{uni sex—props to sara for comin’ up with that one, a sweet n’ salty craving satisfied in one fell swoop, foie gras at #lafw courtesy of an iron chef, still shakin’ from that shaking beef, #labiteshunger, downtown just keeps gettin’ better and better, i still love this recipe so much, quite possibly my new favorite place to brunch, crauxnut fever}
A few of my favorite gal pals and I are packing our bags and flying to Portland for a weekend of serious face stuffage next month. To plan and plot our ambitious dining itinerary, we recently powwowed over a most homey and comforting Greek-Armenian dinner at Elena’s. This trip is going to be epic.
Hourie grew up in the neighborhood and has been dining at this three-decade-old restaurant for as long as she can remember. According to a 1997 Times write up about the place, “Elena Tchentchenian is the woman responsible for the cultural mixing. She was born in Greece but reared in Armenia, which accounts for the Armenian touches.”
Every meal at Elena’s begins with a basket of warm flatbread accompanied by the most addictive garlic “sauce” ever. Rumor has it that the sauce gets its body from mashed potatoes!
When I arrived at the restaurant, Lien and Hourie were already diggin’ into a sumptuous mezze spread. There were pretty pink pickles that make my mouth-water just thinking about them…
After spending a pretty penny at Connie & Ted’s for a New England seafood lunch that neither lived up to its hype nor merited its cost, I was inspired to find a lobster roll fix that offered a solid value.
While I adore Lobsta Truck’s $12 roll, I have mostly retired from chasing food trucks these days. The $8 lobster roll from Son of a Gun is another good option, but I require two (or possibly three) of these petite bites to really be satisfied.
My search for a reasonably priced and totally tasty lobster roll, that didn’t require stalking a moving vehicle, started and ended at Cousins Maine Lobster at Live Mixx Lounge in Old Pasadena.
This permanent pop-up is run by Sabin Lomac and Jim Tselikis, the cousins behind the Cousins Maine Lobster truck. The guys grew up together near Portland, Maine and launched their truck in 2012.
Live Mixx Lounge serves as a club by night and a seafood shack by day, and as a result, the space looks and feels very strange.