Shhh...Don't Tell Anyone, But I'm Cheating on My Own Blog!

...but don't worry, I'm cheating on my own blog by contributing content to another blog, specifically, the Menuism Blog. So check it out when you get a chance. The type of stuff I'll blog about there is still related to food, restaurants, etc., but they're different in that my blog posts will not be restaurant reviews. So far, I've written the following and there's more to come, so stay tuned!

The Art of Being a Phoodie
The Ins and Outs of the Kitchen Hiearchy
Korean Food Primer

While you're at it, check out Menuism.com. It's a fairly new site that focuses on user-contributed restaurant reviews. You won't see dry cleaning, automotive, hair salon, etc. reviews there. It's just about the food. If you join, be sure to add me as a friend. I'm also the new Community Manager, so I can also answer questions about the site and anything else you need to know to help you get started. Ok, back to my regular bloggin! :)

One Dish Quickie at Spitz

Don't you have those days sometimes when you're kind of hungry, but not really, when you don't know what you want to eat, but know what you don't want to eat? You know? Those kind of days? Well, I was having one of those days when I stopped by for dinner with a friend at Spitz, self-proclaimed Home of the Döner Kebab in Eagle Rock. For those of you who don't know, the Döner Kebab is a Turkish dish made of meat cooked on a vertical spit and sliced off to order. The meat may be lamb, mutton, beef, goat or chicken. Anyway, after perusing the menu, nothing was really grabbing my attention, but the hollow spot in my stomach wanted to be filled. Finally, I settled for the The Döner Plate.

So what's the Döner Plate? It's practically everything but the kitchen sink. The ingredients were as follows: mixed chicken and half-lamb/half-beef on a bed of sweet potato fries and topped with Tzaziki and chili sauce. It's also served with lettuce, onion, tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, Feta cheese, pepperocini, Kalamata olives as well as falafel balls, hummus and two lightly fried pita chips. I'm getting exhausted just reading through all the ingredients. In my head, I was just thinking that with all these choices, I'm bound to find something tasty that would satisfy my hungry, yet not hungry self.

Finally, it landed on my table and my, oh my, what a cornucopia of ingredients. There was a lot to this dish so I decided to just dig in and worked my way from top to bottom. First, the pita chips were light and crispy and dipped in the hummus were a tasty combo, while the falafel, being a bit dry though had some nice flavor, also went well with the hummus. The lettuce was crisp and both the lettuce and tomatoes were really fresh. The salt of the olives and the dill topped Feta cheese mixed well with the veggies.

Before digging my way down, I enjoyed the papery thinness of the chicken and felt it was seasoned just right. Further down into the dish, the lamb and beef were quite salty. At first, I thought it was just me, but my friend had ordered the Classic Döner sandwich with a half beef/half lamb mixture and also found it over salted. I eventually made my way all the way to the bottom where the sweet potato fries resided. Light and crunchy, they were the highlight of the whole dish.

Since this Döner Plate was really made for two, I barely even made a dent in it. What I did have was okay. For the most part, it satisfied my weird on-off physical hunger. Maybe, if there was something extraordinary about the meat, which is really what Spitz's bread and butter is all about, I would have felt my palate hunger for something to tantalize my taste buds realized and it would have broken me out of my foodie funk. Alas, it wasn't to be.

Would I go back based on this one dish? I wouldn't make a special trip to Spitz, but if I was in the neighborhood and if I was in a better foodie mood, I might stop by to give it another shot. This time, I would definitely go for something much simpler than the every ingredient Döner Plate.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157605446395641/

Spitz
2506 Colorado Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90041
(323) 257-5600

www.eatatspitz.com

No Standing Ovation for the "Cooking by Hand" Dinner at Ford's Filling Station

I don't often go to special restaurant events just because generally the cost of attending one is equivalent to several dim sum and/or ethnic food outings, which tends to be my foodie passion anyway. However, thanks to a friend's kindness as well as a little good karma that came my way, I got invited to the "Cooking By Hand" Dinner at Ford's Filling Station with a menu designed by Chef Ben Ford, Chef Neal Fraser of Grace and BLD and Chef Gino Angelini of Angelini's Osteria and La Terza. Impressive line-up, don't you think?

The "Cooking by Hand" six-course menu was created with the idea that all the food would be primarily handcrafted using strictly seasonal ingredients. By handcrafted, it's mortar and pestle instead of an electric grinder and it's a hand-cranked ice cream maker as opposed to an electric one and so on. Apparently, this back to the basics kind of cooking was intended to inspire discussion which the chefs were supposed to lead about what it means to taking cooking "slow" and literally putting a little bit of muscle into it.

Unfortunately, the discussion didn't happen. While Chef Ford gave a little speech about the theme of the evening before the meal, no inspired discussion really followed. I think it just had a lot to do with the crowd. They were more here to grub than chit chat about the food's preparation, but at the very least, if the menu itself had a description about what hand craft methods were used to create the dish, that could have at least been a subject for discussion at the various tables.

By the way, just a quick backwards, before we even sat down to our main dinner, we were served 3 different appetizers first: a tomato soup, a sturgeon confit on toast and steak tartare on housemade potato chip. The tomato soup was at room temperature and the crouton inside the soup was a bit jarring or should I say hard? I'm not sure if the soup was meant to be hot or not, but regardless, it was too tangy for my taste. The other apps weren't memorable in flavor, but at least had a nice presentation.

So let's get on to our six course menu that started with Chef Angelini's salt cod served two ways: one as a Baccalà Mantecato and other with Tomato, Arugula, Roasted Pine Nuts and Raisins. The Baccalà Mantecato is salt cod fish that's creamed with milk, salt, pepper and other ingredients. It was a nice starter dish that was light and creamy and not too fishy. As for the salt cod salad, although I found it overdressed, I surprisingly liked the slight chewy texture of the fish itself and with it being a pretty mild fish, it paired well with the peppery arugula.

Next up was Chef Ford's Summer Cassoulet, which was made up of beans, Tuscan black kale, duck confit and bread crumbs. First, I really liked how the kale was fried. It had crispy, slightly bitter taste to it that I enjoyed a lot. As for the cassoulet itself, I felt that it was just okay. Not bad. Not outstanding. I appreciated how the duck added a nice hit of fattiness to the beans, but other than that, everything felt a tad under seasoned for my taste.

The highlight of the meal for me was our next course, a family recipe of Chef Angelini's, and that was the Lasagne Verde "Ommagio Nonna Elvira". Ingredients for this dish included fried spinach, spinach lasagna with a beef and veal ragu. Liked the fried kale, the crispy texture of the fried spinach was a definite hit. As for the dish as a whole, it was perfect in every way. The pasta was just right, not too firm, but also not too soft. The beef and veal ragu added a meaty richness that balanced well with the fresh flavor of the spinach. Of everything we ate that night, this is the one dish that I hope to actually show up on the Angelini Osteria menu (if it hasn't already), just so I can have a second chance to enjoy it.

As for the next couple of dishes, both came from Chef Fraser and unfortunately, I was not a fan. First up from him was his Pig in a Box, so called because it was cooked in a La Caja China Box earlier in the day. The pig was portioned out and served with spaetzle in a peach mustard drizzle. My disappointment mainly had to do with me getting a more fatty section of the pig plus I didn't get any crispy skin. The meat, while moist, was way too chewy. I did like the peach mustard because it gave a nice zing of fruity-spice to the meat and thank goodness, since it was quite under seasoned.

Then out came the Beef Cheek Daube with seasonal mushrooms. The meat was meltingly fork-tender, but that was the only thing I really liked. What bothered me was the sauce. It had a strange tangy/bitter after taste that I couldn't get past and the flavors didn't work with the woodsiness of the mushrooms. One of my dining companions mentioned that she thought that there was orange zest in the sauce and that may be that was contributing to the tangy/bitterness I was tasting. Our waitress confirmed the orange zest, but regardless of whether the orange zest was the culprit or not, this was my least favorite dish of the night.

Finally, it was time for dessert. To get in the spirit of using handcraft methods to create food, Chef Ford actually had two rotating hand-cranked ice cream makers circulating the restaurant. Almost everyone got a turn at that crank and in fact, contributed to the making of our ice cream with fresh peaches. Perhaps because of the work we all put it into or it there's something to be said for cooking by hand, that ice cream was one of the best I've ever had. Refreshing and oh-so-creamy, it was the best way to end the meal. One thing I wanted to note was it surprised me that the peaches were a little salty, but according to Chef Ford, by adding a little salt to the peaches, it helps balance the ice cream so that it doesn't taste over sweet. It's a trick he learned while cooking in Spain.

Even with highlights like Chef Angelini's lasagne dish and Chef Ford's housemade ice cream, this wasn't the best meal I've ever had. It lacked consistency. It ranged from okay to good to fabulous to dishes I rather would have just skipped altogether. But I got to spend time with two fun foodie friends and sometimes, that's what makes the meal more than the meal itself.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157606175345846/

Ford's Filling Station
9531 Culver Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
310-202-1470

Tasting Extravaganza at Glacier Ice Cream & Gelato

When Cecilia, one of the organizers of my dining group went into Glacier Ice Cream & Gelato to see if she could set up an ice cream tasting for Pleasure Palate, little did she know at the time that it was going to snowball into a tasting extravaganza. Apparently, Cecilia came in at the perfect time. Executive Chef Roxanne Gin, of Glacier, had been contemplating adding salads, sandwiches and soups to the menu and what better way to get feedback on her recipes than from a bunch of passionate foodies. So on one of Saturday afternoon, 16 of us walked in and by the time it was all said and done, 16 of us had to be rolled out.

Our afternoon started off simply enough with bread dipped in balsamic vinegar and a couple of basic salads: Caesar and Cobb. While we were sampling these items, Chef Gin gave us a little info about Glacier Ice Cream and Gelato, which by the way, was selected as one of America's Best Ice Cream Stores by Forbes Traveler Magazine. Glacier actually started in Colorado and just opened another location in Manhattan Beach. Lucky us! We also learned a little more about Chef Gin, who has been a chef for over 20 years. Along with ice cream, Chef Gin creates desserts (petit-fours) for cruise lines, the Fresh & Easy stores as well as various high end hotels.

The salads, while fresh, didn't really have any wow factor, but the two soups that followed were quite tasty. One was a roasted veggie and meatball soup, with a vegetable broth that was so surprisingly rich that we all thought it was chicken broth. The second was a refreshing crab gazpacho soup. I enjoyed the chunky vegetables. but would have liked more broth.

Two more salads appeared and gave the wow that the Caesar and Cobb lacked. One was a Pasta Salad and the other was an Potato-Egg Salad. Generally, these are basically picnic salads that are more of an afterthought than anything else, but let me tell you, other than the gelatos, these two salads were the talk of the group. The pasta salad ingredients included basil, tarragon, tomatoes and mini mozzarella balls. What was great about it was that it wasn't over-dressed plus I really enjoyed how the basil added a little pungent hit of flavor. The Potato-Egg Salad was also quite delicious and the addition of tarragon gave it a nice herb-y freshness.

So far, we've sampled bread, 4 salads and 2 soups. Next up were samplings of 6 different panini sandwiches. I'm just glad I hadn't had breakfast. Of the six, two really did it for me. One was the Roasted Turkey Sandwich with ingredients that included housemade cranberry sauce, red leaf, cream cheese and housemade herb mayo (mint, oregano and Italian parsley). I'm not much of a sandwich person, but this turkey one was just scrumptious. The cranberry sauce added a wonderful sweet tartness and being a cheesehead, the thick slab of cream cheese really made my day. I also really liked the housemade herb mayo, which I thought added a wonderful flavor that went well with the rest of the ingredients.

The other sandwich that also appealed to me was the Proscuitto and Salami Sandwich, which also included arugula, pesto and a thick cut sun-dried tomato. I honestly think that arugula should be the new lettuce. The combination of the peppery arugula, the meat's saltiness and the sun dried tomato that had been packed in oil and herbs was the perfect Italian sandwich.

With all this food, I bet you thought we wouldn't have room for dessert, huh? But you were wrong. After a brief demonstration of their gelato-making process, a gelato and ice cream sampling frenzy started with Chef Gin basically letting us sample as much gelato and ice cream that we wanted before choosing what we wanted for our dessert.

She even set up a little sundae bar, but honestly, the gelato and ice cream, for me, really stood out just on its own and didn't need any additional ingredients. After sampling everything from Manhattan Beach Plum to Cantaloupe to Peanut Butter to Cinnamon, etc. and that doesn't even include the ice creams I tried, I finally settled on the Coconut Stracciatella and the Cantaloupe Gelatos. I actually preferred the gelatos finding them lighter and more creamy than the ice creams, which seemed a bit heavy to me.

The Coconut Stracciatella had a wonderful richness and creaminess to it while the Cantaloupe was just so refreshing. I also ended up taking home a Papaya Sorbet, a Vermont Maple and Honey Ice Cream and one other one that I'm totally blanking on. I thought the Papaya Sorbet was a little icy, but the Vermont Maple and Honey Ice Cream, like the Coconut Stracciatella, was richly creamy.

Overall, it was a fun event and Chef Gin was extremely gracious and generous throughout our visit there. She was also open to all comments, positive or negative and that's definitely a sign of someone who really wants to put out excellent product, which for the most part, she did.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157606137713833/

Glacier Ice Cream & Gelato
1605 N Sepulveda Blvd
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
(310) 545-9730

www.glacierhomemadeicecream.com

One Dish Quickie at El Tepeyac

There's just something I love about fried eggs, especially when it's fried to the point that the white edges are browned and yet the yolk still retains some of its liquid gold. Sometimes a fried egg sandwich on lightly buttered toasted bread is all I need for a satisfying meal. Why all the egg talk? When it comes to dining out, I always seem to drawn to dishes that feature fried eggs, whether it's fried quail eggs on scallops or fried eggs on pizza.

So when I was out with friends to dinner at El Tepeyac, a restaurant icon in East LA, I had a hard time deciding what to order. Finally, something finally caught my attention and made my palate say "Ole!" Do you know what that was? Well, it certainly wasn't taquitos.

My one dish quickie at El Tepeyac were the Beef Enchiladas topped with Fried Eggs. When I finally got my order, I looked down and then I immediately looked around to see who'd be willing to share this dish with me. It was huge, but so were a lot of the other dishes ordered by my companions. I was definitely on my own.

Fork in hand, I cut into egg and enchilada and was happy to see the yolk gushing out. My first bite was delicioso. Granted, your doctor probably wouldn't recommend a steady diet of melted cheese, beef and eggs, but for that moment, I didn't care.

Now is this the best enchilada I ever had, even with the fried egg? Probably Not. Would I go out of my way to return to El Tepeyac just for this dish? Not really. But for that moment, it was tasty, filling and hit the spot. Of course, whenever I go to into a Mexican restaurant in the future, I just might have to see if the chef would be willing to take a special request - fried egg on enchilada, anyone?

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157605604934261/

El Tepeyac
812 N Evergreen Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90033
(323) 267-8668

Korean Fried Chicken Smackdown: Kyochon vs BonChon

Kyochon Chicken, a Korean Fried Chicken chain, has been on my list to try for awhile now. With thoughts of hot and spicy, double-fried chicken constantly running through my head, it was getting harder and harder to resist making the drive to Koreatown just to see what the fuss was all about. However, when I heard that Bon Chon, whose specialty is also Korean Fried Chicken, opened down the road, I knew it was time for a Korean Fried Chicken Smackdown! Oh yeah!

So with a few hardy souls from my dining group, we spent an afternoon checking out both restaurants, one after another. Our first stop was at Kyochon. The first thing that surprised me was that I was expecting to order at the counter, but instead, we were seated and given menus. Even more surprising? A call box. I was definitely not anywhere near Kentucky Fried Chicken

At Kyochon, there are two kinds of chicken: garlic soy sauce chicken and their hot chicken. Chicken options also included ordering them just as wings, drumsticks (referred to as sticks) or as a whole cut-up chicken. We opted for the garlic soy sauce chicken wings and the Hot Sticks as well as rice, pickled radish and french fries.

While the sides came first, the chicken with a side of coleslaw that was topped with mayonnaise and ketchup, soon followed. In front of me was dream to reality so I was more than ready to dig in. I sampled the garlic soy sauce chicken first. Oh my! It was absolutely delicious. The crispiness and crunchiness of the chicken was out of this world. Thank goodness for double-frying! What I liked about this chicken were the subtle seasoning nuances, when combined really made for a flavorful chicken. Yes, I could taste the garlic and the soy sauce, but there were other flavors tripping along my palate that I couldn't quite identify. According to the menu, the garlic soy sauce chicken was made with 20 ingredients. Perhaps they meant seasonings or spices? All in all, it was pretty tasty.

Now let's talk about the Hot Sticks, which are basically drumsticks with the hot sauce. When I took my first couple of bites, I thought it was hot, but not overwhelmingly so. However, the more I ate into my Hot Stick, the heat slowly started spreading from the tip of my tongue towards the back of my throat and then kind of lingered there for awhile. What appealed to me about the hot chicken was the counter balance of sweetness to the chicken's spiciness because that interplay of sweet and hot gave Kyochon's hot chicken a fullness of flavor that I found appealing.

After a satisfying starter meal at Kyochon, let's jump to Bon Chon. Like Kyochon, there is tableside service. We were seated and given menus. Also like Kyochon, they had a soy sauce garlic chicken and a hot chicken on the menu and of course, we ordered both. Now comes the differences. First, at Bon Chon, we were served complimentary iced barley tea and pickled radishes Pickled radishes were $1 at Kyochon. Their coleslaw came out separately from the chicken and was topped with Thousand Island dressing. Also, while our chicken came out fairly quickly at Kyochon, we were specifically told at Bon Chon that our order would take 30 minutes to make and they were definitely right about that.

Half an hour later, our chicken wings arrived and when they arrived, we couldn't tell which ones were the soy garlic and which ones were the hot chicken. They looked absolutely the same. The only difference was the basket liner. One was green and white and the other was orange and white. So we went by the maxim that orange meant hot, which equated to hot chicken and it turns out we were right. Of course, for all we know, the liners weren't specific to the chicken and we were just lucky.

Since it's better to go from mild to hot, I tried their soy garlic chicken first. Like Kyochon, it was crispy and crunchy, but unlike Kyochon, it had a little bit of glaze to it. As for flavors, I actually felt that the soy sauce and garlic flavors were more prominent in the Bon Chon version and being a garlic lover, I couldn't help but applaud that.

As for Bon Chon's hot chicken, I can safely say that it was much hotter than when I experienced at Kyochon. My first bite of Bon Chon's hot chicken reminded me of tabasco sauce and a lot of it. In fact, my lips were even tingling a little bit. Like wildfire, the heat quickly spread from tip of the tongue to the front of my mouth to all over my palate. The spiciness itself was something I could handle, but food shouldn't be spicy just for the sake of being spicy. Bon Chon's hot chicken just seemed one note to me and I didn't really want to play along. By the way, if you have a palate that doesn't handle heat very well, be sure to partake of the pickled radishes that come with your meal, because that will help tame the beast for you.

Overall, what I truly appreciated about both Kyochon and Bon Chon was that their chicken wasn't greasy and also that that the chicken skin was fried to a thin, crackly goodness as opposed to having that flabby layer of skin remaining intact, when chicken is deep-fried, the traditional American way, with batter.

So what are the smackdown results? In regards to the soy sauce garlic chicken, while I enjoyed both, I'm giving a slight edge to the Kyochon version because I enjoyed the different flavor nuances, but I'd also be just as happy with the garlicky goodness that I experienced at Bon Chon. When it came to the hot chicken version, hands down, Kyochon does it for me. Bon Chon's hot chicken just wasn't a hit for me. In regards to the rest of my dining group, the overall consensus seemed to go by way of Kyochon Chicken.

By the way, with all these myriad of spicy, garlicky, savory flavors in our mouth, we ended our foray with Korean Fried Chicken with the refreshing Korean shaved ice desserts at Ice Kiss, right next door to Bon Chon. Fire followed by ice in Koreatown. What a perfect ending!

By the way, to get more detailed info about the Korean Fried Chicken method, click here!

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157605930546090/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157605977562274/

Kyochon Chicken

3833 W 6th St

Los Angeles, CA, 90020

(213) 739-9292

Bon Chon Chicken

3407 W 6th St

Los Angeles, CA, 90020

(213) 487-7878

ADDENDUM: Since having visited the two places above, I also had a chance to visit the Rowland Heights location of Kyochon Chicken. At this location, it's more of a food court atmosphere You order at the counter and either eat at the outside tables or take the food to go. What I found interesting is although they're part of the same chain, the chicken tasted different. At the Rowland Heights location, their hot chicken was actually even hotter than Bon Chon's hot chicken. and their soy sauce garlic chicken was a little saltier and lacked the depth of flavor I found at the Koreatown location. So although the Rowland Heights location is a bit closer to me, I'd rather make the trek to Koreatown.

Not As Good as Mom's Cooking at Pondahan

When it comes to dining at restaurants that feature cuisine you grew up with, it's safe to say that one will definitely be much more critical of the food itself. Such was the case when I dined at Pondahan, a Filipino restaurant in West Covina. While I'm going to sound biased, there's not much that can beat my Mom's cooking. So if I'm going to have a meal at a Filipino restaurant, it better be as good, if not better than what my Mom has been cooking for her family for years, for me to want to come back. On that note, let's start.

For our meal, we shared 12 dishes. That's the nice thing about having a dining group with people who actually have the desire to try new foods, even if they have to be rolled out of the restaurant afterwards. Basically, what that means is that we'll usually try to order a good sampling from the menu and if there's leftovers to take home, that's even better.

We started off with the Appetizer Sampler which had egg rolls, chicken wings, fried calamari, sweet potato fries and tortilla chips. Since I only tried the calamari, I can't say much about the rest of the items on that plate; however, the calamari batter had a nice little peppery flavor to it. I can say that I thought the sweet potato fries and tortilla chips were an odd choice to add to this dish. I don't recall my Mom ever whipping up either of them for dinner, so I actually thought it was kind of silly to even offer them up on the menu, but maybe, that's just me.

As for the two noodles dishes we ordered, one was the Pansit Malabon and the other was the Pansit Canton Guisado. The recipe for Pansit Malabon generally consists of cooked rice noodles topped with a hodgpodge of crushed fried pork skin, scallions, sliced hard-boiled eggs, shrimp, fried garlic and depending on the cook, other ingredients may come to play like flaked fish, tofu or squid, etc. The sauce is usually made up of shrimp juice, cornstarch (for thickening), fish sauce and/or soy sauce, achuete seeds for food coloring and again is subject to customization depending on the cook and/or the region they're from. Usually the only green I see on my Pansit Malabon are green onions, so I was surprised to see the dish arrive with pechay (also known as bok choy).

With or without the veggies, I was disappointed in the Pondahan version of the Pansit Malabon. It wasn't very flavorful. I didn't get much shrimp or salty/fishy taste from the sauce, which is key to this dish. As for the Pansit Canton Guisado, which is just thicker noodles sauteed with veggies and shrimp and/or pork, I didn't find it that memorable, but I should also mention that even when my Mom cooks this same dish, I generally pass it by. I prefer the Filipino noodle dishes when the thinner rice noodles are used in the recipe like Pansit Bihon.

The next dish that came out was a definite hit with the group and it was the Eggplant Omelet, but the way it was presented was different than I've seen it before. Usually, the whole eggplant is wrapped in the omelet, but in this case, the eggplant was already chopped. Personally, I think the presentation of the whole eggplant is more interesting; but an eggplant omelet by any other name or configuration can still be quite tasty and this one was. I enjoyed the well doneness of the egg and how the eggplant filling had a little bit of juiciness to it.

Also on the menu was Pinakbet, which is a vegetable dish cooked in shrimp paste sauce. Sometimes you'll see it with our without shrimp, but this was the first time I've had it topped with deep fried pork and that was a good thing. How can you go wrong with deep fried pork, people? I loved all the veggies from the okra to the squash, the bitter melon to the beans and the only thing I think it lacked was more shrimp paste. Pinakbet is known for having pungent flavors to it, stemming from the shrimp paste and in this case, more would have been better.

We also had garlic fried rice, which delivered in garlicky goodness. Our last six dishes were as follows: Boneless Grilled Milkfish, Crispy Pata (deep fried pork leg), Kare Kare, Bicol Express, Chicken Adobo and Beef Steak. Of the six, the Bicol Express and the Beef Steak weren't that impressive. The Bicol Express is seafood cooked in spicy coconut milk, but there was no spice to be had plus there wasn't any creamy richness to the sauce, which was watered down. The Beef Steak was plain boring with the meat not tender enough.

I enjoyed the Boneless Grilled Milkfish, which I can tell had been marinated in vinegar. That bit of sour and tang was just what my Filipino palate needed. By the way, milkfish is indigenous to Southeast Asia and while the fish meat can be mild and tender, it's so bony that eating it is sometimes more pain than it's worth. To to be able to order it and have it prepared without the bones is a truly wonderful thing. There's not much to really say about the Crispy Pata. It's a pork leg that's been deep fried with the skin on and unless it's been over fried, it's a dish that generally everyone will want seconds or even thirds of. While not great for the arteries, everyone enjoyed each and every single bite. Actually, the one I should mention is the Crispy Pata was served to us already cut. While much easier for eating purposes, there's something to be said for the whole leg presented on a plate with a knife sticking out of it. It makes such a dramatic entrance when it's put on the table that I've seen people oooh and ahh over it.

Last but not least were the Kare Kare and Chicken Adobo. Kare Kare is oxtails cooked with vegetables in a peanut sauce. Hands down, this is my favorite dish and whenever I have a craving, I'll do whatever it takes to bribe my Mom to make it. Of everything I had heard about Pondahan, it was the Kare Kare that everyone raved about so I was definitely looking forward to checking it out.

At my first look, I could already tell it was a little different from my Mom's recipe. The sauce looked thicker than I grew up with. It's a preference thing, but I like my kare kare sauce to be a little thinner. After my first taste, I still thought the sauce was too thick, but there was a strong, rich peanut taste that actually did it for me. When I poured it over my rice, I was able to enjoy as is and that's the sign of a kare kare sauce done well. The only other nitpick I had was while the dish was generously filled with vegetables, you got more oxtail tendon than oxtail meat, which was a let down.

Finally, there's the Chicken Adobo, which is chicken stewed primarily in soy sauce and vinegar with bay leaf thrown in for additional flavoring. I think of Chicken Adobo as a great Filipino starter dish because it represents a lot of the flavors that are a part of Filipino Cuisine. Our palate loves the tangy, the tart, the pungent, the sour, the salty of the foods we eat, which you can see from our liberal use of shrimp paste, vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce in a lot our recipes.

Chicken Adobo isn't a complicated dish to make, but sometimes the seemingly easy dishes are also the easiest to mess up because you could take it for granted when you're making it. For me, if a Filipino restaurant can't prepare this classic dish well, than it's a red light for me. Thankfully, I liked the Chicken Adobo at Pondahan. Like the Kare Kare, the soup part or what we refer to as sabow was also a little thicker than I would have liked. Perhaps a heavier use with the cornstarch in the kitchen? Even with the thicker sabow, the flavor was there. I could taste the vinegar and the soy sauce and again, it went perfectly on my rice as is.

Overall, it was hit and miss at Pondahan. When it was a miss, it's probably something I wouldn't order again, but even the hits could have used a little more tweaking, at least to satisfy my particular palate. Is Pondahan good enough for me to not miss my Mom's cooking? Nope. So far, only two restaurants have even come close: Alejandro's in Eagle Rock, which unfortunately closed and Magic Wok in Artesia, which would probably cost me more to drive there, then the actual meal itself.

However, Pondahan would definitely do in a pinch, especially for the opportunity to have a meal at a nice sit down restaurant instead of turo turo take out (e.g. steam table). When you take into consideration, fast service, good size portions and variety on their menu, I'd say that Pondahan is good enough for a return visit. In fact, after I told my Mom about the pechay on the Pansit Malabon, which is something she's ever seen or had before either, she wants to check Pondahan herself. Dutiful daughter that I am, of course, I'll take her and maybe, discover dishes that will wow more the second time around.

Pondahan
535 S. California Avenue
West Covina, CA 91790
626-856-0416

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157605617150953/

Fancy? No! Fabulous? Yes to Singapore's Banana Leaf!

When it comes to dining out, fancy white tablecloths and a trendy ambiance doesn't always mean that there's a great meal to be had. In fact, as many of you may already know about me, I'd rather have exquisitely prepared food and zero ambiance versus a mediocre meal at the swankiest restaurant in town.

Well, swanky is definitely not the word to describe Singapore's Banana Leaf. In fact, it's a pretty simple set up. It's basically a food stand at the Farmer's Market where you place your order at the counter and if there's room, sit down at the benches right in front of their space and wait for them to call your name so that you can pick up your food.

For the particular evening I was there, dinner consisted of 4 dishes that my friend and I shared. First, we had the Roti Paratha which is grilled indian bread served with vegetarian curry dipping sauce. The Roti Paratha was light and crispy and while the curry sauce had good flavor, it was too watery for my taste. I would have liked the consistency to be a little thicker and that way, it would have clung to the bread more. However, the next dish we sampled did not disappoint in any way, shape or form.

Simply, the Rojak Salad with ingredients like cucumber, jicama, pineapple, bean sprouts, apple, tofu and spinach tossed with spicy peanut tamarind dressing is definitely one of the best salads I've ever had. Although the list of ingredients may seem overwhelming, the way the flavors and textures meshed together really just blew my mind. With this one dish, you get fruity, refreshing, crunchy, juicy, sweet, grassy, spicy and tart. My tastebuds were literally applauding with each bite. If you ever make your way to this little stall, this salad is a must-have. It will not disappoint.

The last two items were just as outstanding as the Rojak Salad. First, I really enjoyed the Rendang Chicken. The meat was tender and moist and with it being slow stewed in a spicy coconut, chili and ginger sauce, you can imagine how each bite was a burst of flavor and the sweet-sour vegetable relish that was its accompaniment, paired really well with it.

Then the finale of our meal was the Laksa Soup, a spicy coconut curry soup with rice noodles, tofu, bean sprouts, homemade fish cake, chicken and shrimp chips. On a cold day or night, this would be the perfect comfort food. Chicken noodle soup is so yesterday. The richness broth of that Laksa Soup warmed me from head to toe and tripped the light fantastic across my palate.

I know, I know, I'm waxing a bit too poetically and hopefully, I'm not sounding too over the top in my descriptions, but sometimes, one of your best meals can come from somewhere you may not expect. That's why in my search for delicious food, I never judge a book by the cover. In fact, the rattier the book, the better the read and that's an analogy that can definitely be applied to dining out. So if you're ever in the Farmer's Market, drop by Singapore's Banana Leaf for a meal that is not only memorable, but may hardly even make a dent in your pocketbook and you know what that means? More money for gas! :)

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157604628193209/

Singapore's Banana Leaf
6333 W. 3rd Street
Farmers Market, Stall 122
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323-933-4627

"Got Milk?" Campaign with Milk

One day, I received an email invitation to attend the Got Milk Open House at Milk, Chef Bret Thompson's eatery in Los Angeles. It certainly wasn't a reach as to why these two got together. I'm just surprised it took so long. The purpose of the Open House was to introduce milk-based recipes developed by Chef Thompson to be featured as exclusive summer treats on the Got Milk website and for invitees to do a tasting of those recipes. I've always been curious about Milk, especially after having heard repeatedly how wonderful their ice cream bars were, but I just hadn't had any opportunity to stop by yet. Strangely enough, a couple of weeks after the invite, I dined with friends at a nearby restaurant and since we were in the neighborhood, I swung on over to get a preview.

Once I stepped into Milk and looked at the menu board, I was a little surprised. I thought that Milk primarily was an ice cream/dessert shop and yet, on the menu board were everything from salads to soups to sandwiches, but after having already filled up at dinner, the only thing on my mind was something sweet. After "oohing" and "ahhhing" over the cuteness of the cupcakes in a cone and puzzling over what was making the blue velvet cake "blue", I was finally torn between the rose ice cream sandwich and the butterscotch banana ice cream bar, but the ice cream bar prevailed.

When I finally got the bar in my greedy little hands, the first word that came to my mind was "big." That ice cream bar was quite substantial. I wasn't even sure I'd finish half of it, but somehow I did. I loved how the ice cream had a fresh banana taste to it, almost like eating a frozen banana. While I liked the butterscotch covering, especially with the nuts, I would have liked it just a little thinner so it would have been easier to bite into it without the butterscotch breaking off each and every time.

Overall, I could see why people raved about the ice cream bars. I also managed to take home whoopie pies, which had a lovely fluffy marshmallow filling and lemon bars, which I thought were a bit too tart for my taste, but okay overall. After my initial visit, I was definitely looking forward to the Got Milk Open House.

Finally, the day arrived and after having checked in and given a raffle ticket, I walked into Milk and was immediately greeted with my first tasting, the Savory Butternut Squash Soup. I absolutely loved this soup. I've had butternut squash soup once or twice in the past that seemed too candied; yet, Chef Thompson's version definitely had other flavor nuances. I checked out the recipe and saw that he included ingredients like onion, bay leaf and lemon juice, which definitely added a wonderful richness, at the same cutting down the sweetness of this soup.

While we were all sipping our soup, Tatum Wan, a representative of RL Public Relations, welcomed us, many of whom were bloggers, to Milk and than introduced Chef Bret Thompson, owner of Milk, and Steve James, Executive Director of the CMPB (California Milk Processor Board). Chef Thompson talked briefly about his recipes and about how they were all hand-made and Mr. James talked a little about the Got Milk campaign and how they ended up partnering with Chef Thompson. Apparently, Chef Thompson will be helping to promote this partnership by serving as a spokesperson in some upcoming media events that will happening all over California. After the brief introduction and a message that they will be raffling some prizes towards the event, we went back to our tasting.

Soon after the soup, the other 6 items came out in quick succession and believe me, my taste buds were ready for action. I don't quite remember the order that everything came out in, so next, I'll just talk about the other savory item on our tasting menu, which was the Cornbread with a Raspberry Jelly and Whole Corn Kernel Filling. After my last extremely disappointing corn bread experience at a soul food restaurant in recent months, I had high hopes and they were met and in fact, exceeded my expectations by Chef Thompson. Teenage Gluster said it best when he described the corn bread as tender and cloud-like. I'm more of a restaurant goer than a cook, but even I felt inspired (almost) to break out the pots and pans just so I can have a taste of this recipe whenever I wanted. Of everything we sampled, this corn bread was my absolute favorite of the bunch.

Now on to the sweet stuff. First, the Ice Blended Green Tea, which was quite refreshing, but there was really nothing that unique about it. The cuteness factor came to play (remember the cupcakes in the ice cream cones?) when the Banana Dulce de Leche Ice Cream was served in miniature ice cream cones. The banana ice cream, just like the ice cream bar I had on my first visit, tasted like fresh bananas and considering that the recipe calls for fresh banana pulp, it's easy to see why.

As for the Milky Way Malt, I was digging the blending of the vanilla ice cream, the chocolate and caramel syrups and the rest of the ingredients, but one thing was missing, the malt. I didn't really taste any malt at all. On its own as a Milky Way Shake, it would have been just fine, but as a malt, it was missing all that malty goodness.

The cuteness radar reared its again when the mini Arroz Con Leche Ice Cream Sandwich was being served. My friend who came with me really enjoy the textures of the crispy macaroon and the creamy ice cream. As for me, it's more of a preference thing. My perfect ice cream sandwich is ice cream put between two soft, chewy cookie halves, preferably either chocolate chip or peanut butter cookies. I did enjoy the ice cream itself. With hints of cinnamon and vanilla, I almost felt like I was eating a frozen Horchata drink, but the crisp macaroon cookies themselves were just not for me.

When it came to my favorite Chef Thompson sweet creation, it had to be the Berry Tres Leches Cake. One word. WOW! For those of you who didn't know, Tres Leches is a sponge cake that is soaked in three different kinds milk: condensed milk, evaporated milk and whole milk, which can make for a rich, but if done wrong, dessert that can be way too sweet. What's unique about this recipe is that Chef Thompson purees blueberries and than strains the juices into the milk mixture. How ingenious. Not only do you get great antioxidants from the blueberries, its tartness adds a unique flavor nuance to the tres leches cake.

By the way, remember how I had mentioned the blue velvet cake earlier? I was thinking that it was probably just chocolate caked dyed blue. Isn't that the process with red velvet cake? It turns out that there isn't any chocolate at all in the blue velvet cake. Like the Berry Tres Leches Cake, blue puree was used in the blue velvet cake.

I also chatted for a while with Chef Thompson about how long it takes for him to develop recipes, to which he replied "37 minutes." Hmmm...not even a round number. He elaborated by generally saying that when it comes to recipes, you don't really have to re-invent the wheel. Sometimes, all it takes is getting a recipe and just tweaking it and making minor changes and voila, the dish is something just a little different. When I asked him about what inspires his Milk menu, he mentioned that Milk is all about American Cuisine, but he's also influenced by the ethnic diversity to be had in Los Angeles or even in his own personal/working life. For example, the rose ice cream sandwich came about because his partner is of Middle Eastern descent.

Overall, this was a fun tasting event and it was a great reminder of the different ways we can incorporate milk in our cooking and in our diet, from something as simple as an ice blended drink to something that may take a little more effort like a tres leches cake. In the end, "milk truly can do a body good" so it's important to get your daily allowance, but if that liquid goodness can come, every once in awhile, in the form of heavenly berry tres leches cake, that's even better.

As for Chef Thompson's Milk restaurant, if his delicious desserts are any indication of how good the rest of his menu is, than I'm definitely looking forward to having a meal there one day.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157605240818291/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157605294507230/

Milk
7290 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 939-6455
www.themilkshop.com
www.gotmilk.com