Monthly Archive for February, 2010

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Amaro Bar at Osteria Mozza – Los Angeles (Hollywood)

Published by Gastronomer on February 18, 2010 in Hollywood, Italian, Los Angeles and Restaurant Review. 18 Comments

While the recession hasn’t treated restaurants very kindly, it has rewarded those who like to dine out. With expense accounts shrinking and disposable incomes drying up too, restaurants are doing their darnedest to woo in penny-pinching eaters. Free glasses of wine, discounted meals, and appetizers on the house are a few of the tactics employed by eateries to weather the storm. Sometimes the deals being offered are so incredibly good (See: Blackboard Eats and Groupon) that I feel almost guilty taking advantage of them. Obviously, not guilty enough to stay home.

One of the best bang-for-your-buck deals in town is the $35 three-course menu at Osteria Mozza‘s Amaro Bar. My girl D takes a B turned me on to this special offer last September. Served Sunday through Thursday, the menu includes one item from Nancy Silverton’s Mozzarella Bar, one pasta, a dessert, and a glass of either Bastianich Friulano or La Mozza Morellino di Scansano.

Since reservations aren’t taken for the Amaro Bar, The Astronomer and I strolled in at nearly half past eight on a Thursday evening. The restaurant was buzzing when we arrived, with boisterous and well dressed diners occupying every single seat and stool. We were seated after a forty-five minute wait, just as the maitre d predicted.

Chilled glasses of Bastianich Friulano were definitely in order. I like wine from a box, I like wine with a fox—Mr. Bastianich’s wine was more than fine.

All Osteria Mozza diners, even those looking for a discounted meal at the bar, are served toasted crostini smeared with fresh ricotta and topped with an olive tapenade, basil, and Tuscan olive oil to start. Crusty slices of La Brea Bakery bread are included too.

My first official course was the burricotta with radicchio, spiced walnuts, honey, and fried rosemary ($15). The radicchio was too bitter for my tastes, so I ate it separately on the side. The combination of honey, cheese, and candied walnuts may have been overly rich and sweet for some, but it was totally perfect for me. Fried rosemary rules.

The Astronomer ordered the burrata with bacon, marinated escarole, and caramelized shallots ($15). He liked the flavors very much, but it didn’t bring on the fireworks like the burricotti with braised artichokes, pine nuts, currants, and mint pesto ($15) did on our previous visit.

The Astronomer went with the tagliatelle with oxtail ragu ($19) for his main course. The handmade noodles were delicate and delectable, as was the savory stewed sauce that clung to them.

My meat-stuffed agnolotti with butter and sage ($19) were so very rich and satisfying that I sighed after each bite. The fried sage was simply delightful, as it always is. The small portion proved to be a blessing; I have my limits when it comes to butter.

For dessert, The Astronomer chose the fried-to-order Italian doughnuts—bombolini—with mountain huckleberry compote and vanilla gelato ($12). It provided the perfect finish for my doughnut-loving companion.

I went with the apple borsellino with apple cider jelly gelato, whipped cream, candied apple slices, and caramel sauce ($11). The dessert was similar to a slice of pie a la mode, but far fancier and flakier. The paper thin slices of candied apples begged to be eaten with my fingers.

A down economy is much more bearable with delicious deals like this one around. Go grab a seat at the Amaro Bar, pronto.

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Osteria Mozza
6602 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038
Phone: 323-297-0100

Mozza 2 Go – Los Angeles (Hollywood)

Published by Gastronomer on February 16, 2010 in Hollywood, Italian, Los Angeles and Restaurant Review. 11 Comments

Confronted with a 45 minute wait for two seats at Osteria Mozza‘s Amaro Bar, The Astronomer and I passed the time away the best way we knew how—stuffing our faces at Mozza2Go. Time ticks by infinitely faster over a couple of prime bites.

Mozza2Go offers Pizzeria Mozza‘s greatest hits, like Nancy Silverton’s signature chopped salad, the swoon-inducing butterscotch budino, and the moreish-to-the-extreme fennel sausage pizza. There’s also a panoply of gourmet products on sale including fresh burrata, dried pastas, and an array of sauces. The entire menu is available for both delivery and pick-up.

With a three-course dinner minutes away, we shared a single order of the chicken liver bruschette ($9) with capers, parsley, and guanciale. I’ve always been more of a gizzard girl when it comes to chicken bits, but I fell hard for this dish during a recent dinner at the Pizzeria. The deep, savory, and slightly metallic taste of the spread had my full attention at first bite.

The Astronomer and I dug into the trio of bruschette on the wooden bench outside the front door. We were pleased to find that the toast rounds were perfectly crisp and the guanciale was still glistening from the stove. The livers tasted as wonderful as we remembered, except their temps were a touch cooler. All in all, the bruschette were a fantastic snack to quell our hunger pangs while enduring such a lengthy wait.

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Mozza 2 Go
6610 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038
Phone: 323-297-1130

LA Street Food Fest

Published by Gastronomer on February 15, 2010 in Banh Mi, Brazilian, Cha Gio, Food Event, Japanese, Los Angeles, Meals on Wheels, Mexican, Nem Nuong, Street Food and Vietnamese. 21 Comments

Even though I was warned by the Twitterverse of hour-long lines and have experienced firsthand the utter chaos of large-scale food events (See: Grilled Cheese Invitational and Great American Food and Music Fest), missing out on the first annual LA Street Food Fest was completely out of the question—I live for meals on wheels!

I am not alone in my passion for street eats. Fifteen-thousand Angelenos descended upon LA Center Studios in downtown this past Saturday to stuff their pie holes with Brazilian acaraje, Japanese hot dogs, Mexican huarache, and so much more. The thirty-five trucks at the festival were armed and mostly ready to feed the masses. Even though lines seemed to snake on forever, nearly all of the vendors managed to bring enough food to last the entire day. Those who endured the lengthy waits were rewarded for their efforts.

Hands-down the most popular truck of the day was Chef Ludo Lefebvre‘s pop-up fried chicken mobile. In true Ludo Bites fashion, Krissy ran the front of the “house,” while Ludo and his brigade churned out fresh bites in the back. Hungry folks hankering for a piece of LFC waited upwards of two hours for a taste.

Luckily, we were able to finagle a piece from our friend Mattatouille, who was helping out on the truck. Cutting in line is admittedly bad form, but Ludo’s fried chicken elicits bad behavior. The fried chicken was comprised of various pieces of boneless dark meat held together by a crisp batter. The meat was juicy as heck, while the crust was superbly seasoned. The side of sweet and spicy piquillos sauce was a nice touch—everyone loves to dip their nuggets.

The Astronomer took one for the team and waited forty-five minutes at the Phamish truck (@eatphamish), which specializes in Vietnamese home cooking. While my boy was diligently waiting in line, I met up with my pals Sook and Sarah, and we kicked it with Jonathan Gold. Woot woot! We talked about good food, Pasadena, and good food in Pasadena (not!).

When The Astronomer finally arrived on the scene, we dug into one very mushy cha gio, one sad nem nuong skewer, and two stale banh mi sandwiches. All of the food tasted like it was made the day before and with indifference. Mr. Gold quipped that the nem nuong had a Kibbles ‘n Bits-like quality to it. Hilarious. I’d like to give Phamish another go when the crowds have simmered down.

Next, we moved onto Dogzilla’s Japanese-style hot dogs.

Served on lightly toasted King’s Hawaiian Bread, the spicy sausage was topped with bacon, avocado, caramelized onions, furikake, Japanese mayo, and teriyaki sauce. The wiener was interesting, well-balanced, and quite tasty.

Following wiener time, we met up with my friend Bill for Brazilian street food at Sabor da Bahia. I indulged in a warm acaraje, a traditional Bahian street food made of black eyed peas fried in dendê (palm) oil. The fritters were served with a hotter than hot malagueta pepper sauce. We also shared some coxinha de galinha, drumstick-shaped bites filled with savory shredded chicken and cream cheese.

Our last stop of the day was at Antojitos de la Abuelita, a cart specializing in Mexico City-style street food.

Mr. Gold procured a huge spread for our group to share. It included huarache with cecina (dried beef); clayuda (Mexican “pizza”) with chorizo, tasajo (thinly sliced and seared beef), and cecina; mole verde (green) with chicken; pambazo (Mexican “French dip” in chile guajillo sauce filled with potatoes and chorizo); and Oaxacan mole.

I love this city. Check out the complete set of photos via Flickr.

Sauce Magazine

Published by Gastronomer on February 14, 2010 in Products I Love and St. Louis. 13 Comments

As much as I embrace and appreciate new media in all of its diverse and chaotic forms (blogging, Twittering, and Facebooking), there’s a part of me that pines for the good ‘ol days of print media. With everything moving in a digital direction, I can’t help but miss the feel of good quality paper between my fingertips, the excitement of receiving a new issue in the mail, and the simplicity of sitting down with a magazine and giving it my undivided attention. Sure, I find pleasure in having ten windows open on my laptop and erratically switching from one website to the next, but there was something glorious about the recent past that I can’t seem to get over.

On a recent trip to St. Louis, I re-experienced a thrill that I had abandoned sometime ago. Flipping through the gorgeous pages of Sauce Magazine, I felt giddy like a school girl. In a time when beloved publications are folding and talented journalists are being laid off, it was uplifting to read a magazine that seemed to not only be surviving, but truly thriving.

Sauce is St. Louis’ monthly food-focused magazine. It is available for free at nearly every eatery in town and highlights the city’s bounty.

Sauce‘s pages are filled with restaurant reviews, seasonal recipes, chef interviews, ingredient breakdowns, and pertinent trends. It provides a window into the city’s belly.

The writing is solid and all, but what I adore about the publication is it’s clean design and vibrant photography. The magazine’s paper and pixels are just a smidgen nicer than the daily newspaper, which means that colors really pop and the photos really shine.

I think Sauce needs to come to Los Angeles. We’d rename it Salsa, of course.

BBC Asian Bar and Cafe – St. Louis

Published by Gastronomer on February 12, 2010 in Asian Fusion, Banh Mi, Restaurant Review, St. Louis and Vietnamese. 17 Comments

As curious as I am about Vietnamese restaurants located outside of major ethnic enclaves, I rarely visit them out of fear of being disappointed. Even though St. Louis is home to a large refugee community, I’ve avoided exploring the Vietnamese establishments in the city during my last couple of visits due to my big city leanings and Midwest prejudices. Growing up on my ba ngoai‘s fabulous home cooking and living abroad in Vietnam, I’ve developed an admittedly snotty attitude toward the cuisine. In my mind, there’s a right way to do things in the Vietnamese kitchen, and as a result, I have avoided eating in places that might compromise my notions of properness.

A mouthwatering spread on banh mi sandwiches in the January issue of Sauce Magazine, St. Louis’ monthly food-focused publication, convinced me to reconsider my policy. The vivid photos and sharp writing painted an exciting picture. As far as I could tell, the humble banh mi was taking over the city and I had to have a taste—authenticity be damned.

The majority of the banh mi shops featured in the article were located on or near Grand Avenue in South City. However, due to time constraints and lack of wheels, The Astronomer and I visited BBC Asian Bar and Cafe in the Central West End. The Korean-owned restaurant was formerly called BBC Banh Mi, Boba Tea & Crêperie.

Both of our sandwiches were served with snack-sized bags of Doritos. I thought the side item was a bit strange, but somehow fitting of our environs.

Based on Sauce‘s recommendation, we ordered the lamb banh mi ($5.50).

One of the more noteworthy local variants of the banh mi graces the menu at BBC Asian Cafe & Bar in the Central West End. There, lamb inspires wolfish gusto over an exceptionally well-balanced, if amusingly messy, sandwich.

I was initially weary of fusing Greek gyro meat with traditional banh mi fixins, but the combination turned out to be a treat of Zeus-like proportions! I was most impressed with the baguette, which was light, warm, crispy, and the ideal thickness. Additionally, the chili infused mayo gave the sandwich an edge unlike any banh mi I have ever tasted.

We also ordered a good ‘ol banh mi dac biet ($4.95) to see how it stacked up. The sandwich contained slices of head cheese, ham, and cha lua (pork loaf), along with the usual mayonnaise, pate, pickled vegetables, cucumbers, chilies, and cilantro. I appreciated that the pate, cha lua, and head cheese were served in all their funky glory, not watered down one bit. The sandwich’s ingredients melded together impressively, save for the deli counter ham.

After such a positive Midwestern banh mi experience, I am convinced that it’s only a matter of time before the-little-Vietnamese-sandwich-that-could goes totally global.

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BBC Asian Bar and Cafe
#241-43 North Euclid Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63108
Phone: 314-361-7770