Consuming LA

March 20, 2017 · 2:24 pm

Go Fish

Some of my favorite Mexican food in Los Angeles comes from a stall in a hidden food court/marketplace called the Mercado la Paloma in South LA, a few blocks from USC. The stall is Chichen Itza and it serves amazing and unusual specialities from the YucatÃ¡n region of Mexico including a mind-blowing Queso Relleno. Now the chef of Chichen Itza, Gilberto Cetina Jr., has opened up a second stall in the Mercado la Paloma which specializes in YucatÃ¡n seafood dishes. The new creation is called Holbox and it does not disappoint.

The Ceviche Tostadas at Holbox with local wild-caught Red Rock Fish, Ocotopus and/or Shrimp are not to be missed. I also recommend the sweet and tangy Cocktel de Cameron (Shrimp Cocktail) and the Wood Grilled Fish Tacos. If you like your food spicy, make sure to try Chef Cetina’s housemade salsas. My favorite is the smokey Chili de Arbol Guajillo. Muy delicioso!

Holbox is located in Mercado la Paloma at 3655 S. Grand Ave, Los Angeles (in South LA).

Scallop al Carbon (Wood Grilled single diver scallop served in its shell with Chile X’cotic sauce)

Cocktel de Camaron (Shrimp Cocktail)

Quintet of Hot Sauces

Chef Gilberto Cetina Jr. shucking oysters

Mercado la Paloma

Brooklyn’s Here

Of all the neighborhoods in LA, Downtown remains my favorite in terms of interesting new restaurants and unique food experiences. With Smorgasburg now happening every Sunday in the Arts District, Downtown has gotten even cooler.

A spinoff of Brooklyn’s outdoor foodie market of the same name, Smorgasburg in LA has something for everyone and, for someone like me, it requires a lot of tough decisions. Do I go for a Peruvian Pomegranate-glazed Pork Belly Taco or a giant Korean Shrimp Mandoo Dumpling with Carrot Juice Dough? Should I satisfy my sweet tooth with a Filipino Blue Velvet Butterscotch Ensaymada or a Donut stuffed with speculoos (Belgian cookie butter), glazed with chocolate and topped with sea salt. Usually my answer to these dilemmas is “all of the above,” but with the large amount of excellent vendors each week curated by expert food blogger/podcaster Zach Brooks, choices unfortunately need to be made.

Of course there are some easy calls. The insanely amazing sliced-to-order Pastrami on Rye Sandwich from Ugly Drum is an absolute must-have, as are the BBQ Pork Ribs from Black Sugar Rib Company. Fresh Uni in the Shell from Jolly Oyster is also something not to be missed. Besides all of the food options, Smorgasburg has live music, craft vendors, a beer garden and picnic benches to eat on. It’s all located in an outdoor section of an exciting and newly gentrifying mixed-use warehouse complex called ROW DTLA, which has a few really cool high-end shops already open and and will add many more unique shops, as well as restaurants, in the next several months.

Smorgasburg is located in ROW DTLA at 777 S. Alameda St, Los Angeles and happens every Sunday between 10am and 4pm.

Fresh Uni in the Shell from Jolly Oyster

Mandoo Korean Fusion Dumpling from Workaholic

Awesome BBQ from Black Sugar Rib Company

“The Nomad” (Chicken Burger with Truffle Mayo, Frisée & Pickled Shallots) from the NoMad Truck

Serio Smoothie from Verde with avocado, macs, kale, dates and almond milk.

Brothecary Dumpling & Broth

Lobsterdamus and Little Llama Peruvian Tacos

Lychee Butterflypea and Thai Float from Popdup

Bubble Waffle with Chocolate Ice Cream, Marshmallows and Honey Crackers from Yellow Business

Lots of choices of Filipino pastries from Ensaymada Project

My old friend Donut Friend is here.

Something for everyone

Which way to the Beer Garden?

Live music!

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Tagged as black sugar bbq, black sugar rib company, ensaymada project, ensaymadas los angeles, jolly oyster, little llama peruvian tacos, little llama tacos, lobsterdaumus, nomad truck, popdup, row dtla, smorgasberg, smorgasberg la, smorgasberg los angeles, smorgasburg, smorgasburg la, smorgasburg los angeles, smorgasburg vendors, smorgsbord los angeles, ugly drum pastrami, verde smoothies, workaholic mandoo dumplings, yellow business bubble waffles, zach brooks

February 10, 2017 · 9:15 am

No Bones About It

There has been no food in the past couple years trendier than bone broth. Pitched as a miracle cure for all kinds of ailments and an elixir to make you look and feel younger, both Silverlake hipsters in flannel shirts and Santa Monica health food fanatics in yoga pants are lining up to buy overpriced jars of the stuff. But long before the bone broth craze, Han Bat was selling steaming hot bowls of Shul Lung Tang — Korean Bone Broth — in a divey little hole-in-the-wall in the heart of Koreatown.

The menu at Han Bat could not be simpler. They serve only two kinds of dishes besides the complimentary kimchi and rice: Suyuk (boiled beef) or Oxtail Soup with noodles and either brisket, flank steak, tongue, mixed meats or, for the adventurous, a combo of intestines, tripe and spleen. The soup is milky white as a result of the bones being boiled down for hours and it’s served with containers of green onions and salt so you can season it to your liking. I’m not sure if there are any real health benefits to bone broth, but the Sul Lung Tang at Han Bat is tasty and inexpensive; the perfect comfort food for a rainy day or a cold winter night.

Han Bat Shul Lung Tang is located at 4163 W 5th St, Los Angeles (in Koreatown)

Cabbage Kimchi

Radish Kimchi

Salt and Green Onions to season your soup

Spartan digs

A menu without complicated and confusing options, but with Intestine, Tripe & Spleen!

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Tagged as best restaurants koreatown, bone broth koreatown, bone broth los angeles, han bat, han bat shul lung tang, han bat sul lung tang, han bat sul lung tang menu, hanbat, hanbat menu, Korean Food Los Angeles, ox bone soup koreatown, oxtail soup koreatown, shul lung tang los angeles, sul lung tang koreatown, sul lung tang los angeles

January 19, 2017 · 9:50 am

Frogtown Hipster Hang

There’s a bike path that my family loves along a revitalized section of the LA River where much of the concrete has been dug up and replaced with tropical plants and populated with exotic birds. It starts at the edge of Griffith Park, runs down the border of Atwater Village and Silver Lake, and continues through a quiet hidden neighborhood called Elysium Valley aka Frogtown, where the path ultimately ends not far from Dodger Stadium and Chinatown. As a result of this beautifully restored section of the River, Frogtown is poised to be the next newly gentrified neighborhood in LA. So I knew it was only a matter of time before some hipstery, happening restaurant would open up nearby. Salazar is that restaurant.

In many ways, Salazar is the quintessential LA restaurant. It’s a much buzzed-about hotspot and hard to get into during prime times. It has an impressive menu of cocktails made with tequila or mezcal. The design of the restaurant is a mix of new and old (the bar and kitchen are in a converted auto body shop), with almost all of the tables located on a sprawling, dimly-lit outdoor patio. The food — Mexican specialities of grilled meats and vegetables — is mostly good, although quite overpriced. All in all, this is a place to go mainly for the atmosphere, and not the food, and to go when the weather is nice, especially after a bike ride through Frogtown.

Salazar is located at 2490 N. Fletcher Drive, Los Angeles (in Frogtown).

Chips

Carne Asada and Pollo Asada Tacos with Avocado, Salsa Vaquera, Cilantro and Onion

Esquites

Pickled Vegetables

Cocktail de Cameron

Pork Chop “Nieman Ranch”

Zarandeado

Garden Plate with Egglpant, Squash and Heirloom Tomatoes

Frijoles Puercos with Pinto Beans, Pork Belly and Queso Fresco

Cornbread Cuatro Leches

Corn Flan with Popcorn, Candied Pistachios and Whipped Cream

Al Fresco Dining

Making tortillas

The 10 Best Things I Consumed in 2016

As we prepare to say so long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye to 2016, it’s time to look back at the LA gastronomic highlights of the year. If you haven’t tried all of these things, I’m sure they’ll still be around in 2017 for you to stuff in your pie hole. Here is my annual list of the ten best things I consumed and wrote about during the past year:

“Big Mec” Double Cheeseburger from Petit Trois

10. “Big Mec” Double Cheeseburger from Petit Trois. The “Big Mec” is the only burger to make my list this year. It has foie gras in it, so basically they’re not playing fair.

Maguro and Toro from Sasabune in Beverly Hills

9. Sushi from Sasabune in Beverly Hills. Sushi is an expensive habit. If you’re looking to save some money in the new year, don’t even try the insanely good and addictive sushi at Sasabune in Beverly Hills.

Bossam from Kobawoo House

8. Bossam from Kobawoo House. If you read this blog regularly, you knew there was going to be some awesome Korean food featured on this list. This is it.

Noorook from Baroo

7. Noorook from Baroo. There are a lot of o’s in the name of this vegetarian dish and also a lot of ingredients, including something called “Job’s Tears,” which I’ve never heard of before but am going to start eating regularly.

Hot Chicken from Howlin Ray’s

6. Hot Chicken from Howlin Ray’s. I know what you are saying: enough with the healthy stuff on this list. So, here’s some deep fried awesomeness.

Foie Gras Funnel Cake from Otium

5. Foie Groas Funnel Cake from Otium. This is what carnies eat when they’re trying to act all sophisticated.

Nona Elvira’s Lasagne Verde from Angelini Osteria

4. Nona Elvira’s Lasagne Verde from Angelini Osteria. This is the best lasagne ever. No exaggeration. It’s made with beef, veal and chopped chicken livers — each of the three major protein groups.

Garlic Cheese Bread from The Smoke House

3. Garlic Cheese Bread from the Smokehouse. I updated my best restaurant bread list this year, and guess who came out the winner again. Yes, it’s of a color that doesn’t exist in nature, but don’t let that stop you from experiencing garlicky, cheesy nirvana.

Butter and Salt Doughnut from Sidecar Doughnuts & Coffee

2. Butter and Salt Doughnut from Sidecar Doughnuts & Coffee. Is it “donut” or “doughnut”? I don’t know. Does it really matter? Go to Sidecar and prepare to be blown away.

Tempura Uni from Tempura Endo

1. Tempura Uni from Tempura Endo. I dare you to find anything better in this town to put in your mouth. It’s my favorite thing that I consumed and wrote about this year.

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Go Fish

Brooklyn’s Here

No Bones About It

Frogtown Hipster Hang

The 10 Best Things I Consumed in 2016

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