Amelia has became one of my staple lunch spot during weekday (see my old entry). I manage to try their soup (always JUST arrive on time to get the last couple scoops from the pot for the day, it’s very popular). It’s different everytime. So good~ I also had the Cold Prosciutto and Mozzarella on Baguette, every bite is a pleasure. Fresh quality ingredients, crispy bread…I can’t believe I’m so addicted to sandwich.
January 7, 2007
5
Amelia’s Panini & Espresso (Main St.)
//// By Freda in 16: Santa Monica
January 7, 2007
5
Santouka (West LA)
//// By Freda in 11: West LAHoliday’s over, time to clear some old entries first. ^^;;
The awesome Ramen joint at Torrance Santouka opened a branch in West LA (Inside Mitsuwa Market, Centinela x Venice). I finally tried the Special Pork, I still like the salt soup most. The melt-in-your-mouth pork, my goodness~~ *Q* Too bad ramen are not so healthy or else I can eat this everyday.
December 31, 2006
5
Bistro K (Pasadena)
//// By Freda in 02: Pasadena, Favorite Food EntriesLast post of 2006 is the report of our big Christmas dinner at Bistro K, a tiny French bistro next to a theater hiding at the South Pasadena suburb. I’ve heard about this place for quite some time for their creative dishes and tasting menu. Can’t resist, the four of us decided to try the 8 Course Tasting Menu ($75). The courses are so fine and unique that frankly the name ‘bistro’ is quite misleading~~ ^^:;
I tried very hard to remember what ingredients each course contains (no written menu, though the brilliant waiters recited each course many times throughout the night): (slight difference in the line up but with the help from Bistro K entry on Best of LA, I fixed some of the menu)
1st: Scrambled Egg, Vodka Cream Scented with Jasmine, Topped with American Sevruga delicious runny scramble inside the eggshell.
2nd: Sautéed Duck Foie Gras, Eel with Caramelized Green Apples and Xeres Vinegar and 3rd: Lobster in lobster bisque with tapioca (!). Both are fantastic.
4th: Oxtail with crispy puff, hazelnut mash and beef tendon pastry, the light sweetness of the hazelnut mash compliment the oxtail with strong sauce. I also love the tendon pastry. 5th: Sea Urchin, Green Tea Sabayon, Panna Cotta, Scallop muscle with soysauce. The 5th course was a ‘secret’ one, I was pleasantly surprised by the sea urchin. When eaten together, the Green tea yogurt mousse made the fresh sea urchin shockingly SWEET! *q*
6th: Pastries (Forgot what’s inside), Sautéed Veal Sweetbread on parsley mash with Date ragout, The date is sweet and dense. The Sweetbread‘s texture is so smooth and taste so…’young’ (a strange feeling), I feel like I’m eating something very delicate.
7th: Fresh Hare From Scotland, Charlotte of Braised Cabbage with Chanterelle Mushrooms and Pondichery Peppercorn, Huckleberry Infusion. Topped with the sweet red wine glazed pastry. The hare was very tender and not too wild tasting. Very enjoyable~
8th: Beignets with chocolate sauce. Very soft and smooth. By the end, we were soooo satisfied.
On top of every courses are delicious, every bite gave you different flavor and texture, the entire course is full of surprises. Some courses are more complicated than others (I appreciate the ease-in curve ^^;;). The combination are well designed and ingredients are really interesting (tapioca!). It’s such a really delightful experience. Their menu changed all the time, so it’d be worth to go back often. Reservation is a MUST for this place as there were only 7 tables. Oh what an experience!
btw Bistro K doesn’t have liquor license, we brought our own wine. There’s no corkage fee~
BISTRO K
1000 Fremont Avenue., South Pasadena, Ca 91030
626 799 5052
Tags: Foie Gras, French, Haute Cuisine, Prix fixe
December 29, 2006
4
Cafe Beaujolais (Mendocino)
//// By Joan in 04: SF+Bay Area, Favorite Food Entries
The B&B owners recommended us the cal-french restaurant Cafe Beaujolais for gourmet fine dining. The B&B owner told us Cafe Beaujolais is THE restaurant that put Mendocino “on the map”, food-fame wise. All their ingredients are organic. I got the Braised Lamb Shank. Wow it’s incredibly delicious! The meat is very tender and the sauce in which the meat, carrots, onions and turnips braised in are so flavored and rich. The olive pate on the lamb compliments the flavor very well too.
Jon’s dish is the Braised Duck with huckleberry sauce, pepper and cabbage risotto and green beans. Everything compliments well with each other. The meat is tender and I love the huckleberry sauce. We had Cheesecake for desert and I think it’s the best cheesecake I’ve ever had! The texture is light and airy, perfect balance in the cheese flavor and sweetness. Love it!
Just read that their sturgeon is a famous “must order” dish…awww missed it…well could be a good excuse to go back to Mendocino. This concluded my Mendocino trip report.
December 28, 2006
3
Patterson’s Pub (Mendocino)
//// By Joan in 04: SF+Bay Area
Finishing up Mendocino (one more to go) before moving back onto LA eateries. Since Mendocino is a quiet small town, most restaurants close at 9:00 pm. So the local Irish pub Patterson’s is the only night hang out. It’s also a branch off of the original Patterson’s at Ireland. The food are reasonably priced (compare with all the other restaurants which are $$$ fine dining), so we went there for dinner and drinks for 2 nights in a row for budget sake. It’s also where we can watch TV ^^;;;
Thankfully their food is not bad at all. The Lobster Melt is brilliant! The lobster is fresh and they’re big chunky pieces. Love the sauce!
New England style Clam Chowder (taste is alright, clam pieces are generous) and steam clam with white wine sauce, even the soup is a bit too heavy and too much garlic for my taste, it’s still quite tasty.
