I ate food with Eric McCormick from Will and Grace!

being in the next table over at Firefly!

I never understood why The San Fernando Valley had so many wannabe actors until I realized that 1) B-list celebrities live here (Brooke Burns and Sarah Michelle Gellar) and when they don't live here, they dine here 2) Eric McCormic at Firefly and Jessica and Nick at The Valley Inn.

But celebrities aside, Firefly is one of those new hip hot-spots in the valley. And lord knows the Valley is fucking burnin' up (96 degrees in February? Fuck you SFV). If you didn't read the review on citysearch you would never have know that the exterior of Firefly was covered in Ivy and would have easily passed it. Luckily for me, I read the review.

Upon walking in you are greeted with warm scarlett walls, oversized faux-Boroque paintings a bar with plenty of accoutrements including a relatively cute bartender. To your left is a smaller bar dining area with comfy sofas, quite comparable to the couches you'd find in Powell, and two walls covered from ceiling to floor with books. But whether those books are being read, my guess is as good as yours.

The dining area is towards the back; it's a beautiful arrangement. Quasi-outdoor patio dining to be slightly less ambiguous. Tables are arranged around a fire hearth and lighting is completely by candlelight. The menu is short but heavy on the wallet.

One of my dining companions's boyfriend actually was a chef at Firefly so lucky for us, we were showered with free appetizers. We started with succulent steamed mussels with a side of drawn butter. I am usually not a fan of mussels, but these were absolutely to die for. Then we had the cheese platter consisting of three cheeses (Brie, Parmesan, Blue) with lovely flavor enhancers like fig or honey. THEN we had fried olives served with a garlic aoli. For my own appetizer I ordered a delicious non-tomato based minestrone. This was only the first course.

My main entree was a Jumbo free range chicken breast (aptly named) wonderfully grilled with white corn and a wild mushroom and potato skin salad. Annie (my friend) had pan-seared Tuna done medium rare with cucumber carpaccio and avocado. Though everyone was stuffed from the appetizers, we all ate as if it we hadn't seen food for days. We were pretty sure the restaurant workers were absolutely disgusted with how 7 girls and 1 guy could put food away. There was not one bite left. NOT ONE.

Though obviously stuffed and bloated we still ordered dessert. Hell Yes we did.

Now I'm just going to make a list because we did a round robin of desserts

Banana Bread and Butter Pudding= Orgasmic
Baked Alaska= 7/10
Chocolate crepe with almond marscapone and espresso beans=8/10
Lemon buttermilk pudding with fresh berries=8/10
Tahitian Vanilla Creme Brulee= Will eat babies for

But prices were not cheap mind you, Minestrone=$8, Chicken=$20, Bread pudding=$13

Definitely well worth the saving up for.

Firefly
11720 Ventura Blvd. (Colfax Ave.)
Studio City, CA 91604
818-762-1833

Levels of Spicy=Mild to "Please let this death be swift"

There are plenty of trusty ramen stand bys on the Westside--Asahi Ramen and the other ramen place that's a block down from it that I can never remember. However, when in Little Tokyo, Ramen must be held up to a higher standard. I've tried the 4.00 bowl of Ramen in the Mitsuwa and found it relatively satisfactory and a good eat for a ginormous bowl of soup and noodles. But for those who desire more from their bowl of noodles, I suggest Orochon.

Orochon Ramen is located on the 3rd floor in Weller Court in Little Tokyo. It's the triangular shaped open air plaza on Astronaut E S Onizuka Street. The first time I went I thought these noodles couldn't possibly been have different from any other ramen place I went. Oh but I was wrong,not only can you choose between Miso, Salt or Soy Sauce flavored broth (Soy Sauce is the best) you can choose what level of spicy you want. From 7-2. 7 being "You're a titty baby" mild and 2 being "The heat is hitting the back of my throat and I want to vomit" spicy.

Since I'm obviously a titty baby I chose level 7. But Neil chose level 3 and ten minutes into the bowl he started to tear up and beads of sweat collected on the bridge of his nose. After calling him a pussy, I tried some of it.

This kind of spicy isn't the type of heat that you would get from biting into a hot pepper. The heat of the broth lies in the millions of tiny little ground cayenne peppers. You don't realize it until it hits the back of your throat and parches your tonsils until you cry for relief.

So in other words, I highly suggest it. The $6.45 ramen comes in a very large bowl with a few slices of tender pork and bamboo stir fry.

Orochon Ramen
123 Astronaut E S Onizuka St
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Inside the Weller Court there's also this great bookstore that sells lots of great Design and Japanese books.

To eric, thought of you:

Sorry, not food related.

The Stand--Your local hot dog eatery

If your local hot dog stand was the Ritz Carlton.

I have only known of maybe a total of three places where I could fulfill my love for phallic shaped meat: a) Pink's b) U-Dog (RIP. you will be forever missed) and c)Josie Maronne's sausages at the Century City Mall. As for Pink's, I refuse to stand in line for thirty minutes for a relatively decent turkey hot dog. I just won't do it. Besides, parking is a bitch enough as it is in LA, I don't need it to be complicated by dodging for spots with hipsters in Volvos. U-Dog went out of business and I only found this out recently, so a single tear goes out for their deliciously spicy veggie hot-dog. And since I'm never in Century City anymore, I have no reason to visit and a hot dog isn't enough for me to make the trip.

So what do I have left now that I am living in Sherman Oaks?



It's a five minute drive from my apartment and they offer one free hour of parking with validation! (*****)

Quaint doesn't even begin to describe The Stand. The exterior brings back nostalgic memories that I've never had of childhoods in North Carolina, sipping lemonade on the front porch, and tire swinging. The interior is small and cozy with a diner feel, but not contrived like Johnny Rockets.



But on with the hot dogs.

I had the "Chicago" turkey dog which consisted of small turkey hot dog (a little thinner than what I'm used to; I'm a fan of girth) encased in a kaiser roll. Piled on top were pickles, onions, tomatoes, mustard, sport peppers, and a raddish whose teal green color should never occur naturally.

Neil had a regular all beef hot dog, piled high with bits of bacon and cheddar cheese. I was disappointed that the cheese was not melted, but I guess it is only a hot dog. We also shared a small side of Macaroni and Cheese (how the hell do I not weigh 500 pounds?).

The Verdict: I would definitely visit again. The atmosphere is lovely. The hot dogs were satisfying and paying a measly $3.95 for a hot dog? Both wallet and appetite are sated.

The Stand
17000 Ventura Boulevard
(Just West of Balboa)
Encino, CA 91316

Thank you!

Thank you Ravi for inviting me to this food blog. I promise I will
a) Not talk shit about Chipotle because I too, am a large fan. I remember the first time I found the sweet bountiful harvest of Chipotle's burritos in high school and immediately I knew, it was mex-cali non pareil.
b) Eat at a lot of restaurants
c) Cover what culinary specialties the San Fernando Valley has to offer me