Monthly Archive for January, 2009

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Ernie's Al Fresco – Pasadena

Published by Gastronomer on January 21, 2009 in Meals on Wheels, Mexican, Pasadena and Restaurant Review. 4 Comments

For over twenty years, Ernie Mercado has been serving up good eats to the Caltech community from his lunch truck. The Astronomer and I first learned about Ernie from our phở-loving friends—Bao, Hung and Kunwoo. For three fairly quiet gents, they spoke animatedly and highly of Ernie’s food.

The Astronomer and I finally tried the goods on a rainy day in December when I happened to be working on a freelance piece from the Caltech library. Whenever I have an extreme case of writer’s block, I head to Caltech for a change of scenery. It seems that I focus better when I’m surrounded by geniuses.

During prime lunch hours, Ernie’s truck is conveniently parked outside The Astronomer’s physics lab. Even though it was cold and wet on our visit, there was still a good-size crowd huddling around Ernie’s truck.

Mexican fare is the name of the game at Ernie’s, and most items are priced around $3 to $4. All food is assembled to order by either Ernie or his helper. I went with the Tijuana Trio—three tacos filled with pork, chicken and beef. Since chicken is my least favorite animal to eat, I asked Ernie to substitute an additional pork taco instead. He kindly obliged and agreed that chicken was lame. The tacos were sprinkled with chopped onions and cilantro, and served with a lime wedge and two mild salsas (pico de gallo and tomatillo) on the side.

All three tacos were solid in the taste department, but a little chilly temperature-wise. Luke-warm food could be avoided if everything was cooked fresh to order, which isn’t the case at Ernie’s truck. This was my first lunch truck experience, so I’m curious to see how other vendors approach food preparation on wheels.

I added a side of beans and rice to my order. Both items were good, but could have used a few more minutes on the stove or a quick nuke in the microwave. Eating cold food on a rainy day is sad.

The Astronomer ordered a carne asada burrito, which came with a side of tortilla chips and salsa.

The Astronomer enjoyed his burrito very much. I didn’t steal a bite because I like my burritos San Diego-style with all meat and no rice.

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Ernie’s Al Fresco
Multiple locations in and around Caltech
Pasadena, CA 91106
Phone: 310-367-4291

Arde’s Bistro – Los Angeles (Burbank)

Published by Gastronomer on January 20, 2009 in Burbank, Greek, Los Angeles, Middle Eastern and Restaurant Review. 3 Comments

In this 498.3 square mile metropolis with notoriously bad traffic, meeting a friend for a meal can mean an hour-long commute. When my Valley-dwelling friend Sam and I wanted to meet up for lunch, it made sense to dine somewhere in the middle to save a little time and gas. What city is halfway in between Pasadena and Sherman Oaks? Why Burbank, of course.

Eating out in an area that neither party is familiar with can be a bit of a crapshoot. To avoid a dining disaster, I called upon my sometimes trusty, but oftentimes flaky friend Yelp. Since Arde’s Bistro was the number one rated restaurant in Burbank, I figured it would be a good enough spot to hit up.

Mother and daughter duo Arde and Nina opened up Arde’s Bistro in 2000. The restaurant is smallish in size and laid back in attitude. The menu reflects Arde’s previous training as a Greek, Armenian and Lebanese cook, but with a couple of California-inspired additions like wraps and salads thrown in.

We started off our late lunch with an Appetite Teaser Platter ($10.95), which included hummus, baba ghanouge, stuffed grape leaves, a feta turnover, falafel, a small Greek salad and a side of Tahini sauce. Sam’s favorite of the bunch was the flaky and salty feta turnover. I was especially mad about the pleasantly tart stuffed grape leaves, with the smoky baba ghanouge coming in a close second. The falafel were decent, but paled in comparison to the one’s Mama made back in Philly. I like my falafel spicy and rustic.

The generous Appetite Teaser Platter was served with warm pita and lavash—a soft, thin flatbread. Both were excellent vehicles for scooping up the hummus and baba ghanouge.

With The Astronomer playing third wheel, we weren’t afraid to order up a storm. For one of our entrees, we went with the lamb kebab plate ($8.95), which came with a small Greek Salad, hummus and bulgar pilaf. Whereas I thought the charbroiled pieces of lamb were dry and over-cooked, The Astronomer thought they were pretty good considering the price and genre. Sam, a self-proclaimed non-foodie, thought the lamb was fine and would’ve been just as happy eating at the Boston Market across the street.

For our second entree, we ordered the Gyro Plate ($7.95), which was served with rice, a small Greek Salad, hummus and Jajik (yogurt cucumber sauce). The gyro meat, which was a combination of charbroiled lamb and beef, was under-seasoned and lacking in the oomph department. I have yet to find a gyro that can match J.K.’s down in San Diego.

As we paid our bill, we were treated to complimentary squares of sticky and sweet baklava. Now, these are worth coming back for.

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Arde’s Bistro
4315 W. Riverside Drive
Burbank, CA 91505
Phone: 818-729-8463

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Published by Gastronomer on January 19, 2009 in Cake + Cupcake, Dessert and Recipe. 6 Comments

This recipe comes from the book Cupcakes by Shelly Kaldunski. Whereas traditional red velvet cakes have subtle chocolate undertones, these feature some serious chocolate flavor. The original recipe calls for four drops of food coloring, but I bumped it up to ten to give the batter a festively artificial glow. What can I say? I like my red velvet unmistakably red.

For cupcakes

1.5 cups cake flour
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp vinegar
10 drops red food coloring
3/4 cup sugar
4 tbsp butter
1 egg, room temperature

For frosting

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/3 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Make cupcakes

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven 350F. Prepare cupcake pan with liners.

Sift together cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into a bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, vanilla, vinegar and red food coloring; set aside. In another bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg.

Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk mixture in 2 additions, beating on low speed until combined; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20-22 minutes. Let the cupcakes cook in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.

Make frosting

In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high spped, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar and mix until thoroughly combined; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Use right away, or if the consistency is too soft, refrigerate until the frosting is spreadable, about 15 minutes. Optional: sprinkle with cocoa powder.

Makes 12 cupcakes and 2 cups of frosting.

Recipes from Cupcakes by Shelly Kaldunski.

Cupcakes – Shelly Kaldunski

Published by Gastronomer on January 18, 2009 in Book Reviews. 8 Comments

About: Cupcakes are everyone’s favorite little indulgences. They’re loved by kids and adults alike because they’re playfully sweet as well as utterly charming. These days, cupcakes can be found in bakeries everywhere, but with just a little know-how, you can easily bake your own tempting boutique-bakery cupcakes at home and decorate them with flair.

Cupcakes contains recipes for every palate: Here you’ll find classic Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream for the traditionalist, Triple Chocolate Cupcakes for the chocaholic, PB&J Cupcakes for the kids, Salted Caramel Cupcakes for the epicurean, as well as seasonal holiday cupcakes, and dozens more. Whether you are a novice or experienced baker, inside these pages you’ll find friendly advice about ingredients and equipment, cupcake-making and baking tips, and a collection of ideas for decorating your cupcakes with either elegant minimalism or grand flourishes. —Simon and Schuster.

My Thoughts: It’s no secret that I love cupcakes, so I was thrilled to receive Cupcakes the book this past Christmas from The Astronomer’s thoughtful parents. The 128-page beauty is divided into seven sections. The introductory chapter, “All About Cupcakes,” explains baking basics and techniques, which is a must-read for novices and experts alike. Next, the book devotes four sections to various genres of cupcakes including “Basic” (vanilla, chocolate, yellow), ”Fruit & Nut” (lemon blueberry crunch, sour cherry-almond, banana caramel), ”Chocolate” (Mexican chocolate and red velvet) and ”Special Occasion” (tres leches, tiramisu).

The sixth section focuses on “Frostings, Fillings & Finishes” and includes excellent infusion ideas for jazzing up classic frostings like buttercream and cream cheese. Perhaps the most unique section of the book is the final one, “Creative Cupcaking.” It is a two-page, user-friendly diagram that suggests how to mix and match the book’s various recipes for frostings, cakes, fillings and garnishes to create innovative new cupcakes—this section really gets the creative juices flowing.

The first cupcake I made was the red velvet with cream cheese frosting. Everything was going swimmingly up until the point when I realized that the instructions did not inform me when to add the egg. Doh! Luckily, the cupcakes turned out well even though the egg was incorporated into the batter haphazardly. I cannot believe that such an important step was omitted from the instructions! Clearly, each recipe was not as meticulously tested (and edited) as I had expected from a published work. What a shame!

Although I initially loved this book for its fabulous photos and abundance of inspiration, the egg situation left a figurative bad taste in my mouth. I’m not ready to give up on Cupcakes completely, but I will proceed with extreme caution.

Continue reading ‘Cupcakes – Shelly Kaldunski’

Steven’s Steakhouse‎ – Los Angeles (Commerce)

Published by Gastronomer on January 15, 2009 in Commerce, Los Angeles, Restaurant Review and Steakhouse. 10 Comments

With my mom in Los Angeles for business, a dinner together was in order. The Astronomer and I met her at the Double Tree in Commerce because she wasn’t in the mood to veer far from her hotel. The dining options in Commerce are slimmer than Nicole Richie (pre-baby), so our only choices were either fast food or Steven’s Steakhouse.

Family-owned since 1954, Steven’s Steakhouse is a blast from the past—I’m not sure which era in the past because my memory only goes back to the 90s. There’s nothing wrong with being an older establishment, but there is something wrong with being seriously outdated. Steven’s Steakhouse is crying inside for a makeover.

As diners walk into Steven’s Steakhouse, they are greeted with a collage of faded photos featuring celebrity diners like Muhammad Ali and Jean-Claude Van Damme. Apparently fighters, both real ones and those who played them in the movies, are big fans.

The dining room was decked out for the holidays with ghastly seasonal decor. Even the not-so-observant-to-details Astronomer thought that the flashing Christmas lights went overboard. In the words of current culinary crush Gordon Ramsay, “F*** me!”

As we perused the menu, our tux-donning, fishnet-wearing waitress brought out some bread and butter. Though warm, the textures of both the brown and white varieties were frighteningly similar to squished hamburger buns.

My mom suggested that we begin with seafood stuffed mushroom caps ($9.95). The larger than average caps were filled with a blend of shrimp, crab and scallops, and doused with a light gravy. The stuffing tasted exactly like the filling found in the frozen stuffed salmon sold at Costco. Boy, I’d like to look inside Steven’s freezer…

Each of our dinner entrees included a choice of soup or salad, and a plate of pasta. Yes, a whole plate of pasta. My mom went with the salad, which contained iceberg lettuce, shredded carrots, corn, croutons and red cabbage. She took three bites and called it quits.

The Astronomer went with the French onion soup. Nice presentation, hey? The doily is classic! It’s a shame the folks in the back of the house couldn’t be bothered to wipe the edges of the bowl. The soup itself tasted watery and burnt.

My chicken dumpling soup was a thick and tasteless mess. Two bites and I was out.

Next, we were all treated to a plate of spaghetti with marinara sauce. That’s extremely weird, right? Yes, I do think so.

After our senses were properly titillated, our entrees arrived. My mom ordered the “World Famous Big Jim Special Prime Rib Dinner” ($23.95). It was big alright, and so juicy that I saw my reflection in the pool of blood. The Astronomer and my mom both enjoyed the medium-rare slab of meat. However, it must be noted that after eating such horrendous starters, just about anything prepared decently tasted spectacular.

The Astronomer went with the Steven’s Steak Dinner ($18.95)—a 10 ounce New York Steak with mashed potatoes. The steak was too bland to eat alone, so The Astronomer had to dip it in A1 sauce. Sad. The mashed potatoes, which were piped onto the plate using a pastry bag (!), were crusty and dry.

I went with the scallops ($17.95), which were sauteed in a lemon and garlic butter and served with rice pilaf and vegetables. As soon as the plate was set down before me, I removed the gross looking bowl of butter. Much to my surprise, the scallops were well-prepared and pleasant on the palate. The rice was pretty decent too, besides the fact that it was soaked with butter and scallop juices.