Chocolate Afternoon Tea at the Langham Hotel

One evening I was online, not doing anything in particular, until across my twitter feed, I saw a tweet from @tarametblog flash by about a Chocolate Afternoon Tea that she experienced at the Langham Hotel in Pasadena. I was soon scrolling down until I came to her message and it included a link to her blog write-up. Upon reading it, I was hooked and thanks to Tara and the Langham, my guest and I were hosted for this wonderful chocolate experience.

Before we even got to the Lobby Lounge where the afternoon teas are held, it was hard not to go through the hotel lobby and the courtyard garden without taking photos. The courtyard had a really pretty setting flanked by trees along two paths that split on either side of a fountain pool. Soon our chocolate cravings were calling to us, so we stopped lingering and finally stepped through the doors.

Walking through the Lobby Lounge, there were assorted couches with tables and tea settings. On both sides of the room, there were chocolate sculptures that were done by the in-house pastry chefs. We almost stopped when we saw the chocolate fountain with the assorted fruits and other treats, because it looked mighty tempting, but we weren't quite ready to dive in just yet.

After we were seated, we were given the menu so that we knew what to look forward to and after perusing a selection of teas, I opted for the Mayan Truffle Tea while my friend went for the Chocolate Mint Truffle. While we were waiting for our sandwiches to arrive, we were each offered a complimentary glass of champagne.

Soon after, 3 tiers of tastiness arrived and those 3 tiers included the scones and sandwiches. Where were the sweets you may ask? I'll get to those later, trust me.

I always start with the scones and we had two different kinds, a chocolate chip scone and a marble chocolate chip scone, which actually tasted the same to me. The only difference is that one had marbling and the other one didn't. I did like both of them though. I've had scones in the past that were like hockey pucks, but these scones were just right. Firm on the outside, but flaky and a little moist in the inside. As for the scone accompaniments, the wild blueberry jam was wonderful, the Devonshire cream was light and fluffy, but the Lemon Curd didn't quite do it for me. It did have a nice fresh consistency, but it was either too tangy or too sweet or maybe too much of both? Regardless, I didn't go for seconds.

Then I started to make my way through the sandwiches. One thing to mention is that each sandwich had an essence of chocolate. It was all about subtlety and not big flavors. First, there was the Smoked Salmon, Roasted Fennel and Cocoa Nib Mousse. I'm not exactly sure what fennel is supposed to taste like, but I did get a tiny hint of bitterness from the cocoa nib mouse that paired well with the smoked salmon.

Next was the White Chocolate and Avocado Mousse with Vanilla Marinated Shrimp. Technically, white chocolate isn't actually chocolate, but still it went nicely with the avocado mousse and both really went well with the shrimp. My one issue with shrimp was that it was overcooked, which made it dry and a little chewy.

The Foie Gras Mousse Profiterole with Chocolate Dust was actually my favorite of all the sandwiches. I liked how the profiterole was light and airy and that the chocolate dust cut into the sweetness of the foie gras mousse so that everything tasted in synch.

After the Profiterole came the Cucumber, White Chocolate Mint Mousse and Grapefruit sandwich round. This was actually my least favorite of all the sandwiches. The cucumber was too thick plus I think that the mint part of the mousse was too subtle and the grapefruit was lacking in tartness.

The savory portion of this tea ended with the Serrano Ham, Burrata Mousse with Chocolate Caviar. That ham was tasty. I could have easily just eaten more of the ham by itself without anything else, but I liked how the burrata mousse and the chocolate caviar balanced the saltiness of the cured ham.

After our sandwiches, it was time for dessert. Our server actually took us on a tour of the dessert station and the fondue station and basically explained what the various offerings were. There was also an angel statue where you could sample both Earl Grey truffles and Cardamom truffles.

We started with the chocolate fondue station. The dipping options included marble cake, nougat, lemon marshmallows, peppermint marshmallows and assorted fresh-cut fruit. First, in regards to the chocolate fondue itself, it was decadently rich and I loved the flavor. The one thing I would change is to make it a teeny thinner. It was a bit too thick which made the food kind of glop on the plate after we coated them. My choice of dippees or is it dippers included one juicy strawberry and one of each of the marshmallows. I liked how both the lemon and peppermint marshmallows were subtle in flavor so as to not clash with the richness of the chocolate.

I was actually feeling really stuffed, but somehow my friend and I rallied and headed to the dessert station where there were 14 different chocolate inspired desserts. We ended up sharing 9 of them, although we only took little bites (so I tell myself anyway). My favorite was the White Chocolate Green Tea Panna Cotta. The panna cotta was rich and creamy and it was nice how the white chocolate cut into the bitterness of the green tea to make it well balanced in flavors.

Both the Milk Chocolate Orange Gateau and Chocolate Raspberry Gateau were also excellent. I do think that the orange could have been brought out more, but the raspberry had a lovely sweet tartness to it and both cakes were rich and moist.

The Chocolate Madeleine and the Orange Black Tea Madeleine were disappointing. Both of them were dry, which is too bad, because the flavors were spot on for the Orange Black Tea Madeleine.

I'm usually not much into macaroons, but the Chocolate Macaroons were little bites of heaven. That chocolate cream filling was just delicious and the cookie was light and airy.

The Chocolate Coated Candied Orange Sticks were pretty good, although a tad too sweet. However, when you bit into one of those sticks, it tasted juicy, like biting into a real orange and that was a tasty surprise.

I liked the presentation of the chocolate brulee in a serving spoon and I enjoyed the intense caramelization coming from its surface. I also think that I tasted coconut, although there was no mention of coconut as being part of the ingredients.

The final, but not the least, dessert was the Chocolate Cream Fruit Tart. I gotta say that anything to do with chocolate cream, the Langham does superbly. That chocolate cream was rich and creamy and matched well with the tart berries.

So you think we'd be done by now, right? Nope, there was one last item. Basically, the end of the whole experience comes in a cup of liquid chocolate. You had your choice of 3 different kinds. I went for the Spicy Chocolate and my friend went for the Hazelnut Chocolate. I got to sample the Hazelnut Chocolate and found it too sweet, but I really enjoyed my Spicy Chocolate. The one thng I'd adjust and maybe, it's just a preference thing, is the temperature. Both of the liquid chocolates weren't hot enough. They seemed a little bit lukewarm. I'm not sure if that's the way they are supposed to be served, but I would have enjoyed mine even more if it was a little hotter, temperature wise.

Overall, it was a wonderfully, relaxing and sweet way to spend a Sunday. The ambiance was wonderful and our service was excellent and except for a few little things, I absolutely enjoyed this chocolate-themed foodie activity and if you're a chocolate lover, then this Chocolate Afternoon Tea is definitely for you!

By the way, the Chocolate Afternoon Tea is $59 per person and served Sundays from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm. For reservations, please dial (626) 585-6218

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157617025174919/

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

Street Food: Oaxacan Quesadillas and Churros

Do you know what's one of the best things about having foodie friends? Simply, as one person there's no way you could possibly know about all the great eats in the city, but if you have many friends who share your culinary passions, you're always bound to hear about some new dining experience that's just too fantastic to pass up. Well, my friend Robert, heard about and eventually checked out a street cart where a woman makes Oaxacan quesadillas using blue corn tortillas and usually towards the later afternoon, a churro truck will also park within a hop away from this cart. Oaxacan quesadillas and churros? How can one pass that up? I certainly didn't and Robert led the way.

So last Sunday, off we went. When we arrived, our group of 5 crowded around the cart and after talking to the lady, we found out that we had an option of 6 different fillings: chicarrones, squash blossoms, chicken, frijoles, chorizo and potato and huitlacoche. We decided to order one of each, except for the frijoles and just share them. She was even nice enough to cut the quesadillas in 4 to 5 sections for easier eating.

The whole process was simple. First, she would get a ball of blue corn masa that was in a plastic bag next to her.

Then she'd pat it between her hands and than start patting it flat on the stove's surface. I can't even imagine how hot that surface was, but it didn't seem to phase her.

Afterwards, she'd add a handful of mozarella cheese and the filling of your choice and let it lay flat for a while before folding it in half. Sometimes it was ready to go and other times, she'd let it still cook for a little while before putting on a paper plate and handing it to you.

Once you got your quesadilla, she had some additional ingredients that you could either top your quesadilla with or put inside of it. There was a mixture of nopales, red onions and cilantro in one container. You could also add a sprinkle of cotija cheese or a spoonful of a really hot salsa or a milder green salsa.

As mentioned, our group sampled 5 of the various fillings. First, we had the chicken quesadilla, but before I talk about that, I do have to say that I really liked the blue corn tortillas. It had a nice medium-thick texture and there was a nuttiness to the masa that I also really enjoyed. What was nice about the chicken was that it wasn't dry and it had a nice flavor to the marinade.

Our second quesadilla had a huitlacoche filling, sometimes referred to as corn smut or Mexican truffles depending on who you talk to, but basically it's a fungus. Huitlacoche is actually quite delicate, but can add a smoky, earthy and pungency to dishes like tamales, stews and in this case, quesadillas. I actually thought the huitlacoche in this case had a mild smokiness to it and I liked how the corn gave it a hit of sweetness.

Third on the rotation was the chorizo and potato quesadilla. This was actually my least favorite of the 5. The filling was mushy. I would have preferred actual chorizo sausages that were cut and grilled and than put in the quesadilla. That would been a big improvement.

Our fourth quesadilla was a vegetarian option that consisted of squash blossoms, corn and onions. If this was the only option available, I wouldn't have missed the meat at all.

Finally, my favorite was the chicarron quesadilla. Come on, it's fried pork. What's not to love?


By this time, all our sharing amounted to about one quesadilla and a quarter for each of us. This type of family-style sharing worked perfectly because we all got to sample a little bit of each filling and when it was time for us to order a full size one, we already knew what we liked. By the way, we did each filling individually because we wanted to taste them on their own, but you can choose more than one ingredient for your quesadilla. I went for the squash blossom and chicarrones combination, which was absolutely delicious.

What a great find! The quesadillas ran $3.00 each and she had also different drinks ranging from $1 to $2. The way you pay is pretty much on the honor system. Once you're done eating and ready to leave, that's when you pay her. What's nice is that whenever she collects money, she always puts on gloves and that's definitely smart on her part. Now this is street food worth driving for.

Sometimes parked down the street from the quesadilla lady, you'll find Salina's Churro Truck. Apparently, it used to be a pushcart so to move up to a truck speaks well for their churros.

Inside the truck, they have a funnel which pushed out the dough and immediately went into a deep fryer. Once they're fried up, the churros were coated with sugar and put into a brown bag ready to be consumed at will.

8 for $3.00 is a heck of a bargain. I found them to be a little doughy for my taste. I would have preferred that they were fried a little bit longer, but I appreciated their golden crispiness.

Overall, it was a wonderful eating day. Delicious quesadillas, golden and crispy churros and all for under $10? Not only is this affordable dining, it's also a fun culinary experience and one of the things that really makes LA a great eating town.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157617005224501/

Note: When I checked out both the street cart and the churro truck, it was a Sunday. When I got there at 12:30 PM, the quesadilla street cart was already there. I actually left around 2:30 pm, but when I came back at around 5:00, she was already gone. I'm not sure as to how long she stayed or which other days she's at her spot. Apparently, the churro truck arrives between 3 and 4 pm. Both are situated on Echo Park Boulevard just around the corner from Sunset Boulevard.