Surf and Turf in Downtown LA

Here are tidbits from my dinela experiences.

1) If you like seafood, are near downtown during the lunch hour and don't get to go to the Water Grill on an expense account, you may want to try it.

The cucumber rolled spicy big eye tuna with hearts of palm puree, ruby grapefruit and tobiko (green fish eggs) was refreshing and spicy but nothing to write home about.
The grilled Columbia River White Sturgeon with coriander spiced yam, rapini, baby roasted beets, pearled barley and oregano, on the other hand, was very good. The sweetness of the beets went very well with the meatiness of the fish and that yam puree was so soft and with just enough of a kick to make it interesting.

The desserts were decadent and well-made.


2) If you are near downtown and like burgers, O Bar and Kitchen is a hidden gem that serves excellent sliders for great value. For $22, you get a huge butter lettuce salad, a set of 3 sliders with bacon, provolone, horseradish, aioli, and tomato confit, served with truffle parmesan tater tots and dessert. My companions and I were immediately skeptical of the place when the bread first arrived as the bottom of the breads were hard as rocks as if they had been microwaved. It didn't help that they also looked like bread you get in airplanes -- not a good sign, we murmured to ourselves. But the new bar/restaurant located at a lobby of a boutique hotel redeemed itself with its food. The mezze of hummus and other goodies to dip the pita triangles in was solid.


The tater tots were a bit greasy but the sliders were cooked perfectly (despite the fact that all three of us had asked for medium-rare, medium and medium-well) to our liking. The horseradish and other sauces that accompanied the sliders were just what the bloody red meat needed. Plus, they looked so cute! The big disappointment was the desserts. I practically went here for the desserts, most notably the chocolate churros and chocolate croissant bread pudding. One bite each was enough of a turnoff. Don't go for the desserts.

Water Grill
544 S. Grand Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 891-0900

O Bar and Kitchen
819 S. Flower Street
Los Angeles, CA 90017
(213) 623-9904

Fancy Digs and Good Food at Gordon Ramsay

It's official. I went positively overboard with this dinela business. They had me at prix-fixe. It may have to do with my first dinela experience at The Bazaar being so memorable and titillating. But is that an excuse to subsequently eat at Grace, the Water Grill, Il Moro, O Bar and Kitchen, Ford's Filling Station and finally, Gordon Ramsay at The London all within a span of one week? Let's just say I won't be having any more chocolate mousse cakes or panna cotta anytime soon.

I've done the "hard work" for you and sampled all that these usually-out-of-reach restaurants have to offer. Apparently I wasn't the only one sampling because many of the restaurants have extended dinela menus until the end of February. So what are you waiting for? Get thee to The Bazaar, Gordon Ramsay and Grace! Yes, in that order.

Behold the confit beet salad with ricotta cheese, beetroot dressing and endive above, which was as beautiful to the eye as it was to the palate. Or the pave of sea trout with white cabbage and pickled ginger, kohlrabi and celeriac cream sauce to your right. The fish was fresh, crispy on the outside and clean-tasting -- minimally seasoned as to bring out its true flavors -- not drowned in a sauce, which was nice for a change. The braised ox cheek with port wine, horseradish creamed potatoes, glazed turnips and braising jus was melt-in-your-mouth delicious. I could really taste the mushrooms in the creamy wild mushroom soup and the desserts didn't disappoint either. I confess I'm not a huge dessert person so after a few meals, they started to blend. But I do recall them being not too sweet, which is important for me and a good balance of hot (e.g., molten chocolate cake) and cold (usually vis-a-vis ice cream or gelato). One appetizer I didn't care for was the rabbit and smoked bacon ballottine, although I loved the pickled vegetables "piccalilli" and toasted brioche that came with a luscious pate.

I was pleasantly surprised at the Gordon Ramsay because I had expected a lot of style over substance. But alas, while the decor was very Hollywood and we even spotted a model dining two tables away, the service was attentive and friendly and the food was excellent and clearly well-thought out. I love it when good ingredients speak for themselves and the Chef does his magic to turn a good food item into something great.

Grace, on the other hand, had good food but bad service. The Dungeness crab salad with English peas and meyer lemon vinaigrette was refreshing and very good. The braised beef short rib with red wine risotto, cavolo nero and red wine sauce was good but not transporting.

Gordon Ramsay at The London
1020 N. San Vicente Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 358-7788

Grace
7360 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 934-4400

The Bazaar: Lovely and Amazing

I am still recouping from the fantastic meal I had at Bazaar, a beautiful Spanish bar/bakery/restaurant by one of my favorite chefs, Jose Andres. He has finally landed in LA -- after years of building his incredible restaurant empire in DC. Thanks to dinela, I ventured to this somewhat pricey and hard-to-get reservation, but boy, am I glad I did. I am happy to declare that LA finally has a respectable tapas joint!


Everything about the dining experience was first-rate, including food, service and ambiance. The prix-fixe dinner was $44, and included an appetizer of the famous deconstructed philly cheese steak sandwich described as "Air Bread Filled with Cheese and Topped with Kobe Beef." The tender-as-butter meat was perfectly cooked with just a blush of red for juiciness and as I bit into the air bread with cheddar cheese, I can't say it tasted like a Philly Cheese Steak but it didn't matter. It was more ethereal and a different experience from the down-home sandwich dripping with caramelized onions you'd expect from a Philly. After the first course, you can pick up to three tapas from the traditional ("Rojo") or modern ("Blanca") menus.

Before I get into what we ordered from the set menu, let me rave a little bit about its drinks menu. It had unusual cocktails, like a cotton candy mojito that was interesting. It also had pisco sour, which is my favorite Chilean cocktail of all time and some unusual sangrias made with cava, Spanish sparkling wine. Our friendly waitress made the cava sangria for us tableside, which assured me that it's not diluted wine we're getting for $42. The mix had orange peel, green grapes, raspberries and some other ingredients that made the sangria taste refreshing and probably perfect for a hot summer day.

Now for the very best part of the meal, which is saying a lot because most everything about this meal was just about perfect. I had read about the jamón Ibérico de bellota, acorn-fed, free-range Ibérico ham from Spain. I have fond memories of savoring some of the best hams when I traveled around Spain years ago and had been disappointed every time I searched for similar versions in LA. The search is officially over. This ham is not to be confused with jamón serrano, which is a less expensive variety that's not nearly as soft and delicious as the bellota. One couldn't even buy jamón Ibérico in the US up until recently and we apparently have Jose Andres to thank for. The razor-thin slices laid out on a plate of marble were so astonishingly delicious that it hardly mattered that we paid an extra $36 for one plate alone. It came with a plate of pan de tomate, toasted bread that has been rubbed with the insides of a tomato. The ham was excellent by itself but the bread added an extra dimension with the pairing.

I had also read about these so-called liquid olives originated by Ferran Adria of El Bulli fame (where chef Andres trained under him). This is another one of those "hype is true" moments. I like real olives but the little pearls of olive essence that pop in your mouth in an explosion of flavors is simply priceless. Genius. We also got real olives stuffed with piquillo peppers and anchovies (an appetizer I had served at dinner parties from his cookbook to rave reviews) in a tin can (they serve fancy mussels and oysters from the can -- must try that another time).

The choices were many and we made sure we got a good mix of old (from traditional menu) and new (modern). Since I have a weakness for anything fried, it wasn't difficult coming up with chicken croquettes with bechamel sauce and buñuelos, or cod fritters. Having tried to make it at home several times to mixed success, I appreciated the artistry and care that it took to make the incredibly crispy croquettes that were oozing with tender chicken meat melded with the creamiest bechamel sauce. They were truly perfect.

The cod fritters were equally good and made even better by the accompanying honey garlic mayo sauce you dip them into to temper the saltiness from the cod. But even a fried food lover like me can't survive on fried food alone. The waitress recommended an arugula salad to balance out the heaviness.



It was a great suggestion that included arugula rolled into jicama like sushi rolls, topped with quinoa, Cabrales blue cheese, micro greens and raspberries on a bed of corn. It did just what it was intended to do -- add a healthy dose of refreshing crunchiness. And what beauty it was to the eye. Just look at those colors!


While still good, these dishes were not as spectacular as the rest. They included wild mushroom rice topped with
Idiazábal cheese and Galician lobster medallions with olive oil crushed potatoes and paprika. We wanted a rice dish to round everything out and got the lobster because it sounded good and also seemed one of the more expensive items we could get for our set meal (gotta milk it to the max in these tough times). My dinner companion said the rice seemed undercooked but it was fine for me. It was bomba rice that is the rice used for paella.

The lobster was tender enough but there was an herb or something that turned me off. It may have been the chervil herb that was sprinkled on top or something about the smoked paprika (pimenton) that didn't jive with the flavors. It gave out a strong flavor that I couldn't get into. Maybe it was related to the foam. Gorgeous presentation, though.

As great as it was, the meal wasn't over just yet. Dessert awaited and the waitress asked if we wanted to head over to the bakery section to check out the spread of offerings, which we dutifully did. I should mention here that the space is one big room designed by Phillipe Starck divided into various sections -- the bar, bakery and the restaurant. We were sitting against one of the walls on the restaurant side, plush with pillows for comfort.



Dessert was a continuation of the culinary revelation. Take a look at the colors and configuration of this baby! Even though beet meringue may not, at first, have a good ring to it, it was nothing short of amazing. Beet meringue with pistachio and berries, with a side of rasberry sorbet. I'm not even a big fan of meringue but the moment I bit into one of those halves, the lightness of the texture with a slight but definitely present sweet beet flavor just tickled the palate. Again, genius.

I ordered an apple bread pudding called Apples "Carlota" with saffron sauce and a sorbet that was refreshing. I was so intoxicated with the experience that I don't remember its flavor, just the soft texture that complemented the soft bread pudding very nicely.

In short, I can't wait to return. I have many other restaurants lined up for dinela, but I'm not sure any of them will meet the very high bar set by The Bazaar. It has a great outdoor seating area that I'm sure will be the place to be in the summer for happy hour or otherwise. I can't wait to return and sample the rest of the exciting menu. I daresay that Bazaar is actually better than his tapas joint, Jaleo, in DC. I haven't been to minibar but Cafe Atlantico and Zaytinya have always been stellar.

As Jose Andres likes to say over and over on his show, Made in Spain, this was truly an astonishing experience. I urge any Spanish food lover or any adventurous foodie to give Bazaar a shot.


The Bazaar
SLS Hotel
465 La Cienega Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(310) 247-0400

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

(Korean) Soup's On

I kicked off the new year in style -- Korean style, that is -- with the best rice cake soup I've ever made. Koreans eat ttukguk on New Year's day. I honestly don't know why, but we do. And I have, on every single January 1st of my life. This year was no exception, but I decided to make it with real home-made broth. So I took a chunk of brisket and some bone marrow and boiled them for hours and hours with garlic, ginger, onion and green onion. The broth was superb, if I may say so myself. All I had to do was season it with salt and pepper, add the thinly sliced rice cakes, wait until the rice cakes got soft, add one beaten egg and chopped green onions after removing the soup from heat. I like to toast a sheet of dried seaweed on the stove and crush them over the soup right before eating it as garnish and a crunchy, earthy flavor. Add a few slices of the brisket in small pieces and you've got a perfectly comforting and nutritious soup to start the new year.

I also wanted to thank HK for making another heartwarming classic -- spicy seafood soup (meuntang) -- that thankfully she made a life-time supply of and I had leftovers that got better with time. It had fish, tofu, radishes, two kinds of mushrooms, onions and sutkat, a peppery green (chrysanthemum leaves) that rounds out the spicy flavor. It was slow cooked for hours and in the end, I could really taste the ingredients' melding flavors.

I haven't tried the linked recipes but like everything else, Korean cooking is all about "jeokdanghee," which literally translates to "an appropriate amount," or eyeball, as we say here.

I haven't yet found restaurants in Koreatown serving good ttukguk (too much MSG) or meuntang (not simmered long enough so there's no depth of flavor or the fish smells far too fishy -- not a good sign), so I'd love to hear about them if you know of any.

Best of 2008

You won't see the usual suspects that I'm so tired of seeing on annual roundups featured in glossy magazines and newspapers. True, I haven't tried all of those exclusive places and my wallet has inevitably dictated where I've gone in 2008. But I also want to stress that there is culinary life beyond the fancy hotel restaurants and $200+ sushi palaces in LA. I wait for the day when good food throughout LA will be recognized as such, without the monikers "Best Ethnic Food" or "Best Cheap Eats." I believe these are the best that I've tried within my budget. Enjoy.


Here are my picks:

1) Best new find in LA: Lake Spring Shanghai Restaurant
It looks intimidating at first but inside this mass resides the juiciest, most tender slow-cooked pork you'll ever find. The meat has just the right amount of fat and seasonings for a perfect complement to the string beans. Thanks to AC & family!

2) Best "Hype is True" in LA: Din Tai Fung
The only downside to this joint is the wait but a new branch behind the old one has signficantly reduced the wait. Either go early or late and you'll be fine. I recommend the pork soup dumplings, which are piping hot (careful not to burn yourself -- follow the instructions on the chopsticks cover -- just trust me) and have an incredibly flavorful filling of ground pork and other goodies. If you're so inclined, get the crab dumpling but it isn't the same. I also like the low prices.


3) Best new food item in LA (that's also a steal): Mulita at La Taquiza
It's something between a taco and a quesadilla, so what's not to like? The carne asada was good and I'm looking forward to trying the al pastor and seafood options.

4) Best comeback in LA: Hanyang
If you like ttukbossam, the delicious pairing of rice cake paper with thin slices of meat and other toppings, I daresay Hanyang may be a more interesting choice than Shik Do Rak, the old standby. The reason: the garlicky and spicy red sauce that is smothered on the green onion mix. It simply adds a touch that you won't find at Shik Do Rak.

5) Best BBQ in LA: Go Brazilian with Almir
You can't go wrong with Almir, the master of Brazilian barbecue, complete with rotating skewer grills and caipirinhas cocktails to boot. His to-die-for catering repertoire includes top quality filet mignon, tri-tip, rib-eye, bacon-wrapped chicken, lamb chops, ribs, etc. The list goes on. It will be the best party you'll ever host.

6) Best steal in LA: Aloha Cafe
For a quick meal that's nutritious, cheap and fast, I head to Aloha Cafe in Little Tokyo's Honda Plaza (of Sushi Gen fame). It's a quaint little place that serves up Hawaiian standards like Kalua pork and Loco Moco -- and most plates come with a scoop of rice and a nicely toasted piece of Hawaiian bread. My favorite is the special braised rib that is fall-off-the-bone tender. You may want to ask for the gravy on the side.

7) Best home-cooked meal: Persian Feast
My partner in crime YT and I kicked off our cooking extravaganza series by venturing into unfamiliar territory -- Persian food, courtesy of cookbook, New Food of Life by Najmieh Batmanglij. My personal favorite was a walnut and pomegranate chicken dish that I made again and again with basmati rice thereafter at large gatherings to rave reviews. It's fairly easy and different from what I'm used to cooking so I'm glad that I broadened my cooking horizons.

8) Best out-of-town joint: Julia's Empanadas in DC
I wish there were more Chileans living in LA so we'd have a Julia's equivalent. Empanada's Place and other Argentine joints don't cut it for me. I miss Julia's excellent spicy, baked ground beef version with a black olive inside. The lines forming outside of Julia's after midnight despite bone-chilling weather speak for themselves. Sigh.

9) Best meal while traveling: tossup between grilled fish and marinated crab in Korea
The meals I remember most fondly (besides my Mom's cooking, of course) are the super meaty and succulent grilled kalchi fish from Jeju Island that I had in Seoul and the kyejang, or raw crab marinated in garlic, soy sauce and other seasonings. I guess I miss the fresh and chunky seafood you get in Korea that you can't get here, for some reason.

10) Best new food item outside of LA: Garlic Leaf
Who knew that you could use garlic leaf to add flavor to a pork dish? Truth be told, I didn't even know there existed such a thing. Being a garlic lover, I couldn't have been happier to discover at Sosonjae in Seoul that they first pickled this garlic leaf in a soy sauce-based liquid and used it to wrap steamed slices of super-tender pork. Genius!

I look forward to another fruitful year of eating, cooking and other stomach-happy revelations!

Happy 2009 everyone!

Mori Sushi: Overpriced & Overrated

I must document the outrage I felt after having tried Mori Sushi for the first time. My first choice, Hiko Sushi, was closed for the holidays, so I figured I'd give Mori, which I had heard was decent, a shot. How would I describe my experience there? Sheer highway robbery.

First of all, restaurants or bars without signs are a pet peeve of mine. A drawing of a fish displayed outside doesn't count as a sign. Let's drop the gimmicks and focus on the food. It's also a bad sign when a supposed sushi joint serves things like "miso cod" and has different kinds of omakase (chef's choice) by price and number of pieces. Then I made the colossal mistake of ordering the all-out omakase that would later set me back quite a bit of dinero.

The first thing was good -- lobster tossed with some citrus juice that made the texture feel like the lobster meat was the actual citrus pulp. Then came two kinds of raw oysters and another two poached kinds. I'm not a big fan of oysters but they were fresh enough. Then came crab soup with fish in a pretty bowl that left me perplexed. Wasn't this supposed to be omakase as in sushi and sashimi? The soup was a bit salty but fine. But that's not what I had come here to eat. I decided to take matters into my own hands and asked the waitress to give us sushi and/or sashimi -- "no cooked foods, please." This was the first incident where I ruffled the sushi chef's feathers.

So they brought out two to three different kinds of sushi on a plate at once. I like innovation as much as the next person but there's probably a good reason sushi is traditionally served on a small plate either as a single piece or two pieces. It keeps it more fresh. There was a parade of sea bass, three different kinds of tuna and other more fishy sushi that were highly underwhelming. I asked that the wasabi be placed not between the fish and the rice as it is too strong for me (that even the notorious Hiko sushi chef Shinjisan gladly does for me) and I prefer to dissolve it in my soy sauce but the chef politely declined. There were some eyebrows raised for ruffling his feathers again.


I happen to be partial to sushi that is paired with warm rice and this one didn't even come close. The rice was cold to room temperature but more importantly, had been made a while back and was crumbly and flavorless -- just awful. The fish was not that fresh and I soon found myself seeking refuge in some sake. I couldn't get over the container it came in -- what looked like vintage crystal that I remembered seeing a lot of in Prague. Sake drunk in beautiful Czech crystal glasses? Nice but one more reason to believe this place seem to put style over substance. And yes, there was one final thing I asked for that probably didn't endear me to our waitress. I know this was omakase but given that the fish wasn't anything to write home about and our bill was adding up by the minute, I flat out asked for uni (sea urchin), one of my favorite things in the world, as our last one.

As it turned out, this was the best one, its final redeeming offering. It served Japanese uni and uni from Santa Barbara (the one on the right in first picture), the latter of which was creamier and delicious (minus the bad rice, of course). The anti-climactic finale came with dessert that was a tangerine jelly (when what I craved was tangerine sorbet or something more refreshing than, uh, jelly -- given the price tag, I think they can afford to do something a tad fancier than jelly). How could a place like this stay in business? Totally beyond me. To think that I spent upwards of $100 on this bad to mediocre meal is mind-boggling. But at least you won't have to make the same mistake. In fact, I won't even tell you where it is. If you want quality sushi, get thee to Hiko today!