SoCal Roundup: Palm Springs & Los Angeles

To top off my SoCal trip, I also enjoyed some new places outside of Orange County:

Like Tinto-a Tapas restaurant by Jose Garces (winner of Iron Chef America!)

And Gjelina-a fabulous restaurant in Venice:

And topped with N'ice Cream!  I had the salted caramel, but next time I'm definitely getting the honey yogurt!

These were definitely more high-end than I normally partake in but I didn't want to miss out on the opportunities.  Worth it...

SoCal Round Up: Orange County

Man, I miss eating in SoCal! But do I make up for it whenever I'm out there. This time out, I caught the KogiBBQ truck:

And enjoyed a tofu taco and tofu burrito:

Also got to try the new Crispy Chickin' plate at Veggie Grill, featuring Crispy Chickin', Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes with porcini mushroom gravy and steamed kale--so delicious!

And went to the Umami Burger in Costa Mesa. I was excited to visit this branch after my amazing experience at Umamicatessen. The cheesy tots were a great treat--especially after completing a mud run the weekend before it!

And I decided to try the classic Umami burger a try, with a portabello mushroom instead of the beef patty.  Truth be told, I wish I had stuck with the Earth Burger--the portabello mushroom was incredibly oily and overwhelmed any other condiment or flavor. Next time...

The next day, a lovely friend dropped off this Banzai Bowl from Banzai Bowls:

It's this GIANT (see my pen cup for comparison) portion of acai smoothie with delicious fruit like bananas, strawberries, and granola.  So tasty--and bonus--good for you!

Already craving this food again!

Mellow Mushroom

Craving pizza, we decided to hit the Mellow Mushroom.

The Mellow Mushroom is the only pizza place I know in the area that has a vegan cheese option and I had the Holy Shiitake Pie. So good. The caramelized onions really made it for me and the mushrooms (shiitake, portabello, button) had a great smoky meaty flavor.

Paul enjoyed the House Special which featured lots of meat (ham, bacon, sausage, pepperoni, ground beef) and veggies (peppers, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms):

Needless to say, it was a tasty pizza night. On top of their delicious pizzas, they have an impressive beer menu--we enjoyed an ice-cold Maisel's Weiss. Can't wait to eat there again.

Pok Pok

My sister, my nephew, and I were able to squeeze in a meal at Pok Pok in Brooklyn before my flight back to Columbia. It had been getting great reviews and my interest was peaked by Amy Karol's post on drinking vinegars so I was excited to go.  We arrived about the time it opened and there was already a line of people waiting. In Brooklyn! Crazy. Fortunately, they seated everyone pretty quickly--split between inside and the tented outside seating.

Of course we had to try the drinking vinegars--I had the raspberry and my sister had the pear:

We both loved them.  It was a fairly hot and humid day so the acidic bite of the vinegar cut the sweetness of the fruit to make this such a refreshing drink.

We shared the vegan version of the Khao Soi (coconut curry noodle soup):

and the vegan version of the Papaya Pok Pok salad:

The Khao Soi was dynamite--we ordered a second. The Papaya Pok Pok salad was a little plain but I caveat that since we had the vegan version it probably is more tasty with the salty kick of dried shrimp and fish sauce of the original version.

The one thing I was a bit disappointed in was the wait staff's underwhelming attitude in the particulars of their food, given how unique the food is at Pok Pok.  The waitress was definitely nice and not rude at all but when I expressed interest the drinking vinegars her tone was like, yeah, haha, some people like those--they're just kind of like these syrups...yeah...  And when another waitress/food runner delivered the Khao Soi, she defined the sides (pickled mustard greens, shallots, cilantro, chili paste, lime) and when I asked if I was supposed to mix these in with the noodles, her answer was sort of shruggish, yeah...if you like.  We decided to mix them in and the sides added a great fresh pop to the noodles.  Now is that so hard?

Overall, I recommend it -- the drinks and dishes are wonderfully unique and refreshing.  Looking forward to trying other flavors of those drinking vinegars!

Mother's day

For a Mother's Day dinner out (that wasn't on Mother's Day), Paul and Velina took me to Burger Tavern 77. They've eaten here before and they really loved it.  And since they featured veggie burgers and cocktails, I was certainly game to try the place.

They featured beer cocktails, so I tried their Bear-varian (Glenfiddich Scotch, Barenjager honey liqueur, and lemon juice topped with Shock Top Wheat Beer):

It was a cocktail that I realized a little too late would have really benefited from a bit more stirring--either that or the honey liqueur really sinks to the bottom.

I had the Long Beach which featured their vegan black bean and corn patty, avocado, and balsamic vinaigrette.  The patty itself was tasty alternative to the usual Boca or Morningstar patties I get at the grocery store--unfortunately, they were a bit stingy with the avocado and vinaigrette--I only enjoyed the full combo for a few bites.  Their Jo Jo fries are excellent--thin and crispy.

Paul enjoyed the Devine Chicken Burger:

And Velina enjoyed the brisket burger with cheese:

Plus she enjoyed their SOB cheese sticks that feature tri-color tortillas breading:

Overall, the atmosphere has a very mellow tavern vibe, good burgers, and friendly staff--it's a good burger place that's perfect for happy hour. I'm sure Velina and Paul will enjoy coming here again when I'm away!

Umami

Last night, I had an amazing meal at Umamicatessen with some friends up in LA. Where to start? How about some cocktails?

I can't remember the beer on the right, but that's a Velvet Mule (Beluga vodka, Velvet Falernum, lime juice, ginger beer, Angostura bitters) on the left, and my Red Sapphire (Bombay Sapphire gin, St. Vincent raspberry syrup, Earl Grey tea syrup, maraschino, lemon juice, egg white) front and center. Tasty, tasty, tasty.

I had the Earth Burger: mushroom and edamame patty, white soy aioli, truffled ricotta cheese, cipollini onions, butter lettuce, and slow roasted tomato.  Gorgeous.

And by far, the BEST vegetarian burger I have ever had.  So, so satisfying, so hearty, kind of how I remembered what eating a good burger was like.

We shared the truffle cheese fries, which were excellent.  One of my friends even managed to get a side of Brainnaise (a mayo featuring pig brain) to dip into as well:

This Truffle Beet Salad.  Featuring truffled ricotta, smoked almonds, wild baby arugula, truffle dressing, and golden beets.  To die for.  What an incredible mix of flavors.

And for dessert--donuts!  Totally loved this one featuring tres leches, cajeta, and ceylon cinnamon:

And this one featuring meyer lemon curd, yogurt glaze, and freeze-dried blueberries:

I HIGHLY recommend eating at Umamicatessen if you're near downtown Los Angeles.  I cannot wait to eat here again!

Also, around the corner is a parking lot that Banksy improved with some of his art:

And this is me photobombing when a friend was trying to take a picture of it:

Upstate

Tonight my sister, cute nephew Augie, and I enjoyed a visit to Upstate, where she is hooked (HOOKED I say) on their fettuccine with fresh clams.  Pasta? Fresh clams?  I'm in.

We enjoyed their happy hour special which included our choice of 6 fresh oysters and a beer.  I'm more of cocktail girl myself but a cold beer can greatly enhance good food, especially seafood.  And when I do drink beer, I tend to go for wheat beers.  Upstate did not have any but the waiter steered me towards Captain's Kolsch, which was ice-cold and crisp--perfect for me and the oysters.  They had this fairly enormous list of choices from the East Coast and West Coast and frankly we kind of just picked ones from places we'd heard of, been to, or would like to visit.  They varied from briny to sweet but we enjoyed each one.  With Captain's Kolsch to spare, I'm pretty sure I could have done another plate.

See that toy car in the background?

My sister: (sighs) The battery's dying.
Me: All these adults here are going to be so bummed to hear that.

Augie: (too busy adorably reading a board book anyway)

The fettuccine arrived shortly after:

Yes--it tasted as good as it looked.  The clams were cooked just tender, the garlic cooked with presence but not overwhelming, tender noodles, and a sauce that I want to say was rich without being creamy and heavy. The first thing I remembered thinking was that I wouldn't be able to finish such a big bowl.  The next thing I remembered was staring at an empty bowl.

And what I consider a classy and brilliant move by smart restaurants--automatic dessert.  I love it when there is just one dessert and it's done so well, like this whiskey cake made by the owner's wife:

So good. It was just the perfect sweet ending to this superb meal. I hope the next time I go back to New York, my sister wants to eat there again.

Mermaid Inn - Lobsterpalooza

I hit the Mermaid Inn with my sister, BIL, and nephew, right after catching some of the March Madness games on TV. One game went really well, one didn't, but I'm still #2 in my group's brackets if you're wondering.

We managed to hit the Mermaid Inn while Happy Hour was still going on so we got some oysters and drinks. The BIL tried the Pork Slap pale ale and I enjoyed the "Dark and Stormier" cocktail  which featured Gosling's rum, Domaine de Canton (a ginger liquer), and ginger beer. 

I wish I had taken a picture of the oysters--they were the best part of the meal--so fresh, like I was enjoying them dockside.

We all went with the Lobsterpalooza which features a 1.5 pound lobster with potatoes and roasted corn cob.

I have to say this isn't the first time we've hit Lobsterpalooza, but this was probably the first time we were somewhat let down by it.  The lobster seemed a bit overcooked, as if it had been cooked earlier in the day and re-steamed right before it was served to us.  The shell was somewhat soggy (instead of the bright snap) as if boiled in water for a long time with the tail and body meat fairly tough, though the claw meat managed to be tender (at least in mine).  Given the last times we've really enjoyed Lobsterpalooza so we were somewhat disappointed to hit them on an off day.

The service is friendly and efficient--though this time, it was almost too efficient as a staff member cleared away the flat bread while we were still enjoying it post-lobster.  What didn't disappoint is their standard inclusive dessert--a mini tea cup of chocolate mousse with Fortune Teller fish.  Just the right size and sweetness to end the meal:

All in all, we'll probably hit the Maiden Inn again but we may stick to the oysters and cocktails next time.

Northern Spy Food Company

When visiting New York, I love eating out in the East Village. This morning we brunched at Northern Spy Food Company and it was awesome.

We started out with some drinks--I had the refreshing fuji-apple mimosa, where the apple was very subtle,  my BIL had their Bloody Mary, which was nice and spicy, and my sister had the lemon seltzer:

We started out with some biscuits and apple butter.  The substantial biscuits were tender and flaky and the apple butter was amazing.  I've had apple butter before but I'm guessing they make it fresh here because it was deliciously bright and flavorful:

I enjoyed the Kale Salad with two baked eggs.  The combination of the almonds and the cheeses with the kale was a wonderful savory balance to the richness of the eggs.

My sister enjoyed Polenta with eggs (which I loved as well) and my BIL had the Corned Beef Hash which was quite unlike the stuff I remembered as a kid that came in a can.  I should have taken pictures--it had hearty cubes of beef brisket with roasted potatoes.  my BIL was very impressed.

This little guy had his own food but the staff was kind enough to cut him an apple as well:

Which I have to say, the staff charmed the adults as well. The service was great, friendly, and aimed to please--from the hostess who got us our table to the waiters to the friendly kitchen staff that waved hello to my cute nephew. I'm pretty sure we'd all love to come here again.