March 2009 – Page 2

Las Vegas: Lotus of Siam

March 18, 2009 mmm-yoso Las Vegas, Thai Restaurants, Thailand

In the world of food forums and food blogging, you know something or somewhere has pretty much "made it" when it becomes a generally accepted abbreviation. Case in point; Din Tai Fung, is now called….."DTF", and they are well known for their "XLB"…Xiao Long Bao, a double whammy in this case. Back in 2005, Dylan, the mind behind the magic of Eat, Drink, & Be Merry, did a joint post on Niu Rou Mian, which we simply started calling "NRM". Now I'm not going to make any Al Gore-ish claims to have invented anything (it was all Dylan, he-he-he), but I see "NRM" abbreviations everywhere. And so we get to "LOS"….…. an abbreviation you'llsee everywhere this restaurant is mentioned.LOS = Lotus of Siam is a "GAA" (generally accepted abbreviation). In many ways for me, Lotus of Siam represents the best of what Chowhound was. In fact, I've bookmarked the very first time I read about LOS, in this post from 2000, by Dave Feldman. Over the years, LOS became an interesting case study for me. I believe it was with LOS that I first really noticed "the contrarian", you know them…he in the name of "honesty and truthfulness" who goes to a restaurant that folks love, who orders to the exact weakness of a restaurant, who desires to "balance the scales" and cut through the hype. He who in the end creates his own negative hyperbole, by exaggerating every possible negative thing they can think of about a restaurant. Of course, it didn't help that Jonathan Gold declared Lotus of Siam the "single best Thai restaurant in North America." That's some major real estate……..even after our first visit in 2001, where I really enjoyed the food, but still wasn't really sure about the "the best" title. In fact, if you'd like to go back in time, you can check out this post from CH in 2001.

Over the years, I'd been to LOS 4 times. You can find a photo from a visit in 2002 in this post. And I've got to say, even though we encounter 1 sort of clunker of a dish during every visit. LOS is still the, or among the, best Thai Restaurants I've ever been to. But this visit was different, I hadn't been to LOS in five years, the Missus six. During that period of time, we've gone through a heck of a lot of Thai Food…here…and in Thailand. And time has a way of working on you (thank goodness for the food blog), even with such revered bloggers such as Elmo to keep you up to date. But still you tend to wonder……..was LOS still that good? Upon our arrival, LOS still looked as it did the first time we visited…….looking just like another restaurant awash in the sea of strip malls in a sort of seedy part of Sahara Avenue.

There were two major changes on our arrival, the crowd of people waiting to get in, and all of the awards, clippings, and magazine covers that now cover almost the entire wall at the entrance of the restaurant. Still, the rest of the restaurant seemed the same…from the stained acoustic tiles on the ceiling, to the tacky lattice w LOS03 ork.

We found the familiar surroundings comforting…we even laughed as we ticked off and identified the different tables we've had over the years.

Since I had forgotten our ice chest, the strategy for the evening was to minimize left-overs…..bummer. We also decided to order from three different regions.

We started with the Crispy Duck with Chili Mint Leaves ($19.95):

Crisp duck, mildy sweet, with just the hint of five-spice. Topped with fried Thai Basil leaves, just like Bangkok.

This was a good dish….good crisp skin, not greasy in the least bit. As with many of this type of Thai dishes, the flavors were very familiar.

We also ordered the Issan Sausage ($9.95):

I did mentioned that with every meal there was a "clunker" right? Well this was it. We loved many of the sausages we ate in Thailand, and none of them tasted like this. I love the sour-fermented flavor of Thai Sausages….but these tasted rancid….it was also dry. Not good eats…..

We had considered getting a nice Northern Larb, but in the end decided on the Koi Soi (Spicy Raw Beef Salad – $13.95). LOS was the first place I ever had Koi Soi, and I remember enjoying it, so I was curious to see if my opinion would still hold true. Let me just say that it was even better than I remembered:

First off, the meat used was tenderloin….fresh and tender, and sliced into small cubes like tartar, the beef was of excellent quality. Second, the roasted rice powder, was just that, a very fine powder, that still added texture, but without the the intrusive tooth cracking that the occasional large piece of coarsely ground rice powder would add. Third was balance, the salty-sour-spicy balance was perfect, as were the fine chiffonade of kaffir lime leaf, cilantro, and other herbs, creating a harmonious dish. Ummm, harmonious, in a spicy sort of way…….

I love the Koi Soi at Sab E Lee, but this was in another league…much more refined, much more balanced. It was by far, my favorite dish of the short trip.

Having really enjoyed the various "dips" in Chiang Mai, we went for the Nam Prik Hed (Spicy Mushroom Dip – $9.95):

The earthy tones of the mushrooms, combined with the sharp flavors of the herbs, and the even sharper heat, along with blanched veggies made this a wonderful dish. It was also the spiciest…..just as spicy as the Nam Prik we had in Chiang Mai. We were instantly transported to a restaurant called Huen Phen in Chiang Mai. The flavors were right on…..as was the heat!

The long beans were especially good, young and sweet.

We had 1 order of sticky rice for our Koi Soi and Nam Prik, which was cooked to perfection. And I mean perfect. And 1 order of steamed rice for the crispy duck.

In this rare case, I'd say that our meal had exceeded our expectations….it was better than I recalled. We drew a few stares from the tables around us. Most of those folks ordered stuff like Wor Won Ton Mein, Tempura(???), Tom Yum, Pineapple Fried Rice, and Broccoli with Oyster Sauce (contrarians perhaps?). Best Thai Restaurant in North America? I don't think I'll ever be able to answer that. Great Thai food that's worth the trip to Vegas? You bet…..

Some Notes: Times have changed since we first started going to LOS, make reservations. And do yourself a favor, unless you want to be a "contrarian", don't do the buffet, and give something different a shot. Bill Chutima is a well known wine enthusiast, so you might enjoy the wine list.

Lotus of Siam
953 E. Sahara Ave
Las Vegas, NV 89104
(702)735-3033

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Las Vegas: Aburiya Raku Restaurant Part 2

March 17, 2009 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Las Vegas, Road Trip

I hope you enjoyed part 1 of this post. But before the next item arrived, it was time for a potty break. I usually don't do bathroom photos….but the restroom at Raku is pretty unique….after all, I don't know of many places that have faux grass with stone walking path (however short a walk it is) to the restroom. And once inside….are those really flower petals lining the floor and the toilet tank?

And what was that noise…….what? Birds singing….. coming from the faux flowers……on the ceiling??? You gotta love it….. Heck, you may not want to leave!

I returned to our table to find three bowls, one of them filled with water, with a "Shamoji" (rice paddle) in it.

This could only mean one thing…….the Sake Kamameshi (salmon and rice cooked in a iron kettle) was to arrive.

This was an item from the "specials board", deciding that we would need some starch during the meal we ordered it, not knowing that it was enough to feed four to five people! We also didn't know it was $35! Yep 35 dollars for a rice dish…..and I'd say it was almost worth it.

The rice was cooked to perfection, studded with salmon, grilled salmon skin(yum), ikura (salmon roe), thin chiffonades of ginger and shiso.

The Missus isn't a big fan of ikura, but after tasting the roe, I told Her that it was of excellent quality. This was a grade higher than the standard overly salty and fishy ikura. Granted it wasn't like the amazing ikura at Urasawa, but it was better than most. It added a nice slightly briney flavor to the rice, the salmon added richness, and the shiso and ginger kept everything in check. There was a nice balance to this dish.

The rice was perfect. It was moist, yet you could count every single grain. Knowing we still had stuff coming I had one bowl…the Missus had two. As we were finishing our bowls, Miki came by and told us, "we will prepare this for you to take home." And a few minutes later a package arrived. The Missus couldn't help Herself, and had to take a peek……just so you know how much rice was in that kamameshi. There were six perfectly formed salmon-ikura onigiri (rice balls) in that box:

We had couple as a snack later that night (because we just had to), and the rest for breakfast the next morning. I'm not sure if it was just the Missus and I, that we'd order it again….but if you've got a party of four, this might be worth your while.

Next up was this:

On the menu it is listed in English as "Cold Udon Noodle with Foie Gras Custard Soup". Basically, Foie Gras Chawanmushi with Udon. The chawanmushi looks wonderful, with a nice layer of dashi on the top.

The noodles are a perfect al dente, and are designed for "dipping".

There's a wonderful slice of grilled duck breast in the broth, and the texture of the chawanmushi is perfect.

I love foie gras, so for me it was custardy foie gras heaven! One the other hand, the Missus found this to be way to rich for Her. So I had most of it to myself….and I happily slurped away:

It was indeed rich, as I found myself pretty full by this time.

But there was one more dish….Agedashi Tofu ($9). In comparison to most of the other dishes, this was pretty large.

The kinugoshi tofu (silken tofu) is made in house, and is as smooth as, well silk. It is lightly coated in potato starch(katakuriko) and deep fried. This gives the tofu a fairly crisp, but thin coat. The tetsuyu (broth) was much darker and richer than most I've encountered, bordering on salty. The Missus is used to tofu that is much more "beany" in flavor, and thought the flavor was too mild. I enjoyed the ikura and nameko mushrooms as well.

Overall, we really enjoyed our meal. It's not for everybody though. We appreciated the quality ingredients, the wonderful service, and didn't think the price was too bad. If we had planned a bit better, we probably could have gotten away with about $70 for two…of course we drank no alcohol, which always adds to the price. I've easily spent more on dinner at Sakura.

You could perhaps find something comparable in LA, but not in San Diego. Funny thing, I glanced through the January issue of GQ, and found that Alan Richman called his meal at Raku one of the best he had in 2008…..

Some notes: The restaurant is small, so make reservations. I've read that they get very busy after midnight. One nice touch is that everything is written out in English, even the specials, and it seemed that everyone is well versed in describing the dishes.

Aburiya Raku Restaurant
5030 Spring Mountain Rd
Las Vegas, NV 89146
(702) 367-3511

Hours: Mon-Sat 600pm – 300am

Part 1 of this post can be found here.

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Las Vegas: Aburiya Raku Restaurant Part 1

March 16, 2009 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Japanese Restaurants, Las Vegas, Road Trip

Last week, the Missus had some classes in Las Vegas. I hadn't been planning on going, but as the week progressed, things started getting more and more promising. I managed to get Friday off, Da' Boyz favorite "Uncle" agreed to watch them for a few days, and I had a tank full of gas(about as close to "It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses" as I'll ever come, I guess)….. Being a last minute trip, I had to plan our meals out. The Missus isn't a real fan of the crowded "strip", so I decided on a couple of places off the strip. It had been five years since I'd last been to Vegas, and six since I last drove up, so I was more than a bit interested to see what had changed.

The Missus had flown out the night before, so I had a solo drive. As soon as I finished work, I hit the road. And made it in pretty good time….. five-and-a-half hours. After meeting the Missus, and taking a quick shower, we drove to Aburiya Raku, where I had made dinner reservations. I was more than a bit excited about eating here. I'd read a few interesting articles, and had tucked away a Chowhound post from last year for "a rainy day". Being a aburiya, Raku closes at 3am, and apparently had made a name for itself, since names I recognized like Kerry Simon, Michael Mina, and Paul Bartolotta, and since I'm really not a "Chef Junky", names I didn't recognize like Rick Moonen and David Varley were sprinkled among the articles like magic dust.

The tiny restaurant(about 30 seats) itself is dark, classy, and dressed in the typical spartan, understated, Japanese manner. There's a small dining area, along with a "bar" area.

One more thing…..the restaurant is located on the Western edge of Spring Mountain Road, Las Vegas's Asian shopping and eating neighborhood. And of course, it is tucked in the far corner of a strip mall, to the left of, hidden from view by a smoke shop. The photo in my previous post is of one of the buildings in that strip mall.

Our main Server this evening was "Miki", who was a complete and utter joy. Friendly, helpful, funny, Miki had one thing in aces….perfect timing. She was always there with a refill of our tea, or to answer a question, but was unobtrusive.

Raku bills itself as an aburiya and robotayaki, a place for grilled items, but as you'll notice a bit later it is much more. So what is the difference between a Yakitori-ya, and a Robatayaki-ya? When someone asks, I tell them, "from my limited understanding, there is a sematical difference. Yakitori refers to grilled chicken (yaki-tori), whereas robatayaki refers to the entire gamut of grilled food."

The menu is pleasingly large, with a variety of dishes. In addition to the grilled items, there's a section of items in broth (Oden), and one of starches….but oh, what starches they were. In addition to the typical yaki-onigiri (grilled rice balls), there were some really interesting items.

There's also a chalkboard with specials of the day, and a pretty good Sake list as well.

As we went over the menu, the Missus noticed something. She pointed to the podium and asked, "is that their cookbook?" I turned….it was a copy of "The Complete Robuchon", a signed copy. I inquired, and found out that Joel Robuchon has been by a few times as well……

So on to the food. The Missus and I wanted to sample a good variety, so we ordered several items from the robatayaki menu…..and though most would order 2 orders or more, we did single orders so we could sample a good range of items.

We started from the "Oden menu", with Uni Oden ($4):

Several pieces of freshly cracked uni on a bed of wakame in a dashi based broth. The subtle, balanced flavors were excellent. The uni was sweet, rich, and custard-like. The wakame added texture, and the wonderful umami. The broth was savory, yet refreshing. If you could think of the taste of the ocean……

The Missus wanted to order the Sashimi Salad($9). I had reservations about ordering fish at a robatayaki, but we ordered it anyway.

The parts of the salad were wonderful; crisp baby spinach, crisp fried potato, and wonderful salmon(though the maguro was, meh). But when put together with an overly salty ponzu like dressing and drizzled with a spicy mayo, like you'd find on a spicy tuna roll, this wasn't very pleasant. This was my least favorite dish of the night.

Grilled Lamb Chop($5):

Miki thoughfully delivered a knife, since it was a single chop for two. This was a bit past where I'd have wanted the chop to be with regards to doneness. It was moist, but slightly tougher than I'd have desired. Also, the Missus noticed that the sweetness of the "tare" (sauce) detracted from the flavor of the lamb.

Chicken Wing (Tebasaki – $1.50):

There's a simple equation which makes amazing things happen. The presence of a chicken wing seasoned with good quality salt, grilled over Binchōtan, is simply wonderful. And this did not disappoint. It was moist, the wonderful flavor of the salt and chicken, with the smokey flavor of bincho-charcoal came through. The wing was cooked to perfection, bursting with flavor and juices. The skin was a work of art. I wanted to order 15 more.

The next item was recommended by Miki; corn stuffed with potato ($2.50):

We're still talking about this seemingly simple dish. The excellent quality corn's cob has been replaced by mashed potato. The corn, which I believe was already sweet, was made exceedingly so by grilling which developed all the sugars. Think of it as the "heart of a potato and corn croquette."

Grilled Duck with Soy and Balsamic Vinegar($4):

This was excellent. We were worried that this would turn out to be too sweet, but it was not. The grilled duck breast had hints of the smokey bincho flavor and was moist. There was a decent amount of fat, and the scallions helped to cut the richness of the dish. The Missus even forgot Her, "all duck should have five spice flavor" rule for a moment.

Eringe Mushroom ($3):

Earthy and woodsy, with the addition of salt, and a smokey flavor. This had a nice meaty texture.

Kobe Skirt with Garlic($6):

This was tougher than expected, and I'd have wanted more of the beefy flavor that beef skirt has to come through a bit more. Loved the fried garlic.

Chicken Breast wrapped in Skin($2.50):

Great quality chicken breast meat, cooked to perfection, wrapped in it's grilled to bacon-est skin. Having the three qualities that most chicken breast lacks, moistness, tenderness, and great flavor. Man this was good……..

And yet, if you think this was good, wait till part 2! Foie Gras Chawanmushi anyone?

Part 2 of this post can be found here.

Sunday Stuffs: Goodbye Osaka Kitchen(again), hello Wa Dining Okan 2(?), Chin’s to open on Convoy, what’s up with Aji Seco, and where I’ve been.

March 15, 2009 mmm-yoso Blog

Whoa, that's a mouthful…..anyway:

Osaka Kitchen Closes (again):

I passed by a few days ago, and noticed the restaurant closed(again) with some construction going on.

I guess the place couldn't make a go of it the second time around. Though the sign says it will "reopen soon". The line below that said, "under new management." I've heard that Wa Dining Okan is taking over the space. So maybe they're pulling a Tajima, and opening another branch just miles from each other?

Chin's coming to Convoy:

At least the sign on the closed Pearl Lounge says so:

Because the sign says "Breakfast" I'm hoping it will serve something similar to the Miramar location, not the uber Americanized Chinese food served at some of the other locations.

Aji Seco Closed, for remodeling?:

This one is from FOY Khanh, who told me that he dropped by Aji Seco, and found the place closed with a under remodeling sign:

Funny thing was, we both noticed that the attached taco shop is closed as well. So maybe they're taking over the whole space? On the other hand, we both noticed no activity in the place……

I'll probably call the listed number next week, to see what's going on.

Where I've been:

Here's a quick hint:

Well this one will give it away…..

Yes, I managed to get away for a few nights, and join the Missus in Vegas.

We had two great dinners, which I'll post about in the future. Funny thing, we stayed on the strip, but didn't have a single meal on it. I just noticed something while typing this out…..a few coincidenaces…. so here goes..

Both restaurants:

1 – Were located off the strip….

2 – Served Asian food (of course).

3 – Were located in kinda seedy strip malls (another of course), here's one of them.

4 – While doing some research on the restaurants today, I found out another coincidence. Both restaurants are nominees for 2009 James Beard awards. We've always eaten at one of the restaurants on every visit to Las Vegas. The other will be a regular stop on future vists to Vegas. Who said all I ever ate were bugs, snakes, raw beef, and dumplings????

Stay tuned……

The Market Restaurant at the Radisson: Yuma

March 12, 2009 ed fromyuma What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

While Kirk and Cathy are still eating and writing and preparing posts, today ed (from Yuma) wants to tell you about something new in the desert.

March 2011 update: The Recession hit this place hard. The food went on a slow decline (the last calamari I had there seemed to come frozen right out the the Sysco truck). The restaurant is still in business, but recently hired a new chef. I have not tried it recently. If you have, please comment here.

About a month ago, I was a volunteer pouring wine at the Yuma Art Center, which was hosting a wine tasting to benefit its galleries and collections. A young man, who turned out to be the son of friends of friends, handed me several cards good for a free appetizer or dessert at the newly opened Market Restaurant. At first, I felt special until I realized that virtually every attendee had received several of these cards.

Truth be told, I was not even aware that we had a new Radisson Hotel in Yuma, much less that it housed a restaurant with serious pretensions. From the outside, the place looks very nice, and the restaurant is on the main floor on the right-hand side of this picture:

The inside of the restaurant is bright, tastefully brash, stylish, and comfortable:

Within a week, the Munch Lunch Bunch arrived for a Friday lunch. Most of the lunch orders looked positively yummy. This pizza with sun dried tomatoes and fresh basil leaves was a work of art:

Chip was very pleased with his burger and thought the light touch of blue cheese was a perfect complement to the beefiness of the patty. He was also extremely impressed by the french fries, ordered extra crispy. "The best I've had in town!" he exclaimed:

My sandwich was called shaved prime rib with boursin cheese on ciabatta (?) bread. While nothing earth shattering, this roast beef and cheese sandwich was quite tasty. The creamy cheese and the focaccia bread provided enough richness so that no other spread or topping was needed:

All in all, the food had been good enough so I wanted to return for dinners. One time, the first thing to hit our table was a rather unusual amuse bouche, deep-fried risotto balls served with marinara and a sprinkling of domestic Parmesan. The crunchy exterior set off the creamy rice goodness inside. On my plate, one serving looked like this:

Both dinners began with complementary pita bread, seemingly housemade, with a chewy texture and fresh-baked wheaty flavor. Paired with balsamic and olive oil, it hit the spot:

Also available was an appetizer choice of three spreads for the bread, one light Middle Eastern spiced tahini based, one centered on "Salmon caviar," and one dominated by blue cheese flavor.

Everyone was wowed by the blue cheese choice, the Greeky one provided a nice mild contrast, but I found the fish egg spread far too salty and fishy. And I love ikura.

My favorite of the appetizer choices has been the calamari:

It doesn't get any better than this. The cracker crumb crust was incredibly crunchy. The squid itself was tender soft and flavorful. Most of the seafood strips and circles were thick enough to provide a complete contrast to the breading. The deep-fried cephalopod pieces were accompanied by a small ramekin of mild chile aioli.

I have also liked the spanikopida and the shrimp appetizer, which features three jumbo shrimp bathing in a tomato/feta sauce:
One shortcomng to the restaurant's dinner menu has been the limited number of entrée choices. My favorite of the pastas is this creamy vegetarian orrechietti:

The restaurant prides itself on flying in fresh seafood daily, and I have had a very good chunk of sea bass wrapped in prosciutto with a mild red sauce the color of old bricks that tasted of sweet tomato. Though I would have preferred a more neutral side starch than the risotto it came with, it was a successful and flavorful plate. You don't want to see the picture, trust me. Greg had some well prepared Hawaiian yellowtail with a nice vegetable medley, although the mashed potatoes didn't strike me as the best of accompaniments.

Another strategy is simply to make a dinner out of the small plates. On my first evening visit, I ended up with an appetizer for a main. So these lamb riblets became my entrée:

My apologies for the quality of that picture, but the curse of fine dining (for those of us who like to take food photographs) is that fine dining does not equal fine lighting. The three lamb chops were perfectly prepared, cooked to an exact medium rare, and generously portioned. The only thing not to like was the bed of overly salty deep-fried onions on which the chops lay.

On that same evening, I tasted a truly incredible dish. When I heard that the soup special was a mushroom bisque, I just had to order it; plus it would be interesting to compare their version with the truly fine one that I had eaten at The Better Half over Christmas break.

But I wasn't prepared for this:

This soup was OMG outstanding. Seriously, I don't have enough superlatives to describe how good this tasted. While a certain creaminess and a touch of marsala wine lay in the background, the dominating flavor was porcini mushroom. That's not quite an adequate description; the taste of porcini mushroom was intense and pervasive. It was not hard to find the reason for this intensity because every spoonful of soup turned up slices of chewy fresh porcinis:
Along with some good cannoli, I was impressed by one other dessert, the deconstructed bananas foster. While the banana slices were nothing to rave about, the chocolaty brownie, topped with sweet mascarpone, golden brown caramel syrup, and a fresh raspberry was very good:

I have no copy of the menu with me and poor notes, so I can only provide a general idea of prices. Except for the pastas (which were $15-19), mains were in the $20-25 range. The small plates run $5-10. To my mind these prices are fair, if not a screaming deal.

The restaurant is also building up a wine list and already has several excellent bottles to choose from:

I should point out, however, that many early diners at The Market restaurant were disappointed by the lack of any listing of wines. Several people felt that they paid far more for wine than they should have. Although the markups on the wine are now very fair (a $30 retail bottle selling for $55, a $19 bottle selling for $35, and a $58 bottle selling for $99), the list is still tilted toward the high-end consumer. In these economic times, I think many individuals (not just us poor folk) would appreciate a wider range of value choices.

It's far too early to anoint the Market Restaurant at the Radisson as the culinary King of Yuma, and who knows how long the restaurant will continue to provide some truly outstanding food, but nonetheless, I must say that they have served me some of the finest fine dining dishes I have ever tasted in Yuma (hey, in some cases, anywhere). I can only wish them the best of luck and continued success.

The Market Restaurant at The Radisson Hotel Yuma, 1501 S. Redondo Center Dr, Yuma AZ 85365, 928-373-6563

Road Trip: Kyochon, Yes Plaza, and What’s up at Hong Kong Plaza – Rowland Heights (LA)

March 10, 2009 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Korean Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

Driving East on the 60 Freeway, car smelling of my bounty of Indonesian Food, I had a few more stops to make. First……

Yes Plaza:

As I previously posted, what is now Yes Plaza, was a pretty dark and seedy strip mall back when we lived a few blocks away. Because of the terribly scary, and always malfunctioning laundry room in our apartment complex, we'd end up at the better lit, but very beat, "Launder Land"…..with the terminal fermented geriatric diapers smells, and god knows what oozing from under the bathroom door (which cost you a quarter...how's that for a double whammy). But boy have things changed.

I'm not sure if I really like the pastel, antacid blue that they've painted the place…..just like the pastel t-shirt and jacket an acquaintance of mine from back in the 80's ……who wanted to be Don Johnson used to wear all the time. The only problem was; that one, he was Japanese, and two, he was maybe five-foot two on a good day. (we nicknamed him, "Miami Mice") It just looks wrong….

I will say that there's a really good array of eateries in Yes Plaza.

And the walkways are no longer coated with gum and various stains of dubious origin. And it seems like the liqour store, Thai Restaurant, and ironies of ironies, the Laundromat (though really cleaned up) are the only businesses remaining from that time.

And since there's no way you can go through one of these malls without some interesting bit of "Engrish", I was on the look-out. But the only sign I could find was in the window of the Indonesian Restaurant:

"Fish Tilapia"…..kinda redundant isn't it? But maybe they were just trying to differentiate it from the "Moose Tilapia" or "Frog Tilapia", or the even more heinous "Kangaroo Tilapia?"

Now why the heck was I aimlessly wandering the walkways of Yes Plaza?

Kyochon Chicken….

Is why. After reading posts from Wandering Chopsticks and Elmomonster, I'd been dying to try the twice fried chicken wings. But the Missus, having tried and not cared for BBQ Chicken, did not want to waste precious eating time on our road trips. Having to make a solo trip to LA gave me the opening I needed.

Now the standard line is "to ensure the best quality, and freshness, the wings are made to order." Which is why I was just kinda hovering around Yes Plaza, with one of those coaster-buzzer thingamajiggy's in hand.

One more thing, how hard is it for a bright, new, and shiny chicken wing restaurant, to get an 'A' health inspection grade? Maybe Kyochon purposely flunked to get some street cred? You know the saying…… in the SGV, 'A'=American Food, 'B'=Better Food, and 'C'=(real) Chinese Food. As I was contemplating that, the coaster went "off", which was a good thing…the next thing I might have started contemplating would have probably been my navel.

I had ordered seven wings with the standard garlic soy, and four wings spicy. Each came in wonderful looking boxes, along with a kleenex dispenser(must be some free gift), in a good quality bag. Talk about some overhead.

The garlic soy wings were nice, light, crisp. As all posts on Kyochon note, the double-frying technique renders off all the subcutaneous fat off. Leaving you with thin crisp skin, and moist meat.

The chicken is "glazed" in a sweet, soy-garlic sauce. That is mostly sweet. Folks from "back home" know this style as "dipped chicken"…fried chicken that dipped into a sauce right after frying. Much like my garlic chicken……with much more finesse of course. I thought these were rather good.

I had two wings and moved on to the sweet-spicy wings:

These were glazed in a slow burning, slighly sour, lip stinging sauce. It had a nice slow burn to it. I ate two and saved the rest for the Missus.

Her verdict? She thought the spicy wings were nice, not too spicy, but good. She enjoyed the texture of the wings, and had thoughts of getting some on our next trip to the area….until I showed Her the receipt:

She quickly changed Her mind. They were good, but not THAT good…..

Kyochon Chicken
18180 E Colima Rd
Rowland Heights, CA 91748

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I had one last stop, Hong Kong Plaza, to pick up some Chinese Beef Jerky for the Missus. Curious about what was going on in the space of the now defunct Hong Kong Market. There was this sign posted:

It always amazes me, how quickly businesses close around here:

And how quickly they are replaced:

The market was gone, but some enterprising vegetable vendor had set up shop on the sidewalk this day, and was doing bang-up business.

In spite of the bad economy, there's quite a bit of new construction going on. Our old "dry cleaners" is now a flattened dirt lot, waiting for a new mall or building to spring up.

One thing hasn't changed. On a good day, you can still see the San Gabriel Mountains….I had forgotten how much I loved looking at them. Even from a strip mall parking lot…..

Imperial Thai Cuisine

March 9, 2009 mmm-yoso Lao Restaurants, Thai Restaurants

*** Thai Garden Restaurant (actually a Lao Restaurant) is now at this location.

It seems that this location on 47th Street changes owners as often as I visit the area. Back in 2006, it was Vientiane Food to Go. In 2007, it became Mekong Village, with the small steam table and take out business, along with an attached market. The market has been abandoned (hopefully, only for now), and the little restaurant is now called Imperial Thai Cuisine. And….they serve everything in the book…Chinese, Thai, and Lao!

And if you haven't noticed…Pho….more about this later. As I parked my car, and walked through the door, and older gentleman greeted me with the all-to-familiar "sa-bai-dee…." And that's when I knew, the Owners were Lao. And a sign on the flourescent green painted wall, confirmed my suspicions.

There were construction paper signs with Chinese stir-fries and the like on the wall, a menu that featured various noodles soups, and a steam table. Talk about covering all your bases!

Because I responded to my greeting with a Sabaidee of my own, the very friendly, jolly, older woman started talking to me in Lao. At which time I shook my head vigorously, I said, "oh no, I only know Sa-bai-dee…." Which cracked the woman up. It turns out that the woman hails from outside Luang Prabang, and we started discussing, well, food of course. Jeow Bong, Khai Pene, Or Lam…and all sorts of stuff. But of course I was here to eat….and the woman insisted on making me, "big bowl of Lao noodle soup". How could I resist?

In my minds eye I could see a large bowl of Khao Pak Sen, the wonderful soup we had every morning in Luang Prabang hitting the table. But instead it was a humongous bowl of Lao "Foe", the style of Pho you'll see in Laos.

In Laos, Foe is pretty much a create your own bowl of soup kind of thing. This bowl had a large amount of meatballs, "squeeky", but not overly tough. The meat, as expected in the homestyle soup were the tough flank cuts….rather tough, but with good flavor. A big difference was the quantity of meat in the soup….it would have been enough for 3-4 bowls of soup in Luang Prabang. The noodles were routine rice noodles, and the broth was fairly straight ahead, and mildly beefy in flavor.

In Laos you'd have a plate of basil, cilantro, perhaps green beans, "kapi"(Shrimp Paste), etc, at your disposal….here it was some bean sprouts and lime. But luckily, the woman brought me, "something special" for my Foe…..a little dish full of her home made Jeow (dip).

This was a wonderful Jeow, sweet, tangy, sour, and mildly spicy. It added life to the somewhat mundane soup. I had no doubt that this was an off-menu "MP" (market price) item, it was quite filling, and came in at $8.

As I was paid, and was about to leave, I noticed that the Young Man who took care of the steam table items, brought out some fried chicken:

I did a double take….it looked like…could it be? "TFC" (Thai Fried Chicken???) I could not take my eyes off the pile of poultry. I asked the woman what this was, and of course she said ("LFC"), "Lao Fried Chicken". Four pieces $5. So, of course I bought some.

Unfortunately, the chicken was very greasy, and lacked flavor. It was also tough as heck. Sigh…..my search for TFC goes on.

The woman who runs the place is quite talkative, jolly, and quite the saleswomen. I believe she found this little Asian guy who can only say hello and thank-you in Lao, but will talk your head off about Khai Pene, Jeow Bong, An Thao, and Or Lam, kind of strange and amusing. The gentleman, who I assume is her husband is more quiet and serious. The restaurant isn't the most sparkling clean place…though I'm sure when you shut off the lights it'll glow in the dark. The food was pretty much homecooking so I'm not quite sure if I'll be back….but the woman's last words to me, "next time maybe we have Or Lam", sure has me considering it.

Imperial Thai Cuisine
110 47th St
San Diego, CA 92102

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Leaving Luang Prabang……

March 8, 2009 mmm-yoso Laos, Luang Prabang, Travel

It was hard to believe that we had spent an entire 5 nights in Luang Prabang. When on vacation, I'm usually ready to go, be it Lima, Cusco, Hanoi, or where ever, I have no second thoughts when leaving. But Luang Prabang had gotten to me. It had become a matter of "just wanted's". You know…..I just wanted another dinner at Tamarind…..I just wanted another morning to watch the "Saffron Circuit":

I just wanted another morning walk through the Fresh Market:

We just wanted another morning of exploration, fueled by the energy drink Vacation2008ThaiLaosS 185 of choice in Luang Prabang, M-150….which you can get here in San Diego if you wish. We saw folks buying this stuff by the caseload.

We just wanted one more knock on our door during the evening, marking the delivery of a nightly snack at our hotel:

And we just wanted another visit to the quirky, but interesting Palace Museum:

We found the organization in the former "Queen's Reception Room" of gifts from various countries to be quite telling…..all of the Communist Countries were on one side of the room, all of the gifts from Democratic Countries were on the other.

As we walked to pick up a "little something for the flight" at one of the stands at the end of the fresh market:

And grabbed our last cup of Lao Coffee, the Missus and I talked about how we had slowly, but surely gotten used to things in Luang Prabang. The city is not very large, and you'll start noticing the same people rather quickly. For us, it was the various dogs…….

"Ice Cream Boy" was our favorite.

We called him "Ice Cream Boy" because we twice saw him sitting on his Owner's lap, sharing a cup of Ice Cream…same spoon and all.

And there was 'Hannibal':

You know why we called him Hannibal, right? Poor guy, he looked so docile. I don't know what terrible deed he committed to be relegated to such a fate.

This is the Missus's favorite dog photo in Luang Prabang:

At the "ping" (grill) stand, I had thoughts about trying out the pork belly.

But instead we went with the "Water Buffalo Patties", which tasted much like a herbaceous and spicy "Bun Cha", and a bag of sticky rice:

We also grabbed one of these Bamboo Tubes, filled with coconut flavored sticky rice, much like Com Tam, but much sweeter, and larger. This was good stuff, and never made it out of our room.

I asked the Missus what made an impression on Her….and the answers were interesting. She was so fascinated with the pots and bamboo steamers….

Charcoal braziers were everywhere, with curls of steam rising into the air. The fragrance of sticky rice permeated portions of the Fresh Market.

The Missus actually had one of the local Night Market "artists" do a pencil drawing for Her, which I'm sure will end up in a frame one of these days.

The Missus was also drawn to the school……which reminded Her of the school She attended growing up. We'd usually stop on our way back to the hotel to watch the flag lowering ceremony.

The Missus would always tell me "look, look, all the parents and siblings are waiting…."

"OK, watch the flag is being lowered…watch all the children…they're going to goooo!"

It seemed like the clock was being turned backwards…….as She was enjoying a part of Her youth.

Packing our bags, we waited for our "car"….which in this case, was really a car ("no worries…car is in-clu-ded") to the airport:

And next up was Chiang Mai!

Postscript: We had given our email address to one of the really nice young men at Chang Inn. A few weeks after our return, we received an email from him. Attached to the email was a beautiful, obviously professional photo of Luang Prabang(so of course it's not being posted)from the air. The simple text to the photo was: "This is my home"…………..

Thanks for letting us share this with you…..

T & L Food Incorporated and Roasting Sichuan Peppercorns

March 7, 2009 mmm-yoso Cooking, Markets & Grocers

A few years ago, FOYs CandiceW and Trent told me that T&L Food, a wholesaler on Engineer Road right off of Ruffner Street, did general sales to the public. The subject at that time was frozen dumplings. It's something I filed away, but had never had the chance to follow-up on. Late last year, the Missus and I were having dinner at Ba Ren. The subject of getting good Sichuan Peppercorns came up. The peppercorns we got from 99 Ranch Market were decent, but lost pungency quickly. The Missus asked Wendy, one of the Ba Ren's owners about Sichuan Peppercorns. And Wendy, always helpful, told the Missus to get the peppercorns from T&L Foods! We were told that they go through stock quickly, so the peppercorns are fresher.

Say no more…..

T&L is a food wholesaler and warehouse that does sale to the public.

If you need things in bulk, this might be an option.

And the variety of products is good….it reminded me a bit of TS Emporium in City of Industry.

A room in the back is stocked with woks and pots, cleansers, pots, pans, tea pots…you name it.

So just in case you need to add to your "generic Chinese Restaurant plate collection". This might be the place for you.

I didn't have much time to look around, but I'll be back. I want to check out the collection of pickled vegetables. You may want to check T&L out as well. There is no minimum purchase requirement, we just bought a bag of Sichuan Peppercorns. All the customers in front of us were buying stuff like rice, MSG, etc…..

T & L Food Incorporated
7373 Engineer Rd
San Diego, CA 92111

Roasting Sichuan Peppercorns:

This is for FOY Dave, who emailed me something folks have commented on a few times. It seems that the Sichuan Peppercorns that Dave had purchased really didn't have much of the "ma la" (numbing – spicy) effect that he appreciates. The flavor was more bitter, with lots of hard "bits and pieces". When I inquired as to how he roasts the peppercorns, the response was, "just like on television, I start with a cold pan, crank up the heat, and toast them…."

I'm far from a expert on this, but I think I know what the problem is. It's cranking the heat up when roasting the Sichuan Peppercorns. I've had the best results starting with a cold wok, and than slowly coax the fragrance out of this little pod of the fruit of a species of prickly ash. I take my time time roasting the peppercorns. I also only make a small amount, perhaps 4-6 tablespoons of peppercorns at a time, which will yield about half the amount of ground Sichuan Pepper. Burning the Sichuan Peppercorns will make them bitter.

So here goes…..

– In a cold wok, place 4-6 tablespoons of whole Sichuan Peppercorns.
– Heat wok over low heat, stir frying for 5-8 minutes until the lemony-anise fragrance fills the kitchen. The peppercorns may smoke, but should not be actively "popping" (a little is ok), like you see on television. Do not burn it will make the Sichuan Peppercorn bitter.
– When the peppercorns darken, remove from wok and let cool.
– Once cool you may grind them in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. I tend to make a rough grind in the mortar, and sift twice to remove the unwanted branches and pieces. You'll end up with a 1/2 to 1/3 yield.
– Store in a airtight jar and use ASAP.

If I'm using it in dishes as "La zi ji" (Chicken with Chilies) or Ma Po Dofu, I like a rougher grind. If I'm using the Sichuan Peppercorn for Sichuan Pepper Salt, I'll further make a finer grind.

Oh, how were the Sichuan Peppercorns we bought at T & L? The brand was one that we regularly purchased, but these were much fresher. We did have to purchase a whole pound, which took us about 4 months to use up. It was very fragrant to the end…….

Luang Prabang: Across the Khan, across the Mekong, and Antique House Restaurant

March 6, 2009 mmm-yoso Lao Restaurants, Laos, Luang Prabang, Travel

The Missus and I realize, that what we see on our travels is not reality for most residents. Many times, as tourists, we encounter the most polished facet of the gemstone. Growing up in a major tourist destination, I understand the importance of putting your best foot forward. It always leaves us curious as to what everyday life is, and where exactly do the "real people" live? In Luang Prabang, there's a charming wooden bridge that crosses the Khan River, on the other side of Mount Phousi, South of the center fo central Luang Prabang. It is a pedestrian, bicycle, and motorcycle only bridge.

For some unknown reason, I found the bridge fascinating, and charming…..

Pedestrians cross on either side of the bridge. Wooden planks have been nailed in place…sort of. Some of the slats move around rather too freely for my comfort, and you can see the river Khan flowing below your feet.

On the other side is a rather beaten road to the airport, with dirt roads branching off.

When we crossed back, we saw a group of Monks crossing on the other side of the bridge. It seems that Monks always look much more graceful….. Even just simply walking across a bridge.

On the morning of our third day in Luang Prabang it rained pretty hard. Of course the Monks are out rain or shine collecting their morning alms.

And of course, it was on this morning that the Missus decided that She wanted to see the "other side of the Mekong." Of course……

After 10 years of marriage, I've learned that there are just times that the Missus will not be denied. And this was one of those times. She led me along the road that parallels the Mekong, to some stairs leading down to the river.

I tried to tell Her that this wasn't the streets of New York. You just don't hail a boat like you'd flag down a cab. Lucky for me, before I opened my fat mouth, an empty slow boat pulled up!

I let the Missus bargain with the boatsman. And before you knew it we were motoring to the other side of the Mekong. We arrived at some stairs, and the gentleman steering the boat, pointed downriver, telling us to catch our return boat downstream.

Up the stairs, we arrived at Wat Long Khun (Temple of the Blessed Song).

I've read that during the days of the monarchy, newly crowned Kings would spend three days at the Wat before coronation to meditate. It certainly is peaceful.

And not a soul to be seen due to the rain.

There is also Wat Tham Xieng Maen built in a limestone cave Northwest of Wat Long Khun, but it was just too wet and muddy for us to check it out. We'll leave it for next time.

After walking along the trail for a bit, we came along some stairs. At the base of the stairs was a lean-to. I told the Missus to wait….and soon enough a young lady appeared, and we paid a small entrance fee, to climb up those stairs.

This was Wat Cham Phet, which was built by the Thai army in 1888. According to Lonely Planet, one of the Stupas here contain the bones of Chao Thong Di, the wife of King Sakkarin.

The Wat is very quiet and peaceful, and a bit overgrown.

Whatever the history may be, one thing is for sure. The views are wonderful, even on a rainy, overcast day like today.

After this, the main objective was to make it back across the Mekong.

After walking a bit on the dirt trails….the main subject of conversation was how they got construction materials here, and passing several well water hand pumps, we arrived at an long concrete "pad".

I'm guessing that this was Ban Xiengmane. Based on the stares, I'm guessing that the locals weren't expecting some rather soggy tourists to be walking through their village on a day like today. Just as I was thinknig this wasn't so bad, the "road" ended….and it was "mosh-pit" the rest of the way. Ankle (or more) deep mud, as you stepped into it, the suction threatened to suck your shoes right off.

Finally making our way to Ban Xieng Man, we worked our way down to the Mekong. No stairs this time, just a muddy slope, to hire a boat. One quick lesson for me….I was busy trying to take what ended up being this photo:

When I suddenly ended up flat on my back staring up at the lovely Lao sky…….and sliding my way down to the Mekong. Lucky for me, I stopped short of meeting the Mekong. And eventually we made our way back to our hotel. And after a quick hosing down, I was good as new. As the Missus and I say, "it ain't a vacation until I fall or get bad sunburn……"

Antique House Restaurant:

The Missus and I were intrigued by the restaurant right across the street from Somchan Restaurant. It always seemed busy. So one evening we decided to check it out. Big mistake; I should have noticed the clues. The first clue was the big "cheap" Beer Lao sign:

Unbelievable……..though the menu looked interesting….

Second clue. When we arrived, we noticed the place was staffed with a large group of young ladies….. Third clue, all the customers were male, and looked to be Thai.

In spite of this we moved forward, and placed our order……

Khai Pene.

The classic Luang Prabang fried dried river moss dish, which you can read about in other posts. This version was not fried at the right temperature, devoid of the crushed garlic and tomato, kinda soggy and oily. Just check out the pool of oil.

The Dried Beef:

Halfway between Pork Sung (Rousong) and Chinese Beef Jerky, and not bad with Beer Lao. This would turn out to be the best dish of the night. As the Cucumber Salad was not very good:

It should have been seeded, and the "dressing" was very, very, sweet…lacking the savory, pungent flavors we had become accustomed to.

And the Luang Prabang salad, (Nyam Salat), was just plain strange.

The dressing had no egg yolk in it, and it was much too sweet. And what to make of the peanuts…and ground pork?

Yes, we should have seen the clues…this was a Bar catering to Thai male tourists…… Oh well, live and learn. We would have been happy with this: