Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Restaurant Review

30 Jul 2015

Dune – Los Angeles (Atwater Village)

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The Astronomer, June, and I made our way to Dune for lunch last Sunday. I’d been meaning to check out this highly touted Atwater Village falafelria since it was opened earlier this year by the folks who run Elf Cafe.

June really liked Dune’s outdoor seating and fast-casual service, while The Astronomer and I appreciated that our spread arrived quickly. Efficient service is one of the perks of waiting a solid six months before trying a “hot” spot.

The menu here is awesomely simple, offering just a trio of sandwiches, a few composed plates, and a smattering of salads and snacks. The Astronomer and I ordered a little bit of everything and enjoyed leftovers the following day.

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Now Closed

16 Jul 2015

China Tasty – Alhambra

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Word of made-from-scratch, hand-pulled noodles at China Tasty lured me away from my cubical and to Alhambra for lunch the other week. While hand-pulled noodles are easily found throughout mainland China, noodle pulling specialists are surprisingly scarce in the San Gabriel Valley. Props to the L.A. Times’ Amy Scattergood for unearthing this gem.

China Tasty makes four different noodle shapes. There’s “standard round” (like spaghetti), “small flat” (like linguini), “medium flat” (like papperdelle), and “triangle noodle” (like no other). Amy describes the lattermost as “kind of like the noodle version of laminated dough, pulled into layers and cooked until beautifully chewy.” It was my favorite of the varieties we sampled.

First up was the “Szechuan Dan-Dan Noodle” ($5.99). We requested the triangle noodles to pair with this dish.

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Products I Love

09 Jul 2015

Trader Joe’s Mini Sheet Cake

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I blame my current obsession with Trader Joe’s Mini Sheet Cakes on my friend Quyen. She posted an enticing Instagram of the product a month and a half ago, and ever since then, I’ve consumed a cake a week. While that might sound like an exaggeration, I assure you that it isn’t—my appetite for super-moist cake iced thick with super-sweet frosting knows no bounds.

The cakes come in two flavors: Dark Chocolate Ganache with a “smooth ganache cream cheese frosting” and Chantilly Cream Vanilla Bean with a “smooth vanilla bean buttercream frosting.” Both taste equally fetching and are irresistibly priced at $3.99.

The chocolaty creation, with its tender base and rich topping, tastes like it was baked in Duncan Hines’ or Betty Crocker’s kitchen, in the best possible way, of course. The ratio of cake to frosting, practically one to one, is just about perfect for someone who appreciates her sweets very, very sweet.

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