Monthly Archive for September, 2010

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Daisy Mint – Pasadena

Published by Gastronomer on September 20, 2010 in Pasadena, Restaurant Review and Thai. 11 Comments

While it’s unlikely that Top Restaurant will ever join the ranks of my favorite Pasadena eateries, Daisy Mint, another recent neighborhood discovery, is battling it out with Cham Korean Bistro for the top spot. Since it took me nearly two years to try this well liked restaurant [J. Gold approved, Pat Sapp approved, too!], I dined here twice in one week to make up for lost time.

Located on a dingy block of Colorado Boulevard, Daisy Mint serves Thai fare in an airy and modern room. I appreciate how the space feels legitimately cool without trying too hard or seeming out of place, which is quite an accomplishment for this part of town. On my first visit to Daisy Mint, I met up with fellow Pasadena worker bee Kung Food Panda to celebrate his birthday.

While waiting for my lunch date to arrive, I sipped a Thai iced tea that was two notches too sweet. I didn’t mind though, really.

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Vietnam Restaurant – San Gabriel

Published by Gastronomer on September 17, 2010 in Banh Beo, Banh Hoi, Bo 7 Mon, Bo La Lot, Chao Tom, Restaurant Review, San Gabriel and Vietnamese. 12 Comments

When I go out for Vietnamese food these days, it’s almost always at the suggestion of another (usually The Astronomer). The Vietnamese restaurants in Los Angeles are generally very good, but I’m often daunted by their hundred-item menus and super-sized portions. Rather than risk disappointment, I’ve decided to save my appetite for visits to grandma’s house and return visits to the motherland. The opportunities to indulge in my favorite cuisine may be infrequent, but at least it’s just the way I fancy it when I do.

Even though I don’t seek out Vietnamese restaurants, I find myself sitting at one about once a quarter. My most recent outing was initiated by my friend Craig. He was itching to try seven courses of beef (bò 7 món) and I was game to show him the ropes. Our party of three arrived at Vietnam Restaurant sometime past 8 PM on a Friday night. The stand-alone shack was packed with diners, and after a twenty minute wait, we scored a table by the window.

I started dinner off with nuoc xi muoi, a salted plum drink served over ice. It was an impulsive choice that turned out to be an absolutely delightful punch of salty, sour, and sweet. I ordered another soon after I polished off the first glass.

Before the onslaught of red meat began, I chose two light bites to start. The first to arrive was bánh bèo. The steamed rice cakes were topped with mung bean paste, scallion oil, and fluorescent orange shrimp dust. Not to worry, the shrimp’s hue was the result of natural coloring.

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Top Restaurant – Pasadena

Published by Gastronomer on September 15, 2010 in Indonesian, Pasadena and Restaurant Review. 10 Comments

The Astronomer and I moved into new digs a month ago, and since then we’ve been slowly exploring and tasting our ‘hood. The apartment is only a mile away from the old place, but the vibe here is totally different. For starters, the lawns aren’t manicured to perfection, and the streets have a grittier feel. And instead of bumping into school children and Caltech sidewalk cyclists on my morning walk to work, it’s angsty PCC students and a few random bums. Call me crazy, but I like this part of Pasadena much more.

I spied Top Restaurant on my inaugural walk to work and chuckled a little at how pathetic it looked. The signage boasting Thai and Indonesian food was missing a few letters, while the interior was a mess.

As soon as I arrived at my desk, I looked up the restaurant on Yelp and was surprised to find that it was somewhat well-liked and not universally panned. However, I was warned by fellow Pasadenian Jonathan Gold that their fare was super-basic, like something your kid brother cooked in college. Still, I was hopeful.

I gathered up two brave pals, Kung Food Panda and Roaming Belly, to test out Top Restaurant with me on a random weekday afternoon. I was the first to arrive and was seated promptly. Not counting the two ladies running the joint, there wasn’t a single other soul in the house.

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Danger Dogs: Blurring the Line Between Work and Play

Published by Gastronomer on September 13, 2010 in Echo Park, Hot Dogs, Los Angeles and Street Food. 20 Comments

Moonlighting as a food photographer has taken me to some of Los Angeles’ finest dining rooms, dingiest streets, and seemingly everywhere in between. I love how the unpredictable nature of this job never fails to keep me on my toes. Earlier this summer, I was commissioned by Farmer John to prepare and photograph a local delicacy known as a Danger Dog. It consists of a bacon-wrapped hot dog nestled inside a bun and topped with sauteed onions and peppers, squiggles of mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard, and finished off with a grilled jalapeno pepper.

I have had ample opportunity to indulge in this classic street-side offering, but for some reason or another, never bit the bullet. I mostly blame sobriety for this grave misstep. When the assignment arrived in my inbox, I felt that it was absolutely essential to seek out a Danger Dog in order to truly understand its flavors, textures, and nuances. And so late one Thursday night, The Astronomer and I hit the streets of Los Angeles to conduct some field “research.”

I received a tip via Twitter that York Boulevard in Highland Park was a hotbed for Danger Dogs. As The Astronomer and I cruised down the boulevard, we saw a bevy of taco tables, a handful of taco trucks, and one lone Danger Dog dealer.

Parked outside a nightclub, the cart was gearing up for the impending crowd of revelers when we pulled over for a taste. Luckily, The Astronomer and I beat the rush and scored a dog before the club kids came onto the scene.

As the vendor was preparing our wares, I paid close attention to his technique and mise-en-place. After all, I was to recreate the magic in my kitchen the following day.

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Hobak Jeon – Korean Zucchini Pancakes

Published by Gastronomer on September 9, 2010 in Korean, Recipe, Side Dish, Vegan, Vegetarian and Vegetarian. 14 Comments

The Astronomer and I were gifted a 20 inch-long, five pound zucchini from our friends Andrew and Miri a few weeks back. They had forgotten to pluck it from their garden prior to leaving on vacation, and as a result, the zucchini grew without bounds for weeks on end. I had initially hoped to bake several loaves of zucchini bread with the monstrosity, but my plans were squashed (pun intended) once the heat wave hit.

After a bit of Seoul searching, I decided to make Hobak Jeon (Korean Zucchini Pancakes) instead. This recipe was originally developed by Maangchi.com, the ultimate Korean recipe site. I followed it as written and the results were just as I had hoped. The texture was properly crisp around the edges, while the batter was mild enough for the zucchini to shine through. Maangchi recommends serving these with a soy-based Korean dipping sauce (recipe below), but I quite loved them with a ladle of nước chấm chay. Either way, these pancakes are a savory delight.