Monthly Archive for January, 2011

OB Bear – Los Angeles (Koreatown)

Published by Gastronomer on January 30, 2011 in Korean, Koreatown, Los Angeles, Pub Grub and Restaurant Review. 8 Comments

According to Google Reader, I subscribe to over 200 food blogs and have read 2,608 posts in the past 30 days. Considering these staggering numbers, it should come as no surprise that the information I glean online greatly influences my dining choices at home and out on the town. Whether it’s a professional site or an amateur effort, there’s something about the combination of mouthwatering photos and excitable words that sends my cravings through the roof.

The latest case of the blog-inspired hunger pangs occurred after reading The Roaming Belly’s write up on OB Bear. Amy’s potent words and photos left me with an intense hankering for Korean pub grub that needed to be satisfied as soon as possible. After exchanging a few of emails, Amy agreed to accompany me for another greasy, spicy go-round the following week.

My gochujang-covered dreams were realized on a random Wednesday evening. We were joined by The Astronomer, Danny, Hong, Remil, and Amy’s fiance Dennis—we took advantage of our large group to order quite a bit of food. And just in case you’re curious, the restaurant is named after a Seoul-based professional baseball team that was at one time sponsored by Oriental Brewery (OB).

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Panda Express’ Wok Star Challenge

Published by Gastronomer on January 27, 2011 in Chinese, Food Event, Los Angeles and Media Event (this meal was free). 27 Comments

Not last night but the night before, I attended the first-ever Wok Star Challenge at Panda Express headquarters in Rosemead. In celebration of the upcoming Lunar New Year, a small group of bloggers was invited to the company’s test kitchen to meet and greet Executive Chef Andy Kao (a.k.a The Creator of Orange Chicken) and compete in a high-intensity cooking contest for charity.

Joining me at this totally random, but seriously fun event was Quyen of Kitchen Runway, Hong and Kim of Ravenous Couple, Vernon of Stellar Recipes (a.k.a. The Astronomer), Patti of Worth the Whisk, H.C. of L.A. and O.C. Foodventures, and Jenna of Eater LA. We were randomly paired into teams of two soon after we arrived.

The good food gods must have been smiling down on me because I was paired with Eat My Blog baker and all-around fabulous cook Quyen—I couldn’t have asked for a better teammate!

Prior to wokking and rolling our hearts out, we received a lesson on basic knife cutting techniques from Chef Kao. Next, he whipped up a batch of Firecracker Chicken Breast to show us how to manhandle a wok.

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Whist at the Viceroy Hotel – Los Angeles (Santa Monica)

Published by Gastronomer on January 26, 2011 in Italian, Los Angeles, Media Event (this meal was free), Restaurant Review and Santa Monica. 7 Comments

A few Fridays ago, The Astronomer and I were treated to dinner at Whist restaurant as guests of the Viceroy Hotel. Executive Chef Tony DiSalvo recently introduced a new assortment of Mediterranean-inspired dishes to the menu, and we were excited to come in for a taste.

Tucked into the first floor of the dimly-lit hotel, Whist boasts a thoroughly modern space that feels more intimate than your everyday hotel eatery. Here, Chef DiSalvo, an alum of New York City’s Gramercy Tavern and Jean Georges, prepares a diverse menu with Spanish, Italian, and French leanings.

The dining room was mostly empty when we arrived for our 8 PM reservation, save for two parties finishing up an early dinner. The nearby lounge and outdoor pool area, on the other hand, were bumpin’ with weekend revelers.

Dinner started off with a slate of bread—pretzel, cranberry, and dark brown. The pretzel and brown bread were jaw-achingly chewy, while the cranberry quick bread was very good but a little on the sweet side for a starter.

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Xoia Vietnamese Eats – Los Angeles (Echo Park)

Published by Gastronomer on January 24, 2011 in Banh Mi, Curry, Echo Park, Los Angeles, Mexican, Mi Quang, Restaurant Review and Vietnamese. 8 Comments

If The Astronomer and I were to combine our culinary heritages, we might come up with dishes like toasted ravioli filled with lemongrass pork and collard greens braised in fish sauce. Sounds intriguing and even a little tempting, wouldn’t you say? This sort of whimsical marrying of cuisines is exactly what the husband and wife team of Jose Sarinana and Thien Ho are doing at Xoia Vietnamese Eats in Echo Park.

Opened last summer, Xoia serves a mostly Vietnamese menu with a handful of inspired dishes that bring together elements from both Vietnamese and Mexican cuisine. The cultures collide most successfully under the “Taco” section of the menu. I really enjoyed the anise and cinnamon spiced phở tacos that I sampled at the restaurant’s soft opening and couldn’t wait to try another mash-up during my subsequent lunchtime visit.

My easygoing dining mate Nastassia was game for just about anything, so I ordered the mì quảng-inspired tacos ($5.75). The three tacos were served on warm corn tortillas with fresh cilantro, diced red onions, and a side of house-made red salsa. The tender pork was richly spiced with paprika and shallots; I added a squiggle of Sriracha for good measure.

The tacos’ flavors were brighter and more robust than a bowl of mì quảng. Concentrating the spices and upping the oomph allowed the protein to work terrifically as a taco filling. Next time, I’m going to sample the chicken curry tacos.

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Beijing Pie House – Monterey Park

Published by Gastronomer on January 21, 2011 in Chinese, Los Angeles, Monterey Park and Restaurant Review. 10 Comments

Under normal circumstances, I would have followed up the five-course bacon feast aboard the Lardon Truck with a healthful dinner of vegetables and grains. However, since it was the first day of the new year, and my mom was in town to celebrate, I thought it would be more festive and delicious to continue the greasy streak into dinner.

So instead of digging into wholesome greens and fibrous barley this evening, our party of three followed Linda Burum‘s footsteps to Monterey Park to dine at Beijing Pie House—a shop specializing in the bready cuisine of Northern China.

Located across the plaza from Kam Hong Garden, the Pie House lacks proper signage announcing its place in the neighborhood. In fact, the store’s facade still reads “Canton Gourmet Bakery.” Don’t be fooled though—there’s plenty of pie to go around.

The restaurant was mostly empty when we arrived, so we were seated promptly and presented with laminated menus typed in both English and Chinese.

After perusing the offerings, my mom decided that the shrimp wonton soup had to be hers ($5.99). The dozen or so plump little parcels arrived floating in a steaming hot broth. My mom really liked the delicate wrappers and meaty filling, but had to doctor up the mild broth with a few shakes of soy sauce and chili oil to suit her taste.

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