Monthly Archives: March 2013

March 25, 2013 · 2:35 pm

Blogiversary Giveaway

Today is Consuming LA’s two year blogiversary! This blog is truly a labor of love and I’d like to thank all of you who read it regularly. On this momentous occasion, I want to celebrate Oprah-style — by giving away stuff, including $50 gift certificates to some of my favorite restaurants in LA! There are twelve prizes in all.

Here’s how to enter to win: If you do not already subscribe to Consuming LA, you can enter simply by subscribing (which is free). Once you become a subscriber or if you have already been one, you can enter by referring friends to subscribe for the first time. You will receive one entry for each referral and you can enter as many times as you want. The deadline to enter is April 8, 2013. Click here to see the official rules. Here are the prizes:

Shaved Mushroom and Black Truffle Pizza from Stella Rossa Pizza Bar

$50 Gift Certificate to Stella Rossa Pizza Bar Stella Rossa is an amazing upscale pizza restaurant and wine bar that’s presided over by uber-talent chef Jeff Mahin, who competed on The Taste on ABC recently. Mahin serves the best pizza in the city, including my favorite, an incredible mushroom and truffle pie.

Maple Fried Chicken, Pork Belly, and Bison Chili Tacos from This cool restaurant is Silverlake

Maple Fried Chicken, Pork Belly, and Bison Chili Tacos from Diablo

$50 Gift Certificate to Diablo This cool restaurant, which opened in Silverlake last year, serves my favorite fusion tacos in the city. My favorite is the Maple Fried Chicken Taco with Purple Kale and Red Rooster Vinaigrette. Diablo is also a great place to drink and their signature Micheladas are served with yuzu or tomato popsicles and are incredible.

Gougere Sliders with Fried Oysters, Tarter Sauce, Applewood Smoked Bacon and Arugula from Little Bear

$50 Gift Certificate to Little Bear. I love this fun and hip Downtown gastropub, its updated versions of rustic Belgian cuisine and its awesome selection of craft beers. I named their fried oyster and bacon sliders on Greyere cheese puffs my favorite of all dishes that I blogged about last year.

Peanut Brittle Cookie from M Street Kitchen in Santa Monica

$50 Gift Certificate to M Street Kitchen I love peanut butter more than anything and my favorite peanut butter cookies in Los Angeles are baked fresh daily and sold at M Street Kitchen in Santa Monica. Besides having amazing baked goods, M Street Kitchen is a great casual restaurant with Modern American cuisine.

Fritzi Dog on Pretzel Bun from Original Farmer's Market on Fairfax

Fritzi Dog on Pretzel Bun from Fritzi Dog

Five winners will each receive a pair of free hot dogs from Fritzi Dog Fritzi Dog is my favorite hot dog joint in LA and my favorite place in the Original Farmer’s Market on Fairfax. Their dogs are insanely good and I also love their wide selection of gourmet toppings and buns, including soft pretzel buns.

Figueroa Philly Cheese Steak

Lunch or Dinner for two at Figueroa Philly I went to around 30 Philly cheesesteak places in LA last year in search of the best and I picked Figueroa Philly (which is right near USC) as my favorite. I love everything about their cheesesteaks, especially the marinated ribeye and Amoroso rolls imported directly from Philadelphia.

The Hungry Games, a puzzle and quiz book for food lovers

Two winners will receive a copy of “The Hungry Games — Improve Your Chowcabulary,” a newly published puzzle book with great word games and quizzes for food lovers.

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March 20, 2013 · 11:37 am

Scottish Tapas for Reform Jews

The Gorbals is the ultimate hipster hang. Â It’sÂ accessed through the lobby of the creepy Alexandria hotel, which is something right out of a horror film and probably haunted. Â Inside the dimly lit restaurant, you’re safe and warm in the glow of a large open kitchen. The decor is minimal and vintage industrial chic. Â Bowler hats, handlebar moustaches or mutton chop sideburns would not look out of place here. Â On Thursday nights, a Hot Jazz/Americana band known as The California Feetwarmers blows the roof off the house while Lindy Hop dancers show off their mad swing skills. On other nights, you kind of expect someone to ride through the restaurant on one of those industrial revolution era tall bicycles with the gigantic front wheel and tiny back wheel.

The Gorbals is the Hasidic fever dream manifestation of Top Chef season two winner Ilan Hall and his business partner and childhood friend Natan Zion. The food was originally inspired by Hall’s Jewish and Scottish ancestry, a combo that I like to refer to as “Scotch and Rhoda (Morgenstern).” While neither the Jews nor the Scots are known for amazing regional cuisine, Hall’s fusion creations are delectably inventive and surprisingly wonderful.

The restaurant’s signature dish is Bacon-wrapped Matzoh Balls (pictured above), which Hall clearly had in mind when he famously described his mash-up fare as “old Jewish food that has been date-raped by bacon.” Although this irreverent intermix sounds like a joke, it tastes astonishingly good. Hall’s creations are not limited to Jewish and Scottish-themed eats and incorporate ingredients from all over the world like uni butter, feta and macadamia nuts. My favorite dishes are the Vietnamese/Canadian comfort concoction of Bahn Mi Poutine, the insanely amazing Lamb Neck with Creamy Oats and, to balance out the richness, the Israeli-inspired salad of Persian Cucumbers, Avocado, Crispy Garbanzos and Sumac. I love a good salty dessert and The Gorbals’ Sticky Toffee Pudding with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and Maldon Salt is incredible. Just like the food, the cocktails are creative and fun, and highly recommended.Â

The Gorbals is located at 501 So. Spring St., Los Angeles (Downtown).

Latkes with Smoked Applesauce and Sage

Persian Cucumbers, Avocado, Crispy Garbanzos and Sumac

Cornbread Stuffed Quail with Red Wine Balsamic Reduction

Bahn Mi Poutine

Lamb Neck with Creamy Oats

Sticky Toffee Pudding with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and Maldon Salt

Entrance to the The Gorbals inside the creepy Alexandria Hotel

Inside you’re safe and warm in the glow of a large open kitchen

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Fez Not Required

When I hear “Moroccan restaurant,” I think of waiters in fezzes and embroidered vests, belly dancers, exotic over-the-top decor and eating with my hands. Tagine in Beverly Hills has none of these things and is all the better for it. Instead of the typical Disney-esque tourist treatment of a Moroccan dining experience, you get the kind of meal that I could see served in the home of a wealthy and cultured family in Tangier or Marrakech.

Tagine, which is co-owned by actor Ryan Gosling, is upscale and incredibly romantic; the ultimate date spot if you’re looking to score. It’s intimate, beautifully understated and dimly lit. Parties of two sit side by side.

As for the food, talented chef Abdessamad “Ben” Benameur elevates classic Moroccan dishes and serves cuisine which is highly refined and across-the-board excellent. I highly recommend going with the tasting menu. Whether you do or not, your meal starts with a tray of amuse-bouches which often include cups of asparagus soup, vegetable cigars and spoons of goat cheese with dates. The homemade hummus with freshly baked Berber bread and the tomato and cucumber tartar topped with lemon sorbet and raspberries should not be missed. I also love the bastilla with buttery, crispy phyllo dough atop a mixture of Cornish hen, scrambled eggs, saffron and sugar, as well as the tender and juicy lamb chops marinated in Moroccan seven spices.

The best is saved for last: a life-altering rich chocolate soup with a tiny scoop of vanilla ice cream, accompanied by sticky and sweet baklava. It’s one of the best chocolate desserts I’ve ever eaten; right up there with the Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity in NYC.

Tagine is located at 132 N. Robertson Blvd. in Beverly Hills.

Amuse Bouche: Asparagus Soup, Goat Cheese with Dates, and Vegetable Cigars

Amuse-Bouches: Asparagus Soup, Goat Cheese with Dates, and Vegetable Cigars

Bastilla

Roasted Vegetables

Sea Bass Tagine

Lamb Chops marinated in the seven spices

Chocolate Soup served with Vanilla Ice Cream and Baklava

Big Taste in Little Tokyo

Little Tokyo is one of my favorite dining destinations in the city. There are only three official Japantowns in the whole country (the others are in San Francisco and San Jose) and just like the rest of Downtown, our Little Tokyo has seen amazing revitalization over the past few years. There are not only a slew of great Japanese restaurants of every variety, but a veritable smorgasbord of pre- and post-meal activities to entertain and amuse you, including museums and galleries, secluded Japanese gardens, interesting shops, and karaoke.

Of all the restaurants in Little Tokyo, my favorite is Aburiya Toranoko. It was opened only a couple years ago by the same owners as its next door neighbor, Lazy Ox Canteen, and is both a high-end sushi bar and izakaya (i.e. Japanese gastropub). The design of the restaurant is Ã¼ber-hip and modern; very urban with chandeliers and a giant colorful mural on a long brick wall.

If you’re with a large group, you’ll need to get a table, but if you’re dining alone or with only one companion, the beautiful polished wooden sushi bar is the place to be. There you can witness the formidable skills of talented and charming sushi master Seiji Nakano. If you can afford it, go with the omakase and let Chef Nakano be your guide. In terms of izakaya fare, the incredible Uni Goma Tofu (sesame tofu topped with sea urchin) is an absolute must-have. I also highly recommend the Sumiyaki (grills meats and fish on skewers), especially the Miso Black Cod and the Tsukune (chicken meatball). The Jidori Kara-age (fried chicken) is also excellent. For dessert, I love the Green Tea Pudding and the Chocolate Lava Cake.

Aburiya Toranoko is located at 243 So. San Pedro St., Los Angeles (Downtown).

Uni Three Ways (Kumamoto Oysters with Uni and Caviar, Uni Goma Tofu with Jellied Tuna, and Uni and Vegetable Tempura)

Tuna and Roasted Beets with Housemade Tofu Cheese and topped with Crispy Ginger

Jidori Kara-age (Fried Chicken)

Sashimi Carpaccio Plate with Tuna, Halibut, Sweet Shrimp, Giant Clam and Salmon

Tofu Dengaku with Miso Sauce and Grilled Vegetables

Assorted Sumiyaki (Miso Black Cod, Angus Beef, Tsukune, and Zucchini with Cherry Tomato)

Toro Sushi

Freshwater Eel Sushi Hiroshima Style

Green Tea Pudding

Mini Chocolate Lava Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream

Mini Chocolate Lave Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream

Sushi Master Seiji Nakano

It’s a Dog Eat Dog World

Like every great American city, Los Angeles has its fair share of wieneries; gastronomic temples dedicated to finely seasoned and cured processed meat cylinders served on long soft buns with a variety of condiments including mustard, relish, sauerkraut, onions, cheese and chili. Pink’s is the most famous in town, but hardly the best. Dodger Dogs are overrated. When I want a truly spectacular red hot — a juicy dog that snaps with every bite and explodes with flavor in my mouth — I head to one of my five favorites listed below.

Carney’s

#5 Carney’s (8351 W Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood and 12601 Ventura Blvd, Studio City). This dive restaurant in an old yellow train serves amazing hot dogs, including a spicy “New Yorker,” a traditional “Chicagoan” and a “Red Baron” with spicy mustard and red cabbage. If you like your dogs slathered with messy, meaty chili, there’s simply no better place.

Fab Hot Dogs

#4 Fab Hot Dogs (19417 Victory Blvd, Reseda) Well worth the drive to Reseda, Fab Hot Dogs are perfection. You can get grilled pastrami or BBQ baked beans on your dog and their speciality is a crunchy deep-fried “Bald Eagle Ripper” with housemade spicy mustard relish. It’s also well worth the risk to your arteries.

The Slaw Dogs

#3 The Slaw Dogs (720 N. Lake Ave, Pasadena; 19801 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills; 1355 Huntington Dr, Duarte) Their bacon-wrapped LA Street Dog topped with grilled peppers and onions, garlic mayo and pico de gallo is one of the best things ever. There’s also a Chicharron Dog with pork belly and kimchi and a Thai Dog with peanut curry satay sauce.

Vicious Dogs

#2 Vicious Dogs (5231 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood) The most fun and creative hot dogs in LA can be found here. I love the “Hot Chick,” which is bacon-wrapped and topped with mozzarella, chopped chicken tenders, ranch dressing and spicy Buffalo wing sauce. There’s even a hot dog with peanut butter and jelly.

Fritzi Dog

#1 Fritzi Dog (in the Original Farmer’s Market, 6333 W 3rd St, Los Angeles) Newcomer Fritzi Dog has become my favorite hot dog place in the city. It’s truly gourmet and elevates the hot dog to a whole new level. Their eponymous dog served on a fresh soft pretzel bun (pictured above) is not only insanely delicious, but a work of art. I also love their juicy “Porker” dog served on a sweet and doughy “Parker” bun (they have buttery brioche and gluten-free buns as well). Best of all, you can get a tasting sampler of mini dogs to make your hot dog selection a little easier.

If you enjoy Consuming LA, please subscribe, like me on facebook and/or follow me on twitter at the top right of this page. And please forward to your friends!