February 6, 2009 2

Shaherzad Royal Persian Cuisine (Westwood)

//// By Freda in 11: West LA

We went to Little Persia on Westwood Blvd to try some Persian/Iranian food which I’m not familiar with. We wanted a not-so-heavy lunch and I was attracted by the rice menu at Shaherzad.

House Rice Specials ($13), in which you can choose either Lamb Shank or Chicken. I chose: Rice Mixed with orange peels, pistachios, almonds, saffron with a hint of Rosewater. It taste like how perfume on rice would have taste: sweet, florally and lovely… I can eat this all day! The subtle sweetness of orange peels and the nutty textures made a great combo. The Lamb shank is very delicious, it’s tender (the meat fall off from the bone with just a slight touch) and deeply flavored.

Ghormeh Sabzi – Sauteed fresh herbs mixed with red kidney beans, served with Veal. The stew is shockingly sour and could get overwhelming after a few bites. The veal is very tender. Served with Basmati Rice.

From the little samples we’re very impressed by the way they cooked their meat, I’d love to come back to try the kebob and other dishes.

Shaherzad Royal Persian Cuisine
1422 Westwood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90024

Tags: Lamb, Middle Eastern, Persian

February 6, 2009 Off

Back Alley (Koreatown)

//// By Freda in 07: Mid-Wilshire

We tried to go to Dan Sung Sa (aka the “Kim Jong Il mural painting Korean Pub”) but there’s a long wait. So we crossed the street and went to a similar Korean Pub that’s hidden in a back alley, called Back Alley (or DGM – DwitGolMok).

The entrance is located at the back parking lot. After you went inside the building you would come out on the other side of the hall and came upon this courtyard. Go through the door with this green sign and the pub is located on second floor.

The space is bigger than Dan Sung Sa but it’s just as smoky and dense. It also has the same retro 60s post war night market quarters greasy interior with newspaper covered walls.

Then we came upon a big problem: there was no English menu. Usually we came with Korean-speaking friends but there isn’t one in the group. The waiters could only speak limited English…so we ordered by memory (Korean pronouciation) and describing the dishes.

The Dumbells (fishball with glass noddle fillings wrapped by seaweed with plum sauce) doesn’t look as “rounded” as Dan Sung Sa’s, and didn’t taste as good as well. This Spicy Octopus pretty much KILLED my taste bud with the chili sauce. My mouth was numbed and beyond fiery for the entire night and I just could not tamed it (should have asked for a glass of milk).

Fried Chicken Wing and Pork Belly. Both are tasty but unfortunately the untameable spicy assault in my mouth prevented me from fully enjoying these two dishes.

We also ordered some skewers but the beef ones are too tough to eat. I think generally Dan Sung Sa’s food are better made, but this is a fun place to hang out.

Back Alley
3275 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90010

Tags: Korean, Pub, Spicy

January 29, 2009 3

Asanebo (Studio City)

//// By Freda in 18: Greater LA, Favorite Food Entries

I went back to the wonderful Asanebo (see old post) to celebrate the birthday of someone special. According to Seat in last post, Asanebo meant “oversleep” in Japanese.

This time I’m also getting with the omakase B Course (ended up as $105 pp this time).

1st course as same as my 2nd course from last time: Whitefish and Shrimp Roll with Shiso Leaf, Yuzu pepper and Shitake Mushroom with Sweet Onion Salsa, taste pretty ‘junky’ and strong tasting for an opening dish.

2nd: Ma Dai (Red Snapper) sashimi. Great texture and the sauce is divine~ It’s a golden, lightly sweet sauce that left you a wonderful aftertaste. The skin was lightly grilled which gave a wonderful aroma. The whole dish is carefully prepared and well thought out for multiple flavors and textures complimenting each other.

3rd: Ono Fish. I wish I can remember the ingredients. Another unique and complex tasting plate, very impressive!

4th: Raw Shark Hearts. At the beginning when the waitress asked for our preferences, we said ‘as exotic as possible’ and this is what we got! They said they get sharks hearts rarely so it’s definitely a treat. Since it doesn’t have much flavor, you eat it with a yuzu based garlic dipping sauce. The texture is soft but firm, bouncy and chewy. Very good!

5th: Raw Sweet Shrimp and Lobster with Truffle and Soy Paper. The shrimp and lobster are so sweet, wonderful.

6th: Grilled Octopus with Burrata cheese and Plum. The octopus was so soft. Lovely dish.

7th: Kagoshima Beef Fillet and Miso seabass.This is similar to what I had last time except the beef was minced last time. The miso flavor of the seabass is a bit too strong compare to all the light but deep, interesting flavors of the courses so far.

8th: Best of Asanebo Sushi. The Marinated Kohada
is top notched. The uni was torched a bit for deeper flavoring. It’s like a spectacular firework show to end the meal, very satisfying.

9th: Miso Soup with Ma Dai (watch out for the fish bone). The dessert selection wasn’t as interesting as last time though.

This meal not only live up to my first impression, but even surpassed it a little (for the surprises and first two wonderfully designed sashimi dishes).

Asanebo (818) 760-3348)
11941 Ventura Blvd. Studio City, CA 91604-2607

Tags: Exotic, Japanese, Prix fixe, Sashimi, Sushi

January 28, 2009 14

Wurstkuche (Downtown LA)

//// By Freda in 06: Downtown LA

A new German sausage bar Wurstkuche has opened at the Downtown Arts District. Joan and I went on separate days for a combine report.

Nite & Day. The crowd during lunch hour was mostly the architect looking types (Sci Arc is nearby).

When they first started there was only a few counter seats at the small ordering room. Later on a big back room was added with a bar where you can order imported German and Belgian beers on tap.

There’re three categories: Classics ($6), Gourmet (6.75) and Exotics (7.75). The Exotics offers the likes of Alligator and Rattlesnake. View the menu. They have vegetarian ones too.

Joan got confused and didn’t know the non classics were sausages as well, so they sticked with the classics. Bratwurst (fine cuts of pork with coriander & nutmeg) and Bockwurst (Veal & pork with spices). They’re juicy and great! Good Sauerkraut (toppings) too.

I got the Rattlesnake & Rabbit with Jalapeno Pepperes. The meat feels fatty and buttery. The jalapeno spice gave a nice little kick. It’s not that exotic tasting though (I was told the Alligator one taste really exotic~). Very good! But the sweet peppers topping are a bit too dominating and get in the way. It also took quite some time to cook. My bf got the Kielbasa (from Gourmet) – Polish style, pork & beef with onions and spices. Good texture and flavorful.

Belgian Fries with Curry Ketchup . The fries are great except it’s a little too salted for me. The curry ketchup is delicious! You can also add White Truffle Oil for $1.50. This place seems like a cool place to hang out for beers and quick eat.

Wurstkuche
800 E 3rd St. Los Angeles, CA 90013

Tags: beer, German, hip, Sausage

January 22, 2009 4

The Park (Echo Park)

//// By Joan in 05: Silver Lake + Echo Park

It’s nice to see more gourmet type of restaurant opens in Echo Park, especially one that is moderately price. The Park is a small neighbourhood bistro where all entrees are under $20 (the most expensive dish was $16). The menu is small and eclectic, all the entrees sound interesting.

Jon and I walked in without reservation on a Friday night so we had to wait a little bit. The vibe was causal though I found the design of the interior space to be a bit unpleasant. The lighting was way too dark (the picture on the left was brighten with photoshop) that I could hardly see my food. It is too bad as I think seeing the food is just as important as the smelling and tasting when comes to appreciating a meal.

Appetizer: wild mushroom galette Sauteed wild mushrooms, slow roasted tomatoes, arugula, fontina cheese, thyme & truffle salt. $8. Pretty good.

Jon got the Grilled 8 oz. Petit Tender with saffron cream “surf” sauce, french fries & sauteed spinach. $15 He said the meat was a little dry and over coooked a bit for a medium, but it’s still good. Next time better get medium rare. The sauce was “peppery”. We both love the fries.

Duck confit with stewed white beans & French Sauerkraut with bacon & sausage. $16 Very delicious. The duck was well cook and I love the sauce. The sauerkraut were great too.

Apple tart with caramel. It was so-so and a bit too much caramel sauce.

Overall the meal was satisfying and the price was good for what they are. They used to be BYOB (bring your own booze) with no corkage fee which would have make the meal even more affordable, but I got an email from them saying that’s no longer the case. Check their blog for nightly specials.

The Park
1400 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026
(213) 482-9209

Tags: American, Duck, hip

Shaherzad Royal Persian Cuisine (Westwood)

Back Alley (Koreatown)

Asanebo (Studio City)

Wurstkuche (Downtown LA)

The Park (Echo Park)

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