Restaurant Review #254: Howdy's Taqueria, Malibu

Dos tacos: carnitas and carne asada soft tacos, $7.95

Howdy's Taqueria in the Malibu Country Mart shopping center is a great choice if you're looking for a casual, inexpensive, unpretentious place to eat in Malibu. The restaurant offers a mostly predictable selection of Mexican staples like tacos, burritos, and quesadillas, with a few unexpected choices like a Hawaiian salad, mole tacos, wild salmon soup, and--get this--sushi.

I can't speak for the sushi--I really can't stomach the idea of ordering sushi at a Mexican joint, even if I can feel the ocean breeze while I eat, and even though I have no problem eating Mexican ceviche, which is raw fish soaked in citrus juice (also on the menu).

I did try the tacos and a quesadilla. All of the food, including the tortilla chips, was remarkably light and ungreasy for a Mexican restaurant. The meat was a little bland, probably from the lack of grease, but it was fine. The cilantro and onions added some kick, as did the selection of salsas. The salsa bar offers a milder, green tomatillo salsa, a basic red salsa, and a spicy orange salsa. They were all good, but not memorable; the same was true of the tacos and quesadilla.

Steak quesadilla

The restaurant was plenty busy, but we were able to get a table indoors. They also have patio seating, which can be noisy because of the adjacent parking lot.

Howdy's has mixed reviews on Yelp!, but I think its overall rating of just three stars is undeservedly low. True, it's not the most authentic Mexican food, but you're in Malibu, not the Valley. Yes, it's a little pricey for Mexican, but it's inexpensive considering the ingredients are organic and free range and, again, you're in Malibu.

I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here, but for a fresh, affordable, and relatively healthy lunch when you're already in the area, it's a solid choice.

Howdy's Taqueria
3835 Cross Creek Rd # A
Malibu, CA 90265
(310) 456-6299
Howdy's Taqueria website
Howdy's Taqueria menu

Restaurant Review #247: Loteria! Grill, LA Farmer's Market, La Brea

The first time I went to the LA Farmer's Market, I didn't try Loteria! Grill. $3 for a taco? Give me a break!

It's true--I have been spoiled by $1 tacos at cheap San Fernando Valley taquerias. But I regretted skipping the opportunity to try a restaurant I've repeatedly heard good things about. So on my second visit to the LA Farmer's Market, Loteria! was my first stop.

Nothing excites me more than new flavors, and the more things I can sample in one restaurant meal, the better. It's not just because I have a food blog that I regularly order too much food at restaurants so I can try multiple dishes.  At least, I do when I'm not feeling cheap.

With that in mind, there was no way I could pass up Loteria's taco sampler platter--the chance to sample miniature portions of 12 different taco flavors:

Nopalitos - Fresh Cactus Salad. Served with Salsa Verde and Queso Fresco.
Calabacitas - Zucchini and Roasted Corn Succotash Served with Salsa Verde, Finely Chopped Onion and Cilantro, and Queso Fresco.
Champiñones con Epazote - Mushrooms with Epazote Served with Finely Chopped Onion and Cilantro, Queso Fresco, and Salsa Verde.
Papa con Rajas - Potatoes with Roasted Poblano Peppers Served with Finely Chopped Onion and Cilantro, Queso Fresco, and Salsa Verde.
Mole Poblano con Pollo - Chicken in Mole Poblano Served with Sesame Seeds, Finely Chopped Onion, and Queso Fresco.
Tinga de Pollo - Chicken, Stewed with Chipotle Peppers and our home-made Chorizo Served with Salsa Roja de Chipotle.
Pollo en Pipian Rojo - Chicken in a Spicy Pumpkin-Seed and Peanut Sauce Served with Finely Chopped Onion.
Carne deshebrada - Shredded Beef Served with Fresh Guacamole, Salsa Chipotle, and Finely Chopped Onion and Cilantro.
Albondigas en Chipotle - Meatballs in a Tomato and Chipotle Sauce Served with Finely Chopped Onion and Cilantro.
Cochinita Pibil- Pork, Slowly Roasted in Banana Leaf Served with Citrus-Pickled Red Onion and Chile Habanero.
Chicharron en Salsa Verde - Pork Rinds in a Spicy Tomatillo Sauce Served With Finely Chopped Onion and Cilantro and Queso Fresco.
Carnitas en salsa Morita - In a Spicy Chile Morita Sauce Served with slices of Fresh Avocado and Finely Chopped Onion and Cilantro.

Each taco is teeny tiny--the tortillas must have been 2" in diameter. One person could eat the whole plate and still be hungry. And if one person shared this plate with three people, as I did, they would have plenty of room left to eat at at least two more Farmer's Market restaurants. I also had a canteloupe flavored agua fresca.

My favorite was the papa con rajas. I never would have thought a potato taco could have so much flavor. It's also rather unusual to find multiple vegetarian options at a taco stand. Most of the other flavors were not nearly as memorable, but I frequently think about returning to the market for a plate of full-sized potato tacos. Judging by the crowds at this place, I'm clearly not the only one who craves Loteria's unique flavors.

Loteria! Grill 

6333 West 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90036-3109
(323) 930-2211
Loteria! Grill website
Loteria! Grill menu

Restaurant Review #245: The Counter, Pasadena

Veggie burger

I've been hearing about The Counter for years. It was the favorite joint of a hamburger-obsessed colleague of mine, and everyone seems to rave about it. But I was really underwhelmed. There was nothing special about the flavor of the meat. I could have made a comparable, if not better, burger at home.


Beef burger

The concept behind The Counter is to build your own burger using a cute clipboard checklist. You can choose your own meat (beef, turkey, chicken, veggie), the size (1/3, 2/3, 1 lb), and your bun (regular, multigrain, English muffin, onion bun). The restaurant offers several dozen interesting toppings. Some of the more unusual options include horseradish cheddar, herb goat cheese spread, grilled pineapple, roasted green chiles, fried egg, apricot sauce, and peanut sauce. If all the options are too overwhelming, you can choose one of their predesigned signature burgers.

Maybe I didn't choose the right toppings, but for me, it was just an overpriced burger.


Parmesan fries

We also tried a side of parmesan fries. Ever since the truffle fries we had at Josie a few years ago, we've been searching for something else that measured up. The Counter's fries looked delicious but weren't very memorable.

We went to the Pasadena restaurant, but there are quite a few  locations, including Hermosa Beach, Miracle Mile, Sunset Blvd., Santa Monica, Studio City, and others.

The Counter

140 Shoppers Lane
Pasadena, CA 91101-2618
626.440.1008

Hours: Mon-Thu,Sun 11am-10pm; Fri-Sat 11am-11pm
The Counter website

The Counter menu

Restaurant Review #242, Little Spain Restaurant, LA Farmers Market, La Brea

Croquetas de Jamon

At Little Spain Restaurant, a stall at LA Farmer's Market, I enjoyed the best croquettes I've eaten since I lived in Spain. They were fried up to order, served hot enough to burn my mouth (which is how I like my food). Unlike most croquettes, the inside was actually moist, not dried out. The fries were soggy and unnecessary, however.

Little Spain Restaurant

6333 West Third St. #120
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Restaurant Review #239: Blue Table, Agoura Hills

Italian sub - $8.99

I love Blue Table. It's so pristine that if it weren't for the constant stream of customers, I'd gladly eat off the burgundy-stained concrete floor. Everything, from the gourmet dry goods to the display-case salads to the plated sandwiches, is gorgeous to look at.

In total, there are 16 varieties of sandwiches (two of which are vegetarian). We tried the Italian sub, which has salami, prosciutto cotto, mortadella, provolone, dijon aioli, lettuce, tomato, and Italian “salsa”. Mortadella, in case you were wondering, is kind of like baloney. Since we weren't sure what it was and didn't know if we would like it, they kindly put it on the side. The sandwich was pretty filling--you could get by on half if you weren't too hungry. We also tried the Ellen's Special, a hot panini with turkey, ham, goat cheese, fig-onion jam, and garlic aioli--a unique and delicious combination of ingredients that I should really try to recreate at home. Both sandwiches came with a small side salad of high-quality, super-fresh greens.

In addition to sandwiches, the deli serves a variety of soups, salads, pizzas, and sweets. The chewy, freshly baked cookies ($1.50 each) taste even better than homemade ones and make a great dessert option. To drink, there are a variety of artisan juices, sodas, teas, and waters in the cooler, but you can also get a can of Diet Coke or glass of tap water if you want.


Ellen's Special - $7.99

Order at the counter and someone will bring your food to your table, if you can get one. At noon on a Tuesday, we were lucky to get one of the few indoor tables (they're painted blue, naturally). There are only four--a secluded table for two, two four-tops, and a long communal table. There's patio seating, too, but the view of the vast parking lot isn't exactly ambient. If I went back, I'd prefer to do takeout.


Gourmet foods

If the sandwiches, salads, and sweets weren't enough to drool over, Blue Table sells an assortment of dry and frozen gourmet foods like pasta, pickles, fruit spreads, gelato, sorbet, and pasta sauce.


Whizin's shopping center

One minor note of caution: the Google Maps directions to Blue Table are not entirely accurate. If you follow them, you'll end up on the backside of Canyon Club. Drive around to the front entrance of Canyon Club to find Blue Table, past The Latigo Kid and before all the antique stores. The shopping center appears eerily dated but is backdropped by Agoura's beautiful golden and tree-studded hills.

Blue Table is a delicious find with interesting choices, fresh ingredients and top-notch service, even during the peak of the lunch rush. I recommend it highly. 

Blue Table

28912 Roadside Drive
Agoura Hills, CA 91301-3304
(818) 597-2583
Hours: Mon-Sat 10am - 6pm
Also located in Calabasas
Blue Table website
Blue Table menu

Restaurant Review #236: Daphne's Greek Cafe, Westwood

Creative Commons licensed Flickr photo by Made in Neverland

Imagine a Greek version of Baja Fresh and you’ve got Daphne’s Greek Café. Don’t be fooled by the “café” moniker; there may be tables outside, but this is not a nice, breezy sidewalk café. Sure, the food is tasty, quick and affordable, but the atmosphere is only slightly above fast-food. Indeed, they even offer “meal deals” like you might find at McDonald’s (alas, you cannot Super-Size your gyro). You’ll order at a counter and then if you dine in you’ll go find a table (or maybe you’ll go to the soda fountain first, if you’ve ordered a drink). Your food will be brought to you shortly. Like most all Westwood eateries, the place is loud and lacking any sort of peaceful vibe. However, for a quick meal at a good price, you could do worse.

Daphne’s Greek Café
10889 Lindbrook
Los Angeles, CA 90024
310.208.6931 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              310.208.6931      end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Daphne's Greek Cafe website
Daphne's Greek Cafe menu

Restaurant Review #228: M Cafe, Culver City

Tuna tataki salad - $11.25

M Cafe in Culver City is one of a small chain of three macrobiotic restaurants in Los Angeles (the other two are in Beverly Hills and Hollywood). If you're not a health food nut or a vegetarian, you might be turned off by the idea of a place that only serves macrobiotic food--you won't find any refined sugars, eggs, dairy, red meat, or poultry on the menu--but the chefs have created each dish with the intention of appealing to all palettes, and in that I think they've succeeded (as long as you're the type of meat-eater who can live without a hamburger for a little while).

Most of the food is attractively arranged in well-lit display cases so you can see exactly what you're ordering. As much as I usually dislike display-case food, in this case I think it's a good idea. People unfamiliar with macrobiotic food, who aren't sure what they'll be getting into if they order barbecued seitan (a tasty meat substitute) or scarlet quinoa (a grain not unlike couscous, in this case colored and flavored with beet juice), can check it out. And my strawberry shortcake didn't have that stale flavor that's usually the bane of display case food.

But there are plenty of familiar items on the menu for the less adventurous. There are sushi rolls made with organic seafood and sold two bites at a time for $2.25 or $2.75; french fries (with shiso, nori, and sea salt) and sweet potato fries (with chili, sea salt, and lime); panini of the day; and a club sandwich (facon can't be that bad, right?).

Drink options include fresh-squeezed juices (kale lemonade, anyone? I prefer to saute my leafy greens, thanks, but my friend swears by the stuff), natural sodas, teas, mate, and--thank goodness-macrobiotic does not mean going without caffeine, so I ordered an iced coffee (it does, unfortunately, mean no milk or cream--only soy, almond, or rice milk, sorry). The coffee had the color of iced tea (I prefer the black sludge variety) but tasted blessedly stronger than it looked. There's free, self-serve water (LA County water, I presume) near the front door if you'd rather not pay for Fiji or "M Cafe Water."

Ordering is a bit difficult if you don't already know what you want since you walk in and order at the register without the benefit of sitting down and perusing a menu. There are large menus on the wall and printed ones near the cash register, but I find it hard to think on the spot, and the display case can be hard to see if the place is crowded. I had an easier time because I'd looked at the menu online beforehand. You'll get a number after you order and a server will bring your food to your table.


Strawberry shortcake - $6.25

I ordered something safe--the tuna tataki salad and a strawberry shortcake. I haven't been to a farmers market in a while and had forgotten how delicious fresh produce--creamy, sweet avocado, cucumber, mixed greens, a handful of spouts, and some marinated lotus root--can be. The marinated, seared tuna was of the quality you'd expect from a good sushi restaurant and paired nicely with the sparingly used, not-too-spicy wasabi mayo. The ponzu vinaigrette had the right balance of sweet and salty with a tinge of sour. My only complaint is that I wasn't full after eating it, but a salad is a salad, even if it is an entree.

That's where the strawberry shortcake came in. You'd never guess that it was made without refined sugar. Nothing seemed like it was missing. The cake was very light--you won't feel weighed down after eating it like you would after, say, a molten lava cake at Chili's. Not that I would know. And after such a light lunch, I was definitely hungry for a hearty meal of pad Thai that evening.

The dining room is airy, with high, open ceilings, white walls, plenty of large windows, and rustic wood floors and furniture. There are a smattering of outdoor tables, if you don't mind the sidewalk and street traffic. The glossy photo menus add a corporate vibe to a place that otherwise feels cozy, if a bit chaotic--like most places on the Westside, the tables are close together, and the space is long and narrow. The prices are pretty standard for a Westside lunch cafe, with most entrees priced between $8.50 and $11.25, but at $22 total for my salad, dessert, and coffee plus tax, there's no way I could eat here on a regular basis. The no-waiter aspect--and hence, no 20% tip--does help keep the total cost down. You can also buy their food at some Whole Foods stores.

I honestly wasn't expecting much from this restaurant, but I left quite happy with the flavors of everything and the knowledge that I'd eaten a healthy meal, even if I wasn't terribly full.

M Cafe
9343 Culver Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232
310.838.4300
M Cafe website
M Cafe menu
Hours:
Sunday through Thursday
9:00 am - 9:00 pm
Friday & Saturday
9:00 am - 10:00 pm

Restaurant Review #216: Soot Bull Jeep, Koreatown

Soot Bull Jeep has a widespread reputation as one of the best restaurants in Koreatown. It’s also notorious for being one of the smokiest, due to its charcoal (not gas) grills at every table in a dining room that is entirely indoors (and has all the ambiance of a truck stop).
Indeed, I wanted to change clothes when I got home, but while I was actually at the restaurant, I barely noticed the smoke at all. There certainly wasn't a heavy gray cloud smothering the entire room like I was expecting from all the reviews I read. The real problem was the thick coating of black sludge on the underside of the grill—the part that's under the table, the part that I ruined a pair of jeans on.
The massive range hoods at every table actually do a rather good job of getting the smoke out of the place, but at a cost—they're noisy, and combined with the extra-wide tables (to acommodate grills), it's hard to have a conversation in this joint.



The waitress lit our grill right away, and that was when I started to wish I had worn a long-sleeved shirt--the flying embers were nipping at my forearms all night. She also plunked down a plethora of panchan, coaster-sized dishes of sides and condiments— pungent and slightly too spicy for comfort, in a good way—for eating with and between mouthfuls of meat. Our waitress didn't seem to speak English, so we were a little worried when she seemed confused about our order, but she did know enough to tell us which type of beef was the best (we were relatively clueless, having only eaten Korean barbecue one other time).

Her recommendation was right on, but despite this gesture of kindness and her extensive help grilling our food and snipping our meat into edible-sized pieces with scissors (this is a chopstick-only establishment), she was really all business and not terribly pleasant. Somehow ordering a second Sprite made her crack a wide smile, but that was the only indication all night that she might not have hated being there. Drinks come in cans and bottles from the convenience-store cooler at the far end of the dining room--in other words, no free refills. The water cups are small and the food is spicy, so ordering a large beer might be your best bet.



The menu is one sheet of laminated white paper listing various meat options: chicken, squid, beef tongue, pork, spencer steak (also known as boneless ribeye, known for its tenderness and marbling), short ribs, and a few other options. This is not a restaurant for vegetarians—even the tofu soup has meat in it.
The chicken was unexciting, but then, chicken usually is. At the opposite end of the spectrum, I tried the squid on the recommendation of some Yelpers, who raved about the crispiness of the grilled tentacles, but I found it to be flavorless and rubbery. The beef, however, is some of the most flavorful meat you'll ever eat, thanks to the marinade—stick to the beef, and you won’t be disappointed. The portions are a little small and seem a little expensive for the amount of meat you get—but then maybe not, for the amount of sides you get. We had at least 12 on each end of the table—plenty to go around.



The restaurant’s atmosphere may leave much to be desired, but when you have a juicy, charcoal-infused, grill-crisped, searing hot slice of beef in your mouth, you won’t care about any of the other stuff. You can eat it straight or plop it in a ruffly, palm-sized lettuce leaf and add a smear of bean paste. The multitude of sides mean that every other bite can have a different flavor, a different degree of crunch, funk, and heat. Dense, sticky rice will help you get full and provide a respite from all the spiciness of the kim chee.
Though this appears to be a cook-it-yourself restaurant, our waitress actually cooked everything for us (which I much welcomed). The only thing we had to do was to make sure not to leave the meat on the grill too long, which was easy to do since they never brought us any actual plates. I turned my rice bowl into a makeshift plate, but with its small size, eating my meal was a bit awkward. The only other drawback of the cooking method is that I felt like I spent most of the night eating three pieces of meat, then waiting five minutes for the next serving. Also, if you're a slow eater, this is the kind of restaurant where you can quickly get out-eaten by your table mates and find yourself a few bites short of a meal. Otherwise, it's very filling (though not as filling as the all-you-can-eat places).



The parking lot is tight, but there is a parking lot—a guarded, free one, at that, and one where we were able to find a spot at 7:30 on a Saturday night. If you're not so lucky, parking on the street might be a pain, and bring your quarters for the meters. When you’re trying to find the restaurant, don't worry if you can't read Korean—the black and white sign is in English, and relatively easy to spot despite the general barrage of signage that is Koreatown.

Soot Bull Jeep
3136 W 8th St
Los Angeles, CA 90005
(213) 387-3865

Restaurant Review #214: Mijares Mexican Restaurant, Pasadena

Albondigas

It may not always seem like it from my reviews, but I genuinely want to like every restaurant I try. I think there's a common misconception that food critics like to, well, criticize. Maybe some life-hating critics go out in pursuit of a bad meal so they can rip a chef to shreds, but I think most of us are foodies trying to have as many fantastic culinary experiences as possible and share them with others.

So I really wanted to like Mijares. I went on a Sunday night and there was live mariachi music. The guitars and trumpets brought me back to the restaurant I always had Mexican food at with my family as a child. Back then, I was terrified of all strangers (actually, that hasn't changed a whole lot) and would hide under the table if the mariachi men got anywhere near us. This despite one of the main things I remember about them being what warm smiles they had. But as an adult, I think there are few better surprises than good, live music when I go out to eat.

In addition to live music some nights, Mijares has the chaotic, plate-clanking, tequila-fueled hustle and bustle and din generally found in American Mexican restaurants (or Chili's) along with plenty of screaming children. At least the music and the Cuervo drown them out somewhat.

The albondigas, a simple soup of meatballs in a yellowy-clear broth, was quite good. If I went back to Mijares, I would order this again. I love the richly flavored soup and the loose texture of the meatballs--they look sort of like the Vietnamese meatballs you'd find in a bowl of pho, but instead of being packed so tightly I think they would bounce off if I threw them against a wall, the Mexican equivalent crumbles gently in your mouth as you chew it. I think I might have liked the albondigas at Tia Juana's better, but that restaurant is gone now.


Burrito

The beef in the burrito had a slimy, wet texture and little flavor. The other ingredients didn't make up for the savory shortfall.


Beef fajitas

The beef fajitas tasted mysteriously like Chinese food. Maybe I just like more lime juice in my fajita marinade than Mijares uses, but if I wanted Chinese food, that's what I would have gone out for. Not Mexican. Apparently lots of people like the restaurant's totally ordinary, overly sweet margaritas, too, enough to vote them "best margarita in Pasadena." They do serve the thick tortilla chips I like, but the salsa has barely a hint of spice and the guacamole is nothing special. The refried beans, to appease the ever-health-conscious southern Californian, are made without lard, which in this case makes them exceptionally bland.

The thing that makes me sad is that this restaurant, according to its website, is apparently somewhat of a Pasadena institution. It has been family owned for three generations. I guess Pasadena isn't known for its Mexican population, and of course, fajitas are downright Tex-Mex (I should know better than to order Tex-Mex in the wrong state). I want to tell you that this restaurant that has been around for 85 years is terribly charming and that the food tastes like it came straight out of the kitchen of the Mexican grandmother everyone wishes they had. Did I order poorly? Did I visit on an off-night? It's possible. I want to tell you to try this restaurant, but you could get better Mexican food in my kitchen. I'm not Mexican, but I do know how to cook.

Mijares Mexican Restaurant
145 Palmetto Dr., Pasadena

(626) 792-2763

Hours:

Monday - Thursday: 11am to 9pm

Friday, Saturday: 11am to 10pm

Sunday: 9:30 to 10pm

Sunday Brunch: 9:30 to 2pm

Restaurant Review #212: Bua Siam, North Hollywood

Pad kee mao


It's almost impossible to go wrong with a Thai restaurant in North Hollywood. True, no one on Sherman Way knows how to drive, there's almost no parking, the lots are full of potholes and puddles and trash, and there are scary-looking men hanging around sometimes. But hit any strip mall in the vicinity of Coldwater Canyon and what should really be called Sherman Boulevard and you're likely to find a Thai restaurant serving some of the best Thai food you've ever eaten (if not some of the best food you've ever eaten, period).

On top of that, it's cheap as hell. If you want to treat yourself to a luxurious meal but can't really afford it, don't go to Melisse and order an appetizer; go to Bua Thai and order five entrees. The cost will be similar, but only one will leave you with a full belly and leftovers for days.


Pad Thai

I'll make no bones about it: Thai is one of my favorite cuisines, yet I eat it so infrequently that I find myself always ordering my old favorites instead of branching out and trying something new. On the plus side, I can compare Thai restaurants pretty well since I always order the same staples: pad Thai, pad kee mao, tom kha, and sometimes (but not this time) fish cakes.

Let's start with the dish that always makes me feel like a cliche when I order it, but I can't help it because I love it so much and haven't yet figured out how to cook it at home without ending up with a glob of tasteless/burnt/excessively tamarindy rice sticks. While pad Thai is a dish of infinite permutations, there are basically two schools of pad Thai in Los Angeles: the ketchup school, found primarily in whitish locales like Santa Monica, and the peanuty school, found primarily in North Hollywood. I'm making broad generalizations here, yes, but the ketchup kind has an orangeish-red (or in a worst-case scenario, pinkish) color and a slightly tangy flavor, while the peanuty kind has a translucent brown color and is super sweet. I will confess to not really liking the latter, which Bua Thai serves, because of my distaste for particularly sweet things (I probably should have squeezed that lime over the top), but the chewiness of the noodles is divine.



Tom yum

Tom yum is essentially just sweet and sour soup (which, by the way, should not be confused with Chinese hot and sour soup, a totally different concoction). It consists of a light chicken broth infused with galanga and kaffir lime leaves (the sour), however much spice you specify (the hot), mushrooms, cilantro, and your choice of protein. I always get the chicken, and it always tastes like nothing more than bland, boiled chicken, but Bua Siam's broth is particularly rich and particularly (but pleasantly) sour, having the sort of umami one normally associates with pho. Minus the ever-present chicken issue, this is one of the best bowls of tom yum I've ever had. I was also glad that they had both small and large bowls, so I didn't have to order the soup for my entree like I did the last time I went out for Thai (in San Francisco).

Rivaling tom yum for my favorite Thai dish is pad kee mao, which I discovered during a visit to Krua Thai when I decided to branch out slightly from my old standbys. This dish consists of fat rice noodles, a bit of palm sugar, red bell pepper slices, Chinese broccoli, mint, and the usual protein of your choice (I got beef). The beef seemed like it had been cooked separately from the rest of the dish; its flavor was more reminiscent of hamburger than anything Thai. Krua Thai's beef is more flavorful and better integrated into the dish, but their version is also very greasy. The noodles, while not as chewy as the pad Thai, were still one of the best forms of comfort food I know. The palm sugar makes them slightly sweet, but not too sweet. The Chinese broccoli had a fresh crunch and a pleasant hint of bitterness and the red bell peppers balanced that with their slight sweetness. This is also a spicy dish, which is another reason why it is my favorite noodle dish, beating out other possible contenders like pad see ew.


The restaurant is casual but not dingy (unlike Swan Thai). A mix-and-match assortment of no more than ten finished pine tables (all of which appear to be from Ikea) take up most of this narrow restaurant, but the flaming tangerine and lime green walls give the place character and make it seem bigger than it is. Our server was friendly, our food arrived promptly, and my water seemd to magically refill itself. The dishes are elegantly presented on square white plates, though Bua Siam's serving sizes appear to be a little smaller than its competitors.

The restaurant is particularly hard to spot from the chaotic street; the best way to find it is to look for the large and colorful Cha Chaa Thai, pull into the same parking lot, then peruse the storefronts until you find the right address number.

Bua Siam makes it to the top of many foodies' lists for good reason. Within hours of finishing my meal, I was already dying to go back!

Bua Siam
12924 Sherman Way
North Hollywood, CA 91605
(818) 765-8395
Bua Siam website

Restaurant Review #211: Porto's, Glendale

Assorted pastries. From back left to front right: guava strudel, almond danish, croissant, coconut glazed, coconut strudel, apple empanada

Though Porto's is a Los Angeles legend, it's possible to not know about it, especially if you live on the Westside. In an attempt to avoid the crowds, we visited late on a Saturday afternoon, but despite primarily being a bakery, the place was a madhouse. As we waited in line, we crained our necks around the throngs ordering at the counter trying to pick out which goodies we wanted. Few items are labeled, so unless you're a regular, you'll just have to point. Printed and posted menus curiously don't list all the items.


Assorted savory pastries. From back left to front right: pastel de carne (meat pie), chorizo pie, chicken empanada, ham croquettes, potato balls

Porto's serves both sweet and savory pastries with a Cuban influence. With so many delicious options, you can feel the pounds piling on before you even start eating. While there are really no bad dishes, in the savory category, you won't want to miss the pastel de carne (puff pastry filled with seasoned ground beef), chicken empanada (filled with moist, shredded chicken and peppers), or potato balls (mashed potato wrapped around seasoned ground beef, breaded and deep fried). In the sweet category, be sure to try the mango empanadas, cheese danish, and coconut strudel.


Medianoche sandwich

In addition to its pastries, Porto's offers a selection of sandwiches. The medianoche (midnight) sandwich, a concoction of ham, roasted pork, swiss cheese, pickles, mustard, and mayonnaise on a toasted sweet roll, is tastier than its simple appearance implies. The grilled chicken sandwich is basic but juicy and tender.


Grilled chicken sandwich

Porto's prices are stunningly low--and they create and delivery large orders for parties. Imagine how many people you could feed on the cheap when a dense, filling empanada costs just 95 cents? Most savory pastries are under $1.00 to start with and are even cheaper when you buy them 50 pieces at a time. The sweet pastries are equally inexpensive. If you're looking for something more sophisticated, Porto's also has a large selection of French-style cakes and mousses and they also do elaborate wedding cakes.

Porto's
315 N. Brand Blvd.
Glendale, CA 91203
818.956.5996
Porto's website (very informative)

Restaurant Review #209: Passage to India, Van Nuys

For the most part, the only way to get Indian food in Van Nuys is to have it delivered through a special restaurant delivery service that charges an arm and a leg in extra fees and minimum orders. Thankfully, there is an alternative: Passage to India on Burbank at Hazeltine. With decor that hasn't been updated since the '70s and a location in a tacky strip mall containing a falafel joint and a key duplication shop, the restaurant isn't much to look at. Nor is the food particularly outstanding despite the menu's claims that its chefs were top chefs in Bangladesh, England, and Saudia Arabia. But in a neighborhood with no other Indian options and with Chinese and pizza as the only other affordable delivery places, even merely passable Indian food is a much-welcomed option.


Chicken vindaloo

Juicy, tender chicken and buttery potatoes bathe in a tame sauce with long strips of fresh ginger. This dish would be good if it came from a crock pot in Iowa, but it's too tame to call itself Indian.


Mattar Paneer

At the opposite end of the spectrum lies the mattar paneer. The most flavorful dish by far, the sauce has a hint of smokiness and a touch of sweetness the envelopes the tender, perfectly-cooked peas.


Aloo gobi

Another of Passage to India's better dishes is the aloo gobi, fork-tender cauliflower with potatoes and sauce. Although no Indian restaurant does this, cutting the potatoes into smaller chunks would make them more flavorful.


Chicken Tikka Masala

The chicken tikka masala is creamy and flavorful, but it's hard to get past the alarmingly artificial-looking color. If you're particularly coordinated, perhaps you can eat it with your eyes closed.


Curry chicken

The curry chicken doesn't live up to its name--it's surprisingly bland. Don't bother with this dish.


Lemon pickle

The lemon pickles have a pungent, sour smell and an intense heat that sneaks up on you. As good as they are, there's a decent chance you could pick up an identical product in a jar in Artesia (for the same price as this tiny $3 cup--but a little goes a long way).


Gulab jamun

The gulab jamun are not very flavorful, not very soft, and have a few hard, unpleasant bits of cardamom seeds.



This review isn't exactly a rave, but when you don't feel like getting in your car and that jar of simmer sauce from Trader Joe's just isn't going to cut it, Passage to India still makes for a pretty satisfying meal if you order well. The menu has a pleasing number of options, including beef dishes and lots of shrimp dishes. Rice is not included, so make sure to order some. The naan is good if you like yours soft and chewy (but you'll have to pay extra for chutney). Prices are typical Indian restaurant prices: $6.95 to $7.95 for vegetarian dishes, and $9.95 to $12.95 for chicken, lamb, and beef dishes. All dishes can be ordered mild, medium, hot, or "phall hot". Medium spice seems to be pretty mild, but hot may be a little too hot.

For takeout, calling in your order is a better idea than just stopping by. The food seems to be at least partly made to order given the time it takes to prepare and the aromas that emanate from the kitchen only after you place your order, so you'll wait a while if you just walk in. Delivery arrives in a blessedly reasonable amount of time even on a Saturday night (also unlike the multiple restaurant delivery service, which takes at least an hour).

Passage to India
14062 Burbank Blvd.
Van Nuys, CA 91401
818.787.8488
Lunch buffet 11:30-2:30 daily
Dinner 5:00-10:00
Free delivery within two miles

Restaurant Review #206: Boneyard Bistro, Sherman Oaks

Ribs

I decided to pay a visit to Boneyard Bistro for two reasons: their extensive beer list and the promise of sweet potato fries. Located on busy Ventura Boulevard amidst dozens of other restaurants, Boneyard Bistro is a bit hard to spot. We had no trouble parking on the street, but we may have benefited from the cold weather keeping people home. Still, the hostess acted like we should have made a reservation (which I always find annoying), but we somehow got what I considered to be the best table in the house--a corner booth next to the window.

The food is rather pricey for what it is (largely barbecue) and where it's located (things are supposed to be cheaper in the Valley, right?), so I ordered two appetizers for my meal instead of an entree. But first, they brought us mini cornbread muffins and crusty, flavorful bread accompanied by butter served at just the right temperature for spreading. I also ordered a hefeweizen beer. The beer list, divided by style, was quite extensive, but they didn't have the first two beers I asked for, which made me wonder how much of their overall list they actually had on hand. I ended up with the Avery White Rascal for $10 (a six pack of this beer is only $9.49 at BevMo!). With most bottles of respectable beer priced at $8 and up, I didn't really feel like ordering more than one. That's a lot of money for a twelve-ounce bottle of beer. On Mondays, however, beer is half-price. Monday is also fried chicken night, and several other nights have special themes as well. They serve brunch on Sundays.


Pulled pork dumplings

The first appetizer I tried, pulled pork dumplings in a barbecue beurre blanc sauce, was fairly disappointing. The sauce was a lot more strongly flavored than I anticipated based on the description--I guess I was focused on the beurre blanc part of the description, not the barbecue. There was so much sauce that it overwhelmed the filling, and the dumplings, which were more like ravioli, were difficult to cut into bite-sized pieces. The coleslaw, however, was excellent--not too mayonaissey and nice and crunchy.


Sweet potato fries

Fortunately, the sweet potato fries lived up to my expectations. Not only were they wonderfully crispy, which is difficult to do at home, the portion was huge, allowing me to enjoy some as leftovers. I combined my sweet potato fries with some aioli that came with a friend's dish, and it really complemented the fries perfectly. I think that aioli should be served with every plate of fries.


The Classic

Boneyard Bistro serves a selection of burgers with a range of toppings such as applewood bacon, sauteed onions, and sauteed chantrelle mushrooms. All of their burgers are made of Snake River Farms American Kobe-style Wagyu beef, which is leaps and bounds above other hamburger meat. This stuff practically melts in your mouth and is totally worth the seemingly ridiculous $20 price tag. In my experience, other places that charge $20 for a burger don't even come close. Also, I've looked into ordering this beef directly from Snake River Farms, and it really ain't cheap. I think that gorging myself on a $32 double burger would probably be a better idea than ordering the stuff raw--then I don't have to risk screwing it up with my lack of meat-cooking skills. Meditrina Cafe in Venice serves a similar burger, but Boneyard's is significantly better.


Dining room

While we were dining, Chef Aaron Robins visited every table. He didn't strike me as terribly personable, but he has a behind-the-scenes kind of job after all, and I still appreciated the effort he went to to make sure all his customers were enjoying their meals. The dining room is small, with a few private booths, generously sized dark wood tables, exposed brick walls, and framed mirrors. A large flat-screen TV near the kitchen detracts a bit from the otherwise warm atmosphere. Overall, the restaurant and staff had a very friendly, down-to-earth vibe, but I felt a little jilted when our server dropped the check on our table without ever asking if we wanted dessert. I thought that perhaps they didn't offer dessert, but the website says that I missed out on chocolate whiskey flourless cake, dulce de leche bon bons, and tawny ports.

Overall, I really liked this restaurant and I plan to return for more sweet potato fries, my very own burger, and with any luck, some dessert. I think I'll pass on the beer, though, and stop at BevMo on the way home instead.

Boneyard Bistro

13539 Ventura Blvd
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
818.906.7427
Boneyard Bistro Website

Restaurant Review #205: Desserts at Patina, Downtown Los Angeles

Champagne Mousse, citrus salad, puff pastry, tangerine sorbet, mint pearls

When I was invited to Patina by a PR firm representing Ian Gresik, Patina's pastry chef, I couldn't have been happier. We scheduled our dessert tasting for 8:00 on a Saturday. Unlike most restaurants in Los Angeles, Patina was relatively empty at that hour, which is probably because much of their business comes from pre- and post-concert patrons at the adjacent Walt Disney Concert Hall. In fact, the restaurant started filling up as we were leaving around 9:30 or 10:00. The ability to enjoy dining at an upscale restaurant at a prime dinner time without the noise and the crowds is a real treat in Los Angeles.

Patina's dining room is sort of an odd space that looks almost like it was wedged into the building as an afterthought. The restaurant is L-shaped, with a glowing orange bar when you first walk in and the dining room coming into view after making a right turn. In this case, the setup certainly works to make the restaurant inviting for both dinner patrons and those who just want to stop in for a drink. The dining room ceiling is vaulted in some areas and almost uncomfortably low in others--I'm not sure if the idea was to create a space that felt both homey and airy, or if the space simply dictated that the ceilings had to be this way. The lighting is very yellow, which has the unfortunate effect of making the room look a bit dated. The light creates interesting patterns on the wavy wood-paneled walls that line the room, though. Booths along the wall face outward towards the other patrons and so do not provide the intimacy that many seek in such a seating arrangement, though they are a welcome relief from the setup of a banquette lined with uncomfortably-spaced, tiny tables that is common in so many of the city's top restaurants. All of Patina's tables are adorned with small vases of fresh, carefully arranged orchids, and details like the short, bubbly orange water glasses seem carefully considered to match the restaurant's decor.


Dining room

Our four-course dessert tasting menu consisted of miniature portions of a few of the treats that will be on Patina's spring menu. The first course, champagne mousse with citrus salad, puff pastry, tangerine sorbet, and mint pearls, was dazzling in its presentation. The mint pearls, a basic feat of molecular gastronomy, looked like caviar but had a consistency more like gelatin. They proved too elusive to hop onto a spoon for a solo taste-test, but combined with the dish's other elements, their subtle flavor added pizazz. Champagne probably described the mousse's color better than its flavor, but its taste was unique, with a subtle sweetness tinged with something slightly tart. The mousse's satiny texture can only be described as flawless. The puff pastry seemed over-baked and detracted from the dish's perfection, but given the amount of attention paid to the rest of the dish, its extreme crispness must have been intentional. The tangerine sorbet zinged with an intense citrus flavor.


Strawberry, lemon creme, mascarpone pearls, croquant ginger-strawberry sherbet

Strawberries aren't really a spring fruit, but Gresik says he would rather give his patrons what they like than adhere rigidly to a seasonal theme, and besides, the strawberries were surprisingly ripe. Gresik buys his ingredients at a local farmers market, which is key to achieving the intense and fresh flavors in his fruit-based desserts.

The combination of ginger and strawberry in a frozen treat was so perfect that I couldn't believe I'd never tasted it before (the brown sugar and ginger ice cream at Kiriko is another favorite of mine). The piquancy of the ginger enhanced the tartness of the strawberries. The lemon creme had a lovely texture, but seemed out of place amongst the more delicate flavors of the strawberries and the sherbet. The presentation was again carefully conceived, with the shape of the sorbet and the creme mimicking the organic shape of the strawberries, whose free-form presentation was tied together by the rigid geometry of the mascarpone pearls and the gradient red dot design (created with a tool, not done by hand).


Warm mojito souffle with lime sherbet

The warm mojito souffle sounded too trendy, and how could a souffle possibly taste like a mojito? I don't know, but it really did. The dish played on temperature, with the souffle arriving at the table piping hot and the sherbet served on an ice-cold spoon. The idea behind the setup was to poke a hole in the top of the souffle and pour in the sherbet, but purists will enjoy tasting these elements separately. While most sherbet seems a far cry from the fruit it's labeled after, by including a bit of lime rind, Gresik's lime sherbet actually alluded to fresh limes. I enjoyed this dessert, but more as a novelty than as something I'd want to eat over and over again, and I found the souffle a little too sweet.


Chocolate palet with affogato

The chocolate palet, a short disk of warm, rich, chocolate heaven, like a flourless chocolate cake but denser, came topped with a chocolate cigar that looked solid but was too delicate to touch without breaking it open and flooding the plate with a sweet, coffee-flavored substance. "Affogato " means "drowned" in Italian, and the term is also often used to refer to a dessert of ice cream drowned in espresso, which this dessert did, but in an unusual way.


Petit fours

Just when we thought we were at the end of the dessert tasting and I was commenting that I would gladly eat four more desserts, the pastry chef himself brought us a plate of petit fours, a variety of small desserts that may include cookies, pastries, and confections. In this case, the petit fours definitely leaned towards the confection side. We sampled a vanilla marshmallow, a sweet plum macaroon, a cinnamon truffle, an apricot gelee, peanut butter agnolotti, and a pistachio almond nougat. The agnolotti, a dessert take on a traditional Italian pasta, was the winner of the bunch, with its ethereal filling that captured all the flavor of sweet peanut butter with none of the heaviness.


Exterior

When asked about the inspiration for his unique desserts, which are a welcome change from the tired selections that tend to grace even the most otherwise innovative menus, Gresik explained that he dines out a lot and thinks about what he would like to eat at the end of a filling meal. Rather than traditional heavy desserts like cheesecake or flourless chocolate cake, he prefers concoctions that are light enough to still be enjoyable even when you've already had plenty to eat. His desserts are very successful in that regard, and given their ingenuity, are even reasonably priced at around $12 each.


Next door - Disney Concert Hall

Parking at Patina is a snap, but the convenience comes with a price. You can either valet your car at the door for $8, or park in the concert hall lot, also for $8, then walk about two blocks to the restaurant. For those who hate entrusting their most expensive possession to strangers, it's nice that Patina has a non-valet option.

My experience at Patina was one of the best restaurant experiences I've ever had. The service was nearly flawless and Ian Gresik's desserts were innovative and delectable. Patina recently earned a coveted Michelin star, and I'm certain that Gresik's creations contributed to the restaurant receiving such an honor. I'm already planning to go back--I only hope the main courses are as delicious as I know the last course will be.

Patina
141 S. Grand
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Patina website

Lunch: Tuesday-Friday,11:30am-1:30pm
Sunday, 11:30am-1:30pm on performance day only

Dinner, nightly:
Performance Evenings, 5:00 - 11:00 p.m.
Non-Performance Evenings, 5:00 - 9:30 p.m.