a breath of fraiche air

i am a belly of many, many words, but for this one, i want to shut my pie hole and share my pictures instead. thank you danny, aka kungfoodpanda for organizing yet another delicious meal for jackie, kate, remil, fiona, d, and moi to enjoy. but most importantly, thank you chef benjamin bailly for hitting another feast out of the ball park. it was truly delicious and i can't wait to come back to fraiche for more!

smoked trout rillettes ($8) and pate on bread to tease the tastebuds.

baby beets ($13). baby let me beat you into a delicious pulp in my mouf.

frisee aux lardons with oeuf pane ($14). do not be intimidated by the deep fried hard boiled egg. this salad is rather delicious and i remember you fondly since our first meeting at petrossian. hello love. did you miss me?

belgian endives ($14). i would ABSOLUTELY get this again. crispy and savory. almost perfect.

crispy loup de mer ($28). perfectly cooked and crispy in all the right places.

seared daurade royale ($28) on a lovely bed of farro. if i was a dead fish, i would choose a farro death bed as well.

pan roasted scallops ($26) on smooth cauliflower puree. it's so smooth, it's criminal.

kobe beef cheeks with celery root puree ($28). tender are thy cheeks. i want to pinch thee with the tines of my shiny fork.

moulard duck confit ($26). i loosened my belt buckle for this one. absolutely satisfying and the creamy fregola sarda was 100% ooh la la addictive.

truffle spaghetti (off menu item). effin' brilliant. this dish will drive your nose into a tizzy. the smell of truffles was truly intoxicating and left my head spinning in a lovely way.

sunchokes risotto ($18) with an off menu serving of truffles. omfg. there goes the truffles again. i was under a truffle voodoo and i didn't care one bit to break the spell.

green peas ravioli (off menu item). sweet little pockets for my big mouth.


rabbit garganelli ($22). yes, those really cute, fuzzy wabbits make a good dish.

hand cut maltagliati ($19) with pork ragu.

by the time dessert came out, i was already rolling about from an overly satisfied belly. the desserts were lovely indeed.

chestnut tiramisu ($9) and manjari chocolate pot de creme ($8)

meyer lemon ($8) and caramel pot de creme ($8)

pistachio creme brulee with apricot sorbet ($9). the sorbet was out of control. might i suggest apricot sorbet with a fresh heaping of fruit and make it its own dessert? soooo good.

panettone bread pudding ($9)

chocolate tart with tres leches gelato ($10)

chocolate coulant with peanut butter ice-cream ($12)

apple and pear clafoutis ($9)

*burp*

Fraiche
9411 Culver Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 839-6800

www.fraicherestaurantla.com

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

pregnant with pastrami at langer's delicatessen-restaurant

it is pretty ballsy when one says they are the "best" at something. case in point, j-lo had the "best ass" not too long ago, but then kim kardashian busts into the scene hinny first and now touts the best booty on the block. methinks it's better not to call something "best" just so there's less pressure. the higher the expectations, the further the fall for your round buttocks. the whole point is that the term "best" is purely subjective so whatever i say next is just my opinion ok....

langer's in westlake makes the best pastrami sandwiches. there, i just used the word "best."

they also have the best cream soda ($2.95). THERE, i used that "b" word again.

the matzo ball soup ($3.25) was pretty darn good too. not the best, but close to it, like a stepsister of the best. the soup tasted like it had simmered for hours and was as potent as 80 chickens boiled in one stock pot. a spoonful might make you cluck uncontrollably...i dare you to try it for yourself you naysayer.

ohhh...and the best pastrami sandwich ($14.45) ever, the wicked #19. though this is not my first visit to langer's, i am always drawn to this sandwich like a moth to a flame a la janet jackson. HOWEVER, i do plan to take a serious look at the menu next time and order something else. ahh, new year, new promises.

#19 = unctuous slabs of pastrami with a chilled mound of slaw with russian style dressing and a slice of swiss cheese between uber crusty slices of rye bread. the marriage between these ingredients was just magical i tell ya, magical.

so the best pastrami sandwich can be had here at langer's and though the hours are limited, between 8am-4pm monday through saturday, i urge you to make the trek out to westlake if you haven't already to try what may be deemed as the BEST pastrami sandwich in l.a...according to many sources...the most reliable one being my belly.

you can even call for curb side service if you can't find parking in their small private lot on alvarado and westlake. BUT i urge you, DO make the effort. once you take a bite out of their pastrami offerings, i'm sure you won't be able to resist the lure of langer's pastrami on a consistent basis and you will see that your buttocks will grow just as thick and as round as kim kardashian's.

Langer's Delicatessen-Restaurant
704 S. Alvarado St.
Los Angeles, CA 90057
(213) 483-8050

www.langersdeli.com

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

pappaRich has super buttery buns!

destructive behavior means willingly engaging oneself in bad-for-you activities. for instance, like eating candy right before your dentist appointment or smoking crack. if you find yourself in the presence of this man, he will surely enable you in every single destructive way possible. don't let that happy smile fool ya. bad man.

he guards the entrance to his lair of badness....a lair known for especially entrapping people with muffin tops and those that swear that they won't eat badly anymore but end up DOING THE EXACT OPPOSITE. oh man, i confess...i'm one of THOSE. how the heck did i end up with greasy, buttery lips when i promised i wouldn't overindulge on random fats anymore? fail.

for $5.25, this combo snack did me in. their fragrant english tea washed down the buttery evidence left from their signature papparich bun.

and their bun. dear lord. this korean style bun has a layer of mocha cream paste on top which gets melted on the bun during the baking process. the resulting effect is a sweet, somewhat crunchy exterior. once you break into the bun, you reveal soft, pillowy bread innards AND an alarming pat of butter in the center that barely melted through. "holy crap, i just bought bigger pants yesterday!" i exclaimed once i took my initial bite. the sopping buttery middle was a little bit too much for me to enjoy so i ate around it like a beaver gnawing on tasty driftwood. although papparich has oodles of die hard fans, for once, the fatty in me actually thought it was too buttery and just.too.much. go figure.

i will probably give these buttery buns another try and only if they are piping hot. not to mention all the coffee choices that i did not partake in which warrants a second visit. till then, i give papparich a lukewarm high five.

PappaRich
100 W. Green St.
Pasadena, CA 91105
(626) 440-0009

www.papparichusa.com

price: $
verdict: it's aight

robata JINYA for ramen eating wehonians

the last few days of getting hammered by unrelentless rain has thoroughly soaked my soul through and through. my shriveled up phalanges turned into flesh colored raisins rather than their normal plump selves that i use to scratch my calves with....but i digress. the main point is that it's been miserably cold and rather dampening to the spirits.

so as i sat slightly shivering on my dog gnawed forest green sofa, i recalled the time after the eat my blog bake sale when i inhaled a bowl full of ramen which left me feeling warm and toasty inside....ahhh, domo arigato mr. robata JINYA. your bowl of ramen would have been such a blessing during these cold, wet, l.a. days.

while the raindrops pounded my wee roof like pellets shot out of a cloudy bebe gun, i often found myself daydreaming about their hakata tonkotsu ramen ($9.50). the complex broth, al dente ramen, and the slices of chasu (though not quite melt-in-your-mouth like daikokuya) would have lifted my spirits even though it would not have dried my socks. the limited servings of 20 orders per day made it the "must order" choice for me that night, though the other ramen choices sounded just as delicious. if you are nowhere near daikokuya, this bowl of ramen would be a fantastic alternative.

i also ordered two robatayakis (skewered and grilled eats). dipping sauce was provided for your, erm, dipping pleasure. there was a yuzu and sesame oil dip, a cilantro dip, and a spicy mayo dip. my favorites were definitely between the yuzu and cilantro ones which did not coat your bites with shlack as thickly as the mayo one did.

the first skewer up was the japanese pumpkin ($1.90) which i suspect to be the kabocha pumpkin. its subtle hint of sweetness was accentuated by tiny flecks of salt sprinkled on during the grilling process. earthy and unadulturated. i like.

the eggplant ($1.80) was a surprise when it arrived to me under a flurry of bonito flakes. tender from the grill, the eggplant was a tasty mush in my mouth. and the bonito flakes? YUM. if you enjoy the taste of smoke, dried bonito fish, then the marriage between the two was a perfect balance of flavors.

robata jinya is a wonderful addition to weho, allowing wehonians that crave ramen to find a tasty bowl close to home. although i was rained in the past couple of days, the memories of such soul warming food made me long for an authentic bowl as i heifed down a bowl of instant ramen at home. anyways, till we meet again...or more realistically, if you have a spot for walk-ins like me!

merry christmas peeps and have a jolly good night!

Robata JINYA
8050 W. 3rd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 653-8877

www.jinya-la.com/

price: $$
verdict: tasty, try it!

ob bear for the chicken win!

i do not advocate drowning one's sorrows in alcohol, but if you MUST haze your memory or dull the pain brought upon you by a disgruntled god(s), then i suggest you drown yourself in a huge pitcher of hite beer at ob bear. that's right, the bitterness of life can be momentarily forgotten here as you experience all levels of delicious excess.

accompanied by danny of kung food panda fame and d, my usual eating partner in crime, we spent a night drinking, chatting, and sweating as the food burned our tongues whilst the beer simultaneously cooled it...as i had remembered, the ob bear menu did not disappoint and was lavish and craveable as usual. but not wanting a food gut on top of a beer gut, we ordered modestly for two lean boy bellies and my very pudgy roaming one.

we started off with the infamous ob bear fried chicken. the chicken skin was fried to such a delicate crisp that it reminded me of savory tissue paper that one finds in a child's art project. the chicken meat itself was moist and slightly salty and did not require any condiments with it. the finely shredded cabbage slaw with the thousand island dressing was intriguingly delicious as well. i found myself plucking strands of cabbage to eat in between my bites of chicken.

the spicy chicken wings were torturously delicious as well. the sweet heat stung my tongue like a million furious korean bees. as i ate, i inhaled and exhaled feverishly to temper the heat, but to no avail. trying to tame that sweet heat was like dousing fire with gasoline...not going to work. as my dining partners sweated the spiciness out of their systems, i just whined "ohhhmyyygoood this is spicy!" but sooooooo good. very craveable and a must order as well when you visit ob bear.

danny then suggested an order of korean blood sausage. since i've had multiple versions of blood encased in a tube from other cuisines, i was intrigued to sample the korean version. once i nibbled on a slice, i immediately fell in bloody love. i absolutely enjoyed the noodles incorporated in the blood sausage. each bite was springy AND spicy. dangit, everything we ate sans the fried chicken were spicy. i was pretty ready for a tongue transplant at the end of this meal.

although my tongue burned slowly from all these spicy eats, the bottomless glass of hite beer momentarily dulled the heat and my worries. ob bear is a place where sorrows do not exist and the only thing i have to worry about is whether there's enough belly real estate to sock down all these delicious spicy eats. what a damn fine meal i had here...and thanks danny for your company!

OB Bear
3002 W. 7th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90005
(213) 480-4910

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

it's offally delicious at animal!

nine inch nails might want to "f**k you like an animal," but all i want to do is eat the entire beast one offalicious part at a time. methinks it's less messy that way and definitely way tastier. what better way to do so than at animal.

to eat the beast, one should have a glass of something something to moisten the lips. i chose to wet mine with a glass of silvaner 2009 ($12) which was delicately sweet to my tastebuds and soothed it just right for the intense savory violation of my tongue that was to follow.

our ordering frenzy quickly commenced as all parts of the beast(s) were considered for ultimate mastication. we started with the pig ear ($12) seasoned with chili and lime and topped with a fried egg. the slivers of deep fried porky ears peeked from underneath a blanket of soft, fried egg. once popped, the egg yolk coated the bold limey flavors that made my tongue spasm in a most delicious way. omg.

the sweetbreads ($14) with pickled crosnes and spicy sweet & sour sauce were slightly less successful. the heavily battered, fried thymus lost its naturally creamy texture and the overpowering sweetness of the sauce absolutely masked its flavors. sweetbreads, when treated with a delicate touch are absolutely creamy and sinful.

one taste of the chicken liver toast ($3) may possibly compel you to reach into a live chicken to rip out its raw liver for your immediate consumption. OR, you can head straight to animal and taste their artful preparation of it. this.was.divine.and.i.require.a.dozen.stat.

the bone marrow ($10) with chimichurri sauce and caramelized onions is probably one of the tastiest renditions of this animal vaseline to date. the heavily buttered toast made me speed dial jenny craig to report to her my sins.

the foie gras loco moco ($35) with its slippery piece of foie, thin sheet of spam, a petite round of hamburger meat, and small fried quail egg was a definite crowd pleaser. we continued to pluck the rice off the plate though the main star of this one plate show was long gone.

the poutine ($15) with oxtail gravy and cheddar was heavy and salty. though vastly adored by many food enthusiasts, this dressed up french fry dish was slightly too salty for me.

the one and only green dish of the night, the baby kale ($9) with pecorino, lemon and chili vinaigrette was hearty foliage for our mouth. deliciously prepared and crunchy, i could have eaten another mound of this...and another, and another.

the bbq pork belly sandwiches ($12) with slaw had a heavy hand of sweet bbq sauce. this order was probably the weakest of the night and could have been skipped without much protest.

the hamachi tostada ($14) with herbs, fish sauce vinaigrette, and peanut was weak as well. the delicate hamachi lost its essence as it absorbed the fish sauce.

the night ended sweetly with the sticky toffee pudding ($7) with mascarpone and orange zest. sticky and sweet indeed these jenga-like blocks were dense and moist and were enthusiastically scraped off the plate.

but the best dessert between the two was the panna cotta ($7) for sure. the texture was a cross between whipped frosting and smooth almond jello. delicate and creamy, this was easily the best and smoothest way to end the night.

omg, i may not want to f**k you like an animal, but i give you permission to violate my tongue. without a doubt, animal is a great place to celebrate the beast, one offalicious part at a time. i SHALL return.

Animal
435 N. Fairfax Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 782-9225

www.animalrestaurant.com

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

sweet successes for the eat my blog bake sale 2010

once in a while, you might get an offer that you cannot refuse. so when cathy of gastronomy blog asked me to join her and the eat my blog committee (consisting of diana of diana takes a bite and laurie of g-ma's bakery) to become the fourth member, i COULD NOT refuse. charity, baked goods, a fried farro lunch meeting with rendered bacon bits at canele? yes ladies, sign me up!

so i did. i quickly found myself swept up in a whirlwind of eat my blog logistics, helping internally and blogging for the sweet cause as needed. i also brought back my one hit wonder, my yummy rummies for my third stab at baking for the bake sale (they were sold out of course, thanks to my shameless promotion of them and empty threats at customers with fists shaking. yes, i'm quite persuasive ;)~

though the day was exhausting, it was a truly wonderful experience to behold. the camaraderie i witnessed between food bloggers, sweet eaters, and plain ole charitable peeps was a warming sight indeed. furthermore, our common desire to contribute to the los angeles regional food bank whose main mission is to "fight hunger" resonated deeply within all of us and we are proud to say that the winter 2010 edition of eat my blog has raised over $3,700 adding to a grand total of over $12,000 for this three timing bake sale.

too many yummy goods to choose from!

watching your waistline? no problem.

the long but successful day ended with a glass of ice cold hard apple cider at the burger kitchen and a ramen dinner at robata jinya (to be blogged). although barely alert at that point, i knew in the back of my fuzzy mind that my participation in the eat my blog planning committee was an offer i truly could not refuse. so glad that i didn't.....