Consuming LA

July 10, 2013 · 12:11 pm

Wonder-Ama

Angels Flight is an LA curiosity located in the heart of downtown. Built in 1901, it is known as “The Shortest Railway in the World,” and for 50Â¢, takes you up 298 feet to the top of Bunker Hill. A couple blocks away, on 4th Street, is another elevation of sorts. Bar AmÃ¡ is a new restaurant from Chef Josef Centeno (BÃ¤co Mercat and Lazy Ox Canteen) that serves elevated Tex-Mex fare.

Often described as bastardized Mexican cuisine from this side of the Border, Tex Mex is comfort food that is usually cheap and best enjoyed with a cold cerveza. For Chef Centeno, it’s the food that he grew up with and, at Bar AmÃ¡, he refines several Tex Mex classics and puts a new spin on others. There is of course Queso, a gloppy liquid cheese dip that is a Tex Mex staple and delectable Puffy Tacos filled with yummy Carne Guisada. My favorite dishes are an amazing Pork Belly Chicharron with Poblano Cream and Lime, and a decadent dessert of Leche Quemada (Burnt Milk) Pudding with Graham Cracker, Fennel Pollen, Peanut and Almond. Other menu items, such as the Rancho Gordo “Borracho” Beans with Beer, Cilantro and Bacon and the Albondigas with Corn & Sweet Potato Cake, Tomatillo and Baked Egg, sounded better than they tasted.

Not surprisingly, the elevated cuisine at Bar AmÃ¡ is pricier than the grub at most Tex Mex eateries. However, you’re dining in a nicer than normal space; a very cool industrial chic room with lots of reclaimed wood and southwest tiles. Also worth mentioning is the impressive bar stocked with an extensive array of high end tequillas and mezcals. For extra fun, you can follow your dinner with a ride on Angels Flight and experience a bit of LA history.

Bar AmÃ¡ is located at 118 W. 4th St., Los Angeles (Downtown). Don’t confuse it with fellow Downtown newbie Alma.

Tex-Mex Queso with Avocado, Sour Cream and Salsa

English Peas & Black Grapes with Crema, Arbol and Pea Tendril

Carne Guisada Puffy Tacos

Albondigas with Corn & Sweet Potato Cake, Tomatillo and Baked Egg

Fideo with Octopus & Kielbasa with Toasted Vermicelli and Pepitas

Leche Quemada (Burnt Milk) Pudding with Graham Cracker, Fennel Pollen, Peanut and Almond

Industrial Chic/Southwest Decor

Angels Flight

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Tagged as Angeles Flight, Angels Flight, Angels Flight Los Angeles, Baco Mercat Sister Restaurant, Bar Alma, Bar Ama, Bar Ama Downtown Los Angeles, Bar Ama Menu, Bar Ama Restaurant, Bar Ama Review, Chef Josef Centeno, josef centeno, Joseph Centeno, Leche Quemada, Leche Quemada Los Angeles, Mexican Restaurants Downtown Los Angeles, Puffy Tacos Los Angeles, Tequilla Bars Los Angeles, Tex Mex Los Angeles

July 3, 2013 · 11:08 am

Dead Chefs Society

Something very cool and collegiate is going on downtown at UMAMIcatessen. There’s a twelve-seat bar in the back of the restaurant that has been converted into “The Residency.” Here, visiting chefs create intimate and unique themed dinners. The latest is the Dead Chefs pop-up series presented by talented chef Micah Wexler (of the late great Mezze) and his partner Mike Kassar. Each meal is five courses, with optional wine pairing, inspired by the cuisine of a deceased chef. Wexler precedes each course with information about the legendary chef and an explanation of the dish you are about to consume. It’s kind of like that fun seminar that everyone wanted to take when you were in college with the cool visiting professor.

I recently attended one of these dinners; an homage to Maestro Martino di Como, a 15th-Century Italian culinarian who was the Western World’s first celebrity chef. The meal (pictured below) was molto buono and its highlight was a whole roasted suckling pig that Wexler carved table-side. Future Dead Chefs honored will include Julia Child, Jean-Louis Palladin, Sylvia Woods (the Queen of Soul Food) and Chen Kenmin (the father of Chinese Sichuan cooking).

The Residency at UMAMIcatessen is located at 852 S. Broadway, Los Angeles (Downtown). The Dead Chef dinners are at 7:15 and 9:00 every Thursday night until August 15th. Each dinner is $60 per person plus $30 for optional wine pairing.

Sgombri con Zucchini e Finocchi (Mackerel and Summer Squash with Wild Fennel Sauce)

Sgombri con Zucchini e Finocchi (Mackerel, Summer Squash with Wild Fennel Sauce)

Zanzarelli con Fava e Zafferano (Bread Soup with Fava Beans and Saffron)

Pasta with Arugula Pesto

Maialino da Latte Arrosto (Roasted Suckling Pig, Garlic, Herbs and Offal Sauce)

Crostata di Madorle (Almond Tarte with Date and Coffee and topped with Creme Fraiche)

Chef Micah Wexler educates and feeds you

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Tagged as bar at umamicatessen, chef micah wexler, chen kenmin, daad chefs dinner, dead chef dinners, dtla pop-ups, educational dining experiences in la, educational dining experiences los angeles, jean-oui paladin, la pop-up restaurants, los angeles pop up restaurants, maestro martini di como, marino di como, MIcah Wexler, mike kassar, Residency umamicatessen, roasted whole roasted suckling pig, special meals at umamicatessen, sylvia woods, the residency; umamicatessen the residency

June 21, 2013 · 11:33 am

Boom Goes the Dynamite

If there was a Justice League for LA’s top chefs, David LeFevre would be included as “South Bay Man” or perhaps would just be known as “The Beachcomber.” He would travel on a turbo-charged beach cruiser, his flapping cape adorned with an “MB” shield and his utility belt replete with oyster knife and spatula. His superpower would remain the same: bringing kick ass cuisine to the impoverished palates of bronzed surfer dudes and beautiful volleyball babes in Manhattan Beach.

After opening the South Bay’s first great restaurant, MB Post, a couple years ago, LeFevre has now brought a second excellent eatery to the Beach Cities. Fishing with Dynamite is a tiny but bustling Eastern Seaboard-style oyster bar and seafood house located just a stone’s throw from the Manhattan Beach Pier. It’s a fun place to enjoy a cocktail such as the “Original Gangster” (Boulevardier with White Dog Whiskey, Aperol, Vya Sweet & Grapefruit) or the “Branding Iron” (Beer Flip with Oro Acholado Pisco, Egg, Vanilla, Nutmeg & Witte Bier), while slurping down Mattaki Oysters or indulging in some Peruvian Scallops or Little Neck Clams. The menu also features an array of delicious seafood concoctions such as Black Miso Cod, Maryland Blue Crab Cake (pictured above) and a truly spectacular Spicy Albacore Tuna Tartare. For those concerned with sustainable fishing practices, don’t get bent out of shape over the restaurant’s playful name. There is no actual dynamite fishing with regard to the seafood served by LeFevre; superheroes don’t condone that sort of thing.

Fishing with Dynamite is located at 1148 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach. Reservations are taken for only a couple tables; everything else, including seats at the raw bar and cocktail bar, is for walk-ins.

Oysters on the Half Shell with Horseradish, Lemon, Cocktail Sauce and Ponzu Sauce

Chef David’s Mother’s Cape Cod Squash Rolls with Rosemary Butter

Spicy Albacore Tuna Tartare

Beer Battered Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos with Red Cabbage and Spicy Crema with Lime and Cilantro on Housemade Corn Tortillas

Maple Pudding with Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Candied Pecans and Rosemary Sandies

A tiny place with a party atmosphere

Chef David LeFevre

A second great restaurant for Manhattan Beach!

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Tagged as Best Crab Cake Los Angeles, Best Restaurants Manhattan Beach, Best Restaurants South Bay, Chef David Lefevre, David LaFevre, david lefevre, David Lefevre Fishing with Dynamite, Fishing with Dynamite, Fishing With Dynamite Manhattan Beach, Fishing with Dynamite Menu, Fishing with Dynamite Restaurant, Fishing With Dynamite Review, Fishing with Dynomite, FWD, FWD Restaurant, Manhattan Beach Restaurant, MB Post New Restaurant, Oyster Bars LA, Raw Bar Los Angeles, Raw Bar Manhattan Beach

June 14, 2013 · 10:10 am

Do Not Pass Go’s

When I arrived at Go’s Mart for the first time on the advice of a friend, I thought maybe I was being punk’d. Its name sounds more like a gas station convenience store than a highly recommended Japanese restaurant. Its location next to a massage parlor in a non-descript strip mall in the West Valley Hinterlands of Canoga Park further fueled my skepticism. Once inside, I found myself in a tiny space with mostly bare orange walls, two tables and a seven-seat sushi bar. One of the best sushi restaurants in the city? Inconceivable! But after my first few pieces of mind-blowing nigiri, I know that it was true.

Go’s Mart is not for sushi purists. The super fresh, melt-in-your-mouth slices of fish are topped with things like gold leaf, sea salt, truffle oil and caviar. The only menu is a list of exotic specials on a dry erase board, but you can order lots of things that aren’t on the board and it’s probably best to put yourself in Chef Go’s expert hands and get the omakase (chef’s choice).

If you’re a-la-carting it, there are a few must-have items. The Live Scallop Sushi is insanely good, the Kelp Halibut is unbelievably amazing and the Akimo (Monk Fish Liver with Sweet Plum Sausce, Scallion, Sesame Seeds and Goji Berry) is transcendent. One of the best and most interesting dishes is the “Holy Cow,” a seared slice of authentic Japanese Kobe or Wagyu beef served sushi-style on rice with lemon salt and truffle oil. Although he’s clearly ultra-passionate about his sushi, Chef Go is no Sushi Nazi and won’t eject you for ordering a Spicy Tuna Roll.

At the end of my meal, there was no doubt that, despite the low-rent location and decor, Go’s Mart was a high-end sushi establishment and the bill reflected this as well. It was very expensive but worth every penny.

Go’s Mart is located at 22330 Sherman Way in Canoga Park.

Akimo (Monk Fish Liver with Sweet Plum Sauce, Scallion, Sesame Seeds and Goji Berry)

Kampachi Belly Sushi

Baby Abalone Sushi, Baby Red Snapper Sushi and Japanese Sea Bass Sushi

Live Scallop Sushi

Holy Cow

Snow Crab and Vegetable Hand Roll

Special Albacore Roll

Sashimi porn. Nice pair…of scallops!

A tiny place with orange walls

Don’t judge a book by its cover.

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Tagged as Best Sushi Los Angeles, best sushi west valley, best sushi woodland hills, canoga park sushi, go mart, go mart sushi, Go Sushi, go's mart, go's mart sushi, go's sushi, japanese kobe beef los angeles, real kobe beef los angeles, real wagyu beef los angeles, San Fernando Valley Sushi, sushi restaurant canoga park

June 7, 2013 · 11:46 am

Badmaash is Badaash

Q: What do you get when you combine Downtown hipsters, a Warhol-esqe treatment of Mahatma Ghandi, craft beer and Chicken Tikka Poutine? A: Badmaash, which opened last month and appears to be the country’s first Indian Gastropub. Its name is Hindi slang for a rascal or mischief-maker, and this Indian bad boy sports a modern and Ã¼ber-cool look which includes blackboard walls and brightly-colored vintage Bollywood movie posters. Rock music and an eclectic selection of fruity wines, India pale ales and other microbrews create a party-like atmosphere which stimulates the chakras and brims with good karma.

The food is as fun as the decor. The menu offers a mix of Bombay street food, Indian fusion cuisine and traditional Indian favorites. Badmaash’s mash-up fare includes the aforementioned Chicken Tikka Poutine (which is excellent and pictured above), Crispy Tamarind Glazed Pork Belly with Housemade Pickles and Cilantro-Pineapple Yogurt, a Spiced Lamb Burger and Chili-Cheese Naan Bread. There’s even a blasphemously delicious beef dish (which you rarely see in Indian restaurants for religious reasons) called Holy Cow Keema POW! If you want to go old school, you can feast on Butter Chicken, Saag Paneer and Ghost Chili Lamb Vindaloo. To drink, I recommend trying an imported Thums Up soda, a spicy cola with a strong cardamom and cinnamon flavor. Namaste, LA foodies!

Badmaash is located at 108 W 2nd St, Los Angeles (Downtown).