Flore, FoodJiva, Lot 1 Menu!

I like to think of myself as a relatively adventurous eater. Some of the stranger things I've ingested include giant water bugs (wrapped in bacon, but still very buggy), fried cod sperm sack, and fermented soy beans - a.k.a. natto. Trying new things is my thing, if you will. But when it comes to Flore Vegan Cuisine in Silverlake, I always get the same thing: the avocado and "cheese" sandwich.

So it was no different today when I met up with Ted from FoodJiva for lunch. FoodJiva is a really cool online meal delivery service that works with some of your favorite restaurants to get you what you want, quickly then donates a portion of the profits to charity. But back to the sandwich: lots of greens, sprouts, tomato, a layer of cashew cheese and perfectly ripe avocado on seeded six-grain bread. It's healthy, satisfying and so good that I can't seem to try anything else.

Ted, being a first-time Flore patron, opted for the Blueberry Buckwheat Bliss pancakes with tempeh bacon. He was very pleased with his dish and said he'd definitely return. Next time, I will have to try this!

Since I was in the general vicinity, I decided to drive over to Josef Centeno's almost open (May 5th) restaurant and take a peek. No one was there, but the menu was posted in the window so I snapped some pics. I apologize for the reflection in the glass; the sun was not on my side during my impromptu photo shoot. Some highlights from the brunch menu (above - click for larger image) include brioche french toast with rhubarb marmalade, baked eggs with salsa verde, crispy sourdough crust and chicharonnes (<--fried pork on anything is my idea of perfection) and the "Lot 1" spontaneous omelet.

The baco menu (above - click for larger image) reveals some old favorites like the crispy pork belly and short rib carnitas, with some new (to me, anyway) ones like the confit chicken with radicchio, pickled red onion and Greek lebni.

The a la carte menu (above - click for larger image) has a nice variety of light and heavy dishes; the sashimi of yellowtail with charred leek oil, serrano chile and French breakfast radish salad sounds like something I could eat every day, while the pepper crusted steak with bone marrow toast (YES!!!) and kennebec frites would be the perfect splurge.

I'm counting down the days...

Vietnamese Summer Rolls

Lately I've developed an obsession with Daisy Mint, a relatively new Vietnamese fusion restaurant in Pasadena. It's close to my house, but more importantly they serve a good variety of healthy and deliciously spicy Vietnamese food. I usually get an order of the summer rolls, and the Spicy Beef Salad with a side of brown rice. While I shouldn't indulge in the beef salad more than once a week (red meat = not good on a daily basis), the summer roll - with its fresh veggies and paper thin wrapper and $2.50 price tag - is something I could easily eat every day.

But I don't really want to go to Daisy Mint more than I already do, so I decided to make my own summer rolls. After all, I have a package of spring roll "paper" that I bought about 3 years ago and have yet to touch in my pantry.

The key, I learned, to making these types of rolls is to have everything prepped and ready to go. This is important because once you dip the hard paper into warm water and it becomes a soft, gelatinous sheet, you'll want to work quickly to assemble and seal the roll. With this in mind, I julienned some pea shoots, Persian cucumbers, romaine lettuce, jalapeno peppers, red bell peppers and scallions, and set aside a handful of cilantro and a few mint and basil leaves. I chose these vegetables based on what I like in a summer roll; you can choose just about whatever you want but the cilantro, mint and basil give the roll a real authentic flavor.

Though Daisy Mint's rolls are vegetarian, I was making my rolls for dinner, not an appetizer, so I included shrimp. I bought the cooked, tail-on, jumbo frozen shrimp from Trader Joe's, and picked a few out of the bag and let them defrost at room temperature. Next, I dampened a clean kitchen towel and filled a large bowl with hot tap water. In a nutshell, you place the hard paper into the hot water for about 20 seconds or until it softens. Place the softened paper on the damp towel. Place the veggies and shrimp toward the bottom of the paper, then wrap (see more detailed instructions here).

While my summer rolls didn't look as tight and neat as the ones at Daisy Mint, I have to say that I was very pleased with the end result. I served them with a side of sweet chili sauce from Trader Joe's, and a dinner salad with Asian dressing. The only thing I'd do differently next time is to use more jalapeno; the spice didn't come through (I was conservative fearing it would be TOO spicy). Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed these and will definitely make them again.

Josef Centeno: Back to Bacos!

I ran into Chef Josef Centeno (formerly of Opus) the other day and he had some great news: He's opening up a place the first week of May (May 5th or 6th I think) - he's teaming up with the building owner and her son on this venture. He told me it'll be a real "mom and pop" style joint with no fancy frills, just good food. Josef will be serving his famous "bacos" during the day, and an a la carte menu for dinner service every night except Tuesday - that evening will feature a by-reservation-only tasting menu (ressies won't be taken for any other day, just for the tasting menu). The weekend will offer a brunch menu, and Sunday evenings will be a family-style menu of homey stuff like roasted chicken.

The restaurant will be called Lot 1 and the address is 1533 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles (Echo Park). He didn't yet have a number when we spoke, and he's still working on the beer/wine license. I asked if it was BYOB and he said probably not, since allowing people to bring in alcohol will delay getting the license. I'm thinking I might sneak in a flask (shhhhhhhhhh!).

He says he'll be posting menus in the window this weekend, even though they're still a couple of weeks away from opening.

That's all the info I got, but pretty exciting, no???

A Balanced Lunch

Parsley-scallion hummus (Whole Foods), Mary's Gone Crackers (made with seeds), sauteed asparagus, green beans and red peppers, Persian cucumbers and sliced onions make for a filling and healthy lunch.

Scenes from a Family Dinner Party

Cheese plate with Gouda, Truffle Cheese, Hook's Cheddar and a Bleu

Tomatoes with cilantro and vinaigrette

A great Brunello

Teriyaki beef filet

Monk and Molly enjoying the festivities!

Vodka martini with lemon slice

Teriyaki chicken

Mom's famous potato salad

Green tea custard

What I'm Eating...

...after way too much of everything in Mexico. This week it's fish, protein bars and chopped salads. But don't feel sorry for me; I loooooove me a good chopped salad. Romaine, blanched green beans, Persian cucumbers, tomatoes, avocado, red onions, corn and grilled chicken tossed with a bit of light dressing, salt and pepper make for a satisfying and healthy dinner any day. Besides, all that chopping is like strength training for my arms, ha ha.

Mexico City: What I Learned

My trip to Mexico City was partly for fun (to see my bro-in-law play; to visit with an old friend) and partly for work (will be writing a story about the Mercado de la Merced for a food magazine). But in the end, it was a learning experience that opened my eyes to the complicated, multi-faceted and curious culinary nature of this packed city.

I had a perfect meal at Pujol, a relatively fancy restaurant located in the Polanco district (called the "Beverly Hills" of Mexico City by some ex-pats). My meal consisted of a hamachi ceviche dotted with tiny dollops of fresh guacamole, a spiced lamb loin with a creamy potato puree and a cheese plate with three gorgeous and delicious marmalades (carrot, beet, tomatillo - what colors!). I didn't want to disrupt the serene atmosphere of the place by shoving my big camera in all my dishes, but you can see some photos on Rebecca's blog (she has a small camera - easy to hide!).

At the mercado, I feasted on real churros - perfectly light, crispy and not a hint of oil. I also split a huarache with my sister. The large, shoe-sole-like tortilla topped with a spicy red sauce, shredded lettuce and melted cheese was the ultimate Mexican street food: messy, sloppy, drippy and delicious. I also sampled some fresh made cheese, a lime skin stuffed with sweet coconut (think key lime pie without the graham cracker element) and a bite of zucchini blossom-stuffed tortilla.

I also had one of the better French meals I've had at Au Pied de Cochon, a restaurant in the Intercontinental Hotel. Between the eight of us, we sampled escargot, beef carpaccio, French onion soup, a chicken dish similar to coq au vin, crusty bread with rich, French butter, an amazing cheese platter, a beautiful steak and a couple of bottles of fabulous rich red wine - all after midnight. The place is open 24 hours; you'd be hard pressed to find that kind of food at that hour anywhere here in Los Angeles.

We dug into a big plate of guacamole with thick strips of chicharrones - known to you and me as pork rinds - at a casual Mexican eatery that featured live birds in cages all over the restaurant. The pork rinds were freshly fried, thick and crunchy and full of fatty goodness. With that I had a tart salmon ceviche with lots of pickled white onions. It just doesn't get any better.

Whether it was 5-star foodie fare or sloppy street food, what is evident is the passion and the love behind the food here. Watching the women roll masa in their hands to make fresh tortillas and slap them down on a super hot griddle and come up with something absolutely amazing was truly a sight to see; witnessing the perfect plating of paper-thin beef carpaccio by the studied chef was equally impressive.

Italian in Mexico

The street on which my hotel was located was pretty-near perfect. On one side, there was a beautifully manicured park with a giant fountain; on the other, cafes (like the one above), lined the wide sidewalk. Roma Sur, the district of which this street is part, is an area similar to Silverlake or Los Feliz in Los Angeles; its known for the artists, musicians and all-around hipster types that inhabit the artsy apartments here.

Just steps away from the hotel was La Piazza, an Italian restaurant and bar. My first encounter with the place proved the progressive nature of this district; my bartender was a transvestite (or transsexual - couldn't tell). She was clearly running the place - she barked instructions to the waiters and juggled pouring wine, wiping down counter tops and taking orders like a pro.

We returned on our last night for a proper meal, as we had witnessed dish after fabulous dish come out of the kitchen that night at the bar. Not to sound naive, but I never imagined finding great Italian food in Mexico. I was also misinformed that there was no good wine coming out of this country, where tequila is pretty much king. Wrong again. Rebecca was delighted to find her favorite Mexican wine, the Santo Tomas Cab Sav, on the list here and I was utterly blown away by how good it was. It could easily stand up to a California cab any day.

Happy with our wine, we hunkered down for a fantastic Italian meal. We started with the caprese salad, made with fresh mozzarella, tomato and what looked like Thai basil. It was drizzled with good olive oil and a sprinkling of dried basil. It was fresh, flavorful and lovely.

The pasta here is offered in the authentic Italian style: Choose a pasta from several options (fettuccine, ravioli, etc.) then choose a sauce (bolognese, carbornara, etc.). I chose the fettuccine with bolognese. The sauce was rich with a slight hint of creaminess from the Parmesan cheese, and the meat was a combination of veal and beef - delicious.

For dessert, we shared this wonderful chocolate mousse cake with three different chocolates (dark, milk, white). Even though Pablo insisted he would only take one bite, but in the end he was fighting forks with the rest of us to get as much as possible, it was that good!

If it wasn't for the Spanish being spoken all around the dining room, I'd have thought I was back in Chianti, Italy. Even the entertainment, in the form of a television playing a lively soccer match, was the same. The only difference was the price; this meal would have cost twice as much in Italy!

Gangs, Chilaquiles and Really Good Coffee

My peripheral vision is quite good. So when I saw what looked like a group of men walking a mere few steps behind us, I leaned over and whipsered to my friend Rebecca that we might want to duck into one of the shops and let them pass. After all, this is Mexico City, a place as known for its vibrant people and mouthwatering food as it is for its developing nation status and street crime. After the group passed us, Rebecca said, "Oh, those are the Hell Boys." Hell Boys? I felt quite proud of myself that we'd managed to avoid a confrontation with a gang - a real gang! "No, like in hair gel. They just pronounce it hell here," Rebecca informed me.

Turns out they were just a group of teenage boys who like to use lots of gooey hair product to make their mops look cool. When we ran into them at a 7-11 up the street a few minutes later, I asked to take their photo. Just look at those baby faces!? Maybe it's time to get my vision checked.

Mexico City, like the hell boys, can give one impression but leaves quite another. What you typically hear about is the how bad the water is and how shady the cops are. Everyone has an opinion on what you should or shouldn't carry/wear as not to attract too much attention, which can drive one toward a state of paranoia. What you'll experience once there is that, like in New York, if you use common sense and follow a few simple rules, you'll discover how wonderful the city is.

One of the wonders we discovered on this trip was Cafe la Habana, the restaurant where Castro and Che planned the Cuban Revolution - or so the story goes. Opened in 1952, the cafe serves an incredibly strong cup of coffee (you can smell it halfway down the block) and an array of Mexican classics and regular diner fare. It's popular with reporters in the nearby newspaper district; my friend Cat, who worked at English-language daily, The News, used to eat here almost daily.

The place is quite big. The high ceiling creates a breezy space perfect for lounging and reading the paper over a steaming cup of killer (literally - prepare for heart palpitations, it's that strong) coffee.

Luckily for me and my blood pressure, the cafe offered decaf. It still tasted great - rich, bold, nutty, with a slight sweetness and a roasty essence but without that burnt aftertaste that coffee often has. But it is quite heavy. One cup will do, trust me.

Unlike restaurants in the U.S., bread baskets are typically not free at cafes or casual restaurants in Mexico City. Yes, the waiter brings it to your table without asking, but the rule generally is that if you eat any of it, you pay for the whole lot. It's cheap, but you still have to pay for it. If you leave it untouched, it will be recycled for the next new table. I wish U.S. rules and regulations would allow this, but restaurants here in the states have to, by law, throw out even untouched bread once it's been "served" to a customer. We didn't touch our bread since we all ordered bread-y breakfasts.

I, of course, got the chilaquiles because I heart them immensely. How good were they? Well, I think my favorite chilaquile dish (from the Primavera stand at the Ferry Building Farmer's Market in San Francisco) has officially been topped. The eggs were perfectly cooked, with just enough yolk to lightly coat the fiery red sauce and the chewy-crispy homemade tortilla chips. And the cool crema and light sprinkling of fresco cheese was the perfect compliment.

Rebecca, who lives in Mexico, opted for the pancakes and ham. While she thought they were a bit too sweet, I actually liked them a lot. I don't eat pancakes often, but these were light, fluffy and had a honey flavor to them.

My sister got the huevos con machaca, which is eggs scrambled with dried beef and a red sauce served with black refried beans and cheese. I think the red sauce was the same as the chilaquiles, but not as spicy. Very tasty and my sister was completely satisfied.

A little history, a great cup of coffee and good, homemade food made for a perfect morning out in Mexico City. Oh, and the service was above and beyond. One of the things you should always do in Mexico City is to have the waiter or restaurant manager call you a cab if you need one; never hail one on the street as you could end up in an illegal taxi cab and be robbed by the driver. Our waiter at La Habana not only called us a cab, he walked us out and made sure we got in safe and sound. It was pleasant and unexpected, just like much of Mexico City.

Cafe La Habana: Morelos #62 (On the corner of Avenida Cuauhtemoc and Morelos, at the eastern edge of the Reforma district)

Off to Mexico, But Before I Go...

...let me share with you this perfect appetizer. This is the butternut squash donuts with curry cream and a touch of honey from Firefly Bistro in South Pasadena (it comes with three - I had already eaten one when I took this photo!). The donut is savory, with the earthy flavors of the squash, and the curry cream is a spreadable texture full of spicy, rich Eastern flavors. But what just pulls the whole taste together is the slight sweetness from the drizzle of honey on the plate. Divine!!!

Brunch at Dan & Giselle's

Giving new meaning to the term, "Hostess with the Mostest," Giselle and Dan put together a spread worthy of greatness for Sunday brunch at their Los Feliz house last weekend. You want eggs? Giselle's got her fabulous goat cheese/sun dried tomato scramble. You want waffles? There's the lighter-than-air homemade variety with berries and whipped cream and whatever else you could possibly desire. Bagels? But of course! There's cream cheese, lox, tomatoes, capers and onions for those right there on the kitchen table. Coffee - with all the proper additions - is already brewed and ready for drinking.

I love these types of brunches because A) I can indulge in white-flour carbs (the best tasting kind!), because normally I eat sprouted wheat toast, and while it's good, nothing beats a big fat chewy bagel; B) Someone else is cooking and all I have to do is eat; C) it's fun to sit around on a lazy Sunday morning and chit chat with my friends.

So what did I eat, you ask? Ur...well...how about a bit of everything? I absolutely cannot refuse bagels with lox, a childhood favorite, with lots of raw onions and capers and easy cream cheese. And waffles...I hardly ever eat them as I don't own a waffle maker and those frozen ones are just bread formed into the shape of waffles. However, I eat mine with just a touch of syrup. Giselle, on the other hand...

...created this masterpiece of waffle/whipped cream/berry goodness. Looks delish, no?

Bagels from Noah's, which we all agreed are the best in California. Big, chewy and not too doughy, one of these will fill you up quite nicely for at least half a day.

LOX. A perfect food, in my opinion. Rich, high in protein, salty and lovely. The combo of salmon and cream cheese is better than P&B, if you ask me.

OH, I completely spaced on the BACON. Here's Dan cooking up some bacon in the broiler. He's looking mean here but is actually a super nice dude. Maybe he's getting splattered with bacon fat? In any case, the bacon was fab-u-lous. Even vegetarians crave bacon, or so I hear. I can understand why.

Here's Kai's well-balanced plate. You've got your fruit/veg with the berries, your dairy with the butter, your meat with the bacon, eggs for protein and the waffle for carbs.

Thanks to Dan & Giselle for an amazing brunch!