Fasting For Fassica

Ethiopian food has been one of the few cuisines that I had not tried yet, and I think it is one of the few foods that I am not yet ready for. I hope it was just the restaurant. I had read about this little place a while back but never realized that it was so close to our dining range.


I didn’t really know what to expect, at all. The place itself was pretty empty, just us and some other table, but then again, it was a Tuesday night. I was pretty starving, like usual. I knew they were known for their vegetarian options so of course chose the Vegetarian Combination, which came with several different stews and their salad. But since I’m still trying to gain a little weight, also ordered the “Alicha Wot”(Mild Lamb Stew delicately seasoned with garlic, ginger, and other spices) and an additional “Yeshiro Alicha”(Powdered peas sauce, seasoned with assorted spices) since it wasn’t offered with the latter combination.


The order came pretty fast. Everything we ordered served on one huge platter with an abundance of the Injera just about everywhere, stacked on the side and underneath all the food serving it as a plate and eating utensils for everything. Thin, spongy and sour in taste and texture with a crepe-like appearance, this is what Tortillas are for Mexicans bur times 100. (I thought I had it bad).


Never having tried this before, I wasn’t sure if it was just I or it was the food. Everything kind of had that unsatisfying “buffet taste”; you know the one when something has been kept alive by heat lamps for several hours taste? Yeah.that one. The lamb had an extremely gamy taste since the meat contained many small bones almost in every bite, only allowing me to eat very little of it. Very tough and dry. The Cabbage Stew (Atkilit Alicha) your usual combination of potatoes and carrots but this one tasted excessively starchy that still did not compare with the overpowering taste of paprika in it. The Collard Greens (Gomen Wot) was very reminiscent of spinach and being that I don’t like cooked greens, couldn’t past this neither. The two lentil stews were probably the highlight of the night. Although still dry, the tastes were not too strong for me. I couldn’t take the Alicha Wot at all. Since the peas were dried, the taste was so concentrated. It was like eating a whole bowl of peas in one injera-full. The salad wasn’t great neither, tomatoes and onions and bagged romaine lettuce all in some Italian-like dressing.


Half ways through the meal, the lady/chef came over and instructed us on eating everything with the injera only. I must have eaten a yard of this stuff. Even though it was weird in taste and texture, I still couldn’t stop myself from eating it. Ethiopian food is one of the few cuisines in the world was not influenced, fused or blended with any other culture. So maybe it was just my weak modern palate that couldn’t handle the ancient, rustic flavors of this unique cuisine. But with all this, I am still looking forward to trying it again. But next time maybe somewhere different.
Fassica

10401 Washington Blvd,
Culver City, CA
90232
(310) 815-8463

Gaucho--No Thrill--Grill

Since we were in the Santa Monica/promenade area getting my LAPTOP (oh yeah). I was already salivating over the thought of stuffing my face in the “Burger with the works” at one of my all-time favorite places, Real Food Daily. But then my pesky conscious got me thinking, if in want to do this for a living, I’m not always going to be craving what and where I go eat. With this in mind, I convinced myself to try something different. And since it was literally right across the street from the Apple Store and my brother said it was good, I figured “aww…what the hell”


Like we all have experienced already, you can’t win every time. And this was just another example. I knew by it being in the Promenade, in wasn’t going to be stellar, but I didn’t know it was going to be horrible. The menu seemed pretty promising, offering some traditional Argentinean specialties as long as some other Italian-influenced edibles. They even went as far as offering substitution on their Sautéed Spinach (because of the recent e. coli Outbreak I’m guessing). But with all this, this was still very, very sad.


The bread and Oil wasn’t nothing special, with an amazing resemblance to good 'ol Wonderbread and the oil being lightly infused with Garlic and a bunch of Parsley. I ordered the Fresh New Zealand White Fish Grilled with “Lemon-Basil” Marinad (no typo) served with Red Skin Mashed Potatoes and of course substituting my sautéed spinach for sautéed Broccoli. A couple of minutes later the Tilapia like fish had arrived, looking like it had fallen apart into a million peaces and the cook tried to desperately put it back together, Very dry and bland. The mashed potatoes were just mashed potatoes and if it wasn’t for the heroic efforts of the garlicky Sautéed Broccoli, I wouldn’t have been able to eat half of it, already by force. My Dad’s “Pollo Al Carbon” was if not just as, then more drier and blander than my fish. His Grilled Zucchini was only cooked on one side. My brother’s chicken Provolone Sandwich was just a tad better than all of ours, but still bad.


I don’t even want to get started on Dessert. A “Chocolate Soufflé” that had been left in the oven all day and almost charred on the bottom with a scoop of the same kind of “Vanilla Ice Cream” that they sell at Food-4-Less or other inner city, lower quality market sold by the bucket for $5. Tasting of a whole bunch of chemicals trying to mimic the unduplicated taste of real vanilla. And to top it off, all literally drowned in Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup and “Dulce De Leche”. As if trying to somehow conceal the low quality of it all. Places like these, ruin food if you never had tried it forever.

Gaucho Grill
1251 3rd St Promenade
Santa Monica, CA 90401

I Finally Got A Computer!!!

I finally got a Computer!!!
Hopefully, I will actually start writing now! Non of this “every-once-in-a-while” crap. Still working on pictures though. Be greatful I at least have a computer now!

I Need A Computer!!!

I'm tired of this!


I could of written about so many things and places already. Like my Delicious Dumpling Dive at Mei Long Village In San Gabriel that we had last week because my stomach was still in recovery from some old, old tofutti "Cheese" Blintz that i SHOULDN"T of ate. Let's see, what else...oh yeah or me finally experiencing the "Cuban Porn" garlicky goodness chicken of Versailles that i could still taste to this day. I try to write down on paper but for some reason, it's just not the same and you can't remember every little taste and detail about something 15 or 20 meals later. For my writing'ssake, i need a computer!!!

Mercury Binge in Baja

We actually did end up going on a "happy family vacation trip" in triple digit weather, no air conditioner and my grumpy old dad. just like the one's in Movies and on T.V. It was actually my first time too.


And you know what i found out? In the midst of all my obsessive gourmet fascination. I forgot my roots and how great, good and complicated good 'ol Mexican Food really is.


Oh, did i eat my way in this trip. Should i start with the 20+ tortilla chips with salsa, 2 tostadas de fresh ceviche, about 4 Camarones "Al Mojo De Ajo", and even this raw shrimp dish called "aguachile" served in a Molcajete, and the oh-so-good, "Pescado Sarandiado" with it's sweet, salty, smoky, tender taste(about 6 tacos), all washed down with 2 coronas WITH MY PARENTS 40-50 ft away from the water in Popotla or almost getting stung by a bee in a Dulceria in Tijuana eating "Camote Enmielado"(Sweet Potato braised in Honey).


I guess this family trip actually came out to a "happy family vacation" after all.


Note to self, don't ever eat in the Ensenada Black Market again, had nothing on the heavenly, light fish tacos on Whittier and could do without all of the bombarding fish taco mongers screaming and badgering you to eat in their taco huts.


Oh well, This is how you learn.