Part Time Food GPS: Rivera's Honey Tasting

(Taken from Food GPS Website)

Curious I was when I was first asked to cover this event, I felt cloyed after having finished! A four course tasting menu sponsored by the National Honey Board took place at the super hip and happening Rivera Restaurant yesterday. Each dish celebrated—yup, you guessed it—honey and its various uses and effects on food. Only three restaurants around the U.S are chosen for this event every year, this year the chosen theme was Latino cuisine and what better representation in L.A. than Chef John Cedlar’s New Mexican fangled contemporary approach.




Before the meal, Mr. Sedlar came out and spoke briefly about honey’s typical uses on Mexican cuisine as well as his earliest memories of the stuff, involving stories of how he used to smear his Sopaipillas generously as he was growing up. I added a couple of sweet childhood anecdotes myself as he had kindly asked me to do so earlier to add my own piece of knowledge.



Without further delay, we were seated and plopped down with a wide cup full of iced Pineapple and Serrano Licuado with Honey Infused Tequila, a sweet and fiery beginning to the meal, especially after I bit the Serrano and muddled it with the already-spicy juice. Didn’t really pack a punch, but was certainly going to use all that bromelain to help me digest what was coming.



Crostinis of Queso Cotija with Hierbabuena, [pink] Pepper Berry Infused Honey and Figs. Chef Sedlar went on to say how he used to always eat cheese with something sweet, you know…to contrast. He must have really had a sweet tooth back then, the combination of sweet figs and generous drizzle of honey was as sweet as reminiscing in a happy childhood, good thing that subtle pink pepper berry and mint was there to break me out of my sugar daze.

Finish reading rest of dinner at Food GPS

The Rise of L.A. Food Trucks: A Walking Gastro Tour with Javier Cabral

Big, Bad Trucks

...Still don't know how I came up with that title but YES that is my name and that will be the tour I will be guiding at this upcoming Downtown Los Angeles Artwalk

A guerilla revolution in the Los Angeles food scene has been slowly taking place in the streets and driveways of our brick and mortar habituated restaurant culture: Concept Food Trucks (Mobile Cuisine). Taco trucks are one thing but gourmet food trucks? The hugely acclaimed “Korean Taco” slinging Kogi Taco Truck unofficially started it…but that was only the beginning. Join me as I guide you through South Indian Dosa’s, vintage horror movie themed plant based hot dogs, handmade D.I.Y ice cream sandwiches and many, many more. This will be a walking tour, but don’t worry; there will be plenty of refueling points along the way…



The event takes place on the second Thursday of every month and this upcoming one happens to be it!

If you guys haven't been before, this is a must-do if you live anywhere within the L.A locale, like an all out block party oozing--sometimes literally--with unexampled
performance art and upwards of 10,000 modish Angelenos that are out, loud and boisterously about.



Artlessly, no other event in L.A attracts as many trucks as the Downtown Art Walk, let’s see what we hunt down that night...

Some most likely appearances:

Marked 5 (Japanese/American Fusion Burgers)

Coolhaus (Gourmet Ice Cream Sandwiches w/ edible wrappers)

The Franken Stand (Vintage Horror Movie Themed Plant Based Hot Dogs)

Nom Nom Truck (Vietnamese Bahn Mi Sandwiches)

The Dosa Truck (South Indian Dosas)

Border Grill Truck (Gourmet Tacos, Tamales, Churro Bites)

Fishlips (Sushi and Rolls)


The Witch: Full sail Ale cooked Tofu dog with customizable toppings from The Franken Stand


Vanilla Bean on Ginger w/ edible wrapper: D.I.Y Ice Cream Sandwiches from Coolhaus

Part-Time Food GPS: "The Glutster tackles Taste of dtownLA"

EXTRA, EXTRA!

Read all about it!







Oh yeah, definitely tackled something...

Tiarra Cafe...I guess.

I don't know if it was the uber-long anticipation (been wanting to go since they opened up) or me, since...well let's just say I'm going through this excruciatingly cynic point in my life right now. I mean, it was good but...I don't know, I just don't feel that exciting feeling about food as much anymore. Don't get me wrong, food still is the only thing that keeps me going in life but...I don't know.

ANYWAYS, back to the actual food. They offer a more healthier menu than your usual mediocre Mexican and Middle Eastern Food in that part of town with their motto being "eat more healthy and diet less" directly quoted from Fred Eric: the brains behind Tiarra.

Offering traditional lunch-ish fare such as sandwiches, pizza's and basic entrees but wih not-so-traditional constituents . They still have pressed sandwiches and what not but with the addition of their signature "freshwiches" which are basically just souped up vietnamese spring rolls with fillings that can range from seared Ahi Tuna to Grilled Seitan. And their pizza's aren't just pizza's but "Pizzetes" with the usual unique gourmet toppings.

Usually, I would of been smitten for those "freshwiches", especially the one the one with that smoked duck!. But since I'm trying to gain weight, I got a normal carb-ridden, deliciously crispy greased pressed version of it (Media Noche Press'wich in Tiarra terms). The overall sandwich was decent, but I just could'nt taste the smokiness of that rich duck though, which was the actual reason I came here in the first place. Oh well right? At least I still had those strawberries to be dipped in their chocolate fountain that they have in the market section next door? Nope! of course...it was put away just when I finished!

But that's life-as i've been painfully learning.

So I don't know...I'm still going to come back to try out some of their other stuff though.

It's not you, It's Me: My Graduation Dinner at Ciudad

Like I said earlier, I just don't see the point of going out for Mexican Food, I mean, that's what I was raised on (and still am)but, when I go out...I want to try something different, you get me?

Based on their online menu and their ingredients, Ciudad looked pretty appetizing, of course disreguarding their $$$ prices: all seasonal, organic food, A Goat Milk Flan... sounded pretty different. And I did want to check it out eventually, but not for my actual graduation dinner; All 8 of us (little sister, nieces, and a nephew included)

The Flamenco band covering Police songs, the dim lighting, the loud Acoustics drowning/cancelling everyone out and the uncomfortable chairs hinting us to hurry up and leave-this was the type of place you came to chillax with someone else, not eat with your entire family.

The Baked Flatbreads was a grand start, kind of like savory Bunuelos. One studded with Poppy, Flax and Sesame seeds and the other scented with spices such as cumin and cayenne-both served with an olive tapenade and a hummus-y dip. But that, along with that unique Flan that called me here, was about all that really stood out.

The Flan was something else though, so rich, so creamy, so nutty-thanks to that ubiquitous goat milk with a good burnt flavor. And i usually can't stand Flan. But my $25 Colomo De Cabri entree, a Colombian dish of rum-steeped, curried mutton with Coconut Rice and Mashed Garlic Yuca sounded a lot better than it was. Think, a sweet type of Birria. The Coconut Rice was oddly rich though, probably due to the higher fat in it than butter. And I couldn't tell whether the Mashed Yuca was supposed to be pasty since it was my first time trying it. The other items ordered were not anything that great neither.

I did kind of exagerate on the degree of me wanting to come here though, so I brought it upon myself. I don't regret coming, but just wish it was not with so many people!

When it all boils down, it still has that "Mexican-esque" type of flavor for me, as stupid as that might sound. I did appreciate the complimentary slice of flan with the candle for me. Who am I kidding...environmentally conscious, organic food? I'm willing to come again, if the oppurtunity ever arises. After all, every restaurant has their day, or meal.

Ciudad
445 S. Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 486-5171
(213) 486-5172 fax

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