There are a number of established, vaunted LA institutions to which I have shamefully never been. I've never had Welsh rarebit and a tableside Caesar salad at Musso & Frank's Grill, I've never had a reuben and Brent's Deli and I've never had a bowl of chili at Chili My Soul. Until recently, I had never sat down to a bowl of ramen at Daikokuya, the Little Tokyo ramen temple with additional locations in Costa Mesa and Monterey Park. I am happy to say I have now remedied that sad situation.
The Daikokuya ramen bowl is truly a thing of beauty. As I slurped, I debated whether the rich, murky brown, intensely porky broth even qualified as a soup as opposed to a gravy or jus. The broth dominates the dish, as it should, making the nicely chewy noodles almost an afterthought. One of the unexpected delights of the ramen is a hard boiled egg, so saturated with broth that it tastes almost like a pork product. As I ate the porky egg, I thought of a Dr. Seuss-like egg laying pig.
The Daikokuya ramen pairs well with a side of salmon roe on rice (available together as a combination) and an order of gyoza. Being a porketarian, I ordered the pork cutlet with my ramen. The cutlet was probably the meal's only weakness. It was very eggy. The sauce was a bit too sweet, and it made the crispy, fried coating soggy.
My favorite ramen in LA is at Santoka Ramen at the Mitsuwa Market in West LA, so that is what I naturally compared Daikokuya to, though I did not do a side by side comparison. The broth at Santoka is also wonderful, but a bit more greasy than Daikokuya's. The actual pork slices in the ramen are better at Santoka. At Daikokuya, they were flimsy and seemed to be more of a flavoring agent than an actual element of the meal. It would definitely be a close call between these two great ramens; we will have to set a date for a ramen-off.
I always feel like something sweet after eating a lot of pork, and after poking around at the Little Tokyo Mall, across the street from Daikokuya, we found a little, generic-looking ice cream parlor that serves Fossleman's ice cream. A scoop of Fossleman's taro ice cream was a perfect end to the meal.
Daikokuya
327 E. First Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 626-1680
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Hawaiian Chocolate
I love Hawaii and I love Chocolate, so trying Hawaiian chocolate was a natural for me. As our most tropical state, Hawaii is the only state that can actually grow things like coffee and chocolate.
About ten years ago, I tasted my some excellent chocolate from Hawaiian Vintage Chocolate, which arrived early to the American artisanal chocolate movement. For whatever reason, while craft chocolate has exploded in the US, Hawaiian Vintage has moved toward a commercial sales model which deemphasizes retail sales. They only sell chocolate to the public through their website and have only a limited selection with no bars.
There are some other Hawaiian bars on the market and today we will sample three chocolate bars from two makers.
Malie Kai Chocolates, Single Origin Waialua Estate, 55% cacao
Dole's Malie Kai Chocolates are made from cacao grown at the Waialua Estate on the North Shore of Oahu. While the beans are grown in Hawaii, they are processed by the old Guittard chocolate company in San Francisco.
The Malie Kai had a nice chocolate scent and a good mouthfeel, but it was much too sweet, even for the relatively low 55% cacao level. I generally like Guittard and this definitely tastes like at Guittard product. I'll have to try the 70% bar.
Original Hawaiian Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, 60% cacao
Unlike Malie Kai, Original Hawaiian Chocolate both grows its cacao and makes its chocolate in Hawaii. They have single estate bars, but the bar I'm sampling is a blend. The cacao is grown on the Big Island.
The Original Hawaiian Chocolate (OHC) bar was also quite sweet and had a sort of clay-like mouth feel that I didn't care for. It also had a bit of a chemically taste. It uses both soy lecithin and vanilla powder in place of vanilla beans. Possibly the off tastes and mouthfeel I get from this bar came from those ingredients.
Malie Kai Kona Coffee Espresso
Malie Kai also makes a Kona coffee bar made with "Kona blend" beans. I enjoyed this bar which had a nice strong coffee taste. It was almost like the bar form of a chocolate covered espresso bean. As with all of these bars, though, it is on the sweet side.
I'm still waiting to try a truly remarkable Hawaiian chocolate bar. For now, these chocolates aren't yet playing in the big leagues.
About ten years ago, I tasted my some excellent chocolate from Hawaiian Vintage Chocolate, which arrived early to the American artisanal chocolate movement. For whatever reason, while craft chocolate has exploded in the US, Hawaiian Vintage has moved toward a commercial sales model which deemphasizes retail sales. They only sell chocolate to the public through their website and have only a limited selection with no bars.
There are some other Hawaiian bars on the market and today we will sample three chocolate bars from two makers.
Malie Kai Chocolates, Single Origin Waialua Estate, 55% cacao
Dole's Malie Kai Chocolates are made from cacao grown at the Waialua Estate on the North Shore of Oahu. While the beans are grown in Hawaii, they are processed by the old Guittard chocolate company in San Francisco.
The Malie Kai had a nice chocolate scent and a good mouthfeel, but it was much too sweet, even for the relatively low 55% cacao level. I generally like Guittard and this definitely tastes like at Guittard product. I'll have to try the 70% bar.
Original Hawaiian Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, 60% cacao
Unlike Malie Kai, Original Hawaiian Chocolate both grows its cacao and makes its chocolate in Hawaii. They have single estate bars, but the bar I'm sampling is a blend. The cacao is grown on the Big Island.
The Original Hawaiian Chocolate (OHC) bar was also quite sweet and had a sort of clay-like mouth feel that I didn't care for. It also had a bit of a chemically taste. It uses both soy lecithin and vanilla powder in place of vanilla beans. Possibly the off tastes and mouthfeel I get from this bar came from those ingredients.
Malie Kai Kona Coffee Espresso
Malie Kai also makes a Kona coffee bar made with "Kona blend" beans. I enjoyed this bar which had a nice strong coffee taste. It was almost like the bar form of a chocolate covered espresso bean. As with all of these bars, though, it is on the sweet side.
I'm still waiting to try a truly remarkable Hawaiian chocolate bar. For now, these chocolates aren't yet playing in the big leagues.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Whiskey Wednesday: Microdistilleries to Watch
As I learned in compiling my Complete List of American Whiskey Distilleries, the world of craft distilleries is booming. In doing the research, I found a number of whiskey distilleries or planned distilleries that do not yet have anything on the market. I thought I would list these distilleries so we can follow their progress. The status of these operations varies from working distilleries that have whiskey maturing in barrels to projects that seem to be little more than a guy with passion and a website. In any case, the following distilleries are either producing or have plans (or dreams) to produce whiskey but don't have anything on the market yet.
Balcones Distillery, Waco, TX. This distillery is under construction with plans to make a single malt whiskey.
Dryfly Distilling, Spokane, Washington. This producer of gin and vodka is currently ageing their DryFly Single Malt Whiskey.
Ellensburg Distillery, Ellensburg, Washington. Ellensburg licensed a distillery in October 2008 and is selling futures for Gold Buckle Club Washington Frontier Style Whisky, a cask strength rye whiskey.
Garrison Brothers Distillery, Hye, TX. Garrison Brothers is currently ageing its Texas Bourbon, a wheater, which it hopes to release in 2011.
Nashoba Distillery, Boston, MA. This winery turned distillery is planning to release a five year old single malt in August 2009.
Penobscot Bay Distillery, Winterport, ME. This micro plans to open this year and aspires to produce Bourbon, rye, single malt and multi-grain whiskies. You can read about their start-up on Slashfood's Diary of a Distiller.
Pioneer Spirits, Chico, CA. This new Northern California distillery reports that they have a California corn whiskey "in production" as well as a light rum.
Roughstock Distillery, Bozeman, MT. This distillery is making Roughstock Montana Whiskey, a single malt which they claim will soon be coming to "a liquor store or watering hole near you."
Wyoming Whiskey, Kirby Wyoming. Wyoming Whiskey have plans to make "America's next great bourbon." It's not clear that they have built a distillery yet.
If you know of any others, please let me know, and if you are from one of these distilleries, I'd love to hear from you about your plans and progress.
Balcones Distillery, Waco, TX. This distillery is under construction with plans to make a single malt whiskey.
Dryfly Distilling, Spokane, Washington. This producer of gin and vodka is currently ageing their DryFly Single Malt Whiskey.
Ellensburg Distillery, Ellensburg, Washington. Ellensburg licensed a distillery in October 2008 and is selling futures for Gold Buckle Club Washington Frontier Style Whisky, a cask strength rye whiskey.
Garrison Brothers Distillery, Hye, TX. Garrison Brothers is currently ageing its Texas Bourbon, a wheater, which it hopes to release in 2011.
Nashoba Distillery, Boston, MA. This winery turned distillery is planning to release a five year old single malt in August 2009.
Penobscot Bay Distillery, Winterport, ME. This micro plans to open this year and aspires to produce Bourbon, rye, single malt and multi-grain whiskies. You can read about their start-up on Slashfood's Diary of a Distiller.
Pioneer Spirits, Chico, CA. This new Northern California distillery reports that they have a California corn whiskey "in production" as well as a light rum.
Roughstock Distillery, Bozeman, MT. This distillery is making Roughstock Montana Whiskey, a single malt which they claim will soon be coming to "a liquor store or watering hole near you."
Wyoming Whiskey, Kirby Wyoming. Wyoming Whiskey have plans to make "America's next great bourbon." It's not clear that they have built a distillery yet.
If you know of any others, please let me know, and if you are from one of these distilleries, I'd love to hear from you about your plans and progress.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Unlucky Devils
It's always sad to see the decline of a good restaurant. More than once, I have witnessed a much loved eatery decline into mediocrity, and it's never fun.
I was a big fan of Lucky Devils when it first opened, with their juicy burgers, perfectly cooked fries and luscious, toasted pecan shake. I stopped going for multiple reasons, including the shrinking shake but also the inconvenient lack of high chairs once I had a high chair bound child. I recently went back a few weeks ago and was sorely disappointed.
The once great fries were now salted to death. The shake remains small but now also had a somewhat sour taste that was unpleasant and seemed to have less of a toasted pecan taste as well. The burgers were fine and the cobbler with frozen custard was still very good. Gone from the menu was one of my favorite desserts, the Kentucky Cream Cake.
In addition, the place itself doesn't look great. I'm not sure if they are in the process of remodeling or have just let it fall apart. There are parts of the walls which appear to be stripped of paint. The old TVs which ran a montage of extreme sport and nature shots have been replaced by regular TVs playing basketball games. In other words, the aesthetic, along with the food, has suffered.
The patronage has, as you might expect, dropped off. I went on a Thursday night and the place was empty. There was one other person there, a solo diner, during any part of our meal. The economy you say? Perhaps, but Loteria Grill, only two doors down, was packed on that same night.
I guess nothing goes on forever, but I will always remember the toasted pecan shake the way it was meant to be.
I was a big fan of Lucky Devils when it first opened, with their juicy burgers, perfectly cooked fries and luscious, toasted pecan shake. I stopped going for multiple reasons, including the shrinking shake but also the inconvenient lack of high chairs once I had a high chair bound child. I recently went back a few weeks ago and was sorely disappointed.
The once great fries were now salted to death. The shake remains small but now also had a somewhat sour taste that was unpleasant and seemed to have less of a toasted pecan taste as well. The burgers were fine and the cobbler with frozen custard was still very good. Gone from the menu was one of my favorite desserts, the Kentucky Cream Cake.
In addition, the place itself doesn't look great. I'm not sure if they are in the process of remodeling or have just let it fall apart. There are parts of the walls which appear to be stripped of paint. The old TVs which ran a montage of extreme sport and nature shots have been replaced by regular TVs playing basketball games. In other words, the aesthetic, along with the food, has suffered.
The patronage has, as you might expect, dropped off. I went on a Thursday night and the place was empty. There was one other person there, a solo diner, during any part of our meal. The economy you say? Perhaps, but Loteria Grill, only two doors down, was packed on that same night.
I guess nothing goes on forever, but I will always remember the toasted pecan shake the way it was meant to be.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Super Salumi: Fra'Mani
Fra'Mani is a Berkeley based producer of hand crafted salumi, or cured pork products. Founded and run by Chez Panisse alum Paul Bertolli, Fra'Mani makes various styles of dry salami, sausages and pate.
I've enjoyed their products in the past, but for my recent birthday, I was lucky enough to get a big Fra'Mani gift pack. There were all pretty wonderful, but not for the faint of heart. These are big, spicy, garlicky pork products, full of fat and protein, but no hormones or other unnatural ingredients. Here's how they stacked up.
Pork Liver Mousse: For pates, I generally favor fowl, but this pork liver mousse was phenomenal. It was creamy, but not quite as strong as I expected. The pork melded well with the spices, and there was a good, thick layer of aspic on top.
Classic Italian Sausage: This was a great sausage, with great pork flavor, if a bit heavy on the garlic.
Spicy Italian Sausage: This one was more like a chorizo. It was red, with big chunks of fat and, when cooked up, leaked that deep orange grease that you get with chorizo. Like all of these products, it was hyped up on garlic. As to the spiciness, it had a light kick, but nothing to heavy in that department.
Breakfast Sausage: Of all the sausages, this was my favorite. It was like a breakfast link on steroids, with more spice and juicier, more flavorful pork. They held back a bit on the garlic with this one, which was good.
Salametto, dry salame: This is great dry salami in small doses. It is a huge garlic bomb, which makes it a tad overwhelming, but I still can't seem to stop eating it.
Salametto Piccante, spicy dry chorizo: I loved this chorizo in a dry salami-form, something I hadn't had before. It has a nice, light hotness to it and contrasts well with the Salametto.
All of these were good, though Bertolli could use the occasional restraint with the garlic. If you like the pork and the garlic, you should definitely explore some Fra'Mani products.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Whiskey Wednesday: Bush Babies - Two Bushmills
We continue our series on Irish Whiskey with a look at two whiskies from Bushmills. The only one of the three Irish Whiskey distilleries that we have yet to review any bottles from, Bushmills is located in Northern Ireland.
Along with Midleton's Jameson, Bushmills' standard blend is one of the big players in Irish Whiskey. I will forgo that ubiquitous blend, and instead taste two popular Bushmills whiskies: Black Bush blend and Bushmills 10 year old single malt.
Black Bush, 40% alcohol ($25-$30)
Black Bush is a blended whiskey matured in sherry casks. It has a nice, malty-sherry nose. The flavor follows up with both malt and sherry...very Scotch tasting, like a lighter version of Macallan. I really enjoyed this Bushmills. It would make a good everyday drink; it's flavorful, has some complexity but isn't too heavy. Very nice.
Bushmills Malt, 10 years old, 40% alcohol ($25-$30).
Bushmills Malt is a triple distilled single malt aged in two woods, Bourbon and sherry. The nose is very light with a bit of malt and a perfumy quality. The flavor is also light, with malt, hay and a slight sweetness and sherry taste at the end. It's a nice whiskey, but a bit too light for my tastes.
I usually prefer single malts over blends, but I have to say that I preferred the bolder taste of Black Bush to the Bushmills Malt. I'd never before sampled any Bushmills beyond the standard blend and found both of these impressive.
Along with Midleton's Jameson, Bushmills' standard blend is one of the big players in Irish Whiskey. I will forgo that ubiquitous blend, and instead taste two popular Bushmills whiskies: Black Bush blend and Bushmills 10 year old single malt.
Black Bush, 40% alcohol ($25-$30)
Black Bush is a blended whiskey matured in sherry casks. It has a nice, malty-sherry nose. The flavor follows up with both malt and sherry...very Scotch tasting, like a lighter version of Macallan. I really enjoyed this Bushmills. It would make a good everyday drink; it's flavorful, has some complexity but isn't too heavy. Very nice.
Bushmills Malt, 10 years old, 40% alcohol ($25-$30).
Bushmills Malt is a triple distilled single malt aged in two woods, Bourbon and sherry. The nose is very light with a bit of malt and a perfumy quality. The flavor is also light, with malt, hay and a slight sweetness and sherry taste at the end. It's a nice whiskey, but a bit too light for my tastes.
I usually prefer single malts over blends, but I have to say that I preferred the bolder taste of Black Bush to the Bushmills Malt. I'd never before sampled any Bushmills beyond the standard blend and found both of these impressive.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Doughnut Days: Arcadia Crullers
As you may recall, in the spring, I eat doughnuts, lots of doughnuts. Well, actually I eat many fewer the older I get, but I still do a doughnut tour every spring. I always hit a few favorites but also try to find something new each spring.
I've been to all of the touted Doughnutteries, and every year it becomes harder to find something new and promising. This year, I consulted the good folks at Chowhound where poster JeetJet turned me on to two Arcadia doughnut shops within a couple of miles of each other: A.M. Donuts and Peacock Donuts.
We started at A.M., which is located in a strip mall under a sign that simply reads "Donuts." I tried a raised glazed (my standard), a buttermilk bar and an old fashioned. The raised glazed was light and pillowy, as promised, but it was a bit bland. It lacked the yeasty flavors that I love from Stan's in Westwood, and it was a too sweet. The other doughnuts were competent, but not particularly exciting.
Then it was on to Peacock, where we tried the glazed French cruller. Now, while my doughnut days usually focus on raised glazed, I love a French cruller; I've always been a fan of the cruller's light, airy consistency. The crullers at Peacock were out of this world. The dough had a wonderfully soft, moist, egginess to it, almost like a custard. I quickly ordered more. These were definitely the best French crullers I've had in town, though I should note that I've never had the crullers at Donut Man in Glendora, which are much loved (they were out of them the time I went). If you love crullers, Peacock Doughnuts is definitely worth a trip. Both these places open early but close when the doughnuts run out, which is usually around 2:00 p.m.
Peacock Donuts
34 E. Duarte Rd.
Arcadia, CA 91006
(626) 445-6564
A.M. Donuts
34 W. Las Tunas Dr.
Arcadia, CA 91007
(626) 574-0160
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