Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Giveaway

31 Oct 2012

GIVEAWAY: Grubwithus $100 Dining Credit

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Giveaway

One of the very best parts of being a food blogger is constantly meeting new people both online and in person. Some of my favorite friendships that I’ve made here in Los Angeles were solidified over meals, like when I met my girl Diana at Ludo Bites 3.0 and my boy Danny at STK. Sharing food and drink is a wonderful way to bring people together, and I want to share that opportunity with y’all!

Grubwithus, a community where friends and future friends create and join group meals, is teaming up with gas•tron•o•my to give away $100 in dining credit. Through the service, grubbers can browse and reserve meals online, and then meet, socialize, and build relationships over great food. Meals typically cost between $28 to $34, which includes a family-style meal, tax, and tip. Paying in advance eliminates the awkward check-splitting that often occurs at large group meals. Whew!

Grubwithus is currently available in most metropolitan areas of the U.S. and Canada including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City, which means that this giveaway is open to food lovers from sea to shining sea.

“$100 Dining Credit with Grubwithus” Giveaway

I have $100 in Grubwithus dining credit to give away to ONE lucky gas•tron•o•my reader. To qualify for the giveaway, please leave a comment with your name and email address in the appropriate fields, and your answer to the following question: Dinner for three. Anybody in history dead or alive. Who are your guests?

I’ll be selecting the winner based on the sheer awesomeness of his or her response. All entries must be received by Monday, November 5, 2012 at midnight PST. Good luck!

Restaurant Review

29 Oct 2012

Umami Burger – Pasadena

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In the span of less than five years, restaurateur Adam Fleischman has expanded his “fine-dining fast food” concept Umami Burger across Los Angeles and into San Francisco and New York City. Just last week, an outlet popped up in my Pasadena stomping grounds, taking over the space formerly occupied by Naga Naga Ramen. My cousin Phil and I swung by last Thursday evening to scope out the latest addition to our neighborhood.

The Pasadena location has a full alcohol license, which means plenty of beer, wine, sake, and liquor to keep burger-goers hydrated. Even though the cocktails sounded mighty enticing, especially the “Perfect Pear” with vodka, honey, lemon, and mint, I opted for a bottle of fancy pants cream soda instead. Phil went for a gin and tonic, his most favorite drink in all of the land.

Like my dear Astronomer, Phil isn’t much of a pickle guy, so I cleaned house on the “House Pickles” ($5) solo. From the selection of beets, shitake mushrooms, bread and butters, cauliflower, okra, tomatoes, kimchi, and spicy cucumbers, I was most impressed with the curried florets and properly funky kimchi.

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{swoon}

26 Oct 2012

{swoon} Tonkatsu Pork Cutlet at Kagura

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The Old Torrance neighborhood in which Kagura is situated isn’t much of a looker, but step into the restaurant and the mood instantly switches from gritty to Zen. Clean lines, dark woods, and cozy cubbies create a real sense of calm. Here at this convivial Japanese oasis, Tokyo native Kentaro Masuda prepares the city’s best tonkatsu, a masterfully deep-fried pork cutlet that is evenly golden on the outside and juicy throughout.

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