Santa Monica Seafood Company: Go!

In my quest to eat more fish (it's more of a hassle to make at home), I was delighted to discover a long-time favorite that had converted itself into a seafood shop-cum-cafe in the form of Santa Monica Seafood Company. This has always been my go-to place for seriously fresh fish for my extravagant dinner parties. The small side-cafe is a welcome addition to reasonable choices on the west side for a casual, healthy and delicious meal. It also moved to a more central location on Wilshire from its former digs.

The hamachi (yellowtail) crudo drizzled with arugula pesto and lemon oil, topped with watercress and radishes was light, guilt-free and very refreshing (note: menu says it's supposed to be basil, but I got what looked and tasted like watercress -- guess it varies depending on availability). If you like sashimi, this is the starter (or main) for you. I had it as a main when I wanted something light for dinner.


For something to warm your soul (even on "hot" summer days in SoCal), there's nothing like the cioppino, a hearty, garlicky, slightly spicy stew with clams, mussels, shrimp, calamari, pieces of fish in a tomato-y broth that's made even better by the perfectly charred ciabatta slices it comes with. Gotta love those grill marks! Dip dip onto the broth and you're in heaven.

The broth is always key -- besides the freshness of the ingredients, that is, but that's a no-brainer since this joint has that down pat -- and it was obvious that they took care to use long-simmered fish broth to impart the kind of depth of flavor only attained through slow cooking. This was my favorite entree and I liked that it could easily be shared, which I did.

The other items were not as remarkable as these first two, but decent nevertheless. The crab cakes were just above average but I've definitely had better. I liked that they had plenty of the super pricey crab meat in them, but something about the patty mix and breaded coating were not perfect. The greens salad that it came with was a good balance to the almost-deep fried cakes. I also thought the dipping sauce it came with wasn't all that. It could be a bit spicier or something. A tad bland.




The steamed crab legs and claws that came with lemons, tartar sauce and shrimp cocktail sauce were not that great. Although my eating companion thoroughly enjoyed devouring them, I was on the fence. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I prefer some seasoning in them, a-la Crustacean, with some buttah, garlic, salt and pepper.

The steamed clams with white wine, garlic and tomatoes were good, but all too similar to the cioppino, even down to the grilled bread on top. I wouldn't order them at the same time.


Still, the verdict is I want to return for more and to try other dishes, like its clam chowder on a "winter" day in Cali, fish and chips (ok, not the healthiest but) and its seared scallops with side salad. By the way, it also serves wine and beer, but skip the honey raspberry beer as it doesn't taste good. It also serves breakfast options, which makes it a good place for brunch as well. It gets crowded during peak hours but I'm looking forward to returning soon. Service is also good. There's also a bar if you're by yourself and a small shop of gourmet goodies selling everything from fancy olive oils to the creamiest stinky cheeses.

Santa Monica Seafood Company
1000 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica CA, 90401
(310) 393-5244

Osteria Mozza: Superb

I was pleasantly surprised at how good Osteria Mozza was. Yes, I had my doubts for its connections with Nancy Silverton of La Brea Bakery fame and Mario Batali. It was hyped but wow, the food and service blew me away.

I admit I ordered things Irene Virbina of LA Times recommended, like the egg and ricotta-filled giant raviolo that comes in one and the grilled quail. Both were fantastic, especially the ravioli whose egg oozed out when I poked it. Runny, creamy and the ricotta cheese complemented the browned butter so perfectly. This combo was genius.


The grilled quail was also fantastic -- moist, wrapped in pancetta, charred nicely outside and topped with sage and honey. It didn't taste too gamey and the meat was very tender.

One thing that's a bit different is it has a "mozzarella bar" section on the menu where you can sample buffalo mozzarella, burrata, a hybrid of mozzarella and ricotta and all sorts of funky mozzarella served with braised artichokes, pine nuts, currants and mint pesto, which is the one I had.

Because Silverton is a famous bread lady, I had high expectations for its complimentary bread. I was not blown away but was not disappointed either. It served little pieces of sliced baguettes topped with goat cheese, a tapenade-like paste and crisp basil ribbons.

The linguine with clams, pancetta and spicy Fresno chiles was not very spicy, despite what our waiter said about the kick. My dinner companion doesn't eat pork so had to skip the pancetta or put it on the side and that clearly took away from the dish. It's like removing the soul out of a dish, in my book. To be fair, our waiter did warn us that it wouldn't be as good without the pancetta.
The regular service as well as the wine service were excellent. Pleasant and helpful but not solicitous. The manager checked in on us and sommelier tried very hard to find me a good red but alas, it wasn't to be. I had an issue with my palate that night so skipped the wine. This didn't take away from my meal, however.

The desserts of chocolate cake with almonds and cake, berry and brittle concoction were good but nothing to write home about. The chocolate cake was far better than the latter. As you can tell, I like oozing things, and much to my delight, this cake's interior had some serious oozing chocolate action going on. Candied almonds helped to give it a bite.

I would most definitely return to sample more. The only thing is that I'm not crazy about the weird reservation policy of only being able to book exactly a month in advance and the 15-minute wait policy even if you're calling to tell them you're coming to claim your table. Not to mention the annoying wait and automated answering if you call the restaurant. That needs to be changed immediately!

Osteria Mozza
(323) 297-0100
6602 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038

Park's Finest: Fingerlickin' Fine

Update: you can now buy your very own bottle of this crazy good sauce, but it's only available at the large public events it caters. I'll let you know when it begins selling it online on its site. Enjoy!

Meat, meat and more meat. If you're not a proud carnivore, you may want to skip this post. The first time I had a taste of Park's Finest was at Tuesday Night Cafe, which was MC-ed by founder and BBQ-master extraordinaire, Johneric Concordia himself. He brought some chicken that tasted good enough, but it wasn't until I had a dab of the fantabulous barbecue sauce that I became an instant groupie.

It took me exactly two seconds to think of an excuse to cater a Park's Finest BBQ party.

We got the pork baby back ribs (left), ribeye roast, chicken and sausages for meat and the corn bibingka, of course. They threw in a special cut of beef rib meat (above) they called dinosaur something but all I have to say is that it was my favorite -- cooked medium rare and all.

The food came on time and piping hot. Everything was fantastic. The only thing I would say they could have done better was the chicken. Maybe because the chicken pieces were smaller and uneven in size, the smaller chicken legs, in particular were a bit dry. BUT, nothing that couldn't be remedied with some smothering (more like dunking, drowning...you get the idea) of that lovely barbecue sauce with a Filipino twist that contains sugar cane, pineapple, soy sauce, garlic and...he'll have to kill you first to divulge the secret. When asked, he once famously said, "unicorn blood." No offense to animal-lovers. One of the hosts also famously wrote that she wanted to drink the sauce by itself. They should really sell this stuff in jars.

The sauce makes this barbecue. Don't get me wrong. The meats are great but significantly enhanced by the addition of this sweet, spicy, garlicky, smoky delight that you likely have never tasted before. It's that transformational.

The corn bibingka was sweet, soft, grainy and toasted slightly on top -- in short, the perfect accompaniment to the meaty stars of the barbecue.

The host and I made some sides, like corn on the cobb, peach and greens salad, roasted curried fingerling potatoes, cole slaw, pepper and cucumber salad, to balance out the heaviness from the meat. It didn't necessarily stop us from overeating but it certainly helped to temper the meatfest.

Still, we could have fed an army with the copious amounts of meat and food that was available. Not to mention our amazing array of cocktails, courtesy of our resident mixologist who made the best mango and strawberry margaritas, mojitos and caipirihnas.





You can find out where the name, Park's Finest, came from and the full menu on its site below. It also has pork tenderloin, beef ribs and much more. This BBQ is not to be missed. Cater it for your next work or play event.

Park's Finest
Tel. (213) 247-4909
theparksfinest213@gmail.com

Bazaar Redux: Never As Good as the First Time

It's true. The second and third experiences at this restaurant that I mention in every other review have not been as transformational. But while the service was far too rushed and the Jamon Iberico de Bellota wasn't nearly as buttery and wonderful as that first time, I've made at least one other discovery at every subsequent visit. I can't say everything was good, but plenty of winners for sure.



On the second visit, for example, revelation came in the form of King Crab served with some fresh raspberries and raspberry vinegar. It was not only beautiful to look at but the slightly sweet and tart raspberries went perfectly well with the meaty crab flesh.



Other highlights included cotton candy with foie gras -- yes, a tad gimmicky but good -- and the tuna ceviche avocado roll. I liked the cotton candy's fluffy texture of the cotton candy with a sweetness and the "meat" of the foie gras inside. It's fun and good. The tuna ceviche avocado roll was refreshing and the crunchy surprise was the crumbled toasted homini bits sprinkled on top.

I also liked the lamb loin and his take on the classic gambas al ajillo -- garlic shrimp -- was good. I liked that the shrimps were actually large-sized.


My favorite on my third visit was an off-the-menu item that our waiter curiously whipped out well into our dinner -- Japanese baby peaches (the green grape-like fruit on left) with regular Georgia peaches, Greek yogurt, baby arugula, drizzled with olive oil and an excellent vinegar using a grape called Pedro Ximenez and sprinkled with za'atar, which is a Middle Eastern mix of herbs and spices.

I first thought it'd be too sweet like a dessert but the combination oddly worked amazingly well. The Japanese baby peaches, which I had never had, were sweet but not overly so and juicy. I scooped all the parts together and the sweetness of the fruit blended formidably well with the tartness of the yogurt. But the double whammy kickers were undoubtedly the vinegar essence and the za'atar powder that gave it all these layers that had me savor it for a while after popping it into my mouth.


A novelty item that could have had more of a kick was the Rossejat, or paella-style pasta topped with shrimp, which was interesting but was missing sometihng -- more spice, more vegetables, or...It was cooked in seafood broth so I could taste the sea but the shrimp on top seemed to have been steamed separately and therefore didn't seem to blend in as well with the rest of the dish. And it could have used some other vegetables, shellfish or seafood.

Other good but nothing specials included seared scallops with romesco sauce (I like the classic grilled leeks with romesco better) -- the scallops were on the tough side.

The artichokes and citrus salad with orange blossom and pomegranate tasted light and fresh, just a little bit on the bland side.

Then there were items that didn't work as well, such as sea urchin on a bun with jalapeno and avocado, the pisto (vegetable stew with tomato and runny egg that gets mixed in) and my least favorite, the tuna toro “Nigiri” with wasabi, watermelon, red wine, soy and jalapeno. First of all, the toro wasn't that great quality -- it didn't melt in your mouth like the one at Hiko Sushi. Second, the "Nigiri" was drowning in the sauce. And then there was foam. It just didn't work. Flavors didn't meld and the sub-par quality toro ruined it for me.

Our waiter suggested another item off the menu that unfortunately didn't work either. It had grilled figs with jamon Iberico (regular, not Bellota), baby arugula, crumbled toasted walnuts and that ubiquitous Pedro Ximenez reduction.


This dish sounded great on paper but the ham overpowered everything else and didn't let the figs, which should have been front and center.

I was sorely disappointed that they didn't have my favorite dessert with beet merengue, berry sorbets, pistachios and fresh berries. I had the fresh berries with a coconut emulsion on the bottom and topped with a creme fraiche-type cream that had lime bits in it. This dessert was interesting in flavor combinations but ultimately not successful. Apparently it is the brainchild of Albert Adria, the brother of famed chef Ferran Adria of El Bulli fame. I've also had the Apple Carlota, a warm apple tart with saffron sauce and milk ice cream, which was fine but not out of this world. The classic flan with vanilla and oranges was soft and yet firm enough to spoon into it with the right sweetness and creamy consistency.


I was sad to see that the service had gone from stellar to good. While the wait staff was always helpful and chill, I thought the staff rushed us by coming by and asking to clear our plates every five minutes and some were not that great in their knowledge of the menu -- or would recite things like they had memorized it word-by-word and would utter them no matter what we said. It seemed mechanical and not well-trained to me. I recall the wonderful service I had the first time I went. I guess it's really never as good as...


I would return (in fact, I am returning this weekend) but will try some things I haven't yet, such as canned scallops or sea urchin and Norwegian lobster, to name a few. Stay tuned for another installment of...njeats goes to The Bazaar once again! By the way, the cava rosado was the bomb. Skipped the sangria and it was still good.

The Bazaar

The Lowdown on Downtown Lunch

It's been fun exploring all the new and more exciting lunch options around downtown. I found a good falafel place, Bar-B-Kosher; the very promising Sandwich Shop serving Bahn mi that also has some creative sandwiches like a Philly cheese steak sandwich using bulgogi as the meat; the disappointing Cole's French dip and unremarkable Colori Kitchen for Italian.



The broiled chicken breast pita sandwich at Bar-B-Kosher was good. I could tell they used quality ingredients, like the chicken that tasted fresh and the diced cucumber and tomatoes. It was a salad in a plain pita. Owner said the place would soon offer wholewheat pita as there seems to be enough demand. For those who like strong flavors like me, the sandwich tasted a lot better after I added some of the spicy green sauce you need to ask for that seemed to be garlic and parsley-based.
The sandwich came with the familiar bright fuschia pickled radishes a-la-Zankou and a cole slaw-type side that were both so so. Still, I am looking forward to trying other things on the menu, like the falafel or shakshuka, described as 2 eggs over a tomato and bell pepper stew. It also offers an array of salads that you can order as a combo, such as roasted eggplant, chopped tomato and cucumber, hummus, tabouli, Moroccan style carrots and beets, to name a few. I tried the eggplant, carrots, hummus and cucumber tomato and they were good if not fantastic and I could definitely tell the ingredients were fresh. The owner seemed to take great pride in that.
The place also has outdoor seating, albeit not the nicest ambiance amid the downtown traffic.

Another spot for a quick lunch is Sandwich Shop, owned by a Korean guy who concocts creative sandwiches and offers many different types of sandwiches like Vietnamese Bahm mi sandwiches on baguette, Cubano or a Gaucho with steak topped with a garlic and parsley mix that is chimichurri sauce. I tried the Bulgogi Cheesesteak and to my disappointment, the meat was not good quality meat so it smelled a bit and the marinade was far too sweet. I think the idea is great but he should use better ingredients to really make it work. The pulled pork special was ok but again, the pork could have been braised for longer. It wasn't as fall-off-the-bone as it should be.

Still, I'd like to return to try the Bahm mi and other sandwiches. Some promising ones include the French Onion, featuring caramelized onions and gruyere cheese on pressed walnut raisin bread or the Turkey Avocado Cheddar Melt, with smoked turkey, avocado, cheddar, chipotle spread and romaine lettuce on pressed ciabatta.

Cole's Original French Dip sandwich had all the makings of a down-home original joint -- quaint decor and a passionate owner who restored the original to its current state. But alas, the namesake sandwich was nothing special (meat was tough and dip was not that flavorful) and the sides including coleslaw and mac-n-cheese were below average. The coleslaw had too much mayo and the mac-n-cheese was bland. The only thing worth salvaging was the potato salad but maybe it had something to do with the addition of bacon bits in it. I wouldn't return. As for how it ranks against Philippe's, I think it's better than Philippe's but that not saying much because I thought Philippe was downright bad. I know it's a beloved institution but it just ain't good.

I had heard much raves about Colori Kitchen and got the standard spaghetti and meatballs in tomato sauce. I usually order spaghetti bolognese as a way to gauge Italian restaurants (utterly unscientific, I know), and also because I tend to love this dish.

I wasn't happy that it didn't offer Bolognese. Strike one. Then the meatballs were dense and seemed to have spicy Italian sausage with fennel in them, which I didn't like. Nothing like the delicious meatballs in Pizzaiola in Oakland. The tomato sauce was fine and the pasta was al dente but it was nothing special. The caesar salad was good and not dripping with dressing. The tiramisu was moist but had too much cream on top and I could tell it had been made ahead of time so cream was a bit hard. Maybe I'll return if I get desperate for Italian but I won't be rushing.

Bar-B-Kosher
113 East 9th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90015
(213) 623-4995

Sandwich Shop
531 West 6th Street
Los Angeles CA 90014
(213) 627-1508

Cole's
118 East Sixth Street
Los Angeles, CA 90014
(213) 622-4090

Colori Kitchen
429 W 8th St
Los Angeles, CA 90014
(213) 622-5950

Inti: Peruvian at Its Best

I'm so glad I finally found a decent, no-frills Peruvian joint that's both good and easy on the wallet. I had never been too impressed with Mario's or Los Balcones del Peru, to name a few, so there was some trepidation entering this restaurant in a non-descript minimall. But the friendly staff and delicious food quickly won me over.

The bread and salsa brought before the meal were good starters. The bread itself was nothing special but it was warm and fresh, which is more than I can say for some of the fancier venues that charge an arm and leg.

The green salsa it came with was very spicy and flavorful. Besides milk, which gave the salsa a creamy consistency and likely tempered the heat, the salsa also contained habanero, which made it so spicy and condiment-worthy.

The ceviche mixto included raw shrimp, squid, halibut and octopus slightly cooked in citrus. They were topped with red onions, spices and cilantro, among other things. I loved that it came with toasted corn kernels that added a great smoky and crunchy texture to the mix. It also came with boiled potatoes whose mild flavor counterbalanced the sourness of the juice well.

Most importantly, the seafood was fresh. They also don't mess around when it comes to heat. When they asked how spicy I wanted it, I asked for spicy. And spicy it was. I daresay it almost kicked my butt. Delish.

The highlight of the meal, however, was the Bisteck a lo Pobre. A hearty slab of steak topped with an over-easy egg, sitting on a bed of fries, with a side of white rice on a plate whose edges were adorned with fried plaintains. Need I say more?

The meats on these types of dishes in other restaurants are always sub-par quality, but this meat tasted like quality meat (while not grass-fed premium or anything). I usually like my meat bloody -- aka medium rare -- but because it was on the thin side, I let it slide that it was cooked well-done. But it wasn't overcooked like in most other joints either, which was good. The egg could have been a tad less cooked as the yolk wasn't as oozy as I'd like it to be, but I like anything with a fried egg on top so I'm biased. The fries were crispy enough, not too greasy as in many other joints. Ditto the fried plaintains, which are usually an overripe mush dripping in grease. These were on the firm side but still soft enough to savor and with a bit of a crunch from the deep-frying. I didn't love the rice too much, which was on the dry side but not a huge deal.

The Arroz Chaufa de Mariscos -- seafood fried rice with scrambled eggs and green onions -- was good, although not as good as the steak. The dish represents Chinese immigrants' influence on Peruvian cuisine, in the form of chau fan, which I believe is "fried rice" in Chinese. One can find restaurants serving "chifa," Peruvian-Chinese food, all throughout Peru as well as in Chile and Argentina, the latter of which aren't considered as authentic. Don't mean to belabor the point, but I did like that the fried rice wasn't as greasy as I usually find in Chifas and Chinese restaurants. The seafood tasted fresh and my only complaint was that it was on the bland side. Then again, everything else was pretty strongly flavored so it's no wonder that it must have tasted flat in comparison.

Service was great. I didn't like the typical Peruvian drinks but that may be a matter of taste. I didn't care for maracuya juice or the chicha morada, which is made from black maize and boiled with pineapple and spices.

I look forward to returning and trying other dishes, like the classic lomo saltado (more fries!).

Inti
5870 Melrose Ave. #105
Los Angeles, CA 90029
(323) 962-2027

Chaya Downtown and Casa: Skip 'Em

Another reason I like summer is happy hour outdoors. Although I don't need an excuse to have a drink, much less one outdoors, summer makes it better. With the onslaught of new restaurants popping up downtown, there was no shortage of options. Chaya Downtown was just slightly above average with some serious infractions and Casa was for the most part disappointing with a few saving graces.


Let's start with the good. The fish and chips were hot and crispy. They came with regular tartar sauce. The lamb sliders were juicy and cooked medium rare with a soft, fresh bun. These came with cornichons, which balanced out the heaviness of the lamb's meatiness. The albondigas (usually pork meatballs but these were chicken, I think) served what seemed Italian style -- sizzling on a hot plate smothered in cheese with some crusty bread on the side.
The meatballs were not too dense and pretty juicy. They didn't impart too much flavor, whether salty or spicy. Too mild for my taste.

Now for the not-so-good. The fried calamari was too thickly sliced and batter wasn't light and fluffy -- or particularly well-seasoned -- as it should be, so it ended up tasting bland and a tad soggy. The accompanying garlic aioili was unremarkable.

I wasn't impressed with the drinks either. A blood orange, lavender, lime and tequila cocktail called Seeing Red was drowning in Tequila and too sweet.

Then it got way ugly. We made the mistake of ordering California rolls and spicy tuna rolls. I'm not sure how an establishment that is purpotedly high-end has the audacity to serve imitation crab in its food! That is outright shocking and outrageous to me.

I'm going to spare you from having look at that monstrosity. No self-respecting sushi joint, even if it's got the fusion moniker, would serve this crap, er, I mean crab. That and the fact that I was never a big fan of Chaya Venice made me write off this restaurant.

A few streets over is Casa, a wannabe fancy Mexican place that is filled with office workers and best to be avoided for its mediocre, overpriced food and less-than airy and clean ambiance. The chips and salsa (that they charge for, gasp!) that came in three flat varieties were below average. Then the guacamole was bland. The ceviche was ok but on the bland side. The deep fried fish tacos were the only saving grace but the tortillas were too thick and except for the fish itself, it was average in its entirety. The carnitas mulita was not bad but somewhat ruined by the too-hard tortilla shell. I'd much rather go to La Taquiza for a decent mulita. I'll spare you the pictures since you shouldn't be going anyway.


For my money, I would hop over to Ciudad or Daily Grill for happy hour any day.

Chaya Downtown
(213) 236-9577
525 S. Flower St.
Los Angeles, CA 90071

Casa
(213) 621-2249
350 S. Grand Ave
Two California Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90071