the hart and the hunter and three pounds later

if you want to gain three pounds in one sitting, and love every bite of it, then the hart and the hunter located in the palihotel is the place to do your pants tight...errr, i mean right. chef-owners kris tominaga and brian dunsmoor really whacked this one out of the ball park with their soulfully delectable twist on southern cuisine.

start with the chicken cracklins and hot pepper vinegar ($4). sweet baby jesus they were crispy and flaky, perfection when you splash a bit of the spicy pepper vinegar on a skin or two. order one...no two! trust me.

the butter biscuits and condiments ($6) were sinful discs of flaky awesome. you knew with every bite that you should stop, but can't and won't.

the la quercia country ham, bread and butter pickles ($10) was tasty but unnecessary if you're balling on a budget.

the fried chicken livers ($10) maintained a delicate balance of savory and sweet. the bits of apple were a sweet touch and it tricked me into thinking it was healthy. i'm gullible.

the smoked trout with avacado toast ($11) was delightful. flaky fish on avacado toast, two of my most favorite things in the world.

the chopped steak, bone marrow, and grilled toast ($16) was a bit of a miss for me, only because i start to cringe once i see puddles of blood forming.

hanger steak with soft grits ($21) was FA-BOO-LOUS. tender steak and flavorful grits, a must order people!! do it!

low country shrimp boil with andouille sausage, corn and potatoes ($22) reminded me a lot of my one year stint in louisiana. solid flavors all around.

 

fried green tomatoes with herbs ($13) was a tasty favorite. tart in just the right places, salty in others.

roasted brussel sprouts ($6) to add a little charred greenery to the meal.

sprouting broccoli ($7) cuz we respected the green side of the food pyramid.

 

 
the cheddar grits ($6) was WAAAAAYYYYY tooo over the top though. it's like i licked paula deen covered in grits, oy. i would skip this one.

the desserts by pastry chef sarah lange was a huge hit, another reason to loosen the belt, sit back, and revel in the sweet sugar rush that is sure to follow.

the lemon ice box pie ($6) was my absolute favorite. loved the tart flavors and that burst of iciness from it's partly frozen center.

chocolate pudding with ginger snap cookies ($6) was also a gastranomical homerun. simple but flavorful.

my husband really loved the sticky pumpkin cake with pecans ($6), a perfect reminder of the holidays that just past.

the warm apple dumpling and hooks cheddar ($6) was tasty, but the cheddar notes were on the light side.

the chocolate peanut crunch cake ($6) was intense. non chocolate lovas need not apply.

the meal was indeed a tasty treat for anyone who loves bold flavors. and if you start off with the chicken cracklins and end up with the lemon ice box pie, you're going to be a-ok regardless of what happens during the course of your meal.

The Hart and the Hunter
7950 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA  90046
(323) 424-3055
http://www.thehartandthehunter.com

price:  $$
verdict:  omg, i love it! 

mad love for mexicali taco!

(esdras ochoa and javier fregoso, the mexicali duo)

people say you never forget your first love and i counter with my belly and say, you never forget your first taste of mexicali taco either. in my case, my first vampiro made me swoon so hard that the first bite i took many moons ago sowed a seed of crave that only mexicali taco eats can fulfill. trust. though i miss their humble beginnings in an empty parking lot on first and beaudry in downtown with the downtown skyline as the backdrop, it became obvious that their fans, including this roaming belly, would follow them wherever they went. and follow we did to baja night and daily dose until they became unnervingly quiet and not quite as accessible. what happened, i wondered.

then they began tweeting messages about opening a storefront late last year which made their fans buzz with excitement. a permanent home?! after much anticipation and a long hiatus (long to me anyways), they had their soft opening tonight at their new digs on figueroa near chinatown and i'm so.freaking.excited. i am literally a hop, skip, and jump away and i can FINALLY get my vampiro fix whenever.i.want. it's been way too long baby and this belly is HONGRY.

homemade horchata. forget the cup, let me just stick an extra long straw into this barrel! delectable, delicious and craveable too with just enough sweetness. methinks the perfect drink for my mexicali meal.

imported authentic medio litro coca-cola ($2.75).

their condiment bar. hands down, my favorite has got to be the little strands of limey red onions and their guacamole sauce. talk about uplifting the meal to another savory level with strategically placed condiments.

a cachetada with a fried egg on top. who would have thunk?!

cachetada ($3) with a choice of carne asada, chicken, chorizo, or vegetarian options. think of a tostada piled high with meat then topped with mexican cheese and a savory aioli chipotle sauce. YUMZ.

(cachetada)

the zuperman ($4.75) has three kinds of meats sandwiched between two tortillas. again, flavorful and intense the mexicali taco way.

nachos ($6) packed with crispy chips, meat, cheeses, and salsa de rajas. definitely not your every day run of the mill nachos. these nachos demand your full attention and your big mouth.

and the vampiro. sigh. the lovely vampiro ($3.75) with the garlic sauce. the bite that i took tonight reminded me of the bite i took back in july when i was huddled on their plastic chair in the parking lot. garlicky, meaty, and 100% lovely. it was like reuniting with an old friend again and i sure missed my friend a lot.

churro borough also brought their churro ice cream sandwiches to the celebration. definitely grab these if you ever run across them...super flakey circular churros and this particular chocolate ice cream had a bit of heat in it. YUM.

the night eventually ended with a wonderful speech from esdras about small dreams and building empires. but the best thing about tonight (other than the food of course), was being a part of the realization of a dream. thanks esdras, javier, and co for your invite and i'll see ya real soon. now that you have a permanent home, then i shall roam no more for a beloved vampiro. congrats and wishing the mexicali taco family ALL THE BEST!

Mexicali Taco & Co
702 N. Figueroa St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 613-0416
mexicalitaco.com

price: $
verdict: holy shit!

allston yacht club for holiday boozing (echo park)

picture courtesy of allston yacht club (ayc)

i did not grow up celebrating thanksgiving. in fact, i might have tasted my first turkey at koo koo roos. shhh.... but as i grew up, the once foreign traditions of thanksgiving and green wreathed holiday cheer began to infiltrate our tightly fobby traditions. as each year overlapped the next, smashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, honey-glazed ham, eggnog etc...began to share the same space as the chow mein, fried rice, roasted duck, and eggrolls that normally occupied our holiday tables. so nowadays, the mere hint of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cold weather automatically sparks warm feelings of holiday cheer in me too...thanks for the melting pot effect america.

my holiday celebrations were kick started this year by allston yacht club in echo park. my sis and i were invited to try a few of their holiday cocktails and to nibble on some of their happy hour menu items.

accursed fruitcake cocktail. photo courtesy of ayc.

no joke, one of the best holiday cocktails ever. fragrant and boozy in the most subtle way. if you can squish christmas, thanksgiving, and a freakin' decorated pine tree into a glass cup, you will get the accursed fruitcake cocktail. i am TOTALLY going back with my friends to get my asian glow on with this sucka.

figgy pudding cocktail. photo courtesy of ayc.

the figgy pudding cocktail was an ultra sultry, boozy version of eggnog. if you like getting messed up while singing a christmas carol, DO so as you fist a glass of this.

a reasonably priced happy hour menu for food and drinks. yay!

korean style wings with dragon sauce...aka siracha? a tasty accompaniment to the real stars of the show...holiday cheer and boozy cocktails! yeah!

short rib poutine tostada was a bit tricky to eat and not that tasty. the short rib was dry and overly stringy.

the orange french toast grilled cheese sandwich was the oddest bite of food of the night. a definite skip unless you enjoy a failed combo of orange, bacon, and goat cheese....bleh.

you can never go wrong with garlic fries and these particular garlic fries were skinny and crispy, the perfect fry profile if you will. since my sis is a french fry enthusiast, as you can see, we got more than enough of our share that night.

with warm bellies full of booze and a heart clogged with french fry grease, i want to thank allston yacht club once again for jump starting my holiday cheer. i SHALL come back for the accursed fruitcake cocktail and fries as convos flow with old friends about life, love, and all the things we should be thankful for this holiday season. cheers.

Allston Yacht Club
1320 Echo Park Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(213) 481 0454
http://allstonyachtclub.com/

wolvesmouth makes me howl

kids in school call cutting in line "front cuts," but when i was able to bypass the 2,500+ people on the wolvesmouth waitlist by being kung food panda's plus one, i called that move "booyah!"

so here's the deal. check out wolvesmouth's website, get intrigued, and then submit an email to them saying that you're interested in attending while simultaneously praying to the lord hoping that you do get picked. then you wait for a loooooong time (don't hold your breath) and perhaps you will be one of those lucky 12 diners that month to get THE email for a night of wolvesmouth grubbing...kinda like this:

bring lots of wine. the more the better.

then meet craig thornton, the wolf, and watch him work his magic.

butter, lova.

slightly crispy pan-fried brioche. time to loosen the belt. it will be a long night.

corn soup with cotija, aleppo gelee, lime, and a corn fritter. a bowl of sublimely sweet and smooth corn soup with the corniest fritter accompaniment ever. i wished i stole a few when i saw them sitting there looking lonely and delicious.

corn fritters.

a BEAUTIFUL peach, nectarine, chorizo piquillo puree, almond, basque cheese, chorizo, and sherry gastrique on a bleach white plate. one of my faves of the night. deceptively simple, but oh so complex in flavor. a harmony of sweet, salty, and spicy flavor profiles.

Smelt, fried green tomato, buttermilk ranch.

a bowl of squash blossom, marscapone zucchini duxelles, melon, baby squash, and balsamic. a sophisticated reminder of summer's offerings.

tuna, tomato, basil buds, uliva olive oil, wasabi peas, with white soy. the fragrance emitted from this dish was truly intoxicating and i discovered a newfound love for basil buds.

potato, chive, crème fraîche with sneaky lobster pieces hidden underneath the creamy mound. the consistency reminded me of poi due to its viscous nature and the taste was strangely familiar...cuz it really reminded me of lay's sour cream and onion potato chips! no seriously. one word: mutherfuckindelicious. we had to take a break after that one.

next up was the pork cheek, baby cabbage, caramelized onion, dill, pretzel pieces, and mustard.

an electric green cucumber slush to cleanse my palate. how fun considering how a normal palate cleansing routine generally calls for a toothbrush.

lamb, turkish eggplant, watermelon cucumber, watermelon tartare, yogurt, and rosemary. we were all smitten by the cute little watermelon cucumbers and i almost expected a little smurf to strut across my plate and climb over my lamb to grab the watermelon cucumber for their picnic.

mulberry, elderberry, fig, salted brown butta la creme, and croquant. i was officially enamored with the wolf after this one. kung food panda RAVES about wolvesmouth's desserts and i was not disappointed. the sweetness of the dish was tempered by the sour flavors of the berries and the crunch you expect from the bottom of your ice cream cone was nicely represented by the croquant.

cherry sherbet, almond cake, cherry pop rocks, almond cream will send any fruit lover into a dessert high. if not, the cherry pop rocks will at least set your mouth a poppin'.

alas, the dinner concluded with satiated round bellies and a donation of what you feel the meal was "worth" using red envelopes that they provide. but in all seriousness, the amazing meal was worth every bit of the wolvesmouth hype that was fed to me. thank you kung food panda for the invite, and remil, weezermonkey, eleana, and alex for providing the verbal entertainment of the night. and of course, thank you craig for being uh-mazing!

Wolvesmouth
http://wolvesmouth.com/

price: $$$$
verdict: omg, i love it