Barbrix: Overpriced and Overrated

This hot spot is tucked away and almost invisible unless you look really hard to find it. Barbrix is an extremely crowded bar/restaurant that serves some Italian, Spanish and French items but ultimately failed to impress. I was excited to see so many choices under cured meats and cheeses so ordered a sampler of five kinds of ham. These included Jamon Serrano, prosciutto, speck, culatello and chorizo. They were all good enough, although the Jamon Serrano was not as fantastic as the Jamon Iberico de Bellota at The Bazaar. I mean, forget about it. No contest. Then the prosciutto wasn't as amazing as the one I had at Girasole.

Don't mean to be too negative here, but it's true that if you're going to offer cured meat plates and such that they be sliced super thin to the point of being transparent. That's really important. But they weren't sliced this way.


There are two things I did like about this place --the bread and the wine selection. The bread was nicely charred and warm, although yes, still not as good as Bouchon's most excellent bread I've been dreaming about since trying it last month.

I'm no big wine expert, but when I saw Lambrusco being offered, I had to get it since so few places offer it. The last time I had it was at Hatfield's and this was a fraction of the price. This sparkling red was refreshing and paired very well with my salty meats. It reminded me of my trip to Italy last summer. Ah, how I wish we had more Lambrusco available here! Not the $3.99 bottle. A real one.

In any case, I found the bar service not up to par although the owner or manager took off an item off the bill when I told the bartender that it wasn't very good and he saw that it stayed on the plate barely touched.

The culprit? This "crispy" pork belly wasn't just not crispy but there was hardly any meat on it. I understand there's going to be fat but this was all fat and no flesh! So as much as I love me some fat, I couldn't get myself to eat these. I found these poorly executed. Maybe they need a lesson from Chego chef Roy Choi of kogi truck fame, who makes the best glazed pork belly chunks.

To be fair, I haven't tried its dinner menu but I feel like I've tried enough. Actually, one of my favorite dishes our party shared was the grilled baby broccoli that was perfectly charred and seasoned. Never thought I'd get excited about a broccoli dish but that's how good it was. Or maybe that's how unremarkable the other meat dishes were, and you know how much I love meat.

Wurstkuche: Decent but not Great Dogs

Update: I recently returned and tried the Austin Blues, the other spicy dog and liked it a lot better. The fries were also better. Maybe it's because when I went to Top Dog in Berkeley a few months ago, I was let down by its Hot Link -- inconceivable and tragic. I love this place's beer selection. The hefeweizen was very good and good value too, at $5.50 a pop for a very tall glass! I'm a fan.

Wurstkuche sounded promising as a hot dog joint in the artists' district in Little Tokyo, so I went and tried a Louisiana Hot Link with sauerkraut and Dijon mustard. When it comes to hot dogs, I'm in the purist camp where too many relishes and toppings are considered mere distractions. The dog was decent but at the risk of sounding like a broken record, not as good as Top Dog in Berkeley.

Let's talk flavor. The bun was serviceable enough -- soft and warm. But the sausage itself, which I consider the most integral part of the dog, was not as juicy on the inside and crunchy on the outside (that squirting first bite!) as I would have hoped. I could taste the spicy flavors but it was a bit on the dry side. The sauerkraut was probably the best thing in terms of texture and flavor, but that's not an overwhelming endorsement. The green chile and cilantro chicken and turkey dog topped with stir-fried onions was rather bland and unremarkable.

The "Belgian Fries" were a big disappointment. They were practically room-temperature and not in the least crispy. Overall a bit overpriced for what it is. $6.75 for a Hot Link? On top of that, you have to pay for the sauerkraut and dipping sauces? Haven't you been to a Mexican place where all salsas and condiments are free? Might as well charge for the mustard too, which it thankfully doesn't but outrages me nevertheless.

I liked the ambiance a lot. It's a converted loft-type space so it's open with communal tables and the exposed brick walls add a nice touch. I may still return to try some other dogs, like the Austin Blues that has hardwood smoked pork and spices. For the adventurous eater, may I suggest the rattlesnake and rabbit hot dog with jalapeno peppers or the alligator and pork Andouille sausage.

Another reason to return: its extensive beer selection. Interesting German and Belgian beers like Koestritzer Schwarzbier, described as black beer sweet malty and Affligem Noël, a seasonal strong dark ale.

Wurstkuche

(213) 687-4444

800 E. 3rd St.

Los Angeles, CA 90013

Alibi Room: No Go Kogi...Again

Just a quick note to say that Kogi BBQ once again failed to impress at the Alibi Room location. The Kogi menu there is more extensive than at the trucks and there is a shorter wait while guzzling some beers. The rib taco that they ran out of at the truck was just like the spicy pork one I had at the truck -- one big mush of unidentifiable meat with an overdressed and over-vinegared cabbage mixed in. The hot dog promised "kimchi sauerkraut, cabbage slaw and Korean ketchup." First of all, not sure what's special about Korean ketchup. More watered down? Then the relish was once again overpowering whatever meat could be found. When you tasted the dog, it was like the cheapest sausage you could find at the isles of Ralph's. That mystery-meat, factory smell and taste. And don't get me started on the kimchi quesadilla. Throw in some melting cheese with chopped kimchi into a tortilla and there you have it -- oh, and don't forget to plop down some thousand island dressing type sauce to dip this so promising-but-unremarkable concoction in. I know I'm being harsh but alas, the food spoke for itself. I'd like to believe it was better before as some of my friends have insisted, but I'll never know unless the owners get back into gear. Alibi has a decent beer list though. The Echigo Stout was good, if you're a dark beer person. Ditto the Hefeweizen. Haven't tried the daily specials and tortas, but I'm not returning.

The York Delivers Microbrews but not Burgers

Must report back on my recent burger club outing at The York in Highland Park and Houston's in Century City. The York seemed so promising, with its hip "gastropub" moniker, microbrews and cool industrial interior with high ceilings.

Alas, the $13+ burger (because of extra toppings like avocado) was a sore disappointment. First of all, the patty was a bit pasty and flavorless. The meat just wasn't the greatest quality. The condiments didn't do much to salvage a bland burger. The fries were utterly unremarkable.

We drowned our sorrows in a glass of respectable Hefeweizen and concurred, as we usually do, that none comes close to Houston's delicious burger.

I had to go a few days later. I found myself going against convention and ordering the hickory burger (not found in the Sta. Monica location I usually frequent that I think is the best in LA). I should have gotten the classic California burger like I always do, topped with avocado, arugula and onions.
The hickory burger came with three slices of Canadian bacon, unmelted shredded cheddar cheese and chopped onions topped with a sweet and tangy hickory sauce. I like my burger with BBQ sauce on the side as much as the next carnivore, but the hickory sauce was more sweet than tangy and tasted flat. Besides, I never got the bacon in a burger thing -- regardless of type of bacon. Remove. My patty was overcooked to medium well when I had asked for medium rare. The sturdy sesame seed brioche-like bun was perfectly toasted and went well with the meat but the experience was lost the moment I bit into the dry and slightly chewy patty. What happened? Stick to the classics and what you know, I told myself. It was an off day. I still love Houston's and will go back any day for a protein fix.

In the meantime, I'll continue searching for that magical first bite into a bloody burger dripping with meaty goodness.

The York
5018 York Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90042
(323) 255-9675

Houston's (many locations)
10250 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90067
(310) 557-1285

Vertical Wine Bistro: Calamari Time

I'm not much of a bar hopper, but when I do drink, I look for a place where food is as good as the wine choices. Also important are comfortable chairs, good lounge music, laid-back vibe and most importantly, not having to fight with 20 other people decked out in black elbowing their way to a drink at the bar (Edison, anyone?).

I should also say I don't like the bars much in LA compared to ones in NY, only because they seem to lack a certain edge, quaintness as well as indescribable coolness factor. I'm not talking velvet rope. I detest that. But I think I found at least one wine bar I like in Pasadena, Vertical Wine Bistro.

Sure, it's overpriced ($15 for unremarkable braised garlic chicken!). You pay for the ambiance and decent food. The star of the night was hands-down the fried calamari with apple aioli and lemon. I don't think I've had calamari in LA that's crispier and fluffier on the outside. It was also just chewy enough on the inside without being gummy. Because the batter was so ethereal, it almost felt like guilt-free fried food. I could hardly taste the apple in the aioli but the garlic in the mayo dip was good enough for me.



Another nice feature is the bar's 17 wine and champagne samplers. They are called "flights" and range from 3 Sauvignon Blanc sampler for $16 to 3 Northern Italy sampler for $26. There is an extensive by-the-glass wine list and other cocktails or drinks available. The sparkling wine sampler was fun. I'd like to try the fortified wine sampler sometime as I love port, although not so much with savory food.

The delicious arugula and pear salad with goat cheese (the hard kind) and toasted hazelnuts tempered the heavier fried calamari very well. It was simultaneously crunchy and refreshing. Less impressive were the grilled cheese sandwiches, which came in all-too-sweet raisin walnut toast bread that took away from any hint of the gooey cheese. Big distraction. The braised garlic chicken was nothing special. The grilled wild salmon with lentils and bacon was a tad fishy, but the flavorful lentils were cooked just right, as was the bacon. Then again, anything tastes better with bacon.



As the name suggests, the entrance takes you up to the second floor where a cozy lounge area, bar and separate restaurant side await. The service is even and crowd very casual. Let's just say you won't run into young hollywood in this joint. One thing management could train staff better on is to avoid pressuring patrons by asking multiple times whether staff could clear the table when we weren't finished with the dishes. I felt unnecessarily rushed.

Vertical Wine Bistro
70 N. Raymond Ave
Pasadena, CA 91103
(626)795-3999