Monthly Archive for April, 2010

Daikokuya – Los Angeles (Downtown)

Published by Gastronomer on April 30, 2010 in Chain / Multiple Locations, Downtown, Japanese, Los Angeles and Restaurant Review. 27 Comments

Have I told you lately how much I love L.A.? Well, I do. A lot. I feel giddy every time I discover a new part of the city, especially one that’s nice to my wallet and even nicer to my taste buds. The Astronomer and I were recently introduced to Little Tokyo by our friends and long-time Angelenos Andrew and Miri. After a recent religious experience with a bowl of Daikokuya‘s tonkotsu ramen, Andrew insisted that we meet there for dinner. Upon hearing that piggy back fat was the key ingredient in the broth, all I needed to know was when to show up.

With a firm no reservations policy, Daikokuya is notorious for having tortuously long waits. We hedged our bets by showing up somewhat early on a Sunday night. After twenty minutes of chilling under the restaurant’s yellow awnings, our party of five was led to a plushy red booth. The dingy dining room was warm and humming with happy slurpers.

A ramenya experience is incomplete without a few plates of gyoza ($5.95) to start. The ones at Daikokuya are filled with pork and vegetables, wrapped in thin papers, and pan fried. An order includes five dumplings that arrive in a raft-like mass, accompanied by a mild dipping sauce on the side. After carefully peeling a dumpling from its mates, Andrew declared the gyozas the best he’s ever tasted. I would’ve shouted out in agreement, except that my mouth was occupied by a plump little dumpling.

For our main course, The Astronomer and I shared one of Daikokuya’s combination options that included a cabbage slaw, a bowl of ramen, and a small teriyaki eel bowl ($12.95). Daikokuya’s broth is made using simmered kurobuta pork bones, as well as extra back fat (kotteri) upon request. The broth was thick, milky, and luxurious, while the noodles were curly and springy. A couple spoonfuls of finely minced garlic and florescent pickled ginger balanced out the bowl to perfection.

The unagi bowl was straightforward and delicious. Truly, what’s not to love about buttery eel painted with a sweet glaze?

And because The Astronomer was feeling extra hungry, we also ordered a tuna sashimi bowl ($10.95). The slabs of fish were just thick enough and unquestionably fresh. We enjoyed having the tuna’s clean flavors to contrast the ramen’s avalanche of porkiness.

It took a while for The Astronomer and me to make our way to Little Tokyo, but now that we’ve had a proper introduction, there’s little doubt that we’ll become regulars.

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Daikokuya
327 East 1st Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: 213-626-1680

Tiger – Los Angeles (Beverly Hills)

Published by Gastronomer on April 28, 2010 in Beverly Hills, Japanese, Los Angeles, Media Event (this meal was free) and Restaurant Review. 9 Comments

When The Astronomer’s friend and high school classmate Sara heard that sushi ranked near the top of our favorite foods list, she immediately hooked us up with the former corporate general manager of Nobu Matsuhisa‘s empire, whom she met a few years ago while working at Nobu in New York City. Luis Decasas recently opened Tiger in Beverly Hills. Thanks to our friend in common, The Astronomer and I were invited to swing by Tiger for a lovely dinner on the house.

After walking past the slew of swanky eateries along Canon Drive, we arrived at the former Lucky Fish space. I loved how the restaurant had two distinct and equally appealing vibes. Tiger’s main dining room was sleek, cool, and subtly glamorous. The brightly lit kitchen gave eaters full view of the chefs slicing and dicing. The outdoor space was more laid back; the abundance of wood furniture and accents brought a Zen-like quality to the room.

Tiger’s kitchen is headed by yet another Nobu alum, Jon Maza. The former Nobu Bahamas chef was born in Hawaii and began apprenticing with a Japanese sushi master at the age of fourteen. Chef Maza showed so much promise at Nobu that Luis wooed him away to work his magic at Tiger.

Our evening began with two tall and skinny cocktails. The Tiger Saketini ($6) with rock sake junmai, thyme, and rosemary was wonderfully fragrant, but a little on the sweet side. The spicy grape number ($6) was more to my liking. Made with soju, freshly pressed grapes, habanero, and vanilla, the cocktail packed a lot of deep heat.

The chef sent out four “cold dishes” to start. Clockwise from top left—seared kampachi with yuzu soy, chantrelle mushroom, and fried shallots ($16), tai umami jime with thai basil and dried miso ($14), hirame ceviche ($14), and kinmedai sashimi with ume shiso ($18). Each sliver of fish was fresh and fabulous. The tai was our favorite due to its salty and herbaceous accompaniments.

An array of tempura-battered items arrived soon after. Each of the four bites was paired with sauces that enhanced its flavors and textures. Clockwise from top left—hirame tempura with apple aioli ($12), unagi tempura with buttermilk sauce ($12), lobster gyoza with Korean sauce (daily special), and shishito tempura with edamame sauce ($6). The lobster dumpling paired with gochujang surpassed the crisply coated trio by a hair.

From the “hot dishes” menu, the chef sent out a bubbling short rib stew ($22) with cigar leaf and pearl onions. The meat was luxuriously tender and heartier than anything I’ve ever eaten at a Japanese restaurant. The Astronomer would’ve appreciated a bowl of rice to eat with it, but I was happy with the chef’s vision.

To cleanse our palates, the chef sent out a watermelon sorbet with diced mangoes and lychee foam. It was just the thing to transition from savories to sweets. To finish, a trio of excellent desserts. The Astronomer went gaga over the goat cheese doughnuts ($8), while the awesomely salty amaretto white chocolate mousse with praline pear cookie crunch ($8) had me smiling. The passion fruit yuzu cheesecake with creme friache ($8) wasn’t too shabby either!

Tiger is exceptionally well priced given its neighborhood and level of quality. Even though we sampled a lot of different menu items, there’s still so much left to taste. Next time around, the strip loin and foie gras robatta will be mine.

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Tiger **CLOSED**
338 North Canon Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Phone: 310-274-3200

World Fare Bustaurant – Los Angeles

Published by Gastronomer on April 26, 2010 in Indian, Los Angeles, Meals on Wheels and South African. 17 Comments

In a crowded market like the Los Angeles mobile food scene, it’s tough to differentiate one truck from the next. Each one has a clever name, a nifty logo, and a bill of fare that sounds tastier on paper than it actually is in person. However, the debut of the World Fare Bustaruant was different enough to turn some jaded heads.

Instead of a traditional roach coach, Travis Schmidt and Jason Freeman bought a vintage double decker bus. And rather than fusing a random cuisine with Mexican fare, they introduced something totally different—South African “bunny chow.” The Astronomer and I, along with Donna of Dishy Goodness, ran into the bustaurant after a long day of powwowing at the Food Blogger Forum. Even though dinner plans were around the corner, the lure of testing out a well-regarded truck proved too enticing to resist.

After four years as Corporate Executive Sous Chef for the Michael Mina Group and two seasons as sous chef in Gordon Ramsay’s “Hell’s Kitchen,” Andi Van Willigan hopped on board the bustaurant to man the moving stoves. The bus’ two tiers are utilized to the fullest—there’s a (relatively) spacious kitchen for the chef and a rooftop dining space for customers.

We started off with a complimentary order of Truffle Mac and Cheese Balls ($3). For me, the best part of a mac and cheese experience are the bites with a few gooey noodles and lots of crunchy breadcrumbs. Thus, these crisp balls were totally to my liking. The truffle essence was a nice bonus.

From what I understand, bunny chow is of Indian origin, but is considered a South African dish. It’s comprised of hollowed-out bread filled with savory stews and curries. The Short Rib Bunny ($4) with Worcestershire braised short ribs and horseradish crème fraiche was as hearty as anticipated and seasoned just right. “The Original” Bunny ($4) with chicken curry, coconut milk, chickpeas, cashews, raisins, and cilantro tasted like a mild Thai curry. There wasn’t a lot of heat to it, but the spices and flavors were robust. Bunny chow is the kind of stick-to-your-bones comfort food that makes me smile.

Lastly, we dug into a decadent and delightful butterscotch bread pudding ($3). It was heavy, yet heavenly.

Follow the World Fare Bustaurant on Twitter @WorldFare.

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

Just Married!

Published by Gastronomer on April 24, 2010 in Potpourri. 63 Comments

My fiancé husband likes Astronomy. I prefer Gastronomy.

Salumi Artisan Cured Meats – Seattle

Published by Gastronomer on April 20, 2010 in Italian, Restaurant Review and Seattle. 19 Comments

As the saying goes, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” In the case of Seattle’s beloved Salumi, the proverbial tree is Armandino Batali and the apple is Mario Batali. After feasting at a slew of the younger Batali’s restaurants in New York City and Los Angeles [Babbo, Otto, Pizzeria Mozza, Osteria Mozza], I was confident that his father’s temple of charcuterie would rank just as high.

A queue fifteen deep snaked outside the small store when The Astronomer and I arrived at Pioneer Square. It was our final stop before boarding a flight home to Los Angeles, so we were a bit nervous about getting through the crowd.

While waiting for our turn, I noticed a woman making pasta through the window. We fortuitously came to Salumi on a Tuesday, when handmade gnocchi appears on the bill of fare. Nothing whets the appetite like the sight of freshly made pasta.

Armandino Batali opened Salumi after retiring from a career at Boeing as a process-control engineer. His products are a blend of old and modern. Cotto, lardo, and guanciale are on hand to satisfy traditionalists, while unusual flavors like curry and mole are available for those seeking innovation. The Astronomer and I had a difficult time deciding which route to take, so the patient women working behind the counter offered samples of each flavor. Sorry for holding up the line, folks!

Since there are only a handful of seats available inside the store, most customers take their sandwiches and pastas to go. Luckily, two chairs opened up right as we finished placing our orders. The first dish to arrive was the vegetable of the day, new potatoes with peas, mint, and watercress ($6.50). The ingredients were very fresh and simply prepared. There was little to dislike about this straightforward and hearty plate.

The highly-anticipated fresh gnocchi ($9) arrived next. Dunked in boiling water for a hot minute and sauteed with browned butter and sage, the ridged dumplings were light and lovely. I’d line up every week for a hit of gnocchi if I were a Seattleite.

The boxed penne ($9) didn’t have the cache of the gnocchi, but the lamb ragu atop it made up for any shortcomings. The flavor of the tomatoes was bright and tangy, while the lamb was tender and plentiful.

We packed up the bulk of our warm and toasty hot sopressata sandwich with fontina cheese for the road. While our plane mates were munching on stale peanuts, we dug into this monstrosity. Spiced with cayenne and garlic, the thinly sliced sopressata flavored the entire sandwich. The olive bread was plushy and fragrant.

Since this post started off with a saying, I’d like to end with another. Anais Nin once famously said, “We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospection.” Thank goodness for blogging, because it’s been fabulous reliving every meal from my trip to The Emerald City. Damn, I ate well!

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Salumi Artisan Cured Meats
309 3rd Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98104
Phone: 206-223-0817