Angelini Osteria - Picture Update

To add to Teddy's picture-less post awhile back, here are some snapshots of my latest visit to Angelini. We got there for a relatively late seating at 9pm, as most everything on the daily specials menu was sold out except for the pastas. Nevertheless, Angelini always fails to disappoint.

Grilled Lamb Chops allo Scottadito w/ Arugula salad -- some of the best I've had



Clockwise from top-left -- Black squid ink [pasta], papardelle w/ duck ragu, veal agnolotti

Angelini Osteria

7313 Beverly Boulevard

Los Angeles, California 90036
323-297-0070

http://www.angeliniosteria.com/

Pitfire Pizza Company

For those of you who hang out in Downtown LA and Little Tokyo a lot, I know you've seen this place. Pitfire Pizza is the type of restaurant that always looks tempting, but can never take the place of your true purpose for being in the area: Japanese food. I'm not going to say it is, but this review might make you think twice before passing it by as always.

Located on the same block as Edison, Pitfire Pizza is that new-looking restaurant on the corner of 2nd and Main. What I initially assumed was a sit-down service was instead more of a high-end fast-casual environment, where you place your order at the front, take a seat, and they bring you your food when it's ready. Not that I really care.

The pizza isn't quite Mozza, but moreso CPK-like. And it was good. We got this deal where you order a 12 or 14 inch pizza and get a pitcher of beer for less than $20 if I remember correctly. Not a bad deal at all. Throw in salad and you got more than enough to eat for two people. They also have daily/weekly specials based on what's fresh in the markets. They even have some organic pizzas for you hippies out there.

So if you happen to frequent the Little Tokyo area quite often and aren't really feeling sushi, Pitfire Pizza could be a good change of pace/taste for you. I would rate this place 7/10.

Pitfire Pizza Company

108 W 2nd St

Los Angeles, CA 90012

(213) 808-1200

Cheers,

Opie

San Francisco Trip Part 3: Bocadillos

For the 3rd and final installment of my trip to San Francisco, I've saved the best for last -- Bocadillos, a spanish tapas and wine bar where the financial district and Chinatown converge.

This place is the shit. Modern, somewhat minimalist decor combined with warm lighting really sets the mood for a really great dinner. In attempts to keep to its Spanish roots, seating is offered at bar-style, on high-tables w/ stools, as well as a large communal table in the center of the restuarant. Small place but very cozy and comfortable, sort of like the feel you get at Angelini Osteria.

I personally love tapas. The small dishes give you the chance to try several different items on the menu, not the mention that each dish, in order to make up for its size, is packed with flavor. Here are some of the dishes we ordered, which I think actually made up about a quarter of the menu. I know. I love food.

Selection of Spanish artisianal cheese

Bocadillos -- 18-month serrano ham w/ tomato rub, chorizo w/ walnut spread and parsley, Catalan sausage w/ arugula and shave manchego

Fois gras roll w/ serrano ham, mango & aged balsamic

Sauteed mushrooms (can't remember this one)

Pigs trotters w/ fresh herbs and chopped egg salad

Tripe basquaise braised w/ onion, garlic and peppers

Flat iron steak w/ chimichurri

Macaroons "luzien" w/ pistachio ice cream & "arm of a gypsy" w/ hazelnut mousse

Bocadillos is certainly a gem in the bay area and a definitely must try if you're in the area. The pictures speak for themselves. Special thanks to Kathy for introducing me to such a great place.

Bocadillos

170 Montgomery Street

San Francisco, CA 94111

http://www.bocasf.com/

Cheers,

Opie

Angelini Osteria

Enjoy super authentic Tuscan cuisine here with the non pretentious décor and staff. This place is all about food and won't be as impressive in presentation like a Valentino. But you can't argue with the quality. I’ve never had a bad meal here and have almost had every thing on the menu, for real. It feels like the food gets better each time: the Branzino is sweeter, the pork chop more tender, the pasta perfectly cooked. It’s the perfect size restaurant with very minimal décor and busy almost every night so make reservation ahead of time.

When you look at the menu, it might be overwhelming because there’s so many things that you looks appetizing. If you want the perfect meal, do exactly as I say. When you first sit down, order the Italian cold cuts to start- it’s something you can eat while you look at the menu and wine list. Order a bottle of Seasmoke Southing Pinot, and enjoy with your prosciutto and fresh salami. For your starter course, order a pasta. I prefer the seafood pasta, a tagliolini cooked al dente with fresh lobster, clams and mussels in a non invasive red sauce. Take a sip of wine. To finish if you’re hungry get the pork chop or steak. If you’re into something lighter, then definitely try the Branzino which is a great and tasty fish that is incredibly tender and juicy. Finish your wine. End dinner with a lemoncello if you’re ambitious or a latte. Kiss your date. Enjoy life.

Guaranteed to be a memorable dinner; you can contact me directly if you are unhappy and I will slap you thoroughly and tell you don’t know a damn thing about eating. Highbrow for real.

Pictures to come!

Pizzeria Mozza

The much anticipated arrival of Mario Batali and Nancy Silverton’s collabo restarant is, as with most things in LA, over hyped. Although most human beings wouldn’t eat at 10pm, I was taken in with the ridiculous buzz of this restaurant and decided to try it out.
At first glance, Mozza seems like a relaxed neighborhood restaurant. However, upon further review, I realized that most of the people in there were young Hollywood hipsters who were on the latest craze in Los Angeles.

Batali’s pizzas are supposed to have the quality and flavor from his teachings with an old woman who he lived with while training in Italy as a youth. I learned this from reading Heat by Bill Buford which was an over detailed story about Batali’s culinary training. And indeed, the pizzas were met with very distinct Italian recipes and ingredients. The dough which is always the key part to making a great pizza is Silverton’s recipe and definitely the best part of the pizza. The dough was light yet crunchy enough, probably due to her expertise from her first restaurant, Campanile. The toppings, which I’m guessing was Batali’s contribution to the pizza was less than inspiring.

The wine list was very good, as it had a lot of options with younger, drinkable Italian wines. Pizza and booze, I guess you really can’t go wrong with that.

The best thing about the restaurant was the fact that Silverton was still putting the final touches on the pizzas which gave me some more reason to go back a second time. It gave me hope the Silverton and Batali weren’t simply in it to sell there name brand. The chicken liver bruschetta and the squash blossoms are the things to try for appetizers and probably the lardo pizza. If he was thinking about an expensive pizza joint with high quality ingredients, why not go all the way? Why not serve a duck confit with truffle cheese pizza? Why not have the seasonal truffle pizza like Angelini Osteria? When you end up serving sausage pizza with fennel or eggplant pizza, you lose the credibility from charging $10 pizzas. In all honesty, I prefer Angelini Osteria’s pizzas more than Mozza’s. People might try it once, but with the impossible reservation list, I would wait until the buzz dies down. Batali’s first trattoria in LA opening right next door in the next few months might be worth the wait though.

Cut

Trust me when I say that you should enjoy every meal that you eat. Never rush through dinner and always have a little wine with a meal. Learn to enjoy food and go to restaurants that you like and not because Los Angeles magazine and US weekly are telling you that it’s the hottest restaurant in Hollywood now. That is why we will never review restaurants like Dolce and Geisha House on this website. We’ve eaten there several times and don’t go there for the food. Anyhow, let’s talk about Cut. Now this is a serious steakhouse with top quality steak in a very unsteak like setting. Décor is designed by Phillipe Stark. If you like real Japanese Wagyu beef this is one of the few placest you can get it in the United States. It is definetly something to try, but I would recommend sharing a piece with people at your table. If you’ve never had Wagyu before, it is Japanese hand fed and hand massaged beef which creates an extremely marbled cut of beef. For me, a whole piece of Wagyu beef is too fatty and oily and it will almost melt into your mouth. I like some texture in my steak so try to Rib Eye or New York when you’re there. You’ll probably never get a reservation at this restaurant for a couple of months because the celebrities in LA are still working through the tables. However, if you are into high quality steak this is a place to try and is actually better than the other LA steak standard Maestro’s.

Toast Bakery Cafe

Taking a break from the SF eats, I thought I'd talk about my little excursion over to Toast this morning for brunch with my buddies Ryan and Joy. A little pre-game before our hike up to Griffith Observatory. Sunday is Funday after all.

If you've ever heard anything about Toast, you know this place is THE place for celebs/LA to eat breakfast. You always see someone "famous" here. At least I do. I mean shit, the guys from Entourage eat here all the time. Gotta be poppin'. I think it's one of the few places that has a valet service on a Sunday morning as busy as a club from the night before.

With all the hype this place gets, don't expect to eat here without paying your dues. Normally the wait is at least 30-45 minutes long, which is why you'll always see a horde of people hanging on the corner. We lucked out this time and only had to wait 15 minutes. Definitely a first here.

Yet along with all the hype, this place is, I believe, worth the wait. We did breakfast this time around, and this is what we had:

The Open Face - An opened face croissant is topped wth smoked salmon, scrambled eggs, scallions and hollandaise sauce

Eggs Benedict - Poached eggs and Ham served on a toasted English muffin covered in hollandaise sauce

Eggwich - Eggs over-hard with lettuce, tomato, avocado, turkey bacon and mozzarella on toast

So if you're around Beverly Center or Third Street Promenade, you definitely have to do breakfast at Toast if you haven't already. However, if it's already lunch or you're not feeling like breakfast food, cruise a block down to Doughboy's (read past review) for a much better lunch menu in my opinion.

Btw, I saw Katherine McPhee this time around. Slammin'.

Toast Bakery Cafe
8221 W. 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA
www.toastbakerycafe.net

Cheers,
Opie

San Francisco Trip Part 2: Ferry Building Marketplace

Second day of my SF trip involved a lot of walking. My tourguide Ms. Kathy Fang decided to walk us through Little Italy (where we got some phenomenal foccacia from a mom-n-pop shop something like 80-90 years old), continued down to the harbor and down the Embarcadero before finally arriving at the Ferry Building.

Apparently the Ferry Building is the center of a transit hub that connects all of San Francisco's neighborhoods and the surrounding bay communities, where in the past anyone coming from the East across the bay would have to pass through before entering the city. Now it's been renovated into more or less a high-end farmer's market, with all sorts of great food from great chefs. It was definitely worth the walk, and it also worked up a pretty solid appetite. Here's what we had:

We started lunch off with a quick round of oysters at the Hog Island Oyster Company. Pretty solid oysters, but I think the ones harvested down south in Carlsbad are much better, and by that I mean fatter and sweeter.

Clockwise from the bottom: Kumamotos, Sweetwater (the best!), Atlantic. The last two might be mixed. Can't remember. Lost in the moment.

After the first stage of our lunch, we moved on to a little French pantry/restaurant called Boulette's Larder. We got there kinda late, so instead of seating us outside on the patio, they put us at the main dining table right next to kitchen. Not a bad trade-off. Because we were the last seating, we basically got to watch the entire kitchen cook us our dishes.

Banquet table seating next to the kitchen

Pulled pork cuban sandwich

Hearts of romaine w/ pine nuts, goat cheese, etc.?? Can't remember this one, but it was good.

Soft-shelled crab (not the kind you'd expect in your sushi roll)

If you get a chance, definitely make a stop here. There are so many places to eat and all types of food that you really can't go wrong. If I wasn't full I probably wouldn't have left.

Ferry Building Marketplace
One Ferry Building
San Francisco, California 94111

All major public transportation takes you here, so you're set even if you don't have a ride.

Part 3, the best of the SF series, coming soon.

Cheers,

Opie

San Francisco Trip Part 1: Dottie's True Blue Cafe

Last week I went up north to SF to help my friend Kathy move some stuff back down to LA. I went up there with an open mind (and open stomach) to see what Frisco has to offer a hungry guy like me. Here's what I found:

Dottie's True Blue Cafe

Apparently a breakfast institution in the Tenderloin, there's always at least 10+ people standing in line everytime I go, but I have to say, it's definitely worth the wait. This time we sat at the bar watching the chef (and owner?) do his thang. He looks very much like the crazy chef from Hell's Kitchen, but thinner and without the fire coming out from his mouth and nostrils.

Pumpkin cherry french toast w/ pecans

Smoked whiskey fennel sausage, spinach, and mushroom scramble

w/ grilled cornbread and home fries

Dottie's True Blue Cafe

522 Jones Street

San Francisco, CA 94102

Summer 07 Kick-Off BBQ

Every year during the summer, I put my house to its full and intended use by having several all-day BBQs from May-September, or until the weather starts cooling off. This year we started a solid month earlier than last, and although the weather wasn't as warm as I'd like, the food definitely made up for that.


In the past I stuck with real basic items like steaks, burgers, sausages, etc. But as each BBQ past, I was always searching for another way/recipe to make the next one better. Sort of like the chick in Stranger Than Fiction, except I'm nowhere near bakery level. We're just keeping it a little better than you're used to.

Here's what was on the menu for this past BBQ:

Santa Maria tri-tip kebabs

These are a slight variation from the 2-3 lb. roasts I was making last year. I definitely think they're more BBQ-friendly this way.

BBQ Chicken using Lawry's Baja Chipotle marinade

You can't go wrong with this marinade. It saves you a ton of time before a big party. It's all about how you grill them anyway. That's where the real skill is. What.

Habanero Steak

Dan came thru in a big way, bringing his famed habanero steak, along with his serrano steak for those with milder palates. I found myself eating this more than everything else. It's got a solid kick to it. So for those Orochon special #2 lovers, this is where you need to be. And I gotta thank Dan for making the food look so good with his camera. This is scratch-n-sniff material.

Unfortunately you're only going to find these eats at my house, so get on my good side quick. And for those who missed out, better make it to the next one. Summer only lasts so long.

Cheers,
Opie

Chosun Galbee

Growing up eating at various tofu houses and korean BBQs, I never really had the urge to seek out the nicer korean restaurants around LA -- I was happy enough eating at places like Young Dong Tofu in Alhambra, or Hodori in K-Town. I guess that amounts to the fact that my tastebuds aren't as acclimated towards Korean food as others. I think all that changed after eating at Chosun Galbee.

Chosun is a pretty large restaurant prominently located on Olympic Blvd, in the heart of Korea Town. The restaurant is well-known for it's architectural design -- definitely the best-looking Korean restaurant I've ever been to. From the moment you walk you, you know you're in for a wait, as there are about 50+ people standing around in the waiting area (this was at 8pm on Saturday, so go figure). Thankfully they had a decently stocked bar where we could order cocktails or in our case, OB which is a Korean light beer.


Took about an hour, but we finally got seated. The great thing about this place is that the food comes out almost as soon as your order it. Granted you are cooking the meat yourself on the griddle in the middle of the table, I assume most of the raw meat dishes are pretty easy to put together. The side dishes/appetizers, which in my mind are really what make the entire meal special, came out equally as fast, to the tune of 8 different dishes.

What makes this place stand out from other Korean BBQ restaurants is not just the killer contemporary decor, but the quality of the meat. The galbee/kalbi here is amazing. Nice thick boneless cuts of meat that are exceptionally tender. We did make the mistake of ordering the Ross Gui, some sort of thinly sliced sirloin, which didn't really fare to well on the grill in terms of retaining its tenderness, let alone overall taste compared to the kalbi. We also had the cold noodles in broth, and the raw crab in spicy sauce. The raw crab was great because since it wasn't cooked, you could pretty much suck out all the meat in one bite. And that's always a winner in my book.

Chosun Galbee

Raw Crab w/ Spicy Sauce

One side note about Chosun -- at the beginning and throughout the meal, the waiters will occasionally come by and toss all the meat on the griddle for you. Some people like that, but I enjoy more of the Gyu-Kaku, cook-each-piece-individually style. Just kindly tell them "Yo, don't fuck with my meat," and they'll be on their way.

My conclusion: Between two people, our meal came out to $120, although we did order 4 main dishes. At that price, I would rather spend my money at Gyu-Kaku any day of the week. However, if you're a true fan of Korean food, you'll love this place. Make sure to sit outside where the real decor and design is at. And make reservations ahead of time if you can so you don't have to stand around getting drunk for an hour, unless of course, that's what you want to do.

Chosun Galbee
3330 W Olympic Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90019
(323) 734-3330

Cheers,
Opie

Kagaya

For Taizo's 25th Birthday, we celebrated at Kagaya in Honda Plaza in Little Tokyo, right next door to Sushi Gen. If you don't know already, Kagaya has in my opinion the best shabu shabu in LA hands down. Not only is the meat phenomenal, but you also get a multi-course meal as well. Check out pictures of the feast below (courtesy of Amy):

Toro w/ grated daiko and wasabi in ponzu

Salmon Soup

Spicy chilean seabass

The sauce setup

Shabu shabu beef and vegetables

Udon noodles in egg broth

Rice w/ plum in egg broth

Apple pie w/ vanilla ice cream

Creme brulee

Banana pie w/ vanilla ice cream?

If you aren't full after this meal, you're a fatass. Check it out when you get a chance. Cheers.

Kagaya
418 E 2nd St

Los Angeles, CA, 90012

(213) 617-1016

Doughboys Bakery

Today I finally had a chance to visit one of my all-time favorite lunch spots, Doughboys Bakery. If you're familiar with Toast, it's on the other side of 3rd, one block east. Certainly a better alternative to the scene-y, one-hour wait at Toast, and better food in my opinion.

Doughboys has your typical bakery cafe fare, such as breakfast, soups, salads, cakes, bagels, cookies, muffins, etc., but I go there for the sandwiches. Being that it is a bakery, Doughboys pride themselves not only on the fillings, but on the bread the sandwich is served on. My personal favorite is the portobello mushroom sandwich on a French baguette. My stomach tends to do all the thinking when I'm at a restaurant, so I usually forget to take the picture before I start eating. (Notice the premature bite on the top-left, as well as cole slaw damage)


As you can see from the picture, Doughboys does a good job serving their sandwiches according to the form factor of the bread. For this particular, notice how they hollowed out the middle of the baguette somewhat to all for the mushrooms, radicchio, and artichoke pesto, with a little parmesan sprinkled in there as well.

My other recommendations are Fat Boy burrito (pulled pork -- crazy good, 2nd favorite, not on the menu I don't think) or the Artichoke sandwich. Make sure to avoid the S.O.S. (Shit On a Shingle) by all means. As optimistic as I was ordering it, it really does look like someone shitted on your plate.

Doughboys Bakery
8136 West 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90046
www.doughboys.net

Wat Thai Temple

Over the past weekend while on my way up to the Valley, I swung by my old stomping grounds, the Wat Thai Temple in North Hollywood. I used to have to come here every Saturday/Sunday for weekend school, praying in the temple and learning myself some Thai. It's funny -- I somehow managed to advance a grade every year without ever having to take a final exam...

The real reason I love this place is the food. Oh the food. If you want some real Thai food in LA, go here. Period. You don't get much more authentic than this. Most of the people who serve up the various goodies from sate, papaya salad, and the phenomenal sticky rice and mango, have been here for 10+ years, if not much much longer. If anything, you have to try the sticky rice and mango here. I guarantee you that you have never had a better tasting version unless you ate it in Thailand. And even then I wouldn't believe you, because I'm Thai and you're probably not.

The best part about all this is that the food is mad cheap. Chicken sate = $1. Papaya salad (som tum) = $3. Sticky rice and mango = $5. All of this AND you get a taste of where I'm from. Shit.

Make sure to get some tokens before hitting up the food stands. Red = $2, Green = $1, Yellow = $0.50.

Wat Thai Temple
8225 Cold Water Canyon Ave

North Hollywood, CA 91605

Johnnie's Pastrami

This past weekend while hangin' with my cousin in the Culver City area, we didn't have much time to drive all the way out to lunch at Doughboy's in LA, so we decided to stay local and try out Johnnie's Pastrami on Sepulveda Blvd. just north of Washington.

The place resembled an old school 50s diner, reminding me of something between Ruby's and The Apple Pan. They even had the original jukeboxes at the ends of the tables from when they first opened. They also had quite a lot of tables on their patio, which worked out perfectly since it was hot that day.

They were pretty busy when we went around noon, but the service was prompt. They start you off with a little bowl of dill pickles while you wait. Once you get your order in, you got your food within 5 minutes.

Between my cousin and I, we had the pastrami sandwich and corned beef sandwich, both on French rolls. The pastrami was phenomenal. They slice the meat deli-thin before dunking it in the broth that they cook it in. When the sandwich finally comes to you, it's packed high, but in a way that's very well put-together and not sloppily. Real easy to eat -- you don't have chunks of pastrami falling out every bite.


The pastrami itself was good, but I thought the key to the sandwich was the bread. The French roll that it came on was perfect. Fluffy on the inside, yet had a nice crisp, brown finish on the top. I think they spread a little butter on the halves and grilled them slightly before loading it with the meat.


The corned beef was also good, but I definitely preferred the pastrami. It was also cut deli-thin, but I guess with the way the meat is, or perhaps just the way they packed it into the sandwich, it was much denser than the pastrami, but had relatively the same feel and consistency of the pastrami. If you're a corned beef fan like my cousin, you'll love it.

In my opinion, Johnnie's is definitely one of the better places to get a great pastrami sandwich in LA. Make sure to bring cash though, since they don't accept credit card.

Johnnie's Pastrami Restuaurant
4017 Sepulveda Blvd
Culver City, CA 90230

Welcome to our food blog!

Before you continue reading, stop and bookmark this site right now. If you are into food, you are in the right place. If you eat simply to become "un-hungry", leave now because this blog will make absolutely no sense to you.

Teddy Fong and myself, Opie Lopansri, like to eat. We are obsessed with the fact that one good meal can make our entire day, if not our week. We are always looking for the latest and greatest places to eat, whether it's breakfast, lunch, dinner, or simply dessert. We like to eat so much that it's not enough to talk about it just amongst ourselves. We have to tell you about it too.

On this blog you're going to find restaurant reviews in and around the LA/OC area by either me or Teddy, along with plenty of random rants about food that'll probably leave you hungrier than before you got here.

So all you foodies out there rejoice -- we have arrived.

Cheers,
Opie + Teddy