Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Restaurant Review

23 Feb 2016

Brunch at Taco María – Costa Mesa

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My initial reaction to Jonathan Gold naming Taco María in Orange County the second best restaurant in Los Angeles was, “Wait, what?” My second reaction was, “I gotta get a reservation.”

Chef Carlos Salgado opened the restaurant in the summer of 2013 following stints cooking in the Bay Area at Coi and Commis and running a food truck by the same name in Orange County. Serving Chicano Cuisine, Taco María’s menu is market-driven, modern, and well… Mexican.

While dinner would’ve been the ideal scenario to experience Chef Salgado’s cooking, Sunday brunch was a better fit for the Astro-Gastro family’s schedule. We met up with my O.C.-dwelling friend Courtney and her family to feast.

Brunch, which is served only on Sundays, is a three-course pre-fixe affair priced at $36.

To start, both The Astronomer and I zeroed in on the molletes, grilled bread slathered with refried beans and topped with crumbles of queso fresco.

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Restaurant Review

17 Feb 2016

Union Square Donuts – Boston

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Following our stay in New York, The Astronomer, June, and I boarded a train and zoomed to Boston for high-quality family time with a side of high-quality doughnuts. For the latter part of the equation, we visited Union Square Donuts in Sommerville.

Heather Schmidt and Josh Danoff opened the shop three years ago. Legend has it that he had an idea and she had a recipe. The rest, as they say, is history.

Union Square offers both sweet and yeasted rings, as well as denser cake doughnuts. Between The Astronomer, The Astronomer’s dad, and me, we ordered half a dozen doughnuts to share including a Fluffernutter, Butter Hazelnut Crunch, Sea-Salted Bourbon Caramel, Boston Cream, Apple Crisp, and Vegan Apple Spice.

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Now Closed

12 Feb 2016

Fuku – New York City

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I was hoping to have this published on Monday, in time for Tết, because Vietnamese folks believe that everything that happens on the first day of the New Year continues for the rest of the year. Well, it’s Friday, which means that my wish for a little New Year’s luck to keep me publishing more frequently didn’t quite pan out. There goes the Year of the Monkey…

And now to the subject at hand: Fuku, Chef David Chang’s fast-casual fried chicken sandwich shop in the original Momofuku Noodle Bar space.

For $8, I received a big ‘ol slab of boneless fried chicken served between a squashed and wrinkly bun slathered with “Fuku butter” and dotted with pickles. The habanero-kissed batter was as crispy and spicy as hoped, while the meat of the matter was moist enough but not especially juicy.

Fuku - New York City

To further dress the sandwich there was “Ssam Sauce,” essentially thinned-out Korean chili paste (gochujang), as well as ketchup. I preferred the latter’s tangy goodness over the former’s sweet heat.

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