Anyone that's tried to post something on chowhound, and never been on before, surely knows of the priggishness that some 'hounds' can depict at times. They tend to be a snobbish few, replying amongst each other and that's it. For those, i gladly announce the arrival of the Los Angeles supplement of Blogsoop.
A Douglas Cress Production and originally started in New York (of course!), Blogsoop is for the well-informed diner who's interested on the different perspectives. A diverse collection of blogs on a single restaurant with the click of a mouse.
...and no ignored questions or smart ass reply's in sight.
see for yourself.
http://www.blogsoop.com/LA/
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Sunday, April 15, 2007
How food Saved (or Ruined?) My Life: Finding my Happy Spot at Mani's
Calories...there i said it.
Something we're all too familiar with. The unfathomable part of food. A foodies natural born enemy, superfluous to many (including me), but sadly...crucial in the long run. No matter how hard we try to ignore them, their there, pillaging your conscience like...well, me on Chocolate cake-Vegan German Chocolate Cake to be exact.
A recent study showed that...According to....A more recent study done by researchers found out that food is _________. Lately, food has been more of a stress to me than a passion. Sometimes it drives me insane thinking about the food i eat, what, where, and how much? Trying to balance everything in order to feel good and thinking twice about doing this as a career. So naturally, i've fostered a fancy for "guilt-free" food: natural, macrobiotic, and even vegan food. I still ain't one of them though!
It's just a little salvation from my damnation.
I know i'm not the only one like this, so when you need a little relief, just a little comfort or just feel like eating al moist, creamy tri-layered German Chocolate Cake chock-full of pecans and gooey caramel...go ahead...do it. Not into coconut (don't know how that's possible) you say? How about a slice of Strawberry Shortcake? A Blueberry Turnover Perhaps? Whatever your gratification is, Mani's lets you indulge, without driving yourself crazy thinking about it. They sweeten all their desserts and pastries solely with natural sweetners:concentrated fruit juice, maple, agave and no they don't taste like cardboard. Their breakfast's are also pretty good, but their lunch/dinner menu...not so much. But then again they are a bakery and not a restaurant so it's ok.
A dessert place, something that L.A desperatelyneeds. It's still not as good Moby's Teany in N.Y's Chocolate Macaroon Cake, my background on my desktop is set to to that, but this is damn well close.
Mani's Bakery
Los Angeles
519 S. Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 938-8800
Something we're all too familiar with. The unfathomable part of food. A foodies natural born enemy, superfluous to many (including me), but sadly...crucial in the long run. No matter how hard we try to ignore them, their there, pillaging your conscience like...well, me on Chocolate cake-Vegan German Chocolate Cake to be exact.
A recent study showed that...According to....A more recent study done by researchers found out that food is _________. Lately, food has been more of a stress to me than a passion. Sometimes it drives me insane thinking about the food i eat, what, where, and how much? Trying to balance everything in order to feel good and thinking twice about doing this as a career. So naturally, i've fostered a fancy for "guilt-free" food: natural, macrobiotic, and even vegan food. I still ain't one of them though!
It's just a little salvation from my damnation.
I know i'm not the only one like this, so when you need a little relief, just a little comfort or just feel like eating al moist, creamy tri-layered German Chocolate Cake chock-full of pecans and gooey caramel...go ahead...do it. Not into coconut (don't know how that's possible) you say? How about a slice of Strawberry Shortcake? A Blueberry Turnover Perhaps? Whatever your gratification is, Mani's lets you indulge, without driving yourself crazy thinking about it. They sweeten all their desserts and pastries solely with natural sweetners:concentrated fruit juice, maple, agave and no they don't taste like cardboard. Their breakfast's are also pretty good, but their lunch/dinner menu...not so much. But then again they are a bakery and not a restaurant so it's ok.
A dessert place, something that L.A desperatelyneeds. It's still not as good Moby's Teany in N.Y's Chocolate Macaroon Cake, my background on my desktop is set to to that, but this is damn well close.
Mani's Bakery
Los Angeles
519 S. Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 938-8800
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Pho Ga...and That's it: What Being a Foodie in L.A is Really About
"Have you been to that place yet? It's supposed to be really good".
...yeah, supposed to be really good.
Something has been getting to me recently, this might just be my neurotic self but...Why do we tend to go to a restaurant only when it's gotten written up? I used to be able to do this, but lately i've been thinking twice about this. Think about it...L.A is home to thousands of restaurants, but we only go to ones after someones had their say on them.
What about the other ones? The places next to those, across the street from those? Have we grown scared of venturing out?
I will admit, it's hard. But if it wasn't for this, i would of never found Bahn Coan Hoan Kiem . Since most vietnamese places around here only tend to specialize in beef, different varieties of Pho Tai (Beef Noodle Soup), trying to find decent Pho Ga (Chicken Noodle Soup) can be a bit daunting. Have Golden Deli's version and you'll see what i'm talking about. But today...i think i've finally....found it.
Adjacent to a more known noodle shop (PHO 97), Bahn Coan Hoan Kiem only serves 2 things....Pho Ga and Banh Trang (rice paper rolls), no more, no less. For a restuarant, only to serve that, seven days a week...you know its going to be great. And great it was. My dad says this is what you call "peasant food", the kind of soup big restaurants don't dream of serving. Huge chunks of chicken-skin on-making it's funk fuse with the bottomless broth, oozing with floppy rice noodles and just a bit of scallions to bring out the subtle ginger notes. With a couple of squirts of Sriracha and sweet fish sauce, this is truly...chicken soup for the soul. Especially in this gloomy global-warming diseased weather we've been having lately that can't make up it's mind.
Bahn Cuan Hoan Kiem
727 N. Broadway
#130 (not 120)
Los Angeles, CA 90012
...yeah, supposed to be really good.
Something has been getting to me recently, this might just be my neurotic self but...Why do we tend to go to a restaurant only when it's gotten written up? I used to be able to do this, but lately i've been thinking twice about this. Think about it...L.A is home to thousands of restaurants, but we only go to ones after someones had their say on them.
What about the other ones? The places next to those, across the street from those? Have we grown scared of venturing out?
I will admit, it's hard. But if it wasn't for this, i would of never found Bahn Coan Hoan Kiem . Since most vietnamese places around here only tend to specialize in beef, different varieties of Pho Tai (Beef Noodle Soup), trying to find decent Pho Ga (Chicken Noodle Soup) can be a bit daunting. Have Golden Deli's version and you'll see what i'm talking about. But today...i think i've finally....found it.
Adjacent to a more known noodle shop (PHO 97), Bahn Coan Hoan Kiem only serves 2 things....Pho Ga and Banh Trang (rice paper rolls), no more, no less. For a restuarant, only to serve that, seven days a week...you know its going to be great. And great it was. My dad says this is what you call "peasant food", the kind of soup big restaurants don't dream of serving. Huge chunks of chicken-skin on-making it's funk fuse with the bottomless broth, oozing with floppy rice noodles and just a bit of scallions to bring out the subtle ginger notes. With a couple of squirts of Sriracha and sweet fish sauce, this is truly...chicken soup for the soul. Especially in this gloomy global-warming diseased weather we've been having lately that can't make up it's mind.
Bahn Cuan Hoan Kiem
727 N. Broadway
#130 (not 120)
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Monday, April 02, 2007
Thai Purple: Not Just Because it's my Favorite Color...
I've actually been coming here for a while already, being my first experience with Thai Food and the plethora of options available. Yeah, they have your standard Thai Fare: Pad Thai (which is what i usually have), Pineapple Fried Rice (another usual), and enough stir-fry and curry variations to almost cover all of the primary and secondary color huesl. All, which by the way, still superior in taste than any other thai place i've been to. But as you flip through the pages of their picturesque purple menu, you'll see some unfamiliar faces.
Pork Stuffed Cucumber Soup, literally. Tender Meatballs between pieces of cucumber with a light and clear broth and no MSG in sight, that's it. BBQ Whole Squid, again literally, served only with this authentically pungent citrus, chilli-fish sauce that's best eaten....not inhaled. Fried Rice Baked In Young Coconut....can you guess?
Things so simple, so easy but yet so damn delicious somehow gone AWOL at most Thai Restaurants around L.A.
It's always the simple things in life isn't it?
And there's a complimentary warm tapioca-coconut dessert with something different everytime for dinner, not for lunch.
I still bought 16oz. of this stuff and devoured it while watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the theater across the street though.
Thai Purple
27 N Garfield Ave
Alhambra, CA 91801-3545
626 300 9083
Pork Stuffed Cucumber Soup, literally. Tender Meatballs between pieces of cucumber with a light and clear broth and no MSG in sight, that's it. BBQ Whole Squid, again literally, served only with this authentically pungent citrus, chilli-fish sauce that's best eaten....not inhaled. Fried Rice Baked In Young Coconut....can you guess?
Things so simple, so easy but yet so damn delicious somehow gone AWOL at most Thai Restaurants around L.A.
It's always the simple things in life isn't it?
And there's a complimentary warm tapioca-coconut dessert with something different everytime for dinner, not for lunch.
I still bought 16oz. of this stuff and devoured it while watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the theater across the street though.
Thai Purple
27 N Garfield Ave
Alhambra, CA 91801-3545
626 300 9083
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