Futile Sniff

NYC Part 3: Babbo & Goodbye

Meg — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 05:34:10 +0000

The main reason my parents and I went to NYC was to meet up with my good friend Alex for dinner at Babbo Ristorante.

By this upcoming September, I will have known Alex for 18 years. That means our friendship will legally be an adult, but still will not be able to rent a car. All bad jokes aside, I have known Alex for almost 2/3 of my life! We went through middle school and high school together and stayed friends even after I moved to a different coast. We traveled through Europe together, we drove from California to Pennsylvania together, and we have celebrated many New Years Eves together. Also! In 2008, while perusing the website Passive Aggressive Notes, I encountered this hilarious passive aggressive note, and immediately recognized Alex’s handwriting. I know, I know, I’m being overly sentimental. But, I’m very grateful to have such a good friend. I’m also grateful my parents took us to Babbo because Mario Batali can do no wrong.

Lower Level Dining Area.

Cherry Bellini.

Villa Matilde Aglianico.

Chickpea Bruschetta.

Sweet Onion Crostini, with Babbo Lardo Glistening.

Goat Cheese Tortelloni with Dried Orange and Wild Fennel Pollen.

Black Spaghetti with Rock Shrimp, Spicy Salami Calabrese and Green Chiles.

Mint Love Letters with Spicy Lamb Sausage.

Sunday Special: Braised Short Ribs.

Barbecued Skirt Steak with Asparagus “alla Piastra” and Salsa Verde.

Chocolate Hazelnut Cake.

After dinner we took a stroll through Washington Square Park.

Are you still reading? Unfortunately, the time has come for me to take a break. I have had a lot of fun & I hope all two of my readers enjoyed these past few months. Tschüß!

NYC Part 2: Café Grumpy

Meg — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 02:39:11 +0000

After visiting the MOMA, we headed to Chelsea for coffee at Café Grumpy. I had never been to a Grumpy before, but with a name and logo like that, how could I not? The Chelsea Grumpy is cute and tiny. Parking was not a problem and the location is a few doors down from the NYPD #10th Precinct. Also, it is the first coffee shop that I have ever been in that has a laptop ban.

I ultimately decided on a coffee flight to give three out of the four caffeinated choices a try.

Top: Nicaragua - Santa Teresa
Bottom Left: Kenya - Gethumbwini
Bottom Right: Colombia - Desarrollo Co-op.

Thorough descriptions here. All were pleasant, but I enjoyed the Gethumbwini the most.

After the coffee, I naively decided that I wanted to walk the half mile to Chelsea Market.

I say naively because it was excruciatingly hot outside. I usually do not have a problem with heat and humidity, but I regretted drinking the hot coffee and wearing pants. Inside the Chelsea Market, I immediately wandered into the Chelsea Wine Vault where they were having a free wine tasting. Although I did not care for the free wine offered, I did enjoy the rest of the establishment and purchased some Whistle Pig Rye Whiskey for my brother. Whistle Pig is 100% Rye Whiskey which was released in 2010. Apparently, PA does not sell any brand of 100% rye whiskey. Unfortunately, this is not too surprising considering the existence of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.

NYC Part 1: MOMA

Meg — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 05:02:17 +0000

I am currently in PA for a few days to see my family. Aside from my awkward sleep schedule that will not budge (5am-11am), it has been a very pleasant trip. On Sunday my parents and I went up to NYC for the day. We started the morning at MOMA.

A Few of My Favorites:

René Magritte’s “The Palace of Curtains, III” (1928-29). The word ciel is French for sky. In the coffin-like misshaped frame on the left is a representation of a sky. In the frame on the right is the word “ciel.” Get it? Surreally cool.

Roy Lichtenstein’s “Drowning Girl” (1963). She’s right though, if she called Brad, he would never let her forget he saved her from drowning.

Ger van Elk’s “The Co-founder of the Word O.K.” (1971). I had never heard of this Danish photographer before, but loved his clever photos and of course the imagery of Hollywood in the 70’s. If you look closely, Ger van Elk is posed in profile to the right of a framed yellow bubble letter “O” in each picture. He is posing as the letter “K” by raising his arm and leg. As a result, he is “O.K.” on a street, a block from the Hollywood Colonial, and outside a store.

Two Two Eggs Sunny Side

Meg — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 02:36:36 +0000

Last week my morning routine fell apart after my coffee grinder died. During the interim of finding a replacement, I decided to venture out into Brentwood for breakfast. As you can see, my venturesome spirit ended shortly after walking outside, because I ordered the same breakfast at two different restaurants on two different mornings. Two Eggs Any Style.

ONE. Coral Tree Cafe

TWO. The Larder at Tavern

BOTH. Delicious.

Bibigo Hot Stone - Westwood

Meg — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 06:06:00 +0000

I rarely enter the Westwood microcosm because of traffic and the consistent lack of street parking. But after my Dad randomly told me about Bibigo, a fast-casual Korean restaurant that just opened up recently, I figured it was worth the hassle.

Bibigo is probably most notable for its hot stone bibimbap. A bibimbap is more than just a fun word to say - it translates into English as “mixed meal” and typically includes rice topped with namul (sautéed and seasoned vegetables), some type of protein, and a sauce placed in a hot stone bowl. At Bibigo, if you order the hot stone bibimbap, you can choose the type of rice (white, brown, black pearl, barley & white), type of protein (bulgogi, chicken, tofu, shrimp), and sauce (kohot, bean, sesame, citron soy).

I chose the bulgogi (barbequed beef) with black pearl rice and kohot (hot) sauce. My bibimbap came with a side of kimchi and a side of pickled radish (not pictured). The hot stone is HOT (hence the caution tape surrounding it). The sauces come in packets. Kohot was sweeter than expected (sweeter than the sriracha I put on everything).

Overall, it was delicious and inexpensive for the amount of food we ordered.

Bibigo
1091 Broxton Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 824-0011
Hours: 11am-11pm

Spice Table - Little Tokyo

Meg — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 22:48:18 +0000

I have been to Spice Table before for lunch (sadly, no picture or post), but this time I went for dinner for which they have a completely separate and different menu. In general, the ambiance is always pretty chill. It gets a little warm by the bar, because that is where they do the cookin’. But, they have some great beer and wine to help keep you cool.

I wanted light so I ordered the gem lettuce, herb and oro blanco salad and the chicken satay. Oro blanco, (which translates literally to “white gold”) is a grapefruit. Unlike common grapefruits, it is much sweeter.

Although I enjoyed the satay, my favorite was the salad. Next time, I will NOT order the $4 iced green tea. Even if it is fresh brewed, it is just tooooo much for iced tea. But, it’s okay — they have the Diet Coke in the glass bottle, which is one of my favorite vehicles for soda.

The Spice Table
114 S. Central Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 620-1840
Mon-Wed: Lunch - 11:30-3:30 & Dinner - 5:30pm-11pm
Thu-Sat: Lunch - 11:30-3:30 & Dinner - 5:30pm-12am
Twitter: thespicetable

Lucky Baldwins Pub - Pasadena

Meg — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 07:52:23 +0000

I sure don’t go to Pasadena as often as I used to! Fortunately, I recently was able to visit one of my favorite bars in Old Town — Lucky Baldwins Pub. I’m a big fan of LBP’s partly because I grew up with English (UK) au pairs. (my sense of humor, strange loyalty to Manchester United, and use of the word “the Moz” all make a little more sense now!) Surrounded by UK paraphernalia makes me reflect back. To that time period so very long ago. Of too hot and humid summer days where we drove down to the local West Coast Video and rented a newly released VHS movie to watch. Does not feel like yesterday.

Although LBP doesn’t allow free tastings, they do let you opt for $4-5 little taster glasses. I chose an always amazing (but some say “too sweet”) Saison Dupont and a really disappointingly disgusting (I gave it away) Jolly Pumpkin something or another (bleh).

We ordered some pasties too. Cornish & chicken.

Lucky Baldwins
17 South Raymond Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91105
(626) 795-0652

Pilgrimage

Meg — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 07:18:59 +0000

Although I’m a relatively pale person, I do enjoy the ocean/beach. I am fortunate to live close enough to visit it more than I ever did during the first 20+ years of my life. To be exact, I currently live 3.7 miles away from the North Pacific Ocean. Occasionally, when I have the time, and contrary to “Walking in LA” by Missing Persons, I like to travel to the ocean on foot.

It never gets old.

Never.

Korean Kitchen Hibachi B.B.Q. - Little Tokyo

Meg — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 04:24:04 +0000

Unlike most traditional Korean B.B.Q. restaurants I’ve been to where someone at the table does the cooking (not usually me), KKHB was more like a “regular” restaurant that cooks the food in the kitchen and brings it out when it is ready. I preferred this partly because I’m lazy, but mostly because I’m always nervous about food poisoning (N.B. I poison easily). Other pros: (1) Quicker; and (2) Supposedly we didn’t leave smelling like Korean B.B.Q. for the rest of the day (not sure if this is true though, obv.).

I ordered the extra spicy beef b.b.q. lunch special. It came with a lot of goodies: soup, salad, seasoned vegetables, kimchi, and steamed rice.

Korean Kitchen Hibachi B.B.Q.
135 Japanese Village Plaza Mall
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 680-1039

200th Post! Umami - Santa Monica

Meg — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 04:47:13 +0000

So happy that my 200th post is Umami Burger in Santa Monica (connected to Fred Segal). Great burgers, great beer, great location.

pronunciation: uːˈmɑːmi / oo-MAH-me.

translation: savoriness / the 5th taste.

review: delicious / DELICIOUS.

favorite burger: Hatch Burger (4 types of green chilies, house made American cheese).

pictured: Special Burger (I don’t remember what was in it) & Smushed Potatoes (dutch yellow creamers, double fried — get the ketchup!)

UMAMI
500 Broadway
Santa Monica, CA 90401-2406
(310) 451-1300
Mon-Wed & Sun: 11am-10pm
Thu-Sat: 11am-11pm