It's positively dreamy! Is it wrong to lust after cookware?
-steen
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As promised, I'm finally posting about Castle, my local spot for Korean BBQ. The restaurant has been there for years, though it became "Castle" just a few years ago. I honestly can't remember what it was called before, and though it was tasty, it was different.
In its current incarnation, Castle is unique among the Korean BBQ places I've dined at because their meals are served with duk bo sam, which are thin rice noodles. Here's how it goes... Cook your meat then transfer it to your plate. Top it with shredded lettuce and scallions, add one of the sauces (or both) - there's a parsley-based one or a spicy chile sauce - add garlic if you like, jalapenos, chile paste, mushrooms, then top it with a rice noodle, scoop it up and eat. YUM! The noodles add another dimension to an already wonderful meal, and if you manage to do it all with your chopsticks, then you have the added bonus of feeling like a superstar. (Those buggers are tricky to peel apart from each other.)
As with all Korean restaurants, your meal is served with a tempting array of panchan. The varieties differ, but you can see that Castle is generous and prolific.
By the end of the meal, we're usually stuffed to the gills. If we've planned ahead, though, and kept the gluttony at bay, the waitress will come over, dump everyone's rice onto the pan, add all of the remaining meat, panchan, and sauces, and create a spicy fried rice. We like to leave it on the grill until the bottom layer becomes crisp and crunchy. I have to admit, though, that we rarely have room left over for this treat.
We've been going there for years and the staff are always very friendly and happy to see us. If you're in the market for a quick inexpensive lunch, you could do worse than ordering one of their BBQ bentos or hot pots. Lunch will run you less than $10, including a beverage and tip. Dinner runs about $13-15 per portion of meat. And if you're SUPER fancy, you can get gold dust sprinkled on your food. Ooo la la!
Castle BBQ
473 N. Western Avenue #1
Los Angeles, CA 90004
(323) 467-3813
-steen
tags: Korean+BBQ, restaurants, Los+Angeles, dining
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Tomatoes inspire that love/hate feeling in me. I grew up with home-grown orbs bursting with juiciness and that divine tomato flavor. After I moved out on my own, my love began to dwindle to the point where I started ordering food without tomatoes. There's just no point in eating those mass-produced wanna-bes that were bred for durability instead of flavor.When I bought my house in 1999, I was faced with a backyard that consisted of hard-packed dirt, a concrete slab (with an old car left by the previous owner), and a whole lot of mess. It took a few years to clear it out and start from scratch, but now I'm blessed with greenery and the sound of chirping birds.
It wasn't long after that I began planting tomatoes, and it's become something that I look forward to every year. In fact, I kind of go overboard. I'm obsessed with heirloom varieties and varieties of heirlooms. I end up planting way more than I can consume, and the end of every summer finds me hunting down my friends and begging them to take tomatoes off my hands.
This year will prove no different, I'm sure, but I'm making plans in advance in the hopes of using more of my yield. Some time ago, I purchased The Tomato Festival Cookbook at one of LA's great bookstores, The Cook's Library. I've been spending my evenings reading through the book, salivating over the numerous recipes, and fantasizing about when I'll finally be able to start my harvest. It's coming soon. Another month, perhaps. I snoozed and forgot to mark my calendar with planting dates, so I'm left to guessing.
I've got a dozen pots going with all kinds of plants, cherries, beefsteaks, paste tomatoes, salad tomatoes, and my favorites, Green Zebras. In years past, I purchased my seedlings at Tomato Mania, but somehow I missed it this year. If you're a fan of tomatoes and have time and space in your garden, you MUST attend Tomato Mania next year. They bring hundreds of varieties and thousands of plants and it's just tomato seedling overload! I'm sad I didn't plan correctly this year, but I know I'll still be pleased with what I have growing.
I was just wandering around outside and saw the tangle of growth and thought I'd share. I look forward to all of the tomato-related posts I'll be making in the months to come....
-steen
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I love Korean food. I mean, I really and truly L - O - V - E love it! I've been chowing down on all manner of Korean food for years and years, and it all started with Korean BBQ, as I'm sure it does for most of us. Living in Korea Town, I have a million options for BBQ, and have sampled a good variety. There are about 5 per-block if you're heading south of me on Western. My usual go-to joint is just south next door to the 7-11, and I'll be posting about that next, but I wanted to write about Soot Bull Jeep first.
The foodies on Chowhound gave it high marks as the place to hit for Korean BBQ grilled at your table over actual coals. You enter the reastaurant and are immediately hit by the smokiness and the intense charcoal aroma. Curt, unsmiling waitresses usher you to a table (assuming you aren't still waiting in line) and promptly dump a shovel full of coals into the brazier at the center of your table that heat to a glowing red as you peruse the menu. You have your standard Korean BBQ options, various cuts of beef, pork, chicken, and the like, all of it sounding delicious. Panchan is brought next (kimchi, spinach, bean sprouts, water kimchi, etc.), tasty little morsels to whet your appetite, as though the scent of grilled meat didn't already do it.
Everything was delicious, and that much better for having been charred and scented by the coals. You really can't go wrong. Cook the meat to your liking, well-done and crispy, or barely seared like the folks do it in Japan. Toss fresh garlic on the grill for an added bonus. I take the meat off and let it rest for a moment on my bowl of rice, flavoring the grains with succulent meaty juices. It's primal dining at its best.
We got extra fancy last time we went, ordering the steak tartar to the utter shock of our waitress. She took a moment to explain that it was RAW beef, something we gringos would certainly wish to pass on. Uhhh, right. No, we assured her, we knew it was raw and still wanted it. The Soot Bull Jeep version of steak tartar is heavily seasoned, somewhat sweet slices of nearly frozen beef served alongside a pile of julienned cukes. Delicious, if dangerous. Some of it even made it onto the grill, though I'm sure that's a no-no.
The only down-side to the whole experience is that you leave smelling as smoky as your dinner. Though that's a small price to pay for all that deliciousness.
Soot Bull Jeep
3136 W 8th St
Los Angeles, CA 90005-1903
(213) 387-3865
Bob was raving about our meal to a friend of his whose response was, "Oh, you HAVE to come with us to our place in the valley!" So we did. I had one of those moments... I'm prone to bouts of superiority sometimes. I know it. It's one of my charms. LOL I like my shit AUTHENTIC. Sorry, but it's true. They dragged us to Sherman Oaks to eat at Gyu Kaku. I was excited because it wasn't straight Korean BBQ, but rather yakiniku, which is Japanese style. I had yakiniku in Japan and loved it and was looking forward to our meal, but.... As you'd expect from a chain, and a chain in the SFV, it was totally watered-down and made for white folks. The food wasn't bad, but it was expensive and devoid of that certain something that makes eating ethnic food exciting. Maybe it's a lack of spices. Maybe it's the condescending hand-holding.. I don't know. All I want to do is take these poor people for a 20 minute drive and let them experience the food done right. But, then I try to muster up some positivity, and I think "it's a start". At least they're trying something new, right? They've got to start somewhere...
-steen
tags: Korean+BBQ, Los+Angeles+dining, restaurants
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Foodies and critics alike swoon over the goodness that is Clementine. The downside: Century City. Is because of my year in the trenches working in the men's furnishing department at the fallen Broadway at Ye Olde Century City Mall. Probably more that the traffic is so miserable - the Beverly Hills corrodor of traffic lights and then the business of the world of business that is Century City. But I had to run an errand and so I went. And not a regret to be had...
A lovely display of baked goods, ready to cook, and deli salads were festooned in a most comfortable environment. My meal was a roast beef sandwich on "rustic bread":
"Rustic" scares me as a social construct. Could mean the difference between homemade goodness and sawdust. The bread was just like the Lionel Poilâne style that I had crafted myself years ago from a non yeast starter. Bubbly and moist. The beef was perfectly pink and devoid of fat, seasoned with horseradish sauce, pickled onions, and arugula. On the side was was looked like a cup of sunomono. It was actually fresh sweet pickles, not too sweet and riddled with plump coriander seeds. All in all, a perfect lunch.
For my dainty little dessert, I opted for the thumprint cookie with orange marmalade:
Again, not to sweet, firm but flaky, and the jam in the middle was just enough of a confectionery bite to sate my sweet tooth.
Now, more reasons to venture out into the Century City - I'm exhausted just thinking about it...whilst visions of those biscuits with country ham that were sitting in the display are dancing a minuet in my anti-Westside head!
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When Steen came to visit, we ate local and it was great. She was all excited to have a real döner from the Turkish place near our old apartment. We ate Bavarian (lots of pork and gravy with a side of 2 dumplings.) Many things we tried, yes we did.
One of the most interesting things I learned to love was Leberkäs. (Literally translated it means Liver-cheese.) the name is in no way appealing when you translate it but by no means don't let that stop you from trying it.
We were out sightseeing and wandering the city in general, when we both got a bit 'peckish'. I pulled her over to Vinzenzmurr, the local butcher shop that is a bit more than just a butcher shop. Always good for a kaiser roll filled with something tasty, we opted for one Schnitzel and one 'meatloaf' semmel. (I can't seem to recall the name right now. Damn Germans...)
As we were sharing our rolls, someone walked by with a Leberkäs semmel, and Steen said "What's THAT?!!?!"
"Huh?... Oh, that's a Leberkäs. Its like a fried bologna sandwich."
Her look of disbelief and sad puppy-dog eyes said everything.
"We can get one next time. Promise."
Well, we never did, as far as I can remember. I saw this in my local grocers and decided to have at it.
It doesn't smell really, but yes, it looks like liquid meat. I'm not a fan of spreadable meats in general, so off to the oven right away with this bad boy.
Finished baking after 45 min. Smells great and the crunchy crust is awesome.
There are many ways to enjoy this delicacy, but I usually go for either a slab on a roll with sweet mustard. There is also a 'traditional' breakfast that consists of a slab with a fried egg on top and a side of Brez'n or maybe german potato salad. If you get to Munich, you gotta try one. It took me 3 years before I did, and now I need one a week to satisfy my soul.
—Christian
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And today's special from my favorite ice cream shop on Heliotrope is:
Strawberry/Balsamic and Spiced Pumpkin Seed...
As those bears in Silverlake say, WOOF!
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"I clambered over mounds and mounds
Of polystyrene foam
And fell into a swimming pool
Filled with fairy snow
And watched the world turn day-glo
you know you know
The world turned day-glo you know"
-Poly Styrene (c) 1976
The dulcet tones of the X-Ray Specs danced in my head as I devoured my atomic orange chicken at Dino's Burgers in Lincoln Heights.
Mark moved to the east side, to a deluxe house in the sky. Of course, being the food fiend that I am, I knew that any trip to his new hood would have to be couched with some sort of iconoclastic meal. My searching came upon a lot of talk about this brightly colored chicken at Dino's on 7th Street.
The overhead menu says nothing of the bird, until the kind counterman handed us a laminated sheet that declared the chick in all of its glory. 1/2 a chicken, beans, rice, tortillas, fries, and cole slaw for just a little bit over five bucks! And on a real plate - fancy!
Now, the beans and rice were very good indeed; the slaw, forgettable but wholly edible. But that chicken! Moist, juicy, delicious, and just as bright as the China Syndrome and Three Mile Island combined! The sauce is what made it, a perfect tang that I imagine tenderized the meat to its consistency. The bonus: the chicken sits on the soggy (yes!) fries, thus the juice and sauce infuse the spuds. I am crying right now as I type.
I have been wanting to trek back down to Dino's again, but schedule has not permitted. According to Gold and other food bloggers, there are other Dino's locations that I have a better bird on the grill. Maybe a Dino's reconnaissance mission might be in order, but a quick turn off the 7th street exit is fine by me. Glow on!
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You know what's weird? I was reading through The Wednesday Chef some time ago and came upon a recipe that sounded too good to pass up. I bookmarked it, later printed it out, and finally set about making it. The recipe was called Ana Sortun's Flatbreads with Spiced Chicken and Pistachios. Can you blame me? Getting back to weird... It sounded great, but I had no idea by just reading it that I'd had this before. It was always called some sort of pizza. Like "Mediterranean Pizza" or something like that. I remember first buying it at a little Armenian deli by my parents' house, then variations at Trader Joe's, and finally at Jon's Market. None of them were this particular variety, but they're all similar. It wasn't until they were done cooking that I realised it!
I've mentioned before my very good fortune to live in a city with so much diversity, specifically in regard to food. I live in Korea Town (more on that in an upcoming post) and am therefore surrounded by Korean Restaurants and two Korean supermarkets, there's a Columbian restaurant around the corner from my house, Mexican and Salvadorian restaurants too numerous to count, a terrific Thai place a block from here, and anything else you can dream of just a short drive away.
Our local market, Jon's, is within walking distance, is a big grocery store, but not one of the major chains. That means that the vegetables aren't always flawless, but you can buy parsley root. It's a compromise, and one that I'm willing to deal with. If I need flawless produce and every single brand of canned carrots, there's a Pavillions and a Ralph's less than a mile from here. What makes Jon's great is their huge deli case (Want feta cheese? They have six different kinds to choose from, including the superior French variety), and all of the ethnic specialty items they stock. So, it was really easy for me to gather the ingredients required in the recipe. They stocked all of the spices listed below, and also offer fresh lavash. I've made this again since then with lavash from Pavillions, and it wasn't nearly as good.
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Flatbreads with Spiced Chicken and Pistachios from The Wednesday Chef
Makes 8 servings
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3 red bell peppers, 1 minced, 2 roasted, peeled, seeded and cut into strips
1 small onion, minced
3 scallions, minced
2 teaspoons sumac, more for garnish
2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon za'atar, more for garnish
1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
1 egg
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 cup lightly toasted, finely ground pistachio nuts
4 large rectangles of lavash
Pepper to taste
1 cup thick yogurt
1. Cut chicken into 2-inch chunks and place them in a food processor. Process to a smooth paste until it forms a ball, about 1 minute. Add minced red pepper, onion, scallions, sumac, Aleppo or cayenne pepper, za'atar, salt, egg, cream and pistachios, and pulse together just until incorporated, about 6 pulses.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees; heat a pizza stone if you have one. Cut lavash into rectangles, about 5 by 6 inches. Cover each piece with about 1/3 cup chicken mixture, spreading to edges.
3. Place on a heavy baking sheet or pizza stone and bake 12 to 15 minutes, until crips and chicken is cooked through. While still hot, sprinkle with additional sumac and za'atar. Serve warm with a dollop of yogurt, and strips of roasted pepper on each.
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The only change I made to the recipe was that I used ground turkey instead of the chicken. I figured I'd just save myself a step and I wasn't disappointed.
It sounds like a lot of work, but really wasn't. The flatbreads emerged from the oven smelling wonderfully, their edges crisp and cracker-like, the toppings surprisingly moist. VERY flavorful. I've made it again since, and would gladly serve it to guests. The spread could easily be made a day ahead and applied to the lavash at the time of cooking. I served them cut into strips with yogurt, roasted red peppers, and eggplant spread on the side.
-steen
tags: middle-eastern-food, flatbreads, recipes, food, eating
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I used to live on Griffith Park Blvd. and had some really fond memories of Hart Times Pizza. In particular, they make a yummy BBQ Chicken pizza. Sadly, I'm now just outside their delivery range. Hunter and I were running errands out in Silverlake a couple months ago, so Hard Times seemed like an obvious choice for lunch.We walked in, saw Hunter's ex-boyfriend, chatted with him for a sec, then made our way up to the counter to deal with indecision. Lots of options and everything sounded great. I decided I'd come back some other time for pizza, so that made things easier. Hunter and I settled on sandwiches, me an eggplant hero, and him a chicken hero with ranch dressing. We rounded out our meal with sodas and an order of pasta aurora (pasta shells, artichoke hearts, and parsley in parmesan dressing).
Hunter didn't rave about his hero. He chose it based on the counter boy's suggestion but it got mediocre reviews. My sandwich, on the other hand, was perfect. The breaded eggplant was crisp on the outside and tender inside, covered with sauce and cheese in a decent roll. I would definitely get it again. The pasta salad was ok too, though it needed quite a bit of salt and crushed red peppers. Does that make it not ok? It was kind of bland but became tasty with the spices.
If you're zooming around on Hyperion and don't feel like dealing with the cool people at Say Cheese, you could do worse than eat at Hard Times.
On a side note... I wonder where they got the photos on their website. The pizzas are all clearly from different restaurants, and that woman... What's up with that?? LOL
Hard Times Pizza
2664 GRIFFITH PARK BlVd
Los Angeles, Ca
323.661.5656
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