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

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

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

Jitlada

My brother and his family were visiting from Visalia.   He mentioned that he was looking for good seafood.  So I took him, his wife, and a friend to Jitlada, a Southern Thai restaurant in Thai Town.  The story is that they use to have their menu in Thai until a Chowhound from Chicago, Erik M., spent several days with the owner to translate the menu into English and the rest is history.  You can read more of the whole story here.  

It is located near the Sunset and Western junction of Hollywood, in a nondescript strip mall they share with several other businesses and right next to an Armenian dance club.    It is my second time to Jitlada, the first time, I was there with a couple of friends and we were very well taken cared of by Jazz, the Owner and the Chef's sister.    This time she only said "Hello" and let us explore their menu.

The Steamed Green Mussels,  fresh and delicous mussels, the broth is simply amazing, well spiced with just the right amount of heat you can feel going down your throat.   There are times I simply crave for this.  Even as I write this entry my mouth is watering just thinking about this.

Spicy Salmon Roll,  light and crispy, the mildest tasting of everything we ate.

Flambe Prawns.   On my first visit there, Jazz showed us how to properly eat this by adding a scoop of plain steam rice and stuffing it into the head of the prawns.  She then continued to say  "Best tasting rice you've ever had".   A tall claim,  but you know what, she just might be right.  Everyone knows that all the flavor of the prawns is concentrated in the head.  This plus that wonderful sweet and spicy Chu Chee sauce and coconut milk . . .  OMG!

Grilled Pork, Southern style with papaya salad and sticky rice.   The way to eat this, per Jazz, is you take a small amount of sticky rice from the little basket,  add some papaya salad over it, then add some pork over the salad, and drizzle the whole thing with the spicy sauce.   This stuff is delicious,  amazing mouthfeel,  soft sticky rice, crunchy papaya and savory pork.

Deep Fried Sea Bass and Lobster Tails with the Spicy Sweet Chili and Mango Sauce.   The fish and lobster were fresh delicious by itself without the sauce.  When these came to the table the girls were like "Ooo  mango!"  thinking it would be sweet and a little spicy.  Only to find their Ooo's replaced by silence and an "about to cry" look on their faces.   If you are like me who would rather taste their food than have their taste buds incapacitated by the heat.  You must specify to the waiter to keep the degree of heat to mild, and that is "Thai mild" which is about medium.  And for you wussies out there :) . . .  yes, there is super-mild.   If the heat is too much,  you can always douse it off with some Singha or Chang Beer.  You can ask Jazz for her special stash of almost frozen beers.

To end the meal we shared some Sticky Rice and Mango, sweet sticky rice cooked in coconut milk and sweet mango go perfectly well together.   Excellent food and even better company makes this a great meal.  

Jitlada

5233 Sunset Blvd.,

Los Angeles, CA 90027 

(323) 667-9809

The General's Grub

After having a few Belgian beers at Lucky Baldwins we headed off to Thai Town, in the east edge of Hollywood boulevard, to a swarm of late night clubbers out for a quick grub at Sanamluang.  We got seated in under 5 mins.  The place was full and spilled out into the seats outside.  It is a very popular place, maybe because it is open very late until 4 am, or maybe because of it's close proximity to the clubs and bars in Sunset Blvd.  I would like to think it is because of their food.

The General's Noodle Soup  $ 6.50, is rumored to have been named after a Thai general who used to direct traffic in the parking lot on weekends.   The soup base is a clear , light amber, thin in density and rich in flavor.  Loaded with thin egg noodles cooked just the right amount, slices of charsiu pork, ground pork, roasted duck slices, and whole shrimps.  Topped with chopped scallions and wonderfully smokey roasted garlic bits.  Simply delicious.

Sanamluang

5176 Hollywood Boulevard, 

Hollywood, CA

(323) 660-8006