Side Note..

Have you eaten to the point where your stomach hurts for multiple days? I feel like I am consistently there...

Cellulite Please?

Friend: What are you doing tonight?
Me: I'm going to craft
Friend: Oh! How fun! What are you making?
Me: Umm... I'm making cellulite.

Craft Los Angeles
And that is exactly what I did with the never-ending dishes that made its way to our table at Craft Los Angeles. I had been once before, but was not blown away. It had great ambiance but the dishes itself didn't present anything unique. This time around, I had a greater appreciation for Tom Colicchio's restaurant. While not the most creative, the restaurant serves the finest ingredients and let its quality speak for itself.

I had an interesting conversation with my cousin yesterday, in which I was quick to fight him on but could not think of a counter-example. The experience at Craft today seemed to back up his theory that appetizers are the stars of any meal, while the entree is the boring supporting actor. Hmm... bold statement. I love meat, I love carbs, ergo I love main entrees which is essentially the meat (is there a better word in the culinary dictionary?) of each meal. I didn't want to believe it, but it makes a bit of sense. Since apps are smaller, chefs can be a little riskier... adding as many ingredients, texture, and flavor as they like. Entrees have to deliver certain expectations. Period. It makes up most of the bill, so it better taste like that fond memory (did someone say pot roast? ok, who am I kidding? I mean, Chinese roast duck). On that note...

Appetizers/Sides
Japanese Hamachi & Tuscan Melon - The citrus jelly that skirts the fish is bombastic
Assorted Mushrooms - Really really good, as in I-think-there-was-bacon-in-it good
Gnocchi - Carb bomb but light and fluffy
Lemon Asparagus Risotto - Too citrusy
Variety of Heirloom Tomatoes - At its peak season and sweet to the taste
Lobster & Avocado - It's ok. Even bacon doesn't make this outstanding.

Entrees
Flatiron Steak - It's what it is. You can find this anywhere.
Pekin Roast Duck - Underwhelming. Fatty. The grape-inspired peppercorn sauce could have tasted better with an extra pinch of salt.
Halibut - Delicate. It's fish. Don't have much of an opinion.
Braised Beef Short Rib - Really tender, really juicy but how can you mess up a slow-roasted short rib really? Throw it in a crock pot with some good spices and you are set (really!).
Lamb - Not gamey at all, really meaty and just flavorful. They stuffed this chop with herbs, causing it to almost taste like an Italian sausage.

Dessert
Watermelon Granita with a dash of Salt - Refreshing! This would have been the best note to end on.
Almond Pound Cake - Where's the almond taste?
Souffle - Wow.
Beignets - Delicious and delicate despite its fried doughness. Drizzle with a bit of honey and chocolate, and you're walkin on the moon
Petit Fours (White Chocolate Cookies, Brownies, Caramel Popcorn) - Now these intricate little bites ought to be in a fine dining restaurant!
Lavendar Lemon Muffin - I'm having this for breakfast, so verdict TBD

Yeah we had about 1/2 the menu... thank goodness it is family style, which is the best attribute of this restaurant. As far as my opinion, I am going to be nice and say indifferent in the realm of fine dining. (Disclaimer: I have been to some really really good restaurants.)

Ode to the Beef Roll

It's almost child cruelty that my mom kept this deliciousness from me for over 2 decades: the Taiwanese Beef Roll.

Beefy (obviously), savory, sweet, slightly chewy and fresh all in one bite... and one you can neatly pick it up with a pair of chopsticks! This breakfast/brunch dish is made with well-seasoned pieces of beef, practically in shreds as a testament to its tenderness. The beef is slathered with a bit of hoisin sauce (and who doesn't love this sauce?!) and a generous heap of diced cilantro. All this is rolled into a slightly crispy onion pancake, which softens a bit after the beef's juices seeps through. Altogether, it looks a bit like a beef burrito. The genetics of this dish is pretty simple, but its got all the right flavors and texture that really makes this outstanding and much desired. Maybe it comes laced in crack, IDK... I don't know how to say "crack" in Mandarin to ask.

I have not been to many places with it, but these are my top 2:

Yung Ho
1045 E Valley Blvd #A105
San Gabriel, CA 91776

Kam Hong Garden
848 E Garvey Ave #A
Monterey Park, CA 91755

3 Sq Cafe + Bakery = 2 Star Happy

LA's first taste of summer hit this past weekend and what better way to spend it than biking along the beach then Venice for shopping and good eats? Selfishly, I dragged my friends after an exhausting, hot day to a place where I had heard about the next best thing to steak: a Pretzel Bun Burger.

3 Square Cafe + Bakery
Situation: 3 Square Cafe + Bakery is a cute, happening place on a corner of Abbot Kinney. I have passed it by several times, always wondering what people are talking about in there and whether or not I can afford what they are eating. (There are plenty of surprises on this street after all.) It was not until my friend told me about the Pretzel Bun Burger that I made my way into this restaurant. Eclectic, clean, even eco-friendly looking (judging from the Astro Turf on the table). Cool. Menu is simple, but included a twist on traditional items--Avocado Fries, Truffle Macaroni 'n Cheese Croquettes, Pretzel Dumplings, Truffle French Fries, Cauliflower Puree Soup with Chorizo.

Food: The menu is oddly organized and priced, to which I heard the waitress bitch about the entire time I was there (service sucked and they were so negative about the restaurant)! Appetizers read like sides and entrees are mixed with 1 sandwich and random other things. My eyes drew to all items pretzel and the macaroni cheese, and so I ordered. The Pretzel Bun Burger included a generous piece of perfectly charcoaled meat--medium the way I liked it--with grilled onions and melted Swiss cheese. Not many ingredients to take away from the highlight of the meat-complementary pretzel bun. I added a bit of ketchup, mustard and a tad of El Cholo (we are in CA after all). CHOMP! And it was one of the best burgers I have had in a while! So, I could not taste the pretzel much outside of its texture (not enough salt crystals, which let's face it, makes a pretzel). BUT, it was only because the burger patty was so well done that nothing else mattered, and so the party in my mouth continues without...
Until I had the Mac 'n Cheese croquette and Pretzel Dumpling. The croquette style was different. Lot more breading than I would have wanted, and definitely cooled before I was done finishing my 3rd bite. I liked the marinara accompaniment but I much would have rathered Pizza Hut's bread sticks to go with. There were black pieces of truffle, but I could not really taste what made it decadent. Moving onto the Pretzel Dumpling which looked more like a pancake and had the texture of a Chinese Turnip Cake than an actual dumpling. Maybe my childhood was warped, but I always thought they'd be plump, round and ideally, surrounded in soup? Veto, I should have opted for the boring Truffle Fries instead of both of these!

Verdict: The Burger got me craving red meat again and that is a statement in itself. I am a fan, but next time I would probably just go to the Bakery part of 3 Squares and order the Pretzel Burger rather than get everything else and then have to pay tip to the unprofressional waitress. Nothing else on the menu really caught my eye (gasp I know, I don't care for avocado). I did venture to the bakery next door and was aroused by the various breads. However, let me warn you that the goods do not have a good shelf life. Leave it out for 1 day and it turns stale hard! But if you can stomach many carbs in one sitting, go for the pretzel types (hello, what have I been telling you their specialty was?) They have ones with cheese, jalepeno, etc. and they are even better when toasted!

Ask yourself, when's the last time you had a good pretzel with depth? I am not talking the thin, twisted kind you eat at a ballpark, I am talking indulgence in the finer things of life-kinda pretzel. Ch-check it!

1121 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90293

Toe Jam, Blue Jam?

It seems old age comes with burnt taste buds and the re-generation of new ones. I can't really complain but I wish some fat was burnt in the process of chewing as well. With that said, brunch seems to be making its way on the top of my craving list. Eggs and bacon... can you really not like either? Melt some cheese on top and serve it with a side of crisp, thin hash and say my name because I am there.

Blue Jam Cafe
Situation: I won't lie, I'm still a brunch-noob so I let my friend do the researching. She picked a place near Melrose area of West Hollywood called Blue Jam Cafe. It sounded like a hoot and their comprehensive menu had me wearing sweat pants to the place.

Food: I like sweets for bfast, but it can't ever be my only dish. Luckily, I coerced a friend to split a sweet and savory with me! First up, the Gourmet Eggs Benedict. This bougie dish consists of smoked lox instead of the traditional canadian ham, croissant instead of the english muffin and a nice touch of chives. Definitely a notch up and tasted yumm! One of my biggest peeves with benedicts is when chefs go overboard with the Hollandaise sauce. Blue Jam poured just the right amount and allowed the egg yolk to do more of the toast coverage. It's not as heavy as traditional benedicts, so it left me with enough room to eat my next dish. The only thing I would change is for the croissant to be lightly toasted to get a bit of crispness to it. Next up, the Blue Jam French Toast--stuffed with cream cheese and surrounded by fruit (the bacon rule applies to cream cheese too where it makes everything better). It sure looked like a decadent dish, but after I bit into it... Ehh. Ok. Why isn't the cream cheese warm? Why isn't it a bit sweeter? Where's my damn jam to balance the CC? It was pretty disappointing. So b*tch, give me back my couch!

Verdict: Blue Jam Cafe is ok. Mind you, the wait on the weekend is 1hour terrible. You can occupy yourself with shopping on Melrose, but I don't know about you, I am damn cranky when I am hungry. My critique might also be a bit harsh. I am spoiled. I had the best brunch experiences in San Francisco at Canteen and Toast. Everything was perfect up there. So LA... show me something good and hopefully not over-priced!

Well it isn't all bad, here are some quick recommendations of good brunch places in LA:

• Amandine - Best Almond Croissant (very crispy, non-traditional buttery pastry)
  
• 26 Beach - Order the Polar Bear which is a crazy french toasted croissant with 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream, plethora of fruit and caramel and fruit sauce drizzled on top, and the Monte Cristo which is a french toasted ham and blackberry jam sandwich (dabble in the sweet & savory in one bite)
• Griddle Cafe - Their Chili Omelette My Soul inspired me to make bfast again, and their Nutella French Toast is simply heaven (their portions are extremely large so order half sizes!)

7371 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90046

Reunited and it feels SOO GOOD!

Broke in college, I spent my lunch and dinners at the dorms or made a simple (ahem inexpensive) fake-spam fried rice at the apartment. All the meanwhile, I saved up money for occasional splurges at a local korean food stand called Gushi's near my college campus. It was some of the best bulgogi and japchae I had until some of my best girlfriends went shopping one day.

Ham Ji Park
So tell me how 3 girls with no daytime classes shopping in Los Angeles winds up in korea town where they find a gem sandwiched next to the best bingsoo shop and another japanese grill store? Impressingly so, these three little piggies put away a good portion of self-grilled, skillet beef, pork, ribs and stew. The girls came back raving about this place and in particular, the pork neck stew. Curious about this wonderland, I was on-board for the next ride.

Trying not to break my friend's heart, I admitted to my friend the stew was "not all that" (let's bring the 00 slang back!) However, when I woke up the next morning, I had pork neck on my brain. Odd--thought I was not a fan? Apparently it took a while to get deliciousness into my bloodstream since I have been hooked on fake korean food this whole time. I proceeded to text my friend to tell her I was crazy about the stew and was ready to go back.

Situation: From that text on, Hamjipark became our favorite reunion place. I now take all my special people here.

Food: It's not your champion-eating buffet style kbbq so there is no pressure to eat massive amounts. The key ingredient here is the quality of meat, either self-cooked or prepared by the kitchen. They have all the typical appetizers minus the rice or turnip paper. There are 5 types of meat, with my favorite being the marinated sirloin beef. With tongs to cook, you can control the doneness of the meat. Pair it with the sesame-salt-pepper dip they provide you, a bite of lettuce and you are having one of the simplest and best kbbq meals EVAR (misspelling intended).

Next must-have is the pork neck stew which is absolutely fabulous. It is hearty and savory with a lot of deep but non-overwhelming flavors. The stew has a dark red color but is not spicy at all. It's thick but not creamy nor pureed, which reflects the depth of flavor. The pork is stewed so tenderly, it easily falls off the bones. Even better, the potatoes are so soft yet wholesome until you sink your teeth into the stew-absorbed vegetable.

If you rather not cook, try the pork spare ribs. Meaty and smoky. It also comes really fast and does not require you to sit at one of the grill tables, which can be a bit of a wait around dinner time.

Verdict: Always a good meal and a good time. The family style atmosphere and the cheery pass of tongs or beer makes Hamjipark a fun interactive dinner. The meat does not disappoint and there is something for everybody, even the non-grillers. The staff is friendly, especially towards UCLA students. My favorite waiter, whom I have seen gone through at least 3 hair cuts, still asks if I graduated college. Keeping true to the gold and blue, he still manages to give me a college discount or free soup refill every encounter. Oh-yay-er!

Haaaaaaaam-Jiiiiiiiiiiiii-PARK!

3407 W 6th St
Los Angeles, CA 90020

Don't Believe Er'thang You See

I love TV more than the next kid. This past summer, Travel Channel and Food Network got me appreciating BBQ after all the countdowns they had across town. Top Chef got me fantasizing about quitting media and opening up my own mom 'n pop restaurant counter. OG Iron Chef still has me saying silly critiques at every chance I get.

My cravings change every so often and lately I have been all about the sandwich. Fried Egg Breakfast sandwich, Argentinian Caramelized Banana & Marscarpone sandwich, all of it! Call it my segue into Spring eats. Over the summer, Travel Channel aired a "Best of Sandwiches" show where a local mention made its way onto my radar: Philippe's Sandwiches, home of the apparent "original french dip sandwich."

Philippe's The Original Restaurant
Back when, Philippe's server accidentally dropped the french roll into the au jus sauce while making a beef sandwich. The sandwich was still served with the juiced-bread and won the love of the cop, who brought all his friends back the next day for more. And just like that, french dipped was born in Chinatown, Los Angeles. Nowadays, Philippe's gives you the option of Once Dipped, Twice Dipped or Wet sandwich style with the pairing of beef, ham, pork, turkey or lamb.

Situation: Loving sauce and soggy, I finally convinced a friend to venture out East with me in the congested town of Los Angeles. They had 2 parking lots=awesome! Despite the sizeable lots, there were so many people going in & out, it was a riot! The store was no different! With people emerging from both doorways, I was shuffling my way in with the rest of the herd. It had a barn-like atmosphere with hay dust on the floor and benches horizontally placed closely together which served more as a line separator rather than dining tables. There was one service counter where 7-8 lines formed right in front of it. I noticed a person next to me even brought her walkie-talkie to touch base with her friend in another line on the other side of the room in their race to the famous french dip.

Food: As many people as there were, the line moved relatively quickly. I managed to spend my 30-45 minutes productively thinking over which of the 5 sandwiches I wanted and with how many dips. Finally settling on the lamb with a double dip, I decided to not get any sides--potatoe salad, coleslaw, etc. As nice as it would have been, it did not really look that appetizing. They were piles of white creamy blobs without much to distinguish one side from another. They also had a selection of what looked like homemade pies, which were generously filled with fruit if you dig that. Fortunately for my favorite jeans, I am not. The bill? Under $7 for a sandwich, which is pretty cheap for this day and age!

Verdict: YESS! After the long trek across town and through loads of people, I have my own Philippe's original french dipped sandwich in front of me. Finally I was about to experience the history and flavors of what Travel Channel had described so delictably on both "Best of" and "Man vs. Food" most recently and... yea... You know how the camera adds 10 pounds? I guess it added deliciousness to this sandwich too. The lamb was ok. I got a decent serving of it. It was a little tough, as it should be since I would not take it the slightest rare from a barn (no offense! You wouldn't ask McD's to give you a medium Angus burger!) Most of the lamb was fat rather than meat. The french roll had a good crunch despite the double dip. The au jus, which is what should make the sandwich, was bland. It was there but it did not leave any sort of impression. The Lawry's $0.50 instant au jus or gravy packets in the supermarket tastes better, I swear!

So yeah, that was a little disappointing. Sitting on a stool in the back room with yellow painted walls and a heavy duty brown storage room door next to me, tray of food finished, my friend turns to me and says "I feel like I'm in prison eating prison food." And with that, we kicked the hay off our shoes, shed the smiles off our faces and made our way home. TV, why would you lie to me?

At this rate, maybe I should rename this blog to "little angry girl" but I promise I do enjoy good eats when I find them. It sounds like a trip to Milk is very necessary this week...

1001 N Alameda St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012