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Archive for December, 2009

Pink’s Hot Dogs – Los Angeles (West Hollywood)

Published

on December 29, 2009

in Hot Dogs, Los Angeles and Restaurant Review

. 17 Comments

After supping on small plates at Cube, my mother desired a little something else to top off her evening. While visions of cupcakes dolloped tall with frosting were dancing in my head, my mom was dreaming of chili cheese dogs with thick squiggles of yellow mustard. Since Pink’s Hot Dogs was located only 469 feet away, I curbed my sweet tooth and we headed for the bright lights and lengthy lines—It was time to experience a Los Angeles institution.

Paul Pink started his hot dog stand, a large-wheeled pushcart to be exact, in 1939. He outgrew the hot dog wagon in 1946 and traded it in for a small building that was constructed on the same spot where the wagon stood. For the past 70 years, locals and tourists alike have been queuing up and patiently waiting for a taste of Mr. Pink’s famous hot dogs. Oh, the power of hype and nostalgia!

As we approached the culinary landmark, we were all wondering how long of a wait we’d have to endure. It’s a good thing we had eaten at Cube beforehand, because it ended up taking an hour from the moment we lined up to the moment we sat down to eat. Interestingly, Pink’s website notes that “an average Pink’s chili dog can be ordered, prepared and delivered to the customer in less than 30 seconds!” Damn those specialty hot dogs for holding up the line.

I had high hopes for Pink’s after seeing the wall of celebrity endorsements in the restaurant’s dining room. Everyone from Celine Dion to Nobu and Gordon Ramsay were bestowing heaps of praise upon the wiener shack. Of all the famous faces adorning Pink’s walls, I was happiest to see Martha Stewart smiling down on me—the woman has impeccable taste.

Finally, our hot dogs were ready. My mom and I ordered chili cheese dogs ($3.75), The Astronomer went for the “Lord of the Rings” ($4.85), and my mom’s friend David had a mushroom Swiss dog ($4.40).

The Astronomer’s Lord of the Rings was comprised of a 10-inch hot dog topped with onion rings and drenched in tangy barbecue sauce. It was impossible to consume the wiener as the chef envisioned it without looking like a caveman, so The Astronomer removed the rings and ate them on the side. [He also devised another rather ingenious mode of delivery.] The hot dog was so super-saucy that The Astronomer had to wipe off the excess barbecue sauce with napkins in order for it to taste palatable. Gross.

David was most pleased with his Swiss cheese, mushroom, and mayonnaise hot dog. I wanted to steal a bite, but didn’t want to disrupt his dream-like state.

My mother and I pretty much felt the same way about our chili cheese dogs—indifferent. The chili lacked the heartburn-inducing kick that we were hoping for, while the cheese was strangely tasteless. The extra-long hot dogs had a decent snap, but their flavors were hardly robust. Overall, we felt that Pink’s most famous creation was sadly lackluster. When I indulge in good ‘ol American junk food, I want to be overloaded with salt, grease, fat, and flavor. Pink’s brought the grease and fat, but didn’t pack the punch where it counted most.

I really wanted to count myself among the legion of Pink’s devotees, but the product just didn’t move me.

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Pink’s Hot Dogs
709 North La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038
Phone: 323-931-4223

Cube – Los Angeles (West Hollywood)

Published

Gastronomer

on December 27, 2009

in Italian, Los Angeles, Restaurant Review and Small Plates

. 12 Comments

Since my mom and her friend David drove all the way from San Diego to show their support for the Eat My Blog charity bake sale, a restorative meal together was definitely in order. For convenience’s sake, we stayed in the WeHo vicinity and supped at Cube, a favorite among my food blogging comrades D takes a B and Dishing Up Delights.

Founded by Alex Palermo, Cube was originally a small pasta venture called Divine Pasta Company. As demand for the handmade noodles spread, the business evolved into a store specializing in artisan products including the company’s signature pastas and ravioli. The “marketplace” eventually grew into Cube, a cheese bar and full-service restaurant serving traditional Italian cooking with a strong Californian influence. These days, all three operations are run under one roof on La Brea Avenue.

After our party of four was seated, we were presented with lunch menus; since we were dining at the awkward hour of 4:30 PM, the kitchen had not yet transitioned to dinnertime offerings. The menu included panini in addition to Cube’s staple items formaggi e salumi, zuppe, insalate, antipasti, pizze, primi, secondi, and contorni.

Samples of Great Ocean Road Cheddar, a cow cheese from Australia, were presented on a square slate as we perused the menu.

We started off with three appetizers, all chosen by me—I love it when my dining companions give me full reign over their stomachs, allowing me to order whatever suits my fancy. The first to arrive was the burrata en carozza ($13) with charred tomatoes, Osaka mustard greens, and a wedge of fresh lemon. The battered and deep-fried burrata had a crust that reminded me of the Colonel’s original recipe and decadently oozy innards. I can’t say that battering and frying improved the natural deliciousness of the burrata, but it was a highly palatable experiment.

Everyone’s favorite dish of the meal was the maple braised bacon ($10) with roasted cipollini onions and spaghetti squash. The hunk of pork tasted positively sweet; the brown sugar and maple syrup marinade harmonized easily with the salty and tender meat. The strands of spaghetti squash, saturated in sweet and fatty juices, were divine.

The final appetizer, a braised baby octopus ($8) with charred radicchio and cipollini onion marmelata, was competent but a snooze. The tentacles were overly chewy, while the dressing tasted too similar to the one used on the burrata.

For our entrees, I chose two pasta dishes. The braised lamb shank ravioli were sauced with an eggplant and San Marzano tomato ragu and accented with crispy eggplant and Pecorino ($16). The pasta pockets, four in all, were tender to the tooth and fairly well stuffed. The weakest component of the dish was the San Marzano tomato sauce, which everyone found too tart. The slightest shake of salt and an ever-so-light sprinkling of sugar would’ve made a world of difference.

The fresh sfoglia with pork ragu and red cow Parmesan ($12) was simply wonderful. The extra-wide sheets of noodles paired beautifully with the satisfyingly meaty ragu. If sfoglia were more readily available, it would surely surpass pappardelle as my favorite pasta shape.

Our dinner at Cube was certainly good, but it left us feeling somewhat unsatisfied since two of the five dishes we ordered fell into the ho-hum category. We contemplated ordering more food to make up for the disappointments, but decided to cut our losses and head elsewhere for round two. Mother had an inexplicable craving for a chili cheese dog, and you know what that means…

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Cube
615 North La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Phone: 323-939-1148

America’s Test Kitchen Coconut Macaroons

Published

Gastronomer

on December 25, 2009

in Dessert and Recipe

. 13 Comments

I pulled off something pretty sweet this holiday season. For the first time ever, I managed to cross everyone off of my gift list without ever stepping foot inside a mall. Food books of every sort arrived without fuss on my doorstep from Amazon.com, gorgeous artisanal chocolates and macarons were ordered from my friends at XT Patisserie, and home baked goods were churned out of my hard-working oven. I loved giving presents that were meaningful in some way and, most importantly, friggin’ tasty.

My mother received a batch of homemade coconut macaroons, her favorite cookie of all time. Compared to her two sugar-craving children, my mother’s sweet tooth is quite minimal. These macaroons are ultra-coconut-y and pleasingly chewy, with just the right amount of sweetness. I dipped a few of the macaroons in chocolate for a little extra pizazz. Best of all, I delivered the cookies in a Tupperware container that she had given me months ago. I don’t know about your mama, but mine loves receiving her precious Tupperwares back. Two gifts in one—that’s the way I roll.

5 cups (20 ounces) sweetened shredded coconut
6 large egg whites
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Pulse the coconut in a food processor until fine, 1 to 4 pulses. [Some brands of coconut are finely shredded, pulse it just once or twice.] Process the egg whites, sugar, salt, and almond extract together in the food processor until light and foamy, about 15 seconds. Stir the egg mixture into the chopped coconut until combined. Wrap the bowl in plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture is thick, about 30 minutes.

Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and grease the paper. Using wet hands, roll 1 tablespoon of the mixture at a time into balls and lay them on the prepared baking sheets, spaced about 1 inch apart.

Bake the macaroons until light golden brown, 13 to 15 minutes, switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking. Let the macaroons cool completely on the baking sheets, before serving, about 1 hour.

For Chocolate-Dipped Macaroons

After the macaroons have cooled completely, melt 6 ounces of semisweet chocolate in the microwave, stirring often, 1 to 3 minutes. Dip each macaroon into the melted chocolate to coat, letting the excess drip back into the bowl, then lay it on a clean sheet of parchment paper. Let cool at room temperature until the chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.

Makes about 24 cookies.

Recipe from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book