How long can frozen cashew cream stay in freezer?

Friends -

I've found that cashew cream works great in many of my recipes as a substitute for milk or cream. I make a large batch, and then divide it into portions that I freeze. How long can the frozen cashew cream stay in the freezer before it starts to lose flavor, or isn't good to use any more?

thanks in advance.

-Roz

roz in General Chowhounding Topics

What dish to order at Mei Long Village to get "wine-braised seafood?"

Friends:

I'm going to Mei Long Villlage tonight, and some chowhound posts have recommended getting the "wine-braised" seafood at the restaurant. However, when looking at the only on-line menu I could find tor the restaurant, it wasn't clear to me which dish I would order to get this. Any suggestions on how to order this dish, or other good fish dishes at Mei Long would be greatly appreciated.

TIA -

-Roz

roz in Los Angeles Area

Water-resistant electronic kitchen scale?

Friends:

I've tried several different brands of kitchen scales, and while most have the features I want, inevitably, they seem to get water inside, and stop working properly. I realize that if I were more careful, this probably wouldn't happen, but it just seems that in the rush of measuring, cleaning the counter, or cooking, the scale inevitably comes into contact with a shallow layer of water or spilled liquid on the counter. I'm not talking about immersing the scale - I never do that - but I seem to have scales go out on me just from sitting in small liquid spill for a short time.

My favorite scale is the OXO 11 lb., with the detachable front. The features I'm looking for are:
-long automatic shut off time
--tare
--easily go back and forth between lbs.(oz.s) and grams.
--smallest increment 5 gms, 1/4 lb.

I've checked past chowhound posts, and while there's lots of info. on scales, none address how water resistant they are. So I thought I'd see if folks had any recommendations on this - or do I just need to be super-careful.

thanks in advance!

-Roz

roz in Cookware

Recommendations for recipes for five spice pressed tofu

Friends:

I'm looking for a good recipe for the chewy tofu with the dark brown border that you often get in the pad thai served in restaurants - I understand that it's a pressed tofu that's been marinated in five spice powder and other ingredients. I was wondering if folks had particularly good recipes they could recommend. Also, if you make a large batch, can you freeze it?

thanks in advance-

-Roz

roz in Home Cooking

Masan or Wassada for Korean-style sashimi?

My SO's birthday is coming up, and he really wants to try live octopus with squirming tentacles at one of LA's Korean-style sashimi restaurants - he's a pretty adventurous eater, so I'm also looking for a place with overall good sashimi. I'm not too concerned if the place is a bit expensive, as long as the quality is good.

Do folks have any suggestions of whether Masan or Wassada is a better choice? Or some place else? I checked past posts on the boards, and didn't seem to see much recent about the two restaurants.

TIA -

-Roz

-----
Masan Restaurant
2851 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90006

roz in Los Angeles Area

Wine or tequila bar that's not too noisy

For my sister's birthday, I'd like to take her to a wine or tequila bar that's not too noisy on a Saturday night. It would be great to find a place that has a good selection where you can try a lot of different drinks - for example, I noticed one tequila bar that will give you one-half ounce for $5. My sister and I wouldn't really enjoy loud, blaring music, or an overly-noisy crowd, and we don't mind coming in the early evening to avoid this.

Ideally, it would be great to find a place near Glendale, Silverlake or downtown LA - we can go to the west side if we have to, but would prefer not. And I don't mind some place relatively expensive if the quality is good - i'll be able to splurge on this celebration.

thanks in advance for your recs.

-Roz

roz in Los Angeles Area

Best salmon dishes or salmon collar in Westside or Hollywood area

Friends:

My SO is on a health kick where he wants to eat salmon all the time for dinner, and I've been trying to find restaurants that prepare it well - he also really enjoys salmon collar. We can't afford to eat at places as upscale as Providence on a consistent basis - so I'm looking for places that are more in the Nook Bistro price range. We frequently see movies at the Landmark Westside Pavilion or Hollywood Arclight, so recommendations for places in those neighborhoods would be particularly appreciated (such as West LA, Sawtelle, Westwood, Hollywood, West Hollywood).

TIA for your recs -

-Roz

-----
Nook Bistro
11628 Santa Monica Blvd Ste 9, Los Angeles, CA 90025

roz in Los Angeles Area

Help, need Zaatar spice for Easter

This may not be your most cost-effective source, but you may want to check out Penzey's Spices in Torrance to see if they carry it.

21301 Hawthorne Blvd
Torrance, CA
(310) 406-3877

Also, if you do find a middle eastern store that doesn't actually have the mix, find out if they at least have sumac. That way you can mix your own by adding thyme, sesame seeds and salt. I'm not sure of the proportions, I just play around with it until it looks and tastes good to me.

-Roz

roz in Los Angeles Area

Sources for good fresh or frozen duck

Friends:

I want to prepare some roast duck this weekend, and I'm looking for a place on the Westside or in downtown LA Chinatown to buy high quality fresh or frozen duck. I've purchased frozen duck from Gelson's, and I'm not wild about the flavor or quality.

Do folks have any suggestions of where I can go to? I've haven't ventured in to the poultry shops in Chinatown, but I'm wondering if I could fresh duck there.

TIA for any recs.

-Roz

roz in Los Angeles Area

Broiling fish with out burning skin

Friends:

I like to prepare black cod or yellowtail collar by broiling them in my oven. But if let the fish broil long enough to cook the meat, inevitably, the skin burns, particularly if I've used a marinade that has a bit of soy sauce in it. I've tried moving the fish farther away from the broiler unit, but that seems to take a relatively long time for the meat to cook. Is there some better way to prepare these fish using a broiler?

TIA,
-Roz

roz in Home Cooking

Finding top-quality sushi-grade saba in LA fish markets

I asked for sushi-grade saba today at LA Fish Company, and they gave me some small packets of frozen filets that looked similar to what I could buy directly from Mitsuwa or other Japanese markets. The saba was OK, but it just wasn't as great as saba I've gotten at good sushi bars. When I looked at the packets at home, they were marked "Packed on August 18, 2009."

I'm wondering if I asked for the wrong type of saba, or if there is some way to get better saba at a fish store in Los Angeles. I had an excellent experience when I bought sushi-grade hamachi at LA Fish Company. I asked them for fresh hamachi, and they brought me a big piece of vacuum-sealed fish that tasted delicious. The hamachi included the collar, so in addition to being able to get great sushi pieces from it, I was able to broil some wonderful yellowtail collar as well.

I'd like to learn more about what makes saba top-quality for sushi, and if I can buy it someplace in Los Angeles.

Thanks in advance.

-Roz

roz in Los Angeles Area

Columbia River Gorge recs

Friends:

I'll be spending about three weekdays in the Columbia River Gorge area - I'll be staying either in the Hood River area or near Carson Hot Springs in Washington. I'll be able to maybe do one or two splurges (like the Cascade Room), but I'd like to have a few moderately priced places to go as well. Since I live in Los Angeles, I'd also like any places that have distinctive Pacific Northwest dishes.

thanks in advance!

-Roz

roz in Pacific Northwest

Fish market etiquette

Friends:

Many experts on buying fish recommend that you actually smell fish filets before purchasing them. Will fish markets let you do this? What's the best way to ask? I've often been "burned" buying filets that looked OK, but then smelled off when I unwrapped them at home.

TIA -

-Roz

roz in General Chowhounding Topics

Open early for non-traditional breakfast near Chinatown?

Friends:

I'm from Los Angeles, but travel frequently to Washington for business, and often stay at hotels near the Gallery Place - Chinatown metro stop. I am not a fan of traditional eggs/pancakes/cereal-type breakfasts, and would love to find places in the area that open early (8:00 am) and serve non-traditional breakfast foods.

My ideal place would be a Chinese restaurant that opens early, and has good congee, rice or noodle dishes, or take-out dim sum - in Los Angeles, we have a few places in our own Chinatown that do just that. I also enjoy decent deli sandwiches for breakfast - but I'd prefer something better than the typical Subway/Quiznos/Blimpie fare.

I do have a Sizzling Express close to my office in DC, but they tend not serve their lunch stuff until later in the day, and I'm getting a bit burned out on their food.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated - TIA.

-Roz

roz in Washington DC & Baltimore Area

Interesting mild dishes in restaurants w/hot cuisines

Friends:

I'm seeking recommendations for the most interesting mild dishes in places which generally serve hotly-spiced cuisines, like Ruen Pair or other Thai town restaurants, or Oaxacan or Indian restaurants. Because of health problems and my personal taste, I have an extremely low tolerance for hotly-spiced foods - I enjoy intensely-spiced dishes, and am very adventurous in my tastes, but I just can't deal with the heat. But I do want to accompany my friends who like hot dishes to their favorite places.

Just to give you an idea of what's too hot for me:
1) Any of Jitlada's southern Thai specialities, even if I ask for them spiced as mildly as possible;
2) Mariscos Chente's shrimp aquachiles;
3) The masala dosa potato filling of Mayura's masala dosa;
4) The tamarind mole that comes with the duck at Moles La Tia.

I'd also appreciate recommendations on places that can accommodate making a dish mild, where it's not an imposition on the restaurant. For example, I enjoy the fact that most soon tofu places will let you order their dishes without any red pepper; and I appreciate the Korean places that serve the chili paste for the bibim bap on the side, or are generous about giving you refills on their milder panchan.

I realize that for some restaurants I may be sacrificing authenticity, or not getting the best they have to offer, by sticking to mild dishes, but I'm willing to settle if the food is otherwise fairly good.

TIA

-Roz

roz in Los Angeles Area

Fried pickles (spears) and fried pies

My SO and I just returned from a holiday road trip in the South, and he's become obsessed with finding good fried pickles and fried fruit pies in the LA metro area. I searched the LA board, and came up with the following possibilities for fried pickles:

8 oz
Hooters
The Counter
South
Beachwood BBQ
Monty's in Woodland Hills
Johhny Rebs'
Slidebar
OC fair (ask for pickles to be fried at Corn Dog booth)

Here's my questions:

--Do any of these places (other than the OC fair) offer fried pickle spears -usually, about a quarter or third of the whole pickle -- rather than chips? In our travels, we never had them served as chips.

--Which of the places have the best food other than the pickles? My sense was that Beachwood BBQ was a clear favorite, but I thought I'd check again.

--Any place in the Los Angeles metro area where you can get fried fruit pies? I checked the desserts on a few of the Southern-style restaurants on the board, but I couldn't seem to find any.

TIA,

-Roz

roz in Los Angeles Area

Noise level at Vivoli West Hollywood

I'm wondering how noisy Vivoli West Hollywood gets on a Sunday evening. It seems to be the perfect place for a birthday dinner for one of my family members - there will be five of us. However, two of my relatives are quite elderly, and it will be very difficult for them to hear our conversation if the restaurant is extemely noisy.

thanks for any information folks can provide.

-Roz

roz in Los Angeles Area

best places to get traditional japanese ingredients?

I just bought a package which contained three fresh yuzu at the Mitsuwa market on Centinela and Venice in Mar Vista. The package was $2.99. The yuzu looked small to me - smaller than most limes - but I've never seen fresh yuzu before, so that could be their regular size.

I haven't tried any of the fresh yuzu yet - I'm trying to decide exactly how to use them. But you may want to contact the Mar Vista Mitsuwa - or your local Mitsuwa - to see if they will continue to carry them.

-Roz

roz in Los Angeles Area

Bakery or deli open early Sat. morning in Chinatown?

Friends:

I have to be at an all-day business meeting in downtown LA this Saturday, and I thought it would be great to pick up a quick breakfast in Chinatown before I'm stuck in a boring hotel conference room all day. I'm looking for a Chinese deli, bakery or cafe that's open by 8:00 am. Excuse my ignorance of what might be found in a Chinese deli or bakery, but I'd love to have some dim sum-style dishes, like pork buns - I'm not a fan of pastries, I definitely need a bit of protein. I also love congee, but I wasn't sure if any of the places that serve it in Chinatown open early Saturday morning.

thanks for any recs.

-Roz

roz in Los Angeles Area

Whole fresh black cod in SGV

Friends:

A few months, I was able to order a whole fresh black cod at New Capital in San Gabriel. I was delighted that I could get a whole fresh fish other than rock cod or tilapia, and they prepared the fish wonderfully. I was wondering what are the other good seafood restaurants in SGV that serve whole fresh black cod - is it something unusual or something you can get fairly easily?

thanks -

-Roz

roz in Los Angeles Area

Distinctive Asian whole-fish dishes in SGV

Friends:

I really enjoy Asian whole-fish dishes where you order the fresh fish from a tank, and I'm ready to try out more distinctive preparations than the basic black bean sauce or steamed with ginger and scallions. Any suggestions of places/dishes in the SGV? I don't like super-hot sauces, but I'm open to anything else.

thanks -

-Roz

roz in Los Angeles Area

Cambodian in Long Beach without music?

Friends:

I'm going to dinner in Long Beach with a friend who has a hearing aid and has real challenges with restaurants with live music or entertainment. She would very much like to try a Cambodian restaurant, but the only ones I've heard of or been to (New Paradise, Hak Heang) seem to have live entertainment.

We would be going on a Saturday night, and would be done eating by 7:30 pm, so we'd be fine with a place where the entertainment started later in the evening. I'd appreciate any suggestions -

thanks!

-Roz

roz in Los Angeles Area

Airport layover in New Orleans

Friends:

This coming Sunday, I'm flying home through New Orleans, and I have a three and 1/2 hour layover at the international airport around dinner time. I've never been to the city before, and I'm wondering if I have enough to take a taxi to and from the city, eat at an interesting restaurant, and get back to the airport. Unless it's really, really expensive, I don't mind the cost of a taxi, I'm pretty motivated to have dinner in the city.

Also, I'd be grateful for a restaurant suggestion of a place open Sunday night, that serves food very distinctive to New Orleans. I'd love to try Creole, I really enjoy duck, and oysters, but I'll eat almost anything. My only limitations are the amount of time I have - also, I won't have an upscale outfit on, so I need a place that won't be bothered if I'm dressed somewhat casually - I'm from Los Angeles, and we have very few restaurants that you need to get really dressed up for, but I don't know what folks generally do in New Orleans.

Thanks for any suggestions!

-Roz

roz in New Orleans

Old Gyumri in Glendale?

Friends:

Has anyone eaten at Old Gyumri in Glendale? I saw it mentioned in a thread about a year ago, but there wasn't much information on it. I checked out the menu, it looked intriguing, and I was wondering what folks thought about the food.

thanks!

-Roz, in Culver City

roz in Los Angeles Area