The food
Somebody asked me for travel stories today and I had to throw up my hands. The most adventurous thing I've done so far is the Thai barbeque place I just visited. The buffet of raw meat and vegetables (some meant to be grilled, some not) were like a bunch of "NO!" illustrations for a travel health brochure. But it smelled so good ... the routine would have been familiar to any LA resident who's visited Koreatown. The main difference was that instead of the marinade, it was all about the delicious, chili-rich dipping sauces. Ok, a few random points:
Why it's better here
Find any popular food stall where you can watch your meal get cooked in front of you, and you get:
- Fresh-cooked food
- from fresh ingredients
- from a stall that does just one thing, and well enough to have a following
- in a country that cares about food.
Khao Soi
It's the new hamburger: tasty, addictive comfort food. Egg noodles, meat, etc, in a curry soup, topped with crunchy noodles. There must be somewhere in LA that has it. This is a perfect letter to Jonathan Gold at the LA Weekly actually: "ah yes, that delicious northern Thai specialty. There are several places in Los Angeles that claim to offer the real thing, but only one ..." etc etc
Also
- Fried rice doesn't suck.
- I had the best fried chicken of my life here.
- Met someone from Taiwan who claims chicken satay is a Malaysian dish.
Loving Los Angeles
I just had the spiciest meal I've ever had in this city, after five years of chasing Thai and Vietnamese delicacies. It was a pizza, at Mr. Pizza on Fairfax. They also have a silly good beer selection, with like six Samuel Smith varieties.
Some of the best chocolate I've ever had. Ignore the fact that it's sugar-free, that sort of creeps me out.
Kyochon has the best fried chicken I've tried in Los Angeles
6th and Serrano, a couple blocks east of Western. Then go to Lollicup a few doors down for boba. Perfect. (via Jonathan Gold, of course)
Recipes from the New York Times.
Pulls from a bunch of different LA food blogs ... but no LA-specific feed?
Fr'instance, LA Beer Map.
Need to buy beer in Los Angeles? A lot of it?
Caffeine content
- Shot of espresso: 77 mg (**)
- Grande Starbucks brewed coffee: 372 mg (***********)
- Starbucks Frappucino (bottled): 90 mg (***)
- Coke: 34 mg (*)
Good categories list for browsing. Oo and they link to chowhound threads!
The Great Taco Hunt
Tracking down every little frickin taco truck roaming the streets of LA. Insanity.
Tracking down every little frickin taco truck roaming the streets of LA. Insanity.
AskMe: What sorts of long-lasting food do you stock in your refrigerator?
aka "how do the rest of you without time to cook eat?"
aka "how do the rest of you without time to cook eat?"
LA Eats with Maps
Ning clone of Citysearch. But it's interesting now because it's populated solely with restaurants people cared enough about to add to the database.
Ning clone of Citysearch. But it's interesting now because it's populated solely with restaurants people cared enough about to add to the database.
London after hours
Most bars in London close at 11pm, believe it or not. These bars will get you (keep you) drunk after hours without a cover. I really wish I could use this information.
Most bars in London close at 11pm, believe it or not. These bars will get you (keep you) drunk after hours without a cover. I really wish I could use this information.
I had a donut from some random sketchy place in LA last night. They also served cheesesteaks and cafeteria-style Chinese food. It was great, as good as any Krispy Kreme I've ever had.
So I'm just saying, they're out there.
So I'm just saying, they're out there.
some good cheap California wines
Ravenswood Vintner's Blend Zinor Merlot
Bonny Doon Pacific Rim Riesling
Rosenburg Zinfandel
Qupe Bien Nacido
Chalone Pinot Blanc
Ridge Geyserville
Grgich Zinfandel
Quady Muscats
Bonny Doon Vin Glacier
Charles Shaw
Ravenswood Vintner's Blend Zin
Rosenburg Zinfandel
Qupe Bien Nacido
Chalone Pinot Blanc
Ridge Geyserville
Grgich Zinfandel
Quady Muscats
Charles Shaw
fruit labels
Not that I care, but:
Not that I care, but:
a "9" means organic ["94133"], an 8 means genetically-modified ["84133"]; conventionally grown seems drop the first # [they use "4133" as an example].I'd eat food from a 3d printer if it tasted good, but it's nice to be able to decode the data you swim through.
chemical wine
"The only problem was, his 'wine' tasted horrible."
"The only problem was, his 'wine' tasted horrible."
Chowhound
This is an enthusiasts' site for ____ (1). It's a little messy, but if you dig around a bit you're sure to find some gems. Mostly though, it's an interesting window into another subculture. Also, I would never have thought to try _____ (2) otherwise.
(1) food
(2) the Cuban sandwich at Chez Henri
eGullet seems to be its top competitor.
This is an enthusiasts' site for ____ (1). It's a little messy, but if you dig around a bit you're sure to find some gems. Mostly though, it's an interesting window into another subculture. Also, I would never have thought to try _____ (2) otherwise.
(1) food
(2) the Cuban sandwich at Chez Henri
eGullet seems to be its top competitor.
Malt Me! Are premium malt beverages an acceptable malternative to sobriety?
I wasn't planning on ever trying them -- I mean, Zima, nuff said, right? -- but apparently some are ok. Executive summary: Skyy Blue, Smirnoff Ice and Doc's Hard Lemonade are drinkable. The article got one thing wrong, though: none of these drinks are manly.
I wasn't planning on ever trying them -- I mean, Zima, nuff said, right? -- but apparently some are ok. Executive summary: Skyy Blue, Smirnoff Ice and Doc's Hard Lemonade are drinkable. The article got one thing wrong, though: none of these drinks are manly.
