Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Now Closed

26 Jan 2011

Whist at the Viceroy Hotel – Los Angeles (Santa Monica)

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A few Fridays ago, The Astronomer and I were treated to dinner at Whist restaurant as guests of the Viceroy Hotel. Executive Chef Tony DiSalvo recently introduced a new assortment of Mediterranean-inspired dishes to the menu, and we were excited to come in for a taste.

Tucked into the first floor of the dimly-lit hotel, Whist boasts a thoroughly modern space that feels more intimate than your everyday hotel eatery. Here, Chef DiSalvo, an alum of New York City’s Gramercy Tavern and Jean Georges, prepares a diverse menu with Spanish, Italian, and French leanings.

The dining room was mostly empty when we arrived for our 8 PM reservation, save for two parties finishing up an early dinner. The nearby lounge and outdoor pool area, on the other hand, were bumpin’ with weekend revelers.

Dinner started off with a slate of bread—pretzel, cranberry, and dark brown. The pretzel and brown bread were jaw-achingly chewy, while the cranberry quick bread was very good but a little on the sweet side for a starter.

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Now Closed

24 Jan 2011

Xoia Vietnamese Eats – Los Angeles (Echo Park)

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If The Astronomer and I were to combine our culinary heritages, we might come up with dishes like toasted ravioli filled with lemongrass pork and collard greens braised in fish sauce. Sounds intriguing and even a little tempting, wouldn’t you say? This sort of whimsical marrying of cuisines is exactly what the husband and wife team of Jose Sarinana and Thien Ho are doing at Xoia Vietnamese Eats in Echo Park.

Opened last summer, Xoia serves a mostly Vietnamese menu with a handful of inspired dishes that bring together elements from both Vietnamese and Mexican cuisine. The cultures collide most successfully under the “Taco” section of the menu. I really enjoyed the anise and cinnamon spiced phở tacos that I sampled at the restaurant’s soft opening and couldn’t wait to try another mash-up during my subsequent lunchtime visit.

My easygoing dining mate Nastassia was game for just about anything, so I ordered the mì quảng-inspired tacos ($5.75). The three tacos were served on warm corn tortillas with fresh cilantro, diced red onions, and a side of house-made red salsa. The tender pork was richly spiced with paprika and shallots; I added a squiggle of Sriracha for good measure.

The tacos’ flavors were brighter and more robust than a bowl of mì quảng. Concentrating the spices and upping the oomph allowed the protein to work terrifically as a taco filling. Next time, I’m going to sample the chicken curry tacos.

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Restaurant Review

21 Jan 2011

Beijing Pie House – Monterey Park

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Under normal circumstances, I would have followed up the five-course bacon feast aboard the Lardon Truck with a healthful dinner of vegetables and grains. However, since it was the first day of the new year, and my mom was in town to celebrate, I thought it would be more festive and delicious to continue the greasy streak into dinner.

So instead of digging into wholesome greens and fibrous barley this evening, our party of three followed Linda Burum‘s footsteps to Monterey Park to dine at Beijing Pie House—a shop specializing in the bready cuisine of Northern China.

Located across the plaza from Kam Hong Garden, the Pie House lacks proper signage announcing its place in the neighborhood. In fact, the store’s facade still reads “Canton Gourmet Bakery.” Don’t be fooled though—there’s plenty of pie to go around.

The restaurant was mostly empty when we arrived, so we were seated promptly and presented with laminated menus typed in both English and Chinese.

After perusing the offerings, my mom decided that the shrimp wonton soup had to be hers ($5.99). The dozen or so plump little parcels arrived floating in a steaming hot broth. My mom really liked the delicate wrappers and meaty filling, but had to doctor up the mild broth with a few shakes of soy sauce and chili oil to suit her taste.

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