Monthly Archive for February, 2011

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Mori Sushi – Los Angeles

Published by Gastronomer on February 18, 2011 in Japanese, Los Angeles, Restaurant Review and West Los Angeles. 15 Comments

I will remember my 29th birthday as the one where I finally sat down for an omakase sushi dinner. Meals of raw fishes aren’t foreign territory for me, but entrusting my entire supper to one of the city’s best sushi chefs was a significant change and splurge.

Seeing as though Los Angeles is a sushi-appreciating town, I had a bevy of choices as to where to do the deed. After carefully considering my options, Mori Sushi stood out among the crowd. If I was going to spend a pretty penny on sushi, it had to be with a man who cares so immensely about his craft that he sculpts his own tableware and oversees the production of his rice to exacting standards. I wanted a serious sushi experience, and I knew Chef Morihiro Onodera (Katsu, R23, Matsuhisa, Hatsuhana, and Takao) would deliver.

The Astronomer and I had the opportunity to dine at the counter, but chose a table for privacy’s sake. Mostly, I didn’t want to weird the chef out with my happy-snapping ways. Next time, when I’m not documenting my meal plate by plate, I’m totally sitting at the bar.

The small dining room, which was decorated minimally and without fuss, was nearly packed on this Wednesday night.

The chopstick rests set the perfect tone for the evening. I wonder if Mori sculpted these as well.

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Chocolate Spice Donut Muffins

Published by Gastronomer on February 16, 2011 in Bread, Cake + Cupcake, Dessert and Recipe. 11 Comments

It seems to me that Donut Muffins got the short end of the stick in name and appearance. While both are adequate and perfectly nice, neither fully convey the extent of this sweet’s amazingness. And trust me, they are amazing.

Imagine a magnificently moist muffin with a most delicate crumb. Then, paint it with a luxurious coat of rich melted butter. Lastly, roll it about in a bowl full of sugar. Now, take a bite. Pure heaven, right? Buttery lips, sugary fingertips, and all!

This delightful recipe comes courtesy of Baking Bites and G-Ma’s Bakery. Since The Astronomer loves warm spices, I upped the amount of nutmeg and cinnamon a good amount—the recipe below reflects these changes. Donut muffins taste best served hot from the oven, but if there happen to be leftovers, a quick nuke in the microwave will recapture the freshly baked magic nicely.

Donut muffins may not have the cache and pizazz of say, Caramelized Bacon and Salted Caramel Bread Pudding, but they are definitely worth your while.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup whole milk (1% works fine, too)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, for brushing
1/2 cup sugar, for rolling

Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin with cooking spray, or, using a pastry brush, coat muffin cups with vegetable oil.

In medium bowl, whisk together flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together sugar and egg on medium-high speed until light in color, approximately, 15 to 20 seconds.

Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture in three batches, incorporating as well as possible after each addition using a rubber spatula. The final result will be unappealingly dry and hairy.

Add the vegetable oil, milk, cream, and vanilla extract. Beat until just combined using an electric mixer—be sure not to over-beat the mixture.

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House of Basturma – Pasadena

Published by Gastronomer on February 14, 2011 in Armenian, Lebanese, Los Angeles, Middle Eastern, Pasadena, Restaurant Review and Turkish. 16 Comments

It’s a well known fact that cured meats make my heart go pitter-patter, so when a fellow Pasadena-based food blogger alerted me that a basturma specialist recently opened up shop down the street from my home, I made my way there at my earliest convenience.

House of Basturma was completely empty when The Astronomer, Danny, and I arrived last Tuesday night. However, as soon as we walked in, the mom and pop who run the place unglued their eyes from the local news and assisted us in navigating the Armenian-Lebanese-Turkish menu. I kind of got the sense that the older couple was a little baffled as to why two Asian kids and a white dude were stopping in for dinner, but they were hospitable and friendly nevertheless.

We ordered a chikofte platter ($5.99) to start. Traditionally served as an appetizer, chikofte is a mixture of bulgur wheat and finely ground raw beef. We were informed by the proprietress that only Middle Eastern palates appreciate this dish, but we went ahead and ordered it anyway because I heart raw meat as much as the cured stuff.

The chikofte was topped with lightly dressed fresh tomatoes and served with warm pita bread. The first few bites of the chikofte along with the pita and veggies were very lovely, but after bite number five, it started tasting monotonous. Had the portion not been so generous, we would’ve left things off on a high note!

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18 Hour Staycation: Omni Hotel Los Angeles

Published by Gastronomer on February 11, 2011 in Downtown, Hotel Review, Japanese, Los Angeles, Media Event (this meal was free), New American and Restaurant Review. 12 Comments

Last Friday night, I was spoiled rotten by the Omni Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Renovations are currently underway at the hotel, and I was invited to preview the spruced up rooms and restaurants with a handful of media hounds.

My 18-hour staycation began with fireside drinks on the outdoor terrace of Noe Restaurant & Bar, followed by a four-course dinner with wine pairings orchestrated by Executive Chef Glen Ishii. Chef Ishii, who has cooked at Noe for the past six years, draws inspiration for his menus from the seasons and from traditional Japanese cuisine. Hotel restaurants usually don’t have a great reputation for interesting fare, but the Omni is an exception.

To start, the chef sent out an amuse bouche of raw Santa Barbara spot prawns draped by sea urchin with a cucumber wasabi dressing. Both the uni and the prawns were impeccably fresh. The dish’s simple and clean flavors provided a great start to the meal.

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Rosemary Rice Krispies Treats

Published by Gastronomer on February 10, 2011 in Brownie + Bar, Dessert and Recipe. 14 Comments

My last three attempts at making dessert have turned out terribly. I mean, they were good enough for The Astronomer and me to eat after dinner, but not nearly perfect enough to share in this space. The first mishap was my grandfather’s birthday cake. He is a strawberry lover through and through, so I decided to use this recipe for Sprinkle’s cupcakes as the base of a two-layer cake. It turns out that great cupcakes don’t necessarily translate into great layer cakes, and I ended up with a dense, scone-like tower. Fail.

My second not-so-hot execution occurred while making butterscotch pudding a la Pizzeria Mozza. I removed the pudding from the heat probably three minutes too soon and ended up with pudding the texture of melted ice cream rather than thick, luscious custard. Fail squared.

Most recently, I attempted Baked‘s Grasshopper Bars, and the result was downright atrocious. The bar consisted of three layers—brownie, mint buttercream, and chocolate ganache. The first one went off without a hitch, while the second one resembled watery butter infused with creme de menthe. I was so crushed that I didn’t even make the final layer. Fail cubed.

After a slew of kitchen heartbreaks, my confidence was at an all-time low and I desperately needed a sure thing. Enter: Rice Krispies Treats.

For the amount of effort that goes into making marshmallow squares, they give back ten-fold in taste. Even better, they are almost impossible to screw up. Instead of preparing the standard recipe found on the back of the Kellogg’s cereal box, I drew inspiration from the Los Angeles Times‘ test kitchen. The addition of fresh rosemary penetrates every “krispie” grain and adds a whole new savory dimension to this all-American sweet. After successfully preparing these rosemary marshmallow squares twice in the past week, I think I’m finally ready to move on to something slightly more difficult. Wish me luck.