touaregsand
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Posts posted by touaregsand
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It's funny that you should mention that....after my wife returned to the table after making a trip to the bathroom she came back and told us that she had heard a lot of yelling going on in the kitchen. She could only assume that it originated from Chef Lefebvre. So, I definitely don't doubt the validity of your story.
Isn't this normal? Though Les Halles was a different kind of restaurant, Bourdain documents this in his book, no? There's a lot of crazy stuff that happens in the back. I know someone who has worked some kitchens in L.A. and this person also said swearing, screaming, bitching, hissy fits, etc. start when you walk in the door. But there's so much riding on the kitchen to be perfect every time. I can see how it can be hard to maintain decorum in such a pressure cooker situation.
It isn't normal. The hardcore, tempermental, ranting Frenchy is a stereotype with very few real life examples. I'm sure someone here could come up some examples. But my husband has been in the industry for over 20 years and he has only worked with one French chef like this. Americans tell my hubby all the time that he is so nice for a French chef, they've never met a French chef that was so friendly. He takes it all with good humor, but he silently wonders how many French chefs these people have met.
Of course emotions can get high in a kitchen especially when they are getting slammed and someone on the line fucks up and a dish comes back, they start getting into the weeds... That's when the chef French or otherwise might yell, "WTF?!?!??!?!?"
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Figaro Brasserie in Los Feliz on Vermont Blvd has outdoor seating and the decor is charming. I'd go there for coffee only, you can sit for a long time without feeling rushed.
The food. Some people think it's pretty good. Maybe I'm spoiled from too many trips to France, but I find the food to be very hit and miss here. And when it misses it is horrible. (Overcooked merguez sausage that was held too long, then microwaved). I was also told by the server that the pastries were made in house. The were stale and looked exactly like the ones I've seen in wholesale catalogs for the trade. She also told me that the baguettes were baked in house, again it's the same bread that dozens and dozens of LA restaurants serve.
Other than the bad food and the lying server, the coffee is good and it's fun to sit outside people watching especially in this neighborhood.
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I really hope cuisine de grandmere comes back strong. Another term for it might be comfort food or just dishes made from scratch. This will seperate chefs who primarily focus on spinning out "innovative" dishes from chefs who can actually cook. And no, I don't think creativity/innovation and great cooking can't go together. They should go together.
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Every once in a while I hanker for a Monte Cristo Sandwich. A great lunch menu item from the '70's. I could go for one right now.
Ham, turkey and swiss on two slices from a pullman loaf, dipped in egg, sauteed in butter and then given a good spank of confectioner's sugar before serving.
Bennigan's (the chain) still serves one, a very good one in that. Although, it is the heaviest most dense sandwhich I think I have ever encountered.... I mean, a deep fried ham sandwich with sugar and jam, wow...
My son waits tables part-time at Bennigans while going to school. He told me he has never seen anyone finish one of them.
When I was in Korea I saw a packaged frozen version of Monte Cristo sandwiches in a supermarket. Of all things and all places.
I've never tried one. It just has too much stuff going on all at once. -
Thank you Ludja. The menu reflects my husband's cultural heritage (North African and French) and his professional training (French). It's a fantasy menu for an Oscar party that we will not be throwing or cooking for. But hubby actually prepared this menu for a private party.
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Every once in a while I hanker for a Monte Cristo Sandwich. A great lunch menu item from the '70's. I could go for one right now.
Ham, turkey and swiss on two slices from a pullman loaf, dipped in egg, sauteed in butter and then given a good spank of confectioner's sugar before serving.
This reminds of the time someone argued with my husband that Monte Cristo Sandwiches were French. My husband by the way is a French Chef.
He was very polite about it, but the other person just SWORE it was French.
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My best friend when I was growing up was Guatemalan. Her family used to tell me that Guatamalans wouldn't pay to eat to their own food at a restaurant. When I was very young I remember that when my family ate out it was usually at a Chinese or Japanese restaurant, my parents didn't want to pay to eat Korean food at a restaurant. This was when LA only had two Chinese-Korean restaurants and no Korean supermarket. If you can imagine that.
Of course over the years as my parents prospered they eaten out at hundreds of Korean restaurants.
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I've been hearing about the Peruvian trend for almost 20 years in Los Angeles. It still not happening yet.
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I heard it would stick my lungs. Come to think of it food and skin color doesn't sound as crazy as some of the other stuff. Bread crusts and straight hair for instance.
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I think we Asians are in a firm lead with food and skin color.
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My Korean mother and every other middle aged Korean woman I know told me eat only "pretty" foods when I was pregnant with both my children. The "reasoning" was that pretty food would result in pretty children. Of course I don't think there is any correlation but my kids are beautiful if I do say so myself.
Another one from my mom, she says she ate a lot of fruit, white peaches in particular, hence my fair skin according to her.
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I like to walk around exploring before eating especially for lunch and especially with a friend. J town (Little Tokyo) is great fun for this. The food is not all great, but I haven't had a bad experience either. There lots of little shops that sell typical tourist stuff, but in between all that you can find a few "treasures". The Japanese American Museum is there, Mitsuwa marketplace and Japanese bookstores.
Olvera street is near by, $10.00 guitars that actually "work". It's touristy, but fun.
Of course Chinatown (The San Gabriel Valley is the other, bigger Chinatwon, but the one in downtown is closer to the city). I'm sure someone else could recommend specific places. But there is a Vietnamese place next to Ai Hoa Market (sp?) where you can get a tasty and filling sandwich for $1.75-$2.25.
Venice is a good walking and eating area too. You can go to Novel Cafe for a cup of coffee or tea to relax, it's one of those hangout places.
All of these places can be touristy, but Los Angeles isn't much of a pedestrian town so the walking areas tend to be flooded with visitors.
On Western and 6th or 5th there is a Korean market called California Market that sells Chinese buns, all made from scratch. The fillings are Koreanized, there are beef, vegetable and leek versions. Something like 4-6 for around $5.00 I think and they are pretty good sized. You can pick up a few other prepared foods and have a picnic lunch with your friend.
There's also applepan
The Apple Pan
10801 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
310-475-3585
It's one of those "institutions", long lines, rushed service, you sit at a counter and the style of service hasn't changed since it's opened. They have a super loyal following, I prefer in n out, but it can be fun to try.
I think that LA has a some catching up to do with say New York in terms of fine dining. But the "ethnic" offerings here kick ass. The San Gabriel Valley has a huge number of mom and pop eateries, not just from the mainland but from the Chinese speaking diaspora. East LA and East of LA (Montebello, Pico Rivera for instance) there are more family Mexican restaurants not just fast food places. If you're up for a bit of a drive there is
LA Barca Jalisco Restaurant (although I recall the sign as reading La Barca Jal)
8407 Washington Boulevard
Pico Rivera, CA 90660
562-942-7060
If your best friend's mom were a really good Mexican-American home cook who put love into the food this is the restaurant she would open. Super inexpensive, laughably cheap, friendly service. It's the only place that I've been too (I'm sure there are more, but it's not that common) that serves these soups/stews in stone pots filled with all kinds of yummy things, different meats, vegetables, sausages, seafood, etc...
The place is packed during peak times. It's a really homey place.
Pizza, Hard Times in Silverlake
Hard Times Pizza CO II
2664 Griffith Park Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90039
They import their water from New York for the dough, damn good dough. More sort of fast food atmosphere, but you can get a slice or a whole pie. I've never tried the stuff they have in the prepared foods case, just doesn't look that appetizing,
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There's also a Thai Town on Hollywood Blvd (I think, pretty easy to verify). There's a grocery store that fun to visit. I can't recommend a specific restaurant though. StupidAmerican probably could.
If you want more Korean Galleria Market (Western and Olymic) and the Korea town Plaza (Western around San Marino St.) can be fun to explore.
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Does anyone else remember the anti-beef "movement" about 17-18 years ago? Americans were drastically cutting down on the amount of beef they were eating. Or am I remembering it as a bigger thing than it actually was?
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In LA we have 99 cent stores, Shim's, Kenkos (I think that's the name) and The Dollar Tree (or is The Dollar Store?). They carry different types of merchandise. Alot of the stuff is just junk. But there are some great bargains. As for food I was afraid to buy food at any of them for a long time, still am a little but some of them carry regular supermarket brands that seem ok. In general I don't eat packaged foods so it's not something that I've investigated.
Overall these places seem more hit than miss with the bargains. If it's crap you're only out a buck, ya know?
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There are countless peruvian places in san francisco - I certainly wouldn't be surprised to see them pop up elsewhere. North african (tunesian/moroccan/algerian) food is also gaining popularity out here, though it's far less common than peruvian.
Thats odd- i live in east bay (livermore,) but i honestly eat in SF only a few times a year. I have never seen a peruvian place around town (not that i have specifically looked for them, but still...) The only north african place Ive heard about around here is an ethiopian place a bit of ways away (danville or fremont comes to mind.)
And I totally forgot about the mainland chinese influence. It will be intresting to see how soon traditional dishes start popping up.
Just for clarification, not to split hairs with you at all.
North Africa refers to the Maghreb countries of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco (the couscous countries). In the States sometimes Libya and Egypt are included, but they are on the otherside of what has been called the "couscous line" and the cuisine become more Middle Eastern.
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I'm Asian, too. When my mother was pregnant with me, my grandmother urged her to drink a lot of soy milk so my skin would be fair. When I emerged a toasty nut-brown (well, brown by Chinese standards), my mother said, "Well, so much for all that soy milk." My Ah Mah's quick riposte? "The problem is not the soy milk! It's all that coffee you drank, too!"
My brother is a toasty brown too. When we were little my mom would always say it was because she ate too much chocolate when she was pregnant with him.
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Someone mentioned El Coyote in another thread. I wouldn't recommend it for the food really. It can be a fun, dive to hang out with friends at, but the food can be pretty awful.
If you want to try Mexican go to El Cholo, the location on Western Blvd is the original and has the most character. The prices are very reasonable.
1121 S Western Blvd
323-734-2773
If you're in the mood for Ehiopian (which I don't really like, the bread just doesn't do anything for me) try Fairfax Blvd, south of Olympic. There is a row of restaurants there.
Ita Cho on Beverly Blvd (I don't know if they are open for lunch) is good for Japanese small plate dining. This place can get pricey, the cost of little plates adds up.
King's Barbeque near Chinatown (or is it called Original Texas Barbecue King?) is one to try. No protocal at all, a rather somber looking man plops the food in front of you. Outdoor seating, I think there is indoor seating but it looks likes a warehouse. Cheap, cheap prices.
867 W Cesar E Chavez Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90012-2130
Phone: (213) 437-0881
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I hate that there are so many fashion and food police theses days to tell everyone what's hot and what's not..I'm always aghast at what some of these guys are wearing/eating themselves....
That said....Let's hear it for veal or chicken cordon bleu. As soon as the Atkins people put out the word... it will have a new run.
I agree.
My husband is a chef and we like to develop new recipes. But we are not of the mindset that dishes go out of style. I recall a food critic jokingly (I hope) asking a chef if seared sea scallops were out of style.
A seared scallop is out of style? How does a simple ingredient and a basic way of cooking it become out of style? The "hot" chefs apparently boil them now? As an experiment I would like to gather a list of "out of style" dishes and invite trendy food critics to try my husband's versions of them. And ask them a simple question, "does it taste good/great?"
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I wouldn't recommend using Vanilla powder. Even though Dubai is an International city I guess it sort of makes sense that you're having a hard time finding vanilla. I don't recall ever having an Arab or Middle Eastern sweet that contained it. It's usually rosewater or orangewater. Someone else can expound on this better than I.
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Anything that I disliked, my mom would say, "Eat it; it'll make you beautiful!"
So then I would eat it, of course.
I was a vain girl.
I guess the best example was: "Eat your snow peas--you'll be as beautiful as Snow White!"
Others:
-chips will give you a sore throat
-milk will make your throat phlegmy
-any acid and milk will "curdle" in your stomach, giving you a stomach ache (e.g. no eating oranges and drinking milk at the same time)
-don't eat anything acidic in the morning without eating some sort of starch, or else you'll get a stomach ache
-you should drink hot soup after a fattening meal (I don't know the reason for this, though)
My mother used the "it'll make you beautiful" one on me. It worked untill I was 5 when I finally told her that I thought I was beautiful enough!
I'm Asian, but I have very fair skin. I also drink alot of milk. If I had a dime for everytime another Asian person asked me if my skin was white because I drink alot of milk...
Alot of otherwise intelligent people ask me this question. -
Rubbing lemon juice on your skin will lighten your freckles or help them disappear. Never an issue for me, but I remember elementary school friends trying this to no avail.
Jan did this on the Brady Bunch.
After that episode aired thousands of freckled folks probably tried this. -
I see a green pepper and some beans. The "meat" looks like the bits next to the bones, lamb or beef. I think I see marrow too.
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I like homemade food. Simple as that.
Bastide
in California: Dining
Posted
I don't have a problem with the foam. I don't care if it's not "trendy" anymore. If it taste good that's good enough for me. Some of the dishes or rather some of the components of the dishes appeal to me. Others strike me as mad science.
"Day Boat Sea Scallop Seared With Cocoa and Peanut Licorice Milk, Udon and Green Papaya"
I can't even begin to imagine how these flavors and textures could meet on the same plate with any semblance of harmony. Cocoa, peanut and licorice would battle eachother for dominance on the palate unless used with a very sublte hand. Even then I have my doubts.
"Black Truffle Ice Cream, Truffle Syrup"
I understand that this dish is sweet. I've traveled quite a bit and eaten even more. I have a very open palate and a stomach like a goat. I can't even imagine what it would taste like. So, what did it taste like?
Les Fromages De Nicole Grandjean
The plating is akward, almost comically so. I'm hardly conservative when it comes to aesthetics or much of anything else. A fish skeleton can be beautiful to me. But this just looks clumsy.
“Mont Blanc”, Chesnut Ice Cream, Chocolate Gelee, Crispy Meringue, Vanilla Whipped cream, Burnt Orange Sauce, Candied Orange
The proportions are jolting. It looks gargantuan on the plate. Layers of hugeness piled on top of eachother.
Most of these dishes look to be in the earlier stages of experimentation, not quite there yet, more time in "the lab" needed. I don't think that great food has to appeal to everyone or even most. How can anything with character do that? It will be interesting to see where this goes. I'm not exactly waiting with baited breath though.
By the way before all of this innovation the last chef had created a tremendously successful modern French menu. Alain Giraud was dismissed by the owner, a move that highlights why the Los Angeles fine dining scene falls short of New York.