Merry Christmas cocktail!

Hibiscus Christmas cooler

I love the deep, fruity flavor of jamaica or hibiscus flowers. Their bright red color makes the perfect holiday cocktail. Here's a festive hibiscus Christmas cooler inspired by the Sterling Daiquiri in the L.A. Times, by Allan Katz of Cana Rum Bar, but minus the ginger liqueur. (Steeping some grated ginger in the agua de jamaica would probably impart a similar flavor). Cheers!
Ingredients:
2 oz. agua de jamaica (from L.A. Times recipe made with dried hibiscus flowers, available at Latino markets. Optional, add grated ginger to the steeping mixture.)

1 oz. rum, spiced or regular
1/2 oz. lime juice
2 oz. club soda
Mix and serve over crushed ice with a wedge of lime and sprig of mint.
(Taste and add simple syrup if it's too tart for your taste.)

DogHaus: Pasadena goes to the dogs

Dog Haus has plenty of seating, and a parking lot in back

Pasadena is a lovely town in many ways, most of them historic and a bit stodgy. But the food scene is changing fast with the arrival of more up-to-date spots like Intelligentsia Coffee, Daisy Mint, Cham Korean Bistro, Slaw Dogs and now another doggery, Dog Haus. Just up the street from Pasadena City College, Dog Haus has an industrial vibe with a somewhat more straightforward menu than Slaw Dogs. That's fine, since although Thai slaw and mango chutney sound intriguing on a hot dog, in the end they don't really add that much to the experience.

BLAST dog at Dog Haus: Bacon, lettuce, avocado, Serranos, tomato

I had a BLAST, which involves bacon, avocado and Serrano chilis. I know, it looks like a lot of mayo, but the canine take on a BLT worked well with their large, meaty all-beef dog and a little extra relish.

Double dog dare at Dog Haus: jalapenos, cheese, grilled onions

Sam was very pleased with his Double Dog Dare, which had lots of jalapeno, cheese and grilled onions. Tater Tots tasted exactly like the ones my mom used to make from the frozen bag, which just fine for a nostalgic interlude. If you prefer, there's turkey and veggie dogs, and a choice of skinless or snap dogs. Starting out early? Try the breakfast-y Grand Slam Dog, with bacon, egg and tater tots.
Dog Haus is a fun stop for students, families and Pasadena workers, with just enough variety to keep people coming back.
Yay: Also on the menu: burgers, sausages, fries, chili cheese fries, sweet potato fries, chili. If you don't want to spend $5.95 for a hot dog, you can get a regular dog with a few toppings for $3-4.
Nay: Seems a tad pricey for a hot dog. All the special Haus Dogs are $5.95. In contrast to Slaw Dogs which has a too-flimsy bun, Dog Haus's Hawaiian bread bun is almost too big, sweet and bready.

Dog Haus

105 N Hill AvePasadena

(626) 577-4287

Good Girl Dinette extends hours

Good Girl Dinette is something of a hidden gem in Highland Park, and now it's even easier to fit in a visit for the spicy jalapeno fries or curry chicken pot pie. Good Girl is now open for lunch on Fridays (yay, my day off!) and all day on Saturdays (noon to 10) and Sundays (noon to 9). Who eats at Good Girl?  Here's the perfect snapshot of modern-day Highland Park from Good Girl's blog:

lizz and isaac's wedding

i met lizz and isaac about a week or two into the dinette's opening: they were looking for fuel for their veggie oil benz and i was looking to dispose of my frying oil. lizz is the owner of the eco-clothing line, popomomo, and isaac is a sculptor. and somewhere between their regular visits to the dinette for dinner (where they would always order spicy fries) and their weekly visits to pick up the restaurant's used oil, we became friends.

Joseph Mahon/David Haskell's Magnum at Biergarten: A pop-up pleasure

Unexpected locations are one of the fun aspects of pop-up restaurants, and the sleek, spacious Korean pub Biergarten on Western might not seem like the kind of place to find ex-Bastide chef Joseph Mahon and maverick sommelier David Haskell. But Haskell loves Korean food and Mahon has a background in Asian food as well as a history of doing underground restaurants at his house, so it kind of all makes sense.

The $56 five-course tasting menu (GourmetPigs and I split the $54 wine pairing) dipped in and out of cultures, with French wines meeting sake, Belgian beer and soju and the richness of French-inspired dishes enlivened with the likes of kimchee broth and pickled cabbage. Haskell says tonight is a full house, so it may be too late to score a spot, but the first night of this two-night gig was a relaxed dinner with pretty much every dish and pairing a total hit.

Carrot pudding was a subtle way to start. Orange granita and chopped peanuts perked it up, but this turned out to be the least memorable dish. Rosy Pinot Noir/Pinot Meunier Champagne provided a Creamsicle effect with the starter, Haskell explained.


Coconut soup with mussels, cilantro, a fried mushroom and the surprise texture of tapioca took on Thai coconut soup and won, with a sophisticated interplay of  umami-laden components. Ultra-smooth premium Wakatake Onikoroshi sake was an inspired match to the creaminess of the soup.

Wild mushrooms with pork cheeks in bearnaise were lucsciously creamy with a fairly acidic Domaine Jo Pithon chenin blanc with notes of banana. The mushrooms were topped with a crispy rice cracker -- nice idea, but these turn greasy and gummy if not properly fried and the cracker was only real misstep of the evening.

Fried chicken was nearly everyone's favorite, with a buttermilk sauce and tartly-dressed arugula perfectly balancing the crunchy crust, paired with a French syrah/grenache/mouvedre blend with hints of blueberry.

Butterfish with pickled cabbage and kimchee was a delicate nod to the neighborhood; Triple Karmeliet beer with citrus notes made a fun counterpoint to sour kimchee.

Duck leg confit in a classic preparation with nicely-crisped skin also featured welcome roughage from chard and lentils. Haskell went for a 2008 Pithon-Paille cabernet franc which was sour and astringent on its own, but totally mellowed with the fat of the duck skin. It worked for us, though some weren't sure if there was any way to save that wine.

Finally, I don't usually expect much from dessert, but Mahon's decision to deep-fry his gingerbread waffles made the dessert the best square churro ever ,accompanied by a cranberry compote, clover honey and creme fraiche that made the palate register TART! CRISPY! CREAMY! SWEET! by turns. A fiery soju pairing was fun for those who needed more alcohol, but that wasn't me.
OK, I'll admit one reason I liked this meal was that there were so many fried dibs and dabs, plus some of my favorite ingredients like wild mushrooms. And the fact that five courses somehow grew to seven generous plates. But this was definitely the way to do a pop-up -- low on the reservation drama and high on flavors that aren't completely expected. Mahon promises a longer series of dinners to be announced soon, so keep an eye on the blogs.

Get artisanal presents to eat this weekend at Artisanal L.A.'s pop-up shop

This weekend's the time to find presents for food-obsessed friends at Artisanal L.A.'s pop-up storefront across from Unique L.A. going on at the same time.
Where: Cooper Design Space's Santee Shop, 851 Santee St (just north of 9th)
When: Saturday & Sunday  11am - 6pm
$6 Admission
Partial proceeds benefit LAUSD school garden programs.
Entry includes access to the shop, hosted drinks, holiday bites from Market and complimentary gift wrap benefiting LA's Homeless Youth. 

(Show your UNIQUE LA wristband (at CMC across the street) and save $1 off admission
Save $10 and use your ARTISANAL LA wristband for 2-for-1 admission at UNIQUE LA)

Vendors Include:
All Spice Cafe
Cafe De Leche
Cast Iron Gourmet -- that's right, artisanal bacon!
Cold Brew and Cola
Coolhaus
Cottage Industry
Crème Caramel LA
Crust by Stephanie Jayne
Damn, That's Good!
David's Unforgettables
Farmscape Gardens
Flying Pie Man -- Find out what sukiyaki pie tastes like!
Gotta Have S'more
Gourmet Sugar Company
Greenleaf Gourmet
Hungry Nomad
Jammies Jams
Maggie Mae Apron Co.
Market
Medina Chocolatier
Medtz Confections
Miss Fruitfly
Morning Glory Confections -- also, bacon brittle!
Mothercluck
Orgasmo de la Boca
People Like Us
San Angel Mole
Sleeper's Magic Rub Gourmet Spice Company
SoNo Trading Company
Sugarbird Sweets & Teas
The Olive Press
The Welsh Baker
Vici Victual
Winnetka Farms

Still hungry? There's also a Pop-Up Shop Truck Stop
The Hungry Nomad (Saturday & Sunday 11-6)
The Lardon Truck (Saturday 2-6 & Sunday 11-6)
The Lobsta Truck (Saturday & Sunday 11-6)

Xoia: Modern Vietnamese with a side of tacos

Co-owner Jose Sarinana's art covers the walls

Pork tacos have intricate seasonings

Quick, name where you ate if you lived near Echo Park in 2000: Barragan's, Pescado Mojado, Rodeo Grill, Freres Taix...the Brite Spot. There were a few more, none of them much of a culinary destination. Ten years later, Echo Park is a bustling nightlife area, detailed in last week's L.A. Times' article Echo Park Evolves Into Hipster Destination. As a beer lover, I'm excited for Mohawk Bend to open, but what most areas need even more than more bars are more casual, reasonably-priced places to grab a bite.

Mi quang noodles

Xoia picks up the vaguely Vietnamese thread that's always run through Echo Park (A1 Market, Phnom Penh) and fuses it to the hood's strong Latino background. and Owner Thien Ho brings a full Vietnamese menu with inspiration from the neighborhood and her husband Jose Sarinana's heritage, so you'll find pho beef or Mi Quang pork tacos (3 for $5.75) and banh mi sandwiches made with lemongrass pork carnitas ($6.50). All the phos - chicken, beef and vegetarian are $8.25, with a richly flavored stock that outdoes most of the other Vietnamese places in the immediate area. Several dishes go beyond the familiar pho and banh mi, like Mi Quang, a dish from Hoi An with thick rice noodles in a curry-flavored sauce with shrimp, pork and banana blossom and rice crackers on the side. There's also green papaya or chicken salad, Vietnamese coffee and housemade Vietnamese coffee ice cream, making this one of the larger Vietnamese menus in the area.

Banh xeo crepes with distinctive peanut sauce

Pros: Everything is fresh, tasty and reasonably-priced.
Cons: No beer or wine. Service can be a little scattered, but when we received different dishes than what we had ordered, the server graciously wrapped up the extra ones for us to enjoy at home.
 Xoia

1801 W. Sunset Blvd.
  (213) 413-3232



(Mi Quang photo from Xoia's website.)

Pie and beer pop-up Sunday

The best way to get my attention is to title your email "Bacon and beer." The second-best, or maybe even a tie for first, is to title your email "Pie and beer." So among scads of unread emails, I opened that one to find:
 What: I Heart Pies pop-up
When: Sunday Dec. 5, noon to 6
Where: Eagle Rock Brewery

There will be sweet pies, savory pies, and info on the pie of the month club. Be there.