Angela's review of Cici's Cafe got me thinking about good comfort food. It seems out of character for me to recommend a trendy joint on The Sunset Strip - especially when on the subject of comfort food - but for some reason I'm going to. The set up goes like this: Somehow Hitomi and I found ourselves walking down the Sunset Strip on a Friday night at about 9pm looking for food (Don't try this yourself). All the usual restaurants were full (who knows why) but "Cravings" looked like they had a seat in the back. so we took it.
Cravings is a pretty appropriate name for a shishi comfort food joint, and the atmosphere is pretty unique and relatively comfortable. the concept: put a bunch of tables outside, then decorate the outside as if it were the inside and put a tent roof over it all so it kind of is inside - but not quite. It's a lot like camping with rich people... on Sunset Boulevard.
Anyway, they have a lot of warm food: Like chicken noodle soup and chicken pot pie. Crab ravioli, chicken curry, chicken Parmigiana, trout, seafood stew, lamb chops... they even have hamburgers and a ham and cheese omelet. (I didn't just remember all this, I checked their website) I ate the curry, because I can't pass up curry. It was really good. The pine nuts and raisins gave the otherwise warm, rich, curry flavor a little additional sharpness and texture. the chicken was cooked perfectly, juicy and tender. Hitomi had the Chicken pot pie, which was also very nice. The gravy was rich and well spiced and the pastry on top was flakey. I kept stealing bites of her pot pie, as she looked at me with that "why didn't you just order it yourself" look.
And that's it. that's all we had. Next time we're on the strip we'll definitely go back. (As if we'll ever be on the strip again... maybe we'd even consider making a special trip... no, I doubt it.)Anyway for good comfort food - Cravings, 8653 West Sunset Blvd. (Price was about 20 -30 bucks a head before drinks)
I was gonna put pictures, but they don't have any on their website.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
CiCi's Cafe
18912 Ventura Blvd Tarzana, CA 91356 (818) 881-6704
No offense, but the 818 sucks. I only go there because I get paid to. But this place officially subtracted one de-merit from the stinky steaming stew of porn shops and smog that is otherwise known as the valley. The servers here are grunge-chic (but in an attentive-to-personal-hygiene way), and way cooler than the pit crew themed Hollywood skank staff at Swingers - bunch of snooty wanna-be actor/model rejects...CiCi's is to pancakes what the Factory is to Cheesecake. I can't rave over them (yet) because I had the chicken breast spinach salad. This was the first time I didn't get stuck with an entire field of spinach after running out of succulent grilled chicken and tastey sweet walnuts. Busy place. Sit at the counter. Period. No, exclamation point... 
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Ramen - It's not just for college anymore
A few days ago Hitomi and I went to Asa Ramen, a new ramen shop in Gardena. Yes Gardena. It may come as a surprise to some, but Gardena, California is home to many of the best ramen shops in the whole U.S.A. - So when you open a ramen shop in Gardena you gotta have something to back it up. In that climate Asa Ramen may not last long. It's the kind of ramen shop that would do OK somewhere else - like Studio City or Rancho Cucamonga - but competing with Hakata Ramen on Redondo Beach Blvd., Gardena Ramen on 182nd Street, I don't know how they'll survive.
So started to think about ramen in general. Ramen soup is like white bread. It's one of the simplest foods imaginable, but the divide that separates a baguette at La Brea bakery (albiet overrated) and Wonderbread (also overrated) is more vast than the Grand Canyon. So if we can agree that Top Ramen is Wonderbread, here are a few shops serving Ramen on the other side of the divide. this is not intended to be a definitive list of Ramen, but merely a list of places where a good bowl of ramen is almost a guarantee. Anyway at least they're my favorites by region. Let me know if you disagree.
Gardena
Hakata Ramen - There's not much of variety here, but the ramen is al dente, and the soup is rich simmered pork broth - like the real Hakata Ramen in Japan. The sliced pork (cha shu) is tender and melts in your mouth. The people here are a bit loud so when they yell something at you in Japanese just smile and nod. No doubt it's a term of endearment that they are yelling across the restaurant... go and you'll see what I mean.
Torrance
Shisen Ramen - Here's a hole in the wall - basically a counter usually overpopulated with Japanese salarymen on their way to inebriation. And if that doesn't make you hungry, I don't know what will. But, if you can stand the ambiance, the ramen is worth it.
Little Tokyo
Kouraku - the original ramen restaurant. It's like the Little Joe's of Italian Food. (except Little Joe's is no longer with us...) Plenty of choices here. This is not really particularly great ramen but it's always good and consistent. The variety keeps us coming back... and the fact that they're open till 2am. Ramen tastes best after midnight, after all.
West LA
Ramen ya - The bowls are giant, it's tough to get a seat, there's no parking, and they close on Wednesdays. What could be better? the truth is I order tan tan men here every time I go - without fail. They have the same variety as Kouraku, but the Tan Tan Men rocks.
Orange County
Who knows? I guess Daikokuya in the Marukai Market food court in Costa Mesa. there's a Daikokuya in Little Tokyo too, but we almost always end up at Kouraku.
Ok, I know, enough about noodles. One more thing, if you eat in any of these places once it should completely cure any desire to stop by Noodle Planet - forever.
Oh by the way for Jyl, Tom, Nancy and Johan, Of course there's no ramen in Long Beach, but Chen's has "Three Flavor Noodle Soup." It's not on the dinner menu, but if you order it they'll bring it anyway and charge you like a dollar extra. Hooray for Chen's! (Bruce and Gail: Chen's is Connie's sister's restaurant)
So started to think about ramen in general. Ramen soup is like white bread. It's one of the simplest foods imaginable, but the divide that separates a baguette at La Brea bakery (albiet overrated) and Wonderbread (also overrated) is more vast than the Grand Canyon. So if we can agree that Top Ramen is Wonderbread, here are a few shops serving Ramen on the other side of the divide. this is not intended to be a definitive list of Ramen, but merely a list of places where a good bowl of ramen is almost a guarantee. Anyway at least they're my favorites by region. Let me know if you disagree.
Gardena
Hakata Ramen - There's not much of variety here, but the ramen is al dente, and the soup is rich simmered pork broth - like the real Hakata Ramen in Japan. The sliced pork (cha shu) is tender and melts in your mouth. The people here are a bit loud so when they yell something at you in Japanese just smile and nod. No doubt it's a term of endearment that they are yelling across the restaurant... go and you'll see what I mean.
Torrance
Shisen Ramen - Here's a hole in the wall - basically a counter usually overpopulated with Japanese salarymen on their way to inebriation. And if that doesn't make you hungry, I don't know what will. But, if you can stand the ambiance, the ramen is worth it.
Little Tokyo
Kouraku - the original ramen restaurant. It's like the Little Joe's of Italian Food. (except Little Joe's is no longer with us...) Plenty of choices here. This is not really particularly great ramen but it's always good and consistent. The variety keeps us coming back... and the fact that they're open till 2am. Ramen tastes best after midnight, after all.
West LA
Ramen ya - The bowls are giant, it's tough to get a seat, there's no parking, and they close on Wednesdays. What could be better? the truth is I order tan tan men here every time I go - without fail. They have the same variety as Kouraku, but the Tan Tan Men rocks.
Orange County
Who knows? I guess Daikokuya in the Marukai Market food court in Costa Mesa. there's a Daikokuya in Little Tokyo too, but we almost always end up at Kouraku.
Ok, I know, enough about noodles. One more thing, if you eat in any of these places once it should completely cure any desire to stop by Noodle Planet - forever.
Oh by the way for Jyl, Tom, Nancy and Johan, Of course there's no ramen in Long Beach, but Chen's has "Three Flavor Noodle Soup." It's not on the dinner menu, but if you order it they'll bring it anyway and charge you like a dollar extra. Hooray for Chen's! (Bruce and Gail: Chen's is Connie's sister's restaurant)
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Wilshire - on Wilshire Blvd in Santa Monica
Our good friends Peter and Natasha invited us to have dinner with them at a restaurant they have frequented before and enjoyed called Wilshire. We were looking forward to this because we had heard such good things from them, and trusted their judgment as we have dined together on many an occasion.
It was Saturday evening, and we had a reservation for 7:15. First good sign! None of this "Would you like to come in at 5:30 or 9:30?" We walked in and I had a good first impression. A dark room with pleasant comfortable artwork and fixtures greeted us, and our table was a small booth tucked in the corner of a cozy room. The patio looked inviting also, with its more well-lit tables - perhaps next time we will check out the outdoor seating. For for this evening, we were happy with our booth.
Peter had brought a bottle of 2003 Sattler Zweigelt from Austria, and they had called ahead to determine their corkage policy, which was very fair: $25 a bottle, but this is waived if you purchase a bottle from their list. Our plan was to order a bottle of white, which we did.
The server changed our glasses to red wine glasses upon seeing our bottle. She gave us a list to choose our white from. All the service henceforth was very good, which was impressive for a busy Saturday evening in L.A.
My husband Johan choose for his dinner a steak tartare for the appetizer and a duck breast for the main. I choose the mussels cooked in a curry sauce broth for the appetizer and a short ribs with yukon gold potatoes for the main. Peter got a hamachi (yellowtail) appetizer and a nice salad for the main, while Natasha choose the miso marinated black cod. Everyone was very pleased with their meal! The food was spot on and I was impressed.
I would return to this lovely institution in a heartbeat. It is often I am a bit disappointed in restaurants in L.A. but not last evening! The service was friendly and gracious, the food was all that I hoped for (plump mussels, tender short ribs), the menu interesting, and the room comfy. Not too formal, but special enough, this is a pleasant place I would recommend to anyone contemplating dining in the Santa Monica area.
It was Saturday evening, and we had a reservation for 7:15. First good sign! None of this "Would you like to come in at 5:30 or 9:30?" We walked in and I had a good first impression. A dark room with pleasant comfortable artwork and fixtures greeted us, and our table was a small booth tucked in the corner of a cozy room. The patio looked inviting also, with its more well-lit tables - perhaps next time we will check out the outdoor seating. For for this evening, we were happy with our booth.
Peter had brought a bottle of 2003 Sattler Zweigelt from Austria, and they had called ahead to determine their corkage policy, which was very fair: $25 a bottle, but this is waived if you purchase a bottle from their list. Our plan was to order a bottle of white, which we did.
The server changed our glasses to red wine glasses upon seeing our bottle. She gave us a list to choose our white from. All the service henceforth was very good, which was impressive for a busy Saturday evening in L.A.
My husband Johan choose for his dinner a steak tartare for the appetizer and a duck breast for the main. I choose the mussels cooked in a curry sauce broth for the appetizer and a short ribs with yukon gold potatoes for the main. Peter got a hamachi (yellowtail) appetizer and a nice salad for the main, while Natasha choose the miso marinated black cod. Everyone was very pleased with their meal! The food was spot on and I was impressed.
I would return to this lovely institution in a heartbeat. It is often I am a bit disappointed in restaurants in L.A. but not last evening! The service was friendly and gracious, the food was all that I hoped for (plump mussels, tender short ribs), the menu interesting, and the room comfy. Not too formal, but special enough, this is a pleasant place I would recommend to anyone contemplating dining in the Santa Monica area.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Creme de la Crepe - Hermosa Beach
Hermosa Beach might be the most bland tasting region of the whole South Bay, so when I first heard of this French cafe on Hermosa's Pier Avenue, I was already convinced that it was terrible. How could it not be? But oddly enough, Hitomi stumbled on a buzz about the place in the local Japanese language paper - and who should know French food better than the ... Japanese? So we decided to give it a try. We went for brunch first. The place was packed, but we squeezed in on the sidewalk and ordered French press coffee and sweet crepes. Inside the place was pretty charming - simple and provincale looking - yellow walls, paintings of rural scenes and French flags. All the wait staff had strong French accents, so how could it be that bad? It wasn't bad. It was really good. Excellent crepes - fluffy and light - and the ingredients really tasted fresh and hand-picked. the coffee was clearly gound on the premises and tasted really French. Yeah, it was really good.
But we weren't convinced yet, so finally, last night, we returned to "La Creme" for dinner. Once again the wait staff all had French accents. So far so good. The dinner menu is French but not haute-cuisine. It features beef bourguignon, dijon chicken, chicken provencale, and the like - along with quiches and a number of savory crepes. All old school, Julia Child style French. They also feature fondue! (mmm fondue) I had Beef Bourguignon, on the recommendation of the waitress, and Hitomi had the Crepe Nordique. She asked about the tomatoes, because we are in the middle of the salmonella tomato scare, but the waitress said "Our tomatoes do not have salmonella." How could we not believe her?
The truth is the food was simple, but really good. The ingredients were exceptionally fresh and flavorful, the sauces were nice - even the salad dressing, and the noodles were homemade. The ratatouille was chock full of bay leaves and was nicely herbed. (Can I say that?) They comped us a plate of 6 escargot, which were prepared in olive oil and herbs and pretty tasty, as escargot go.
Finally, against my better judgement, I ordered the dessert crepe, "The Zindane". It's a nutella crepe with strawberries, bananas and ice cream. It was unbelievable. the crepe was light and fluffy, (in contrast to those delightful crispy crepes available at the Farmer's Market!) the whip cream was home whipped, and the nutella was... nutella.
The most amazing thing about "La Creme" are the prices ... Nothing on the menu is over $20, and most selections are under $15. The "Zidane " was $6.95 - 2 dollars cheaper than that "French Crepe" in the Farmer's Market. By the way, I asked the waitress about the "Salmon en Croute", and she seemed pretty luke-warm about it. You may want to stay away from the Salmon...
Suzy, you're the closest thing to French in our group. Check out this place and let us know what you think!
Creme De La Crepe
424 Pier Avenue
Hermosa Beach
But we weren't convinced yet, so finally, last night, we returned to "La Creme" for dinner. Once again the wait staff all had French accents. So far so good. The dinner menu is French but not haute-cuisine. It features beef bourguignon, dijon chicken, chicken provencale, and the like - along with quiches and a number of savory crepes. All old school, Julia Child style French. They also feature fondue! (mmm fondue) I had Beef Bourguignon, on the recommendation of the waitress, and Hitomi had the Crepe Nordique. She asked about the tomatoes, because we are in the middle of the salmonella tomato scare, but the waitress said "Our tomatoes do not have salmonella." How could we not believe her?
The truth is the food was simple, but really good. The ingredients were exceptionally fresh and flavorful, the sauces were nice - even the salad dressing, and the noodles were homemade. The ratatouille was chock full of bay leaves and was nicely herbed. (Can I say that?) They comped us a plate of 6 escargot, which were prepared in olive oil and herbs and pretty tasty, as escargot go.
Finally, against my better judgement, I ordered the dessert crepe, "The Zindane". It's a nutella crepe with strawberries, bananas and ice cream. It was unbelievable. the crepe was light and fluffy, (in contrast to those delightful crispy crepes available at the Farmer's Market!) the whip cream was home whipped, and the nutella was... nutella.
The most amazing thing about "La Creme" are the prices ... Nothing on the menu is over $20, and most selections are under $15. The "Zidane " was $6.95 - 2 dollars cheaper than that "French Crepe" in the Farmer's Market. By the way, I asked the waitress about the "Salmon en Croute", and she seemed pretty luke-warm about it. You may want to stay away from the Salmon...
Suzy, you're the closest thing to French in our group. Check out this place and let us know what you think!
Creme De La Crepe
424 Pier Avenue
Hermosa Beach
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