Restaurant Review
02 Mar 2009

Ducks Restaurant – San Gabriel

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I’ve never chosen a restaurant based solely on its name until I began exploring the San Gabriel Valley. Lack of English and cultural comprehension among the area’s restaurateurs has resulted in some hilariously silly names. Ducks is a prime example of this awesomely bad trend. While I normally wouldn’t be drawn to a resto with a peeling facade, the promise of ducks and curry was irresistible.

First off, let’s get one thing straight—Ducks does not serve any ducks. According to a Yelper name Ken H., the restaurant is named after the owners’ daughter’s favorite animal.

Drawing inspiration from its namesake, the interior is adorned with a bevy of ducky decor. The walls and shelves of the homey restaurant are strewn with duck statues, paintings, and figurines. Based on the name and decor alone, you’d think that this restaurant was manned by a real quack job, but this certainly is not the case. Ducks is a warm mom and pop shop—mom runs the front of the house, while pop makes the food in the back. Their duck-loving daughter was nowhere in sight during The Astronomer and my visit.

Lunch started with complimentary his and hers coleslaw coated with Thousand Island dressing with a Japanese flare. The cabbage concoction tasted fresh and crunchy.

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Restaurant Review
01 Mar 2009

Ba Le French Sandwich & Bakery – Alhambra

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BA LE FRENCH SANDWICH & BAKERY

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