Preview: KP's Vietnamese American Deli

After my sample-sized KP's Kold Kut bahn mi, I had to restrain myself from running back for another sandwich, which I could easily have polished off. KP's, named for the extremely personable owner Khuong Pham, had an opening day celebration Sunday with samples of several dishes, which were all a breath of fresh air on a very culinarily-challenged stretch of Hyperion. The Vietnamese chopped salad with shrimp was also bright and flavorful, and even my friend's tofu banh mi was pretty good. Khuong says he gets his baguettes from a lady in Burbank who makes them to his specifications, and they complement the Vietnamese pate and cold cuts perfectly. Starting Monday (Feb. 29), the whole menu will be available as well as Vietnamese iced coffee. Bahn mi are mostly $6.00, with varieties including ham, pork, chicken, beef and tofu. Also available are regular deli sandwiches on baguettes with nice touches like garlic chili spread or hoisin aioli, spring rolls and salads. There are three small tables or if you call ahead, they will bring your order to the curb.

sample-sized bahn mi
KP's: A Vietnamese American Deli
2616 Hyperion Ave.
(323) 913-1818

Taste test: Prael

Another Chowhound poster alerted me to Prael, a new Thai restaurant on Melrose, one block west of Normandie. I wanted to check it out because it's one of the few local Thai restaurants to offer crispy rice salad with pork, which is similar to an amazing dish at Lotus of Siam in Las Vegas. But where LOS uses rice puffed up into rice-krispy-like puffs, Prael seems to maybe just dump some white rice in the deep fryer and then scoop it out and garnish it with a large quantity of cilantro, peanuts and a type of Thai spam-like cold cut.

Crispy rice salad
It's not the transcendent experience the puffed rice becomes when artfully combined with the spices and dressing at LOS, but I tend to like just about anything fried, and it makes a nice appetizer scooped up in a romaine leaf. The red curry beef was richly flavored, but the pad kee mow (spicy mint leaf noodles) were not as crispy as the recent excellent ones I had at Nadbob in Silver Lake. Other unusual dishes on their menu include Thai boat noodles, wild boar, Thai omelet, and fish hoe mook (curried fish wrapped in small cup and steamed) and ka nam pak kard (radish rice biscuit with green onion, bean sprouts and egg). Definitely authentic, but perhaps not for everyone. Cash only, no delivery, open every day 10:30 am to 9:30 pm.
Prael Thai
4620 Melrose
(323) 663-7122

Taste test: Musha

I'm glad I heard about Musha in Santa Monica on Chowhound, because it's hard enough to keep up with restaurants east of Beverly Hills. Musha is a cute, tiny Izakaya style restaurant on Wilshire near 5th. An Izakaya is a Japanese pub, but Musha's dishes are lighter, healthier and more contemporary than the typical Izakaya dishes, which are more like the Japanese version of fried zucchini sticks and other "bar food." Sakes, beer and wine are available, and a full dessert menu.
The food: We tried four dishes, which wasn't really enough for three people, but we had been snacking at the Independent Spirit Awards party, so we weren't starved. Our selections were nasu kani, Japanese eggplant stuffed with crab; green beans salad; tofu salad with sesame dressing and tuna poke, similar to the Hawaiian dish of raw ahi and seaweed. Each was light and refreshing with a distinctive sauce, especially the bacon/peanut dressing on the green beans.

Green bean salad with peanut dressing
It was a very light meal, though -- portions are miniscule and you have to read the menu carefully to find more substantial plates. I'm looking forward to returning for the spicy tuna dip with rice cakes, the signature octopus, leek and red ginger omelette and the crispy grilled salmon, rice and shiso pyramid. And the maple creme brulee, and the green tea parfait.
The room: It's fun to get one of the tatami rooms in the back, which are comfy and secluded. There are only a dozen or so tables up front, so it's probably best to reserve. We lucked out though, with a parking place in front and a tatami room on Saturday night with no reservation.
The service: Service is attentive and friendly, even if you're hidden in tatami room. But check your bill carefully -- two bowls of miso soup we didn't order appeared on ours. Total was $40 for two beers, tea and four small plates.
Musha
424 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310)576-6330

Anyone having a Sideways-themed Oscar party?

The Fox Searchlight website details which wines are consumed in the film, which is sure to rack up quite a few prizes (especially at the Independent Spirit Awards). But surely any California pinot noir would connote the proper spirit for watching the show.

Silver Lake Wine is having a special pre-Oscar wine tasting at 3 pm on Sunday, with wines from Chateau Montus and appetizers from a former Lucques chef. It's French wine, not from the Santa Ynez Valley, but hey, it's still wine.

New York minute, or two

Eating L.A. had a rare long weekend in New York, checking out Christo's gates and grazing as we went along. A few of the highlights included: the crispy, perfectly baked crust at John's Pizza.

Real New York bagels (ok, I admit it, they are different) at Ess-a-bagel and H & H.

A cheese blintz with strawberry-rhubarb sauce at Zabar's.
Various noodle soups at Bo-Ky in Chinatown.

The history of the Chinese restaurant in America exhibit at the Chinatown Museum.

Cocktails in Williamsburg and at the Subway Bar in midtown.
Peruvian chicken delivered to a friend's house in Morningside Heights -- Pollos a la Brasa, why don't you deliver?
And of course, walking around Central Park and just basically wandering.

Best of the week's food press

I'm off to New York, so no reviews this week...but hopefully an eater's tour of Gotham by next week. Happy Valentine's Day!

In the news this week, Chris Rubin and Cynthia Dea weigh on Epicurean Mavericks at Boule and Bastide in the L.A. Alternative Press.

The L.A. Times advanced sushi article was a good guide to getting the best fish at sushi bars, but what got my geeky heart really excited was this article on a digital camera which has a cuisine mode for taking pictures of food. Obviously a must for the modern food blogger.

The New York Times discusses General Mills' decision to add whole grains to their breakfast cereals. Nice try, but apparently the change hardly added any fiber to Cheerios et al. For really healthy cereals, try Kashi, Hi-Lo or Trader Joe's High Fiber cereal.

A moment of silence...

for Shield's Date Gardens in Indio, which will be closing in April, after more than 80 years in business. Here's a little write-up by Jane and Michael Stern for the Splendid Table. Not only was this a great place to get a date shake or buy some date crystals, where else could you see a film about the romance and sex life of the date? Going to Shield's -- a trip equal in importance to visiting Hadley's, the dinosaurs and the tramway -- was like taking a trip back to a sleepier time, when date groves carpeted the desert floor and swamp coolers ineffectually chilled the blast furnace summers.

R.I.P. Shield's Date Gardens

Taste test: Pollos a la Brasa

Here's another installment in my continuing series of places I really should have tried by now. We stopped by Pollos a la Brasa this weekend with the young'uns who will normally eat roast chicken, if not much else. The little stand on the corner of 8th and Western has a pleasant wood-burning scent wafting down the block. Inside, dozens of chickens turn over the wood-fired spit, several people wait for to-go orders, and a few of us cram into the few tables in back. We ordered a whole chicken with salad and fries, at about $12. It takes a little longer to prepare than Zankou, but what doesn't? The chicken is a lovely nut-brown beast, with a slightly spicy marinade and an ok, but not terribly moist interior. The house green sauce has only one taste note: pureed jalapenos. The kids pronounce the fries excellent, and indeed, they're some of the more tasty I've had lately.

Sam, chicken and fries
Sam and Matt are thumbs up on the chicken; Sophie perversely prefers the one I got from the Ralph's warming table last week, but she's picky.
Pluses: On my way home from work, good fries, nice skin. Overall a solid contender.
Minuses: Not sure the fries and salad are worth $4 more than Zankou's bird and pitas. Not to be stubborn, but I still prefer the moistness and garlicky skin at Zankou.
Pollos a la Brasa
764 S. Western
Los Angeles
Archived comments:
brian said...
Tough to compete with the garlic spread and anything at zankou. But then again, a tasty order of fries goes a long way too!
jimmypermo said...
My best roast chicken was the weekend-only King Taco roaster I had this weekend. Still a big Zankou fan, especially with all the condiments
Anonymous said...
They also have a location in the "Moneta" section of Gardena at 16527 South Vermont Avenue. It's north of Artesia Boulevard/91 and west of the 110. The telephone number is (310) 715-2494.

Best of the week's food press

New York magazine weighs in on The Overrated List: Adam Platt's least-favorite food trends. Good idea, but I don't completely agree. I like edamame, and in L.A. they don't usually cost $8 a plate. I'm also fond of speck and romanesco, but maybe if you eat out as often as he does, they seem overused. I'd have to agree on cocoa nibs -- they're starting to seem pretentious.

Speaking of pretentious, the S.F. Chronicle has an article about kids in the kitchen, mentioning a 13 year old boy who's into vertical food presentation and others who are writing their own cookbooks. That's lovely. There's always hope that mine will finally attempt something beyond chocolate chip cookies. Peanut butter, maybe?

A few weeks ago, the Downtown News had some interesting items on the demand for new eating options Downtown: Fred Eric's new eatery/gourmet market Tiara, a new menu at Pete's and the revamped Banquette. The L.A. Times followed with a more pedestrian story about chain operations like IHOP and Roy's Hawaiian Fusion moving into Downtown.

And in restaurant news...Adieu, Moustache Cafe...When I was much, much younger, I used to enjoy this very '80s approximation of a French bistro on Melrose Ave. I took my boyfriend there for salade nicoise the night before I moved to Paris. I hadn't been back for more than 20 years, but for some reason I was a little sad they closed. The Melrose location will now be Chocolat Restaurant and Bar...wonder if they only serve dishes with chocolate nibs in them?

So cool...a Valentine's Day idea

These super-chic sushi-shaped candies are from a company in San Jose called Suedy's Koo-ki Sushi. I read about them on a fun Silver Lake blog called Avant-Garde Retard, which always has the best in funny Asian toys and local food chat. They also have cool pink chocolate Japanese cats and will do mail order for Valentine's Day.

"Sushi" bento box

Taste test: Sa Rit Gol

Every foodie in L.A. probably tried Koreatown's Sa Rit Gol a million years ago, and musician Carl Stone even has a piece of music named after it. But given my near-legendary disinterest in Korean food, it took me a little longer to get there. A few weeks ago, I ran into my old roommate Chava at Chameau, and she suggested trying it for lunch. My favorite thing about Sa Rit Gol was the interior -- cozy little wooden booths which make the place look like a Korean country inn. There's no English sign in front, but I figured it was probably the older of the two places in the mini-mall. The other good thing was their panchan.

panchan (accompanying dishes of kimchee, etc.)
They bring you tons of little appetizer dishes even with the $7.95 lunch special, and they seemed tastier than the ones at Chosun Galbi. My favorite was sort of a pressed tofu in sesame oil -- anyone know what this is called? Chava had the tofu casserole, which is similar to the boiling cauldron of spicy tofu at 24-hour BCD Tofu House. I had the noodles with pork and black bean sauce. While they were beautifully presented, the beans were sweet and bland, like a Japanese dessert, and didn't provide any contrast with the wide noodles.

noodles with black bean sauce
I still find, however, that the more Korean food I try, the more noncommittal I remain. It just doesn't seem to have the type of flavors that get my palate excited. But I liked this place fine anyway -- the lunch specials are a good deal (free refills on the panchan, tea, etc.) and they also have a large dinner menu with some interesting seafood dishes and all the usual barbecued meats to cook at the table. The pork is supposed to be excellent, so I'll give it another try because it was such a cute place and people usually have fun doing the barbecuing at the table thing.
Sa Rit Gol
3189 W. Olympic
(213) 387-0909