The Tavern

Brentwood is not the same as it was when I first moved here. And that is a good thing. For quite a number of months, I have watched the slow transformation of a Hamburger Hamlet (a restaurant I have never been) turn into a beautiful hot spot, Tavern (a restaurant I want to go to everyday). Tavern (and Larder) is the product of renowned restaurateurs Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne. Their other amazing restaurants include A.O.C. and Lucques. Also, Suzanne Goin and her husband, David Lentz, own the delicious Hungry Cat.

A few weekends ago, my roommate and I decided we would go for drinks and appetizers at the bar. We went around six, which was early enough to avoid the dinner crowd. The stools at the bar counter were full, but the chairs and tables surrounding the bar were still available. The bar is beautiful. The design of the bar (and everywhere else) is well thought out; fluidly chic from the lighting to the upholstery on the chairs. The service was also excellent and consistent even as the place progressively became more crowded.

First drink: I had a glass of Cabernet. Instead of writing down the exact wine or trying to memorize what I ordered, I thought I could just go online and check their wine menu. Sadly, they don’t have it up. So I don’t know exactly which one I ordered.

Second Drink: Lucques Gimlet - Hangar One Vodka, fresh lime juice, and mint. Delicious. In my humble opinion, I prefer the cocktails to the wine. And in no way is that a criticism to the wine list, but instead a compliment to the cocktail menu. All their cocktails are creative and delicious. I would order any of them and be satisfied.

While I was there to just have a few drinks, my roommate ordered some bar food which I was fortunately able to sample:

Steak tartare with quail egg - It is hard to believe that I was a vegetarian for eight years, because I could eat this perfectly seasoned tartare with quail egg everyday. And part of me wants to only to catch up on the lost carnivorous years.

Gougères with french radishes - A gougères is a choux pastry (light  pastry dough made from butter, water, fllour and eggs) filled with cheese. I think Tavern follows tradition and makes their gougères with gruyere cheese, but I could be wrong and plan to return soon to taste again. A French radish, also known as French Breakfast Radish, is an elongated red-skinned and white root base. I only had one, but that is all I needed to fall in love. It’s a cheese pastry in a ball form that you can pop into your mouth. What’s not to like about it? 

The Tavern and the Larder (marketplace/café) are wonderful additions to my neighborhood. I love that in a short walk I can be consuming tasty drinks and amazing dishes. I plan to go back in the future, repeatedly.

AWOL

There really is no excuse for my lack of posting. But, it happens. I am sorry. I will try to keep up. Here is the current excitement in my life:

I was able to return the 3rd generation iPod Shuffle and downgrade (but more like upgrade) to the 2nd generation. Unfortunately, I had to pay a 10% reshelfing fee. This is ridiculous to me because the product was broken. And I was only returning it so I wouldn’t have to repeatedly get it replaced. Oh well. I learned my lesson. This shuffle’s name is “the third” as in the third shuffle I had gotten in the past two weeks. So far, it has been good. As you can see, it looks like Shuffley, but pink.

In other news, I did not do anything really special over Memorial Day weekend. Part of this was because my boyfriend and I were so busy going back and forth to Ikea. On Saturday, we drove to the giant blue playground of cheap modern furniture and meatballs to buy a desk for my bedroom. It was a madhouse. With my anxiety high, I chose the desk I wanted and we left as soon as possible. I was a little worried about buying the right parts because there were six separate products I had to find in their warehouse section: the top, the frame, and 4 legs. I quickly asked an Ikea worker if I had chosen the appropriate parts and if it was all I needed to make the desk. I also asked if the tools and screws were also included. He reassuringly said “Yes, they are included in the frame box.”

We got home, exhausted and drained, and attempted to build the desk. Immediately, we realized there were no tools, just an empty compartment for where they should have been. I should have known better. I always encounter problems at/from Ikea. Everyone always encounters problems at/from Ikea. My boyfriend did not want to drive back to Ikea that night, so we went to Casa Escobar and had margaritas instead. The next day, we woke up and drove out to pick up the tools necessary.

At first, I did not like the desk in my bedroom because it felt cramped. But having a few days to adjust, I have learned to like it. I just now need a new comfortable chair (NOT FROM IKEA).

Chabuya, but I hardly know ya…

On a Thursday not so long ago, my boyfriend and I headed over to Sawtelle to eat at Asahi, but were unpleasantly surprised to find it closed. Instead of pouting, we I looked at the positive side of the situation: a chance to go to a new restaurant! Even though my boyfriend is a simple eater, he doesn’t like eating “new” things very much. So I said, “How about Chabuya? They have ramen and they take credit cards!” It worked. Hooray.

The service was pleasant and smooth. I ordered the Tori Soba, fresh homemade noodles with original chicken based broth, green onion, fried shallot, and charbroiled chicken. The noodles were more al dente than I am accustomed to (Asahi), but in a good way. Next time I think I would get with the house pork broth instead of the chicken broth to mix it up a little.

My favorite part of the dinner was the Shrimp Shiumai (shrimp dumplings). The delicate chewiness of a dumpling shell with the softest most amazing center. And mustard, a condiment I love, to dip in! This was a combination I never would expect to work, but was amazed to find how appropriately perfect it tasted. Four was not enough.

I plan to go back again someday, especially since I heard they have Sesame Ice Cream(!)

Chabuya Tokyo Noodle Bar
2002 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 473-9834

Asahi Ramen

I am not a big noodle/pasta eater. It just isn’t something I ever think about making or eating even though it is so easy, yummy, and inexpensive. I also never lived the cup o’ noodles / packaged noodles lifestyle that is popular in college. So when my boyfriend recommended going to Asahi Ramen restaurant many months ago, I was intrigued. We fortunately were able to be seated immediately after we walked into the small and busy restaurant. A polite waitress came over to our table and dropped off complimentary tsukemono (pickled cucumbers) and took our drink order.

I naively found the menu to be comprehensive for a restaurant that is all about noodles; I never had thought about the different ramen combinations available by mixing and matching different broths and toppings. All these choices made it hard for me because I wanted to try everything. Feeling as if I needed something more filling than “soup,” I ended up not ordering typical ramen and instead ordered the soupless Yakisoba (pan fried noodle dish with vegetables and chicken). When it came to the table, hungry eyes from a table nearby spotted my dish and contacted their waitress immediately to change their order to “what she has.” These noodles were everything I wanted that night: tasty and filling. It was also a large amount of food for a small amount of money ($8).

In a battle between eyes and stomach, I had also ordered Gyoza, pan fried potstickers, for the table ($3.50). Potstickers are also a dish that I never really have eaten much of in life. These have changed my ways, I now love potstickers. And they are the best I have tried, even though I have a limited potsticker experience.

It was a wonderful feast of food. I have been back to Asahi quite a few times since this recorded visit. Sadly, I never have taken a picture of their ramen, which I find to be just as wonderful as the soupless noodles. I am constantly changing my ramen order and don’t have a favorite merely because everything I order has been good. However, I usually add in wontons as an extra topping (for $2.25 extra) because it is the same dough used for the potstickers. I recommend! They do use MSG, unless you make it clear in your order that you do not want that in your meal. Helpful tips: It is usually always crowded during dinner “rush”, they only accept cash, and they are closed on Thursdays.

Asahi Ramen
2027 Sawtelle Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 479-2231

Homemade Pizza / Recessionizza

I’ve waited days for my cold/bronchitis to go away so I could use the ingredients I bought last week to make pizza. It is now day eight and I’m still coughing, congested, and frustrated. This evening, I decided I did not want to wait any longer.

Even though I love pizza, I do not eat it too often because of health and economic reasons. I usually buy Amy’s frozen pizza to mitigate the health concerns, but afterwards I feel guilty for spending six dollars on such a small frozen serving. Having just opened a Mint account to budget myself, I have become ultra aware of my spending and decided it was time to start making my own pizza. For my first attempt, I kept it easy and used whole wheat pita, low-fat mozzarella cheese, Muir Glen pizza sauce, garlic, fresh farmer’s market asparagus, onion, and kalamata olives (thanks roomie!). Delicious. In the future, I plan to make the dough and sauce myself and also get more creative with the toppings.

Mr. Cecil’s BBQ

I don’t know BBQ well at all. I rarely eat it. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it, it just never happens. My boyfriend however loves it and even stated that it was his favorite “food.”

We were on the hunt for dinner and driving down Pico when we saw Mr. Cecil’s tin can shack and thought it was probably the best bet for the night. The place is very small and has pictures of pigs all over the walls which honestly make the whole experience a little conflicting; cute happy piggies on the wall and dead, delicious piggie on the plate. Sorry, I didn’t take pictures of the walls. I was too sad.

I avoided this porcus conflict by ordering the Samara’s Southwest Salad - grilled chicken, salsa, corn, on a bed of lettuce with bbq ranch dressing. The salad was good, but not worth 13 dollars.

In order to make my experience more bbq-ey I also ordered a single beef rib. I don’t know anything about beef ribs, but I did know that this giant rib had more fat on it than it did meat which was a little disappointing. Maybe that’s just how it is supposed to be though and that is the wonders of beef ribs. The bbq sauce is nice, but both my boyfriend and I agreed that it wasn’t the best ever. Would I go back again? Sure, it was fine. But, I would also like to explore other bbq places in Los Angeles first…

Mr. Cecil’s California Ribs
12244 West Pico Boulevard,
Los Angeles, California 90064
310-442-1550

My Latest Favorite Thing

I am hesitant to post about how much I love my Made By Hank handmade bag because I know these bags (and anything else Katie Henry makes) sell out immediately after she posts them (if not before!). But, it really is one of my favorite things in the world. So here is one of several pieces I have in my Made By Hank collection. I highly suggest checking out her bags on her website and then ultimately buying one (for me :P) on etsy if you can. Also, Katie Henry is from Philadelphia. And she owns an adorable pug!