Puck Time with Kings and Wolfgang

Right after I landed in Los Angeles from Atlanta, I hopped onto my boyfriend’s truck and headed to Las Vegas to watch my boys play in the annual Frozen Fury, a pre-season game that promises the exciting new season ahead. I didn’t even bother unpacking my luggage. I just tossed clothes in a washer and dryer and put them back in, some even unfolded!

Boy, has Las Vegas changed tremendously in the past 10 to 15 years or so. I remember going to the Sin City as a kid and the only things to do there were to hang out and play cheesy arcade games at Circus Circus and eat nasty $3 buffet. Now, the city has become the international entertainment and culinary mecca with endless rows of world-class shops and restaurants – the change I most certainly welcome.

With that said, please make all the fun you want at the fact that the first place we ended up was Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill (I know, I’ll wait until you finish laughing). In our defense, the only reason why we ended up at this gastronomic cliché was because the hotel room wasn’t ready for check-in, and we had a $50 credit going toward our meal at MGM Grand … or so we thought. We didn’t find out until we finished our appetizer, our main course, and two drinks, that this was one of the ONLY restaurants in the hotel that did not honor the discount! In one sitting, we had burn through almost half of our weekend food budget  …. and it wasn’t even dinner!

The saving grace was that the food here was surprisingly very, very delicious. We ordered the heirloom tomato and burrata salad to start, which turned out to be (dare I say it?) mind-blowing! I love Caprese salad and order it at every opportunity I get and this one felt extra special because this was probably going to be one of the last times I get to enjoy these special tomatoes this season. Also, the balsamic reduction and tiny dollops of pesto puree that accompanied the tomatoes hit the dish out of the rink. The sprinkle of halved cherry tomatoes, sliced onions and pieces of roasted artichoke gave this salad a delicious edge.

Now, with the pasta dishes. My boyfriend ordered the linguini with clams and pancetta, which was, although drained in a sea of butter and oil, nicely salty and flavorful.

In contract, my spaghetti with tomato and basil with a basil smear was light and refreshing. I’ve never been a fan of fresh pasta because I love my pasta el dente and the homemade type gave the mushy, watery consistency. This pasta, however, was still very firm and bouncy. The consistency reminded me a little of undercooked instant ramen noodle but I mean this is a most respectable way.

The bill came out to whopping $90 but oh well, this is Vegas afterall. We need to take a gamble sometime. You walk away a winner one day and a loser the other. In our case, I think we got the long end of the stick.  (And by the way, the Kings beat the Avs in a high-scoring, outrageously entertaining game, 4-3!)

Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill
MGM Grand
3799 Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
★★★★☆

The New Southern Cuisine: AquaKnox

The last thing I expected to find in the state that introduced Paula Deen and Waffle House to the world was fresh seafood, but luckily for us, we found a fabulous seafood restaurant next to the hotel we were staying in Atlanta called AquaKnox that specializes in “global water cuisine” (whatever that means).

I must admit that when I first arrived to Atlanta, Georgia, I thought I would have no option but to eat fried this and fried that and expected to gain 20 pounds in a week. Little did I know that Buckhead, the uptown district of Atlanta where I was staying, was a hip part of town with super exclusive retail stores and trendy, upscale restaurants – not much different from Los Angeles.

When I was greeted by wonderfully fresh salmon on the bed of pureed edamane, I thought about the time I found the best Italian restaurant in Paris. And also the time I found the worst Fish and Chips in London. I guess when it comes to restaurants, you can never judge the food by its regional covers!

Slow Roasted Scottish Salmon, sugar snap beans, spring Vidalia,
squash blossom, cured lemon (27)

Seared Day Boat Scallops, sweet potato puree and
mushroom pancetta fricassee (29)

The seared tuna that my friend and colleague C order was flavorful and the scallop M ordered melted in my mouth! And the French fries were so yummy too!

Seared Ahi Tuna, eggplant caponata, olive tapenade and
celery herb salad (28)

Pomme Frittes (6)

And desserts, I’ll let the photos do the talking.

Cheesecake

Chocolate Molten Cake

Chocolate Cake

I really love M. She is so smart, kind, and a lot of fun to be around. Although we were here for work, a round of wine and wonderful conversation made us forget about it — even just for the night.

AquaKnox
3280 Peachtree Rd, Ste 200, Atlanta, GA 30305
★★★★☆

Rainy With the Chance of … Roach?

Dear General Manager,

Several colleagues and I are in the Atlanta area for business this week and decided to dine at your restaurant Nan Thai Fine Dining on 1350 Spring Street NW tonight. I have heard wonderful reviews about your establishment and we were really excited to dine at one of local’s favorite restaurants.

The night started out very promising, with wonderful glasses of wine and delicious appetizers. However, our dining experience was cut short when we spotted a cockroach crawling on the booth where we were seated. The server immediately came over to remove the cockroach from our table by squishing it with a napkin, and the manager came soon after to apologize for what had happened, which we appreciated.

What bothered me the most about the experience was not necessary that there was an insect at our table (which, of course, were quite traumatizing) but the fact that your staff did not even offer to compensate for our dinner. Most of us at our table were still midway through our main course but we were not able to finish our meal because of what had happened. I appreciated that the manger came to apologize but I was truly disappointed that he was not going to take the matter further and compensate us for the experience.

Please know that I was not looking for a monetary compensation, as I was willing to pay for the entire bill of $200 (and I did), but I was hoping that he would at least offer to make up for the unpleasant experience by offer some type of compensation – even a plate of dessert. This was particularly disappointing because of your reputation as one of Atlanta’s 10 best restaurants. A simple act of kindness would have gone a long way.

It is unfortunate but we will not be returning to your restaurant and I will not be recommending this place to our friends and colleagues in Atlanta. I understand, in the restaurant business, that having pest and insect issues are inevitable. However, thoughtful customer service is controllable, which, I am sad to say, your establishment did not demonstrate tonight.

Disappointed,
Hirono

(I was not going to publicly post the name and location of the restaurant, but after failing to respond back to my letter after five days, I had no choice but to disclose the information.  This place obviously doesn’t give a shit about customer service.  It’s time to go over to Yelp and Chowhound to talk some more shit about this roach coach, you inconsiderate, insensitive, unsanitary mofo.)

Nan Fine Thai Dining
1350 Spring Street NW
☆☆☆☆☆

A Bite-Size Romance: Shinsengumi

I was a sophomore in high school when I went on my first “real” date. A very nice boy invited me to a Homecoming dance and I happily obliged.  Before the dance, a group of us went to a fancy steakhouse for dinner, and I was so nervous, I could not eat. A sizzling plate of filet mignon was starring right at me and I could not bring myself to eat in front of my date!

Thinking back, perhaps what intimidated me the most about that dining experience was having to cut the steak with a knife and fork, and even though I knew how to use my utensils properly, the idea that I might cut the piece too big and having to chew it for 10 minutes before I get to swallow (and what if I had to cough while chewing?) scared the life out of me.  Silly, I know!

If I could relive my first date experience, I will definitely find myself in a yakotiri joint, like Shinsengumi in Monterey Park, where appetizers like fried oysters and tofu salad, as well as meats and vegetables on the skewers come in small, edible bite size. Seriously, how cute and romantic is it to share a plate of toriniku (white chicken meat), negima (chicken and green onion), tsukune (ground chicken meatballs), and perhaps some jalapeno skewers with your date? And there would be no embarrassment of  food cut too large, or pieces flying all over the place.  Sure, izakaya and yakitori restaurants may not be the first choice for your first date, and you might also risk stinking up your fancy wardrobe from the charcoal smoke from the grill but who cares when you’re having fun by actually being able to eat on the date!

In addition to the traditional yakitori selection, this location of Shinsengumi offers shabu shabu and other colorful array of delicious one-plate dishes. One of my favorite dishes here is ochazuke, flavorful dashi broth poured on top of white rice, which provides a great finish to a wonderful izakaya-style dinner.

It’s funny to think how nervous and embarrassed I was to eat in front of a guy back then, but after I left the restaurant leaving my food virtually untouched, I promised myself that I would never let my nerve get in the way of a perfectly fine piece of steak (or any food) ever again! Even after 15 years, I still think about that filet mignon and weep!  And so far, I’ve been good with the promise (except for that one time with my beau … but that’s for another time).

Shinsengumi
111 N. Atlantic Blvd., Monterey Park, CA 91754
★★★★☆

Hokkaido Gourmet Food Fair: Mitsuwa Market

As much as I love food, I am not usually the one to drive hours and hours for it (I may wait in a long line because I’m a culinary ambulance chaser but driving is a different story altogether). My boyfriend, however, is, so I was not surprised when he asked me to go to Hokkaido with him for a bowl of ramen. Thank goodness Hokkaido came to Torrance this weekend, instead of us having to fly over to the northernmost island of Japan.

When we got to Mistuwa Market, one of the hosts of Hokkaido Gourmet Food Fair (others were at its Costa Mesa and San Diego locations), at around 11:30 a.m., we made a beeline to Ramen Shingen for the limited edition, salt-flavored ramen. The line was about seven people deep when we arrived and by the time we started eating, the line had extended all the way to the other end, about 30 people! Although I am not a huge fan of ramen, particularly shio ramen, I found this to be pretty refreshing with light broth and thick noodles. And the fatty chashu was out of this world.  (You can see more yummy pictures at Keizo’s blog here, at  Go Ramen.)

My boyfriend could have been happy with the bowl of ramen, but my day was not going to be complete until I explored all the other delicious offerings. Right after lunch, and after grabbing several fish cakes and croquettes from the deli sections to take home for dinner, we walked over to the other side for crepe. The price was pretty steep at $5.00 a pop (for something that takes 25 cents to make) but I was happy with the green tea crepe that had whipped cream (Hokkaido is known for wonderful milk products and although I don’t like whipped cream in general, this one was different in a very luscious way), a good chunk of sweet anko (red bean paste) and a sprinkle of green tea power wrapped in air thin, chewy crepe dough. It was fun watching the crepe maker busy at work!

The highlight of the day, for me, was definitely the freshly made Shiro Taiyaki. Regular yaikyaki (translates to “baked bream,” because of the shape) is made out of yellow waffle-like batter but this special, Hokkaido kind was made out of rice flour, which gave it a more sticky and chewy texture, like mochi. For a die-hard mochi and anko lover, this one made my eyes roll backward.

In addition, we enjoyed ohagi, sweet mochi rice wrapped in anko (which was absolutely divine), curry pan (fried bread with velvety Japanese curry in the middle) and vanilla and French pear soft serve ice creams which added the delicious exclamation point to this wonderfully satisfying afternoon in Hokkaido.

Peppermint Goodness: Homemade Deodorant

I suppose I should warn you in advance that this post is not going to be about food. Instead, I am going to talk about a topic that is somewhat unappetizing, like personal hygiene and armpit issues, but I promise that I’m going to refrain from giving too much information and get right to the point. I made a homemade deodorant.

I figured it would be okay to talk about non-food related topics here, especially because making homemade beauty products like soaps and deodorants are so similar to cooking and baking. Everything can be done in a kitchen, and ingredients used are almost all edible!

I got inspired to make my own deodorant when I stumbled upon this tutorial by Soapaholic Anonymous, an adorable little blog packed with great inspiration for aspiring home chemists like myself. As soon as I realized that I already had all the necessary ingredients in the kitchen (coconut oil, baking soda, cornstarch, and essential oils), nothing was holding me back from making my first deodorant.

I wanted to make four batches so I quadrupled all ingredients that were listed. As I was mixing the baking soda and cornstarch with the melted coconut oil, I noticed that the consistency of the mixture felt a little too liquidly so I added additional 1/4 cup of each powder. The mixture was still runny but I decided to go with it and pour it into four clean containers and let them rest at room temperature until the coconut oil hardened a bit. I used lemon and peppermint essential oils to give it a refreshing scent, and I love that it smells like a Christmas candy cane!

When it came time to take this on a test run, I used a wooden popsicle stick I had to stir the mixture, put a small amount of the deodorant on my palm and rubbed it gently on my skin.

I wasn’t sure how it would turn out at first because of the access oil floating on top, but the mixture was surprisingly refreshing and not greasy at all. Once the oily paste / mixture is applied to skin, it immediately turns into a thin dry layer, absorbing all wetness. As long the skin is completely dry (I don’t recommend applying this immediately after getting out of shower as it leaves a little paste on skin) and apply it thinly, you will not see the white residual that mass-produced deodorants often leave behind. I think the key here is to apply it thinly and not to be afraid of the oil. I think oil is what makes it feel dry on skin (who knew?)

I think I’m going to try other recipes in the future like the one I found in Angry Chicken (one of the cutest craft blogs around) but I’m happy with this one for now. I gave three away to my trusted testers so let’s see what kind of feedback I receive from them.

Plate Full of TLC: Tender Greens

I love the contradiction steak salad brings to the table. A hunky piece of steak on a bed of delicate greens is as interesting as meeting a manly man who enjoys opera. I guess I can say that steak salad is Ronny Cammareri of the food world – it can appear a bit awkward at first but it can turn out to be incredibly sexy, complex and delicious. (If you have never seen the movie, “Moonstruck,” please watch it … it’s tangy, luscious, and bittersweet all rolled up in one, beautifully made flick … and I have a thing for Nic Cage.)

I am a serial dater when it comes to finding the best steak salad in town. I try it at every opportunity I get.  Yes, I get around.  Of all the countless plates I’ve consumed in the last several years, I would have to say that the steak salad I had the other day at Culver City’s Tender Greens ranks as one of my favorites. The steak here is not for the faintest of heart – it is a real deal. The thick grilled flatiron steak is juicy and flavorful, and the combination of the tender steak with sweet red and gold beets on the bed of velvety butter lettuce dressed with horseradish vinaigrette would make anyone want to sing an aria.

Check out Tender Greens’ selections of “simple” and “big” salads like the Grilled Chicken Cobb my sister ordered (pictured above), as well as “hot stuff” from the grill. Don’t forget to wash it all down with a nice glass of wine.

Tender Greens
9523 Culver, Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232
(Other locations include West Hollywood and San Deigo)
★★★★☆

Red Bean Gyoza for Dessert, Anyone?

When I was making gyoza for dinner the other night and had a couple of round potsticker wrappers left over, I came up with a great idea of making dessert gyoza … and thought why not use anko, the sweet azuki bean paste, as filling?

I’ve had ichigo daifuku in the past — a soft mochi with anko and a large strawberry in the middle — so the idea of making anko gyoza wasn’t too foreign to me. I was, admittedly, still a little worried about how well they would turn out but I figured combining two of my favorite ingredients, sweet luscious red bean spread and chewy, fluffy dumpling skin, cannot be that bad.

Anko and anything made out of azuki beans is seriously one of my favorite things in the world. As much as I adore chocolate and consider myself a severe chocolate-holic, if it really comes down to it, I would choose azuki over any chocolate confectionaries. Azuki is what I grew up with and the sweetness and the distinct taste of this dark burgundy spread is embedded in my DNA.

I’ve tried many azuki brands over the years but my ultimate favorite is the ogura an made by Morinaga. I prefer the “tsubuan” with little bits of bean still in the paste, instead of “koshian” with smoother consistency, and these azuki cans are usually available in the Asian food section of your local supermarket (unless you happen to live in a city where there is absolutely no Asians in sight).

To make these little dumplings, I followed the same method for regular gyoga.

Well, even though the finished product looked more like Aranzi Aranzo’s Warumono than an appetizing dessert, these little morsels were surprising delicious. I really liked how the azuki paste oozed out after a bite (heavenly). I enjoyed them warm but these can be chilled and enjoyed cold the next day – if they can last that long, that is.