Bao

Another Chinese dim sum post.  I never really entertained the thought of going to dim sum in West Hollywood.  Okay, call me a freaking snob who only thinks that I should really lay off the PF Chang’s and only eat in the super Chinese filled demographic areas for REAL Chinese food.  Well, someone was convincing enough to get me to go, so I went and I liked it.

Okay, so I was really more relieved to actually see Chinese people in the window.  I mean, if actual Chinese people are eating here, then it must be at least decent right?  It’s like convincing a white guy that the Chinese food is good.  If he sees there are other Caucasians in the window, then, same thing, it must be at least okay.

And so, I went in.  Its Asian décor was reminiscent of a Chinese opium den in the 1920′s.  Just kidding.  However, I almost did half expect someone to come out in a formal chi pao (qi pao).Instead, a pretty Asian woman in modern clothing showed us to our table.  So the story goes that it was formerly a Korean barbecue restaurant which is why the tables are someone gigantic.  Of course, large enough for there to be grills in the middle.  Now, they’re just wide tables that have little room for your feet to go underneath.  Might I suggest that if you’re on a date, you might want to sit next to each other instead because it’s difficult to talk to hear each other (assuming that you actually like your date, if not, keep them across the large table–you might need to speak up though.)

To start:  the drinks are “delightful” as in West Hollywood speak, but seriously try their Lychee Martini, in fact, have two and save the lychee for last as it marinates all the while you are munching on your delicious dim sum.

They have a pretty good variety of dim sum.  The only difference is that there are no carts, just the menu, so if you’re not familiar with the items, you’ll just have to ask your friendly server to explain what those items are.  Overall, the food is great.  Well made dim sum items, a pretty good variety; just a bit pricey, but for West Hollywood standards, it would be typical.  The average plate is $4.00 in comparison to driving all the way to San Gabriel or Rowland Heights for the same plate for $1.25 to $2.50 at most.  All together though, you’re paying for the ambience.  Also, no real dim sum restaurant has awesome lychee martinis, so you’ll have to weigh out what you’re really interested in. A good time, convenience, and good food.  AND hopefully good company too.

Here are some dim sum items we tried and that were delicious:

Chicken Dumplings

Radish Cake, my favorite!

"Shao Long Pao" (juicy steamed pork dumplings)

Chicken Shiu Mai

I forget what this is called, but it's rice steamed in lotus leaf.

Chinese Green Beans with minced pork and garlic

and last but not least, the Lychee Martini...sorry that it's dark, but this is where your vision goes once you've had a few anyway. ;0P

 

Open Monday – Thursdays 11 AM-10 PM

Friday and Saturdays 11 AM -10:30 PM

Sundays 10:30 AM to 9:30 PM

 

8256 Beverly Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90048

(323) 655-6556
www.baodimsum.com

street (metered) and valet parking

 

Rustic Canyon

This week I was fortunate enough to be a guest at Rustic Canyon in Santa Monica.  This family owned restaurant is a favorite among locals and among local chefs.  They have a seasonal menu which is created, based on the local produce that they receive from domestic farms.

Situated along Wilshire Boulevard, only a few miles away from the promenade on the corner of 18^th street, Rustic Canyon has a tavern-like ambience. You know when you walk in that you can be comfortable and that there isn’t anything uptight or too frou frou about the restaurant.

Private booths...great for a date ;0)

Consisting of beers such as Alagash White Ale and Old Speckled Hen, the wine and beer list isn’t extravagant and long.  They only chose the best beers to complement your evening and your meal.  If you are a beer drinker/lover/connoisseur,  and like to try something new every once in awhile, they have a current beer that they serve…just ask your server about it.  On this visit, it was a beer for those that might enjoy something fairly light, with a fruity aroma and aftertaste.

How to order at Rustic Canyon:  They have a long list of appetizer style dishes that can be ordered and shared amongst friends.  Order two or three to start with along with an entrée.  Save some room for dessert.  You’re gonna want some!

Some olives to munch on while taking a look at the menu...

To start, we had the heirloom radicchio with pine nuts, capers, a lemon vinaigrette and ? cheese.  Like many dishes, everything must be eaten together to get a full effect.  Pile that on your fork!  It was delicious!  The bitterness of the radicchio, the saltiness of the capers, and the butteriness of the pine nuts and tartness of the vinaigrette was a great match.

**My favorite amongst all on this night was the beet and burrata salad.  It was incredibly refreshing.  It had apples for a little sweetness, shaved radish for a little crunch and soft mozzarella burrata that practically melts in your mouth.

Crispy Cauliflower and Spicy Broccolini.  Who says that you can’t have your veggies and enjoy them too?  The Crispy Cauliflower is a dish I seem to have everytime I go there.  It’s just that good.  The moment it’s on the table, it seems to vanish within a blink of an eye.  It’s what it is.  Crunch and cauliflower.  I think they use olive oil and a nice blend of simple seasoning to make all the flavors pop in your mouth.

Crispy Cauliflower

Who really eats all their veggies?  Not me, that’s for sure, but I couldn’t stop picking at that broccolini.  It was almost like a spicy Thai dish.  Tender broccolini, spiced up with red Serrano-looking peppers….

The last time I ate at Rustic Canyon, I enjoyed a very incredible sweet corn soup.  I wanted it to last forever.  Tonight, I had the butternut squash soup with caramelized onions and apple bits.  Delicious still, and a very cold weather type of soup.  I’m a soup person, so I am very picky about the soups that I get to eat.  I would rank the corn soup as first and butternut squash soup next in line.  Can’t wait for all the other ones they’ll have throughout the year!

Butternut Squash Soup

Cacio y Pepe.  A very simple dish, pasta, parmesan, salt and pepper were amongst the main ingredients.  It wasn’t my favorite of the night, only because it seemed to lack seasoning, even after you mixed it well.

Meatballs with Yogurt sauce.  This dish was not as particularly favored as much as the meatballs from my last visit.  More on the ordinary side, but delicious as everything else.

Finally, we come to one of our entrees.  In all honesty, if you order a bunch of the appetizers to share, you will be so full, you might only be able to eat half of this savory duck burger.  However, it’s so good that if you can handle it, then handle!

For dessert, we had some chocolate caramel tart and a side of mint chocolate chip ice cream.  The mint taste was refreshing, but had a different minty taste.  I think they might have used a different kind of mint like, spearmint or something.

The caramel wasn’t crazy sweet like some caramel desserts.  Sweet enough to be decadent with a glaze of chocolate.  My favorite part of the tart is really the crust.  It was flakey, not too thick, and broke off perfectly when you cut into it.  If you can’t get enough of this, here’s a hint.  They have the caramel tart without the chocolate glaze over at their sister bakery Huckleberry down the street.

The service is attentive and not pushy.  They’re there when you need them and off attending to other tables when you don’t.  A table next to us had a birthday and was not going to order a dessert, but seriously?  To let someone go home on their birthday without even a little bit of something sweet–no way.  They still got a little something sweet with a fine tuned happy birthday medley.

If you get there early enough, there’s plenty of street parking around the neighborhood, two hour meters across the street (meters up to 8PM) or Valet for 6.50.

 

 

I <3 Huckleberry

There is a wonderful breakfast place on Wilshire in Santa Monica that I had to try.  I was at their sister restaurant Rustic Canyon, which is down the street just a couple nights before having the best dinner.  I don’t usually get to eat out this much, but my friend was in town from New York, so that’s always a great excuse!

First of all, it was a sunny morning, we got there around 8:30 AM.  We walked in to find such a warm, welcoming atmosphere.  It looked a little confusing at first (only because the menu is up on the wall, so when you walk in, you’re just drawn to it), but they are really friendly there and will explain to you where you need to go if you want to order.  This place is organized well, so that even if there are a ton of people, the line is very efficient.  They’re not rude or snotty, which, before noon, is always the best.  Haha, oh, LA.

a sneak peek into the kitchen...

A beautiful showcase of homemade pastries!

Verdict: The cappuccino was good.

After they take your order, you’ll be moved along up to the cash register, where you’ll order your drink, pay, take a little card stand with your order number; and at a separate station, they’ll create this lovely latte for you and bring it right up to your table while you wait for the rest of your food.

THIS is the “Fried Egg Sandwich” with sunny side up eggs, Niman Ranch bacon, Gruyere cheese, arugula and aioli on country bread.  It was so good.  I know some of you don’t like sunny side up eggs, but I’m telling you, it’s perfect for this sandwich.  You’re gonna want that yolk to run.

This is “Green Eggs and Ham” with La Quercia prosciutto, pesto, and arugula on an English muffin.  The arugula is tossed in light lemony vinaigrette.  The eggs tasted very fresh, according to my friend whose dish this was.  The only thing is that the English muffin is nice and toasted, but a little difficult to cut still, even with the steak knife.  It was crunchy on the outside, but nice and soft on the inside.

This was my snack for later. The blueberry cornmeal cake. SO good! Light, and not too sweet either.

Definitely go to this place when you get a chance.  I love it because it’s family owned and they have not just delicious food, but you can taste the care they put into their dishes and pastries.

Open Tuesdays – Fridays 8AM to 7PM
Saturday and Sunday 8AM to 5 PM
Closed on Mondays

1014 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
www.huckleberrycafe.com

parking lot in the back

 

The Gorbals

Have you been to the Gorbals?  The what?  The Gorbals.  You ever watch Top Chef?  Yeah!  Well, you know the winner from Season two?  Yeah!  It’s his restaurant.  Oh!  Wow! (Okay, I only sometimes get this response).  Yeah, his name is Ilan Hall.  He graduated from The Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park and got his baking and pastry certificate at The CIA Greystone in St. Helena, CA.  He has worked in several well known chefs including Top Chef host and chef/owner of Craft, Tom Colicchio.

A brief connection before we begin:  So, Ilan is of Scottish and Israeli decent.  The Gorbals, the actual Gorbals is a place in south Glasgow, Scotland where there is a large Jewish population.  Ta-dah!

On this particular visit, a bunch of us went together to celebrate my sister’s quarter century birthday.  Yes, she’s a whole quarter now.  My big baby has grown up.

It was of course, our first time, so we had a little trouble finding the place.  It is located on 5th and Spring in an old hotel called The Alexandria, which is also houses a ballroom used as a venue of sorts and is also a not-so-great-never-ever-decide-to-live-in-this-building type of apartment.  Other than that, it’s “shabby chic” to visit.

You walk in through the doors and down the hall to The Gorbals.  Inside, you will find a dimly lit dining area with a small bar area, seats in front of the open kitchen so you can freely talk to the chef himself to tell him all about how much you are enjoying your food, and two tops to family style seating all around.  There were plenty of us, so the long family style table it was.

I really should bring a nicer camera, but you can see the actual "dimly" lit effect.

I was excited, not sure what to expect, because I heard that the place had mixed reviews.  Up front, I liked it and I’d go again to see what new menus he puts out.

Some drinks to start off with...

...and this is where you can get them. Or just ask your server.

a somewhat foggy version of their kitchen counter that you can sit at.

The famous Matzo Balls wrapped in bacon!  Yes, matzo balls and bacon?  Oxymoron?  Maybe, but really good.  Too bad these were shared plates.  I tried to sneak more than my share though.

Take a peek!

Lamb Stuffed Piquillos

They ate them without me, but it was a thumbs up all around…and it’s a pretty plate.

Lamb Burger, Mint Salsa Verde, & Fried Tomato

“Like”…and I’m not a big fan of lamb either, but I’ll eat it if it’s good…and I think it’s on a brioche bun, which is always good. (I’m telling you, Father’s Office, change your bun!!)

Grilled Squid, Lemon Garlic, & Parsley

This was good, but a little on the oilier tasting side, but still, good.

Prawns a la Plancha and Anchovy Butter

ps: “a la plancha” means grilled on a metal plate.  Fancy schmancy eh?  It’s a Spanish culinary technique.

Banh Mi Poutine

Poutine is a fast food dish originating from Quebec, Canada.  Originally, it’s made of fries, covered in gravy and cheese. Or the other way around, cheese, then gravy.  Anyway, the first time I had it was at the Standard Hotel diner on Sunset about five years ago, but it seems to have made a new round these days at different restaurants.  THIS was so good, I actually ordered a second round all to myself.

Bone Marrow, Oyster Mushrooms, Walnuts, & Malt Vinegar.

This dish was tasty, but my only two complaints were that 1, there wasn’t enough marrow, the mushrooms were delicious and very flavorful, but 2, the walnuts pretty much tasted burnt.  I don’t know if burnt tasting was what they were going for, but they were.

Latkes with Smoked Applesauce

Wow, when they say smoked, they mean smoked.  The apple sauce was something else!  A good thing though, and the sauce on the right, I forget already…but some kind of aioli I think.  Anyways, all put together, it was good.  Memorable because of that sauce though.

Black Fish and Chips

It was alright.  Not really a favorite, probably because it tasted a little plain.  Not really anything special here, except that the fish was “black”.

Spare Ribs

I didn’t get to try these, they were all gone by the time I had a second look (hey, at least I was able to get a picture), but according to my sources, they all loved them (well, obviously).

A peek into the kitchen.

Well, the verdict is, I’d go again to see what else Chef Ilan comes up with.  I really like that he basically won the contest to open up his dream restaurant and that this restaurant isn’t overly pretentious like some chefs might make it.  I get that there’s an expectation, especially after being on a show like Top Chef, but all in all, he wins because he gets to make the food he probably has grown up with or that he just likes and he gets to share it with everyone out there that is willing to try it.

Also a cool feature:  On the website, if you really enjoyed something there, they have this comment area where you can write in what your favorite dish was and if there’s enough votes of something, they’ll actually bring it back on the menu.  Neat idea!  Oh and to show some appreciation for the guys that make your food, you’re welcome to buying them a round of beer for $10.  It’s on the menu.

Open Monday – Wednesday, 6 PM to Midnight
Thursday — Saturday, 6 PM to 2 AM
Closed on Sundays

501 South Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013
www.thegorbalsla.com
213.488.3408
Street Parking, Valet and Parking in the building. 
Parking entrance on 5th.
Hotel entrance on Spring; Restaurant entrance straight inside. (I know it sounds dumb that I’m explaining this, but trust me, you’ll appreciate it.)

 

Tee-Jay Thai Sushi

“Where two worlds become one.”

I was recently in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where I discovered that there really isn’t a lot to do. As well, I’ll just say it, there really aren’t a lot of Asian people either. Anyway, my mom was craving her usual, have to eat some Chinese food at some point on this trip, so we needed to look for a Chinese restaurant. We searched, came close to going to one, but it turned out to be closed. I asked a friend of mine who knew the area and she said, there wasn’t really good Chinese food out in the area. By this time, my parents were getting pretty hungry, so we all agreed on Thai, except that in Florida, it seems that the common theme is Thai food AND sushi (which is Japanese, in case there is any question about it).

Here we go, so we decided on Tee-Jay Thai Sushi. I’m recommending this as a person that frequently eats Thai food in LA AND sushi, that this place is pretty good. It’s a sit down, fine dining type of restaurant that you can have a nice large meal with your family and friends at.

Just a tip: Free edemame when you check in on Yelp. The edemame came salted and warm. Delish!

Free Edemame!

We had a short conversation getting to know our server, Jackie.  Being of Thai and Chinese decent, we learned that he spoke mainly Thai and Chiu Chow and as a kid, studied in China to learn the Mandarin language.  He told us what we’d already discovered of course, that there weren’t a lot of Asians in Ft. Lauderdale.  I say this particularly, because I noticed that whenever other Asians would see our family, they would be surprised and want to talk to us a bit to get to know us and where we had come from.

Back to the meal:  We were pretty hungry, it being after noon and all, so we all ordered with our eyes it seems.  That and it was my sister’s birthday, so noodles were in order.  I don’t know about other Chinese families, but mine has a tradition that if it’s your birthday, you HAVE to have noodles, representing that you will have a long life.  So, don’t get those short choppy noodles.  You know what that means!  Just kidding.  Always get the dishes with oodles and oodles of long noodles for a long and prosperous life!

The Appetizers:

Fried Calamari with Thai Peanut Sauce

What made this dish Thai of course, was the Thai Peanut Sauce.  Not your regular tomato sauce and squeeze of lemon.  This gave the tempura battered rings a sweeter kick to it.

Oh, I just love spicy tuna rolls.  These were good…typical, nothing crazy or different.  It came with sliced, pickled ginger and wasabi.

Spicy Tuna Rolls (6 pcs.)

Another favorite of mine that I love ordering is papaya salad.  Tee-Jay’s is more sweet than spicy.  Typically, this dish would be a little more balanced with the spice, the acidity and the sweetness.  This one was definitely catered to a wider audience.  There was less of a fish sauce taste to it and had zero spice.  By the way, this dish has peanuts and tender shrimp for those that have some peanut or seafood allergies.

Papaya Salad

The Entrees:

Chiangmai Mai noodle soup.  I discovered this soup in Los Feliz earlier this year and it’s become one of my all time favorite Thai noodle dishes.  I don’t think a lot of places serve this actually, but I found it here.  This is a thick and creamy coconut based soup that takes its touch of spice from the curry. Using two different noodles, you get a little crispy texture in addition to the soft noodles underneath.

Chiangmai Noodle Soup

Fried rice. Sort of like “yang tzo” Taiwanese style fried rice.  What’s that?  Well, it’s like a fluffy fried rice with egg and other stuff, but the point is, “Yang Tzo” is fluffy.  This one is just similar. It’s called “Special Fried Rice”.

Special Fried Rice

These noodles were very flavorful, a little more on the salty side, but definitely something delicious to order.  Mixed in are veggies and chicken.

Bee Na Egg Noodles

Lastly, we had grilled chicken breast with three sauces, however, I was so engrossed in the eating that I must have forgotten to take a picture of it!  It was served with three sauces: wasabi cream, for a little heat, teriyaki sauce, for a little savoriness, and peanut sauce, for a little sweetness.  We tried mixing the teriyaki with a little wasabi cream and it tasted great! haha…a fourth sauce!  This dish comes served with a cup white rice.

Pair all of this with several cupfuls of matcha green tea.

Tee-Jay Thai Sushi

 

5975 N Federal Hwy
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308

954.771.4447

Parking Lot (free)

HOURS

Mon-Thu 11:30 am – 10:30 pm
Fri 11:30 am – 11 pm
Sat 12:30 pm – 11 pm
Sun 12:30 pm – 11:30 pm

 

Shabu Shabu Bar

New discoveries in eating are always amazing to me.  What can top the last great meal I had or what experience can make this meal more memorable than another? 

I went out to Gardena to see my girlfriends one night and we travelled to Santa Ana for some shabu.  I’ve had shabu before.  You take the meat, dip it in the boiling water, dip it in some sauce and have a side of rice along with it. Pretty simple.

No expectations is the best way to fully enjoy an experience.  We each took a seat at the counter, (they only have counter seating) and in front of each of us was a hot metal pot with water.  The server turned on our burners and handed each of us a personal sized mortar and pestle filled with sesame seeds.  While waiting and chatting with my friends, I enjoyed pulverizing the little seeds into a fine powder.  I just loved hearing the little popping sounds as I rotated the pestle around the ribbed interior of the bowl.  That’s the kid in me.  For texture, you can just leave some sesame seeds whole, as my friend preferred.  Later, the server came around to pour their secret sauce into the mortar bowl to be mixed with the ground sesame.  They also gave us a bowl of soy sauce and ponzu topped with chopped scallions.

Handing us the menu, I was excited to see that they had several choices of meats such as beef rib eye, Jidori chicken (Japanese for “Chicken of the Earth”–widely used in high end restaurants) among my favorites, pork, seafood, as well as other combo items.  The plate that they bring to you is beautifully presented with baby bok choy, tofu, carrots, a shiitake mushroom, napa cabbage and noodles. 

Also, each section of the counter has a condiment holder filled with shredded daikon, minced garlic and scallions to add to your sauces. Oh, how can I forget, they have this secret hot sauce (they say it’s habanero), that they drop into your sauces if you can take the heat.  One drop? Two? Three? or Four?  I can just picture a bunch of guys ready to bet their friends on how many hot sauce drops they could take.  Oh brother! 

I began to eat:  Lifting a piece of raw rib eye with my chopsticks and dipping it into the boiling water until it turned just a bit brown (i’m a medium rare kinda girl), then dipping it into the ponzu sauce that I added daikon to. (Eh, I just like the daikon more than the garlic, but most people prefer garlic in both of their sauces).  Deliciousness!

You must save room for the noodle soup and dessert!  Towards the end of your shabu experience, the server comes over to make you your special soup.  They ask you what you would like to add into your soup, cook the veggies and meat (if that’s what you prefer), and with the udon noodles, they make you a noodle soup and add some of your special sauces.  It’s simple and you can totally do this on your own, but for your first meal there, it’s just another fun experience to watch them do this for you.  Then you can adjust the seasonings as you like.  The soup ends up being so good though either way, mostly because of the sauces added.

Have some green tea or black sesame ice cream to finish off your lovely meal…and there it is…a shabu experience.  I can’t wait to go back!

Shabu Shabu Bar

1945 E 17th St. 

Ste 108

Santa Ana, CA 92705

(714) 954-0332

 

Parking Lot

 

Ice Ice Baby…First Scoop

Ice cream!  No!  Gelato!  Well, it really depends…are we talking about ice cream here in America? Or are we talking about gelato from Italy?  It really does make a difference.  I grew up eating Baskin Robbins 31 flavors ice cream.  My favorites were kahlua and cream, jamoca almond fudge, pralines and cream, gold medal ribbon and mint chip for something refreshing on a hot day.  I remember getting ice cream cakes for my birthday and thinking how genius it was to do this.  Cake AND ice cream in one!  Wow.  I’m easy to please.

Well, last year, I went to Italy to visit my best friend and had of course, real gelato for the first time.  I’d had gelato here in the States, but it wasn’t like it was over there.  No wonder why you have to envy Julia Roberts and her character in Eat, Pray, Love.

My friend's li'l sis KC and Julia in Eat, Pray, Love

She got to have all that awesome gelato whenever she wanted!  Since my visit, I could not get over how delicious that ice cream was.  I mean, yes, Baskin Robbins will always be there and will always remind me of my childhood, but what about now?

Gelato in Florence, Italy

Guess what?  While walking around Los Feliz, I found the best ice cream that would be the closest thing to the gelato in Rome.  Paradis.  The “-is” in Danish means ice cream…I suppose an ice cream paradise?  Play on words? Hmmm…I think they’re right.  Paradis is originally from Denmark.  The original innovator, Thor Thorøe created this “paradise” for ice cream lovers from an inspiration to make a lower fat ice cream than the kind that he had been making in Rome, but for Denmark.

EVERYDAY!!

When my friend Genevieve came to visit from Italy, naturally, there I brought her.  Their ice cream is freshly made everyday.  I mean, I had strawberry sorbet (oh, by the way, they have sorbet too!) and you could taste every bit of the fresh strawberries in it.  AND they claim that their ice cream is lower in calories (by using milk, rather than cream) than having yogurt…which is probably true after you see how much toppings people end up adding to their low-fat yogurt.    Try the Ferrer Rocher (like the chocolate) and stracchiatella.  Also, if you want something fun, try getting a scoop of their peanut butter and their strawberry for a PBJ experience. (sorry, SO American! but well worth it!)

Gen enjoying her ice cream

Paradis

1726 N. Vermont Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90027

(323) 663-3311

 

Street Parking (it’s easier to just park in the neighborhoods and walk a little ways)

ps: there’s the Vintage Los Feliz Theaters (formerly Los Feliz 3) up the street, so this place makes a great date place…movies and ice cream anyone?

 

Homemade Filipino Spaghetti

You might wanna know exactly what this is.  How is it that you can take spaghetti and make it Filipino?  Well, it has nothing to do with how our country was conquered by Spain.  It has nothing to do with anything Italian really, except that we use spaghetti noodles.  It’s just an early version of cultural fusion cuisine.  If you can call it that.

The most popular Filipino Spaghetti would be, I suppose from Jollibee.  Jolly what? you might ask?  Well, it’s the Filipino version of McDonalds.  Instead of a happy jolly clown named Ronald, you have a giant jolly bee, hence “Jollibee”…and his fun friends (I can’t recall their names…but they kinda look Dutch for some reason).  Click here for more than all you really need to know about Jollibee.

They are most popular in the Philippines for their Chicken Joy meals than their burgers.  I personally dig their breakfast Longaniza meal (consisting of a sweet sausage, garlic fried rice, an egg and a slice of tomato).  For any other time of the day aside from breakfast, I don’t go for the chicken, I get the Filipino Spaghetti and/or (and usually, it’s and) their Palabok.

Anyway, let’s get to the point…on to the homemade part of this story.  My sister and I like to eat Filipino Spaghetti, so I decided to make some at home and here is how you make it.  It’s semi-homemade with a couple processed ingredients…one of them making it truly Filipino spaghetti.  What makes it Filipino spaghetti? (a question you’ve probably been wondering since the beginning of reading this.)  Well, in the sauce, instead of meat, you use sliced hotdogs.  For the actual sauce, instead of just a regular marinara, we use tomato sauce WITH the addition of banana ketchup, which is a sweeter tangy ketchup, and lastly, if you want some grated cheese on top, instead of parmesan cheese, we present to you processed kraft cheese, from a can, preferably grated.

Here's what you will need: This should yield 4 portions.

• 2 T Olive Oil
• 1 T Garlic, minced
• 1 Spanish Onion, diced (brown onion)
• 1 large can of *tomatoes, can be already diced.  (I used whole peeled here, because that was what I had in the pantry–it’ll break down in the sauce either way.)

*You can always use fresh tomatoes and a little tomato paste to make your own sauce if you prefer and even more homemade sauce. 

• 8 ea. Hotdogs, whichever you prefer (beef, pork, “meat” as in mixed meats…honestly, “meat” will taste more authentic than all beef).
• 1/2 to 3/4 bottle of Jufran Banana Ketchup (Jufran is the brand and you can put in at least half the bottle and afterwards more to taste).
• 1 box of spaghetti
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 can of pasteurized cheese for grating (see pic above)

Now, you may be wondering why we’re using such items such as mixed meat hotdogs and pasteurized cheese in a can, but just remember that this recipe is sort of a poor man’s spaghetti recipe and you kinda love it because you grew up with it.  I wouldn’t knock it til you try it though. If a chain restaurant can make it into a top selling food item, I think you can give it a chance can’t you?  (PS: All these ingredients can be purchased at a Filipino or Asian supermarket such as Seafood City, Island Pacific, 99 Ranch Market, or Hawaii Supermarket)

Well, here we go…

Start with boiling water for your spaghetti. Don't forget to salt the water for some flavor.

• We are cooking the spaghetti while making the sauce so that they can finish at just about the same time.  From here on out, you should be watching your spaghetti once it boils (follow instructions according to the box.)

Get all of your ingredients ready before starting: mince the garlic, dice the onions and slice the hotdogs.

To start: In a saute pan, heat up the olive oil.

Next, add your aromatics: garlic, onions and sweat until translucent.

Add in your can of tomatoes and break the tomatoes up a bit if you used whole ones.

Add your secret ingredient: this is what makes it Filipino Spaghetti! Banana Ketchup!

• At this point, you can add in your hotdogs.  They don’t take very long to cook since they’re sliced so small, so to prevent them from being overcooked, I add them in last.

Lastly, top it off with some grated cheese.

• *unfortunately, I didn’t have grated, so I used some American sliced cheese, but I found it to be saltier than necessary.  Use the canned stuff for your first Filipino spaghetti experience.  It’ll taste much better.

Okay, kain na! (pronounced khah-in na, meaning let’s eat or time to eat!

Let me know if you try this recipe and what you think of it.

 

New York, New York: Day Three

Geez!  My last day in Manhattan and Longest Day EVER!  I know it was only three days, but it felt like a lot more with all the stuff I got to do and all the friends I got to see.  I’m so glad though, but today, there were still a few more people I definitely had to take the time to hang out with.  My former roommates:  Alisa and Nick and their little one, whom they had a couple years after I moved out: Gavin, and my favorite brother Paul.

I took theto Union Square and exited near 16th St. to walk over to a bakery that I’ve been hearing about for a very long time now.  I used to work at a bakery here in LA with a baker from The City Bakery in Manhattan.  His name is Camilo and his specialty is the Pretzel Croissant.  Only problem was, he’d never make it for us, so finally, one day, I looked it up online and everyone was raving about it and how good it was, so I just had to see for myself.  I walked a few blocks from the subway to find The City Bakery.  I went in and immediately, I felt right at home seeing the coffee machines and pastries all lined up.

With some jazz music playing in the background, trays of freshly baked cookies, muffins and scones come out of the kitchen every so often for a refill at the counter.

Hot Chocolate Station: Where they readily have hot chocolate on hand and use a hand frother to froth up the hot chocolate.

It’s a huge property for a bakery/restaurant.  The ceilings are high with tall windows and tons of space for patrons.  High ceilings also mean that you can make use of the space by creating a second floor, which is cool for patrons to hang out and people watch down below.  The upstairs has a ton of extra seating for that.  I like people watching as you might tell.

I bought an iced coffee and two pastries, one of which was the pretzel croissant that I was eager to try.

delicious pastry: has a crunchy top, made of cinnamon and sugar dough and can be pulled apart almost like monkey bread, rolled together with walnuts and raisins, dusted in confectioner's sugar.

description: crunchy, flaky croissant with a salty eggwash, sesame seeds and closed ends like a pretzel.

City Bakery’s Famous Pretzel Croissant

With a full belly, I went on to have a little tour of Union Square.  The first time I went there (at Union Square) was about six years ago.  I had just moved to New York and was being shown around by a cute southerner that introduced me to his favorite bookstore:  Strand Bookstore.  At the time, I had no idea where I was.  I just knew there was a lot of walking that we did and there we ended up.  Now, it is a favorite of mine.  Like what City Lights is to San Francisco, Strand Bookstore is to Manhattan, but bigger.  (I could be wrong, maybe I should compare it to Powell Books in Oregon.)  Oh, either way, I love to visit these bookstores.  I bought a book called “More New York Stories, the best of the city section of The New York Times” Edited by Constance Rosenblum.

Other places around Union Square that I visited:

Farmer's Market in Union Square

For the avid comic book enthusiast...Forbidden Planet!

For the chocolate enthusiast...Max Brenner

Max Brenner, also known as “The Bald Man” has a restaurant in Union Square with an attached store.  I purchased a “hug mug” of course, which is basically just a cute cup made for hot chocolate.  I’m a sucker for cute table and kitchenware.  They also sell a huge syringe filled with chocolate for those of you that are in need of a sugar high.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time to dine there, but they do have actual non-chocolatey foods on the menu!

From Union Square to Wall Street… (taking the  to Fulton St.)

It’s been ten years since that fateful day in New York City when the Twin Towers fell.  Everyone it would seem, has a story about where they were and what they were doing at the time that they heard about the crashes.  History has become split between the time before 9/11 and after.  We have natural disasters devastating our world today, but I don’t think anything is more remembered in most recent history than 9/11. (other than of course, Osama’s death).

I went to visit the site this year to see what had changed between the time they fenced up the remains and today.  Today, there are two voids in the ground where the Twin Towers were.  These will be or are man made waterfalls with the names of all those that lost their lives, including those that were killed at the Pentagon and on United 93.  There is a wall dedicated to the fallen heroes of 9/11 and an information station in the area that will tell you about the 9/11 Memorial and Museum which will be dedicated on the tenth anniversary and opened on the 12th of September.  The museum will open next year on 9/11.  Unfortunately, I only got to see pictures and construction from afar.

"Dedicated to those who fell and to those who carry on."

"May We Never Forget"

9/11 construction site

Aerial view of what will be.

This area is also in close vicinity to the World Financial Center, which is home to a lot of office buildings as well as a few shops and the waterfront area looking out to New Jersey.

World Financial Center

looking over to downtown New Jersey

Delicious looking pastries at Financier Patisserie in the World Financial Center

After this, I made a sad attempt to walk up to the first part of the Brooklyn Bridge.  I say ‘sad’, because, since I didn’t have a lot of time, I ended up only walking halfway up to the bridge, took my picture and walked with my friend Vic to Chinatown to get some well deserved ice cream. It was a hot, humid, muggy day…but I still enjoyed it.  This was the cooler part of the summer if you could believe it.

The closest I got to walking to the Brooklyn Bridge. One of these days...

The whole time I lived in New York and walked out to Chinatown I hadn’t any idea that there was this treasure.  The Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, open for over 28 years…and I’ve been missing out all those years I was there.  Man!  Well, it was time to catch up.  By the way, it’s on 65 Bayard Street in Chinatown, FYI.  Go there…now if you can!!

The Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory

It's a small space with a long line, but it's worth it.

lots of exotic flavors

guess which one is mine? :0)

My tastebuds had the pleasure of trying lychee sorbet, almond cookie, and black sesame seed.  Delicious!!  Can’t wait to go back and try more flavors! (as you can tell, I become really enthusiastic about ice cream).

Canal Street, Chinatown

Now, with that sugar rush, we went up to Eataly, Mario Batali, Joe and Lidia Bastianich’s foodie haven for Italian pretty much everything lovers.  This place is bustling even more so than Chelsea Market!  It has everything and I mean EVERYTHING that you can think of that you’d ever need or want uh, EVER.  Eataly has a market, where you can buy produce, fresh pasta, fresh meat, fresh fish, freshly baked bread, a bookstore, restaurants of all ends…high, mid, low, take-out, kitchenware, wine shop, dessert shop, coffee shop, etc.  It is essentially, a little mini “land of Italy” and it’s food and all that comes with it. <sigh> I just wish they’d open one in Los Angeles.  BUT WAIT!  They are!  Well, as I hear through the Italian grape vine, there will be one opening in LA in 2012.  I will get back to you about where, but for now, I’m just excited to hear that they’ll be taking us to Eataly too!  Yay!  I swear, eight years ago, I would never have thought that LA would ever get to be a foodie town, but thanks to all these wonderful chefs opening up (finally!) in LA, I can finally be at peace. (gosh, so dramatic!)  Molto Buono! Capisce?

Eataly is near the famous Flat Iron Building

cup o' joe anyone?

mmm...from the dessert station

the butcher...

the baker...

and my personal favorite...the pasta maker... okay, so they don't have a candlestick maker.

books!! of course, many by Mario Batali and Lidia Bastianich...hmmm...

the fresh market area

That night, I headed up to the Upper East Side (UES for texters!) to see my beloved former roommates, Alisa and Nick and their cute little one, Gavin.  I was so relaxed and into having good old conversation and catching up that I didn’t get to take a picture of Alisa’s delicious pasta dish!  So, all I can do is tell you that it was incredibly fresh and delicious and that I had two bowls of it!  After, it was about midnight and I thought, there’s no way I will be able to keep going tonight, but I wanted to go see my good friend, whom I call my brother Paul. (AKA, Pauly)…whom I hadn’t seen much the entire trip until tonight.

I left the east side and headed over to the west side…midtown to Characters.  This is an Irish pub type bar with a friendly bartender that knows the regulars.  Have a Guiness and watch some soccer on the screen.

After this, we cabbed it up to Harlem on the east side to pay a visit to the Shrine.  Sunday nights are reggae night.  Now, I’m not completely familiar with a lot of reggae other than Marley, so this place was great.  I discovered a few songs that will forever remind me of that night.  ”She’s Royal” by Tarrus Riley and Rockaway by Beres Hammond.  They’re probably old songs already, but to me they were new. This time, we stayed until all the lights were on and they had kicked us out.  4AM now.

I was with Pauly, his co-worker Michael, and his best friend Brandon.  Okay, so, what does a girl do with three drunk guys in Harlem at 4AM?  What anyone else would do…head over to IHOP.  I was really hoping for Doug E’s Chicken and Waffles, but they were closed already.  I’m from LA, so I wanted to see what NY’s version of Roscoe’s would be like (what’s with that commercial?).

IHOP does the trick though, especially for the drunk.  For some reason, and I think it was the adrenaline, I just couldn’t get drunk.  I drank, but nothing.  Just excitement from the day before and the present.  I was having a great time.  There were some characters at that IHOP!  To my left was a table full of guys dressed straight outta Fresh Prince of Bel Air.  Those were the days…

To my right, were a couple guys that were so tired that the waitress just slammed their food onto the table just to wake them up. Nice.

We left IHOP with full bellies and the sun already peaking through the darkness.  It was 5:30 AM.  At this point, to get home, one must negotiate with some cabbies and limos…basically whatever you can get at that time of the day.

Negotiations at hand

After one left, then the next…but not before they taught me how to Dougie.

At the end of the day, or at the dawn of the new morning, what this trip taught me was that you need not sleep at all when it comes to being in NY!  It really reminded me of old times…working late and staying up until the sun came up.  Can’t wait for my next trip!

 

The Waffle

I had driven past The Waffle on several occassions during traffic along Sunset Boulevard.  It would be on my left, then, on my right.  Finally, I mentioned it to my friend, and he had told me he’d been there before, and took me one day.  After that day, I never stopped craving it.  I’m not the biggest pancake fanatic, but I sure do love my waffles.  A little crunch, a little sweet, a little butter…mmm…  but waffles here take the cake.  I thought, “this is genius!”  (I love my food, so I tend to get a bit dramatic).

No more plain waffles for me!  During my first waffle experience, I had the Blueberry Lemon Waffle.  This became my favorite, but I added my own personal touch of an ice cream scoop…eh, maybe two, to go with it.  <sigh>  So good!!  …and that’s been my favorite ever since.  I try to try other things, but I always go back to that one.   A little sweet, a little tart, and a little crunch all at once and I’m a happy camper.

Here are some other delicious flavors they have there.  Currently though, everyone’s raving about their Red Velvet Waffle, but I’ve yet to try it…but oh, I will!

Maple Pecan Waffle...more like OMG!

MMM...Bacon Waffle! (No!...more like...mmm...bay-coh!)

 

6255 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Neighborhood: Hollywood

(323) 465-6901

www.thewaffle.us

Parking: street/meter off Sunset