mpken's Profile
SGV 'Hounds ... a quick quixotic question for you.
I think you hit the nail on the head.
Rodded follow-up visit re: duck soup
We finally ate here after all these years. I remember reading this post and decided that we would one day eat here. There was always something else in the area that took us off track, but now I can check Rodded off the list. My wife was craving Boat Noodles at Sapp, but I spotted Rodded as we drove down Hollywood Blvd. and quickly found parking.
We ordered the duck nooodle soup, half stewed duck, and spicy eggplants with pork. Every dis was outstanding. The dwell duck soup broth was properly spiked with Thai spices. The stewed duck was sliced, served on top of some Chinese broccoli, and eaten with the tangy Thai salsa from the tableside jars. The final dish of spicy Chinese eggplants was a savory pile of al dente pile eggplants interspersed with onions, pork and chili. I'm saddened that it took so many years to make it to Rodded, but I am sure glad we finally got to try it. Thanks Thi, RFSG, and Chowhound.
MPken
Benu / Crenn / Coi / Saison
It will be interesting to see your take. We just dined at the same three over the weekend and felt Saison was the most enjoyable. I was most concerned with the value proposition at Saison based on reading some other posts about not having enough to eat. We were very satisfied at the end of our meal. Watching Chef Skenes and his staff's quiet precision in the kitchen should be very entertaining. Being able to watch the food preparation helped us connect the taste with the technique. Another added benefit of the Chef's table is that it will be nice and quiet with some music softly playing in the background. As we experienced once too often at other places, as the alcohol intake increases, so does the volume in the room.
Benu was also very good, but there were too many Asian influences for my taste. There were great East meets West dishes, but also some that didn't impress (like the noodles that reminded me of Spoon House in SoCal). The food was good, but at that price it should have more WOW.
Crenn was interesting, but some dishes didn't make sense or taste as good as they looked or were composed. For example with the Broken Avocado. If they are going to go to the trouble of shattering a frozen avocado(guessing they're using liquid nitrogen), why serve the avocado pieces on a room temperature plate with room temperature avocado pieces. The prices are not at the same level as Saison and Benu, so the expectations were a bit lower. The work and effort is evident in the presentation, yet they still have some growing to do.
It was great that all three chefs were accessible while we were there. Chef Crenn greated us at the maître d' station in addition to coming by during the meal. Being in the kitchen at Saison should lend to some quality conversation with Chef Skenes. Chef Lee was approachable, friendly and came off as a humble and quiet guy.
You should also have a good time at Meadowood.
I love your NY Pizza post covering 1 day and 4 places.
Cut or Melisse?
Instead of offering, they should have just taken it back and fired you a new one without hesitation. Putting the onus on you is sort of weak and cheaping out. I've seen a Kobe steak order go back at Providence two time without hesitation from the server. At this level of dining, CUT should have done something similar.
As you can tell, I'm not a big fan of CUT either, although their Bone Marrow Flan is one of my favorite dishes anywhere.
BTW, we really enjoyed our experience at Wolfgang's. It is like Peter Luger's lite.
Recap of last night's LudoBites
Sounds tasty. How much was the meal and did you find it a good value?
Looks like Bistro LQ has closed (updated 3/25/2011)
Unfortunate for Los Angeles. One of the better places in LA.
Coming to LA for 3 Days and I have done some homework!
Thanks for reporting back. Awesome write up with good pics to boot. I guess it was a good choice to get out of Dallas during SB Weekend. We went to Park's BBQ during the game and was underwhelmed. I guess we didn't eat fast enough and over cooked our galbi.
Now I'm hungry after reading your post.
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Park's BBQ
955 S. Vermont Ave, Suite G, Los Angeles, CA 90006
Armenian banquet hall vs. Chinese restaurant wedding banquet
What an interesting pair to cross shop. Even after having eaten so many Chinese banquets for my dad's memorial in January and then for Chinese New Year, I would still opt for the Chinese banquet. I think the variety of entrees is much better with the Chinese banquet.
I've been to one Armenian banquet hall, so my sample size is very limited. The Armenian banquet will definitely have more appetizers to start with. It was like all of the greatest hits were already on the table. Unknowingly we filled up on the meze, not expecting the enormous amounts of grilled meats left to come. While I love grilled meat, it seems that that was the only method once the main course came along.
in the end, the Chinese restaurant will probably give you more leeway with altering the menu and setting up your own bar. Either way, your guests should leave sated and happy.
Reading mixed reviews of Drago Centro...& love your comments on our DineLA 2011 tentative picks
I hear The Raymond has a fantastic selection for DineLA and is on our list to try. At $34, it sounds even more impressive. We'll be trying The Raymond this week.
Reading mixed reviews of Drago Centro...& love your comments on our DineLA 2011 tentative picks
Mc Michael - you are too kind. The food is uneven with some overly large appetizers and some skimpy main dishes. In our case, there was a long wait between the bread that came around and the water from the same runner, a salad ordered wasn't anything like the description on the menu, under seasoned fish and chicken courses, and way over sized calamari pieces.
Follow that with your mentioned out of whack price to value/quality ratio (even with the DineLA menu which we had to ask for), it was an uncomfortable meal. Service was good and we felt sorry for our server because of the missteps. We wanted to like it, but it left us wanting. It has so much potential with the location and the space.
Coming to LA for 3 Days and I have done some homework!
If it is just two of you, it will be hard to totally enjoy Chinese seafood. You'll be limited to ordering one lobster and a side dish or something to that extent. The food is good at the recommended places, but you'll need a group (4+) to properly enjoy the live seafood offerings such as steamed fish, stir fried clams, geoduck, shrimp, scallops, etc.
Providence offers a great tasting menu that, as another has said, has the potential to blow you away.
Dim Sum question
$1.80 was running all day and probably a weekday deal since we were there Friday afternoon. It was posted to run till 12/27, but the sign was in Chinese and I didn't press my uncle for more info.
In my mind I questioned having dim sum so late in the day too, but I wasn't about to turn down my aunt and uncle who were hosting us. Going so late doesn't matter that much when you're having slow cooked stuff like phoenix claw, tripe, lotus leaf wrapped rice, and spare ribs. The kitchen was still making stuff to order like the rolled rice noodles and the various gows if you were willing to wait. I like the touch that NY can still use the old school looking bamboo+stainless steamers. LA's stainless steamers look so sterile.
We went to Golden Unicorn this past Sunday and I did notice it was a bit better. It also helps that we went at 10am. Another plus was it was raining, not as many people will come out early.
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Golden Unicorn
18 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002
Dim Sum question
I recently had some late dim sum at 88 Palace that was enjoyable. Don't remember the reason, but they were running a $1.80 special too. Even though we went in after 2pm, the selection was decent. You'll pretty much have the place to yourselves, just before the place starts their 4pm-ish staff meal.
88 Palace
88 East Broadway
Underneath the Manhattan Bridge
On the 2nd floor inside the shopping arcade.
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88 Palace
88 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002
Oysters stir fried with ginger garlic and green onion.
Salmon head hot pot/bowl is available at LYLGarden on Garvey in Monterey Park. That's one dish we order almost every time we are there.
LYL Garden Restaurant
500 West Garvey Avenue
Monterey Park, CA 91754
Dumpling Master's green onion pancakes
The Roti at Yazmin(Malaysian) in Alhambra is pretty darn addictng too. No green onions, but it comes with a fine curry sauce.
Who sells coconut milk in cartons
I've purchased it at Ranch 99 (Monterey Park), but it was called Coconut Cream. Pretty much the same as milk, but thicker.
Review: THE GORBALS
I remember hearing about The Gorbals, but never bothered to put it on our list until the LA CicLAvia. The path had us ride right past the Alexandria Hotel with the big Gorbals flag waving on the outside. Then I hit me that this was a place we had to try next.
I was expecting Animal lite and it was sort of like that. Super sparse decor, friendly staff, and nice music. To start, we opted for the flat filtered water and a couple of cocktails.
Cocktails - $10ea, pretty good but don't remember the ingredients...
1. The Desparate Housewife - Lemon, Orange something, Brown Sugar, Vodka. The drink startles with a sharp hit of vodka and mellows a bit with a sugary lemon finish.
2. Charlize The Rum - Mint, Sugar, Rum, Lemon(?). Hahahah, get it The Rum - Theron? Ok, I didn't get it when I read it, but anyways... More mint than lemon, so not so mojito-like. Good minty sweetness with a distinct rum backing.
>Bacon Wrapped Matzoh Balls - the matzoh was a bit drier than expected, but an interesting paring. Worth trying if your curious.
>Broccoli with soy and chili - the broccoli had a bit of brown goodness from roasting and dressed with what seemed like a flashing of oil, soy, and a dried red chili. Silvers of green onion were sprinkled on top. Good, would recommend and order again.
>Bahn Mi Poutine - The Chips and Dill with a"banh mi topping" of pork, cheese, pickles, carrot, sirahcha, cilantro, jalapenos. Not loaded down with gravy, but worth trying if it is on the menu.
> Octopus, frisee, bacon - a nice little salad composed of fried octopus, muscles, squid, frisee, and bacon. We were looking forward to trying the octopus and gizzard dish, but was still satisfied with this alternate preparation of eight legged goodness.
>Burger with Fried Egg - a nice thick patty cooked to a medium to medium rare and topped with a sunny side up egg. Good to split two or four ways if you want to try more stuff. It was recommended over the Welsh Rarebit.
> Sticky Toffee Pudding - a mini cupcake of sticky toffee pudding accompanied by a chocolate with white chocolate chip ice cream. Not rich and wet like the English Pudding Company's version, but we find all cupcakes kind of dry to begin with. Good ice cream, good toffee sauce, meh on the pudding.
We're looking forward to going back to try the roasted half pig's head and the other proteins on the menu. The prices are good for the quality of food served. Parking on the street is free after 6pm if you can find it or ~$4 at the lot a block up. We enjoyed our meal at The Gorbals with the focused yet disparate menu and would rate it slightly higher than the similarly conceived Lazy Ox Canteen as far as value goes. Animal and Lazy Ox are in nicer neighborhoods, have better decor, and larger choices for food and drink. The Gorbals may be lite on some of those items, but isn't lite on arousing the palate.
-mpken
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Lazy Ox Canteen
241 S San Pedro St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
The Gorbals
501 S Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Pho Minh, Pho Minh, Pho Minh
Anybody been to Pho Minh lately? The last few times we've gone it has been closed. We went this past Saturday around 9am and the last two times in the evenings around 7 pm and 8 pm during the week. The sign with the operating hours is also gone. Strange.
Went to Pho Huynh, Pho Fillet, and Tito's Market instead. Tito's sandwiches were good, but we're still jonesing for Pho Minh.
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Tito's Market
9814 Garvey Ave, El Monte, CA
Pho Minh
9646 Garvey Ave, South El Monte, CA 91733
Pho Huynh
9706 Garvey Ave, El Monte, CA 91733
Test Kitchen - Red Medicine
We went to Test Kitchen tonight for the Red Medicine run. Food was interesting and the drinks were creative. Favorites of the night were the fried Brussels sprouts and the tomatoes with silken tofu. The protein courses are promising and warrant trying when Red Medicine actually opens. Saigon Tartin and Beef Bavette would be very satisfying in a large format. The beef bavette with bacon XO sauce would make a killer nigiri sushi.
The desserts really shine here and Jordan Khan's touch is evident. The coconut bavarois was reminiscent of his work at Mina's XIV, with that wicked peanut croquant (much like a silky Butterfinger center). Perfectly ripe peaches, cream, basil, and tonic sorbet was a perfect finish to the meal with a balance of flavors that left a good impression.
Pacing was quicker than expected as courses overlapped up to 3 dishes on the table at one time. Perhaps it was because we were the first table seated, but much faster than we'd like. Some tables had good pacing, while others may have had too much of a gap between courses. Working out the kinks still, I guess. The meal did feel a bit rushed and the fact that we were out of there in a bit over an hour attests to that.
Cocktails were creative, but didn't have the WOW factor that the drinks at Rivera have, even though Julian Cox is in charge of the bar program here too. The cocktails seem to be still evolving. Funny thing is we headed to Rivera afterward for cocktails and were duly satisfied.
Red Medicine should be well evolved and fine tuned after this stint at Test Kitchen and we're looking forward to the official opening.
Parking tip: If you're part of the first seating, parking on the street is ample and free after 6pm.
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XIV
8117 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90046
Seongbukdong is The Definitive
Such a little place with such good food. I can't believe I've been going to Dansungsa so many times and never noticed Seongbukdong. The galbijim (steamed short ribs on the menu) was heavenly.
Good restaurants that make you sad because they're empty all the time
Your post piqued our interest and we headed east to Le Chalet Basque. Le Chalet Basque was like going into a time warp with the quaint downtown neighborhood and old school decor. The menu was interesting and the place was as empty as described; no other patrons in the dining room the whole time we were there. The family style portion of the meal included soup in LARGE tureen that could have served 8, spaghetti, thinly sliced and lightly dressed beef tongue, Tolosa style beans, and ham with tomatoes and peppers. All hearty and palatable, but we weren't careful not to fill up before the entrees arrive.
Pan fried chicken, lamb chops, and sliced roast beef were our entrees for the night. A half chicken came nicely cooked, but on the salty side. Lamb chops were a bit pass medium rare, but flavorful. Not sure about the sliced beef, but it must have been OK since it was completely consumed. Boiled green beans reminiscent of grade school accompany the entrees along with a choice of twice baked potato, frittes, or rice. Sated with plenty to take home, we finished off the meal with a refreshing salad of iceberg and romaine in a light vinaigrette topped with bits of blue cheese. Overall it was a quaint and enjoyable meal. Hard to say if we would have ever found this place without Degustateur's post, but we're glad we came and tried some Basque(-ish) food. Definitely off the beaten path and empty as heck with the sounds of KUSC permeating the dining room. According to our server, after Lent the patrons will flock back to LCB.
Maybe a road trip to Bakersfield for more Basque cuisine is in order, but that's for another post.
-mpken
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Le Chalet Basque
119 N 2nd St, La Puente, CA 91744
the girlfriends are away so the guys are going out for... dansungsa? fu rai bo? ideas?
I like going to Dungsansa too with it's good wings and the smoky, dark feel. Helps you forget you're in LA.
If you are looking for a meat-fest, Guirim 2 is my suggestion. Pretty good quality AYCE with a nice variety of panchan, steamed egg thingy, and duk. Of course the requisite beers and soju are available. They even have a whole sirloin steak or whole squid on the AYCE menu. A crazy way to finish off your meal.
If you're in the Sawtelle area, Nanbankan is also a good option for yakitori. The house yaki onigiri is pretty damn good; laced with bonito furikake and a bit of miso.
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Nanban-Kan Restaurant
11330 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025
Sootbul Guirim Two Korean BBQ
233 S Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90004
Downtown Solo Early Dining?
love those suggestions. never been to Pete's, so now I've got something new to try in the area.
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Pitfire Pizza
108 W 2nd St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Wurstkuche
800 E 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Bottega Louie
700 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90017
Lazy Ox Canteen
241 S San Pedro St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Where should I get wings for the Superbowl?
Yes. Ye Rustic Inn for those darn fine wings.
I doubt that I've ever been to a bar as lowly light as that.
Where do you go to buy roasted coffee beans?
I'll agree that the drip coffee Jones serves on location is mediocre at best, but the whole bean products are totally different when you brew it yourself. Really a night and day difference.
Chow Gold Line - rails to good food
Cinco Puntos
3300 East Cesar E Chavez Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90063-2804
Head north on Indiana to E. Cesar Chavez Ave.
Chow Gold Line - rails to good food
This stop is literally right in front of King Taco
King Taco
4504 East 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90022-1613
(323) 264-4067
Chow Gold Line - rails to good food
Los Molcajetes
5116 East Beverly Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90022-1704
(323) 268-9893
Good and cheap pupusas
Chow Gold Line - rails to good food
Atlantic
5150 E Pomona Bl, Los Angeles 90022
Nearby Temporary Parking During Parking Facility Construction
12 Bike Rack Spaces
16 Bike Lockers
Chow Gold Line - rails to good food
East LA Civic Center
4780 E 3rd St, Los Angeles 90022
20 Bike Rack Spaces
