Monthly Archive for November, 2009

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India Jones Chow Truck – Los Angeles

Published by Gastronomer on November 23, 2009 in Indian, Los Angeles, Meals on Wheels and Restaurant Review. 7 Comments

Since I’m only able to satisfy my curiosity and appetite for gourmet meals-on-wheels once a month at Art Walk, I must make a conscious effort not to go overboard at any one truck. After finishing off the lomo saltado at Lomo Arigato, The Astronomer and I sought out Indian street food at India Jones Chow Truck.

Similar to Border Grill Truck, India Jones was launched by a seasoned restaurant professional. Chef Sumant Pardal hails from a family of restaurateurs in Jaipur, India. He’s opened twelve restaurants in Los Angeles, including Tufaan, Tiger Lily, and East India Grill. The excitement and fervor that Kogi garnered with its brand of Mexican-Korean fusion inspired Chef Pardal to hit the road with India Jones last August.

Chef Pardal specializes in Punjabi cuisine and considers butter chicken and lamb biriyani to be his signature dishes. The menu at India Jones features frankies, parathas (Indian flat bread), curries, and a selection of daily specials. Each offering is totally authentic and designed to be easily transportable.

The Astronomer and I started off with a mango and jicama salad ($3). The little plastic container was brimming with cubes of ripened mango and slightly softened jicama. We couldn’t quite put our fingers on what made the vinaigrette sing, but the amalgam of flavors was really superb and refreshing.

To accompany our lovely salad, we shared a most appealing paneer frankie ($3.50). According to Chef Pardal, frankies are a very popular street food in India. The frankies served on board India Jones are wrapped in a warm, crisp, and golden paratha. The Astronomer and I rank paneer toward the top of our list of favorite cheeses, and the plentiful cubes in our frankie did not disappoint. I can see why these skinny Indian burritos have become India Jones’ best-sellers. Simply delightful!

Follow India Jones Chow Truck on Twitter @indiajonesct.

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

Lomo Arigato – Los Angeles

Published by Gastronomer on November 21, 2009 in Japanese, Los Angeles, Meals on Wheels, Peruvian and Restaurant Review. 12 Comments

I love the Los Angeles mobile food scene. Sure, the food can be hit or miss and the lines can be alarming, but I’m a sucker for entrepreneurial ventures, especially of the edible variety. The only beef I have with the movement is its extreme bias toward The Westside of the city. Those of us who dwell east of the 5 must hoof it across town to partake in the fun or resign ourselves to weeping over our Twitter feeds. I’d willingly give up the Rose Parade in exchange for some meals-on-wheels affection!

On the second Thursday of every month, something downright magical happens—all of the city’s gourmet roach coaches roll into downtown Los Angeles for the Art Walk. Downtown isn’t exactly Pasadena, but it is definitely closer to home than Venice, so I’ll take what I can get.

The first truck that The Astronomer and I visited on a recent Art Walk venture was Lomo Arigato. Eric Nakata, the truck’s chef and owner, dishes out Peruvian cuisine with a Japanese flare. According the Chef Nakata, the food is Peruvian while the spicing is Japanese (i.e. Kikkoman soy sauce). The name of the truck is a combination of its signature dish—lomo saltado, and the Japanese word for ‘thank you very much’—domo arigato.

What’s special about the Lomo Arigato truck is its “open kitchen.” While waiting for our food to be prepared, we were entertained by a pyrotechnic display.

Lomo Arigato’s menu is only three items long—lomo saltado, chaufa (Peruvian-style fried rice), and tallarin saltado (Peruvian-style spaghetti). Each dish was priced at $7.

The Astronomer and I went with Chef Nakata’s suggestion and ordered the signature lomo saltado, which was comprised of tri-tip steak, onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and french fries sauteed in red wine and soy sauce, and served over white rice. Aji sauce, also known on the truck as “the green sauce,” was served on the side.

The generously portioned lomo saltado was seasoned simply and well. The aji sauce stood out as the star of Lomo Arigato show. Its complex spiciness and addicting creaminess kicked all of the ingredients up several notches. Our only complaint with the lomo saltado was that the onions weren’t cooked well enough. A gentle caramelization would’ve made the entire dish a lot more appealing. Next time around, I’ll specifically request for the onions to be well done.

Follow Lomo Arigato on Twitter @lomoarigato.

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

XT Patisserie

Published by Gastronomer on November 19, 2009 in Dessert and Products I Love. 14 Comments

XT Patiserrie‘s eye-poppingly beautiful chocolates and macarons first caught my eye back in October at the Los Angeles Luxury Chocolate Salon. I was casually roasting some marshmallows at the Plush Puffs booth when I glanced over to my right and spied the most gorgeous array of sweets. I was instantly seduced by the shiny jewel-toned chocolates resting in their precious little boxes. I quickly downed my unevenly browned marshmallow and scooted over to XT’s table to steal a taste.

I showed commendable restraint and only sampled two varieties, Saigon cinnamon and kalamansi. Each vibrantly flavored bite melted away smoothly and luxuriously on my tongue. After satisfying my urge for truffles, I simmered down and chatted with Tuan Trinh, the “T” in XT Patisserie. We instantly hit it off because he was Vietnamese-American and a @GastronomyBlog Twitter follower—two of my favorite qualities in a person (ha!).

I learned from Mr. Trinh that his partner, chocolatier Xuan Ngo (the “X” in XT Patisserie), was born in Da Nang, Vietnam and grew up in Les Baux de Provence, France. Chef Ngo spent the summers of his childhood in the kitchen of Oustau de Baumaniére, a two-star Michelin restaurant owned by his adopted father Jean-Andre Charial. Upon graduating high school, he went to work for Pâtisserie Lenôtre, a renowned Parisian bakery.

Chef Ngo came to the United States to work at Daniel Boulud’s restaurant Daniel in New York and later moved to Los Angeles to work at Spago, Sona, and Boule. He currently works at the Belvedere Restaurant in the Peninsula Beverly Hills Hotel.

After our chummy conversation, Mr. Trinh sent me on my way with a 12-piece box of chocolates ($24) and a colorful tray of macarons ($12). I couldn’t believe my luck! The box of chocolates included exciting flavors like coconut, Earl Grey tea, ginger, hazelnut, honey, and vanilla. My favorites were the caramel vanilla fleur de sel, passion fruit, and coffee, along with my old standbys Saigon cinnamon and kalamasi. I made a conscious effort to eat only one to two pieces each day to prolong the goodness for as long as possible.

The quality of the macarons was on par with the chocolates. Each bite was incredibly airy and daintily flavored. The vanilla, passion fruit, coffee, and hazelnut macarons made me swoon just a little more than the others.

Having hand-crafted chocolates and macarons available at home meant that all of my meals for an entire week ended with fancy mignardises. What a pleasure! Everyone on my Christmas list is getting something sweet and beautiful from XT Patisserie this holiday season, because expertly made desserts shouldn’t be reserved only for meals out on the town.

For additional information, contact XT Patiserrie by email at info@xuanpatisserie.com or by phone at 714-686-8512 or 714-366-4331.

Mario’s De La Mesa – San Diego (La Mesa)

Published by Gastronomer on November 18, 2009 in Mexican, Restaurant Review and San Diego. 11 Comments

If it’s wrong to take one’s current flame to an eatery that was introduced by an ex, then I just don’t want to be right. I believe that good food is meant to be shared under all circumstances, even somewhat awkward ones. Plus, they don’t call it the past for nothin’!

Back in high school, my boyfriend and I used to frequent Mario’s De La Mesa a couple times a month for casual Mexican fare. Curious to see if it could still stack up as one of my favorite restaurants, I returned recently with the squeeze to shame all other squeezes, The Astronomer.

Not much has changed at Mario’s since I last visited sometime back in 2000. The plastic booths were eerily familiar, as were the brass parrots hanging from the ceiling and the faded Diego Rivera posters plastered on the walls. The place was bumpin’ on a Saturday night.

The Astronomer started off with an ice cold Dos Equis Amber, one of his all-time favorite beers. I sipped some ice cold water and dabbled in complimentary chips and salsa.

The Astronomer ordered a fish taco platter. The battered and fried nuggets of white fish were sauteed with onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes. Fresh corn tortillas, crema, coleslaw, and a plate of beans and rice were served on the side. On the authenticity scale, Mario’s fish tacos ranked fairly low. However, on the tasty scale, it was just what The Astronomer was craving this evening.

My standby dish at Mario’s is the machaca platter, which is served with rice, beans, and a wicked ranchero sauce. Machaca, which comes from the verb machacar (to pound or crush), is comprised of stringy bits of beef that have been seared and seasoned along with bell peppers and onions. It’s an extremely flavorful dish that is usually eaten for breakfast with eggs, but I prefer to have it for lunch or dinner. I like to eat my machaca wrapped up in a warm flour tortillas with a bit of ranchero sauce and a slathering of guacamole (Mario’s house-made guacamole is fantastic). Machaca is the polar opposite of a tender steak, and I love it for that very reason.

Even after exploring the tremendous Mexican cuisine available in Tijuana and Ensenada, there’s still a very special place in my heart (and gullet) for Mario’s De La Mesa and its seemingly timeless machaca platter.

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Mario’s De La Mesa
8425 La Mesa Boulevard
La Mesa, CA 91941
Phone: 619-461-9390

Chinese Kitchen/Chi Tu Thanh Nha Hang – San Diego

Published by Gastronomer on November 16, 2009 in Banh Canh, Bun Mang, Chao, Goi, Restaurant Review, San Diego and Vietnamese. 13 Comments

If your family is anything like mine, then you’ve probably been dining in the same handful of restaurants for several decades. For as long as I can remember, Pho Hoa has been our go-to joint for Vietnamese beef noodle soup, Minh Ky has been our standby Chinese noodle spot, Lee’s Garden has been our celebratory banquet destination, and so on. We are creatures of habit when it comes to eating outside the home.

While driving to Minh Ky for breakfast one Sunday morning, my mother casually mentioned a hole in the wall Vietnamese restaurant that she had recently noticed and had been curious to try. “They make bun mang vit,” my mom said excitedly. “It’s my favorite.”

Even though the yet-to-be-tested restaurant specialized in my mother’s favorite dish, the comfort of dining in a familiar eatery still appealed to her more. In order to encourage my mama to branch out, I had to strike a deal. If the meal at the new place was terrible, I’d volunteer to foot the bill. However, if the food turned out to be terrific, she’d take The Astronomer and me out. With nothing to lose, my mom agreed to breakfast at Chinese Kitchen/Chi Tu Thanh Nha Hang.

The Vietnamese-run restaurant is actually two establishments in one. Chinese Kitchen churns out classic Chinese-American fare like chop suey, chow mein, and egg foo young, while Chi Tu Thanh Nha Hang specializes in Vietnamese noodle soups and porridge. By the way, Chi Tu Thanh is the name of the restaurant’s proprietress and nha hang is the Vietnamese word for “fancy” restaurant.

Chi Tu Thanh Nha Hang also doubles up as a catering service. Throughout our meal, dozens of people came by to pick up trays of freshly fried cha gio and steaming pots of soup to bring home to eat.

The Astronomer, my mom, and I stuck to the Vietnamese menu during our visit. I ordered a bowl of banh canh tom cua ($5), a soup comprised of udon-like noodles in a sweet pork broth with shrimp, crab, and a fish cake. I used to loathe banh canh as a child because the noodles were too slippery and gelatinous, but now that my chopstick skills have improved markedly, it’s become one of my favorite noodle soups. Chi Tu Thanh’s version was quite nice, with its clear yet porky broth and generous amount of noodles. I would’ve liked a pork trotter to gnaw on, as well as more bits of crab.

My mom was mostly pleased with her bun mang vit ($5), vermicelli noodles in a duck-based broth with bamboo shoots and congealed pig’s blood. The noodle soup’s flavors were completely satisfying, but my mother felt the kitchen was a bit skimpy with the meaty bamboo shoots.

The Astronomer ordered a bowl of chao vit ($3.95), duck porridge. Topped with black pepper, scallions, and minced ginger, the porridge was seasoned deftly and comforting in a way that only porridge can be.

The chao vit was served with tender slices of boiled duck and nuoc mam gung (ginger fish sauce). The portion pictured here includes an additional order of duck for the goi vit (duck salad).

In addition to the slices of boiled duck, the goi vit ($5) included a crisp heap of lightly dressed cabbage and banana blossom.

My mom had such a positive experience at Chi Tu Thanh that she’ll be ordering a big ‘ol pot of bun mam this holiday season for us to dig into at home. Oh, how I’ve missed that wildly flavorful soup!

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Chinese Kitchen/Chi Tu Thanh Nha Hang Food To Go
6160 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92115
Phone: 619-286-8778