I attempted to make my very first cheesecake today and this is what came out of the oven. At first it looked like some sort of souffle, but as it cooled down, it resembled caramelized flan. Sadly, I wasn’t trying to bake either of those desserts.
The recipe said it was “great for beginners.” Great! On the bright side of things, at least the spring form pan worked nicely.
What’s your most memorable culinary disaster? Let’s commiserate.
While I was living in Vietnam, one of the most popular restaurant trends was repackaging traditional street food with Western aesthetics in mind. Dubbed “air-con street food” by the expatriate crowd, these joints served Vietnamese fare in comfortable settings, complete with competent waiters and English language menus. While I didn’t care too much for these sterile eateries, places like Pho 24 and Bun Bo Xu were extremely popular with middle-class locals, tourists, and expats.
I thought that I had left air-con street food behind me when I moved to Los Angeles, but the moment I stepped into Viet Noodle Bar in Atwater Village, I was instantly transported back in time. Something about the exposed brick walls, sleek furnishings, and the romantically dated Vespa on display was reminiscent of District 1, Saigon.
Viet Noodle Bar serves a hodgepodge of Vietnamese dishes to a hip and trendy crowd. According to the Los Angeles Times article “Inspired by a World of Ingredients”, the restaurant’s owner, Viet Tran, traveled across North Vietnam for five years and studied noodle-making and soy milk-making in little villages. Viet Soy Cafe in Silverlake and Viet Noodle Bar were inspired by his experiences abroad.
My posse of noodle-goers [Laurie, Diana, and Anjali] and I started with an order of jicama spring rolls, also known as bo bia ($5). Rolled to order, each one was filled with tofu, a jicama and carrot slaw, fried shallots, and a basil leaf. A sweet hoisin dipping sauce was served on the side. Although I generally prefer the non-vegetarian version of this dish, the freshness of the ingredients, especially the powerful punch of the basil, made me forget about the missing Chinese sausages and scrambled eggs.
After the tremendous popularity of the inaugural L.A. Street Food Fest last February [read full recap here], Shawna Dawson and Sonja Rasula are returning with an all-new Summer Tasting Event on Saturday, July 24 at the Rose Bowl.
Enjoy sampling signature bites from more than 60 vendors including hot gourmet food trucks, old school carts and stands, celebrity chefs, and some of the city’s best restaurants. Additionally, there will be open bars and beer gardens to keep festival-goers hydrated and happy with cold suds, delicious cocktails, tequila tastings, juices, and more. For a full list of participating vendors, check out the lengthy list here.
L.A. Street Food Fest Tix Giveaway
Fellow street food lovers, I invite you to join me at the L.A. Street Food Fest. I have TWO all-inclusive general admission tickets 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: What’s the greatest street food you’ve ever eaten? Only one entry per person, please. I’ll be using a random number generator to choose the winner. All entries must be received by Friday, July 9, 2010 at midnight PST. Good luck!
[All-inclusive tickets are available online now through the L.A. Street Food Fest website and Eventbrite. General admission tickets are $45, VIP tickets are $65. No tickets will be sold at the door.]