Monthly Archive for May, 2011

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Huckleberry Cafe & Bakery – Los Angeles (Santa Monica)

Published by Gastronomer on May 10, 2011 in Bakery, Breakfast / Brunch, Los Angeles, Restaurant Review and Santa Monica. 7 Comments

The first time I stepped into Huckleberry Cafe & Bakery, I turned my heels and walked out after thirty seconds. I had just moved to Los Angeles from Vietnam a few months prior and was unaccustomed to seeing baked goods priced at such a premium. Fist-sized plum crostatas were going for $7, while itty bitty cupcakes came in at $2. This serious case of sticker shock, not to mention the distance between my home and Santa Monica, kept me away from this adorable establishment for nearly two years.

A few Saturdays ago, I finally returned to Huckleberry for brunch along with The Astronomer, Laurie, and Bex. This time around, all of the prices appeared quite normal to me, signalling that I had finally gotten over my dong complex. Thank goodness.

The brunch time protocol entailed waiting in an intimidatingly long line, placing our orders, and being seated swiftly by a dining room attendant. Not too long after we were seated at a table, the food arrived.

Bex’s duck hash with sunny side up eggs ($12.50) came highly recommended by friends and trusty news sources, but it turned out to be the lone flop of the day. The scraggly pieces of duck were under-seasoned and dry, while the eggs were overdone and not runny enough for our liking. Fortunately, there was a bottle of Tapatio on hand to give the hash a much needed boost. Still, the dish was rather disappointing this morning.

Laurie arrived a little later and ordered the Brussels sprout hash (not pictured). It wasn’t as sexy as the duck hash on paper, but its flavors were more cohesive and balanced.

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Bò Bía – Vietnamese Jicama, Carrot, Chinese Sausage, Egg, and Dried Shrimp Rolls

Published by Gastronomer on May 7, 2011 in Appetizer, Bo Bia, Family Recipe, Recipe, Vietnamese and Vietnamese. 17 Comments

The second part of The Astronomer’s anniversary present came nearly two weeks after the first. I had originally planned to deliver both rice paper wrapped-delights simultaneously, but it turned out to be too much food and effort for only two mouths. Also, we had a ridiculous amount of leftovers from our ten-course banquet bonanza, so it was just as well that I held off on making bò bía for a little while.

Whereas The Astronomer loves gỏi cuốn most, I’ve always been partial to these lesser-known rolls filled with jicama, carrots, thin egg ribbons, Chinese sausages, and dried shrimp. The dipping sauce is identical in both situations, but the flavor profiles are completely different. While gỏi cuốn is mostly subdued save for the bites with fresh mint and garlic chives, bò bía brings bold flavors and interesting textures from start to finish.

This recipe comes from my aunt Tina, my family’s designated bò bía specialist. I grew up eating her rolls at family gatherings and have been meaning to learn how to make them for years. It’s true that bò bía contains a lot of different ingredients, but the only time-consuming and tedious step is julienning the jicama and grating the carrots. A finely sharpened mandoline slicer is extremely helpful, as well as a diligent sous chef. Once I got over this initial hurdle, the rolls came together simply, easily, and damn tastily.

1 large jicama (or 2 medium-sized), julienned
2 large carrots (or 3 medium-sized), grated
1 teaspoon salt
6 eggs
Non-stick cooking spray
5 Chinese sausage links
4 ounces dried shrimp
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 head red leaf lettuce, rinsed and de-ribbed
1 package rice paper

For the slaw, combine the carrots, jicama, and salt in a large pot. Cook over medium heat until the jicama and carrots have softened, but still retain a bit of crunchiness, approximately 15 minutes. Set aside.

For the egg ribbons, beat the eggs in a large bowl using a fork or whisk until they are mostly uniform in color.

Using a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat, pour in 1/3 of the egg mixture and give it a good swirl so that it spreads out thinly across the entire pan. Once the bottom side has set, run a spatula underneath the omelet and flip it to cook the other side. Repeat this step two more times for the remaining eggs. Set the finished omelets aside to cool. [Note: a thin coating of non-stick cooking spray is a good idea if your pan is weathered.]

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Pearl’s Restaurant – Monterey Park

Published by Gastronomer on May 5, 2011 in Los Angeles, Monterey Park, Restaurant Review and Taiwanese. 11 Comments

One night not too long ago, my friend Danny stayed up way past his bed time perusing this site’s Chinese food archives. I’m not sure what possessed him to do such a thing, but after spending a solid hour or so with my blog, he concluded that it needed more Taiwanese food representation.

Considering there are only four entries dedicated to Taiwanese food, one of which is distinctly Shanghainese, I couldn’t argue with his assessment. And that is how I found myself at Pearl’s Restaurant in Monterey Park on a recent Friday night.

While I’ve eaten at Sam Woo located a few steps away, I never paid much attention to the shoebox-size restaurant next door. The Astronomer, Danny, and I were seated at a table fit for four in Pearl’s surprisingly stark white dining room.

The menu here, which is divided into dumplings, rice, noodles, and appetizers, is all sorts of homey and priced beyond reasonably. Danny took the lead and ordered an array of dishes highlighting what the restaurant is best known for. By the way, the sign on the door states that the kitchen does not dabble in MSG.

To start, we shared a plate of pork boiled dumplings ($5.25). I slathered mine in the house-made chili paste, while The Astronomer went for a combination of soy sauce and vinegar. The dumpings’ skins were neither too thick nor too thin, while the filling was noticeably lean and well seasoned.

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Villains Tavern – Los Angeles (Downtown)

Published by Gastronomer on May 2, 2011 in Burgers, Downtown, Los Angeles, Media Event (this meal was free), Mixology and Pub Grub. 10 Comments

From an eater’s perspective, it seems that the next chapter in Los Angeles’ gourmet food truck movement is just getting underway. Businesses that started by serving meals on wheels are transitioning into brick and mortar operations or popping up at established restaurants for limited engagements. Food trucking isn’t sustainable in the long run and as a result, businesses are expanding their brands and diversifying their services for a greater shot at success.

Kogi has grown its Korean taco empire to include two restaurants, Chego and A-Frame. Get Shaved has two independent shops in Northridge and Torrance. Komodo just opened a restaurant on Pico Boulevard. And in a few short weeks, Flying Pig will be serving pork belly buns in Little Tokyo.

My friends aboard the Great Balls on Tires truck have been working toward expanding their concept as well. Every Tuesday night for the past few months, they’ve been serving an “off-tires” menu at Villains Tavern . I didn’t get around to checking out their new digs until a few weeks ago when Villains debuted their spring cocktail menu. There’s nothing like the promise of well-crafted libations and the best balls in town to get me out of the house on a weeknight.

Before the parade of balls commenced, The Astronomer and I sipped on some very fine cocktails. I chose the Ma’at, which was made with Sagatiba cachaca, cantaloupe, citrus, and Chilean salt, while my partner went with the Isis made with pisco, basil, cucumber, lemon, lime, egg whites, and sugar. Created by in-house mixologist Dave Whitton, both drinks were well-balanced and delicious, in addition to being potent.

Later on in the night, we sampled the Osiris’ Punch made with rye whiskey, hibiscus, mint, citrus, spices, and bitters. It was a festive bowl of booze that packed quite a wallop.

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