Kabuki Blogger Dinner: FULL Menu Privileges

As P.R dinners continue to flow in steadily into my inbox, I gain an even stronger motivation to take my writing even more seriously than I do now. I don't know about other bloggers but these sort of things are what keeps The Glutster going strong, especially since I wish to somehow do this for a living in the someday. I still think its pretty freaking awesome to get invited to cover these sort of events. Not to mention, I wouldn't nearly have the amount of resources necessary to experience these kind of foods otherwise at the moment...

As is the pricey case usually with Sushi. Where I would of normally only been able to get only the cheapy-est of rolls with a side of rice to fill up, I was able to sample a good chunk of tasty offerings, thanks to being offered the chance of covering the popular Kabuki Restaurant. For the set dinner, their Hollywood location was chosen.


(photo courtesy of press kit)
Just Walking By: Façade

I would always walk by this place as I got off the metro to catch the Sunset Bus down to the Sunset Strip, the only place classic L.A Hardcore Bands bands play nowadays, those were a splurge enough already though, so I never really had a chance to eat nearby.

I was excited a little more than usually for this dinner though, given that I'm finally twenty one and knowing that it was home to the only Master Sake Sommelier in North America, Yuji Matsumoto. Back in 1997, he was one of the founders of The California Sushi Academy.


(photo courtesy of press kit)
Yuji Matsumoto: Sake Is A Way Of Life

Walking in, instead of being greeted with the blaring but warm traditional sushi bar Japanese welcome of irashaimase! You are greeted with trendy-listening, top 40 stuff mostly. If not indifferent, then annoying to me but a plus for mainstream music people I suppose. Tables are filled with easygoing sets of couples, girlfriends gathering to catch up, for a rainy Wednesday afternoon, its pretty cracking. All probably getting a bite before hitting the Hollywood scene.


(Photo courtesy of press kit)
Comfy But Loungy

Our welcoming cocktail was a Fuji Apple Saketini. A pretty clever concept actually. It was clear in color, thin in texture with an ever-subtle taste of biting into a Fuji apple in the peak of Fall. A definite upgrade from the fluorescent Green Apple Puckers I grew up with.


Balanced: Fuji Apple Saketini ($7.95)

Soon after, we were given a sampling of some their brand new menu items that will make it into the regular menu in a couple of months.


Tuna Poke: Black Sesame, Avocado, Seaweed

At $7.95, it was quite a generous portion. Tuna quality is usually not the point in these style of dressed dishes, wasn’t too bad here.


Yellowtail Sashimi w/ Jalapeño: Their Take On The Nobu Classic

The thin slices held a slightly fishier taste than I expected, not sure if it was supposed to be like that but I guess that’s what the spicy sauce was there for?

At this point we were served our first sipping Sake of the night.


Kikusui ("Chrysanthemum Water"): $7.50 A Glass

Subtle and soft, this Sake was almost as soft as water, had a slightly vegetal taste, the nose was very elegant hinting of grass.

It always gives me a kick whenever I see rolls on the menu with zany names, only to find out that really only means its going to be some sort of a concoction involving cream cheese or deep frying it. Tonight they were unveiling some of their new rolls soon to be put on the regular menu:


Vegas Roll: Cream Cheese, Surimi, Salmon, All Deep Fried

I can totally see where the name came from; I would totally dig this if I were drunk as hell with a serious case of the beer munchies, otherwise…kind of excessive.


Lasagna Roll: Surimi, Cream Cheese, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Baked

I didn’t know what to think when this landed on the table, looking like some sort of creature that was stopped dead in its tracks with a layer of molten, golden brown cheese. I would of liked this ten years ago in my “Lasagna-Is-My-Favorite-Food-Phase”. But now, with purist values instilled deep in, it just looked like something a stoner would dream up in the peak of their high. I did enjoy my ONE piece though.


Baja Roll: Surimi, Pico de Gallo

The only roll that didn’t involve cream cheese actually and a favorite, everyone agreed “why haven’t we had something like this before?”. I remember eating some tasty fusion sushi in Mexico City not too long ago, where they would do these same type of rolls but with a Chipotle Japanese Mayo and grilled, adobo spiced onions, these were in the same realm as those. I just wish the sushi rice was a tad less sweeter, got kind of cloying after a couple of chopstick-full’s.

It was pretty awesome to hear the words “you may now order anything from the regular menu” right after this half baked-nouveau roll assault...


Ginjo Mizbasho ("Water Lily"): $6.95 A Glass

The second sipping Sake was a medium acidity Ginjo Mizbasho, a little bit more viscous with more of a zing, just enough to go well with the umami factor of the food though.


Lobster Dynamite: $10.95

Nothing better--I think--than a heaping platter of soft, lobster chunks baked with the lipid intensive white stuff known as Mayonnaise, Japanese kind of course (a little sweeter).


Toro Sushi: $9.95

I think everyone in the table at least got one order of this ethereal cut of fatty fish, buttery and melting at your tongue, I was saving my two pieces for a savory dessert. Although I ended up eating like five pieces by the end of the night because everyone had gotten trigger-happy and full real quick, not to say I didn’t get trigger happy as well though.


Sake & Soy Chilean Sea Bass w/ Sauteed Asparagus and Chili Sesame Sauce: ($17.95)

Yes, I know, I know. I’m evil, I got the Chilean Sea Bass. I used to carry around the sustainable seafood watch card in my wallet too, but I never really had it before so I rationalized under that. The order came with not one but TWO thick fillets of the fish, and it only continued with the decadence reign of buttery fish. That accompanying sauce was like a sweet demi-glace thickened with some sort of starch or something.

I ate many more things so by the time dessert came, I was ready for something refreshing.

Before then, a picture of the Award Winning Kids Meal!


Way Better Than IHOP!: Ha Ha

Full dessert menu privileges were also granted.


Thawed Coconut Sorbet Served In Shell: ($)

After gorging in rich after richer savories, this hit the spot with its fresh fruit qualities, shredded mature coconut was in every bite. A little too thawed for my liking, edges were watery but great nonetheless.


Green Tea Birthday Ice Cream: Awh...So Cute!

Not even a minute after someone uttered that I had just turned twenty one, the servers had rallied up and were singing Happy Birthday in the fastest of time signatures I had ever heard it in, I kind of preferred it actually, kind of punk rock sounding. I tried to record them in action but they were done by the time I turned on my camera.

Oh, how I love being a foodblogger in L.A.

So it finally came, I'm 21 (Booze, Blood and Punk Rock)

So it finally came, I’m 21. Who would of known I would of made it this far? I swore and lived by the punk Manisfesto of “Live Fast, Die Young”, albeit a little bit more responsively than most of my friends apparently.

What does this mean for a burgeoning young foodblogger?

THE WORLD IS MINE.

No more getting sadly turned away from food events for being “underage”, no more ordering drinks with know-it-all terminology to better the chances of not being checked ID, no more using “I’m not 21” to rationalize from not going out and the most significant for me…no more having to depend on a passerby bum or guy with a beard to buy me some craft beer at Ramirez Liquor.

And what better rite of passage than throwing my own backyard gig in my house in East L.A?


Punks Not Dead

Almost every single weekend since 6th Grade, I’ve been coming to these in and around East L.A. They have served as the ultra-thin lifeline that has kept the local punk scene stable since the 1970’s.

For my shindig, I had gotten the evolved, bluesy sounds of The Shag Rats, old friends from Middle School, these guys broke out of the stereotypical power-chord punk rock rut and have developed a mellow, groovy beat of their own.


Dance Inducing and Fun Producing: The Shag Rats

And my nephew, DJ H1N1 spinning all classical and requested genres of punk.


Spinning It Up

Declaring it BYOB (Had food rather, not common in gigs but then again it was me!) I found out I had some really generous friends…

Chuy Nomas showed up with three bottles of Real De Mexico Tequila, two Blancos and the other Reposado. He works for them so he hooked it up like no other, setting up an impromptu cocktail bar out of my backyard shambles. He just happened to always carry Jalapeños, Cilantro, Pineapple Juice, Simple Syrup and Limes I guess, constructing their signature cocktail, The Real Mexican, an authentically spicy, tangy sweet drink that my dad even loved. Muddling the ingredients and everything, he came through profusely for the first half of the night.


Hookin’ It Up Sick!: El Compa Chuy Nomas

A gift from the blue-haired homie Lance Thomas, my second drink of the night was a pint of an Imperial IPA from Rogue Brewery, the ceramic bottle and nifty, metal hinged top had caught my attention back at Ramirez Liquor.


Bitter, Syrupy with Hints of Raw Cacao Without The Exclusive Heaviness of a Traditional Stout: 9.5%


At 86 Proof, This Was By Far The Most Complex Whiskey Ingested Thus Far (Sorry Jack): Smooth and Smoky Taste Reminiscent of Mezcal

Third of the Night was a shot of Lagavulin, a Single Islay Malt Whiskey given to me from the infamous Noah Galuten of Squid Ink blog.


Fourth was a pint of Straffe Hendrik, this heavy Belgium Bruges Triple Ale. At a bold 9% proof, this was remarkably bitter since its made with a few different Hops, A nice winter brew for sure.

Fifth of the night was a Leffe longneck, a Blonde Belgium Ale with an interesting light bite, notes of toffee mostly with aromatic hints of chrysanthemum. A gift from Angel Rodriguez, we used to drink Popov vodka in water bottles during lunch back in High School.


Smooth: 6.6%

Ok, by this point I was pretty much thrashed and plastered, double fisting strangers bottles and doing the H.B Strut nonchalantly by myself in the circle pit.

But I kept on going of course.

Sixth of the night was half a bottle of this Malbec that my yoga buddy Blair Whittington had gotten me from Fresh N Easy. But I have no idea what year nor what vineyard, I could only tell you it was smooth enough to be drank by swigs…l would of drank all if Bricia hadn’t fortunately taken it away from me and refilled it with water.


Seventh of the night was a couple of cringing swigs of Ulises Ruiz, a snazzy bottled complex Mezcal from Oaxaca with the most elegant of burns and deep of tastes, courtesy of the Oaxacan Restauranteur, Bricia Lopez.

And last but certainly not the least, a pint of the beer that started it all for me: Delirium Tremens. Chocolaty and robust, this cork-topped Ale is bottled from a family brewery in Belgium. Fernando Lopez, the other power behind the Guelaguetza restaurant dynasty, was responsible for this tasty night clincher.



After all this drinking, The Shag Rat’s were done and another friend’s band wanted to play: Informal Society. Their music is probably the complete opposite of the Shag Rats, hard, fast, loud and proud that warrant a little more vicious chaos in the pit. And these sort of pits are no mans land for lanky, intoxicated, Spaghetti framed people like me…


Bloody and Boozed: Christening Adulthood

All I remember is a sudden colorful flash like those made famous in loony toon cartoons and people wrapping bandana's around my head. Sure enough someone had knocked me down, probably the local gangbangers not understanding the friendly concept of slam dancing.

I was not about to let that ruin my Birthday night in the least though, within ten minutes and half a hydrogen peroxide bottle later, I was back down and dancing again. With those same gangsters giving me hard high-fives and saying, “you’re pretty down”. They left shortly after that.


Bad Influence: Bloody, Boozed But All In The Name of Punk

The singer from my old band kept badgering for us to play, so we made drunk fools out of ourselves trying to stay in sync. I played both bass and guitar for the night since our bassist had already passed out earlier, surprisingly enough, some random people actually know how to play our songs on the guitar and volunteered.

And I am happy to say I woke up with NO HANGOVER, but only a bloody pillow and a bunch of leftover love...


Responsible Adulthood…Here I come

Addendum:

I totally forgot to add a pint of Pulque I babied all through the night, I had smuggled it into the states and had been saving it for this big day. Stayed true to my roots...

M Cafe Beverly Hills: Vegan-Macrobiotic and What? (Along With 2010 Life Realizations)

Its a new decade, and more than ever... The Glutster is in full eating swing. Media press dinners are--slowly but surely--becoming more common in my inbox and the level of my dedication is only growing after every bite of food, sip of drink and recipe I post.

I've come a long way since I started my dainty, little picture-less blog back in 2006, 11th grade and lost in life. Never in my hungriest dreams would I have ever imagined to come to the ranks that I have worked up to be as of now.

Something is to be said when I start to get invites to places in neighborhoods that I otherwise would have no business stepping into, neighborhoods where my punk rock, East L.A upbringings would have caused me to feel like a fish out of water. Culture shocked? Culture Blasted.

Nonetheless, I am ready for anything...

I never thought a food blogger P.R lunch for M Cafe De Chaya with fellow blogger and cool girl EstarLA would arouse such life realizations but food--as I have come to finally accept--has become a gateway to help me figure out life. So here ya' go.

M Cafe de Chaya first caught my attention back in 06 too. A victim of PETA brainwashing had made me a poser vegan and basically running to the place to relish in eating a slice of chocolate layer cake again without guilt. And plus, my then-shifu of food had written it up as well.

According to their website, the Chaya Food Dynasty has actually been around since the Imperial Edo period, that's over 390 years ago, "feeding weary horseback travelers of Japan" under the shade of a tree.

Kept alive by the same family (Tsunoda), who would of thought they would have a successful outpost in the frou-frou epicenter of the U.S?


The Patrons: From Weary Horse Travelers to Health-Seeking Cubicle Raiders

Any given day, pretty looking visiting Europeans or just health seeking mid city Angelenos swarm to this place.


Deli Full-O-Organic Goods

A Macrobiotic lifestyle abides entirely by food's believed effect on the body, thus a premiere emphasis on whole grains, vegetables, fish and a limitation on sweets. Stereotypically, brown rice and root vegetables but oh does M Cafe prove hater misconceptions wrong with their contemporary, seasonal, vast selection of mouth pleasing, rich foods.

We started of with teas and naturally sweetened/colored drinks.


A cooling, soft Mint-Green Tea ($2.50) and a Beet-Colored Lemonade: Refreshing and Lightly Sweet

Then gave the macrobiotic bounty of the M Cafe legacy.


Specialties of the House: BBQ Tempeh and Seared Tuna Tataki

Tempeh is a soybean (whole) cake that is fermented a bit to give it a meaty bite, here its smoked and glazed like good ol fashioned BBQ. Tuna Tataki tasted fresh and fork tender.


Deli Salads (Clockwise): French Lentils, Scarlet Quinoa, Spicy Peanut Kale, Celery Root Slaw, Sesame Soba Noodles, Creamy Coleslaw

Every salad proved to be impressive, each rich and sharing the common trait of umami intensity. They are can be bought two ($7.45) or three ($9.75) of them in a plate.


Piping Hot N Crispy: Thin-Cut Organic Fries w/ Shiso, Nori & Sea Salt served with Macro Ketchup ($3.50), Sweet Potato Fries w/ Chili, Sea Salt & Lime served with Spicy Yuzu Mayo ($3.50)

Umami is a key taste here, prevalent in everything; seaweed and Japanese herbs was ethereal in reg. fries. Limes acidity cut sweet potatoes sweetness swiftly. Beet sweetened ketchup and spicy yuzu mayo only elevated the experience.


Specialty Salads: Wild Salmon Salad, Curried Tempeh Salad, Dilled Organic Tofu Salad

Wild Salmon's (vs. farmed) flavor is usually more leaner and cleaner tasting, just like this. Curried Tempeh kept true to its Indian theme, all out flavor and textures esp. with the aid of curry cashews used. Dilled Organic Tofu Salad was just as firm as egg whites, with a nice and balanced amount of herby dill.

Now for the real bounty.

MMMMMMMM CAFÉ PATISSERIE

Believe it not, no eggs, no dairy and no refined sugar is used in what your about to gawk and salivate at:


Chocolate Layer Cake ($6.25): Macro-Choco Decadence

Of course, it does not taste like cream, sugar and eggs but I did not miss those ingredients here neither.


Tiramisu: And Damn Good Too!

More Trifle-like in texture, this had immense flavors of spice! Cinnamon? Nutmeg? Clove? And the finish was just like sipping a good coffee with full fat cream...


Carrot Cake: Truly For The More Health Inclined

Grainy, and the only "cardboard" tasting thing all day, would of been a complete shame if not for that luxurious cream and filling.

After this great experience, walking down Beverly Blvd to the 720 bus stop was quite contemplative ordeal. Buzzing off such a great encounter and listening to The Dickies, I realized something while watching everyone stare at me as I swaggered by with my purple leopard creepers, I realized...2010 will be my decade.

A Mexican Christmas Winter Ponche Recipe & My Last Two Weeks of Illegal Drinking-Driven Debauchery

So, as you all may have noticed, I fell DEEP into 'Holiday-Relax' mode this last year.

For the first time in the whole year, I took some damn personal time to be twenty finally. You know, enjoying complete meals without ever whipping out a camera? Ok, ok...I did sneak in a couple of shots of my moms awesome Duck Tamales, Buñuelos and Ponche but nonetheless enjoyed a couple of meals without exercising my hunger's last moment discipline...it felt great to just eat.


Duck Mole Tamal, Achiote Spiced Guacamole, Nopal (Cactus) Salad, Refried Great Northern Beans, Radishes: My Christmas & New Year Dinner


Buñuelos (paper-thin flour tortilla fried in Grapeseed Oil & dusted in cinnamon-sugar)


Ponche: Mexican Christmas Cinnamon Tea Filled with Anything and Everything eg. Guavas, Mexican Crab-Apples, Prunes, Sugar Cane etc. (Recipe Posted Below)


My Older Sisters Dessert Spread: Chocolate Chip Cookies, Tea Cookies & Sweet Potatoes in Piloncillo Syrup

Uhhh...it also kind of just hit me that I am turning the big, effin 21 in just two weeks, two freakin weeks. Do you guys know what this means for a restaurant blogger? YES! I am now going to be able to legally drink, no more using the risky technique of "Walk in like you own the place" or hope that my glasses and increased posture will get me through. No more GETTING DENIED entrance to a food event for not being of age, and most importantly...not having to ask a passerby bum or stranger to buy me beer and end up with the wrong kind!

Ok, so not much will be different since it hasn't really stopped me from drinking before but somewhere between blogging, writing 100 word radio commentaries and getting mentioned in the New Yorker...I tend to forget that I am twenty sometimes. So for the last couple of weeks (ooh-ee New Years Eve, jeez!) and until I turn twenty one, I will live up my last two weeks of illegal drinking driven debauchery...


A Pair of 40 oz. King Cobras at Fourteen: My Introduction to Alcohol in Moderation via the East L.A Punk Scene

A Dear Recipe From My Holiday Break:

Ponche (Mexican Holiday Cinnamon-Fruit Tea: Familia Cabral Style)

1 Gallon of Water (Purified or Tap doesn't matter, will boil)
4 Medium Sticks of Cinnamon
1 Small Handfull of Dried Hibiscus Blossoms
1/2 lbs of Fresh or Frozen Sugar Cane
1 Large Apple, Deseeded, Quartered (Fuji, Gala or Granny Smith; No Red Delicious please)
1 Large Orange, Peeled and Segmented
1/2 lbs of Tejocotes, whole (Mexican Crabapples; available frozen in Mexican-American Markets)
1/2 lbs of Small Fresh Guavas, whole

*this is a mix that I have habituated, feel free to alternate amounts or even add dried fruits like prunes, apricots, raisins, fresh pomegranates...possibilities are virtually endless.

1) In extra large stock pot, lightly crumble all the cinnamon sticks in the one gallon of water, add the hibiscus blossoms, turn heat highest and boil until color changes and the scent makes people in your household swoon...

2) Once color changes, lower to low heat and carefully drop in the fruits.

3) Simmer under low heat for 1-3 hrs until fruits become tender and soft.

4) Enjoy, while contemplating winter, family and life.

--Con Piquete (A generous shot of Tequila traditionally thrown in it to truly keep one warm) is up to you!

...my mom fancies Sauza brand Blanco though if you do.