Vancouver: The Elbow Room (CLOSED)

Posted on August 19, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

The last time I was in Vancouver, I had so much fun with the Elbow Room’s wacky waitstaff I had to go back. Plus, my nephew is a burger fan and they make what is known as the best burger in Van.

The elbow room is a local institution at 560 Davie Street, a cute little cafe that is sparse but comfy. The real attraction, besides the food is the amazing staff that you can’t help but love.

The Elbow Room was started in 1983 by Patrick Savoie, an ex-teacher and Brian Searle, an insurance adjuster. It’s original location, at 720 Jervis Street, was located in the first mayor of Vancouver’s house, and was declared a heritage building. At first Bryan did dishes and Patrick cooked. We had one employee, Vera McKee, who waited tables…We now have 52 seats, a staff of 10-12 and abusing customers from all over Canada, the US and the world.

They do have some crazy-ass burgers. Check these out

Tom Select Burger
Topped with bacon, pineapple, peach slices and camembert cheese.

Trucker Burger
Mushroom, baby shrimp, bacon avocado, a fried egg and cheddar cheese

The Chad Lowe
(For the meat lover, a.k.a. ‘ The F ‘ ing Kidding Burger ‘ )
Two 8 oz patties, sautéed mushrooms and red onions, bacon, pepperoni, B.B.Q. and HP sauce.

But being the princess I am, I ordered

Princess Burger
Bacon, sliced avocado, feta and camembert cheese.

Thick, juicy, feta-y…truly a great burger. We also split an amazing fresh banana-blueberry shake

We had room to split one more thing. Now, if you don’t finish your food at The Elbow Room you get a spanking. You can sometimes talk them into accepting a donation to A Loving Spoonful, but they really do try for that spanking. One way to avoid a spanking is to bring a college boy because 1. They can finish any plate of food 2. They are more tempting spanking bait 3. They are probably used to that kind of thing what with the hazing and such. OK here is a sample of the menu. Guess which treat we ordered?

A. Savoury Pancake
Bacon, Cheese, Sausage or a Combination

B. Banana Walnut French Toast (No Jenny Craig here)
Made with pound cake. It’s delicious and very rich.
Add Bacon, Sausage or Ham? $2.75
Add Blackberries,Blueberries,Strawberries,Banana,or Raspberries $2.00

C. Evelyn Hilderbrant
A large cinnamon bun, grilled as French toast.

D. Administrative Assistant
Banana, green apple slices, and orange wedges, with a blueberry yogurt and Muffin (cranberry bran or Blueberry Peach). No eggs. No meat. Nothing to clog your precious arteries.

That is correct, sir! C – a French-toasted cinnamon bun. Woohoo! Halfway through our burger, we were confronted by our wild-haired waitress, “What’s the matter with your french toast?”

“Nothing. We’re eating in courses.”

“Yeah, that’s our dessert.”

“Ohhh dessert! Well, dessert!” She ran off and returned with a giant can of Reddi-whip. “Now it’s dessert!”

Posted in Vancouver | 2 Comments

Vancouver: Japadog!!!!

Posted on August 7, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

Friday Justin and I were super-excited because we were going to JAPADOG! The greatest hot dog cart in the world! There are three locations – one on Pender and Burrard (menu), the one we hit in front of The Sutton Place Hotel, and Japadogs has just opened a third location Coal Habour Community Centre.

The line stretched for an entire block, and the wait was long, but the crowd was patient and convivial. They knew there was something wonderful waiting at the end of that line.

There is a regular menu, then each stand has a special menu. The standard menu includes turkey and veggie “smokies”, bratwurst, and all beef dogs. Since my visit, they have started offering kurobuta (black hog) dogs. Specialty menus at different stands vary. There are four special options at this stand: Terimayo, Oroshi, Misomayo and Okonomi.

The Terimayo is an all-beef dog with teriyaki sauce, Japanese mayo, fried onions and nori (seaweed). This is their best-seller. The teriyaki flavor was overpowering. We expected the nori to be the overwhelming flavor, but the teriyaki made it almost impossible to taste.

The Oroshi (Daikon) is made with a special soy sauce, grated radish and green onion on a bratwurst. I chose to add wasabi mayonnaise to mine. The sausage was of the highest quality, delicious with a lovely meaty texture. The wasabi mayonnaise was so spectacular I became obsessed with wasabi for days.

The other choices we did not try were still exciting – the Misomayo is oddly enough made with Miso and Japanese Mayo. It was my first choice, but it was sold out. The other is Okonomi (based on a popular Japanese pancake and translates to “what you want”): Special sauce, Japanese Mayo, Fried cabbage, dried bonito flakes. (a review of Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise)

I allowed Google toolbar to translate the Japanese-language story of Japadogs. Computers will never replace human translators because they don’t understand context, so they can’t make proper word choices. This one doesn’t seem to do grammar either.

From what I gather, the Japanese founder dreamed of overseas crepe stands and opened crepe stands in New York. While vacationing in Vancouver, he and his wife decided to open the creperies there – and name them Japadog. Sooo, so much for computer translation. Here is the rest of the story straight from the site via Google translation:

In Vancouver, you can meet a lot of people, luck, 2005 May OPEN. OPEN Initially, I was not decided upon the name of the store. For some time, had become increasingly called JAPA DOG.

Initially, Japanese style, but I did not have much popular gradually in the course of one year one year and continued, it began to be popular items.
Of course, the contracting out of everyone of us (including sales only one a month), but also a visionary and it did not work the menu. Every day, we are prototyping in various ways.

During lunch and evening, you may be side by side. Away to keep you waiting, I’m sorry all the time. That I strive to provide as soon as possible, the limitations of the truly “Darn, and I hasten” in my mind is always crying.

But we don’t mind being side by side, because Japadogs is a thing of wonder. I wish I could tell this visionary how much we love them and maybe it will stop his mind from crying.

Posted in Vancouver | 5 Comments

Seattle Thurs: Surprise! It’s the Pike!

Posted on August 6, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

After the bakery, we wandered through Pike Place. The parking gods were with us. Look at the amazing spot we got for our black rented SUV!

A trip to Pike as always, included a stop at Beecher’s.

Flagship cheese on the move

Picked up a pretzel I think at 3 Girls Bakery – maybe Auntie Em’s…it’s all ablur of foodstuffs swirling around my head

We also stopped off at Pike Chowder where we tried a sampler of seafood chowders. The basic clam chowder was the best.

Kids are so adorable

We got some pierogie at Cafe Yarmarka for the road, which was lucky because Justin was starving after his exams

Plus the border crossing took forever, so our picnic basket of collected treats was really needed. By the time we got to our gorgeous room at the Vancouver Westin Bayshore, I was happy to just order room service and a movie while Justin and mom went out for dinner with Uncle John.

And maybe just one of their freakishly giant beers afterwards.

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Seattle Thursday: Hey Macrina!

Posted on August 4, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

Thursday we had the entire morning and afternoon before we were scheduled to pick up my nephew Justin. At my friend Wathana’s recomendation, we went looking for the Macrina Bakery. It was only blocks from our hotel. It really was a fantastic location. We picked up some pastries for the road.

Macrina has a wide selection of breads, all formed by hand, including

Macrina Casera
“Of This House”
1.5 lb Loaf ~ $3.55
This bread is leavened with a natural wild starter made from organic grapes, coarse whole wheat and unbleached flours. Designed for any meal. It has a mild sour flavor.

Giuseppe
1.5 lb Loaf ~ $3.55 • 2.5 oz Roll ~ $0.65
1.75 lb Sliced Loaf ~ $4.15
8 oz Panini ~ $1.65
Our classic, crusty Italian loaf. Leavened with biga (traditional sponge starter) and unbleached flour. Lighter in salt and perfect for dipping in your favorite olive oil.

Olivetta
1 lb Loaf ~ $4.05 • 2.5 oz Roll ~ $0.65
Similar in texture to our focaccia, this moist and savory loaf is packed with whole green olives and fresh oregano. Baked on semolina and brushed with extra virgin olive oil.

and the fascinating

Vollkorn
1.25 lb Loaf ~ $4.05 • 2.5 oz Roll ~ $0.65
A German-style, 6-grain seed bread. This beautiful loaf is leavened with a beer starter and sweetened with a touch of honey and molasses. Its braided design makes it perfect for breaking with friends.

Their antique pastry case has been offering up goodies since 1993. Like the Roly-Poly, “our homage to the classic cinnamon roll, enhanced with coconut, raisins and walnuts”.

Macrina’s Fresh Fruit Coffeecake

For September, we are featuring our Fresh Fruit Coffeecake. To make the best possible cake, use freshly picked berries at the height of their growing season. Usually, berries are at their best in September. Pick blackberries, raspberries, blueberries or huckleberries (perfect in mid-September) and toss them in the batter.

Makes 1 bundt cake

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups ripe fruit (whole berries or fruit cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
12 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
Edible flowers and powdered sugar for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 350º F. Oil a 12-cup Bundt pan.

Sift flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl and toss with your hands to combine. Remove 1/4 cup of the flour mixture and set bowl aside.

In a separate medium bowl, combine fruit and the reserved 1/4 cup of flour mixture. Toss until fruit is evenly coated and set aside. Tossing the fruit in flour helps keep it from sinking to the bottom of the coffeecake – a true disaster!

Combine butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix with the paddle attachment for 5 to 8 minutes on medium speed. The mixture will become smooth and pale in color. Add eggs, one at a time, making sure the first egg is fully mixed into the batter before adding the other. After the second egg is incorporated, add vanilla extract and mix for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and mix for another 30 seconds to make sure all of the ingredients are fully incorporated. Remove the bowl from the mixer.

Alternately add small amounts of flour mixture and buttermilk to the batter mixing with a wooden spoon just until all dry ingredients are incorporated. Gently fold in the flour coated fruit making sure the fruit is evenly distributed through the batter. Spoon batter into the prepared Bundt pan filling two-thirds of the pan.

Bake on the center rack of the oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Check the center of the coffeecake with a skewer. It will come out clean when the cake is done. Let cool in a pan for 45 minutes.

Loosen the sides of the cake with a sharp knife. Place a serving plate upside-down on top of the cooled Bundt pan and invert the pan to remove the cake.

This delicious coffeecake is perfect just the way it is, but I like to jazz up the presentation with a few fresh, edible flowers and a dusting of powdered sugar.

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Seattle: Connect Four at Buckleys

Posted on August 4, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

For dinner Wednesday the historic MGM/Loews building and warm lights drew us over to Buckley’s in Belltown. Half of the restaurant/pub is a sports bar with an umm, enthusiastic clientele. One person on UrbanSpoon said that the glow from the rows and rows of flat screens made them feel like they were in the supermarket refrigerator aisle.

Luckily for us there is a cozy restaurant area with tall-backed wooden booths, one of my favorite seating arrangements. I feel like I’m in my own private club compartment.

Reading over the pub’s accolades, I am kind of confused by the fact that Buckey’s won “The best Guinness in Seattle”. Umm, they are brewing Guinness in Seattle? They have the best supplier? They can slow pour like a pro?

We started with the meatloaf sliders. They were OK. I think burgers are really only the proper slider filling. An interesting idea, but didn’t quite fly.

Then we split the fish and chips. All I remember is that the fish was good, but the fries were cold.

OK, so Buckleys is not the place to go for fine dining. But if you are with a group of friends and want to get hammered, eat bar food and play a bunch of fun games, the comfy booths are stocked with retro board games that make for a fun night.

Look how EXCITED these kids are to play Connect Four. They are downright HYSTERICAL

Can I just say that my mom kicks ass at Connect Four. It’s like that Donkey Kong guy.

Of course, every game has its cheaters and sharks, and you best take heed to this warning inside the game cover:

Posted in seattle | 1 Comment

Seattle: Breakfast at Lola

Posted on August 2, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

Wednesday morning we met the sisters for breakfast at Lola. It was a nice atmosphere for a group – the room is large and open. The sadness was overwhelming, but it was comforting to be together, and when my mom picked up the check everyone was genuinely touched. Sometimes it’s those little acts of kindness that give people comfort.

We are all so different from each other – this one won’t eat gluten, and that one won’t eat sugar, but there was enough variety that there was something for everyone at the table.

The menu had a lot of exciting-sounding options; Tom Douglas even dared to put octopus with pork belly on the breakfast menu. “Tom’s big breakfast: pacific octopus hash, sweet pepper, summer squash, pork belly, sunny egg 16” It was tempting but I went traditional.

The smashed garlic fried potatoes appear to have been bashed with a giant cast iron pan and then thrown in the deep-fryer.

Anne’s pork-maple sausage looked delicious

They are known for their fresh donuts, which were exciting. But I had them for “dessert” and maybe they would have been better hot. The strawberry jam and marscapone allowed you to make your own jelly donuts.

We enjoyed breakfast so much, we went back on Thursday. I was tempted by the morel, ramps and fontina omelette. This is the Pacific Northwest, and the morels were unreal.

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Seattle Wednesday: visiting day

Posted on August 1, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

When I was a little girl, there was a Chinese family from Trinidad and Tobago that lived across the lane. All us kids played together. They had mostly girls, and I was kind of like their toy doll for the first few years of my life.

One time when I was around 2 or 3, before carseats, I opened the car door in the backseat of my mom’s station wagon. As I fell out, one of the girls managed to grab the hood of my jacket and pull me back in, saving my life.

I was 18 months old in this picture.

Grace taking us to visit Santa (3 years old)

Since my grandmother lived in Canada, their grandma, Apo, became mine too. Apo used to give me a dollar and tell me to hide it from my brothers. She always had sesame candies or White Rabbit candy to give away. She also grew giant roses in the front yard. That’s probably the reason why every time any of us move into a new home the first thing we do is plant roses.

She used to wear sailor’s watch caps and everyone thought she would be all dainty since she was a litle old lady, like they would try to help her and then she would open her mouth and this strong Trinidadian accent would come out, “Get dat ‘way from me, neh?” She also used to make the most delicious little meat pies. I have the basic recipe, but some of us remember a version made with curry and one with a little ketchup in the filling.

Today we went to visit Grace, Apo’s daughter. She has Apo’s green thumb, and her garden in Seattle was exploding with color.

I still remember these little wooden serving dishes from when I was very small

She made a very dainty lunch for us, with fruit salad in little dessert glasses. She remembered our love for the little meat pies and had gone to the British Pantry to pick up curried chicken and beef pies.

APO’S MEAT PIES

1 pound lean ground beef

1/4 cup chives, chopped fine

Salt, black pepper, garlic powder and English thyme to taste

Margarine

Pastry (see below)

Saute meat, chives, and spices in a little bit of oil. Cool to room temperature and drain off excess oil.

Roll out dough, a little at a time. Cut into 3″ to 4″ diameter circles using a little drinking glass or shot glass.

Put a little meat filling onto the center of one circle of dough. Top with another circle of dough, using a little water to seal the edges.

Pierce top with a fork to let steam escape, and top with a little dot of margarine.

Bake until pastry is golden brown.

PASTRY:

3 cups flour

Dash salt

1 cup shortening

5 to 6 Tablespoons ice water

Mix flour and salt together. Cut in shortening until crumbly. Add a little water at a time until you can form the dough into a ball.

Note: This recipe has no temperature or cooking time, as people used to just know these things. In general oven temperature was usually 350, although it could be as high as 400 for baked goods, and I would guess the cooking time for these pies is around 20 minutes.

Posted in Recipes, seattle | 1 Comment

Back in Seattle Again: Monday

Posted on July 29, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

I flew back today for Lillian’s memorial service. I brought my mother along this time, both to pay her respects and so we could spend time in Vancouver to meet up with relatives. The flight was quick and easy – I love love love Burbank airport. Getting our rental car offsite at the airport was a total bitch – I hate hate hate SeaTac.

I knew my first stop had to be Serious Pie. Nonetheless I wasn’t going to hunt it down…we were just too exhausted. But as we were looking for our hotel parking lot we blew right by it. So we walked a few blocks over and I was able to have my dream realized. I let my mom choose the pizza. She played it safe with the margherita, a slight disappointment when I was so tempted by the sausage and cherry peppers, or Yukon gold potatoes.

But I was able to go a little wild with a seasonal appetizer of artichoke and house-cured pancetta with capers covered with an over-easy egg to break over the top. The fat of the yolk balanced the acidity of the vinagrette on the artichokes. It really is the conceit of the moment, sorry JG. And it works. I love breaking the yolk. Beauty in destruction. The glory of the oozing. Sigh.

The pizza crust was slightly thinner and crispier than on the chanterelle pizza I had gone batshit over last February. Everything was as it should be. I noticed the menu had changed seasonally from February to May.

We made a quick stop in the Blue Dahlia bakery for a cookie

We headed back to the hotel for a nap. We were given a corner room, with buses and road construction on both sides. And a dog park! Yowling, fighting doggies in addition to the honking, screeching traffic. I called down to see if they had an interior room available. The desk person said, “You ARE in the city, you know.” Ohhh, I am such a hillbilly from the sticks I am only used to the lowing of the cows and the cock’s crow. Well, I’ll tell you this – my hotel on Times Square was not this noisy. But once my head hit the pillow I slept like a baby. It’s amazing what one can do with a little help from earplugs and Pfizer.

I woke up around 6 wanting only a simple bowl of soup. we decided to walk down to Tamara Murphy’s Brasa, because it might as well be one hell of a bowl of soup. We were led astray by a DineLA-ish 3-course meal for only 30 dollars.

We both started with the tomato soup. It was clean, pure and comforting. My only issue is this thing about finishing soups with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. I am not a fan of olive oil in my soup.

I ordered the Papardelle. It was a little under-seasoned. Maye a lot under-seasoned. It was nice to let the purity of the vegetables remain intact, but I was thinking what a difference a few more shavings of Parmesan would do. Just then I found a hidden stash of Parmesan that must have been pushed to the middle as we split the dish. It really did make the dish sing (did I just say that? I am such a dork).

The cassoulet-inspired rabbit was generous in portion and cooked to the exact right moment of doneness. Surrounded with bits of thick-cut-bacon and pork belly, it was in its element. It was like when God made rabbits, He said, “By the way, they go really well with pork belly.” The texture of the white beans and bitterness of the kale rounded things out.

We both ordered the trio of gelato. The dark chocolate was a step up on the usual, the strawberry was the berry reduced to its most intense, and the vanilla – wait, that’s not vanilla…it has that creme caramel, dulce de leche feel. Mmmmmm, caramel gelato! In a precious quenelle. The butter cookie could have used an additional spice, but butter is butter, after all.

The food was just so honest and clean. Every dish was well thought-out, with not one ingredient too many or too few. Nothing was extraneous. Even the bread was all that it could be. The employees were all friendly, as people in this level of restaurant tend to be. Our waiter was hesitant and distant until we engaged him, and then became very friendly. The room was comfortable, and invited a slow, langourious meal.

So now I sit here in my room, watching the rain illuminated by a streetlight, the wind howling like a haunting, feeling perfectly content and safe.

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The Wedding Cake of Deceit

Posted on July 25, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

When my friend Kristina told me she was having brownies instead of a cake at her wedding, I was aghast. “You need something to cut! What about the pictures? Don’t worry. I’ll make you a cake.”

Never mind that I had never made a wedding cake before. I grew up watching my mother make a million of them; she baked cakes at home to make money and still be a stay-at-home mom. And I had once made a cake that looked exactly like a drum set, so this would be even easier.

I sold Kristina on a carrot cake because the one thing I have never been able to do it get perfectly smooth icing. I figured with a mix of buttercream and cream cheese frosting, people would expect it to be a little rough.

I called my mom to discuss piping, and she was right on board to come help me. So the plan was set. I would bake the cake and do the crumb coat, then she would come over and do a perfect, smooth icing and gorgeous professional Wilton School piping.

Well, it turned out to be over 100 degrees that week, and my house isn’t air-conditioned. So my mom offered to bake the cakes at her house, which is down by the beach and nice and cool.

So early on wedding day, my mom showed up with three coolers, each with a perfectly iced cake set on a board which was set on top of dozens of blue ice packs. All I had to do was assemble them. Oh, and the topper wasn’t made yet.

So yeah, my mom made the cake, Kristina. The truth comes out!

I flew around in a panic to a bunch of florists that were all closed on Saturdays and finally alighted at Ralphs supermarket. Luckily, the lady seemed to know what I wanted. I bought white roses and sunflowers and left her to make a topper while I got ready.

When I got back to the store on the way to the wedding, the topper was beautiful, but it was MASSIVE. Oh God, it would topple the cake. We hurridly pulled out stems and cut them closer. As we drove to the wedding, my mom called, “I forgot to tell you. I put some bacon under one of the cakes for you. They were on sale.” We considered pulling over and trying to lift the cakes out and imagined total disaster.

I decided, “Well, it’s probably sealed. If not, if the cake tastes like bacon it tastes like bacon. Kristina loves bacon.”

When we made it to the yacht club and I assembled the cake, I still had to do the piping where the layers meet. Let’s just say it was loopy at best. Mom’s perfect icing had also suffering a little from the heat. I could only hope that the topper was so spectacular no one would notice the droopy piping.

But the topper was too heavy. It was going to make the cake fall. The flowers were set into a plastic tub filled with that green florists sponge. So I grabbed an empty plate and a knife and cut out the middle of the top layer of cake in a perfect plastic-tub-sized circle. I forced the topper’s plastic tub down into the hole and prayed it wouldn’t collapse.

Pictures were taken, the cake taken to the kitchen to be cut, and it turned out to be the most delicious, moist carrot cake ever. Everyone complimented me and I said, “Oh, it was nothing.”

Mom’s Carrot Cake

2 cups sugar
1 1/2 oil
4 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Cream sugar, oil and eggs.

Gradually add dry ingredients.

Stir in carrots, nuts and coconut.

Pour batter into a greased 9 by 13-inch cake pan.

Bake about 50-55 minutes

They had cute retro finger sandwiches to nibble on while the wedding party took their photographs.

Never eat anything bigger than your head

Ironically, the brownies were set up as I had feared – as a symbolic wedding cake, topper and all. So I basically forced a cake upon a bride who already had a “wedding cake.”

Posted in Recipes | 3 Comments

The Amazing Spuderito

Posted on July 22, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

Rick’s Drive-in in Pasadena serves old-style burgers, shakes, and fries, but those in the know go there for one thing – the spuderito. Stuffed with french fries, tomato sauce, cheese, onions and salsa, this messy burrito comes with a huge handful of napkins. Really, it is so spicy it is almost more like a salsarito. If you like, you can add meat for a dollar ten, but that really isn’t what the spuderito is all about.

The owner, Ralph, started making spuderitos for himself around 10 years ago and so many people asked for them he finally put them up on the board next to the French burger (on grilled sourdough) and the pineapple milkshake. Sadly, the milkshakes are no longer made with real ice cream. You can “blame the guy who came to fix it.”

Other exciting menu items at Rick’s are the taco burger and the Combo E., which is a burrito with everything. But for us it’s about the spuderitos. Get one before Rick’s is forced out by condos and has to move. You just might get addicted and have to buy spuderitos three at a time and hoard them like certain people we know.

680 East Walnut, Pasadena CA 91101

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Ciao Cristina! Hello Fantastic Pizza!

Posted on July 20, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

There are certain signs that you can recognize as harbingers of great Italian food. Men greeting each other with hugs upon entering Ciao Cristina was a very good sign, as was the lyrical sound of Italian being spoken by nearby diners.

The menu is standard, everyday Italian fare — panini, pizza, and pasta. But upon closer inspection, the pizza is NY/Neopolitan style, the lasagne is pastisso, and the panini are stuffed with fillings like bresaola, prosciutto and capiciolla (gabagool, for you Sopranos fans). The room is packed, the men are hugging, the food is flying past, and the pizza is practically paperthin. This is definitely not your standard, everyday Italian cafe. Ciao Cristina is a family-run restaurant whose dedication to the food and love for people comes through in every dish.

You have probably passed the old building that houses Ciao Cristina on Barham traveling between Hollywood and the valley and not even noticed it. It is easy to get distracted by the gigantic Warners Brothers TV posters and insane new glow-in-the-dark mural of The Superfriends and Daffy Duck. The location was previously occupied by Que’s River Bar, where rumor had it the “special of the house” was more of a happy ending than a happy hour.

Husband and wife team, Cristina and Alan Donovan opened the bar/pizzaria/tavola calda just a few months ago, and there are already crowds out the door. They certainly have the chops needed to take on their first venture. Cristina started out as a pastry chef, honing her craft in kitchens that included The Beverly Hilton. Venice-born Cristina learned how to make Italian food not in a culinary school, but at her mother’s knee. Interestingly, her family had booked passage to the United States on the Andrea Dora, but her mother changed her mind at the last minute to sail out of Venice instead of Genoa. Alan’s professional life has been varied, including working as an airline pilot. he is a certified “Verace Pizziolo Neopolitino”.

The warm interior, designed by Alicia St John is subtly influenced by the Italian comedie del arte. The building was refurbished green, recycling as many of the original elements as possible, and adding environmentally-friendly air-conditioning and heating. Although the bare tables and wooden chairs do not seem to invite lingering, one can’t help but fall into easy conversation with the owners, the employees, their friends, and even people standing in line for gelato. It is already a neighborhood joint.

The paninis are more filling than bread, an exciting rarity. The prosciutto stuffed into one of the paninis is an embarassment of riches. The Salume, which includes a variety of meats including salami and capicolla oozes with melting mortadella.

The soups are house-made, and the Zuppa di Pesce, served only on Fridays and Saturdays, is worth a special trip to the restaurant. The rustic tomato soup thick with bits of cod is flavorful and comforting. Just like you wish mama used to make.

The giant NY-style pizza is barely contained by the takeout box, and the ends of the crust curve up at the sides to fit. The margherita is traditional, and delicious with fresh mozzarella and basil. It is so thin it almost has to be folded in half and eaten New York-style.

Attention and care is put into even the side dishes. The polenta is addictive, and made me realize everyone else has been making it wrong all of these years. Paninis are served with house-made potato chips or an organic salad, and both are good choices.

With a former pastry chef at the helm, the desserts at Ciao Cristina are heaven. The cannoli is rich and smooth with whispers of chocolate and candied fruit. The gelato is from Beto’s in Arizona, a family company. It is smooth, creamy and refreshing.

The restaurant also serves natural, antibiotic and hormone-free chicken, organic greens like wild arugala, and is certified by The Green Reataurant Association as a green restaurant. The only other restaurants in Los Angeles that are GRA certified green are Alcove, Le Pain Quotidien and Mozza. Ciao Cristina purifies their own water, “makes” their own sparkling water, and serves organic wines and vodka. Their takeout containers are compostable, and they don’t use foam or plastic bags.

Ciao Cristina has a full bar, with 14 beers on tap and a signature martini, the “Ca’ d’Oro” flecked with gold. There are a variety of interesting nonalcoholic beverages, including espresso, naturally.

Ciao Cristina is a welcome addition to the neighborhood, and I have a feeling we will all be hugging the owner at the door ourselves in no time.

4201 W Olive Ave Burbank, CA 91505
(818) 563-2426

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It’s a Regular Sausage Fest at Wurstkuche!

Posted on July 19, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

Third and Traction in downtown LA has long been the unofficial town square for punkers, loftdwellers, artists, and the slightly unbalanced denizens of LA’s outer reaches. With the closing of Al’s Bar, and the more recent closing of Bloom’s General Store, the corner has had little more than a sushi place, a Mexican hole-in-the-wall and a proliferation of guerilla art keeping it alive.

Wurstkuche, which opened last November in the former location of the Wolfskill Theater (and before that, Alberto’s underground “Clubhouse”), has brought the crowds back to Third and Traction with free-flowing Belgian beer and simple food done right.

The door to sausage heaven

Restaurants that try to diversify too much are always a bad sign. Cousins Tyler Wilson and Joseph Pitruzzelli knew the secret of a successful restaurant is to serve one or two items that are pure perfection. What goes better with beer than sausages and french fries? As American as that may sound, this place has a decidedly brewhaus bent, with over 20 German and Belgian beers on tap, along with one concession – a Pabst Blue Ribbon – maybe just for the irony.

The food is simple, but not without flair. The thick pomme frites are served with a variety of dipping sauces, like Curry Ketchup, Thai Peanut and Pesto Mayonnaise. You can also order them with a white truffle oil glaze. Swank.

Along with some truly exotic sausages (Rattlesnake and Rabbit with Jalapeno Peppers, Alligator and Pork smoked Andouille) there are four vegetarian sausages, including Mexican Chipotle and Apple Sage. Other than the vegetarian options, all of the sausages are made with natural casings, all of them pork casings except for the Apricot and Ginger, made with chicken and turkey in a lamb casing.

You can even pick the specific sausage if you want, “No, mister! That one! On the left!”

There are four toppings available for your meat: Caramelized Onion, Sweet Peppers, Spicy Peppers, and Sauerkraut, not to mention a wide variety of mustards.

The sausages come from at least four different purveyers, so although they are all high quality, there will not always be a consistency from sausage to sausage. The Kielbasa had a tight snap and was nice and juicy with lots of flavor. The andouille had a similar snap, but a much heartier, slightly tougher texture. The heat was not so intense as to make the sausage inedible, which is a common mistake with Louisiana sausages. The apple and sage flavors in the vegetarian sausage were not very pronounced, even after scraping all of the toppings off. Without a casing, there was no snap at all. The texture was that Gardenburger-esque veggie softness that may not be to everyone’s taste. But vegetarians should love it.

Top-to-bottom, Kielbasa with sauerkraut, Alligator Pork Andouille with onions and sweet peppers, and Vegetarian Apple Sage with onions and hot peppers

The fries are like thick pomme frites, with a crispy exterior and steaming hot soft insides. This was the large, or “Groot” Hey, if Starbucks and IKEA can make up their own languages, why not these guys?

The ambiance is open and comfortable, with wall-to-wall crowds at lunch rush and weekend nights. During a weekday afternoon, the mood is slow and easy.

The restaurant stays open until midnight, but sometimes the bar will stay open a little later if there is a good crowd. Prices are reasonable, starting at six bucks for a classic sausage, and only 7.75 for an exotic. Beers are mostly 5.50 or 8 dollars, but we are talking about imports.

Speaking of sausage fest, did I mention that most of the employees are really cute and flirtatious boys? (makes the “call me” gesture)

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New Orleans: One Last Look

Posted on July 15, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

After lunch, we finally made it to the Aquarium if the Americas. I had been upset to learn the sharks had all died when the electricity went off during Katrina. They once had an amazing shark collection. It took 5 million dollars to restock the aquarium.

It was heartening to see the big glass wall standing strong. There aren’t as many sharks as there once were, and the bald eagle was nowhere in sight, but the albino alligator was still in the house, and it was an inspiration – even if he was hiding.

This is a lionfish. They are extremely poisonous. My brother used to have one in a tank, and they would feed the fish shrimp by hand. One guy stuck his arm in too far and got stung by the jellyfish-like tentacles on this fish’s back. His arm swelled up like a balloon. My brother called the ER and came back saying, “There is no antivenom. It either won’t hurt you or it could kill you. All you can do is wait.”

I like rays and skates because it always looks like they are smiling

That’s a moray. I know, it’s irresistible. So one time, my brother was feeding his moray eel by hand and it clamped onto his hand and wouldn’t let go, and he was flailing around with it attached to his hand, swinging it around. Bob was chasing him with the ice cooler to try to catch it safely, his wife was calling 911 and I was laughing my ass off. He’s really got to stop feeding the fish like that.

And you can’t leave New Orleans without Cafe du Monde beignets. They won’t even let you on the plane.

A little lagniappe

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The Phoenixes of New Orleans

Posted on July 12, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

Wednesday we visited some New Orleans institutions that were practically destroyed by Katrina and have risen from the ashes. When the hurricane hit, Willie Mae Seaton left town with only the clothes on her back and her James Beard award in her purse. After Katrina nearly destroyed the place, volunteers organized by the Beard Foundation and the Southern Foodways Alliance helped to rebuild. There is even a documentary.

The restaurant is now being run by Willie Mae’s great-granddaughter, Kerry Seaton. Willie Mae’s Scothch House on St. Ann is famous for their fried chicken and is a destination spot for lovers of local cuisine like Ed Levine and the Roadfooders.

One of my favorite restaurants, Dooky Chases, is just around the corner from Willie Mae’s. When I realized there was a 45 minute wait, I thought I’d check out Dooky Chase during the interim. There have been various rumors about Dooky Chase since Katrina, that it’s only open on certain days or only for takeout.

Then I did something only a crazy foodie with limited time would do – I walked around the corner and ate lunch while I waited for my lunch.

Dooky Chase is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 11 to 3 for a buffet lunch. The day I arrived, they didn’t have the delicious fried chicken. On the Wednesday I was there we had baked chicken and a number of side dishes.

Andouille sausages

Let’s see, ummm, baked chicken, succotash, dirty rice, white rice, red beans, white beans, creole shrimp, greens…

I have always loved Leah Chase, ever since I saw her on TV making an entire meal casually using a fork as her only cooking utensil. And who was still in the kitchen, whipping up the lunch? The lady herself.

For “second lunch”, I made my way back to the Scotch House. Their fried chicken IS the best fried chicken in the world. The skin was as rich a pork cracklins. Just look at that crispy skin!

You can get the usual red beans and rice

but the side dish not to miss are the butter beans, which are seriously creamy – and hammy.

The small dining room encourages comraderie (if you didn’t already share life stories while waiting in line). These friendly people let me photograph their food.

There were homey tchotchkes on narrow shelves

Because these aren’t just restaurants. These places are home.

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The Whole City is a Cemetary

Posted on July 11, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

Whenever I go to New Orleans, I love photographing the beautiful statuary in the cemetaries. I find beauty in the crumbling stone angels. I realized as we drove along the freeway, passing the cemetaries of Metarie, that this time I had no desire at all to visit a cemetary. I realized the whole city is a cemetary.

I haven’t been bringing the huricane up because I don’t want to be a downer, but every single day there has been some reminder of Katrina and its devastation. Every day I saw something that made my heart ache. Passing by the convention center, my mind was filled with images, of people screaming at the news cameras for water, an old lady in a wheelchair forgotten in a corner. Staring at the bridge that crosses the Mississippi, I saw the people stranded at the top as flood waters lapped at the bottom.

I chose not to take the 9th ward tour, because I really didn’t have to. Everywhere you go outside of the quarter there are still houses with that giant, unforgettable X painted on the side. It is impossible not to look for the body count and feel relief when there is none. Homes are torn in half, and windows are broken out.

As I caught up with old friends, everyone had a story. Shalai said, “One day everything was normal, then the next day it was like living in a ghost movie.” She said even when you think you have a good apartment, eventually the mold comes creeping and makes their homes unlivable.

This is Mike Anderson’s, where I got married. Closed. Post-flood inspections showed that they would have to make the floor higher and they chose to let it go.

At least the gorgeous balcony is still there. Someone will fix it up eventually. Let’s ust hope to God it’s not a Daquiri shop.

Street art and T-shirts still tell the story.

People keep asking me how New Orleans is. Almost 4 years after Katrina, the city is still in shambles. But the people are not. The spirit of the people is indominable. This is not the first hurricane. It is not the first time that the levees broke. New Orleans is a town that was built on cemetaries, voodoo, and disaster. Time after time it has dusted itself off, raised a glass and continued to celebrate life. And I have faith that New Orleans will continue to do just that.

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