techbod's Profile
Last Meal in LA? Leaving after 20 Years
Spago, tasting menu. Then straight to LAX. Not necessarily the best, but archetypical L.A.
And upon arrival in Chicago, reserve at Alinea. Amazing, and unlike anything in L.A., and yes I've tried Bazaar, which is fun amd interesting, but no contest.
Shunji's on a Monday nite? bad idea? or ok idea?
The "fresh" claims, and "we got it from the special fish market at 5am" stories seem thin. Not at Shunji, but in general. Fishing boat collects bluefin tuna. It goes in the freezing hold for as long as we're at sea. Then, unload, sell at market. Load onto jet. Fly across Pacific. Deliver to wholesaler. Sell to sushi chef. Drive across town. Serve 12 hours later. That's a four or five day process. Hopefully, said fish is frozen solid for the bulk of that time so as not to rot. If so, who cares if it sits on ice for another day or two, and gets served on a Monday at 8pm? The chef has pride and a discerning palate. If he is serving it, I am eating it.
Grilled Cheese Month at Clementine
I had the Cuban to go. Even cooled down after the ride home it was delicious. Real ingredients. Carefully prepared. Clementine staff tend to make sandwiches as if they are going to eat it themselves - with care, and plentiful fillings. Keep it up.
Best fried chicken in LA? where is it?
The La Cachette Bistro "basket of fried chicken" sounds great, but is somewhat misleading. Someone in my party ordered it, and was surprised when she was delivered a paper cone (like one in which you might serve french fries) with three or four "strip d' poulet fritte." That's right - chicken tenders. Perhaps lovingly cut by a prep chef with an accent, and clearly carefully battered and fried by a true Francophone, but at the end of the day, they were chicken strips, served with a forgettable ketchup or bbq-ish sauce. Not exactly bistro fare, but, were they on a kids' menu, perfectly acceptable. The Chef is doing the right thing if he is rethinking that dish and its place on his otherwise good menu.
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La Cachette
Little Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90067
where to buy scallop in ventura or around ventura
Both Ventura Harbor and Channel Islands Harbor 3 miles south have fishing boats, local fisherman, commercial fisherman, and fresh from the sea, buy it right from the guy who caught it seafood. Urchins. Abalone. Scallops. Crab. Fish. Just go walk around the docks and either follow your nose, or ask around.
sushi-lover from out of town, visiting in November, planning 2 dinners, Urasawa & ?
I recommend you go for something other than sushi on the first night, and Urasawa the next. There are probably a dozen REALLY GOOD sushi spots in L.A., but everyone EVERYONE concurs that none of them are in the same league as Urasawa. So, do something else you can only do in L.A. - Melisse, Providence, Spago, Cut, Mozza (either one), and then look forward to one A+ sushi outing at Urasawa.
Breakfast before the Dodger game on Wednesday?
The Pacific Dining Car is the go-to, hearty breakfast and stiff bloody mary destination in downtown L.A. It's open 24-7, which is irrelevant unless you are planning on getting a REALLY early start for the game.
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Pacific Dining Car
1310 W 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90017
Fisherman's House, Channel Islands Harbor; Secret Dining Room - Anyone Ever Tried It?
Shockingly, the tab was: $50 for the whole live fish sashimi kimchi spicy soup and some leftover sashimi done tempura style (for two). $6 for the order of tempura fish/veggies I ordered up front for my kid. $5 for large HITE Korean beer. That's $61 plus a 30+% tip because of the unbelievable value and first-class treatment, and we were out the door. Also, plenty of free parking. Weird, right?
Fisherman's House, Channel Islands Harbor; Secret Dining Room - Anyone Ever Tried It?
So, the deafening silence in response to my post above told me that I was going to have to take one for the team and report back. Take one I did, and I'm pleased to share my experience. Two adults and one 3-year-old sampled Fisherman's House last night, and here are the facts:
- start with a live fish (rock fish, white fish, other non-descript, not-traditionally sushi-ish fish)
- within 10 minutes of sitting down, said fish has been reduced to more sashimi than any two people could eat. It is delivered beautifully arrayed on a football-shaped platter, accompanied by lettuce leaves, wasabi, chili sauce, miso paste, garlic slivers, jalapeno slivers, cucumber and carrot sticks, and a pitcher of cool, unsweetened tea
- two diners tuck into the sashimi course and eat as much as they can
- when they cry uncle, the server takes away the sashimi (more on this later) and delivers 4 types of kimchi (cucumber, cabbage, other and other other) and a couple of bowls of good, sticky rice, and sounds the alarm that the spicy soup is coming right up
- said soup hits the table in a large cauldron, spiced in a kimchi dimension, and with big chunks of tender fish (and a whole fish skeleton for flavor) strewn throughout. it is delicious, and induces perspiration and lots of oohs and aahs of appreciation.
- the aforementioned sashimi that didn't get eaten in round one went to two worthy causes. first, they tossed some of it into the fish soup kettle, where it cooked up nicely and added to the soup portion of the experience. the rest of it (maybe 15 little pieces) took a quick trip through the tempura station and came back packed to go in an open cardboard container so it wouldn't get soggy. after 15 hours in the fridge, it baked up nicely today (375 for 12 minutes) for a delicious day-after lunch.
A couple of other notes:
- this is a family-owned restaurant, with regular customers who have been coming for decades from up and down the coast
- this is the only restaurant in the Channel Islands Harbor with a license to recirculate "fresh" harbor water into their tanks on a continuous basis. Any boater can tell you that "fresh harbor water" is a bit of an oxymoron, but when you consider that the option in most live/fresh fish restaurants is water that gets changed weekly or monthly, with filtration in between changes to keep the fish alive, one can see how the recirculating option is considered a selling point to those in the know.
- the first generation owners (50s or 60s) seemed worried that I was not going to appreciate their authentic experience (perhaps a bit of a language gap). the second generation staff (Jamie, the daughter) got that I was on a Chowish adventure and explained that to the elders. from that moment on, we enjoyed first-class treatment all the way, and the entire staff made us feel very, very welcome.
Summing up, if you haven't tried Fisherman's House, seriously consider it. It is very good, and a great "experience" meal to boot. Oxnard is a bit short on chowish cuisine, but Fisherman's House proves that if you know where to look, you can find some great stuff.
Additional notes for those trolling the board looking for other options in the Oxnard, Channel Islands, Port Hueneme area: Blue Elephant Thai is excellent, HC Seafood is great for live, fresh crabs to go (call in your order, they take 20 minutes to cook), and Pete's Breakfast House in Ventura is a very good breakfast option, even though it isn't in the charming part of Ventura's Main Street.
Fisherman's House, Channel Islands Harbor; Secret Dining Room - Anyone Ever Tried It?
In the downtrodden Channel Islands Harbor, I stumbled today into the "secret" dining room of Fisherman's House. By "secret," I guess I mean that because I don't read or speak or look Korean, I've been able to wander past it dozens of times without ever noticing it. And, i can't seem to find it on Chowhound.
If you walk in the front door, you are in a decrepit food court, packed empty with dozens of forlorn tables and chairs. To your right, a Mexican food counter. To your left, a sushi bar/noodle/non-specific Asian food counter. It's all kind of iffy looking. It's easy to understand why there are few if any customers. This place aspires to mall food court status.
But something "just didn't look right." After some nosing around, and a bit of the "you're not Asian, so we're going to ignore you until you go away" treatment from the staff, I figured it out. This schlocky teriyaki counter has several big tanks full of live fish, Dungeness crabs, and other goodies of the sea. Peering through the kitchen, I could see a tatami room of sorts. Raised white tile slabs with low tables. And, that telltale sign that something Chowish is afoot - well-dressed, wealthy-looking Koreans tucking into a colorful, fresh-looking spread of food.
I needed to know more. What I learned has penetrated my every waking moment since. I need to locate a babysitter, rally 2-3 friends, and go back to experience the "secret" side of Fisherman's House.
As they grudgingly described it, one orders a whole fish. They sashimi the fillets on the spot, and serve the sashimi up with a selection of panchan. Then, they take the rest of the piscine parts and whip up a special soup. You eat this fishy feast in direct view of the Channel Islands Harbor, where boats bob and sway, and the seagulls swiddle of better times in the past and ahead.
The smallest version of the experience runs $50 and serves approx. 2. More people = bigger/additional fish = more $.
My goodness. How good does this sound? Has anyone on here ever tried it? What should I know before I go (tomorrow)?
Baja Fresh Selling KOGI Tacos? Worlds Colliding...
Caroline and her social media stars over at KOGI got in touch directly to repudiate any suspicion of Kogi/Baja Fresh official tie-up. KOGI remains willfully independent. Tweet on, my taco slinging tweeps.
Baja Fresh Selling KOGI Tacos? Worlds Colliding...
http://fastfood.freedomblogging.com/2009/07/14/baja-fresh-testing-restaurant-of-the-future-in-oc/27993/
According to no less an authority than some blog on the OC Register website, a Baja Fresh in Irvine is testing upscale menu items, rolling out margaritas, and....
...wiat for it...KOGI Korean BBQ Tacos. Okay, anyone confused?
Baja Fresh = sort of Mexican, fast casual, corporate tacos and burritos with hundreds of locations nationwide
KOGI = we're so alternaTive we can'T even type without toggling oUr CAPSLOCK key, death to corporate overlords
So, if this blogger is not delusional either Baja is ripping off KOGI's street taco concept fair and square, or Mark, Caroline and the KOGI gang have just sold out, either literally or figuratively.
I saw it coming, and I don't blame them for it. It seemed impossible, even with two trucks and the insane volume they were doing at many locations, that KOGI could EVER make enough money to make two-dollar-twitter-taco-trucking a profitable endeavor. And KOGI was probably at about 13:20 on its 15 minute fame clock. So, with 100 seconds of fame remaining, have they pulled the trigger and busted open the korean equivalent of a pinata full of cash? I say, probably. What do you say?
is there anything similar to ante's in san pedro (croatian/dalmatian cuisine) around town?
Divino in Brentwood has a range of tastes of the Adriatic - Croatia, Montenegro, etc. Goran, the owner, hails from the region and has a passion for its food and wine. Did you know the Grgich Hills winery has a Croatian outpost? There are always a few items on the menu with a "discovered on my last visit to Croatia" mark next to them.
The pizzas are good, and the custard with caramel sauce for dessert is spectacular.
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Divino
11714 Barrington Ct, Los Angeles, CA 90049
Dinner after Patinkin and Lupone!
Pacific Dining Car is running 24/7/365. Steaks, or late night breakfast if you're there late enough. Yum. www.pacificdiningcar.com
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Pacific Dining Car
1310 W 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90017
Best Pizza near Olympic and 26th?
Abbott Pizza - Pico near 20th across from SMC. Crust with bagel toppings on it. The mixed mushroom pizza. Some pies available with garlic pesto, or olive pesto in lieu of marinara sauce. The only thing I'd skip is the chicken on the pizza - it's shredded or slivered, so it dries out a bit too quickly for my taste.
She's Back! Cynthia's on Montana
I saw the news that Cynthia's was on Montana and went to pick up dinner to go last night. Cynthia is there, and just as nutty as ever (this is a direct quote, "People say I was a real bitch at the old place. But at least I got it done."). Frankly, I was relieved to learn that she is in on the joke in a Soup Nazi/Father's Office kind of way, which makes her theatrics somehow charming.
The new space is very comfortable. The menu is surprisingly inexpensive. The food is every bit as good as it was in its 3rd Street glory days. They're awaiting a beer & wine license, so it's currently BYOB with no corkage. They have a giant flat-screen on the wall to watch the Lakers. They have wi-fi.
They packed me fried chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, and 2 berry cobblers a la mode to go. Yes, that's right Kevin - even the "We don't do cobblers to go!!!" edict is out the window. Cynthia has mellowed a bit (a tiny bit), and this place is just right for our times.
In estimating the prospects for Cynthia's new outpost, I'm inclined to invoke an old screenwriting cliche "it's crazy, but it just might work."
What's the spiciest (yet still edible) Dish you've had in LA?
The spiciest dish I eat voluntarily is the Lamb Frankie from Bombay Cafe. It is well worth the night of fitful sleep that it precipitates. The wrapper is eggy and tender, and the lamb curry (vindaloo?) filling and crunchy little pickles are a deft combination of flavor, texture and spice.
What's wrong with City Bakery?
They pulled the salami and eggs from the breakfast menu.
Then they did away with the spare, but well edited periodical rack.
They stopped stocking the tiny but enveloping "Chocolate Room" with dark and unusual chocolate bars.
And now, I just heard, they've canceled the amazing melted chocolate cookie due to the high price of the good dark chocolate featured in said confection.
What's next, rationing of sesame seeds on the pretzel croissant? Everyone please go eat at City Bakery. If you don't, I fear it will be gone before we know it.
A great breakfast place in Ventura/Oxnard area?
Mrs. Olsen's has attractive waitresses and is a stone's throw from the beach (though no views).
Pete's in Ventura has very good breakfast, and very nice, if bit crunchy, staff. So, definitely, Pete's. Vegetable frittata, peach waffles, etc.
Rustic Canyon Breakfast Kaput - I snoozed, I lost. Shot at redemption...
A few weekends ago, the line out the door at RUSTIC CANYON sent me packing to Anisette, which was good. I thought we'd try it again in a few weeks, when we could get the timing right.
Yesterday, I pulled up to RC at a few minutes before their posted 9AM opening to find the front of house deserted. I wandered around back to the bustling kitchen where I learned (from Zoe, the pastry wizard) that they recently canceled RC breakfast, though not for lack of ratings.
The good news, however, is that their breakfast was so successful that they've signed a lease on the former PICKUP STIX a few blocks west of RC, where they're starting construction shortly on HUCKLEBERRY CAFE (or maybe BAKERY). "I'll make you all the breakfast you want," promised Zoe, "if you can wait until February."
What choice do I have. I'll wait.
On the bright side, the RC squad are systematically cleansing that stretch of Wilshire of mediocre to poor Chinese restaurants. Like a fire triggering the regrowth of forestland, perhaps they'll unintentionally trigger an elevation of the standard of Chinese food west of San Gabriel. We can hope, can't we?
Where to get delicious paella on the westside?
The Harvest/A Votre Sante has a surprisingly good one (surprising because until their recent merger, A Votre Sante wouldn't have even tried to do paella, and I hadn't realized until this week that The Harvest was still churning out their best dishes (beef pizza, paella, short ribs).
Leda's cupcakes -- going... going... Oct 18th
Is this early an April Fool's gag?
Leda's without cupcakes would be like the Cheesecake Factory without cheesecake, or Krispy Kreme without plain glazed, or Oscar without the Meyer AND the wiener.
I can't count how many times I've tried to go there to buy cupcakes, only to be thwarted by the oddly short operating hours. That is a product of the bad location and/or apathetic neighbors who don't know what they've got, and don't provide enough traffic/revenue to make it worth their while to stay open ($8/hr for one high school kid?).
I have driven from the 310 to purchase cupcakes more than once. I'll do so again a couple of times between now and the 18th. And then, I'll wish them well, and hope they reconsider the cancellation of the mini passionfruit cupcake, the dulce de leche cupcake, and the triple chocolate cupcake.
Need Help finding relaxed fine dining in LA...
Go back to Providence, but this time book the chef's table. It is in a private room, behind the host stand. It is glassed off from the kitchen, so you get the view, but not the noise of dinner service in full swing. You could roll in there in jeans and a t-shirt, vanish into privacy, and enjoy an amazing meal with whatever level of relaxation you desire.
¿Spanish Tortilla en Santa Monica?
I just remembered that while riding my bike through Santa Monica a couple of weekends ago, I spotted a soon-to-be-opened storefront dedicated to one of Europe's most delicious snacks - the Spanish Tortilla. It was located within a block of Ocean Ave., on the north side of Broadway, Colorado, or one of the other E/W streets in the area.
I fondly remember a deli in Barcelona's Plaza del Sol, downstairs from the grimiest excuse for a youth hostel in which I ever had the misfortune to rest my head, where they sliced a wedge of tortilla, transected it to make to skinny triangles which formed a near rectangle when nestled together on a long roll, and dressed the whole thing by SQUEEZING a tortilla all over it before closing up the sandwich and handing it off in a square of brown paper.
Has anyone seen, tried, reported on this new spot in Santa Monica? I wish I could remember the name, but I cannot. It was something cutesy VooZoo? TuTuTu? I think the sign was orange and green.
Michelada in LA?
I'm pretty sure that In N Out doesn't have Mexican beer cocktails on their Secret Menu. But assuming you're willing to go beyond In N Out, I've got a serious recommendation for you...
Juquila on Santa Monica Blvd. in West LA mixes a mean michelada. They'll make it with any beer you choose (though I think they're best w. light bodied brews), and serve it in a heavy, frosted beer mug rimmed with pico de gallo and dressed with a fat wedge of lime.
Tofu Villa Grand Opening TONIGHT - EVERYONE EATS FREE
Upon closer examination, I see that the take-out menu features a Tofu Villa Salad which includes, among other ingredients, tofu, mango, brocolli, olive, lemon, and feta cheese. Also, on the back panel of said menu, you'll be treated to a detailed explanation of bibimbob, along with a granular introduction to the wonders of soybeans and tofu.
Tofu Villa Grand Opening TONIGHT - EVERYONE EATS FREE
Wandering Sawtelle while waiting for my Furaibo take-out order this evening, I happened upon Tofu Villa.
They are celebrating their grand opening today/tonight, and in the spirit of the new web 2.0 economy, that means giving it all away free with hopes of spreading good word of mouth from early adopters.
Alas, I wasn't able to partake, but I thought you might like to give it a try.
They are located in the two-story mini-mall a couple of doors down from Beard Papa. The menu includes four styles of Bibimbob (their spelling): BBQ Beef Rib, Beef Bulgogi, Spicy BBQ Pork, and Chicken.
I give them credit for only trying to do four things - or, from another perspective, doing just one thing, four ways. If anyone is going to be in the area tonight, give it a whirl and post your findings for the rest of us.
Oh, it goes almost without saying, but Furaibo was awesome and economical. Though, as the web has taught us time and again, it's hard to compete with free...so I'm sure some of you will give Tofu Villa a try tonight.
Tofu Villa
2130 Sawtelle (next to Nijiya Market)
LA, CA 90025
310 477 8987
Open M-R, 11AM - MIDNIGHT, FRI-SUN, 11AM - 2AM
At what LA restaurant do you overlook horrible Food/Decor/Service for something great of theirs that you have to have?
A "flat" bagel is not a bialy. It is a bagel that is 1/5th the height of a regular bagel, but made with the same amount of dough. The result is 3x more crust and 2x the toppings, but only 1/3 the gooey middle. This saves you the sorority-girl indignity of scooping out the "not worth the carbs" gooey middle, and get you a nicer level of crackly toastiness. Try it. You'll like it.
At what LA restaurant do you overlook horrible Food/Decor/Service for something great of theirs that you have to have?
New York Bagel in Brentwood.
I actually have blacklisted the possibility of eating in, because even though they're nice, and the food is good, they are completely underequipped to serve a busy breakfast rush. Nice people, making enough money to keep afloat for 20 years and counting, clearly. But FEMA could probably put up a tent city in New Orleans quicker than you can get your flat bagel with Jalapeno cream cheese. That's the saving grace. Best flat bagels ever (I prefer EVERYTHING) but they're all good. And the best cream cheese ever. Big chunks of fresh chopped Jalapeno peppers mixed in with rich, soft, cream cheese (not whipped).
