Mr Taster's Profile
Is Breed Street Food Fair still around?
So sad. Any update with Nina? I never did get around to trying her food, and her Twitter feed has been inactive for a long time.
Mr Taster
Help a poor Los Angeles hound visiting Baltimore and DC
Wonderful!! We just may need to take the 26G bus by the Pentagon to have lunch there, and visit Arlingon while we're at it.
Thanks so much for this spectacular recommendation.
Mr Taster
Help a poor Los Angeles hound visiting Baltimore and DC
According to Google Maps transit, it looks like the 200 train (light rail?) goes right to the door.
Mr Taster
Help a poor Los Angeles hound visiting Baltimore and DC
Although we do have rather broad regional Indian cooking (Northern Punjabi, southern vegetarian, Hyderabadi) it really isn't one of LA's specialties- at least not in the same way Korean, Chinese, Thai or Mexican would be. That sounds great. Thanks!
Mr Taster
Help a poor Los Angeles hound visiting Baltimore and DC
S. African/Portugese chicken sounds really interesting.... I have no idea what those flavors would be. Dino's marinade is a quasi Greek/Mexican-y fusion chicken served on top of those fries, but is also rather mysterious in its providence :)
Mr Taster
Help a poor Los Angeles hound visiting Baltimore and DC
Can anyone chime in about how regionally specific the menus are at the U street Ethiopian restaurants? Or do the menus tend to reflect the standard wat/tibbs/kitfo rotation that is on most Ethiopian diaspora menus, but are just cooked to different levels of excellence depending on the restaurant?
I'm asking this question out of total ignorance. I've never been to East Africa (but am planning a trip for next summer). One of the most interesting things to me when I travel is seeing how the food and people gradually change from region to region as I travel. In some countries, you find dishes are specific to a particular village, and that's the only place you can find it. (In Viernam for example, people in a neighboring village had never even heard of the dish we had just a few miles away)
I'm not suggesting that sort of intense specialization exists outside of Ethiopia (it doesn't in LA), but I would be very curious to know if there's a difference, for example, between cooking in the north vs. the south, for example, much in the same way cooking from the northern Issan region of Thailand has been showing up on menus in LA for many years now.
Thanks!
Mr Taster
Help a poor Los Angeles hound visiting Baltimore and DC
>> While you have ethnic covered
I would never, ever say that "I have ethnic covered"! That's such a broad generalization, and "ethnic" is such a non-specific term.
I was very specific in listing the regional/cultural cuisines that are well represented in LA. Greek is actually a very good suggestion. We really have only one notable Greek Deli/Restaurant (called Papa Cristos/C&K Importing-- http://www.papacristos.com/ -- so Greektown sounds like it could be a great option. Also it appears the 10 bus goes right from Inner Harbor to Greektown, so no cab necessary :) Thanks for the suggestions.
Mr Taster
Help a poor Los Angeles hound visiting Baltimore and DC
Not necessary. See my earlier post, above.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/849535#7343321
Mr Taster
Help a poor Los Angeles hound visiting Baltimore and DC
Assuming a "buster" is a deep fried soft shell crab on a bun? Please explain. Remember, I'm not from your parts. Google is not being terribly helpful.
Mr Taster
looking for "chewy" gelato
Just tried al gelato for the first time last night. We tried the pistachio and coconut flavors. Both were very thin on the taffy-like chew. It was present, but minimally so.
Bulgarini still stands out for me as the one to beat. Haven't tried Grom.
Mr Taster
Help a poor Los Angeles hound visiting Baltimore and DC
A Baltimorean friend just recommended crab cakes at John Stevens and pizza at Brick Oven Pizza in Fells Point.
Discuss.
Mr Taster
Nice Neighborhood Italian - Cafe Bella Roma SPQR
Was just here last night. Extremely good pasta, as you say, cooked perfectly al dente. Their house special bucatini all'amatriciana was spectacular.
It's worth noting that they're closing at the end of this week and moving to an as yet to be determined location, so I'd advise anyone who was on the fence to get over there and try the pasta right away.
Mr Taster
Help A Sino-lovin' Brother Out in the West SGV Please
It's worth mentioning that while Omar's is delicious (especially the big plate chicken with those spectacular noodles), their prices are more in line with a western restaurant than the bargains we're used to enjoying across the SGV. The big plate chicken costs around $18. That's the pork pump price range, but somehow I feel that pork pump is a better bang for the buck.
I especially love the weird sort of Khazak-grandma motif, with the lacy curtains and central Asian tschotchkes on the wall. When I walk through that door I feel like I've stepped through xiao din dan's magic door.
Mr Taster
Help a poor Los Angeles hound visiting Baltimore and DC
Well put :)
The real food trucks (loncheros) are hardly a new thing in LA. But trendy hipsters and white collar workers eating at trucks is a new thing, and started in earnest with the Kogi truck several years back.
In fact, there's a crew of the new wave FancyTrucks™ that park a block away from my office. They used to park directly in front of the office, until this happened a few years ago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtUjqMVOfVw
2012 Update: The management of Museum Square is still parking the crew of junk cars across the street, even though the un-official Museum Square FancyTruck™ row is now firmly established a block away.
Mr Taster
Help a poor Los Angeles hound visiting Baltimore and DC
Thank you for these tips. Can you talk a bit about Matthew's Pizza? Is this a style of pizza unique to MD? I grew up in New Jersey eating that style of pizza, but I've spent enough time around the country (and the world) to know that the definition of pizza can get pretty hazy around the edges. I'm curious to know what makes Matthew's special.
We're not afraid to leave the waterfront, but I do need to be mindful of my little niece's crankiness level. Faidley's looks great. Good god, I'd love a crab cake right about now.
Mr Taster
Help a poor Los Angeles hound visiting Baltimore and DC
Wonderful recs. I'm a big fan of public markets and will definitely have to check out Eastern Market. I read about Oohs and Aahs on another thread recommending Carolina BBQ and I may need to check it out (even though Raleigh is 5.5 hours away... but still closer than Los Angeles!)
Mr Taster
Help a poor Los Angeles hound visiting Baltimore and DC
Thank you for this.
OK, first the boring details.
We will not be commuting back and forth between DC and Baltimore.
Details of the trip are still developing, but what is set is that we will be arriving at BWI on the evening of June 5 and going directly up to DC. We may be staying with a friend, but I'm not certain yet. Not sure what area he lives in, but he does live in a transit friendly area.
We will be staying exclusively in DC from June 5-8. Evening of June 8th we will go to our hotel (Inner Harbor) in Baltimore so we can be near the convention center for the weekend, which is the official reason for this trip. We fly home from BWI around 5pm on Sunday, June 10. My sis and 3 year old niece, if they decide to come, will be with us on Saturday and Sunday in Baltimore only.
With that in mind, on to the food!
LA does in fact have a very small "Little Ethiopia" strip. The main commercial district is the one block between Olympic and Whitworth:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=los+angeles+little+ethiopia&hl=en&ll=34.056881,-118.364413&spn=0.013386,0.017402&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&hq=little+ethiopia&hnear=Los+Angeles,+California&t=m&z=16&layer=c&cbll=34.056881,-118.364413&panoid=ca3GT-2rcpr8q8Ci_BlzfQ&cbp=12,0,,0,0
Having said that, if there is a superlative representation of the cuisine, or perhaps a localized or regional style of Ethiopian cooking that is not the standard doro wot/tibbs, etc. which one finds at "standard" Ethiopian restaurants, then I'd love to give it a shot. And the U street corridor looks like a great destination.
As for the crab, what will the season be like during the time we're in town? (June 8-10)
Thanks for all your advice.
Mr Taster
Help a poor Los Angeles hound visiting Baltimore and DC
Hello 'hounds
Staying in DC and Baltimore (near convention center) without a car.
I'm looking for superlative examples of food not well represented in LA. Here's the rundown-- in LA we have much of Asia covered, and covered well. So while I'm interested to visit your Chinatowns, they will not be a food destination. Vietnam, Thailand, Korea, Japan are all superlatively represented. Less so are Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore/Malaysia, Philippines. Of course our Mexican and Central American foods are legendary.
Having said this, what can I get my hands on in Baltimore and DC that is a superlative representation, and not well represented in LA? And without a car?
I know in DC you have those half-smokes-- gotta try those. Also, Maryland is of course famous for your crab. I know there is a much larger African population here than in LA. Having said that, I'm fine with eating great examples of regional American cooking as well. This doesn't have to be a "cuisines of the world" trip.
We've got a economic preference for budget eating, though I am not bound to this rule. And while in Baltimore, my sister might be visiting with her 3 year old so we'd be looking for a kid friendly place to eat some superlative crab. She may be driving, so it's possible we may have a car in Baltimore, though I can tell you that she will not want to drive very far.
Thanks in advance for all your help
Mr Taster
of the Los Angeles Chowhounds
VEGGIE RAMEN? Does a great one exist?
I know that Ramen Jinya makes a veggie (including no fish/bonito) based ramen. But is there anywhere else noteworthy that makes a purely vegetarian soup (that is worth eating)?
I had high hopes for the spectacular roasted miso ramen at Mottainai in Gardena, but when I called them my conversation went something like this:
"Hello?"
"Hello, is this Mottainai Ramen?"
"Yes, yes. Mottainai."
"My friend is vegetarian. Do you make your miso ramen without meat or fish?"
"If you want vegetarian, please order with no chashu pork."
"But does the soup contain fish or pork bone?"
"Only order without chashu, vegetarian."
"But is the soup made with any fish or pork?"
"Ah. Hm, if you want to order this, then please try go somewhere else."
Mr Taster
Cafe Du Monde menu?
Did you intend to secretly redirect the original Cafe du Monde poster to my preferred suggestion of Cafe Beignet?
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/848041#7324776
Mr Taster
Young Thai Coconuts? Close to Downtown?
And I meant LAX-C. I cannot recommend purchasing young coconuts at the airport.
Mr Taster
Young Thai Coconuts? Close to Downtown?
Dommy is absolutely right (except for that lunch being expensive! ;) LAX- is the definitive answer to your question.
Mr Taster
FINALLY... a real, honest-to-Hashem method for making real lower east side SALT FERMENTED KOSHER DILL PICKLES, as directed by Moe, a 90+ year old former pickle master
This is tricky. I've had pickles go bad on me- all pink and moldy. Remember, pickles are a bacterial balancing act. You are trying to create a liquid environment which encourages the friendly fermenting bacteria to remain in charge and keep the nasty ones in check. That's why the salt:water ratio is so important. I don't know if my last batch went bad because the salt concentration was off, or if it is because I unwittingly introduced some foreign funky bug in to the batch. Either way, it was bad-- but it wasn't at first. There was a period of time where the pickles were perfectly crunchy and edible.
Mr Taster
fresh tofu?
Oh, and no idea if they sell it in alone, but there's house made silken tofu at the Korean soondubu restaurants all over Koreatown (like Beverly and Sokongdong).
And if you feel like going out to eat it as an entree, there's the silken tofu dish that congeals before your very eyes at Robota Jinya (Japanese).
Mr Taster
fresh tofu?
All manner of tofu available at Chung Seng tofu factory in Walnut. (Taiwanese) Stinky tofu, preserved tofu, silken tofu, whatever you like. I like snacking on the soy marinated pressed tofu, which they sell in convenient snackable little deli containers.
And of course there's the venerable Thanh Son Tofu Factory in Garden Grove (Vietnamese).
Mr Taster
Things kids think are "normal" these days...
Plus cooking chicken breasts with the leaving the skin and bones on makes them less prone to drying out, and adds more flavor (though I'm with you re: thighs, which I buy 90% of the time).
Mr Taster
Chowhound App?
Glad to help. I'd like to say that as a longtime user of Chowhound (about 9 years), I remember carrying around printouts of annotated Chowhound conversations in the glove box of my car. It was not long ago that a portable Chowhound was a pipe dream. I remember wishing I could have CH in my pocket, and now I do- and that's pretty amazing.
So even with the quirks of the mobile site that I've outlined above, the functionality is leagues beyond anything I could have dreamed of just a few years ago and for that I am very appreciative.
Having said that, please fix it ;-)
Mr Taster
Cafe Du Monde menu?
...and frozen cafe au lait, OJ, and milk :)
Having said that, try Cafe Beignet. Much less touristy (though still touristy) but the beignets we had there were an order of magnitude better and fresher than what we got at Cafe du Monde.
http://www.cafebeignet.com/
Mr Taster
Latest Urasawa prices?
Whoops. It was early in the morning when I wrote that.
Mr Taster
