Snackish's Profile
Ventura County provisions - where do you buy international ingredients?
I'm trying to make a list of all the international markets in the county and want to include every little hole in the wall that has specialties - like Greco's Pizza in Thousand Oaks that sells Italian ingredients in the back of the restaurant.
I already have
General
Every supermarket but especially Whole Foods
Mexican
Jons - Simi
Central Market - Thousand Oaks
Supermercado La Gloria - Oxnard
Vallarta - Oxnard
South Asian
Apna Spiceland - Thousand Oaks
What's the place in Simi on LA Ave?
The new place on Main Street Ventura, midtown?
Italian
Greco's Pizzeria
The Italian deli in Ventura near Office Depot
Shamsi Deli - Ventura
Middle Eastern
Diar - Thousand Oaks
Shamsi Deli - Ventura
Argentine
Shamsi Deli - Ventura
Oaxacan
El Oaxaqueno Restaurant - Oxnard
Japanese
The place in Ventura near Bed Bath & Beyond??
Ok, help a girl out! All suggestions appreciated.
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El Oaxaqueno
737 Sanborn Pl, Salinas, CA
Vallartas
1761 Monterey St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Can you taste dish soap on your dishes?
To me, green Palmolive's smell is so strong that it gags me. It may work well, but I don't think sensitive people would like it.
Cuitlacoche (huitlacoche) on NPR
I talked to the lady I buy fresh corn from and she admitted she never has it for market because all of the field hands find it and take it home before she has a chance to get her hands on it.
Cuitlacoche (huitlacoche) on NPR
It is more mushroomy than sweet, a lovely deep earthy flavor. I would not say sweet at all. But delicious. I would put it right up there in my top ten favorite foods along with Morel mushrooms.
Cuitlacoche (huitlacoche) on NPR
All Things Considered had this story on huitlacoche, the corn fungus, last night:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111789560
I don't think of it as all as tar-like. I think of it as el super yum.
Need suggestions near Grant Park (south)
I ate at Feast and was not impressed. My salad had four ingredients besides dressing - spinach, roasted grapes, blue cheese and almonds. See photo. Long stems were left on the spinach, stems left on the grapes, and the blue cheese was in walnut-sized globs. Is it so hard to prepare food correctly? It tasted fine, after I removed stems and composed it so it was edible.
I also got a margherita pizza that had a tasteless crust that was covered in powdery flour. Really a disappointment.
Pour a little out for The Park Restaurant - now closed
Goodbye to the lovely Park Restaurant in San Luis Obispo, closed after 6 1/2 years of delicious creativity. Best wishes to Chef Maegen Loring and her crew.
http://www.ksby.com/Global/story.asp?S=10735218
Pet Peeve: Salad Fork Not Provided
It isn't the food that taints the fork IMO. To me the gross part is putting it back on the table that has been wiped with who-knows-what kind of towel by the busperson. And hey, just give me another dang fork.
dumb restaurant names [Moved from Ontario Board]
Worst ever: "Something's Fishy" on Ventura Blvd in the San Fernando Valley.
"Chili My Soul" is also down there...what is that even supposed to mean? A pun that I don't get?
And it took me forever to eat at "Thai-Rriffic" in San Luis Obispo because the name was so stupid, but once I ate there, I liked the food and went back repeatedly.
Pet Peeve: Salad Fork Not Provided
Or just fishing a used fork off of a plate and putting it on the table to be used for the next course....eeew. I find it incredibly off-putting and rude.
Would you serve a seriously ugly cake to guests?
I was going to suggest trifle but some other chowish geniuses got there first.
Nice outdoor seating - Burbank, Glendale, Hollywood
I'm looking for somewhere for a special-occasion family dinner or lunch that has a nice outdoor atmosphere. There will be a minimum of 6 in the group, possibly as many as 12.
We enjoy California cuisine but are open to other kinds of food - love Mediterranean, like Italian, Chinese. Not so much on Mexican. Mom doesn't eat seafood, so she needs some other menu choices. Price not a problem.
Thanks.
Are there no good eats in Ventura County?
I would update my list -
Azucar Cafe, sadly, is closed for good, and the Curry Leaf, an Indian place that replaced it isn't, IMO, very good.
My favorite Camarillo Thai has become Charn, hands down. Sawadee's service and food are both inconsistent, while Charn is always good.
A new entry I really like is Moqueca, in the Channel Islands Harbor area. Their food is interesting and delicious. Would be a great spot for a nice date with the view of the harbor.
I still eat at Mai's because of its proximity, but I agree with those who say to head over to Oxnard/Port Hueneme to Pho Saigon on Ventura Road. Always busy and really tasty food.
Carpinteria Eats - The List
I went to Chamomile today and, while I enjoyed the food (see photo - a reasonably-sized spinach salad with sesame-crusted goat cheese, tomatoes, cranberries, walnuts, balsamic vinaigrette, served with about 5 slices of wheat sourdough baguette and butter), I agree with lil mikey about the service. My drink never appeared and when it came time to get the bill, no one could be found. I finally went and paid at the counter.
I had walked by Oaxaca fresh and was puzzled to see the menu posted in the window with no Oaxacan specialties on it - just burritos, tacos, chiles rellenos (pasilla) etc.
I also took a peep at Giannfranco's menu and got a whiff of the delicious smells. Lunch menu has many panini that sounded great. Dinner menu has a bunch of apps, about 8 pastas, plus meat and seafood - most pastas seemed to be around $15 and secondi about $25. I can't wait to go and would have had lunch there had they not had a line out the door.
Taco el Llama in Fillmore
There's an order-at-the-counter Mexican place on A Street near the railroad tracks in Fillmore (a couple blocks off of Ventura St.) that looks fairly new and serves decent, authentic Mexican grub.
I only had a quick veg burrito, but the salsa from the bar was excellent - a real, smoky red chile sauce that was layered with complex flavors.
My agua fresca de melon was homemade, fresh and delicious.
Another good sign is that, by the time I got done eating, dozens of Mexican laborers who were just getting off work had come and gone - obviously the place has great word of mouth.
They serve all the usual tacos, tortas, sopes, etc. as well as some good-looking desserts. Breakfast, too.
Greco's Pizza in Thousand Oaks - hidden real Italian
Greco's Pizza, hidden in a corner of the food court area of Janss Mall in Thousand Oaks near the movie theater, is best known for its monster slices of pizza, but they have more to offer.
The people who run the place are Italians from Italy and they offer homemade food like gnocchi and lasagna in addition to the grab-n-go pizza slabs. They made me a gnocchi marinara last night that was really a nice surprise ($12.95, enough for several people) and they serve beer, wine and some very good espresso drinks, too.
It is a pretty simple place - order at the counter, big screen TV with the game on in the back - but they truly seem to care about food and really light up if you order anything other than the pizza. It seems to be a bit of a stopover for Italians in the area and the owners and clientele can be heard discussing Italian politics half in English, half in Italian, with great brio.
They sell Italian staples like cannoli shells, ladyfingers and coffees.
I'll definitely go back with some friends so I can try more of their food.
Pupusas in Fillmore
I was out in Fillmore last night and found a spot for pupusas - El Taquito on the corner of Ventura St. and A. I think the selection changes, but they had chicharron, bean & cheese, loroco and chicken.
They are fresh-made, come out smoking hot, and are thick and chewy, maybe 6 or 7 inches across. Served with a nice garlicy salsa, a bright orange-red sauce, chopped cabbage and cotija cheese.
I got 2 pupusas and could only finish 1 and a drink for $8. Two thumbs up.
El Taquito
709 Ventura St.
Fillmore, CA 93015
(805) 905-9234
(805) 727-1921
(805) 524-4021
Eating Adventures in Ojai and Beyond
Ate with 3 friends at the Farmer and the Cook last night. The cook must have had the night off.
We ordered guacamole and their fresh-cooked chips. The guacamole was a diced up non-Haas avocado with pico de gallo mixed in. The chips were greasy, hard and/or rubbery, though fresh - a sign of being cooked in oil that was too cool. Same with their homemade jalapeno poppers - a good idea, yet cooked in oil that was not hot enough.
The "enchilada" was flavor free, and the pizza we ordered was fairly flavorless too. It was billed as having caramelized onions - and in my book, sauteed onoins are not "caramelized. "
They did have an excellent sangria with berries in it, and the chocolate cake was good, too.
It just makes me sad, though. They have an excellent little spot and excellent ingredients and ideas, just so poorly executed as to make me never want to go back. It is places like this that give natural, vegetarian and vegan food a bad name.
2 apps, 2 mains, 2 sangrias, chocolate cake with ice cream $57. Not expensive but I wouldn't go back except maybe for sangria and music.
Are you a Supertaster?
I lived with a supertaster and he had an amazing palate. He could always pick out all the individual spices and herbs in a dish - he would have made a great recipe spy! Brassicas didn't seem to bother him, though he did much prefer sweet vegetables like carrots.
Interestingly, he always knew when I had used good pasta vs commercial brand - Latini would make him swoon. No one else ever noticed.
I know that there are some strong preferences or dislikes that are built in to each of us. The smell of lavender is like a punch to the stomach to me. It makes me feel as if I am going to be sick, and my sister had the same reaction. But about 99.9% of the world seems to love it.
Is the economy ruining dining out by causing restauranteurs to skimp?
I have had two terrible, sad, disappointing meals out this week, both at restaurants where I had eaten before.
At one place, some of the food in the salad bar was close to rotten and should not have been served to anyone.
It started me wondering - are others seeing signs of skimping and cutting corners at restaurants they used to enjoy?
What is hotter than a habanero?
There are some hilarious and strange YouTube videos of people eating Bhut Jolokia.
What foods should I ask for from Turkey?
I have heard some rumors that Turks make amazing dried vegetables...can anyone speak to that?
Large comfy hotel bar for lounging, talking
I am organizing a group of about 50 ppl for a San Diego area meetup. Want a fairly cheap hotel with a comfy, loungey bar and maybe a nice pool area.
Suggestions appreciated. Chowish opportunities nearby a plus.
Cuernavaca Taqueria, Ventura
That warms my heart. Good people and good cooks deserve to succeed and I am determined to show the world the way to Cuernavaca. My friends have said they like it better than La Super Rica (which I adore) and I am inclined to agree.
Cuernavaca Taqueria, Ventura
Good gosh amighty people, you NEED to go here. It is SO chowworthy. I have taken many, many people and they all rave. The Tacos al Pastor is an especial fave. And the flan is to die for.
Moqueca Brazilian, Oxnard
I'm not sure what the shrimp/yuca sauce was called. It came with.
Moqueca Brazilian, Oxnard
Two friends and I tried out this new family-owned Brazilian place in Channel Islands harbor, Moqueca.
It is a lovely space, upstairs in a brand new building (next to the deli, Latitude something?). Great harbor view and a nice room painted in soothing green tones, clean, modern, definitely nice enough for date night.
The menu is fairly extensive and focuses on moquecas, dishes which are baked in large clay casserole dishes. Also quite a few other Brazilian specialties, many involving seafood,
We ordered a hearts of palm salad, which was greens, cucumbers, a few tomatoes and hearts of palm with a tangy cilantro-yogurt dressing. The salad was big enough for 3 as a starter.
My friends got the shrimp in garlic and oil, which they loved. About a dozen perfectly cooked garlicky shrimp with butter to dip them in.
We ordered a moqueca of plantains and an arroz con polvo (squid) which was also baked in a moqueca. Both were delicious and were served with a big dish of rice as well as a shrimp-yuca sauce and a dish of chiles in oil, very spicy and nice. We also got a side of garlicky green beans.
My friend ordered a caprinha that was delicious. For dessert, we got a milky flan with homemade pineapple preserves that was fabulous, not to be missed, and some very good coffee.
1 app, 1 salad, 2 mains, side dish, caprinha, sodas, 1 dessert and 2 coffees: $103. All was excellent and gets the Snackish seal of approval.
Best Hot Chocolate via internet for Holiday gifts
Yes, expensive but really good, and the packaging turns it into a nice gift.
Afternoon Tea at the Biltmore (Santa Barbara)?
One of our family sayings is "Smaller than Franceschi Park!" when something is really, really small. But it is lovely.
Kohinoor of India - Thousand Oaks
I had hopes for Indian Haweli in Simi Valley but ate one quick meal there and it wasn't very good - there was some sort of grit in my food and it made the whole experience unpleasant. The service was very good and the people were so nice that I feel bad about not recommending it.
http://www.indianhaweli.net/
