Inexpensive/Casual Eats near Santa Barbara Bowl?

We don't mind walking a mile. We plan on leaving our car parked at our hotel and just walking around downtown, and then walking or cabbing it to the bowl.

Definitely interested in places that serve more organic, local, sustainable fare if possible. Are there any specific ones that you recommend?

brian j in California

Inexpensive/Casual Eats near Santa Barbara Bowl?

Heading up to Santa Barbara in a few weeks to catch Beck play at the Santa Barbara Bowl. Looking for somewhere inexpensive and casual to grab a quick, yet delicious bite prior to and near the show. Preferably somewhere that also has tasty adult beverages.

One place that has come up on my searches is Jane. Sounds like they may have a tasty burger. That could work, but wondering what other options we might have.

Any and all recommendations would be most appreciated!

brian j in California

Spice Table Lunch

I've eaten at Spice Table for lunch about or dozen or so times. Most often I've ordered their Spice Table burger, which is sorta In N Out style, but they jazz it up with some SE Asian flavors. If you like a perfectly cooked medium-rare burger, they've always nailed the temperature for me. It's one of my favorite burgers in LA.

Their sandwiches, which are banh mi-esque, but not necessarily banh mis, are also all quite delicious. I've had the eggplant curry one, which was splendid. The eggplant had a ton of flavor, and was just as tasty when I ate the leftover half later that night cold. The catfish was good, although I thought it could have used a bit more fish. I finally ordered their take on a classic banh mi type sandwich last weekend. They use all housemade chacuterie/cold cuts. It was quite tasty, and definitely an elevated version of a banh mi.

The curry fried chicken wings are divine. Really nicely fried and crunchy on the outside, with a tasty curry flavor.

We've also had the housemade shrimp chips, and their coleslaw, which although sold separately go great together.

I had the pork belly banh mi months ago and enjoyed it. Didn't really think of it as too similar to Langers.

Also worth noting that they make all their bread in-house. The baguettes that they use for their sandwiches are really amazing. Not crunchy, and mouth cutting like some banh mis I've encountered elsewhere.

brian j in Los Angeles Area

Thai New Year Festivities?

Have all the festivities already happened? I have a feeling I'm a few weeks late...

brian j in Los Angeles Area

Good fishmonger / Seafood Market near Downtown/Echo Park/Silver Lake

Ya, that's who I've bought from at the Culver market on Tuesdays. Really good stuff.

brian j in Los Angeles Area

Good fishmonger / Seafood Market near Downtown/Echo Park/Silver Lake

oh ya. now i remember seeing them. i've never gotten anything from them... as for larchmont, if it's good i'm willing to travel, and more able to on the weekends. especially where smoked fish is involved.

brian j in Los Angeles Area

Good fishmonger / Seafood Market near Downtown/Echo Park/Silver Lake

I don't recall ever seeing a fish vendor at the silver lake farmers market on saturday. i'm there often. i've bought some good seafood from the various seafood vendors at the hollywood sunday market. but would be great if i could find a mid-week option as well.

are there any fish vendors at any of the weekday farmers markets on the east side?

brian j in Los Angeles Area

Good fishmonger / Seafood Market near Downtown/Echo Park/Silver Lake

I've been struggling to find a reliable source for fresh seafood on the east side near where I live. I know there has got to be some good places out there, but so far I haven't found one that I can depend upon all the time.

I work on the west side near Marina del Rey, so sometimes I hit Whole Foods during lunch, or the Culver City farmers market on Tuesdays on my way home. They sometimes have what I'm looking for, but I would love to find something closer to home. I would be especially amazed if I could find a market that carries sustainable seafood.

I've checked out Japantown, but I haven't been completely impressed with what I've seen. There are likely places in Koreatown somewhere, but I have no idea where to start.

Any suggestions?

brian j in Los Angeles Area

Heading to Portland this weekend for the first time

Here are my pix from my report.

brian j in Metro Portland

Heading to Portland this weekend for the first time

Thank you all for all your amazing recommendations. I had a pretty amazing long weekend of eating in Portland. Here's a quick run down of the spots I was able to hit.

Upon arriving my friend took me to the Sweet Hereafter, one of her fav bars. They also happen to serve vegan fare. I ended up ordering their house made pretzels with some beer mustard and nut based mayo. The pretzels were like little discs, and pretty tasty for vegan.

For my first real meal I made my way to Gruner for their bar burger. I had been told that restaurants sometimes have really long waits so I made sure to get there as close to 11:30am for the start of their lunch shift. I managed to be the first customer of the day. Happily ordered a whiskey cocktail and the house burger. I also noticed they had house baked pretzel sticks instead of bread and butter and ordered one of those as well. The pretzel was doughy and warm. Really nice.

The burger came out and the plate was uber hot. So hot that it kept me from picking up my burger to eat for wayyy too long. When I finally did take my first bite juices came gushing out. It was tasty indeed. Came with a side of pickled red onions and bread & butter pickles which both worked great with the cheddar and bacon. There was also a side of smashed taters. All in all it was a magnificent first meal. The burger was ever-so-slightly over cooked -- closer to medium than a true medium rare -- but I was enjoying myself so much I didn't send it back.

Next up I rambled over to Voodoo Donuts. VD definitely has a polarizing effect upon people. Some love. Some hate. Maybe it's a bit cliche and touristy. Whatever. I'm a tourist visiting Portland, so I figured I'd give it a shot. Anyway, I love bacon. And a bacon maple donut sounded sublime. It wasn't the greatest donut I've ever eaten, but I sure as heck enjoyed it. There was a substantial piece of bacon on it, and the maple complimented it quite nicely.

I was seriously full by this point, but had no plans other than to wander and possibly try some more eats. I made my way back across the bridge to Olympic Provisions. I didn't realize it was a restaurant and ended up not going in. Luckily later in the weekend I found upon some of their chacuterie for sale in a market and I picked up a few items to sample back home.

That night I caught the Dandy Warhols downtown at the Star Theater. Afterwards I found myself stumbling around downtown in need of a late night meal. I had skipped dinner in lieu of a liquid linner. I suddenly found myself at the Gilt Club. I honestly didn't realize at the time that it was on the top burger list that someone posted here. I just liked that they were still serving food at nearly 1am. I ordered some foie gras fries and their burger. Full disclosure: I was pretty tipsy at this point, so most any sort of greasy food would have sufficed. Nonetheless, I really dug the chow. The burger was not the best I had all weekend, but it was still pretty good. The fries were my fav of the meal. I realized later on that I likely had only needed them, and not the burger too.

The following morning I got up and rambled over to Pine State Biscuits. I had heard about this legendary spot from a few people. There was a short line out front. I wasn't hungry in the least bit, but I knew I needed to try it so I waited. Once inside I asked the cashier what I should get. He recommended the Reggie Deluxe, a biscuit with fried chicken, bacon, cheese, gravy & a fried egg. Wow. It was huge. Epicly rich. My arteries hardened the moment I gazed at it. I somehow managed to kill the entire thing, for which I later paid the piper. No regrets. If I lived in Portland I think I would eat there often, but I would likely not opt for the Reggie or Reggie Deluxe. I kinda wish I had tried just the biscuit with fried chicken and pickles. Maybe next time.

More drinking enused that night. I was so full. I had likely ingested 3 days worth of calories in the past 24 hours. I was sluggish. Finally around 1am I was ready to eat again. We made our way to Bunk Bar. I ordered the pork belly cubano. Again, I was drunk, so it tasted great, but it didn't look as good as some of the pics I had seen from Bunk Sandwiches. There was not enough pork belly really. But still, it was very delicious, especially for such a late hour.

On Sunday morning my friend took me to Broder. She said it had blown her mind upon a recent visit, so I couldn't really argue with that. I'm not a huge breakfast/brunch fan for the most part, but I can dig it when it's original. Broder has a Scandinavian slant. I settled for the the smoked trout hash. We were lucky enough to get a seat at the bar where we could watch the two cooks whipping up everything. They use these cute little square shaped cast irons for their eggs. My hash has two sunny side eggs atop it. The hash itself was nice, but it really could have used a lot more crisp. Didn't seem like they had left it on the grill for long enough. Maybe I should have asked for it well done. Either way, it was another delicious meal, so no complaints.

That night I caught the 3rd of three Dandy Warhols holiday shows at Doug Fir. It was a matinee show and over by 9:30. Afterwards I jumped in a cab and made my way to Toro Bravo. Their burger had been listed as one of the best in PDX as well, plus I love Spanish food, so I had a good feeling about it. They managed to cram me in at the only open spot at the bar. I quickly ordered a Casa-rita cocktail containing tequila, and of course, the burger.

This burger was not quite as big as Gruners, but it surely packed a lot of flavor. Being a Spanish steez restaurant it had Manchengo cheese in addition to bacon. There were also some very nice bread and butter pickles.

After finishing the bartender assumed I was doneskies. How could I possibly eat any more? I asked for the menu back. My eyes and belly quickly settled on the Coppa steak. I had never had anything like it before. It came out and it looked sorta like a mini prime rib. It was tender and delicious, and almost pastrami like in flavor. LOVE.

Monday morning came and I needed to catch my flight, but not before sneaking in one last meal. This despite the fact that I didn't feel like I'd need to eat again for a thousand years.

Having had such a delightful meal at Toro Bravo the night before I decided to try one of their other spots, Tasty N Sons. I ordered their house made Reuben for my final meal in PDX. It was nicely grilled with tons of butter, a good mount of sauerkraut and cheese, but only a few measly slices of pastrami. And yet it was still very very good. No real complaint. I certainly didn't need anything more at that point.

All in all I was really impressed with the food offerings of Portland. They take good eats seriously. Seems like a lot of the food is on the heavier side, which makes sense as it's needed to help combat the cold. Hopefully I'll make it back soon so I can try some of the many other amazing offerings around town that I didn't have a chance to snack upon this time.

brian j in Metro Portland

Heading to Portland this weekend for the first time

Hey all,

I'm heading up to Portland this weekend for the first time and was hoping you all could provide me with some recommendations. So far I've got the following places on my radar:
Gruner
Metrovino
Tabor
Kenny & Zuke's Deli
The Woodsman Tavern
Le Bistro Montage
Voodoo Donuts
Apizza Scholls
Veritable Quandry
Nosh on Seventh
Pok Pok
Pine State Biscuits

Definitely looking forward to grabbing the burger at Gruner. It seems amazing from what I've read on A Hamburger Today blog. Any other must have burgers that you all recommend?

For the most part I'm looking for New American type restaurants that serve organic, locally sourced food, but also looking for anything that's super unique and maybe only found in Portland.

Thanks!
Brian

brian j in Metro Portland

Where to buy fresh Santa Barbara prawns?

Anyone know of where I can purchase fresh Santa Barbara prawns for cooking at home? I haven't found a reliable seafood monger. I live on the east side, but work on the west side, and am willing to travel.

brian j in Los Angeles Area

Where Can I Buy Lingonberries in LA?

i saw them at the sunday hollywood farmers market last weekend.

brian j in Los Angeles Area

Best Lobster in Key West?

Where are the best place(s) to get lobster in Key West? Is it possible to get local lobster in May/June?

brian j in Florida

Animal bday report

A month or more ago I decided I wanted to revisit Animal for my bday dinner. I made a rez for 6 and eagerly awaited my return meal. Yesterday was my bday and I hadn't heard from Animal to confirm my rez. I thought it was strange since most restaurants seem to confirm a few days before. I called to confirm and it seemed they had mistakenly marked it down for the next day. I knew I had booked it specifically for my bday, so I'm pretty confident it was their error. I told them so as nicely as possible. They said they'd see what they could do. They called me back a little while later and said they couldn't fit me in. Bummed I let my party know that dinner was canceled as I didn't feel like dealing with a backup option. Then Animal called back again and said they had a cancellation and they could now fit me in. I let the crew know, but half of them had already made alternate plans, but two of my buddies were still game so we decided to hit it.

I didn't let the rez mishap affect my dining experience whatsoever. I was initially annoyed, but chalked it up to an honest mistake. Anyway, I love the food too much at Animal to punish myself by putting any sort of embargo in place.

Our meal was wonderful. The three of us split all of the following dishes:

- Marrow bone w/ chimichurri > Solid dish, but nothing out of the ordinary. Only came with two slices of toast, but there was enough marrow for three, and I thought they should have included one more.

- Pig tails "buffalo style", celery, ranch > I had had this before, and it was worth a repeat. I love the texture of the meat vs. the bone. I dig that you're able to eat most of the bones as well, since they're so fried. My dining companions weren't as keen on eating the bones though.

- Veal brains w/ carrots > The brains had been fried a la chicken fried steak. The crispiness made for a nice counterpoint to the gooey brains. Strange, yet delightful. The beefy flavor came thru also to remind me of chicken fried steak.

- Thai BBQ quail w/ cabbage-mandarin slaw > Perfect Thai flavorings, presented in a semi-refined way. Loved it.

- Grilled octopus w/ chorizo > This was good, but not mindblowing. Octopus was tender. Chorizo was ok.

- Balsamic pork ribs > These were tender and good, but not uber flavorful. They were served at the same time as the steak, and they simply lost the flavor match by being served simultaneously.

- Flat iron steak w/ truffle Parmesan fondue > The steak was perfectly cooked medium-rare. The fondue was lacquered generously over top, and added a nice creamy-earthiness to the dish.

- Bacon chocolate crunch bar, s&p anglaise > Twas good, but could have used more bacon IMO.

The highlights were the pig tail, brains & flat iron. Normally I wouldn't even order a steak at a place like Animal (not that I don't love steak), but it was one of my friend's choice and it ended being quite fantastic.

A great meal overall. Was very happy that they were able to find us a table after the initial disappointment. I will be back again.

brian j in Los Angeles Area

Langer's vs. Oinkster (vs. Katz's)

I tried Langer's pastrami again last week for the first time since right when I moved here back in September. The sandwich looked divine. Like a perfect specimen of the NYC deli classic. Ordered it straight up on rye with mustard and nothing else. If put side by side next to Katz's (who imo makes the finest Pastrami in the world), they look very very similar...

Unfortunately, having recently visited NYC, the taste of Katz's was still fresh in mind. Honestly, Langer's is sorta bland in comparison. The rye bread was fantastic. The meat had a nice amount of fattiness to it... However, the flavor of the meat was lacking the complex, smokey characteristic that really makes Katz's sing. I still think it's a good sandwich, but to be honest, I think the flavor of Oinkster's pastrami is better than Langer's. Of course, Oinkster is far from traditional. It's not even served on Rye. And the bread it came upon fell apart half way through, but the meat itself has much more pronounced pastrami flavor that comes closer to pastrami bliss.

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Oinkster
2005 Colorado Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90041

brian j in Los Angeles Area

Good eats off the 5 on route to San Francisco?

I'm driving up to San Francisco this weekend for the first time since moving down to LA. I was wondering if there are any good eats along the way that are worth stopping for, and not too far off the beaten path. I'm heading up late morning, so ideally I'm looking for someplace good for lunch. Not looking for anything specific, just something tasty and delicious that's not McDonalds.

brian j in California

Green Chili Kitchen's Habanero Salsa

Hi Melanie,
Ya, I'm down in LA now fighting the good foodie fight. It's a completely different ballgame down here, but I'm acclimating... Oh, how I miss Tierra. Lee was my favorite farmer at the Ferry Plaza farmers market. I used to spend way too much money on her hot sauces and pepper powders. I'm quite famliar with her habanero hot sauce. Haven't had any in a while as it was already sold out that last few times I visited the market.

brian j in Home Cooking

best quesadilla near Ktown/Echo Park/Los Feliz...

That newish place Tinga has a mushroom quesadilla. I haven't tried it yet, but I want to get over there to sample their tacos.

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Tinga
142 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036

brian j in Los Angeles Area

best quesadilla near Ktown/Echo Park/Los Feliz...

Just because something's not traditional does not mean it's not amazing... Just saying.

That being said, I had what's probably a way more authentic quesadilla experience this weekend in Echo Park. I finally stumbled upon the Oaxacan style street vendor who makes blue corn quesadillas. I went for one with pork and one chorizo. Can't beat it for $3 each. The pork one had chunks of fried pork and pork skin (chicharron?), and the chorizo one also had potato. I added some spicy red salsa/sauce to the chorizo one, and the green sauce and nopales to the pork one. And some white onion & cilantro to both...

Both were quite delicious. I think I prefer the fried pork one, though. So glad to finally have found her hiding spot. I'll definitely be hitting her stand regularly on the weekends moving forward.

brian j in Los Angeles Area

pretzel bread & burger buns near Echo Park/Silver Lake

anyone know of any good bakeries near Echo Park/Silver Lake that carries pretzel bread or buns, and/or also a solid burger bun?

brian j in Los Angeles Area

Green Chili Kitchen's Habanero Salsa

Never had Marie Sharp's, but I'll have to get a bottle to find out. Thanks!

brian j in Home Cooking

Oinkster review

Agree about the bread being underwhelming. I only ate half my sandwich, and ended up bringing the other half home. Pulled the meat out of the disintegrated bun and grilled it up in some simple organic whole wheat bread from Trader Joe's, with some extra cheddar cheese added, and it was superb... Do they sell their pastrami by the pound?

brian j in Los Angeles Area

Green Chili Kitchen's Habanero Salsa

Is anyone else out there a tremendous fan of Green Chili Kitchen's habanero salsa? They don't really advertise it widely, and I don't even think it's on their menu, but it's one of my favorites of all time. It's almost more like a thick hot sauce, than a salsa. I think they use carrots as the base, but I'm not sure. I'm trying to figure out how to make my own since I've recently left SF and am sorely missing this spicy sauce.

brian j in Home Cooking

Oinkster review

I've had the #44 with nippy cheese. It was definitely good. I need to go back and try it straight up just with rye and mustard and no cheese or anything else to interfere with the flavor.

It's the closest thing to Katz's I've had on the west coast for sure... But from my recollection I believe the meat didn't have as smoky a flavor as Oinksters, which I prefer. But the texture and experience was more akin to Katz's in NYC.

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Oinkster
2005 Colorado Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90041

brian j in Los Angeles Area

Al & Bea's Report: My quest for a NorCal style burrito...

I should also mention that ground beef is not my usual choice for a burrito filling... I most often go for Carnitas or Chorizo, or a combination of the two. There's just something about GCK's ground beef burrito that sends me...

brian j in Los Angeles Area

Al & Bea's Report: My quest for a NorCal style burrito...

The Mission style burrito you described above is certainly not what I'm searching for... To be honest the burrito I miss the most is not strictly a Mission style burrito. Green Chili Kitchen in San Francisco serves a hybrid burrito which is partly inspired by the Mission style, but also heavily influenced by New Mexican cooking. They use organic/natural ingredients and Niman Ranch beef and pork. The NM inflection comes in the form of the addition of red or green chili sauce in the burrito. They serve a burrito which is my favorite of all time consisting of seasoned ground beef, refried beans, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, rice and green chili sauce. They import their green chilis from NM. And they grill their burritos, too. Their burritos perfectly meld all those components into a gooey, tasty amalgamation of pure bliss. On top of that, they make the most amazingly flavorful and fiery habanero salsa that when added to the mix only raises the stakes to orgasmic.

I miss that burrito severely... I've begun to accept the fact that I will never find anything like it in LA. Unless I start making my own, which I am considering...

brian j in Los Angeles Area

Oinkster review

This ranks as amongst the best pastrami I've ever eaten. I went last weekend for the first time and ordered, what else, but the Oinkster. I lived in NYC for a while and Katz's is my gold standard for Pastrami. This pastrami was tender, smokey, and just fatty enough. The sandwich came pretty loaded with pastrami, slaw and gruyere. The bread was a bit sopping wet from the juicy pastrami and it fell apart some as I was eating it, but it was still delicious, and I'm not complaining that it was overstuffed. The fries were also pretty soid and done right in the Belgian style.

Need to go back to try the pulled pork. Also interested to see how they do their reuben.

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Oinkster
2005 Colorado Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90041

brian j in Los Angeles Area

Al & Bea's Report: My quest for a NorCal style burrito...

I ate it late night this weekend. Heated it up by grilling it in the cast iron. It was gooey and tasty, but from what I could tell they forgot to include the green chili, so it was disappointing.

brian j in Los Angeles Area