Entries from May 2009

May 31, 2009

Leftovers: Torihei

Excellent yakitori and Kyoto-style oden for the LA Times:

PHOTO by STEFANO PALTERA / LA TIMES
There’s a distinct division in Torihei’s kitchen. At one end, a huge pot of dashi broth sits just below a boil as it seethes a continuous cloud of steam. Opposite the pot, skewers cook with a low, gratifying hiss on a crackling charcoal [...]

May 28, 2009

Leftovers: El Taco Loco No. 3

Plenty of buche and tripas for the District:

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
As with the proliferation of any foodstuff (think pizza, for one), the omnipresence of the taco has diminished its own street-level existence. What should be a quick, thoughtful fast food—tortillas pressed from fresh masa, mounds of carefully spiced meats—has instead devolved, too often leaning on [...]

May 25, 2009

Photos: Holland Festival

Some shots from Sunday’s Holland Festival in Long Beach, which was more a celebration of Indonesian street food than anything. A more complete recap is on its way.
Update: Full thoughts are up at the Daily Dish.

May 20, 2009

Leftovers: Panvimarn

New Thai on the block for the District:

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
Panvimarn shines brightest in the afternoon sun, its glistening golden décor appearing like the gilded interior of a jewelry box. And during these lengthened days of soon-to-be-summer, the restaurant is even more precious, with its carefully contemporary atmosphere transformed into a palatial setting that fosters [...]

May 14, 2009

To Do: Holland Festival

If Indonesian cuisine is underrepresented in Southern California (locally available in Bellflower, Westwood, Rowland Heights and few places in between), true Dutch dishes are even more rare. That Dutch cooking shares some pastoral traits with the rest of continental Europe doesn’t help, either—its dairy-dedicated recipes often don’t do enough to separate themselves from like-minded neighbors. [...]

May 7, 2009

Leftovers: Fresh Foods Café

Business casual for the District:

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
Hours in the office don’t quite suppress an appetite, but they sure stifle it—hunger blunted and bludgeoned by the electric hum of copiers and computers and fluorescent lights. By the time your brain sends out enough signals to remind itself that you’ve skipped breakfast and typed right through [...]

May 4, 2009

Leftovers: Phnom Penh Noodle

25 years of noodles for the District:

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
Despite decades along Anaheim Street, Khmer cooking lacks the traction of some of its Southeast-Asian neighbors. Without a defining dish with which to colonize the American appetite (think of the crusty portability of banh mi or the spaghetti-like ubiquity of pad thai), Cambodian cuisine often feels [...]

May 1, 2009

To Do: LA BBQ Festival

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
Smokers are welcome again in Santa Monica on May 9 and 10 when Drink:Eat:Play’s 2nd annual LA BBQ Festival sets up just north of the pier. Aside from some local representatives (Baby Blues, Gus’s, Mr. Cecil’s), expect pitmasters from as far away as Texas, Missouri, Illinois and beyond. There’ll be beer (of [...]