Pho Minh makes L.A. Times Column One

(photo LATimes)

The LA Times profiles Pho Minh, beloved but under-trafficked pho destination of South El Monte, extolled by J. Gold, Exilekiss and many others willing to brave grungy Garvey Ave. What the Times says is true -- when I ate there a few months ago, we were the only customers at lunchtime and the pho was delicious. The problem? Too much competition, and dudes, you're in South El Monte.
Also in the Times: The owners of Mission 261 probably will not re-open unless or until they get their condo project in San Gabriel's Mission district approved.
...and a preview of Trader Vic's, and a Los Feliz-centric My Favorite Weekend from Dominic Monaghan.

Nickel Diner: S'mores cake gets blowtorched

Dave Bullock, Downtown L.A. foodlover and photographer extraordinaire, shot this video of the S'mores cake at the Nickel Diner, where the marshmallow topping gets a nice toasting with a blowtorch at your table. Will you be having dessert?

Bloggers, will you subscribe to the Food Blog Code of Ethics?

The bloggers behind SpicySaltySweet and Foodwoolf got together and wrote up the Food Blog Code of Ethics. I like the idea and I might sign up for the badge, but I'm not sure that many people care about some of the finer points of the Code. The ethics are loosely based on the Association of Food Journalists Critic's Guidelines, which are also good guidelines to keep in mind, if not to follow to the letter. I think bloggers should definitely disclose when they're getting freebies, but beyond that, the Code of Ethics seems a wee bit uptight on a few other points:

• Sure, it's nice to use original photography when you can -- I've probably posted thousands of my own photos on this blog -- but most bloggers freely post photos from other blogs when linking to stories from those blogs. But yes, you should link back and credit the blog.
• And good luck getting bloggers to visit restaurants more than twice before posting reviews. I would say that's an unrealistic expectation for all but a few bloggers with plenty of time and money.
• The whole convention of waiting a month to do a "real review" and calling it "first impressions" otherwise is based on a print journalism paradigm. I don't think it's particularly relevant to the world of foodblogs. Just say whether the restaurant recently opened or not.

Do other bloggers feel a code of ethics is necessary for food bloggers? If you have a blog, would you be able to qualify based on the guidelines listed, and would you want to?

Penny pinchers: Pasadena deals

Here's the first in an occasional series of meal deals in various neighborhoods. Today: Pasadena.

On Monday, May 11, Brix 42 in Old Town celebrates Craft Beer Week with free food -- as in a whole meal, apparently. Brix is also releasing its house IPA that night. I wasn't blown away by their other beers I tried, but I'd give them one more chance since IPA is my favorite.

On Thursdays, Barn Burner BBQ offers a dollar menu including pulled pork sandwiches, a quarter chicken, and $1 draft beer.

Try to make it to La Grande Orange Cafe before May 31 for Neighborhood Nights on Mondays and Tuesdays. You don't have to live in the neighborhood to take advantage of this deal, where you get the second entree for $5 after buying the first.

These weeknight deals are a great way to keep business bubbling on slower nights...hint, hint, Little Parlor Pizzeria.

Yuri Truck: Are we approaching gridlock yet?

Faster than you can say "get on the Kogi bandwagon," reports of new roving trucks of the non-taco, non-roach coach variety are starting to multiply. Today's entry: YuriTruck, an offshoot of Yuri Japanese cafe, the Melrose sushi roll/teriyaki joint that has both lovers and haters on Yelp. There's a launch party Friday evening from 6-8 in front of the cafe on Melrose.
Follow them on Twitter @yuritruck

Pourtal brings winetasting 2.0 to Santa Monica

Peter Birmingham shows off the "Three's Company" selection of wines blended with three varieties of grape

Walking down Santa Monica Blvd. towards the new Pourtal wine bar, it was hard not to get pulled in by the perennial forcefield of happy, soused Brits at the King's Head. But I was glad I pressed on, because sampling wines using a Smartcard is pretty fun, even if it is likely to quickly add up. And since wine director Peter Birmingham is one of the most knowledgeable sommeliers in L.A., the selection of wines is naturally stellar.
Buy a card -- for opening party, we were given $30 card -- then walk around to see the choices, and insert the card in the Enomatic machine, putting your glass below the selected wine. A one ounce taste runs from $1.52 to $8.47, while there's a selection of 5 oz. glasses from $6.50 to $15. Pourtal is working hard to make tasting wine a fun and educational experience, with themed areas that comprise a flight and extensive tasting notes. My card held out for about six tastes, with some real winners in there, including the Tissot Pousard Sans Souffre, a good value at $3.05 an ounce. Another excellent value was the $2.99 an ounce Niner cab Bootjack Vineyard from Paso Robles.
As for the "cosmoculture" Domaine Viret Emergence -- I think I'll leave that one to the hippies. There's plenty of snackage available to go with the wine (beer is available too), including cheese plates from Andrew's Cheese Shop, flatbreads, artichoke garlic toasts and for the adventurous, chocolate/bleu cheese crostini.
With Bar Pinxto just across the street and Robata Bar next door, the westernmost block of Santa Monica Blvd. has come a long way from the days of fish n' chips and warm Guiness. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Barbrix opens soon, caters WriteGirl benefit

Two great programs that help at-risk youth find their voices and improve their schoolwork are hosting very cool benefits this month with delicious local food choices.

This Sunday, May 3, WriteGirl hosts Playwright Girl, a benefit performance and reception featuring food from Silver Lake's newest wine bar Barbrix, Mozza, CakeMonkey and Hocus Pocus wines. Actors including Angela Bassett, Melora Hardin, Annie Potts and Barbrix partner Adria Tennor will perform works by the girls who were mentored by WriteGirl. Tennor is planning a mid-May opening for Barbrix on Hyperion.

And don't forget about the Craft Beer Fest L.A. on May 9, which benefits 826LA and includes lots of craft beer, cheese, Scoops ice cream and vegan snacks. Tickets are just $36 and are still available.

Silver Lake: Are you ready for a BBQ Record store and roving vegan cupcake truck?

Soi 56 from Thrillist

The Silver Lake/East Hollywood area is getting a combination record store and BBQ spot called Territory where Lilies Pizza is now on Hoover, according to Racked LA. Sounds almost painfully hip, since the people behind it run the Endless Summer taco truck in Silver Lake West, aka Williamsburg.

Blogdowntown brings the news that Babycakes vegan cupcakes -- another New York import -- will move in next to Cole's and the Association on 6th St. near Main...and get this: Babycakes is also promising a roving dessert truck to bring its vegan treats to West Hollywood and Silver Lake, for those who can't make it Downtown. Anyone tried Babycakes? I had a vegan red velvet cupcake this weekend and seriously missed the real cream cheese frosting, although the cake part was good.

The opening of Soi 56 in central Hollywood was announced two weeks ago, but apparently it just opened last night, which is why we haven't heard any reports yet. With lots of skewers and more street food-type items, Soi 56's food is a departure from the menu at Rambutan, Tuk Tuk and Chadaka, which have the same owners, and it's open from 11-11 7 days a week.

Looking for L.A. foodies who Twitter?

Then head over to EatingLA's directory page LA Foodie Twitterers. Add yours, if you've got something interesting to say in 140 characters or less.

Can a cleanse taste good, and do you need it?

Walking into Arianna Huffington's house for the book party for Kathy Freston's Quantum Wellness Cleanse, I was slighty worried that we might be met with waiters bearing trays of lemon juice and cayenne pepper. No -- wrong cleanse! I was reassured to find out that Freston's Quantum Wellness Cleanse: The 21-Day Essential Guide to Healing Your Mind, Body and Spirit, famously practiced by Oprah, doesn't involve fasting, which I consider potentially unhealthy. The Brentwood house was filled with beautiful and Hollywoodish people like Jeff Katzenberg, Jim Wiatt, Tom Freston and Dr. Dean Ornish mingling and munching. Many of the guests, more accustomed to steaks at the Grill, had never encountered seitan before. "It's like tofu, only kind of different," explained a tall blonde who works on the "Millionaire Matchmaker" show. Serves You Right catering, which normally does omnivorous spreads for the top agent crowd, did a nice job going all vegan with seitan satay (yes, I know it's not tofu), spring rolls, tofu "tartare" crackers and petite red velvet cupcakes. (Sorry, but without cream cheese frosting, what's the point?) Anyway, on the Quantum Cleanse, you basically give up alcohol, animal products, caffeine, sugar, gluten and animal products for 21 days, and according to Freston, you'll feel amazingly good. Having just polished off two trays of pork dumplings and beef tendon soup at Dean Sin World at lunch, I was kind of feeling in need of some cleansing. Freston says that even if you can't do 21 days, you can help save the planet and your meat-riddled cells by taking Mark Bittman's advice and going vegan before dinner, or one day a week. Well, it's a thought, anyway.
My first instinct is always to game the system, like what if you went vegan, but with caffeine or booze? Wouldn't that feel just as good?
Would you consider 21 days without "the five substances that are so toxic on the body," as Freston says?

Great Harvest Bread comes to South Pasadena

The location doesn't look like much right now, but a new location of the franchise Great Harvest Bread Company is in the works in this historic South Pasadena building at the corner of Mission and Diamond Sts. I'm always complaining that there's way too many cupcakes and sweets and not enough bread bakeries, so this is welcome news. The franchise part seems a little worrisome, but the reviews on Chowhound for their other locations seem pretty good. Also, it's not a chain -- it's a local couple that owns it and bought a franchise. Apparently they stone-grind the wheat every morning, and make white, whole wheat, nut, fruit and savory breads as well as scones, cookies and sandwiches and Peet's Coffee. They're predicting a late spring opening, so I'm thinking...August?

Eating LA's prequel: Geocities to go dark

The late writer Chris Rubin, right, eating dan dan noodles at Chung King

Let's have a moment of silence for Geocities, Yahoo's free website service I used to create my first website before I got into blogging. Eating Chinese was a brief chronicle of friends who gathered to try SGV restaurants from various regions of China. Most of the restaurants have changed name and ownership by now, like Green Village and Shiang Garden. Thank goodness Blogger came along to make things easier. If you have content lurking somewhere on Geocities, figure out how to move it or archive it before it goes away this summer.

Silver Lake/Los Feliz liquors up

Michelangelo is getting closer to getting its beer and wine license ... if you prefer to BYOB, this might not be a good thing, although it will certainly be more convenient for diners. How do you like Michelangelo since it's moved to Rowena?

And Pattaya on Vermont is applying for a full liquor license...I think Pattaya has been licensed off and on for years, but it's now trying to upgrade to a full license. Any fans of Pattaya out there? I know it's one of the more solid delivery options for Los Feliz.

This weekend: Grilled cheese invitational, cooking at LA Times Book Fair

The Grilled Cheese Invitational promises to be hot, sweaty and dripping with melted cheese. I love grilled cheese, so I wish I could be there. Here's more on Saturday's event at the Cornfield in Downtown L.A. from the Daily Dish. It's $5 entry fee to judge, but it kind of sounds like a free-for-all.

Both Farmer's Market cookbook ladies are getting together at the LA Times festival of books at UCLA on Saturday: Amelia Saltsman from the Santa Monica Farmer's Market cookbook and JoAnn Cianciulli from L.A.'s Original Farmers Market Cookbook are doing a cooking demonstration at 11 am on the Culinary Stage. On Sunday, Animal's Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook do a demonstration at 11 am, while Bon Appetit's Barbara Fairchild cooks at 2 pm and Giada De Laurentiis is interviewed by Fairchild at 3:30.

Following L.A. foodies: Twitterers with good appetites

Who are you following on Twitter? For many of us, finding out where @KogiBBQ was parked was the first time we really used Twitter. I follow some non-L.A. based food folks like @ruthreichl, @davidleibovitz and @clothildenet, but most of my follows are local.
Here's a few that have something interesting to say, whether once in a while or every day.
Please add any other L.A.-based Twitterers with good food content in the comments and I'll post a complete directory page with live links.

Food and other L.A. bloggers who Twitter, in no particular order:
@foodgps -- lots of links to the blog, with some additional tweets
@eatfoodwithme -- Miles Clements writes for the L.A. Times food section
@LAOCFoodie -- strong on cocktail observations especially
@pleasurepalate -- a veritable Twitter machine and food events planner
@typefiend - Apartment Therapy blogger and Silver Lake dweller
@thedelicious -- founder of Tastespotting is a voracious Twitterer
@angelenic -- one of the best for news about Downtown L.A.
@Tunatoast -- Tokyoastrogirl is a Highland Park-based foodblogger
@sinosoul -- TonyC is a very opinionated fellow with a love of many ethnic foods
@mattarmendariz -- food photographer and generally lucky guy
@foodeater -- Vegan from the To Live and Eat in L.A. blog. Read the blog too or you'll the great photos.
@quarrygirl -- also vegan, also takes nice photos on her blog
@mylastbite
@mattatouille
@wanderchopstick
@whiteonrice
@oishiieats
@eatlosangeles

LATimes-connected foodie writers:
@elinashatkin
@jessicagelt
@bettyhallock
@denisemartin
@latimesfood
@sirenevirbila is protected, and doesn't update anyway

Restaurants, chefs, and shops:
@kogibbq -- 17,000+ followers of oddly capitalized tweets
@evankleiman
@locali -- new products and daily specials
@tendergreens -- lots of updates on daily specials at different locations
@twohatfields
@8ozburgerbar
@letsbefrank
@verdugobar -- beer specials and music nights
@rushstreetcc
@pacerestaurant
@tradervicsla
@purgatorypizza
@bottegalouie
@joansonthird
@akasharichmond
@lagrandeorange

Twits we're just not that into:
@LAFoodie has tons of followers, but the Google-ad clogged blog isn't that appealing.
@EaterLA seems to have given up on Twittering

Prefab ice cream sandwiches: Coming soon to L.A.?

Coachella-goers got a preview of Coolhaus ice-cream sandwiches in the shape of trendy modern prefab houses, according to CurbedLA. The Coolhaus website says the ice cream truck will be hitting the streets of Los Angeles this summer, proving my prediction a few months ago of many more cool food trucks in the coming months. Flavors include the Frank Behry, the Richard Meyer Lemon Ginger and the Mies Vanilla Rohe. Cute.

Pavich's charming Croatian-style pizza: Guest post

(photo LA Times)

EatingLA hasn't been able to get to San Pedro lately to check out Pavich's Brick Oven Pizzeria, but a friend did. Writer Jonathan Blum ate there with his winemaker uncle and and EuroPane's Sumi Chang and sent this nicely-observed report:
We drove down and stopped first at a nearby park in San Pedro, Angels Gate, which has a giant "peace bell" that was given as a friendship gesture by Korea to the United States on the occasion of the bicentennial. A wedding was going on. We walked around the park a bit, which overlooks the ocean as well as the Port of Los Angeles, but the wind was a little chilly so we didn't stay long. Then we found the pizzeria, a modest storefront right in the middle of a hilly middle- to lower-middle-class neighborhood of apartment houses, bungalows, and other single-family homes. A couple storefronts up from the pizzeria was a closed shop called Baltic Bakery.
A couple storefronts in the other direction was a slightly seedy laundromat. The late afternoon Pacific light was very lovely. Groups of neighborhood kids were constantly milling about along the sidewalk, and people were regularly coming and going with orders from Pavich's to go.
The shop itself is long and narrow, with the offerings handwritten brightly on a board above the head. The proprietor, an immigrant about 40, seemed to be shyly amused by the attention the LA Times article has recently brought to his business. The place offers both Croatian comfort food and Croatian-style pizza. We started with cabbage rolls, terrific stuffed cabbages with spicy ground beef, served with mashed potatoes, a mushroom gravy, and julienned roasted red peppers. (I grew up eating Ashkenazic Jewish food, and so I consider myself a tough judge of stuffed cabbage, and this was very good.) I also wrote down the names of two items we didn't get but whose names I liked so much, I assume the dishes themselves will live up to their names: chavapchichi and plyeskaritza. And then we had a vegetarian calzone and a huge (18") combination quattro gusti/Croatian pizza. On the wide sidewalk in front of the shop there is a grill for grilling sausage and a couple metal tables; we brought tablecloth, napkins, silverware, and wine, and set up on those two tables and had a great time. Some people take the food out and bring it to the park. My uncle brought a 2005 zinfandel he made; then he impressed us by knowing that the zinfandel grape is originally from Croatia. The crust on the pizza had a desirable crunch, and the toppings--it was a half and half, with smoked meats and vegetables--were yummy. There was something very charming about the whole experience. I recommend taking some friends down there sometime when you want to get away from our part of town and have a well-crafted, unpretentious, tasty meal; it's a great neighborhood place, a fine adventure.
-- Jonathan Blum

Pavich's
2311 S. Alma St.
San Pedro,
(310) 519-1200

Yxta: Another Mexican entry spices up Downtown

Al pastor tacos add a slice of pineapple to the spicy mix of flavors.

I'm slowly working my way through all the new Downtown restaurants and this week made it to Yxta, the offshoot from Highland Park's El Arco Iris that occupies a mini-mall in the toy district. The good news is there's plenty of free parking at night; the bad news is that the bunker-like stucco exterior doesn't look very promising from outside. But the interior is much nicer, with clever light fixtures and original paintings, even if there aren't quite enough patrons on a Friday night to make the cavernous space seem welcoming.
Yxta isn't quite cast in the ambitious (and pricey) nuevo Mexican vein of Rivera; it's more along the lines of places like Chichen Itza or Homegirl Cafe, but with the bonus of good margaritas. Imagine that. Good margaritas. Spicy al pastor tacos. Deep, smoky, salsa. All in one place for a change! Like Loteria Hollywood, Yxta signals the arrival of a new era in Mexican dining: a place where you can actually get good food while you drink. What a concept. Happy hour is a good deal, with $5 margaritas made with fresh juices and $6 appetizers, so try to get in several orders before 7 p.m. Here's a quick tour: We liked fried squash blossoms, above, stuffed with Oaxaca cheese; the al pastor tacos, the guacamole and the salsas. Main dishes of arrachera steak and chicken mole enchiladas were good, if not revelatory. Skip the fish tacos -- just get more al pastor. For dessert, dense, rich Kahlua flan (below) -- yes, chipotle chocolate cake, no -- too dry.
Now, permit me a moment of venting: I don't like to carp about service normally, but frankly they're going to have to step it up a notch if they want diners to happily pay $35-$50 each for dinner in this slightly obscure location.
Our inexperienced server was pleasant enough, but she ended up not making us feel very comfortable. The worst parts: confusion about whether it was still happy hour or not, asking us if we could pay the bill before we were even ready for dessert and taking away dishes and drinks we were still eating. It might also have been nice, since there were only half a dozen parties dining the entire evening, if the manager had stopped by to recommend some good dishes and say hi, if the menu or the server had pointed out the fresh aguas to my non-margarita drinking son, or if they hadn't grouped three parties right next to each other along the banquette.Verdict: Go at least for happy hour, maybe for more.
Update: The manager contacted me to let me know they are working hard on service issues, which is always appreciated. Bear in mind the restaurant was only a few weeks old when this was written.
Yxta
601 S. Central Ave.
(231) 596-5579

A Farmer's Market cookbook with a twist

Most farmer's market cookbooks feature recipes made with fresh fruits and vegetables. But L.A.'s Original Farmers Market Cookbook: Meet Me at 3rd and Fairfax, by JoAnn Cianculli, features recipe from nearly all the stalls at the original Farmer's Market at Third and Fairfax. I stopped by the opening preview Thursday night, which included tastes from throughout the market, like tri-color mole chilequiles from Loteria and Neal Fraser's braised lamb with garbanzo beans at Marconda Meats (below).
Want to recreate the Gumbo Pot's seafood gumbo and corn muffins, or Singapore Banana Leaf's mee goreng? Want to find out how Nancy Silverton makes her burger blend with meat from Huntington Meats? The book also includes lots of history for the 75th anniversary of the market. Did you know that Bob's Donuts is owned by Bob Tusquellas of Tusquella's Seafood? I never did until now. Also, 326 Beer & Wine is featuring a custom 75th anniversary draft beer right now that's not bad at all.

Carnivore! Meat Lover's Panel at LA Weekly weekend

Palate's porkfolio from Alli411

I stopped by the LAWeekly site just now and noticed the LA Weekly's LA Weekend event April 24 and 25, the same weekend as the LATimes Festival of Books.
On Saturday, April 25, the noontime panel Carnivore! will feature Jonathan Gold, Mark Peel from Campanile and Octavio Bercera from Palate celebrating all things meaty. Tickets are $20 a day with various art events, drinks, and other panels included.
As always with events around L.A., check out Goldstar. Tickets are $18 including both days and free drinkies.

Americana kicks off "gourmet" farmer's market

Shoppers at the Americana at Brand will get a slightly more authentic experience when Gigi's Farmer's Market debuts this Saturday from 10-2. This is the first time I've heard of a farmer's market with a production designer! They promise more than 30 vendors of honey, olives, nuts, bread, cheese, fruits and vegetables, flowers, seafood and wines as well as tacos from Frida's and cupcakes from Crumbs.
I don't know who Gigi is, but apparently she was able to persuade the Montrose Farmer's Market that they wouldn't provide too much competition, since the northern Glendale neighborhood was originally protesting the new market.
Update: Also there are Domenico's Artisanal Foods' fresh pastas, sauces, tapenades, stuffed peppers, ready-to-go meals and the famous sun dried tomatoes from the Cheese Shop of Beverly Hills.

(photo LATimes)

David takes over LA Chinese

LA Chinese, formerly known as a contender for the scariest restaurant in town, will become David - the Restaurant, says ReservationforThree. Thanks for doing the detective work, Susan! Caterer David Sutton promises reasonable prices for his fusion/comfort food hybrid.
Does anyone remember the groovy, almost underground restaurant on Sunset near Benton that was a hipster secret about 20 years ago? My late friend Liz Stromme included it in her book "Joe's Word, an Echo Park Novel," but I can't recall the name.

Pasadena farmer's market: best bet east of Hollywood

The Pasadena market has a large selection of vegetable plants, flowers, and even blueberry bushes. It's also nicely situated against the San Gabriel mountains.

Each farmer's market has its own character and rhythm, and with over 100 in L.A. county, it's hard to get to know more than a handful. Every so often, instead of running in and quickly snatching up my strawberries and cauliflower, I like to wander around with a camera and pretend I'm traveling in a faraway city. Today's destination is the Saturday Pasadena market at Victory Park, which is likely one of the biggest after Santa Monica and Hollywood. Parking is nearly as challenging as those on the Westside, but once inside, the mood is more mellow than the other big markets.


A typical mildly hip Pasadena family. Jonathan Gold also frequents this market.

Southern California is confusing -- isn't it the wrong season for red peppers?


I roasted these sunchokes and doused them in garlic lemon butter.


This black kale looks completely different from the cavolo nero on the Internet, but it's just as good and much cheaper than the kind at Whole Foods.

Prepared food is not the strong suit at this market, other than a popular pupusa stall. Other stalls include the fresh fish truck, chocolates, really inexpensive eggs and some very popular guacamole.
Tip: Go early in the summer, as it gets hot fast. More spaces are usually available in the lot on Paloma St. rather than on Sierra Madre Blvd. Are there any other vendors here that shouldn't be missed?

Sudsy times in L.A.: beer news bonanza

Josh Lurie talks to the folks behind Eagle Rock Brewery, which is now targeting a June opening. (FoodGPS)

The Verdugo Bar now opens at 6 pm every night, so get your suds on early. Here's their Twitter feed.

Thursday: You can see Beer Wars by rsvping here to see the live panel and feed at 4:30 at UCLA, buying tickets to a local theater showing it at 8 pm, or you can wait for the DVD and just show up at Pitfire Pizza Westwood or Blue Palms for the afterparty.

May 9: Craft Brew Fest L.A. at the Echo now has a blog up with beers and bands listed. Tickets are on sale now.

May 11-17 is American Craft Brew Week; kick it off at Brix 42 in Pasdadena which will serve free food all evening on May 11; any one item off the menu is free. Also, the brewpub will introduce its new IPA soon.

Twitter and I construct some killer bahn mi

Pork belly/pate banh mi with homemade mayo and pickled carrots

I don't post much about cooking because I'm no expert and there's so many other good cooking blogs. But since I've been practically live-Twittering my bahn mi experiments, it seemed only natural to show the finished product. This one is a bit of a bastard, since it's on a panini roll. That's another thing about my cooking. I rarely make something without adapting several ingredients to whatever's on hand. Anyway, I have some of the city's best banh mi only two or three miles away, but the recent New York Times article made me start considering the use of other ingredients. And there's so many people in L.A. who live much farther from a good banh mi shop, and maybe don't realize that they're fairly easy to replicate.
My first effort, largely constructed with these ingredients from Trader Joe's, was pretty good:
Panini roll
chicken liver pate
regular mayonaise
touch of hoisin sauce
cilantro
sliced jalapeno
shredded carrots

But I wanted more. Tunatoast on Twitter recommended braised pork belly with sweet soy, so this morning I paid a visit to the new Korean Galleria market Downtown. I consulted a helpful Web site, Viet World Kitchen, and whipped up some homemade mayonaise. I lightly pickled the remaining shredded carrots. Braising seemed too time-consuming, so I quickly grilled the pork belly.
Here are the ingredients of the second, and even more delicious version:
panini roll
chicken liver pate
homemade mayonaise
grilled pork belly marinated in soy and sugar
cilantro
sliced jalapeno
lightly pickled carrot and cucumber slices

Of course you can use all different meats, and I'd like to do one with fish or chicken so I don't feel quite so decadent. But this is a fun sandwich to experiment with, and even my improvisatory attempts prove that you can still get that wonderful flavor combination even if you don't have a great banh mi shop in your neighborhood. Have you tried making banh mi? Which ingredients do you feel really make the sandwich?

Historic restaurant locations in the Times

(LATimes photo)
I'm glad the L.A. Times has found something besides the funny signs column for Steve Harvey to do. Sunday's story Southland restaurants have past lives was a fun read, although that subject could easily be expanded into an entire book. The cheesy thatch hanging from the Darkroom facade kind of pains me, but at least it hasn't been destroyed.

Varnish and Chaya: Downtown L.A. cocktail walk

The mixing station at the Varnish includes blackberries and pink grapefruit.

I still hadn't been to Varnish. Kathy wanted to see how Chaya Downtown's happy hour compared to Chaya Venice. And Shelley was game to try anything the near-Eastsiders decreed. So we started Friday's tour of new Downtown spots at Chaya Downtown. I usually dislike places in office buildings, but the interior is simply and elegantly designed with a whimsical colorful glass chandelier and only a tiny bit corporate-looking. We sat in outdoor booths that would be great on summer evenings, and ordered Seeing Red cocktails with blood orange and lavender-infused tequila and blood orange juice. They were a touch sweet, but at $5 each, no complaint. A selection of shrimp tempura, albacore and tuna rolls went nicely with the cocktails, at $4 a roll. Chaya Downtown may lack the festive yet slightly sleazy pickup-joint feel of the Venice location, but the value is just as good. We walked over to Seven & Grand to look at Bottega Louie (above), a beacon of New York-style sophistication in the middle of an area that's still pretty deserted in the evenings. Though full of sushi rolls, we admired colorful macaroons (below), pastries, cheese, lentil salad and other items beautifully displayed in the deli area. Prices looked more reasonable than comparable places like Joan's on Third. The bar and restaurant were fairly full, and the entire vast high-ceilinged space was lively and yet almost incongruous, as if it had been quickly installed like a movie set. Open from 6:30 am to 11 pm, I imagine it's pretty nifty to have Bottega Louie now open if you live Downtown. Then it was on to the Varnish, the speakeasy-style bar behind a discreet martini glass-marked door at the rear of Cole's. I've noticed that some people seem a little uneasy about talking to the bartender and letting him craft something different and delicious. But that's the best part of the new breed of cocktail bars, the chance to try a long-forgotten drink or something completely new mixed exactly to your tastes. After some consultation, the bartender mixed me up a Commando (at right), with bourbon, Cointreau, lemon and "a touch of absinthe." Served in a coupe glass, it had just the right interplay of sour, sweet, herbal and potent. Shelley's had lemon, honey syrup and bourbon over a giant ice cube, I believe, while Kathy had an "updated Sazerac." It was still early, so a visit to the Taco Zone truck was also required before calling it a night. And that's only the tip of the iceberg for cocktails Downtown. ...to be continued, no doubt.
Has anyone eaten at Bottega Louie yet?

Good Girl Dinette: First Look

I checked out the soft opening of Good Girl Dinette Thursday night, and it seems like a promising addition to Highland Park, which has few non-Hispanic food options. My camera battery failed so photos will have to come another time. The Vietnamese comfort food concept was interesting, mostly Vietnamese but with a few diner twists like coconut bread pudding and chicken curry pot pie. Here's a few notes I left on Chowhound:
Owner/chef Diep Tran founded Blue Hen in Eagle Rock, which I had never tried. Good Girl puts a little twist on straight-up Vietnamese food, giving it a "diner" twist. The space is modern and airy, just down the street from Antigua Bread in the heart of Highland Park. Right now they're serving an abbreviated menu while they get their sea legs. We started with crispy rice cakes with scallion tofu ($4.50), a nice light appetizer with good soy/sesame oil flavor. The diner side was represented by two pot pies ($10) -- we had the cauliflower curry which was indeed comfort food, with a flaky biscuit crust and mild vegetarian filling. They were serving either vegetarian or chicken pho ($9), and we tried the vegetarian, which could use another jolt of flavor. But it's pretty hard to make good pho without beef, so that wasn't too surprising. Dessert was a really nice round of coconut bread pudding with whipped cream, not heavy or overly sweet like so many bread puddings. There will be some meatier offerings on the expanded menu, like beef stew and braised pork. The closest comparison is Viet Noodle Bar in Atwater, but prices are a bit more reasonable the food is somewhat heartier.
Banh mi are $7 but they come with fries or slaw, so that seems reasonable.
Good Girl Dinette
110 N. Ave. 56
Highland Park

Reservoir and Local: Silver Lake restaurants more homey than haute

I haven't been to Reservoir yet, but S. Irene has. Her Early Bird look concluded that despite poor pizza crust and retro balsamic vinegar overload, a so-so burger and a seemingly sarcastic swipe at the pan-seared tofu, it's relaxed and fun and a real neighborhood restaurant.
J. Gold weighed in with a First Bite too: Reservoir is "casual but almost painfully stylish; farmers market-driven, although not obnoxiously so, and dedicated to the kind of cooking I’ve come to think of as professionalized dinner-party cuisine — recipes that could have been torn out of last month’s Bon Appetit, hearty to a fault...rather over-deconstructed lasagne, stodgy pizza."

That's pretty much the same way I felt about Local, although a meal at Local will probably run about half the price of one at Reservoir, so there's less at stake. Here's an excerpt of my review for the Los Feliz Ledger. I'd try it again for breakfast, as long as there's no pistachios in the breakfast dishes.

Local gets the ingredients right, but the execution can be uneven. The large, floppy veggie burger ($11) is composed mainly of the nutritious grain quinoa—an interesting idea, but on a big bun, the dish turns into starch-on-starch. A dinner entrée of striped bass ($14) is bland atop a doughy potato-corn pancake. Even more problematic is Treviso salad, which comes as a whole head with stem intact, as if it were plucked out of the garden with no further thought of how it could be manageably eaten. Whole pistachios—some with bits of shell dangerously clinging to them—hide in the salad’s creamy dressing.
On the other hand, the heritage pork sloppy joe, more like a pulled pork sandwich, is deliciously piggy in a balanced barbecue sauce, and a side of spaghetti squash is appealingly caramelized with plenty of lemon and garlic.
Local belongs to the endearingly sloppy breed of near-Eastside restaurants—its heart is in the right place, even if service and presentation are almost too casual.

I'm not trying to slam anyone, because I know how hard it is to keep a restaurant going during these times. But restaurants need to also remember that now more than ever, diners are looking for excellent eating and service experiences when they do go out and spend money.

Good Girl Dinette opens Friday in Highland Park

"The American diner meets Vietnamese comfort food" is the tagline of the new Good Girl Dinette from the Blue Hen's original co-owner Diep Tran. I'm excited to have another choice for lunch and dinner in Highland Park, and I hope she plans to open for breakfast as well.
The menu will feature stews, sandwiches, hearty soups, rustic rice dishes and homemade pies -- a modern take on Vietnamese comfort food, using local, organic, sustainable and seasonal foods.
Hours will be:
Tues-Thurs (dinner only) 6-10pm,
Fri (dinner only) 6-11pm
Sat & Sun (lunch and dinner) 11am-11pm
Closed Mondays

Good Girl Dinette
110 North Avenue 56
Highland Park

Two stars for Jitlada! Hooray for Jazz!

love those green peppercorns in the jungle curry! (photo LATimes)

In tomorrow's, L.A. Times, S. Irene takes one of her rare ethnic forays to Jitlada, awarding a well-deserved two stars. Who says she only reviews fancy pants places where dinner costs $150? I'm glad she also mentions the desserts -- it's so easy to fill up on the great main dishes, but Jitlada's Thai desserts are the best I've had outside the Lotus of Siam.
(In case anyone's keeping track, EatingLA first reviewed Jitlada's new Southern Thai menu in June 2007.)

Trip report: a brief and nostalgic tour of Santa Barbara

The French lady I spoke to at the pool in Santa Barbara seemed a bit shocked that our mini-vacances consisted of just one night at our pleasant motel complete with ducks and lagoon. "Mon dieu! Ces Americains travaillent beaucoup," Nicole-Sophie probably said to Christian. Oui, but what can you do? My daughter, her friend and I took a short jaunt mostly to check out UCSB, which has a stunning beachfront location and plenty of fast-food outlets right on campus. Since I've stopped at La Super-Rica pretty much every other time I've been to Santa Barbara for the past 18 years or so, we decided to branch out, so our first stop was El Bajio down the street. The prices seemed rather high -- $2.99 each for tacos, $7.29 for a sope. But La Super-Rica's prices are probably comparable, and it turned out to be the best and certainly most filling sope I've ever had, with a fresh, soft disk of cornmeal topped with about half a pound of juicy, savory carne asada that played off the cool scoops of guacamole and sour cream extremely nicely. You really don't have to ever eat again after one of these -- but then I seem to say that everytime I eat something like a pupusa or an arepa. Many, many hours later we were finally ready for dinner. We walked by some charming-looking spots like Square One and the Palace Cafe, but with two teen girls, one extremely picky (that would be mine), we opted for an old favorite, Joe's Cafe on lower State St. This old-school restaurant was my late dad's favorite spot in town, and the menu of pasta, seafood and burgers is perfect for kids. Plus, they had the local Firestone Double Barrel Ale on tap, which went down well with a basic mahi mahi sandwich. It was more nostalgia for dessert with a trip to McConnell's Ice Cream. I'm sure it's heretical to say so, but I like their ice cream better than Fosselman's, particularly the banana and the Turkish coffee -- it's denser, with a deeper flavor. So, a short trip, but with one new favorite and two old ones, still a good intro to the city for my daughter who would like to eventually go to school there.

L.A. Weekly's new food blog ... what else did I miss?

Jeez, I go to Santa Barbara for two days and I miss all the big news at Variety as well as the L.A. Weekly's new food blog Squid Ink finally launching. It also marks the return of "Ask Mr. Gold" where readers can ask questions directly of the Pulitzer prize-winning writer.
"How 2006," someone Twittered about Squid Ink. That seems a little harsh, especially since contributors Jessica Ritz and Margy Rochlin, and of course Jonathan Gold, are respected and knowledgeable members of the food writing community in L.A. I hate to think that Twittering is killing blogging, but it does seem to have wounded it a bit. I'm always happy to have another voice out there, so all I'll say for now is that I don't find the Weekly's standard blog template very appealing. Have you checked out Squid Ink? Do you think blogs are over and Twitter won?

Street: a first look finds some dishes lost in translation

Kudos to the clever menu designer

It may take more than one visit to fully crystalize my thoughts on Street, which was still in its first week of service when I had lunch with a friend on Friday. Our first impression was of overall orangeness. The black and orange patio walls, covered by large orange umbrellas, make eating on the patio a tangerine dream, so thank goodness for Auto-color adjust. The menu is divided into dumplings, noodles, salads and main dishes, and it can be bit challenging picturing how the foods of say, Egypt and Thailand will work together in the meal. We ended up with two Asian-inspired dishes and one Middle Eastern one. Shrimp wrapped in rice paper

A dish of puffed millet with Indian spices was brought to the table; "like an Indian rice krispie treat," the waiter said, although the puffed millet was soft and chewy rather than crunchy as I had been anticipating. We started with shrimp and shiso leaf wrapped in rice paper with a pungent wasabi sauce; nice, but not really special, especially at $2 or more per shrimp. I'm not familiar enough with Korean food to know if a beast like the Korean rice salad we ordered exists in Korea, but it's a bit curious: brown rice, edamame sprouts, thin noodles, black cod, tofu and a fried egg all get along happily enough, but a pool of rich, sweet sesame dressing at the bottom makes it hard to go all the way. It's possible that a few too many of the dishes are topped with fried egg, making it hard not to end up with several fried eggs over the course of a meal.Theoretically this is the type of thing I usually feel like at lunchtime: fish, brown rice, vegetables, flavorful sauce, etc., yet it didn't all work quite well enough to make me want to order it again.
Lamb kofta kebabs with Za'atar (below), however, are perfectly spiced, and somehow even more flavorful than the quite good homemade merguez I made last week. Served with a lavash bread spread with smoky eggplant, lebni yogurt and hardboiled eggs with harissa, the Middle Eastern flavors blend nicely and we only wish there were more than two meatballs in a $16 serving. All the exotic flavors I like in my desserts are represented on the dessert menu: rose syrup, pandan leaf and such. We tried Vietnamese espresso jello layered with chocolate ganache and topped with halva; the ganache was rich and smooth, but the jello too stiff and the Intelligentsia coffee it was made with barely made itself known.
Our server was extremely knowledgeable
and helpful and Susan Feniger made the rounds to a few tables of longtime customers.-- everyone looked familiar, with at least two Bon Appetit staffers in the house.
Verdict: I love Feniger's passion for the exciting tastes of world street food, but I'm afraid the excitement is too likely to get lost in the translation to upscale restaurant food and higher-quality ingredients and the pricing those ingredients require. This is just a first look, but I'm not sure it's a good sign that after this lunch I found myself craving Mitsuwa market's deeply-flavored $2 coffee jello and excited to check out something called Kalbi & Kimchi I spotted in a minimall on Santa Monica Blvd. on the way home. Maybe that's the problem with Street: it's on the street, and not in a minimall.