Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Chinese

27 Jan 2011

Panda Express’ Wok Star Challenge

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Not last night but the night before, I attended the first-ever Wok Star Challenge at Panda Express headquarters in Rosemead. In celebration of the upcoming Lunar New Year, a small group of bloggers was invited to the company’s test kitchen to meet and greet Executive Chef Andy Kao (a.k.a The Creator of Orange Chicken) and compete in a high-intensity cooking contest for charity.

Joining me at this totally random, but seriously fun event was Quyen of Kitchen Runway, Hong and Kim of Ravenous Couple, Vernon of Stellar Recipes (a.k.a. The Astronomer), Patti of Worth the Whisk, H.C. of L.A. and O.C. Foodventures, and Jenna of Eater LA. We were randomly paired into teams of two soon after we arrived.

The good food gods must have been smiling down on me because I was paired with Eat My Blog baker and all-around fabulous cook Quyen—I couldn’t have asked for a better teammate!

Prior to wokking and rolling our hearts out, we received a lesson on basic knife cutting techniques from Chef Kao. Next, he whipped up a batch of Firecracker Chicken Breast to show us how to manhandle a wok.

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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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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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