eating at fat spoon with a fork

if you walk down 1st street in little tokyo in search of eats, it is obvious that the bell of the ball is daikokuya. just check out the throng of people huddled around the perimeter waiting for their name to be called just so they can slurp down a bowl of hot ramen. although daikokuya is absolutely worthy of waiting till the end of time, sometimes hunger dictates you to eat sooner rather than later so enter rebound option #1, FAT SPOON which is located RIGHT NEXT DOOR.

fat spoon is a curious little establishment headed by michael cardenas (lazy ox canteen), chef hiro fujita, and company. before entering their quaint little shop, i definitely had high expectations and really wanted this rebound to work out. we enthusiastically ordered four dishes for our noshing pleasure to be shared amongst a company of three.

since i am such a sucka for risotto, the seafood tomato risotto ($12) was a must order for me. unfortunately, i was greeted with mushy textures and bland flavors. if there was ever an urge to offend the kitchen by asking for salt, this would be the time to do so. skip.

the uni with mushroom pasta ($14) was underwhelming as well. again, the pasta was bland and would benefit from seasoning whereas the uni was too delicate in this particular dish to exert its presence which makes me question their inclusion. i definitely need to search for a more impressive uni pasta dish in l.a.!

i was also underwhelmed by the pork cutlet curry ($10) which had a curiously strange texture that bordered on being slightly rubbery. the curry was also mild and one noted which is a complete departure from the usual complex flavors of japanese curry. absolutely disappointing.

alas, we did hit upon ONE dish that night that was surprisingly tasty, the tarako pasta ($10). the salted cod roe added bursts of briny flavors to the pasta which melded quite nicely with the creamy sauce. the creamy sauce was so addictively tasty that my sister spooned the sauce onto her portion of the drab uni pasta. this dish was the first one at our table to be polished off and i would definitely order again.

overall, fat spoon did not shine. in my opinion, their lackluster flavors do not present any threat to daikokuya, the hottest chick on 1st street. although i've been told that their mini corn dogs and uni croquettes are to die for, i do not know if those fried items and the tarako pasta can seduce me back to its doors given the vast eating options we have available to us in our city.

Fat Spoon
329 E. 1st St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 621-7890
http://fatspoonfood.com

price: $$
verdict: it's aight

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!

drooling for fish curry at bhanu

i drool for many things. chocolate, diamonds, leather bags... and this coconut fish curry ($9.99) dish at bhanu indian grocery & cuisine in san gabriel. yes, indian food in SAN GABRIEL, the mecca of east asian eating...i kid you not. imagine these tender pieces of fish swimming in a thick curry sauce spooned over some rice. such a delicious, hearty bite and a must order when you're there. do it, i promise you that there will be some kind of party, somewhere in your mouth when you taste it.

the garlic naan ($2.50) was also a great way to sop up the fish curry. it was just garlicky enough to fend off the nearest vampire or bad date.

the papadam ($2.25) was an airier version of a thin, crispy cracker. two dipping sauces were provided for our nibbling pleasure.

the aloo bangan ($6.99) was a win with the tender eggplant and potatoes. great balanced flavors and another favorite dish at our table.

the tandoori chicken ($11.99) was exceptionally juicy and flavorful. the chicken was well seasoned and a must order when you're there. the steam rising from the chicken was absolutely mesmerizing...and this picture kinda makes me drooly again. *wipe*

the vegetable biryani ($8.99) was deliciously flavorful and a great accompaniment to the curry and chicken. i definitely think in this context, vegetable biryani > plain white rice.

the aloo mutter ($6.99) was less interesting than its dishmates, but still quite tasty. in general, it was on the mushier side and may not appeal to those with teeth. just sayin'.

bhanu indian grocery and cuisine is a great, chillaxing place with just the right amount of flavors to make your tastebuds skip a beat. if you are in the area and crave sustenance not found in a bowl of noodles or dumplings, then i suggest you drop by bhanu for a tasty treat.

Bhanu Indian Grocery and Cuisine
7246 Rosemead Blvd.
San Gabriel, CA 91775
(626) 291-2101
http://www.mybhanu.com

price: $$
verdict: tasty, try it!

a beagle birthday: happy birthday charlie brown!

totally dressed to party with his homemade party hat, minus the fallen bow tie.

my little beagle turned 3 today. in dog years, he can legally drink and find himself a whore, but in my household, he just gets a little doggy berfday cake...a carrot/apple sauce birthday cake with cream cheese/apple sauce frosting to be exact. sounds yum enough right?

it was an easy batter and didn't take much effort, especially with my handy dandy kitchenaid mixer. 1/2 hour later, it was out of the oven and onto a rack to be cooled off while charlie and my other two dogs circled around me like vultures in the kitchen.

once frosted, i decorated the cake with a simple number 3 in carrot slivers for charlie's new age. i would have been more creative with my cake decorations if time permitted, but i had humans to feed as well. since the dogs get homemade cake, the humans got prime rib, cheesy smashed potatoes, garlic spinach, and tomato pine nuts salad with a balsamic vinaigrette for dinner. crazy yummy if i must say so myself. it IS a party after all.

after the humans ate and our bellies bulged unattractively with the grub, it was time to slice into the cake! the anticipation must have slayed my furry buddies...one by one. *wimper* charlie was so excited, he started shmeeing (this noise he makes through his nose. rather annoying actually...thank god he's cute!).

"drop it momma...please?"


he was smacking his beagle lips as i took my pics. give me a sec charlie! sheesh!

but his excitement built into an unbearable surge of energy (and defiance) because he sprung up to snatch the piece of cake out of my hands and gobbled it as quickly as he could, smacking his lips furiously as i watched in surprise. then i remembered it was his berfday after all so all was forgiven...dang dog.

of course lucy and bronx got to share in the cake eating as well and they LOVED it. ok, so i know dogs will eat anything, but i really think they were particularly excited about this cake based on their frenzied behavior after their first bites...it must be good right?! right.

it was good times and i look forward to baking many, many more berfday cakes for my sweet pups. happy birthday charlie brown!

cognoscenti coffee and proof bakery baked goods to feed the soul

yeekai lim's cognoscenti coffee was a pop-up that roamed no more when he finally settled his coffee talents at proof bakery in atwater village. if you want to wrap your cold hands around a good cup of joe that ranges in price from $2-$4, then i suggest you make your way to the eastside and nestle yourself in this stellar bakery with a plate of baked goods as well as a cup of coffee by cog...of course.

the scene around the cups of coffee is no slouch either. proof bakery in atwater village boasts some rather awesome baked good and sandwiches for you to nibble on as you shoot the breeze with your buds. check out this roasted cauliflower and kale sandwich ($7) in its super slender, crusty baguette, and tasty supermodel form. delicious AND pretty to look at.

the roasted pepper, feta, and olives sandwich ($7) was just as yummy. i loved the the pops of olives in every bite.

without a doubt, the baked goods are amazing here. this delicious persimmon scone ($3) was dense with bursts of persimmon chunks.

the chocolate croissant ($3.50) was decadent with a hint of chocolate oozing out. what a tease when you know just one big bite will take you right to its chocolatey center.

the almond croissant ($4) was probably my favorite at proof. flakey, soft, with bits of almond slivers sprinkled with powdered sugar...what's not to love about it?!

the salted chocolate chip cookie ($2) was to die for as well. i've always loved, and always will love, the hint of salt in my sweets. this cookie by far was a sophisticated bite for any cookie monster.

i definitely feel lucky to live in silverlake and to have access to so many great, surrounding neighborhoods. just a short little drive takes me to proof bakery goods and cognoscenti coffee, a luxury any day of the week especially when one needs a coffee break badly. and trust me, when i'm not on vacation, i need coffee breaks really, really, badly.

Proof Bakery
Cognoscenti Coffee
3156 Glendale Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90039
(323) 664-8633
http://proofbakeryla.com/

price: $
verdict: omg, i love it!

let your dogs, eat my blog

the 4th installment of eat my blog will be taking place this saturday at pita jungle in pasadena. i'm super excited to be a part of the eat my blog planning committee for a second year in the row and will be baking as well...though you will have to be a four-legged pooch to actually appreciate what i'm making.

i got this idea from tien who baked dog biscuits for emb last year. genius. seriously, we should allow our dogs to stuff face too!! and for a good cause to boot! since i have 3 furry doggies of my own, i really wanted to honor all the four legged friends out there with these pumkin peanut butter dog biscuits.

not trying to sell them too hard *ahem,* but let's just say that after giving my three dogs a taste of the test biscuits i baked, my biggest/tallest dog promptly climbed the counter the following day to steal the rest. a$$hole.

"let me just have a bite of the leg...."

"please?"

i think your dogs will like them too! hope to see you there!!

UPDATE: eat my blog raised $4,323.86!