Peripatetic's Profile
53rd and 6th halal.
Kogi predates RFT:
First Kogi mention - Dec 2008:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/520765
First RFT mention - Mar 2009:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/602485
I suspect it predates Tamix and Leo, too.
Oh dear . . .
Tourist Chowhound Food Crawl
Interesting feedback. Honored that they went to five places from my list (not that they weren't pretty obvious ones). Interesting feedback about Pann's. Langer's -- there seems to be more than one report of bad cuts of pastrami recently. I wonder if they're slipping, or perhaps giving inferior cuts to obvious tourists.
Good markets, restaurants, etc. around Cal State LA?
Thanks Dommy! Can't wait to try it again.
Pizza joint in downey, that serves a Pastrami pizza?
> (which I am willing to bet can be done by anyone)
Indeed, and there are even prior threads on Chowhound about it. Hint: select "All Years" for the date range.
I know you can do it, kevin!!!
Who makes your favorite patty melt?
They have only two remaining West Coast locations: Pasadena and Sherman Oaks. The patty melt ($12.50) is still on the (online) menu at both locations.
Nothing I've read on Chowhound has persuaded me it was worth trying HH, even when the Sunset Strip location was still open.
plan check on sawtelle is now open!
Love it. CH street justice! I've only stiffed twice, ever (both times when I was living in NYC). Hope you did that here.
Execrable service deserves unflinching action.
Good markets, restaurants, etc. around Cal State LA?
Servorg, have you been there since Rocio Camacho left? (Jan 2010). I loved La Tia, but have been reluctant to go back since she left.
(I still have to get to one of Rocio's new places in Sun Valley and Bell.)
Pas/SoPas report: Abricott and Firefly Bistro
In an attempt to sound a little less grumpy, I'll add that Abricott was very pleasant, and the manager was very nice and clearly committed to a good customer experience. My wife was disappointed that they didn't have the chicken wings at lunch, but was very happy with sharing my "banh mi" and enjoyed the fruit waffle she had for dessert. That is one confusing point about Abricott -- the lunch and dinner menus are something like 80% the same, so it's a shame they don't just serve that same menu all day, for simplicity.
Pas/SoPas report: Abricott and Firefly Bistro
I really dislike Jones (though I've not been back since they've moved), and while Jameson Brown is cuddly, the espresso drinks are the typical "anyone-can-pull-a-shot-with-a-few-hours-of-training" variety.
I didn't know about Coffee By The Books. I will definitely give it a try.
Currently the closest really good place to Pasadena seems to be Cognoscenti in Atwater (which has been outstanding no matter which barista I've had or bean they've used).
You're all probably bored of this story, but the best espresso I've ever had in the SGV was once when no one at Bulgarini knew what they were doing, so Leo pulled the shot himself!
Pas/SoPas report: Abricott and Firefly Bistro
I like the feel of Abricott, and the pork belly banh mi was okay provided you harbor _zero_ expectation that it's going to be anything fitting the description of a banh mi, but one big warning: do not expect the espresso drinks to be any good. They use LAMILL coffee, and the staff was trained by LAMILL, but the coffee might as well be from Starbucks. This is based on a visit in April, so it's possible things have improved.
I was disappointed because I was hoping for another location in Pasadena besides Intelligentsia to get a decent cappuccino or macchiato. (And recently Intelligentsia has been very inconsistent, even at the Sunset Junction location.)
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD: LONG OVERDUE [moved from Los Angeles board]
Previous threads on this topic:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/703295
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/506119
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/439822
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/365366
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/342784
Note that this thread will probably be moved to Site Talk:
http://chowhound.chow.com/boards/30
If the moderators are feeling benevolent they may leave a pointer to it on the LA board.
Is Breed Street Food Fair still around?
> "I hope you realize that was a joke"
It eludes me entirely. I'm either slow today or missing context!
Matcha ... where to buy?
Heh. I was tempted just to put "q.v.", but no one seems to know what that means anymore.
Matcha ... where to buy?
breakaway cook, maybe an unfair question, but do you know anything about Matcha Source (http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/851004#7362920) and, if so, do you have any opinion about their matcha? NB: I haven't been there and didn't know anything about them before this thread. It just seems to be the most promising _local_ supplier mentioned so far.
Is Breed Street Food Fair still around?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breed_Street_Shul
Is Luscious Dumpling moving or expanding?
The quality is still very good. I just feel they are being contemptuous of their customers. Father's Office doesn't provide ketchup? Fine. Handsome Coffee Roasters doesn't think you should use sugar? I can live with that. But I really don't like being sat at at a table wedged next to cases and cases of produce and then being told all the things I can't have because they didn't make enough of it for fear of having a single dumpling left over at the end of the evening.
RFD Pasadena
I only mentioned the parking structure by Trader Joes as an alternative if for some reason the spaces in the Shoppers Lane lots are full. Check out the map in the link in my previous post and you'll see what I'm talking about. (I admit I wasn't clear that "Shoppers Lane" is just the access road to several extensive parking lots.)
The structure is for multiple businesses, not just Trader Joes (although the spaces on the top level might be reserved for TJ alone.) I agree with trolley that the structure is a pain, and the peculiar layout of the intersection of Lake and Del Mar isn't very pedestrian friendly.
Urasawa etiquette?
I agree, actually. I was just responding to Helper Monkey's remark "who gives a _____ what the chef thinks". Native Japanese will be inclined to see that attitude as disrespectful. I think you should be able to come to an understanding with Hiro-san if you explain apologetically in advance that you won't be able to eat the rice. I'm not an expert on Japanese etiquette, but I believe it's typical to be apologetic in situations like this where you would not normally need to be in other cultures. This is especially true in view of the symbolic history of rice in Japan (as I mentioned in this post: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/841136#7250276)
On the other hand, you can be completely oblivious and probably nothing bad will happen. I'm sure they're accustomed to it by now.
Urasawa etiquette?
"The customer is always right" is a very American attitude that is at odds with the customs and etiquette of many other cultures, notably Japanese culture. That doesn't mean the customer doesn't have rights in other cultures, but the relationship is rarely as asymmetrical as it is here.
Matcha ... where to buy?
As you said, Ten Ren is very serious about tea. As I understand it, we see only the tip of the iceberg here in the US. So it's definitely worth checking with them, even if they're not a Japanese tea specialist.
Sahag's House of Basturma in Pasadena
Thanks. I've been meaning to try Torino since, well, forever. J Gold, who lives nearby, says it's one of his regular favorites:
http://blogs.laweekly.com/squidink/2012/02/jonathan_gold_burrito_express.php
Sahag's House of Basturma in Pasadena
The title of this thread may be causing confusion. Sahag's Basturma on Sunset and House of Basturma in Pasadena are unrelated. At one point someone credibly purporting to be the owner of House of Basturma posted to this thread and said so, but the post was deleted.
Matcha ... where to buy?
FWIW that may or may not be matcha. Not all powdered green tea is matcha. The OP was specific about wanting "quality matcha".
OTOH, I wouldn't be surprised if the Ten Ren at Focus Plaza doesn't have true matcha.
best places on Valley Boulevard San Gabriel
Yes, sounds like Xiang Wei Lou: http://sinosoul.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/img_1010.jpg
Sahag's House of Basturma in Pasadena
I can't really distinguish the fillings in her photos, but the bread they've used whenever I've had the basturma sandwich is the the flatter grooved bread in the photo I highlighted. When you order, they ask if you want the bread toasted. I've always said yes, so maybe they use that particular bread for toasted, and the roll in the previous photo otherwise..
Sahag's House of Basturma in Pasadena
That photo is from Sahag's in Little Armenia.
The sandwich at House of Basturma in Pasadena looks like this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cathydanhphotography/5443286669/
(Photo is from Cathy Danh's Gastronomy blog: http://gastronomyblog.com/2011/02/14/house-of-basturma-pasadena/)
RFD Pasadena
I didn't notice whether they had valet parking. There's lots of parking on Shoppers Lane. This visual aid should help:
https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=899+E+Del+Mar+Blvd,+Pasadena,+CA+91101&aq=&sll=34.141033,-118.131512&sspn=0.003077,0.001746&vpsrc=6&t=h&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=899+E+Del+Mar+Blvd,+Pasadena,+California+91101&ll=34.141001,-118.131488&spn=0.003064,0.001746&z=19
(The "A" marker is where RFD is.)
Note that the Shoppers Lane parking can get competitive on weekend evenings, but there's also the parking structure by Trader Joes across the street.
Sahag's House of Basturma in Pasadena
Melanie, I had a basturma sandwich from House of Basturma earlier this week and it was still good. However, I'm still not a basturma expert, so can't really provide an informed opinion. I still need to try the basturma from Garo's, which is supposed to be very good (they are a grocery, though, not a deli).
As a reference point, I love Langer's pastrami, Bay Cities Godmother, Porta Via's meatball sub and Italian sub, and banh mis from Banh Mi My Tho. While the basturma sandwich from House of Basturma is good, I don't think I'd pass up any of these other sandwiches for one. Unless you have a special craving, I don't see it as detour-worthy. One big attraction, though: Carmela Ice Cream opened in the same strip mall since my last post, and they're definitely worth a visit if you're in the Pasadena area.
BTW, House of Basturma has added burgers and onion rings to their menu, so it seems they're trying to adapt to a broader audience.
