soyarra's Profile
recs near Occidental College
I totally agree about Four Cafe - not friendly at all, especially if you're not white, and the food is just standard fake-NorCal cuisine
However, have to disagree about My Taco - the food is pedestrian at best and definitely overpriced (and that lot is terrible to negotiate).
Camilo's is overrated, as is The Oinkster (I've NEVER had a hot sandwich or fries there - they're almost always tepid).
Auntie Em's is good, but the poseur/hipster quotient is off the charts. Casa Bianca is an institution but remember that it's only open for dinner, 4 to midnight Tuesday through Saturday.
I like Blue Hen for vegetarian Vietnamese; Larkin is good, but they have weird hours and slightly snooty servers. Spitz has good, clean Middle Eastern food but is not as cheap as its drive-in looks would lead you to believe.
Actually, I really like Schodorf's Luncheonette on York (only open for lunch until 4) for substantial sandwiches made with artisanal bread and excellent fillings, and even farther into Highland Park, Good Girl Dinette for interesting neo-Vietnamese.
looking for vegan-friendly restaurant near Huntington Library in San Marino
Tender Greens is also ridiculously expensive for the portion sizes and for the fact that it's basically counter-ordered fast food you pick up yourself. My husband and I went to the Pasadena location and dropped more than $45 for two glasses of wine, two very meager mains and 1 micro-dessert. Awful service, too. Seconding the no-go.
chocolate cake w/ firm silken tofu - help wanted
Yes, a cake using tofu can be eaten freshly baked as long as it is thoroughly cooled.
If you have a cake carrier, store it tightly covered at cool room temperature. You can also cover it with plastic wrap or foil and keep it in the refrigerator. Actually, if it has a tofu-based icing, do store it in the refrigerator.
It will probably be fresh (if well wrapped/covered) for at least a few days.
In order to be more specific, you should list details of the recipe: if it's iced, un-iced, a cheesecake-like cake (if so, definitely refrigerate it), etc.
I used to work at Mani's Bakery in Los Angeles, and we made a one-layer tofu "flourless"-type chocolate cake with a soy margarine-based chocolate glaze which definitely had to be refrigerated.
I need a fantastic lemon cake recipe.
Contrary to what Splenda would have you believe, you CANNOT sub it in for sugar in cakes which depend upon sugar for structure. The results will always be flat and heavy no matter which recipe you use. Splenda can only work in baking recipes developed by Splenda, or in regular baking recipes which only use a very small amount of sugar (1 TB or less).
Why did my Pyrex baking dish explode?
Interesting discussion, especially in light of what just happened to me an hour ago (I posted this on the Consumer Affairs website, too). The Pyrex warnings don't mention anything about spontaneous explosions of their products, which just occurred in my kitchen:
My fairly new 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup just exploded, with NO temperature change, NO chips or cracks, NOTHING falling on it or moving it, and NO discernible reason for such an explosion. It was sitting on the counter next to the cooktop on the opposite counter from where I was filling jelly jars. The room temperature is about 62 degrees.
The cup exploded into hundreds of pieces which went everywhere: into the salt pig which I just filled with Maldon which I had to throw away, into the last two jars I was filling, all over the floor and onto the opposite counter. It was completely bizarre and unwarranted. The cup wasn't near a heat source or on a pilot light. It was at ambient room temperature, and still exploded.
I'm throwing out all the Pyrex I've bought in the last 10 years. Now it's Anchor Hocking and ceramic for me. Jeebus. I thought it was people who "just explode.""
Note: This is the first time anything like this has even happened to me, but I will say one thing: this measuring cup was only one of two new Pyrex products I own. Everything else was inherited from my grandmother or aunt, or purchased at flea markets. Never had any problem with any of them, but now I'm completely paranoid about Pyrex products. :(
My Pyrex Pan just exploded!
My fairly new 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup just exploded, with NO temperature change, NO chips or cracks, NOTHING falling on it or moving it, and NO discernible reason for such an explosion. It was sitting on the counter next to the cooktop on the opposite counter from where I was filling jelly jars. The room temperature is about 62 degrees.
The cup exploded into hundreds of pieces which went everywhere: into the salt pig which I just filled with Maldon which I had to throw away, into the last two jars I was filling, all over the floor and onto the opposite counter. It was completely bizarre and unwarranted. The cup wasn't near a heat source or on a pilot light. It was at ambient room temperature, and still exploded.
I'm throwing out all the Pyrex I've bought in the last 10 years. Now it's Anchor Hocking and ceramic for me. Jeebus. I thought it was people who "just explode."
Mexico One Plate at a Time
I'm surprised no one's mentioned Joe Bastianich on the various Lidia Bastianich shows. I think he's a great wine expert and restauranteur, but what a morose stiff on camera! Her daughter Tania is much looser and more natural, and of course her mother and grandchildren are delightful. I don't know - I think just because the parents love their children is no real reason to foist them on the viewing public, and as Joe always looks horribly uncomfortable on his mom's shows, perhaps that would be easier on the children, too.
I mean, not everyone is Jamie or Bobby Dean, you know. ;)
Jam won't set up!
The main problem with "cheap" (ie beet) sugar is that it smells. It has a definite funky odor and an off taste. Cane sugar (whether white or evaporated) has no smell or taste, or at most a faint, pleasant caramel-y smell.
I don't know if cheap sugar would affect the set or overall texture of a jam or jelly, but I know it will affect the taste (even with strongly flavored fruit).
Pasadena
Babita is wildly overrated and overpriced, and if you don't kiss the owner's butt you won't get good service. The restaurant also re-defines "down-market" - for all its pretension it's a dinky uncomfortable dining room on a horrible stretch of San Gabriel Blvd.
Kitchen Queen is spot on on everything else, though.
The Best Pimento Cheese Ever
The best recipe is the corrected one in the Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook. The original recipe is on their website but there it is written as it was submitted by the winner of the contest, which means the proportions are just approximations. It is the BEST pimento cheese I've ever tasted.
Two things, though: you have to use Southern-style jarred pimentos (Dromedary or Kroger's in-house brand) or it won't taste right. Also, it's really not necessary to make homemade mayonnaise for this recipe - just doctor Best Foods/Hellman's with the lemon juice, cayenne, mustard, onion powder and sugar which is supposed to go into the homemade mayo. Works spectacularly.
Don't be afraid of the onion powder, either - for some reason it works better than fresh onion. This recipe is superb on anything, but particularly good white bread. Sometimes simple is best, and this is now my go-to summer recipe (no cooking!).
where to get fresh beans?
Fresh garbanzos and favas are available at Super King right now. Be warned: fresh garbanzos are one bean to a pod so be prepared for endless shucking.
Jaime Oliver's Revolution Menu at Patra's Glassell Park
I have absolutely no idea why Oliver did this menu revamp, and at such a weird inaccessible place. It's surrounded by used car dealerships and auto repair places in a pretty rough neighborhood, although it IS down the street from Super King (but just try getting into the Patra's parking lot from San Fernando Road).
The neighborhood is mostly Hispanic and the locals are much more likely to eat at the nearby King Burrito or 7 Mares branches than try healthy burgers and burritos which are all tailored to Oliver's British palate (heavy on Middle Eastern flavors and ingredients). Dude, no one calls it "guacamole spread" in this 'hood.
As Layne mentioned, the Oliver burgers and burritos are also relatively expensive in comparison to the rest of the regular hamburger stand menu. Except for the odd Highland Park/Eagle Rock hipster or Oxy student who might wander in for lighter fare, I can't see this particular menu changing the entrenched eating habits of the folks who live nearby (if that was the intention). I think Jamie should have stayed in Westwood.
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7 Mares
802 W La Palma Ave, Anaheim, CA 92801
[cooking] bitter oranges
Seville orange juice (or naranja agria in Spanish) is the basis for true Cuban mojo de ajo, the traditional garlicky marinade for pollo asado or lechon asado (roast chicken or pork).
[cooking] bitter oranges
Seville oranges are very seedy. People used to think the seeds contributed to their high pectin content, but that's actually due to the pith and membranes.
Meyer lemon pith and membrane also has tons of pectin - I use it in nearly every marmalade I make (except for Seville, actually). Natural pectin is much better than even liquid pectin (which is the next best thing).
Congratulations on your successful orange marmalade! There's really nothing like it, is there?
The old Just Desserts poppyseed cake.
Nope. I can't believe no one has anything even approximating this cake. :/
WHERE TO BUY HOMEMADE, AUTHENTIC TAMALES IN LA?
Sorry; Juanito's tamales are the size of footballs and actually not very good, at least by my family's standards (which are high; our tamal-making grandmas have retired). We were appalled by the size and the weird-tasting fillings. IMO you'd be better off with Liliana's tamales a few blocks away.
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Juanito's
4214 Floral Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90063
Momofuku Milk Bar lives up to the hype
Um - the Candy Bar Pie sounds exactly like a Hershey's Take Five bar: pretzels, peanut butter, caramel, chocolate. I'm certain the ingredients are a lot better than what Hershey uses, but how is this especially creative? Their Crack Pie sounds like a typical British treacle tart; the Compost Cookie is just a suburban ranger cookie with a lot of junk food in it (original ranger cookies had cornflakes or potato chips in them). I dunno; this just sounds like a lot of recycling to me.
English beans on toast?
In California (and I think Arizona) Heinz Baked Beans are readily available at all Fresh 'N Easy stores (which are owned by UK supermarket giant Tesco). They also have British/Irish style back bacon, and treacle pudding in cans.
What to eat with cottage cheese?
I had it this way at an ancient New England inn (for the life of me I can't remember the name): Very cold dry-ish curd cottage cheese was mixed with lots of freshly minced chives and salt and pepper, and served with small garlic croutons (made from slices of a baguette brushed with garlic butter and toasted). Ridiculously simple, but one of the best starters I've ever eaten.
Oh, and as a kid I loved it scooped up in Fritos!
June Taylor marmalade class.
Yes, she put out the quince cheese. Seriously terrific with the blue cheese wedge she had out for snack time. Very concentrated and somewhat unlike Spanish membrillo, but delicious.
Now I wish I'd bought four of the Seville orange marmalades instead of the six flavors I bought - all great, but the Seville orange is beyond sublime (June calls it the "queen of marmalades").
June Taylor marmalade class.
I took this class this past weekend in Berkeley and I have to say it was one of the most delightful, informative experiences I've had in my culinary career. Ms. Taylor is an artist and a terrific, generous teacher, and her Still Room kitchen is a marvel - bright, beautifully organized and a pleasure to work in. She takes the class through the entire process of making an artisanal marmalade out of organic fruit and sugar, from very precise prep through jarring the product. In between each step she regales the students with the history of marmalade and with anecdotes about her career, her relationships with local citrus growers and the genesis of some of her products.
The class takes five hours and was worth every penny and the drive north from LA. She includes tastings of commercial and small-kitchen produced marmalades, including her own (for comparison's sake, and none measure up to her level) and some of her other amazing products (infused syrups, fruit cheeses, candied citrus peel, etc.). It was so great to watch such an artist in action, someone who obviously loves what she does and is committed to crafting some of the best marmalades and conserves in the country, using the best ingredients available and combining them into unusual and delicious flavors and textures.
Be warned: at the end of the class you'll want to spend tons of money on her products (she does give a 10% discount to those taking the class). Everything is highly addictive, particularly the Seville orange marmalade, which is literally the best I've ever tasted, hands down (tart, sweet, slightly bitter, highly aromatic, and literally the essence of fresh orange).
I can't wait to take her summer conserve classes!
June Taylor Still Room
2207 4th Street
Berkeley CA 94710
510-548-2236
junetaylorjams.com
SF Bakery Tour
The Swedish bakery in Glendale is actually in Montrose and it's Berolina on Verdugo. They also make Swedish semlor after mid-January.
Bean & Cheese Burritos--Who has the BEST?
"they are weird, because they add a lot of onion and use whole beans from their pot -- basically, they don't know what a B&C is"
Probably because they're from Oaxaca, where no one knows from burritos, bean or otherwise. Burritos are strictly Northern Mexico (somewhat equivalent to the American South, for good or ill) or Texas food - in Oaxaca people eat corn tortillas only, and they eat black or red beans a la olla (stewed). In Mexico the use of flour tortillas pegs you immediately as a Norteno, much as using grits as a breakfast food outs one as a Southerner.
In any event, all these bean and cheese burritos being discussed are really western USA food, not Mexican.
Bean & Cheese Burritos--Who has the BEST?
Good lord - the beans at My Taco are amongst the worst I've ever had. They're what my family held in the greatest contempt: beans made with MILK. Yuck! Only low-class nutballs put milk in their beans. My Taco is highly overrated.
horchata made from chufa (spanish style)
The MLA horchata is still Mexican-style, made with rice and canela - the only reason it seems different is because it's garnished with pepitas and the glass rimmed with a pink-tinted (from jamaica?) crystal sugar. The Spanish-style horchata the first poster is talking about is made from an obscure seed/nut native to Spain.
White Castle type burgers in LA?
Frozen White Castles are also usually available at Smart N Final stores.
Lil' Parlor Pizzeria
My nephew and I finally had an early dinner yesterday at Little Parlor, after passing by innumerable times on our way to Heirloom next door. Our verdict: the pizza is OK, but the salads are slammin'. Nephew had his favorite Caesar, which was huge and beautiful and dotted with pizza bread "croutons;" I had the tricolore, which was a heap of gorgeous rocket, radicchio and endive perfectly dressed with a Gorgonzola vinaigrette. I think the menu mentioned fruit (pears?) but there was none on the plate - no matter, it was delicious.
The Old School pizza would have been far better if it had more than four pieces of pepperoni on it, but we did appreciate the generous little plate of shaved Parmaggiano, oregano buds and flaked chili which came with it. The service was good, our iced tea was delicious - I think we'll be back, if only for those terrific salads and to try the cauliflower/anchovy pizza, something my dining partner nixed last night. ;)
Best non-Acme Bay Area bread?
Oh - I suppose I also mean "best non-Tartine bread' as well. I will be in the Bay Area (SF and Berkeley) in a couple of weeks, and I want to know what locals consider to be the best bread in the area. I'll go anywhere to find it.
Also - does any bakery in the area make a dense, square Scandinavian-style whole grain bread? I keep thinking I bought it at Tartine in the past, but I may be hallucinating.
Thanks for the help.
Good Girl Dinette: What's Vietnamese diner food?
My husband and I had lunch here on Sunday. Very nice room - clean, rather stark actually, but with comfortable seats and pleasant surroundings (it's housed in one of the more beautiful old buildings in Highland Park). To start we tried the fried tofu on rice cakes, which were delicious and unusual (the rice cake being one step away from mochi) and the fresh spring rolls, which were light, beautiful and very very herbal. Nice presentation, too - in fact, the presentation is outstanding for such a modest place.
My husband had the braised tofu stew, accompanied by brown rice and stir-fried Chinese broccoli, and I had the vegetarian pho. He loved his dish - especially the deep almost curry-like spicing, although that put me off a little. My pho was good, but became great when I added extra fresh lime juice AND a little salt (I'm weird - I carry sea salt with me everywhere). Sometimes all it takes is a bit more acid and salt to make flavors pop, and that did the trick here. They should offer extra lime AND salt as well as hoisin (which I thought was weird) and Sriracha sauces with the pho. Oh - and while some people might disagree, I was glad the pho was only accompanied by one sprig of Thai basil and a little pile of fresh bean sprouts - I always feel horribly guilty when I leave at least half of the huge pile of beautiful herbs which accompany the noodle soups at places like Golden Deli and Vietnam.
Anyway, we finished with two desserts - a wonderful almond jelly with preserved kumquat and the coconut-banana bread pudding. The almond jelly was perfect on a hot day - the Asian equivalent of panna cotta. The bread pudding was caramel-y and just sweet enough. Oh - and although the only drinks on the menu were fresh fizzy orangeade and limeade, they were wonderful.
The prices are reasonable and the portions are generous, but we're used to paying at least $25 per person for a good lunch. I hope this restaurant can fly in cost-conscious Highland Park, because it really is a lovely place. And so close to Mt. Washington! We will definitely be back.
Porto's Bakery - what kicks ass?
I dream about that coconut strudel sometimes. It's very, very sweet, but at the same time buttery, crispy and coconutty. You must be a coconut lover to appreciate it (that and the candied coconut balls).
