Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Restaurant Review

01 Mar 2009

Ba Le French Sandwich & Bakery – Alhambra

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I saw the billboards all over town: Disneyland—Free On Your Birthday! I figured that the promotion was just for small fries or that some other catch was involved. Upon further research, I was stoked to discover that the claim was truly as simple as it had initially seemed.

The Astronomer and I headed to the Happiest Place on Earth on an uncharacteristically rainy and cold California day to celebrate my 27th birthday. I’ve been going to Disneyland since I was kid and Love the park with a capital L. As far back as I can remember, my mom always packed along a lunch of banh mi for our family to eat during our day at Disneyland. Even now when I visit the park without my mom and brother in tow, I can’t imagine eating anything other than Vietnamese sandwiches at lunchtime.

Sticking with tradition, The Astronomer and I made a quick stop at Ba Le French Sandwich & Bakery in Alhambra before driving down to Anaheim. Ba Le was recommended to me by gas•tron•o•my reader Sharon, who is currently down in North Carolina, but grew up in the San Gabriel Valley. Thanks, Sharon!

We picked up three sandwiches to-go—banh mi thit nuong, banh mi thit nguoi, and banh mi nem noung. We entered the park around 11 AM and were ready for lunch soon after. We dined on the edge of Frontierland’s Rivers of America. Doesn’t The Astronomer look super-excited about Sandwiches Time?

First up was the banh mi thit nuong (barbecued pork). Whereas the version at Banh Mi & Che Cali featured lemongrass marinaded pork, the pork in this one was very sweet. The Astronomer didn’t like it as much as the lemongrass version, but I was down with the honey-based marinade.

Next, we split the banh mi thit nguoi, which was comprised of a variety of cold cuts, forcemeats and my favorite, pate. Everything was terrific, but I would’ve liked a thicker shmear of pate because Ba Le’s baguette is quite thick, and thus requires an improved ratio of bread to flavorful fixins. By the way, both sandwiches were humongous, so we had to save the third one for later consumption.

The happiest kids on earth at the Happiest Place on Earth.

After lunch we went on Splash Mountain twice in a row because there were no lines to speak of. You can’t see my face because I am hiding from the impending splash.

The Astronomer’s stomach didn’t feel so hot after downing two sandwiches and dropping 50 feet twice in a row, so we headed to Fantasy Land to take in some calm little kiddie rides. Here’s a pic of the Vietnamese contingent in It’s a Small World.

Our third sandwich took a severe beating, so pardon it’s wilted appearance. The nem noung (meatballs) was on par with the other two sandwiches and would’ve tasted loads better earlier in the day.

Not only did Disneyland treat me to an awesome day at the park, but they also gave The Astronomer and me free passes to California Adventure to use on a later date because we’re Southern California residents! How cool is that? You betcha boots we’re gonna bring more banh mi sandwiches on our next visit!

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Ba Le French Sandwich & Bakery
1426 S Atlantic Blvd.
Alhambra, CA 91803
Phone: 626-308-3003

Recipe

27 Feb 2009

Chocolate-Marshmallow Mousse

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To welcome me home after my trip to St. Louis, The Astronomer prepared a four-course feast for dinner. We started off with a fragrant tarragon and artichoke dip paired with crackers, then moved on to potato leek soup. The main course was red bell peppers stuffed with savory goodness. For dessert, The Astronomer prepared this light-as-can-be chocolate-marshmallow mousse. The mousse was so lovely that I felt compelled to make some more as soon as we finished off the first batch. Warning: chocolate-marshmallow mousse can be a highly addictive substance. Proceed with caution.

4 cups mini marshmallows (about 6 ounces)
3/4 cup whole milk
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
3/4 cup heavy cream, chilled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cook the marshmallows, milk, and chocolate in a medium saucepan over low heat, whisking constantly, until melted and smooth, about 4 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and set inside a larger bowl of ice water. Let stand, whisking often, until cool and thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.

Whip the cream and vanilla with an electric mixer on low speed until frothy, about 1 minute. Increase to high speed and continue to whip until soft peaks form, 1 to 3 minutes.

Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture, leaving just a few streaks.

Spoon into wine glasses or goblets, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until set before serving, about 6 hours. After being spooned into the wine glasses, the mousse can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 days before serving.

To serve, garnish the glass with dollops of fresh whipped cream, sprigs of fresh mint, and fresh berries.

Serves 6 to 8.

Recipe from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Restaurant Review

26 Feb 2009

Fitz’s American Grill & Bottling Works – St. Louis

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St. Louisans love few things more than the Cardinals, toasted ravioli, and Fitz’s root beer. Just ask The Astronomer—he’s a native.

Fitz’s root beer was first produced in 1947 and sold alongside hamburgers and fries at a small drive-in located in Richmond Heights, Missouri. The eatery and root beer production shut down in 1970 when the owner retired. It wasn’t until 1985 that the original Fitz’s root beer recipe was resurrected and “St. Louisans once again could enjoy their favorite root beer in bottles.”

Fitz’s American Grill & Bottling Works opened in 1993. According to the eatery’s official website, “To assure authenticity, the call went out for a vintage bottling line. Incredibly, a 1940’s bottling line was found in an old barn in Shawano, Wisconsin. It was refurbished and installed at the restaurant, where it is visible from every table on the main floor. Fully operational, the bottling line can turn out a bottle every second.”

Wes and I sat on the second floor and thus avoided being treated to non-stop bottling action and unflattering florescent lights during our meal.

To kick things off, Wes ordered a root beer served in an icy mug, while I ordered a cool bottle of cream soda ($2.19). My vocabulary isn’t Swarthmorean enough to describe the cream soda’s nuanced flavors, but I assure you that it was superior to everyday root beers like Mug and A&W. There’s definitely something spicy in the mix that gives the brew a smooth and mellow kick. The secret root beer formula was developed with the help of a flavor house in St. Louis and remains a closely guarded secret to this day.

The menu at Fitz’s features all-American favorites like pizzas, pastas, wraps, sandwiches and burgers. I ordered a bison burger—a lean bison patty grilled and topped with spring mix, a tomato slice and onions, and served with a side salad ($9.99).

The bison patty was as dry as a bone, while the grilled onions were raw and the spring mix was a wilted mess. I kept sipping my cream soda to moisten up the meat and help it down my esophagus.

The side salad served with my burger was substantial and uninspiring. Poorly made salads are why Americans have a tortured relationship with vegetables.

Wes went for a BBQ burger with Colby Jack cheese, BBQ sauce and onion tanglers ($8.19), which really satisfied his burger tooth. In retrospect, I probably should of gone for some fatty cow instead of the bony bison.

We also shared an order of onion rings, the first of many during my stay in St. Louis. The freshly fried ringers were of the mass-produced-in-a-factory variety, which is to say that they were tasty and greasy, but not so special.

Come to Fitz’s for the house special root beer, cream soda, and ice cream floats, but don’t bother with the grub. It’s not worth the space.

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Fitz’s American Grill & Bottling Works
6605 Delmar Blvd
St Louis, MO 63130
Phone: 314-726-9555