Showing posts with label Little Tokyo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Little Tokyo. Show all posts
Jury Duty in Downtown LA - The Food
After 4 posts on downtown sites and landmarks, ultimately for me it all comes back to the food. So the final installment of my jury duty adventures is about the local food.Lunches there had to be short, inexpensive and fairly quick due to the absolute need to be punctual. Getting in involves going through a security check, having your bags x-rayed and being NYC style aggressive about getting on the elevator. It took up to 15 minutes for each ride in which we were crammed like sardines!
There were no facilities for refrigerating or heating up food and the cafeteria in the court house left a lot to be desired.
On top of that, I had a fellow foodie friend on jury duty at the same time in the same building as well as couple of friends who worked in downtown. Between those prospects and my solo exploring, I definitely hit the beaten path on local food.
Here is a quick photo summary of my 1 month of jury duty eats. I didn't take my good camera due to multiple security checks during the day at court.
Let me go in order of preference, beginning with the better options. Some I went to after jury duty, so they are not quite a lunch time walk away.
Hopefully it will give some visual ideas to the next person who gets a multi-week term of jury duty.
Back to the Cathedral I wrote about on this last post, the Galero Grill cafe was basic but good quality food. I ate a tuna melt and Starbucks coffee, so did not memorialize that lunch.
I also joined a friend who works in downtown for happy hour at Nick & Stef's Steakhouse. We enjoyed some great oil marinated olives with garlic confit, citrus zest and toasted almonds.
The beautiful brick building, our dinner site one day after court, is The Spice Table I've been here a couple of times and enjoyed it. You can see larger photos and read detailed dish descriptions on a previous post, here.
The Oyster and Crab Pan Roast, on the right middle, with coconut milk, lemongrass, fish roe, grilled British toast was new to me. The shellfish was beautifully tender, but the coconut milk broth was too creamy for such delicate flavors.
We had a tasty Beef Rendang, but I misplaced the photo, so this photo from Kevin Eats, on the lower right, captures the dish.
While waiting for The Spice Table to open, we hung out at The Far Bar, within this narrow entryway.
Vampiros at Mexicali? No brainer. I've already written about these over here.This one is a crispy quesadilla filled with carne asada and their special garlic sauce. I loved the side of blistered Guero peppers in Cantonese-Baja style seasoning.
Colburn Cafe at The Colburn School - Khmer beef with sesame and pears.
On top of that, I had a fellow foodie friend on jury duty at the same time in the same building as well as couple of friends who worked in downtown. Between those prospects and my solo exploring, I definitely hit the beaten path on local food.
Here is a quick photo summary of my 1 month of jury duty eats. I didn't take my good camera due to multiple security checks during the day at court.
Let me go in order of preference, beginning with the better options. Some I went to after jury duty, so they are not quite a lunch time walk away.
Hopefully it will give some visual ideas to the next person who gets a multi-week term of jury duty.
Back to the Cathedral I wrote about on this last post, the Galero Grill cafe was basic but good quality food. I ate a tuna melt and Starbucks coffee, so did not memorialize that lunch.
I also joined a friend who works in downtown for happy hour at Nick & Stef's Steakhouse. We enjoyed some great oil marinated olives with garlic confit, citrus zest and toasted almonds.
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The Oyster and Crab Pan Roast, on the right middle, with coconut milk, lemongrass, fish roe, grilled British toast was new to me. The shellfish was beautifully tender, but the coconut milk broth was too creamy for such delicate flavors.
We had a tasty Beef Rendang, but I misplaced the photo, so this photo from Kevin Eats, on the lower right, captures the dish.
A Lobsta Roll from the Lobsta Truck hits the spot every time. Do I need to say anything besides "fresh Maine lobster on a toasted split top roll with butter"? That was a rhetorical question.
This doesn't photograph that well, but the made to order revueltas pupusas at Sarita's Pupuseria in Grand Central Market is comforting and filling, though the huge line there takes a bit of time.
The curtido, or cabbage salad mixes perfectly with the rich pupusa. The gentleman there gave me a free side of caramelized plantains.
One day I picked up a decadent breakfast of this Liege waffle from Syrup Desserts, stuffed with bananas and sprinkled with tiny chocolate chips and powdered sugar. It was an intense trial that led me to this type of treat.
This authentic Belgian waffle has crunchy crystals of sugar in the batter which automatically sweetens them. It is also made to order and comes out steaming warm.
My friend also on jury duty gave me this after court treat from The Sandwich Smith in Little Tokyo. It tasted like shortbread oatmeal cookie with peanut butter and jelly inside. I love the crumbly texture against the creaminess inside.
Shrimp ceviche from Grand Central Market. For $4 it's a great lunch on a warm day. I couldn't figure out the name, but it's the stall just to the left of the Broadway Street entrance.
I enjoyed this burger from the grill to order at LADWP building cafeteria. The fresh pico de gallo, avocados, onions and crunchy house made pickles really works on a sunny Southern California day. I believe this huge burger was under $5.
The cafeteria has great prices and a huge selection. You have to sign in and go through security to get there.
Farmer's Market days were super exciting for me, although I enjoyed the produce stalls more than the food. The Creole stall served a runny jambalaya, but their hush puppies were fabulous. The batter included a pop of chile and herbs which were subtle but flavorful.
I tried the most delicious strawberries ever as a sample, but the purchased basket did not taste the same, sadly.
The empanadas were amazingly satisfying, though somewhat rich. I had the beef and the wild mushroom, both different shapes and flavors and equally good.
For a small dessert bite the size of a cookie, they had a $1 mini empanada with bananas and dulce de leche filling. They were all warmed perfectly and available frozen to bake at home.
Farmer's Market days were super exciting for me, although I enjoyed the produce stalls more than the food. The Creole stall served a runny jambalaya, but their hush puppies were fabulous. The batter included a pop of chile and herbs which were subtle but flavorful.
I tried the most delicious strawberries ever as a sample, but the purchased basket did not taste the same, sadly.
The empanadas were amazingly satisfying, though somewhat rich. I had the beef and the wild mushroom, both different shapes and flavors and equally good.
For a small dessert bite the size of a cookie, they had a $1 mini empanada with bananas and dulce de leche filling. They were all warmed perfectly and available frozen to bake at home.
Other than the food, the silver jewelry options really thrilled me, with great price points (if you pay cash and bargain). I got this mother pearl and butterfly rings, both made in Thailand as well as a pair of rhodium teardrop shaped hoop earrings.
One of my fellow jurors kept hoping our trial would last long enough for her to come back and buy rings also.
I would never expect a school to have Cambodian food in their cafeteria.
But a performing arts school? Maybe the talented students like more variety.
This location has that and more exotic choices at decent prices. Those are pears in the dish, not potatoes. It's an interesting combination although I would have preferred some sauce as it was rather dry when mixed with the rice.
We had a very hurried lunch at Josef Centeno's very trendy Tex-Mex restaurant, Bar Ama. The menu looked so exciting, we wanted to order everything. Unfortunately it was not my favorite choice. The food was too heavy, oily and not spicy enough for me.
The house made Truck Driver hot sauce amped things up a bit.The Cauliflower and Cilantro Pesto dish was divine though.The caramelized florets were perfectly cooked were dressed with cashews, pine nuts and lime.
The Puffy Tacos (grilled shrimp and lengua) as well as Ama's Enchiladas didn't really wow me. Too much oil dripping down into my hands and too much of gut bomb. I will stick to Centeno's Bäco Mercat which has similar flavors that are more complex, in my opinion.
The food options and variety in Downtown L.A. does not ever disappoint me, and it was great to try various lunch options as a "local".
The Puffy Tacos (grilled shrimp and lengua) as well as Ama's Enchiladas didn't really wow me. Too much oil dripping down into my hands and too much of gut bomb. I will stick to Centeno's Bäco Mercat which has similar flavors that are more complex, in my opinion.
The food options and variety in Downtown L.A. does not ever disappoint me, and it was great to try various lunch options as a "local".
Sushi Gen's Bountiful Sashimi Plate
There are several sushi spots in Little Tokyo that I haven't tried, mainly because of my unwillingness to wait in line for 2 hours for a meal. Sushi Gen, one of the most crowded sushi bars in Little Tokyo is a good case in point. |
| sashimi plate |
The lunch specials are only on weekdays so heading out there and waiting in line would not have worked out. But I found out they take reservations, at least for dinner, so it seemed like a viable way to try the place at last.
I took the train and walked over, which was a good thing, because their parking lot was full. The requisite crowd both outside the door and inside the entryway looked foreboding.
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| clam miso soup - came out piping hot |
Knowing how crowded it is, I expected their attitude to be like Seinfeld's "Soup Nazi" so I came in half hour early determined not to make any waves. Upon making the reservation they explained there is no grace period and all parties must be present to be seated. There are signs inside explaining these rules, and thankfully, their no cell phone rule.
Their courteous and positive attitudes pleasantly surprised me. Service was good.
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| chirashi bowl - my friend's order |
Some of the Yelp reviews I browsed through complained that at lunch they pre-plate the sashimi plates. You know for the tastiness at that price, I wouldn't mind that too much.
The menu can be a bit complicated, but your server explains it for you. The main thing to know is that you cannot order the lunch special at the sushi bar. I would enjoy going back to try the sushi bar to sample their more unusual offerings.
It definitely was super fresh and very tasty. I'd never been quite that full at a sushi meal, and I didn't even order the combo.
More Six Taste - Little Tokyo and Thai Town Tours
The final of my Six Taste tours, last April/May, also group together nicely - Little Tokyo and Thai Town. I love Asian food, especially Japanese and Thai. So any tour with that type of food automatically gets a big YES from me.
The Little Tokyo tour began meeting at the front of the Japanese American National Musuem (JANM) with an orientation and snacks, where we guessed the ingredients. Mystery food is fun!
Our Tour Guide, Brian, then took us to Chado Tea Room where we learned a huge amount about premium teas and tasted several. We also enjoyed tastings of scones with clotted cream and preserves.
As an added bonus he gave those were interested a thorough overview of their green tea selection.
One of our curious stops, Mitsuru's Grill, provided the sushi one would expect on this tour (scallop and salmon), and Brian taught us proper sushi eating etiquette.
Mitsuru's unexpected diner style ambiance intrigued me. They appeared to serve both Japanese and American food.
The other place we visited that I'd always dismissed as probably too touristy, is Wakasaya. It's that place in the Japanese Village Plaza Mall that you pass by that offers a huge $50+ seafood bowl that is free if one can finish it within 15 minutes.
They specialize in donburi, or rice bowls with various toppings, and are known for very fresh seafood and spicy, fresh wasabi that can serve as a weapon if you eat it too fast or too much of it.
On our tour we had mini bowls of udon (noodles) in broth and negi toro (chopped up toro - fatty tuna belly) donburi.
All our tastings did not fall under the old school Japanese style. We also ate at Four Leaf to try their Smoking Bird crepe, filled with tea smoked chicken, and some of their tasty beverages.
They profess to have the best boba in town, which I returned to taste and wrote about in a prior post about an event at Little Tokyo.
Another feature of historic Little Tokyo, along 1st Street, I'd walked by repeatedly but never noticed the engraved brass colored plaques under our feet showing each business and year established at that very spot.
One listing mentions 1890 when approximately 40 Japanese people lived in Old Little Tokyo.
A black row eloquently represents World War II and the internment period of the Japanese people.
One listing mentions 1890 when approximately 40 Japanese people lived in Old Little Tokyo.
A black row eloquently represents World War II and the internment period of the Japanese people.
We stopped at Fugetsu-do, a most charming confectioner which moved to the area in 1930. One feels almost transported back in time upon entering the store. One look at the old school kitchen and traditional methods brought a warm feeling.
We tasted this gorgeous rainbow colored, wonderfully squishy mochi, a glutinous rice cake with various stuffings or condiments.
And while on the subject of desserts, Mikawaya's Mochi ice cream shop also hit the spot. You've probably seen their boxed mochi ice cream boxes at Trader Joe's and many other markets.
They've taken it a step further with their "mochilato", simply mochi + gelato. The colors and flavors catch the eye and it's hard to choose just 1 or 2. I went with chocolate hazelnut, and returned a couple of times to try other flavors, still holding out for plum!
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Thai Town
We met our Thai Town Tour Guide, Lalita, right at this Thai Angel monument, one of a few statues along Hollywood Boulevard, protecting Thai Town.
Our snacking started right away with fresh tamarind fruit pods. Another first of this tour were handouts with our stops and menu, Thai phrases and cultural notes and more.
It turns out Lalita is a professor, and this tour definitely packs a punch in terms of lessons and activity.
We visited the Silom Market to learn about Thai ingredients. Tucked away in a corner this woman prepared some kanom beuang,sweet and savory taco-like shells with egg and other items mixed in.
Our spicy stops were interspersed with sweet stops. I would have preferred more spice/savory options, thinking that anyone signing up for a Thai food tour should be able to handle the spice level.
The spicy hot spectrum might have peaked with this pad kee mao, or drunken noodle chicken, at Sanamluang Cafe. I've enjoyed many meals at this establishment (you can read my post on another location of theirs), and this was no exception.
Our beverages washed down some pa-tong-go, or Chinese donuts dipped in condensed milk. I could dip cardboard in condensed milk and probably wouldn't mind!
We proceeded on to the popular Ruen Pair for their moo daid diew pork jerky with chili dipping sauce. The plates were cleared in no time.
At Ruen Pair we also tried some Thai papaya salad, known as som tam. My dear friend and former college roommate Lida, introduced me to this dish during our college days.
It's made with shredded, unripened green papaya, shrimp paste, fish sauce, lime, chili and many of the traditional Thai ingredients.
Due to the mixed group, this version was prepared on the mild side, but packed a lot of flavor.
If that looks like a lot of food for a 3-hour or so tour, let me add that we also had a ginger fish dish and coconut ice cream at Red Corner Asia, Issan Northern Thai style slightly sour sausage, and one of my favorite desserts of all time, the mouth-watering grilled coconut milk cakes at Bhan Kanom Thai (you can find a photo towards the very end of this post)
We stopped for fresh sugar cane juice, a childhood favorite of mine, but the shop was closed.
I also bought an aluminum, fancy Thai style tiffin box to add to my small collection.
Overall after attending 6 of the 7 regularly scheduled Six Taste tours so far, I can say without a doubt that they are all enjoyable, educational and a treat for the palate. The guides put in lots of energy, enthusiasm and authenticity into it.
My perfect setup is food paced with walking to avoid the constant state of fullness, and balancing activity with a sprinkling of down time to better take in all the experiences and flavors.
They've also started specialty tours to bring even more adventures into the mix.
My perfect setup is food paced with walking to avoid the constant state of fullness, and balancing activity with a sprinkling of down time to better take in all the experiences and flavors.
They've also started specialty tours to bring even more adventures into the mix.
The Spice Table Still Going Strong
The Spice Table, in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo, offers a unique Southeast Asian experience in a cozy, stylish, unique setting with birdcages and dim lighting.I was intrigued about experiencing Chef Bryant Ng's Singaporean and his wife Kim's, Vietnamese food knowledge and walking into this gorgeous brick building, getting a whiff of their specialty satay grilling on the wood burning hearth. Chef Ng, former Chef de Cuisine at Pizzeria Mozza, definitely knows his way cooking in a wood burning fire.
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| Spice Table - exterior |
So upon dining there last summer, a couple of months after its opening, I had mixed feelings. Some dishes wowed me and others had a bit too much heat to fully enjoy, because it overtook the more subtle flavors of the food.
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| Spice Table - dining room |
A friend and I met there for dinner and much to our delight, they have toned down the spice level on several of the dishes, making them much more palatable. The fact that they responded to feedback also says a lot and not surprisingly, they are still packed. We grabbed seats at the bar, that and outside being the only available spots.
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| fried cauliflower with fish sauce |
It reminded me a bit of Japanese tempura, but more of Indian style vege pakoras which are veges battered in a spicy chick pea flour batter and fried. And adding to that my favorite condiment of Thai chilies in fish sauce, it's a no brainer.
The server also accommodated us very well. My friend has an allergy to fish and he crossed out every dish on the men containing fish. The cauliflower dish came with a Thai veggie sauce for her. Just as a note, he mentioned that for those with shellfish allergies, it would be hard to find enough food on their menu not containing it.
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| wood fired grill with our order of marrow bones |
One look at photographer Anne Fishbein's mouth-watering photos and it was on.
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| grilled marrow bone with prawn sambal |
At first we tried the marrow and sambal on it's own with the French baguette bread. The prawn slightly funky flavor seemed to overtake the milder marrow flavor.
However, when combined with the other condiments of red pickled onions, rau ram leaves and sea salt, it all melded beautifully and melted on the tongue.
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| lamb belly satay |
The lamb melted in the mouth like meat cotton candy! The cut is more on the fatty side which makes it incredibly rich and juicy.
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| planters on the counter |
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| kaya toast |
We mellowed things out with a milder, although also rich, dish of Kaya toast. If you haven't tried this comfort food dish, also known as a hangover cure in Singapore and Malaysia, I recommend it highly.
Kaya is a spread of creamy pandan scented coconut jam on buttered toast with a side of a slow cooked runny egg, soy sauce and white pepper for dipping. It doesn't sound like it would work, but it does.
This version contained a tiny, thin swipe of coconut jam, barely discernible from the butter. I would have preferred more or at least have more on the side. Although it's a solid effort, it doesn't quite reach the heights of the kaya toast at Susan Feniger's Street, which you can see by clicking on the link.
We tried a couple of other dishes but the only other one I would like to highlight here as a "must try" is the Black pepper crab toast.
Served with insanely large house made toast points comes the most delectable stew of luscious crab meat, cracked black pepper, crab tomalley (the innards, mushy parts), oyster sauce and butter, garnished with fresh herbs and slice of lime.
The result was simply a party in the mouth. I love shrimp toast, but this takes that genre to a new level. Perfect ratio to the sweet crab meat and levels of chili and funk of the tomalley, nicely mellowed out with the toast.
It was definitely worth coming back for another try.
Even with so many new dishes I wanted to try, such as their version of the classic Malaysian delicacy of beef randang, I'd be hard pressed to not re-order some of these classics upon future visits.
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| interior |
Even with so many new dishes I wanted to try, such as their version of the classic Malaysian delicacy of beef randang, I'd be hard pressed to not re-order some of these classics upon future visits.
