krick's Profile
Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival
Packing for my first trip to this event and wondering what the typical dress is for the events. The website says daytime events are casual and evenings dressy, but they define "casual" as slacks, button down and blazer, and "dressy" as suit and tie. Having been to similar events (though not this one), I have a hard time believing that's how people actually dress for this. Anyone have any experience at this event?
Thanks in advance.
What's your best burger in OC?
Hands down the black label burger at Crow Bar in CDM. Get it with the duck fat fries and it's an awesome meal. Even so, it's so overpriced that ($28ish incl the duck fat fries) it's borderline insulting and hard for me to recommend. At that price it should be damn near perfect, and great as it is, it's still far from perfect. Reminds me a bit of Daniel Boulud's burger at DB bistro in NY that set off the high end burger wars in NY - damn good and yet for the price ($28 almost 10 yes ago) damn dissapointing).
Where can I buy rennet for making cheese locally?
Animal or vegetable? If you're looking for animal rennet, the only place in LA that I've found to carry it is the Home Beer, Wine and Cheesemaking shop in Woodland Hills (see website link in soniabegonia's post). They have it in both liquid and tablet form.
Where to find best fried clams in LA?
Much maligned resto on this board, but the fried clams (with bellies) that I've had at Bluewater Grill in Redondo have been great - not good - great.
Those are the only fried clams I've had in LA that were even passable, although I too have heard good things about BP but haven't yet been.
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Bluewater Grill
665 N Harbor Dr, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
Yummy and cheap dinner in Laguna?
House of Big Fish and Ice Cold Beer (yes - that's actually the name) on the main drag of Laguna is inexpensive and surprisingly good.
Kappo Hana in Laguna Hills for izakaya, although if you're going to Shibucho you may not want to do Japanese again (notwithstanding how different they might be). It sounds like you're set on Shibucho, but for what it's worth, to say that I am not a fan of that place would be a massive understatement.
I love Taco Loco, but it's more of a shack than a restaurant, and I agree with the comments on Javier's.
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Kappo Hana
25260 La Paz Rd A, Laguna Hills, CA 92653
Where to buy fresh wonderful Bratwurst in OC?
Not sure if they make brat, but Promelis in Costa Mesa makes great sausages in general.
Bringing steaks to room temperature before cooking?
Interesting - for thicker cuts, I've always seared first then put in the oven to finish. Why reverse sear?
Apart from that, I wonder if it matters if you are cooking to rare instead of medium rare. I like mine rare, and I'd be concerned that if I started with an ice cold thick steak, in the amount of time it would take to get the center rare, too much of the steak would be medium rare or more. I might have to run a side by side test on this.
Casual, Early Dinner for about 15 people near Corona Del Mar
As I indicated, it's unclear if the OP meant per entree, app & entree or all in incl tax and tip. As I also said, if you just have a burger (6.50-8.50), sandwich (cubano - 8.50) or flatbread (11-12), you'll be under $15.
Venice Business Casual Lunch- Hal's or Joe's
Not even close - Joe's wins on food, atmosphere, service - basically everything.
Casual, Early Dinner for about 15 people near Corona Del Mar
$10-15 per entree, per app/entree or all in, including tax and tip?
Best option might be Summer House. A bit more expensive but under $15 if you just have burgers, sandwhiches or flatbreads would be CrowBar. Panini cafe next to Crowbar could work as well, as might Side Door.
Is it bad if a magnet will stick to your knife?
Not quite correct re magnets sticking to stainless steel. I'm no metallurgist but I do know that austenitic stainless steels are generally non-magnetic, which is why magnets don't stick to most high-end stainless steel appliances (e.g., fridges, stoves, ovens, etc.).
laguna Beach food recs
Off the top of my head:
For very casual or pick-up:
House of Big Fish and Ice Cold Beer
Taco Loco
The Cottage
For dinner or lunch:
Watermarc
Sapphire
230 Forest
Landmark
Five Feet
Zulu
Eve's Caribbean
Tabu
Loft @ Montage
If you don't need to stay in Laguna Beach proper, there are plenty of other options up and down the coast a few miles.
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Watermarc
448 S Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Five Feet Restaurant
12017 Harbor Blvd, Garden Grove, CA 92840
Cut. Am I being unfair?
I agree with you. I love CUT - it's one of favorite restos in LA and have hardly a negative thing to say about it, but that seems inappropriate and, dare I say, classless.
Best fried chicken in LA? where is it?
New favorite - fried chicken at LudoBites. Far from traditional, but sooo GD good.
Il Dolce Pizzeria- Costa Mesa....finally a real deal unpretentious artisanal pizzeria
I used to feel the same way about Ortica, but just went back recently after a year absence and thought the food, service and general feel of the place had improved significantly.
Steak Tartare -
Just had a really good not-quite-traditional tartare w/bacon drippings at The Mercantile in Hollywood. I was surprised by how much I liked it as I usually like my tartare much coarser than it was served there.
Least favorite is Anisette, which is often praised around here. I've had it four times now, and haven't liked it once. As to why on earth I would order it four times if I disliked it the first time, it's because (1) it's physically impossible for me to see steak tartare on a menu and not order it, and (2) it's praised often enough by enough people that every time a small part of me wonders if my previous experiences were aberrations and this time will be different.
Problems at Ludobites at Royal-T?
Nothing to be concerned about - the only hangover effect of that night is that they now only offer a set prix fixe menu ($44) which consists of 4 courses plus an amuse bouche.
I had reservations the very next night and received a call that morning from Krissy, Ludo's wife and host, explaining that she was calling everyone with reservations that night to inform them of the change to the menu, to run through the menu and to give them the chance to cancel their reservations.
The menu is online at his site: http://www.ludolefebvre.com/ludo-bites/royal-t/menu/ with the exception of the amuse bouche which was squid with chorizo puree, kimchi oil and red onions. Everything was terrific when we went and dinner service was just about perfect in terms of timing between courses.
Comme Ca - good, but not as great as before
Interesting - I had the exact opposite experience with my burger at Comme Ca - I ordered it rare and it came medium. I sent it back and the second burger came back medium rare. By the time the third burger came, my fellow diners had all finished their meals and the server's sarcastic tone suggested that he or the kitchen thought I was being a pain in the ass.
Reminds of a high-end steakhouse in Toronto I went to where I ordered a steak black and blue and it came medium/medium rare. I sent it back and the server came back with it a minute later saying that the chef looked at it and said that I was wrong and that it was rare. I called over the manager who didn't know what was going on and asked him what temp it looked like, and he said medium, and thinking that I was complaining about it being too rare, explained that at their restaurant, medium does have a bit of pink. You can guess where things went from there.
T-Day Postmortem: the good, the bad, and the ugly
I liked the Mary's a lot, although it was my first time dry-brining (always wet brined in the past), so I can't be certain if it was the bird or the technique that made the difference. Really good turkey flavor - more so than the heritage bird I had last year (can't remember the brand of that one).
That being said, I'm not sure I would buy it again because it didn't quite rise to the level necessary to justify the price ($90 + tax). To put in context though, I'm just not a turkey lover - I don't dislike it, but it generally doesn't do much for me, regardless of how well cooked and seasoned it is. So although I thought this one was really good for turkey, it was really more of a side, with the actual sides being the main parts of the meal. On the other hand, all of our other guests raved about the turkey and said it was one of the best they've had (the others being the turkeys I describe below).
The only turkeys I've had that justified high-end pricing were (1) the first heritage turkeys I ordered directly from Slowfood.org many years ago back when they used to work with and sell directly from what was back then the handful of heritage turkey farms in the US, and (2) the David Rosengarten Ultra-Ball. The Slowfood heritage birds were, if I recall, around $120-130 shipped, and were worth every penny for their deep, almost gamy, turkey flavor, For lack of a better way to describe them, they tasted like what I would imagine wild turkeys tasted like centuries ago - they were revelatory in taste and texture For whatever reason, the birds I subsequently ordered from the Slowfood offshoot - Heritage Foods - were never as good (still good, just not great) - which may have been just luck of the draw in terms of the turkey breeds I got (they sell 4 breeds, but you don't get to choose which one you get) or a function of changes in the farming practices necessary to support increased demand. The Rosengarten turkey was another bird entirely (excuse the pun). Not a heritage bird, but rather a "standard" free range organic Eberly Farms turkey injected with an insane concoction of duck fat, butter, melted pancetta and god knows what else. It was absurdly expensive ($150 +) and absurdly rich, moist and flavorful for turkey. Unfortunately, it, along with the Rosengarten Report, is no longer available.
Westside Mom's Dinner Out
Price range, what you mean be "Westside" and how important food is versus atmosphere and newness would help narrow down suggestions, in the absence of which. . .
Venice/Santa Monica: Gjelina, Tasting Kitchen, Fraiche (but not as good IMO as the CC location), Piccolo, Cache, FIG, Rustic Canyon, Wilshire
Brentwood: Tavern
Culver City: Fraiche, Akasha, Ford's, Bottle Rock, Uva
Andrea at Pelican Hill Resort - mini-review
I should add that, conversely, I've had good meals at the more casual Grill at Pelican Hill, so if you just want to check out the resort, you could go there instead. Note, however, that the Grill is not at the main resort bldg, but rather at the golf course.
In all fairness and now that I have a few more minutes, I should also add that the service at Andrea was outstanding and that 2 of the dishes I tasted were very good (both handmade pasta dishes) and well proportioned. The wine service was also excellent and the atmosphere and ambiance were very nice although far from intimate (the opposite of, for example, the Studio at the Montage).
It was the appetizers and main courses that were the problem (i.e. 7 of the 9 dishes total that I tasted). 1 of those 7 dishes was actually good (though not great), but for $18, I expected more quality and quantity than 2 seared medium sized scallops on cauliflower puree. 5 of those 7 dishes were just incredibly bland - nothing bad tasting about them, but nothing good tasting about them either - they were sort of the culinary equivalent of high end vodka. The last of those 7 dishes (dover sole - $38) - was horrendous in conception, execution, proportion and flavor. There were only 2 tiny portions (3 bites each, tops), and my wife and I together couldn't/wouldn't eat more than half. It wasn't inedible per se, just bad enough that after 1 bite you have no desire to take another (although I did, just to be certain).
Andrea at Pelican Hill Resort - mini-review
Went to Andrea at the Pelican Hill Resort last night for the first time. In a nutshell, it was generally bland, forgettable and ridiculously over-priced (as distinguished from ridiculously expensive, which it's not) given the quantity and quality of the food or rather lack thereof. Normally I don't comment on a restaurant after only a single visit as I don't believe it's possible to fairly assess a restaurant based on a single visit, but I'll make an exception for Andrea I can't imagine any circumstance under which I would go back - even if someone else were picking up the tab.
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Andrea - The Resort at Pelican Hill
22701 Pelican Hill Road South, Newport Coast, CA 92657
Pizzeria Mozza: as good as they say?
I crave that chicken liver bruschetta.
Just read this thread for the firs time, and I'm baffled by many of the negative comments. I don't get why people think it's overpriced except that people seem to want to compare it to a NY pizza joint, which I don't get either. Comparing their pizzas to traditional NY pizzas and comparing the prices to a NY pizza joint's prices is comparing apples to oranges. Having grown up around NYC, I love and know NY pizzas about as much and as well as anyone, and I can't think of a single one of the famed NY pizza places that has pizzas topped with guanciale, sottocenere, chanterelles, lardo, burricotta, white anchovies, etc., much less one that also serves bone marrow al forno, mussels, salumi, chicken liver bruschetta, etc. On top of that, the pizzas are only about $15 and the small plates about $8 - where else in LA, or anywhere for that matter, can you get this type and this quality of Italian food for as cheap?
T-Day Postmortem: the good, the bad, and the ugly
Great - Turkey ("dry-brined" [kosher salt/sweet paprika/brown sugar/thyme/rosemary] heritage from Mary's); cornbread fennel sausage stuffing; Alton Brown green bean casserole; acorn/butternut squash soup; cranberry bacon rosemary port chutney; Russian Hill pinot noirs (Dutton Ranch and Lera's Vineyard - both 2000).
Good - pumpkin whoopie pies (would have been great but I slightly under-baked the "cookies"; Claim Jumper pumpkin pie (wife unapologetically insists on this every year, and without fail, every guest unknowingly raves about it).
Mediocre - Mark Peel mashed potatoes (would have been phenomenal except the recipe called for too much cream and made it more of a loose puree than mashed potatoes [I followed the recipe exactly down to the ounce]); ; Turley 2004 Dusi Zin (very very good on it's own - completely wrong for turkey, and possibly any food).
Bad - nothing really.
Ugly - Turkey cooking WAY faster than expected, completely throwing my timing off on everything else; stabbing the turkey thigh repeatedly with a thermometer to find the "deepest part" like a heroin addict trying to find a good vein; running out of time and having to nix one of my dishes altogether.
Mediocre Bouchon
Haven't been to this location yet, but based on my experiences at the other 2 locations, I would be surprised if it were anything but average. I'm a huge fan of Keller, love FL, PS and AH, but have been singularly unimpressed every time I've been to Bouchon Napa or LV.
Best Burgers in Los Angeles
On the one hand, I agree completely - I do not like their burger at all - it's bland and generally mediocre.
On the other hand, I get its popularity. The quality of their meat is good (albeit underseasoned, poorly formed and almost always overcooked) and their assortment of toppings/sauces is extensive if you're into that type of thing. Factor in the ability to customize the burgers, and for people who like a lot of stuff going on with their burger, it hits the mark perfectly.
HELP?! Alton Brown Turkey Temperature
Anyone have any thoughts on why Alton takes the temp at the breast rather than the thigh?
Turkey thermometer placement question
Thanks - that's what I've done as well, although I cook to a lower temp (150).
Turkey thermometer placement question
I've always placed the thermometer in the deepest part of the thigh, but I just watched and read Alton Brown's turkey recipe and noticed that he recommends placing it in the deepest part of the breast. Given that the breast will cook faster than the dark meat, if you cook to a final breast temp (after resting) of 165, won't the dark meat be undercooked (assuming, for the sake of argument that anything under 165 is undercooked, which I don't necessarily agree with)? if so, why would you take the temp at the breast rather than the thigh?
