Feeling the Filipino Love for Noi

When I heard that one of my favorite Filipino restaurants, Asian Noodles, had closed, I was really disappointed and I had to admit to feeling a bit of an unfair grudge against whatever restaurant took its place. Then I found out that the new restaurant now called Noi, was also a Filipino restaurant and the news put a smile on my face. I could only hope that the food would be as good, if not better than its predecessor. Really happy news finally came my way when a friend of mine told me that Noi was actually still Asian Noodles. Although the restaurant name changed, apparently everything else stayed the same, including the management and cooks.

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After hearing the good news, I knew that I wanted to check out Noi as soon as I could and as luck would have it, I was able to have dinner there with a couple of friends before catching the Cirque Berzerk Yelp Elite Event happening at a near by location. With only three of us, we kept it simple with 4 dishes that we shared, but man oh man, there was really enough food there for 3 other people. Before the food arrived, we enjoyed a calamansi drink. Calamansi , which is both naturally sweet and sour, is a popular fruit in the Philippines that is used in a lot of Filipino cooking and can also be made into a "lemonade" type of drink.

One of the dishes we shared was a bola bola siopao which came with sauce that is made up of soy sauce, sugar and other ingredients. The siopao is similar to a Chinese bao and in fact, the siopao is attributed to Ma Mon Luk, a grade school teacher from Canton, who came to the Philippines to make his way. Ma Mon Luk also introduced Mami, a Filipino noodle soup inspired by a similar Chinese dish, to the Philippines. Traditionally, Filipinos will have the siopao as a side to their Mami Soup. Siopao fillings are either chicken, pork or a combination of pork, sausage, chicken and a salted egg. The last configuration is referred to as Bola Bola.

Unfortunately, this bola bola siopao was disappointing. The bread was dry as was the filling. Also, I didn't see much evidence of the salted egg and it's because of that particular ingredient that I'll order the bola bola in the first place. The thick salty/sweet sauce it came with helped a little bit, but not enough.

As for the other three dishes, two of them were seafood based. First, there's the Bicol Express, which is seafood cooked in a spicy coconut sauce. While not that spicy, there was definitely some kind of seasoning that cut into the sweetness of the coconut milk and also added a lot of flavor to this dish. Another bonus is the generosity when it came to the seafood ingredients. Clams, mussels, squid and shrimp all came to the party.

The other seafood item was Pansit Palabok, which had rice noodles, shrimp, squid, hard boiled eggs and was topped with crushed chicarrones. As for the sauce, it is generally made of shrimp juice, flour and atchuete oil. Most Filipinos eat these noodles with a squeeze of lemon or calamansi. I really liked how the squid was battered and deep fried, tentacles and all. Even with the shrimp juice sauce, the flavors weren't erring too much on the seafood side and in fact, the chicarrones added a nice hit of salt while the lemon juice gave this dish a nice tartness in flavor.

Last, but not least, was the Filipino Fried Chicken. When it comes to Filipino Fried Chicken, it's never coated with any type of batter. Generally, it's simmered in a mixture of soy sauce, black peppercorns, vinegar and a bay leaf or two and than it's deep fried to a dark golden brown. Usually, the chicken is deep fried for so long that the chicken itself may seem a little dry, but what you get out of it is the deliciously crispy chicken skin. Besides, the chicken is usually served with banana ketchup. Dip your chicken in that sweet sauce and I guarantee you'll be a happy camper.

Whether Asian Noodles or Noi, I'm glad this restaurant never actually left and I'm already looking forward to my return visit and re-acquainting myself with their wonderful food.

Noi
643 N Spring St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 617-1083




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If I Could Cook...Spinach

If I could cook aka if I had the patience in general and I was in the mood for spinach, below are some recipes that might actually get me in the kitchen, courtesy of images I saw on TasteSpotting!

Chicken Feta Spinach Sausage
- The Comfort is Always Here

Sweet Pea and Spinach Soup
- Kayotic Kitchen

Fresh Spinach Reginette Pasta with Walnut Pesto Recipe
- Ms. Adventures in Italy

Spinach and Sardine Cupcakes
- Dog Hill Kitchen

Spinach Laced Brownies
- cuizoo

Bon Appetit!

Summer Patio Dining at Ciudad

One of things I love about LA is our weather and how patio dining is something that can be pretty much done all year long and when the dining itself is due to happenstance because of my own forgetfulness, it's a win-win situation. It was a Tuesday night and I was dragging a friend to an Examiner.com cocktail party at the Bonaventure Brewing Company. If you didn't know it already, I am currently an Ethnic Restaurants Examiner for that website. Anyway, we arrive, only to find out that I had my dates mixed up and that the event was actually on Thursday. Go figure. Well, we were already parked and hungry, so instead of calling it a night, we opted for dinner across the street at Ciudad.

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Cool weather, sunny skies and being able to watch the tall office buildings glisten from the sun's rays as it set was the perfect reason to sit at the patio and as luck would have it, it was also Tuesday Paella night. Of course, we had to have that as our main entree and it also came with a crab cake appetizer, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. First, let's talk drinks. My friend went for the White Wine Sangria and I chose the Minty Lime Cooler which was made with fresh mint, lime, splash of soda and touch of sugar. I actually had the Minty Lime Cooler for the first time when I went to the 2009 Planned Parenthood Los Angeles Guild Food Fare last March. It was refreshing and tart then and it was refreshing and tart now.

We decided to order appetizers to share and when we weren't able to come to a decision between two of them, we decided to just go for it and order them both. First, we sampled their duo of Argentine Empanadas. One had a spinach, pine nut, raisin and Manchego filling and came with a salsa verde sauce. The other was a wild mushroom empanada with chipotle sauce. Both empanadas were subtle in flavor and as such, they both paired well with their individual sauces which had more of a kick to them, especially the chipotle sauce.

Our second appetizer was the Watermelon Salad with baby watercress, Oaxacan string cheese, pedro jimenez reduction, macadamia nuts and marash chili. At first glance, the ingredients may seem like they wouldn't play together well, but amazingly they did. There was a nice interplay of flavors that included sweet, juicy, salty, nutty, a little bite from the watercress and a hint of earthiness from the marash chili, which make for an unusually different, but delicious kind of salad.

With the paella also comes a crab cake appetizer, which was quite tasty. With it being deep fried, it wasn't greasy and the batter had a light, but crunchy texture to it. The crab itself may have been mixed with sweet red peppers and some kind of herb. Maybe cilantro? The crab meat had good flavor and was seasoned just right.

Now for the main event, the paella. Just an FYI, at $29, the paella is a fairly good sized portion. So if you're a light eater and/or watching your pennies, split it with your dining parter. Add an extra appetizer to go with the crab cake and the meal can be quite reasonable. Now when it comes to how the paella tasted, it's a solid dish. There's nothing about it that was mind blowing, but you get a nice portion of clams, mussels and sausage and while the rice was saucy, it wasn't mushy. The flavor was okay, but it really needed something else to take it up a notch. Perhaps, more saffron? Pepper? Overall, not bad.

Even with everything we ate up to that point, there was still room for dessert, especially since the Goat Milk Cajeta Flan mesmerized me when I saw it on the dessert menu. I was curious as to whether the goat cheese would cut into the sweetness of the flan. Without a doubt, it did. The goat cheese added just the right amount of pungency to soften; yet, not overwhelm the sweet caramel flavors of the flan.

To end, it was a nice evening. I definitely enjoyed the ambiance of dining outside amongst tall office buildings and both the food and service was good. A couple of things to mention is that Ciudad is currently promoting a 3-Course Steal Prix Menu, which is basically a 3 course meal that costs $24 for lunch and $38 for dinner. Also, as we were leaving, we were presented with a $20 gift card off of our next meal of $50 or more. I'm not sure how long they'll be giving this gift cards away, but it's certainly a nice incentive to return for another meal.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157620610104394/

Ciudad
445 S. Figueroa Street
Suite 100
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 486-5171




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Palate Party at Kingston Cafe

One of my favorite places to eat in Pasadena was a Jamaican restaurant called Kingston Cafe. A few years ago, it shut its door and I was definitely sad to see it go, but now it's back and I was definitely ready to re-visit an old haunt with a couple of friends in tow. When making the trip to Kingston Cafe, there are a couple of things you should know. First, the building Kingston Cafe is in looks like a small house. The restaurant shares the space with a medical group and in fact, the space Kingston Cafe occupies used to be medical offices as well. As for parking, although the attached parking lot is a paid lot, it's free if you're having dinner. Just be sure to mention to your serving person that you're parked at that lot. I think it's $3 parking at lunch time.

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When you enter the restaurant, you'll see about 3 smaller dining rooms to your left. There's a larger dining room towards the back where there's a live band playing Caribbean music. I think that band only plays during the weekend, so if you want a more intimate dining setting, you should ask to be seated in one of the smaller dining rooms. As soon as my friends and I sat down, the ginger beer was the first thing we ordered. I have to say that my palate party really started with this beer. There was quite a kick to it.

We decided to order an appetizer and opted for the Jamaican chicken patty. It arrived topped with a thick curry sauce. The chicken patty had more of a soft bread texture as opposed to a flaky pastry consistency and the filling was ground chicken. I took a little forkful of the chicken on its own and it had heat. When you eat the chicken patty with the sauce, there was a flame or two, but when you drink the Ginger beer immediately afterwards, be prepared for a little bonfire.

As for the entrees, they come with a salad and plantains, which were served in courses. First, our salad arrived in a martini glass. The salad consisted of mixed greens and a mango salsa with a house vinaigrette that tasted a bit citrusy. It was a pretty presentation, but not the easiest to eat out of the martini glass.

Next, we were served a plate of plantains and johnny cakes with crushed pineapple and a walnut dusted with brown sugar. For those of you who don't know, johnny cakes are basically a cake or biscuit made out of corn meal. It was an interesting plate of textures and flavors. The plantains were a bit sweet, but the tartness of the pineapple tempered that sweetness. I liked that the johnny cakes had a firm texture to go along with the softness of the plantains. Then you also had the sweet nutty crunch of the walnut added to the mix.

Soon our entrees arrived. For my meal, I ordered the Escovitched Fish which is fish simmered in fresh herbs, spices, scotch bonnet peppers and vinegar topped with onions and tomatoes. Served with rice and beans, you had a choice of red snapper or salmon. I decided on the snapper. The fish was moist and delicate and I loved the vinegary heat coming from each bite. For more of a tropical flavor and to also cut the heat, add some of the mango salsa which came in a tasting spoon on your plate.

I also got to sample the Jerked Chicken. My friend asked for it to be medium, but medium was still pretty hot. I can't even imagine how spicy would spicy be. The chicken was moist, tender and marinated with a house made jerk sauce.

The other entree to hit our table was the Curried Goat which was stewed with onion and fresh thyme and came on a mound of rice and beans. From the small bite of it that I had, the goat had a slight chew to it and it was definitely well seasoned with some kick to it. As my friend started eating into it more, she mentioned that it was a bit salty, but she still enjoyed it nonetheless.

We ended our meal with Kingston Cafe's housemade Rum Cake, which was dense and moist. After a couple of bites, I felt like I was tasting raisins, but when I asked our server about it, he said that there weren't any raisins in the recipe. My friend, who's from Trinidad, said that the rum cake we were enjoying was actually a Jamaican Black Cake. The ingredients of the black cake could include any combination of raisins, currants, dates and prunes that are soaked in a dark rum. In the end, the cake actually served as a great palate cleanser and soaked up all the lingering sparks left on our tastebuds from our meal.

Overall, I really enjoyed dining at Kingston Cafe. After a brief conversation with a couple of our servers and the manager, I found out that Kingston Cafe still has the original owners from its first incarnation. The main difference is that the family who owns this business decided to be more hands-on than in the past. They've only been open for a month and initially started with just 3 entrees and have just recently increased the number of their entrees to 7. The menu will be seeing expansion in the upcoming months as their new chef works on new dishes and recipes. They are currently open for lunch and I for one, really want to check out their Jerk Burger.

Welcome back, Kingston Cafe! I'm so happy to see you back in the Pasadena Dining Scene.

Kingston Cafe
333 S Fair Oaks Ave
Pasadena, CA 91105-2541
(626) 844-6477





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Already Planning a Return Trip to Natalie Peruvian Seafood Restaurant

I'm sure everyone can relate to having show tickets and trying to figure out where to grab a bite to eat beforehand. That was my dilemma as I was rushing from work to meet a couple of friends and of course, on my way there, I got a call with the inevitable question, "Where should we eat?" Given that the show was at the Pantages Theater, which isn't too far from Thai Town, a Thai restaurant was the obvious choice, but for once, I wasn't in the mood for Asian food.

Still pondering options, I got off the Hollywood Boulevard exit and spotted a sign partially hidden behind a building that said Natalie Peruvian Seafood Restaurant. My tastebuds stood at attention. Thankfully, I also remember from the recesses of my mind reading some good reviews. Yes! I knew what was for dinner and directed my two theater buddies to meet me at the given address. Walking into Natalie Peruvian, the dining room was a rectangular room. It wasn't very big, but I really liked the bright red wood furniture.

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Not wanting to linger too long, we placed our order right away. Anytime, I go to a Peruvian restaurant, I have to order a drink called a Chicha Morada, which is a drink made out of purple corn. The one at Natalie Peruvian was a bit too sweet, but still refreshing.

Corn was still on the books for our appetizer which was Cancha or simply, dry fried corn. The cancha were similar to corn nuts, but with a smoother texture. There wasn't anything special about the cancha, but it's a nice salty and savory way to start the meal.

For my entree, I went with the Pescado Sudado, which is a steamed filet of fish cooked with onions, tomatoes and touch of white wine and served with steamed rice. The fish was wonderful. It was delicate and moist. As for the sauce, when they said a touch of white wine, they meant it and that was a good thing. The wine added just the right amount of citrus notes to pair well with the tomato's acidity and it was yummy poured over my rice.

My two dining partners went for the Chicken Saltado and the Beef Saltado dish. The only difference between the two were the meats, but both were meats sauteed with onions, tomatoes and French fries, served with steamed rice. Both their plates were eaten clean. Enough said.

The service was also really nice. When we told our server that we had a show to catch, the food came out really quickly. Overall, I really enjoyed my meal at Natalie Peruvian and am looking forward to trying other items on their menu.

Natalie Peruvian Seafood Restaurant
5759 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028-6719
(323) 463-8340




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Dwell on Design's Square Meal: A 3 Day Feast

Food + Design! What a perfect partnership and you'll be able to see that partnership in action through Dwell on Design's Square Meal: A 3 Day Feast. This three day event is based off of Dwell's Square Meal section in their magazine that explores the intersection of food and design.

Be sure to join them in Los Angeles from June 26 to June 28, as they look at the food world through a design lens. They will be hosting panels, live demonstrations and LA's first mobile restaurant row on Saturday evening, June 27. Check out the complete schedule of Square Meal events on their website and for more information about Dwell on Design, click here!

Dwell on Design
http://www.dwellondesign.com/

Square Meal: A 3 Day Feast
http://www.dwell.com/articles/square-meal-a-3-day-feast.html

The Surprising, But Fun Flavors of Paciugo Gelato

Summer is around the corner, which means cones dripping with ice cream will soon be the rule and not the exception, although with me, it could be 20 degrees below outside and as long as I'm warm and toasty inside, ice cream would still be my favorite sweet treat. To jump start ice cream season, I set up a gelato and sorbet tasting for my dining group at Paciugo Gelato in Hermosa Beach owned and run by daughter and mother team, Brittny Thacker and Monien Ibarra, respectively. Before I talk about the 9 flavors we sampled, let me tell you a little bit about Paciugo Gelato.

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Paciugo Gelato is one of more than 20 locations in the US and was started by Cristiana and Ugo Ginatta. Cristiana apprenticed at a four-generation gelataria before the family moved to Dallas where they opened their first gelato caffe in 2000. Paciugo pronounced "pah-CHOO-go" in an Italian dialect from Portofino cheekily means "messy concoction" but the ice cream that is served by Paciugo is definitely more than the sum of its parts.

Imported Italian ingredients, machinery and technique are used to replicate fourth-generation Italian recipes that came from Ginatta's and Vincenzo's home cities of Turin and Milan. Currently, close to 250 recipes have been developed since then, with 30 to 38 flavors of freshly made gelato offered in each store daily. Other things to note are that Paciugo Gelato have no preservatives and doesn't include cream or butter in their recipes, which means that their fat content is only 3.5%. Their milk-based gelatos is between 50% to 70% lower in fat than most premium ice creams while their sorbets are fat free.

Now that you the scoop (I know, I know. I couldn't resist) about Paciugo Gelato, let me tell you about the tasting event I set up with them. First and foremost, it was really difficult to narrow down to 9 flavors from over 200 to choose from. It was insane. They had some really unique combinations and I was definitely going back and forth for a while. Finally, I settled on 4 sorbets and 5 gelatos.

Our first taste of Paciugo came in the form of a Lime Cilantro Sorbet. Taking a peek at it, the cilantro definitely showed up for the party; however, the lime completely overwhelmed the cilantro to the point that I couldn't taste it. Still, this sorbet was quite refreshing and would be a great palate cleanser in between courses of a multi-course meal.

Usually, the second flavor would be something to be paired with Mexican food or on its own at a bar or party, but not in this case. I present you with the Beer Chill Sorbet, made with Corona Beer and Lime. At first, the beer taste was quite prominent, but it lessened after a few more spoonfuls. Fun to try just for the sake of trying, but not something I'd have again.

Up to bat next was the Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar Sorbet. At first, I didn't "get" this flavor. The strawberry was prominent on the tastebuds, but that wasn't the case with the balsamic vinegar; however, after a few more tastes, I did "get" it. The role of the balsamic vinegar was to add a depth and roundess of flavor to the strawberry. Even the sweetest strawberry can still have a bit of a tang to it, but the balsamic vinegar did its job and masked it for this sorbet.

Fourth in line was the Lime Chili Mango Sorbet. Eating this sorbet was like eating mangos from a Mexican fruit cart that had lime squeezed on it and was sprinked with either chili powder or had hot sauce poured over it. It was an interesting eat of cold ice cream paired with a combination of tangy and spicy flavors. I'd order this again in a heart beat.

Our fifth offering was the Mediterranean Sea Salt Caramel Gelato. This particular gelato is a customer favorite, but it didn't do much for me. It seemed too one note and I honestly can't even explain what I mean by that. It was just simply okay.

More than halfway there and it was time for the Sweet Corn Thorntree Honey Gelato. This particular gelato was not a universal favorite of the group. I kept hearing the words "Creamed Corn" when referring to this flavor. Corn is actually a popular Filipino ice cream flavor and for me, being Filipina, this gelato was familiar and much appreciated.

The remaining three gelatos were the most unique of the bunch starting with the Violet Chocolate Chip Gelato. It's hard for me to describe what this gelato tasted like. Of course, it had floral notes to it and maybe, a slight peppery flavor? The addition of the dark chocolate chips added a bitter sweetness which I thought added another interesting component to this gelato and one I enjoyed.

What came next was my absolute favorite gelato of this tasting and it was the Black Pepper Olive Oil Gelato. Oh my! Black pepper in ice cream may seem like a strange ingredient, but it worked for me. What was nice was that it wasn't overdone. It's not as if you could see the gelato drowning in black pepper flakes, but there was enough to give a kick in flavor that still lingered on your palate even after eating the entire cup.

Last, but not least was the Chocolate Coconut Curry Gelato. This was easily my second favorite gelato and it was simply fantastic. Prevalent in this gelato was garam masala mixed with coconut milk and Belgium chocolate. With every spoonful, there was a bevy of spices tripping the light fantastic on my palate. Perhaps cardammon? Nutmeg? Cinnamon? I hadn't a real clue, but one thing was clear. It left a lasting impression. Even now, I could almost taste that gelato at the tip of my tongue.

Overall, our time at Paciugo Gelato was a lot of fun. I enjoyed tasting the various sorbets and gelatos that we sampled for our tasting. Unfortunately, I don't live close to their Hermosa Beach location, but Paciugo Gelato is definitely a place I'd recommend that locals and visitors alike should check out for themselves.

To see all the pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157619720750647/

Paciugo Gelato Caffe
1034 Hermosa Avenue
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
(310) 379-2525




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McDonald's History Tour

On a gray day in April 2006, I embarked on the McDonald's History Tour led by McHistorian Chris Nichols. For many, the McDonalds were thought to be fictional characters and that Ray Kroc was the actual founder of McDonald's. In actuality, Richard (Dick) and Maurice (Mac) McDonald were real people and they truly started the McDonald's legacy. This tour tells some of their story.

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The day started with over 50 of us meeting at the McDonald's in Downey, which is currently the oldest working McDonald's in the world, but is actually the 4th McDonald's ever opened. To start off our tour, we had breakfast of what else but an Egg McMuffin, hash browns and a choice of OJ or coffee.

From there, we took our tour bus to Sierra Madre, the sleepy little town that first drew the McDonalds brothers from New Hampshire in 1920. In the 1920's, Sierra Madre was a land of citrus trees and farmland. In fact, to get a taste of what Sierra Madre would have looked like in those times, we stopped at E. Waldo Ward Ranch, the only working orange grove in Los Angeles County. On this 3-1/2 acres of land, you will see the original red barn, built in 1902, which also houses old equipment and utensils of days gone by as well as a small grove of orange and kumquat trees. The fruit from these trees are made into various kinds of marmalades, jellies and jams all of which can be purchased at the farm.

Tired of working 9 to 5 jobs and inspired by the lush Southern California citrus industry, the McDonald's opened up their first restaurant called the Airdrome, which sold orange juice, hot dogs, coffee and tea in 1937. This restaurant was adjacent to the Monrovia Airport, which used to be on Huntington Drive. In fact, the Albertson's store across the street depicts murals in remembrance of the airport that finally shut its doors in 1953, which we passed by on our way to San Bernardino. On our bus ride to San Bernardino, we learned even more about the McDonalds brothers.

In 1940, the McDonalds brothers moved the Airdrome to San Bernardino and converted it to a BBQ restaurant. This BBQ restaurant had a 25-item menu, 20 car hops and made the McDonalds brothers a very comfortable living.

However, eight years later, it was time for a change. While studying the menu and tracking orders, Dick McDonald discovered that hamburger sales generated 80% of their business. Looking to simplify how their business was run and to maximize profits, the McDonalds brothers came up with their "Speedee Service System".

This system was literally a diagram of how to run an assembly line kitchen efficiently and quickly and they actually worked on this system by drawing an exact chalk diagram on their tennis court in front of their home. While occasional rain bursts would wash out the check, it would just keep prompting them to redraw and refine their design until they got it perfect. It is this system that they put in place at the re-opening of their new concept restaurant.

In October 1948, McDonald's Barbecue Restaurant was no more and in December, 1948, re-opened as McDonald's Famous Hamburgers13 years later, Ray Kroc buys out the McDonalds brothers for $2.7 million dollars and through him, the McDonald's Corporation was born.

The site of the original McDonald's Hamburger restaurant is where our tour picks up again. The Airdrome, which went from, primarily a snack shop to than a barbecue restaurant and finally a hamburger restaurant was finally torn down in 1953 to make way for a building more in keeping with the McDonald's restaurant in Downey. Finally, in 1972, that building was demolished as well and the current building was constructed in its place in 1974.

After changing hands a couple more times, the original site of the first McDonald's as well as the current building was purchased in 1998 by Albert Okura, founder of Juan Pollo Restaurants. Mr. Okura converted half of the building to house his offices, but the other half is dedicated to McDonald's memorabilia. Admission is free and Mr. Okura was even on hand for our tour to answer questions. At this unofficial museum, you'll see everything from old pictures to a collection of Happy Meal toys to hats, uniforms and costumes. It was quite an eclectic collection.

Once we looked our fill, back on the bus we went. Another place of interest that we passed by was a machine shop where the McDonalds came up with a lot of the inventions that were utilized for speedier service like a hand-held pump that spurted a precise amount of ketchup and mustard on each burger or a lazy Susan allowed 24 buns to be dressed at a time at a staging area away from the grill.

Our last stop before heading back to Downey was the #7 McDonald's in Pomona. What a shadow of its former self, this #7 store was. Compared to the beautifully restored Downey McDonald's, this store, now a donut shop, was a bit run down and saw better days. At least, you could see hints of what was once there by the red and white striping of the building and if you can envision the red arch in the sign as yellow, that too, will take you back to days gone by.

This was a long tour, starting at 10:00 am and ending at 5:30 pm. At the same time, it was quite enlightening. Ray Kroc may have played a large part in the McGlobalization of over 30,000 restaurants worldwide and have founded the McDonald's Corporation, but it was truly Dick and Mac McDonald's innovative and forward thinking that founded the basic principles that McDonald's was built on in the first place and for that, they truly deserve their due.

To see all the photos, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157619666886712/

McDonald's
10207 Lakewood Blvd.
Downey, CA 90240
(562) 622-9248



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Checking Out the Summer Select Prix Fixe Menu in The Dining Room

After I blogged about the Chocolate Afternoon Tea at the Langham Hotel, I was invited back to check out the Summer Select Prix Fixe Menu at their restaurant, The Dining Room. Again, I have to say thanks to Tara of When Tara Met Blog and the Langham Hotel. Given that The Dining Room was the only hotel restaurant to receive a Michelin star in 2008 under Executive Chef, Craig Strong, I was really looking forward to the meal; however, I should note that by the time I dined at The Dining Room, Chef Strong had taken a new position with Montage Hotels in Laguna Beach.

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Before I talk about the meal that my guest and I shared, let me tell you about this "Summer Select" menu. First, it consists of three different appetizers, main courses and desserts and was designed by Chef Strong. Highlights include Beef Carpaccio, Pork Belly Confit and a Chocolate Tart with Whiskey Ice Cream. This menu is available Tuesday through Thursday nights and is priced at $59 per person, not including alcholic beverages, tax or gratuity. Finally, it is available until July 30, 2009. Now on to the food itself.

It all started with bread and I especially enjoy it when I'm a presented with a tray of different types of bread to choose from. Decisions, decisions. First, I tried the Brioche, which I liked, but I absolutely loved the Black Olive Bread, which was crusty on the outside, soft on the inside. I wouldn't mind having one right now with pats of butter.

Before our first course arrived, we were treated to an Amuse Bouche which was liquid polenta, quail egg and Serrano ham. I wasn't that much of a fan of the liquid polenta. On its own, it tasted like a salty cornmeal flavored soup. When mixed with the yolk of the quail egg, the salt was cut back enough so I enjoyed it a little better, especially when eaten with the Serrano ham. I think I would preferred a polenta pancake or cake, but perhaps that's too conventional to be interesting.

My guest and I ordered two different items items from each course so that we could sample at least two thirds of the menu. When it came to our appetizers, we shared the Squash Blossom Tempura and the Oven Dried Tomato and Grilled Eggplant Terrine. First, the Squash Blossom Tempura which were stuffed with brandade and came with micro greens and a Romesco sauce. This was actually my first experience with brandade, a puree of salt cod, olive oil and milk and it was an eating experience I enjoyed a lot. It reminded me of a better version of a tuna salad and I could see myself eating it with a cracker. As for the squash blossom, its preparation was on target. The light tempura usage gave just the right amount of crispness without overwhelming this delicate flower with too much batter. I also appreciated that the squash blossom themselves weren't mushy.

The second appetizer was the Oven Dried Tomato and Grilled Eggplant Terrine with baby lettuce, balsamic walnut vinaigrette and shaved aged goat cheese. I'm an eggplant lover so just the name of the dish already pre-sold itself. While not outstanding, it's a solid dish and prepared well, although I do think that the terrine needed a little more seasoning though. Perhaps, fresh herbs?

Soon it was main course time. I started out with the Pork Belly Confit with semolina gnocchi, Tuscan cabbage, carrot and cassis mustard sauce. The pork belly meat itself was fatty, juicy and tender, just the way I like it. What threw me off was the topping. I think it was some kind of hard cheese? I really didn't think the pork needed it and in fact, I found it to be dry and distracting; however, I absolutely loved the bitter notes of the Tuscan cabbage and the soft tart and sweet flavors coming from the cassis mustard sauce.

After I had my share of the Pork Belly, I sampled the Skate Piccata with fingerling potatoes, spinach, preserved lemon butter sauce and fried capers. Unfortunately, this was the most disappointing dish of the whole night. Simply, it was too salty. I think we honestly should have returned it and given the kitchen a chance to rectify the situation. Considering the level of service at The Dining Room, I don't think this would have been a problem, but having a Filipino sensibility of being too polite stopped us.

With appetizers and our main courses behind us, it was time for dessert. Unexpectedly, we were served a dessert amuse bouche which included a slice of chocolate pound cake, chocolate gelato (with coffee bean and vanilla) and a cherry brandy and tarragon sauce. One bite of the chocolate pound cake was enough since it was quite dry. The chocolate gelato with hints of coffee and vanilla was a hit and that cherry brandy and tarragon sauce was killer.

Finally, the two desserts we ordered arrived at the table. The one I tried first was the Lavender Panna Cotta with blueberries, candied almonds and lemon poppy seed cake. Just like the green tea panna cotta that I had at their Chocolate High Tea, this one was stellar. It was creamy and I could definitely taste the lavender. What I found interesting was that the the tartness of the blueberries and the sweet nuttiness of the candied almonds complemented as opposed to overshadowing the lavender.

I also enjoyed digging into the Chocolate Tart with the Whiskey Ice Cream. The chocolate itself was rich and dense, as chocolate should be (at times). Since I'm not much of a whiskey drinker, I can't say without any certainty if the ice cream tasted like whiskey or not, but I liked it and its light flavors complemented the richness of the chocolate tart.

At this point, I thought our meal was over, but not yet. To the right of our table was a table that held trays of various mini desserts and after our two empty plates got swept off the table, our waiter served us a plateful of these little goodies, which included Madeleines, Vanilla Bean Cakes, Shortbread Cookies, Coconut Roches, an Apricot Gelee and a Berry Gelee. Of the six, my favorites were the Coconut Roches, which tasted like macaroon cookies and both Gelees.

I did wonder if Chef Strong's presence would have meant a different dining experience, but that's really hard to say. After all, even the most talented of chefs and kitchens have better days than others. Overall, it'll be interesting to see what changes as a new chef is brought in and puts their own stamp on the menu.

For now, while there were hits and misses to this meal, I think that what was good was good enough for me to make a return visit one day, especially when the new executive chef is on board. After all, with an overall experience that included service that was spot on and a nice setting, the Dining Room still has a lot to offer and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.

To see all the pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157619344270844/

The Dining Room
The Langham Hotel and Spa
1401 South Oak Knoll Avenue
Pasadena,, CA 91106
(626) 568-3900



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Shrimp and More at Mariscos Chente

If I had to choose my favorite non-fish seafood, it would be shrimp all the way and if you're a shrimp lover like me, than Mariscos Chente should be on your to go list. I had actually paid a visit to the Marsicos Chente location in Lennox a few months back and loved my meal there, so I was really interested in seeing if the consistency would be the same at their other location in Mar Vista. Bill aka Street Gourmet LA made all the arrangements for our meal there and what a feast it was. To learn more about the Sinaloan cooking represented at Mariscos Chente, read Bill's post here.

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Our meal started with a shot of Tequila, straight from Tijuana, and also a popular Mexican cocktail made with Squirt, tequila and salt. Interestingly enough, that cocktail tasted just like a margarita on the rocks without having to use a margarita mix.

First to arrive at our table were individual shrimp tamales. Inside each tamal were two whole, cooked and unshelled shrimp. Some ate their entire tamal, including the shrimp, from head to tail while others ate selective parts of their shrimp with the masa. The shrimp were cooked just right and retained its sweetness while the masa was moist and had a light; yet, dense texture to it that I liked.

Up next was a plate that included the Ceviche de Aguachile and the Ceviche de Camaron, which were both raw seafood preparations. This is my second time having the Ceviche de Aguachile and second time around, it was just as good. That lime-jalapeno salsa was both tart and spicy and the freshness of the shrimp was quite evident to my taste buds. One thing to mention is that the Owner, Magadelana, purchases their shrimp and other seafood directly from Mazatlan every week and brings it through customs to the US. I have to give her props for really caring about the quality of the seafood she brings to her restaurant.

As for the Ceviche de Camaron, it was my least favorite of everything we tried. The quality of the ingredients showed through, but taste-wise, it was a bit bland. On its own, it probably would have been fine, but when eaten with the stronger flavors of the Ceviche de Aguachile, it lost something in the translation.

After our raw sampling, it was time for 3 different cooked shrimp dishes with 3 different sauces, which included the Shrimp a la Pimienta, the Shrimp Borachos and the Shrimp a la Diable. Other than the shrimp, the common ingredient across all three was butter. This was my second time having the Shrimp a la Pimienta, which was cooked with chili and black pepper. I love black pepper so this was easily my favorite of the 3.

The Shrimp Borachos consisted of deep fried shrimp sauteed with tequila, garlic, cilantro and Worcestershire sauce (Salsa de Ingleterra). I enjoyed the fact that shrimp wasn't too over fried and even with the sauce, it still retained a little bit of crispiness.

Last, but not least, was the Shrimp a la Diable which was shrimp cooked with butter, nuevo mexico chile and chile de arbol. Of all the shrimp dishes on the menu, this one was supposed to be the spiciest. What I liked about the Shrimp a la Diable was that flavor wasn't sacrificed for heat. With the shrimp being cooked in butter, there are buttery aspects to the sauce, but the chilies that were used also added some smokiness that really livened up my palate.

The grand finale for the meal was their Pescado Zarandeado, a Snook fish grilled with a marinade made of butter, soy sauce, chioptle and Mandarin orange juice. It came with a dipping sauce of butter, red onions and Worcestershire sauce. My favorite whole fish dish is the Bangus, a Filipino fish that is marinated in vinegar and than grilled. It still is my favorite, but this Pescado Zarandeado came really close to jumping to that top spot. How can you resist a fish that tastes fatty, buttery, salty, a little spicy and also has citrus notes? The sweet-saltiness of the sauce which reminded me a little of Filipino adobo sauce also complemented the Snook really well. Overall, if you're coming in with a group of two or more, this fish is a must order.

Technically, our meal was over, but a few of us stayed afterwards to chat and were treated to raw sea snails and scallops seasoned with lime and chili pepper. I've had raw scallops before and it's been a hit and miss experience with the miss happening when a scallop tasted a bit slimy. Yuck! However, these scallops had a clean texture with a little hint of sweetness. This was my first experience with raw sea snails and they had a chewy texture and strangely enough, tasted like cheese. I prefer them cooked in soup, which I've had in the past at Vietnamese restaurants.

Overall, my 2nd time around at Mariscos Chente was just as good as my first visit. I was able to re-visit a couple of dishes that I really enjoyed and was able to sample a few new ones that I savored to the last bite. Like La Casita, Mariscos Chente has really expanded my view of what Mexican cuisine is all about and I look forward to sampling more on future visits.

To see all the pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157619116077076/

Mariscos Chente
4532 S. Centinela Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90066
(310) 390-9241




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Crawling Lennox(ico) with Street Gourmet LA

I first found out about the city of Lennox from my friend, Bill aka Street Gourmet LA. Click here to read his original post about it. Simply, the stretch of Inglewood, between Century Boulevard and 111th Street, is a residential neighborhood that has been zoned for businesses, which means that homes have been converted to restaurants and other Latino-owned businesses. As soon as the words "restaurant" was mentioned, my ears perked up and after some arm pulling (actually, it wasn't that difficult to convince him), I brought together a few adventurous eaters from Pleasure Palate to do a 4 restaurant dining crawl led by Bill in Lennox or Lennoxico, as he affectionately refers to the city. Bill already posted his write-up on the experience, so I'm definitely behind the 8-ball, but such is the life of a food blogger. Technically, our first stop was at Don Rogelio, which is a Tex-Mex restaurant where we placed the order for food that we were going to share family-style.

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As the Don Rogelio cooks were preparing our dishes, we walked over to Lennox Pollo to check it out and even pick up a bird or two. With its blue roof and orange walls showcasing chickens cooking over flames, Lennox Pollo was definitely not hard to miss.

Walking in, the small dining room area was about as big as the kitchen itself and just as hot. I have to give real props to the kitchen staff for being able handle their cooking duties in that heat. I would have melted away. As we waited for our chicken, all our eyes were on them. From skewering the chickens, putting them into the fiery oven, taking the cooked ones out and then cutting them to put in plastic containers for people's orders and repeating, they got the job done efficiently and with purpose.

The end result was a juicy chicken that came with salsa and tortillas. You could get one for $6.99 or for $3.00 more, you could get two. Our hungry crew went for the twosome and luckily, Don Rogelio kindly let us devour our chicken along with the 6 other dishes we ordered from them.

Of those 6 dishes, two of them didn't do much for me. The Carnitas Mole had a "Southwest"-inspired mole sauce that had a grainy texture and a sour tangy flavor that I didn't like.


I may have liked the Stewed Tongue with Ranchera Sauce more if I didn't know what it was. Organ meats or tongue meat, in this case, have never been that appealing to me. I did taste a sliver, but although everyone else commented on how tender the tongue meat was and how good the sauce was, I couldn't get past my mental block.

Of the remaining dishes, I couldn't get enough of their housemade guacamole sauce. Made of avocados, tomatoes, green onions, lime and Texas seasonings, it was one of the best guacamoles I've ever had.

Their Chile Verde, which was diced pork simmered in tomatillo and Texas seasonings, was also one of my favorites of the meal. The pork was tender and moist and the tomatillo sauce was on the mark.

I thought the Barbacoa was also quite good. Just like the pork in the Chile Verde, the beef was tender and while the sauce wasn't that complex, it had a sweetness to it that was tasty. Overall, I found the food at Don Rogelio's to be solidly good and it would merit a return visit.

Two restaurants down and the next one we walked over to was Mariscos Chente, a Sinaloan seafood restaurant. At the time of our visit, Chef Sergio was at the helm. He has since moved over to their Westside location in Mar Vista. I've heard rumors that the current chef at the Lennox location is not on par with Chef Sergio, so you may still want to make the trek to where Chef Sergio is currently manning the kitchen.

Except for one fish dish, it was all about the shrimp with the first one being the Aguachile Shrimp which was raw shrimp with a lime-jalapeno salsa, onion, cucumber and salt. This was my first experience with raw shrimp and I loved how the spicy jalapeno sauce paired well with the sweetness of the shrimp.

Next to arrive was the Camarones Culiche. This time it was a cooked shrimp with a creamy poblano sauce. Even cooked, the shrimp still retained its sweetness and balanced well with the sauce which had a definite bite to it.

My favorite shrimp dish was the Camarones a la Pimienta which was shrimp with a butter and pepper sauce. How can you go wrong with a sauce made with butter? With the addition of the chili and black pepper, I enjoyed the zings of flavor that hit my taste buds with every bite.

Our sole fish dish of this meal was the Chicarron Pescado. This dish was fried fish skin cooked in soy sauce. There was actually still quite a bit of fish attached to the skin. The skin was delightfully crispy, but overall, I found the Chicarron Pescado a little too salty for my taste. Maybe, a little less soy sauce?

Last, but not least was the Camarones Checo, shrimp cooked with garlic, ketchup, lemon and Mexican salsa. The ketchup was a surprise, but not an unwelcome one. It added a hint of sweetness to the tart and pungent flavors of the lemon and garlic.

Mariscos Chente definitely awed my entire group with how good their seafood was and I told myself that this was one restaurant, I definitely needed to make a return trip to, sooner rather than later. A few months after this visit, the story of the delicious seafood at Mariscos Chente broke out all over the blogger sphere after Bill's write-up on his blog; however, it was nice to know that we got a preview of what was to come. Most of us were stuffed and actually didn't plan on making another restaurant stop, but soon found ourselves at Angelica's.

At Angelica's, we kept it a lot more simple and just sampled really small portions of 3 items. One of those items was a Chorizo Pambazo Sandwich, but we had such a small section that I can't really remember what it tasted like. We also had a Mole Verde Beef (beef with green mole) and Trocitos de Res (chopped beef in red sauce). I really liked the Mole Verde Beef. The only other time I had a mole verde sauce was at Guelaguetza, but the version at Angelica's was thicker and in my opinion, was better. I can't really explain why other than that it had a more intense flavor. I didn't think the Trocitos de Res was anything special. In fact, the red sauce seemed really bland.

Overall, this was quite a dining marathon and definitely introduced me to a part of town one may not expect to find good food. It just goes to show that if you take the time to do some exploring, you may discover one or two tremendous food finds. Either that or have a friend like Bill, who can do the exploring for you.

To see all the pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157618284648942/

Lennox Pollo
10822 Inglewood Avenue
Lennox CA 90304, USA

Don Rogelio's
10618 Inglewood Avenue
Lennox, CA 90304
(310) 677-1510

Mariscos Chente
10020 Inglewood Avenue
Inglewood, CA 90304
(310) 672-0226‎

Angelica's Restaurant
10533 S. Inglewood Ave
Lennox, CA 90304
(310) 412-7861



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