Cause for Eating

LOS ANGELES, July 22 — The sun was sinking below the concrete horizon that is the 10 Freeway as I drove across town to attend the 4th Annual Food & Wine Tasting Benefit at the California Science Center, sponsored by Project by Project, to fundraise for Visual Communications.

Upon arrival, I was checked in at the door and given a green band that was strapped around my wrist before being allowed in the enclosed courtyard where the event was taking place. Once inside, it was a food free for all as both the walls and perimeter of the wading pool were lined with linen covered tables serving all manner of amuse bouche, drinks, and deserts.

And then it hit me—the heat. The place didn't have air conditioning. The hottest night of the summer thus far, a lot of people in a close space, and excess food and wine: it was a recipe for disaster or, at the very least, the makings of a hot and sweaty evening.

But I didn't have time to dwell on physical discomfort—I had tables to go and things to eat. So, I plunged into the crowd to start tasting anything in sight. Noé, the restaurant presenting at first table I hit, was offering popcorn chicken with honey mustard. The chicken was playfully served in a Chinese takeout box and surprisingly crisp and hot for something sitting out on a table.

Then it was over to Roy's and a savory bite size piece of pork belly. The pork belly had a wonderful mouth feel—a soft, buttery texture for meat so tender it felt apart in your mouth. Next to Roy's was The Oinkster—fun name for a restaurant—serving pastrami sandwiches. While I don't know if a Jewish deli would approve of the bread, it should find no fault with the meat. The pastrami's peppery seasonings provided a pleasantly spicy heat that was an excellent counterpoint to the mellow marbled beef—again, another melt in your mouth meat experience.

But I was OD'ing on fatty flesh and needed to move to lighter fare. It was Whist to the rescue with its lobster and white peach served on a leaf of butter lettuce. The combination was inspired. Topped with thinly sliced red onions, lending a hint of sharpness to the mild lobster and sweet peach, it was one of the more complex dishes, flavor-wise, in the room.

Another palate cleanser came from blue on blue and its shrimp with golden tomato gazpacho. The gazpacho was cool and tangy against the plain cooked shrimp. Then I took 2 steps to The Blvd and oysters on the half-shell topped with tuna tartar. Fresh-shucked oyster on a hot summer night—I lucked out. Each slurp was a shot of cool, briny sweetness, clearing my overheated senses. After 3 quick hits, I was swimming in oyster bliss. If I had seen this table first, I would have parked myself there all-night.

I also ate desert, but at the time, I was already bordering a Christmas goose stuffed condition and wasn't tasting anything beyond soft sweetness in a mini pot de crème, cold sweetness from a small scoop of cinnamon chocolate gelato, and wet sweetness from a sip of watermelon purée.

There were also some nice wines being poured and I sampled a few from Andiamo Vineyards, Cole Bailey Sesquipedalian, and Dark Horse. But my drink of choice for the evening was Adam's ale, a.k.a. water, supplied by FUJI Water—when you're hot, nothing hits the spot—food or drink—like good, old-fashion designer H2O.

In the end, I was hot and sweaty, but the evening was more enjoyable than unbearable. I ate more food than I wrote about and saw more people from the Asian American Independent film community than I thought I wouldn’t meet again until the 2007 VC Film Fest.

My tummy was pleased, but my feet told me the next time I wanted to do another food tasting event, I should leave my sexy, sling-backs at home and take the flip-flops—food and fashion don’t always mix!

The Joy of Indian Cooking

While there are many foods I can't cook, the cuisine that holds the biggest mystery to me is Indian food. I eat it in restaurants—and love it—but I never cook it myself and wouldn't even know where to begin if I were to try. So when a friend invited me over for dinner and a home cooked Indian meal prepared by her mother who was visiting, I barged through her door with pen and paper in hand eager to learn anything about the wonderful world of Indian cooking.

The evening was a master class in the slow blending of spices to create the essential taste to an authentic Gujarati dish. With utter charm and endless patience, my friend’s mother explained the mixing of masala to build the flavors of a seemly simple vegetable stew that had an ingredient list 2 pages long. As she talked and cooked, I could sense a veil being lifted on the secrets of Indian cuisine—centuries of a country’s food history were being distilled in practice before my eyes.

First, oil coated the pot. Then the spices were add one at a time—a pinch of black mustard seed, a smidgen of cinnamon, a dash of turmeric, a little paprika, some black pepper, garm masala, pav bhaji masala—and allowed to heat and cook. Next came the veggies—tomatoes, cauliflower, potatoes, peas, corn, and carrots. Everything simmered until it happened—magic, food alchemy—the elements fused and a pot of vegetables transformed in to a warm stew that was the essence of comfort food, Indian-style.

But to simply describe it as normal fare eaten by a traditional Indian family wouldn’t do justice to the tastes I experienced in a single bite and the contradiction the flavors embodied as they moved in my mouth. The stew’s texture was soft and soothing, but its spices were bright and simulating. And while the heat in the dish started mellow, it matured into chili hot the more the food was savored.

My friend refers to what I had for dinner as “Indian Sloppy Joe’s”, but it is officially called Pav Bhaji—pav is bread and bhaji, a vegetable mixture. Whether or not I make it myself remains to be seen, but I have the recipe and the memory of seeing it made by a master.

(Note: In the other picture are samosas, also made by my friend's mother, and in the jar is her apple chutney to go with them.)

Canning Anyone?

From The Oregonian—New wave preserving. It's a series of articles, including tips and recipes.

Just Like Old Times

I went down to San Diego to meet an old college friend who was in town from Virginia, attending Comic Con with her husband. We spent the day on the island of Coronado and walked around the Hotel del Coronado. I hadn't seen my friend in two years, but—as the saying goes—we picked up where we left off. That's the thing with good friends—you're always in touch, no matter the distance.

There was ice cream shop at the Hotel del Coronado—Mootime Creamery—so, of course, I had to stop and indulge. Not known to hold back when it comes to ice cream, I wasn't going to start there. I opted for not one, but two scoops of ice cream—black raspberry chunk and caramel. And the fun continued—I got it all smothered in hot fudge and whipped cream with a cherry on top. Yeah, I know—I kinda went crazy, but the madness was oh so good.The fruit really came through in the black raspberry, which was underscored with bits of dark chocolate folded into the mix—I could eat it in pints. (And check out its lovely purple color in the pic—center tray, below the electric blue-colored ice cream) The caramel was rich with a hint of sweet, burnt butter—well, it is caramel after all. Also very good.

The serving container could have been more exciting, but then you can't have everything.

Hotel del Coronado
San Diego, CA

A Taco Drive

I enjoyed this article from the New York Times—Chasing the Perfect Taco Up the California Coast.

Like the writer, I had limited experience with authentic tacos growing up—I didn't know tacos could be soft until I came L.A.. It's one area of eating where I need to make up for loss time.

Tacos or bust!

Bad Food Girl

Chili cheese fries aren't high on the healthy eating list, if they even make the cut at all. But they are oh so good when you wanna be bad—and sometimes you just gotta misbehave!I strayed at Red Rock Chili in the Century City Shopping Center Food Court.

Westfield Century City
10250 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90067
(310) 277-3898
www.westfield.com/centurycity/

Portraits of Lunch - Torafuku

Torafuku is one of my favorite lunch places on the Westside. And when I can't decide what I want to eat, I get their 'Omakase' Lunch Special—it's a little of everything good and a lot of food!



Torafuku
10914 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90066
(310) 470-0014
www.torafuka-usa.com

Slurp It Up

An article from the New York Times, Dining & Wine on Korean cold noodles—Korea's Taste of Summer Is a Long, Cool Slurp. I know you can also find them here in L.A. Koreatown. Can anybody suggest a place?

Get them while they're still cold!

I Heart Eel

Eel is one of my secret crushes. I have an intense fondness for it—the ugly looking but oh so tasty creature from the sea. But I wasn't always so open to this unattractive water being. I remember the first time a college friend ordered it in a Japanese restaurant in New York City. Unagi as it's called—it even sounds awful. I was less than impressed with her selection, thinking she was young and inexperience in such matters as ordering well—I was a year her senior in school. But alas, I was proved the innocent fool when our meals came out. My boring dish faded from my memory as soon dinner was over, but the one bite I took of her unagi donburi was the beginning of a love affair. The eel was a revelation: its meat, sweet and rich, coyly concealed its skin, crisp and smoky from the charcoal grill. Many years later, I can still close my eyes and daydream of the unexpected pleasures of the contrasting textures brought to mouth—crispy skin mingling with tender flesh and warm rice. A girl's first time with eel isn't easily forgotten.

Here's an article in the Washington Post, Food and Dining section on eel—The Overlooked Appeal of Eel. Maybe you'll fall in love, too!

Rise in Temp. Sees Rise in My Sushi Consumption

A heat wave still grips L.A.—and much of the country for that matter. And I'm still craving sushi. (Remember what I said a couple posts ago about that.) I stopped by Nijiya Market hoping to curb my desire with a heavy dose of raw fish—sashimi plate.

Call me in the morning and I'll let you know if that was just what the doctor ordered to kick my habit.

Nijiya Market
2130 Sawtelle Blvd., #105
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 575-3300

Oh my god, it's Beard Papa's on the Westside!

I first tried beard papa's cream puffs in a department store food arcade in Singapore two years ago. Wonderful pastry dough—or pâte à choux, as the French say—baked into airy puffs and filled with delicately sweet cream. Whatever self-control I might have had left me after the last bit of the first one. I ate 4 from a one dozen box my cousin bought without even sitting down.

I heard they came to the West Coast maybe a year ago—I'm not sure of the exact date—and have a store front on Hollywood Blvd. in the Hollywood & Highland Center. I never went to see them there, but now they have location on the Westside, too. It's on Sawtelle Blvd. and the grand opening was July 1st. I stumbled upon the place today when I dropped by the Nijiya Market. What a pleasant surprise—and a surprise you can eat, even better!

Purist will say stick with the vanilla cream custard filling, but there's also chocolate. I like both, equally, and didn't want to choose, so I got one of each. But after finishing that last bit of the two, I couldn't help thinking maybe I should have gotten two of each.



beard papa's
2130 Sawtelle Blvd., #110
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 479-6665
www.muginohousa.com

Too Much of a Good Thing

From the New York Times Magazine, a guy who hates ice cream, I Scream. Also in the issue, recipes for sorbet and granita, The Arsenal.

Sushi Fix at Sushi Gen

I had afternoon meetings in Little Tokyo on Friday. Not wanting to waste an opportunity to eat there too, I nipped over early for a quick lunch. The noonday sun was beating down as I hopped in my car and hit the freeway on a mission to score me some raw fish. For the past week, I've been jonzing for sushi—hot weather will do that to me. When the temperature rises, my palate cools and I crave raw food.

I go to Little Tokyo a fair amount—at least every other month for some reason or another—and I though I knew my way around food-wise. But the discovery of Sushi Gen proved me wrong. A friend tipped me off to the place, and as I popped pieces of sushi in my mouth like candy, I kicked myself for not getting hooked up there sooner.

Salmon and Yellowtail are my sushi of choice—I can't eat sushi without them—and at Sushi Gen, they were quick hits of fatty pleasure that left me wanting more. The Albacore was also very good—better than most I've eated elsewhere. That gave me the confidence to try the Spanish mackerel which I'm even pickier about—it scored with me, too.

Sushi Gen was a tasty trip—I rode a sushi high as I dashed to my meetings.

Sushi Gen
422 E. 2nd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 617-0552

Tending to Dinner at Tender Greens

Cool jazz wafted over my head—the speaker was above my table—as I dined alfresco at Tender Greens in Culver City. Dinner was a plate of grilled chicken, butter lettuce, and mashed potatoes—straightforward, uncomplicated food. The mashed potatoes had a smooth consistency—its creamy texture, pure comfort food. It wasn't over handled and retained its fluffiness, although my portion had a small pocket of salt that needed further mixing at the table—but I'm nitpicking here. The butter lettuce was lightly dressed in a mild Dijon vinaigrette and remained crisp through the meal. An herb rub seasoned the chicken, but the taste was only skin deep and the meat, which was a bit on the dry side, could have used a stronger marinate to create more flavor.By the time I dived fork first into my lemon cupcake the jazz had acquired a world beat. I have a soft spot for lemony desserts and this cupcake took advantage of my weakness with a generous amount of lemon zest in the cake, visible to the naked eye. Its tart sweetness was a refreshing palate cleanser, rounding off a simple meal on a breezy summer evening. As I walked into the night, I carried some sweet sun with me: the Aqua Fresca I nursed to my car.P.S. My friend's Devil's Food cupcake with toffee crunch was good, too—the chocolate cake was moist to the point of melting in your mouth. I was tempted to steal more bites, but I listened to my better angel and practice temperance after a taste.

Tender Greens
9523 Culver Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 842-8300
www.tendergreensfood.com

Sour Food and Wheat Beer

I love a good pucker—and I'm not the only one. Check-out When the Sour Note Is Just Right in the New York Times, Dining & Wine. And there's also an article on wheat beer, It's Hot. Drink Your Wheat. Feed your mind—happy reading!

Friday Night Fill Up at Ford's

Sometimes you have to take a chance, try your luck—go to a popular restaurant on a Friday night without a reservation. I did just that at Ford's Filling Station. Walking-in, I rolled the dice and came up 7's with a bar seat for an impromptu pre-show dinner while the table wait was 40 minutes. But 'less you think I posses an invisibility cloak to slip past the front door, let me say that there were a couple things to stacked the deck in my favor. First, I was a solo diner—a friend I was meeting at the theater couldn't join me for dinner—glad to eat and run. (I got a play to catch!) Second, I had a friendly hostess willing to deal me in—a big reason for my success. She happily seated me in a busy room.

Once at the bar, I held the menu and found a plan: beer and casual food. It was a Friday night after all, and I wanted to play it cool and relaxed. The East Coast girl in me couldn't resist the Fried Ipswich Clams. The cornmeal coating was applied with slightly too heavy a hand for my taste, but the clams were fried to perfection—sweet and tender. They popped easily into my mouth. Working in seafood, I ordered the flatbread with shrimp, white bean purée, arugula, and sautéed onions. It was a delightful combination of favors: thinly sliced lemon wedges added brightness—the perfect zing—to the mellow white beans, smoky micro-greens, and sweet, caramelized onions. Shrimps were applied generously, so I had one with every bite of flatbread. I washed down all this tastiness with a refreshing Hefeweizen.

In the end, Ford’s Filling Station held the winning hand for my fill up, and eating at the bar made the pit stop a breeze. I got a drink and dinner in no time flat—or an hour to be exact—and easily caught my play at eight.

(Note: All things said and done, the next time I go back, I’ll be making reservations.)

Ford's Filling Station
9531 Culver Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90230
(310) 202-1470
www.fordsfillingstation.net

Perchance to cook: ay, there's the dry rub

A friend gave me a jar of her homemade chili rub. I used it on sea scallops that I had for dinner yesterday.

The 3rd on 3rd

Eager for any reason to have a mini-break, I milked the July 4th weekend for all its worth and took the 3rd off—and spent it on 3rd St.. The day began with a pot of tea and a touch of sympathy. Chado Tea Room provided the tea—and tomato soup, Waldorf salad, sandwiches, a scone with cream, and lemon cake. A friend who joined me for the day supplied the sympathy.

Then we strolled along 3rd St.. Although in the intense sun, we wilted, as well as walked down the street. We browsed through a series of stores: furniture, clothing, and curios shops. I couldn't seem to touch any item under $100 dollars, save the books at the Cook's Library.

We ended the day at Joan's on Third —my first time there, I might add, although now, definitely not my last—cooling ourselves over cups of gelato














The Chocolate Caramel Crunch was mine, and the Blackberry Cabernet was hers. Both were wonderful in their own way. The chocolate was rich and creamy and the pockets of caramel swirl added grace notes of buttery sweetness to the velvety mix. The blackberry sorbet was pleasantly icy and intensely fruity; the Cabernet left a hint of something deeper on the tongue—a subtle spice. I cooled by degrees with each spoonful. The noonday sun became a distant memory, and I couldn't think of a better way to end my 3rd on 3rd. Now, if only I had every Monday off....

Chado Tea Room
8422 1/2 W. 3rd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(800) 442-4019
www.chadotea.com

Joan's on Third
8350 W. 3rd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 655-2288
www.joansonthird.com

The Cook's Library
8373 W. 3rd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 655-3141
www.cookslibrary.com