All Porky Goodness

Named after the traditional Filipino hat, Salakot, is a Filipino restaurant located just outside of DTLA along Beverly blvd.  We saw the place driving along Beverly on our way to some other place after being turned down at Colori Kitchen in DTLA.   We decided to try the place.  It has it's own parking lot with ample space.  Inside is spacious with bright lighting and very nice paintings on the wall.  

Baked Mussles,  we had this for starters, the mussels weren't quite fresh, I think they used the frozen on a half shell stuff.  

Dinugoan,  pork cooked in blood,  traditionally the dish is cooked with the entrails, this however, they only used deep fried pork meat with the skin on.   This was a delightful surprise and spin on the dish.  I enjoyed the crunchy pork skin bathed in the creamy blood sauce.  This was my favorite dish of the night.

Sizzling Sisig,  traditionally the dish is made from parts of the pig's head with a spicy, salty, and vinegary taste.  This was made from pork belly.  It was missing the gelatinous texture that the pig's head brought to the dish, and I didn't think it was spicy nor vinegary enough.  It wasn't even sizzling when they brought it to the table.  I didn't like it.

Inihaw na Liempo,  grilled pork belly and ribs,  this is delicious, smoky, salty, with sweet caramelization, dipped in some garlic vinegar, yummy.

Crispy Pata , deep fried pig knuckes,  this was done to perfection ,  I love the crunchy pork skin with the contrasting sticky almost melted soft tendons beneath, dipped in the garlic soy sauce.  After this dish, I think I could feel my heart beating to rally my cholesterol level higher.

Talking to the owner during dinner, we were surprised to find out that it was their opening day. Hey! for a change, I get to blog first about a restaurant.   I squirmed though when he proudly stated turning the second floor into a karaoke.  All in all we spent about $ 58.00 for everything including rice and drinks but before tips.   I would go back to this place, specially for the Dinugoan and before he gets that karaoke going.

Salakot

2122 Beverly Blvd., 

Los Angeles, CA 90057

(213) 483-0303

Damiano

Pizza and beer is like a marriage made in heaven, they always go well together.  In LA, one of the best places to get pizza and beer is Damiano.   Located in the Fairfax district of LA, right accross the famous Canter's Deli.   Inside you can see pizza being made in the left counter and a huge beer selection in the glass-door coolers on the right.   We sat in one of the dark unlit booths further into the place.  

Floris Apple 3.6% ABV, a Belgian Lambic beer.  I had  this to start with, it comes in a beautiful dark bottle with metallic green foil on the neck.  Lambic beers undergo spontaneous fermentation with the vat left open for sometime in the bewery for the multiple strains of air-borne yeasts to accumulate.  The beer pours cloudy amber with a white foamy head that easily subsides.  The nose is definitetly sweet green apple.   The mouthfeel is medium with some carbonation and a tart bite in the end.  The taste is like apple cider, with some malty wheatiness to it and a slight hint of cinnamon.  Crisp and fresh, very drinkable.

We got some Fried Clams $ 9.95,  as appetizers.  The batter was crunchy and the clams were not overcooked, nice and fresh, very flavorful. 

We also got a Large Thin Crust Three-topping Pizza $19.00,  with italian sausage, ham and pineapple.   It's all about the dough at Damiano.  Crunchy in the bottom with good browning yet still foldable with some chewiness.

Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale  7.0 % ABV, a Belgian Style Strong Pale Ale.  Brewed from the the town of Hitachi in Japan where the electronic manufacturing company with the same name is from.  I love the owl logo on the bottle.  Brewed with wild red rice,  this is the only beer I know that has a sake-like complexity.  The nose is red rice, herbal, with some hints of strawberries.  The mouthfeel is bitter up-front with light-medium body and high carbonation.  The taste is definitely red rice, malty, with a sake after-taste.  This brewery makes unique and very interesting beers.  Their Hitachino White Ale is on of my favorite wheat beers.   This is not the type of beer I would drink regularly, but very interesting.

Damiano

412 N Fairfax Ave

Los Angeles, CA 90036 

(323) 658-7611

Chicken Day: A Damn Good Chicken

Located in the middle corner of a strip mall on Western in Koreatown is Chicken Day.  A Korean style chicken place.  Parking is strictly valet in the basement for a buck.  Free if you can find street parking after hours.  The place is spacious with indoor and patio seating.  Several paintings on the wall with a common theme, chicken :).   There is a counter on the right side when you go in, this is where we made our orders and proceeded to get seated to wait.  There is a large flat screen TV on the wall playing Korean shows, some with English subtitles.  The owner was the one who took our orders and served our food, she was very friendly, conversational and accomodating.  Not afraid to speak English.  Eventhough, I know it was a little difficult for her to do so.  She gave us something in a plate, three, one for each of us, white and small which I thought were marshmallows.   It was the wet towelettes  for our hands :).   

Chicken Day Salad $ 3.45, this is delicious, the sweet pineapple puree was a surprisingly good dressing.  Very refreshing.  It compliments the spicy chicken very well.

Special Spicy Sauce Chicken Boneless $ 14.90,  this is a lot of chicken 22 pieces.  Almost like Bufallo chicken,  it is sweet and sour, very garlicky and a little spicy.  I was expecting to get toasted on the spiciness level like in Kyochon and Bonchon but here it is quite mild.   I wonder if you could ask them to up the spiciness level, maybe next time.  

Fried Chicken Drumsticks $ 13.90, again, this is a lot of chicken, eventhough it is hard to scale with the picture.  This is a huge plate with over 12 pieces of drumsticks stacked on.  This is the one I liked best,  cooked to perfection.  Crispy light aromatic batter and falling off the bone meat inside.  A damn good chicken, reminds me of Sunburst chicken growing up. 

People have been comparing the chicken here with Kyochon and Bonchon, so here is my two cents.  Kyochon and Bonchon to me are so similar in so many ways that even in the name they differ only by two letters.  Both I think are really good chicken, crispy caramel glazed skin and spicy enough to make you cry... for more.   At Kyochon and Bonchon, 20 pieces of  drumsticks will set you back around $ 30.  Their spicy and soy garlic chicken,  are more expensive, but better than Chicken Day.   Of the three Kyochon is my favorite.

In the simple fried chicken area,  you can't really compare Chicken Day's to both places.  I would however, compare it to Roscoe's or Honey Kettle chicken.   Chicken Day hands down is the best.

Chicken Day

301 S. Western Ave. #107, 

Los Angeles, CA 90020

(213) 387-9933

Churrasco Latino

I was feeling the pangs of a good steak so I called on a fellow foodie and asked him for a rec on some good steaks.  What came next was a surprise.  He suggested a place where he and the Mexicans who works in his company goes to.  He said the place is popular to Mexicans specially the Gauchos in vaquero (cowboy) hats, who brings their whole family to the place.  They also have a mean steak served sizzling in a cast iron skillet.  I was in.  

La Fonda is located at the edge of a strip mall on Century boulevard in Inglewood between La Brea and La Cienega  near the Hollywood Park race track.  Not to be confused with the La Fonda on Wilshire in LA, and my favorite Columbian restaurant La Fonda on Melrose also in LA.  The place is small, with no atmosphere and booth seating.   There's a small window to the kitchen where we placed our orders and proceeded to sit down and wait for the food to come.  There is a TV on the wall was playing, of course, futbol. 

They gave us some tortillas and dips while waiting for the food to arrive.  I like the bean and queso dip for a change.

Huarache Al Pastor $ 5.75,  this was delicious, the Al Pastor meat and beans was tasty topped with salsa verde and roja, lettuce, sour cream, and queso cotya.  Me likey likey.

Churrasco Latino $ 9.99,  this is New York steak Mexican style served with arroz and salad, you can also request American style served with baked potatoes and salad.   This was served piping hot and sizzling on a bed of toasted garlic served in an iron skillet.  The aroma of the garlic and steak was so irresistible I could not wait to dig in.  I ordered my steak medium rare, but I think the extra cooking from the hot skillet pushed it to medium.   The steak was still delicious.  They gave us some A1 sauce infused with Jalapeño, that was new to me.  When it comes to steaks, no A1 sauces for me, salt and pepper will do.  

Negra Modelo 5% ABV, a Dark Lager served in a bottle.  The beer has a light, highly carbonated mouthfeel with some bitterness in the end.  It tastes slightly sour, even if I did not squeeze the lemon in, slighly sweet caramel, and some zesty spiciness.  Crisp and refreshing it goes very well with the steak.

La Fonda

4649 Century Blvd.

Inglewood, CA

310-419-7596

Benley

Benley is not really suggestive of a Vietnamese restaurant.  Neither is the food strictly Vietnamese, more of a fusion type, so I guess the name is suitable.   It is located near the right corner of a strip mall in Long Beach.  I did not have a hard time finding the place, eventhough I missed the turn going into the stip mall and had to go around.  The place is small and cozy but not cramped.  I like the decor, minimal sharp and clean.  When I got there the owner got my drink and ran next door to get her cook who was playing cards next door.  I found it amusing.   The menu was interesting.  Their Pho was expensive and I was not in the mood for it.   The entrees did not really appeal to me, but the appetizers did so I just got three appetizers.

Lemongrass Charred Pork Spring Rolls  $ 6.95,  this was really good,  the pork was smoky-charred, salty-sweet with .  Wrapped in fresh crunchy greens and some vemicelli.   It holds up on it's own without the peanut dipping sauce.

Battered Salted Cuttlefish $ 7.95,  nice and crunchy,  very fresh and well salted.  Delicious calamari.

Braised Short Rib with Avocado puree $ 6.95,  I like braised short ribs, this one was really good and served in a bed of avocado puree.  The beef is so tender it almost feels like melting in your mouth with the avocado puree.  I would have preferred to have the ribs well seasoned.  This was a good though to off-set the the salty cuttlefish that preceeded.  There are no salt and pepper shakers on the table.  I know guacamole is good on my beef tacos, but I never would have thought of serving it this way.  Yummy.

Creme Brulee $ 6.95, I have said it before and I'll say it again, "If it's on the menu I'll order it." At least for the first time ;-)   This was delicious with a nice candied ginger juliennes surprise on top.  The bottom part of the creme was cold though.

Benley

8191 E Wardlow Rd

Long Beach, CA 90808

(562) 596-8130

In the Meantime...

Meantime IPA 7.50% ABV, an English India Pale Ale,  it comes in a beautiful bottle with a Champagne cork,  pours orangy amber, has a huge bubbly head about three to four fingers and decent retention and lacing.  The nose is citrusy and hoppy sweet that is a little toned down compared to American IPAs.  The taste is a slightly caramel sweet, grassy, orange zest, hops, with some mint and anise undertones, and medium bitterness.  The mouthfeel is medium creamy, smooth with some carbonation.  My favorite English IPA.  Absolutely drinkable.  What I like about this beer is the way the taste lingers in your tongue, and lets you discover the depth of the flavor in stages.  Made with over 2 lbs of hops per barrel.   According to the makers: "Jam packed with English Fuggles and Goldings, the beer is brewed with as many hops as we can physically get into the copper."

House on the River

More often than not I find myself hankering for hot noodles after a night out drinking in town.  Enter Ruen Pair, one of a string of Thai restaurants occupying a mini-mall in Thai Town.  It's the one on the right when you drive into the mini-mall with the bright green signage.

Ruen Pair in Thai means “House on the River” which is accordingly appropriate since we got some Thai Boat Noodles,  that is usually served by those boats in the floating markets and along the river in Thailand.  The noodle is very hearty with beef slices, beef balls, tripe, liver and a brown soup base thickened with beef blood.  Delicious and spicy just right for a quick pick-me-up  after a night out in the bars and clubs.

We also got some Shrimp Cakes,  light crispy with a sweet and sour sauce dip.  I've been to Ruen Pair several times and my favorite dish from their menu is the Black Egg with Chili and Thai Basil, that is the bomb!

Ruen Pair

5257 Hollywood Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90027

Chicken Paella with Cardamom

I tried my hand at cooking a Chicken Paella with Cardamom,  this is my take on it though with a little Indian spice twist.  Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

10 small pcs  Boneless Skinless Chicken  Cutlets 

3/4 cup  Rice I used Shirakiku Calrose

1 3/4  cups  Water  (Rice to water ratio is key, it has to be 1 part  Rice to 2 parts Water plus a little bit more for an open pan)

1 large  Beefsteak  tomato diced and leave 3 round slices 

1 Medium Bell Pepper julienned (I used a yellow one)

1  tbsp Pemienton (Spanish sweet paprika)

4 Cloves of Garlic minced

5 pods Cardamom

3 tbsp Extravirgin Olive Oil

Salt and Fresh ground pepper (I use a pepper mill)

Season the raw Chicken with salt a pepper to taste, then brown in the pan on both sides under high heat.  Once the chicken are browned, remove from the pan and set aside.   Toast the crushed cardamom pods for a few seconds in the oilve oil,  throw in  the minced garlic don't let it burn so keep stirring, thow in the julienned bell peppers,  then the diced tomatoes stir thoroughly.   When the tomatoes have cooked down add the Rice.  Add a little salt and pepper to taste and the Pemienton, stir until all the rice is coated with the Pemienton.  Cook until the Rice becomes almost translucent, then add the water.  Stir to deglaze the pan and spead out the rice for even cooking.   Wait until it starts to boil then add the Chicken back, spread out evenly.  Just lay the chicken on top, just immersed in the fluids, don't mix it in.  Place the Beefsteak Tomato slices on top.  Let it simmer on high heat for 5 minutes then lower it down to low-medium and leave for 15 to 20 min.  Ressist the urge to touch, don't even try to taste.  Just leave the whole thing alone and don't cover.  You'll know when it's done when you can hear a little crackling noise from the bottom of the pan.   A proper Paella should have a crust in the bottom.  Serve and enjoy!

I might be biased,  but my Chicken Paella with Cardamom turned out delicious  ;-).  And there's that added surprise from the cardamom when you get a burst of what I would describe as a "bouquet of flowers in your mouth".  I had mine with a nice bottle of Mission St. Pale Ale  4.6% ABV, light crisp citrusy sweet, and lemony bitterness.

Hunan-Szechuan Dilemma

I was in Visalia over the weekend to visit my brother.  He mentioned an amazing story in Chowhound and the newspaper about an Executive Chef in China who opened his own restaurant in Fresno.  To make a long story short:  Chef Zhongyi Liu is a former Executive Chef of the Grand Hotel Beijing and trained in the Chinese aristocrat cuisine called Tianjian cooking.  He is the lone representative of China to the 1999 World Cuisine Contest Bocus D'Or in Lyon, France.  He was invited here to head a restaurant in Evansville, IN.  In 2003, he moved to Albany, CA to run China Village where he made waves and impressed a Chowhounder and SF resident Melanie Wong.  He later left Albany and bought a restaurant in Fresno with two partners, the Hunan Restaurant.  She was so impressed with the Chef's skills that she tried to track him down with the help of another Chowhounder form Fresno.  You can read the whole story here.  They later arranged a Chef's Tasting Menu last Oct. 18, pictures here.

After hearing the story, I was dead set to have a meal at this place.  The Hunan Restaurant is located in a nondescript strip mall next to Long's Drug,  there are no big signs, just a small name bunched with other tennants of the place.  I was hoping to try the Chef's tasting menu but it is only by special arrangement on Monday nights when they are closed and at least 10 people.  Bummer.  

It so happens that the local regulars to the old Hunan restaurant had a hard time adjusting to the Chef's Szechuan food , so mainly Hunan dishes are served.   I wish there was a grant for Chef's as artists so they can practice their art without compromising freedom.

Here are some of the dishes we tried:

Chicken Salad with Black Beans,  sweet and salty dressing with added crunch from the black beans.

Dry Cooked String Beans, crunchy and fresh at every bite, wonderful.

Combination Fried Rice,  most of the dishes were heavy so plain steamed rice would have been the better choice.

Slender Bamboo Shoots and Shredded Pork,  this was really good, nice and spicy.

Butter Cream Prawns,  this was my favorite dish,  so delicious,  the shrimp was light and crispy outside, moist and fresh inside, with a creamy sauce.

Mongolian Barbecue Lamb,  cooked with peppers, celery, onions and carrots .  Yum.

Sweet and Sour Fish,  the fish was moist and fresh, coated in a light and crunchy batter even with the sauce.

Szechuan Hot Pot Chicken,  another stellar dish, chicken with mushrooms and hot peppers.  Most of the dishes we got were specified mild,  I wished I had medium heat.   

I walked out of the place with dry mouth and thirsty from the heavy, spicy and salty dishes.  Overall,  the food was really good, but nothing compared to the Chef's Tasting Menu.  Service was excellent.  

The Hunan Restaurant

6716 N Cedar Avenue Suite 104

Fresno, CA 93710

(559) 297-0336

info@thehunanrestaurant.com

Pliny in the Corner

Finally, a more than worthy brewpub in the Los Angeles area. The Blue Palms Brewhouse, located in the Hollywood and Vine vicinity right next to the Music Box Theater. My hats off to these guys who have the balls to turn a deaf ear to those clamoring to have Budweiser or Miller on their tap. Respect, Respect. Great beer selection on tap and a Firkin tapped each week to boot. The bartender is very knowledgeable about beers and very engaging once you start talking about beers. You can feel there is passion for beer in this place, and I like that.

To start I had to try their Firkin beer, Stone Smoked Porter with American Oak  5.90% ABV, an American Porter.   Served at celler temperature a little warmer than usual with very little to no carbonation.  And pumped at the bar directly from the cask to your glass.

The rich robust beer goes well with my  Brew Burger, Kobe beef patty with  Gruyere and some onion rings.  Delicious but I had mine cooked medium and the burger turned out a little drier than what I wanted.  

Next I got their Oktoberfest special, Schönramer Gold Fest Beer 6.00% ABV, a German Märzen, served in a majestic looking bottle emblazoned with metallic gold tones and a coat of arms.  The beer pours golden color with a billowy head that easily subsides.  The nose is citrusy, hoppy, and a little grassy.  The taste is a strong hoppy floral taste in the beginning then with a lemony sweetness in the back and very little bitterness.  Mouthfeel is between light to medium,  and with good carbonation.  This beer could be drank all night on Oktoberfest.

To finish I had some Pliny the Elder 8.00% ABV, an American Double IPA, this is from the private growler of the owner.  The beer pours light orange with a decent white head that subsides easily but clings to the glass with very nice lacing. The nose is sweet citrusy hops and huge floral notes.  The taste is like an MMA match strong bitterness up front that give you a kick followed by a punch from the hops, just when you are back in you corner you are doused with bucket full of orange peel,  pine, and malts that is smooth and silky.   Ding-ding.  You go back in cause you want some more of that!   My favorite Double IPA.

Blue Palms Brewhouse

6124 Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood, CA, 90028
phone: (323) 464-2337

The Dumpling Empress

I was recently invited to a dimsum party at New Capital in the SGV.   There were several items that we got that I wished I had taken pictures of,  but more often when the "Lazy Susan" gets in front of me it's either empty or half full.   The food was good though.  So I decided to do my own dimsum escapade to Empress Pavillion in Chinatown DTLA.  Getting into the restaurant on the weekend can be tough, sometimes you have to be there by 10 am to get in by lunch.  I made it a point go there during the week to avoid this.  There's validated parking in the back, and with 4 levels of parking you will probably find a spot.  You are greeted by a Maître d' who then takes you into a huge ballroom and to your seat.  Once there, you are on your own with choices, choices, and more choices.  Straggling along the lanes of the restaurant are these moving carts filled with sumptious goodies waiting to be discovered.

(From L-R) Pork and Shrimp Siumai, Shrimp and Vegetable Dumpling,  Scallops and Vegetable Dumpling,  Steamed Pork Spareribs.

(From L-R) Steamed Tofu Skin with Enoki Mushrooms,  Steamed Chicken Feet,  Roasted Suckiling Pig,  Steamed Rice with Spareribs with Chinese Sausage.

The stand-outs were the Tofu skin with the Enoki mushrooms,  there is a delightful play in your mouth with the textures and flavors,  the enoki mushrooms have that loud crunchiness when you bite in, and the Tofu skin wrap is so smooth like silk on your tongue and has a wonderful almost meaty texture.  The only drawback with this is that the Enoki mushrooms keeps getting in between your teeth.  Both the Shrimp and vegetable dumplings and the Scallop and vegetable dumplings   were delicious, fresh, lots of flavor bursting out from the light and thin dumpling wrap into you mouth when you bite in.  

Empress Pavillion

988 N Hill St.,  Ste 201

Los Angeles, CA 90012

(213) 617-9898

** Dimsum served only until 2:30 pm

Monks and Mussels

The Bowery is located in the heart of Hollywood around Sunset and Vine, accross the street from the newly updated Palladium.  I went there with a "Belgian Beer" friend.  I love the white ceramic tile facade in front.   Inside, it is cramped and very cozy, where you would literally be rubbing elbows with the young trendy crowd,  the shiny tin roof is a stand-out.   

Moule Frites, Steamed mussels and French fries .  The mussels are cooked with leeks, garlic, white wine, tomatoes and saffron.   So I ordered some to pair with a Trappist Ale, Chimay Red.   What a disappointment,  the mussels were not fresh, there was a fishy sardine taste and smell to it.  Mussels are not supposed to smell like that.  And to make matters worse that the mussels were pathetically small, and the  meat inside was shriveled.  Well, at least I had a really good beer on hand and some really good Shoestring French fries.  

Chimay Red is a Dubbel Trappist Ale 7.00% ABV,  only a few Belgian beers can be called Trappist, meaning it is brewed within a Trappist monastery.   A Dubbel is when double the normal amount of sugars is added to the beer making process, more sugars for the yeast means more alcoholic by products.  The beer pours in the chalice a turbid coppery orange color with a creamy head that easily subsides.  The nose is sweet malty, fruity apricot, and spicy with hints of cloves.  The mouthfeel is light medium creamy, smooth on the tongue, with little carbonation.  The taste is complex subtle malty sweetness, doughy yeastiness, fruity astringence with some floral undertones in the back,  and light bitterness in the end.  A very drinkable beer.  

My friend got the Charcuterie Plate,  two kinds of cheeses, chicken liver mousse,  three types of cured meats,  crusty baguette slices, preserved olives, and some almond nuts.  Suffice to say, I was envious.  Despite the outstanding service we got,  I shant be back soon.  The next day, it was on the news that, someone got shot a block away at past 2 am.  Luckily, we were already home by then.

The Bowery

6268 Sunset Blvd. (@ Vine)

Los Angeles, CA 90028

(323) 465-3400