Good, if Not Spectacular, Filipino Dining at Gerry's Grill

For awhile now, I've been hearing about a Filipino restaurant in Artesia that's supposed to be pretty good. Finally, I decided that I had to investigate. By the way, if you want to read my take on Filipino Food in general, click here! For now, let's focus on the highs and lows of the 16 dishes that my dining group and I shared at Gerry's Grill, which is a restaurant chain that started in the Philippines and is now starting to gather steam in Southern California.

The first dish to arrive was the Kilawin Tuna, which is similar to a Tuna Ceviche. This is the first time I've ever seen any type of Kilawin dish on a restaurant menu. It brings me back to the days when my Dad was still alive and would bring his catch back from his fishing trips. The fish was either smoked or made into Kilawin by marinating the fish overnight with vinegar, red onions, chili peppers, garlic and kalamansi juice. His recipe was very similar to what we had at Gerry's Grill, but like any kind of "home cooking", Kilawin recipes vary and in some instances cooked pork is used in place of fish. Gerry Grill's version was actually pretty good, although I don't think it had kalamansi juice, which would have added some lovely tart citrus notes.

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Next up was the Adobo Shreds, which were shreds of pork adobo fried crisp. This must be a restaurant specialty because this is the first time I've ever had this item. It reminded me of jerky and being a jerky lover, I enjoy every chewy bit.

Instead of steamed white rice, we went for Garlic Fried Rice, 5 large scoops of rice on a plate topped with fried garlic. Nothing else to it, but I did think it needed more garlic.

Pinakbet hit the table next and this restaurant version was sauteed in garlic with a touch of shrimp paste, at least that's how it was written in their menu. There wasn't enough variety in vegetables and not having enough shrimp paste was disappointing. My mom's pinkabet is chock full of squash, green beans, okra and more plus you can actually see little bits of shrimp paste dotting the surface of the veggies and more important, you could taste all that salt- shrimpy goodness. That's what pinakbet should be like.

Our next dish was Kare-Kare, which is a stew of oxtail and vegetables in a peanut butter sauce. It's best eaten over rice with bagoong (shrimp paste) smeared on both meat and veggies. Although the sauce was a little thicker than I would have liked, this Kare-Kare was pretty tasty.

Unfortunately, the Adobong Spinach, which was spinach and shrimp cooked in adobo sauce was something I wouldn't order again. The adobo sauce was really thick, almost as if they added corn starch to it. I would have preferred more of a light saute as opposed to the glops of sauce that were on this dish. Also, there was no mention of the shrimp in the description of this dish on the menu. Not that I'd usually turn shrimp away, but if someone was looking for a strictly vegetarian meal or they were allergic to shrimp, this dish would have not been received well.

On the other hand, the Chicken Inasal which was grilled chicken marinated with vinegar, garlic and annatto oil was a hit. The chicken skin had a wonderful char to it and I loved the chicken's slightly vinegary flavor. A major plus was that the chicken breast was juicy and tender as opposed to being dry.

Crispy Pata, better known as Deep Fried Pork Knuckles, is a staple at most Filipino restaurants and when done well, is both juicy and crispy. Unfortunately, the Crispy Pata here wasn't done well. It was deep fried to the point that the meat was too dry and skin was a little hard.

More than halfway through and now we're up to the Pancit Palabok, which consisted of rice noodles topped with shrimp based sauce, ground pork, smoked fish, crunchy pork, boiled egg and served with lemon. Other than wishing I had calamansi instead of lemons, this noodle dish was fine as it was.

Surprisingly, at least to me, one of the favorite dishes of the night was the Tortang Kapampangan, an omlette with sauteed ground pork, minced vegetables and raisins, served with banana ketchup. I think with all the unfamiliar dishes that the group had experienced so far, this was one that at least was both familiar and also delicious. The banana ketchup was also a first experience that paired well with this egg dish.

I've never met a Fried Bangus (e.g. Milkfish) that I haven't liked and the one we had with our meal was no exception. Fried with soy sauce, lemon juice and garlic, this delicate fish absorbed all those wonderful flavors and also seemed to be liked by all.

The last of the three savory dishes included Sizzling Pork Sisig (crackling pork meat sauteed with onions and spices), Ginataang Hipon (stewed whole shrimps and mixed vegetables in coconut milk) and Lumpia (egg rolls). It's hard to not appreciate fried pork so the Sisig was definitely a hit. The Ginataang Hipon wasn't very memorable, but the lumpia was fried for too long, so the meat filling was a bit dry.

14 dishes down and now it's on to dessert and I ordered two different kinds. First to arrive was the Buko Pandan which is pandan flavored coconut milk, young coconut and jellies. It was a cool and refreshing dessert that almost served as a palate cleanser for all the strong flavors that followed before it.

Our finale of the evening were Banana Lumpias ala Mode in Caramel Sauce known in the Philippines as Turon and with the Turon came a scoop of Ube (Purple Yam) Ice Cream. This was sweet and crunchy way to end this veritable feast.

Overall, there were more hits than misses when it came to the meal at Gerry's Grill, so it is a restaurant I'd go back to again if I were in the neighborhood, but not necessarily go out of my way for. While the food was generally good, it wasn't necessarily spectacular and the food that I didn't like really failed in one way or another. Plus it lacked that home cooking feel to it that I've been able to get elsewhere. So for me, Magic Wok in Artesia and Barrio Fiesta in Eagle Rock are still my top 2 go to places for Filipino Food. After all, if I can't get my Mom's cooking, I want a restaurant that can come close and I just didn't get that as much from Gerry's Grill.

Gerry's Grill
11710 South Street
Suite 107-109
Artesia, CA 90701
(562) 403-1000
www.gerrysgrill.com



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The Park's Finest BBQ Lives Up to its Name!

This past summer, I've had my share of BBQ from Bludso's BBQ to Big Mista's BBQ to Porky's BBQ and much more, so based on all these tastings, I can say without bias that my favorite BBQ comes from The Park's Finest BBQ. What's even better is that TPFB is owned by Johneric Concordia, whose BBQ and BBQ sauce is based on flavors from the Philippines, where I'm from.

I first experienced TPFB in late September as part of a BBQ series hosted for my dining group, by one of my Assistant Organizers, Robert. Currently, Park's does not have a retail restaurant space. They only do catering for now so lunch was at a Filipino gallery, Remy's on Temple and outside the gallery was where the smoker was parked from the wee hours cooking our meal.

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Before we dug in, Johneric, gave us a little history about his company. He talked about how his father, "Big Tony", was a Navy cook and how he had developed the Concordia BBQ sauce as a way to appeal to both the crew's palate, but still stay true to his roots. The base flavor of his sauce came from the combination of the natural sugars from sugar cane and pineapples simmering with soy sauce, peppers, and spices. This secret recipe was passed to his children and grand-children. What's unique about this sauce is that it still allows for experimentation so that there can be variations to the Concorcdia sauce that can suit any palate.

After learning more about The Park's Finest BBQ, it was time to dig in. Check out what was on the menu starting with their Ligaya Veggie Medley which were marinated and grilled zucchini, squash and green onions. I loved the peppery flavors.

Their Compostila Pork Tender Loin was smoky and tender.

The Mt. Malindang Pork Rack of Ribs had a beautiful char and the spice rub was very flavorful.

I couldn't find any flaw with their Taal Manok (Chicken). Even the white meat was juicy, which was amazing since BBQ Chicken Breast can often times be dry.

Their Rib Eye Roast and Batangueno Beef Ribs were also tender and juicy and would make any BBQ lover very happy.

We also partook in another Ligaya Veggie Medley, which was made up of grilled asparagus and green onions and there was also Pulled Pork and Mt. Mayon Hot Sausage Links for the taking.

I wish I could be more descriptive about all the various BBQ meats we ate, but I was too busy eating and not taking any notes Usually, I don't like to over-hype anything, especially, when it comes to food, but I just found Park's Finest BBQ to be mind-blowing good. By the way, while the BBQ could really just stand on its own, the addition of the BBQ sauce took it over the top. The BBQ sauce variation that Johnerico prepared for us was both sweet and spicy and flavored with coconut. That sauce was quite addicting.

As for dessert, there was an interesting twist on a Filipino dessert called Bibingka, which is usually made with rice flour and coconut. Based on the name, Park's version called Ann’s Cornbread Bibingka probably contained cornmeal. I wish someone thought of that earlier. The addition of the cormeal made this bibingka a little more dense, but also a little sweeter. What an awesome variation to something so traditional.

Overall, even months later, I still can't forget The Park's Finest BBQ. I hope that they eventually do get a retail restaurant. I'll certainly be a good customer. As it is, I might just have to plan party just so I can get more of their BBQ or if any of you are planning on having them cater an event, I certainly wouldn't turn down an invitation to chow down on what I think is the best BBQ I've ever had.

The Park's Finest BBQ
theparksfinest213@gmail.com
(213) 247-4909
http://theparksfinest.com



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Honey-Inspired Tasting Menu at Rivera Hosted by National Honey Board

Last November, I was invited by the National Honey Board to attend a honey-inspired 4 course tasting menu at Chef John Rivera Sedler's Rivera Restaurant in Downtown Los Angeles. This event was one of a 3 part series held across the country where the National Honey Board decided to focus on Latin Cuisine and tapped 3 celebrity Latino chefs to create honey-infused gourmet dishes. The other two chefs that participated including Chef Michelle Bernstein of Miami, Florida and Chef Aaron Sanches of New York, New York.

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The dishes prepared by Chef Sedler was a fusion of Spanish influences and the American Southwest and started with a cocktail, a Pineapple and Serrano Licuado with Honey Infused Tequila. It was a refreshing cocktail that didn't initially give you any heat, but as you continued to drink it, you could feel a little bit of at the back of your throat. The spiciness definitely snuck up on you.

As we were enjoying our cocktail, Chef Sedler came out and shared some stories of how as a child, smearing honey on bread was one of his favorite sweet treats. Throughout the tasting event, he'd also come out to explain the ingredients for each course as well share any antecdotes. He also mentioned that clover honey was the honey used for all dishes we were going to sample that evening.

Our first tasting of the night were Crostinis of Queso Cotija with Hierbabuena, Pink Pepper Berry Infused Honey and Figs. Honey on its own can oft times be too sweet. By mixing the honey with the pink pepper berries and letting it sit overnight, the sweetness was cut back plus the honey had a nice peppery flavor to it.

Second to to arrive were Spanish Piquillo Peppers Stuffed with Honey Raisins, Serrano Ham and Manchego Cheese. In this dish, the raisins were soaked with honey and sherry vinegar overnight. The honey was more subtle, but those honey raisins balanced well with the saltier ham and cheese to create a good balance of sweet and savory flavors.

Our third dish was the Jicama and Tomatillo Salad with Burrata Cheese and Honey Lime Vinaigrette. When Chef Sedler came out to talk about this dish, he specifically mentioned how his aunt used to cook for artist Georgia O'Keefe and how this particular recipe is based on one of O'Keefe's recipes. This was my favorite item of our tasting menu. I loved the textures of the soft chewy cheese with the crunchy jicama and the tart-sweet-peppery seasoning was spot on.

Last, but not least were the Blue Corn Quesadillas of Goat Cheese with Chorizo and Habanero Infused Honey. For this particular dish, the habanero was the star because there was definite heat when I ate into that quesadilla. When it came to this dish, Chef Sedler mentioned that the honey's role in this dish was to cut into the heat of the habanero, but to also lessen the pungency of the goat cheese. Both were accomplished, although as a goat cheese lover, I say "Bring it On."

To end, we were treated to a Mexican Ice Cream Sundae, which had scoops of vanilla ice cream, cinnamon, almonds, dulce de leche and also a little bit of honey. What a sweet ending!

Overall, it was a fun tasting event and as a honey lover, I really enjoyed learning ways honey could be used in Latin cooking. If you'd like to try out any of the recipes yourself, look for them below.

Rivera Restaurant
1050 S Flower St
Los Angeles, CA 90015-5100
(213) 749-1460
www.riverarestaurant.com


Click here to read about my past dining experience at Rivera!

Pineapple and Serrano Licuado with Honey Infused Tequila (Serves 6)

Ingredients:

For the honey infused tequila:
12 liquid ounces of reposado tequila
9 tablespoons honey

For the pineapple chile juice:
1 ripe pineapple peeled, cored and cubed
5 serrano chiles stemmed, seeded and deveined

Preparation:

Combine in a mixing bowl the tequila and the honey and stir vigorously until blended. Set aside.

In a juicer or blender, place the pineapple and three chiles adding a little water if necessary to make a juice. Slowly add more chiles until you reach desired spiciness.

Fill 6 double old fashioned glasses to the top with crushed ice. In a pitcher mix the honey tequila with 30 ounces of the pineapple juice and pour into each glass over the ice.

Crostinis of Queso Cotija with Hierbabuena, Pepper Berry Infused Honey and Figs (Serves 6)

Ingredients:

For the pepper berry infused honey:
1 ½ tablespoons honey
1 ½ tablespoons pink pepper berries (also known as pink peppercorns)

For the crostinis:
1 fresh crusty French baguette
½ pound cotija cheese
12 large spearmint leaves
2 fresh figs thinly sliced

Preparation:

Combine in a mixing bowl the honey and the pink pepper berries. Macerate overnight.

With a sharp serrated knife slice the baguette diagonally about ¼ of an inch thick. Brush the crostinis with a little olive oil and toast lightly in the oven until golden brown.

Place the crostinis on a platter topping each one with a little more than ½ teaspoon of the cotija cheese, a small slice of fig, a mint leaf and a generous drizzle of the pepper berry honey over the cheese.

Spanish Piquillo Peppers Stuffed with Honey Raisins, Serrano Ham and Manchego Cheese (Serves 6)

Ingredients:

For the honey raisins:
3 tablespoons golden raisins
1.5 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar (jerez vinegar)

For the peppers:
12 canned Spanish piquillo peppers for stuffing
2 cups grated manchego cheese
2 ounces sliced and cubed Serrano ham
1 shallot coarsely chopped

Preparation:

A day before serving the peppers, combine in a mixing bowl the raisins, honey and vinegar and macerate in the refrigerator overnight.

Remove the peppers from the can and drain on paper towels. In a mixing bowl stir together the cheese, ham, shallots and the honey raisins.

Carefully stuff each pepper with the mixture then line up the peppers in rows on a sheet pan.

In a cast iron skillet on medium heat and brushed with a little olive oil, sear the peppers until the cheese is melted and there is a light black char on the out side of each pepper.

Serve 2 peppers per guest topped with light vinaigrette of your choice and a few chopped chives.

Jicama & Tomatillo Salad with Burrata Cheese and Honey Lime Vinaigrette (Serves 6)

Ingredients:

For the vinaigrette:
6 ounces extra virgin olive oil
2 ounces fresh squeezed lime juice
2 ounces honey
Sea salt to taste
Fresh ground black pepper to taste

For the salad:
6 cups jicama cut into very thin 2 inch long bite size matchsticks
6 medium tomatillos, husks removed, washed and sliced thin, about 1/8 of an inch
3 cubes, 6 or 8 ounces each, of burrata cheese cut in half

Preparation:

In a mixing bowl combine the lime juice, honey and the salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil.

In a large mixing bowl toss together the jicama and tomatillos and ¾ of the blended vinaigrette. Divide the mixture onto chilled salad plates and carefully place the burrata on top. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over the cheese and season the cheese with a little more sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Blue Corn Quesadillas of Goat Cheese with Chorizo and Habanero Infused Honey (Serves 6)

Ingredients:

For the habanero infused honey:
3 habanero chiles stemmed, seeded and deveined finely chopped
1 tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar

For the quesadilla:
12 blue corn tortillas
6 ounces grated manchego cheese
4 ounces goat cheese
½ white onion finely chopped
4 tablespoons finely chopped Spanish Chorizo

Preparation:

One day before serving the quesadillas prepare the habanero infused honey: in a mixing bowl combine the habanero chiles, honey and the vinegar. Refrigerate overnight.

Lay out 6 of the tortillas on a sheet pan. Evenly distribute the cheeses, onion and chorizo over the surface of each tortilla. Evenly drizzle about a ½ to ¾ teaspoon of the habanero infused honey onto each tortilla. Top each one with another blue corn tortilla. Press and cook in a cast iron pan until the cheese is melted and the surface of the tortillas are slightly charred and blistered. Cut each quesadilla like a pizza into about 6 pieces.

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Seafood Feast at Bultaneun Cheongdamdong Jogae Gui

One of the things I enjoy about dining at Korean restaurants is that some of them offer tableside cooking where you either cook it yourself as in Korean BBQ or they'll cook it for you as in Octopus Fried Rice or Spicy Crab Soup. So after reading an LA Times article about a Koreatown restaurant that specializes in a multi-course tableside prepared seafood meal, I knew that this was one place I had to visit and soon. The name of the restaurant is Bultaneun Cheongdamdong Jogae Gui, which translates to Flaming Clam Grill of Cheongdamdong and it's in the Chapman Market Complex.

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One key thing you should know right away about this restaurant is that there is no English signage. The name of the restaurant is in Korean and the street number is difficult to read at night. I actually ended up across the street and the valet there pointed me in the right direction. While there's street parking, there's also valet parking behind the restaurant for about $2 if you get your ticket validated.

Another thing to know is that the menu is only in Korean. Thankfully, I got that info from that LA Times article I read, so that wasn't a surprise. After we picked the $59.99 option, the feasting began.

The first two things to arrive were beaten eggs in a covered pot and Dukboki, a dish that consists of rice cakes, enoki mushrooms, cabbage and some kind of chili paste or sauce. It didn't take long for the eggs to cook with a soft steamed-like consistency, but the Dukboki wasn't ready until much later.

Each person also received individual portions of congee and a salad, which were soon followed by small bowls of edamame, veggies and boiled quail eggs to share. The congee was plain, but there were a couple of chili sauce bottles to choose from if you wanted to add some spice to it. I loved the quail eggs. There was just something about peeling these mini eggs and popping them into my mouth that was just appealing.

The food kept coming in the form of thick spicy cold noodles, battered sweet potatoes, a Korean pancake and cheese melted over peas and carrots in an aluminum covered shell. Those noodles were a home run. The flecks of pepper along with the spicy sauce it was sauteed in really made my tastebuds happy. A bowl with Mussels and a broth also arrived, with the server occasionally spooning some of that broth over the seafood as it was cooking.

Soon, a seafood fiesta on a plate arrived. On that plate were all sorts of ocean goodies that included geoduck clams, more clams, conch, scallops, oysters, baby octopus and shrimp and that's when the real work started at least by our server.

Our server first cut both the geoduck clams and the baby octopus into smaller pieces before placing them back in the shells and then he removed the scallops from their smaller shells and grouped them into a larger shell. There was already a shell filled with other clam meat that didn't need any other prep work. Then he laid the smaller shells down on the grill as a base for the 4 shells to lean against so that the seafood wouldn't get too much heat from the grill. Also on the grill was the conch and a few more clams that were cooked in their shells.

As the seafood was ready to eat, our server would pull them towards the side of the grill and would encourage us to eat them right away so that the meat wouldn't get too chewy. To add flavor, he'd add the broth from the mussels soup that came earlier.

At one point, the unopened clams were cooked enough to be opened by our server and ready to be eaten. He also removed the conch meat from its shell, sliced it and presented it on one of the empty shells. Things were moving so fast that I didn't even notice when he made some kind of fried rice with nori until I saw it on the grill, again in a shell.

As the shelled critters were ending up in our stomachs, foiled covered oysters and shrimp soon showed up on our grill. When the oysters were done cooking, their shells were quickly dispatched and the oyster meat was placed on top of the fried rice and the cooked shrimp were placed in a spiral mode around the grill.

One would think that this would be the end of the meal, but that wasn't the case. Instead a small pot of soup with clams and noodles was our finale. The soup had a nice light broth and I left just enough room to finish off a small bowl of that soup.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable dinner. Our server was really attentive and any attempts for us to try and cook any of the food ourselves was met with the tongs being taken away us. Granted, it wasn't very busy the night we went so everyone was quite attentive. On busier nights, you may be more on your own. What really impressed me, other than the service, was just the quality of the seafood. Everything tasted really fresh and was prepared well by our servers. This is definitely a meal worth repeating.

Bultaneun Cheongdamdong Jogae Gui

3465 W. 6th Street, Unit 20
Los Angeles, CA 90005
213-388-6800

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