Pure Ingredients Cafe [Google MV]

I’ve always been good at finding healthy diversions from the workday and most recently, found myself garbed in a chef’s coat and toque at the Pure Ingredients Café, where I spent a morning as a culinary intern.

Each of the Google Cafes has its own rhyme and reason for existing. There’s Oasis with its dim sum, No Name with the healthy grilled meats and salads, American Table for its comfort food, and a number of other cafes to cater to your mealtime fancies. What drew me to the PIC in particular was its philosophy towards unadulterated, all natural, and all whole foods—no preservatives, no artificial ingredients, with everything from condiments to sodas are prepared in-house.

Over the course of four hours, I rolled sushi, battered and fried chicken, whipped up spicy hot chocolate cookies, gutted and butchered a number of chicken carcasses, and solicited hungry Googlers to try the yummy fish tacos. It reminded me a lot of my internship at the Hilton years ago, except that learning and having fun were the top priorities and providing manual labor, moreso an afterthought.

As an honorary Google chef, I learned that:

• The tiny refrigerators necessitate daily deliveries of foodstuffs—ensuring freshness of the day’s bounty
• We support local producers with corporate dollars that enable them to stay competitive against the WalMarts of the world
• Making golf-ball sized balls of rice require me to overcompensate because in my world of proportion, everything should be smaller/shorter/lesser than what it actually is
• Watching the mixer whip cookie batter into “ribbons” is strangely hypnotic and cathartic
• Taking a cleaver to the drumsticks/wings is a great way to take out your aggression
• Not to let all those smells of the kitchen make you overzealous enough to want to eat chicken straight out of the fryer. Resist the temptation!
• To tap shoulders with a “behind,” to turn corners with an audible “corner,” and to give a “halfway” warning when fish tacos kept going like hotcakes
  

And most importantly, I learned that Mike tattoos on the side, Luis’’ favorite cuisine is Italian (in particular, chicken parmesan), that Jef had never been to Oliveto’s Whole Hog Dinner, and that Scott was actually one of the easier chefs to work for (for some reason I had envisioned a chaos of epic proportions a la Gordon Ramsay).

While my hands-on education in the kitchen will certainly serve me well in the year to come, I really walked away with an appreciation for the people who work behind the scenes. The smells of the kitchen snaking its way to your desk, the drumstick that was ungracefully ripped into shreds (my apologies for the defect), that involuntary mmms of approval–these and all the other unspoken currencies in my daily exchanges with the Google Cafes, finally materialized into something tangible. There is something to be said for the casseroles, ramekins, and stockpots of passion incarnate that you’ll sample on the server line, but there is nothing like seeing that passion at work.

My thanks to the kitchen staff at the PIC for being so hospitable to us fumbling interns, for being eager to share, and for reminding me to keep looking for that reason to get up in the morning (and to turn that reason into a living that'll make me a killing!).

In loving memory of Wat Thai

Wat Thai Temple North Hollywood, CA

I caught wind of Wat Thai's closing on the Chowhound boards and resolved to make it to what has been called LA's most authentic Thai food on its last weekend. My resolve was so strong that I even cut my San Francisco trip short to check it out.

My mom had cautioned me against wearing shorts and/or tank tops since I wouldn't normally be allowed to step foot in a temple so scantily clad. She failed to realize that this was the tragically hip LA and that the food stands only operate under the auspices of a religious institution--but come on now, we all know they're there to make a profit.

We were pretty distraught at first, since the compound was pretty deserted from where we had entered. A sigh of relief quickly overcame us at the first sight of civilization crowned under a pretty blue tent. While some were there for prayer, we were certainly there only to worship the gods responsible for the fiery curries, sweet satays, and pungent salads of Thai cuisine.

The currency of choice here is not the Baht, but instead tokens purchased in denominations of $.50, $1, and $2, which account for the majority of the under $5 dishes. The most expensive thing we got was the $5 mango with sticky rice, which is cut-to-order and as good as any mango-sticky rice I've ever gotten.

Hands down, the best dish was the Papaya Salad, which was proclaimed the best we've had yet. The sweet, sour, and spicy notes were perfectly balanced, while the salted crabs gave it a unique twist.

We also tried the Noodles, Fried Eggs, and Pad Thai from another vendor down the way. The noodles was just too hot to enjoy in the steamy valley and while I've had better pad thai for $.50 from a street stall in Thailand, this wasn't half bad. I ordered the eggs because they reminded me of Vietnamese bot chien, which is mostly made of rice cakes. Turns out my Thai dish was mostly made of fried eggs which were tossed with clams and served with a mild sauce that tasted like ketchup. It was okay, though I didn't want to finish the entire tray.

There were two booths selling satay, so we bought an order of chicken from each to compare them side-by-side. Americanized Thai food has taught us the Chicken Satay is normally dressed with peanut butter, when in reality all that satay really designates is a meat that grilled on a skewer. Both versions were smoky and tender with the difference in flavor (one was slightly spicier) being only a matter of preference.

One of the more interesting dishes were the Chicken Dumplings ($3), which were scented with peanuts and coconut. The skins were gummy and thin, which I enjoyed, though the filling was too sweet for a savory course.

Speaking of sweets, we also tried these crunchy wafer-like tacos, which were filled with various forms of coconut. A bit too sweet for my taste. Beverages were lacking with mediocre Thai teas, coconut juices and a logan juice that was decent at best.

I made the mistake of saving curries for last and was just too stuffed to eat another thing. It was a fun experience and it reminded me of Berkeley's own Thai Temple--an institution all on its own. It was good spending time with the family and if you've got some time on your hands, sign the petition to keep the weekend food stalls up and running!

Wat Thai Temple
12909 Cantara St
North Hollywood, CA 91605
(818) 780-4200

Imagawayaki at the OCBC Obon Festival [Anaheim]

After scouring the internet for weekend happenings, I came upon the Orange County Buddhist Church's annual Obon Festival, which is a holiday for honoring your ancestors. The kendo was open for prayer and Buddhism educations sessions Though we stuck around for the Taiko drumming and parts of the Obon Odori dance, we were really there for the imagawayaki, which brought back fond memories from my trip to Japan a few years ago.

The imagawayaki stand was easily the most popular at the festival with a line that wound about the booth and moved in slow spurts. The imagawayaki is fluffy like a pancake, but firm and crisp like a waffle. It is filled with the red bean paste inside and can be molded into a number to different shapes, most commonly a fish. Imagawayaki are typically sold as festival snacks, though we found them everywhere on our trip to Japan.

At the Obon Festival, a handful of volunteers manned the cast iron griddles, turning the imagawayaki, delivering it, and packaging them for purchase. With the number of people helping out, you would have expected the line to move swiftly--not so, when the man standing in front of you orders 20 to take home. The imagawayaki are best hot off the griddle and made as fresh as they were on this lovely Saturday.

There were numerous other food items such as dango, BBQ ika , and Japanese rice dishes. Unfortunately, we were pressed for time and only had half an hour to stand in line.

BBQ Ika (squid)


Terriyaki and other rice dishes, dango (Okinawa-style donut)

There is a place in Little Tokyo where you can buy imagawayaki year-round: Mitsuru Cafe, 117 Japanese Village in Little Tokyo, (213) 613-1028.

* Thanks to my anonymous commenter for correcting my cultural faux

Obon Festival (various dates and festivals throughout July)
Orange County Buddhist Church
909 S Dale Ave
Anaheim, CA 92804
(714) 827-9590

Vietnamese Potluck Dinner Party

It's pretty rare that people actually cook for potlucks nowadays--especially when it comes to Vietnamese food. Vietnamese food t0-go places offer plenty of catering options, while those in the know pay enterprising homemakers to cook their family recipes.

Bánh ướt thịt nướng and bánh bèo are primarily made of rice flour, which is mixed with water before it is steamed into a think pancake. In the case of banh beo (left), the rice flour is steamed in round dishes that are small and shallow. They are topped with dried shrimp, scallion, and mung beans and eaten with fish sauce. The flavor of the dish is actually very mild and is more a textural play than anything else.

Banh uot is rolled even thinner onto a sheet and then used as a wrapper to encase the grilled pork, bean sprouts, lettuce, and herbs. Think of banh uot as a heavier spring roll with thicker, slightly sticky wrapping. Banh uot is eaten with a peanut-based sauce, which is thick and chunky. The rice flour in both dishes acts as a backdrop for the main attractions of toppings and fillings.

Bê thui is thinly sliced veal, which is marinated with salt and pepper and seared. After the meat has been prepared, toasted rice, sesame, peanuts, shallots, galanga, and shallots are tossed in to give the meat a grainy coating. Jalapenos and Vietnamese herbs (rau thơm & rau răm) are added for color and flavor contrast and the dish is eaten as an appetizer with gingered fish sauce.

Continuing with the beef dishes, we also had bò lá lốt (grilled beef wrapped in betel leaves) and bò kho (Vietnamese beef stew).

The bo la lot pictured above is the two sausage-shaped figures on the right, while the pink meatballs are actually nem nướng, BBQ pork meatballs. Bo la lot primarily tastes of lemongrass and its betel leaves are used for medicinal purposes throughout Southeast Asia. Nem nuong tastes sweet and tangy with its requisite seasonings of sugar, fish sauce, garlic and ginger.

The bò kho (above left) is derived from French boeuf bourguignon (Vietnam used to be a French colony). But if you could imagine replacing all the French ingredients with Southeast Asian ones, you'll have a spicier broth spiked with star anise, lemongrass, fish sauce, and ginger. This was one of the few dishes cooked from scratch, though we did buy baguettes to enjoy it with.

And how do you nhậu (verb that means to eat food with alcohol) without food that makes you cringe. Voila dồi trường, otherwise known as pig intestines.

Dinner Detective [Palms LA]

After coming across an LA Times article cataloging the area's array of Murder Mystery dinners, we rounded up a group to play detective at the comedy/improv-based Dinner Detective.

For $68.14, you are served a four-course meal of passed hor 'oeuvres, salad, an entre (chicken, beef, salmon, pumpkin ravioli), and dessert (apple tart, flourless chocolate cake, bread pudding) in addition to a 3-hour show, complete with a slew of murders, fake blood, and prize for the honorary deputy who solves the crime.

On the whole, the act is more interactive than other murder mysteries I've been to, with audience participation throughout and an interrogation session that gives you reason to talk to any stranger that your heart desires. Keep your eyes out for the conspicuous ones...

Improv is usually hit or miss and the Dinner Detective fell more upon the latter. The actors poked fun at the audience member's names, clothes, and demeanors, but didn't really have any biting wit of their own. The acting didn't really add much to the mystery, which is better solved by piecing together the clues that are handed out to your table.

The food was prepared by Cucina Paradiso and your standard fare of bulk-cooked items. In the case of such an event, keep your expectations low and choose items which lend themselves well to being cooked in large quantities. In the case of the Dinner Detective, that would mean the pumpkin ravioli and the bread pudding, though the ravioli was one of the smallest entrees on the table.

The solution to the crime was well within plausibility and we all glanced around, wondering who our Sherlock Holmes was. At the drum roll, we learned that is was Miss Scarlet also known as our very own, Yoshi! Her prize of Alfred Hitchcock DVDs, dinner for two at Cucina Paradiso, and a bottle of Fetzer Pinot Noir well made up for all the times we came home from Legendary Bingo empty-handed.

While the night was entertaining, my next murder mystery will be something more scripted--something that feels more like a show and less like I'm paying to watch a disorganized troop of actors mess around.

Yours Truly,
Fiona Fatale

Cucina Paradiso
3387 Motor Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(866) 496-0535

Taste of Gaslamp [San Diego]

Taste of Gaslamp is an marketing stunt that allows restaurants in the Gaslamp to showcase their foods and drinks for your dining entertainment. The two-day food extravaganza takes place in early summer and features 25+ restaurants on each of the days. The idea is to get you on your feet to explore what each of the restaurants have to offer in terms of cuisine, ambiance, and service. I have been to a few Taste ofs and can gurantee you that the Gaslamp District's is one of the best. Tickets are only $25 and sell out in advance online, so make sure to get your's early!

In the span of 3.5 hours, you are expected not only to walk the 3x9 block area, but to also eat 25 lunches, visit the beer garden for mojitos and brews, stand in line at the more popular restaurants, and take your restroom breaks in between. It's a prety gargantuan task, but we managed to hit 19 of the 29 spots on our map.

The restaurants really go all out to make your experience worth while, though some are better than others. The owners treat the event as if there's something at stake and if a restaurant can get that excited over serving you glorified buffet-style foods, at least you know that their hearts are in it. There are some other restaurants that actually go the extra mile and deliver smaller portions straight from the kitchen.

Some of the restaurant offerings were very sophisticated and exceeded our expectations. Crab mac&cheese, shrimp cocktails, lamb chops with beet salad, upside down pineapple cake, and melon salad with rock shrimp were among some of the more interesting things we tried.

More than anything else, you really get a feel for the restaurants' personalities, both in the decor and in the staff members. We liked the roof-top cabanas at ultrahip Stingaree, the lobster tank claw game at Rockin' Baja Lobster, the earthy pod-seating at Austrailian Bondi, the nose-ring wearing Easter Island statue at Mister Tiki, and the political cartoons at Palm.

From left to right: Rockin' Baja Lobster, Chive, Chianti Restaurant

From left to right: Stingaree, Mister Tiki, Bondi

Our favorite of the bunch was Dussini's with its duck empanadas and lobster mac&cheese. They also had a $1 blaco Sangria that had a nice prosecco in it for the warm day. Although I tend to steer away from megalithic commercial buildings, the three-story Dussini's was very functional. I could definitely see myself on the top-floor lounge shooting some pool and throwing back sangrias after dinner.

It was a perfect day and though we spent four hours in traffic, I have now visited 60% of the Gaslamp Districts restaurants and bars and can now come armed with an agenda the next time I hit up San Diego.

PS. If you ever see this woman and she tries to tell you that the line starts on the other side of the tent, ignore her ulterior motives and stand firm. I hope she gets what's coming to her.

Taste of Gaslamp
Annually in early summer
Gaslamp District, San Diego