Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Now Closed

09 Oct 2022

Asterid by Ray Garcia – Los Angeles (Downtown)

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The dining room at Asterid was packed to the gills when my friend Bill and I arrived for our 6:30 p.m. reservation back in June. But even before our cocktails hit the table, the crowd quickly emptied for a concert happening at the adjoining Walt Disney Concert Hall. It was wild to be bumping elbows one minute, then having the place to ourselves the next.

Once the concert-goers vacated the premises, Bill and I sipped some cocktails while perusing the menu. I had the mezcal highball ($19) while taking in the peaceful room.

To start, a Tetra squash tamal with a heap of Schrenckii caviar, Beurre de Baratte (really good butter), and crema ($93).

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Restaurant Review

02 Oct 2022

72 Hours in Baja: Rosarito & Valle de Guadelupe

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The Astronomer, June, and I had a wonderful trip to Baja back in June. Our last visit to the area was in November 2019, so this return was long overdue. We stayed overnight at my mom’s place in San Diego before setting off for Mexico in the morning. Our first stop was Popotla, a small fishing village in Rosarito.

The homie Bill Esparza insisted that Mariscos La Estrella was a must-stop before heading to the Valle (and of course, he was so right). The restaurant was mostly empty when we arrived, save for the large group having a very loud, but very fun banda-serenaded lunch.

We nibbled on a very good shrimp ceviche ($150) while waiting for the main attraction to arrive.

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Restaurant Review

17 Sep 2022

Pijja Palace – Los Angeles (Silver Lake)

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I read the funniest quote in the Los Angeles Times just now in reference to how one influencer combats the negative reputation of food influencing:

“I always say ‘food blogger’ because it makes me feel better than ‘food influencer,’” Rodriguez says, seated at a table at Craft by Smoke and Fire, a restaurant client in Arcadia. “There are too many influencers trying to take advantage, so I don’t want to be intertwined with them,” Castro adds.
$10,000 for one Instagram post? How food influencers can make or break restaurants

Credible food blogger energy is definitely fueling this post…

I dined at Pijja Palace the first week it opened and have been smitten with the thoroughly delicious and awesomely chaotic Indian sports bar ever since. Owner Avish Naran and chef Miles Shorey are cooking up something decidedly different, and I can’t wait to see how the food and energy evolves over time.

On both visits to the palace of pijja, dinner started with a very strong, very cardamom-forward Old Fashioned ($16) made with Amrut Indian whiskey, jaggery, and cardamom bitters. My dining companion downed one too.

I am forever a member of Team Onion Ring (sorry, french fries), so the dosa onion rings ($9) coated in an urad lentil batter, deep-fried to a golden crisp, and served with a mango chutney were a must-order.

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