Linguini With White Wine Clam Sauce

I had some leftover pinot grigio and as I am deeply in love with starches, the obvious answer was linguini with white wine clam sauce!  I ate more than I should have.  I feel like a beached whale.

Recipe for those who are interested:

linguini

mushrooms

5 roasted garlic cloves (in a oven with olive oil and kosher salt at 400 degrees for 45 minutes)

white wine

clams

clam juice

parsley

cherry tomatoes (optional-more of a garnish)

olive oil

butter

Boil linguini in salted water and drain.

Cook mushrooms, roasted garlic, and olive oil until browned.  

Add pinot grigio and let simmer for 5 minutes

Add clam juice

Add cooked pasta.

Add butter.

Plate and add parsley and tomatoes.

Crumbs Bake Shop

We walked past Crumbs Bake Shop in Larchmont Village after a Thai dinner.  It's a very tiny space that is mostly taken up by their selection of cupcakes, though they also have cookies and coffee.  Their cupcakes are larger than most and with more creative flavors than the more common chocolate and red velvet, though those are available as well.  Thomas wanted to get the Reese's cupcake, which probably wouldn't have been my choice ( I was hoping for the cappuccino).  In any case, the cupcake was delicious-one of the more moist cupcakes I've had.  I was expecting a chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting but the batter was peanut flavored as well.  

216 N. Larchmont Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90004

Red Wine Pasta & Heirloom Tomato Caprese

I've committed myself to cooking more often in order to save money.  I've made this red wine pasta a few times before and the results have always been pretty good.  I used good old $1.99 Charles Shaw and all the leftover vegetables in my refrigerator for what turned out to be a pretty hearty meal.  We also made a caprese salad with basil from my new basil plant and some heirloom tomatoes from Trader Joe's ($3.29 for a small box!).

Here's the recipe for the pasta is you are interested.  Sorry about the measurements, I generally eyeball everything:

two handfuls of mushrooms

4 garlic cloves

handful of parsley

6-7 leaves of basil

olive oil

a pad of butter

romano cheese

parmesan cheese

salt and pepper, to taste

1. cook the pasta halfway in salted water

2. drain and boil the pasta until al dente in wine. pasta should turn dark red. drain and put aside

3. roast garlic

4. sautee mushrooms and roasted garlic in a large pan with olive oil

5. add butter and pasta

6. add parsley, basil, and cheese.  mix everything together

7. salt and pepper to taste

Indochine Vien

Okay.  I'm very excited to write my first scathing review.  Thomas and I were craving a light dinner and so we opted for Vietnamese.  We had to pick a place with vegetarian options for Thomas' sake and so we came across Indochine in Atwater Village after doing a little internet research.  

First of all, the service was pretty awful-and I'm really not one to be picky about service.  We ordered the spring rolls as an appetizer, and while Thomas thought they were great I thought the hoisin/peanut sauce ratio was a little heavy on the hoisin side.  Thomas ordered the vegetarian pho and I ordered the vegetarian bun.  The vegetarian version of bun substituted the usual fish sauce for a soy vinegar sauce, which was kind of welcome because too much fish sauce gives me a headache.  Thomas' pho was nothing extraordinary.  Both our dishes were $8.  Truthfully, I've had much better Vietnamese for cheaper and with better service, most notably in Westminster.  Indochine felt like a glossed up Americanized/hipsterized version of Vietnamese.  Let's face it, Vietnamese food is best at a restaurant that requires you to wipe down your chopsticks with a napkin before use. 

Was that scathing? Did I do a good job?

3110 Glendale Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90039

Baking With A Brewster

a promising beginning

temptation

caught!

all is well

Mozambique

the birthday girl

cold avocado soup

gnocchi

vegetable curry

For my dearest of dears, Grace's 24th birthday we went to Mozambique in Laguna Beach.  I won't get into what a nightmare it was to find this place, it's suffice to say I was almost 45 minutes late.  I tend not to eat in Laguna Beach because it's overpriced and not really that great (except for Thai Bros and 242 Cafe Sushi), and Mozambique didn't really change my mind.  The food was expensive to the point of silliness.  I mean, I am willing to pay a heavy dollar for an excellent meal but $18 for a bowl of brown rice and vegetables is definitely pushing it.  Steaks seemed to comprise the bulk of the menu, hovering around $33.  Maybe it's because I'm not really a steak person, but I just don't get it.  So they've grilled a slab of beef.  okay.  $33? I also had their avocado soup which was pretty bland, and would have been just plain bad if not for the jumbo lump crabmeat.  Thomas described it as "blended guacamole".  On the plus side, the soup was a beautiful color. Observe above. I ordered the vegetable curry, which was decent-but, once again, not worth $18.  Thomas ordered the gnocchi in a heavy curry sauce.  I hadn't ever thought of combining pasta and curry but I suppose it makes a lot of sense.  Separate from the meal, it was really lovely seeing all of my old friends to celebrate Grace's birthday (we've been buddies for 16 years!).  After dinner we went to the connected bar upstairs, which was hilarious-there were couples doing the jitterbug.  

Happy Birthday Grace!

1740 S. Pacific Coast Hwy.

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

Global Ketchup

 new orleans 

new orleans

    new orleans 

india

new orleans

paris

paris

paris

madrid

nice

nice

cinque terra, italy

rome

rome

Here's some food photos from recent trips Saeyoung and I have taken.  It seemed a waste not to include them here. 

Chae Bahn

So I usually don't eat a great deal of Korean food though I generally don't regret it once it's been eaten.  Whenever I go home my mom insists on Korean food, as she gets older she tends towards eating Asian food exclusively.  

Chae Bahn is a new Korean restaurant in a new strip mall that seems to be dedicated to Korean businesses in Irvine.  Chae Bahn has a short menu that focuses on stone pot bibimbab-a mixture of rice, vegetable, red pepper sauce, and meat (optional).  We ordered sul lung tang (beef bone marrow stew), squid bibimbab, and the vegetable bibimbab.  We wanted to order the mixed fish roe bibimbab but they were out that day.  Everything was pretty good.  Chae Bahn is a new business so they were quickly running out of ingredients and were trying to work out the kinks but the food was satisfying, the kimchee had the right amount of fermentation and the bone marrow stew made me think of my sister.  

Because she's a cow!!!

Hahaha

  Just Kidding!  Oh god, saeyoung, you know I'm kidding.  

2750 Alton Parkway

Suite 101 B

Irvine, CA 92606

India Samraat

I had my first Indian cuisine adventure in Boston tonight with my friend Kaity. We followed the recommendation of Boston magazine, as India Samraat was voted a "Best of Boston 2007." A year later, the food is still proving to be authentic and delicious. 

I ordered Chicken Tandoori, because my regular order of Chana Masala was surprisingly not on the menu. The portions were perfect and the chicken was served on a bed of grilled bell peppers and onions. I also got an order of Nan which was not as "doughy" as I typically prefer my nan to be. Not to mention, the two pieces of nan was slathered in some kind of oil or butter. This was a case of bad portions! When I order Nan, I am expecting a heaping basket. okay? 

I also got my side dish staple of Raita, a mixture of yogurt, cucumbers, and mint. 

The basmati rice had a stick of cinnamon stuck right into it which added an interesting flavor. Unfortunately, I don't enjoy the taste of cinnamon.  It was subtle enough that I was able to slather the rice in Raiti and mask the hint of cinnamon. 

Kaity ordered a lamb dish and an indian salad that opened up her sinuses. It was a pile of red onions with hot peppers and no dressing. It's no surprise the poor girl's mouth was on fire. 

Lastly, India Samraat was promoting a special deal and we received two free Mango Lassies. This was my first time trying it and I loved it! It pretty much tasted like a room temperature Mango smoothie. Jamba Juice better watch out! 

All in all, I've tasted better Indian food but, this sure satisfied the craving. Not to mention, there was a cupcake speciality shop right next door called SWEET. I was very disappointed to see they had run out of cupcakes, but there is always tomorrow! 

- The Cow (I saw that Ruminating Bob)

51(A) Massachusetts Ave. 

Boston, MA 02215

The Griddle Cafe

Having a 1,200 calorie day-starter meal seems unholy but let's just assume we'll burn it off as the day goes by.  The Griddle Cafe specializes in pancakes mostly, their list extending from the basic buttermilk and then adding to that formula with things like crushed oreos and frosted flakes.  I ordered the Tis The Season pancakes which was their buttermilk batter mixed with pumpkin pie filling.  I had been talking to Janice and Nancy about pumpkin pie the week previous, so this seemed like a good idea.  I ordered the short stack but still couldn't finish half of one pancake.  The short stack comes with two pancakes approximately the size of a newborn infant.  I didn't even add syrup because the pancakes were sweet enough on their own.  Probably a bit too sweet for me.  On the plus side, the pancakes were very fluffy and hold up well to next-day microwaving.  Thomas ordered the french toast, which he claimed to be, "the best french toast I've ever had".  Okay. Probably the best part of the meal was their side order of griddled potatoes.  The side portion was spilling off the side of the plate and there was an excellent layer of burnt potato-stuff on the top.  The whole meal was pretty affordable and I'll probably go again, though I'm not exactly planning my next trip-I have to come down from my sugar high first.  But, I suppose it's telling that right after that meal, Thomas and I went directly to Kiss My Bundt.  

also, I apologize for the quality of my photos.  I keep forgetting my camera and so I've been using my phone camera

7916 Sunset Blvd

Hollywood, CA 90046

Kiss My Bundt

My cousin Julie and I went by Kiss My Bundt, and yes, the name is a little silly, but the cakes are completely adorable.  I don't know what it is about miniature things but I find them kind of irresistible. 

The bundts some in three sizes, the standard bundt cake size, baby bundt size, and the mini bundt size.  The cakes are decorated to order and are clearly labor intensive.  

The notable flavors were red velvet (most red velvets seem pretty overrated but this was particularly good), mocha, and carrot cake.   The chocolate cake was satisfying though not necessarily the stand-out.  

8104 W 3rd st

Los Angeles, CA 90048

Ronin Izakaya

One of my first meals since moving to Los Angeles, my family and I went to Ronin upon reading a review-though I can't remember from where.  The idea was upscale izakaya, kind of Euro-Japanese.  The restaurant was small, sterile-in that black pebble, minimalist way.  We ordered the New York steak skewers with blue cheese, somen checca, ginger shoyu salmon, taco shimi, crispy chicken and jumbo scallops.  The crispy chicken was somewhat forgettable, though it came highly recommended.  My parents liked the somen checca, though that seemed too much like something anyone could replicate at home for me to rave about-though it was quite good.  The taco shimi was interesting and probably my favorite, but certainly not for those who are opposed to fusion-y inclined foods.  I liked it though, so there.  The corn salsa on the scallops was especially excellent.  

On the atmosphere side of things, Ronin projects Japanese movies on their wall.  My family felt divided about this.  While it is an excellent distraction, the film they were showing that night was a little violent/bloody for my appetite.  

I wouldn't go here for a casual weekday dinner, it's a bit pricey for that but still surprisingly reasonable.  Our party of three ate to satisfaction for under $80.

Also, it is worth mentioning that they generously gave us a free dessert for being first time customers.  We ordered the flan with the yuzu granita and then they brought us the chocolate bar with the mint milkshake.  

359 N. La Cienega Blvd

West Hollywood, Ca 90048