Monthly Archive for August, 2009

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Mama’s Lu – Monterey Park

Published by Gastronomer on August 6, 2009 in Chinese, Los Angeles, Monterey Park and Restaurant Review. 15 Comments

My mama always taught me to be a savvy spender. To show her that all those long lectures about the value of the dollar didn’t fall upon deaf ears, I took her to Mama’s Lu. I really could’ve taken her to any number of cheap and delicious Chinese restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley, but it seemed most appropriate to dine with my mama at a placed named after someone else’s mama.

Mama’s Lu came highly recommended to me by Danny of Kung Food Panda. Even though he led me astray once with an unfortunate stinky tofu experience, I still trust him one-hundred percent when it comes to good eats. Mama’s Lu is owned by the daughter of Dean Sin World proprietress, Ms. Lu. Not only did Ms. Lu pass on her superior dumpling making genes, but she also gifted her daughter with a knack for giving restaurants awkward names.

The Astronomer, Rosalind (The Astronomer’s lil’ sister), and I arrived at the restaurant before my mama did, so we snacked on complimentary peanuts while perusing the menu.

When it came time to order, I followed Danny’s advice to a T. We started off with a Green Onion Cake ($1.99), which falls under the category of northern Chinese “bread food.” The texture of the thin pancake was crisp, slightly chewy, and not bogged down by too much oil. The chopped scallions provided a splash of color and flavor. I slathered my slices with chili oil because food tastes better when it burns a little.

Next, we dug into a huge plate of Shanghai Rice Cakes ($5.99), my favorite dish of the evening. The smooth discs of joy were sauteed with pork, mushrooms, carrots, scallions, and cabbage in a savory soy-based sauce. The rice cake’s quick fry in the wok imparted an overall smoky quality to the dish.

I hereby revoke the name “rice cake” from those tasteless cardboard messes found in the breakfast aisle at every American grocery stores. They give rice cakes a dreadful name.

To add to our lovely meal of bread foods, my mama ordered a bowl of Shrimp Wonton Noodle Soup ($3.50). Mama didn’t care too much for the wheat noodles, but she liked the meaty dumplings very much. I thought that the mild broth married nicely with the noodly strands and plump wontons.

The Juicy Pork Dumplings ($4.50) arrived hot out of the steamer with the requisite shredded ginger on the side. While not quite as juicy as the xiao long bao from Din Tai Fung, Mama’s Lu’s dumplings were well-priced and hit the spot.

My mama loved Mama’s Lu so much that she ordered some Pan Fried Dumplings ($4.50) to-go for breakfast the next morning.

The northern Chinese food served up at Mama’s Lu is some of the best around and the prices, well, they make me feel like I’m cheating someone. In the words of the late Tupac Shakur, “My mama didn’t raise no fool.”

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Mama’s Lu
153 East Garvey Avenue
Monterey Park, CA 91755
Phone: 626-307-5700

Cool Haus – Los Angeles

Published by Gastronomer on August 5, 2009 in Dessert, Los Angeles, Meals on Wheels and Restaurant Review. 21 Comments

My first run-in with Cool Haus was on a breezy June evening outside the Echoplex. The cats from VendrTV were shooting a webisode and invited The Astronomer and me to come by and say hello. Since we had just finished a dreamy multi-course tasting at Providence, we weren’t exactly in the mood for ice cream sandwiches—not even ones designed and imagined by architects. Instead, we chatted it up with Natasha Case and Freya Estreller to learn more about the quirky wonder that is Cool Haus.

Cool Haus is the first project under Natasha and Freya’s company that explores the intersection between food and architecture. After purchasing and revamping an old mail truck found on Craigslist, the gals launched Cool Haus at the Coachella festival. Since then, Natasha and Freya have been traveling around our fair city bringing ice cream sandwiches to the masses.

I caught up with the awesomely aluminum Cool Haus truck in Venice a few weekends back, along with The Astronomer, his sis, and our friend Laurie. A couple things have changed since we last met. Most notably, all of Cool Haus’ ice creams and cookies are now being outsourced—Milk takes care of the ice creams, while a vendor for Trader Joe’s bakes the cookies. Both producers use recipes developed by Cool Haus. Also, edible wrappers are no longer optional and are included with every ice cream sandwich.

For my first-ever Cool Haus creation, I chose a sugar cookie roof and a chocolate cookie floorboard.

To make my haus into a home, I selected Coffee Toffee ice cream. [Click here for a close up of all the ice cream flavors and here cookie flavor options.]

My ice cream sandwich arrived in an edible, potato-based wrapper. Art Mortimer’s mural that appears on the side of The Brig was printed on it in edible ink. Considering the Cool Haus truck was parked on The Brig’s lot, I found the artwork very appropriate.

A palatable ice cream sandwich is dependent upon two factors, the texture of the cookie and the quality of the ice cream. On both fronts, Cool Haus came through like a champ. The cookies were firm and not overly crunchy, while the ice cream brought the bulk of the flavor. On a hot summer day, Cool Haus is just what I want.

A piece of advice—to avoid soiling your threads, hold the sandwich far from your person and bite with caution. If things get messy, hand sanitizer is always available on the back of the Cool Haus truck.

Follow Cool Haus on Twitter @COOLHAUS.

POWER RANKINGS

India Jones Chow Truck > Dim Sum Truck > World Fare Bustaurant < Border Grill Truck > Cool Haus > Lomo Arigato > Don Chow > Kogi > Marked 5 > Dosa Truck > Phamish

La Querencia – Tijuana

Published by Gastronomer on August 3, 2009 in Baja Med, Mexican, Restaurant Review and Tijuana. 7 Comments

3:00 p.m. La Querencia is the birthplace of an alta cocina (haute cuisine) movement known as Baja Med—a fusion of local ingredients, Mediterranean techniques, and Asian influences. While this culinary style may seem like an unlikely amalgam of flavors and cultures, it actually makes perfect sense considering the history of Baja and its diverse inhabitants.

Miguel Angel Guerrero Yagües (pictured above) is the chef behind the Baja Med movement. A fourth generation Baja dweller, Chef Yagües runs a number of restaurants in the region and is an avid hunter, fisherman, diver, and farmer.

Ever since La Querencia opened its doors in 2006, the innovative eatery has received an abundance of press including a nod from Coleman Andrews in Gourmet magazine and a mention in the August 2006 New York Times article “It’s Hot. It’s Hip. It’s Tijuana?”

Our meal at La Querencia began with a loaf of bread served with a selection of spicy sauces. Each one contained a unique combination of chillies and aromatics designed to test our toughness and whet our appetites. From bottom to top—habanero, chile de arbol, and tomatillo.

We were also served a refreshing tepache, a fermented pineapple-based drink sweetened with brown sugar and beer. The tepache wasn’t very alcoholic because it was only fermented for three days. It was super-cooling though.

Next, a trio of carpaccio arrived; each one was a feast for the eyes and mouth. The beef tongue carpaccio (lengua – top) was sliced paper-thin, drizzled in a luscious olive oil and sea urchin cream, and topped with crispy fried onions. The zucchini carpaccio (calabasa - bottom, left) was dotted with a smoked chili confit, shards of cheese, and capers. The beet carpaccio (betabel - bottom, right) was dressed in a vinaigrette and adorned with chives and a pungent blue cheese.

With many of La Qurencia’s herbs and vegetables grown by Chef Yagües on family land, it was no surprise that the trio of carpaccio tasted amazingly fresh. Seasonality and superior local ingredients are two of the driving forces behind the Baja Med movement.

Flanked by the Sea of Cortez on the right and the Pacific Ocean on the left, Baja has access to some of the finest and most varied seafood around. Chef Yagües surprised the group with an off-the-menu creation of local scallops (callos Catalina) stuffed inside a hollowed-out cucumber, topped with sturgeon caviar, and dressed in a chipotle sauce. The flavors were pleasantly mild and clean; great seafood needs little to shine.

Our final course was a yellow cherry tomato and a slightly overcooked shrimp perched upon a corn cake and garnished with a ground chili sauce. Two point five words to describe the dish? Bobby Flay-esque.

“What I’m doing,” says Yagües, “is really a combination of Mexican, Mediterranean, and Asian. In the future, we won’t call this ‘Baja Med.’ We’ll just call it Baja California cuisine.”

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La Querecia
Calle Escuadrón 201
Tijuana, BC, Mexico
Phone: 664-972-9935

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BAJA BITES: 2 Days, 3 Cities, 18 Meals
Introduction > 1 > 2 > 3 > 4 > 5 > 6 > 7 > 8 > 9 > 10 > 11 > 12 > 13 > 14 > 15 > 16 > 17 > 18

Cham Korean Bistro – Pasadena

Published by Gastronomer on August 2, 2009 in Korean, Media Event (this meal was free), Pasadena and Restaurant Review. 16 Comments

Pasadena is a lovely place to call home, but I must admit that the dining options aren’t very inspiring. With the exception of Pie ‘n Burger and Euro Pane, restaurants within walking distance are mostly soulless chains—Chipotle, Panda Express, Corner Bakery, and the like. Even though I live and work in this city, I usually spend my dining dollars elsewhere to avoid mediocrity.

Cham Korean Bistro is a breath of fresh air and a welcome addition to the South Lake Avenue business district. The woman behind this stylish new eatery is Kimmy Song, CEO of !iT Jeans. After experiencing enormous success with her denim fashion line, Ms. Song sought a new challenge that would give back to the community. A portion of Cham’s profits will be donated to developing countries.

With Chef E.J. Jeong, formerly of BOA and A.O.C., heading up the kitchen, Cham cooks up fresh and healthful Korean food that is “globally inspired, yet true to its heritage.” At the tail end of last month, The Astronomer, Rosalind (The Astronomer’s lil’ sister), and I attended a low-key preview to sample Cham’s menu, offer our thoughts, and chat with Ms. Song.

We started off the tasting with a selection of tofu pockets ($1.50 each)—arugula with red radish, pickled seaweed, marinated fresh crab meat, and spicy tuna with pea shoots. Each of the pockets were stuffed with warm, slightly vinegary brown rice in addition to the specified filling. I am accustomed to eating sweet fried tofu skin a la inari sushi, so I was impressed by how tastily these unorthodox innards melded with it. The crab and spicy tuna were my two personal favorites, although the seaweed and arugula weren’t too far behind.

Whereas traditional bibimbap usually entails a hearty bowlful of rice, Cham’s version is more like a salad with a smattering of brown rice. The spicy tuna bibimbap ($10) in red pepper aioli was a little too true to its name; all three of us were reaching for our water glasses with each bite. Spiciness aside, the colorful selection of julienned vegetables were wonderfully fresh and beautifully presented.

Next, we tried the beef bulgogi Ssam Garden Platter ($11). According to the menu, ‘ssam’ means to “wrap and eat heartily” in Korean. The sizzling plate of thinly sliced beef arrived in a cast iron grill with a neat platter of butter lettuce, sesame leaves, cilantro, and cool bibim noodles on the side. We were instructed to make little parcels containing a bit of everything using the sturdy butter lettuce cups.

Korean barbecue, especially of the all-you-can-eat variety, has a sort of brash charm to it. Cham has managed to refine the art of tableside grilling without losing any bit of flavor.

My favorite dish of the afternoon were the crispy rice cakes with mushrooms, broccoli, and minced beef sauteed in a sweet soy sauce. The individually-made rice cakes had the most wonderful texture and pleasant chew—I’m a sucker for refined starches.

I left the tasting at Cham feeling giddy and excited. During our walk home, I thought to myself, “I’ve finally found an awesome dinner option that’s a stone’s throw away. Score!”

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Cham Korean Bistro
851 Cordova Street
Pasadena, CA 91101
Phone: 626-792-2474