Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Now Closed

11 May 2015

Honey Badger Noodle Shop – Alhambra

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Since June goes to bed before the sun sets these days, The Astronomer and I celebrated our anniversary over lunch rather than dinner this year. Not quite in the mood for a fancy kind of fete, we headed to Honey Badger Noodle Shop in Alhambra for a casual, noodle-centric meal. The couple that slurps together, stays together.

I first visited Honey Badger last October with Louise. While the food we tasted was very good, it arrived painfully slowly. Not to mention, nearly half the menu was unavailable for one reason or another.

Fortunately, the restaurant was firing on all cylinders when I lunched here with The Astronomer. Service, pacing, and food were all on point.

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Restaurant Review

07 May 2015

Nomad Donuts – San Diego (North Park)

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After downing our doughnuts and fried chicken at SideCar Merchants, our band of merry eaters strolled down to Nomad Donuts for more deep-fried goodness. We found the shop on a quieter stretch of 30th Street in North Park, flanked on one side by a purveyor of grindz and on the other by an upholstery specialist.

We happened to swing by during Donut Happy Hour, which meant that all wares were marked down to $2. You bet your boots we took full advantage of the situation.

Nomad’s yeast-risen and cake doughnuts are “globally inspired,” boasting made-from-scratch fillings, glazes, and toppings that are playful and inventive. The daily offerings were prettily propped atop stacks of old books, which made the task of choosing which ones to buy quite difficult since they all looked so good.

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Restaurant Review

04 May 2015

StreetCar Merchants of Fried Chicken, Doughnuts & Coffee – San Diego (North Park)

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I’ve been enchanted with the idea of gourmet fried chicken and doughnuts served under one roof ever since I got wind of Philly’s Federal Donuts and D.C.’s Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken. After two years of praying to the deep-fried gods to bring this delightfully gluttonous trend to Southern California, my wish finally came true. Hello, StreetCar Merchants.

Opened by RaVae Smith and Ron Suel late last year, StreetCar Merchants serves up three things: fried chicken, doughnuts, and coffee. The Astronomer and I, along with Cousin Danny, indulged in two of the three specialties on a recent Sunday afternoon.

Since the fried chicken takes nearly half an hour to prepare, we tucked into three doughnuts while we waited. The shop makes 12 varieties each day, all of which are brioche-based and fried in rice bran oil.

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