A couple weeks ago, Bob and I took a little cruise down Western Avenue, from Melrose past Wilshire, to grab dinner at BCD Tofu House. It was a pleasantly cool late afternoon and a nice bit of excercise to get us ready for some piping-hot soup.I've lived in Koreatown since 1999, and I've gotta say, there's nothing like walking to get you acquainted with things in your neighborhood. This was the first time I'd walked that far south on Western and I'm so glad to have done it. We were able to investigate two places that we'd seen before but only while driving by. The first establishment was Paris Baguette, which I'll post about shortly, and the other was King of New York Pizzeria.
The pizza joint was tucked at the back of a large two-story strip mall on the corner of Western and 3rd, but you couldn't miss their big GRAND OPENING banner. I've got to admit that I was dubious about the quality due to its location. When we popped in to get a menu, the slices for sale looked great.
Cut to Bob's pizza jones last night. We ordered two pizzas, one with pepperoni and pineapple, and one with sausage and green peppers. The delivery was prompt and we couldn't wait to dig in. I liked their use of sausage in thing strips rather than the usual crumble. Made it look all fancy and shit. LOL
Both pizzas looked gorgeous and the flavor followed suit. Thin crust, perfect amount of toppings, crunchy, charred edges... Just, yum! Julie was dining with us, and, being from the NYC area, we asked her for her opinion. She said it was pretty close, though her impression of NYC pizza is that it has more sauce, a solid mass of cheese, and a slightly soggier crust. Ultimately, we had no complaints then or with the leftovers today. We'll be adding King of New York to our regular rotation.
King of New York Pizzeria
301 S. Western Ave. (at the corner of 3rd)
-steen
tags: eating, restaurants, pizza, Los+Angeles, takeout
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Since my return from Germany, I've been obsessing about fresh baked pretzels. I finally decided to do something about it. After reading numerous soft pretzel recipes online and their accompanying reviews, I settled on this one from the Food Network. Knowing that pretzels are cooked in water before baking (like bagels) I was surprised at some of the recipes I found out there. I can't imagine how they'd come out, and judging by the user comments, they're not something I'd care to try.Chris was still staying with me and Bob, it was a few days before Thanksgiving, so we had ourselves a little pretzel party. We followed the instructions to the letter and got the hang of rolling out the dough in no time. By the end of the session, we were getting creative with toppings and shapes. My oven was giving off the most wonderful aroma, drawing us over and tempting us to open its door and peek at the loveliness. It was all we could do to resist.
While the dough was rising, Bob and I walked a few blocks to a Middle-Eastern deli on Santa Monica Blvd, shlepping bags of salami, sausages, gourmet butter and other treats back with us. When the pretzels came out of the oven, we devoured them with hot salami, hummus, butter, and mushroom salad. They didn't stand a chance....
Cut to a few days post Thanksgiving and we're at it again. This time, Bob requested a modification, based on how he makes pizza dough. He asked me to add 5 tbsp of honey, which I did. I was shocked at how much more flour was required for the dough to come together; at least another full cup. In the end, the pretzels (see photo above) had a hint of sweetness, and Bob says he preferred them to the originals. I can't say that I agree as I thought the first batch were simply delicious.
Soft Pretzels
2 cups hot water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon active dry yeast (1( 1/4 ) -ounce envelope
5 to 6 cups all--purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons canola oil
Vegetable oil cooking spray
2 tablespoons baking soda
1 large egg
Coarse or pretzel salt
Pour 2 cups hot water into bowl of electric mixer with dough hook. Check water with instant-read thermometer to register about 110 degrees. Add sugar, stir to dissolve. Sprinkle with yeast; let sit 5 minutes; yeast should bubble.
Beat 1 cup flour into yeast on low until combined. Beat in salt and 4 cups flour until combined, about 30 seconds. Beat on medium--low until doughy pulls away from sides of bowl, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup flour, and knead on low 1 minute more. If dough is still wet and sticky, add 1/2 cup more flour (this will depend on weather conditions); knead until combined, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a lightly floured board, and knead about 10 times until smooth.
Pour oil into a large bowl; swirl to coat sides. Transfer dough to bowl, turning dough to completely cover all sides. Cover with a kitchen towel, and leave in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until dough has doubled in size.
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly spray 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. Set aside. Punch down dough remove bubbles. Transfer to a lightly floured board. Knead once or twice, divide into 16 pieces (about 2 1/2 ounces each), and wrap in plastic.
Roll 1 piece of dough at a time into an 18 -- inch -- long strip. Twist pretzel shape; transfer to prepared baking sheet. Cover with a kitchen towel. Continue to form pretzels; 8 will fit on each sheet. Let dough rest until it rises slightly, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, fill large shallow pot with 2 inches water. Bring to a boil. Add baking soda. Reduce to simmer; transfer 3 to 4 pretzels to water. Poach 1 minute. Use slotted spoon to transfer pretzels to baking sheet. Continue until all pretzels are poached. Beat egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush pretzels with egg wash. Sprinkle with salt. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool on wire rack. Pretzels are best when eaten the same day, and will keep at room temperature, uncovered, for 2 days. Do not store in covered container.
TOPPINGS WE TRIED:
Pretzel salt
Black Hawaiian salt (wonderful crunch!)
Fried garlic (jarred from the Thai market)
Salami (1/4" cubes)
Parmesan
Mozzarella, grated (made the water cloud and nearly boil over)
-steen
tags: cooking, baking, recipes, pretzels, eating
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When Hunter and I met, the earth moved. Literally. It was January 2004, day of the Northridge quake, and Hunter was all set to move up to San Francisco. Well, the San Andreas Fault put a big kibosh on his plans so his friend dumped him off at my apartment to wait it all out. It was Hunter's first earthquake and he didn't take it so well, just sat in a chair in catatonic shock and didn't respond to anything but Rocky Road ice cream. The roads remained closed for a couple days and in that time our love was forever sealed.Over the ensuing years I learned all about him and one of the keys that we bonded on was food. He's cooked all his life, been a maitre d' at a chi chi restaurant in DC, been a chef at several cafes and restaurants, and generally enjoyed food as much as anyone possibly could. We've spent more days cooking together than I could possibly count.
So, imagine my surprise then when he called a few months ago to tell me that he'd never eaten lobster (he'd had lobster in stuff, but never ordered a whole one). Would I be willing to go with him to get one? What kind of question is that??? Of course!
He chose Pan Pacific at Ports O' Call in San Pedro. I was happy to not only for the lobster, but also because I'd never been down there before. We drove the 30 miles with great anticipation and audible rumblings in our bellies.
Pan Pacific was a clean, no-frills fishmonger with tanks of lively crab and lobsters and ice cases topped with fresh fish. We ordered a lobster and were told that the smallest one was FOUR POUNDS!! And, yes, we ordered it. Now, Hunter's never been shy about food and that lobster wasn't enough, so we ended up trying to pack away a grilled halibut as well. It was obscene.
It's about a year since that day and I got the call again. Lobster. He had to have it. NOW. Did I mention what a terrific friend I am? Giving so selflessly. Taking one for the team. Riiiight.
Hunter picked me up at 2pm today for that 30 mile drive. Pan Pacific was weekday empty and which meant no waiting to order. Today's lobster was slightly more reasonable at 3.5 pounds so he felt the need to round the meal off with fried oysters and jumbo shrimp.
Lobster: Steamed perfectly, juicy and flavorful, served with drawn butter.
Oysters: Enormous, steaming and creamy inside, crunchy coating
Shrimp: Sauteed shell-on, served with a slightly spicy red sauce (Hunter had them hold the veggies), served with a huge buttery garlic bread to sop up the sauce.
We arrived unprepared for the cold breeze off the water so we ate inside today. I prefer the outside seating so you can watch the birds and ogle the ships.
-steen
PAN PACIFIC RESTAURANT
Ports O'Call Berth 79
San Pedro, CA 90731
tags: restaurants, California, seafood, lobster, shrimp, oysters, eating
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Yes, this recipe is all over the internet, a downright blogging sensation. It's the No-Knead Bread that was featured in the New York Times a couple weeks back. I printed the recipe from The Wednesday Chef.I love to cook, as evidenced by my pants size and the smiles on my friends' faces, but baking just scares me. Most likely because I just don't have that much experience with it and because it's such a science experiment. Don't do it right and there's just no fixing it. So, when I read about this recipe, I was skeptical and excited all at once.
My bread baking knowledge may be minimal, but it does exist, it's just that all the labor hasn't yielded worthwhile results. The limitations of the home oven is one of the key factors. It's just so damn difficult to make loaves with wonderous crunchy exteriors and chewy, pleasing interiors. And, frankly, if I'm going to go to the trouble to bake bread, that's the kind I want.
Well... No more! Life has changed and this recipe has done it. The key is baking the dough in a dutch oven. I assume this works because the lid traps the steam allowing the bread to develop a crust without having to constantly spritz the inside of your oven with water.
This recipe is so easy, the only pain is in the waiting. But I assure you, once you make it, you'll make it again. And again. And again. I've whipped it up twice in one week, and that's some kind of miracle. The first time, we barely gave it time to cool before Bob, Julie, Martin and I ate the entire loaf with an assortment of cheeses just purchased from The Cheese Store of Silverlake. Did I mention that this feast took place around the kitchen island? We couldn't bare to wait another minute.
The second loaf was served with a delicious roasted sweet potato and red onion soup (from Well Fed - go there and get the recipe and make the soup, it was divine!).
The next evening, I sliced the bread and brushed it with olive oil then toasted it. As I pulled the slices from the toaster oven, I rubbed a cut cloved of garlic over them then sprinkled them with salt and fresh ground pepper. We ate the bread along with some leftover pork loin that we'd smoked a few days earler.
No-Knead Bread
Yields one 1 1/2 pound loaf
3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.
1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.
(Again, please visit The Wednesday Chef, a terrific food blog that focuses on the Wednesday food sections of the NY Times and the LA Times.)
-steen
tags: cooking, baking, bread, no+knead, recipes
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Christian mentioned that since moving to Munich several years ago, what he misses most are those towering, glistening pastrami sandwiches common at so many Jewish delis in the States.On one of our walks, I spotted a chalkboard outside a trendy-looking bar that promised "New York Pastrami Sandwich". Needless to say, the temptation was too much and lunch was had. The chef responsible for this creation had clearly never been to NYC. Christian received two pieces of crunchy rye toast with mustard and approximately 4 slices of a pastrami-ish meat inside. There may have been pickle chips too. Now, you know, and I know, that that just won't cut it.
Since my return, I've spent some time roaming the internet (it's by no means been an exhaustive search) looking for a mail order source that will ship pastrami internationally. Any ideas?
-steen
tags: eating, meat, pastrami, food
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It's been a few years since my last visit to the UK (ate some really stellar food that time!) and now I'm back, with friends. With the exception of one major blunder**, the food's been delicious (OH! The glory of the perfect local fish and chip shop!).
All that aside, what registered the most comment was junk food. To be exact, the junk food at the
**I hereby lodge my official complaint. Big groups blow. Don't believe me? There were 8 of us. All in town together, sharing a big flat. Three of us (that'd include me) are card-carrying food lovers, one would arrive late and therefore forfeighted any input, one was on a budget, one was easy, and one was "picky". Picky = no fish, no spice, nothing too challenging, nothing "ethnic". <sigh> We walked up and down the high street reading menus and passing on so many perfectly good options, walked and walked some more, grumbled more or less under our breaths, and turned right back around. We were nearly at the point of argument, all of us frustrated and hungry, when we finally found a place our one friend could eat at. Orders were placed at cashier stand at the end of a long bar and then we sat at a row of small tables. It took forever to get our food, each person's meal coming a good 10-20 minutes apart. The salads had no dressing and, though the waitress rushed off to get some after we'd complained, she didn't return for nearly 20 minutes. Nicholas and I each ordered fish and chips which were completely horrible. And, hold on to your hats, they had no malt vinegar. IN LONDON. FOR FISH AND CHIPS.
We sat there lamenting our choice of eateries when I suddenly put it all together. There was a tv on overhead showing a US baseball game. The people to our right were American and very involved in watching said match. There were movie posters all over the place (ceiling included). The Restaurant was called "Belushi's". Case closed.
-steen
tags: travel, UK, eating, food, crisps
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I feel like such a jet-setter. And lucky.
After London, I caught a ride into Germany with some friends, then took a train down to Munich. Visiting one of my oldest friends, Christian and his lovely wife Sara. They were kind enough to put me up, take me around, a feed me.
The highlights:
The morning after the first night in town, Christian and I walked a few blocks to his local butcher where he selected the appropriate Bavarian breakfast sausage to go with Bavarian breakfast beer. Back at the casa, the meat was cooked, pretzels baked, and beer poured, and we sat down for a real breakfast of champions. I don't drink beer, but my OJ was perfect, and I was just happy that I could document it with my phone and sent taunting photos across the world to Bob. LOL
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Food in Europe is amazing. Not just restaurants, but the way that people live with food. That's no secret, of course, and our trip to the butcher inspired my first of many bouts of jealousy on this trip.
My four days in Munich were delicious, Christian was a terrific guide and kept me very well fed. We walked everywhere, sampled everything, and made time to pack up a box of goodies that will be arriving by mail.
German food is notoriously heavy. I loved it all, though, particularly the packed little restaurant that specialized in Schnitzel. We met a couple of their friends there and feasted on crispy, tender breaded veal, so large it covered the plate, its juices seeping into the potatoes hidden below. We hopped a train to Berlin the next day and the leftovers made for glorious sandwiches on fresh crusty bread.
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Vietnamese food in southern Germany? Why yes! The proprieters were Christain and Sara's neighbors. A short walk to the restaurant and tastiness to be had, despite the fact that C. mis-translated and I received shrimp instead of crab. Can't really blame him, he's still learning. Besides, it still hit the spot. (P.S. No, that's not my beer!)
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One of our walks took us through a huge outdoor market filled with fresh vegetable stalls, crafts, juices, restaurants, and stores. One of the latter was a butcher that specialized in, errr... "exotic" meats. Horse meat in particular. Couldn't actually bring myself to go in. I told Christian that the photo of the outside would suffice. =)
-steen
tags: food, travel, eating, Germany, Munich, horse+meat, sausages, schnitzel
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Of course, bad in-air meals are so commonplace as to be cliché. We've all had them, some worse than others. Having just spent far too many hours in a tiny, uncomfortable seat folded like origami paper, this topic is fresh in my mind. So, without further ado, I present some of the airline meals that have left their mark on my brain.1979: Lufthansa to Germany - Scrambled powedered eggs and tomato juice. Yes, the eggs were atrocious, but this meal was memorable for another reason. I was just a child and flying to Germany to spend the summer with my uncle's family. First time travelling unattended. I was seated beside a very friendly OLD LADY, she was in her 20s, I'm sure. During breakfast, she had regaled me with some hilarious story about a lion, I don't recall the details. What I do recall, though, is the tomato juice shooting out of my nose and all over the seat back in front of me.
1985: El Al to France - This one's not about the food as I couldn't begin to remember those details, or even if I ate anything at all. Remember all those terrorist scares, bombings and panic? My parents chose to fly the Israeli airline to Europe. We had to arrive at LAX in the middle of the night. There were armed soldiers at the doors. A tank followed us as we taxied down the runway. I don't recall food being much of a concern.
2003: Alaska to Portland - Technically, this wasn't a food issue because, frankly, the meal was like any other airline garbage. Like In-n-Out and Carl's Jr. (does Carl's still do this?), the Powers that Be at Alaskan Airlines, in their infinite wisdom, felt it their unquestionable Christian duty to preach from on high. Literally. You see, the napkins on their flights are emblazoned with the word of God. The somber Inuit whom is their logo is probably just as surprised as I to see bible qotes printed on little paper napkin squares. I find forced religion just as tasteless as their food.
2006: United to London - My most recent airline meal was no worse than any other, just clearer in my memory (and pictured above). Dry little bun sprinkled with nuts and oats to mask its nastiness plopped on my tray along with other hermetically sealed tidbits> wilted lettuce, flavorless cheese, and a packet of mustard not nearly substantial enough to moisten the snack beyond the dryness of sawdust. Blech...
Best Airline Meal Ever:
2003: Korean Air to Tokyo - I adore Korean food and was hoping beyond hope that my meal choice of Bibimbap wouldn't be massacred like so many other in-air disasters. Just this once, it was delicious. Beautiful, fluffy rice, perfectly crisp vegetables, a bit of meat, soy sauce, and a generous packet of chogochujang (chili paste). It was a revelation. You heard it here, great airline fine is within reach!
-steen
** Late addition... Tara sent me a link to a great site. I never knew you could research the meals before you flew. I'm bookmarking this one! Behold!! AIRLINE MEALSE.NET tags: food, airline+food, eating, foodblog
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I'm a Flay-hater. It's true. Based solely on TV personality, I just loathe the guy. But, being in Vegas, I swallowed my venom in favor of testing out his vittles. I'd heard before the the food was tasty, and that is, after all, what matters.Neither Bob nor I are gamblers, but we braved the whizzes and buzzes, bells, whistles, and old folks and finally tracked down Flay's restaurant smack dab in the middle of the casino. Even at 6pm, there was a fairly substantial wait for a table. We lucked out, though, and snagged the last two stools at the bar (hooray!).
Mesa Grill at Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas
The Menu:
CRISPY FRIED SQUASH BLOSSOMS - stuffed with Ricotta, Sweet Corn + Basil with Hot and Sweet Yellow Pepper Sauce
NEW MEXICAN SPICE RUBBED PORK TENDELOIN - with Bourbon-Ancho Chile Sauce + Sweet Potato Tamale with Crushed Pecan Butter
DOUBLE BAKED POTATO - with Horseradish, Green Onions + Crème Fraiche
I really enjoyed the appetizer, though Bob found it a bit bland. Our place setting was the standard nice restaurant sans-salt affair, and he was loathe to ask for any. I have to agree that they could have used a touch of salt, but my pallate was mollified by the creamy subtlety of the ricotta filling and the vibrancy of the sauces.
The entrees were delicious, the pork a perfect, tender medium, beautifully highlighted by the sauce. We were told by our bartendress that the entrees are usually accompanied by spinach, but ours was substituted with asparagus due to the current e-coli scare. The sweet potato tamale was adequate; the sweet potato flavor barely perceptible. Mine was overcooked around the edges, but not too terrible.
Bob splurged and ordered the twice baked potato on the side. Again, sides don't seem to be Mesa Grill's strong suit. The spud was a bit dry and pretty bland. It lacked much of a horseradish punch, sadly. Kind of a sad showing considering the sheer perfection of the pork.
All in all though, I'd have to say that we were impressed. Old Bobby may have even risen a notch or two in our estimation.
Though I'm not a gambler, drinker, or bad-show-goer, the creepy family-style New Vegas does hold one attraction for me, and that's the food. At least now when I'm forced there on business I can soothe my displeasure with thoughts of far-away fancy meals by proxy.
That meal was one of the best parts of the trip as the rest was filled with the usual Vegas dining requirements of cheap food and buffets. (NOTE TO SELF - Avoid the lunch buffet at the Imperial Palace at all costs!)
-steen
MESA GRILL
3570 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
tags: eating, restaurants, vegas, Bobby+Flay, food, pork
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Feast your eyes on Quinn. I have titled this portrait, "HOW RUDE". LOL Our first official team-blogging-related outing and he yapped on the phone. Well done, Quinn! Bravo!
-steen
tags: foodblog
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