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

Kabul on a Plate

I had the distinct privilege of having a superb home-cooked Afghan meal thanks to the remarkable hospitality and generosity of our friend and his mother, Mrs. O. I hope this post will do her amazing cooking justice.

In one day, she managed to make five things -- all of which were delicious.

My personal favorite was Bohlahni, flat bread stuffed with potatoes and green onions and baked to perfection. It was so versatile that we ended up having it for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as an in-between snack. The skin is soft like crepe but also rises and toasts to a slight crunchiness. If you like spicy, sprinkle some fine red pepper flakes. The combination of the soft potatoes, green onions and the spices is heavenly.

The massive rice dish (above) is Shoala, also called heavy rice. It has chunks of beef, lentils and many other aromatic herbs and spices that complement each other very nicely. I tasted some parsley and something like cumin but can't place all of the ingredients.



This rice dish pairs well with an eggplant dish called Bourani Bauhnjahn, which is like a casserole of eggplant, tomatoes and aromatics. The striped eggplant slices and juice from tomatoes created a delectable sauce that was eagerly absorbed by the "heavy" rice. Top that with a home-made garlic-infused yogurt sauce that adds a refreshing touch to the rice and eggplant dishes and we're in business.

Then there was the wonderful green peas dish, Matar, which went so well with the white basmati rice cooked with a tinge of oil to fluffy perfection. The peas were at once silky, slightly crunchy and delightfully saucy.



I mourn the fact that LA doesn't have a great Afghan restaurant, even compared to Tempe, AZ. I try to go to Fremont in the Bay Area -- where we liked Salang Pass Restaurant on Fremont Blvd. -- whenever we visit but it's quite a trek from San Francisco. I haven't been to Chopan Kebab House, a hole in the wall in Northridge as it was closed by the time we made it there once. Azeen's Afghani Restaurant in Pasadena was disappointing and I wouldn't go back.



Stay tuned as I'll try to post at least once recipe (likely of the Bohlahni) here.

Thank you, Mrs. O!

In Search of Chilean Empanadas

I love empanadas but have been frustrated at the dearth of good ones in LA (and West Coast in general). I am partial to the baked Chilean variety (rather than deep fried), with ground beef, raisins, olives, hard-boiled egg and onions. On my recent trip to DC, I went back to my favorite empanada place in the US so far -- Julia's Empanadas.

Thankfully, Julia's stays open late (4am on weekends) and we braved the cold to walk past the night revelers and stand in line with great anticipation. The smell of freshly baked empanadas permeated the tiny storefront as we walked in and soon we were blessed with these piping hot creations to warm our hands. We got a good sampling, including Chilean, Jamaican, chorizo, spinach, turkey and vegetarian.



My favorite, of course, was the Chilean. Although not nearly as good as the beef ones in Santiago or seafood ones in Iquique, it sure beat all the ones I've had in the US so far. Julia is apparently Chilean, so I got lucky (Chilean shout-out: Te pasaste, Julia!). The ground beef mixture that tastes at once salty (olives) and slightly sweet (raisins) with the hearty texture of chopped hard-boiled egg that surprises you as you bite into the soft and crunchy dough. Simply the perfect (late-night) snack -- or breakfast!

I am a sucker for spicy, so had to love the Jamaican one that has curry and other spices added to ground beef and potatoes. I normally don't love turkey, but I liked this empanada -- probably because it contains jalapeños. As spicy goes, the chorizo was disappointing and the mushy texture was unpleasant. I wouldn't get that again.

The spinach and vegetarian ones are ok but nothing to write home about. If you want variety, get them. Otherwise, stick to the classics (or spiced up versions). I tried the sweet dessert empanadas with fruit but I wouldn't recommend them.



I have tried Empanada's Place, Empanada Factory and Grand Casino Panaderia & Cafe (I believe mostly Argentinean establishments) as well as empanadas sold in Rincon Chileno and Ciudad but none come close. I heard of an empanada place in Monrovia and Lake Forest that I would like to check out. If anyone else knows of a good empanada place in LA, please share.

Julia's Empanadas (multiple locations)

2452 18th Street NW
(between N Adams Mill Rd & N Belmont Rd)
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 328-6232

Let's Be Frank about Bad Dogs

I'm introducing a new section featuring the dud of the week or month -- that much-hyped place that merely disappoints and makes you yearn for the real deal.

I'm kicking it off with Let's Be Frank, the hot dog stand in Culver City that got rave reviews from J. Gold as well as LA Times. Verdict: I want my Top Dog! The selling point is supposed to be the fact that the dogs are grass-fed and completely organic. A gourmet hot dog, one called it.

First of all, they are too big and too expensive for a hot dog. Look at the size of that -- it's definitely not a snack. Then it's $5 or something exorbitant like that. I'd rather have a decent bowl of ramen for that price. But the most important thing about a hot dog -- the flavor of the sausage -- just doesn't compare to the juicy, crunchy, spicy and complex flavors and textures of Top Dog's Hot Link. Don't even get me started about the bread and condiments. The sauteed onions added a nice touch, but no amount of embellishment can make up for a lackluster star.



The dog tasted bland and because the owner was a bit frazzled with multiple customers at once (service was a tad slow), the dogs weren't even nicely charred on the outside. I simply don't understand how such a mediocre dog can generate so much buzz while other perfectly amazing eats don't get the time of the day. Don't get me wrong. The lady, who apparently hails from the Holy Grail of organic -- Chez Panisse -- was super nice.

The cart is located in the Helms parking lot near all the furniture shops on Venice Blvd. It may be a step up from Pink's, but make no mistake. This is no Top Dog. The search continues...

Best Deal in Town: Let Them Eat Rice Cake--TEMPORARILY CLOSED

Update: it moved to a new location on Western and 1st. A LOT bigger but not sure if it has retained its taste.

I'm going to kick off the year with one of my favorite Korean BBQ places that also happens to be one of the best deals in town -- Shik Do Rak.

This is no ordinary Korean BBQ, however. It's one of those ingenious inventions that could only have been conceived in a place like LA. Thin slices of chadol, or beef cooked tableside, but not with the usual condiments you would see at a regular Korean BBQ place that serves marinated ribs and the classic bulgoki. In addition to the usual banchan (side dishes) spread of kimchi, braised potato, pickled cucumber, seaweed and spicy and sweet strips of radish, you get a stack of super-thin rice cakes slightly bigger than your average business card. Instead of a heaping plate of lettuce, kennip (sesame leaves) and ssamjang, the chili and bean curd paste you add to the lettuce wraps of kalbi or bulgoki, you get a bowl of finely chopped lettuce mixed with strips of raw green onions. As condiments, you get two dipping sauces of sesame oil, salt and pepper and a spicy red sauce that seems to have originated from the Vietnamese sriracha sauce.



I am a huge fan of the classic Korean BBQ meats and condiments, but this was a revelation when I first had it. A ttukbossam lover was born. Shik Do Rak claims credit for inventing what literally translates to "rice cake (ttuk) wraps (bossam)."

This is how it works. It's best to ignore most everything else on the menu except the page where the combination deals are listed. The first one listed feeds 3 (or a very hungry twosome) and for something like $29.99, you get a lot of meat, onions and mushroom accompanied by an unlimited supply of rice cake wraps, greens and side dishes. The pricier ones feed more people and include drinks and other types of meat such as pork belly, but as much as I like pork, I stick to beef here.



Koreans always like to eat a "real meal" after BBQ meats, so the combination deal includes a bubbling pot of duenjangchige, a delightfully salty and slightly spicy fermented soybean paste stew with veggies and a choice of rice or nuroongji, toasted rice porridge that is the ultimate comfort food.

The tastiest way to eat these wraps is dip the cooked meat in the sesame oil sauce and lay the meat on a bed of green onions and lettuce on your plate. Spoon on some of the red sauce onto the meat, carefully peel off a slice of rice cake wrapper and use your chopsticks to scoop the meat dipped in sesame sauce and greens, topped with the red sauce. It's heaven on a stick, or two sticks, I should say.



At once you taste the seared meat with a hint of sesame oil, salt and pepper, and the refreshing crunchiness of the greens with a kick from the red sauce -- topped with the neutral and slightly chewy white rice cake wrap. It's a full meal in one bite -- and a pretty darn satisfying one at that. You simply have to taste it to believe it.

Even though the post-meat stew isn't the star here, you can't help but finish it despite the fact that you have long exceeded the healthy 80% full mark. It's comforting, salty and goes so well with that rice or rice porridge that reminds you of how your mother used to make it at the end of every meal (the porridge is meant to help digestion although in this case it may have the opposite effect).

Now for the side dishes. My favorites are the pickled cucumber because it's refreshing and crunchy without being too sweet or vinegary; sweet and spicy radish strips because they also add a crunch, freshness and spiciness; and kongnamul, a bean sprout variation lightly seasoned in salt, garlic and sesame oil, for its mild and nutty taste. I will say that the cabbage kimchi tastes like the raw kind they haven't fermented for as long as the usual ones. Raw is fine. I just don't like this version that much.



While I'm at it, I may as well lay it all out. Shik Do Rak should really add to the array of accompaniments large, round slices of pickled radishes. Its biggest competitor in Garden Grove, Morangak, offers these full moon-sized radishes that add a whole other dimension to the rice wraps. If I feel like I've had one too many rice wraps, I forgo them and opt for the bun-less burger equivalent -- ttuk-less ttukbossam. The round slices of radishes could also stand in for wraps.

The beauty of ttukbossam is that just like with Korean BBQ, you can pretty much custom-make every single wrap to your liking. Some people like to throw in some raw or cooked garlic. Others like to add some kimchi. I happen to be a purist but anyone is welcome to try different variations.

I'm glad to see many non-Koreans frequenting Shik Do Rak these days but the place remains largely a Korean haunt and those who have Korean friends who either take them there or tell them about it. I really wish it broke into the "mainstream" so many more people could enjoy it. That's my goal -- to spread the word about this gem.

By the way, I think I saw a "B" sign last time I went, so for the faint of heart and those who like clean surroundings, this may not be the place for you. Parking is valet but if you come after 7pm, there is free parking right in front of the restaurant on the street. On weekends, it gets crowded and you may have to valet park, especially because it's not considered the safest neighborhood and you don't want to wander around looking for a great spot and walk too far. Also, the rice porridge is only offered for dinner as is the braised potato side dish.

Interesting factoid: despite the fact that I go there almost every other week, the friendly manager never recognizes me but ALWAYS remembers my eating companion Omurice who comes as frequently as I do. We always test him by having me walk in first, but alas, he doesn't break into his signature "Oh! Hello!" until he sees Omurice walking in right behind me. What's up with that? Omurice, this post is for you!

AVOID: many impostors have popped up since ttukbossam's popularity but none come close so do avoid those. They include Hangyang on 8th near Hobart, Castle on Western and many others. Morangak in Garden Grove I like (the round radishes, remember?). Many butcher shops and markets in Koreatown also sell the raw materials to make it at home. I have yet to experiment so will let you know how that goes.

Shik Do Rak
2501 West Olympic Boulevard (at Hoover)
Los Angeles, CA 90006
(213) 384-4148

Orange County location (different owner):
9691 Garden Grove Boulevard
Garden Grove, CA 92844
(714) 534-7668

Best of 2007

Here's my belated "Best of" list for 2007 out of the places reviewed here:

1) Best splurge in LA: Hiko Sushi
Go omakase and trust the master, Shinjisan. 'Nuf said. Best sushi include toro (fatty tuna), uni (sea urchin) and blue crab handroll.

2) Best steal in LA: Shinsengumi
Porky Hakata ramen custom-made to your liking -- hard noodles, low oil and normal-strength broth. Don't forget the spicy miso for those who like some kick and those combination lunch deals with gyozas or fried rice for the budget conscious.

3) Best new find in LA: China Islamic
The lamb in the stew was truly a revelation (read: melt-in-your-mouth).

4) Best consistent joint in LA: Singapore's Banana Leaf
If you don't mind the hustle and bustle of the farmers' market, the food here is solid -- the beef rendang, samosas and the delightfully stringy roti paratha.

5) Best out-of-town all-around gem: Top Dog
Try a Hot Link topped with some sauerkraut and mustard and you'll be dreaming of biting into its juicy goodness for years to come. Here's a reason to visit Berkeley.

6) Best out-of-town find: Kabab Palace
This Arizona joint set the standard for Afghan food and I'm still looking for a comparable place in LA.

7) Best consistent out-of-town joint: Shabu Sen
I always try to stop by my favorite shabu shabu place in SF, where I can get thinly sliced quality beef with solid sesame sauce.

8) Best new discovery: Mondo Gelato
I was heartened to run into my favorite gelato place from Berkeley when I traveled to Canada. I relished my gianduia, chocolate hazelnut.

Thanks for all your support and comments! I look forward to reviewing more gems and finds in 2008.

Missing Katz's Pastrami

Here's a quick post on my favorite pastrami spot in LA, Langer's in McArthur Park. Maybe that isn't saying much, considering there is a dearth of good delis in LA, especially compared with New York.

Truth be told, my real favorite pastrami place is in New York. I have tried Second Avenue Deli and the touristy Carnegie Deli of monstrously massive cheesecake fame. Some may argue Katz's Delicatessen is equally touristy, but my pastrami heart belongs to Katz's no matter what anyone says. Nothing beats the piping, juicy slabs of hot pastrami on rye and mustard with bright green pickles on the side that Katz's offers. Not to mention atmosphere, but I digress.

This was supposed to be about Langer's. As much as I like Langer's, I guess I can't help but yearn for the best. Plus, I was miffed that Langer's skimped on the pastrami the last time I went and service was a tad slow. The delectable chicken soup (basically comfort food in a bowl) looked great when it arrived and tasted decent but everyone else had nearly finished their meals by then.



I usually try to avoid delis like Canter's on Fairfax and Nate'n Al in Beverly Hills, not to mention Junior's in Westwood. I'm not going to honor Jerry's infamous deli chain, which is a sacrilege in and of itself.

What makes a good pastrami? The meat has a deep, complex flavor that brings out the salt, garlic, pepper and spices smothered all over it before it was smoked. The slices are thin (Langer's is a tad thick for my taste), tender to the point of crumbliness, juicy and super hot -- fresh out of the steamer. The bread is soft. The mustard complements the meat and strong rye bread perfectly. The pickles' sourness adds another dimension of flavor.



If you have never tried pastrami, you are seriously missing out. Photos are courtesy of RSB, who thankfully has the foresight to carry everything one may ever need in her bag. Long live the giant tote! By the way, she recommends skipping the cole slaw.

Validated parking is available in a separate lot on Wilshire a block east of Alvarado, but I recommend taking the Red Line of the metro (McArthur Park station) if you work anywhere near Koreatown, Downtown or all the way in Union Station.

Langer's Delicatessen
704 S Alvarado Street (@Wilshire Blvd.)
Los Angeles, CA 90057
(213) 483-8050