EK Valley

3 years ago today, we were out in sunny Los Angeles on vacation, indulging in so many fantastic meals that we wouldn't be able to replicate at home. One of the many things that Los Angeles has done better than New York when it comes to food is Oaxacan cuisine (although it's starting to become easier to find some good dishes here), and it's something we try to get whenever we're out there. On that trip, we decided to head over to EK Valley, a small family establishment in Culver City, for dinner with a friend.

The meal started out well with some chips and salsa, which as far as we remember were complimentary. We think we liked them, but hard to say for sure what we thought because back then our trip journal was not as robust as it is now. All we have to rely on for this is our (fading) memories.

For drinks, A went for horchata and M got jamaica (hibiscus). That's usually what happens if we order drinks at a Mexican restaurant, so no surprises there. From what we remember, these were fine.

For her main dish, M got the clayuda (which she had always thought was spelled tlayuda, but let's just go with what was on the menu for now), a Oaxacan dish she had always wanted to try. According to the menu, this was a "large handmade corn tortilla, spread with pork lard and toasted with black bean paste, tomatoes, avocados, quesillo [Oaxacan cheese], cabbage, salsa" and meat, of which there was a choice of tasajo (thin sliced beef), cecina (pork strips), or chorizo. M went with the chorizo. The best way to describe this would be like a crispy pizza. The flavors were fantastic (all that lard?), and while many other memories of Los Angeles have faded 3 years later, eating this is definitely something we remember because it was so good.

A got the mole rojo which came with rice and grilled vegetables. Ever since A had mole in their first trip to LA, he'd always been craving more. When the chance came up to get some more (though this time was red vs black) he had to try it. The mole was beautifully rich and chocolatey with a decent hit of spice to it. The chicken was really moist, and the juiciness held up really well with the sauce. He doesn't remember much about the rice and vegetables, but with everything else being so good, they had to be pretty good as well.

Overall, we had a good meal at EK Valley and wish we remembered more (or had taken notes on our trip!). It was nice being able to spend time with friends before heading out of the city, and it was great getting to have some Oaxacan food, especially that tlayuda. We really wish it were as easy to find this stuff here in NYC as it is in LA.

A's Favorite Food Memories of 2013

Unlike previous years, we didn't go on a European adventure that dominates my favorite food memories. In the end I chose all domestic locations and also chose to forego listing home cooked meals as we've done so much cooking this year as compared to years past. So, here's my list, in no particular order, of my favorite food memories of 2013!

1. Ceviche Tostada - La Isla Bonita (Los Angeles, CA)

The ceviche tostada from La Isla Bonita is something that I still think about, and I ate this back in April. No really, it's that good. The ceviche itself is incredibly fresh tasting and flavorful. The sweetness of the shrimp and fish mix has so much natural sweetness that counterbalances the tartness from the lime. The crunchiness of the tostada offers an additional texture while also serving as the delivery method for the amazing ceviche.

2. Pescado Zarandeado - Coni'Seafood (Los Angeles, CA)

Coni'Seafood is famous for this dish native to the Sinaloa region of Mexico. The head chef here, Sergio, is apparently the only person in this whole restaurant (and possibly the US) who can cook this dish properly. It's a split snook shaken over lit coals to control cooking. Sergio is a genius at this style of cooking. The fish is so tender and flavored so well with whatever marinade he has the fish soaking in. It also comes with sliced cucumber, red onion, and a sauce that I think might actually be made from the marinade. It has hints of soy sauce and onions and tasted almost Asian. M and I devoured this whole fish to the point that the waitress was impressed by how clean the bones were picked. If you're in LA, don't be afraid to take the trip into Inglewood for Coni, but just make sure to call and confirm that Sergio is there first.

3. Fish Taco - Ricky's (Los Angeles, CA)

When M and I made our visit to Ricky's, the stand was still located in the parking lot of a strip mall. Ricky has since procured a food truck so his operation is mobile now. It's a little disappointing since part of the fun of the experience is that you could watch the guys frying up your tacos. Regardless, wherever Ricky is parked, you need to try these tacos. We tried both their shrimp and their fish tacos, but the fish were the stars here. The batter is seasoned really well and isn't heavy at all. The fish is tender, flaky, and has just the right amount of crunch from the batter. The pico de gallo and lettuce offer freshness to balance the fried fish, and the crema offers, if nothing else, a nice creaminess to the entire taco.

4. Roasted Bone Marrow with Charred Spring Onions, Pickled Fresno Chiles, and Tortillas - Empellon Cocina (New York, NY)

At Empellon, M and I had a lot of really good dishes. So much so that we chose this meal as our favorite of 2013. The brightest star of that meal was this roasted bone marrow dish topped with charred spring onions, pickled fresno chiles, and served with fresh tortillas. Sadly this was just a seasonal special so it's quite possible that we may never see this dish again. The roasted marrow is nicely salted and decadently rich. The charred spring onions tasted like spring, and the peppers added a subtle heat and tartness. They serve this with freshly made tortillas, and we turned it all into tacos. Delicious, delicious tacos.

5. Firecracker Lentil Fritters - Rangoon (Philadelphia, PA)

M and I really love Burmese food, and I think a lot of that comes from the fact that it's so hard for us to find. One thing we love the most about it is how fresh everything tastes. You might think that, because of this reasoning, I'd never pick a fried dish, and I never did either until I tried these lentil fritters. They're mashed up lentils with mint, onions, cumin, chili peppers, and some other spices that we couldn't identify. It's also served with a sour, garlicky sauce that had a fish sauce smell to it as well. The crunch of the crust was balanced by the mashed lentil interior that was piping hot and perfectly mushed. You didn't actually need the sauce because of the bevy of spices, but it did add additional layers of flavor when dipped.

6. Chicken Pot Pie Fritters - Family Meal (Frederick, MD)

We've been big fans of the Voltaggio brothers ever since seeing them both on Top Chef. It was with great anticipation that we were able to go try one of Bryan Voltaggio's restaurants while on our PA/MD road trip. We actually went about an hour out of our way just to get there, but it was well worth the drive. The appetizer we kept reading about was the chicken pot pie fritters. We had no clue what to expect, but we both really like pot pie so it made sense to try them. I call these things magic pot pie. They are literally balls of chicken pot pie filling encased in a lightly breaded shell. The only thing I can think of that they do is that they freeze the pot pie filling and then bread and deep fry them to make sure they're warm after cooking. Regardless of how they do it, they're amazing.

7. Tsukumen - Tsujita LA (Los Angeles, CA)

One of the things that M and I really wanted to try while we were out in LA was tsukumen from Tsujita LA. It's their specialty, and this is the US outpost of a highly revered tsukumen shop in Japan. Here's my review of our meal there. This was easily one of the best things I ate all year, and the fact that we were able to sit outside and enjoy the sun and warmth while doing so made it a great experience.

8. Asparagus - ABC Cocina (New York, NY)

This year M and I went through a huge Spring Vegetable kick. We were able to finally try spring onions, ramps, and garlic scapes. However, one of my favorite dishes of the year came from a trusty old friend of a spring vegetable, asparagus. It was prepared in the wood-fire grill and topped with pickled spring onions, marcona almonds, and a clear vinaigrette of some sort. The dish tasted like I would expect Spring to taste. The asparagus tasted so fresh, and the pickled spring onions and vinaigrette added tartness. The almonds added texture, but I'm not sure they were fully necessary. It was still a wonderful dish, though.

9. White Rose and Saffron Pistachio Ice Cream - Saffron and Rose Ice Cream (Los Angeles, CA)

I love ice cream. A lot. We ate a lot of good ice cream this year from places like Dave and Andy's in Pittsburgh and The Igloo in Everett, PA, but my favorite ice cream experience was from Saffron and Rose Ice Cream in LA. It's a Persian ice cream shop specializing in the flavors from their culture. We tried two of their traditionally flavored ice creams: white rose and saffron pistachio. The white rose ice cream was so floral and tasted just like a rose smells. I can't really describe it any other way. It's so simple and so tasty. The saffron pistachio was a revelation. It uses the white rose ice cream as a base, but then they add a touch of saffron which gives it color and a hint of flavor, and they then mix in pistachios for crunch. They also add these frozen white blobs of frozen cream which are apparently a delicacy in Persian culture. It's hard to describe the flavor of this because saffron is such a distinct flavor, but it's also paired with white rose. The frozen cream is also a fun surprise you get here and there. If you ever find yourself in the Westwood area definitely check out this little ice cream shop.

10. Brussels Sprout Pie - Motorino (New York, NY)

It's hard to imagine listing a pizza on a "best of" list since I'm from Chicago, and if it's not Lou Malnati's I'm probably going to think it's inferior. However, while I'm not ready to say this is better than my beloved Chicago-style pizza, it is certainly a very very good pizza. The Brussels Sprout pie is topped with Brussels sprout leaves, fior de latte, garlic, pecorino, smoked pancetta, and extra virgin olive oil. We love Brussels sprouts and never thought to break the leaves up and put them on a pizza. Also, they pair perfectly with smoked pancetta since the saltiness of pancetta lends itself well to the slightly bitter Brussels sprouts. This is a white pie as well so the flavors of the sprouts and pancetta do not get muddied by a tomato sauce. The crust is also perfectly chewy with just the right amount of crunch and "burnt" flavoring from the wood-fire oven.

M's Favorite Food Memories of 2013

2013 was an interesting year, full of ups and downs. I'm grateful that, even in a tougher year, we can still say that we've had some great adventures. So here are my 10 favorite food memories from the year (in no particular order).

1. Pescado zarandeado from Coni'Seafood (Los Angeles, CA).

While sitting at Coni'Seafood in the Inglewood area of Los Angeles, I posted this photo to Instagram with the caption that this might be one of the best things I've ever eaten. It was one of the obvious choices for this year's favorites list. Pescado zarandeado is a butterflied snook which is grilled perfectly, so fresh and tender and full of amazing flavor. It's topped with raw onions and cucumbers, and also has a side of cooked onions that it frankly doesn't even need. Whatever Sergio (and you have to call in advance to make sure Sergio is there or it's not worth going and getting it) does to this fish is magic. We don't (to my knowledge) have Sinaloan food in the NYC area, but even if we did, I'm not sure it would match the magic of Sergio. I could eat this every week and not get sick of it.

2. Birthday cake ice cream cone from Dave and Andy's (Pittsburgh, PA).

I'm not as much of an ice cream lover as A is, but I do love cookies and cream and birthday cake ice cream. Both made the short list (the cookies and cream was from Brooklyn's Ample Hills during our Game of Cones adventure), but only Dave and Andy's made the top 10. Their birthday cake ice cream mixed in actual yellow cake and sprinkles. I loved it and raved about it for some time after eating it, which for me is rare with ice cream. I also am not a huge cone fan but I loved their crispy but sturdy waffle cone which of course had their traditional m&m on the bottom. And I guessed the color right for my first cone!

3. Bone marrow special from Empellón Cocina (New York, NY).

We had a lot of bone marrow this year (bone marrow with uni from The Marrow, a massive plate of bone marrow at Meat and Potatoes in Pittsburgh, etc) but the one that really made an impression on me was the bone marrow special when we visited Empellón Cocina. We had a lot of good stuff at Empellón (which explains why it was our meal of the year), but the bone marrow was our favorite dish of the night. It was roasted bone marrow with charred spring onions and pickled Fresno chiles with tortillas on the side, so we could make our own bone marrow tacos. I love when I eat things that make me feel in sync with the season, and this was perfect for June.

4. Jerk chicken from Freda's (New York, NY).

We made it through Jamaica in our WorldEats challenge (even if we're still writing about Cuba). But this jerk chicken from Freda's made me want to skip over everything inbetween and just write about Freda's (but I didn't, sadly). I got the jerk chicken with sides of collard greens and curry potatoes with chickpeas. Both sides were delicious but the jerk chicken was one of the best chicken dishes I've ever had, and certainly the best Jamaican food I've ever eaten. It was spicy but it wasn't the type of spicy that was hot without flavor. The spices were so complex and nuanced that I don't even know how to describe the flavors, but it was incredible. Perhaps we need to go again before we write our WorldEats post.

5. Ceviche tostada from La Isla Bonita (Venice, CA).

I wrote our post on La Isla Bonita back in May, but it hasn't been posted yet since we're still back at the beginning of our trip in the recaps. I still dream about this ceviche tostada. It was that good. The tostada was thin and crispy and topped with a layer of ceviche and some fresh avocado slices. The ceviche had mashed up fish and seafood with tomatoes, onions, cilantro and lime. It was a perfect refreshing snack.

6. Pretzel from Miller's Twist (Philadelphia, PA).

I love pretzels. Warm, fresh out of the oven, so buttery, soft and chewy, lightly salted. The pretzel we got from Miller's Twist at the Reading Terminal Market was so good that we immediately wanted to go back to get another one. We also had tasty buttery soft pretzels this fall at Immergut in Intercourse, PA but we only made it there at the end of the day each time, so the pretzels were not as fresh (although still good). For that reason, Miller's Twist makes it to the top 10 but Immergut gets an honorable mention.

7. Vatana bean fried rice from Rangoon (Philadelphia, PA).

I love Burmese food. I wish we had restaurants here like the ones in LA or Rangoon in Philadelphia. We had amazing food at Rangoon and what was really a revelation was this vatana bean fried rice. We had no idea what vatana beans were before that dinner, but they tasted a lot like baby chickpeas. The rice also had this smokiness (in a good way) which made it really unique. I've never had anything like this and want to return to Rangoon sooner rather than later.

8. Fish taco from Ricky's Fish Tacos (Los Angeles, CA).

Ricky's is a legend. We got both shrimp and fish tacos but the fish was really special. Although fried, it was so flaky and juicy. We didn't even add any extra salsas to the tacos, and just ate them with the lettuce and pico de gallo that it came with. Whatever was in the batter was a perfect match for the fish, and the taco was easily the best fish taco I've ever had. We raced back from the desert to get to Ricky's before he closed up for the day and it was so worth it.

9. Lamb burger from Xi'an Famous Foods (New York, NY).

The midtown branch of Xi'an Famous Foods opened this spring with free lamb burgers (which I wrote about here). I've had quite a few since then. They're inexpensive and packed full of spices, especially my beloved cumin, and lots of onions. It may be the best burger I've had all year. 

10. Homecooked favorites.

This is cheating a little bit, since it's not one dish but four. But I wanted to save one spot on this list for home cooking because of how much it was a part of my life this year. I went from trying a new recipe once every other month or so to trying new recipes multiple days a week and loving it. These were four of my favorites.

• Black bean chicken - The first cookbook I spent a lot of time with was Every Grain of Rice, and for the first time, I was making Chinese food that went beyond simple stir-fries and hot plates. I love this black bean chicken recipe with my modifications.
• Kimchi grilled cheese - I love grilled cheese but I don't think I had made a grilled cheese sandwich since I was 10. And certainly not one with kimchi. This rekindled my love for grilled cheese and began a phase of many grilled cheese sandwiches.
• Baked langostino tails with tomatoes and feta - Blogged about here, but it's on this list because it's one of the few things I've made that I really feel like I could have ordered at a restaurant. It felt really authentic.
• Cigrons - I craved these Catalan style chickpeas for over a year after our visit to Pinotxo (still haven't written about Pinotxo but it's on last year's top 10 list) before I started looking all over the internet for tips on making cigrons. This wasn't exactly like Pinotxo but it was close. It was satisfying as a fix for one of my favorite dishes ever.

So that's 2013. I don't know what 2014 will bring, but I hope it's full of great food, good health and happy adventures!

Jitlada Revisited

Back on our 2010 LA trip, we visited Jitlada for a large, spicy lunch. One dish that really made an impression on us was their special rice salad - the khao yam. We could not find any references online to anywhere else in the country that we could get it, and we loved it so much that not only did we think about it a lot afterwards, but it made both of our year-end favorites lists.

So when we started thinking about where to eat on our LA trip earlier this year, one thing that immediately went on the list was khao yam at Jitlada. We didn't need to eat an entire lunch there again (even though their menu of southern Thai specialties is so extensive that you could eat there for days), but thought we would drop by for the khao yam and maybe another salad or appetizer. 

I forgot to take a picture of Jitlada from outside, so here's the entrance to one of the dining rooms

With that "light snack" as our plan, it's no wonder that we thought it would be an appropriate "second lunch" on the day we went to Tsujita. Knowing how filling the tsukemen was, it seems ridiculous in retrospect.

We don't normally plan 2 lunches in one day, unless both are light snacks. Since we had more lunch restaurants on our list than we did lunch slots and we were trying to balance the various days different restaurants were closed, it seemed to make the most sense to get to Tsujita early when it opened, eat tsukemen, do some active sightseeing and digesting (thought maybe the Getty, but we ended up at Runyon), and then get a late lunch at Jitlada before they closed for the afternoon. If tsukemen was at 11, surely we could fit a couple of salads in at 2:30. Or so we thought.

We (mostly me) seriously underestimated the size of the bowls and how filling tsukemen would be. Even an hour long walk around Runyon Canyon in jeans (another planning error) didn't leave us much stomach space by the time we drove up to Jitlada. But we didn't want to skip it. Our hearts pined for that incredible khao yam (which is now spelled khao yum on the menu).

So of course we got the khao yum ($9.95).

In case you didn't read the other posts on khao yum, it is a Songkhla province style rice salad tossed with homemade sauce and assorted vegetables. The Jitlada version includes jasmine rice, mango, green beans, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, Thai chiles, carrots, cucumbers, cabbage, bean sprouts, coconut and dried shrimp. The khao yum was still delicious, but we didn't feel as blown away as last time. I don't know if it's because it was our second time eating it, or because we've had a lot of good Thai food in the meantime (we were just at Lotus of Siam within the 6 months prior to the LA trip). It was still fantastic and unique, but just didn't move us the way it did last time.

We decided to try something new for our second dish. We had tried a delicious dip while at Lotus of Siam (which we haven't gotten around to writing about yet), which was light and refreshing, and that sounded like the right type of dish for that afternoon since we were still pretty full. Jitlada's menu had a whole section of spicy Thai dipped dishes. We went with the nam prik koong ($19.95).

Nam prik koong has shrimp, ground chicken and tomato in a spicy chili dip. We were imagining something like at Lotus, a small cup of dip surrounded by vegetables to dip, but couldn't imagine how that cost $20. (Most of the special dishes at Jitlada now seem to be within that price range.) Luckily it was much bigger than what we were visualizing.

It comes with a bowl of raw vegetables - cabbage, carrots and cucumbers - on ice. It looks vaguely similar to the bowl of vegetables they gave us on our last trip when our mouths were on fire from the spice level and we were melting in our seats.

The dip, although a bit pricey, was quite tasty. We really liked the spicy tomato flavor that permeated the dish, and the shrimp and chicken were cooked to just the right texture. The cool raw vegetables were the perfect dipping instruments and the dish was fun. It would have been a great dish if only we weren't so full. We were so full that we even took some khao yum to go.

We're glad we returned to Jitlada. We're not sure that we would make a special trip there on our next LA visit since it is rather expensive and LA has a lot of good Thai food. (Note that we don't feel it's pricey because it's Thai food, but rather above what we budget for most of our casual vacation meals.) Maybe we'll just get an order of khao yum to go since that is relatively cheap and what we want the most. That said, if you've never been to Jitlada, it is worth a visit, since they have a lot of southern Thai dishes we've never seen anywhere else.

Tsujita LA

On our recent trip to LA, there was one restaurant that we knew we really wanted to get to. Tsujita LA is a Japanese noodle shop that specializes in a lesser known style of noodle called tsukumen. They have ramen and other dishes, but it's for those noodles that most people go to them (even though the tsukumen is only available at lunch). For fans of ramen, the difference is that the noodles come cool and dry in the bowl. A warm "dipping sauce" is brought out separately, and you dip the noodles into the sauce before slurping them down. 

Char Siu Tsukumen

I opted for the char siu tsukumen which is the basic noodle topped with roast pork. It's the same roast pork you'd find in ramen or Chinese restaurants. M got the ajitama, which was the same as my order but without the roast pork. We weren't really sure what to expect before the noodles came out. Our expectations were of a small amount of noodles similar to what you might get in ramen. But no, the whole bowl was filled with noodles. In the end that wasn't a bad thing since the meal overall was delicious and you got more for the money, but with our plan to eat "two small lunches" this day (more on this when we get to "part two"), we weren't starting off very well. The noodles were thicker than ramen noodles, and they were chewier as well. They had a wonderful bite to them, and they really held the dipping sauce well.

Tsukumen Dipping Sauce

The sauce itself is extremely rich, thick, and salty when tasted on its own, but with the noodles it's perfect. We each got an egg in ours because of the type of tsukumen we ordered, and it was a nice, solid egg white portion with a slightly runny yolk in the middle. It was cooked just the way I like it, but it's not really M's thing. She gave me most of her egg after she ate a little. The sauce is started as a base by boiling berkshire pork bones for at least half a day and is filled with pork pieces, pickled radishes, and scallions. The first bite I had was transcendent. The noodles, because they're cool and chewy, pick up the dipping sauce like it was glue. The saltiness of the dipping sauce is mitigated by the noodle, but the danger is that if you dip too much then it could be a bit too salty. There's a balance that you need to find between dipping too much and dipping not enough.

They explain that tsukumen is meant to be eaten in 3 stages with the first two involving the noodles: dip straight for the first 1/3, add a squeeze of lime for the rest of the noodles. Perhaps we didn't put in enough lime, but we didn't taste much difference with the added lime. (There are also a lot of condiments on the table that you can add to the tsukemen, especially these spicy mustard leaves that were quite hot and tasty.)

Spicy Tuna Don

Before we saw just how big these bowls of noodles were going to be, we also opted to turn my tsukumen into a combo meal with a side order of spicy tuna don added on. The spicy tuna was really tasty. It was nice to get a larger scoop as opposed to just tasting the bit you would get rolled into sushi. M and I agreed that it was a nice break in between the heavier tsukumen. We definitely didn't need it based upon how much food we ended up eating, but it was certainly a very tasty dish. The rice was perfectly soft and sticky and the spicy tuna had great flavor.

Full spread of food

Stage 3 of Tsukumen

So, the third stage of eating tsukumen that I noted above is the "soup" stage. It's optional, but we recommend it if you have the room left in your stomach. They take your remaining dipping sauce and add hot water/broth to thin it out a bit. It's still a touch salty, but it's that good saltiness. Any pork pieces and radishes left over after the noodles are gone add texture and depth to the soup. If you weren't already full after downing a bowl of noodles, you would certainly be full once you finished the soup.

We had a very enjoyable lunch at Tsujita and it was a perfect start to our LA eating adventures. M's favorite part was the texture of the noodles and mine was the dipping sauce. On top of all that delicious food, we sat outside, it was 75 degrees and sunny, and we got to people-watch, which we really like. It was a great meal.

Balconi Coffee Company

If you've read my previous posts on coffee, you'll know I'm a bit addicted to caffeine. Again, it's not that I need it to function, but I do get caffeine deficiency headaches, and the sad truth is that these often spark a migraine. So, unfortunately, I have to continue feeding my addiction to try and prevent myself from collapsing into a curled up ball of misery.

That being said, this addiction has afforded me the chance to venture out and look for fun, new coffee shops everywhere we go. After doing some research into coffee shops to check out in LA, our first visit to a specialty shop was at Balconi Coffee Company. I had read two things about Balconi before we decided to go. One was to try their specialty Almond Essence Latte, and the other was to try one of their Siphon Brewed coffees. Also people love the foam art that is added.

Balconi Coffee Company

I opted for the Almond Essence Latte because, well, when else am I ever going to get one of these? The reason this is such a special drink is because Balconi baristas grind up fresh almond powder on a daily basis to be added into the cup prior to the espresso being poured over. 

Foam art bear!

Aside from the really cute little bear that came drawn into my latte, this drink was something I had never tasted before. The almond powder added a flavor similar to a Chinese dessert called 杏仁豆腐 (xing ren do fu). In essence it's an almond flavored gelatin that is often served with fruit cocktail and the syrup that fruit cocktail is canned in. It was one of my favorite things to eat while growing up, and it's a very comforting flavor.

Siphon Filtering

I was really intrigued by the siphon filtered coffee as it's something I had never seen/heard of before. As much as I love coffee, I'm still rather clueless when it comes to the different preparation techniques. I'll save you the boring description on how it's done, and instead I will send you here. I think if I ever find a good place here in NYC that offers siphon filtered coffee then I'll have to grab one.

We Welcome Ourselves to LA

As East Coasters visiting the West Coast, one thing we're always really excited for is heading to In-N-Out. In fact, the nearest location to our hotel is always the first place we've hit up whenever we went out to California in the past. So where do you think we went this time for our first meal?

Yup. It's sort of a tradition, but it's also more a satisfying of a craving that we can barely ever actually fill.

 All this? $11.72

One of the most amazing things about In-N-Out aside from their freshness and overall flavor is the fact that it costs so little to buy. Neither M nor I can figure out just how they do it. Of course, the freshness and overall flavor are obviously the best parts, but the price really makes it amazing. One thing that's really surprising about the fact that it costs so little is that all of the food (toppings, meat, potatoes, etc.) are all delivered to each location fresh, daily. It's this freshness that really sets In-N-Out's burgers apart from almost every other fast food chain in this country.

Double-Double Animal Style Protein Style

I opted for their "secret" menu double-double animal style and protein style. It's a double cheeseburger with thousand island dressing and caramelized onions (animal style) and wrapped in lettuce in lieu of a bun (protein style). It comes with a couple slices of tomatoes to finish it all off. The fresh-made patties and fresh vegetables form an amazing burger.

Burger Animal Style with Extra Lettuce and Raw Onions 

M got a regular cheeseburger animal style with extra lettuce and raw onions. (The cheeseburger usually comes with raw onions but with animal style they replace it with the grilled onions.) She had been reading online that you could request as many extra vegetables as you want for no extra charge, and loves piling extras onto a burger.

 Animal Style Fries

The animal style fries are their normal fries with a slice or two of cheese layered on top and then smothered with the caramelized onions and thousand island dressing. It's easily one of the least healthy things you could ever think to eat (that doesn't contain bacon), but it's also really delicious. I've always found their fries to be a bit dry when not all trussed up, but thankfully you can truss them up :)

Why not one more burger?

We met up here with my friend J and his girlfriend S. S is a marathon runner, and she had a training run this night. She came later with some sort of healthy food, and I didn't want her to be the only one eating so I went up and got another cheeseburger, this time animal style and with raw onions. No protein style this time, but hey, you have to mix things up.

Gastrobus

Two years ago today, it was our last day on vacation in Los Angeles and we had a late night flight back home. After checking out of the hotel, we stopped by the Los Feliz Farmers Market to try out the Gastrobus, one of the few trucks out on a Sunday and one we wanted to try for their fresh approach to ingredients.


There were a lot of things on the menu that sounded good. We especially liked that on Sundays they buy everything that day from the farmers market and then put together the menu. After much deliberating we decided to pick two dishes.


The first thing we tried was the yam hashbrown. We weren't sure what to expect since hash browns are usually fried, and were pleasantly surprised that it was like a spiced mashed yam, served with caramelized onions, spiced yogurt and cilantro. It was creamy and a little sweet, and the onions and greens added a nice freshness to the dish. The yogurt was cool and added tartness to the mix. It was delicious and in serious contention for my top 10 dishes of 2010. We were really glad we got there when we did as they were sold out of this by the time we finished eating.


We also decided to get some nice healthy veggies and opted for the yu choy with garlic confit and lemon. These were tasty (and healthy) and garlicky. They were stirfried well and still crisp, and you could tell how fresh they were. A remembers these more clearly than I do. For me, the yam hashbrowns stole the show.


We loved our visit to the Gastrobus and wished we had something like that in NYC. If only we had more time in LA...

Grilled Cheese Truck

I wish we had a grilled cheese truck in New York.

We have so many types of trucks that we love, but no grilled cheese truck. And sometimes I just want a really good grilled cheese sandwich for lunch. The Grilled Cheese Truck in LA proves that it can be done. So why don't we have one?

One year ago today (I'm enjoying this flashback series, which I decided to do on a whim), we decided to do a food truck crawl for lunch. Our first stop was for grilled cheese. Although we knew we wanted to split one sandwich, who knew it was going to be so hard to choose?


We could get a plain grilled cheese sandwich. Or the cheesy mac melt. Grilled cheese and macaroni and cheese together? Sounds delicious! But I absolutely love caprese so that sounded good too. And then there was the harvest melt which sounded like a great combination (butternut squash, yum). What to choose? Such a dilemma. (The menu's changed a little bit since we were there, but it all still sounds good.)

Here's A with our lunch (and can I just mention how gorgeous that day was, as we prepare for snow showers?):


First, we got tater tots:


You can't really see it in the photo with A, but he's holding a little cup of sriracha ketchup that he mixed up himself in the truck's condiment section for our tater tots. Yum. Love tater tots.

And what sandwich did we end up getting?


The cheesy mac melt! In the end, the combination of mac and cheese and grilled cheese together just sounded perfect. And it was so cheesy good. Now that I'm writing this post, even though it's 2:30 am, I could really go for a grilled cheese.