Boxes, Little Boxes

Posted on March 19, 2010 by Kiki Maraschino

Meanwhile, back in LA…

Star Chefs hosted an amazing gala at the Fairmont Mirimar in Santa Monica Thursday night. It was a gathering of the best of the best of the local culinary scene. There were offerings by LA’s cream of the crop, and guests were encouraged to vote for their favorite bite. It was nearly impossible to vote because each bite topped the last. The night’s winner was Jordan Kahn, previously of XIV. He will be opening a new place soon, but stayed mum on the name of the restaurant.

Kahn stood out with his physics-defying, perfectly symmetrical boxes of mystery. They were filled with compressed strawberries, beet, cacao fruit, elderflower, and violets. A violet sauce was splattered across the boxes like paint (I asked for extra violet paint as I am a huge fan of florals).

Remember when chocolate “bags” were once all the rage? This is Mach X of that concept – the boxes were flawless in design. The presentation was worthy of any modern art museum in the country. Each box was placed on a white ceramic tile which was to be used as the plate.

The first time I tried it I was able to crack the box in one try, but once I tried videotaping, crouched down and one-handed, the box rocked and it took a good three stabs to finally unearth the strawberry I was seeking.

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The Search for Philly’s Best Cheesesteak: South Street

Posted on March 18, 2010 by Kiki Maraschino

It is apparently against the law to go to Philadelphia and not visit South Street. I went to meet a huge group from the conference, but some special cookies mysteriously caused the group to giggle uncontrollably and run off in a hundred different directions following the blinking lights and possibly running from sights like this building.

Left with my one close friend, Ellin, we decided to hit up Jim’s, which had a good reputation. I liked the art deco style with tin ceilings and everything.

To follow a purely scientific method, I had decided to get all of my cheesesteaks with everything, choosing provolone cheese. Cheese Whiz is just too much for me. I don’t get how anyone over 9 years old can go for that sweet, gloppy goo.

Unfortunately, Jim’s “everything” included shockingly bad canned mushrooms. I was not impressed by the tough steak either. After watching me eat it stoically, Ellin finally said, “Just throw it away.” We wandered along the hooting, drunken South fraternity row of South Street for only a few blocks before becoming discouraged and heading back to the hotel for a nice swim, the best part of the evening.

Later, back home I checked out Jim’s website. Is this happy family posing in front of meathooks hung with slaughtered cattle?

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Philadelphia Freedom: The Terminal Building Kept me Alive

Posted on March 17, 2010 by Kiki Maraschino

The Reading Terminal Market was conveniently located right across the street from my conference. Thank God! I was thus rescued from group lunches at Chili’s. The Terminal Market is like Seattle’s Pike Place or San Francisco’s Ferry Building – a combination of delis, meat counters, bakeries and fresh produce.

The history of the market stretches all the way back to William Penn. When Philadelphia was established the various mongers and farmers were grouped together in an area eventually known as Market Street. The open-air market eventually started to interfere with traffic so in 1849 the markets moved indoors. The resultant Farmer’s Market and Franklin Market were later joined to become the Reading Terminal market in 1892.

In the 1970s the Reading Corporation went bankrupt and made plans to sell off the market. During the 1980s the market was revitalized. The trains stopped running and a new convention center brought in new crowds. The market now has more than 80 merchants.

The first place I hunted down was Hershels East Side Deli, which had come highly recommended. It did not disappoint.

Thick slices of juicy pastrami made from brisket on fresh and mild Easy Coast rye proved too much for me and I had to take half of the half sandwich to go. The matzoh ball soup was so flavorful and comforting. The matzoh ball had the texture and authenticity I have been searching for for years.

On another day I tried the meaty brisket and an Italian macaroni salad

On the way out I stopped at Bassets, which has been serving up ice cream since 1861, since 1893 in the Terminal Market. They used to churn the ice cream using a mule. Now this is the kind of American History I like.

People think these unusual savory ice cream flavors are a new fad, but in 1955 Basset made borscht sherbert for Nikita Khrushchev. That was not on the menu during my visit. On the recommendation of the lady behind me in line I ordered “Butterscotch Vanilla — Swirls of rich butterscotch laced through creamy Bassetts vanilla ice cream make a taste treat never forgotten.”

I like to get pictures of smiling counterpeople handing me my food. This guy is like, “You WILL eat this ice cream. Stop taking my picture and eat the damn ice cream already.”

Chocolate marshmallow

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Philadelphia Freedom: City Tavern

Posted on March 14, 2010 by Kiki Maraschino

As I mentioned before, I have never been a huge fan of American History. In fact, Colonial people scare me just a little bit. Colonial ghosts just like the guy on this sign were always chasing Scooby Doo around.

Friday night I checked into my room at the Sheraton near Penn’s Landing.

I took a walk around the cool little restaurant row. I happened upon City Tavern and was lured in by menu items like lobster pie and rabbit.

It turns out this was a rebuild of the oldest tavern in the city which was home to the first Fourth of July celebration in 1777. As my luck would have it, I had stumbled smack dab into American History within an hour of landing at the airport.

When the Tavern was completed in 1773, it was one of the most elegant buildings in the city…City Tavern knew the patronage of the great and near-great of the American Revolution. It became the practice of the members of the Second Continental Congress to dine together each Saturday at the Tavern.

The original building was demolished in 1854 and rebuilt for the bicentennial in 1976. In 1994 Walter Staub took over and dedicated himself to recreating the 18th century dining experience.

Yes, I apologize, I know it’s humiliating. But if you’re going to wear it, I damn sure am gonna take a picture (yes, I tipped extra).

I have a feeling this is not the last time I am going to see pewter goblets.

The bread plate included Anadama bread (a molasses bread), Sally Lunn, and “George Washington’s favorite rolls”. The rolls were heavy and tasted like Amish Friendship Bread. The walnuts really made them.

In spite of interesting menu items like Martha Washington Style Colonial Turkey Pot Pie and Braised Rabbit, I had to pass them up when I saw the special.

Schlachtplatte: A traditional dish served to celebrate the Schlachtfest (the butchering of a pig). An assortment of sausages and smoked pork topped with crispy fried onions accompanied by Hengstenberg sauerkraut, homemade mashed potatoes and Dijon mustard.

If I have learned anything from Anthony Bourdain, it’s when it’s pig butchering time the eatin is good. And I was not disappointed when this immense platter of piggy was set before me

The knockwurst, bratwurst and frankfurter were made with natural casings and had a great snap. As usual, the knockwurst was my favorite. The smoked pork was very much like ham and made a great breakfast sandwich the next morning. Buried under all of the meat was a gigantic mound of creamy mashed potatoes.

It’s good to know some modern niceties, like the leftovers swan, were still observed

I wandered around a little after dinner and did not forget the first thing you have to pick up when landing on the East coast…

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Philadelphia Freedom

Posted on March 13, 2010 by Kiki Maraschino

Having spent many a miserable hour studying American History in grade school, I was in no big hurry to visit Philadelphia. To be honest, Pete Townshend’s guitar is more sacred to me than the liberty bell. All I really knew about Philadelphia were cheesesteaks.

My friend made fun of me as I made my shoe selections. She said, “It’s not like the streets are still cobblestone“. Well…

There is an awful lot of brick everywhere, which explains why all of the founding fathers were freemasons. It’s not a conspiracy. They were mason masons.

The architecture is stunning

The city is into Ben Franklin in a big way

They also have a serious thing about dead policemen

True, there were lots of cheesesteaks. Or as the locals call them, just “steaks” Like this chocolate cheesesteak that I admit made me do a double-take

Now, this, I have no explanation for

I have a few tests for gauging a new city that I applied to Philly right away.

1. Do people look at you or smile as you pass?
NO

2. Do pedestrians cross on red?
YES

Just don’t block the box

And then there are those weird, random things you come across in a big city

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Make it Irish the Easy Way

Posted on March 12, 2010 by Kiki Maraschino

How do you make things Irish?

So far the easiest way has been to color it green.
Until now, when Betty Crocker brings you the easiest “Irish” treat ever invented.

1. Make cupcakes
2. Frost cupcakes
3. Stick Lucky Charms cereal on top.

Magically delicious!

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Rocket Fizz

Posted on March 11, 2010 by Kiki Maraschino

Last summer a riot of neon notified Burbank that there was a new store in town and it was all about fun! Rocket Fizz is here to bring back the candy and sodas of childhood, as well as hard-to-find local products. They even have a wide assortment of obscure diet sodas.

Partners Jack Cross, whose career in the field of body shops shows in his retro design, and pizza shop owner Luke Jacobeli have created a wonderland of nostalgia.

Customers wander around exclaiming, “No way!” “I haven’t seen this since I was a kid!” “They have apple Abba Zabbas!” Really, did you even know they had apple Abba Zabbas?

Cross and Jacobeli chose Burbank as their store location because in many ways Burbank is a retro town, with its ancient shops, Googie signage, and of course Bob’s Big Boy.

There is a patio in the back where you can enjoy your drinks and chocolate cigarettes, and they are planning to start showing B Movies there, something to foster a sense of community in the neighborhood. Rocket Fizz is open from 11am to 9pm weekdays and 10pm on weekends, but sometimes they are open even later, which saved me from an uncertain fate last Christmas Eve.

At least he went happy

I dared three people to try to fit an entire Cherry Mash in their mouths until this guy took me up on the dare.

Oh, for the halcyon days when hobos and smoking were cool

Fun with wax moustaches

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Food Crimes: Man Stabbed with Meat Thermometer

Posted on March 10, 2010 by Kiki Maraschino

While watching a 9pm showing of “Shutter Island” in Lancaster, CA, on Saturday a man asked a woman to turn off her cell phone. According to sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore, and reported by KTLA,

“She and two men with her left the movie theater.

Two men returned a few minutes later and stabbed the victim.

The victim was hospitalized but is expected to survive.

Two other people who attempted to help the victim were also injured in the altercation.

Sheriff’s officials describe the suspects as black males.

One man was wearing an orange hat with an orange jacket or jersey.

The other man was dressed in a black hooded sweatshirt.”

Beyond the crime of talking on a phone in a movie theater and then retaliating violently against anyone who dared to speak up, no one has yet reported the fashion crime of wearing an orange hat and jersey.

The temperature reading has not been reported.

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Pasadena Burgers: Lucky Boy

Posted on March 9, 2010 by Kiki Maraschino

Lucky Boy in Pasadena is a Landmark. It even says so on the menu. Local families and students have been coming to the outdoor stand for over 30 years. The charred burgers come with mild onions, grilled upon request, lettuce, and the biggest tomato you have ever seen. The buns are toasted on the grill, a nice old-school touch. The chili is meaty and not too spicy, a perfect addition to the burger.

The fries are thick-cut, crispy outside and like a baked potato inside. Unfortunately the shakes aren’t made out of real ice cream, but come out of one of those weird powdered emulsifier abominations.

The main draw at Lucky Boy isn’t the burger though. The teenage boys come in for the humongous breakfast burrito, stuffed with hash browns, eggs, cheese and loads of bacon. The breakfast of champions.

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The Golden Glamour

Posted on March 8, 2010 by Kiki Maraschino

I learned how to make this year’s official Oscar cocktail, The Golden Glamour, at the Governors Ball Preview last month. Mix it up and get wasted like the really big stars do.

The Moet Golden Glamour

.25 oz. Vanilla Liquer
1.5 oz. Passionfruit juice
4 oz. Moet and Chandon Imperial Champagne
Mint sprig for garnish.

Mix together vanilla liquer and passionfruit. Top with champagne. Garnish with mint.

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Sherry Yard’s Sugar Wonderland

Posted on March 8, 2010 by Kiki Maraschino

Sherry Yard, Wolfgang Puck’s longtime pastry chef, is always laughing and smiling and whipping up delicious creations. She was once again wearing her signature pink chef’s jacket at the Governors Ball preview surrounded by a Candyland of little goodies. But how on earth could she ever top last year’s stunning chocolate bento box? How about a dessert that glows?

Yard interpreted this year’s retro “Streamline Moderne” theme by reaching back through time and producing an updated Baked Alaska. You can’t have 1500 open flames around all of those beaded gowns and teased tresses, so in lieu of setting the baked Alaskas on fire, they are set upon glowing bases. The “Etoile de Oscar” is filled with chocolate Guittard L’Etolle du Nord chocolate sorbet, espresso glace and chocolate gelato with a toffee coffee crunch and cold-infused coffee whipped cream.

In addition to the Baked Alaskas, guests will enjoy a treasure trove of sweets, including Yard’s mud cookies, which made my Top Twenty Favorite Bites last year, Miniature blackberry bundt cakes brought to mind what I used to imagine “sugarplums” would look like.

Chocolate banana truffles and cream puffs tempt the hand to stray towards the dazzling display. Lavendar macarons are Concord grape-flavored, and Yard confided that she had been up all night making Concord grape jam to fill them.

Of course, no Governor’s Ball would be complete without the little chocolate Oscars dusted with gold. The chocolate Oscars look like mummies when they are all lying down

The presentation proved so irresistible, while Wolfgang Puck spoke to the press, we noticed Sherry Yard absentmindedly nibbling on little chocolate candies out of a lollipop vase.

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The Governor’s Ball: Puck Off

Posted on March 7, 2010 by Kiki Maraschino

Tempura Lobster

This year’s Academy Awards will take place on March 7th. But the real fun happens after the awards, when the stars let loose at the Governor’s Ball. 1,500 guests, including both award winners and nominees, will finally be able to stop dieting and start drinking recklessly. We were there to preview the feast prepared by Wolfgang Puck and his pastry chef of wonder, Sherry Yard. Moet & Chandon was also on hand to show off the official Oscar cocktail. The evening starts off with a huge cold seafood buffet

and a million doots

To echo the retro style, Wolfgang Puck, working with chefs Lee Hefter and Matt Bencivenga, chose to present an old-school menu focused on chicken pot pies updated with the addition of copious shavings of black truffle.

The starter will be potato pancakes topped with Puck’s signature smoked salmon. The menu also includes a garden spring vegetable salad for the stars who just won’t let go of the diet.

According to Wolfgang Puck, there is no secret to serving such a large crowd; you just need to have a lot of people working, in this case 300 in the kitchen and 600 in the dining room. They run the ball like ten smaller restaurants and are prepared for any request. The menus are so memorable, once Michael Cane went to Spago the following Monday to request the same meal.

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The Slaw Dogs: Everybody’s Talkin’ ‘Bout the New Kid in Town

Posted on February 28, 2010 by Kiki Maraschino

Ray Byrne and mom

Hot dog stands across Los Angeles should be shaking in their boots right now. Ray Byrne of The Slaw Dogs in Pasadena has taken hot dogs to a whole new level. Indecisive people stand frozen in place staring at the Slaw Dogs menu. Other diners are truly inspired, practically giddy at the wealth of choices. Some of us are still talking about the toppings days later.

It all starts with the dog. There are all beef dogs, natural casing dogs, kosher dogs, bratwurst, two kinds of chicken dogs, and even a veggie dog, among others. You can have your dog grilled or “rippered” Jersey-style, thrown into the deep fryer until it splits.

There are 27 standard toppings, including sesame mayo, curry ketchup, pickled onion, jalapeno, chipotle mayo, and even sport peppers if you want to make a Chicago-style dog. 25 custom toppings, for an additional 99-cents, give you choices like bacon, pastrami, roasted pasilla peppers, jalapeno, chili, kimchi, thai-slaw, a fried egg and a number of different cheeses.

Not a do-it-yourself-er? “The Original” sports chili, cheese, mustard, onions and cole slaw. The slaw is unusual on a hot dog, but it works, adding a refreshing crunch. In fact, that is one of Ray’s skills. He is able to take seemingly clashing flavors and make them work together.

One recent special included a jalapeño kumquat chutney that blew me away.

The special muffalata dog (olives, pastrami, and Swiss) really worked. At this point the Slaw Dogs is going to have to take out a restraining order on me.

Two of the wilder dogs are the “Green Monster,” (roasted green chile, chipotle mayo, grilled onion, pepper jack and spicy garlic salsa) and “The TNT Super Dog” the latter which brings back memories of the Oki Dog, with a 12″ rippered dog, chili, cheese, bacon, pastrami, fries and grilled onion swaddled in a burrito. If that’s not enough, you can also request a fried egg.

The Thai Slaw Dog on a 12″ All Beef. Spicy peanut-coconut satay dressing, cilantro-carrot slaw, crushed peanuts and siracha aioli

Don’t forget to order the sweet potato fries, perfectly crisp and completely greaseless. There are also fry specials, most recently the truffle and Parmesan fries. I don’t know how they are going to ever take them off the menu without a riot ensuing.

There are also big, fresh, crunchy salads. Salad, shmalad.

My inspiration The Vancouver Dog, inspired by Japadog – a bratwurst with wasabi mayonnaise, grilled onions, with just a sprinkling of nori. I don’t know what the crunchy bits are, but I trust Ray implicitly

The irony is that owner Ray Byrne didn’t even eat a hot dog until he was 20 years old (It was at Pink’s). He first considered a burger palace, but decided the hot dog would be the perfect vehicle for his creativity.

Little does Pink’s know it, but there’s a new sheriff in town. Move over, little dog. The big dog’s movin’ in.

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Nostalgia for Abuse: A Rant

Posted on February 26, 2010 by Kiki Maraschino

Photo thanks to JM3 via Flickr

The other night I went to the new Nobu, and it seems like I can’t tell anyone that without them becoming maudlin and pouting, “Ohhh, L’Orangerie.” Poor L’orangerie, that used to occupy the space. Everyone misses it so. Well, you know what? Screw L’Orangerie. There. I said it. Their foie gras creme brulee was ridiculous. It was an insult to the poor duck or goose who laid down its gluttonous life to make that crap.

People seem to miss some bygone era when waiters treated everyone like crap and they all ate it up with a spoon. It reminded me of hairdressing school and how the old ladies loved it any time the hairdressers got bitchy and told them off or smacked them with the brush.

I was taken to L’Orangerie on my birthday back when it was a real splurge, a rare occasion to ever go out to eat anything anywhere. I dress properly, I have manners, and I no longer have purple hair. Yet from the moment we walked in the door we were sneered at as if we weren’t good enough to grace those hallowed halls.

The servers had a friend or a VIP at a nearby table and as a result we were completely ignored all night. You need a fork? Too bad. They didn’t even bring me my coffee ever. The only one who noticed my plight and caught my eye with a sympathetic glance was the piano player. So I walked over and put half of the waiter’s tip in the giant snifter for tips on the piano.

Well, I ate the frugal way at Nobu last week, in the bar, off the budget menu, and those servers treated us like gold. I love waiters. I like the older lifers for whom it is a noble profession and I love the chatty young ones who make me feel like we are gossiping over the menu. True, I am older and fatter and probably look like I can afford a bigger tip. True, now I am a writer and sometimes they know it, and maybe that changes everything.

Maybe now those waiters at L’Orangerie would be crawling up my ass. But I still can’t forgive them for humiliating my then-boyfriend who had saved up his pay to make his foodie girl’s Gourmet magazine dream come true.

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Keep on Truckin’

Posted on February 25, 2010 by Kiki Maraschino

Saturday February 13, the first LA Food Fest was held on the outskirts of Downtown LA, with dozens of local food trucks converging in a huge lot next to the 110 freeway.

Unfortunately, the event was too popular for its own good. Promoters expected a crowd of 10,000 but by early estimates nearly tripled that. Many people waiting in the hour-long line for entry were turned away as the crowd inside grew to capacity.

The lines were between and hour and two hours to sample treats from the most popular trucks, like Frysmith, Coolhaus and The Grilled Cheese Truck. Chef Ludo Ludovich staged a pop-up one-time-only fried chicken truck that had to give people tickets to return for their food an hour later, like a Fastpass at Disneyland. We did get a peek at the hunky chef, the food, and his adorable wife working the window.

Ludo’s Balls

Treats we were able to sample were from three enterprises that haven’t yet got their trucks up and running. Piping hot donuts from Frygirl were dipped in cinnamon or powdered sugar.

Har Gow, Duck Tacos and Sui Mai were three varieties of Dim Sum presented from the upcoming the Dim Sum Truck.

Dogzilla, a Japanese fusion hot dog is still unsure as to whether they will purchase a truck or scout a permanent location. Unfortunately, their dogs didn’t compare to Japadogs in Vancouver. The excess of bread and fishy nori overwhelmed the bland hot dog. It’s too bad because they were really, really friendly.

The first truck we were willing to wait in line for was Fresser’s Hot Pastrami and the wait was not in vain. The pastrami was East coast-style, made with thick slabs of brisket. The bread was the perfect balance of intensity to mildness to match with the pastrami. A sample of Pot Roast made us wish we had a huge plate, along with potatoes and baby carrots. A Caprese sandwich used farmer’s market fresh ingredients and a nice french bread.

A smiling face at Fresser’s

Next we hit the Gastrobus. Their sweet potato fries were double fried and absolutely to die for. Pairing them with a mustard dip was a little odd, but they were delicious on their own. The pulled pork was nestled in a comforting bed of grits. They also offered a refreshing heirloom beet salad in a vinagrette with goat cheese and an adorable lemon meringue in a lemon half, which I did not try myself.

This is a lamb dish from a Greek Bus that a passer-by let me photograph. I don’t know what it is, but it sure looks good!

The most memorable stop of the day was King Kone ice cream, with house made ice cream dipped in rich chocolate. The sundae we ordered layered caramel and oreo pieces with a pure vanilla ice cream. Pure heaven.

The final taste was from the holy grail of trucks, The Grilled Cheese Truck.

We watched one customer ooh and ahh over her mac and cheese sandwich with smoked pork, and the amazement in her eyes when she finally took a bite.

We tried the brie and pear and another sandwich with roasted butternut squash and gruyere. The brie sandwich was heavenly, though the squash sandwich was like something my mother would do to trick me into eating my veggies.

There was also a craft station, a few shops and a photo booth with lots of fun props.

So yes, the lines were ridiculous, the day was hot and the crowds were insane. True, we did not get to try a number of trucks on our “to-do” list. But the crowd was friendly and we ate some truly excellent food. Best of all, every bite was priced between $3 and $5 so we came home with change in our pocket.

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