Consuming LA

April 10, 2012 · 11:00 am

The Cat’s Meow

I have a friend who is an aspiring comedic screenwriter. He says things like “I’m on a seafood diet — I see food and I eat it.” Not surprisingly, he doesn’t sell a lot of screenplays. But he did introduce me to my favorite seafood restaurant in LA, The Hungry Cat. In stark contrast to stodgy, old school seafood restaurants like McCormick & Schmick’s and Delmonico’s, The Hungry Cat is cool, sleek and modern. It has the best raw bar in the city and amazing, creative seafood concoctions. The Hungry Cat is also a great place to drink and has some of the freshest and tastiest cocktails in town; cocktails such as the Dorian Grey (Earl Grey-infused Plymouth Gin, blood orange, lemon, Sombra Mezcal), the Petula Clark (Pimm’s, Hayman’s Old Tom Gin, lemon, egg whites & house-made absinthe bitters) and the Hot Tamale (Reposado Tequila, orange, and lime juice with Fresno chili simple syrup).

The menu at The Hungry Cat changes daily. I recommend starting with selections from the raw bar. The oysters, lobster and snow crab legs are delicious, but if you want to try something a little different, order the fresh uni served in the shell; if you’ve never scraped sea urchin out of its black, spiny, spherical carapace, you have been missing out! The super-fresh raw fish dishes are ingenious and I recommend ordering at least one. Favorites of mine include the Tandoori Cured Char with Spiced Lebani Yogurt, Cucumber, Pickled Pineapple, Pepper Cress & Dates and the Big Eye Tuna Tartare with White Miso, Pickled Mushrooms, Shiso, Peanuts & Nori Crackers. For entrees, I recommend the House-made Chorizo and Braised Clams with Shell Beans, Black Kale, Grilled Bread & Aioli, as well as the Sea Urchin Risotto with Chanterelles, Slow Cooked Egg and Pea Tendrils. Surprisingly, The Hungry Cat also has a fantastic burger called The Pug Burger, which has blue cheese, bacon, avocado and optional fried egg. I wouldn’t normally order a burger at a seafood restaurant, but if you’re splitting several things, this dog-dubbed dish makes a nice contrast to the Cat’s coastal cuisine.

The Hungry Cat is located at 1535 N. Vine St. in Hollywood and 100 W. Channel Road in Santa Monica. If you enjoy Consuming LA, please subscribe, like me on Facebook and/or follow me on twitter at the top right of this page. And please forward to your friends!

Great Cocktails

Oysters and Sea Urchin

Tandoori Cured Char, Spiced Lebani Yogurt, Cucumber, Pickled Pineapple, Pepper Cress & Dates

Big Eye Tuna Tartare, White Miso, Pickled Mushrooms, Shiso, Peanuts & Nori Crackers

Grilled Asparagus, Pancetta, Walnuts, Arugula & Crispy Egg

House-made Chorizo and Braised Clams with Shell Beans, Black Kale, Grilled Bread & Aioli

Sea Urchin Risotto, Chanterelles, Slow Cooked Egg and Pea Tendrils

Best raw bar in LA!

Grin and Bear It

Pop quiz: Â Little Bear is (a) a series of children’s books by Maurice Sendak, (b) a short, chubby and hairy gay dude, (c) a Belgian-inspired gastropub that I am currently obsessed with, or (d) all of the above. Â The answer is (d) but i’m just going to focus on the restaurant here.

This Belgian beer cafe opened three months ago directly across the street from its fancier French cousin, Church & State, in Downtown’s hip and happening Historic Arts District. It’s the newest venture of The Oinkster’s Andre Guerrero and The Surly Goat’s Ryan Sweeney, which I guess means that this bear is the son of a pig and a goat. Little Bear is a fun place to drink. It’s dark, loud and has a cool industrial chic interior with a funky chandelier and Edison bulbs in glass globes dangling from a high ceiling. The rotating beer list is impressive and filled with unusual gems served in specialty glasses.

But this isn’t just a place for drinks; the food is excellent and features updated versions of rustic Belgian fare. First and foremost is a dish I now crave everyday: Gougere Sliders with Fried Oysters, Tartar Sauce, Bacon and Arugula. For the slider buns, Little Bear uses amazing buttery Gruyere cheese puffs! This appetizer is seriously one of the most delicious things to eat in the whole city and I’m surprised it is only on the dinner menu and not available for lunch. Two other dishes I love are the Duck Confit with Dry Cherry Chutney, Kale, Farro Risotto and Kriek, and the combo of Cassoulet, White Beans, Pork Belly, Spicy Sausage, Smoked Slab Bacon and Duck Breast. I also really like the Sauteed Black Tuscan Kale. For dessert, I recommend the Chocolate and Cheese Plate with Cherry Bread Crisps, Port Marmalade & Candied Walnuts, as well as the Chocolate Waffle with a dipping sauce of White Hot Chocolate.

Little Bear is located at 1855 Industrial Street, Los Angeles (Downtown).

Gougere Sliders with Fried Oysters, Tartar Sauce, Bacon and Arugula

Cassoulet, White Beans, Pork Belly, Spicy Sausage, Smoked Slab Bacon, Duck Breast

Duck Confit, Dry Cherry Chutney, Kale, Farro Risotto, Kriek

Sauteed Black Tuscan Kale

Chocolate Waffle with White Hot Chocolate

Nutella Pot de Creme with Hazelnut Shortbread

Great beers on tap

Cool location in Downtown Arts District

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Don’t Mess With Texas

Everyone has a different opinion about American barbeque. Some love the pork-centric Southern-style, while others prefer Kansas City-style which uses a variety of meats glazed with sauce. But if you’re a fan of the dry-rub, beef-heavy Texas style, then I’ve got the place for you, Cowpoke. Smoke City Market in Sherman Oaks has some of the best Texas-style barbeque outside of the Lone Star State and certainly the best I’ve ever had in LA. Everything about Smoke City Market reminds me of barbeque joints I’ve eaten at in Texas. You order at a counter, where the meat is sold by the pound and carved to order. There are no plates; your meat is placed on butcher paper and sides are served in plastic containers. There are no napkins, but rather rolls of paper towels on the wall. All the barbeque is accompanied by slices of white bread.

The brisket at Smoke City Market is incredible and is an absolute must-have. There are two kinds: moist and lean. I’m partial to the moist, but love the lean (pictured above) as well. The brisket is made with an incredibly tasty rub and smoked for over twelve hours. The result is a flavor that’s “big as all hell and half of Texas.” Like any respectable Texas barbeque restaurant, sauces are served on the side. Smoke City Market also has awesome beef ribs, pork ribs, chicken, turkey and sausage, as well as great sides which are all made from scratch. I love the Tomato and Cucumbers salad, which is super fresh, as well as the German Potato Salad. The Longhorn Mac (mac ‘n cheese) is also excellent. Other favorites of mine include the Red Cabbage, Pit Beans and the Chili. For dessert, I recommend the Cobbler and the Banana Pudding.

Smoke City Market is located at 5242 Van Nuys Blvd. in Sherman Oaks. UPDATE: WITH A HEAVY HEART, I MUST REPORT THAT SMOKE CITY MARKET IS NOW CLOSED. THE VALLEY JUST CAN’T CATCH A BREAK.

Tomato & Cucumbers

Moist Brisket

BBQ Chicken

Longhorn Mac

Pit Beans

Red Cabbage

Pecan Pie

Cobbler

A little bit of Texas in Sherman Oaks

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March 20, 2012 · 11:00 am

Everybody Loves Louie

For the past few years, there has been a restaurant renaissance going on Downtown and it all seemed to start with Bottega Louie. With high vaulted ceilings and marble floors, this perennially packed-to-the-gills eatery is the loudest restaurant in LA, but it is also one of the most fun. It’s the place I picked for the past couple years to have lunch with my family on my birthday. Bottega Louie resides in a cavernous bright space with an open kitchen, bar and dining area flanked on one end by a big wood burning pizza oven, and on the other end by a small gourmet bakery and market which reminds me of NYC’s Dean & DeLuca and sells some of the city’s best French macarons. I don’t recommend Bottega Louie for a quiet or romantic dinner, but if you’re looking for a festive and boisterous atmosphere, this is the place for you.

The menu at Bottega Louie is extensive and features mostly Italian fare with a few French dishes mixed in. While the food is not uniformly amazing, it’s all at least very good. The Portobello Fries are exceptional and an absolute must-have. Other small plates include delicious Tomato Bruschetta, Brussels Sprouts & Pistachios and Clams Casino. Salad options include a delicious Lyonnaise Salad with frisee, watercress, shallots, chives, lardons, a poached egg and a warm red wine vinaigrette. There are many pasta dishes on the menu and my favorite is the Trenné which is pan sautéed until crispy and topped with braised prime rib eye, Tuscan black kale & shaved grana parmesan (pictured above). Entrees are solid and include Roasted Chicken, Shrimp Scampi and New York Strip Steak. I also recommend ordering one of their Neapolitan pizzas. Save room for dessert, and specifically the Butterscotch Budino. It is one of my favorite desserts in the city and rivals that of Gjelina.

Bottega Louie is located at 700 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles (Downtown).

Portobello Fries

Lyonnaise Salad with frisee, watercress, shallots, chives, lardons, poached egg and warm red vinaigrette

Tomato Bruschetta

Sausage Pizza with mozzarella, grana parmesan, tomato sauce, oregano & fennel sausage

Cheeseless Veggie Pizza (special order by my wife; she loved it)

Butterscotch Budino

The loudest restaurant in LA

Macarons!

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Tagged as Botega Louie, Botega Louis, Bottega Louie, Bottega Louie Menu, Bottega Louis, Bottega Louis Downtown, Bottega Louis Los Angeles, Bottega Louis Macarons, Bottega Louis Review, Downtown LA restaurants, Downtown Los Angeles restaurants, Portobello Fries, Portobello Mushroom Fries

March 6, 2012 · 11:00 am

Jewish Deli Meets Pork Paradise

If UMAMIcatessen was the punchline of a joke, it would begin “A rabbi, a donut-maker and a pig walk into a bar.” Grand in scope and extremely ambitious, this highly anticipated deli adaptation of the uber-successful Umami Burger chain opened Downtown over the weekend and one cannot help but be impressed. Although you order at your table from a single menu, UMAMIcatessen is essentially four restaurants in one (plus a coffee bar and a cocktail bar), each with separate counters around the perimeter of its large industrial-chic dining room. These sub-restaurants are:

The Cure, whose name is no doubt a reference to the alleged medicinal qualities of its matzo ball soup. It features Kosher-style deli sandwiches such as pastrami on rye and turkey on challah. Other noshes include bagels with smoked fish, potato knishes and chopped liver.

Umami Burger, which features the restaurant chain’s awesome signature hamburgers. I almost always go for the amazing Truffle Burger made with housemade truffle cheese and truffle glace, or the equally excellent spicy Hatch Burger made with four types of green chiles and housemade American cheese. However, UMAMIcatessen has some burgers that you can’t always get at the other Umami Burger locations. These include the yummy Shrimp Burger with Yuzu-Kosho and burgers which are on the “Secret Menu” such as the delicious Spicy Bird, a turkey burger with hatch chilies, crispy onion strings, beer cheddar cheese and a spicy diablo sauce.

P!GG, which is a tribute to pork all around the world from San Francisco celebrity chef Chris Constantino, the Overlord of Offal. It features high-end prosciutto and other charcuterie, as well as lard fried snacks such as Crispy Pig Ears with parsley and lemon, Pork Corn (popcorn) with juniper and rosemary and tasty P!GG Style Fries with pickled peppers, ham puree and “brainaise,” a scrumptious sauce made with mayonnaise and pig brains! I also highly recommend the Little Gems Salad with pork cracklins and an incredible nduja vinagrette, made with Constantino’s famous spreadable pork sausage.

& a Donut, which serves six different varieties of gourmet donuts fried to order, including an amazing soaked Tres Leches Donut with cajeta and ceylon cinnamon and the sinfully delicious “FG&J,” a playful spin on a jelly donut, made with foie gras mousse, forest berry jam and crushed peanuts. They also have homemade soft serve ice cream and sorbet.

With so many great things going on, UMAMIcatessen is an incredibly fun experience; one that I will no doubt repeat often. It’s located at 852 Broadway, Los Angeles (Downtown).

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