Consuming LA

September 23, 2011 · 9:15 am

Barrio-Fabulous

If I want to treat myself to something special on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, I drive over to Tacos Baja Ensenada, an East LA taco stand which serves the best fish tacos I have ever eaten. These are Baja-style tacos; fresh fish coated in the most delicious batter, deep fried to a golden crisp and then served on top of two warm corn tortillas with crispy shredded cabbage, pico de gallo, salsa and fresh crema. They are out of this world! Equally good are the shrimp tacos, which are the same as the fish ones, but made with battered and fried plump, succulent shrimp. If you’re looking for some citrus or extra spice, a condiment bar provides you with unlimited limes, grilled peppers and radishes.

Although I go mainly for the fish and shrimp tacos, Tacos Baja Ensenada (or “TBE” to its friends) has other excellent offerings that you will want to try including yummy fresh ceviche and shrimp tostadas and amazing fresh seafood cocktails. I also love their horchata (sweet rice drink). The prices for such heavenly dishes are incredibly low. A combo with two tacos, beans, rice and a soda will cost you only $5.00. If you come on a Wednesday, tacos are only 99 cents. Not surprisingly, TBE is a very popular joint and there is always a line. But don’t worry, Amigo, it moves very fast and in no time you will be enjoying hot, crunchy, salty awesomeness.

Tacos Baja Ensenada is located at 5385 Whittier Blvd in Los Angeles (East LA). They have two additional locations; one in Whittier and one in Glendora.

Tostada Ceviche de Pescado

Tostada de Camaron Entero

Cocktail Camaron (Shrimp Cocktail)

Limes, Grilled Peppers, Radishes and Horchata

Always a line!

Worth the trip to East LA

[mappress mapid=”40″]

9 Comments

Filed under East LA, Glendora, Whittier

Tagged as Tacos Baja Ensenada; Best Fish Tacos LA; Best Fish Tacos Los Angeles; Tacos Baja

September 16, 2011 · 10:30 am

Healthy Donuts: An Oxymoron?

Not surprisingly, it’s hard to lose weight when you write a food blog, especially if you have a sweet tooth like I do. So when Waylynn Lucas, the former pastry chef of The Bazaar and Patina, announced earlier this year that she was planning to open a bakery serving only healthier, non-fried, lower-sugar versions of donuts, she immediately had my attention. Fonuts (pronounced “Faux-nuts”) finally opened a few weeks ago to long lines of LA foodies (myself included), curious as to whether a fonut was the latest food trend to hit upscale urban neighborhoods or simply another phony LA model/actress-type rocking a beautiful exterior, but ultimately lacking in substance.

The interior of Fonuts is modern and sparse. There are no tables and chairs, just a small counter with a few stools and a bench out front. Besides the fonuts, they serve coffee drinks made with gourmet Lamill Coffee. Fonuts currently come in 13 varieties, 4 of which are wheat/gluten-free and 2 of which are also vegan. They are not cheap and range in price from $2.75 to $3.75 per fonut. While a dozen assorted donuts will usually run you less than $5, a dozen assorted fonuts will cost you around $40, making you evaluate how much you really like those office co-workers you’re buying them for.

So are fonuts as good as donuts? No; not even close. Essentially, fonuts are low fat cakes, many of which are similar to the low fat cakes that Starbucks sometimes offers, but in the shape of donuts. I tried 6 of the 13 varieties and was generally not impressed (my daughter even less so). The only fonut which I really loved was the savory Chorizo Cheddar. It was similar to a cheese bagel, but with a more cake-like consistentcy, and was really delicious. I thought most of the other fonuts were just OK including the Maple Bacon, which had crispy pieces of bacon on top of its maple glaze, and the PB&J stuffed fonut, which they should have called the “Goober Fonut” because the Peanut Butter & Jelly was unfortunately mixed together. My least favorites were the Strawberry Buttermilk, which was too mushy, and the Chocolate Hazelnut, which I thought was absolutely terrible. I do admire the concept though; selling low-fat cakes in the shape of donuts in a donut shop-type bakery could potentially be quite a brilliant marketing strategy.

Fonuts is located at 8104 West 3rd Street in Los Angeles.

Chorizo Cheddar

Peanut Butter & Jelly

Chocolate Hazelnut

Lemon

Maple Bacon

It's located on hip West 3rd Street

[mappress mapid=”39″]

2 Comments

Filed under Mid-City, West Hollywood

Tagged as Chorizo Cheddar Donut, faux nuts los angeles, Fauxnuts, fauxnuts la, fauxnuts los angeles, Fonuts, Healthy Donuts, Heathy Doughnuts, Maple Bacon Donut, Waylynn Lucas

September 8, 2011 · 9:15 am

Gjelina is Gjust Great

Abbot Kinney in Venice is one of my favorite streets in Los Angeles. It has unique and funky shops and several great restaurants and it’s the perfect place to spend a few blissful hours on a Saturday afternoon. My favorite restaurant on Abbot Kinney is Gjelina, which, despite the lack of signage outside, is no secret to many Angelenos. Gjelina is one of the coolest, hippest restaurants in LA. The decor is vintage industrial chic with rustic wood tables and exposed “Edison Bulbs” dangling from weathered metal bars. It’s loud and fun and filled with an eclectic mix of fedora and Retrospecs-wearing hipsters, eccentric Venice characters and some of the best looking people in LA.

But while the food disappoints at many of the other trendy hotspots in LA, the sophisticated rustic cuisine at Gjelina is incredible. A pizza (or two) is a must-have. My favorites are the Pizza with Lamb Sausage, Confit Tomato, Rapini, Pecorino & Asiago and the Pizza with Squash Blossoms, Cherry Tomatoes, Zucchini, Burrata & Parmesan. The pizzas have a thin, crispy crust and are among the best in the City. Gjelina also has really excellent vegetable dishes. I love the Wood Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic, Chili & Vinegar, the Charred Brussel Sprouts with Dates, Bacon and Vinegar, and the Wood Roasted Sunchokes with Salsa Verde. I also recommend ordering the delicious Roasted Half Jidori Chicken with Pea Tendrils, Cippolini Onions, Nantes Carrots & Riesling. Save room for dessert, because Gjelina has one of my all-time favorite desserts, Butterscotch Pot de Crème with Salted Caramel and Crème Fraiche a.k.a. one of the best cups of butterscotch pudding you will ever have.

But one word of warning about Gjelina (and the reason why I rarely take my wife there): per their menu, changes and modifications to dishes are “politely declined.” They are very serious about this policy and make no exceptions. Earlier this summer, Victoria Beckham and dining companion Gordon Ramsay got their knickers in a knot when Gjelina declined pregnant Posh’s request that her Smoked Trout Salad be served plain, without the accompanying grapefruit, avocado, red onion & lemon, and with the dressing on the side. Gjelina refused and Ramsay went ballistic and ranted to the press. I guess we won’t have to compete with these two anymore for Gjelina dinner reservations, which can be difficult to get.

Gelina is located at 1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd. in Venice. Gjelina Take Away, where you can get breakfast and lunch dishes to go, recently opened next door.

Charred Brussel Sprouts with Dates, Bacon and Vinegar

Roasted Half Jidori Chicken with Pea Tendrils, Cippolini Onions, Nantes Carrots & Riesling

Butterscotch Pot de Crème with Salted Caramel & Crème Fraiche

I love the vibe here!

[mappress mapid=”38″]

6 Comments

Filed under Venice

Tagged as Abbot Kinney, Gjelina, Gordon Ramsay, Posh Spice, Victoria Beckham

September 2, 2011 · 9:30 am

Domo Arigato Mr. Robata

Robata Jinya is one of my new favorite restaurants and my favorite robata bar in Los Angeles. A robata bar specializes in skewers of meat and vegetables which are cooked on a charcoal grill, often after marinating in a special sauce. It’s a style of cooking that originated in rustic farmhouses around the city of Sendai in Northern Japan. The skewers at Robata Jinya are small and most are only two or three dollars so you can try lots of different things. My favorites are the Tsukune (perfectly seasoned chicken meatballs), the Prime Beef and Garlic (made with a yummy Japanese soy garlic sauce), and the Chasu Pork (soy-braised pork belly which is glazed to perfection). All three are pictured above. I also love the grilled eggplant, which is beautifully plated and sprinkled with bonito flakes. The robata here is not only delicious, most of it (pork belly aside) is ideal if you’re watching your weight, avoiding heavy carbs and trying to “eat clean” and exercise portion control.

But Robata Jinya is much more than just robata. They have an extensive menu of sushi, as well as awesome appetizers such as the Shrimp Toast (delicious bite size sandwiches arranged like a game of Jenga) and really great gyoza (pork dumplings). They also have incredible ramen, which is not that surprising since their sister restaurant, Ramen Jinya in Studio City, is one of the best ramen places in LA. But the one non-robata dish which is a must-have is the Homemade Organic Tofu, which is made instantly right in front of you. The waitress will pour warm soy milk from a pitcher into a bowl. After about five minutes, the liquid forms into a custard-like soft tofu. You are given bonito flakes, grated ginger and ponzu sauce to add on top. It is incredibly delicious! And of course fun. I could seriously eat here everyday.

Robata Jinya is located at 8050 West 3rd Street, Los Angeles (in Mid-City near West Hollywood).

Shrimp Toast Jenga anyone?

Tofu is made at your table!

Homemade Tofu: the final result

Eggplant with bonito flakes

Caramel Nut Ice and Green Tea Mochi Ice Cream

I love the decor.

[mappress mapid=”37″]

2 Comments

Filed under Mid-City, West Hollywood

Tagged as Japanese Food Los Angeles, Robata Jinya; Robata Bar Los Angeles

August 26, 2011 · 11:50 am

Sack It To Me!

Los Angeles foodies have been eagerly awaiting the opening of ink, the new restaurant by uber-talented, bad-ass Top Chef winner Michael Voltaggio. While ink should finally open next month, Voltaggio surprised everyone recently by opening a gourmet sandwich counter called ink.sack a few doors down from his soon-to-debut fine dining restaurant on Melrose. I’ve been to ink.sack a couple times since it opened less than two weeks ago and I am already a huge fan. The sandwiches are inexpensive but small, so you need to order at least two (I could easily polish off three) to make a meal. This is a great feature because even if you go there alone, you’re able to try different things without making a pig of yourself.

The seven sandwiches on the menu are what you would expect from Voltaggio; they’re inventive, complex and fun. I’ve tried all of them (I have a duty to my blog readers, right?) and I liked all of them, although some more than others. My favorites are the Maple-Pepper Turkey Melt, a sweet and savory sandwich which includes Camembert, Mustarda (candied fruit in a mustard flavored syrup) and arugula, and The Jose Andres aka “The Spanish Godfather,” which is named after the awesome chef of The Bazaar and includes Serrano, Chorizo, Lomo and Manchego. These sandwiches are must-haves. I also loved the messy but yummy, sushi-inspired Spicy Tuna with Miso-Cured Albacore and Sriacha Mayo, as well as Voltaggio’s take on a Vietnamese Bahn Mi, which was made with pork cheeks, chicharrones (fried pork rinds) and pickled vegetables. Ink.sack’s version of a classic Ruben is made with corned beef tongue, so when you taste it, it tastes you back (sorry; I couldn’t resist). The “Ruben” is also made with Appenzeller cheese, kraut and Russian dressing and I thought it was very good. My least favorites were the Cold Fried Chicken with house-made ranch cheese and the C.L.T., which is Voltaggio’s version of a B.L.T., made with chicken liver mousse, curried fried chicken skin, lettuce and tomato.

Whether you eat in (there is very limited seating) or take-out, sandwiches are given to you in a black paper bag with your name written on it. Make sure to order the salt, pepper and vinegar potato chips to go with your sandwich. Also worth getting is the refreshing “Street Fruit” (pineapple, jicama, mango and melon mixed with chile and lemon juice) or the watermelon with sriacha and lime. They also have Mexican chocolate chip cookies and a good selection of gourmet sodas.

Ink.sack is located at 8360 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles (in West Hollywood).