geekbruin's Profile
Where to buy beef bones?
This is not exactly responsive to your question but I get these marrow bones from Handi Mart. The bone part is fairly thick and my dogs (Siberian Huskies) can rarely get them to crack. I haven't had any problems with them. I take the bones away and throw them away after they've cleaned out the marrow.
Raw poultry bones are also supposed to be fine for dogs as the splintering problem is supposed to be something that occurs after you cook the bones.
Where to buy beef bones?
If you're in the Glendale area, Handi Market has bones. They're 89 or 99 cents a pound.
Handi Market, 2514 West Magnolia Boulevard, Burbank, CA 91505-3029
Good brunch place where we won't have to wait 45 minutes for table and feel rushed?
Thanks, all, for the wonderful suggestions. We ended up at Raymond's (well, "ended up" but we did have a reservation) and both loved it. I got the savory pancakes. They had herbs and cheese in the batter and ham and spinach layered in between and a perfectly poached egg on top. The coffee was great as was the bloody mary.
I'm looking forward to making my way down this list. Thanks for the recs. Wouldn't have known about Raymond's otherwise; I must have passed this place a million times and didn't know about it.
Good brunch place where we won't have to wait 45 minutes for table and feel rushed?
Oh wow, I want a bacon donut!
Thank you all for the suggestions. Right now it looks like we're going to Joe's but anything can happen. I'll update after we get back.
Thanks, everyone. I have a whole bunch of new places to try!
Good brunch place where we won't have to wait 45 minutes for table and feel rushed?
I have a friend from out of town coming and we'd like to get brunch on Saturday. I'm having trouble thinking of places that both have good food and an atmosphere where we can take our time eating and catch up.
I like Snug Harbor in WLA and Auntie Em's in Eagle Rock. My husband and I ate at Bottega Louie with another friend last week and liked that. Even if the high, unadorned ceilings made the place loud, we felt comfortable taking our time eating and had a good meal. We might just end up going there again but would prefer to try someplace new.
It doesn't have to be "brunch menu" but some place where we can get some bacon and pancakes would be nice. And we're not looking for one of those $60 all you can eat buffets either.
Location doesn't matter that much as she'll be on the Westside and I'm out here in South Pasadena.
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Bottega Louie
700 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90017
Pasadena is weak!
Try Mamma's Brick Oven
www.mammasbrickoven.com
710 Fair Oaks Avenue
South Pasadena, CA 91030-2604
(626) 799-1344
They're not the best pizza in LA but are pretty good. Fast, friendly service too.
How long can I brine a chicken that's almost past its fresh date?
I have had luck with brining for over 12 hours, though that was with a weak brine.
I'll roast it, guys. Thanks for making me do the right thing. ;)
How long can I brine a chicken that's almost past its fresh date?
I might end up doing that. I suppose a reheated chicken is better than losing the whole thing.
How long can I brine a chicken that's almost past its fresh date?
I have a whole chicken that I put in a brine today. I froze it on its sell by date so it's not the freshest chicken. Do you think I can leave in the brine all weekend (I'm going out of town) or should I refreeze it?
I'm conflicted. I know that salt inhibits bacterial growth but I don't know if a brine is saline enough for this to be a factor. The brine is of average saltiness. I might also be risking a really salty chicken at the end of the weekend too.
Thanks in advance for the input.
Monin Syrups by the case online or in store
Surfas doesn't shelve the flavor we burn through (pomegranate). I didn't know Smart and Final carried them, there's one right down the street! Thanks.
Monin Syrups by the case online or in store
Anyone know where I can get Monin syrups by the case either in the LA area (no shipping but tax) or online (probably no tax, but will have to pay shipping) at a good price? I've been buying them by the bottle at Bay Cities or Marina Farms but I figure at $8 per bottle I should look into buying in bulk.
Legendary, Made-To-Order, Fresh Steamed Buns and Dumplings! (or "Are You Kidding Me?!") - NOODLE HOUSE (Mian Hsiang Yuan) [Review] w/ Pics!
I'm a little perplexed too. Even I don't usually overcook the dumplings. I don't know what to say.
Fresh baozi are wonderful. We should have gone with those.
Looking for a Venice/MDR restaurant for a nice Sunday early evening dinner with son-in-law
I wanted to revive this post and see if anyone has additional recommendations for taking the in-laws but rather at a midpriced range. :) I'd go to Chaya or Chinois on Main, but, you know, it's the economy, stupid.
Three Forks in Claremont?
Yes, it will be closed for at least a few months.
http://tinyurl.com/bdssfp
It's a shame, especially because it recently opened and the decor was nice.
Legendary, Made-To-Order, Fresh Steamed Buns and Dumplings! (or "Are You Kidding Me?!") - NOODLE HOUSE (Mian Hsiang Yuan) [Review] w/ Pics!
No baozi. We only had room for noodle soup and dumplings.
I may have just ordered the wrong kind of filling for me. But I have to say that the problem with wrappers is pretty frustrating. Maybe they were cooked too long? I dunno, like I said they were fighting with each other in front of all the customers so maybe they were slammed and/or having some kind of problems that day. I'm going to try these other places in the meantime, though.
Shamshiri - WORST SERVICE EVER
My bad, ronnie_gaucho, i totally misread your earlier comment. You're totally right.
Shamshiri - WORST SERVICE EVER
I've heard Aram is very good.
I like Shamshiri but respect your opinion about it. It is what it is, fast (usually), value-priced food. I've been trying to make decent basmati rice for years and have yet to make it properly with any consistency. So as long as their rice is better than mine and eating there is cheaper than cooking it myself, I'm OK with Shamshiri.
grandma's 80th bday for 10
Do you mind if I ask about what the food issues are? Have you called Craft to ask if they an accommodate or was it just that it ruined the family style concept?
Regardless, Valentino sounds like a great idea.
Chinese food in LA--where is the good stuff ?
I agree that VIP isn't so good anymore. The people there are super nice though and we saw Cindy Crawford there once with her kids! :)
ISO a REAL good deli
Have you been to Junior's on Westwood and Pico Blvds? It's not anywhere near Long Beach but if people are suggesting Jerry's in Marina Del Rey (blech), you should drive the extra 15 minutes to Junior's. (http://www.jrsdeli.com/)
In the interest of full disclosure, I haven't been there for a meal in a few years but I have always loved their food in the past and a friend just brought over desserts from there which were really good. I think they're better than Canter's (but can see how that point is debatable).
Legendary, Made-To-Order, Fresh Steamed Buns and Dumplings! (or "Are You Kidding Me?!") - NOODLE HOUSE (Mian Hsiang Yuan) [Review] w/ Pics!
Will do! Do either of them have beef noodle soup, too? Noodle House's average version whetted my appetite for the real deal.
Three Forks in Claremont?
"The atmosphere is that of a roadside inn of the 1800s, but there is nothing artificial about it - it really is from that era."
You hit it on the head--I think we always assumed that the place was some Wild West-themed gimmick so we never gave it a try.
Anyone have additional recommendations? Maybe something non-American that we should try? (That reminds me that there is a small Korean place we went to in Upland that I really liked. I'll try to remember to get the name of it and post.)
Shamshiri - WORST SERVICE EVER
Yes, hummus is not classic Iranian food. I'm Persian by marriage and even just double-checked our handed-down English-Persian cookbook. Thus, it shouldn't be expected on a Persian menu. Middle Eastern food does share a lot of similarities though, especially regional riffs on the same thing (e.g. kabobs, yogurt and cucumber dips) so ronnie_gaucho's dig, while untrue, is not completely unreasonable.
Their menu seems pretty traditional. As far as I can recall, there really aren't any dishes on there that I can think of that aren't Persian. They're started garnishing their kabobs with grilled hot peppers in addition to onions and tomatoes. Usually it's just tomatoes so I guess *that's* not Persian...
Though the service is not great at Shamshiri, the food's quite good. It's not the best in Westwood but it has the best selection of Persian dishes and great value (especially their lunch specials). Their kabob, while not the highest quality, is always piping hot and satisfying. Their stews are also pretty good. I really like their okra and tomato stew with lamb shank.
Three Forks in Claremont?
Thanks! I can't tell you how many times we've driven by the Sycamore Inn. I had no idea they actually had good food.
Legendary, Made-To-Order, Fresh Steamed Buns and Dumplings! (or "Are You Kidding Me?!") - NOODLE HOUSE (Mian Hsiang Yuan) [Review] w/ Pics!
I went here last week and I have to say that I was really disappointed with the experience. We ordered beef noodle soup, some other noodle dish (it was brothless, had ground pork and black bean sauce), and pumpkin and shrimp dumplings.
The beef noodle soup was very average. The noodles, if fresh, were still machine-extruded and lacked the density and gluten that superior noodles have. While the beef was very tasty and tender, the broth was thin and lacked that beefy, spicy body that my Taiwanese genes demand.
The dumplings were also extremely disappointing. The wrappers were soggy and also lacked that springiness or gluten that I like. The filling was underseasoned and completely unremarkable. It reminded me of the kind of bland food I eat when I have the flu. Maybe I'm just looking for a different kind of dumpling. My mom and I can totally make better dumplings at home (and we're only OK cooks barely talented enough to cook so we don't give ourselves food poisoning).
The other noodle dish my mom ordered she didn't like. I didn't really know what to expect of it so I can't comment, but it had the same kind of noodles as the beef noodle soup.
The service was fine. Our waiter was very nice but a couple of people behind the counter got into this huge shouting match in front of all the customers. Not very professional but, whatever, it's a noodle place.
Three Forks in Claremont?
Three forks had a kitchen fire and is now closed for a few months (http://tinyurl.com/bdssfp). Anyone have any alternative suggestions for restaurants in this area? We're looking to have a Chinese New Year's dinner so if it's a nicer, upscale place, then that's nice but we're also open to a more frumpy place with great food.
I used to live in Claremont and have been to all the places on the old side of the Claremont Village--Heroes, Arruffo's, Harvard Square, etc. Has anyone been to that Italian place, Tutti Mangia, recently? It's been 10 years since I've been there.
Anything in, say, a 10 mile radius is just fine.
Woot Inland Empire!
Shamshiri - WORST SERVICE EVER
I agree with Azizeh. Shamshiri, as well as most of the Persian restos in Westwood that I can think of, have pretty bad to average service. Shamshiri used to have much worse service, too. In my opinion, it's actually improved in the past few years.
The best service I've had there has been during lunch. Also, if you order take out, you can bypass the whole wait staff and the kitchen is usually very fast about getting your order out.
one cent on rush street
I just went to Rush Street and thought I'd throw in my two cents.
I agree with most of the comments about the food. We had a Chicago dog and a burger. Both were pretty average. The Chicago dog is a fun California twist on the real deal and comes with fresh tomato and pickled vegetables. The vegetables, however, all tasted the same and the dog was very unwieldy to eat. The flavors were unbalanced (too vinegary from all that pickled veg) and it wasn't nearly as satisfying as the real thing. The French fries seemed overdone or stale. My husband thought his burger was okay.
On the plus side, I agree that the mac and cheese is really good. I also like the brevity of the menu and wine list. Daily specials include half off bottles of wine on Tuesdays. We ordered a bottle of Davis Bynum 2005 Pinot Noir for under $30 and it was just lovely.
Unlike others here, I actually love the decor and ambiance. Clientle is local yuppie in a good way. Upstairs has a nice area for drinking, dancing, and socializing. I'm not going to try to defend the stripper pole. Mostly, I like how you can choose your poison: downstairs where you can still hear each other talk or upstairs where the music is louder and it's more crowded. We didn't stay very late, though, so I have no idea how crowded downstairs gets late at night.
I think it's a fun place to go with friends without the hassles of Father's Office--lines, no reservations, crowds, excessive noise. Yes, the food isn't nearly as good as Father's Office. But sometimes when you're meeting up with friends it's nice to be able to catch up and grab a few drinks without having to wait in line, hover over a table to get a seat, and yell at one another to have a conversation. Rush Street will by no means replace FO's in my heart but I would definitely go back for drinks and the mac and cheese.
