Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Now Closed

21 Jun 2010

Yatai Ramen at Breadbar – Los Angeles

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In Los Angeles, the words “ramen” and “Westside” are rarely uttered in one breath. While this part of town is suitable for cupcakes, macrobiotics, and all manner of fine dining, it’s Torrance and Little Tokyo that reign supreme when it comes to serious noodle slurping. That is until chefs Kazuo Shimamura and Noriyuki Sugie of Ironnori Concepts popped up at Breadbar at West Third.

Inspired by Japanese yatai (mobile shops) that cater to working men, “Yatai Ramen” is a temporary restaurant that will be occupying Breadbar’s space from Monday to Saturday, 5 to 10 PM, until July 24. The Astronomer and I, along with our friends Diana Takes a Bite and G-Ma, stopped in for a comforting bite after a long day of hawking sweets at the Eat My Blog charity bake sale. Working women need to be well fueled too, you know.

We were surprised with a basket of Breadbar breads as we perused the menu. The turmeric loaf drew me in with its intriguingly yellow hue.

With only eight varieties of ramen and two types of gyoza on offer, the focused menu was easy to navigate. To start, we shared an order each of the pig feet (left) and kale gyozas ($8 each). Both were served with the same gussied up soy sauce. From the crisp, golden sear to the well-seasoned fillings, these gyozas went down deliciously easy.

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Eat My Blog

20 Jun 2010

Eat My Blog Summer 2010: "It’s a really fancy bake sale!"

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Drum roll, please…The second annual Eat My Blog charity bake sale raised nearly $5,500 for the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank! Angelenos from every walk of life came to Tender Greens in West Hollywood yesterday to show their support and to stuff their faces with some of the finest baked goods in town. From Egyptian basbousa cakes to bacon chocolate chip cookies, the spread was so impressive that one customer proclaimed, “It’s a really fancy bake sale!” I wouldn’t have expected anything less from our city’s pool of talented, food-loving bloggers!

Eat My Blog was very fortunate to have Steven and Carmen Lam of Steven Lam Photography on hand to capture some incredible images of the event. All of the photos featured here were taken by the dynamic duo. Here are some of the mouthwatering sweets and savories that were featured at Eat My Blog. Clockwise from top left—whoopie pies from G-ma’s Bakery, rocky road brownies from Cube, almond tea cakes from The Catty Critic, and bacon coffee cake with almond butterscotch drizzle from chef Debbie Lee of Ahn-Joo.

Clockwise from top left—brownie bites from Sweet Life Kitchen, olive oil cake from Banana Wonder, toasted coconut and dulce de leche crispy treats from Delicious Coma, and chocolate cupcakes with salted caramel frosting from Nosh With Me .

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Echo Park

17 Jun 2010

Buy Me Some Garlic Fries and Dodger Dogs…

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I avoided eating a Dodger Dog last season out of fear that doing so would cause The Astronomer’s beloved St. Louis Cardinals to lose to the Los Angeles Dodgers. After the Dodgers swept the Cards in the Division Series with me consuming only team-neutral concessions, I vowed to eat whatever my heart desired the following season. Superstitions be damned.

We returned to the ballpark last week to witness some regular season play between the Dodgers and the Cards. With the sun slowly setting in the distance and cheery fans sporting their brilliant Dodger blue, my appetite was piqued for greasy stadium fare.

During the first inning, The Astronomer and I shared an order of Gordon Biersch garlic fries ($5.75). What makes these spuds super special is the abundance of minced garlic and parsley bits coating each shoestring. Every bite delivers an intense garlicky hit that’s dreadful for one’s breath, but oh so good for one’s soul. I’m not much of a sports fan, but I will gladly tag along to any event where these fries are served.

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