Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

25 Jan 2009

San Diego Tết Festival

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The Astronomer and I drove down to San Diego this weekend to celebrate Tết with my family. In Vietnam, the entire country shuts down for over a week in order for families to gather and celebrate. It was beyond grand last year taking off several weeks of work to eat, drink and be merry, but it looks like this Tết I’m going to have to settle for a measly weekend. Oh, cultural norms…

We woke up early this morning to go to the temple. Instead of having a traditional Buddhist ceremony, the temple organized a festive raffle. I won a book about Africa, while Cousin Jimmy won a jade dragon wall hanging. My grandparents didn’t win a prize, but I awarded them Best Dressed honors.

After the Tết raffle, firecrackers were lit!

Before heading to the San Diego Tết Festival, we ate com chay (vegetarian lunch) at the temple. Many Buddhists refrain from eating meat during the first month of the New Year.

As we entered the Tết Festival at Balboa Park, we were greeted by a bunch of veteran carnies. We thought we had made a wrong turn until we ran into Cho Ben Thanh. Whew!

The number of Vietnamese food vendors present at the festival was pretty limited considering how many Vietnamese restaurants there are in the city. Regardless, the smell of grilled pork permeated the festival air.

Cousin Jimmy was in the mood for a banh mi and procured one soon after we arrived. Even though the sandwich was pre-made and the bread was soft rather than crisp, Cousin Jimmy still thought that it was good eats. The Astronomer went for a tall cup of nuoc mia (sugar cane juice) to start. The nuoc mia was refreshing, but too sweet because the vendor failed to squeeze in a bit of citrus like they do in Vietnam.

To accompany his nuoc mia, The Astronomer purchased some banh khot, which were served with greens, herbs and nuoc cham on the side. The banh khot were soggy in the center and tasted like banh xeo. Texturally, banh khot should be crisper and more wafer-like.

While we ate, a faux wedding procession came through. The costumes made me feel like I was at the Citadel in Hue.

A wedding isn’t a wedding without a roasted piglet.

The highlight of our afternoon at the festival was the lion dance. The footwork was cool, but the rhythm of the drums is the coolest.

Chúc mừng năm mới! Happy New Year!

Now Closed

24 Jan 2009

Chinese Gourmet Express – Pasadena

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I don’t believe in the idea of a “guilty pleasure” because one should never feel guilty about anything that’s pleasurable. I’m not afraid to admit that I love watching train wrecks on television, reading advanced celebrity gossip, and eating Chinese fast food.

While I could go on (and on) about my appreciation of the former two, this post is a homage to the latter. Admittedly, Chinese-American fare is oftentimes strangely sweet, extremely greasy, and hardly authentic. But in spite of these unsavory characteristics, The Astronomer and I have a soft spot for the stuff.

My penchant for Chinese-style fast food started during high school. Whenever my mom was too tired to cook on a Friday night, she forked over ten bucks and the car keys. That’s when Panda Express’ orange chicken came into my life. The Astronomer was initiated during his high school years as well. His first encounter was at the Galleria Mall in Birmingham. When college rolled around, we both had Cheng Hing on speed dial. Mmm, plum sauce.

Our outing to Chinese Gourmet Express was completely impulsive. I tell you, once the munchies hit, they cannot be denied. Between the two of us, we shared the two item combo with orange chicken, black pepper beef and a heap of chow mein. Is it just me or does this type of food taste best when it’s packed up in Styrofoam and eaten with plastic ware?

Even though it was kind of eerie how each of the items tasted exactly like its counterpart in distant lands like Alabama and Pennsylvania, we enjoyed it all immensely. We left Chinese Gourmet Express satisfied and greasy lipped.

What’s your not-so-guilty pleasure?

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Chinese Gourmet Express
330 E. Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91101
Phone: 626-568-3559

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