Los Angeles 2/2012

So if you've been following tastybuttons (then you are clearly a cultural cosmopolitan and a scholar), you know that Jane and I recently made a trip to my hometown of Los Angeles, California. I've already posted some fun stuff about our Valentine's day dinner and a wonderful food truck. Here's the rest!

TacomiendoAtop fluffy corn,

marinated meats heightened

by vivid salsas.

Jane and I sought out these late night tacos on the recommendation of The Great Taco Hunt, a fantastic blog regarding LA taco places. One thing that makes this place special is the fact that everything packs a flavor and texture that can only come from being homemade. The corn tortillas that have a fluffy, ethereal nature that is at once like flour tortillas, yet far better. The salsa bar here is truly something to behold. While many varieties weren't available, each salsa presented had a depth and vividness of flavor that sang. I admit I drank the leftover salsa I didn't use on my tacos. Meanwhile, the agua frescas deliver honest and flavorful refreshment. Jane's particularly a fan of the watermelon flavor, to the point that we returned only for that. Really, the only disappointments was the meat, which while competent, were a bit dry.

Rubio's
Beautiful torture
Tasting Rubio's to find
there's none in Cleveland

Honestly, I would eat Rubio's only for a year if it were to open a branch in Cleveland. They should be everywhere. Their fish tacos and burritos haunt me in my dreams. Jane didn't believe at first. Then she had a shrimp taco. Then another. And another. She is now a believer.

Disneyland

Tasty secrets at

the happiest place on Earth

are worth the long waits!

So these aren't exactly secrets... both of these stalls tend to have pretty long lines. However, people not as obsessed with Disneyland like me will probably miss these snacks on their first few visits to this Southern California landmark. Thus, from the vast greatness of my heart, I will impart the fruits of my at least annual visits to the Happiest Place on Earth since birth.

Inside the waiting plaza of the Enchanted Tiki Room (by the way, the greatest attraction in the park), you will find a stall run by Dole. Get the Dole float. Creamy, icy pineapple soft serve is served floating on sweet pineapple juice and garnished with a tropical umbrella. Perfect as a snack after tiring walks under the Southern California sun! And as a proverbial tropical umbrella on top, you can bring your Dole float into the Enchanted Tiki Room to enjoy a magical, musical, air-conditioned break to recharge for the rest of your Disneyland adventure!

At the back of Cafe Orleans, at a small window, you can find these Mickey Mouse beignets and non-alcoholic mint juleps. The beignets are decent tasting... frankly they're just donuts, but they certainly add to a certain sense of place. The mint julep, I love. It's essentially mint soda. Incredibly refreshing. And this can all be enjoyed while sitting back watching a Dixieland jazz band perform. Perfection.

PS - This is also one of the few places you can get fancier coffee drinks in the park.

Dino's Chicken
Neon red chicken
grilled over red hot charcoal
fuels LA late nights

Dino's is a famous LA late night institution, serving marinated chickens to everyone from workers on the night shift to drunk college students. I've actually never been, though I've known for a while of its existence of prominence in the LA scene. The marinade has a very potent spicy citrus taste to it that punches you in the face and demands you eat more. I complied.

Yu Chun Chic Naeng Myun
Chewy black noodles
served refreshingly ice cold
Korean heaven.

To me, nothing is better on a warm day than naeng myun, Korean cold noodles. While usually made of buckwheat, I prefer Yu chun's noodles made of kudzu root. Chewy, springy and flavorful, these black noodles are fantastic when immersed in an ice cold mixture of kimchee and beef broth. I realize it doesn't sound great, but it must be tried to understand. Then again, foreigners tend not to like it, though Jane loved it. Maybe you will too!


Pollo a la BrasaIf I were to die,
I'd want pollo a la brasa,
and I'd go happy

Nothing speaks to my soul better than a well-cooked chicken. Something about elevating this simple humble protein to something better than the best steak makes my heart soar. And since chicken is relatively cheap, it can often be found in its highest forms in the most humble places. Nowhere is this more evident than at Pollo a la Brasa, one of my favorite restaurants in the universe.


Operated by Japanese-Peruvians, this unassuming shack sits right next to an old abandoned car wash. The only hints of the greatness it houses, from the outside, are the piles of firewood surrounding it and the long lines of people. In true LA fashion, the queue has everybody, from Hispanic day laborers to Korean church women to hipsters and everyone in between. They've all come for the chicken, basically the only thing served here. The birds are marinated in a secret wine-based marinade, supposedly for days, before roasted over fresh cut wood for prolonged periods of time. The ultimate product is a mix of crispy, flavorful skin and tender, tender chicken. Feel free to use the aji, but not too much... it's spicy! Also, don't expect to sit here... the place can usually only seat 5 parties of 4, and the seats are almost always taken.

Note: I found out on this recent trip that Pollo a la Brasa is now building a much larger restaurant where the old car wash used to be. While I look forward to being able to sit there and eat without an hour wait, I am a little sad to lose the intimacy of the shack. I'll miss feeling the heat from the oven, being elbowed by patrons leaving the restroom, and seeing crowds of people staring greedily at my stall. And I'm not being ironic.

-JK

Pumpkin Sunday!!!

-JK

Nom Nom Truck

While in LA, I finally got the chance to get my "nom" on.


The nom nom truck is a food truck operating in LA and San Francisco that specializes in banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches). It was one of the earlier food trucks in the LA scene, following right on the heels of the iconic Kogi truck that is often credited with starting the whole food truck scene.

You may have seen nom nom truck on Food Network's Great American Food Truck Race season 1, where they did pretty well!

It's run, in part, by Jen Green, an old friend from my UCLA days. Back then, we were both pre-meds working at the eye clinic to get some clinical experience. We both got into med schools, Jen in UCSD while I went to Case Western in Cleveland. Sometime, during Jen's med school career, she was convinced to try selling her banh mi (turns out that in addition to being good at medicine, she's good at cooking). It was a huge success, and she's now in the process of putting together quite a food empire!

Jen was nice enough to invite Jane and I to meet her in Santa Monica to sample some of her fine cuisine.

On her recommendation, I got the grilled pork and deli special banh mi.
Disclaimer: I modeled the sandwiches pretty poorly... though I did manage to take one good pic on the top of this blog entry. In all honesty, I was very anxious to eat because it smelled so very good.

The freshly grilled pork is fantastic, cooked perfectly to have a satisfying crispy carmelized exterior with tender piggy goodness. Topped with pickled vegetables, jalapeno and cilantro and served on specially sourced bread with a generous dollop of homemade mayo... it's a perfect sandwich that satisfies the soul.

The one issue with the grilled pork is that unlike traditional banh mi, it doesn't automatically come with a spread of pate (which it turns out you can ask for). The deli special banh mi, however, does. In addition to pate, it has a variety of homemade deli meats including head cheese. This is definitely a flavor that will satisfy even the most ardent banh mi traditionalists. Having enjoyed many a banh mi myself (including in Hanoi), I would say these are probably some of the best sandwiches I've had in a long time.

For our gluten-sensitive readers, including my own tastybutton, they also make the same food in taco form (with corn tortillas!). They're also pretty fantastic and a perfect way to try the cuisine without eating too much. As a note, the bread is 50% rice flour, in case you wanna give it a try.

Talking with Jen, who was kind enough to hang out though the truck was very busy with the lunch rush, it was clear how much care and thought went into making these sandwiches. She talked of taking classes in bread making in Vietnam to see how it was done, and when I had mentioned the idea of using gluten free breads for Jane-types, I was surprised at how much she already knew of the options (she's tested a few brands but hasn't found anything that were deemed good enough.)

Anyhow, if in LA, I'd highly recommend nom nom truck for a meal. It's delicious, satisfying, and a great deal!

I finish with a pic of Jen and my enormous head.

Thanks Jen!!!

-JK

Valentines @ Red Medicine

Valentine's Day 2012 found my tastybutton and I in my hometown, the sunny city of Los Angeles. After spending a day on the set of "Community," we headed to Red Medicine, a restaurant I had heard a lot about. Headed by one of LA's biggest rising culinary stars, Jordan Kahn, Red Medicine serves modernized Vietnamese food with innovative twists and beautiful platings.

In honor of this most romantic of holidays, we enjoyed a 7 dish prix fixe menu, which allowed us to sample a broad selection of the restaurant's repertoire. Spoiler alert: every dish was incredible. Food was served family style, which I felt added to the overall romantic feel of the evening. Let me also say that having done meticulous research on various Valentine's Day prix fixe menus, this was actually one of the better deals in LA.

Amberjack

The fish was lightly cured, giving it a nice firm texture and wonderful, fresh flavor. The big revelation for me was the tofu cream, which could easily serve as a healthy substitute for creme fraiche with no real discernible loss in quality. Its mellow flavor did a great job in serving as a base for the other bigger flavors to shine.

Heirloom Black Carrots

A seemingly simple dish of roasted carrots and beets was actually made very unique based on the desiccated nature of the carrots, making them jerky-like in consistency and concentration of flavor. The preparation made the entire dish feel more substantial than a regular plate of vegetables. The beets meanwhile were much more familiar, serving as counterpoint to the more interesting carrots.

Foie Gras Chantilly

This was an optional dish, that sounded simply too interesting to pass. So for those of you who don't know what a chantilly is, including me), it is a sweet whipped cream used in pastries. If I had known that before ordering, I think I may have been more wary or more eager to taste it, or both.

Anyway, this ended up being one of two highlights of the meal. The foie was whipped to a creamy, ethereal consistency that made the ingredient lighter and less monolithic than it usually is. Meanwhile, the pistachio and pickled lychee elevated the dish immensely... Turns out pistachio is the perfect accompaniment to foie gras. I didn't really sense the crispy chicken skin, which is a bit of a shame.

Rice Porridge
Unlike many Asians, I've never been a fan of rice porridge or congee. I find the texture displeasing and the flavor to be nonexistent. Yet this became the other huge highlight of the night, imprinting itself in my very consciousness. What was the secret that elevated this dish to ethereal heights? Butter. There's a lot of it mixed into the porridge. And it is delicious. I ate way more than I should of of this dish... It continually blew my mind, with its various bursts of flavor from the various little accoutrements, while satisfying my soul with its rice and butter.

Wild Striped Bass

In all honesty, I don't remember much about this dish. I was in a food coma from the porridge. I know it was good, but that's all I remember.

Duroc Pork

Same thing here... Honestly should not have eaten all that porridge. I do remember thinking that I wanted the pork to have a crispier consistency on the outside, but I think all parts of the pig should be cooked to have some crisp given all that inherent fat the meat has to work with. This was more of a stewed preparation, and while tender, lacked a satisfying texture to end the savory courses.

Coconut Bavarois

A satisfying coconut porridge with a very strong coffee ice cream. Didn't have too much of this as I'm not a huge coconut fan and I was also, by then, very food coma'd.

Bitter Chocolate

Chocolate dirt that had a wonderful "chocolate cookie crumbs" theme. Delicious, but by this time, the white flag had long been raised.

Overall, a fantastic meal... Some notes:

1) I do think Red Medicine can benefit from a variation of presentation. As you can probably tell, they're big fans of making all their dishes look like gardens. While undeniably pretty, I think it'd have more impact when among other types of plating.

2) They take their cocktails very seriously here, and they were uniformly delicious. Definitely try their Earl Grey Gin Fizz, and their altered versions of Pisco Sour (with pineapple syrup!) and Americanos.

3) Damn that rice porridge and its delicious buttery goodness.

- JK

korean bbq night

To re-create the last dinner we had in L.A. with Juewon's family, we grilled Korean short ribs, sauteed broccolini, and seasoned white rice.  Here is the tasty result!

Marinate beef short ribs in 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp rice wine or vinegar, 2 tsp sesame oil, 2 tsp diced garlic, blended piece of kiwi or pineapple (we used seven up).  Let sit overnight in fridge and grill on a bbq or grill pan!

Saute broccolini with olive oil, diced garlic, and salt!  Finish with a squeeze of lemon and serve.  Delicious and simple!

Season white rice with a dash of sesame oil and toasted black sesame seeds.  Adds a subtle complexity of flavor to the meal.

Serve with radish kimchi!  The king of kimchi!

shrimpie tacos

Juewon and I visited L.A. in the middle of February, and though many delicious meals were had, one definitely stood out.  I had my first Rubio's shrimp taco the morning we went to Disneyland, and I was lost for words.  It was the king of tacos.  Here is my attempt to make something passable to fulfill my craving while in Cleveland.

1. Marinate de-veined, de-tailed shrmp in lime juice, salt, and cilantro.  Grill in olive oil until cooked and slice.
2. Warm corn tortillas on skillet with or without oil.
3. Add chopped raw cabbage.
4. Top with blended unflavored yogurt with lime juice, salt, and cilantro to taste.
5. Dress with hot sauce and salsa to taste.  Yum!

odds and ends from nyc

With all the tastiness that was had in January, there isn't enough time to chronicle each meal.  Here's a mish mash of pictures taken over the course of the month with a few words about each.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Rooibos Glazed Ribs and stewed lamb in bread at Braai, a South African restaurant near the theater district.  It had the perfect ambiance, bustling but not crowded, and the dishes were delicious.  The flavors seemed like a mesh of Indian and soul food, so we weren't sure if the fact that it was South African lended anything unique to the taste, but thoroughly enjoyed the meal nonetheless.  It was here that I had Six Hats Sauvignon Blanc, a delicious wine with the start of a riesling and the finish of a sauv blanc.  Since then, I have been on a mad dash to find the wine in stores, to no success at present.

Roast Chicken at the Smith.  Juewon and I met a mash up of our friends at this large East Village location, and though Steph did not enjoy her pecan crusted fish, I very much liked the chicken and bites of Juewon's ribeye steak.  I found the drinks, however, to be overpriced for their size and unmemorable.

Just a few more photos from Jean Georges in case you didn't get enough from Juewon's post.  It was truly an amazing brunch and felt like an intellectual as well as a culinary experience.  Later on in the day, I would remember tastes from brunch and feel very satisfied with those memories.

Tuna carpaccio at Fig & Olive, meatpacking branch.  Juewon and I stopped by for a quick bite and found this to be very tasty.

I worked near a Bouchon and one day forced my co-intern to make a trip there with me.  The taste of this giant pistachio macaroon with a cup of earl grey was absolutely decadent.  It ended up being too much macaroon, but it was absolutely fantastic.

Curry seafood soup at Republic in Union Square.  It's a lively, fun location with a variety of different noodle dishes.  It wasn't overly soul-gratifying or life changing, but definitely very satisfying.  I would come here again.

On one chilly evening, Ana picked me up for a night of bratwurst and mashed potatoes in Long Island.  I usually find bratwurst too salty or chewy or something, but this was sweet, savory, and delicious.  The sauerkraut complemented it perfectly, and I found myself overly full but pining for more.

NYC and Jersey City are the only places I've had Vietnamese grilled chicken served with my pho.  I definitely missed it, and though I am glad to say that Cleveland's Superior Pho makes a better noodle soup, Manhattan's Pho Grand makes an excellent grilled chicken.  The smoothie pictured up top is an avocado smoothie, something everyone at the Jersey City Vietnamese place I used to go ordered.  It was less sweet at Pho Grand, but definitely grows on you.

And now the last night in NYC!  We met friends at Cubana Social in Williamsburg for one final meal.  The food was PHENOMENAL.  This gross flash picture will not convey that, but the flavors were rich and the textures were tender but still had body.  Drinks were also tasty.  Definitely come here!

Pumpkin Sunday!!!

Pumpkin meets Aunty Deborah and Uncle Bong for the first time

Happy Pumpkin Sunday!

-JK

Casa Mono

Casa Mono

Elegant tapas

of expert simplicity

in intimate bar

I was excited to eat here ever since I read about it in Bill Buford's incredible book, "Heat." If you haven't read it, you must. It is the true story of Bill Buford, a former editor of the New Yorker who decided to give up his career in journalism to pursue his culinary passions. You meet many incredible characters, including Mario Batali (who supposedly parties VERY hard), Dario Cecchini(a larger-than-life Tuscan butcher who roars verses of Dante while at work) and Andy Nusser (the diligent executive chef of Batali's flagship restaurant, Babbo). Andy, in the book, dreams of opening a tapas bar like those he encountered in his childhood in Spain. Eventually, with hard work and expert cooking, he gets Mario Batali, among others, to sponsor the founding of Casa Mono.

What strikes you first is how small it is... It's a tiny dark space not much larger than most living rooms. Yet, with this intimacy comes a closeness to the open kitchen, which is even further amplified if you sit at the bar, like Jane and I.

It is stunning watching the chefs at work... observing the efficiency of their motions, the perfection of their timing... but what struck me most was how honest everything was. There were no tricks. Everything had an integrity that is almost impossible to find outside of home-cooked meals.

Oh... and everything was insanely delicious... here's some pics. Sorry for the poor quality... they were taken with an iPhone.

Ensalada Mono with Manchego
Deliciously refreshing salad of frisee with a tangy vinagrette and crunchy nuts. The cheese was top notch.

Scallops
I usually cannot eat shellfish, as it makes me gag. Though it always looks so tantalizing... These, however, were not only Juewon-edible, but delicious! Crispy carmelized on the outside, tender and sweet on the inside... they were amazing...

Crispy Belly with Sunchoke Puree and Confit Artichokes
This was the mountaintop. The pork belly was cooked quite similarly to the Chinese crispy pork belly you sometimes see hanging next to roast ducks. However, here, the pork bursts with piggy flavor without having the gross sheen of grease seen with the Chinese version. My words really do not and cannot do this dish justice, so here's the ultimate proof. From the moment Jane and I saw the dish, we were too busy eating to remember to take a picture.

Catalan Sausage with Black Garlic Fabada
Perhaps it's because we were comparing this to the porky mountaintop of the crispy belly, but this fell a bit short. No question, they were excellent sausages. They just paled in comparison.

Oxtail stuffed Piquillo Peppers
The kitchen wisely decided to end our tasting with the stewed dish. Unfortunately, we unwisely chose a stewed dish instead of a grilled dish. Once again, this was good. But Casa Mono is ultimately about the magic they perform consistently on the grill. And we saw so many dishes being cooked in front of us that we wished we had ordered.

While I did not get a chance to taste these, if you get a chance to go, the following also looked amazing from watching the chefs cook them:
Razor clams - grilled till they have crispy exteriors then topped with a beautiful parsley based vinagrette... best looking dish I saw
Pan con Tomate - simply tomatoes squeezed onto grilled bread... yet it looked incredible
Bone marrow

Seriously though, eat the crispy belly.

-JK

Jean Georges

Jean Georges

Three Michelin stars,
yet an affordable lunch...
A can't-miss value!

I am so enthusiastic about this meal, I'm giving its own blog post, though it was originally with the other NYC blog post...

In case you don't know, the Michelin star ratings are generally regarded as the most reputable restaurant ranking system in the world. Three stars is their highest honor and highly coveted. Chefs have killed themselves over losing a star. While there has been controversy regarding its clearly francophilic tendencies, among other things, it still matters to the majority of the culinary world.

Anyway, right off the bat, it should be noted that I generally can't afford to eat in three star restaurants. I am a student, after all. But then I found out about Jean Georges, one of 7 three star restaurants in NYC, had a fabulous lunch special...

Yup... two courses for $38... Now, I realize that isn't exactly cheap. However, in the grand scheme of things, being offered two courses at one of the most respected restaurants in NYC... that's a bargain.

The restaurant, by the way, is hard to find despite having a very sexy address: 1 Central Park West... Its sign is very demure, being dominated by the much more bombacious signs for the Trump International Hotel, its co-tenant. The dining room is understated but beautiful, dominated by shades of white. The service was perfect, being accommodating without being stuffy. Dress code is much lighter, simply forbidding sports shoes and jeans.

I've talked a lot, so onto the stuff we ate:

Amuse Bouche:

Sweet potato soup with chili infused apples

Spring roll with Comte and truffles

Chili-cured salmon with creme fraiche

The spring roll was the best, for obvious reasons... how could you go wrong with cheese and truffles wrapped in a crispy shell?!?!?!

The salmon was also very delicious... it had a lot more flavor without somehow being as salty as most cured meats.

Sweet potato soup was the weakest of the group, mainly because it didn't taste much different from every other sweet potato soup I've had.

Egg Caviar

Honestly, I had to think a bit about ordering this, as it required a $30 supplement. But I knew this was one of Jean George's signature dishes, and I figured, can you truly say you had a three star meal without caviar? Douchey, I know... don't judge me! This was a truly luxurious dish. In the hollowed egg shell were the fluffiest, creamiest scrambled eggs I've ever tasted. It was honestly more like a custard. On top was a topping of creme fraiche with a heaping amount of osestra caviar. Honestly, I'm not sure I appreciate caviar enough to truly enjoy this dish... But I do recognize that they were certainly being very generous with the delicacy. Ultimately, I was a bigger fan of the scrambled eggs. Regardless, it was the experience I expected and wanted going to Jean Georges.

Foie Gras Brule, Pineapple-Meyer Lemon Jam and Toasted Brioche

Caviar AND foie gras for appetizers? Yes sir, we were living large. Unlike caviar, which is essentially just brine spherification to me, foie gras holds a special place in my culinary heart. I realize there are ethical issues, but I will focus for these purposes simply on the fact that foie is a unique ingredient with a taste that cannot be emulated. Jane felt the foie was a bit too rich and salty without the toast, but with the brioche and jam, it was heavenly.

Sauteed Veal Scallopine, Flying Pig Ham, Mushrooms and Lavender

Yes, after foie, we had veal. This is a PETA nightmare. And a culinary fantasy. I ordered this mainly because I knew this dish, essentially a weinerschnizel, is the pride of Alsace, chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten's home region. The crispy texture was incredible, and I loved the mix of mushrooms with the ham and veal. However, this was a bit salty for me.

Snapper Crusted with Nuts and Seeds, Sweet and Sour Jus

Jane ordered this on the waitress's suggestion, and wow did she choose the right dish. It was an interesting fusion of French and Asian techniques. Jean Georges is actually quite the Asianophile. He worked in Singapore and Hong Kong during his training, he opened a popular restaurant called Spice Market in NYC that showcases Asian street food, and he's married to a half-Korean. So he's actually well positioned to execute a perfect fusion of Asian and French cultures in a way that isn't hackneyed. The snapper was perfectly cooked: crispy skin and moist flesh without any fishiness. But what was most delicious was the broth. It combined Asian sweet and sour flavors with butter, making a rich soup that warmed the soul. The little cherry tomatoes added extra bursts of tartness. Best dish of the day, and probably of the past couple years. And I don't even like fish that much.

Dessert: Spices

We were presented with three dessert options: Chocolate, caramel and spices. We went with spices, and I'm glad we did. The desserts, centered around the theme, were marvelous. The favorite was the yuzu custard with candied shiso leaf and sesame seeds. The macaroon with buttermilk ice cream was also spectacular.

Mignardises

Included as a final treat were little extra desserts. Included were 4 different types of chocolate, macaroons and homemade marshmallows!!!

Ultimately, this was a fantastic meal, yet not one that seemed like a huge paradigm shift from the other amazing meals I've had. I'd rank it probably in my top 25 lifetime meals, but not in the top 5. The fact that it was a relatively light three course meal served during the more casual lunch hours may have given this impression. Dinner at Jean Georges is usually more than 9 courses and far more formal, requiring a suit and tie. But with the lack of formality came a bit of a lack of occasion. Needless to say, the food and service was top notch. But this meal made me realize that perhaps truly appreciating the pomp and circumstance of high class dining also requires the audience to participate, with wallet, costume and all.

With that said, this is ultimately an amazing bargain and definitely worth doing. And I really can't say enough about how amazing the snapper was.

-JK