Restaurant Review
21 Jan 2009

Ernie’s Al Fresco – Pasadena

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For over twenty years, Ernie Mercado has been serving up good eats to the Caltech community from his lunch truck. The Astronomer and I first learned about Ernie from our phở-loving friends—Bao, Hung and Kunwoo. For three fairly quiet gents, they spoke animatedly and highly of Ernie’s food.

The Astronomer and I finally tried the goods on a rainy day in December when I happened to be working on a freelance piece from the Caltech library. Whenever I have an extreme case of writer’s block, I head to Caltech for a change of scenery. It seems that I focus better when I’m surrounded by geniuses.

During prime lunch hours, Ernie’s truck is conveniently parked outside The Astronomer’s physics lab. Even though it was cold and wet on our visit, there was still a good-size crowd huddling around Ernie’s truck.

Mexican fare is the name of the game at Ernie’s, and most items are priced around $3 to $4. All food is assembled to order by either Ernie or his helper. I went with the Tijuana Trio—three tacos filled with pork, chicken and beef. Since chicken is my least favorite animal to eat, I asked Ernie to substitute an additional pork taco instead. He kindly obliged and agreed that chicken was lame. The tacos were sprinkled with chopped onions and cilantro, and served with a lime wedge and two mild salsas (pico de gallo and tomatillo) on the side.

All three tacos were solid in the taste department, but a little chilly temperature-wise. Luke-warm food could be avoided if everything was cooked fresh to order, which isn’t the case at Ernie’s truck. This was my first lunch truck experience, so I’m curious to see how other vendors approach food preparation on wheels.

I added a side of beans and rice to my order. Both items were good, but could have used a few more minutes on the stove or a quick nuke in the microwave. Eating cold food on a rainy day is sad.

The Astronomer ordered a carne asada burrito, which came with a side of tortilla chips and salsa.

The Astronomer enjoyed his burrito very much. I didn’t steal a bite because I like my burritos San Diego-style with all meat and no rice.

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Ernie’s Al Fresco
Multiple locations in and around Caltech
Pasadena, CA 91106
Phone: 310-367-4291

Restaurant Review
20 Jan 2009

Arde’s Bistro – Los Angeles (Burbank)

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In this 498.3 square mile metropolis with notoriously bad traffic, meeting a friend for a meal can mean an hour-long commute. When my Valley-dwelling friend Sam and I wanted to meet up for lunch, it made sense to dine somewhere in the middle to save a little time and gas.What city is halfway in between Pasadena and Sherman Oaks? Why Burbank, of course.

Eating out in an area that neither party is familiar with can be a bit of a crapshoot. To avoid a dining disaster, I called upon my sometimes trusty, but oftentimes flaky friendYelp. Since Arde’s Bistro was the number one rated restaurant in Burbank, I figured it would be a good enough spot to hit up.

Mother and daughter duo Arde and Nina opened up Arde’s Bistro in 2000. The restaurant is smallish in size and laid back in attitude. The menu reflects Arde’s previous training as a Greek, Armenian and Lebanese cook, but with a couple of California-inspired additions like wraps and salads thrown in.

We started off our late lunch with an Appetite Teaser Platter ($10.95), which included hummus, baba ghanouge, stuffed grape leaves, a feta turnover, falafel, a small Greek salad and a side of Tahini sauce. Sam’s favorite of the bunch was the flaky and salty feta turnover. I was especially mad about the pleasantly tart stuffed grape leaves, with the smoky baba ghanouge coming in a close second. The falafel were decent, but paled in comparison to the one’sMama made back in Philly. I like my falafel spicy and rustic.

The generous Appetite Teaser Platter was served with warm pita and lavash—a soft, thin flatbread. Both were excellent vehicles for scooping up the hummus and baba ghanouge.

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Recipe
19 Jan 2009

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

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This recipe comes from the book Cupcakes by Shelly Kaldunski. Whereas traditional red velvet cakes have subtle chocolate undertones, these feature some serious chocolate flavor. The original recipe calls for four drops of food coloring, but I bumped it up to ten to give the batter a festively artificial glow. What can I say? I like my red velvet unmistakably red.

For cupcakes

  • 1.5 cups cake flour
  • 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp vinegar
  • 10 drops red food coloring
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 1 egg, room temperature

For frosting

  • 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup confectioners sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Make cupcakes

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven 350F. Prepare cupcake pan with liners.

Sift together cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into a bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, vanilla, vinegar and red food coloring; set aside. In another bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg.

Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk mixture in 2 additions, beating on low speed until combined; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20-22 minutes. Let the cupcakes cook in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.

Make frosting

In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high spped, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar and mix until thoroughly combined; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Use right away, or if the consistency is too soft, refrigerate until the frosting is spreadable, about 15 minutes. Optional: sprinkle with cocoa powder.

Makes 12 cupcakes and 2 cups of frosting.

Recipes from Cupcakes by Shelly Kaldunski.