The Lifesize Mousetrap

On a completely unrelated food note, I spent my Saturday afternoon riding the human ferris wheel, watching people set off the Lifesize Mousetrap, and then shoving my face with Bi-Rite ice cream and Tartine croissants. I was traveling most of March, but San Francisco gave me a warm welcome home.

Yes, I've been MIA, but the food adventures have certainly been moving full speed ahead. Some of my most memorable meals in the past few months:

• Cuban beef stew, plantain, Cuban sandwiches @ El Palacio de Los Jugos (Cuban Grocery Store). Miami, FL
• Cafe con leche @ Ayestaran. Miami, FL
  
• XiangJiangBao at Shanghai Dumpling Shop. Sunnyvale, CA
• BBQ and lemonade at The Salt Lick. Austin, TX
• Flip Happy Crepes. Austin, TX
• Sandwiches and muffins @ Cafe Soleil. Springdale, UT
• Dutch baby pancakes @ Resto. Gramercy, NYC
• Muffins @ Clinton Street Bakery. East Village, NYC
• Fried rice @ IndoWok. Murray Hill, NYC
• 13-ounce sirloin burger @ Le Tub. Hollywood, FL
• Canneloni, cellini beans w/fried eggs, and yogurt sorbetti w/with strawberries. Brunch at SPQR. Japantown, SF

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!).

Sushi Ran [Sausalito]

A photo montage of my most recent meal at Sushi Ran--a fabulous way to kick off 2008.

Cooked Food Selection

Nori-wrapped Ahi ($14), Grilled Calamari Tentacles ($4.5), and Shitake Mushrooms ($7.5). In general, mushroom dishes tend to be stellar at Japanese restaurants--Sushi Ran is no exception.

Raw Selection

Omakase Nigiri ($28 for seven pieces) and Omakase Sashimi ($29 for 10 pieces). Order either the Omakase Nigiri or Sashimi, but not both, since there are repeats across the selections.

Desserts

Chocolate Bombe with Hazelnut Creme Anglaise and Bananas Foster. I've exhausted the dessert list at Sushi Ran and can vouch for the Trio of Custards in addition to the two shown above.

Sushi Ran
107 Caledonia Street
Sausalito, CA 94965
(415) 332-3620

Josie's Restaurant [Santa Monica]

About a year ago, I recommended Josie's to a friend who wanted to talk business with some execs over an LA restaurant with some meat behind it. I did my due diligence and came back with Josie's.

I've since kept Josie's on my radar, though the past year has kept me occupied with other endeavors (namely izakayas, Japanese fusion, and ethnic eats). And really, the only thing that caught my attention was a reminder that Josie's does a Farmer's Market prix fixe on Wednesday nights--at $35 for 3-courses, I can justify fine dining.

The night started young at an early 6:45pm and with only one other group sitting amongst the tables, banquettes, and booths lining the restaurant walls. The restaurant is long, narrow, and divided into two seating areas. Intimate and warm for a night out with your parents, but evenly cool and professional enough for dinner with your boss. The look is versatile and the food, universally appealing for most audiences.

The winter menu was skewed in favor of heavier preparations, which wouldn't have been appropriate for the LA heat except on this particularly chilly night. We started off with a less-than-amusing amuse of a Gruyere and mushroom quiche, which reminded me more of this morning's leftover brunch than of the dinner to come.

While everyone else at the table opted for the Farmer's Market menu, I decided on 3-courses of classics for the night: Pear, Endive, and Stilton Salad ($15) + Salt-crusted Jidori Chicken Breast ($25, entrees average $30) + Lemon Cheesecake ($10).

I had opted for the Endive Salad because I was looking for a play of bold flavors that didn't come from my lettuce leaves being doused in a liquid mess. Josie's version was solid with crisp delineations between the bitter endive, sweet pears and pecans, peppery watercress, and a pungent aged blue cheese. Presentation, however, was a whole other story.


I hadn't notice at first, but the precariouosly placed cheese and walnut in the hollowed peach was more than suggestive in all the wrong ways. The innuendo wasn't meant to be satirical and I doubt that coincidence had much to do with the fertile womb of my baked pear. It takes a lot to shock me and I'm gonna have to play prude on this one and say that I felt mildly offended in the aftermath.

After devouring my salad with blind voracity, I proceeded to tackle bountiful plate that was my rustic Jidori chicken breast. This would officially be the third time that I've ordered chicken at a restaurant, since I usually find it too humble for a restaurant portion. The best part about the chicken was, of course, the salt crust. The meat closest to the surface was moist and succulent, though the thicker cut left a dry, though quality cut of meat on the interior. I didn't care too much for the accompaniments of polenta, carrots, and parsnips, which were haphazardly strewn about the plate, but the dish was satisfying overall, if not a little boring.

The Autumn Cheesecake really knocked my socks of with its creamy and ethereally light texture. The lemon added just enough zing to keep the cheesecake from being overwhelming and I only wished that the gingersnap crust had more of an edge to really make the lemon pop.

To be fair, I took mostly unthoughtful nibbles from my companions' plates, but overall, here was my impression: I felt that the $35 prix fixe was a good deal and prepared with quality ingredients. The chunky Chestnut Soup was earthy and fragrant with the subtlety of mushrooms. The Scallops were fresh, though they were dowdily dressed in dull flavors and the Gingerbread Cake Roulade was a play on your traditional Bouche de Noel with fresh cranberries and apple ribbons for added festiveness.

Josie's has confirmed what I have suspected about fine dining establishments for a long while now--that the food is often good in a pragmatic way, but seldom of interest otherwise (though I'll make an exception for tasting menus).

Josie Restaurant
2424 Pico Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 581-9888

Tabento [Costa Mesa]

Another holiday season spent in the OC and another unassuming Japanese sushi joint in a nondescript strip mall--a fairly uneventful holiday, but also a new interesting find.

The short story on Tabento is that it offers your typical sushi rolls with an added wow factor and some atypical creations that are a cut above the rest. While our albacore nigiri warranted an instantaneous mmm and a raised eyebrow in delight, the hamachi was a tad fishy and probably less fresh than it should have been. Over the course of three days and two meals here, this was the extent to which I delved into the nigiri choices.

The Shrimp Boat first caught our attention in the picture menu before captivating our taste buds with its textural combination of creamy quail egg and crab and crunchy mentaiko (cod roe) and ama ebi (raw prawns). The tangy piquantness of the ponzu sauce is a welcome surprise for your taste buds, since you almost expect the combination to be sweet and mellow.

The Soft-Shell Crab Roll ($10), Crunchy Roll ($8.50), and Caterpillar Roll ($10) were all similarly good, though not outside of the realm of what you'd expect. They are, however, visually stunning in their magnitudes and constructions with proportions that awe.

I didn't grab a photo from last time, but the Spicy Tuna Crunchy Roll was also a must-order, with spicy tuna piled atop a crispy rice onigiri ball and topped with a thinly sliced jalapeno. The heat was subtle, striking the back of your tongue in the most pleasant way possible.

Next time, I'll venture into the appetizer portion of the menu, where there are some interesting picks to choose from. Don't forget to flip through the photo albums sitting on your table, since it'll offer a lot of inspiration for your ordering.

This is what I miss most about moving to Northern California--there's nowhere near the same caliber of sushi restaurants and especially ones that are as off the radar as the places you'll find here in good ol' Orange County.

Tabento Sushi & Sake
1525 Mesa Verde Dr. #E
Costa Mesa CA 92628
(714) 545-0600

Operation Covert Trunk Full of Tamales at 11pm in the Walmart on Story Road's Parking Lot [San Jose]

It was nearly 11pm when we walked into the parking lot of the Walmart on Story Road. We were up to our ears in bags and ironing boards, but my dad still found the time to make a joke, "Hey, do you want a tamale?"

My patience had been tested all night and while I was grateful to have my parents in for the weekend, I was soon reminded of why I now live alone. I threw off his gesture with a scoff and kept walking, until he asked again.

This time, I entertained his jests: What are you talking about? He points to a parked car about 50 feet from where we're parked and says they're selling them out of the trunk. I confirm his claims and after seeing it with my own eyes, nod with enthusiasm. He drops his bags, takes some orders, and before we know it, money is exchanging hands in Operation Covert Trunk Full of Tamales at 11pm in the Walmart on Story Road's Parking Lot.

We waited until morning to re-steam our breakfasts of beef, cheese, chicken, and pork tamales and though my stomach wasn't so happy with such a fiery start to the day, they were some of the most delectable morsels of masa that I've had yet. Simple and homemade, they were petite and had a good ratio of filling to masa. All of the tamales had a good kick of spiciness and would have done well to be served with some acid to cut the heat (probably salsa). My favorites amongst the four were the chicken and pork, which were the mild choices compared to the beef.
I have no idea what other times the tamale car makes an appearance at Walmart, but it is as authentic of a street food experience as you can find in the suburbs of the South Bay.

Operation Covert Trunk Full of Tamales
Walmart Parking Lot
777 Story Rd
San Jose, CA 95122

Egg Heaven Cafe [Long Beach]

Egg Heaven Cafe is a little mom and pop shop located on the street corner with its unassuming green awnings. I arrived for Sunday brunch and the wait list wasn't long at all -- although, I believe that this is the type of place with a long wait at an earlier time. The restaurant itself offers bar and booth seating but both are rather limited.

Even though it's called Egg Heaven Cafe, there are dishes other than eggs: sandwiches, pancakes, oatmeal. I'm not usually an omelette gal but it dominated a major portion of the menu and compelled me to order one. My Vegetarian Exotic omelette consisted of lentils, rice, cottage cheese, sour cream, Jack cheese. It also came with a size of potatos and toast. The omelette was a little large for me but the hodgepodge of ingredients worked well together and it was rather tasty. Another plus is that I felt healthy eating it. I was extremely surprised with the wheat toast which was unlike any i've had at any breakfast joint. It was thick, and buttered, and even though it was toasted, the center was amazingly soft.

The small fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice is quite a generous serving and topped off my meal quite nicely.

My company ordered the Eggs Benedict but it didn't blow his socks off. Personally, I've had better Hollandaise.

If the restaurant were around the corner of my house, I would stop by occasionally but I don't think it warrants a special drive out to Long Beach.

Egg Heaven Cafe
4358 E 4th St
Long Beach, CA 90814
(562) 433-9277

Elise's Tea Room [Long Beach]

After conning Jun into a furniture run in the Valley, she graciously treated me to tea on my last weekend in Orange County.

At 3pm in the afternoon, we were the only patrons still left at Elise's Tea Room. The menu offered a variety of small entrees in addition to the standard tea sets, so we did the smart thing, which was order sparingly to share.

We started with chocolate chip and lemon scones, which may have been a haphazard decision on my part. While I had no objections to the chocolate-flavor, it wasn't the best choice for a tea pairing, let alone a first course. The flavors of both scones were unpronounced, though the texture was right on--served warm, they were crumbly without being overly dry. Jun and I both agreed that yellow food coloring did not make our lemon scone any lemony-er. The Devon cream, jam, and lemon curds were straight from your standard commercial vendor.

Our lunch consisted of two sets of sandwiches. The first was your standard tea fare of finger sandwiches. Our cucumbers were sliced so thin that we couldn't identify the staple at first, the apple-pecan could've been a dessert course for being so sweet, and the remainder were filling, though forgettable. We also opted for an order of the novel Salmon Pate Sandwiches, which would have been better if they were toasted for one minute less. Salmon pate is surprisingly light and un-fishy.

By the time we got around to choosing dessert, we could barely stomach the sight of chocolate cake (they were out of the lemon), let alone consider it for consumption. As such, we opted to try the petits fours and ended up scraping off the sugary fondant dressing. Even then, the layers of sponge cake and buttercream were nothing to write home about.

The tea room itself is large and airy, which has the benefit of keeping you from feeling trapped by the cluttered frilliness commonly found in tea rooms. There was a large assortment of loose-leaf teas to choose from, though you're limited to one selection per pot.

Elise's Tea Room
3924 Atlantic Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90807
(562) 424-2134

Leda's Bake Shop [Sherman Oaks]

*Disclaimer*

So I know I've been on quite the hiatus, but I will be going on a blog tirade just after getting settled into my new apartment this weekend. I'm gonna attempt to get some posts up by not being so meticulous. Let me know if you like the style better.

---

We popped into the vegan bakery after consulting Yelp for places to find snacks in the Valley.

The best part of the cutesy store are the samples of scones, cookies, and other baked goods for your enjoyment. Across-the-board, the scones ranked highest with flavors such as ginger, cranberry-orange, and black currant. They were crumbly and not too dry. The vegan brownies also seemed to be a hot item and I could see why, given that vegan chocolates tend to be very rich (if that's your style).

We couldn't resist the cupcakes, which were displayed as the tour de force of the store. We ordered both the Velvet and the Strawberry (vegan), though both were a bit sugary for being so tiny. The Strawberry vegan cupcake was a bit denser than the Velvet and we were disappointed that the latter wasn't a red velvet cupcake. Also, you have to let them sit for about five minutes, since the icing hardens in the refrigerated case. Five minutes is 300 seconds too long for instant gratification.

Leda's Bake Shop
13722 Ventura Blvd
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
(818) 386-9644

Daikokuya [Little Tokyo LA]

Nothing sounded better than a steaming hot bowl of pho after a hilarious performance of Avenue Q at the Ahmanson. Since pho was closed, we visited what some consider the holy grail of ramen in Los Angeles, Little Tokyo's Daikokuya.

The JPop-vintage paraphenilia was complemented by a spattering of alternative LA hipsters and normal people keeping their cool. A refreshing departure from the traditional and a little raw on the edges.

I was surprised that there were only two ramens offered amongst a menu mostly of rice dishes, so of course we opted for the Daikoku Ramen combo with chicken-egg rice.

The broth was salty, mellow, and cloudy in appearance--exactly what I was looking for in a late-night snack. The noodles were thick and chewy and of course, you can never go wrong with an egg. Overall, the ramen was very satisfying and though I wouldn't be that quick to call it the best, it sure was damn good. The chicken-egg bowl didn't fare too poorly either.

Daikokuya
327 E 1st St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 626-1680