nhb2009's Profile
ISO uncooked turkey parts
This week's NY Times recipes have me wondering if there is anywhere local that sells turkey legs.
I've never seen these anywhere.
Best "Huevos Rancheros" in Los Angeles...?
Cafe Verde in Pasadena has the best Eggs Rancheros I've ever had.
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Cafe Verde
961 E Green St, Pasadena, CA 91106
Trucks That Suck
I've tried a dozen trucks that I think suck - including Kogi. The Border Grill truck and Gastrobus stand apart as pretty darn good.
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Border Grill
1445 4th St., Santa Monica, CA 90401
Kogi
Los Angeles, CA, Los Angeles, CA
Soot Bull Jeep vs. Parks BBQ
Almost ten years ago now Chosun Galbi blew my mind with the quality of its ingredients and preparation. I went back several year back and it had converted to an all you can eat place and so the BBQ was barely edible. Did Chosun Galbi switch back to quality?
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Chosun Galbi Restaurants
3330 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90019
the secret to cooking tender pork chops?
I am not sure that I believe any of you.
I have tried everything myself. Brining. Fancy fatty chops. It always fails.
Mind you, I have done well by most standards, but if you have had perfect chops, then you know that there is one more trick out there that doesn't get a lot of publicity.
I am thinking that it might be to reverse the normal course of events. Slow roast at a lower temperature so as not to alter the meat and then caramelizing the outside with a quick sear. Anyone tried that technique?
Reservoir in Silverlake?
How totally crazy. The only thing worse than an arrogant prick is an arrogant prick that also happens not to know what the hell he or she is talking about! Scolded for drinking rose! Come on.
What is there to say to such a rude comment, but obviously the thing to do was to school that idiot purporting to know food and wine back with a little mini-lesson on the virtues of rose.
Good Fried Chicken
1. The OG Chinese Ghetto Traditional Fried Chicken: Donahoo's
http://www.yelp.com/biz/donahoos-golden-chicken-pomona
2. Korean Fried Chicken - proof that there is still unconquered territory in the 21c. kitchen: Kyochon.
Old-School LA Recs?
Ummmm.
Pacific Dining Car? Really??
That place is short on ambiance, service, location, and value. It's a true mystery that it is still open. I predict that within ten years if they don't catch up a little with the LA food revolution, they will shutter their doors. How about Taylor's?
Taylor's Steakhouse
Neighborhood: Koreatown
3361 W 8th St
Los Angeles, CA 90005
(213) 382-8449
www.taylorssteakhouse.com
Best banh mi
What's the matter with Lee's?
Certainly the McDonalds comparison is a poor one. First, they make the stuff that they serve. It is not adulterated with additives and preserved to withstand the nuclear winter. The bread that they bake is fresh. Second, they do a nice business, which means that the meat isn't iffy. I ate at Saigon Sandwich and had the same experience of off-tasting meat. Third, the food is reasonably priced.
Why is it that the moment that a store opens too many branches, some food "aficionados" see fit to critique the McDonaldization of the food? Why not simply embrace a succesfful business model? Usually, multiple stores means tasty food. Personally, I long for the day that Lee's gets a store somewhere closer to me than the SGV.
Also what does authenticity mean here anyway? I mean have you really been to Vietnam and tasted better? Vietnam is a third world country where protein is a much higher cost for the ordinary person than it is here, where hygiene and running water are not what we take for granted, &c &c. Inauthentic might be exactly what the doctor ordered.
Uncommon Meat
Giao Cheese in South El Monte is the place. Burrata is the most expensive of their cheeses I believe, but if memory serves it is $6 per lb.
Uncommon Meat
I am fairly ambitious for a home cook. Or at least, I'd like to think so. Particularly so when it comes to cooking meat.
But for me there's a lot of pent up desire because I simply don't where to source a bunch of things. Right now, I've got a hankering to give rabbit a try. But really, I am curious to try mostly anything that's a little more unusual but still quite common in high-end restaurants. Here I am thinking of wooly pigs (Berkshire, et.al), veal sweetbreads, suckling pigs, duck, duck, goose, veal chops, &c &c. (I am an unapologetic omnivore.)
Perhaps, I should restate. I do know where to source a lot of this stuff. But every time I look at the list of D'Artagnan, I get excited and also poorer. And shouldn't it be possible to get some of this stuff fresh? There must be a meatmarket that does this kind of thing somewhere in LA, right? Where do the restauants
Having recently made a successful trip to El Monte in search of cheese and downtown on a weekday morning in search of the freshest fish, I am suddenly full of hope.
I live in Los Feliz. But I figure that knowing about these places makes stopping by when you are in the neighborhood possible. Does anyone care to add to my list:
1. El Monte- the place for cheese! Burrata, fresh mozza, smoked mozza, ricotta, and mascarpone. The ricotta is $6 for 3 lbs. What a deal!
2. Downtown LA - fresh fish on Sanford Street. The fresh fish goes quickly and arrives at an unGodly hour.
Mangalitsa/Wooly Pigs
For the non-kosher carnivores that crave a good marbleized pork chop, here is a story to whet your appetite:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/dining/01pigs.html
Does anyone have the 411 on sourcing these or other fatty pigs in LA, or info on any restaurants that serve them?
I'd love any info on these or their Iberian brethren.
The Bazaar by José Andrés
You are all probably more accomplished eaters than I. BUT I cannot imagine having a more complete dining experience than the recent trip I had here. It was EVERYTHING that I hope that a fancy meal out could be.
Moreover, the food quality to value ratio here is off the charts. I am not sure if that is a factor in the review, but it obviously should be for all reviews. Give it 3.5 stars, if you want to quibble. Then compare Robuchon's $250 prix fixe to Bazaar's $44 equivalent!!
Where do I find pork belly?
I am now a little confused. For posterity sake, I called the Whole Foods in Glendale and was told that they do not carry it. Are you sure about the Whole Foods lead? I wonder if I should try other stores. I am in the 626 and have called around to the meat markets in the Pasadena-Glendale area. For instance the good folks at Alexanders told me unequivocally that they no longer carry it. But now you all taunt me with promises of selecting between Black Pig and Berkshire Pork Belly.
I guess that I'll cross my fingers and then head off to 99 Ranch or Mitsuwa. Thanks for all of your help.
Where do I find pork belly?
I am eager to try last week's NY Times Magazine recipe for Eggs in Purgatory this weekend.
I've now called every meat market that comes up for my side of town on Yelp, and they all claim that they don't carry the stuff. The few that would order it say that I'd need to get a whole slab and that it would take days to arrive.
Where does one get 8 ounces of the stuff?
One of the butchers suggested the Asian Market 99 Ranch, but said that he was only guessing. Can anyone maybe confirm that they have it or give me another good lead? (The problem is that the call to them was fruitless.)
Sand Dabs
Okay, I tried your method.
I guess that I figured out a couple of things. The restaurant I was thinking of must have entirely deboned the fish into four pieces. My fish seem like that they may have been too small to do that. Can one entirely debone such a small fish without being an expert at dissection? Should I ask my fishmonger to give it a shot?
But the other thing that baffles me is that the fish doesn't really hold together, like I would have expected. Instead it is rich and moist and falls apart rather than sticks to itself. Any ideas here? I probably should have used a higher temp.
Perhaps the rex sole/sand dabs issue? If so, which is which?
Sand Dabs
Sand dabs are a favorite of mine. They are local to Southern California where I live and so usually both cheap and fresh.
Recently, I had some sand dabs at AOC in which the fish had actually curled on itself, much in the way that fish sometimes does when you fry it at a fairly high temperature. I liked the dish because the result was an excellent texture that was a little crunchy and nicely caramelized. The thing is, the dish did not at all suggest that the fish had ever been fried. Does anyone know how you can get the fish to taste this way/look like this in a sautee pan?
SGV Lobster Anyone?
In case you haven't heard, this is the year to eat lobster!
See:
* http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/10/dining/10appe.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
* http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7139cc96-af90-11dd-a4bf-000077b07658.html
Can we share info on the best places to buy lobster in the SGV? I was dismayed to discover after spending between $40 and $50 one lobster dish at Tan Cang Newport Seafood in the OC that I had been fleeced.
On driving by The Kitchen on Valley in Alhambra, I believe that I saw a sign stating that they served a lobster dish for $8. (However, I fear that my eyes were playing tricks on me and that was the price per lb.)
Any other recommendations?
Argentina Red Shrimp (It makes me cry)
Unless you live on a shrimp farm in Costa Rica, you are probably eating flash frozen shrimp like the rest of us despite whatever your fishmonger may tell you after he or she defrost the bag.
Shrimp, unlike fish, does not keep well at sub-frozen temps and absolutely needs to be frozen.
Fortunately, the flash freezing technology and the small size of the shrimp makes it quite difficult to tell the difference between the two.
Confusion: Chi Dynasty/The Palace
If you go to either of the two places, be sure to ask about it.
In short, the landlord want to raise the rent, the Chi Dynasty guy got into a huff and said he'd rather move. The only problem was that he forgot to treat his employees well.
Claremont Colleges area visit - please advise
Thanks for the clarification, I didn't mean to be so wrong or so cryptic.
But, what am I doing wrong here? I tried to search for it, and it didn't come up.
I guess that my searching skills on chowhound still need some work.
Claremont Colleges area visit - please advise
Claremont is a food wasteland. I lived there for 3 years after having lived in some of the best food cities in the world and was miserable. The food in the village is not only awful but also overpriced. Most everyone I knew in those parts who had a clue, felt the same way. That said, here come the Claremont recs.
There are a few spots though, but it's much, much, much better to drive a ways to get somewhere closer to LA, like the SGV. Din Tai Fung, for instance, is definitely worth the drive. Babita is about the same distance as DTF down the 10 instead of the 210.
Closer still there's Sanamalung on Indian Hill in Pomona just south of the 10. It's actually truly great when you factor in the bang for the buck. It's much much better than it's Hollywood kin.
The only place that I still crave though is Donahue's Chicken, a fried chicken joint. The place is only take out. The sides suck. But people line up out the door waiting for their fix. They've got an awesome crust and two temperatures of oil thing going on. I don't think that it's every been mentioned on this board. But I am not going to tell you where it is other than to say that if you are driving from Claremont to the Pomona Arts District, you won't miss it. (1 or 2 blocks on Towne S. of the 10), big sign with a rooster on it.]
From Russia with Love-- TRAKTIR This Weekend
I gotta say that certainly some of the entrees are good. Second the pork chop. Super delicious.
Also the chicken crepe is amazing.
izakaya-style restaurants.
Tried Haru Ulala last night. It was good but not on a par with some of the places I visited in Tokyo. Still I imagine that I'll be working it into the rotation. The best things were all from the specials list and included a deep fried salmon roll and some kind of seafood omelet. The green tea noodles were also very good.
