemy.) the steak: YUMMY. an interesting contrast of textures b/w the almost burnt exterior and the oh-so-smooth interior. i must admit that i found the outside a bit *too* crispy, but i thought the inside was done nicely. and w/the slight tang of the bearnaise sauce, the bites were perfect.
to complement our meal of meat, we had the cauliflower and the broccoli rabe, which were both off the specials list. i'm glad we had some other options, b/c i was looking for something different. and i wasn't feeling the spinach, asparagus, or green beans at all. the gratin was lovely on the creamy cauliflower. and the broccoli rabe offered a nice bitter contrast. i think i'm always looking for something similar to the bitter leafy greens that i was used to having at dinner growing up. and while the broccoli rabe certainly wasn't leafy, the bitter flavor did the trick.
as linda was munching on the last piece of duck, i asked whether she'd saved room for dessert. at that point, she mentioned the old japanese notion of having multiple stomachs. (is this true?!) so her answer was decidedly YES. i'd been oooh-ing over the chocolate coconut cake on the specials list from the beginning, so that was definitely being ordered. i thought linda might go for the creme fraiche parfait or the buttermilk panna cotta for a lighter contrast, but she chose the crepe souffle off the regular menu.
i was slightly disappointed (only b/c the two other specials sounded so good), but i needn't have been b/c the crepe souffle was AMAZING. i have no idea how it was made, but it was AMAZING. wonderfully light, yet also smooth & creamy, w/the faintest layer of crunchy caramelization on top. it was really the most delectable dessert. in contrast, the chocolate coconut cake was denser, but equally delicious. and given linda's new-found love of chocolate (!!) and her tropical roots, this dessert simply had to be ordered. plus, i'm THE biggest fan of coconut (this side of the pacific, that is). seeing as how i'd yet to have real coconut cake, this was the perfect way to start. b/c this dessert was WAY coconut-ey and WAY chocolate-y -- what more could a girl ask for? and w/a little bit of the ice cream (which we swore also had alcohol in it -- talk about getting two asian girls tipsy), the bites were (again) perfect. w/dessert also came two little brownies -- compliments of the chef. yes, we all know what i think about that.
needless to say, this is (and continues to be) one of my favorite restaurants and fine dining experiences. when we got the check, we weren't even fazed. simply b/c the food, the service, and the ambiance had been amazing all night -- and totally worth the money. i never tip 20% unless i'm impressed in some way, and it was definitely a 20% night. folks, if you're planning a trip to new york anytime soon, make your reservation at BLT steak ASAP.
BLT steak
106 east 57th street
new york, ny 10022
212.752.7470
http://www.bltsteak.com/
Sunday, March 23, 2008
march madness
OMG. it's most definitely NOT a good idea to get me into watching sports b/c i simply go nuts. absolutely and completely NUTS. it's only been a few days and i'm already worried about my voice. eek!
to be quite honest, i have no clue what the rules are for basketball. all i know is that i'd much rather watch basketball (than football or baseball) b/c the game moves so much faster. and w/in a much smaller space. granted, i'll watch almost anything as long as i'm in a box and i'm provided w/free food. but if you're going to make me sit down and watch something on tv for a significant amount of time, it better be DAMN interesting. that being said, basketball takes the cake FO SHO (as my little undergrads would say).
for the first time since i've been doing brackets (i think this is the third year), i wasn't completely clueless. which means i didn't choose based on alphabetical order or anything ridiculous (and yes, i used to do just that). when i told derek the other day what i was looking for in my teams, he seriously thought i'd been possessed. i mean, TOTAL shocker. (even i thought so!)
and with brackets, the games are that much more interesting. especially if you're intent on winning your pool. (FYI that i'm totally not since i still really don't know what i'm doing!) and even if you're not, it's totally fun trash-talking everyone else's picks. (thanks, dez. OR NOT.)
even though the games have been going on nonstop for the last few days, i've been fairly successful at keeping myself from being glued to the tv. granted, the upsets have been *quite* ridiculous and probably worthy of continuous viewing. but i don't think i could've been on the edge of my seat for so many games simultaneously and back-to-back. i'm sure i would've had a heart attack by now. seriously.
at this point, i'm kind of glad i'm not wedded to all of my picks. i mean, i chose my teams for good reasons, but i still love seeing the underdogs pull out the wins. there's just something exhilirating about watching that happen. it's like anything goes once you're on the court.
however, the one team that i'll throw myself into is UCLA. (i mean, obviously, right?) while we kicked mississippi's butt hard the other day, the near-miss w/texas today almost caused me to bust a gut. watching the aggies get ahead of us at half time made me want to cry. after that, i kept putting the game on mute, then sound, then mute, then sound. it was a vicious cycle.
all i can say is: THANK GOD FOR LOVE AND COLLISON. without them, we would've most definitely folded under pressure.
AUGH! i can't believe we have so many more games to go!!! and to think i might miss them b/c of all this travel. i could pinch myself!!!
http://espn.go.com/
to be quite honest, i have no clue what the rules are for basketball. all i know is that i'd much rather watch basketball (than football or baseball) b/c the game moves so much faster. and w/in a much smaller space. granted, i'll watch almost anything as long as i'm in a box and i'm provided w/free food. but if you're going to make me sit down and watch something on tv for a significant amount of time, it better be DAMN interesting. that being said, basketball takes the cake FO SHO (as my little undergrads would say).
for the first time since i've been doing brackets (i think this is the third year), i wasn't completely clueless. which means i didn't choose based on alphabetical order or anything ridiculous (and yes, i used to do just that). when i told derek the other day what i was looking for in my teams, he seriously thought i'd been possessed. i mean, TOTAL shocker. (even i thought so!)
and with brackets, the games are that much more interesting. especially if you're intent on winning your pool. (FYI that i'm totally not since i still really don't know what i'm doing!) and even if you're not, it's totally fun trash-talking everyone else's picks. (thanks, dez. OR NOT.)
even though the games have been going on nonstop for the last few days, i've been fairly successful at keeping myself from being glued to the tv. granted, the upsets have been *quite* ridiculous and probably worthy of continuous viewing. but i don't think i could've been on the edge of my seat for so many games simultaneously and back-to-back. i'm sure i would've had a heart attack by now. seriously.
at this point, i'm kind of glad i'm not wedded to all of my picks. i mean, i chose my teams for good reasons, but i still love seeing the underdogs pull out the wins. there's just something exhilirating about watching that happen. it's like anything goes once you're on the court.
however, the one team that i'll throw myself into is UCLA. (i mean, obviously, right?) while we kicked mississippi's butt hard the other day, the near-miss w/texas today almost caused me to bust a gut. watching the aggies get ahead of us at half time made me want to cry. after that, i kept putting the game on mute, then sound, then mute, then sound. it was a vicious cycle.
all i can say is: THANK GOD FOR LOVE AND COLLISON. without them, we would've most definitely folded under pressure.
AUGH! i can't believe we have so many more games to go!!! and to think i might miss them b/c of all this travel. i could pinch myself!!!
http://espn.go.com/
Friday, March 21, 2008
akasha
seeing as how spring has hit LA like a rock in the face (god i’m dramatic), what better way to spend a warm and sunny friday than eating a shi shi lunch w/miss d?
after mucho press on daily candy, thrill list, and urban daddy over the last few months, i decided to book a reservation at akasha. until recently, the restaurant had only offered dinner. and seeing as how i’d have to get there and back on the bus, i’d never wanted to risk waiting around for the bus at night. so when the restaurant started to offer lunch, i thought PERFECT. i’d originally made a reservation for one, but when i found out miss d was interested in the akasha experience, i invited her along for yet another fine dining adventure.
first things first, the front door is HEAVY. no, i’m serious. this thing is big and metal and HEAVY. so make sure you’ve done your bicep curls prior to getting here.
as soon as we walked in, we were greeted by this amazing bakery. you couldn’t help but look and smell and stare. mmm.... so much sugar, so little time. (who’d ever believe i was on a low-carb diet for five years?!) needless to say, it was difficult to drag ourselves away.
as the hostess walked us into the main dining room, i looked back and caught a glimpse of the wine wall (as i like to call it) behind the bar. this isn’t the first time i’ve seen one, but it’s always amazing to look at. to be honest, the whole space was amazing to look at. we were seated at a table for two in the middle of the room. an absolutely incredible space with open construction, high ceilings (which i love), and visible rafters. behind me was a great view of the open kitchen. in front of me was a lovely view of the patio. there was lots of light that made the room seem even bigger. and very little decoration. i was utterly impressed with the size of the space as well as the minimalist design.
to be honest, i hadn’t heard *too* much about the food at akasha, except that it was more local and organic – which is totally the *in* thing right now, but more importantly, really helping to support the farmers. taking a look at the menu, you can’t help but think how akasha is yet another great restaurant to spring up in support of folks eating lower on the food chain. and with all of their interesting flavor combinations, i dare say that they’ll be able to recruit quite a few more.
while it was a bit warm for soup, the special for the day – a vegan split-pea mint soup – sounded absolutely delicious. too bad for us that it wasn’t a few degrees chillier!
for my entree, i chose the red quinoa & edamame w/market veggies & lemongrass tofu. if i couldn’t have the vegan soup, i was definitely going for the vegan bowl. and if i’d been more hungry, i’d have gone for the black lentil-pumpkin seed burger, which sounded soooo good (and was even recommended by the hostess). unfortunately, i was still stuffed from the night before. (is this a trend or what?) regardless, my entree was DELICIOUS. especially when the waiter came over w/a bit of paprika mayo, which he said would go perfectly w/the dish – and it SO did. OMG. even de’sha liked it – and she’s a self-proclaimed condiment-hater!! i mixed in a little bit at a time and it totally made the dish that much more scrumptious. so much so that i had to ask for a second serving! yup, that waiter deserved a hefty tip for that suggestion. mmm....
FYI that de’sha had the spiked turkey burger (which was also recommended by the hostess) and specifically said that it was THE best turkey burger she’d EVER had. (mind you, she’d placed a few swipes of paprika mayo on her bun!) and she thought her fries tasted just like mcdonald’s fries! (which was a compliment i think.) so as you can see, we were both utterly amazed by the food.
considering how we were salivating in the bakery, we couldn’t leave w/o dessert! especially since the hostess had also recommended the salty chocolate tart at the start of the meal – and we’d obviously left room for it. as w/everything else, the tart was a perfect blend of flavors and textures – not too sweet, just a tad salty, very creamy, w/a little bit of crunch. a perfect ending to a perfect meal.
the rest of the dishes and desserts looked amazing, so i was ready to go back before i’d even left! but one thing i did make sure to do before i left was pick up some sweets from the bakery. everything looked amazing, so i just picked out a few cookies this time (which obviously means there will be a next time, right?) for eri. but FYI that i hate it when i bring stuff home for her and she’s not around to eat it right away (or chooses to take her time), b/c i end up not being able to resist and eating the stuff before she even gets to it! isn’t that horrible? *sigh* well, i bought three cookies, and i’ve already eaten one. so i’m glad i told her i bought her *some* cookies b/c *two* can still mean *some*, right? i know, i need help.
akasha
9543 culver boulevard
culver city, ca 90232
310.845.1700
http://www.akasharestaurant.com/index.html
after mucho press on daily candy, thrill list, and urban daddy over the last few months, i decided to book a reservation at akasha. until recently, the restaurant had only offered dinner. and seeing as how i’d have to get there and back on the bus, i’d never wanted to risk waiting around for the bus at night. so when the restaurant started to offer lunch, i thought PERFECT. i’d originally made a reservation for one, but when i found out miss d was interested in the akasha experience, i invited her along for yet another fine dining adventure.
first things first, the front door is HEAVY. no, i’m serious. this thing is big and metal and HEAVY. so make sure you’ve done your bicep curls prior to getting here.
as soon as we walked in, we were greeted by this amazing bakery. you couldn’t help but look and smell and stare. mmm.... so much sugar, so little time. (who’d ever believe i was on a low-carb diet for five years?!) needless to say, it was difficult to drag ourselves away.
as the hostess walked us into the main dining room, i looked back and caught a glimpse of the wine wall (as i like to call it) behind the bar. this isn’t the first time i’ve seen one, but it’s always amazing to look at. to be honest, the whole space was amazing to look at. we were seated at a table for two in the middle of the room. an absolutely incredible space with open construction, high ceilings (which i love), and visible rafters. behind me was a great view of the open kitchen. in front of me was a lovely view of the patio. there was lots of light that made the room seem even bigger. and very little decoration. i was utterly impressed with the size of the space as well as the minimalist design.
to be honest, i hadn’t heard *too* much about the food at akasha, except that it was more local and organic – which is totally the *in* thing right now, but more importantly, really helping to support the farmers. taking a look at the menu, you can’t help but think how akasha is yet another great restaurant to spring up in support of folks eating lower on the food chain. and with all of their interesting flavor combinations, i dare say that they’ll be able to recruit quite a few more.
while it was a bit warm for soup, the special for the day – a vegan split-pea mint soup – sounded absolutely delicious. too bad for us that it wasn’t a few degrees chillier!
for my entree, i chose the red quinoa & edamame w/market veggies & lemongrass tofu. if i couldn’t have the vegan soup, i was definitely going for the vegan bowl. and if i’d been more hungry, i’d have gone for the black lentil-pumpkin seed burger, which sounded soooo good (and was even recommended by the hostess). unfortunately, i was still stuffed from the night before. (is this a trend or what?) regardless, my entree was DELICIOUS. especially when the waiter came over w/a bit of paprika mayo, which he said would go perfectly w/the dish – and it SO did. OMG. even de’sha liked it – and she’s a self-proclaimed condiment-hater!! i mixed in a little bit at a time and it totally made the dish that much more scrumptious. so much so that i had to ask for a second serving! yup, that waiter deserved a hefty tip for that suggestion. mmm....
FYI that de’sha had the spiked turkey burger (which was also recommended by the hostess) and specifically said that it was THE best turkey burger she’d EVER had. (mind you, she’d placed a few swipes of paprika mayo on her bun!) and she thought her fries tasted just like mcdonald’s fries! (which was a compliment i think.) so as you can see, we were both utterly amazed by the food.
considering how we were salivating in the bakery, we couldn’t leave w/o dessert! especially since the hostess had also recommended the salty chocolate tart at the start of the meal – and we’d obviously left room for it. as w/everything else, the tart was a perfect blend of flavors and textures – not too sweet, just a tad salty, very creamy, w/a little bit of crunch. a perfect ending to a perfect meal.
the rest of the dishes and desserts looked amazing, so i was ready to go back before i’d even left! but one thing i did make sure to do before i left was pick up some sweets from the bakery. everything looked amazing, so i just picked out a few cookies this time (which obviously means there will be a next time, right?) for eri. but FYI that i hate it when i bring stuff home for her and she’s not around to eat it right away (or chooses to take her time), b/c i end up not being able to resist and eating the stuff before she even gets to it! isn’t that horrible? *sigh* well, i bought three cookies, and i’ve already eaten one. so i’m glad i told her i bought her *some* cookies b/c *two* can still mean *some*, right? i know, i need help.
akasha
9543 culver boulevard
culver city, ca 90232
310.845.1700
http://www.akasharestaurant.com/index.html
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
tengu
i was really glad when mel mentioned that she hadn’t been to tengu yet, b/c it’s one of my absolute *favorite* places in the neighborhood. and i absolutely *love* taking people there. if it weren’t as pricey as it was, i’d totally consider eating there ALL the time. but alas, one can only do so much on a poor grad student budget. (IIPE)
seeing as how mel had *just* finished her dissertation, i thought she deserved to treat herself to a nice fancy meal. and seeing as how i could get 1000 points on open table (!!), we made an early dinner reservation for a weeknight. i must admit to enjoying early dinners, especially since there are fewer customers making me feel claustrophobic. and with fewer customers to wait on, the staff gives you much more attention, and the kitchen gives your food much more attention. plus, i’m a firm believer in giving you and your food as much time as possible to digest before bed. i mean, who hasn’t passed out on a full stomach and felt totally gross the next day? (if you say yes, you’re lying. otherwise, you’re really young and/or have total self-control, neither of which makes me want to converse with you any further.)
as the hostess escorted us in, she shouted out something in japanese, and all the chefs at the sushi bar shouted something back in unison. i must admit to having *no* idea what they said, but it was totally cool. i’ve heard it before at musha down in santa monica, and i believe eri said it was some sort of greeting, but even *she* couldn’t really make it out. i guess i’ll just have to ask next time. *sigh* at any rate, they did the greeting every time a new party entered the room and it made the whole experience *very* authentic (whatever the heck that means these days).
even though i was stuffed from lunch at the faculty center (!!), i wanted to make sure mel had the full tengu experience. so we ordered a whole bunch of different dishes to try. (i know, i’m such a martyr.) we ordered the kurama yama (since i don’t like rice), the avocado and grapefruit salad (citrus sounded nice), and the filet-wrapped asparagus (b/c mel found that super appealing online). we also decided to keep one of the menus in case we weren’t full from our three dishes (which is always a good idea when you’re eating tapas-style).
as the dishes rolled onto the table, i couldn’t help partaking, even though i was seriously uber full. the kurama yama was delicious. (btw, even though i love the soy paper, i always find it a little bizarre. i mean, how did anyone think to come up with that? a serious culinary innovation, i tell you.) i love any sort of contrast b/w temperatures and textures and flavors. so i loved the contrast b/w the slightly warm and crispy shrimp tempura and the slightly chilly and mushy spicy tuna. and the soy paper just kept it all together.
the avocado and grapefruit salad was a bit acidic for me, but definitely helpful after a bite of filet-wrapped asparagus. while it was yummy, i gave mel free reign to enjoy the bulk of the beef, especially since i’ve been eating less and less red meat over the last few years. i suppose being vegetarian for a month shifted me even further away from my prior bovine tendencies. but it’s not that i don’t enjoy the beef, it’s just that it weighs down a bit more in my tummy. so i only have it a little at a time – and rarely at that. needless to say, mel was a bit shocked, though that simply meant more beef for her.
seeing that she was still hungry, we decided to order the coconut shrimp as well. which was definitely the best decision, since that was the best dish of the night (from my perspective at least). after finding the shrimp tempura in the kurama yama quite delish, we decided to get another shrimp dish. even though (and maybe because) coconut shrimp is so typical, we decided to test it out here. and i was happily surprised b/c this was one of the most well-done coconut shrimp dishes i’ve ever had. granted, i’m pretty much comparing it to my most recent panda express coconut shrimp experience, but still! the shrimp was jumbo-sized and nicely butterflied (do we not love how that rhymes?). they were perfectly covered in just enough coconut. and they were perfectly fried to a lovely crispiness. totally and completely satisfying. mmm....
we were about to attempt dessert when i realized that it was 10 min before VC! total bummer. but alas, work is work. even with the meal cut short though, the food was yummilicious. and having been several times before, i’d recommend this place to anyone who wants to splurge. for everyone else, the happy hour at the bar is GREAT (janet, make sure to comment!) AND i just noticed the lunch specials online.
last but not least, i’ve totally eaten here alone and it was AMAZING. i asked for a corner booth (so i could talk on my phone and not be rude) and i treated myself to a full meal of appetizer, entree, and dessert. it was fabulously self-indulgent and the service was AMAZING. i’d seriously recommend it to anyone who needs a luxurious *me* day.
tengu
10853 lindbrook dr
los angeles, ca 90024
310.209.0071
http://www.tengu.com/
seeing as how mel had *just* finished her dissertation, i thought she deserved to treat herself to a nice fancy meal. and seeing as how i could get 1000 points on open table (!!), we made an early dinner reservation for a weeknight. i must admit to enjoying early dinners, especially since there are fewer customers making me feel claustrophobic. and with fewer customers to wait on, the staff gives you much more attention, and the kitchen gives your food much more attention. plus, i’m a firm believer in giving you and your food as much time as possible to digest before bed. i mean, who hasn’t passed out on a full stomach and felt totally gross the next day? (if you say yes, you’re lying. otherwise, you’re really young and/or have total self-control, neither of which makes me want to converse with you any further.)
as the hostess escorted us in, she shouted out something in japanese, and all the chefs at the sushi bar shouted something back in unison. i must admit to having *no* idea what they said, but it was totally cool. i’ve heard it before at musha down in santa monica, and i believe eri said it was some sort of greeting, but even *she* couldn’t really make it out. i guess i’ll just have to ask next time. *sigh* at any rate, they did the greeting every time a new party entered the room and it made the whole experience *very* authentic (whatever the heck that means these days).
even though i was stuffed from lunch at the faculty center (!!), i wanted to make sure mel had the full tengu experience. so we ordered a whole bunch of different dishes to try. (i know, i’m such a martyr.) we ordered the kurama yama (since i don’t like rice), the avocado and grapefruit salad (citrus sounded nice), and the filet-wrapped asparagus (b/c mel found that super appealing online). we also decided to keep one of the menus in case we weren’t full from our three dishes (which is always a good idea when you’re eating tapas-style).
as the dishes rolled onto the table, i couldn’t help partaking, even though i was seriously uber full. the kurama yama was delicious. (btw, even though i love the soy paper, i always find it a little bizarre. i mean, how did anyone think to come up with that? a serious culinary innovation, i tell you.) i love any sort of contrast b/w temperatures and textures and flavors. so i loved the contrast b/w the slightly warm and crispy shrimp tempura and the slightly chilly and mushy spicy tuna. and the soy paper just kept it all together.
the avocado and grapefruit salad was a bit acidic for me, but definitely helpful after a bite of filet-wrapped asparagus. while it was yummy, i gave mel free reign to enjoy the bulk of the beef, especially since i’ve been eating less and less red meat over the last few years. i suppose being vegetarian for a month shifted me even further away from my prior bovine tendencies. but it’s not that i don’t enjoy the beef, it’s just that it weighs down a bit more in my tummy. so i only have it a little at a time – and rarely at that. needless to say, mel was a bit shocked, though that simply meant more beef for her.
seeing that she was still hungry, we decided to order the coconut shrimp as well. which was definitely the best decision, since that was the best dish of the night (from my perspective at least). after finding the shrimp tempura in the kurama yama quite delish, we decided to get another shrimp dish. even though (and maybe because) coconut shrimp is so typical, we decided to test it out here. and i was happily surprised b/c this was one of the most well-done coconut shrimp dishes i’ve ever had. granted, i’m pretty much comparing it to my most recent panda express coconut shrimp experience, but still! the shrimp was jumbo-sized and nicely butterflied (do we not love how that rhymes?). they were perfectly covered in just enough coconut. and they were perfectly fried to a lovely crispiness. totally and completely satisfying. mmm....
we were about to attempt dessert when i realized that it was 10 min before VC! total bummer. but alas, work is work. even with the meal cut short though, the food was yummilicious. and having been several times before, i’d recommend this place to anyone who wants to splurge. for everyone else, the happy hour at the bar is GREAT (janet, make sure to comment!) AND i just noticed the lunch specials online.
last but not least, i’ve totally eaten here alone and it was AMAZING. i asked for a corner booth (so i could talk on my phone and not be rude) and i treated myself to a full meal of appetizer, entree, and dessert. it was fabulously self-indulgent and the service was AMAZING. i’d seriously recommend it to anyone who needs a luxurious *me* day.
tengu
10853 lindbrook dr
los angeles, ca 90024
310.209.0071
http://www.tengu.com/
Saturday, March 15, 2008
academy of motion picture arts and sciences
seeing that i love movies (and culture), i was THRILLED when de'sha invited me to a northwestern event at the academy of motion picture arts and sciences. especially when the event was a gallery talk about alfred hitchcock and his films! i LOVE alfred hitchcock, especially north by northwest, which i remember watching when i was really young and absolutely loving the ending. oh so dramatic and romantic!
the gallery talk was actually being given by will schmenner, the motion picture curator for the block museum at northwestern, who'd curated the hitchcock exhibit. let me just say that this guy was BY FAR the most well-spoken, intellectual, and yet self-effacing guy i've interacted w/in LA. and of course, he's from CHICAGO. and worst of all, he's WAY cute. *sigh*
the exhibit was fairly small, but really amazing. and with the academy being known mainly for its connection to the oscars, this was a great opportunity to find out what else it had to offer. per will, the key message of the exhibit was that, despite being portrayed as a solitary artist, hitchcock was intensely collaborative. and both the exhibit and the gallery talk were structured in such a fashion as to show off all the different areas and ways in which collaboration occurred on hitchcock's films.
FYI that i'm the kind of museum-goer that enjoys looking at a piece for a long time and figuring out what i see in it and really experiencing it, rather than reading the fine print on the little placards (like jerry). given that, i think will did quite well in terms of incorporating different forms of media into the exhibit, especially the i-pods w/recordings of hitchcock's production meetings and the projection of various scenes from hitchcock's most well-known films. plus all of the design sketches were absolutely AMAZING. the kind of work that makes you wonder how all of these artists were able to translate their visions onto paper.
at any rate, the exhibit and the gallery talk just made de'sha and i want to have a hitchcock movie night. especially since neither of us have seen a LOT of his films. first up: the birds. considering that the movie completely messed up tippy hedren's attitude toward birds, i'm thinking a theme night may make this adventure a little easier to bear. this will most likely include some roast chicken, buffalo wings, turkey breast, and whatever else we can drum(stick) up. (c'mon, i had to say it!)
if you're in LA prior to april 20th:
http://www.oscars.org/events/hitchcock_exhibit/index.html
the gallery talk was actually being given by will schmenner, the motion picture curator for the block museum at northwestern, who'd curated the hitchcock exhibit. let me just say that this guy was BY FAR the most well-spoken, intellectual, and yet self-effacing guy i've interacted w/in LA. and of course, he's from CHICAGO. and worst of all, he's WAY cute. *sigh*
the exhibit was fairly small, but really amazing. and with the academy being known mainly for its connection to the oscars, this was a great opportunity to find out what else it had to offer. per will, the key message of the exhibit was that, despite being portrayed as a solitary artist, hitchcock was intensely collaborative. and both the exhibit and the gallery talk were structured in such a fashion as to show off all the different areas and ways in which collaboration occurred on hitchcock's films.
FYI that i'm the kind of museum-goer that enjoys looking at a piece for a long time and figuring out what i see in it and really experiencing it, rather than reading the fine print on the little placards (like jerry). given that, i think will did quite well in terms of incorporating different forms of media into the exhibit, especially the i-pods w/recordings of hitchcock's production meetings and the projection of various scenes from hitchcock's most well-known films. plus all of the design sketches were absolutely AMAZING. the kind of work that makes you wonder how all of these artists were able to translate their visions onto paper.
at any rate, the exhibit and the gallery talk just made de'sha and i want to have a hitchcock movie night. especially since neither of us have seen a LOT of his films. first up: the birds. considering that the movie completely messed up tippy hedren's attitude toward birds, i'm thinking a theme night may make this adventure a little easier to bear. this will most likely include some roast chicken, buffalo wings, turkey breast, and whatever else we can drum(stick) up. (c'mon, i had to say it!)
if you're in LA prior to april 20th:
http://www.oscars.org/events/hitchcock_exhibit/index.html
step up 2
to save all the movie snobs out there from groaning too much, i'll keep this review short. however, i'd like to say UP FRONT that i thought this movie was GREAT. and if chiara and i could see the 10:15PM show after my super long day running on 7 hours of sleep and her super long day after an all-nighter and a 1-hour nap, then this movie was SUPER GREAT. aight? aight.
i'll be honest and say that i saw step up 1 by myself b/c 1) i like to see movies by myself and 2) i don't want to have to drag people to see something that i know they don't really want to see. and so i saw it on my own and LOVED it. channing tatum is HOTNESS personified (albeit w/a bit of a 'duh' expression). the love story was appropriately cheesy. and the chemistry b/w him and jenna dewan was totally evident on-screen. but most importantly, the dancing was AMAZING. an awesome fusion of ballet and modern w/a hip-hop twist. it's rare to be able to see that kind of combination of dance forms live (i mean, what dance company promotes itself that way? if you're in the know, tell me!!), so it was amazing to see it coming across the big screen.
step up 2 is actually a pretty good follow-up to step up 1, though less interested in combining dance forms and more focused on showcasing modern street moves. the opening scene on the subway was absolutely incredible b/c it was totally unexpected and atypical. and gave you just a snippet of what was to come in terms of the dancing. the plot line was similarly cheesy, though the male/female roles were reversed. (just to keep you on your feet, right?) actually, the female lead bore a faint resemblance to the female lead in step up 1. (or perhaps they were just both brunettes?) but the male lead in step up 2 was an OC pretty boy w/blond highlights and a deer-in-headlights expression. regardless, he still struck me as slightly better-looking than channing tatum. (maybe he was a little less broad?) at any rate, the movie was good in that there wasn't a ton of making out going on. b/c obviously the point was to show off the DANCING.
which was...AMAZING. and the idea that dance could bring together a bunch of random people, both in the context of the MSA crew and the streets competition, was pretty inspirational. to be honest, this was a fairly kid-friendly movie, especially for parents who want to take their kids to see something that's not dr. seuss (though i heard 'horton hears a who!' is pretty darn cute). yes yes, it's bizarre for me to say all this, but i'm just making a point. and particularly in this day and age, when there are so many stupid reality shows about dancing and dancers (and their looks, egos, and drama), something like this is totally refreshing and focused on what dance can do for conveying a message with depth and meaning.
at this point, i'll step down from my little soapbox to say again that the dancing was...AMAZING. from the opening scene to the partner dance at the party to the face-off at the end. while the rain coming down at the end was a little bit distracting at first, it totally did the trick in terms of dramatic effect. you couldn't have asked for tighter choreography. i mean, if sheba and samahang ever came close to this, i'd never leave school. (but alas, they don't.) it's this level of dance that makes you want to get up and take dance lessons -- or go clubbing.
needless to say, now i want another dance marathon. *sigh*
http://www.myspace.com/stepupmovie
i'll be honest and say that i saw step up 1 by myself b/c 1) i like to see movies by myself and 2) i don't want to have to drag people to see something that i know they don't really want to see. and so i saw it on my own and LOVED it. channing tatum is HOTNESS personified (albeit w/a bit of a 'duh' expression). the love story was appropriately cheesy. and the chemistry b/w him and jenna dewan was totally evident on-screen. but most importantly, the dancing was AMAZING. an awesome fusion of ballet and modern w/a hip-hop twist. it's rare to be able to see that kind of combination of dance forms live (i mean, what dance company promotes itself that way? if you're in the know, tell me!!), so it was amazing to see it coming across the big screen.
step up 2 is actually a pretty good follow-up to step up 1, though less interested in combining dance forms and more focused on showcasing modern street moves. the opening scene on the subway was absolutely incredible b/c it was totally unexpected and atypical. and gave you just a snippet of what was to come in terms of the dancing. the plot line was similarly cheesy, though the male/female roles were reversed. (just to keep you on your feet, right?) actually, the female lead bore a faint resemblance to the female lead in step up 1. (or perhaps they were just both brunettes?) but the male lead in step up 2 was an OC pretty boy w/blond highlights and a deer-in-headlights expression. regardless, he still struck me as slightly better-looking than channing tatum. (maybe he was a little less broad?) at any rate, the movie was good in that there wasn't a ton of making out going on. b/c obviously the point was to show off the DANCING.
which was...AMAZING. and the idea that dance could bring together a bunch of random people, both in the context of the MSA crew and the streets competition, was pretty inspirational. to be honest, this was a fairly kid-friendly movie, especially for parents who want to take their kids to see something that's not dr. seuss (though i heard 'horton hears a who!' is pretty darn cute). yes yes, it's bizarre for me to say all this, but i'm just making a point. and particularly in this day and age, when there are so many stupid reality shows about dancing and dancers (and their looks, egos, and drama), something like this is totally refreshing and focused on what dance can do for conveying a message with depth and meaning.
at this point, i'll step down from my little soapbox to say again that the dancing was...AMAZING. from the opening scene to the partner dance at the party to the face-off at the end. while the rain coming down at the end was a little bit distracting at first, it totally did the trick in terms of dramatic effect. you couldn't have asked for tighter choreography. i mean, if sheba and samahang ever came close to this, i'd never leave school. (but alas, they don't.) it's this level of dance that makes you want to get up and take dance lessons -- or go clubbing.
needless to say, now i want another dance marathon. *sigh*
http://www.myspace.com/stepupmovie
chan dara
the first time i went to chan dara, it was for jenn's non-bachelorette party -- a girls' night out to celebrate her upcoming nuptials. it was perfectly located, especially w/the arsenal just two doors down. (who could EVER forget the do-rag guy? O. M. G.)
this time i went w/amanda who actually said that she'd never really had thai food. i'm thinking, in all four years that you've been in school -- AT UCLA AND IN LA -- you've never had THAI food?! and you have asian friends?! if so, then they've totally done you a disservice, they're not your true friends, and you should dump them RIGHT AWAY.
the reality is that thai is one of the most ubiquitious asian cuisines on both coasts. so to not have tried it by the time you're a senior in college is just absolutely ridiculous. (unless you're from the midwest or you grew up in a bubble.) and simply put, you've been shafted. needless to say, it was time to get amanda caught up to speed.
i gave her the option of eating cheaper thai food elsewhere, but she decided to splurge on chan dara for her first real thai experience -- which totally earned my seal of approval.
walking in, we stepped into a room full of twinkling lights. (you'd think it was cheesy, but it really wasn't.) and we got seated promptly at a table under a skylight! it was pretty cool and i was quite impressed. i'm a big fan of natural light, so the more i get, the happier i am -- and the better the review, right?
for some reason, i thought amanda knew her food, but apparently she pretty much just knows italian. (which is kinda sad since i'm not the biggest fan of italian. *sigh*) so i took on the task of ordering for us. and considering that the menu was pretty extensive, this definitely wasn't the easiest thing to do. eek.
after furrowing my brows for quite a while, and consulting w/amanda (which did NOT prove fruitful -- yes, amanda, i still love you), i decided on the peking duck rolls (b/c peking duck is in and of itself an absolutely amazing culinary creation -- as derek will attest to), the chicken pad thai (which is a total thai staple that had to be ordered even though i don't like noodles), and the seared onaga w/lemon grass-ginger cream sauce (which had to be ordered simply b/c it was encrusted w/macadamia nuts).
as we were waiting, i got to check out the other customers in the restaurant. and i must say that it was a really good mix of dressed-up and dressed-down. like some of my other faves, palomino and nook, chan dara comes off as a place where locals (and newbies alike) keep coming back, simply b/c the food and atmosphere are just that fabulous. there's something refreshing about eating somewhere that people from all walks of life go to for great food.
the first thing that came to the table was the peking duck rolls. again, i was blown away when amanda said she'd never had duck before. i mean, are you KIDDING ME?! duck is, simply put, THE most amazing fowl on the planet. talk about amazingly succulent. mmm.... and these rolls totally lived up to their name, w/the roast duck pre-wrapped in the just-thick-enough flour tortillas. unfortunately, we couldn't *quite* figure out what the sauces were -- a circle of yellow on a pool of brown. i'm pretty sure the brown was the usual hoisin sauce that traditionally comes w/peking duck. the yellow, however, tasted like a really spicy mustard. i'm wondering whether it's the usual stuff that's on every table of every chinese restaurant.... at any rate, it had *quite* the kick, so we had to scrape it off and dip our rolls in the hoisin sauce underneath. needless to say, it was absolutely THE best way to start the meal. mmm....
we moved on to the pad thai, which was certainly yummy for pad thai, though not my favorite dish of the night, considering that i don't really like noodles. this was pretty much a staple that amanda had to try for the sake of educating her palate. the onaga, however, was certainly memorable. i mean, how often do you have something macademia nut-crusted?? while the fish was ever so slightly dry, it was perfect when eaten w/the skin and the sauce underneath. amanda flipped when she saw me eat the skin, but as top chef devotees know: if it shouldn't be eaten, then it shouldn't be on the plate. seeing as how the skin was on the plate, then it was meant to be eaten. and it was GOOD i tell you. as was the spinach and the mushrooms that came with the dish. the potatoes were totally unnecessary (seeing as how i hate them).
for dessert, i ordered the mango w/sticky rice, which is another staple that amanda had to try. while the mango could've been riper (which is difficult in the winter season, i suppose) and the mound of sticky rice could've been smaller (since it was HUMONGOUS), the combination of the two flavors was quite interesting (as always). to be honest, i think that both the mango and the rice could've been sweeter, considering that we were having dessert. but the contrast b/w the slightly sweeter mango and the milder rice, plus the variation in textures, was an interesting note to end the meal on. like a question mark lingering in the air. is it savory? is it sweet? are you sure it can be both?
the combination of atmosphere and food was decidedly well-done. so this is definitely a returner. as in, a place worth returning to. over and over and over and over....
chan dara
11940 w. pico boulevard
west los angeles, ca 90064
310.479.4461
http://www.chandarawestla.com/
this time i went w/amanda who actually said that she'd never really had thai food. i'm thinking, in all four years that you've been in school -- AT UCLA AND IN LA -- you've never had THAI food?! and you have asian friends?! if so, then they've totally done you a disservice, they're not your true friends, and you should dump them RIGHT AWAY.
the reality is that thai is one of the most ubiquitious asian cuisines on both coasts. so to not have tried it by the time you're a senior in college is just absolutely ridiculous. (unless you're from the midwest or you grew up in a bubble.) and simply put, you've been shafted. needless to say, it was time to get amanda caught up to speed.
i gave her the option of eating cheaper thai food elsewhere, but she decided to splurge on chan dara for her first real thai experience -- which totally earned my seal of approval.
walking in, we stepped into a room full of twinkling lights. (you'd think it was cheesy, but it really wasn't.) and we got seated promptly at a table under a skylight! it was pretty cool and i was quite impressed. i'm a big fan of natural light, so the more i get, the happier i am -- and the better the review, right?
for some reason, i thought amanda knew her food, but apparently she pretty much just knows italian. (which is kinda sad since i'm not the biggest fan of italian. *sigh*) so i took on the task of ordering for us. and considering that the menu was pretty extensive, this definitely wasn't the easiest thing to do. eek.
after furrowing my brows for quite a while, and consulting w/amanda (which did NOT prove fruitful -- yes, amanda, i still love you), i decided on the peking duck rolls (b/c peking duck is in and of itself an absolutely amazing culinary creation -- as derek will attest to), the chicken pad thai (which is a total thai staple that had to be ordered even though i don't like noodles), and the seared onaga w/lemon grass-ginger cream sauce (which had to be ordered simply b/c it was encrusted w/macadamia nuts).
as we were waiting, i got to check out the other customers in the restaurant. and i must say that it was a really good mix of dressed-up and dressed-down. like some of my other faves, palomino and nook, chan dara comes off as a place where locals (and newbies alike) keep coming back, simply b/c the food and atmosphere are just that fabulous. there's something refreshing about eating somewhere that people from all walks of life go to for great food.
the first thing that came to the table was the peking duck rolls. again, i was blown away when amanda said she'd never had duck before. i mean, are you KIDDING ME?! duck is, simply put, THE most amazing fowl on the planet. talk about amazingly succulent. mmm.... and these rolls totally lived up to their name, w/the roast duck pre-wrapped in the just-thick-enough flour tortillas. unfortunately, we couldn't *quite* figure out what the sauces were -- a circle of yellow on a pool of brown. i'm pretty sure the brown was the usual hoisin sauce that traditionally comes w/peking duck. the yellow, however, tasted like a really spicy mustard. i'm wondering whether it's the usual stuff that's on every table of every chinese restaurant.... at any rate, it had *quite* the kick, so we had to scrape it off and dip our rolls in the hoisin sauce underneath. needless to say, it was absolutely THE best way to start the meal. mmm....
we moved on to the pad thai, which was certainly yummy for pad thai, though not my favorite dish of the night, considering that i don't really like noodles. this was pretty much a staple that amanda had to try for the sake of educating her palate. the onaga, however, was certainly memorable. i mean, how often do you have something macademia nut-crusted?? while the fish was ever so slightly dry, it was perfect when eaten w/the skin and the sauce underneath. amanda flipped when she saw me eat the skin, but as top chef devotees know: if it shouldn't be eaten, then it shouldn't be on the plate. seeing as how the skin was on the plate, then it was meant to be eaten. and it was GOOD i tell you. as was the spinach and the mushrooms that came with the dish. the potatoes were totally unnecessary (seeing as how i hate them).
for dessert, i ordered the mango w/sticky rice, which is another staple that amanda had to try. while the mango could've been riper (which is difficult in the winter season, i suppose) and the mound of sticky rice could've been smaller (since it was HUMONGOUS), the combination of the two flavors was quite interesting (as always). to be honest, i think that both the mango and the rice could've been sweeter, considering that we were having dessert. but the contrast b/w the slightly sweeter mango and the milder rice, plus the variation in textures, was an interesting note to end the meal on. like a question mark lingering in the air. is it savory? is it sweet? are you sure it can be both?
the combination of atmosphere and food was decidedly well-done. so this is definitely a returner. as in, a place worth returning to. over and over and over and over....
chan dara
11940 w. pico boulevard
west los angeles, ca 90064
310.479.4461
http://www.chandarawestla.com/
Monday, March 10, 2008
boston eats
so i've had just about THE best boston trip ever w/THE best food ever w/THE best people ever. needless to say that i'll have some endless blogging to do in the next few days/weeks. but hopefully i'll get to share all the delicious details of my lovely eating adventures w/you soon. for now, here's what i've had to partake of in the last few days...
HONG KONG EATERY W/GLENN & MEL:
- roast pork (ordered half fatty & half lean, which is the *only* way to have it - OMG so fabulously delicious - and pretty much the only semi-authentic thing at panda express!)
- chinese broccoli w/oyster sauce (not my favoritest "choy" in the world, but a girl's gotta get her fiber, and that's what was available - plus anything's good covered in oyster sauce)
79 harrison avenue, boston, ma 02111 - 617.423.0838
(it's a hole in the wall so having a website would be ridiculous)
BROWN SUGAR CAFE W/GINA:
- scallion pancakes (just about the only thing i liked fried - perfectly crispy and not greasy - and just what i needed after not eating very much the whole day)
- paradise garden w/veggie ham (nothing too impressive, just a plate of veggies b/c i needed veggies, but the ham was quite interesting and surprisingly dense - anyone know what that stuff is made of?)
1033 commonwealth avenue, boston, ma 02215 - 617.787.4242
http://www.brownsugarcafe.com/index.html
FINALE DESSERTS W/MOI:
- whoopie pie (a light cream cheese filling squished b/w two uber decadent though surprisingly hard chocolate cookies - totally amazing even when eaten in the freezing cold w/no gloves)
1306 beacon street, brookline, ma 02446 - 617.232.3233
http://www.finaledesserts.com/index.php
DUNKIN' DONUTS W/MOI:
- iced latte lite (pretty much the most amazing coffee on the east coast HANDS DOWN - who ever talks about their donuts?)
- glazed munchkins & glazed chocolate cake munchkins (when you won't let yourself indulge in full donuts)
(they're everywhere so picking a location is pointless)
https://www.dunkindonuts.com/
CAMBRIDGE 1 W/SOON:
- salad w/bresaola, arugula, shaved parmigiano, olive oil, and lemon (super thin cured beef - what more could you ask for?)
27 church street, cambridge, ma 02138-3715 - 617.576.1111
(there's no website from what i can tell, but it might be b/c it's so low-key and/or new?)
LA BURDICK CHOCOLATE CAFE W/SOON:
- hot chocolate w/dark chocolate (oh so amazingly & deliciously decadent, even w/nonfat milk)
- lavender & coffee luxembourgers (like meringues to the umpteenth power, light w/an ever-so-slight chew)
52-D brattle street, cambridge, ma 02138 - 617.491.4340
http://www.burdickchocolate.com/
TAPEO W/JENN:
- garlic shrimp (cute little shrimp sitting pretty in LOTS of garlic and olive oil - OH YEAH)
- boneless pheasant w/mushroom & serrano ham (oh so moist plus i had to hold myself back from licking the sauce off the plate)
- roasted duckling w/berry sauce (a big ole hunk w/tons of flavor)
- broiled herb & garlic quail stuffed w/bacon (a tiny bit dry but covered in garlic - YUM)
- beef tenderloin w/pimento on toast (a thin slice that was perfectly medium rare - no need for the toast)
- baked goat cheese w/tomato & basil (we needed veggies, right? oh, but tomatoes are fruit!)
- lamb & serrano ham meatballs (the moistest meatballs ever - thank god for minimal breading)
- berry-filled dessert crepe accented w/chocolate sauce & orange liqueur (i've had way better crepes in paris, but the fruit made us feel *slightly* less indulgent)
BTW, CAN I SERIOUSLY CONVEY HOW MUCH I LOVE TAPAS?!?!?! mmm....
266 newbury street, boston, ma 02116 - 617.267.4799
http://www.tapeo.com/home/
TEALUXE W/JANICE:
- roasted veggie & pepper jack cheese panini (totally tasty, except for the big oily chunk i let fall on my nice conference slacks - thank god for hand soap!!!)
- blue flower earl grey tea (delicious, especially after janice realized she'd gotten my tea order and passed it back to me)
- pear & green tea (delicious, even after i passed it back to janice who'd actually ordered it)
108 newbury street, boston, ma - 617.927.0400
http://www.tealuxe.com/index.html
SORELLINA W/DAVID:
- langostino (i don't even like crustaceans, but this looked too yummy to pass up - and thank god i didn't!)
- bass (this wasn't on the online menu, but when i saw it on the live menu, i had to scrap my original plans to order all veggie sides for dinner - OMG it was the perfect dish [crispy skin, moist meat, cauliflower puree] except for a nondescript side of grapes & stuff that totally didn't make sense on the plate)
- eggplant gratinata (i mean, it's eggplant w/crusties on top, who couldn't love that?)
1 huntington avenue, boston, ma 02116 - 617.412.4600
http://www.sorellinaboston.com/
THE IVY W/SOON & MICHELLE:
- raspberry marscapone (perfect contrast of slightly sweet and really creamy - if only i hadn't been so full from dinner, i would've had a few more bites! plus the rest of the menu looked PHENOMENAL, especially the three-cheese mac and cheese w/truffle oil and the cabernet-braised short ribs w/creamy gorgonzola polenta - YEAH, BABY, YEAH)
49 temple place, boston, ma 02111 - 617.451.1416
http://www.ivyrestaurantgroup.com/
THE POUR HOUSE W/MONIQUE & LIZ:
- coffee (apparently they didn't have anything but whole milk, so i took the half & half instead - better to have some heavy cream than all whole milk - ick)
- pumpkin pie pancakes (um yeah, so i was going to order something w/egg whites, but seeing where i was, i decided on my fave pancakes instead w/whipped cream - a bit thin i must say, but pretty darn pumpkin-ey)
FYI that this place totally smelled like a frat basement, thereby bringing back ever-so-fond memories of sophomore year - eek!
907 boylston street, boston, ma - 617.236.1767
http://www.pourhouseboston.com/
SUMMER SHACK W/MOI:
- lobster bisque w/cream & sherry (even though the bisque itself was a little salty, that was offset by the slowly melting whipped cream and the mild flavor of the little lobster chunks)
- jw's famous grilled clams (perfect w/a nice squeeze of lemon)
- ipswich fried whole belly clams (just lightly battered, and even better dipped in yummy tartar sauce)
- arnold palmer (1/2 iced tea, 1/2 lemonade - the perfect combo)
- stuffed crab i named "boston" (which i got for only 10 bucks!!!)
logan airport, terminal A, boston, ma - 617.520.9501 (headquarters)
http://www.summershackrestaurant.com/index.asp
HONG KONG EATERY W/GLENN & MEL:
- roast pork (ordered half fatty & half lean, which is the *only* way to have it - OMG so fabulously delicious - and pretty much the only semi-authentic thing at panda express!)
- chinese broccoli w/oyster sauce (not my favoritest "choy" in the world, but a girl's gotta get her fiber, and that's what was available - plus anything's good covered in oyster sauce)
79 harrison avenue, boston, ma 02111 - 617.423.0838
(it's a hole in the wall so having a website would be ridiculous)
BROWN SUGAR CAFE W/GINA:
- scallion pancakes (just about the only thing i liked fried - perfectly crispy and not greasy - and just what i needed after not eating very much the whole day)
- paradise garden w/veggie ham (nothing too impressive, just a plate of veggies b/c i needed veggies, but the ham was quite interesting and surprisingly dense - anyone know what that stuff is made of?)
1033 commonwealth avenue, boston, ma 02215 - 617.787.4242
http://www.brownsugarcafe.com/index.html
FINALE DESSERTS W/MOI:
- whoopie pie (a light cream cheese filling squished b/w two uber decadent though surprisingly hard chocolate cookies - totally amazing even when eaten in the freezing cold w/no gloves)
1306 beacon street, brookline, ma 02446 - 617.232.3233
http://www.finaledesserts.com/index.php
DUNKIN' DONUTS W/MOI:
- iced latte lite (pretty much the most amazing coffee on the east coast HANDS DOWN - who ever talks about their donuts?)
- glazed munchkins & glazed chocolate cake munchkins (when you won't let yourself indulge in full donuts)
(they're everywhere so picking a location is pointless)
https://www.dunkindonuts.com/
CAMBRIDGE 1 W/SOON:
- salad w/bresaola, arugula, shaved parmigiano, olive oil, and lemon (super thin cured beef - what more could you ask for?)
27 church street, cambridge, ma 02138-3715 - 617.576.1111
(there's no website from what i can tell, but it might be b/c it's so low-key and/or new?)
LA BURDICK CHOCOLATE CAFE W/SOON:
- hot chocolate w/dark chocolate (oh so amazingly & deliciously decadent, even w/nonfat milk)
- lavender & coffee luxembourgers (like meringues to the umpteenth power, light w/an ever-so-slight chew)
52-D brattle street, cambridge, ma 02138 - 617.491.4340
http://www.burdickchocolate.com/
TAPEO W/JENN:
- garlic shrimp (cute little shrimp sitting pretty in LOTS of garlic and olive oil - OH YEAH)
- boneless pheasant w/mushroom & serrano ham (oh so moist plus i had to hold myself back from licking the sauce off the plate)
- roasted duckling w/berry sauce (a big ole hunk w/tons of flavor)
- broiled herb & garlic quail stuffed w/bacon (a tiny bit dry but covered in garlic - YUM)
- beef tenderloin w/pimento on toast (a thin slice that was perfectly medium rare - no need for the toast)
- baked goat cheese w/tomato & basil (we needed veggies, right? oh, but tomatoes are fruit!)
- lamb & serrano ham meatballs (the moistest meatballs ever - thank god for minimal breading)
- berry-filled dessert crepe accented w/chocolate sauce & orange liqueur (i've had way better crepes in paris, but the fruit made us feel *slightly* less indulgent)
BTW, CAN I SERIOUSLY CONVEY HOW MUCH I LOVE TAPAS?!?!?! mmm....
266 newbury street, boston, ma 02116 - 617.267.4799
http://www.tapeo.com/home/
TEALUXE W/JANICE:
- roasted veggie & pepper jack cheese panini (totally tasty, except for the big oily chunk i let fall on my nice conference slacks - thank god for hand soap!!!)
- blue flower earl grey tea (delicious, especially after janice realized she'd gotten my tea order and passed it back to me)
- pear & green tea (delicious, even after i passed it back to janice who'd actually ordered it)
108 newbury street, boston, ma - 617.927.0400
http://www.tealuxe.com/index.html
SORELLINA W/DAVID:
- langostino (i don't even like crustaceans, but this looked too yummy to pass up - and thank god i didn't!)
- bass (this wasn't on the online menu, but when i saw it on the live menu, i had to scrap my original plans to order all veggie sides for dinner - OMG it was the perfect dish [crispy skin, moist meat, cauliflower puree] except for a nondescript side of grapes & stuff that totally didn't make sense on the plate)
- eggplant gratinata (i mean, it's eggplant w/crusties on top, who couldn't love that?)
1 huntington avenue, boston, ma 02116 - 617.412.4600
http://www.sorellinaboston.com/
THE IVY W/SOON & MICHELLE:
- raspberry marscapone (perfect contrast of slightly sweet and really creamy - if only i hadn't been so full from dinner, i would've had a few more bites! plus the rest of the menu looked PHENOMENAL, especially the three-cheese mac and cheese w/truffle oil and the cabernet-braised short ribs w/creamy gorgonzola polenta - YEAH, BABY, YEAH)
49 temple place, boston, ma 02111 - 617.451.1416
http://www.ivyrestaurantgroup.com/
THE POUR HOUSE W/MONIQUE & LIZ:
- coffee (apparently they didn't have anything but whole milk, so i took the half & half instead - better to have some heavy cream than all whole milk - ick)
- pumpkin pie pancakes (um yeah, so i was going to order something w/egg whites, but seeing where i was, i decided on my fave pancakes instead w/whipped cream - a bit thin i must say, but pretty darn pumpkin-ey)
FYI that this place totally smelled like a frat basement, thereby bringing back ever-so-fond memories of sophomore year - eek!
907 boylston street, boston, ma - 617.236.1767
http://www.pourhouseboston.com/
SUMMER SHACK W/MOI:
- lobster bisque w/cream & sherry (even though the bisque itself was a little salty, that was offset by the slowly melting whipped cream and the mild flavor of the little lobster chunks)
- jw's famous grilled clams (perfect w/a nice squeeze of lemon)
- ipswich fried whole belly clams (just lightly battered, and even better dipped in yummy tartar sauce)
- arnold palmer (1/2 iced tea, 1/2 lemonade - the perfect combo)
- stuffed crab i named "boston" (which i got for only 10 bucks!!!)
logan airport, terminal A, boston, ma - 617.520.9501 (headquarters)
http://www.summershackrestaurant.com/index.asp
Sunday, March 9, 2008
novel cafe
so i can’t believe i totally forgot to blog about novel cafe, especially since it’s one of my fave places in westwood. seeing as how i don’t go very often, it might seem surprising to hear me say that. but honestly, it’s mainly b/c the portions are so big! i have to be seriously hungry before it’s worth going there. seeing as how leftovers usually end up in the trash (yeah, i know, so wasteful. sorry, sarah!), i don’t want to go unless i think i’m going to be able to make it through the entire entree. logical, right? right.
anyways, lunch was w/katie and i know she’s a pretty healthy eater, so i thought this would be the perfect place to head back to. (especially since i hadn’t gotten a chance to blog about it yet!) and when i saw and passed the super long line for free burritos at chipotle, i knew i was right!
there are two things that really make novel cafe AMAZING. first of all, the menu is tremendous. it goes on and on and on, and EVERYTHING looks good. there’s pretty much no wrong option. i won’t guarantee anything (for fear of getting called out for false advertising), but i’m pretty sure that you’ll find something good about whatever you end up ordering. second, they’re just really organic and healthy. on top of there being so many things to choose from, all of them are (or at least sound) totally natural. i seriously don’t think you can go wrong.
for this meal, katie and i were pretty much in synch and totally ended up choosing things the other person had considered ordering. i ended up getting the mushroom soup (one of my faves) and the goat cheese sandwich on wheat (w/eggplant & spinach). katie chose the white bean soup and the grilled cheese sandwich on wheat (w/cheddar). since both sandwiches were pretty similar, we ended up swapping halves so we could sample each of them. (personally, i’d had both before and neither failed to live up to expectations!)
my mushroom soup was totally vegan (no cream) and absolutely DELISH. it’s totally one of my faves, but i suppose the best things can go downhill if made incorrectly. to be sure, this version was awesome. and it went down the hatch super quick! especially since it was a nippy day. the goat cheese sandwich was the perfect marriage of flavors in b/w two crispy wheat slices. (i can’t believe i missed out on eggplant when i was younger, b/c this vegetable is absolute decadence when made well.) mmm.... the grilled cheese was also divine in all its melt-ey glory. personally, i could’ve done w/o the tomato (which ruins the simplicity of the sandwich), and i know paul would’ve demanded even sharper cheddar. however, given these limitations, i’ve still never been disappointed.
sitting outside is definitely the least claustrophobic, though you should certainly demand the heat lamps be turned on if you’re nippy or, worse yet, frigid. the inside lower level is ok too, but often cluttered w/people working on laptops who you may or may not want to disturb. the inside upper level is better for single parties, who just want to eat and work and not be distracted. it’s definitely more of a coffee/study area upstairs, but nice if that’s what you’re looking for.
the last time i had lunch here, i was w/jess and she loved her veggie sandwich. (i swear i’ve got to try that soon, especially while i’m on my veggie kick! that and the BLT – *IIPE*) and i think i ordered one of the two sandwiches above. i’ve also ordered the super huge cobb salad (my all-time fave salad) and various breakfast entrees, all of which have failed to disappoint. (btw, the salad list online definitely doesn’t do this place justice. you’ll just have to go check out the menu in person!) drink-wise, i’m generally prone to iced tea (if not plain water w/lemon), but i’ve had their blended green tea drink before. and while it doesn’t hold up to coffee bean’s green tea iced blendz, it was still pretty delish. then again, i think anything green tea-flavored is pretty delish.
all in all, i think we had a pretty fabulous and yummy lunch. i swear, we looked down and it’d been over two hours! thanks to katie’s fascinating storytelling abilities, of course. (kudos, katie!)
for yummy organic....
novel cafe
1101 gayley ave
los angeles, ca 90024
310.208.6410
http://www.novelcafe.com/
FYI that the link is actually for the original novel cafe in santa monica, but don't let the address fool you, the menu's pretty much exactly the same!
anyways, lunch was w/katie and i know she’s a pretty healthy eater, so i thought this would be the perfect place to head back to. (especially since i hadn’t gotten a chance to blog about it yet!) and when i saw and passed the super long line for free burritos at chipotle, i knew i was right!
there are two things that really make novel cafe AMAZING. first of all, the menu is tremendous. it goes on and on and on, and EVERYTHING looks good. there’s pretty much no wrong option. i won’t guarantee anything (for fear of getting called out for false advertising), but i’m pretty sure that you’ll find something good about whatever you end up ordering. second, they’re just really organic and healthy. on top of there being so many things to choose from, all of them are (or at least sound) totally natural. i seriously don’t think you can go wrong.
for this meal, katie and i were pretty much in synch and totally ended up choosing things the other person had considered ordering. i ended up getting the mushroom soup (one of my faves) and the goat cheese sandwich on wheat (w/eggplant & spinach). katie chose the white bean soup and the grilled cheese sandwich on wheat (w/cheddar). since both sandwiches were pretty similar, we ended up swapping halves so we could sample each of them. (personally, i’d had both before and neither failed to live up to expectations!)
my mushroom soup was totally vegan (no cream) and absolutely DELISH. it’s totally one of my faves, but i suppose the best things can go downhill if made incorrectly. to be sure, this version was awesome. and it went down the hatch super quick! especially since it was a nippy day. the goat cheese sandwich was the perfect marriage of flavors in b/w two crispy wheat slices. (i can’t believe i missed out on eggplant when i was younger, b/c this vegetable is absolute decadence when made well.) mmm.... the grilled cheese was also divine in all its melt-ey glory. personally, i could’ve done w/o the tomato (which ruins the simplicity of the sandwich), and i know paul would’ve demanded even sharper cheddar. however, given these limitations, i’ve still never been disappointed.
sitting outside is definitely the least claustrophobic, though you should certainly demand the heat lamps be turned on if you’re nippy or, worse yet, frigid. the inside lower level is ok too, but often cluttered w/people working on laptops who you may or may not want to disturb. the inside upper level is better for single parties, who just want to eat and work and not be distracted. it’s definitely more of a coffee/study area upstairs, but nice if that’s what you’re looking for.
the last time i had lunch here, i was w/jess and she loved her veggie sandwich. (i swear i’ve got to try that soon, especially while i’m on my veggie kick! that and the BLT – *IIPE*) and i think i ordered one of the two sandwiches above. i’ve also ordered the super huge cobb salad (my all-time fave salad) and various breakfast entrees, all of which have failed to disappoint. (btw, the salad list online definitely doesn’t do this place justice. you’ll just have to go check out the menu in person!) drink-wise, i’m generally prone to iced tea (if not plain water w/lemon), but i’ve had their blended green tea drink before. and while it doesn’t hold up to coffee bean’s green tea iced blendz, it was still pretty delish. then again, i think anything green tea-flavored is pretty delish.
all in all, i think we had a pretty fabulous and yummy lunch. i swear, we looked down and it’d been over two hours! thanks to katie’s fascinating storytelling abilities, of course. (kudos, katie!)
for yummy organic....
novel cafe
1101 gayley ave
los angeles, ca 90024
310.208.6410
http://www.novelcafe.com/
FYI that the link is actually for the original novel cafe in santa monica, but don't let the address fool you, the menu's pretty much exactly the same!
ami sushi
out of all the sushi restaurants in westwood, there are several things that make ami stand out from the rest. first of all, they give UCLA students a 15% off discount. (and when you’re poor, you appreciate any discount you can get!) granted, california teriyaki offers half-off dine-in sushi meals, but their rolls tend to be more rice than fish, which totally degrades the whole experience. next, they’re in a GREAT location. broxton b/w weyburn and kinross is like a little respite from the rest of the westwood bustle. lined (on one side at least – and maybe thankfully) w/several restaurants, shops, and a movie theater, it’s got just enough to keep you interested, but not make you feel overwhelmed. finally, the rolls are AMAZING. there’s a ton of them to choose from and the pics really do it for me. (can you tell i’m all about the visual appeal? i swear i was in advertising or marketing in another life.) i feel like i’ve had the same rolls at tomodachi and not really enjoyed them as much.
in any case, this most recent trip was spent w/uri who was out from hanover for the weekend. needless to say, he was pretty much in paradise just being in LA. but to make it even better, we got to have sushi outside on the patio – no heat lamps needed! at first, the staff was being a bit odd and/or slow, b/c i saw seats outside and i was a bit annoyed that they seemed to be holding back in giving them to us. thankfully, they quickly changed their minds and seated us right away. from then on, the service was quite awesome. our server checked on us several times, and our order came out fairly speedily as well. two thumbs-up on the service front!
as i’ve mentioned before, the company and the conversation really make the meal. and chatting w/uri about life’s random ups and downs always makes the meal. (thanks, uri!) seeing as how i was so entranced by the conversation, i was somewhat distracted from the food. (that, and i’d just eaten chipotle earlier in the day, so i really wasn’t too famished.) however, i will say that what i ordered was quite delish and totally satisfied me – the seaweed salad and two orders of the unagi sushi. mmm.... uri ordered the combination special w/what seemed like a lot of meat that he really enjoyed. he also ordered the spider roll, which (from the pieced i had) tasted absolutely YUM. (that’s definitely being ordered next time, especially w/the cool claws sticking out of the roll.)
c/o our alma mater, we ended the meal w/a mojito (guess who had that?) and some tempura green tea ice cream (guess who had THAT?). both were delish, though i must admit that the tempura was a bit too thick (which is probably why uri didn’t have more than two bites before i inhaled it). perhaps a lighter coating of tempura (or even panko maybe?) would’ve done the trick. at any rate, the meal was fabulous overall and i couldn’t have asked for better company on a friday night. (thanks, uri!)
as a side note, several other dishes worth trying are: the dynamite (OMG ridonculous), the salmon skin salad (one of my faves anywhere and everywhere), and the crunch roll. also, any special rolls they offer w/tempura something or other in it is absolutely to die for. plus, they always have special rolls, so you can totally order something new every time.
as another side note, the techno music and huge tv can be somewhat distracting when you’re sitting inside, but i suppose they’re going for a certain aesthetic what w/all the black leather. i have to say: it’s a bit much. which means: try to sit outside if the weather permits.
for a totally LA experience:
ami sushi
1051 broxton avenue
los angeles, ca 90024-2803
310.209.1994
http://www.ami-restaurant.com/index.html
in any case, this most recent trip was spent w/uri who was out from hanover for the weekend. needless to say, he was pretty much in paradise just being in LA. but to make it even better, we got to have sushi outside on the patio – no heat lamps needed! at first, the staff was being a bit odd and/or slow, b/c i saw seats outside and i was a bit annoyed that they seemed to be holding back in giving them to us. thankfully, they quickly changed their minds and seated us right away. from then on, the service was quite awesome. our server checked on us several times, and our order came out fairly speedily as well. two thumbs-up on the service front!
as i’ve mentioned before, the company and the conversation really make the meal. and chatting w/uri about life’s random ups and downs always makes the meal. (thanks, uri!) seeing as how i was so entranced by the conversation, i was somewhat distracted from the food. (that, and i’d just eaten chipotle earlier in the day, so i really wasn’t too famished.) however, i will say that what i ordered was quite delish and totally satisfied me – the seaweed salad and two orders of the unagi sushi. mmm.... uri ordered the combination special w/what seemed like a lot of meat that he really enjoyed. he also ordered the spider roll, which (from the pieced i had) tasted absolutely YUM. (that’s definitely being ordered next time, especially w/the cool claws sticking out of the roll.)
c/o our alma mater, we ended the meal w/a mojito (guess who had that?) and some tempura green tea ice cream (guess who had THAT?). both were delish, though i must admit that the tempura was a bit too thick (which is probably why uri didn’t have more than two bites before i inhaled it). perhaps a lighter coating of tempura (or even panko maybe?) would’ve done the trick. at any rate, the meal was fabulous overall and i couldn’t have asked for better company on a friday night. (thanks, uri!)
as a side note, several other dishes worth trying are: the dynamite (OMG ridonculous), the salmon skin salad (one of my faves anywhere and everywhere), and the crunch roll. also, any special rolls they offer w/tempura something or other in it is absolutely to die for. plus, they always have special rolls, so you can totally order something new every time.
as another side note, the techno music and huge tv can be somewhat distracting when you’re sitting inside, but i suppose they’re going for a certain aesthetic what w/all the black leather. i have to say: it’s a bit much. which means: try to sit outside if the weather permits.
for a totally LA experience:
ami sushi
1051 broxton avenue
los angeles, ca 90024-2803
310.209.1994
http://www.ami-restaurant.com/index.html
chipotle
after submitting my second proposal draft into my advisor’s office, and sitting through hours of committee meetings, all i wanted to do was relax. so i texted kel right in the middle of a meeting (yes, i’m horrible, but god help me for not screaming when everyone else is on their damn computer and/or crackberry and/or phone ALL the time) to arrange a last-minute red mango date. (and FYI that i’ve decided pinkberry and red mango are decidedly more fun when in the company of friends who totally appreciate the experience.)
as soon as i left my last meeting though, i realized that i was STARVING. which meant that food of some kind was necessary either before or after red mango. seeing as how kel had mentally prepared herself for red mango all morning, we decided to have that first. (totally delicious as always, though i chose to get a smaller size with fewer toppings, just so i could fit in real food afterwards. i know, what self-control. *IIPE*)
upon kel’s brilliant suggestion, we sauntered over to chipotle, which JUST opened last week. (and which had had a huge line for free burritos that went all the way around the corner. um yeah, i enjoyed lunch w/katie *much* better. um yeah, and i just realized that i *totally* forgot to write that review. ok ok, i’m on it. janet, you’re right. it’s ridiculous trying to keep on top of all these entries!)
ok, so FYI that i loooooooooooooooooooooooooove chipotle. ever since i had it in chicago, nothing’s been the same. and when i found out it was coming to westwood (and to broxton no less!), i was ECSTATIC. and i’ve been impatiently waiting for it to open ever since. as for why i love chipotle, i must admit that the food quality is just REALLY good for fast food. and i generally never eat fast food. and i generally don’t love mexican either. so for a fast food mexican place to get my two thumbs-up, you pretty much have to be THE BOMB. and that’s precisely what chipotle is.
the menu is simple and there aren’t many options. which, for a fast food place, is perfect. b/c the idea is to move people through as quickly as possible. the more options you have, the longer the wait. so the best approach is to make a few key items really really well. and that’s precisely what chipotle does. the place runs like an assembly line (which i’ve always found quite brilliant – thanks mr. ford!) and everyone has their specific tasks. and while newbies (like moi) can slow things down a bit, the process is pretty efficient as soon as the customer figures out what’s going on. (and no, it’s not that hard, but still overwhelming when you’re surrounded by hordes of hungry people!)
i decided to follow kel and see how she ordered, so that i could be properly schooled. unfortunately, she was the WRONG one to follow. (yes, kel, you know i had to blog about this!) b/c when my lovely friend was asked what she wanted in her burrito, she proceeded to reach over the plastic guard and point down w/her spoon. OMG. you should’ve seen the look on the dude’s face. i’m sure the gears were churning away. oh my lord, the health codes violated by THAT move. (no worries though, he proceeded to promptly tell her to keep her spoon – and her limbs – away from the food. and i’m sure he’ll be looking out for any possible delinquents going forward. so watch yourselves!) i must admit that it was the funniest thing ever! oh, especially when she tried to do it a SECOND time! talk about daring. (oh, kel, you know we love you.)
needless to say, i was somewhat distracted by all this pointing madness. but i managed to get myself a salad w/carnitas (OMG so good), black beans, roasted chili-corn, lots of cheese, and the indispensable guac. kel got the chicken burrito, and we pretty much both inhaled our lunches after plopping ourselves into some chairs outside.
when i was standing on line, i realized that their burrito must be quite iconic, because it was on all their gift cards! personally, i’m not a big fan of tortillas, so i generally don’t order anything that has them. however, i had a bite of kel’s and it was quite good. compared to the ones at rubio’s, they’re actually small in length, though they certainly make up for it in girth. (take that however you will.)
as i’m scanning their website, i’m actually quite impressed. seeing as how the internet has blown up over the past decade, it really takes a lot to keep me interested. and i must say that the website’s quite funny and quirky. (just make sure you have the sound on!)
considering how high the rents are in westwood, the big chains are probably the only ones that can keep up and stay in business. which works to chipotle’s advantage. more importantly though is the fact that the westwood location is actually called chipotle – UCLA BRUINS on the website. which hopefully means that chipotle should be here to stay! YAY!
build a chipotle and they will come...
chipotle – UCLA bruins
10777 broxton avenue
los angeles, ca 90024
310.824.4180
http://www.chipotle.com/#
as soon as i left my last meeting though, i realized that i was STARVING. which meant that food of some kind was necessary either before or after red mango. seeing as how kel had mentally prepared herself for red mango all morning, we decided to have that first. (totally delicious as always, though i chose to get a smaller size with fewer toppings, just so i could fit in real food afterwards. i know, what self-control. *IIPE*)
upon kel’s brilliant suggestion, we sauntered over to chipotle, which JUST opened last week. (and which had had a huge line for free burritos that went all the way around the corner. um yeah, i enjoyed lunch w/katie *much* better. um yeah, and i just realized that i *totally* forgot to write that review. ok ok, i’m on it. janet, you’re right. it’s ridiculous trying to keep on top of all these entries!)
ok, so FYI that i loooooooooooooooooooooooooove chipotle. ever since i had it in chicago, nothing’s been the same. and when i found out it was coming to westwood (and to broxton no less!), i was ECSTATIC. and i’ve been impatiently waiting for it to open ever since. as for why i love chipotle, i must admit that the food quality is just REALLY good for fast food. and i generally never eat fast food. and i generally don’t love mexican either. so for a fast food mexican place to get my two thumbs-up, you pretty much have to be THE BOMB. and that’s precisely what chipotle is.
the menu is simple and there aren’t many options. which, for a fast food place, is perfect. b/c the idea is to move people through as quickly as possible. the more options you have, the longer the wait. so the best approach is to make a few key items really really well. and that’s precisely what chipotle does. the place runs like an assembly line (which i’ve always found quite brilliant – thanks mr. ford!) and everyone has their specific tasks. and while newbies (like moi) can slow things down a bit, the process is pretty efficient as soon as the customer figures out what’s going on. (and no, it’s not that hard, but still overwhelming when you’re surrounded by hordes of hungry people!)
i decided to follow kel and see how she ordered, so that i could be properly schooled. unfortunately, she was the WRONG one to follow. (yes, kel, you know i had to blog about this!) b/c when my lovely friend was asked what she wanted in her burrito, she proceeded to reach over the plastic guard and point down w/her spoon. OMG. you should’ve seen the look on the dude’s face. i’m sure the gears were churning away. oh my lord, the health codes violated by THAT move. (no worries though, he proceeded to promptly tell her to keep her spoon – and her limbs – away from the food. and i’m sure he’ll be looking out for any possible delinquents going forward. so watch yourselves!) i must admit that it was the funniest thing ever! oh, especially when she tried to do it a SECOND time! talk about daring. (oh, kel, you know we love you.)
needless to say, i was somewhat distracted by all this pointing madness. but i managed to get myself a salad w/carnitas (OMG so good), black beans, roasted chili-corn, lots of cheese, and the indispensable guac. kel got the chicken burrito, and we pretty much both inhaled our lunches after plopping ourselves into some chairs outside.
when i was standing on line, i realized that their burrito must be quite iconic, because it was on all their gift cards! personally, i’m not a big fan of tortillas, so i generally don’t order anything that has them. however, i had a bite of kel’s and it was quite good. compared to the ones at rubio’s, they’re actually small in length, though they certainly make up for it in girth. (take that however you will.)
as i’m scanning their website, i’m actually quite impressed. seeing as how the internet has blown up over the past decade, it really takes a lot to keep me interested. and i must say that the website’s quite funny and quirky. (just make sure you have the sound on!)
considering how high the rents are in westwood, the big chains are probably the only ones that can keep up and stay in business. which works to chipotle’s advantage. more importantly though is the fact that the westwood location is actually called chipotle – UCLA BRUINS on the website. which hopefully means that chipotle should be here to stay! YAY!
build a chipotle and they will come...
chipotle – UCLA bruins
10777 broxton avenue
los angeles, ca 90024
310.824.4180
http://www.chipotle.com/#
beacon
after a long day of staring at my computer and willing the words to come out of my fingertips, i certainly deserved dinner out w/friends. seeing as how i hadn’t left the house all day except for my morning mocha, i showered quick, popped in my contacts, and put on my favorite casual brown dress. despite a fluke landslide on sepulveda, jenny showed up right on time. (even w/justin running late!)
***
as a total sidebar, i want to say that i love on-timers. i swear i’m always 10 minutes early and everyone’s always 20 minutes late. i mean, WTF?! for those of who can add, that means i’m left waiting THIRTY MINUTES. yes, folks, THIRTY MINUTES!! geezus christ. one would think people would be a little more considerate and have a little better sense of time as they got older. if any friend ever leaves me waiting that long (or god forbid longer) more than twice (i’m giving y’all some leeway here), you’re OFF the friend list. ok, don’t say you haven’t been warned.
***
after a long day with no live people interaction , i was busting w/verbal energy. and while i felt for jenny & justin, i must admit that they were troopers for listening to me babble on in the car.
so i’ve decided that the best thing about having foodie friends is that we always end up having the funnest conversations about the most random food topics! (a shout-out to dani, btw, for all our many email convos spent on food talk. they keep me sane!!)
for example, as we were zipping down westwood, jenny mentioned a great little place nearby that serves omikase, w/both sushi and non-sushi items. apparently you just walk in, sit down, and wait for the chef to serve you a series of small plates (approximately 10-15). for those of you who don’t know, omikase is pretty much a tasting menu, where you take what the chef gives you. so to truly appreciate this kind of experience, you need to be both adventurous and trusting. plus you need, at least for the time being, to set aside any food likes and dislikes. if you’re a really picky eater, this is simply NOT going to be fun for you, so don’t bother.
to that point, jenny told the funniest story about a friend who’d brought her boyfriend out to try this place. (and FYI that i’m waiting for jenny to read this post and comment w/the actual name of the restaurant. jenny, are you out there?) and it was apparently mayo day the day they went in b/c the chef put mayo in almost every single dish he set in front of them. and guess what? the boyfriend hates mayo! (as does justin, by the way. tsk tsk.) to be honest, i don’t feel for either of these boys. i mean, who the heck hates MAYO?! it’s creamy and tangy and goes w/EVERYTHING. (i mean, pretty much, right?) that’s seriously the worst dislike i’ve ever heard. ok, i’m lying, i’ve heard worse. but that’s pretty bad.
at any rate, this led me to mention how de’sha hates condiments. again, who the heck hates CONDIMENTS?! i mean, you’re wiping out like a bazillion yummy edibles! setting that issue aside (and yes, de’sha, i still love you), this led us to wondering what actually constitutes a condiment. justin suggested that it’s any additional item that needs to be squirted or spooned onto the main dish. like ketchup, mustard, relish, etc. and i commented that condiments tend to be gucky. (and no, this spelling doesn’t do the pronunciation justice. but gook-ey just seemed totally wrong and politically incorrect. so if someone else out there can spell it better, lemme know.) which prompted justin to smartly suggest that perhaps there’s some element of VISCOSITY that’s required. way to make my comment sound brilliant!
at that point, i was all ready to go on wikipedia and update the definition if necessary. then jenny brought up soy sauce. which totally stumped us. so we decided to wait for dorothy to weigh in at the restaurant. (who, btw, easily and breezily called soy sauce the “asian condiment,” thereby forcing us to re-think our entire working definition. *sigh*) and proceeded to discuss the questionable merit of studies showing the benefits of pomegranate juice.
by the time we showed up at beacon, dorothy was just pulling into the parking lot. so we were right on time for our reservation. (which i’m sure everyone appreciated since we were all semi-starving by that point.) we were seated right away and served by a really cute and funny waiter. (with actor aspirations, i’m sure.) who ended up waiting on us for the night (even though we weren’t his table) b/c we were so eager to order as soon as we’d skimmed the menu.
since most of the dishes were small plates, we decided to order a whole bunch and share. (my favorite kind of eating!) with recs from christine & brett, as well as from our cute and funny waiter, we decided to check out the black edamame, the crispy fried oysters, the stirfried mushroom salad, the stirfried eggplant, as well as the miso-marinated black cod, the miso-braised short ribs, and the duck confit. i must admit to being quite proud of myself for picking out a few of these dishes before the waiter even commented on them being top-notch and/or his favorites. i mean, did i call them or what? yes, i know, i’m so self-involved.
to be honest, i definitely wouldn’t have picked some of these dishes if i were on my own. (which is interesting since we ended up at some point talking about all the foods we generally never order when we eat out. my picks: chicken and salmon. if i order either of these things, that pretty much means the menu isn’t remotely close to being interesting enough for me.) then again, this is the price we pay for enjoying food w/others. you’re inevitably going to have differences of opinion regarding what you’d like to try (and definitely about what you end up enjoying), but hopefully everyone gets to order something they want. best case scenario is that you thoroughly enjoy something you wouldn’t have ordered otherwise. worst case scenario is that you get at least one dish that you picked – for better or for worse.
of the things i wouldn’t have ordered – edamame is so insubstantial that it’s definitely not worth paying for. i mean, that’s why all the sushi places give it to you for free, right? black or not, super or not (the waiter defined it as super edamame), definitely not worth two cents, much less three dollars (!!). totally uninteresting. as i’ve mentioned previously, short ribs are a total giveaway dish. seriously, who the heck messes up short ribs? (well, i suppose eri could.) i mean, it’s just a few hours of crock-potting to perfection, right? well, unfortunately, this place didn’t crock-pot theirs quite long enough. my attitude is that any short ribs that require knife pressure aren’t worth my time. the duck confit was a total last-minute addition, and again, not worth the money. maybe i’m a snob b/c french is my favorite cuisine and i’ve taken classes at the FCI (yeah, folks, YEAH), but i don’t think i’ve had really good duck confit outside french brasseries. i mean, they invented the concept, right? wouldn’t they know how to do it best? granted i didn’t get much sauce w/my few bites of duck, but i found the meat totally bland and unseasoned. i suppose that’s better than too salty, but not by much. and who lets any dish leave the kitchen w/o enough salt? you’d be knocked off top chef in two seconds!
of everything else – the crispy fried oysters (recommended by the waiter) were BY FAR the most delicious dish of the night. definitely something any of the ladies would’ve ordered more of if we’d been hungrier. (since there were only 3 of them, justin was nice enough to let us have them. that and i’m not sure he likes oysters? god forbid that’s the case. let’s just not think about that and call him chivalrous instead.) the oysters were lightly fried and sitting in small lettuce cups. i love most finger food, and this was the perfect two-bite dish. while my first bite tasted a bit too much of the sea, my second bite was AMAZING. a great contrast of flavors and textures: salty crust, fresh oyster, and crisp lettuce. i SO could’ve replaced any of the other dishes w/more oysters. mmm.... the mushroom salad was one of my picks but definitely didn’t live up to expectations. (honestly, when you’re used to absolutely perfect wild mushroom salads at palomino’s, your standards end up way high.) i had to prowl around to find the multiple types of mushrooms embedded within the salad, and when i found them, i was ultimately disappointed. even the chunks of manchego cheese (which i’d never had in chunk form before) couldn’t makeup for the measly mushrooms.
in total contrast, the eggplant was DELICIOUS. usually i find eggplant either undercooked (which prevents them from soaking up much flavor) or overcooked (which makes them soggy and sopping – think panda express). but the texture of the eggplant here was absolutely perfect. i wish i could’ve eaten more, but i was getting full and i didn’t want to be too piggish. (which is the only problem eating w/NEW friends. you can’t stuff your face the way you would otherwise!) after the eggplant, i think the cod was definitely my next favorite. to be honest, i don’t generally like cod or haddock or any other fish that’s associated with fish & chips (GROSS!). but perhaps i should ease up on these general dislikes more often, b/c the cod here was quite YUM. i’m not sure how it’s supposed to be cooked outside of fish & chips (we were talking about how ahi tuna should be raw or seared, and how swordfish should be well-done but not bone-dry), but i though beacon’s version was on point. the fish was cooked with a slightly crispy skin and just through enough that it pretty much melted in your mouth. i mean, who’d ever say that about COD of all fish? it didn’t hurt that there was a sweet layer of miso glaze on top. i must admit that the glaze was slightly sweeter and thicker than i would’ve liked, but still DELISH. i’m definitely not complaining.
and no fancy meal could end w/o dessert. so again, we ordered a few things to share: the coconut rice and mango brulee, the beacon “ring ding,” and the bento box of sweet treats. going backwards, i have to say that the bento box was my least favorite. i like my desserts to come together on a plate, so i really can’t appreciate cookies and candies when i could get those pretty much anywhere. (especially things like truffles and gummies – that’s why folks go to nijya!) the box also contained two fruit tarts (totally boring) and two fruit/meringue tarts. y’all should’ve seen the looks on jenny and justin’s faces when they bit into the meringue one! OMG. too hilarious. they had no idea what was in it. dorothy and i decided to be adventurous and split the other. we must have similar palates b/c we simultaneously decided that it had to be rhubarb! yeah, that yucky root that some bizarre baker decided to put into dessert and that everyone’s decides is ok to use in dessert. (original baker = idiot.)
for me, the ring ding was more an intriguing pastiche of chocolates than something hearkening back to hostess ding dongs. at any rate, i thought it was quite good, with the contrast b/w moist chocolate cake, thicker white chocolate filling, and vanilla choc chip ice cream (though there could’ve been more choc chips, in my opinion). last but not least, the coconut and mango brulee. OMG. i totally couldn’t get enough of it. as dorothy commented, it was kind of like a cross b/w rice pudding and creme brulee. the rice kernels were pretty substantial. and the brulee was perfect. i wasn’t quite sure what to make of it in those first few bites. but after a few more bites, i decided that it was pretty darn good. from what i could tell, there wasn’t any real mango flavor in the dish itself. but the tiny cubes of mango on the side complimented the dish perfectly in terms of flavor (tangy & fruity vs. creamy) and consistency (slightly crunchy vs. smooth & slightly chewy). also, i think the dish was slightly green, which made think that there must’ve been some green tea flavor added. and seeing as how i love green tea, i didn’t mind that at all.
for the most part, i thought the food was decent. the ambiance was nice and the service was good, but i suppose the food could’ve been better. even though some of the dishes stood out against the others, the meal as a whole didn’t make much of an impression on me. thankfully, the cost per person came out pretty fair. if it’d been any higher, this review might’ve veered negative. b/c when it comes down to it, you want to get what you pay for. and if the food doesn’t live up to what i’m paying for it, well, then the review’s definitely going to suffer. all’s fair in eating and reviewing, right?
beacon
3280 helms ave
los angeles, ca 90034
310.838.7500
http://www.beacon-la.com/index.php
***
as a total sidebar, i want to say that i love on-timers. i swear i’m always 10 minutes early and everyone’s always 20 minutes late. i mean, WTF?! for those of who can add, that means i’m left waiting THIRTY MINUTES. yes, folks, THIRTY MINUTES!! geezus christ. one would think people would be a little more considerate and have a little better sense of time as they got older. if any friend ever leaves me waiting that long (or god forbid longer) more than twice (i’m giving y’all some leeway here), you’re OFF the friend list. ok, don’t say you haven’t been warned.
***
after a long day with no live people interaction , i was busting w/verbal energy. and while i felt for jenny & justin, i must admit that they were troopers for listening to me babble on in the car.
so i’ve decided that the best thing about having foodie friends is that we always end up having the funnest conversations about the most random food topics! (a shout-out to dani, btw, for all our many email convos spent on food talk. they keep me sane!!)
for example, as we were zipping down westwood, jenny mentioned a great little place nearby that serves omikase, w/both sushi and non-sushi items. apparently you just walk in, sit down, and wait for the chef to serve you a series of small plates (approximately 10-15). for those of you who don’t know, omikase is pretty much a tasting menu, where you take what the chef gives you. so to truly appreciate this kind of experience, you need to be both adventurous and trusting. plus you need, at least for the time being, to set aside any food likes and dislikes. if you’re a really picky eater, this is simply NOT going to be fun for you, so don’t bother.
to that point, jenny told the funniest story about a friend who’d brought her boyfriend out to try this place. (and FYI that i’m waiting for jenny to read this post and comment w/the actual name of the restaurant. jenny, are you out there?) and it was apparently mayo day the day they went in b/c the chef put mayo in almost every single dish he set in front of them. and guess what? the boyfriend hates mayo! (as does justin, by the way. tsk tsk.) to be honest, i don’t feel for either of these boys. i mean, who the heck hates MAYO?! it’s creamy and tangy and goes w/EVERYTHING. (i mean, pretty much, right?) that’s seriously the worst dislike i’ve ever heard. ok, i’m lying, i’ve heard worse. but that’s pretty bad.
at any rate, this led me to mention how de’sha hates condiments. again, who the heck hates CONDIMENTS?! i mean, you’re wiping out like a bazillion yummy edibles! setting that issue aside (and yes, de’sha, i still love you), this led us to wondering what actually constitutes a condiment. justin suggested that it’s any additional item that needs to be squirted or spooned onto the main dish. like ketchup, mustard, relish, etc. and i commented that condiments tend to be gucky. (and no, this spelling doesn’t do the pronunciation justice. but gook-ey just seemed totally wrong and politically incorrect. so if someone else out there can spell it better, lemme know.) which prompted justin to smartly suggest that perhaps there’s some element of VISCOSITY that’s required. way to make my comment sound brilliant!
at that point, i was all ready to go on wikipedia and update the definition if necessary. then jenny brought up soy sauce. which totally stumped us. so we decided to wait for dorothy to weigh in at the restaurant. (who, btw, easily and breezily called soy sauce the “asian condiment,” thereby forcing us to re-think our entire working definition. *sigh*) and proceeded to discuss the questionable merit of studies showing the benefits of pomegranate juice.
by the time we showed up at beacon, dorothy was just pulling into the parking lot. so we were right on time for our reservation. (which i’m sure everyone appreciated since we were all semi-starving by that point.) we were seated right away and served by a really cute and funny waiter. (with actor aspirations, i’m sure.) who ended up waiting on us for the night (even though we weren’t his table) b/c we were so eager to order as soon as we’d skimmed the menu.
since most of the dishes were small plates, we decided to order a whole bunch and share. (my favorite kind of eating!) with recs from christine & brett, as well as from our cute and funny waiter, we decided to check out the black edamame, the crispy fried oysters, the stirfried mushroom salad, the stirfried eggplant, as well as the miso-marinated black cod, the miso-braised short ribs, and the duck confit. i must admit to being quite proud of myself for picking out a few of these dishes before the waiter even commented on them being top-notch and/or his favorites. i mean, did i call them or what? yes, i know, i’m so self-involved.
to be honest, i definitely wouldn’t have picked some of these dishes if i were on my own. (which is interesting since we ended up at some point talking about all the foods we generally never order when we eat out. my picks: chicken and salmon. if i order either of these things, that pretty much means the menu isn’t remotely close to being interesting enough for me.) then again, this is the price we pay for enjoying food w/others. you’re inevitably going to have differences of opinion regarding what you’d like to try (and definitely about what you end up enjoying), but hopefully everyone gets to order something they want. best case scenario is that you thoroughly enjoy something you wouldn’t have ordered otherwise. worst case scenario is that you get at least one dish that you picked – for better or for worse.
of the things i wouldn’t have ordered – edamame is so insubstantial that it’s definitely not worth paying for. i mean, that’s why all the sushi places give it to you for free, right? black or not, super or not (the waiter defined it as super edamame), definitely not worth two cents, much less three dollars (!!). totally uninteresting. as i’ve mentioned previously, short ribs are a total giveaway dish. seriously, who the heck messes up short ribs? (well, i suppose eri could.) i mean, it’s just a few hours of crock-potting to perfection, right? well, unfortunately, this place didn’t crock-pot theirs quite long enough. my attitude is that any short ribs that require knife pressure aren’t worth my time. the duck confit was a total last-minute addition, and again, not worth the money. maybe i’m a snob b/c french is my favorite cuisine and i’ve taken classes at the FCI (yeah, folks, YEAH), but i don’t think i’ve had really good duck confit outside french brasseries. i mean, they invented the concept, right? wouldn’t they know how to do it best? granted i didn’t get much sauce w/my few bites of duck, but i found the meat totally bland and unseasoned. i suppose that’s better than too salty, but not by much. and who lets any dish leave the kitchen w/o enough salt? you’d be knocked off top chef in two seconds!
of everything else – the crispy fried oysters (recommended by the waiter) were BY FAR the most delicious dish of the night. definitely something any of the ladies would’ve ordered more of if we’d been hungrier. (since there were only 3 of them, justin was nice enough to let us have them. that and i’m not sure he likes oysters? god forbid that’s the case. let’s just not think about that and call him chivalrous instead.) the oysters were lightly fried and sitting in small lettuce cups. i love most finger food, and this was the perfect two-bite dish. while my first bite tasted a bit too much of the sea, my second bite was AMAZING. a great contrast of flavors and textures: salty crust, fresh oyster, and crisp lettuce. i SO could’ve replaced any of the other dishes w/more oysters. mmm.... the mushroom salad was one of my picks but definitely didn’t live up to expectations. (honestly, when you’re used to absolutely perfect wild mushroom salads at palomino’s, your standards end up way high.) i had to prowl around to find the multiple types of mushrooms embedded within the salad, and when i found them, i was ultimately disappointed. even the chunks of manchego cheese (which i’d never had in chunk form before) couldn’t makeup for the measly mushrooms.
in total contrast, the eggplant was DELICIOUS. usually i find eggplant either undercooked (which prevents them from soaking up much flavor) or overcooked (which makes them soggy and sopping – think panda express). but the texture of the eggplant here was absolutely perfect. i wish i could’ve eaten more, but i was getting full and i didn’t want to be too piggish. (which is the only problem eating w/NEW friends. you can’t stuff your face the way you would otherwise!) after the eggplant, i think the cod was definitely my next favorite. to be honest, i don’t generally like cod or haddock or any other fish that’s associated with fish & chips (GROSS!). but perhaps i should ease up on these general dislikes more often, b/c the cod here was quite YUM. i’m not sure how it’s supposed to be cooked outside of fish & chips (we were talking about how ahi tuna should be raw or seared, and how swordfish should be well-done but not bone-dry), but i though beacon’s version was on point. the fish was cooked with a slightly crispy skin and just through enough that it pretty much melted in your mouth. i mean, who’d ever say that about COD of all fish? it didn’t hurt that there was a sweet layer of miso glaze on top. i must admit that the glaze was slightly sweeter and thicker than i would’ve liked, but still DELISH. i’m definitely not complaining.
and no fancy meal could end w/o dessert. so again, we ordered a few things to share: the coconut rice and mango brulee, the beacon “ring ding,” and the bento box of sweet treats. going backwards, i have to say that the bento box was my least favorite. i like my desserts to come together on a plate, so i really can’t appreciate cookies and candies when i could get those pretty much anywhere. (especially things like truffles and gummies – that’s why folks go to nijya!) the box also contained two fruit tarts (totally boring) and two fruit/meringue tarts. y’all should’ve seen the looks on jenny and justin’s faces when they bit into the meringue one! OMG. too hilarious. they had no idea what was in it. dorothy and i decided to be adventurous and split the other. we must have similar palates b/c we simultaneously decided that it had to be rhubarb! yeah, that yucky root that some bizarre baker decided to put into dessert and that everyone’s decides is ok to use in dessert. (original baker = idiot.)
for me, the ring ding was more an intriguing pastiche of chocolates than something hearkening back to hostess ding dongs. at any rate, i thought it was quite good, with the contrast b/w moist chocolate cake, thicker white chocolate filling, and vanilla choc chip ice cream (though there could’ve been more choc chips, in my opinion). last but not least, the coconut and mango brulee. OMG. i totally couldn’t get enough of it. as dorothy commented, it was kind of like a cross b/w rice pudding and creme brulee. the rice kernels were pretty substantial. and the brulee was perfect. i wasn’t quite sure what to make of it in those first few bites. but after a few more bites, i decided that it was pretty darn good. from what i could tell, there wasn’t any real mango flavor in the dish itself. but the tiny cubes of mango on the side complimented the dish perfectly in terms of flavor (tangy & fruity vs. creamy) and consistency (slightly crunchy vs. smooth & slightly chewy). also, i think the dish was slightly green, which made think that there must’ve been some green tea flavor added. and seeing as how i love green tea, i didn’t mind that at all.
for the most part, i thought the food was decent. the ambiance was nice and the service was good, but i suppose the food could’ve been better. even though some of the dishes stood out against the others, the meal as a whole didn’t make much of an impression on me. thankfully, the cost per person came out pretty fair. if it’d been any higher, this review might’ve veered negative. b/c when it comes down to it, you want to get what you pay for. and if the food doesn’t live up to what i’m paying for it, well, then the review’s definitely going to suffer. all’s fair in eating and reviewing, right?
beacon
3280 helms ave
los angeles, ca 90034
310.838.7500
http://www.beacon-la.com/index.php
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