Monthly Archive for September, 2009

Page 4 of 4

Polkatots – Pasadena

Published by Gastronomer on September 6, 2009 in Dessert, Pasadena and Restaurant Review. 7 Comments

Whereas most cupcakeries are located in hip neighborhoods with heavy foot traffic, Polkatots is tucked away in a deserted mini-mall across the way from a botánica. In spite of its unlikely location, Polkatots has found an audience and a great deal of success. Most notably, the cupcakery won two first-place prizes at the 2009 Cupcake Challenge—the Dolcissimo cupcake took Best Original and Best Overall at the competition.

For the longest time I thought the shop was named Polkadots. It wasn’t until I snapped the picture above that I realized it wasn’t the case at all. I’m quite used to establishments with nonsensical and awkward names in the San Gabriel Valley (See: Ducks, Mama’s Lu, JTYH, and Qing Dao Bread Food), but it’s a rare occurrence when it happens in Pasadena. What the heck is a “polkatot”?

Anyway, as is tradition with cupcakeries across the land, Polkatots is dolled up in pretty pink tones with colorful candy accents. There are fourteen standard flavors available each day and a featured flavor of the month. Regular-sized cupcakes, also known as “Biggies,” are priced at $3, while “Minis” go for $1.50.

With an extra pair of chompers in tow, I was able to sample four flavors, including (clockwise from top left) the Lucky Charm, Red Diva, Strawberry Shortcake, and Dolcissimo. Each cleverly named mini-cupcake was meticulously decorated and provided 3.7 bites of joy.

The Lucky Charm (pistachio cupcake with pistachio buttercream) successfully captured a pistachio ice cream experience, minus the chill factor. The Red Diva (red velvet cupcake with cream cheese icing) was appealingly chocolaty, but the crunchy sprinkles detracted from the icing’s tang. The Strawberry Shortcake (strawberry cupcake with strawberry buttercream) was a favorite of mine because it tasted like real strawberries were employed in the cake and batter. However, I could have done without the coarse red sprinkles. The Dolcissimo (dulce de leche cake with dulce de leche buttercream) was sticky and sweet, just the way dulce de leche ought to be.

In regards to texture, Polkatot’s cake was moist and dense, with just a wee bit of gumminess. The frostings stayed true to their flavor and weren’t overwhelmed by sugary sweetness. Overall, Polkatot’s straddles the fine line between in-the-box and out-of-the-box cupcake experiences.

POWER RANKINGS

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

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Polkatots
720 North Lake Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91104
Phone: 626-798-3932

GIVEAWAY: Septemberfest Tix

Published by Gastronomer on September 4, 2009 in Giveaway and Los Angeles. 31 Comments

Septemberfest is America’s answer to Oktoberfest. Having felt shorted for years by German food, Polka music, and Lederhosen, America finally claimed its own tradition of BBQ, rock music, and daisy dukes. The one constant? Beer.

Septemberfest will feature over 150 beers, BBQ, and live entertainment. Music will be provided by “Stepping Feet,” a Dave Matthews tribute band, and “Petty Cash,” a tribute to Tom Petty and Johnny Cash. Food will be provided by the Border Grill Taco Truck, as well as burger and sausage vendors.

Festivities begin at 2 PM at the Paramount Studios in Hollywood. Admission is $40 and includes unlimited pours. Proceeds from the event will support Noah’s Bark Animal Rescue. For more information, visit the event’s website.

Septemberfest Tix Giveaway

Join The Astronomer and me at Septemberfest! I have TWO tickets to give away to ONE lucky gas•tron•o•my reader. All you have to do is leave a comment with your name, email address, and the name of your favorite beer. If you don’t drink beer, just type ‘Zima.’ Only one entry per person, please. I’ll be using a random number generator to choose the winner. All entries must be received by Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at midnight PST. Good luck!

Tarragon Egg Salad

Published by Gastronomer on September 3, 2009 in Recipe, Sandwich, Vegetarian and Vegetarian. 11 Comments

For the past two weeks, our little apartment has been burning up. The Astronomer and I have been taking turns sitting in front of the Vornado to cool down because air conditioning is a luxury our home was built without. When the weather is this unforgiving, the stove should be left firmly off.

I found this delightful recipe for egg salad while searching Epicurious for tarragon uses. It requires minimal stove time, and the results really hit the ‘I want something light, but substantial’ spot. Drawing inspiration from my favorite egg salad sandwich at Pasadena’s Euro Pane Bakery, I kept the yolks slightly runny and the whites just under firm. The egg salad tasted fabulous mounded atop a nest of baby spinach and a thick slice La Brea Bakery bread. File this one under: Deliciously easy things to cook when your house feels like an oven.

8 large eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots (optional)
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon, or to taste
2 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
Thick slices of crusty bread
Greens (i.e. baby spinach, mesclun, pea shoots, etc.)

Cover eggs with cold water in a heavy saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. Turn off the stove as soon as the water begins to boil and leave the eggs undisturbed for three minutes. Place a lid on the saucepan and leave the eggs for an additional two minutes. Transfer eggs with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice cold water and let stand for five minutes to cool. Peel eggs and finely chop.

Stir together eggs and remaining salad ingredients in a bowl with a fork. Egg salad can be made one day ahead and chilled, covered. To assemble, spread some mayonnaise or mustard (if using) on bread, then add the greens, and lastly the egg salad. Eating an open-face egg salad sandwich in a lady-like manner is nearly impossible, so please, just dig on in.

Makes 6 sandwiches.

Adapted from Gourmet, April 2003

Barbacoa Ermita – Tijuana

Published by Gastronomer on September 2, 2009 in BBQ, Mexican, Restaurant Review and Tijuana. 7 Comments

8 a.m. Under normal circumstances, following an evening of indulgences, I seek a simple breakfast of fibrous cereal and fresh fruit. For me, balance is key to resting my taste buds and maximizing the enjoyment of meals taken outside the home.

It was clear from the get-go that the circumstances surrounding the Baja culinary blitz were anything but normal. The morning after stuffing our faces for twelve hours straight, we dug into a meaty heap of lamb and Mexican-style Haggis. It seems that my dear friend Balance was left at the border and would not be retrieved until I returned to American soil. I didn’t miss her one bit!

Victor Emanuel Torres (pictured above) is the proud owner of Barbacoa “Ermita,” the site of our first meal on day two of the Baja culinary blitz. A native of Hidalgo, Torres specializes in barbecue from his home state.

We arrived just in time to see Torres removing the copious layers of masa to reveal mounds of freshly cooked lamb. The meat, which was steamed overnight in an above-ground pit constructed by Torres, smelled overwhelmingly good and whetted our jaded palates nicely.

As we settled into our seats, Torres’ son brought over corn tortillas that he had just heated on the griddle. Serving us in a room adjacent to their home, the father and son duo treated our group of camera-wielding, question-asking Americans just like family.

Freshly prepared salsas awaited us at the table. The selection included a pasilla chile salsa with pulque, a red salsa of beer and chiles de arbol, habanero salsa, and a green salsa of tomatillos. There were also bowls of chopped cilantro and onions, as well as lime wedges to further adorn our lamb tacos. It was way too early in the morning for salsa experimentation, so I mainly stuck with the cilantro, onions, and limes.

Steaming in a pit for 10+ hours will result in some awesomely tender and flavorful meat. So tender, in fact, that the lamb refused to adhere to the bone.

A lamb taco with cilantro, onions, and a squirt of lime. The warm and rustic tortilla was heartier than most and tied the pacakge together well. The tacos were somewhat dry, especially considering the tortilla’s thickness, so we sipped and dipped hot consomme on the side. The rich but mildly flavored broth contained lamb juices and garbanzo beans.

We washed everything down with cool glasses of homemade jamaica, an agua fresca made of hibiscus.

The finale was a pancita rellena—barbecued lamb stomach stuffed with offal and red chili. If it weren’t for the dominating metallic taste of liver, I would’ve been all over this south of the border Haggis.

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Barbacoa Ermita
Ermita No. 807
La Mesa, Tijuana
Phone: 664-622-1969

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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

Reservoir – Los Angeles (Silver Lake)

Published by Gastronomer on September 1, 2009 in Los Angeles, Media Event (this meal was free), New American, Restaurant Review and Silver Lake. 11 Comments

When I was a Philadelphia resident, my daily routines had me constantly interacting with the city and its inhabitants. I walked to and from work, ate lunch in the park, raced along the Schuylkill River, and did all of my shopping at the Reading Terminal Market. Dwelling in a walkable, centralized city fostered a sense of belonging and identity that I’ve yet to experience in my little corner of Los Angeles.

Located east of Hollywood, the community of Silver Lake captures the tight-knit neighborhood feel that I’ve grown to miss. I was already toying with the idea of relocating here after exploring Silver Lake Boulevard’s unique boutiques and seeing the hoard of runners lapping the reservoir, but it was a dinner at Gloria Felix’s Reservoir that had me convinced that a move might be in order.

Reservoir reminds me of a neighborhood gem I used to frequent in Philadelphia called Audrey Claire. The space is small and comfortable, the menu is familiar and reasonably priced, and the crowd is mostly local. Chef Felix, who has worked under some of the city’s finest culinary minds including Suzanne Goin, Neal Fraser, and Suzanne Tracht, focuses on “seasonal rustic” cuisine. The food here is new American in spirit and constantly inspired by what’s available at the farmer’s market, which Chef Felix frequents on a regular basis.

It it weren’t for an invite from my friend H.C. to attend a media dinner, I probably never would have found my way to Reservoir. We arrived a bit early for the event and had the opportunity to chat with owner and manager Darren Roberts and to Chef Felix. The chef looked eerily familiar, but I couldn’t pinpoint where I’d met her previously. I later found out that she served as Gordon Ramsay’s on camera sous-chef for two seasons of Hell’s Kitchen. No wonder I recognized her face!

Dinner began with one of Reservoir’s specialties—shrimp tacos ($14). The panko-crusted fried shrimp was crunchy on the outside and succulent within, creating a surprising and delicious contrast. In place of a traditional tortilla was a thin slice of jicama, which imparted a lightness that is rarely associated with tacos. A spicy aioli, fennel slaw, and a jalapeno sliver added the finishing touches.

Next, we were treated to an array of appetizers and pizzas, including (clockwise from top, left) a sweet corn ravioli with brown butter sage ($12), an off-the menu beef carpaccio with harissa and olive oil, a chorizo and quince pizza ($10), and an arugula, prosciutto, manchengo, and fried egg pizza ($10).

The sweet corn ravioli was executed brilliantly. Bathed in slick butter, the fresh pasta had an appealingly tender bite. The loose corn and mushroom accompaniments worked well in this dish. The chorizo, quince, and Asiago pizza was another favorite of mine. While pizza purists may scoff upon this unorthodox juxtaposition of flavors, I was all over the sweet and savory combination.

Chef Felix’s entrees, or “set-ups,” allow diners to pair their choice of protein with a preferred side dish to create a composed plate. She took this approach since she understands the frustration that diners undergo when the side dish of a different entrée sounds better than the pre-selected one.

For my entrée, I chose the braised beef short ribs with pomegranate reduction glaze ($26). For my side dish, I went with the farro with grilled asparagus, broccoli rabe, currants, toasted pine nuts, and roasted shallots. As with all great short ribs, Reservoir’s were tender and caramelized in all the right places. The bed of farro provided an apt and hearty pairing. I really liked this dish in the middle of August, but I imagine that it’d taste even better in the midst of a harsh California winter.

Chef Felix spoiled us with five different desserts, including (clockwise from top, left), ice cream sliders ($9), a lemon bar with fresh blueberries and crème fraiche gelato ($9), a peach and blueberry cobbler with brown sugar pecan crumble and condensed milk ice cream ($10), and an off-the menu banana cake with caramel sauce.

When the duo of ice cream sliders arrived, I wanted to hoard them all to myself, but alas, I was in the company of strangers and had to play nice. The scoops of house-made Nutella and strawberry ice cream were tucked between sweet Hawaiian bread buns. On the side were puff pastry “fries” and white chocolate and strawberry sauces. This quirky dessert was as tasty as it was cute.

My dining companions went gaga over The Chocolate Plate ($12), which included a molten chocolate and peanut butter cake, a milk chocolate caramel pot de crème, a vanilla strawberry compote, an iced mocha, a chocolate sorbet, and a chocolate hazelnut crisp. I’m not much of a chocolate-lover but went for seconds of the molten cake and the chocolate hazelnut crisp.

I had such a great experience at Reservoir that I’ve already planned a return visit. In the company of close friends, I won’t be afraid to duke it out for the ice cream sliders. Beware.

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Reservoir
1700 Silver Lake Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90026
Phone: 323-662-8655