Archive for the 'Restaurant Review' Category

Pailin Thai Cuisine – Los Angeles (Hollywood)

Published by Gastronomer on February 7, 2012 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Restaurant Review and Thai. 3 Comments

My Thai food cravings can swing one of two ways: familiar or foreign. Sometimes I want to cozy up to my standbys, while other times I desire something sassier and spicier than just pad Thai.

When the latter feeling hits, I find my way to Pa-Ord for crispy pork and boat noodles, Jitlada for green mussels and crispy morning glory, and most recently, Pailin Thai Cuisine for fermented meatballs and curry noodles.

A series of appetizing posts from Sino Soul inspired me to seek out Pailin’s Northern Thai cuisine. The homey restaurant was humming when The Astronomer and I came in for a weeknight dinner. We settled into the booth closest to the stacks of Thaitown directories.

Even when I’m in the mood for novel Thai offerings, I can’t resist ordering a Thai iced tea for its creamy sweetness and dependable spice-squelching properties.

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Moqueca Brazilian Cuisine – Oxnard

Published by Gastronomer on January 30, 2012 in Brazilian, Central Coast, Restaurant Review and Seafood. 4 Comments

Aside from eating apple fritters the size of a small island nation while visiting the Central Coast, The Astronomer and I also indulged in a seafood stew called moqueca from Moqueca Brazilian Cuisine. I would have never found this out-of-the-way restaurant if it weren’t for my friend Bill of Street Gourmet L.A. I mean, sleepy surfer towns and authentic Brazilian fare don’t exactly go hand in hand, you know?

To begin, The Astronomer ordered a bottle of Xingu beer. The dark and spicy Brazilian tipple fit his mood and palate perfectly.

I took Bill’s advice and ordered a caipirinha, Brazil’s national cocktail. It was made with cachaça (sugar cane rum), sugar, and lime—simple, refreshing, and strong.

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Bojangles’ Famous Chicken ‘n Biscuits – Birmingham

Published by Gastronomer on January 25, 2012 in Birmingham, Chain / Multiple Locations, Fast Food, Restaurant Review and Southern. 5 Comments

Fast food chains generally make me queasy, but I couldn’t help feeling warm and fuzzy inside when I spotted the bright yellow sign for Bojangles‘ in the distance. I read about this storied southern chain years ago and have been curious to taste their signature Chicken ‘n Biscuits and Bo-Berry Biscuits ever since. Sometimes, my soft spot for regional specialties overpowers my disdain for everything fast food.

The Astronomer and his awesomely adventurous sister Rosalind joined me at Bojangles’ even though neither quite understood my fascination with the place.

Launched in 1977 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Bojangles’ currently has over 500 outlets across ten states and Washington, D.C. There are even two international locations in Honduras. For those residing here on the west coast, the closest Bojangles’ is somewhere down in Mississippi.

We began with an order of Bojangles’ “famous” Chicken ‘n Biscuits, which was comprised of a seasoned breast filet served on a buttermilk biscuit. Pounded thin and heavily battered, the chicken tickled our tongues with its blend of Cajun spices. The biscuit, which the restaurant claimed was “made-from-scratch,” was buttery, doughy, and on par with other fast food biscuits I’ve come across.

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Central (H)eating in the Central Highlands: Quán Bình Dân 07 – Đà Lạt

Published by Gastronomer on January 23, 2012 in Dalat, Lau, Mi Xao / Hu Tieu Xao, Restaurant Review, Seafood and Vietnamese. 2 Comments

After spending a week in Saigon visiting family and taking advantage of the city’s unbelievable dining scene, The Astronomer and I hopped a flight to Dalat. Nestled in the mountains of the Central Highlands, Dalat offered a breath of fresh air, literally and figuratively, from Saigon’s frenetic pace.

Here, temperatures were markedly cooler, roads were downright spacious, and the terrain was hilly and green. It’s no wonder that newly wedded Vietnamese honeymoon here in droves. Fresh air is romantic!

One of the highlights of our side trip was the meals that we shared at Quan Binh Dan 07, a scruffy local restaurant specializing in cac mon nhau (drinking food).

The sounds of boisterous revelers, along with the irresistible scent of meat sizzling on the grill, beckoned to The Astronomer while on his evening run. He was so excited to have stumbled upon such a find that we dined there that very night.

The restaurant was mostly packed when we came in, with small groups of friends and families huddled around communal hotpots and tabletop grills. This sort of fare is popular throughout Vietnam, but here in the crisp mountain air, it seemed less out of place.

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Dinner at The Spice Table – Los Angeles (Downtown)

Published by Gastronomer on January 18, 2012 in Downtown, Los Angeles, Malaysian, Restaurant Review and Singaporean. 7 Comments

My first visit to The Spice Table wasn’t a great one. I came to the restaurant with high expectations and left feeling mostly underwhelmed after a lunch of wings, coleslaw, and Vietnamese sandwiches. Although The Spice Table’s dinner menu is a completely different beast, I didn’t have any desire to try it after my initial introduction.

Sometime last December, I received a $50 voucher from the Malaysia Kitchen Los Angeles campaign* to dine at one of their partner restaurants. I selected to return to The Spice Table after skimming the list of eateries participating in the program.

While the voucher wasn’t enough to cover the entire cost of dinner there, it provided me with the incentive that I needed to give the restaurant another try. I was hoping for an altogether better experience this time around.

The Astronomer and I bypassed the official Malaysia Restaurant Week menu and chose a suite of dishes that sounded delightful to us. The beef tripe ($10) from the “Satays” portion of the menu was the first to arrive.

Marinated in soy, garlic, and palm sugar, the tripe was impressively tender and surprisingly sweet. While I’ve always had a thing for a tripe, The Astronomer has been more hesitant to open his heart. He declared these skewers to be the best preparation of tripe he’s come across.

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