Where to buy bacalao or salt cod?

Hi guys,

This Thanksgiving I'm trying to recreate ajo arriero - the fishy, creamy, cold mashed potato spread I had at a tapas bar (Casa Angel) in Valencia.

To do this, I would have to procure some dried salt cod. Does anyone know of a place in the Los Angeles area that sells salt cod? I know it's used in Italian and Portuguese cooking as well.

Thanks,

Michael

empowah in Los Angeles Area

Turkey breast and thigh dilemma

This Thanksgiving I'm trying Mark Bittman's braised turkey recipe, which calls for one turkey breast and four turkey thighs.

Does anyone know where in L.A. I could get good quality, reasonably priced breasts and thighs?

I considered buying an $8 supermarket whole turkey, and hacking it apart myself, but I've heard bad things about the water-injected, hormone heavy Butterballs they tend to carry. Would the separate, pre-butchered breasts and things be any better?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks!

empowah in Los Angeles Area

Driving from NYC to DC - where in Philly to get cheesesteak for lunch?

Hello all,

Tomorrow I'll be heading off on a family trip to the East Coast. After a few days in New York, we will be driving to Washington DC and, in the process, pass through quite a few states, including PA.

What's a good place, preferably not too far from 295, to get some famous Philly Cheesesteak? We will probably detour a bit into Philadelphia to look at the Liberty Bell and whatnot. Any foodie recommendations in the surrounding area would be sweet as well.

Thanks,

Michael

empowah in Pennsylvania

Where to buy handmade / fresh pasta?

I ended up driving the 20 or so miles to Bay Cities... and it was worth it. In addition to getting fresh pappardelle and linguini, which clumped together a bit but came out nice and pillowy and chewy (not gritty like the pasta I got from F&E), I also got some lovely burrata cheese. I ended up trying to recreate Babbo's burrata, braised escarole, bacon, and caramelized onion on toasty bread antipasti.

empowah in Los Angeles Area

Lemon Gross in Eagle Rock

It's hard to imagine pho any worse than Blue Hen's, which tastes as if they used generic canned ("but it's organic!") chicken broth for the soup. Eagle Rock doesn't seem to have any decent Vietnamese food.

empowah in Los Angeles Area

Where to buy handmade / fresh pasta?

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll give both a try when I'm in the area.

Anyone know of a place closer to the South Bay area or along the 110 up to Pasadena?

empowah in Los Angeles Area

Where to buy handmade / fresh pasta?

I had some incredible fresh pasta in Florence last summer, and I'd like to gobble some up here in L.A. Dry pasta is nice and all, but the handmade stuff just has that special "bite" to it.

I know Mozza and several other restaurants serve it; is there a way to buy some and boil it up myself? I made this nice oxtail ragu the other day...

empowah in Los Angeles Area

Where to buy dried smoked sausages in South Bay Area?

I have a visitor from overseas who wants to bring back some sausages... those that can be taken on an airplane. There used to be a Hickory Farms store around here, but they closed down.

Anyone know of a place where I could get them locally?

empowah in Los Angeles Area

All-Clad Stockpot Questions - SS v. MC2?

Ahh, that's true. I'm starting to think any old SS stockpot would do, provided they don't have plastic handles (like my current one).

At low "simmering" heats, it doesn't really matter how thick the core/bottom is, right?

empowah in Cookware

All-Clad Stockpot Questions - SS v. MC2?

Thanks for the tip. I actually purchased that at BB&B for ~$140 after the 20% off coupon, but then returned it because of a chipped handle and dented lid. They promised to special order a replacement, after I paid a shipping charge, but instead they ordered the giant 6-qt "shallow" saute pan, which I have no use for.

I think I'll get the one from Williams Sonoma, if I can find it. Their website lists it at $159.99.

empowah in Cookware

All-Clad Stockpot Questions - SS v. MC2?

Hi all, I currently have an All-Clad Stainless Steel 4-qt saute pan that I really like. It seems to conduct heat very well - good for searing - and at the same time, it "deglazes" well and is easy to clean.

I'm looking for something similar but with a greater liquid capacity, so that I can sear meat, saute mirepoix, add lots of liquid, move it into the oven, and then slowly braise short ribs, ox tails, lamb shanks, etc. Or I could make a good amount of ragu, using just one pot.

I've read a few posts that suggest not to spend money on a nice stockpot, especially for making stock, as it's a waste, and that lots of cheaper alternatives can do the same thing. I'm concerned that with a thinner "core" or "base", I won't be able to get a proper Maillard reaction (or "wok hei" in Cantonese), and that transferring from my saute pan ingredients into the stockpot might be messy or inconvenient.

In any case, I am wondering if there are any quality differences between All-Clad's Stainless Steel line and their Master Chef 2 line. The MC2 8-quart stockpot is $35 more than the Stainless Steel equivalent. Interestingly, the 8-quart versions of the Stainless Steel stockpot is silver (I assume a sort of "brushed" finish), like the MC2, and unlike most other Stainless Steel models. Hopefully it's up to the same standard as their normal chrome ones.

I'm looking for something similar to my beloved saute pan. Also, are there any alternatives, preferably available at BB&B (I have store credit there) you Chowhoundians suggest? :) Thanks in advance!

empowah in Cookware

TESCO Fresh and Easy

The grand opening of their "#1" US store (Glassell Park/Eagle Rock) was today. I went earlier and can't say I'm too impressed. It's like a normal supermarket but with their own "fresh and easy" brand products, like "fresh and easy" tater tots, ice cream, and cheese nips.

Their specialty is in "prepared-but-not-frozen foods", so think refrigerated sandwiches, refrigerated cooked pasta, and refrigerated Thai rice bowls. It's a bit like buying leftovers from a family's fridge.

Still, I can see its appeal. It looks more modern and sophisticated than most supermarkets, or at least the front half is, and everything is nicely repackaged in friendly pastel colors, simple graphics, and lowercase fonts. This was most impressive in the meat/fish/seafood section, where color-added salmon fillets, pork meatballs, skinless chicken breasts and such were immaculately presented in clear plastic cases. This is where Rachel Ray goes to get groceries for her 30 minute meals. (Apparently when making mock up F&Es, they claimed it was a movie set.)

As far as offering something rare or exceptional, there wasn't much. The cheese selection is good - they have everything from Stilton Blue to wet mozz balls - and the $5 pate looked interesting. There's a lot of pre-marinated and sauced meats (carne asada, fajita kits, etc), which sounds like the sort of nearly-expired crap you'd find at a supermarket meat counter, but fresh&easy's actually looks, well, fresh. There's the typical Trader Joe's stuff as well - Vodka pasta sauce, $.99 pizza dough, and several varieties of hummus. They have their own brand of kid's lunches, with cool little mazes to boot, but Lunchables are available, just in case.

Overall I think it does live up to its name. Everything looks fresh (although the expiration dates for some of the sushi and sandwiches were today, but maybe that's the nature of fresh-not-frozen-or-preserved food) and easy -- the meat, for instance, looks nicely prepped, rinsed, and ready to be used. It's easy to plan a semi-homemade meal just walking up and down the aisles. And while there isn't a choice of brands, the packaging gives an assurance of quality ("everything just looks so damn good!" I heard someone remark), and not having to choose saves time. You could say it's either grocery shopping simplified or dumbed down.

It was opening day today, so it was jam-packed. The self-check-out-with-the-aid-of-an-employee lines were long and the only ones available, so I didn't buy anything. There were some curious locals and families, but mostly the crowd consisted of professionals, urbanites, TV reporters, and notebook-yielding competitors donned in suits. There weren't enough parking spaces (a hulking Toyota Land Cruiser and Honda Pilot took up the two "hybrid only" spaces), so I parked in front of someone's house instead. On the sidewalk were protestors against Tesco's labor and environmental policies. Near the entrance, Tesco employees countered with pamphlets claiming the contrary.

Part of Tesco's claims is to bring grocery stores to "food islands", which the Glassell Park location is (a Trader Joe's and Super-A are both a mile away). But the Glassell Park store is an exception, most are in already supermarket-saturated neighborhoods, and their product selection and prices for these objectives are questionable.

Still I think it'll do well, especially in more suburban areas. The advertising, graphic design, marketing, and product development people have definitely done their homework.

empowah in Chains

Lunch in South Bay

There's a nice Thai restaurant called "SoHo Fusion" on PCH in Lomita, near the Rolling Hills Plaza. It's fairly new, modern, and airy inside, and the prices are reasonable. I usually get the Pad See Ew (stir-fried thick rice noodles) with Chinese broccoli and either beef or fried tofu (you get a choice of different broccolis and meats), and they do it really well there. It's not too greasy, which is hard with noodles, which usually stick to the wok.

If you want to try something different, something Counter Intelligence-like, but really good nonetheless, in Torrance, on Crenshaw Blvd, there's a small Taiwanese restaurant called Sue's Kitchen. It's loud, crowded, and inelegant, but the food is great there. Usually I get the "braised tendon noodle soup with brown sauce" and a few side dishes (spicy fried peanuts, spicy pork ears...) that they scoop away from trays beneath heat lamps. Doesn't sound that great, I know, but if you like spicy ethnic foods it's amazing. Their onion pancakes and dumplings are good, too.

If you're by the beach, there are a bunch of restaurants in Redondo Beach, near Catalina Ave, in the Riviera Village. Most of them are fairly generic, mainly Mexican restaurants, but they're not bad. I've heard good things about HT Grill from non-foodies.

empowah in Los Angeles Area

Really good salads???

I've had the one that comes with their 3-pick-your-fish taco sampler platter, and it was surprisingly good. "Fresh" is the word that comes to mind. Think crisp cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, properly chilled lettuce, and just the right amount of dressing.

Occidental College's cafeteria has a decent salad bar, too.....

empowah in Los Angeles Area

overrated/over hyped?

California Pizza Kitchen - pizzas were cold, so meanwhile we had to nibble on rubbish cold bread while waiting; the crust is all wrong and the flavors just don't work; their ASAP variant is equally crappy, I'd rather have Sammys, Dominos, our school cafeteria's... anything

Casa Bianca - while we're on the subject of pizza, I thought it was a glorified Tombstones; I have to disagree with Jonathan Gold on this one; sure, its good, but not Lombardis-good

Mia's Sushi - its the epitome of the pretentious hipness of eagle rock restaurants, more style than substance; the actual sashimi quality was average.. that's probably why they have to dress it up with marinades and jalapenos

Fatty's - see Mia's, except add to it ruder service and better food (I'm not a veg expert or anything, so IDK)

Blue Hen - you can prolly tell I'm in Eagle Rock by now; this place is overhyped regardless of how low its hype may be; simply the worst pho I've had; apparently their specialty isn't food but organics instead

Tommy's/Pinks - more about nostalgia and "the experience" than actual quality of food; if it's hyped for its burgers or hotdogs, then it's definitely overrated

SaMo farmers market - I don't know, it just reeks of tourist trap; I found a much better meal across the street at Whole Foods

empowah in Los Angeles Area

Daikokuya fading?

I went last Sunday at about 3 PM, and I have to agree it's going downhill as well. The fried pork in my pork cutlet bowl was both soggy (the outer layer) and chewy (overcooked inside), the ramen broth wasn't as pungent as I remember last time, and the egg wasn't marinated thoroughly -- it tasted like a plain hard boiled egg. The fatty pork in the soup was delish as usual - it's fatty pork after all - but it wasn't as tender as before, and there was less of it.

Perhaps it had something to do with the environment as well. The lines were much shorter than my last time (a Thursday night), the crowd was more lifeless,and some of the OG ramen assemblers were missing.

empowah in Los Angeles Area