Guisados – Not Your Average Carne Asada Taco
Living in southern California, it’s next to impossible to not eat a taco once in your life. There are the countless taco trucks along Cesar Chavez and Beverly Blvd; they were a thing before food trucks became a thing. While Guisados is a brick and mortar restaurant instead of a mobile taco truck, it has the taco truck mentality. Order at the counter, watch your taco being assembled fresh after you order, stuff your face with it, and then order another.
Where Guisados differs from the taco truck experience is that it doesn’t just have your run of the mill carne asadas, carnitas, and cabeza tacos. Instead, it has exotic-sounding things like calabacitas and mole casipoblano. What might surprise you is that this humble little taco spot also has an amuse bouche and even a chef’s choice sampler platter.
The amuse bouche, a small cup of whatever soup they’re featuring that day, is enough to whet the appetite while you’re waiting for the food to be assembled. The first time I went, it was a rich, fresh-tasting cilantro soup with just the right touch of acidity. The second time, it was a wonderfully spiced chicken broth. A hot bowl of that soup would be perfect on a chilly day.
First-timers willing to try anything should definitely go for the sampler platter. It’s a plate of six miniature tacos each piled high with the first six taco fillings on the menu. On one particular day, the six tacos were chicharron, tinga de pollo, steak picado, mole poblano, chuleta en salsa verde, bistek rojo, and cochinita pibil.
My favorites on that day were the chicarron and cochinita pibil tacos. The chicharon had that perfect chewy but tender texture with that guilt-inducing richness. The cochinita pibil was juicy, spicy, and definitely gives Yucas, my previous spot for cochinita pibil, a run for their money. The tinga de pollo has a chili pepper drawing next to it, indicating that it’s spicy and yes, it is definitely a not-foolin’ around spicy. I usually save that one for last or else I can’t taste the other tacos after it.
What’s icing on the cake is that Guisados also offers a couple of vegetarian and possibly vegan tacos (if you ask them to leave off the cheese). The vegetarian options aren’t as plentiful or as exciting sounding as the meat options, but it’s always nice to have. The days I was there, they had a grilled mushroom and cilantro taco as well as a zucchini taco. Unfortunately, most of the time, the amuse bouche of soup is not vegetarian.
On a street in Boyle Heights that boasts of hundreds of other places to get tacos and tamales, it’s hard for a new restaurant to stand out. What Guisados has to offer is a regionally different taco filling, and attention to ingredients. After one chat with the owner, it’s apparent that he really cares about the quality of his ingredients, how his taco fillings turn out, and his customers. One of the times I visited was in the middle of Lent and he admitted to having more fish and vegetable options on the menu to cater to his Catholic customers who still want a delicious taco. How’s that for customer service?
LA’s Best Sunday Suppers
It’s Sunday evening, you’ve just woken up from a breakfast-booze induced nap, and you’re hungry. Back in the day you’re loving mother prepared giant delicious multi-course Sunday Suppers for the family, but you’re too lazy to put on such an orchestrated dining event yourself, and even more relevant: you’re too cheap.
Luckily, there are quite a few restaurants in LA that offer weekly prix-fixe ‘Sunday Supper’ dinner deals that allow you to eat like a king on the salary of a court jester. These dinners are a great opportunity for you to get drunk & fat on the cheap and try out a new restaurant with your LA family (i.e. friends) – and there isn’t anything not to love about that! Plus, unlike Mom’s Sunday suppers, there’s no dishes duty afterward!
So without further adieu, here is our round up of our favorite LA Sunday Suppers:
Dominick’s on Beverly has been running their Sunday supper deal for as long as we can remember & they remain one of our favorite picks. For $15/person, you can score some amazing Italian eats. The menu changes weekly but you can usually expect to start with a salad, fill up on some pasta, and end with some sweet gelato or tiramisu. If a $15 3-course meal isn’t mind blowing enough, during Sunday Supper you can also add a bottle of wine for just $12, or sip on some Moretti beer for just $3 a bottle. (PS: Dominick’s hipster brother Little Dom’s in Los Feliz features the same deal on Mondays!)
If you have swankier taste and your bank account has yet to catch up, head to Cecconi’s in West Hollywood for their ridiculously cheap, family-style, Sunday dinners. Call up three of your trendiest (or hungriest) friends and for just $50, the four of you can enjoy salad, pizza, and pasta, all served family style. That’s right, $50 for all of you! That’s just $12.50 each, which would normally only get you an appetizer at Cecconi’s. And to fulfill your wino needs, pair your meal with bottles of house wine for $25 a pop.
Fancy pants Mediterranean food seems to be the latest trend in LA these days & our favorite of these trendy newbies is definitely the casually chic Momed in Beverly Hills. Not only is their food freaking delicious (just thinking of their duck schwarma has me salivating puddles all over my desk), but they also have a great Sunday Supper deal, for just $25/person. The menu includes six small plate items, a seasonal specialty entrée, & a desert. That’s like an 8-course meal! On top of all this, the wine list is very reasonably priced (starting at $5 glass) and features great wines from the Mediterranean region.
Sotto is a pretty new spot in West LA, so new that we haven’t even had the chance to check it out… yet! But their Sunday Supper is calling our names and we can’t wait to find ourselves there one Sunday in the near future. For $30 a person you get five (yes, 5!) courses. Their menu is market driven and changes constantly, so you can definitely expect some pretty delicious fresh fare. Plus, you can booze through your five courses with $15 bottles of wine or $7 specialty cocktails.
To read about other Sunday dinner deals or prix-fixe choices available during the week, check out our blog at www.FinerThingsLa.com!
5 Fun First Date Bars in Los Angeles
These days, first dates tend to be on the more casual side. While coffee dates are fine and dandy, booze always wins. It’s an unspoken fact it helps you get loose. But keep it pleasant, not sloppy. So where to go? Most guys will pick something close to where they live…just in case it goes really well (wink wink, nudge nudge). I’m more inclined to pick something where they either have food or you can get food nearby. See above on keeping it pleasant.
Normal, no drama bar: Spring Street Bar – DTLA
At first, this bar seems more about the beer. But look closely, it features some fine bottles of bourbon. And the bartenders will gamely make you a cocktail if you ask.
Food options: Spring Street serves deli sandwiches and a great potato salad. But if munching from a bag of chips ain’t your steez, head over to nearby Gorbals. Get the banh mi poutine!
High end, craft cocktail bar: Roger Room – Mid-City
If your date hasn’t even been, impress them by leading them to this unmarked, circus-themed bar. At first, they’ll wonder why you’re taking them to Trashy Lingerie on the next block or if you’re really into kinky dates, the strip club across the street. But no, you’ll find the Roger Room next to the Coronet Theatre. The crowd is a nice mix of locals and the craft cocktails here are stellar. Try any of the gin cocktails or for a smooth cocktail with a tough name, the Thug Life.
Themed, kitschy bar: Tiki-Ti – Los Feliz
The Tiki-Ti just celebrated 50 years of business. It’s family owned and they take care of their customers with some of the greatest tropical drinks around. Get cozy at the bar and order Ray’s Mistake. And when people start to chant “toro, toro, toro!”- join in because it’s fun. Someone just ordered a Blood and Sand. Beware it’s cash only and smoke friendly (one of the few bars in L.A. that can legally allow smoking). Also, there’s no beer or wine. As they say, you can get beer anywhere.
Wine Bar: Vintage Enoteca – Hollywood
Sometimes it’s tough in Hollywood. You want to fit in. But not too much. After all, you’re not the sort to wear footie pajamas and hopefully your date doesn’t either. You want to exude class? Drinking wine seems to imply that. Head over to Vintage Enoteca and let them take care of you. Small bar bites include flatbreads, salumi and cheese plates and bruschetta. Perhaps you’ll both reach for olives at the same time when your date goes well.
The Dive Bar: The Liquid Kitty – West Los Angeles
With a neon martini glass marking the entrance, the Liquid Kitty lately has become less of a dive bar and more of a neighborhood bar in recent years. Often you can find a food truck outside and the friendly barkeeps will ask you if you want a regular or large martini. Go for the large. It’s always worth it. Pick a fun themed night like iPod night on Wednesdays. Impress your date with your DJ skills. Or if live music is your thing, try Thursdays for funk music. The best part about this bar? It’s dark as hell so ladies, skip the pancake makeup. You’ll look marvelous in the dim reddish glow.
Ready more by Shauna at TheMinty.com
Kobe Beef Pho at Noodle Guy
When Susan Feniger’s Street first opened with its $16 bowl of pho, I was one of the many who balked at that inflated price. When I heard about the $12 bowl of kobe beef pho at Noodle Guy, I didn’t balk as much since it was kobe beef after all. I was also surprised to see an over $10 bowl of pho in the San Gabriel Valley, which is home of the $5 bowl of pho. I didn’t think that Asian immigrants would actually stand for such an expensive bowl of pho.
I usually judge pho using three categories: broth, noodles, and meat. If any of those three categories fail, you get a bad bowl of pho. No matter how good the broth is, the entire meal is ruined if you have soggy noodles, or poor quality meat.
My first time at Noodle Guy, a newish restaurant sitting in a strip mall on Valley Blvd., I splurged and ordered their house special pho (which comes with slices of beef flank, brisket, tendon, and tripe) with a kobe beef substitution. The menu doesn’t mention anything about subbing kobe beef in for the regular beef, but there was a huge banner by the parking lot. The kobe beef brings the usual $6 bowl of pho up to the $12 price point.
The extra charge is worth it if you’ve never had kobe beef pho. The meat is barely cooked and therefore very melt-in-your-mouth tender. It also has a very strong, almost grassy, beef flavor. It’s definitely a meaty flavor, but not in an off way. The difference in taste is subtler than I expected, but it was noticeable if you pay attention. It tastes almost like the way you’d imagine an open field with fresh damp dirt and long blades of grass would smell like.
The broth at Noodle Guy also did not disappoint. It was slightly sweet, and very aromatic with star anise. It also had a velvety richness, probably from the bits of fat and cartilage melted off from the bones it was made with. It was certainly a full-bodied enough to support the flavor of the kobe beef.
The rice noodles at Noodle Guy are wider than the usual ones served in pho, but not as wide as say, the rice noodles in pad see ew. The thicker noodles make sense because the broth is so rich and has such a creamy mouth feel, that a thinner noodle would do a poor job of delivering the soup to your mouth. Sure, you can always use a spoon, but one of the best things about pho is slurping up the bits of soup that cling to the noodles.
Would I order the pho with kobe beef again? Unless I were really hankering for it, probably not. That’s not to say the beef wasn’t good. It was very, very good. But so was everything else. The broth was wonderfully spiced and had a great texture. The noodles were perfectly cooked and still had a nice chew for rice noodles. The tendon was buttery and melted in my mouth. The tripe was easily chewable and not overcooked. The bowl was perfect without the need for kobe beef.
Read more by Louise at Naked Sushi
Photo by Louise Yang
Los Angeles’ Best Places for Small Plates
The philosophy at Monkey in LA is to celebrate life with good food and good people. And with the weather warming, there is no better time to put down the pan and make a date at one of Los Angeles’ best places for sharing. From the beach to the city, here are a few favorites for a night out with friends.
Gjelina
1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd
Forget the entrees at this Venice favorite; it’s all about the small dishes and farmer’s market vegetables. For this shared plate date, make a reservation. Gjelina may be a few years old, but it’s still the busiest spot on Abbott Kinney.
Once inside and seated at one of the reclaimed wood tables (or on the patio if you’re so lucky), go straight to the greens with the charred okra with black olives and pinenuts, braised butter beans with gremolata, or the wood roasted sunchokes. Add a plate of the burrata with salted anchovy and mint pesto and the hamachi crudo with kumquats for a perfect spring dinner.
Finish your feast with the marvelous warm strawberry and rhubarb crisp with a scoop of almond gelato.
Yatai
8535 W. Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood
Calling itself an Asian tapas bar, Yatai is a warm and hidden West Hollywood spot with a long list of fresh plates perfect for sharing. In fact, with dishes priced from $4-$9, it’s easy to try a range and still leave room in the budget for a round of soju cocktails or a few bottles of ginjo sake.
Not to miss: The crispy rice with spicy tuna, stuffed shitake mushroom, nasu-miso (Japanese eggplant) and the baked black cod.
And for dessert? The warm chocolate cake with ginger ice cream.
Bar Pintxo
109 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica
A cozy Santa Monica eatery only a block from the ocean, this is the closest thing to a traditional Basque bar this side of the Atlantic. With a variety of pintxos (small bites served on grilled bread) and an extensive list of Spanish wines, you’ll feel like you’re in Bilbao for the evening.
Make it here for the $6 for 6 Happy Hour where you can sample the filet mignon with shallot jam, crimini mushrooms with idiazabal cheese and the manchego, quince and marcona almond pintxos with a $4 glass of sangria.
Feeling a little more Madrid? Bar Pintxo also serves up plenty of tapas including patatas bravas, tortilla española, and empanadas del dia.
Wood & Vine
6280 Hollywood Blvd
An industrial brasserie located in the 1923 Taft Building, this new Hollywood eatery is all about the small plates with a wide range of charcuterie, cheeses and seasonal dishes. With a friendly staff and menu of cocktails that reads like a homage to the building’s history, it’s a perfect stop to escape the bustle of modern Hollywood for classic food and libations.
To start, order the saucisson sec (French dried sausage), the pork and olive rillettes, and the creamy Pont-l’Évêque or Bermuda Triangle, an earthy goat’s cheese from California, followed by the potato gnocchi with truffle and the must-try house fried chicken and waffles with maple roasted squash.
Top the evening with the butterscotch pot de crème and a round of profiteroles with hot chocolate sauce.
Barbrix
2442 Hyperion Ave
Located in an old house, this charming spot may be a familiar fixture within Silver Lake, but it’s always worth a visit with their ever-changing menu and long list of carefully chosen wines.
For a taste of the Mediterranean, sit under the umbrellas on the patio and share the saffron arancini, deviled eggs made with a sliver of Spanish boquerone (white anchovy), the grilled polenta with gorgonzola and mushrooms, and the refreshing farro salad made with asparagus, mint and feta.
Order a few glasses of Moscato and end the meal in European style with a selection of cheese like the nutty piave vecchio from Italy or the rich epoisses from France.
For more on LA’s finest eateries, visit Monkey in LA
LA’s Top Bottomless Mimosa Brunches
Over here at FinerThingsLA, we really like to drink. So much so that after a night out, when we wake up the next morning, there is nothing we love more than a boozy breakfast with free flowing mimosas. Seriously, what could be better for a hangover than some perfectly cooked over-easy eggs or some nice fluffy pancakes, paired with copious amounts of boozed up OJ?
To show our love for boozy brunches, we dedicate Fridays on our blog to everything & anything mimosa related. Although we haven’t had a chance to hit up all 50+ options listed on our blog, we have tried many of them and definitely have our favorites:
Taste on Melrose – West Hollywood
Taste has it all – amazing food, a great patio for people watching, and most importantly, $13 bottomless bubbly every Saturday & Sunday from 10:30am – 3:00pm. There is something on the brunch menu at Taste for everyone: if you’re in the mood for something savory, we love the breakfast burrito, and if you have a sweet tooth, it doesn’t get better than the brioche French toast with bananas and Nutella. Keep in mind, Taste is definitely on the classier side compared to some of our other mimosa picks, so we don’t encourage finding the bottom of the mimosa barrel here (trust us, we’ve tried on multiple occasions and the waitresses did not bother to hide their disdain.)
The Six – WestLA
We absolutely love this small, dark, restaurant tucked away on Pico. Their breakfast items are hearty and delicious, perhaps the best item on the menu being their waffle sliders. Really, we love any type of slider, and The Six’s breakfast version is no exception – sausage, bacon, eggs & cheese sandwiched between two mini waffles. Think of it as the rich man’s McGriddle. And of course: every Sunday from 10:00a-3:00p they offer bottomless mimosas, bloody marys AND Heffeweisens for just $10.
Overland Café – Culver City
Overland Café always tops our list simply because it is SO cheap. Just $5 for bottomless bubbly, served every Saturday and Sunday from 8:00a-2:00p! Plus, Overland takes no issue with excessive breakfast boozing. In fact, they are encouraging of it & leave full sized bottles of champagne on the table, coming by to replace the bottles when they are empty. Yes, the food is also decently good (standard breakfast stuffs), but we really just come here for the inexpensive bubbly.
Eva – Mid-City
We have yet to meet someone that doesn’t love Eva. Eva has long been the home of one of the best Sunday Suppers in LA and, recently added another reason for us to stop by weekly: Sunday brunch. Sunday brunch at Eva isn’t the cheapest on the block, but considering the food quality and the fact that the mimosas are endless, $29 a person doesn’t seem too bad either. Brunch runs every Sunday from 10:00a-1:00p, and the price includes a 2-course seasonal breakfast menu. Eating at Eva feels like eating at a friend’s house, a cozy spot that is perfect for a lazy Sunday meal.
For a full guide of bottomless mimosa brunches in and around Los Angeles, be sure to check out our blog; we update the list every 1st Friday of the month with a new spot!
It’s Dessert Time in LA!
Is it a blessing or a curse to have a sweet tooth? Whenever a server wants to know if I’ve saved room for dessert, I simply answer, “I’ll take a look.” There just may be that perfect sweet to finish off a great meal.
Recently, I’ve been thinking about some of the best desserts I’ve ever had, but miss terribly because it’s no longer offered. Like the peanut butter terrine at Bottega Louie. I still find pleasure in finding a great red velvet cupcake and slice of tres leches cake, but feel it’s slightly silly in the land of a gazillion frozen yogurt shops (why are they STILL around?).
Actually, cupcakes and cake (and pie, pudding and ice cream!) aren’t ever out of date. Not to mention brownies or lemon bars.
NYC meets LA at Magnolia Bakery
I can’t remember the first time I had heard about Magnolia Bakery. It was definitely before the cupcake craze hit LA. A passionate baker told me they loved Magnolia and then it seemed like I waited years for them to come to LA. By the time the shop landed on West 3rd, Magnolia quickly rose to the top of the baking pack. I recently went in and tried almost everything in the store but my ultimate favorites (besides the cupcakes which are moist, with the right amount of frosting and not-overly sweet) was the banana pudding. It was like my favorite childhood Nilla Wafers cookies but in a banana-bready form.
Cone or cup at Scoops Westside
When I was a kid, there was nothing more fun than chasing after the ice cream truck. I was also fond of getting a fruit popsicle from the paleta man roaming the streets of North East LA. But how could I forget going to Thrifty’s for ice cream (still available at Rite-Aid). My favorite combo was butter pecan and apricot sherbet. It just worked. And sometimes on my birthday, my family would take me to the most magnificent ice cream parlor, Farrell’s.
Scoops Westside captures all those feelings of wonderment in a small shop on the Westside. As an adult, I love the creative flavors. One of my faves is pistachio but add in poppy seeds to pistachio, and you got something special.
Yeah, yeah, I’ve talked a lot about red velvet cupcakes and cupcakes in general but my favorite thing at Milk is the Blue Velvet cake!
It’s this great blueberry cake in an electric shade of blue. Cookie Monster comes to mind. Milk also does great brownie sundaes, ice cream, cookies and other baked goods. Try the red velvet ice cream bar (ha, I knew we couldn’t leave red velvet behind!).
Get Your Pie on at Simple Things
I blame those 100-calorie packs for our obsession with mini things. Or maybe it’s because they’re just so darn cute. At Simple Things, not only can you buy a whole pie, you can buy ‘em in different sizes. Do you feel like Papa Bear, Mama Bear or Baby Bear? That’s how I think about the sizes at Simple Things. The large is a regular 9” diameter, the medium is 5” diameter or get your own personal sized pie at 2” diameter.
But what flavors? At 2” diameter, it’s easy to want to try them all! My favorites were the bourbon pecan and peanut butter chocolate.
While Bakelab doesn’t have a storefront, you can find their baked goods at a variety of locations in LA; including Food + Lab, The Oaks Gourmet and the Kirk Douglas Theatre. Or order online to make things easier. I really enjoy Bakelab’s cupcakes as well. They’re not too sweet and just so adorable to look at. I never thought I’d love peanut butter cookies so much but Bakelab’s are addicting. It’s actually two thin cookies with a layer of peanut butter. Genius! And if you’re a texture person like me, you’ll enjoy the contrast of crunchy and soft textures in that cookie. Bakelab also does that with the ginger molasses and lemon sugar cookies.
However, the most famous things I have to say Bakelab is known for must be the fluffy coconut clouds. In either a cheerful pink (chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream) or snowy white (coconut cake with lemon buttercream), these domes are delightful.
How to Make Kumquat Jam
Here in Los Angeles, it may seem like citrus season all year long, but it wasn’t till a few weeks ago that I noticed the kumquats in my neighbor’s yard ripening. These kumquats were tart when I bit into it, but like all kumquats, their skin had a fragrant with citrus sweetness to it. Since the fruit was too tart to eat by itself, I decided to make kumquat jam with it.
Kumquat Jam
(makes 2 pint jars)
Ingredients:
650-700 grams of whole kumquats (rinsed and shaken dry)
1 thumb sized piece of ginger
350-400 grams of sugar
water
a pinch of salt
Tools:
a small pot large enough to hold the kumquat and some water
a paring knife
a chef’s knife
cheesecloth
clean, empty jars with lids
Cutting
The first step is the most complicated and time consuming. I used the paring knife for this since it’s smaller and easier to control when doing more delicate tasks. Cut the kumquat in half lengthwise. You’ll see a long white stripe of membrane or pith. Cut that part out and poke out any seeds. Reserve these pieces in a separate bowl. Do that for each kumquat. It helps to have music playing for this tedious step. In the end, you’ll have one bowl of seeds and membrane stuff and one bowl of halved kumquats. Save the bowl of seeds and other stuff for the next step!
Starting the Pectin
Put the seeds and membranes into a small sauce pan and add enough water to cover. Turn the heat on medium, let it come to a boil, then turn it to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so nothing burns. Add more water if it starts to look dry. The mixture will thicken.
After 15 minutes, pour the mixture into your cheesecloth set over a bowl to collect the liquid that comes out. Set this aside to drain and cool for now.
Adding the Kumquats
Slice all the kumquats into thin slices. No need to be exact here since once they cook down, you won’t be able to differentiate one slice from the other very easily. Weigh the kumquats. Don’t forget to tare your scale to the weight of your container! Halve the weight of the kumquats and add that amount of sugar to them. For example, I had roughly 675g of sliced kumquats, so I added about 350g of sugar. I don’t like when things are too sweet, but if you enjoy a very sweet jam, go ahead and make it 3/4 the weight of the kumquats.
Slice five 1/8 inch slices of ginger. Mix the sugar, ginger, and sliced kumquats together and set aside.
Back to the Pectin
When the thick liquid in the cheesecloth is cool to the touch, make a pouch out of it and strain as much of the liquid and goop out of the mixture as you can. The substance that comes out is pectin and is essential to make your jam have a nice jammy consistency. It helps to twist the pouch and scrape the sides of the cheesecloth down with a spoon.
Finishing it up
Mix the pectin liquid with a few tablespoons of water and put both back into the pot. Feel free to discard the now squeezed-dry seeds and pith. Put the kumquat and sugar mixture into the pot also. Add enough water to barely cover the top of the kumquats, add a pinch of salt, and turn on the heat to medium high.
Stir to dissolve the sugar.
When the stuff in the pot comes to a boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. The mixture will thicken toward the later half of the 45 minutes. If it becomes too thick, feel free to add more water.
When it’s the right jammy consistency, turn off the heat, discard the sliced ginger, and carefully ladle them into jars. Put them in the fridge and let it set over-night.
Ta Da! You now have brag-worthy homemade jam.
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Introduction to drinking like an Irishman (or woman)
First of all, Happy St. Patrick’s day everyone! As you probably all know, St. Patrick is the patron saint of Guinness beer who went down in legend for bringing the glory of alcohol to Ireland. So naturally, every year on March 17th we all flood our local pubs to drink like the Irish. (Don’t believe me?)
To honor this great day and properly pay homage to St. Patrick, here are a few lessons to help you on your way to being a true Irish drinking snob.
Lesson 1: Guinness
Unlike most beer, Guinness is carbonated mostly with Nitrogen, which isn’t absorbed as quickly into the beer as Carbon Dioxide. This gives the stout more of a creaming, velvety texture. To enjoy Guinness like the Irish, it is proper to wait a full 2 minutes before drinking in order to let the Guinness settle. And for those of you who really want to do it right (or rather enjoy annoy bartenders), ask for a double pour. This pour, which should take exactly 119.5 seconds, consists of filling the glass a little more than half way, waiting for it it so settle, then pouring the rest into the glass.
Lesson 2: Black and Tan
Contrary to popular belief, the Black and Tan is said to have originated in Britain and isn’t widely consumed in Ireland. However, if you insist on enjoying a pint, it’s best to fill your glass almost all the way with Smithwick’s (pronounced Smit-icks, you’re welcome) and top it off with a bit of Guinness.
Lesson 3: Whiskey
The Irish take a lot of pride in their whiskey because they invented the stuff (‘whiskey’ is derived from the Irish word for water). So tonight, skip the bourbon & Scotch unless you want St. Patrick to haunt your dreams. For those that are curious, unlike Scotch, whiskey is distilled 3 times instead of 2 giving it a smoother flavor. And unlike Irish whiskey, bourbon is make using mostly corn grains and is aged in brand new charred oak barrels giving it a distinct oaky flavor.
Types of Whiskey
- Single malt- produced from one type of malted grain and distilled in a single distillery
- Blended – A mixture of various kinds of whiskey such as grain whiskey, malt whiskey, and a pot-stilled whiskey
- Pure Pot Still – Refers to whiskey distilled in pot stills (large copper heating vessels) and contains a combination of malted and un-malted barley
And there you have it, a simple explanation of Irish drinking to prepare you for your exploits. Play it safe, and good luck tomorrow morning.
Playa: a blurred line between food and art
A couple weeks ago I was in the big city of LA on the prowl for a restaurant I couldn’t dream of finding back in Seattle. Lucky for me, Playa had just opened a few weeks before I arrived. I chose Playa not because I thought they would necessarily have better food than one can find in Seattle, but because Playa is born of highly conceptual, almost abstract idea of what food can be – something which I think is lacking in Seattle. In the words of chef/owner John Rivera Sedlar, “What I’m striving to achieve at Playa is an urban Latin experience, a dynamic combination of earth and sea, rustic flavors and textures and fresh, briny air, the fractured desert light of Santa Fe and the vibrant energy of modern Los Angeles.”
To be perfectly honest, I didn’t really understand what he meant by that until I sat down and started eating his food. His plates go above and beyond the usual “nice plating” to convey deeper thought behind each dish, such as the Maize Cake Wild Mushrooms that is reminiscent of an exotic undersea forest (pictured upper left). And unlike other “fancy” restaurants, Playa’s flavors are refreshingly simple. It reminded me that you don’t need to create bizarre combinations of ingredients in order to be considered a great contemporary chef. The Arroz con Pato was a beautifully cooked duck confit that tasted like any beautifully cooked duck confit. But when paired with the artistically placed microvegetables, the acidic/sour kick elevated the dish to an exquisite level.
My advice for Playa. Stay open minded, and prepare to spend a pretty penny. It’s easy to judge this restaurant for trying to do too much, but it does exactly what it sets out to do. It’s simple yet sophisticated food with a very conceptual and artistic backbone. (Also, be sure to order the Pastel Cafe for dessert).
Playa Website: http://playarivera.com/
7360 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA, 90036
323.933.5300
