Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Restaurant Review

02 Aug 2013

Randy’s Donuts – Los Angeles (Inglewood)

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Randy’s Donuts is famous for the gargantuan, doughnut-shaped sign perched atop its building on the corner of Manchester and La Cienega Boulevards in Inglewood. Designed by Henry J. Goodwin, the shop was originally part of the now-defunct Big Donut Drive-In chain.

For the past four decades, brothers Larry and Ron Weintraub have owned the 24-hour drive-through operation, maintaining the iconic signage with each passing year.

The shop offers deep-fried classics like old fashions, twists, and jelly-filled, as well as “Fancies” like apple fritters and bear claws. All are reasonably priced in the neighborhood of one dollar a piece.

For my inaugural trip to Randy’s, I brought along my friend Nastassia. Her passion for doughnuts rivals mine, so it was fitting that we visit this Los Angeles landmark together.

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Potpourri

01 Aug 2013

{Instabites} July 2013

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{the astronomer’s on board the lawry’s express #dineLA, fine dining in l.a.—it’s been a while, goat cheese meets almond at bulgarini, total comfort, a taste of chengdu before going to chengdu, dem shrimp-–so good, still my favorite breakfast in the city, sippin’ wine atop a hollywood hill…for a good cause, grandma’s fish porridge, cousin danny’s slingin’ sandwiches, grandma’s bo kho, burmese on the 4th}

Now Closed

31 Jul 2013

Sushi Kimagure – Pasadena

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I lost my notes after dining at Sushi Kimagure; it was a digital file on my phone and now it’s gone.

Considering the extensive backlog of material that I’m currently blogging my way through, I could’ve forgone a write-up, but after some thought, I decided to proceed since my meal here was less about the fishes that were present and more about the fishes that weren’t present.

As an enthusiastic and frequent sushi eater, I’ve been thinking a lot about Bluefin Tuna. It’s delicious, yes, but also an endangered species. My dinner at Sushi Kimagure marked my very first omakase where I explicitly requested that no Bluefin be served. In all honesty, it was really hard to get the words out, especially with the language barrier, but I’m glad that I insisted because it would be a travesty if future generations of food lovers couldn’t indulge in toro. The temporary sacrifice was worth it.

Dining with me this evening was my mother, who didn’t have any special requests when it came to her omakase. I’m not quite ready to impose my values on her yet, even though she’s been imposing hers on me for the past 31 years.

While Sushi Kimagure serves swoon-worth chirashi at lunchtime, dinner is a strictly omakase affair. Mom and I both selected the “Matsu” ($85), the most extensive and expensive option that includes seven different courses: Seafood Salad, Broiled, Sashimi, Fried, Sushi, Soup, and Dessert. We opted to sit at a cozy table rather than at the bar tonight.

Dinner began with a beautifully arranged and impeccably fresh seafood salad with scallops, shrimp, salmon, and seaweed.

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