The Adventures at Starry Kitchen

Crack Den Mother. That's what I called myself as a customer of Starry Kitchen in Downtown Los Angeles. Before I got too busy with my last job, I would be at SK at least once a week.

I've called Thi's (aka Kitchen Ninja) food crack. I'm sooo addicted!

So, SK is a crack den. And because I would drag EVERYONE to SK with me, so, I'm the Crack Den Mother, bringing in new Crack Babies.

Nguyen, the husband half of the SK team, loved it.

Now that I'm no longer working Downtown, I've been missing my at-least-once-a-month Starry Kitchen treat. Today I had a chance to pop into town, so I did.

It would've been about a year now that I first set foot at the place. My two friends who have heard about SK's underground origin and wanted to go, so I went with them.

It was seriously love at first bite. And first board slam.

A very energetic and animated Nguyen gave us the schpiel of how to order which accompanied by the slapping of his menu board and a surprise F-Bomb.

"We change our menu every week. We don't fuck around," said Nguyen.

Well, hell, since we're at it. I was fucking loving this place already, and I hadn't even eaten the food yet!

(I know, some people were offended/off-put by Nguyen's antics, but, just as he'd tell you, swearing is a part of him. You don't like it, then move on. He does tone it down in the presence of children, though.)

Oh, and he wasn't kidding about not fucking around either. There are 2 rotating "proteins" on the board, and each of them get 2 weeks on there alternately. So, yes, every week, one item is changed out.

Pair that with 5 different ways you can have your main course: in a wrap, a Vietnamese sandwich, a chopped salad, a Thai Cobb salad, or a lunch plate. Then you choose a side which could be a salad, a noodle of some kind, or a special fried rice. LOTS of variations to keep you interested!

The food totally sealed the deal. Pan-Asian food that tastes like a home-cooked meal. Thi works her magic over these dishes. It may not be a traditional Vietnamese/Thai/Korean etc. food, but the flavor profiles are unmistakably Asian. And yummy. Oh so yummy.

Then I tweeted. And Nguyen would tweet back. And back and forth we went. He does the same with his other foodies and bloggers and tweeps who came through the door.

It was the food that keeps bringing me back but I have to say it's also because the "TWEETment" Nguyen gives to his customers. We do feel like family at SK.

I mean, would I be able to go into any other joint and get this photo with the owner? (Thanks Annette!)



Or this. (Thanks @munke!)



I rest my case.

And because the menu changes all the time, I keep coming back for different things. My favorite things are Taiwanese Pork Chops, Spicy Korean Pork/Belly, Crispy Tofu Balls, Spicy Vietnamese Salad, Shallot Fried Rice, Kimchi Fried Rice, Garlic Noodles, Chicken Wing Beer Soup, and Thai Cobb Salad with Lemongrass Chicken (substitute wonton skins for bread). I got to try a few things from their dinner menu over Dine LA week, fried chicken wings were awesome. I haven't had anything there that was bad.

Oh yes, they also do dinners on the weekends. This summer, they're doing a "fooding" event, a collaboration with Laurent Quenioux, which is:

"a combination of unique culinary offerings and art inspired by feelings and beautiful fresh seasonal ingredients - food creating one of a kind event for each weekend offering. The Chef cooks what he wants, the Starry Kitchen team provides the atmosphere, service and soundtrack and the entire LQ @ SK team lends verve and style to each weekend event."

I'd better book my reservation. Like a girl can say no to limited menu items like Mushu foie gras and Squab, Veal Feet, Ginger Cone Boudin Noir.

Now, as a final note.

Tips on making the most of your Starry Kitchen lunch visit

1. Get there just a little before 12 or a little after 1 and you won't be crushed in line. 11:45 and 1:15 seems to be the magic numbers.

2. Read the menu before you go. Figure out what you want to eat in what kind of combination. If it's your first time, Nguyen will give you a quick lecture anyway...because it's fun! ;-)

3. If you have 3 orders or more, you can call ahead! It works out perfectly for me several times.

4. If you're there with a buddy, take your friend's order and send him/her out to secure a seat. Better be safe than sorry, yo!

5. If you're like me and never finish your plate, order your food "To Go Sit". They'll bring your food in to-go container to your table. That'll save them plates to wash and save you time to box everything up later.

Ganging up at Drago Centro

I’ve developed a few new obsessions these days and Groupon being one of them. To my surprise, a few months back, one of L.A.’s fine dining establishments Drago Centro had a Groupon for $30 for $60 worth of food and beverages. Fantastic deal!

It turned out Annette also bought one. However, to be able to use both Groupons, we need to have a party of 5 or larger. Naturally, a triple date was planned. Brandon and I. Annette and boyfriend Hank. My bus buddy Amanda and husband Colin.

And no, there was no 3.5 hour Italian cinema this night…to much of Brandon and Hank’s relief. But to our mild disappointment, we couldn’t use the Groupons with Dine LA special pre-fixe menu. Boo. And I was soooo looking forward to @michaelshearin's wine pairing!

Our awesome waiter not only made great recommendations on the foods and wine but on how we could maximize our dining experience. He suggested that we all pick one thing each, order a couple dishes of something, and they can portion everything out for 6 servings. No need to go family style or passing your plate around.

Deal!

Now, being a good foodie and a bad wine connoisseur, I took pictures of the food but didn’t bother to write down what wine we drank. Colin was our wine man and he ordered was some kind of a mixed grape Italian red. And it was one of a more reasonably priced bottle and went well with everything.

Oh, and the amuse bouche of salted cod croquette and herb aioli really stirred up our appetites.



For the antipasti, Colin picked l’insalata di pomodori, a salad of heirloom tomatoes, bocconcini mozzarella, pancetta, and basil crème. 2 orders divided 6 ways came out to be a perfect little starter salad. The tangy and sweet tomatoes cut the creamy cheese, and the crispy delicious pancetta was seriously the icing on the salad.



Then we were separated into 2 camps: those who wanted to try le animelle (crispy sweetbread, polenta, blackberry) and those who would rather not eat a calf's gland. Annette, Colin and I went for the sweet bread, and I really liked it especially with the blackberry sauce. Amanda picked la burrata, a plate of burrata, endive, basil pesto, and crostini...which was similar to the salad we just had, but still a lot of yummy.

I had the monopoly on the first course here as I wasn't going to leave Drago Centro without my favorite dish. The first time I ate at Drago Centro, I ordered le pappardelle al fagiano, and it has never left me. My most favorite of pasta, pappardelle, is home made and is tossed with the perfect amount of the roasted pheasant and morel mushrooms ragu. I was happy that everyone agreed with me on how lovely the dish was. And again, 2 orders portioned 6 ways was enough pasta to keep us moving forward.



Alas, the big show. Brandon chose la bistecca per due, a bone-in ribeye the size of my arm, meant to serve two, with potato, globe carrots, chanterelle, and smoked hollandaise. Now this half of a cow came up sizzling to be carved table side. What impressed us most is that all of each got our own warm plate with one globe carrot, a few chanterelle, a schmear of sauce, and a quarter sized lemony, herby potato patty. It was sooo cute!

Perfect proportion to the 2 slices of steak we each got. And here I am thinking, how could TWO people possibly finish this sucker by themselves?! It's HUGE!



The steak itself was perfectly cooked to pink perfection and well flavored. However, it still managed to be a little chewy. Now, the smoked hollandaise tasted like liquid bacon to me. I had to seriously restrain myself from licking the plate.

Served up at the same time were two orders of Hank's seafood choice, le cappesante which were seared diver scallops, artichoke, celery root, fennel. The scallops were HUGE and cooked perfectly.

What the menu didn't say that there were also shrimps...sweet, succulent shrimps that seemed to have been rolled in the roes. I ate two and I wanted more.



It had been a dining EVENT so far...and we've been sitting around for 2 hours at this point. Service had been spot on with the pace of the meal. Any faster, we'd never have gotten to where we were. And slower, we'd never leave the place. The pacing also matched well with my ancient Thai secret art of eating: slow and steady and in small portion!

But we weren't going to leave without dessert. Well, I was full enough to have forgotten to take any more pictures. LOL.

Hank, the New Yorker, must have his canolis. Here they served you with 4 different flavors and dish of milk chocolate gelato: stracciatella (essentially chocolate chips and cream), orange pistachio, rosemary pine nut, and tiramisu. I never really had a canoli before. So with Hank giving the approval, I ate the tiramisu one. And it was divine.

While at it, we also ordered two of the Italian cookie plate: itsy bitsy pieces of biscotti, torrone, baci di cioccolato , nocciolati, savoiardi, and marshmallow. They hit all the right spots.

We finally rolled out of Drago Centro 3 hours after we first sat down, blissfully overstuffed.

We joked earlier on that if the bill came out to be ridiculous, we would consider that Christmas present for each other. Let just say that after the Groupons, we WILL be buying each other Christmas present. The price tag with the discount was super reasonable.

Although when we think about it, after the way we ate, even without the discount, it was still surprising reasonable for a place like Drago Centro. It does feel like eating with a group here is better for your wallet than dining with just 2 or 4 people.

But of course, you’d have to allow at least 2 hours for maximum enjoyment in a group. We wouldn’t have as much fun there if we were on a schedule to run to the theaters afterward.

Would we do this again without the Groupon? Absolutely.

Full of (First and) Hope

In an unsuspecting strip mall in downtown Los Angeles, a luxurious supper club is tucked away in the corner. And tucked away inside that is a speakeasy that sends you right back to the 40s.

Look up "hidden gem" and you’ll find First and Hope.



A friend told me about the place and the fabulous and innovative flight of mac and cheese. Where else would you take a girl who loves cheese for a pre-wedding last blast with her girl friends!

The party was started an hour before our dinner reservation as Amy and Celeste ended their days early. It didn’t take long before Amy, well known for her friend making prowess, chatted up First and Hope co-owner Parker Martin, restaurant designer Jeremy Ingram, and special event manager Mark Shunock. By the time Nhien the Bachelorette and I got there, we were whisked off to a tour of the restaurant and the Fedora, their “speakeasy” performance space, by Jeremy himself.

Talk about whetting your appetite! We were in the room in time for their lighting check. And the Fedora revealed herself to us gorgeously. Most bits and pieces in the room actually have history, not manufactured new. It was truly awe inducing. Mark informed us that wait until we come back in later to hear Brenna Whitaker perform to really be blown away. We didn't rush through our dinner but we could hardly wait to return to the Fedora for the show.



Back outside in the dining room, now fully alive with staff and diners trickling in, we were greeted by our waiter Johnny who was attentive, knowledgeable, and all around awesome. Not to mention handsome! I mean, the entire service staff came right out of a modeling catalog or something. And in those awesome uniforms!

At Johnny's recommendation, we ordered a bottle of wine and a mocktail crafted for our alcohol-allergic Bachelorette. And then we went to town with our orders.



First up, a potato amuse bouche. I inhaled that, more or less. Then pimento cheese and crackers I couldn't stop eating.



Then arrived BBQ Fried Oysters (Bacon BBQ Sauce & Celery Bleu Cheese Tapenade), tasty little morsels that were gone way too fast, and my mission dish, Praise the Lard! (And I was too hungry to take any pictures of these things. LOL!)

A trio of pork in a plate which I regretted that we share because I would've wanted it all for myself! Crispy Pigears over Heirloom Tomatoes, explosion of textures with crispy wisps of pigears and refreshing tomatoes. Kurobuta Pork Belly over Creamy Grits christened with warm Maple Dressing was superb, however my favorite has to be the Bourbon-Braised Pork Cheeks with a Crisp Soft Egg. The sweet, melt in your mouth pork with creamy egg inside crispy fried exterior. So. Effing. Good.

Then entered the grand finale, the Bachelorette's pick of Pecan-plank Whole Trout Stuffed with Baby Spinach and Lump Crab with a side of Heirloom Tomato & Cornbread Panzanella Salad. Nhien enjoyed this dish although I can't really tell you much about it because my focus was entirely on the Flight of Mac and Cheese.

All-About-The-Cheese Mac & Cheese Flight laid out beautifully on the table. First crock was Fiscalini Xtra Mature Cheddar, Lasagnette & Ritz Crackers. Creamy and homey. Next was Cypress Grove Goat Cheese, Conchiglie & Popped Corn. I had my doubts erased the moment I ate a forkful. Popcorn gave it the texture and the flavors were really good. Everyone else liked the popcorn/goat cheese best. But no, not me.



Naturally, my favorite is Porter Beer Cheese, Corkscrew Pasta & Rye Croutons with a sample of porter and small pile of what I think is pickled shallot/red onion. Put all the components in your mouth and sip the porter and all will be revealed to you!



Also came with the main event were our 2 side dishes collard greens and tater tots. The greens came with big hunks of thick bacon...which my friends left for me to destroy. (Good friends!) Tater tots were crispy outside and creamy inside, a texture I didn't expect from my tots but they were really, really good.

And of course, I wans't going to leave without dessert. I just didn't have room to go solo on what I wanted, the Porky Pig Banana Split (Bacon & Banana Ice Cream, Jalapeño Hot Fudge, Brandied Cherries & Caramel Pork Rinds) which no one wanted to participate in. LOL. We asked Johnny and went with his favorite LAPD Doughnut Shake Down. Boston Cream Pie Doughnuts & Chocolate Dipping Sauce with Strawberry Milkshake, Strawberry Compote & Strawberry Whipped Cream.



Seriously. Hit me with a bus. I can die happy.

And a surprise present from Mark and the boys for our Bachelorette was the Lemon Meringue Beehive. Coconut Macaroon, Lemon Curd, Lemon-Thyme Ice Cream & Toasted Marshmallow in a shape of a beehive. Sounds decadent but really refreshing. Definitely lighter than the doughnuts I can tell you.



As we wrapped up the dessert, music came pouring out of the Fedora. The fabulous Ms. Whitaker had taken the stage. And wow. What a voice! So back into the Fedora we went. With Brenna and her band on stage, the place really came alive. Intimate truly is the word for the place. It was simply amazing.

There are times when I really wish I live closer to downtown LA. And walking away from First and Hope that night was one of those moments. I wish I could hang out here any night there is a performance. The food. The vibe. The music. First and Hope has all I ever wanted.

Suddenly, living behind the Orange curtain becomes a serious inconvenience. I envy you, Downtown LA!

La Dolce Vita

There's always something awesome in LA Times' Daily Dish blog. And I came across this gem last week.

Dinner + movie: "La Dolce Vita" with your sweet corn agnolotti? Drago Centro kicks off its "Dinner and a Movie" summer series with the Fellini classic next Thursday, June 3. Chef de cuisine Ian Gresik prepares a four-course menu to go with the film: heirloom tomato salad with burrata and crostini; sweet corn agnolotti with pancetta and lemon brown butter foam; New York steak with crispy potatoes, maitake mushrooms and salsa verde; and strawberry torta with balsamic crème and mascarpone. Thursday, June 3, 7 p.m. $40 per person.

I called Drago Centro the moment I saw the post. I mean, $40 for a 4-course at Drago Centro? That's a crazy good deal, yo! I even managed to talk Brandon to come up to town for it.

The first hurdle was that the hostess didn't know what was going on. But she took my reservation anyway. But of course, Betty at the Times was awesome as you can see on the thread, and I clarified my reservation.

And then the Lakers got to the finals. Bless their hearts, Lakers fans Annette and Hank still came to dinner with Brandon and I anyway. Unlike others who canceled their reservations. The Vault would accommodate 20-25 but there were only 8-10 of us in there last night.



La Dolce Vita? Okay, I sort of get the message of the movie. As a USC film minor graduate, I *should* be falling all over myself for a Fellini film, but all I could do was admire the belly of the film as it flew over my head.

I was kept glued for a bit to see if I could understand any of the Italian. I picked up 4 words/phrases out of the whole movie. LOL.

And holy crap, it was LONG. It lost Brandon somewhere at the haunted house. It lost me after the break up, ("Get in the car! No! Get out of the car! No!")

But the food. My GOD the FOOD! And the wine pairing ($20 for 4 wines for the 4 courses)! Mamma mia!

Heirloom tomato salad with burrata and crostini + Prosecco di Valdobbiadene: Principe, Silver Emotion 2008

Fresh, fresh, fresh! The tomatoes were lovely and the burrata creamy. I could eat this all day. The prosecco was flowery and absolutely sublime. I can also drink that all day. :)

Sweet corn agnolotti with pancetta and lemon brown butter foam + Gavi di Gavi, Villa Sparina, Piemonte 2007.

We were all very close to licking the bowl on this one. Perfection in every bite. The corn was already sweet but somehow manage to not overpower the Gavi di Gavi. Just divine.

New York steak with crispy potatoes, maitake mushrooms and salsa verde + Sangiovese, Brancaia, Tre, Toscana 2006.

I had to swap my steak with Brandon because he likes his well cooked, but even then, the beef was tender. The potatoes and the mushrooms were on the saltier side but once you eat it with deceptively under-seasoned steak, the symphony in your mouth went off. With the Sangiovese, I didn't want this plate to end.

Strawberry torta with balsamic crème and mascarpone + Maculan, Dindarello 2007

The dessert didn't stand a chance to begin with and we were looking for ANY distraction from the movie at this point. A blink and everyone had inhaled their creamy and refreshing treat. The Maculan was a bit of a wake-up call on the sweetness at first sip but once again, everything was alright once it mingled with dessert.

What a meal! What an experience! I know I'll be there in a heart beat at the next one.

Take a stand on Lemonade

I'm on YELP now. So I'll be doing double duty here and there for restaurant review. Hope you guys don't mind.

For Downtown Los Angelenos who like fresh, creative home-style food, delicious freshly baked goodies and is nostalgia for a cafeteria feel, come on down to the City National Plaza. Lemonade will be totally be your end all for breakfast (they open at 8), lunch, and snacks.

*

My coworker said today she was going to eat somewhere else because the staff are starting to recognize her now. She's been to Lemonade that much.

And why shouldn't she? The food there are great and the folks are very friendly. As a matter of fact, the chef was out today helping my friend with her salad. ETA: I met Chef Alan today! (wave!) You should too!

As for me, I have a little more will power so I only dream about their red cabbage, honey and apple side dish. Although, today I tried the lemon macaroons (not very traditional macaroon-y, but more of lightly crispy and chewy cookie with creamy filling) and strawberry marshmallow dipped in chocolate; they are going to keep bringing me back again and again. ETA: Chocolate-Cherry Brownies...oh...my...god!

I had the ancho chili pot roast and despite being a bit under salted it was out of the ballpark with the spices. I just wish they'd serve it with a side of rice or mashed potatoes or something. ETA: Found a kettle of orzo next to the pot roast. Sweet.

Oh, and the lettuce-bacon-blue cheese-red onion and creamy dressing chicken salad? I say throw away the wedge, friends, and have a container of this stuff instead. ETA: Ditto the butter lettuce, blue cheese, candied walnut and vinaigrette! Yes, I'm a sucker for anything with blue cheese.

Lemonade has a lot of good, home-style food to try and they're more than happy to let you try them all. In a good size little sample cup too. The lines get a little disorganized in there but it's all because of the indecisions...too much good stuff!

Same review on Yelp!

Sushi in the Sky

My coworkers and I were invited to dine at Takami, the new trendy sushi joint in Downtown LA. The grand opening is this Saturday.

On the 21st floor of this building, one side sits Takami and the other Elevate Lounge (same website). Elevate already opens last Friday. But we'll get to Elevate later.

But Takami? Oh, we are soooo going back with our own dime next time. And perhaps even for happy hour!

Takami looks sleek but cozy. We were treated to a limited special menu but we pretty much get a very good idea of what they have to offer.

First, we started off with Takami edamame. It's the usual steamed edamame tossed in butter, garlic and soy sauce. Oh, wow. That was tasty.

Then the first course was a selection of the Robata, grilled skewers. We were so hungry I didn't even get to take the picture before we ate everything. Haha!

2 of us had the asparagus. Nothing special there. One had the shrimp which was not too bad. My other coworker and I had the New York Angus and oh my god that is something to crave later on. The meat was moist and VERY tender. The marinate wasn't typical teriyaki sweet syrup but soy sauce based something magical.

Next up was the sushi course. While the ladies ordered the rolls, I ordered halibut sushi. I usually don't do halibut but just for the heck of it. And the fish was sweet and fresh. The spicy tuna roll wasn't overly spicy and that scored well with us.

On to the main course. We ordered three things. All of them pretty to look at presentation. All of them was the right portion for lunch especially after the Robata and sushi. All of them delicious. I'll let the pictures and captions speak for themselves.

What I ordered: Pop Art Crab. Tempura Style Dungeness Crab & Avocado wrapped in Soy Paper served with Rainbow Sauce. (And the sauces are dynamite sauce, mayo with hot sauce, wasabi cream, and teriyaki sauce.)










Seared Yellow Tail. Topped with Onion Ponzu Sauce Sliced Jalapeno& Garnished with a Micro Sweet Corn. This one 3 ladies ordered. Oh, and the red and green on the side? Those are seaweed salad.










Grilled Angus New York, Teriyaki Sauce served with Mixed Mushrooms. AND mashed potatoes.












Apple spring rolls over fresh fruit and sorbet (passion fruit, I think). This one we didn't get to pick. It just came in. But boy was that spring roll light, crispy and tasty. Not too sweet.










After we stuffed ourselves silly, we walked over to check out Elevate next door. It's an open-air lounge. Smokers paradise! And spacious. Another coworker went to the grand opening last Friday. She said the earlier evening was slow, but suddenly things got picked up in a hurry and the dance floor was packed, music rocking. She had a great time and is looking forward to going back.

Hours of these two place work out like this. Takami opens for lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. weekdays, 5 p.m. - midnight Saturday and 5 p.m. - 11 p.m. Sunday. They have two Happy Hours, earlier in the evening, 4 p.m. or so and again to draw the late night crowd, 9 p.m. or so. Elevate opens at 9 p.m and goes on until 3 a.m.

Yep. You go for dinner and you waltz over to the lounge. Perfect timing.

We are thoroughly impressed with both joints. Now, only if I can have hall pass and an escort to stay up till 3 a.m. on a weekend night to check out Elevate for myself, that would totally rock.

Any takers?

ETA: Pricing for Takami was moderate. It's not cheap eats but it won't break your bank. Their lunch menu is very affordable in the mid to to high 10s. Dinner can go higher.

Sake + Star Wars

The Science of Sake: sake tasting and private viewing of the Star Wars Exhibit at the California Science Center in Los Angeles to benefit Little Tokyo Service Center. Chef Morimoto is to be honored there too.

$40 presale. Group rate for 8 or more.

I'm so down. Anyone else?

Pillaging Downtown LA

"Where are we going to lunch today?" asked CLo.

It was an unsolved mystery even when CLo, me, and Eva started walking out of our office building on Friday. Like a sign from God, CLo's brother was there and he told us about one of the new joints in Downtown LA.

"It's a pirate bar and grill," said Mario. Obviously, he had my full attention.

The X really marks the spot for Redwood Bar and Grill on 2nd and Broadway. I mean, the X is on their awning. You can see it a block away.

They opened their door appropriately on Talk Like A Pirate Day in September. The "nautical themed" spot is on a little dimmer lit side but makes it perfect. I felt like I just walked into either a saloon on a pirate hideaway or the captain's quarter on the Burly Mermaid.

The menu has a great variety at a very reasonable price for being a Downtown dig. The most expensive thing on the menu is $14. I mean, $10 burger is THICK and comes loaded with fries.

Eva and I split their special, pork roast sandwich topped with sweet potato chips and a side of frieds. (Oh...the dream I have about those damn chips!) CLo had the Waldorf salad. Mario had the variety fried cheese--mozzerella, fontina and majon with a side of chipotle aioli.

Everything we ordered was fantastic. The pork was tender. And I like I said, those damn chips! CLo salad was mighty tasty. The fried cheese? Oh. My. God! The aioli brings it all home. Actually Eva and I were stealing some of that smoky and spicy goodness for our fries as well. Heh.

The brew selection is also impressive. On tap are Guinness, Downtown Brown, Stone, 1903, Sierra Nevada, Heff and something else. The bottled selection is even more extensive. Duvell and other ales galore. What more could a snooty, beer loving, one-beer wonder ask for!

But like what I told Dev, the co-owner. Pirate themed bar that serves Guinness on tap? And that sweet potato chips? You guys have my soul. (And I haven't even tried your sweet potato fries or mussels and chips yet!?)

The Redwood definitely earns Captain Bubbles' seal of approval. Yarrrrgh!