Milk

Milk makes their own chocolate ice cream sandwiches. Or get a hand-dipped Nutty Buddy, chocolate-dipped mint ice cream bon bon, or a freshly made cookie. Milk is amazingly delicious and I'm glad I don't live any closer to it.

Milk
7290 Beverly Blvd
(323) 939-6455

Cafe Tropical

The guava and cheese pies here are legendary in some circles and deservedly so: the crust is flaky and guava jam balances the cream cheese filling just so. For a dessert it's not overly sweet and is the perfect accompaniment to a steaming cup of fresh cafe con leche. The Cuban sandwich is filled with ham, lomo (roasted pork), melted swiss and a thin slice of pickle, all hot-pressed till flat between two pieces of crusty bread. Stop by on a sunny weekend afternoon, grab an outdoor table and watch the Silver Lake musician types stroll in to start their day.

Cafe Tropical
2900 W Sunset Blvd
Silver Lake
(323) 661-8391

Elite Restaurant

Following my trip to Vietnam I was really craving a bite of seafood wrapped in a rice flour so I headed out to Elite again to sample some of the dumplings that I'd missed last time. I was in luck on this trip and got to try the wonderful red clam and shark fin dumplings that they had run out of on my last visit. Aside from these, shrimp hargow was another favorite dish as were the rich slices of roasted pork belly. Nicole and I both agreed that we'd pass next time on the roast duck. I might prefer the sense of discovery that comes with the passing steam carts at some of the larger dim sum houses, but it's the food at Elite that will keep me coming back.

Elite Restaurant
700 S. Atlantic Blvd
Monterey Park
(626) 282-9998

Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea

How it took a coffee house from Chicago to see the huge potential for a cafe at Sunset Junction I do not know, but it's our gain. Open just a week (since last Friday), Intelligentsia was already doing a booming business yesterday afternoon. Cafe tables spill out of the front door onto the sidewalks of Sunset, all the better to sit and watch people (and their dogs) sauntering by. Intelligentsia has been voted best coffee in Chicago and you can tell they take it seriously. My cappuccino was as smooth as they come.



3922 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles

Yuca's on Hollywood

The new Yuca's is all that you loved about the old location minus having to stand in a liquor store parking lot to place your order. Dora took over the old Casa Diaz space--conveniently located across from American Apparel so you can pop over to buy some red tighty-whities while you wait--and is gradually introducing the tried-and-true Yuca's menu to former Casa Diaz patrons. She's onto something as each time I've been since she opened a few months back, the line gets just a bit longer.

Aside from the improved seating possibilities, those of you who can't make it up to the old Yuca's on Hillhurst before they close around 6 may now have a shot at eating some of their delicious food as they're open till 8-ish at the new location. (And they might even be open later than that on some nights.)

As for la comida, it was as good as ever. I had my regular cochinita pibil burrito (though I must be sure to request that they not pile in rice next time, something they do not typically do at the Hillhurst location.) MJL had the scrambled eggs in mole which he also enjoyed (though alas, it does not photograph well). For the public transportation-minded, it's a quick walk up from the Sunset/Vermont Red Line station.

Yuca's
4666 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles (Los Feliz)

Clifton's Cafeteria

A lot has changed in LA's downtown since Clifton's opened near the corner of Broadway and 7th St seventy years ago. The same stretch of pre-WWII movie houses are still standing, but in various states of repair. I'm pretty sure the Mexican apothecary shop next door is new to the area, give or take 20 years. What hasn't changed is the chance to get a full meal of so-retro-it's-cool-again classics as mac & cheese (no shaved black truffles here), creamed corn or stuffed peppers. This restaurant is a relic in more ways than one. Once a small chain or restaurants which were each individually and exotically decorated (the last one that closed had a South Seas theme), this particular location is done up as a High Sierras/National Park lodge including various stuffed moose, deer and pheasants as well fir trees and a waterfall or two. In fact, Smokey the Bear himself might feel right at home if he didn't mind eating off of a tray. The food is more of a walk down nostalgia lane than a gustatory experience (I was particularly excited to see that they serve Texas Toast) but I highly recommend it if you're ever downtown and looking for a uniquely LA diversion. Clifton's is something of a treasure.

Clifton's Cafeteria
648 South Broadway
Los Angeles
213.627.1673

Larkin's

Located in a ramshackle Craftsman cottage on Colorado Boulevard, Larkin's has found in its location what must be the perfect expression of its Southern, soul food-inspired menu. Fried catfish, an heirloom tomato salad with fried okra, a hot skillet of creamy mac and cheese, spicy jambalaya, sauted collard greens, mashed potatoes and gravy--all the hits are here, expertly done. For now it's BYOB (the excellent Colorado Wine Company is just down the street) and the waiter will gladly uncork your bottle and pour into clever Mason jar glasses. Sure you're within a stone's throw of the 210 Freeway, but pausing for a moment after dinner on Larkin's front porch you can almost hear the long chirp of cicadas and smell the sultry air of a Southern summer night.

Larkin's
1494 Colorado Blvd
Los Angeles (Eagle Rock)
(323) 254-0934

Frank

Admittedly, dining after 10 pm is much easier to do in New York than it is in LA. Still, one doesn't want to eat just anywhere. So when trying to think of a place to go for a late dinner, somewhere lively but where I could sit alone, my thoughts turned to Frank. I grabbed a stool at the open window by the bar which perfectly framed the street scene of al fresco diners and Second Avenue passers-by. A huge arugula salad with goat cheese and a glass of chilled Rosa Giulia from Puglia made a nice starter. Rigatoni al Ragu this night was inexplicably served as rigatoni with links of Italian sausage. Refills of wine were slow to come and I had to ask repeatedly for water. Still, I get the impression that the crowd at Frank (and it was a crowd, even at this late hour) come for reasons not entirely related to the food. I'd go back for the same.

Frank Restaurant and Vera Bar
88 Second Ave (between 5th and 6th)
New York
(212) 420-0202

Osteria al Doge

Short of a trip to Venice, Osteria al Doge offers a pretty good introduction to Venetian cuisine. As you might expect from a city that built its riches as the center of a seafaring empire, dishes such as grilled branzino (seabass), cozze al vino bianco (mussles in white wine) and carpaccio di tonno (thinly sliced yellowfin) have a prominent place here. So too do classic dishes like fegato alla Veneziana, stir-fried calves liver with browned onions and red wine vinegar, that provide a hint of the tastes that might have been inspired by a Venetian mariner's contact with the salty/sweet/sour dishes of the Far East. Start off with simple Venetian fare such as a soup of pasta e fagioli or fill your plate from a selection of grilled vegetable antipasti that are on display next to the bar. Polipo al carbone, grilled imported octopus with oven-roasted tomatoes and black olives, is a standout as an antipasta, and tagliolini alla chitarra, homemade pasta with veal and wild mushroom ragu, is rich and satisfying enough to sustain me on a 7-hour plane ride back to Los Angeles. (Damn you and your delays, John F. Kennedy airport!)

Osteria al Doge
142 W 44th St (bet B'way and 6th Ave)
New York
(212) 944-DOGE (3643)

Langer's Deli

Situated on a corner of MacArthur Park for the past 60 years and skipping distance from the Red Line subway stop of the same name, Langer's is legendary on both coasts for its pastrami (and has a James Beard award to prove it). Succulent and juicy, Langer's pastrami is piled on fresh, crusty rye bread and served with mustard and two fresh deli-style dill pickles. It's positively the best I've ever had. A cup of homemade chicken noodle soup down and I'm back to Hollywood on the train in 15 minutes flat.

Langer's Delicatessen
704 S Alvarado St
(213) 483-8050

Meals by Genet

It's hard to count the number of Ethiopian restaurants in the stretch of Fairfax just south of Olympic, but as exotically named as they all are, Meals by Genet still always sounded to me like the most curious. Having nothing whatsoever to do with the homosexual French tightrope-walker-loving poet, it turns out that in Ethiopia "Genet" is pronounced like "granite" and is a common woman's name (and in this case, that of the smiling chef-owner). While we did have to wait awhile for a table to be cleared for us, once we were seated service couldn't have been more attentive, starting with our waiter who flamboyantly draped clean cloth napkins across our laps and counseled us on ordering the right combination of food for our party of 7. We ended up with two large trays of mostly vegetarian options as well as grilled marinated steak and dorowot, the famous Ethiopian stewed chicken in a red pepper and butter sauce. In addition to the heaps of vegetables which included several types of lentils, collard greens and some salad, we went through several plates of folded injera, the thin, spongy bread with which you grab and eat most everything. At our waiter's suggestion, we also ordered bottles of Harar, the wheaty Ethiopian beer which perfectly complemented the subtle spice of the food. Ethiopia was once part of the mighty Italian Colonial Empire so there are a few pastas on the menu as well. But with food this good, I recommend sticking to the traditional East African items and saving the fall-back menu as a consideration the next time you're out for Albanian (or perhaps Libyan) food.

Meals by Genet
1053 S Fairfax Ave
Los Angeles
(323) 938-9304
closed Monday and Tuesday

Hong Kong Deli

The first time I ate in the nearly empty Hong Kong Deli, I did so thinking I was ignoring my better judgment. Usually a restaurant without patrons is empty for a reason. Maybe it was the dim lighting, so rare for a Chinese restaurant, or maybe the convenient location on Cahuenga Boulevard almost next door to the Hotel Cafe that has kept me coming back. On a recent visit, a large bowl of wonton soup was enough for three of us to share, the fragrant, clear chicken broth and savory wontons a perfect starter course. Kung Pao beef (pictured) wouldn't have been a selection I would have normally chosen but was my favorite on a recent night. The beef was lean and tender, in a spicy sauce with the crunchy peanuts I love. Chicken with broccoli was a hit. Even the sushi which my independent-minded friend Mary insisted on ordering seemed to be first rate. (I admit, I've had the hankering and ordered it before too.) Hong Kong Deli must surely be doing a booming business in take-out or delivery since there are still rarely more than a few tables full of people. But for no-frills American-Chinese standards (and the occasional piece of albacore), it really can't be beat.

Hong Kong Deli
1643 N Cahuenga Blvd
(323) 957-1998

La Taquiza

Confused as to why the Natural History Museum was dark and empty last Friday night when we were looking for a DJ and the Deerhoof show, (apparently they call it First Fridays for a reason; the next event is June 1st), that provided just the opportunity to stop by for a taco or two at an old haunt from my days at USC. Tortillas are patted out fresh by hand and a spit of meat roasts as you order at the counter. We sampled al pastor, grilled shrimp as well as fish tacos. All were great but tasted even better slathered in fresh avacado salsa that you can help yourself to at the bar. La Taquiza may be one of the brighter spot on the culinary map around USC but it's not all that shines on Figueroa--be sure to check out the fantastic Felix the Cat neon sign for the old Chevy dealer across the street, it's something of a local landmark.

La Taquiza
3026 S Figueroa St
Los Angeles
(213) 747-4849

Momofuku Noodle Bar

So it's raining and cold, you're starving, and you've already been waiting half an hour for seats together to open up at Momofuku. Do you continue to press your face against the window or rush straight into the Italian pastry shop on the same corner and gorge on gelato and biscotti? Luckily our patience eventually pays off and we figured out why Momofuku is worth the wait. Marinated baby octopi, tender little things, started us off. I'm generally not a fan of octopus but these were as delicious as any I've ever had. The Momofuku Ramen is served in a huge bowl with a fragrant broth topped off with slices of roasted Berkshire pork belly, shredded pork, fresh English peas, chopped scallions and a soft-poached egg. It's rich and satisfying this night. The chocolate and pistachio gelato next door turned out to be worth the wait too, and a perfect way to top off our meal.

Momofuku
163 1st Ave
New York
(212) 475-7899

Elite Restaurant

Yes, the dim sum at Elite Restaurant is as good as they say. We even saw Jonathan Gold himself there today, photographer and kids in tow. (Will he follow S.Irene's lead on this one and write it up in next week's LA Weekly? Stay tuned.) We were also lucky enough to end up sitting next to a friendly fellow who insisted that we order the savory pancakes. Excellent choice as it turns out, and as the bustling new restaurant's owner, he should know. In fact, everything (minus the hour and a half wait for a table) was excellent--the shrimp har gow, the Macau roasted pork, the buttery and delicate baked scallop dumplings, even the sea cucumber and bamboo pith dim sum. By the time we were seated close to 2:30, the kitchen was out of the famouse shark fin and red clam dumplings which greatly disappointed some at our table. But on a positive note, it's all the more reason to return for dim sum at Elite another day.

Elite Restaurant
700 S. Atlantic Blvd
Monterey Park
(626) 282-9998

Yuca's

Saturday is tamale day at Yuca's, as if you needed another reason to stand in the parking lot of a liquor store on Hillhurst waiting for your lunch to be handed to you wrapped in tinfoil and served in a brown paper bag. Having recently sampled the cochinita pibil at Loteria Grill and Chitzen Itza, I confirmed what I had been thinking all along--Yuca's does it best. Of course everyone knows this by now (they won a James Beard award a few years ago for gosh sakes), but sometimes it's nice to have a reminder, especially with a fresh hot cochinita pibil burrito (no beans please). Dora was nowhere to be seen on this particular Saturday afternoon visit. When asked where she was, Socorro said she's been so busy, preparing as they are to appear on the Oprah show on Monday. Set your Tivo, Oprah is coming to Los Feliz.

Yuca's
2056 Hillhurst Ave.
Los Feliz
(323) 662-1214

The Oinkster

In deference to Pulitzer Prize-winning Jonathan Gold, I just had to check out his recommendation last week for The Oinkster. It didn't hurt that the new-ish Colorado Blvd restaurant specializes in slow roasted pulled-pork barbeque and Belgian-style fries and is about 10 minutes from my house. Eastern North Carolina is generally considered the home of pork barbeque in the U.S. and I've eaten my fill of it on summer trips to see family back East. (We typically froze several pounds of it to fly it back with us to our home in Texas where the word barbeque is synonymous with beef.) Oinkster's pork sandwich was absolutely delicious, but didn't exactly remind me of those NC pulled-pork sandwiches of my youth. NC-style sauce is typically redolent of vinegar and black pepper, neither of which was particularly in evidence in the squirt bottles at Oinkster. I thought the meat lacked some of the charred, smoky character that you find at Parker's in Wilson or family favorite King's BBQ (pronounced bah-be-que) up I-95 in Petersburg VA. Come to think of it, Oinkster's has more in common with a simple but fantastic sandwich I had at a stand next to the Borough Market in London a few years back, pulled and assembled fresh for me off a whole roasted pig right there off the street. At any rate, Oinkster is showing a lot of love for the food they serve and that's a huge plus in my book. Both the pork and the crispy Belgian fries were delicious and the scene is very Eagle Rock-hipster-goes-out-for-a-cheap-dinner. (My order with a drink was about $11.) Can't wait to go back.

The Oinkster
2005 Colorado Blvd
Eagle Rock
323-255-oink

Supper

Supper is the type of low-key Italian spot that any neighborhood would love to call its own. Since this particular neighborhood happens to be the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the denizens here are of a particular sort--youngish, a foreign accent here, a tattoo there, hooded sweatshirts all around. There isn't a bad table in the place, even the communal dining table where we sat just inside the door, since proximity to the hip crowd is all part of the fun. (A few tables spill out onto the sidewalk or you can sit inside, or in back or even down a tiny flight of stairs in the basement.) A starter of bruschetta with white beans and pancetta was salty and delicious. I had a special of the night, spaghetti in a tomato and prosciutto sauce, while David tried a tagliatelle with fresh porcini mushrooms. For dessert a hazlenut panna cotta with chocolate sauce was just the ticket. (Thanks to New York magazine for the pic; it was too dark for me to take one.)

Supper Restaurant
156 E 2nd St
New York
212 477-0823

Triumphal Palace

I'd worried that without roving steam carts the sense of discovery at a dim sum house just wouldn't be the same. But along with that sense of discovery can come the stress of getting the attention of the servers only to find they're pushing along yet another selection of chicken feet or various cartilagineous balls not meant for Western palates. In the end, you settle on another order of pork shiu-mai just to sate your hunger and dream of a restaurant with menus.

After finally making it out to Triumphal Palace yesterday, I'm that much more in the menu camp as far as dim sum is concerned. After lingering over the English-language menu while sipping our hot tea, my friend David and I made our selections then sat back and waited for the orders to appear. The kitchen started us with the amazing, crispy-skinned and succulent braised pork belly, then followed shortly thereafter with the shrimp dumplings with pea shoots, triangular chiu-chow style dumplings (stuffed with vegetables and seafood), shrimp har gow, bbq pork bao and the simple but satisfying wide shrimp rice noodles doused with soy sauce that I just love. Lightly golden fried crab cakes have no place on a steam cart at all and here they were perfect, served with pieces of sliced fresh papaya and mango. We waited at least a half an hour for a table when we arrived around noon but by 2 when we left the crowd had diminished considerably. Good to remember for next time since Triumphal Palace is open for dim sum daily till 3.

Triumphal Palace
500 W Main St
Alhambra
626 308-3222

Pasta with fresh fava bean sauce

Fresh fava beans can be quite the challenge to prepare but I try to take advantage of their availability in the local farmers' markets at least once each spring. Tonight I spent a few hours shelling them and then found a recipe for a fresh fava bean pasta sauce that seemed like a great way to use them. I don't really know exact measurements on this one so use it as inspiration if you're going to try the same dish. (I adapted this from a recipe I found on napastyle.com so take a look at that too.)

2 cups or more of fresh fava beans, shelled
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 tsp of dried oregano
olive oil
2 cups chicken stock
pasta of your choice
freshly grated pecorino
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 of a preserved lemon (optional), diced

Remove the fresh fava beans from their pods. In the meantime, put a pot of salted water on to boil. Blanch the favas for about a minute and then remove to a bowl of cool water. Drain. Use your finger to remove the outer membrane from each bean and set them aside.

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan and cook the garlic on low heat until it just starts to brown. Add the oregano, the chicken stock, preserved lemon and all but about a 1/2 cup of the favas. Cook for a few minutes, then remove the mixture to a blender or food processor to puree. Return the fava bean puree to the saute pan.

Boil water for the pasta. Cook pasta until within a few minutes of being al dente. Add cooked pasta back into the saute pan with the fava bean puree. Add enough water from the pot to continue cooking the pasta and stir to completely coat pasta with fresh fava sauce. When done, add the rest of the whole fava beans and generously grate pecorino over the pasta. Season with salt and pepper to taste, drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and serve.

Fettucine alla Carbonara

1 lb fettucine or spaghetti
6 oz pancetta, diced
1 shallot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
4 egg yolks
grated fresh parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Boil salted water and begin cooking the pasta.

Whisk the egg yolks together in a small bowl and set aside.

Saute the pancetta until crisp and then remove to a small plate. Add olive oil to the pan and saute the garlic and shallots. Add the wine and deglaze the pan. Reduce the liquid by half, then return the cooked pancetta back to the pan.

With a few minutes to go before the pasta is al dente, remove it to the pan with the pancetta, garlic and onion. Add enough boiling water from the pot to continue cooking the pasta. Once the pasta is cooked, remove it from the heat into a large bowl. Toss in the egg yolks and parmesan until the pasta is well coated. The eggs will cook quickly from the heat of the pasta and create a thick sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Los Balcones del Peru

I realize I'm not breaking any new ground here as Los Balcones del Peru has been written about by just about everyone by now, but even still, it's walking distance from my office so I tend to end up eating there fairly often and it does deserve a mention here.

Even before I order I find I've eaten practically a whole basket of the warm, crusty bread our waiter brings to the table topped with the tangy, hot aji (Peruvian chili pepper) sauce that's served in a bowl on the side. The menu leads with about half a dozen ceviches and though many find the camarones a la piedra (a warm dish of shrimp in a vibrant yellow aji sauce) to be the most interesting, maybe I need to ask the kitchen to crank up the picante next time as I always find this dish to be colorful and beautifully presented but a bit bland. I absolutely love their basic ceviche de pescado, however. In this ceviche, chunks of firm white fish are marinated in lime and hot pepper and are served with wedges of boiled white and sweet potato and garnished with shredded red onion and ears of the freakishly large Peruvian corn. It's refreshing and delicious, just the way I like my ceviche, and begs to be washed down with a cold cerveza. Maybe next time I'm on my way to a movie at the ArcLight, I'll stop in for dinner and do just that.

Los Balcones Del Peru
1360 Vine St (south of Sunset)
Hollywood
(323) 871-9600

Bruschetta with Peas and Pancetta

I bought some fresh English peas at the Farmer's Market and made a quick appetizer by sauteing them with a little butter, olive oil and some onion and pancetta. I served them on some crusty bread that I toasted in olive oil.

Grilled Halibut with Preserved Lemon

I grilled some fresh halibut and sliced up some of the preserved Meyer lemons I made in January to top off the fish. I drizzled with a bit of extra virgin olive oil to top it off. Simple.

I'll post the recipe for preserved lemons soon too. It's easy and a good way to use up lemons if you're lucky enough to have your own lemon tree.

Crostata di Visciola

This is a pretty simple dessert but looks really impressive when it's done and tastes great.

Pastry

2 1/2 cups flour
5 tbsps butter
5 tbsps shortening
2/3 cups sugar
3 egg yolks
grated zest from 1 lemon
pinch of salt

1 1/3 cups of black cherry jam (or the jam of your choice)
1 egg, beaten
confectioner's sugar (if desired)

Pastry crust: Sift flour into a bowl, rub or cut the butter and shortening into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the remaining ingredients and knead quickly to a dough. Add more butter or shortening if needed. Work it as little as possible and form into a disk. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Break off three quarters of the dough, roll it out thinly on a floured surface and then gently lift it into a 9-inch tart pan. It doesn't matter if the dough fall apart as you can just reform it in the pan. Roll out the remaining dough into 1/2 inch wide strips enough to create a lattice on the tart.

Fill the dough with jam and cover with the strips, arranged in a lattice pattern. Brush the strips with the beaten egg. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden.

Chichen Itza

When starting a new relationship, it can be tempting to want to change a few things about a new boyfriend (or boyfriends, as the case may be) at first. Is he calling too often or not often enough? Maybe you don't quite approve of his choice in underwear? Such is the case with Chichen Itza, a restaurant we like a lot, but one that could do a few things differently if it really wanted to please us. A full liquor license so I could order a margarita would be a good place to start, though no doubt Chichen Itza would love to have that license too. Beer (Dos X, Modelo Especial, Corona, etc.) will have to do for now and worked just fine with the sampler antojito plate and multiple baskets of chips with black bean sauce and pico de gallo we consumed. Our waiter was extremely helpful in helping us pick from among the wide selection of Yucatan-style entrees. The table favorite was the Cochinita Pibil, the traditional Yucatan dish of slow-roasted pork marinated in achiote and bitter orange juice, wrapped in banana leaves. Pollo pibil (pictured) was also tender and delicious, as was the Tikin-Xic, sauteed sole prepared with the same achiote and orange juice marinade. Perhaps you need to be from Wisconsin to appreciate the Queso Relleno, a hollowed-out ball of fried cheese filled with ground pork, raisins and spices that itself is sliced and served over more pork. Pork anyone? This was the only dish left partially uneaten (and unshared) on the table. All the dishes were well prepared and the ingredients impecably fresh. I guess we'd just like it if Chichen Itza, could, well, lighten up a bit, maybe not take itself so seriously, you know? While I realize they're not trying to appeal to the same local MacArthur Park crowd that may eat at the many pupusa joints in the area for a fraction of the price, the formal aspiriations of Chichen Itza mean that it's not a place I'm likely to go on a regular basis, even though there are other dishes I'd love to try on the menu (in particular the appetizer of Chile Xcatic Relleno de Atun, chiles stuffed with fresh albacore tuna). All in all Chichen Itza is one of those that looks great on paper, but we're just not sure is going to end up as more than a friend. But we're open to hanging out again, and we'll just see how it goes from there.

Chichen Itza
2501 W 6th St
Los Angeles CA
213 380-0051

Rigatoni all'Amatriciana

This is an easy recipe and one I decided to make today since I didn't feel like going to the store and happened to have all the necessary ingredients on hand. Of course you could make this with spaghetti or whatever pasta you want.

1 1/2 pounds rigatoni (I used half a box of Latini brand rigatoni)
2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, diced
5 ounces pancetta, diced
1/2 cup dry white wine
28 oz can tomatoes, seeded (I used San Marzanos)
salt & pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino

Heat the oil and saute the shallots over a very low heat until soft. Add the pancetta and fry it for a few minutes. Pour in the white wine and continue cooking until it evaporates a little. Add the tomatoes to the pan and roughly chop up using the back of a spoon or a potato masher. Season with a little salt and pepper and cook down on low heat for no more than 15 minutes.

Separately, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the rigatoni until within a few minutes of being al dente. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pasta out of the boiling water and add it to the sauce. Add a small amount of the pasta water and continue cooking on low heat until the sauce and pasta are properly married and the rigatoni is done cooking. Sprinkle with the fresh pecorino and serve.

Red Pearl Kitchen

A boccini-toss away from Mozza and a block down from the live/work lofts that housed those hopeful contestants of Bravo's Top Design, Red Pearl Kitchen has transformed the former Meson G into a space that's lively and theatrical, where dangling paper lanterns, reclining buddhas, glossy portraits of Mao and a lively young crowd all bask in a dim, bordello-red glow. There's even a Gong Li DVD playing in the men's room. The food is also beautifully presented. Steamed shrimp dumplings (standard dim sum fare) are served in a bamboo basket with what I think was a chili and ginger-infused soy sauce on the side. The crispy, thimble-sized crab-pork spring rolls were a hit at the table too, though not my favorite. The black noodles with drunken beef and gai lan (Chinese broccoli) was rich and delicious. Udon with bacon, fried egg and smoky miso is a Asian-fusion take on the classic Roman spaghetti alla carbonara. Stir-fried shaking Kobe beef with papaya and mint packs some heat. I loved the salt and pepper shrimp and the green curry chicken satay that topped us off. Our server, Allison, was attentive and helpful. With a separate bar scene and DJ in the back corner of the restaurant it's no surprise the place was packed on a Friday night and the best reservation we could get when calling earlier that afternoon was for 9 pm.

Red Pearl Kitchen
6703 Melrose Ave
323 525 1415

Palms Thai

A dozen wooden Siamese cats peer down at you from along the ceiling while waiters with headsets scurry between tables refilling water glasses and barking commands into their mouthpieces like some sort of restaurant Secret Service. The noise, the crowded tables, the Singha malt liquor going to your head and now, on stage, Thai Elvis is giving you "Fever". True, Palms Thai is no place to go for a quiet meal, but if you're looking for fast, reliable and inexpensive, it's hard to beat. While I've never tried the frogs legs or boar curry, just a couple of the more exotic delicacies they offer, I'm a huge fan of their pad kee mao, the wide, pan-fried rice noodles, served with either chicken or shrimp. Deep-fried trout with cashews and mango sauce is nice too, though I thought the fish was perhaps a bit dry under its flaky, golden crust. With a spicy bowl of tom yum gai to start (the lemongrass, chili and kaffir lime leaf-scented chicken soup with fresh straw mushrooms that Buds and I both love), we were all set to sit back and enjoy Kevin belt out one hit tune after the other. With special thanks to Miss Peggy Lee, what a lovely way to burn indeed.

Palms Thai
5900 Hollywood Blvd (at Bronson Ave)
Hollywood
323 462-5073

Seafood soup

Continuing the fish stock theme, I made up a seafood soup recipe last week that I really liked. It goes a little something like this:

1 carrot, diced
1 onion, diced
6 tomatoes, seeded (I used canned San Marzanos)
1 small red pepper, diced, some seeds removed (I used a Fresno)
1/2 pound monk fish (or any firm white fish), cut into bite-sized pieces
some fresh clams
some fresh shrimp, cleaned and deveined
1 qt fish stock (see below)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
fresh shredded basil
fresh parsley, finely chopped
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a deep sauce pan. Add the onion, red pepper and carrots and saute until soft. Add the tomatoes, thyme and oregano and any tomato sauce from the can and cook down for about five minutes. Pour in the fish stock and bring to a boil. Return to a simmer for 20-30 minutes. Add the fish to the broth and cook gently for a few minutes; add the shrimp and clams and cook until the clams open up. (Be sure not to let the fish boil or it will turn tough.) Stir in the parsley and basil. Serve the soup with fresh croutons on the side.

India Sweets & Spices, Atwater Village

One of my favorite places to go within walking distance of my house, India Sweets & Spices offers a vegetarian Indian buffet with Northern and Southern specialties. Typically there are a few vegetable standbys like daal (lentils) and choley (chickpeas) along with specials like squash, eggplant or spinach in some combination or other. Order a combination plate and you'll get your choice of two vegetables, basmati rice, raita, plus a potato samosa, papadam, paratha, some firey hot pickles, and, depending on the combination you choose, a mango lassi to cut the heat. This will cost you six dollars. On other occasions I'll order a masala dosa, which eventually appears on the counter from the kitchen crisp and steaming hot and filled with buttery, spicy potato mixture. Yum.

I've actually never tried the sweets but they look good and the place is always filled with Indians so I assume the chefs know what they're doing. The giant Indian grocery store next door carries all sorts of Indian grocery staples including a nice selection of Cadbury and other British-brand chocolates and confections made for the Indian market. As an added bonus, odds are extremely good that you'll get to enjoy a rousing Bollywood musical on the enourmous flat screen TV in the brightly lit dining room while you eat. And who knows, the smiles on the beaming Indian actors faces may just match your own as you stumble back out onto Los Feliz Blvd delirious on all that ghee.

India Sweets & Spices
3126 Los Feliz Blvd
323 345-0360

Grilled Seabass in Acqua Pazza

Acqua Pazza (crazy water) is a simple sauce of fresh tomato with chile pepper into which you can poach any firm white whole fish or fillet. When I learned this recipe in Italy, we used bream fillets and slipped them into the sauce to simmer until just cooked through. When I was shopping at Fish King I found some beautiful fresh seabass caught off the coast of Santa Barbara. Since these pieces of fish were thicker and better suited to grilling or pan-sauteing, I went that route. Buddy wanted to try the fish grilled, so that's what we did. Fresh tomatoes are out of season so I used some leftover canned San Marzano (Italian) ones which are great. I used a simple fish stock in my sauce so that it tasted of the sea and complemented the fish perfectly.

In my version, the fish and sauce never meet until they both show up on the plate, but the result was fantastic. Like all cooking, it's about starting with the best food you can find and improvising along the way.

1 pound seabass (two pieces)
5 tomatoes (peeled and seeded)
1 glove garlic, chopped
1 red chile pepper, diced
1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp dried oregano
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups fish or vegetable stock
salt to taste

Saute the garlic and chile pepper in the olive oil until the garlic is just softened but not brown. Add the tomatoes, oregano and stock and cook about 10 minutes. Mash up the tomatoes. When complete, turn off the heat and stir in the parsley.

Separately, set the grill on high. Salt the fish well with sea salt on all sides. Oil the grill and cook the fish with the cover down for about 4 minutes. Turn and cook for another 4 minutes. The fish should not be totally cooked through but will continue cooking as the sauce is completed.

Once the sauce is done, arrange fish on a plate and spoon over the Acqua Pazza sauce.

Fish stock

According to Julia Child, all that's required for a fish stock is to buy some fresh scraps and simmer them in lightly salted water for about half and hour. I'd never tried it so the other day while shopping for fish at Fish King in Glendale, I asked for a pound of fish heads and meaty skeletons. I covered the scraps until they were covered with about an inch of water then kept skimming the scum that rose to the top as it all boiled. After 30 minutes I removed the scraps to the trash and passed the liquid through a couple different strainers to remove any other little bits that remained. I used the fish stock in place of vegetable stock in an "Acqua Pazza" tomato sauce I cooked later that night for some grilled seabass.

Mao's Kitchen, Melrose and Venice

The space where the old Tommy Tang's used to be on Melrose has been reincarnated as Mao's Kitchen, a branch of Mao's first outpost in Venice. I'm always a bit skeptical about Chinese restaurants where not a single Chinese person is in evidence (I think our waiter was in Dogtown and Z-Boys) but Jon and Jason vouched for the place and I'm always up for a new find. They had already ordered a Chinese chicken salad in lettuce cups when I arrived. I don't know if this dish has ever been served on the Asian continent or if it was invented by P.F. Chang's but I dutifully filled my leaf of iceberg up with the diced, stir-fried chicken with bits of green beans and cleaned my plate, the lettuce included. The menu has Chinese restaurant favorites including both kung pao and orange chicken as well as some more exotic specialties like the typically Muslim Chinese lamb with leeks which I was happy to try. Aside from the lamb, we ordered a lo mein with chicken and a salt and pepper seafood. Jason thought the lamb was the best dish--thinly sliced and stir-fried with green leeks--and it was pretty delicious. But I thought everything was really good. The salt and pepper seafood was lightly battered, deep-fried pieces of shrimp and sole, not greasy at all. The lo mein noodles with chunks of white meat chicken provided a nice balance to the other dishes. The waiter and staff were all friendly and accomodating and talk about a cultural revolution, Mao's even has their own parking lot sans valet. They just opened in late January and don't seem to have a huge following yet as they were only moderately busy on a Friday night. But hopefully with time Mao's will catch on as LA could definitely use a decent Chinese restaurant this side of the SGV.

Mao's Kitchen
7315 Melrose Ave (west of La Brea at Fuller)
323.932.9681 (call for delivery)

Indochine Vien, Atwater Village

Don't do like I did and show up on a cold and rainy Monday night when the only thing you want to do is curl up with a hot bowl of pho and a blanket, because Indochine is closed on Mondays. Drat! But that's how we learn, isn't it? Go any other night and Indochine will serve you up a flavorful chicken or beef pho into which you can shred up pieces of fresh Thai basil or add bean sprouts (or not). Not juicy enough? Add some more fish or chile sauce. Need it to go? Indochine is prepared for you with styrofoam containers for the broth and separate plastic bags for the noodles and other accoutrements. Find a big bowl at home, combine it all together, and you're ready for a night of television, or a nice book, or whatever it is you do at home.

Indochine also makes a nice guoi cuon (spring roll) filled as it is with fresh steamed shrimp, rice noodles, chicken, lettuce and mint. They also make an amazing fresh lemonade or nuoc da chanh if you're inclined to order it in Vietnamese. The atmosphere is very low key, clean and modern, a perfect stop on the way home or no-hassle spot to grab a quick dinner with a friend. They even have a few spots at the counter for solo diners.

Indochine Vien
3110 Glendale Boulevard
Atwater Village
(323) 667-9591

Oomasa, Little Tokyo

Was it all that feminist art that was making me so hungry for sushi at 10:45 on a Saturday night? What luck to stumble upon Oomasa just off of 1st Street in the outdoor Japanese Village Plaza Mall as it's open till midnight on Saturday. There was a mob of other MOCA opening patrons in the entryway all waiting with a plastic number for the next available wooden booth. All the more reason for Mark and I to grab two open seats at the sushi bar. Hamachi was of the melt-in-your-mouth variety; toro also excellent but a bit more firm; my ikura sushi was also top rate, the nori wrapper crisp and the salmon eggs briny and fresh as they popped in my mouth. Mark enjoyed his sweet shrimp sushi but found the standard presentation of their crispy deep-fried heads off-putting and superfluous. I took a bite anyway. Service from our Japanese sushi chef was friendly and efficient. Oomasa is a definite find, very reasonably priced, and as such may end up as one of my stand-by spots for a sushi fix.

Oomasa Restaurant
100 Japanese Village Plz Mall (corner of E 1st St and S Central Ave)
Little Tokyo
(213) 972-9640

Mozza Pizzeria, Hollywood

After the Robert Wilson opening at the ACE Gallery, Chris, Mark, Dave and I dared to show up at Mozza without a reservation at 9:30 on a Friday. Having been told on the phone that the wait for a table would be about an hour, we decided that we had nothing better to do anyway and would be content drinking prosecco at the bar until a table was ready. Lucky for us, our determination paid off in about five minutes as the hostess gave us the smile and nod and lead us through the lively dining room to our table. I was just back from Rome and really dying for some excellent pizza, and a little bit ready to be disappointed by all the Mozza hype. I ordered an anchovy pizza and Chris took one with sausage/fennel and we agreed to share. It turned out to be a great combination. The Mozza crust is thin, slightly chewy with just a bit of bite and crunch. It was superb and better than any I had in Rome. The tiny anchovies on my pizza were lightly marinated in vinegar, brushed with fresh lemon juice, and burst with flavor on the crispy tomato-sauced crust. The sausage and fennel was hearty and savory. We all split an order of the butterscotch pudding, amazing with its sweetness balanced with just a faint amount of fleur de sel, a salted Brittany caramel piece in dessert form. I think we drank an entire bottle of prosecco and then Mark topped us off with a glass each of moscato. I've eaten at Mario Batali's Otto in New York a few times and thought the pizza was fine but that the experience was all about the appetizers and wine. In Mozza he and Nancy Silverton bring it all together in a fun space with the best quality food, excellent service and a fairly reasonable menu. If you can get a table.

Mozza Pizzeria
641 N Highland Ave (at Melrose)
323 297-0101

Pho Cafe, Silver Lake

A bright beacon of glass and light is drawing you near in an otherwise darkened strip mall, Pho Cafe is pulling you in from the street, you're a firefly heading for the white light of 2841 and now you're inside and seated in an orange plastic chair under a 200 watt lamp and looking over the simple yet smartly designed menu. What to order? There are vegetarian options if you're so inclined but pho ga, or chicken pho, seems a good bet and turns out to be very good bet, even better when some fresh basil is shredded into the broth and jalepeno slices are dropped in to give it all some kick. Spring Rolls #3 are filled with lemon grass-grilled beef, shrimp and vermicelli rice noodles and are accompanied by peanut and nuac mam dipping sauces which are both extremely satisfying in that umami-flavored way they have. While it's a freshly made lemonade for me this night, Pho Cafe does have quite a nice selection of Asian beers including several I've not seen before. The people watching is fantastic and the crowd may all work down the street at the Echo Park American Apparel for all I know. It's just that kind of scene.

Pho Cafe
2841 W Sunset Blvd (at Silver Lake Blvd)
Silver Lake
213 413-0888

Les Halles, New York

I'd had cassoulet on my mind lately what with the cold weather and all in LA so when the NY Times mentioned a few places that have it on the menu this season in New York I thought that seeking one of them out would give me some small sense of purpose while on business there last Monday night. So I made my way down to Les Halles, not thinking at first that this was Tony Bourdain's restaurant (or was at one time. I wonder if he's still cooking or if writing best selling books while traveling the world for his cable TV shows has taken over his life? Sounds pretty good to me actually.) At any rate, my friend Rika and I ordered a platter of charcuterie including a mound of rillettes and pâté which I devoured on the crusty bread. Speaking of herring with potatoes, this is what I'm talking about--deliciously oily and smokey herring fillets surrounded with sliced boiled potatoes. Finally, my cassoulet was perfect--white beans slow cooked with pork sausage and confit of duck leg. Zut alors this was good. A couple of glasses each of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and we stumbled back out onto Park Ave into the freezing night just as snowflakes were starting to fall. Not bad for a Monday night at all.

Les Halles
411 Park Ave S
New York, NY
212 679-4111

Wilson, Culver City

Last weekend after stopping off at the new Anderson & Low opening at David Gallery (formerly Apex on La Brea), Jon, Jason and I had dinner at the newly opened Wilson. (I secured a reservation after finishing some shopping at Surfa's earlier that evening and they were turning away people at the door when we arrived for our 8:30 seating. So best to call ahead.) The menu is divided into FoodBar, From the Garden and Entrees. (The restaurant does have about 8 seats at the bar for walk-ins.) We settled on a warm potato/herring salad and special roasted pork belly appetizer which was unctuous and amazing. (I do prefer a smoked herring to the pickled variety Wilson's uses in this classic French pairing but I would still order this again.) I had a house-made pasta with boar ragu which was rich, hearty and pefect on an unusually cold LA night. Jason had perhaps the best entree, a roast lamb shank with white beans and preserved lemons. Jon had a monkfish stew with shrimp and scallops. Jon and Jason drank a glass or two of chianti each while I sipped on prosecco. With a location right in the middle of the up-and-coming Culver City furntiture and gallery district and just down from the acclaimed Beacon, I think Wilson will develop quite a following. I look forward to finding a reason to return.

Wilson
8631 Washington Blvd
Culver City
310 287-2093