"Hemp-Seed Crusted Tofu with the Olive Oil and Thyme braised Fingerlings, Garlic Rapini with the Red Wine Sauce please". As for life, i think "i'll need a little while longer", i hope.
Self-Contstruced Dinner option from BLD....Just like my life. Where i have a choice of what protein i want, i have a choice of what major i want. Where i have a choice of what two sides i want, i have a choice of what other classes i i'm going to take. And where i have a choice of what sauce to cover it all, i have a choice of where i want to go. Well,it seems like it has finally hit me-i'm a senior, about to enter the "real life", and i still don't know what i'm going to do.
Fortunately, i have help, such as those who are responsible for this enchanting night(you have no idea you guys have helped me out, seriously). I only hope that whatever i end up doing, it makes me happy just like my dinner did. I'm no vegan, just conscious of stuff, that's all. And this dish will certainly break stereotypes that tofu has gotten. Three thick cutlets, with it's crispy crust of what would of probably ended up getting me high if i never left Garfield H.S.(Hemp=Bud), and it's soft, moist almost fish-like flesh. The starch, veggies and sauce were alright, but next time i'll try some of their other options.
And what way to make this night even better? Going somewhere else for dessert and actually keeping up with my new years resolution(read earlier posts). Urth Cafe to be more specific, somewhere that hasn't gotten written up that much yet. Cheering myself up with a big slice of their Chocolate Heaven Vegan Cake, to have the full effects of the comforting catechins (chocolate anti-oxidants proven to make you feel better) and rounding it out with a side of some fresh whipped cream to let me know that i'm not a hippy.
Like i said earlier, this is what i want to do in life, i just don't know how to get payed for doing it.
BLD
7450 Beverly Blvd (Cross Street: Gardner Street)
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 930-9744
Urth Cafe
267 S. Beverly Drive,
Los Angeles, CA 90212
(310) 205-9311,
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Sunday, March 11, 2007
San Gabriel: Divine Dumplings, Perfect Pho and the Best Falafel in L.A.?!
...yup, you read correctly.
When i first moved to Alhambra High School and everyone went to Rick's or "Panda"(panda express) with their friends after school, i discovered this place where the waiters greeted me with a plate of creamy hummus and assorted Mekhalel(pickled vegetables). Where the Falafel was always Crispy and the Baklava was freshly baked. And where i first started to accept my then unaccustomed passion with food.
This place helped me realize i was not your average teenager. When everyone else was thinking what they were going to do after school, i was thinking about what i was going to eat. This is where i was first introduced to then-unknown lebanese foods such as Baba Ganoush(a roasted eggplant dip), Raw Kubbeh(a traditional raw ground lamb dish) and even Baklava(A honey-sweetened Nut Pastry). I even spent my 18th Birthday Dinner here.
Although the menu offers other copious traditional Middle Eastern Delicacies such as Kebabs that are always tastily charred and still tender, the unorthodox Raw Kubbeh-: a dish of raw ground lamb eaten with nothing more than a couple of raw pieces of herbs and vegetables, a drip of olive oil and a paste of raw ground garlic, i always end up getting the same thing-the Falafel Combination: A plate bearing a mountain of their short-grain Rice, some palatte cleansing Tabouli salad, smoky Baba Ghanoush, a fresh Green salad, creamy Hummus and and finally 6 Falafel-easily enough to feed two even three or just one of me. The Falafel is just so perfect! Crispy on the outside, moist on the inside with the perfect of amount of garlic and spices.
They also double as a bakery, hence some of the best Baklava i've had also.
Time after time, i've always left here happy and have a feeling i always will.
Wahib's Middle Eastern
910 E. Main St.
Alhambra CA
( 626 ) 281-1006
When i first moved to Alhambra High School and everyone went to Rick's or "Panda"(panda express) with their friends after school, i discovered this place where the waiters greeted me with a plate of creamy hummus and assorted Mekhalel(pickled vegetables). Where the Falafel was always Crispy and the Baklava was freshly baked. And where i first started to accept my then unaccustomed passion with food.
This place helped me realize i was not your average teenager. When everyone else was thinking what they were going to do after school, i was thinking about what i was going to eat. This is where i was first introduced to then-unknown lebanese foods such as Baba Ganoush(a roasted eggplant dip), Raw Kubbeh(a traditional raw ground lamb dish) and even Baklava(A honey-sweetened Nut Pastry). I even spent my 18th Birthday Dinner here.
Although the menu offers other copious traditional Middle Eastern Delicacies such as Kebabs that are always tastily charred and still tender, the unorthodox Raw Kubbeh-: a dish of raw ground lamb eaten with nothing more than a couple of raw pieces of herbs and vegetables, a drip of olive oil and a paste of raw ground garlic, i always end up getting the same thing-the Falafel Combination: A plate bearing a mountain of their short-grain Rice, some palatte cleansing Tabouli salad, smoky Baba Ghanoush, a fresh Green salad, creamy Hummus and and finally 6 Falafel-easily enough to feed two even three or just one of me. The Falafel is just so perfect! Crispy on the outside, moist on the inside with the perfect of amount of garlic and spices.
They also double as a bakery, hence some of the best Baklava i've had also.
Time after time, i've always left here happy and have a feeling i always will.
Wahib's Middle Eastern
910 E. Main St.
Alhambra CA
( 626 ) 281-1006
Monday, March 05, 2007
Traditional Latino Flavors with A Contemporary Twist”? And in the 'hood?: Homegirl Cafe
Going out for Mexican Food is something that i usually frown upon, it kind of goes against the reason for me going out in the first place (to eat something different that i haven't been eating all my life) I know Mexican Cuisine is extremely diverse and don't get me wrong, i still love a Good Plate of Mole and find myself eating a bowl of Legumes with Tortillas as a Main Course often but...i don't know.
If you guys don't know, HomeBoy Ind. is a non-profit program for those who wanted something different than the usual "A foo, where you from?!" life. This was one of their projects, highering former "chola's" to be exposed to something different. It wasn't until recently that i decided to make it a goal to eat here after a friend told me about her Jalapeno Pesto Tofu Torta and her drink, some lemonade blended with Mint and Spinach that i concluded, this was no typical Mexican Place.
You can't miss it, a Huge colorful Mural in the front depicting the writers skills. Good, Alright, Gabachos were eating here, that told me something. I was kind of turned off by seeing a huge bag of Mission Tortiila Chips being emptied out into little half-cut sandwich bags, but quickly changed when i dunked the sad little chips into this plastic cup of chile that came with them. Some warm, creamy chipotle sauce sans any actual cream or dairy. A good start.
Like i said, i love a plate of Mole as much as the next "Mexican-American" so i decided to try their tofu-swapped version, claiming to be "a homeboy favorite". It was alright, lighter than my moms and neighbors deep, thick brew and toned way, way down-probably to suit unsuspecting Gabacho palettes. Not as good as my mom's but...heh. I don't know why almost all Mexican Restaurants tend those slightly warm, soggy "Guerrero" Tortillas though. The small caraffe filled with their House Dressing was pretty good though. Almost like pure orange juice and goes perfect with their Julienned Jicama, Mango and Pepita House Salad that it came with.
My dad's Panela Sandwich truly showcased their light, fresh approach to their food: Milky Panela Cheese, Romaine lettuce, Ripe Tomato, Crisp Jicama, and sweet Mango and some of that errant Jalapeno Pesto (Jalapeno, Pepitas, Cilantro?)
Don't be surprised if the Waitresses give you a little attitude though, they're just being friendly. And that free refill on that Green Potion will make you forget all about it.
Homegirl Cafe
1818 E. First Street
Los Angeles, CA 90033
(323) 268-9353
(323) 265-3595 fax
If you guys don't know, HomeBoy Ind. is a non-profit program for those who wanted something different than the usual "A foo, where you from?!" life. This was one of their projects, highering former "chola's" to be exposed to something different. It wasn't until recently that i decided to make it a goal to eat here after a friend told me about her Jalapeno Pesto Tofu Torta and her drink, some lemonade blended with Mint and Spinach that i concluded, this was no typical Mexican Place.
You can't miss it, a Huge colorful Mural in the front depicting the writers skills. Good, Alright, Gabachos were eating here, that told me something. I was kind of turned off by seeing a huge bag of Mission Tortiila Chips being emptied out into little half-cut sandwich bags, but quickly changed when i dunked the sad little chips into this plastic cup of chile that came with them. Some warm, creamy chipotle sauce sans any actual cream or dairy. A good start.
Like i said, i love a plate of Mole as much as the next "Mexican-American" so i decided to try their tofu-swapped version, claiming to be "a homeboy favorite". It was alright, lighter than my moms and neighbors deep, thick brew and toned way, way down-probably to suit unsuspecting Gabacho palettes. Not as good as my mom's but...heh. I don't know why almost all Mexican Restaurants tend those slightly warm, soggy "Guerrero" Tortillas though. The small caraffe filled with their House Dressing was pretty good though. Almost like pure orange juice and goes perfect with their Julienned Jicama, Mango and Pepita House Salad that it came with.
My dad's Panela Sandwich truly showcased their light, fresh approach to their food: Milky Panela Cheese, Romaine lettuce, Ripe Tomato, Crisp Jicama, and sweet Mango and some of that errant Jalapeno Pesto (Jalapeno, Pepitas, Cilantro?)
Don't be surprised if the Waitresses give you a little attitude though, they're just being friendly. And that free refill on that Green Potion will make you forget all about it.
Homegirl Cafe
1818 E. First Street
Los Angeles, CA 90033
(323) 268-9353
(323) 265-3595 fax
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