Archive for the 'Chain / Multiple Locations' Category

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Hakata Ramen Shin Sen Gumi – Los Angeles (Downtown)

Published by Gastronomer on October 16, 2011 in Chain / Multiple Locations, Downtown, Japanese, Los Angeles and Restaurant Review. 5 Comments

Shin Sen Gumi opened a branch of their popular Hakata ramen shop in Little Tokyo while I was holidaying in Vietnam. I had heard rumblings from fellow ramen-goers that the noodles here were comparable to Daikokuya without the hour-long wait, so I rushed over just as soon as the jet lag wore off to taste them for myself.

This is the Shin Sen Gumi Group’s fourth Hakata ramen outlet in Los Angeles. The other three locations are in Gardena, Rosemead, and Fountain Valley.

Shin Sen Gumi specializes in Hakata-style ramen from northwestern Kyushu. This type of ramen is characterized by a thick, pork bone-based soup (tonkotsu) paired with thin, straight noodles. The restaurant simmers Berkshire pork bones for fifteen hours to achieve a rich and luscious broth.

At Shin Sen Gumi, ramen is served in accordance to diners’ preferences. From the doneness of the noodles to the thickness and richness of the soup, my dining companions and I were able to specify exactly how we liked our bowls.

My cousin Phil and I chose “hard” noodles, “normal” oil, and a “strong” soup base, while The Astronomer went for “normal” across the board.

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‘Lette Macarons – Pasadena

Published by Gastronomer on September 22, 2011 in Chain / Multiple Locations, Dessert, Los Angeles, Pasadena and Restaurant Review. 18 Comments

There are two types of women in this world—those who squeal with delight at the site of macarons and those who simply don’t. While I started off in the former camp due to the novelty of it all, I’ve moved on to the latter after coming to the conclusion that macarons are overpriced sandwich cookies.

Still, when my friend Laurie asked if I wanted to scope out the newest branch of ‘Lette Macarons in Old Pasadena, I was totally game. Sometimes, reason doesn’t stand a chance against curiosity.

‘Lette Macarons is a joint collaboration between Paulette Koumetz, a macaron enthusiast, and Christophe Michalak, a French pastry chef. They opened their first shop in Beverly Hills in 2007 and added another outlet in Pasadena this past July.

All of ‘Lette’s macarons are hand-made daily in the Beverly Hills bakery. There are twelve classic flavors and a few seasonal specialties available everyday.

I bit the rational bullet and purchased a box of six macarons ($10.50). From the classic flavors available, I chose the salted caramel, coconut, lemon, Madagascar vanilla, and violet cassis. I selected passion fruit from the seasonal specialties.

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Dreamland Bar-B-Que – Birmingham

Published by Gastronomer on September 16, 2011 in BBQ, Birmingham, Chain / Multiple Locations, Restaurant Review and Southern. 3 Comments

Years ago when I first visited Birmingham, The Astronomer treated me to lunch at Dreamland Bar-B-Que. I ordered a pulled pork sandwich, while he had a half slab of ribs. There was also a side of macaroni and cheese and a tall stack of white bread, if memory serves me right. It was one hell of an introduction to ‘Bama style ‘cue; one that inspired me to seek out something smokey and saucy on my visits thereafter.

Our barbecue explorations thus far have taken us to Miss Myra’s for its intriguing white sauce, to Full Moon for its famously tangy chow chow, to Saw’s for its vinegar-based mop sauce, and to Jim ‘N Nick’s for just about everything. Even with our consistent efforts, we’ve barely made a dent in Birmingham’s ever-growing barbecue scene.

On our most recent trip to the city, I insisted on lunch at Dreamland even though there are dozens of barbecue shacks left to try. It’s always been one of my favorites and sometimes, it’s plain nice to dine somewhere familiar.

John “Big Daddy” Bishop opened the first Dreamland in 1958 in the town of Tuscaloosa. According to barbecue lore, he was torn between setting up a mortuary or opening a restaurant to support his family. He prayed to God for a sign and received one in the form of a dream. While he was sleeping, God told Big Daddy to build a restaurant next to his home. And thus, Dreamland was born.

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Green Acres Cafe – Birmingham

Published by Gastronomer on September 13, 2011 in Birmingham, Chain / Multiple Locations, Restaurant Review and Southern. 4 Comments

If our schedules and wallets didn’t mind very much, The Astronomer and I would travel to Birmingham once a month to visit family. As it stands right now, we’re only able to head south twice a year—once during the holidays and another time during the summer months.

This summer’s visit came toward the tail end of July, when the weather in Alabama was dangerously sticky and the peaches were amazingly plump.

Although most of our meals were eaten at home, The Astronomer and I also explored a few Birmingham dining spots during this trip. We grabbed a quick bite at Green Acres Cafe late one morning after dropping off The Astronomer’s brother at work.

We had a few hours to kill before meeting up with a friend for lunch, so we walked around the Fourth Street Business District scoping out the architecture, history, and restaurants. When I saw that Green Acres was serving up freshly fried gizzards, I could not resist coming in for a taste.

The restaurant is owned by Greg Gratton, whose uncle opened the first Green Acres in 1950. There are currently eight branches around the city.

While waiting for our gizzards to be ready, The Astronomer and I perused the collection of press clips adorning the walls. According to local and national reports, the fried chicken wings at Green Acres are some of the best around. Armed with this new piece of information, I walked up to the counter and placed an additional order. It was the right thing to do.

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Santouka Ramen – Los Angeles

Published by Gastronomer on August 23, 2011 in Chain / Multiple Locations, Culver City, Japanese, Los Angeles and Restaurant Review. 8 Comments

It’s ninety degrees outside and close to eighty inside, which explains why I’m having a difficult time finding the words to describe a bowl of noodle soup at the moment. My creative juices are primed to wax poetic about something cool and creamy, but instead I must focus on something hot and steamy. This is a writing exercise in mind over matter.

But then again, the ramen served at Santouka is so good that it defies typical cravings. I’ll take a bowl even when the temperature’s soaring and pearls of sweat are dripping off my brow. Weather like this calls for only the worthiest of noodle soups, and Santouka’s ramen fits the bill.

The Astronomer and I visited the westside outlet on a gray and cloudy evening. Even though it was thirty minutes before closing, the food court was still packed with Japanese food goers. The longest line was at Santouka, of course.

Santouka was founded over twenty years ago by Hitoshi Hatanakain. He opened the first shop in Asahikawa on the northernmost island of Hokkaido. There are currently seven Santouka locations stateside and many more in Japan.

Santouka offers several varieties of ramen, but the signature bowl is the shio or salt ramen. The broth is made from a blend of pork and seafood stock, and according to a fella who goes by the monicker Ramenaiac, an extra layer of oil is added to the soup to keep heat from escaping. The result is a mild and creamy broth seasoned just so with salt.

Atop the bowl were bamboo shoots, woodear mushrooms, a single pickled plum, a slice of fish cake, sesame seeds, scallions, and tender cuts of chashu (pork).

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