Craftbar (Los Angeles)

Last night after a taping of "The Soup", Daryl, Selina and I hightailed it over to Century City to check out the newly opened Craftbar (attached to Craft). Perhaps our good spirits made us more inclined to enjoy, but we found the atmosphere, service and food to be top notch!

Admittedly I was excited to go because I love Top Chef but cannot afford Craft's exorbitant prices. Craftbar was a perfect solution since it is still associated with and attached to the main restaurant, but features drinks and food (snacks, salads, small plates, in a jar, pasta, pizzettes, cheese and sweets) for under $10 each. Very reasonable!

Unfortunately, since they close at 10pm and we got there at 9:35, a lot of the things we wanted to order were no longer available (bacon and lobster rolls, jidori chicken wings with maple dijon aioli, lamb sliders with bleu cheese and tomato marmalade). But because of this inconvenience, the chef (who we will pretend was Tom Colicchio) sent out a complimentary pizzette.

Some photos:

The bar.


Refreshing! The beers are only $5, which is amazing in LA. I think this was a Pilsner.

Falafel & Whipped Spicy Feta

Foie Gras Confit w/ Grapes, Apple & Macadamia Nuts

Steamed Short Rib Buns

Raw Albacore Tuna w/ Pickled Shallots & Kishu Tangerine (AMAZING)

Braised Veal Ravioli & Hazelnut Brown Butter

Sausage Raviolini & Manila Clams

Truffle Garlic Sausage & Lentils


Veal & Ricotta Meatballs

Pizzette #1

Pizzette #2 (gratis)- I think this one had jalapenos.

Craftbar
10100 Constellation Blvd.
Century City, CA 90067

I LOVE RAMEN

I was looking through this list of Los Angeles ramen restaurants, and wondered how many I could eat at before I leave. I've been eating a lot of ramen lately, mostly because it's cheap and super satisfying.

Here are the restaurants I've tried so far:

Daikokuya
This is my favorite ramen joint. The broth is amazingly tasty and the portions are gigantic. I normally don't care for the pork in ramen, but the one here is tender and flavorful. I only wish it were closer, but at least it's open late to satiate your late night cravings.

327 E. 1st Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Asahi Ramen
Asahi Ramen was my first ramen restaurant, and as such, is the place I use to compare all other ramen places. I go here most often because it's only five minutes from my place. It's a really small space, but the service is always very friendly and quick. I personally like the taste of Asahi's ramen (not as salty as other places). Their portions are generous and their miso ramen is great. I also like their cold noodles and fried rice.

2027 Sawtelle Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Cash only

Ramenya
I also like Ramenya, which is around the corner from Asahi on Olympic Blvd. Normally we only go here on Thursdays when we drive by Asahi and realize that they are closed (seriously, what's that all about?) Not bad, I just happen to prefer Asahi to Ramenya.

11555 W. Olympic Blvd
Los Angeles CA 90064
Cash only

Orochon Ramen
I just tried the notorious Orochon Ramen this weekend. The schtick for this place is that they have this intensely spicy ramen (Special #2), and if you can finish this enormous bowl (including the soup) within half an hour, you get your photo taken and posted on their "Wall of Bravery". I went with our friend Jennifer, who is probably the tiniest being I know, and she nearly finished (but didn't have enough time to finish the soup). Amazing. I had the #7, which is the least spicy and wussiest of all the choices.

123 Onizuka Street #303
Los Angeles, CA 90012
$20 credit card minimum

Santouka
Santouka is a gem that is located in the Mitsuwa Marketplace on Centinela Blvd. on the west side. It's low key (as it's in a food court) and really greasy but still tasty. I really like this place too but always seem to get there too late, since they close at 7:30pm. After you eat here, you can check out Japanese magazines and buy Asian goodies in the market.

3760 Centinela Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90066
Cash only

Chabuya
I also went to Chabuya last weekend which is very close to Asahi and Ramenya. I liked the atmosphere and think it's definitely worth checking out, but overall found the broth to be too salty and the service to be kind of lazy. Our friend got the Sapporo Black Label, and it was flat despite being from a bottle!

2002 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025

[Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ddkim/2657155053/] Temporary solution until I load my own ramen photos!

Anisette Brasserie

NOTE: this was published 3/6/09. I am lazy.

These photos are from the summer before Cindy Koh left for med school. As such, I don't really remember enough to type something of substance, suffice it to say the food was delicious.






Beautiful interiors!






Cheers!





Steak + ...


... Frites


Bag of vegetables.


Steamed to perfection.


Duck confit






Lavender ice cream

Anisette Brasserie
http://www.anisettebrasserie.com/
225 Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401

Akasha

I recently stopped by the new restaurant, Akasha, in Culver City. This was on a whim because S & W Country Diner was closed and we showed up about an hour too early for a movie we were checking out at the $5 theater. (By the way, S&W is excellent).

We didn't check out the restaurant section, but we did buy some pastries which were very delicious. I was surprised to find their desserts affordable because I took a quick look at the restaurant menu, and it was probably in the $$-$$$ territory.

I took some photos, but I'll have to post from home. I just wanted to write this quick entry because I was going through my Google Reader and saw this post on EaterLA. It's rare that I can actually say, "hey, I've been there!"

The lemon bar was divine. It wasn't too sweet, the cake part was tasty and there was just the right amount of tang. But then again, I love lemon bars of all shapes and sizes and tastes. Lemon bars forever! My sister had a toasted bagel and our friend Erin had this chocolate brownie thing. Everyone left satisfied.

Sorry if this post is random, my feet really hurt so I'm kind of delirious.

Elephant Snack Corner

Yes, Ravi, a B. It's still good.


I recently had the opportunity to eat at the Elephant Snack Corner, located on Western Avenue. We were hungry and jonesing for some good Korean grub, when my dad spotted it in the small strip mall next to the BCD Tofu House.

The food was good, authentic and hit the spot. To be honest, I haven't really had the opportunity to eat at very many Korean restaurants that aren't Americanized BBQ joints. I think that because Korean BBQ is so prevalent and profitable, a lot of people miss out on the variety of dishes that Korean cuisine has to offer. I don't blame anyone- I almost always go for the BBQ as well because it's so gosh dang delicious. But next time you go to a Korean restaurant, I urge you to try the many fish, tofu, or noodle dishes and stews that may be on the menu. Everything is good.

Also, please make sure your Korean restaurants offer you plenty of ban-chan (side dishes) because it's an absolute essential for a Korean meal. However, don't let them charge you extra, because that'd just be highway robbery.



Interior.

I went with one of my most favorite dishes, dduk man-du gook (rice cake and wonton soup). We usually have this soup on New Years because this type of rice cake is called nian gao in Chinese, which I believe is roughly translated as "year cake". The black stuff is seaweed (which Koreans love).


This is a soy bean stew with vegetables and tofu. Korean jji gae is so, so delicious. We used to have a soy bean or kimchi jji gae with every meal growing up. This is why I am a jolly person.


My dad got the yook gae jjang, which is a very spicy noodle soup dish. This had me sweating, but MMM so good.


No Korean meal is complete without ban chan!


My poor sister is a vegetarian, so she went with bibimbap, a dish that mixes a lot of veg with rice and a fried egg. This usually comes with some beef or sushi in there, but she usually asks for it without. It's very healthy, and also very tasty.


Please note that the staff does not really speak English here. But their menu is on the wall with pictures, so you could probably get away with pointing and saying the numbers in English. Cash only.

Elephant Snack Corner
901 S Western Ave
Ste 101
Los Angeles, CA 90006
Cross Streets: Western & Ninth

Sydney, Australia: A foodie's hell.

(Note: I feel so strongly about this that I'm writing this entry from an Internet cafe in Sydney-- and it's costing me a dollar an hour.)

Not since Bush told us the WMDs existed has such a wide deception propagated over the masses of a country. Sydney, your food sucks.

I mean really really sucks.

Like beating up the kid in the wheelchair, they add insult to injury by charging far too much money for food significantly worse than that served in UCLA's dining halls.

Didn't you get the memo? Salt isn't the only spice around. And no, I'll order my food "take away" to avoid paying you an extra $2 for the exact same thing. Even though, either way, you have to get up to the counter to order it.

Do you take MasterCard? Yes? fantastic! But what's that? A TWENTY DOLLAR MINIMUM*? I suppose it isn't impossible for one person to eat $20 worth of food here-- my dinner last night cost $22, and they didn't even bother to pretend like they didn't just microwave it (seriously, he took my order, put everything onto a plate like they do at the Whole Foods hot foods bar, and then turned around and stuck it in a microwave. For a meal that cost $22!).

Australia, do you even have a national cuisine? It would appear not, though you certainly eat McDonald's more than most Americans and probably have more than your fair share of kabob stands. You're not too skinny, either. Americans are fat because our food tastes good and they give us huge portions. You are fat because your food just sucks and is made of crap, so you end up eating McDonald's or skipping the solid food and heading straight for the booze.

Oh, I noticed. (And I might end up eating Starbucks and McDonald's exclusively for the last three days I'm here too.)

I'm staying in my hostel with a British guy. And when British people complain about your food, you know you have a problem.

(Other note: besides that, Sydney is amazing and I'd love to live here someday, when I am rich and can demand only the best and freshest cuisine.)

Ravi
*According to Wikipedia, VISA's rules prohibit merchants from designating a minimum purchase threshold, though apparently they don't often enforce the rule.

My Grand Finale

Alright, I haven't posted here in awhile, but I've been eating out a lot. Now time is running out, so please accept, humbly, my short recaps below (of the places I remember, even though I'm sure I've been out more):

The Edison (bar) -- By far the coolest bar ambiance I've seen, though, admittedly, I haven't been to that many bars. Food is mediocre and drinks are overpriced, but it's worth a visit, particularly during their happy hour, when drinks are less overpriced. B+

The Dresden (bar) -- Kitschy, but their signature "blood and sand" drink won me over. Maybe if I'd seen Swingers I'd like it even more. Does not, thankfully, resemble the bombed-out German city in ambiance, but it's also no Edison. B-

Manna -- Oh man-na, so much meat. Go there to meat up with friends, because it's a nice social atmosphere, but the meat isn't terribly delicious. I never heard Daryl's scary bathroom story, so I can't say much else. B-

Mandrake -- My favorite bar in LA. A

World Cafe -- Mediocre all around, and not worth me trying to find something to say about it. C

El Parian -- Best carne asada I've ever had, but also more carne asada than I ever wanted. B+ [go to the website and see how hardcore I am to be a guy with a criminal record eating at a place like that.]

Fritelli's Doughnuts -- definitely not the next Pinkberry. Stick with Stan's. C+

Abode -- great food, outrageous prices. Definitely not a humble abode (not a toilet either, though). B (A- for food, A+ for menu creativity, D for value)

Spago -- Best meal I've ever had, best wines I've ever had, and best service I've ever experienced. But at $500 for two people, we deserved it. A+ (even for value) [note: I'm going to try, if I can remember everything, to go through course by course on a full entry.]

Fraiche -- Accessible French food. Delicious, fraiche ingredients (yes I had to make that pun), and the only mushrooms I've ever actually liked. I have a feeling this will quickly become the best restaurant in Culver City (it's only been open a month and a half). A

That's all I can remember from my last few weeks (it's been a busy month for my tummy... and wallet).

Kings Road Cafe

Rarely do I go out to eat breakfast-- I'm very picky in this department (I like the waffles at Denny's, and I'm very particular about who makes my eggs and how they make it). So what happens when I set out to eat brunch at Kings Road Cafe? I eat lunch. But since (spoiler alert!) I enjoyed the meal, I'm happy with my choice.

Kings Road Cafe is a deceptively small restaurant-- half the building is actually devoted to a bakery that we never tried. There is plenty of outdoor seating (a fixture at most restaurants that line Beverly and 3rd), but you'll probably have to wait a while to get it; we opted to sit inside. The decor is nothing to brag about-- simple brown walls, wooden tables and chairs, etc. But the atmosphere was very chill, and for the most part, it is a very enjoyable place for a meal.

Jason and I ordered the Classic Caprese as an appetizer. It's a pretty simple dish: mozzerella, a slice of tomato, and some basil in the middle, with some olive oil drizzled on top.
This was a great start to the meal. Despite being an entire leaf, the flavor of the basil wasn't too overpowering, so you were able to really enjoy the mozzerella and the delicious tomatoes. Place it on top of the complimentary bread, and you have yourself a mighty fine appetizer.

For my entree, I was debating between the French Toast with fresh strawberries and powdered sugar, or the Ahi Tuna panini. I went with the ahi tuna, and wasn't disappointed.
The ahi tuna was grilled rare, which made me nervous at first (even moreso when I saw how pink the middle of the fish was). But once I took a bite out of that panini, which was sandwiched between two amazing slices of bread that were perfectly crisp and full of so much flavor themselves, I was a doubter no more. The tuna was well seasoned, moist, and worked well with the roma tomatoes, red onions, and the watercress. The side of red cabbage was a little too lemony for me (it was tossed with a lemon vinagrette), so I steered clear of that for the most part.

Aegean ordered the mozzerella, roma tomato, and basil omlette which she thoroughly enjoyed (I had a bite of it, and it was certainly pretty good; not too cheesy, which is a plus). Jason was pleased with his choice, the breakfast burrito, as was Angie, who ordered the garden vegetable omelette. {Sorry, but the pictures were too blurry to post.}

Like I said, we skipped out on dessert, which is supposed to be amazing, but I am not opposed to the concept of returning in the near future, to try the French Toast or any of the dessert options. Overall, I give Kings Road Cafe a solid B: it was pleasing to both the wallet (breakfast $7-11, paninis $8-10) and the palate.

Kings Road Cafe
8361 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, Ca. 90048

A Home-Cooked Meal

May 23rd is a wonderful day-- it's the day my mother was born. Normally, I try to buy her a gift (usually something useful), but this year, I drew a blank as to what she needed that I could afford, so I came up with a suitable alternative: dinner, cooked by yours truly. With the new Food Network Favorites cookbook I just purchased, I had the meal all planned out: for starters, grilled shrimp with a spicy mint dressing; the entree, roasted salmon on a bed of roasted plum tomatoes, with carmelized lemons; and a dessert that was scrapped because my dad bought a cake.

The shrimp is pretty simple: In a bowl, mix a cup of fresh mint leaves, two serrano chiles, some kosher salt and fresh black pepper, a little white wine vinegar, and some fish sauce (which I hope I will use again and again because I have a whole bottle of it). Blend this mixture then drizzle over the shrimp (which you have grilled for 1-2 minutes on each side) which is sitting in a bed of lettuce. Here's how it turned out:This was a pretty good starter. It was light, the shrimp was well cooked (naturally), and the sauce was pretty delicious, with the mixture of mint and a little kick from the chile.

The main course was even easier: Season salmon with salt and pepper to taste, then stick it in the oven for 15-20 minutes. As for the tomatoes, season to taste, drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil, then stick it in the oven for the same amount of time. To carmelize the lemons, simply sautee them for a bit with some EVOO in a skillet. And that's it!

I will be honest, the salmon was a little bland, but it was cooked perfectly, so it was the right amount of moist. The tomatoes were sweet and delicious, and the lemons were also surprisingly good (even while being overwhelmingly sour). Overall, it was a pretty good main course.

So what did my parents think? My dad was the complainer. He's not a fan of shrimp (which he mentioned ad nauseum), but I got him to eat at least two pieces, which is an accomplishment. He really enjoyed the main course, despite the fact that the portions were so small. "Who do you think we are, Americans? Is this some sort of snack? Is there more food coming out? You did all that work for this much food?" etc. etc. It was to be expected.

The most important opinion though was my mom's: she loved it, like only a mother could. Here she is post-salmon and pre-cake (when she sang happy birthday to herself):
Overall, I'd say it was a success: B+ (because I did all the work).

La Luna Ristorante

I was scared that my trip to La Luna Ristorante would end in bitter disappointment. I was afraid that experience just wouldn't live up to the hype and the price (for dinner: appetizers, $9-15, pastas, $10-17, entrees $25-30). But if people loved it so much that they were willing to put "Save La Luna Ristorante from Eviction" signs on their front lawn, I figured it would be a good place to check out. I was right.

Like most restaurants in Los Angeles, La Luna had a very upscale but laid back vibe. The restaurant was light on decor: bare walls, an open kitchen, and a cool (and dead) tree in the rear dining area. Families were interspersed among young couples out on a date. The room was loud but not obnoxious; everyone seemed to be having a good time. {Adding a little novelty to the whole affair, we spotted Patricia Heaton and Craig Ferguson dining separately.}

Our meal got off to a bad start. We were feeling adventurous, so we ordered the Carpaccio di Branzino and Salmone (I gave up trying to pronounce the name half way thru, and just pointed to it on the menu). The menu describes it as "thin layers of raw sea bass and salmon, with spinach and basil cream in EVOO and lemon." They weren't lying when they said thin layers. Once we figured out what was what (although the pile of rings in the middle is still unidentifiable), we had trouble scooping the fish up with a spoon. I also squirted everything with lemon, not realizing that the fish had apparently already been soaked in lemon. What was left was very lemony salmon with bland sea bass. There wasn't much flavor to the dish, leaving us wanting more.

Thankfully, our main course was superb. I ordered the Petto D' Anitra Agil Agrumi & Miele (carmelized breast of duck, sauteed with pearl onions and enoki mushrooms in honey, mango, and citrus sauce). The duck (top left) was amazing; it was tender, and thanks to the sauce, very sweet. The pearl onions were also very sweet, and were so well cooked, they almost melted in my mouth. Aegean ordered the linguini with fresh clams (top right), which she described as amazing ("I love the texture of the pasta" is the exact quote). Kathy ordered spinach and egg pasta with bolonese sauce (bottom right), which was "perfectly al dente." Mickey ordered a pizza (bottom left) with artichokes and mushrooms that he too seemed to enjoy (I enjoyed the crust-- thin and crisp).

We went all out and ordered dessert ($8 each). Aegean and I went for the tiramisu, Kathy and Mickey, the creme brulee. The tiramisu was probably one of the best I've had at a restaurant in L.A.-- it was soft and fluffy, the espresso was subtle and didn't overpower the other flavors, and as a nice little touch, there were chocolate flakes sprinkled on top. Mickey was a little disappointed with the creme brulee because he didn't get to crack the layer of sugar on top-- it was more like large, granulated sugar, not like what you'd expect for creme brulee. But the custard underneath was light, and even I enjoyed it (I'm not always a fan of custard).

Overall, I'd give La Luna a B/B+. At one point our service was a bit slow (I spent 5 minutes trying to call our waiter, who was apparently busy telling another table the history of the champagne they chose), but we were never rushed. It reminded me a bit of the service in Europe, and I welcomed that. I enthusiastically recommend La Luna, and hope that they do "Save La Luna."

La Luna Ristorante
113 N Larchmont Blvd,
Los Angeles 90004