Monthly Archive for November, 2010

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Kam Hong Garden – Monterey Park

Published by Gastronomer on November 11, 2010 in Chinese, Los Angeles, Monterey Park and Restaurant Review. 10 Comments

Earlier this week, I attended my first volunteer session for Cooking Matters, a program that teaches cooking skills and nutrition in low-income communities. To break the ice and to get to know the program’s participants, we went around the room and introduced ourselves and stated our favorite food.

Considering how much of my life is consumed by all things edible, I surprisingly can’t recall the last time I was asked about my favorite food. Even though I was a little rusty on the subject, my instincts kicked in as soon as it was my turn. “My favorite food is noodles!” I enthused. It was a spur-of-the-moment response, but even several days later, I still can’t think of a better response.

This past weekend, my mom and I enjoyed some really terrific Chinese noodles at Kam Hong Garden in Monterey Park. Though I love noodles in all shapes and sizes, I must confess that the knife-cut variety ranks somewhere near the top. Barbara Hansen of Table Conversation pointed me here, and it’s my newest noodling obsession.

Before the slurping commenced, my mom suggested that we start with some protein. She chose the spicy beef and tripe ($2.95) from the long list of cold appetizers that also included “fried odor tofu” ($4.25) and “pig leg gel with cold sauce ($2.50). I haven’t encountered a menu with this much Wessonality in a long time.

The fiery and tender plate of shank arrived marinating in chili oil along with bits of scallions and crushed peanuts. The amount of heat was just right, but sadly there was no tripe.

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Underground Supper Club: Dinner at Eight

Published by Gastronomer on November 9, 2010 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Restaurant Review and Underground Supper Club. 20 Comments

Underground supper clubs are all the rage these days in Los Angeles. While this style of dining has probably existed in some form for ages, it seems to have only gone mainstream this past year. With extensive coverage in several media outlets [see: Los Angeles Times, 944 magazine, and Toque], it’s no secret that Angelenos are embracing the art of eating in secret.

Dining illicitly is certainly intriguing, but the various unknown variables such as location, guests, menu, and price, have kept me from warming up to the trend. It wasn’t until I received a personal invite from fellow food blogger Elliott of F is for Food that I even considered attending one of these shindigs. When navigating unfamiliar terrain, a familiar face is most comforting.

This past summer, Elliott began hosting monthly suppers from her home called Dinner at Eight. “Eight guests, four courses complete with wine pairings, once a month, under the stars in the hills of Hollywood,” promised the event’s website. “The food is seasonal and sourced primarily from local farmers’ markets and whatever I can yank from my garden. Guests arrive at 7 PM for cocktails and noshables. First course served at 8 PM.”

The Astronomer and I attended last month’s dinner where the theme was “It’s a Family Affair,” in honor of Elliott’s father, who was visiting from out of town. The menu featured a sampling of her father’s favorite foods.

We arrived at Elliott’s home shortly past seven and were greeted with warm smiles and stiff cocktails. The St. Germaine pear martinis were sweet and just potent enough to break the ice in a room full of strangers.

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Eat My Blog: Winter 2010 Edition

Published by Gastronomer on November 7, 2010 in Eat My Blog and Los Angeles. 7 Comments

We’re baaaaack! The third installment of the Eat My Blog charity bake sale will take place at Tender Greens in West Hollywood on Saturday, December 4 from 10 AM to 4 PM. To make this upcoming event even bigger and better than before, we’ve recruited 50+ bakers who will be cranking out over 2,000 baked goods. Expect to see smoked salt toffee from LAist, candy cane marshmallows from Haute Health, curry macarons from Food is My Nish, and bacon caramel popcorn from Chowballa at the event. All proceeds will be donated to the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank.

The Eat My Blog tables will also be lined with special donations from local chefs, restaurants, and businesses including The Manila Machine, All Jarred Up, Isabella’s Cookies, Sprinkles Cupcakes, Debbie Lee, Starry Kitchen, Bakelab/Laurel Avenue Bakery, Hollywood Corner, and Tender Greens.

And for the first time ever, there will be catnip cookies and dog biscuits for sale as well!

In addition, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf will be featuring a selection of hot beverages to help wash down all of those scrumptious sweet treats! All items will be priced between $1 and $4. I hope to see you there!

See below for the full list of participating bloggers…

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America’s Test Kitchen Vegetarian Chili

Published by Gastronomer on November 5, 2010 in Recipe, Soups + Stew, Vegan and Vegetarian. 14 Comments

Given my great love of restaurants and their hardly healthful fare, it’s really important that my meals at home provide nutrients that otherwise go missing from my diet. Whenever I’m not painting the town red, I prepare recipes that make tasty use of whole grains, legumes, and vegetables. My subscription to Cooking Light magazine has been a great source of inspiration, and of course, the internet is chock full of solid ideas on how to balance the excess in my life.

The majority of the healthy dishes that I prepare serve their nutritional purpose and taste mostly decent, but they’re usually not outstanding enough to be featured on the site. This vegetarian three bean chili is a rare exception. In addition to being a fiberfull powerhouse, this meatless stew is also immensely satisfying. The heat from the chipotles combined with the smoky chili powder makes for an exciting and spicy flavor profile. The trio of beans provide just enough heft to fill one up nicely. Paired with some old fashioned cornbread, it’s impossible to feel deprived when one is eating this well.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped fine
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 cup water
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced
Salt
4 (15.5 ounce) cans of kidney, pinto, or black beans, rinsed
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions, bell pepper, chili powder, and cumin. Cook until the vegetables have softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 15 seconds.

Stir in the tomatoes with their juice, water, chilies, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes.

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Hoài Huế Vietnamese Restaurant – San Diego

Published by Gastronomer on November 3, 2010 in Banh Beo, Mi Quang, Restaurant Review, San Diego and Vietnamese. 4 Comments

The Astronomer and I dined at Hoài Huế three years ago on a double date with my grandparents. Back then, the restaurant occupied a sad space that was dark, dingy, and cramped. The food and service were both good, but the ambiance was pretty pathetic, even for a Vietnamese joint.

Recently, Hoài Huế moved into infinitely superior digs a few blocks west on El Cajon Boulevard. On our lastest trip to San Diego, The Astronomer and I lunched in the new space along with my grandparents, mom, and cousin Jimmy.

Even though it had only been open a short while, Hoài Huế was totally packed—good news spreads rapidly in this food-loving community. The new restaurant is brightly lit, clean, spacious, and humming with happy noodle slurpers. We immediately scored a table for four, but had to wait for the one next to it to clear out. By the time the rest of our party arrived, the table was ready to go.

What I really, really liked about Hoài Huế was its concise menu. With fewer than twenty dishes on offer, most of which were from Central Vietnam, it was clear what the restaurant excelled at. Twenty dishes is extensive compared to the one-dish shacks in Vietnam, but a vast improvement from the tomes I’m presented with at most Vietnamese-American restaurants.

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