When in Rain, Eat Ice Creaaam

What the.. how the.. huuuhwhaaat?! Why has no one told me about Mitchell's before? Everytime I visit the Bay, it's always Bi-Rite, Bi-Rite, Bi-Rite! And don't get me wrong because I love me some earl grey or coffee toffee (best ever) at Bi-Rite, but sometimes you want some of that hoo-hah and culture that Mitchell's seem to do so well.

Uber ethnic. Seated in the Mission - next to hipsters I've been told (thank god I brought my b and boat shoes). So many flavors (I sampled 7 - I tipped so shut it). I didn't even bother looking at everything else + condiments because I was so focused on ice cream - I did see there was a pretzel cone (somebody get it and tell me).

So they have regular flavors and then the Filipino flavors. I went exotic, because you know, wild Scorpio. I thought their espresso toffee was really strong - impactful choco chips if you dig that (I don't). I got...

Langka (Jackfruit) - true to the fruit flavor, creamy but light, fragrant but not domineering. It's a good, mild for those easing their way into something non-vanilla.

Halo-halo - Nice mix of everything + texture! They've got beans, jellies, and gummies in it. There were hints of young coconut but then also ube but then pineapple. I've never had a real Halo-halo but I imagined this creamy combo 1-2 punch.

So with that... I've had my share of tubs of ice cream at random Filipino UFC fight parties and potlucks, and I can't say I was that impressed with the ube or avocado. I don't think it was strong or fragrant enough - something very modest about these flavors. I think for avocado ice cream (or milkshakes) to be really successful, they need to have almost equal parts condensed milk like the Vietnamese do...

Aside those 2, I really liked the variety, most flavors I tried, and their risk factor. I'll be back as often as the Fast and the Furious sequels! (sadly).

PS. Getting ice cream at speciality shops on rainy days is really the best idea because you avoid lines that everybody Yelps about!

Mitchell's Ice Cream
688 San Jose Ave

San Francisco, CA 94110

Urban Adventurin’ in Downtown LA

Being on the West Side of LA, there is a certain kind of life I'm accustomed to. It is congested but there is a layer of laid-backness that takes us with the wind - some people even argue that there is lack of strong personality. Whatevas.

Speaking of w/e, the thought of Downtown LA makes me cringe. I do visit on occasion to get my fix of concerts and pro ball games. Not this one Spring Saturday afternoon though. I felt relaxed after an easy night of Tivo, and was ready to take on the world, or better yet Syrup Desserts at the heart of downtown.

GAH! I always am amazed by the amount of traffic on the freeway. Where is everyone going at 2pm on a Saturday? You should already be at the beach, or you're a damn fool if you're heading East where the hotness resides. Well I am neither, I just wanted a waffle with a visiting friend. Silly? Not if you know my track record. After over an hour of agony and heat on the 10E, I exited 6^th Street and landed at a convenient (but expensive) meter across the street from this place. It has been listed on Yelp's hot list for as far as this year goes and I was ready to verify its high reviews.

Syrup Desserts. What a pleasing combination of words. Waffles. Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. Ice Cream. What music to my ears!, and this was just the beginning. They had an intense menu of sweets of all combinations and unique flavor pairings. Strawberry Jasmine Tea and Pistachio Truffle Ice Cream were the flavors of the day - just to give you an idea of the ammo they packed. They stack these over fruit-infused or plain Belgium waffles with a generous decoration of fruit and syrup. I love waffles since I saw my first Eggo commercial during Saturday morning cartoons, so naturally, my eyes fixated on this end of the menu. There were a few that I wanted to try but I decided on one (I am trying to portion control despite how affordable everything was) which was a Blueberry Lemon Waffle with Blueberry Black Tea Ice Cream and Custard topping. Go anti-oxidants!

My friend, as health conscious as she was, knew I was a fan of Mascarpone and ordered the Little Italy crepe which consisted of berries, the cheese, and a scoop of Pistachio Truffle ice cream. Not much of a crepe lover, I actually really enjoyed this – even moreso than the waffle. It must have been the delicateness of the batter and the silkiness of the ice cream. No, really, it was the block of Mascarpone cheese that they layered on top of the crepe. Oh my fat belly this combination was so good! The best part was that you feel less guilty because the crepe was so light and fluffy. In comparison, the waffle was tough. It must be the Belgium-ness in it – it has a resistance to your bite which is ok if I was training for the annual teeth-athon.

The two desserts were pleasant but those two alone would not be enough to draw me to this place. Enter the décor. Syrup Desserts has that real downtown vibe. It is the blast of culture you'd expect in LA as you appreciate its sights from the top level of the loft. There's a rough black coldness to it – industrial – as you think downtown should be, yet there's a sophistication and chicness echoed in the white couches and tabletops. Being here took me away from LA for a minute. I almost felt the livelihood of NY and it was, ironically, refreshing. I really do need to find more places like this or just get out of West LA. There are so many different experiences and they are usually just a 20 minute (or 1 hour+) ride from me.

To life!

Syrup Desserts

611 South Spring St.

Los Angeles, CA 90014

ToraFUKu - Shut Yo Mouth!

I went to Torafuku for lunch today and it brought back good memories of dinner here. There's a bit of a dilemma. The lunch bentos are super affordable at $12-15/box but their dinner menu is what defines them as a traditional Japanese restaurant.

The lunch bentos come with a ponzu-inspired salad, their signature Kamado white or brown rice (refillable), miso soup, little potato salad & picked vegetables sides, and a decent serving of protein. I got the ginger glazed thin sliced pork and it was ok. It had a good sauce but the flavor didn't fully absorbed into the meat, and I was not so much a fan of the fattyness on the meat. I was a little jealous of my friends' chicken which pretty much looked like a full chicken's breast.

Their signature Kamado rice is basically rice cooked the old style way and I don't know if it's because I heard the story but their rice is pretty damn tasty, especially given I had the brown rice instead.

Like I said, dinner is what sets them apart other Japanese restaurants on this side of town. Their tapas-style menu allows you to try multiple dishes without over-indulging since it is light Japanese (and expensive) fare after all. I highly recommend their miso cod and braised pork with stewed potato in broth. The fish is perfectly cooked and just classy. It looks simple but there's a myriad of flavors that goes into it. The braised pork is just fantastic, especially as you soak it in some of the broth and eat it alongside their old-style white rice. You can find this same dish at Musha in Santa Monica, but I feel this place does it a lot better (less fatty too).

I would stay away from the spicy tuna crispy rice. It's not Katsuya or Koi style. I am also pretty sure I had the overly-crunchy rice pieces stuck in my teeth. I highly advise that you save some stomach area for dessert. I was a little pissed at dinner because I had to pay $4 for a small bowl of non-refillable rice and was disappointed by the crispy rice (despite their stated wins), BUT their redeeming quality that brought up my expectations is their traditional red bean mochi and black sesame ice cream. They flambe the mochi a bit so you get that textured crunch, and its filled with that good-for-you red bean as traditional mochi should be (none of that Americanized ice cream stuff though that is tasty too). The black sesame ice cream is probably the best version I have ever had in Los Angeles. It stays true to the black sesame flavor, not too sweet, and satisfyingly creamy. It would be my Christmas wish to have a carton of this at home, hint.

Overall dinner is a little pricey but I do highly recommend it over lunch - eat light, it is good for summer beach bods! The decor is intimate and sweet. The service is not bad, probably a little more attentive than you'd like but you get things quickly. Did I mention they have awesome black sesame ice cream?

Torafuku
10914 Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
www.torafuku-usa.com

Musha
424 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
www.musha.us

Chasing Cars – Mobile Food Frustration

I really hate chasing all these food trucks because the fail rate is pretty high. I've been trying to chase Coolhaus for over a year now and I finally caught them twice in one week... not because I was so satisfied the first time, but because I wanted a better taste in my mouth.

Truck events are just no bueno. I attempted the LA Food Truck Festival in Downtown mid-February and that was just a hot mess (the sun was scorching that day!). I tried again at the mini-truck festival at the Americana this past Tuesday thinking that it was a school day and it is so 'effin far that less people. To my dismay, everyone + their moms were there, literally. The only reason I went was to try the Grilled Cheese Truck because I heard it was amazing. Unfortunately it also had the longest line and I unhappily stood there close to 3 hours before finding out that they ran out of macaroni and cheese. Ok… the Coolhaus line wasn't terrible in comparison but many of their flavors were out after my 45 min wait. I was left with the sorbet (pineapple, coconut, pear, lemon, blood orange) flavors and no brioche - all things that made them interesting were gone. I couldn't not get anything after such a long wait so I sucked it up and had the pear sorbet on chocolate cookie. My world was not rocked by any means, nor was I satisfied after my yearlong anticipation. If you've read any of my previous posts, you know that I am pretty particular about a "good" cookie and I don't feel Coolhaus delivered.

Fast forward to 1st Friday on Abbot Kinney and I had a MUCH BETTER food truck experience. The Grilled Cheese Truck line was still the longest of them all but I was happy to finally succeed in trying the monster Mac-N-Cheese, BBQ Pulled Pork, and Caramelized Onion in a Grilled Cheese sandwich. It made me so happy. One bite reminded me of a BBQ plate lunch from a backyard summer BBQ with The Dove Shack's "Summertime In the LBC" playing in the background. This truck is so worth all those fail attempts at trucking. I wished I had gotten my 5 sandwich per person limit…

Coolhaus at 1st Friday – The lines were still long but I was more than happy that most of the flavors, minus pistachio truffle, was still available. I finally got to try the brioche bun, which I paired with the brown butter and candied bacon ice cream. Yummy… The Brioche was ingenious - pairing such delicate, eggy bread with ice cream. It was nice and soft, and the portion was suitable to the focus of the sandwich - the ice cream. I thoroughly enjoyed the Brown Butter & Candied Bacon Ice Cream - I ate it so fast I didn't even have any thoughts for it. You'd think it'd be odd because bacon is so salty but it was subdued from the caramelized coating. The ice cream was such a dynamic combination of sensations. Crunchy. Savory. Sweet. Creamy. Cool. Softness from the brioche.

I had a bite of my friend's dirty mint chip and that was a pleasant surprise. I expected your run of the mill mint flavor, but it tasted like actual mint leaves. Very refreshing and very surprising - I would have polished one of these off myself too if there had been a shorter line!

The obvious bad thing about these trucks is that they're limited in their resources and staffing, and their schedules are rather inconsistent. I like the idea that there are festivals where they are all in one spot, but I guess everyone else feels the same way. It is much better to catch them on an off-night when they're just rolling to your local hot spot for late night snacking. One thing I hate most is when everybody waiting for their food or in line to order complains the heck out of their experience because of the slow service and long lines. It's a food truck people! Save your bad energy for home or get Chinese takeout if you wanted a convenient, smooth experience.

With the abundance of trucks these days, it's hard to keep track of them all. One tip is to use an aggregator site like www.findlafoodtrucks.com. This will list all trucks in the LA area and where they are along with any specials of the day.

I have not had the chance to try them all but these are/were the ones I am/was most excited about and recommend trying:

Kogi BBQ – The originator of the LA Food trucks. Korean tacos and burritos. My faves are the spicy pork and chicken tacos. I would avoid the kimchi quesadilla and sliders, which I found underwhelming.

Komodo Truck – Uhh only the sexiest truck around! They've been on KTLA morning news and Tasting Table. They use only the finest ingredients and are not restricted to a food genre unless unique is part of the descriptor. I've only had their fish 'n grape taco, and can say they know how to perfectly fry a fish which can be difficult in a truck!

Grilled Cheese Truck – If you've read my post, you know my stand on this. Get it. I wouldn't get a plain grilled cheese here though – go big and get the one with the mac 'n cheese and bbq pulled pork. You only live once right?

Coolhaus Ice Cream Sandwich Truck – If they're nearby, have most of their flavors still, try it. They are good in that they do have some inventive flavors and will surprise you with their take on the classics but their lack of appearances and incognito schedules really piss me off. I would much rather go to The Milk Shop who is there when I need them to be.

Frysmith – French fries with melted cheese and meat on top? Sign me up! It's a pretty hefty meal on its own, which can be surprising since this carb is usually a side accompaniment. I recommend the kimchi chicken – unique and the pickled vegetable keeps your appetite up when you think you can't go any further.

Don Chow Tacos – Chinese Tacos and one of the longest standing trucks which popped up soon after Kogi. This truck is made up of one of the nicest people in this industry. Their special chow fun is bomb, their char siu is damn delicious and not a fake red, and they serve horchata. See any flaws? They'll also be on on Guy Fieri's Dives, Diners, and Drive-Ins later this year.

South Philly Experience – Very low key and under-rated. I stumbled upon them on Pico Blvd. after Kogi ran out of my favorite tacos. I've never been to Philly so I can't compare but I really liked their bread. It was soft and buttery, which is more than I can ask for. The food is just more pricey than I figured for a food truck at $8-9 average.

Buttermilk Truck – I have not tried but I saw someone with Red Velvet mini-pancakes… Next mission…

Chasing cars is an exhausting task. My patience for them is shot. Can they just be in a restaurant already so I don't have to find you? I'm a lady and I enjoy being catered to.

Ice Queen

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream... well, I just eat it. LOTs of it.

When I was a kid, I loved rainbow sherbet. You know the ones that come in a rectangle square box from Thrifty's where the colors are meshed into each other? (Man, I don't know how those paper boxes every lasted. They got so mushy by the end of their freezer career!) When I was 5 years old or so, my mom had given me the OK to eat ice cream after lunch - probably because I spent another day being the best kid EVER. She was tired so she left it up to me to scoop my own bowl of dairy confection goodness while she napped. With a little spoon for my little hands and a frozen box of ice cream, I slowly chipped away at the rainbow ice and transferred it into my bowl. It was the first time I got to control my sugar portions, and with my mom asleep, it was the perfect time to capitalize on an opportunity o' greed. Scoop... scoop... scoop... I was so focused on my growing ice cream pile, I failed to realize that it had already been 30 minutes later. In life's greatest irony, my mom woke up and saw me with my huge mammoth of ice cream and immediately decreased my load by half. Epic fail.

A bit long-winded but that began my love for ice cream. What isn't there to like really? It's sweet, creamy, and slowly melts so you can enjoy all aspects of it. Or it's still sweet and creamy but you bite through it so fast that your teeth turns cold and you're caught in an immediate brain freeze - what a rush!

20+ years later, I am still the ice queen I once was. I tried to boycott store-bought ice cream 2 years ago because I was extremely upset by the incredible shrinking ice cream boxes - I couldn't believe that Dreyers Ice Cream boxes kept shrinking as their prices kept soaring. I know we're in a midst of a tough economy but I don't like being bamboozled. Don't just sneak in a smaller box and expect me not to notice! Seriously! Dreyers was smart though. They countered my boycott by teasing me with Dreyers Limited Edition Flavors. If these flavors were only going to be on shelves for only so long, I will have to try it as a true ice cream lover before it go-goes. Sigh... ice cream undefeated, me 0. Here is a short recap of the Limited Edition flavors that I just so happen to have on-hand...

• Egg Nog - I get it every year during the holidays; it's better than drinking!
• Vanilla Sandwich - If you love ice cream sandwiches, then you'll like this. Not only that, but it's almost like Cookies and Cream 2.0. There are so many cookies pieces and they're so much bigger at that. Bigger is better! (Greedy confessions of a fat kid by the way.)
• Hot Cocoa - If you dig marshmallow texture; I don't but I like that this takes me closer to Serendipity's Frozen Hot Chocolate.
• Mud Pie - It sounds good but it could use a bolder coffee flavor, especially given how delicious coffee ice cream just is.
  

Other noteworthy Dreyers Limited Editions not pictured:

• Apple Pie a la Mode - Saw it once, got it, and never regretted it! The caramelized apple pieces with graham cracker crust interwoven throughout the box - amazing!
• Pumpkin Pie - Do you like Thanksgiving? Then get it!

You are brilliant Dreyer's. Not only do I keep gaining weight but I continue throwing money your way with your constant inventions. What great marketers...

You Must Be My Lucky Star

Have you ever paid $45+ for ice cream? I thought fine dining ended at steak or sushi, but somehow I managed to pay that much for one of The Milk Shop's French Macaroon ice cream sandwiches…

Is their ice cream really worth that much? You can say it is debatable. Admittingly, I didn't really pay $45+ for just ice cream – 95% went to the city for illegally parking my vehicle 5 minutes in the residential area to satisfy my sweet tooth. Can you really blame me? I had already driven 15 minutes out from the Westside for their limited edition blueberry French Macaroon ice cream sandwich that I have never ever had. Am I asking too much to just have a parking spot ready for me at 10pm? Seriously, parking on Beverly has become a pain in the a-hole ever since two years ago. On the weekends, El Coyote is nice enough to lend out their lot (for a fee) but good luck on a busy night. If they are full, you are pretty much stuck driving around the neighborhood until you stumble on a meter. And despite all those grade school grammar lessons on double negatives, Milk double-jabs you with their constant price increases. $1 increase in less than a year is pretty horrendous, especially considering how affordable they used to be in 2006 ($2.50 for an ice cream sandwich vs. $4.50 now!). Yet despite all obstacles, I keep coming back. I'm a damn fool in love, and Milk is just magically delicious. This is why:

French Macaroon Ice Cream Sandwiches – Take the best two sweets man ever invented and then twist it with some shi-shi French influence to make it even more mind-blowingly amazing. The French Macaroon part is sweet and chewy, holding its own against the silky ice cream. The textures play off each other well as you get a bit of substance in between a flash freeze of cold. My favorite is the Toffee Coffee –strong overall coffee taste with bits of chocolate covered toffee for an extra bite. I also enjoy their many unpredictable seasonal flavors. It gets me in the store every time! My favorite is the Rose French Macaroon Ice Cream sandwich that is only available on Valentine's Day week. It is quite the treat if you are into fragrant-tasting food.

Blue Velvet Cake – If you believe in puppies and have a ridiculous sweet tooth, then yes. Saay whaat? You will have a new favorite birthday gift after a bite. Unbelievably moist with a tasty cream cheese frosting… Bits of blueberry dancing in between each frosted layer… Just rich, guilty indulgence. And just when you think you have had your way with the cake, it gives you another magical experience. Your very own blue Easter Egg! Ask me after.

Espresso a la Mode – It took me 4 years before I knew this existed. I have spent all my energy on the FMac & Blue Velv that I skip the menu. After going with a new group of people and candidly giving them disgusted looks for ordering items other than the aforementioned, I was exposed to this concoction containing 2 scoops of vanilla + 2 shots of espresso + chocolate syrup + whipped cream + hazelnuts. For someone who loves coffee-flavored things, I was in heaven. Contrast of hot and cold. Bitter and sweet. Creamy and nutty. I became an instant fan – so much that I did not even get a FMac during my latest run. I went straight for this dish with a few minor tweaks because who wants to be boring vanilla: 1 scoop coffee toffee ice cream + 1 scoop peanut ice cream + 2 shots of espresso + light chocolate syrup + hazelnuts. Too much? Nah… I had no problems sleeping that night. I was more than satisfied.

Inventive ice cream sandwiches. Tasty cakes. Bold items. Yeah, I will be back (sans the parking ticket hopefully). There really isn't any dessert place out there that can do what they do.

7290 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90046

Summertime in the I.C.E

Send for the flower girl and fly out the doves because the perfect union has taken place down the ice cream aisle at your local supermarket! The two best things on ice have decided to spend their shelf life together in a bucket!

Do you Mint Chip take Cookies 'n Cream to be yours? Because I've called my friends while you play with your friends, and I'm ready to do this every weekend! Ben and Jerry's has kept this marriage for a while with their Mint Cookie pint, but if you're anything like me, you definitely want something more sizable and affordable. Enter Dreyers, who decided to mainstream this flavor into one of their many offerings in any grocery store. Mint Cookie Crunch. (Don't even get me started on how long it took me to find this specific Dreyers carton. They came, they left, they're back, whatever, just stay!) It's green, as any good mint ice cream should be--I don't care if it's artificial, something about the color validifies its taste. The cookies are soft and present in most bites you take (though it would be nice to get that surprise big cookie here and there to fully satiate your cookie tooth). It's also, sadly, lowfat, which you can taste on a particular night. Ok fine, it's not the best but it is present and not bad which is more than I can ever ask for. So Breyer's Mint Cookie Crunch is the mate I settled with (definitely over Ben & Jerry's Mint Cookie, personally. I hate whites). We aren't passionate nor have that magnetic spark, but it is consistent and stable. There is a big ocean with room for other fish right? Hopefully other ice cream brands will start spawning this best concoction.

One other notable mention while we're on the best ice cream combo ever is Trader Joe's Mini Mint Ice Cream Mouthfuls--Oreo 2.0 stuffed with mint ice cream in the middle. This is a hard find people, godspeed.