misseatalot's Profile
Beautiful Sculpted Jell-O - Does it Taste as Good as It Looks?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303678704576441793465561986.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLE_Video_Third
Saw in the Wall Street Journal that Blooming Gelatin Art in LA is selling gelatinas which are "gelatin cakes in flavors like mango and cappuccino with ornate flowers injected into the center". These are very pretty jello cakes and the article has a nice slide show detailing the artwork
I've had jello cakes from Vietnamese bakeries and they are not so tasty. Are these gelatinas better from Blooming Gelatin Art?
Violet's in Pasadena has the best cupcakes I've had in LA
I noticed a month ago that new people were operating the store. The cupcakes were dry and the flavors were off. I thought it was an off day but then again, I've never had an off-cupcake at Violet's until last month. Thanks for the heads-up.
Transplanted from LA looking for Best Cheap Eats in Irvine: aka save me from the irvine corp.
After living in South OC for more than two years, the best thing that I've found to do is:
1) Buy cheap eats north of Irvine and freeze them or keep them in the fridge. Stuff that does keeps well in the fridge and freezer and that still tastes good after heating it up:
a) Zankou
b) Pho 79 broken rice dishes
c) Ayam Kalasan from Java Spice
d) Rice dishes from Simpang Asia
e) thali from Udupi Palace
f) Taiwanese sausage and rice combo from Sinbala
g) sausages and kraut from Schreiner's in Glendale
h) pasta dishes from Tarantino's in Pasadena
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Sinbala
651 W Duarte Rd Ste F, Arcadia, CA 91007
Simpang Asia
10433 National Blvd 2, Los Angeles, CA 90034
Udupi Palace
18635 Pioneer Blvd, Artesia, CA 90701
Java Spice
1743 Fullerton Rd, Rowland Heights, CA 91748
Really good french macaroons at Au Couer De Paris in Westminster (OC)
I haven't searched extensively either for croissants in the OC, but Au Couer de Paris is pretty consistent with theirs.
Really good french macaroons at Au Couer De Paris in Westminster (OC)
Yes, Au Couer de Paris has good macaroons but what I like the most about this place is their almond croissant. Their almond croissant really has no words to describe it but I will try. It's almost like candy and pastry at the same time. It's a mound of buttery and flaky amazingness with a nice amount of marzipan. The heat of their oven bakes the marzipan and the croissant to a nice crispness and the marzipan and sugar almost carmelizes so it has a nice deep caramel flavor to it. Also their ice coffee is great and I really like their chicken banh mi. It's almost like a refreshing chicken salad on a french baguette.
Gukhwappang and Takoyaki Stand @ H-Mart Irvine
The Gukhwappang stand at the Irvine H-Mart according to the earliest Yelp posts popped up on the weekends in January. Gukwappang are like the little corn-shaped Delimanjoo cakes that Lee's Sandwiches sell and they are also made in a similar fashion. I think they're made with rice flour so they have a nice subtle crunch and chewiness to them like a hot mochi ball with a crusty exterior. The stand makes these little cakes with red beans or custard. The red bean Gukhwappang is less sweet than the custard but the custard after it cools a bit soaks into the rest of the cake so that a nice thick creamy filling is waiting for you when you bite into it. They cost $2 for 5 or $5 for 13. The line is long and the Gukhwappang maker often will run out of the cakes but he will take orders. So when you're done shopping, you can circle back and pick up your order.
The takoyaki stand serves shrimp, vegetable, or octopus takoyaki. If I knew this stand was at H-Mart, I would had a takoyaki dinner tonight instead. I've only had takoyaki at the Mitsuwa Japanese food festival so I don't have much of a comparison but I think the takoyaki at H-Mart is excellent. Also I saw a few 85 Degree Bakery employees who escaped from the 85 Degree Bakery madhouse eagerly waiting for their takoyaki.
I think these two stands only operate on the weekends and it looks like the H-Mart in Diamond Bar may have the same two stands open too.
Grilled Cheese - favorite variations?
I infuse some EVOO with chopped garlic. Then I brush two slices of Borodinsky bread on both sides with the garlic infused EVOO. Borodinsky is a hearty Russian rye bread flavored with coriander. I then add Havarti dill cheese and grill the bread till the cheese oozes out.
Little India- Artesia
Jay Bharat has very good thalis. They also have excellent mango shrikhand. I've been recently hooked on Udupi Palace and notice that their use of hing or asafoetida (aka devil's dung) in their sambar and other dishes is addicting. I bought some hing to flavor some dishes that I make and it's not something you really want to stock in your pantry. It will stink up your pantry nicely even though the container resembles a childproof medicine container. Anyways, if it's a weekday, the thali at Jay Bharat would probably be better than Udupis. Also the paper dosas are excellent at Udupi.
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Jay Bharat
18701 Pioneer Blvd, Artesia, CA 90701
Udupi Palace
18635 Pioneer Blvd, Artesia, CA 90701
Violet's Cupcakes - Pasadena
Their chocolate cupcakes are the best. To me it tastes like they use real chocolate to make the frosting. Also their Twix cupcake is deadly in calories but so worth it.
ISO Great Durian Desserts (or Dishes?)
Looking for fantastic durian desserts or even durian dishes if there is such a thing. I've had the durian smoothies at Lee's but have really enjoyed the ones at Honey Bee in the Asia Gardens Mall in Westminster. The Lee's smoothies do not have the right amount of "funk". Also the durian cake at Sunny's on Valley in San Gabriel is pretty good to me.
Wish I can find durian flavored chocolates. I've been eating freeze dried pieces of durian with chocolate but would love to find a durian flavored truffle.
(((BUFFET)))))
Second the Four Seasons. They had a donut fryer on the dessert table when we went a few weeks ago and their fresh donuts beat Krispy Kreme's anytime. Don't ignore or feel bad for eating at the kids' table, it has some tasty mac and cheese. Also the celebrity citing is almost a sure thing and worth the price of admission. When we went we saw Timbaland, Ice-T and CoCo (Ice-T's wife, not Conan O'Brien).
ISO Banoffee pie
Haven't see it in LA but did try the recipe on one of the links on the website of the purported creator of the banoffee pie. Not a bad recipe and did boil the cans of condensed milk for 5 hours to get more crystals to form in the dulche de leche.
http://www.iandowding.co.uk/thebanoffipiequestion/thebanoffipiequestion.html
Mumbai Ki Galliyon Se: A Street-side Home-style Story.
Agreed on the Dabeli. Great seasoning on the filling and a great combination of spicy, sweet, crunchy and soft. Also recommend the Piyush drink. A lassi drink that takes 3 days to make according to the owner and flavoed with cardamon, saffron and pistachios.
Highly recommend the weekend Kathiawadi Thali which is only available on weekends. The thali comes with rotla, a kind of grilled chipati bread topped with a sweet cheese-like butter. Also included was a mix of dahl, and an eggplant side order that I haven't had at other Indian restos. The dahl has a nice consistency and the eggplant dish was like a warm Lebanese baba ghanoge but with Indian spices. Also this thali came with a creamy coconut soup that tasted like a soup that I've had at Jay Bharat.
Mumbai Ki Galliyon Se!
We went to Mumbai Ki Galliyon Se this weekend and it's a nice addition to what's available in Little India. This place is off the main strip (past 99 Ranch) so hopefully word gets out about this place cause it was kinda dead when we went and it can use some Chowhound support.
Mumbai Ki Galliyon Se serves Mumbai/Bombay street food and it's different from what you'd find at other restaurants/snack shops in the area. From the LA Times review, the dabeli is recommended and also the owner suggested it to us. It's a potato patty with a fine mixture of tasty spices that I can't quite describe. To temper the fire of the spices in the potato patty are pomegranate seeds and also peanuts add an earthy dimension to this sandwich. I would order this again since the spices used were interesting.
We also ordered the Kathiawadi Thali which is only available on weekends. The thali comes with rotla, a kind of grilled chipati bread topped with a sweet cheese butter. Also included was a mix of dahl, and an eggplant side order that I haven't had at other Indian restos. The dahl has a nice consistency and the eggplant dish was like a warm Lebanese baba ghanoge but with Indian spices. I really liked the Kathiawadi thali and would order this again. Also this thali came with a creamy coconut soup that tasted like a soup that I've had at Jay Bharat.
The owner recommended the Piyush drink. It's a yogurt drink that's flavored with saffron, pistachio, and cardamon. According to the LA Times article, this drink takes 3 days to make and also it's not available at other Little India restos. I would order the Piyush again.
We also tried the Dahi Batata Puri and this was good but not as memorable as the other dishes we tried.
http://theguide.latimes.com/restaurants/mumbai-ki-galliyon-se-venue
Best Bakeries - canneles, french macarons, asian sweets
I Fu Tang Bakery for Taiyang cakes, wife cakes, and their version of mochi.
1611 S San Gabriel Blvd
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 288-8007
www.iftang.com
Kee Wah Bakery for egg tarts, curry puffs, and other greasy Cantonese baked delights.
150 W Valley Blvd, San Gabriel - (626) 280-251
JJ's in Arcadia is good. They have very good mochi cakes (mango, strawberry, green tea) in the front case.
AND THE NEW FLAVOR AT FOSSELMAN'S IS........HORCHATA!
sounds interesting... think of the creamy tang of yogurt with pumpkin like a pumpkin and cream cheese muffin...
Noir Food and Wine in Pasadena
http://www.noirfoodandwine.com/directions.html
Looks like it's by the Ice House
anyone tried haus dessert bar (on 6th btwn ktown & downtown)??
Closet place to Kyochon after a gutbusting dinner of wings to chill out and relax. Have to agree with other posters, it's a fun space, but the desserts are hit or miss along with the service.
Indian in "Little India"
Second the chana batura at Ambala Sweets & Spices! This goes great with their yogurt which they spice.
Indian in "Little India"
Fresh-squeezed sugar cane juice is still on their menu the last time I went there a few weeks ago.
Help me find a wedding reception restaurant! (Pasadena & surrounding areas)
I did get some quotes from Auntie Em's for my wedding and did see in their portfolio of events that they catered a wedding on the rooftop of the Pasadena Museum of California Art. It looked very nice. I did have Auntie Em's red velvet at my wedding and it was fantastic!
http://www.pmcaonline.org/
Is Phoenix Food Boutique Taiwanese or Hong Kong Style Food?
I'm confused with Phoenix Food Boutique. Is it considered to be more Hong Kong Food or Taiwanese food? I see a lot of Cantonese specific items at Phoenix like some of the hot desserts and dishes that look like they are from Hong Kong cafes. But some people claim that it is Taiwanese. What are the Taiwanese dishes at this place?
Thanks.
Alhambra
What I love about Fosselman's is the availability of old-timey items like ice cream sodas and generous banana splits at reasonable prices. Their brownie sundae is not bad either. It also helps that their ice cream is rich and creamy. I think this is what sets Fosselman's ahead of other ice cream dessert places. Agreed with the peach ice cream, could be more peachy.
Indian in "Little India"
I've been to Rajdhani twice and I just don't get it. It tastes ok, not super exciting. It reminds me of food that is homecooked. Even with AYCE, I'm not in love with this place and after two tries, I'm not going to go back when the other thalis in Little India are light years away in taste from what you get at Rajdhani.
Indian in "Little India"
My go to place in Artesia for vegetarian is Rasraj because it's cheap and good. It is a fast food kind of a place though but it's definitely a wonderful meal. The papri chat is fantastic! Perfect marriage of sweet, sour, spicy, crunchy and cool. Also their paneer tikka masala is fantastic too. It's like chicken tikka masala but with cheese and they give you naan with this dish. After trying a few other items on their menu (dosas, other chats, biryani), I always get these two items since they have a lot of flavor and texture.
For thalis, I really enjoy the Gujurat thali at Jay Bharat. The different dishes of the thali complement each other very well and their seasonings are exquisite. Also Jay Bharat's shrikhand is the best. Shrikhand is a creamy tangy saffron pudding that is very rich. It is unlike anything I've ever had and it's unbelievable.
For meat dishes try Ashoka. They have the best biryani and I'm a sucker for a good biryani. You have to order your raita on the side though at Ashoka, but they season their raita unlike other place I've been to so it's worth it. Their curries are nice too.
Yesterday, we stopped by Standard Sweets and Snacks after Ashoka and had a chiku shake! YUM! Standard's chiku shake is almost like ice cream and it's the best chiku shake I've had so far.
But if you're looking for some good Indian sweets to top off a meal, Suranti Farsan has the best burfi. I highly recommend the yellow penda. Burfi is like an Indian marzipan flavored with saffron that is more refined and smooth.
Any British(or European) Markets in Los Angeles?
Not a big fan of British food, but I've seen British products in the Indian grocery stores in Artesia on Pioneer. Seen Heinz Beans, Spotted Dick, UK candy bars like Flake there. Here's one of them:
Farm Fresh
18612 Pioneer Blvd
Artesia, CA 90701-5630
Freeze-Dried Durian Found!
I love freeze-dried durian. It doesn't have the slimy feel as frozen or fresh durian. But it still has that glorious, deep, rich flavor of real durian. About three years ago, a number of Chinese markets stocked freeze-dried durian packets for about $5 for about 8-10 ounces. But then suddenly, bags of these fantastic crisp pieces of heaven were no longer available on any shelf's in all Asian markets that I shopped. The only place I could find them was at Bhan Khanom Thai in Thaitown and their durian was $5 for4 ounces.
I found a few days ago that Van's Bakery in San Gabriel stocks freeze-dried durian for about $5!
Van's Bakery
860 E Valley Blvd
San Gabriel, CA 91776
Where to buy really good watermelon?
Arcadia Supermarket has had some great sweet watermelons for 0.20 a pound. Even flesh near the rind is sweet.
645 W. Duarte Road
Arcadia
Porto's Must Buy Cakes?
strawberry shortcake - a nice dense whip cream like frosting and a nice amount of fruit.
