Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Restaurant Review

26 Jan 2010

La Casita Mexicana – Los Angeles (Bell)

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For the past 12 years, Chefs Ramiro Arvizu and Jaime Martin del Campo have been preparing the dishes of their native Jalisco at La Casita Mexicana in the Eastside neighborhood of Bell. What sets the restaurant apart from the zillion other Mexican eateries dotting the city’s landscape is its serious commitment to retaining authenticity and using only fresh, local, and seasonal produce. In fact, most of the herbs and vegetables employed at the restaurant are grown nearby at a communal garden. The result of pairing southern California’s finest ingredients with Chefs Ramiro and Jaime’s immense talents is food that shines like no other taquería in town. La Casita Mexicana is truly one of a kind.

I met Chef Ramiro this past summer while traveling and eating my way through Baja. With his friendly demeanor and incredible knowledge of Mexican cuisine, he was one of the most memorable characters on our delicious voyage. After we parted ways, I vowed to check out the restaurant as soon as possible. It took a lot longer than I intended to make my way to La Casita Mexicana for a meal, but that’s how it goes sometimes when dining and exploring such an expansive city. Joining The Astronomer and me for dinner was my dear friend Esme.

Our waiter brought a complimentary bowl of tortilla chips drizzled with three different moles and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds as we perused the menu. With its distinct peanut buttery notes, the red pepian tasted like a Southeast Asian satay sauce. Made from crushed pumpkin seeds, the green pepian was mild and nutty. The dark brown mole poblano was the most intriguing of the trio with its spicy undertones and unabashed sweetness. It was tough focusing on the menu with such a tempting treat before us.

Prior to our entrees arriving, we were each treated to a bowl of the soup of the day—crema de frijol (cream of pinto bean soup). Topped with salty crumbles of cotija cheese and crunchy strips of tortilla chips, the smooth soup was intensely savory and perfectly balanced. I’ve never been more satisfied by a bean soup.

The Astronomer ordered chicken enmoladas ($11.95) for his main course. Similar in composition to enchiladas, the shredded chicken-stuffed enmoladas arrived smothered in the house-special mole poblano. The thick pool of mole appealed to The Astronomer at the start, but he grew tired of its chocolaty sweetness half way through.

The chicken enmoladas were served with a side of white rice.

Esme thoroughly enjoyed her chicken flautas with three moles ($8.99). The deep-fried corn tortilla proved to be an ideal complement to the chicken filling and array of moles.

For my main entree, I chose chiles en nogada ($13.95), the national dish of Mexico. With every color of the national flag represented, the dish consisted of a roasted poblano chili stuffed with spiced ground beef, dried fruits, walnuts, and candied cactus. A rich and creamy pecan sauce, along with a handful of pomegranate seeds, provided the finishing touches.

I loved how the dish brilliantly teetered between sweet and savory, like a Moroccan bastilla. The juicy pomegranate seeds were essential for reeling in the creamy sauce and sweet filling.

For dessert, we shared an order of churros ($3.99). The two-inch long rods were piped full of dulce de leche and served fresh out of the deep-fryer. All three of us were completely stuffed, but we rallied to finish these off because day-old churros are a travesty.

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La Casita Mexicana
4030 Gage Avenue
Bell, CA 90201-1127
Phone: 323-773-1898

Restaurant Review

24 Jan 2010

Kabuki Japanese Restaurant – Los Angeles (Hollywood)

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Ask me what my favorite restaurant is and I’ll probably hesitate a bit, then launch into a long-winded and inconclusive answer. Ask me what my favorite cuisine is (other than Vietnamese, of course!) and without pause I will answer Japanese. I find sushi sensational, ramen rockin’, and bentos bomb. I could eat this stuff all day, every day.

I attended a blogger dinner at Kabuki last week to sample some of the restaurant’s classic offerings and a smattering of new menu additions. Media dinners are almost always a treat, but the ones that serve my favorite cuisine are definitely extra special.

Kabuki, a chain of Japanese restaurants serving both traditional and contemporary fare, has been serving Southern California, Arizona, and Nevada for the past 19 years. There are currently 13 locations in all with more openings on the horizon (as long as the economy allows).

The restaurant’s niche is affordable Japanese cuisine served in a hip atmosphere with congenial service. Whereas diners spending only $20 at most sushi joints leave hungry, that is the norm at Kabuki, and most go home more than satisfied.

Joining our blogger dinner was Kabuki’s sake sommelier, Yuji Matsumoto. He paired various sakes with our meal throughout the evening. Logistically, Mr. Matsumoto isn’t able to service all 13 locations personally, but he assured us that every one of Kabuki’s waiters is trained to pair libations masterfully.

Dinner began with one of the newest menu additions—tuna poke with avocado and spicy ponzu sauce ($7.95). The salad was well portioned and extremely fresh. There was an adequate amount of tuna to balance out the heap of daikon and seaweed.

Next to arrive was a yellowtail carpaccio with jalapenos and tomatoes ($8.95). This was also a new menu addition. I was indifferent to the slightly spicy puddle of citrus sauce, but quite enjoyed the thin slivers of fish paired with chilis. I remember enjoying a very similar dish at Nobu in Las Vegas circa 2005.

Following the two light starters was a trio of funky sushi rolls. Of the three, I enjoyed the Baja Roll ($6.95) the most. It consisted of a spicy crab roll topped with a spicy mayonnaise sauce and pico de gallo. I was really surprised by how well the traditional Mexican salsa paired with the spicy crab roll. Score one for Mexican-Japanese-Californian fusion.

The Vegas Roll with cream cheese and salmon fried in a light Tempura batter ($9.95) was a mouthful of richness. The fresh and clean flavors normally associated with sushi were completely absent in this creation.

My least favorite was the Lasagna Roll, which consisted of a thick layer of Parmesan, mozzarella, and cream cheese seared atop a traditional California roll ($7.95). With three cheeses weighing heavily on its back, the roll tasted overwhelmingly dense and all-in-all a bit much. Although this roll wasn’t for me, a few of my dining companions were taken by it.

For the next part of our meal, we ordered entrees straight off the menu. Prior to my main course arriving, I sipped a warm and comforting bowl of mushroom miso soup. The soup contained lots of fresh enoki and shitake mushrooms and plenty of deep miso flavor.

For my entree, I chose one of the restaurant’s specialties—grilled shrimp risotto with brown rice and shitake mushrooms ($14.95). I should’ve listened to my instincts and avoided ordering an Italian dish, because the entree turned out to be a total flop. The rice was tasteless and gluey, while the shrimps were dry and overcooked. I had it boxed up after just one bite.

Thankfully, my tablemates and I ordered a selection of nigiri to supplement our entrees. Clockwise from top left—mackerel ($3.50), fresh water eel ($4.95), fatty tuna ($9.95), and sea urchin ($6.95). Each pair of nigiri met our expectations, although Fiona of Gourmet Pigs found the rice to be too cold and dense. Kubuki’s fishes aren’t earth-shatteringly good, but at these prices, they were more than palatable. I also indulged in an order of inari ($3.25), which was fish-less but still great.

To finish, I ordered a hazelnut craquant ($6.95) with bittersweet chocolate sponge cake layered with chocolate praline craquant and hazelnut mousse. A sweet and pleasant ending.

Kabuki Pasadena, I’m coming by soon!

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Kabuki
1545 Vine Street
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Phone: 323-464-6003

Recipe

22 Jan 2010

Classic Yellow Cupcakes with Milk Chocolate Frosting

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A friend once told me that birthdays and other such gift giving affairs are an opportunity to force our values upon others. While she was mostly referencing gifts, I recently applied her devious ploy to birthday cakes.

Rather than survey my brother on his preferred cake and frosting flavors, I went ahead and made my personal favorite combination to celebrate his 32nd birthday. I mean, who doesn’t adore moist yellow cake topped with smooth milk chocolate frosting? It’s simple, classic, and delicious. Since I was already dictating the flavors, I went ahead and replaced a traditional layer cake with cupcakes, the sweet that I value above all others. I hope that my brother enjoyed his birthday treats as much as I did—I’m such a sneaky little sister.

It is important to note that the cupcake recipe yields 24 cupcakes, while the frosting recipe makes enough icing for 12 cupcakes. Depending on your needs, the frosting can easily be doubled or the cupcake recipe halved. I did the latter.

For easy yellow cupcakes

3 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups sugar
12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line two muffin pans with cupcake liners.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together in a large bowl and set aside.

Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the sugar until combined. Whisk in the melted butter in three additions until completely combined. Whisk in the buttermilk.

Sift one-third of the flour mixture over the batter and whisk it in (a few streaks of flour should remain). Repeat twice with the remaining flour mixture and continue to whisk the batter gently until most lumps are gone. Do not overmix.

Fill the cupcake liners about two-thirds full. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out with a few crumbs attached, 18 to 22 minutes, rotating the pans halfway thorough baking.

Let the cupcakes cool in the pans on wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove from the pans and let cool completely on the racks before frosting, about 1 hour.

The cupcakes can be stored, unfrosted, in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen in zipper-lock freezer bags for up to 3 weeks. Defrost at room temperature before frosting.

For creamy milk chocolate frosting

10 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon corn syrup
Pinch salt
1/2 cup heavy cream, boiling
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and chilled

Place the chocolate, corn syrup, and salt in a food processor. With the machine running, gradually pour the boiling cream through the feed tube and process for 1 minute.

Add the confectioners’ sugar and continue to process until combined, about 30 seconds. With the machine running, add the butter through the feed tube, one piece at a time, and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Transfer the frosting to a medium bowl and let cool at room temperature, stirring frequently, until thick, about 1 hour.

The frosting can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. Before using, let stand at room temperature to soften then whisk briefly to re-fluff.

Recipes from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook