Food: January 2009 Archives

         

It was right after Chinese New Year that we came to Boiling Crab -- we were definitely in the mood for some steamin' cajun seafood. The slightly weird part of this, of course, is that we're in Alhambra, where Chinese food dominates. Yet despite -- or perhaps because -- Boiling Crab stands out from the glut of Chinese restaurants, it has garnered over 300 overwhelmingly positive reviews on yelp. The people here are similarly savvy hybrids. The staff and clientele are nearly all Asian, but everyone spoke perfect English.

      

Locanda del Lago sits on a prime piece of Santa Monica real estate, at the corner of 3rd and Arizona, with a patio and floor to ceiling windows looking into the heart of the eternally bustling Third Street Promenade. And just as shoppers and looky-loos alike keep the street humming with vibrancy, the atmosphere inside the cozy and inviting Locanda del Lago is just as vibrant, and even more welcoming. LAist was invited to try their DineLA menu a few days before the event began, and to experience their hospitality and the cuisine of Bellagio and the Northern Lakes region of Italy.

       

Matt Compton, co-owner of Arb Pizza answers the phone. Someone wants to know if his pizza is true new york pizza. "I'll tell you what," he exclaims. "If you don't like it, come back here, throw on the floor and I'll make you new one."

The Official Recession has been upon us for thirteen official months. It’s still not a reason we can’t enjoy life. This is LA -- we’ve got plenty of cheap options! We last ate our way up and down the Red Line for a few bucks plus Metro fare. Today we'll head East... again.

     

Simon LA was chosen as the first stop on our Dine LA blitz because of the impressive appetizers we sampled at the Behind the Unseen event held there. Simon Kerry, who is known as the rock and roll chef, stood in the kitchen staring intently at the dining room, which was not empty but definitely not bustling. The servers were bursting with enthusiasm and friendliness. They responded to our bad jokes by adding their own quips, and their positive energy was contagious.

                                   

For 15 years Wofgang Puck has been the official caterer of The Governors Ball, the celebration that follows the Academy Awards. And this year, LAist was there for the preview. This time we get to show you pictures of Oscar-shaped chocolate statues. We also had the opportunity to test-taste a few of the treats and the cocktails that will be served at the Ball.

  

It's 6:30 a.m. and Hot Bagels Deli Mart in Sherman Oaks is quiet. Two men chat at the sole table, which acts as a community table of sorts, over coffee. It's cold outside for those who just woke up and a warm toasty bagel is just the right comfort food to warm the body up. Do you have a favorite bagel place to hit up in the mornings?

The salmonella peanut butter recall is still in effect and one of Los Angeles' favorite grocery stores had to pull back a few products, too. Trader Joe's late last week announced that they were taking caution and de-shelving their Peanut Butter Chewy Coated & Drizzled Granola Bars, Nutty Chocolate Chewy Coated & Drizzled Granola Bars and Sutter’s Formula Cookies "because the products contain peanut butter that was manufactured by Peanut Corporation of America (PCA), which is the focus of an ongoing Salmonella investigation," they said in a press release.

Burger devotees in Los Angeles will never tire of touting their favorite go-to joint for the all-American meat-and-bun dish, and some make finding the best a life-long (and noble pursuit). LAist Featured Photos pool member oranges are not the only fruit recently submitted these shots of a meal at Yuca's that was mostly about the burger. On their blog, What You See is What You Eat, the story of the meal is told:

The cheeseburger here isn’t Pete’s, it isn’t Father’s Office, it isn’t even In-N-Out. It’s not trying for this. Consistent with the pure nature of its tacos and burritos, the burgers here don’t try to distract you with fancy trimmings - no aiolis, no grilled onions. Nope, their cheeseburgers harks back to that wonderful time when you were at the transition stage between the Happy Meal and Big Mac — a simple cheeseburger without the distraction of a cheap toy or a patty sitting on the second story. This is, simply: bun, ketchup + mustard, lettuce, tomato, patty, bun. Simply. The only thing that differentiates this burger from the one that you’d make on your grill is that your grill doesn’t have decades worth of well seasoned and well worn flavors of asada, carnitas, etc seared into it. Yuca’s cooks the patty on the same surface that they’re making all the other meat fillings, so you get a patty that is the best of all animal kingdoms. You can eat this in all of 2 minutes, but at ~$2, it’s exactly right for what you get. And, with a taco or two, just hits the spot.

The area where Venutra Blvd. meets Woodman Ave in Sherman Oaks is known as one of Los Angeles' great restaurant rows.

  

LAist Featured Photos contributor Tales of an L.A. Addict tempts us with their photos from the popular family owned Hof's Hut in Long Beach (though they have expanded with a few more SoCal locations). Those criss cut fries in photo #2 look really good right now.

Do you love Pink's as much as you love classical music? As part of the welcoming video package yesterday for the new 27-year-old new conductor of the LA Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel, pinks took two hot dogs and wrote "Welcome Gustavo!" on two hot dogs. No word yet if they'll name a dog after him, but what would Venezuelan hot dog be like?

Now don't get us wrong, here at LAist we are bacon people. In fact, we are official Facebook fans of bacon, and it doesn't get any more real than that. We have eaten bacon in ice cream, covered in chocolate, and illegally wrapped around hot dogs. But some things simply don't go with bacon and one of them is tacos.

If you know about lifecasting, then you probably know or even follow iJustine or the self promoting Julia Allison (if you read Wired Magazine, you'll remember that cover of her). And more than likely, you might know about Mary Rambin of Allison's lifecasting harem.

The Official Recession has been upon us for thirteen official months. It’s still not a reason we can’t enjoy life. This is LA -- we’ve got plenty of cheap options! We last enjoyed our pick of big plates of Korean food at the Koreatown Galleria Food Court.

Are we all over our New Year's resolutions to cut out fatty fried foods yet? Because if you're in the mood to Cherchez Les Frites in Los Angeles, it's time to spill the beans potatoes on where you like to go.

Molly's Burger stand has been doomed to the dustbin: Eater LA discovered that the long-time Hollywood institution will be knocked down next month to make way for more office space on Vine St. It will be a sad day in February for fans of cheeseburgers, breakfast burritos, and Korean short-ribs, as well as students and tourists looking for a cheap but scenic meal.

If you want to celebrate the Obama way today, you might want to cook up a big pot of presidential chili. Although it is not quite as renowned as Hillary Clinton's chocolate chip cookies or Lady Bird Johnson's lemon cake, Obama's chili recipe has been all over the internet. It's got a few surprise ingredients. Red wine vinegar, OK...but turmeric? Really? Really? We will just have to trust our new commander-in-chief on that one. Finish the meal off with Michelle Obama's cobbler which uses an entire stick of butter. Go Michelle!

                           

It was standing room only at the wildly succesful launch of DineLA yesterday at SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. More than 100 of Los Angeles' finest chefs filled the rooms of The Bazaar, chef Jose Andres restaurant in the brand spanking new hotel. The building is dazzling with blinding white walls and lots of shiny shiny chrome; the interior design accented is by unusual and exotic pieces.

When my friend’s from Back East visit Los Angeles I like to take them to the San Gabriel Valley for an authentic Chinese meal. They typically note the lone 12” letter featured on the restaurant door and conclude “C is for Chinese.”

       

The Official Recession has been upon us for thirteen official months. It’s still not a reason we can’t enjoy life. This is LA -- we’ve got plenty of cheap options! We last had our pick of choice, low-cost international cuisine at both the Grand Central Market and Thai Town.

     

Last fall, Will Shamlian of 4100 Bar/The Chalet/Library Bar fame, opened the Laurel Tavern--a contemporary American pub as he calls it--in place of his previous popular bar, The Sapphire. As much as it was sad to see the popular (and extremely dark) Valley bar go, the new space is much more cozy and useful than ever before.

    

Okay, so this is not exactly new to the world--it's been around for over a year now--but for some reason Ralph's just made us notice this past weekend and we had to try the novelty that is the Organic Batter Blaster. It's pancake batter in a Easy Cheese-like spray can that is organic. Whole Foods had it on their shelves at one point, so it met their standards, but TreeHugger called it "UnTreeHugger." It's actually pretty tasty and would be convenient for camping, but once the fun wears off and you realize you're that guy, being that lazy, it's really not all that.

       

In late December, Mediterranean Fresh finally opened their doors next to the famous Musso & Franks on Hollywood Blvd. Owned by the Sunset Entertainment Group--same people who operate the Pig & Whistle--this order and sit-down style restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. at night, but they are hoping to keep it open until 4 a.m. once they get their liquor license. So far, we're finding the food to be quality matched by great prices.

       

New downtown Mexican restaurant Casa Cocina y Cantina had a press release boasting a menu "unlike any other Mexican restaurant menu in Los Angeles." But we couldn't help but wonder if that held true to its cocktail list as well. So we stopped by on a very chill Wednesday night and met with Billy Fanning, the restaurant's mixologist.

When LAist first got word of the Kogi BBQ Korean BBQ-styled tacos served up on their truck, mouths were watering. Not only is their fare fantastic, but they are savvy enough to use social media tools like Twitter to keep followers up to speed on where they'll be parking on any given night. To document their pursuit of the "elusive Kogi BBQ" truck, these food fans put together a video they call "Chasing the Dragon." How do you say "Bon Appetit" in Korean?

Happy 74th Birthday, Elvis! If you were alive today (oh wait, conspiracy theory #1445 says you are alive), you would have loved this cupcake with one of your favorite foods that we just tasted at Crumbs Bake Shop.

Leave it to our friends to the north of us in San Francisco to come up with a confection that might leave some of you gobsmacked, and the rest of you drooling. If your life revolves around all things bacon, you might have to put your order in for Lollyphile's Maple-Bacon lollipop. They say:

While we admit that it's pretty far from the norm (it's definitely not kosher!), once you make that initial leap of faith and try it out, we're positive that you'll love it. The salty chunks of bacon make a delicious and unique counterpoint to the subtle sweetness of the maple, and oh, yeah- you'll be eating an oh-my-god bacon lollipop!

              

The Official Recession has been upon us for thirteen official months. It’s still not a reason we can’t enjoy life on the cheap. This is LA -- we’ve got options! We last feasted on Thai Town for just a few bucks, and stopped to smell the daisies for even less.

Ham, anyone? This is what LAist Featured Photos contributor ~db~ had on New Year's Day for lunch at The Pantry in downtown. There were enough leftovers for two more meals.

Well, that's what Casa's public relations folk are saying. But we'll let the public (and Yelp) decide its uniqueness starting tomorrow when Casa finally opens in downtown's California Plaza next door to MOCA on Grand Avenue (we've penned the area as Performance Row).

It's baaaaaaa-aaack! DineLA's Restaurant week, the twelve* days devoted to special pricing and menus in many of the city's top eateries is poised to return from January 25th-30th and February 1st-6th.

Los Angeles is home to about a zillion and a half people. This includes, I hear, the largest Thai population outside of Thailand. Perhaps that's why we have a jillion Thai restaurants. Good thing their food rocks. It's pretty cheap too.