Monthly Archive for June, 2009

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Tacos El Gordo – San Diego (National City)

Published by Gastronomer on June 7, 2009 in Mexican, Restaurant Review and San Diego. 10 Comments

I was looking through your website and I have yet to see a write up on TACOS EL GORDO. Check it out. It’s in National City.

My cousin Michael left me this comment on the site back in April. My first thought when I read it was, “Wow! I didn’t know Michael read gas•tron•o•my. Cool beans.” My second thought was, “What is Michael doing eating tacos in National City? Does his mother know?”

While back home in San Diego over Memorial Day weekend, Michael (right) introduced me to the glory of Tacos El Gordo. Michael fired up his mama’s Windstar on Sunday evening, and we drove all the way to National City for dinner. There’s a taquería on practically every corner where we live, so driving across town for some Mexican grub was kind of a big deal. Cousin Jimmy (left) came along for the good eats.

Michael’s first blissful encounter with Tacos El Gordo was in Rosarito, Baja California Mexico during his senior year of high school. Unaware that his favorite south of the border taquería had expanded to California, Michael was pleased to no end when he serendipitously stumbled upon one of their local locations while lost in National City.

The National City branch of Tacos El Gordo is located in a converted Pizza Hut. Trays are grabbed on the way in and all orders are placed at the front counter. After we received our 15+ made-fresh-to-order tacos, we headed to a booth in the back to pay for our loot.

Before settling down to dig in, I made a trip to the condiment bar for some radishes, lime wedges, and salsa. We also got a big ‘ol cup of horchata (cinnamon rice milk) to share.

First up, taco de lengua ($2.10). The cow tongue taco came with fresh onions and cilantro and a mild tomatillo salsa, and was held together by two hot-off-the-griddle corn tortillas. I was surprised by the tongue’s stewed short ribs-like texture. I was expecting a chewier meat like that of a pig’s tongue. Overall, a very hearty and well-rounded taco.

Next up was the taco de cabeza ($1.85). Similar to the tongue taco, the cow head taco contained fresh onions and cilantro, all wrapped in a corn tortilla. The cabeza was the richest tasting taco I’ve ever encountered. I would’ve never guessed that bovine head muscles were so slick.

Michael and Jimmy polished off five tacos de carne asada each ($2). The cubes of beef were smoky and plentiful.

The most amazing tacos of the evening were the tacos de adobada ($2), which were made of thin pork steaks skewered and overlapped on a trompo (vertical rotisserie) and flame-broiled. The collection of pink-hued adobada seasonings were really fabulous—a little spicy and a lot sweet. Although I didn’t get to confirm with the Spanish-speaking trompo master, I swore I tasted some star anise! The complete package of pork, cilantro, onions, sweet white sauce, and warm corn tortilla was fantstic.

A few hours after our Tacos El Gordo feast, Michael departed to San Francisco—The Land of Rice- and Bean-Laden Burritos—to wrap up his sophomore year of college. This meal should keep him going until he returns to the land of Tacos El Gordo for summer vacation.

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Tacos El Gordo
1940 Highland Avenue
National City, CA 91950
Phone: 619-474-5033

Cinnamon Sugar Donuts with Caramel Sauce

Published by Gastronomer on June 5, 2009 in Dessert, Doughnuts and Recipe. 21 Comments

In recognition of National Donut Day, The Astronomer and I considered driving out to Glendora to sample The Donut Man‘s famed fare, but traveling eighteen miles for a sugar rush seemed excessive. Instead, we stayed at home and attempted to recreate the stupendous donuts that we devoured at Animal on Fairfax. How can The Donut Man possibly beat homemade donuts drizzled in a warm caramel sauce? He can’t.

For donuts

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 cup milk
Cinnamon and sugar
Oil

For caramel sauce

1/2 pound of soft caramel candies
1/4 cup milk
Salt

Make donuts

Whisk together the flour, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and baking powder in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside. Whisk together the egg, sugar, butter, and milk in a large-sized bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine thoroughly. The batter will be sticky, so either use a spoon or a pastry bag to extrude the dough for frying.

Pour two inches of oil into a heavy medium saucepan. When the oil is hot, extrude a ball of dough approximately an inch in diameter into the oil. Fry the donuts until they are golden brown, then remove them and place them on a paper towel. If the oil is too hot, the donuts will brown before they are cooked through, so it is a good idea to sample a couple as you go along and adjust the heat accordingly. While the donuts are still hot, drop them into a bowl with half a cup of sugar and a few sprinklings of cinnamon. Move the donuts around until they are well-coated.

Make caramel sauce

Combine the caramels, milk, and a dash of salt in a double boiler or a bowl set over a saucepan filled with an inch of water. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the caramels have melted to a smooth consistency, about 20 minutes. To serve, drizzle caramel sauce over warm donuts.

Makes approximately 20 donut holes.

Đông Nguyên Restaurant – Alhambra

Published by Gastronomer on June 4, 2009 in Alhambra, Com Ga Hai Nam, Los Angeles, Mi Vit Tiem, Restaurant Review and Vietnamese. 9 Comments

As much as I love introducing friends and family to new foods and great restaurants, being shown the ropes by a resident eater is oftentimes even better. Every once in a while, it can be a real treat to just sit back, relax, and let someone else assume the role of Gastronomer.

It’s a red letter meal whenever I dine with gas•tron•o•my reader Sharon. She currently resides in Durham, North Carolina, but grew up in the heart of the San Gabriel Valley. Her extensive knowledge of Chinese and Vietnamese gems up and down Valley Boulevard is impressive and inspiring.

The initial plan for our Wednesday night dinner was to meet up at Sharon’s favorite banh cuon restaurant in Alhambra. Unfortunately, it was closed this evening, so we headed next door to Đông Nguyên, a restaurant Sharon’s family has been frequenting since she was a small fry.

Located in a strip mall with an uncanny resemblance to Disneyland’s Main Street U.S.A., Đông Nguyên specializes in Chinese-Vietnamese cuisine. The restaurant’s proprietors hail from Vietnam, Chợ Lớn in District 5 to be exact, but are ethnically Chinese. The majority of the dishes served here are traditionally considered to be Chinese. However, some of the offerings contain distinctly Vietnamese touches, like nuoc mam-based marinades and sauces. This is fusion cuisine at its finest.

All of the wonderful ladies who work at Đông Nguyên can speak Cantonese, Vietnamese, and of course, English. While Sharon spouted her order in Cantonese, The Astronomer and I gave ours in Vietnamese. Sharon and I were both impressed by the lack of language barriers.

Before our entrees arrived, we were each served bowls of Chinese medicinal soup. The mildly warm chicken broth-based soup contained barley, lotus seeds, goji berries, and a number of unknown, but surely virtuous, ingredients.

The Astronomer ordered the house special—com ga Hai Nam, also known as Hainanese chicken rice ($6.50). This dish is prepared by boiling a whole chicken in an aromatic broth, and using the resulting liquid in place of water to make the rice. At Đông Nguyên, both the chicken and the rice are prepared splendidly. The rice is delicate and incredibly fragrant, while the meat is tender and infused with notes of garlic, ginger, and onions.

The absolute best part of chicken rice is the ginger and chili dipping sauce served on the side. Poured liberally over the chicken and rice, it makes the entire dish really come together.

Sharon ordered her go-to rice plate, com suon nuong ($6.50), which came with a little dish of nuoc cham on the side. I had never before seen such a mountainous portion of grilled pork chop slabs. The Astronomer commented that this was most definitely an America-sized portion. The Vietnamese are very skimpy with their meats.

I settled on a bowl of mi vit tiem ($6.75)—Chinese duck noodle soup. The large bowl arrived hot and was brimming with tangled egg noodles and big hunks of duck meat, all in an herbal star anise broth. The mi vit tiem was served with pickled green papaya on the side to balance the duck’s fatty nature. Although the noodles were definitely solid, it didn’t match the awesomness of my Lunch Lady’s rendition in Saigon. What can I say? I’ve been spoiled.

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Đông Nguyên Restaurant
1433 East Valley Boulevard
Alhambra, CA 91801
Phone: 626-300-8618

Bánh Mì Mỹ Dung – Los Angeles (Chinatown)

Published by Gastronomer on June 3, 2009 in Banh Mi, Deli, Downtown, Los Angeles, Nem Nuong, Restaurant Review and Vietnamese. 15 Comments

After sampling a number of banh mi sandwiches around town, namely at Bánh Mì Mỹ Tho, Ba Le French Sandwich & Bakery, and Bánh Mì & Chè Cali, I concluded that in the San Gabriel Valley, inexplicably hefty baguettes are the main obstacle keeping good banh mi and from being truly stellar. The bread is “far too large and much, much too thick,” I wrote a few months back. “A proper Vietnamese baguette is made entirely of rice flour, which yields a crisp exterior and hollow center, thus allowing the fixins to really shine through.”

While scoping out the Chinese banquet scene in Chinatown on a Sunday afternoon, I finally encountered a baguette worth writing about. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it was the closest to perfection I’ve encountered here in Los Angeles.

I found my ideal baguette specimen at a teeny tiny hole in the wall called Bánh Mì Mỹ Dung—pronounced “Me? Yoong.” The bread here is made fresh everyday by the shop’s proprietress. If the baguettes aren’t piping hot when a customer rolls in, the proprietress, also the head sandwich maker, takes an extra minute or two to carefully toast it in the oven. This small but important detail really makes a world of difference taste-wise and texturally.

The banh mi‘s innards weren’t as noteworthy as the baguette holding them together—the various meats and pickled veggies were on par with other Vietnamese sandwich shops.

The Astronomer and I split a banh mi nem nuong ($2 – sweet grilled pork patties) on our visit. Our order was actually for a banh mi thit nuong (grilled lemongrass pork), but the woman behind the counter most likely gave us what she had on hand. We didn’t mind. That’s the way it goes sometimes when you’re dealing with Mom and Pop in an itty bitty shop.

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Bánh Mì Mỹ Dung
314 Ord Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: 213-617-7094

Dots Cupcakes – Pasadena

Published by Gastronomer on June 2, 2009 in Bakery, Dessert, Pasadena and Restaurant Review. 12 Comments

Even though Dots Cupcakes is the closest cupcakery to my home, I’ve avoided trying it for months due to the prevailing negative sentiment on Yelp. In all my years of using the site, I have rarely encountered an establishment that was so overwhelmingly jeered. Everything from Dots service to the taste of their wares was ripped apart by user after user. Yelpers are a fickle bunch, so I usually take what they write with a heap of salt. However, when the consensus was clearly negative, I figured it was best to steer clear.

If it wasn’t for the sage advice of fellow cupcake-goers Sharon of Weezer Monkey and Pam of Rants and Craves, I probably would have never walked through Dots doors, and missed out on one of L.A.’s best cupcakes as a result.

Dots has two equally adorable locations in Pasadena—one in Old Pasadena and another on the Arroyo Parkway. The Astronomer and I visited Dots in Old Pas on a Saturday afternoon.

Cupcakeries are known for their sleek design and cutesy decor, and Dots is no exception. The small shop was so saccharinely decked-out that The Astronomer commented that he’d feel extremely self-conscious, bordering on embarrassed, visiting Dots without a girly companion.

Dots offers regular-sized cupcakes for $2.75 and minis for $1.50. The Astronomer chose a regular-sized Raspberry Cheesecake cupcake, while I went with a regular-sized Vanilla Chocolate cupcake. Both cupcakes were packaged inside a charming box even though they were going to be consumed on the premise.

After walking some ten-feet from the front counter to the window seating area, The Astronomer and I opened up the box and dug into our sweets. Dots cupcakes are ridiculously precious, with their creamy frosting swirls and sugary decal adornments.

My Vanilla Chocolate cupcake tasted as good as it looked. The cake had a firm but delicate crumb, while the frosting was just sweet and chocolaty enough. The ratio of frosting to cake was sensible and satisfying. Sprinkles Cupcakes still tops Dots by a hair because French chocolate sprinkles are infinitely superior to fondant flowers.

The Astronomer really liked his Raspberry Cheesecake cupcake. The texture of the vanilla raspberry cake was similar to my cupcake, while the cream cheese frosting was second to none. The Astronomer’s only complaint was the cupcake’s lack of distinct raspberry flavor. Additional fresh fruit atop the cupcake and in the batter would have easily solved this problem.

I was so stoked about the deliciousness of Dots cupcakes that I revived my idle Yelp account as soon as I got home; the gibberish reviews needed to be countered immediately.

POWER RANKINGS

Sprinkles Cupcakes > Dots Cupcakes > Vanilla Bake Shop > Crumbs Bake Shop > Auntie Em’s Kitchen > Yummy Cupcakes > Violet’s Cakes.

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Dots Cupcakes
21 North Fair Oaks Avenue
Pasadena, CA
Phone: 626-744-7719