Escape from LA: Granada, Spain

A top 5:
1. The Bocadillo-The second day of my trip, during a pretty exhilarating stroll through the Alhambra, I stopped at a little sandwich kiosk that sits by a wall overlooking both the Sacromonte and the Darro river and ordered what I assumed would be a pretty basic sandwich, a bocadillo. What arrived, along with a glass of beer, was a triumph of Protestant simplicity in a country as Catholic as they come: good baguette coated with just the right amount of olive oil and an appropriate serving of jamon serrano in the middle. That may have been the best sandwich I've ever had, next to the Muffaletta at Central Grocery in New Orleans. Or maybe the best was the equally enchanting ode to simplicity I had at the Madrid airport. Yeah, that's right, the airport. I also had a decent pork loin bocadillo at an outdoor cafe atop the Albaizin where I sat in the middle of a town square and watched gypsies pluck their strings.

2. Bodega Castaneda
A block or two off the main intersection in central Granada, down a little alley full of kindred spots, sits Bodega Castaneda, one of the larger tapas bars in the area, a popular terminal that, in my experience, starts to fill up around 6 or so, just as those heavy lunches are starting to wear off. Spacious compared to the Tokyo-sized bars that line some of the other streets, the bar features a long bar that customers park their bellies against and wait anxiously alongside for the host of deceptively basic dishes that the restaurant offers. Good bread, endless taps of crisp beer in those little glasses I really love, Manchego cheese, jamon serrano, and smoked salmon with avocado, caviar and cheese. There are few things I've found since that I liked more than this meal...really.

3. Oxtail Stew at Kiki San Nicolas-Actually the Oxtail Stew was just ok. A little thick, and gravy-ridden for my taste, though I'm sure a farmer with a sore back after a day in the fields of Andalucia might disagree. The main attraction here is not so much the food but the fact that Kiki San Nicolas is right next to the Mirador San Nicolas, which holds what is undoubtedly the best view of Granada, and the Alhambra directly across, in the city. People just sit in the square for hours and watch the sun slowly move until it sets, trying to ignore some of the more annoying of the hippies that sit around and play like they're actual gypsies. I was one of those people that sat there for hours.

4. Cafe Au Lait-Again, the food at this place is kind of whatever...But the view is ridiculous, sitting aside the Darro river in a spot, with the Albaizin on one side, the Sacromonte on another, and the steep hill that holds the Alhambra on the other. I felt guilty after awhile, just sitting there ordering coffee and taking in the view. No one seemed to really care, though.

5. Restaurant Arraynes
I guess what I love about this place, besides the food, is the fact that, in order to reach it from the bottom of the Albaizin, one has to take one of several routes through narrow, shop lined alleys that seem as much like Morocco as Spain. Once you get to the sign, Arraynes is up a little flight of steps that seems to go nowhere but there, making it seem hidden, though I'm sure Lonely Planet sends roughly 10-15 people a night. Once inside, especially if you go in December, you'll find a warm spot with an equally warm owner, and wonderful, if a bit basic, Middle Eastern fare. I had baba ganoush, Arabic soup, a huge plate of cous cous with lamb, and Arabic tea. Nothing will completely surprise or amaze you in the food department but, as Granada demonstrates time and time again, simple is sometimes just enough.

VICE...

...which is, otherwise, a pretty essential magazine, recently posted some sort of guide to LA food on its website. It's kind of unnecessary if you live in LA, and kind of misinforming if you don't. The comments featured below the reviews are actually way more interesting and telling.

Example: " vice, please, go back to new york. you sound like the guy from the east coast who took a trip out to LA and went out on the east side with his hipster friend and was blown away by every quirky mexican guy selling food."

I agree with this guy for the most part. I suppose people from San Diego and Las Vegas feel the same way about my reviews when they read them.

Escape from LA: Las Vegas

Bouchon (The Venetian, Las Vegas)
I could eat at Bouchon everyday. Actually, to be precise, I don't have anywhere close the budget to eat at Bouchon everyday. What I mean is that, given the opportunity, Bouchon is comfortable, low key and inviting enough, that I could eat there any time of the day, in my off work uniform of tattered jeans and wrinkly t-shirt and not feel at all intimidated or under-dressed. The food is relatively simple, and even hearty at times. Not to say that Bouchon is not elegant in a basic way. It is. But it's an elegance and a style that lacks pretense, from the relatively simple and spacious kitchen in which it's housed to the utterly gracious and completely helpful service staff that maintain its tables.
But what about the food? Start with the hors d'oeuvres. The Rillettes aux de Saumons arrives in a small canister, sort of like one you might find a candle in at your local Target, at which point your waiter, with the care of wood carver, opens the top, and with a small knife, removes the butter encasing that provides a ceiling to the salmon. The salmon itself, rich and buttery, would be a meal in itself for some. Oysters are available by the dozen and 1/2 dozen, and if your waiter is kind, he'll bring you a selection of several types, with a brief description of the origins and attributes of each. On our visit, there was also a Rabbit Ballatine, paired with small pieces of toast.
From there, we went with the specials for the most part for our entrees. Bouchon's version of Chicken and Waffles is a bit different than Roscoe's, plating a perfectly roasted chicken breast next to a simple stack of bacon and chive waffles, with sauce Chasseurr. The Maine Bouchot mussels, steamed in white wine, mustard and saffron, seem to only grow in number as you attack the iron cask they arrive in, and can be an ideal accompaniment to something so heavy. On the day we visited, there was a special scallop dish that combined four large, wonderfully sauteed scallops with a blend of bernaise and hollandaise sauces, with slighly crisp potato wafers and bits of lobster that I never seemed to find (which was really no big deal). We also tried an open faced sandwich with smoked salmon atop a baguette that I would put in my lunch pail everyday had I the financial means.

Cut (The Venetian, Las Vegas)
Um...Cut is really good. I actually ate a sampler entree with no more than 8 oz of steak that listed at $140. And it's possible it's actually worth the price. Is there anything more to say? Try the Steak Tartare with herb aioli and mustard starter. Out of adjectives for now.

Recent

Meal's end at Huarache Azteca

Huarache Azteca ( 5225 York Blvd. Los Angeles)
If you're lucky enough, you'll actually take Jonathan Gold's advice, and make the short, or long, trek to Highland Park's Huarache Azteca. You might waste your time with the tacos, fine enough, but not really anything greater than you might find at any of LA's better taco trucks, of which there are many. Instead, take the simple route, go with the name, and try a Huarache: a big, oblong, stretched oval of masa dough, covered with refried beans, cheese, sour cream and your choice of meat. And then try another if you're still hungry. (A)

Jitlada (5233 W. Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles)
Jitlada, if it is nothing else, would easily qualify as the purveyor of the spiciest food I have eaten in Los Angeles, and perhaps anywhere. The Coco Mango Salad, if you arrive on the right night, with enough Thais to convince the wait staff you really mean it when you say "Thai spice," can be as close as one gets to whatever ecstasy is produced by a perfect combination of citrus, undeniable spice and sugar. But please don't stop there. The green mussels, in a broth of garlic, lemongrass, basil and chilies are worth at least the affordable $12 price tag they come with. The southern Thai curries, spicy enough, may be as good as any I've had in LA. And there's a dish of fried catfish with blistery, charred basil leaves that is worth the trip by itself. All served in a charming space that looks like it hasn't changed in the last 15-20 years. A restaurant unashamed at putting copies of its good reviews on top of its tables. (A)

Foxy's (206 W. Colorado St. Glendale)
The function of Foxy's, in my life at least, is a simple one: it's the restaurant I head to when I've had a long day, have no desire to make a decision about where to go eat, and desire nothing more than a basic restaurant with basic choices. It only helps that the rectangular dining room is bounded with comfortable booths I could sleep in, toasters at each table, and a fireplace on one end, all underneath a triangle-shaped, chalet style roof that feels more like the Sierras than Glendale. Foxy's is in no way fancy. They serve a pretty good hamburger, and a host of sandwiches, that arrive with your choice of a completely forgettable salad (pass on it, please) or a soup that might be on par with the Campbell's variety in your pantry, or perhaps a few notches up if you're lucky. A good portion of the menu, though, is devoted to Mexican inspired dishes. Really, I'm getting bored writing this review. There's nothing really amazing here. But it's all very comforting, which is sometimes better than amazing. (B)

Paru's (5140 W Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles)
You can almost feel the other patrons breathing on you at Paru's, owing to the cozy confines of the main indoor dining area (there's also a more open air courtyard setting, for the claustrophobic). It can be bothersome, as you listen to the more annoying locals pontificate, annoyingly, on the virtues of high end hotels. Or you can settle in, take in the ambiance of the faded, tantalizing photos and pictures that crowd the wall, and wish you were actually in India. The food, though not on par with Artesia's Tirupathi Bhimas, is a fair substitute when you don't feel like making the 30 minute drive. Honestly, I'm partial to the carnivorous fare served at Asohka the Great, or even Pasadena's Sitar, or Diamond Bar's Diamond Palace. But there's certainly something to be sad for a good vegetable curry and a deceptively filling dosa, both of which they offer at Paru's. Pony up for one of the entrees (all of which hover around $12), and treat yourself to some combination of curry, yoghurt, dosa, paratha, chutney, and a host of other surprises, most of which are quite tasty. (B+)

Dos Burritos ( 4734 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles)
Dos Burritos is my new Sunday afternoon spot, if for no other reason than the Sunday specials they offer on their menu. The place serves Mexican and Salvadoran food. Thankfully, my immediate inclination, before I even read the reviews, was to go with the Salvadoran specials, which may be more in line with the owner's culinary gifts. I feel rewarded for my accidental burst of intuition. If you're by yourself, go with the Bandera which, for ten bucks, gets you a sampling of three of the days specials. Try the Casuela de Pescado, a dish of fish served in plantain sauce with peanuts and spices that tastes as much of Thailand as it does of Central America. The Seco De Gallina O Chivo, also well worth sampling, is a dish of chicken or goat, cooked with tomato, onion, peppers, cilantro, and naranjilla, mixed with spices and beer. Balance it with a taste of ceviche: shrimp, clam, or maybe fish, if you come on the right Sunday. (A-)

Recent bites...still no pictures

Rincon Salvadoreno ( 3827 W Sunset Blvd Ste C. Los Angeles)
Rincon Salvadoreno is a little Salvadorean spot on Sunset, right near the border with Echo Park, about the size of a master bathroom in a modest middle class home. We were hungry when we arrived and asked the waitress, as we ordered our pupusas, if there was a chips and salsa option. She replied in a manner that, honestly, I didn't quite grasp. A few minutes later, a bowl of freshly made chips, still dripping with oil, arrived, with fresh salsa on the side. It's that kind of place. Apparently, the restaurant closed either right before, or right after we arrived. No one told us, and there wasn't any sort of prominent sign for us to see. Again, that kind of place. The pupusas, the only thing I've tried so far, are a bit oily, and also a tad more delicate than I'm used to, but more than satisfying, especially when slathered with the savory slaw offered in abundance. (B+)

El Cochinito ( 3508 W Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles)
Only a few blocks away from Rincon Salvadoreno is El Cochinito. It's actually next door to the excellent Alegria, and a good place to duck into if you ever get tired of fighting their wait times, or even if you could care less about Alegria. El Cochinito serves Cuban food, large servings of Cuban food I may add. I don't often encounter meals I enjoy that I can't finish. I failed, in this regard, at El Cochinito. The yuca appetizer, with a tasteful drizzling of mojo de ajo dressing, is pretty essential to any meal. The Roast Chicken (with a mound of rice and beans) is more than decent, but pales a bit in comparison to the Lechon Asado, a tender, delicate, savory-enough but not thirst-inducing pig, that arrives with enough mass that you'll be able to take home leftovers for pork tacos, just as I did. (A)

Scoops (712 N Heliotrope Dr. Los Angeles)
In the "bicycle district." Chocolate and wasabi ice cream. Need I say more? (A)

Pure Luck (707 N Heliotrope Dr. Los Angeles)
Vegan spot located across the street from Scoops. I used to date a girl who was vegan, and I will count the time I tried to make her a proper vegan meal as one of my great cooking failures, next to the first meal I ever made for a girl in which I demonstrated an inability to properly cook noodles. This spot is a bit better than my effort. I had the torta with jackfruit BBQ and vegan pozole. Way, way, way better than it sounds. A nice, dimly lit, Saturday evening dinner spot. (A-)

Sapp Coffee Shop (5183 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles)
OK...I think I underrated Sapp in my previous review. I still put the Boat noodles a few notches below the ones at Ord Noodle down the street, which is not in any way a put down. A return visit found a rich and filling plate of Curried Chicken in Curry Rice as well as a Nam dish (Thai spam) that was pretty good as well. I think I'll be back. (B+...and climbing)

Beverly Soon Tofu (2717 W Olympic Blvd Ste 108. Los Angeles)
I've maintained for some time that Korean food is the comfort food of Asia. At least that's my take on the Korean food I've had in the United States. Never been to Korea. Either way, Beverly Soon Tofu may be the most comfortable dinner spot I've found in LA. It's a small restaurant that left its front door open on my initial visit. Patrons sit in close quarters atop little carved wooden stools and rest their hands on equally cabin-core carved wooden tables. I kept looking for the animatronic bears but couldn't find any. I can honestly say that there are few things I enjoy more, on a crisply cool LA night, than a plate of well seasoned squid paired with a suitably spicy tofu soup (were those jalapenos?) and a selection of pan chan that, while not really approaching the diversity at Sa Rit Gol, is more than adequate. The galbi was nice as well. I always have a hard time, when eating Korean, deciding if I'm there for the pan chan or the entrees. I suppose it's a silly question in the end. (A)

Mike's Deli (4859 W Slauson Avenue. Los Angeles)
Remember the New Jersey Devils of the late 90s? I suspect you don't as the few people that read this blog, I suspect, took a pass on late 90s northeastern ice hockey teams. Either way, the Devils were one of the best teams in the league. They were also incredibly boring, lulling teams, announcers, writers, fans and the league in general, to sleep with their mastery of the trap, a defensive system whereby the Devils basically played mistake free hockey and waited for their opponent to make a few mistakes in the middle, at which point they would strike, and win fairly often. Kind of the hockey equivalent of the Ravens in '02, or any team that wins with a great defense and a "game manager" for a quarterback. Anyway, Mike's Deli is kind of similar to both these teams. There's nothing really exciting about Mike's. The menu, along with the ambiance, could exist in a strip mall in Springfield, IL just as easily as a strip mall on Slauson Avenue in L.A. But there is certainly something to be said for a lunch spot that recognizes the value of stuffing quality ingredients-Boar's head meat, crisp lettuce, thinly sliced tomatoes, mustard, mayo, kosher sliced pickles, and onion-between good bread. The sandwiches are boringly consistent in a good way. I ate there for three straight lunches this summer and could have gone for a fourth. (B)

Solo work

Casa Bianca (1650 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock)
Whenever I’m at Casa Bianca I feel like I’m interrupting a family reunion. The fact that they don’t pick up the phone after 6 on a Saturday night only adds to the alienation. It’s not that they’re elitist, or rude. It’s more the feeling that everyone working there, whether by blood or simple ethic, is part of the same, fully-functional, circulatory system. There’s the 50ish gentleman at the front and his wife, and then there are the many unassuming waitresses who I assume, wrongly or rightly, to be the direct descendants of Sam Martorana, the recently deceased founder. And then there are the customers, all of whom seem perfectly comfortable waiting 2 ½ hours on a Saturday night, packed into the small reception area or lucky enough to grab a plastic chair on the sidewalk. Everybody belongs. Maybe it’s because everyone, no matter where they came from, has been to this restaurant at some point. We all remember those childhood pizza houses, dimly lit, neon sign on the front, peppermints by the cash register, with bad paintings of the home country on the wall, presided over by strikingly casual waitresses and waiters, most of them related to the owner. We’ve all been to this place, but most of us have not had this pizza.

The pie at Casa Bianca arrives as an oblong, misshapen, irregular disc. Almost completely uniform in its flatness, it would resemble a plane interrupted by occasional dunes on a topographic map. The cheese that covers and largely unites the dish is charred to a degree that many joints would never even consider. The thin and crispy crust generated by the time I suspect it spends in the oven is a perfect accent to the tomato sauce. We always opt for the mushroom and pepperoni combination, as I’m a firm believer in the laws of diminishing returns when it comes to pies and subs, but I can’t imagine that a pizza here could ever actually be bad, so…use your best judgment I guess. On the rare occasion that I opted for a pasta dish instead of the pizza I was pleasantly surprised that it, to some degree, held its own in comparison. The salad, though, resembles something that could be prepared at a Wendy’s super bar in the late 1980s. The garlic bread is pretty basic, in a not so exciting way. Not that any of this really matters, once you've had the pizza. (A)

Yum

Asa (18202 S. Western Ave. Gardena)
Asa, located in the little Japan of disconnected strip malls that exists south of Little Tokyo in the Gardena/Torrance area, is about as close as one might get to the feel of a late night Tokyo ramen spot in Los Angeles, and for that matter, North America. Not that the Japanese are really big on strip malls, but once you step inside, you might get what I mean. From the headwear of the ramen cooks to the long narrow strip that makes up the restaurant (and the bar) to the utterly polite waitresses to the dim lights to the menu that looks like an artist, rather than an Apple designed it, to the big, brothy cauldrons of ramen (above) that arrive after an appetizer of tofu with bonito flakes, for a half an hour, you feel like you stepped across the Pacific. Rameniac calls it "two in the morning glorious" and he/she knows way more about ramen than I do so maybe you should just read what he/she had to say. While you're there, just check out the whole site. All this being said, I'm not sure if it really compares to the mind-warping of that first bowl of ramen I had in a crowded little Shibuya businessmen's spot on my last trip but, oh well, Shibuya is a bit farther than Gardena. (A)

Ruen Pair (5257 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles)
I've heard, from an actual Thai person (from Thailand), that Ruen Pair has gone down. I wonder if this is a bit like the decline of a player like Carlos Delgado, or maybe Greg Maddux...not as good as they used to be but, at least in Carlos' case, still pretty good. I was pretty ecstatic about Ruen Pair on my recent, and first, visit. Not that you should trust an Alabamian over a native Thai so take it for what it's worth. Why was I so ecstatic? Pretty decent papaya salad with raw crab, though nothing like the nose-letting homemade recipes I've had at Buddhist temples and cookouts. Addictive, sour duck feet salad. More than adequate crispy pork. And fried catfish with crispy basil that, without approaching the brilliance of the same dish I had on a recent Jitlada visit (more on that later) was at least satisfactory. Come to think of it, I wasn't really blown away by anything. But, like Delgado and Maddux, Ruen Pair probably deserves a second, third and even fourth look. (B+, for now)

Sapp Coffee Shop (5183 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles)
One visit. Tried the Boat noodles with pork. I understand the Sapp Coffee Shop appeal, and will probably be back for the specials (Steamed Chicken with Rice (Singapore style?) on Saturday and Curried Chicken with Rice on Sunday). For now, though, I'm sticking with the Boat noddles at Ord Noodles down the street. (B)

La Cita Restaurant (4608 San Fernando Rd. Glendale)
I've been looking for something in my neighborhood that, at least in some ways, approximates the laid back comfort of the inimitable Ciro's for sometime, and I guess maybe I've found it in La Cita. Sitting as if sleeping on a tired and lonely stretch of San Fernando, near its intersection with Los Feliz, La Cita may sometimes appear deserted when you walk to the door. It did when I arrived on a recent Friday night. I fell in love almost immediately as I sunk into the slightly torn cushion of one of the booths, spied the Dodgers game on a corner TV, and ventured into a pair of salsas, one green and one red. The menu is a mix of dishes that would be familiar to anyone in Los Feliz and a number that might require a trip via google. I sampled the Chile Verde, a stewy mix of tender pork and green chile sauce that could have been a bit spicier, though I suppose that's what the table side hot sauce is for. La Cita is not Ciro's, but I think I've found a new place to rest my head on a Friday night. (B+)

Elena's (1000 S. Glendale Ave. Glendale)
"How do you like this one," I asked, pointing at the picture of the Stuffed Eggplant on the graphically interfaced menu that would accommodate a Romulan. "Well, I'm not a vegetarian, so I don't really know," the waitress replied. "People order it a lot, so I think it's good." There's something about a reply so direct and absent of artifice, personal and honest, that says something about a restaurant that you hope is confirmed in the food. "I'll try that then, with the lentil soup, and an order of the mutabel." Sitting in Elena's waiting for my soup, surveying the patrons lined around the periphery of the covered patio that functions as the dining room, I had a strong suspicion that I was the only newcomer.
Elena's is tucked on a corner of Glendale Avenue, across the street from what appears to be an Armenian version of Waffle House, easy driving distance to a host of Armenian markets and DVD rental stores, not to mention the Glendale Galleria and the multi-purpose Grovesque Americana. Let's hope that whatever transformation occurs in Glendale within the next 10 years or so leaves room for comfortable, casual spots like Elena's. If not, where will we find such ridiculously tasty lentil soup?
What is it about the soup? Food authorities, from the less prominent you find on Yelp, to the Pulitzer prize winning, swear by it. Ultimately, I'm not really sure what makes it so good, though I suspect it's the sensation created by the more than faint swash of lemon that runs across your tongue as you swallow it, or perhaps it's the consistency of the soup, with just the right amount of oil, modestly touched with salt, or maybe it's simply the little round pot and saucer it arrives in. Whatever it is, you'll begin planning your return visit a few seconds after the first taste.
The entrees, with choice of soup or salad, include all the normal combinations of chicken and lamb kabobs (every bit as good as others I've had in LA, though Altadena's Soumarelo may have a bit of an edge), falafel as well as various salads. The Stuffed Eggplant, a noticeably oily mound of sauteed peppers, celery, onion and garlic atop an eggplant, garnished with parsely, arrives with an equally cumbersome serving of fragrant rice. Paradigm altering? No. Tasty comfort food? Just what you need.
The mutabel, fine in itself, is not really in league with the genius blend of smoke and eggplant found at Armenian fast food giant Zankou but, really, where can you find mutabel that is? On my way out, takeout box in hand, carrying the inevitable leftovers from the rather large servings, my waitress stops me, politely taking the little container of mutabel off the top of my box and fastening the lid. She then hands me a bag to carry it in. Need I say more? (A)

El Taquito #2 (467 N. Fair Oaks Ave. Pasadena)
Many restaurants aspire to, and excel at, the art of creating distance between your vision of a home-cooked meal and the experience of going out to eat. El Taquito, rather by design, necessity or apathy, is a bit different. When you step up to order, you peer into a archway that affords a gaze of a couple of female cooks (I’ve never seen a single male employee) standing in a small kitchen, stirring heavy pots of liquid, grilling quesadillas to order. It could be your mom, or your aunts, or the lady you see at Mass every Saturday night for all you know which, as you know with mom's cooking, can lay the seeds for a few disappointments for every 15 or so successes. I've eaten the best sopes I've EVER had on numerous visits--plump and chewy bedrock tortillas topped with beans, sour cream, lettuce, tomato and powdered cheese--and then been somewhat bewildered and embarrassed on a later visit while showing out-of-towners "quality Mexican food." The tacos can be unforgettable, or merely very good. When they're on, though, it's hard to find a better lunch bet. (B)