AliGrillz

Dish of the year and a big burger let down

2011-04-06T08:05:00.000-07:00

If it turns out Hinduism is the one "right and true religion" than after Vegas I'll be in a lot of trouble. I consumed my fare share of bovine, and some it so divine that it may be worth eternal damnation by the many hands of Ganesh. Without further adieu; behold the best dish of 2011:

I know it's early, Hell, it ain't even Summer, but make no mistake, this is the best braised cheek I have come across in a very, very long. Not surprisingly it comes from the deft hand of Jose Andres; or really one of his trained minions since I had this at his latest Las Vegas outpost: Jaleo.

I love Spanish Tapas but sadly have never been to Spain. Las Vegas is a lot closer and for now it will have to do as my "tapas go to spot". There were other highlights like a fisherman's stew featuring a silky smooth squid braised, to the point where the texture resembled a raw, fresh off the boat Kumamoto oyster and the obligatory yet classic, Pan con tomate: Toasted slices of rustic bread brushed with fresh tomatoes and Spanish anchovies. But they were all just forgettable runner's up next to this Prom Queen.

Yes, Her Majesty is ridiculously fork tender. The potato puree served as the safety net to catch all the cheek's jus. And then there were the morel mushrooms. Just in case you didn't feel like royalty eating this perfectly cooked veal cheek, these fungus treasures were to me the equivalent of a ticket to the Prince William-Kate Middleton wedding, wait no better than that. Got it. They were like getting a Golden ticket to the Willy Wonka factory. I told you this was the dish of the year.

Todd English sucks. Well, maybe that's harsh. Carl's Jr sucks. Parking tickets suck. Todd English is an overpriced let down. Well, I guess he does suck.

Burger Busters, a burger blog, touted Olives as the best burger in America. This could not be further from the truth. This thing was your average, overpriced restaurant burger. Now to be fair, restaurants do change their staff but from this burger, by design, was totally underwhelming.

The patty was preformed, and arrived overcooked. The cheese was a boring cheddar. The onions were drowned in balsamic, so much so, that half way through I had to remove them all together. Were there any good points? Yes. The butter lettuce was good, the tomato was fresh and ripe, and the bun was decent. Yeah, that's right folks - the highlights were lettuce, tomato and bread, and when considering the quality level touted by burger joints today - Olives is merely passable.

And the worst part? The french fries. Look at those nasty potato wedges dusted with parsley and parmesan . . . straight out of the Olive Garden; these were the worst fries I have eaten since the 80s when I frequented Hardee's.

My real rage comes from the fact that the Burger Buster blog rips on, among many notable burgers, Father's Office. The FO burger, while not for everyone, does deliver a Chef's "concept burger". The gruyere and maytag blue cheese, the caramelized onion compote, the dry aged sirloin and the pleasantly bitter arugula; each ingredient is chosen methodically, all the while with a clear final vision in mind. Olives bares no resemblance to this. Its just a big, bland letdown.

A whole lotta nuthin.

On a positive note we had warm and friendly service at the restaurant; among the most personable we have had in Las Vegas. And sitting in the patio overlooking the fountains at the Bellagio was a huge plus. I'd like to think the burger was "off" that day, but considering how pedestrian it was from an ingredient stand point, I'd skip it all together and try somewhere else. Like every Vegas trip, you and win some and lose some, but this time Jaleo has me coming out on top . . . Vegas, I can't wait to go back.

Buffalo Chicken Strips: really.

2011-04-05T11:52:00.000-07:00

I love Buffalo Chicken Wings. Love them. Ye Rustic in Los Feliz serves some of the best around if you can find a table and don't mind side stepping an occasional knife fight in the parking lot. Making them at home is another story. I, like many, do not have a fryer and don't really want to deal with cleaning up a vat of dirty cooking oil. And while I may receive the occasional Moveon.org mass email, I'm not the guy who will be supporting your "converted bio diesel Benz investment". You should've gone with the Prius . . . Hippie.

But the idea of bar food at home is appealing. After hearing tales of the relative ease of making Buffalo Chicken strips at home, I decided to fire up the stove. I credit a man named Czornobil(really) for the recipe and inspiration to fry where I have not fried before: the indoors.

Step up your game:

Panko bread crumbs.
If you ever have had Tonkatsu, you know that the Japanese have a knack for breading and frying. Short of setting up an egg wash and dredging chicken in mashed up corn flakes, this is a great, significantly crunchier, breadcrumb alternative.

Frank's Red Hot.
I have no fear of "off brand products" but for my first go around, I decided not to skimp, and went for what appeared to be the most authentic cayenne vinegar sauce in the supermarket. Frank's Red Hot(also recommended by Senor Czornobil) comes in varying heat levels and in hindsight I wished I had picked up the hotter one. But again for the first time around I figured go with the standard sauce and develop a good base line for experimentation.

All Clad skillet.

The 12 inch All Clad skillet may rival my 10 year old Cast Iron. Some may, and rightfully so, argue that spending $150 on a skillet is not necessary but when your skillet can produce this . . .

. . . cleans up with ease and weighs nearly half what the Cast Iron weighs, it is worth considering in your line up.

The chicken tenders were seasoned with a little salt and pepper, and a dried herb mix of oregano, marjoram, thyme, basil, rosemary and sage. I tossed them in some olive oil and then dredged them in Panko. I coated the All Clad with a healthy amount of olive oil and when it started to smoke, I placed the tenders in the pan for about 3 minutes a side. I finished them off in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Now they were ready for their bath.

No bubbles in this bath. Just a 1/4 cup of Red Hot, 4 Tablespoons of melted butter and a little honey.

Voilà: a homemade gut bomb, with half the calories and 1/3rd the guilt. And more importantly you didn't even have to step into a Hooter's. If only March Madness were a month longer.

Pork braised in tomatillos aka Chile Verde or How I learned to stop missing my Weber Kettle and love my Le Creuset Dutch Oven

2011-04-04T08:48:00.000-07:00

Remember in "2001: A Space Odyssey" when the monkeys quit fighting and started staring at the monolith and the music plays that iconic "BAAAAM BAAAAM BAAAAM BA BAAAAAAAM!!!? Cue that. Cuz thats how important this thing below is:

I love my Weber kettle. The fact that its no longer at my quick disposal is a source of melancholy and tribulation. However through adversity we find skills, or in this case, tools, we did not realize we had. Tools that ultimately drive us to a Hector like triumph on the battlefield known as my kitchen. The Le Creuset dutch oven is the spear that slayed Achilles. Tamer of tough proteins, generator of delicious fonds, one heavy bitch that I love resting in my cabinet. Sometimes I just open the cabinet door and look at her . . . maybe it's because she is shiny red. Maybe it's because she cost over $200 and if it wasn't for my generous brother and sister in laws, I may not have her, either way she is grand.

Chile Verde

Chile Verde, aka Pork braised in tomatillos is also awesome. Much credit goes to Food and Wine's Best of the Best(in this case vol. 9, also a gift from my amazing in laws) for publishing this lip smacking recipe from Rick Bayless, a Mexican food junkie, chef and author. Perfect for a Super Bowl party, a cold Winter's night or any time you feel hungry and want to please any swine lover, this dish is a slam dunk. Bayless takes some of the labor out of what can be an all day recipe and compresses into about three and a half hours. But most of the work is done within the walls of the LC.

The recipe is simple enough. Just put stuff in the pot then throw it in a 325 degree oven. Start with a base to braise your meats. In this case we have tomatillos, cilantro, potatoes and some pickled jalapenos.

It's important to know what we are up against in order really appreciate what a heavy dutch oven in a low and slow, steady oven can do. This is strips of pork shoulder, also known as Boston Butt. You can see the fat, well it's not just fat, it is connective tissue that say if seared on high heat, like on a pan or grill, would produce something tougher than leather, and much like the RUN DMC movie . . . that would be a bad thing.

But when placed in the LC, the moisture from the tomatillos and the condensation that is produced from the heavy lid create a braising liquid, that over time, or in this case, 3 and half hours, melt all the "collagen" or connective tissue. The result:

You don't even need teeth. In fact when I lose all mine, rather than dentures, I'll just eat this 24/7.

In this version, I tossed in Cannelini Beans right when the pork had finished cooking in the oven, just to heat them through. Bayless mentions that chicken thighs, lamb shoulder as well beef can be substituted but after maybe 5 goes at this recipe, I have been hard pressed to change a thing. And yes, it's as good if not better the next day.

Do I still miss my Weber? Yes. But the LC proves that there is more to cooking than charcoal and BBQ sauce. Too bad AliBraizez doesn't have the same ring.

Meatball Wars Part 1: Daves Chillin and Grillin vs Bay Cities Deli

2010-08-23T10:35:00.000-07:00

Daves Chillin and Grillin.

The stoner vibe feels right at home in this funky Eagle Rock neighborhood. A withered Red Sox cap sported by head honcho assures some sort of East Coast authority, tevas suggest Bachelor of Arts from Boulder(Colorado University) or the University of Vermont

On to the meatballs.

My first test is the "is it as big as my forearm method?"

Result: Pass

This sandwich is a true torpedo. Incredibly long. As a result the sandwich holds its composure as you bite down. One does not run out of bread towards the end but its not for a lack of meatballs. Dave's loads his subs up with plenty of small round meatballs but they are available in limited supply. After ordering a 10 inch they declared they were "out for the day" - at 1pm on a Saturday no less.

In addition to the meatballs, Daves' lays on a nice sweet red sauce and pairs it with a subtle but potent spicy pepper spread along with some mozzarella. The baguette isn't winning any awards here but is more than competent at delivering a solid meatball experience. The meatballs are nice moist due to a breadcrumb mixture but are not tempting enough to say order on their own. This sandwich does strike a very good balance of savory, sweet and heat and I seriously doubt you will be able to put this one down till the very last bite.

Bottom Line:
I can't call Dave's Chillin and Grillin the best meatball sub in the city but I would easily go back for another. And more importantly I would go back and try their other sandwiches, most notably the hot roast beef which may be Los Angeles' answer to Chicago's Italian beef.

Bay Cities Deli

Easily the most talked about deli in town, and rightfully so. They have the best bread, a huge and varied cased meats selection and plenty of loyal fans . . . which is probably why the last time you craved a mortadella sub it took you 45 minutes to get one to go.

They have great meatballs. On a prior visit I was moved by the prepared foods section so much, I had to get something to munch on. I opted for these dangerous little balls of coarse ground meat, seasoned up to the nines yet stone cold. And I could not get enough of them. To me a perfect meatball is a combination of meats, textures and herbs. Now keep in mind these meatballs are NOT the ones used in their sub but the recipe is still the same.

Forearm test:

Result: Pass. Though not as long as Daves' it was a bit wider.

The secret of the ooze. I like opening up a sandwich and seeing the sauce bleed through the wrapper. A meatball sub can be many things but restraint should not be one of them.

The sauce is sweet and tangy, more tangy than Daves'. The meatballs are big moist and savory. The bread is incredible here, chewy like a croissant, fresh like sourdough in San Francisco. What is lacking here is anything else on the sandwich, I give credit to Daves' for adding the spicy pepper salad in his sandwich and gooey mozzarella, all I got at Bay Cities was meat, sauce and bread.

There are hints of shaved Parmesan on the sandwich though hard to really see here. I guess a good Meatball sub doesn't need a lot more than meatballs, sauce and bread but it doesn't hurt it either.

Fennel buried in a massive meatball. That's what gives Bay Cities their edge.

The Bottom Line:

Bay Cities wins with their bread alone, even better for a hot saucy sub than the cold cut sandwich. Also I'm feeling full after half . . . yet I still muster the strength to finish the whole thing.

Mexico 2010: a few delicous moments

2010-06-25T11:32:00.000-07:00

Mexico.

People take care their time. You wait longer, drink more and eat better. No short cuts in the preparation of the cuisine. Cochinita Pibil is served Saturdays and Sundays because its made the old fashioned Mayan way, buried in the ground and cooked over 12 hours. You want Huevos Rancheros? 10 minutes later someone arrives in the restaurant with a handful of eggs. At the same place a woman asked "why the chicken is taking so long?" The waiter replied "Senora, we haven't killed it yet"(Thanks Holly eats)

One of the tastiest parts from this trip was the charcoal(carbon) we used to grill our food. In the US, most charcoal comes in a bag with some label, mass produced in a factory, with fillers, and metal and who knows what else. The stuff we got in Mexico came in a huge ass unmarked bag, I was giving a bucket of diesel fuel as a starter and the carbon was made from Mexican Sequioa. It was flavorful as hell, the same stuff Mayan's used to BBQ their meat so long ago. It took BBQ to a new level.

Taking to the mellow pace of life of small Mexican island does not happen fast. Which is probably why I, in a rush to get all my shopping done in one shot, purchased a packet of boneless skinless chicken breast from the local market that just screamed Ralph's or Costco. But the carbon was the great equalizer, that and an interesting rub I picked up at the same store that featured several chili powders, lime and salt. This turned into some of the best chicken tacos I have ever had.

When your neighbors on the island happen to be fishermen . . .

. . . and they owe you for blasting techno music all night till noon the next day, you just may find of these sitting at your door on ice. There is nothing like freshly caught fish. Snapper is not one of my favorites but when it's this fresh, the flavor is as equally clean and savory as a freshly shucked Kumamoto oyster. Of course it helps when your fish was swimming in the same water you were in less than two hours ago.

Chayote squash, and Poblano peppers take to the carbon's flavors just as well. I threw some mexican onions on as well but too many slipped through the wide spaces of the grill great. The salsa on top of the fish was made from tomatillos we grill-roasted over the fire.

This is the best chile relleno ever.

And that's why. It's every bit as rich and as savory as it looks.(Another thanks Holly Eats)

Bean soup better taste really really good when its over a 100 degrees out and you're sitting in a place with no a/c. It needs to be exceptional when it's paired with a chile relleno like the one posted above.

I finished the bowl.

El Varadero. The hardest to find restaurant on Isla Mujeres.

Going Cuban in Mexico

Large shrimp(not local) bathed in a spicy garlicky tomato sauce and Grouper sauteed and finished with a hint coconut milk and lime, both from a tucked away shack cooking up amazing Cuban food.

And now some final thoughts on tacos.

Does your local taqueria serve this?

This was a taco stand in Playa Del Carmen called El Fogon, and a favorite among the local taxi drivers. We ordered the parilla(mixed grill) which is basically a ton of grilled meats; chorizo, two different types of steak, pork chops, chicken, cebollas and nopales(cactus), all kept warm over smoking embers of carbon - it was a massive smoky mound of goodness. While I love a good taco, it's way more fun to make them yourself. The Salsas were on point, the tortillas as fresh as can be. BEST TACOS EVER.

I may miss this the most about Playa Del Carmen.

Kogi Korean Tacos: its time to burst the bubble

2010-06-22T15:31:00.000-07:00

The Kogi taco truck just maybe the most talked about food truck/taco truck ever. It brought national media attention to what many Angelenos already knew, some of the best food around, comes from food trucks. His fusion of Korean BBQ and the corn tortilla spawned many imitators, encouraged other chefs to turn to the mobile kitchen with their own culinary vision(Banh mi, Indian Frankies, burger and BBQ) and most importantly encourage more of the public to forsake the image of a "dirty roach coach" and embrace street food in the 21st century.

With all this I thank Kogi for what he has done, but I cant say I'm that wild about his tacos. I like tacos, in fact I love them, especially after drinking, and I enjoy Korean BBQ but the combination does not match the hype and certainly does not justify the time spent in the insanely long lines the Kogi Truck often touts.

I went with a sampling of the Beef(short rib) the Chicken and the Pork. Pork was the winner by a mile, a bit spicier than the other two, juicy and embraces the culinary fusion experiment the best. Chicken was second and frankly, a bit boring compared to the pork. After two tacos I "get" the Kogi experience, its a taco with a sweet and sour flavor that takes to some meats better than others. When I got to the beef I guess I hit the wall . . .

. . . Taco let down.

Normally I find beef to be my most favorite thing about Korean BBQ, especially short rib. In taco form however, the beef flavor is diluted in the sweet and sour flavor effect and is not complimented by the cabbage filler.

End of the day, give me a straight up Carne Asada taco(or even better, Suadero) any day over one these tacos. Im glad Kogi is around and am forever impressed with what it has accomplished but dont expect to find me in one of these lines unless I'm so blitzed that I think Im at Taco Zone.

Meat me in Philly

2010-06-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

The Italian Market in Philadelphia is the oldest working outdoor market in the US. At least thats what it says on the website. They got all kinds of stands fresh produce, seafood, cheese stores and most importantly, meat. They got great meat, no frills butchers who arent afraid to have a jug of bleach sitting on the cutting board to salumeria's toting ridiculous varieties of cured meats.

Its a crime what passes for Sausages at many super markets, I wont even touch the travesty that is Aidell's pre cooked sausage that people attempt to bring to my BBQs. This stuff is not only the real deal taste wise, but its cheap. $5 bucks of this stuff will calm the hunger of your drunkest most voracious BBQ guest. I like to sizzle these guys on a medium to low fire and wrap em up in buns and some roasted peppers. Leftover rule when making pasta the next day, just heat em up in the sauce.

The marbling in this porterhouse was insane.

Even when its freezing cold you can count on the Italian Market to offer great veggies and a cheap price. I think the burning Oil Drum gives it a great "Children of Men" post apocalyptic feel.

And then there is their seafood. I love going to other parts of the Country, hell, the world and trying out their local seafood. Even excellent West Coast mainstays like oysters and tuna get a unique twist in other waters. And the Atlantic is no different.

For some reason I had pork on the brain so I picked up a loin from one of the butchers. I didnt take any pictures inside the shop because I was too scared. These people had lots of knives, a room straight out the movie Saw and lots of bleach. They did cut my roast to order without hesitation. They also added the "belly" to the loin roast, so basically the roast is self basted in uncured bacon fat. They rolled it up and trussed it, and I walked out with a 5 pound roast for $19.

I soaked some figs in some port, simmered them then pureed it into a nice sauce but this pork needed no help in the flavor department. Juicy beyond expectations as seen by the trails left on the cutting board. Italian Market, mission accomplished.

Mozza 2 Go

2009-10-16T08:49:00.001-07:00

Mozza. Probably the most talked about Italian restaurant in Los Angeles. A Hollywood blockbuster with a long list of detractors. I've eaten here once. The food was great as was the service. But I don't know if I will ever go back. Trying to get a reservation was almost as easy as getting the IRS on the phone. The clientele who populate the place could be summed up as "that lady in Prada screaming into her cell phone while changing lanes on the 405". And it ain't cheap either.

"Mozza 2 Go" poses some interesting possibilities. Food is still pricey but you get to enjoy it in the comfort of your own home, car or Hollywood Bowl concert. You can get the pizza with considerably less wait. I was at Melrose Mac the other day and decided to give it a whirl.

I still can't believe I haven't tried the pizza. I guess I'm just not crazy for pizza like I am for burgers, or braised veal like I had at my visit to Osteria Mozza. I went with the chicken panini, and as boring as that sounds it came with a very high recommendation from the girl behind the counter.

This thing cost $15. What recession? a $15 chicken sandwich? Sure! But wait, it's huge and delicious. I mean, Mario Batali, Nancy Silverton, the line cook from Peru, whoever it is that is working in that kitchen can COOK. Trust me, this thing is almost worth the $15 and I'm a broke dude.

Fork tender roasted chicken, thick cut premium bacon, ripe avocado, and a panini made by a bread master. The ingredients are top notch, the execution is flawless, you can't hate on someone making something the very best they can and then charging a premium for it. Mozza, and yes even Mozza 2 Go may not be an everyday, Hell, a once a month staple but the quality is there and when you do say goodbye to your 15 George Washingtons you can at least have the pleasure of holding this bad boy in your hand.

Lamb and Eggs

2009-10-14T09:50:00.000-07:00

When I was 10 years old, after spending a morning of watching cartoons, I went scrounging in the kitchen for something to eat. Home alone like Macaulay Culkin, I was free to do a little experimentation. Earlier that Spring I had fallen in love with lamb loin chops cooked on the grill, and steak and eggs was(and is) my favorite breakfast, so I decided to combine the two. As I was flipping the chops my Dad came home.

--"Are you cooking?" he said.
--"Yup"
--"Is that Lamb? And eggs?"
--"Yup"
-- What 10 year old makes lamb chops and eggs for breakfast?"

A legend was born. My commitment to lamb in the morning had begun.

A couple Saturdays ago I picked up a few lamb chops at a nameless Armenian butcher shop in East Hollywood. They came pre-seasoned and were great deal at $5.99lb. Fry a couple eggs over easy and you have one hearty and unique breakfast. You know how good it is to dip steak into a runny yolk, next time try lamb.

Goat Curry Love

2009-10-05T14:56:00.000-07:00

Every now and then, the LA Times food section can come up with a real gem, a hidden treasure that most of us would pass by without a second glance. Taurat Tandoori, a Bangladeshi run, Halal eatery, is that latest gem. A place not only worthy of a posting here, but a place I have visited three times in three weeks. Its that good, well THE GOAT is THAT GOOD.

While I would love to try the Nehari(6 hour simmered beef shank curry) or the Goat Korma, its what you see above you that keeps you coming back again and again. If Middle America has White Castle, then surely this is the late night(or mid afternoon) crave of Bangladesh.

The meat is ridiculously tender. The sauce/gravy that surrounds it steals the show. Butter and spice are in synchronicity. You can get naan, but trust me and stick with the rice. The combination of the sauce, rice and a little meat is Heaven. You could easily split this but you wont want to. You will finish the bowl like its your last meal on earth. As I write this Im thinking about going for a mid afternoon/dinner spoiler.

The Secret Ingredient

Its Fat folks. Yeah, thats one of the reasons it tastes so good. Slowly rendered till most of it is in liquid form, every now and then you can fish out a chunk. And yes, you can eat it, I mean, you eat ALL of the bacon strip right?

The lack of AC and personality of the staff are more than made up for in the product served. As a child of Bangladeshi immigrants, I grew up, like others I'm sure, not really liking the cuisine of my genetic origin. And guess what? I still dont but this goat curry is an extraordinary exception. Unless you hate meat or free pool tables(they have a no coin slot billiard table) I will see you over at Vermont and 1st street.

The best Pastrami in the Universe: Langer's

2009-04-03T11:59:00.000-07:00

Eat your heart out New York. The best Pastrami sandwich is a Los Angeleno. An East side one, at that. Sitting at the corner of 7th and Alvarado, yards away from where Captain David Aceveda and the late Terry Crowley met in the pilot of the Shield, is Langer’s, one of the best restaurants in the city.

You are here for one reason, and one reason only. The number 19. Hand carved pastrami sitting on impeccable rye bread. Before we even get to the slaw can we talk a bit about that rye bread? The crust is sharp; the rest of the bread just melts in your mouth, kinda like the pastrami. The caraway seed crust kicks in nicely like the turbo in Crockett’s Daytona Spyder. It’s the best Rye bread I have ever had because it makes me feel like I am on Miami Vice. The slaw is amazing. It’s more than just mayo, vinegar, carrot and cabbage. The slaw knows it’s got an important role to play, it has got to share a stage with that wonderful hand cut pastrami. Slaw motions to Russian dressing to put on it’s “A” game. Russian dressing comes through. And then there is the Swiss cheese. I forgo Swiss at other places for getting in the way; this is simply not the case at Langer’s. Here the Swiss cheese has every right to be there as the strung out dude in the booth next to you with just enough change to get a small bowl of cabbage soup. I have taken a bite into the number 19, its bliss, but before I put the sandwich down I take another bite. Uh-oh. Overload. I sit and chew and chew like a cow off the 5 halfway to San Francisco. But I am far better off than the cow. For I am eating really, really, really good cow.

Langer’s offers many more combinations than just the number 19. Chopped liver, Corned beef, a dip, and tomato are just a few of the many Pastrami possibilities at Langer’s. Some purists go for the sandwich plain, and then add on some mustard. Feeling kinda tough today, I decided to go for it like Rocky at the end of Rocky V, and I order another sandwich. Am I glad I skipped the French fries.

I went with some yellow mustard and went pretty easy on it. It was a whole different sandwich. In comparison, the number 19 is a weekend trip to Vegas, over the top, straight up indulgent. Going plain, and then adding some mustard was a study in control, an experiment in tasting the pastrami. It’s the difference between beer chugging and wine tasting. Hard to go wrong with either but plain with mustard is my new gold standard for judging pastrami. Slaw, Swiss and Russian dressing are for when I’m hung over.

I had to try the other half with brown mustard. In a nutshell, yellow mustard wins. The sharpness of the yellow serves as a better contrast to the richness of the meat. Brown ain’t bad, but it’s not the best. What it really comes down to is a matter of personal taste and at Langer’s that means a battle of these three condiments:

Brown mustard, house made Russian dressing, Yellow mustard.

Like most delicatessen’s, Langer’s features a huge menu that could tempt one to veer off the Pastrami highway but this is simply not advised. Unless you happen to go after the best kept secret at Langer’s: the corned beef.

Thanks to our waiter, the kind of professional you seem to find only at stalwarts like Langer’s, for recommending the Corned Beef. It was awesome. It was actually richer than the Pastrami, every bit as good but more rich than savory. We hit the trifecta with a Corned Beef with Swiss and Russian dressing on the side. My beef shame was countered by the discovery of this Corned Beef; this meat was truly God’s work.

The half on the left, just above the bread on the bottom, is glorious fat.

Langer’s is a city treasure. After all these years it still churns out a product worthy of it’s reputation and gives Los Angeles a serious old school food rep. My guess is I will eventually try everything on the menu but only after having a Pastrami on rye. Much like the mural above that hangs in the back of the restaurant; Langer’s is a work of art.

Ali on FoodNetwork

2008-10-06T17:17:00.000-07:00

So here is me and Bobby Flay. You tell me whose show it was . . .

Pie N Burger review

2008-09-29T21:34:00.000-07:00

I was on a mission to try "White Hut" in Pasadena. The rumor is that they have a burger that is of the Steak N Shake style. It was closed so I decided to make the most out of the spent gas and hit up a popular burger spot called Pie N Burger.

Now there are no doubt fans of this place and for good reason. Pie N Burger is a spoon. They do a great breakfast, the prices are fair for LA and they make a good burger. Now some call it the best in town. I beg to differ. I cannot call "good" the "best". Its a style preference I suppose but I just never feel completely satisfied when I leave Pie N Burger, its a good snack but its not burger nirvana. Lets take a look why . . .

Now there is no question that what we are looking at is a damn good burger. And taking this burger apart, each ingredient delivers, but not all together, not for me anyways. Lets start with the bun. A great bun, soft, bends like a blade of grass on a windy field. I have no problem with the bun. Next, the dressing. Thousand Island, made in house. Its great and I love thousand island, so no problem there. Raw onion, raw onion is the stuff of true meat lovers, no problem there. Cheese, I dig cheese, sometimes I get it sometimes I don't, its a mood thing in the end, I can deal with my cheese. Meat. Oh yeah, that part. The patty is a good quality meat. Too bad its cooked past medium well. I can't get over how hard it is to get a true medium rare in this town and Pie N Burger is no different. Lettuce. The Lettuce. The lettuce KILLS this burger. There is a ton on there, it dwarfs the patty and the bun. The lettuce is the deal breaker.

Upon closer look, one can see the ratio is way out of whack here.

"Where's the beef"

I have gone back to Pie N Burger and tried to request the burger "my way". While I have gotten the burger "light on the lettuce", time and time again my request for medium rare has gone unheeded. To be fair, Pie N Burger is not alone in their inability to cook the meat to order but I cannot call it the best. Also I really believe that LA has better "gourmet burgers" than "classic" ones. It may be comparing apples to oranges but when I go to 25 degrees I leave full, sated and my burger fix is taken care of, not so in Pasadena. Pie N Burger is good, and reminds me of a burger from my childhood, the one you get after school that ruins the dinner you are about to have at home in an hour. But I am a grown man and this burger is for children.

I give it a "B"

Coming Home to the Kids

2008-07-10T10:30:00.001-07:00

"Coming home to the kids and a stone cold dinner. Thank God Becky didn't pour the whole bottle of Jameson down the sink."

Sometimes Photoshop can reveal a greater truth that may not have been present in the original photograph. Case in point.

Sur la Table cooking class: what a joke

2008-06-30T20:43:00.000-07:00

"i could have taught this class"

-my wife

So first off, thank you to my brother and sister in law for what should have been the perfect gift; a cooking class. Sur La Table is a pretty capable store but the class was a sham. We picked "Sicily Date night" and were, well, excited, about learning to cook Italian food. What we got was two hacks in chef's coats and a couple recipes pulled from the world wide web. At the beginning of the class, the chef goes "be sure to read the whole recipe, and be familiar with all the steps". What that really meant is "I dont what youre making, so figure it out cuz im a hack".

So here is me making some sauce. We pureed tomatoes and had a TON of liquid in the pan. I ask the chef - "uh, is this supposed to be so watery?" He is like "yeah, well, let me see the recipe, uh, wow, huh."

The sauce was not bad actually, we started out with some shallot and anchovies in the pan, added the puree and just took some time to reduce the liquid. Unfortunately the finished pasta also included bread crumbs that were "toasted" also known as "burnt" and looked a lot like this -

This pasta was ultimately undone by the burnt toast topping. The noodles were cooked a perfect "al dente" but eating this dish was like licking a toaster.

So yeah, chicken can be boring, especially when its baked. But when the oven is not working properly you get rubbery skin AND dry chicken. Awesome.

This dish was the most interesting one of the night . . . till I tasted it. Squid was stuffed then simmered in a tomato sauce. The squid itself was alright but the stuffing was more like chewing gum.

CONCLUSION:

So if anyone says "lets take a cooking class at Sur La Table?" Save yourself the money and just go eat at Sbarros - its better food.

Strip Steak Trifecta: Dry Aged vs Organic vs Buffalo

2008-06-17T14:11:00.000-07:00

While I almost always go for Dry Aged Prime beef, I thought a three way taste off would be a good way to try Organic Beef and compare them both to an old favorite of mine - Buffalo.

On the left is the Organic beef, Dry aged in the middle and Buffalo on the right. The Organic beef has a deep ruby red color, and features the least amount of marbling. The Dry Aged steak had a bright red color and the most marbling of the three. The Buffalo on the right features a hue of red similar to the Organic Beef with just a touch more marbling.

The steaks were rubbed with Sea Salt . . .

and a generous amount of cracked blackpeppercorn

I built my standard two stage fire in my weber with some hardwood charcoal I picked up from Home Depot called Cowboy. Apparently this brand of hardwood can hit temps of just over a 1,000 degrees, so I seared the steaks at about 4 minutes a side with the lid down before moving them to the cool side of the grill.

The steaks after being seared on both sides.

I pulled the steaks off after about 2 minutes on the cool side and let them rest another 10 minutes on the cutting board.

Threw together a peppercorn sauce . . .

Steamed some broccolini

Roasted some baby Yukon gold potatoes

The Buffalo is on the left, the Dry aged is on the top and the Organic is on the right. The Dry aged seemed to be the hands down winner, people asking for seconds and thirds. The flavor was salty, but in a really good way and this steak was the most tender.

The Organic beef was a real surprise. Given the fact that it had the least amount of marbling, I thought the steak would be a dog. I was wrong. The organic beef had a deep beefy flavor compared to the Buffalo and was very very juicy.

The Buffalo was still a solid steak despite coming third. Some found it a bit gamey and bit tougher that the other two but I would not hesitate in picking up a couple of these for a future BBQ.

While the Dry Aged beef was a favorite it comes at a hefty price, near $30 a pound. The Buffalo and Organic were at around $20 which, while not cheap is a steak to consider if you are looking to feed a party or not drop dead of a heart attack at 40.

King Khan and the Shrines

2008-05-30T14:59:00.000-07:00

So google images is a pretty amazing thing. I dont speak Hindi and I dont care to sing along to Bollywood musicals but damn if the 1970's and India weren't the place to be. Look for an invite based on this image for a Summer BBQ sometime soon.

Chef Jeff and Ali: the original

2008-05-28T17:38:00.000-07:00

Watch Chef Jeff and Ali serve up perfect babyback ribs, experiment with shellfish and habaneros and change the game with 1lb burgers stuffed with Blue cheese and butter.

Chef Jeff and Ali: 500 degrees

2008-05-28T17:36:00.001-07:00

Chef Jeff and Ali start off the summer with an out of control booze fest. and we cooked some food too . . . .

Ali Grillz

2008-05-28T17:08:00.000-07:00

Ali Grillz.

three rules of the BBQ

Hardwood whenever possible

two stage fire

aromatic woods