Pitfire Pizza: Please Don't Go Back to Big Sur...Stay in LA

I’ve been so self-imposedly poor lately that it’s been absolutely ridiculous. But who can blame me? I want to spend like no tomorrow when I’m in Manhattan ♥ ! And if that means eating canned tuna with Trader Joe’s hummus, so be it.

The sad thing is, of course, I haven’t been eating canned tuna with hummus and, if my past reviews are anything to go by, I’ve actually been spending way too much eating out. Not good. It’s just so difficult though because some things just are a MUST. i.e. Tuesday-night-Dinner-extravaganza with Alyssa.

Well, thank God she’s currently in the poor house too. Poverty loves company, especially when it comes to dining out. But, not really wanting to grab, say, In-n-Out (after all, they don’t have meatless choices), we mosied out to Pitfire Pizza on Westwood Blvd. PP is one of those restaurants which will never make it to your “Favorites” list but will still have you coming back all the time: the food’s not stellar but it’s still pretty damn good; the price isn’t cheap but it won’t leave a dent in your wallet.

Last time I was there, I got the Italian tuna panini ($8.95). Decent size and came with a side salad. I was tempted to get that again and bump up my daily intake of protein and veggies but, after having the absolutely kickass tuna melt at the Hungry Cat not too long ago, I decided to go for something else this time. Well, one thing did catch my eye on the menu – the Big Sur pizza ($9.95). According to the menu description, the toppings were garlic scampi, a four cheese blend, tomatoes, basil, lemon zest and roasted garlic. Mmmmm. I was very excited.

The pizza itself was HUGE! It’s supposed to be a one-person portion but I definitely had a hard time finishing it (HA – OF COURSE I finished it. I have no shame). I forgot to take my camera along so, no photos – sorry – you’ll just have to take my word for it about the size. I was a little ambivalent about the crust at first. Given that I’ve sold my soul to the thin crusts of New York pizza, I didn’t know what to make of the somewhat balloon-esque, pillowy looking crust. Well, I was wrong with my ambivalence – the crust was great. It was chewy without being overly doughy in taste. I felt as if I was eating less carbs that I really was (warning: that could be a VERY dangerous illusion).

The pizza was a little scant on the scampi but it didn’t bother me much – the star of the show was the lemon zest, tomato and garlic flavor combo. It’s absolutely genius! I’ve never had lemon on pizza before and I know it can sound disconcerting but really, when I think about it, it makes sense. The citrus-y flavor cut right through the strong garlicy-ness of the toppings and balanced out the greasiness from the cheese and brought out the sweetness in the tomatoes. Or maybe that’s just a very long-winded way of saying that my hormones have been going crazy and I’ve been craving citrus-y foods. Either way, the pizza was awesome. I also saw that they had a pumpkin pizza offered on the seasonal menu. That sounds A-M-A-ZING! I definitely want to try that the next time I’m there.

PP is a cute and clean and the staff are always friendly. $9.95 is by no means super cheap but then again, it’s no shack of a place and the food is worth it. And it’s still a cheaper alternative to, say, Pizzeria Mozza (which I still have to try before I leave).

FOOD: 4/5
SERVICE: 4/5
ATMOSPHERE: 4/5

PITFIRE PIZZA ($)
2018 Westwood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 481-9860
http://www.pitfirepizza.com

The Hungry Cat: It's Not About Looks

I love ugly foods. I will gladly eat anything that appears in gloop-form or is close to resembling a booger. It’s not like I’m trying to be a “daring diner” or anything, it just so happens that, from numerous past experiences, I’ve become a firm believer that when it comes to food, ugly = good.

I would like to say that I’d been craving fresh oysters recently but that would be an outright lie – I am perpetually craving fresh oysters. One of my fondest memories is of slurping down these beautiful, briny slimesters at the Grand Central Oyster Bar in New York City. When Moeha suggested we grab seafood for lunch today, The Hungry Cat immediately came to mind.

Word of warning: The Hungry Cat is obnoxiously difficult to locate. It’s in the Hollywood + Vine complex but it’s completely hidden away in a small courtyard. We circled the complex three times before we realized it was right next to Ivan Kane’s Café Wa S. Well, good thing the Cat doesn’t have set lunch/dinner hours since it was around 2pm by the time we finally got there.

(From left: Gold Creek, Kumamoto, Beau Soleil)

Anne isn’t big on the oysters so Moeha and I ordered a half dozen oysters to share ($15.00). We got two each of the day’s selection: kumamoto, gold creek and beau soleil. I couldn’t believe how tiny the beau soleil was! There were probably three molecules of oyster on that half shell. On top of that, it just…wasn’t very good at all. It was waaaaay too mild for my taste. I literally felt like I was eating nothing. I moved on to the kumamoto which is a personal fave oyster variety. Mmmm…SO MUCH BETTER than the oyster I just had. Given, the kumamoto wasn’t much bigger than the blue point, but it had a strong briny taste and I found myself slurping up every precious drop of the oyster liquid. The gold creek was equally good. It was the largest of the three varieties and was briny – though less so than the kunamoto – and wonderfully creamy.

(Lobster Frittata)

(AMAZING Shrimp burger patty)

After the little bivalve party, we started on our entrees. Anne got today’s special – the lobster frittata ($17.00) which was flavorful and chock full of lobster meat. I also had a bite of Moeha’s shrimp burger on brioche with fries ($15.00) and it was absolutely stellar! The shrimp patty was cooked perfectly and was amazingly moist and tender. It also had a nice spicy kick to it. As for myself, I ordered the tuna melt with fries ($15.00). This ain’t your typical deli tuna melt – it was an open face sandwich of Spanish tuna on a piece of toasted French bread, topped with a thick layer of cheese and a salad of arugula, radish and romesco. The flavor combination kicked major ass! A little bit like a pizza (the toast was spread with a sort of tomato-based sauce), a little bit like a sandwich, a little bit like a salad. Oh wow. The best thing was that the tomato sauce and the tuna juices soaked through the toast, making it soft enough to be cut apart with a knife and fork. The creamy, melted cheese melded into the small flecks of Spanish tuna and that, combined with the sweetness of the tomato sauce and the chewy texture of the sauce-drenched toast was a definite winner. The fries were great as well though not as crispy as the ones from, say, Marty D’s or The Bowery.

(Prettied-up Tuna Melt)

The Hungry Cat isn’t cheap but prices are justified. The portions are huge and it is, after all, seafood…very fresh seafood. Service, however, was painstakingly slow. It took them fifteen minutes to bring our oysters to the table. Yes, RAW OYSTERS that require zilch preparation. And, after the oysters, they took another half an hour or so to bring us our entrée. It was actually a little ridiculous.

(The Raw Bar: takes 15 minutes to transport seafood from bed of ice to customer's table)

But, not wanting to end this review on a negative note, The Hungry Cat is a great joint. Food is awesome and the vibe is refined but relaxed. When you DO find the restaurant and when you DO get your food at your table, without a doubt, you’ll have a kickass time!


!! And we also saw Kyan from Queer Eye !! Oh, he’s still so sexy!! Yes, and James Franco feeding quarters into the parking meter.

FOOD: 4/5
SERVICE: 3/5
ATMOSPHERE: 4/5

THE HUNGRY CAT ($$)
1535 Vine Street
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 462-2155
http://www.thehungrycat.com

Joe’s Restaurant: If I HAD to live in Los Angeles

(Feel the viiiiiiiibe)

To elaborate on the title of this post, if I really HAD to live in Los Angeles, I would be looking up apartment listings in Venice. It’s such a laid-back and unpretentious neighborhood…I could honestly picture myself living there. It’s the type of place where everyone owns a dog and rides a bike and though I do neither of those two activities, I like being around people who do :D

(Complimentary bread: a Banana-nut-esque loaf and toast)

To celebrate the completion of our Shakespeare (also known as “Shakey”) midterm, Reno and I drove out to grab brunch at Joe’s Restaurant on Abbot Kinney. Thank God I made reservations because the place was packed to the brim. Definitely a good sign. The vibe at Joe’s is infectious – just seeing all the people enjoying their food and whatever company they happened to be with is enough to make me break into a giant smile.

(Crazy Reno isn't in love with cinnamon. Maybe I should've ordered this.)

(I saved the Bananas for Last)

But what’s even MORE smile-inducing? Le food at Joe’s. The brunch menu (an entrée + appetizer) is a steal. I ordered the Rösti Potato with Scrambled Eggs & Smoked Salmon, Crème Fraiche, Caviar with the Seasonal Fruit Plate with Honeyed Yogurt Sauce starter ($18.00) while Reno took a stab at the Lobster (it’s usually Crab but they ran out so had to substitute in Lobster) Hash with Poached Egg, Red And Yellow Peppers, Potatoes, Mustard Rosemary Sauce with the Granola with Dried Fruit, Toasted Almonds With Spiced Milk appetizer ($16.00). What the hell? Just LOOK at what we ordered and then look at the prices! Joe’s is a COMPLETE undermining of the phrase: “it’s too good to be true.”

(Blegh, shaking hands do the Lobster Hash injustice)

I LOVED my smoked salmon dish. It was basically a giant, perfectly-crisp hash brown topped with a layer of scrambled eggs, a generous pile of smoked salmon and a dollop of caviar. Wow. It’s one of those dishes where all the components, individually, are forgettable but, combined as one, is a Godsent gift. The salmon by itself was a little too bland for my taste (I’m used to smoked salmon cured NY-style) but balanced out the other components of the dish to a T. The one thing that was better on its own though, was the “caviar” which was probably herring roe or the likes of. By itself, it had that gorgeous “sea-taste” but, because it’s not top-notch stuff (come on, the dish is $18 in total), it was easily overshadowed when combined with the other components of the dish. I also stole a bite of Reno’s lobster hash and mmmmmmm…it was so good. The lobster was so fluffily soft without being mushy (ugh). I think I’ll be ordering that the next time I go to Joe’s.

(Fantastic-ness on a plate)

And, as if life wasn’t fantastic enough, I got Reno to drop me off at Shareen’s a coupla blocks down from Joe’s. Yep, today was SUPER SELF-INDULGENT day: amazing food + three absolutely beautiful vintage finds.

I’m happy.

FOOD: 4.5/5
SERVICE: 4/5
ATMOSPHERE: 5/5

JOE'S RESTAURANT ($$)
1023 Abbot Kinney Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90291
(310) 399-5811
http://www.joesrestaurant.com

Chunju Han-il Kwan: No Mas to V-Day

Ugh, Commercialized Couples Fiesta day. Another year of obnoxious helium balloons and ugly bouquets. But worse of all? Jacked up restaurant menus. See, the balloons and flowers don’t affect me so much in direct terms but the restaurant thing?? The last thing I need on the V-day is a restaurant that offers a “Couples Menu” that I will NOT be ordering.

Well, the Sun, Debs and I had resolved a long time ago that we would give the finger to V-day ’09 by grabbing McDonald’s drive-thru and staying in watching endless episodes of Friends on the Saturday. But because people “in love” are super obnoxious throughout the month of February, I made sure to steer away from potential danger-zones for this week’s Friday-Night-Dinner.

Enter Chunju Han-il Kwan (CHiK) – a small neon-lit eatery in a seedy looking plaza in Korea-Town. We would be SO SAFE from Coupley-ness here. ChiK is the complete opposite of the V-day restaurant: it’s ugly, it’s cheap, and the food actually matters.

(I love purple rice)

(Banchan Fiesta)

Mmmm…yes, the food DEFINITELY mattered. The words, “Budae-Jigae” were singing in my mind through the whole drive from the apartment to K-town. For those who don’t know what the ef I’m talking about, Budae-Jigae translates into “War-Stew” (HA – take THAT mushy lovely-dovey V-day!). Well, that’s the Korean translation. In Dorothy lingo, it translates into “A beautiful pot of bubbly, spicy soup with spam, sausage, fish cake, rice cake, veggies, ramen and, for good measure, cheeeeese.” It’s a mouthful, but it’s a fantastic mouthful.

(Bubbling Beautiful Budae-Jigae)

On top of the Budae-Jigae ($24.99 which can easily feed three), we ordered the Potato Pajun/Potato “Pancake” ($10.99). God bless the Koreans for coming up with the concept of banchans (free side dishes that are doled out to your table once you sit your ass down) because I was literally starving by the time we got to CHiK and the smell of food from the neighboring table seriously wasn’t helping. I have to say, CHiK’s banchans are the best and most all-inclusive of all the Korean joints I’ve been to in LA. There must have been more than nine side-dishes! I happily chomped away on the seasoned kelp (I love seaweed in all forms) and the kimchee-d fish cake but it wasn’t long before the pajun was brought to the table and – woah – was it huge. And thank God it WAS a huge portion because it tasted effin’ AMAZING! It was almost like a hashbrown in chewy and moist form. It was beautiful. Even though I was ooh-ing over the pajun, I was still most excited about the Budae-Jigae. The broth is great. Really great. I usually can’t take spicy food (which SUCKSASS because I love spicy stuff!) but I had no problems whatsoever with the soup…and I really do think it was psychological. That is, the soup was so good that I subconsciously forbad my palate to be unable to take it in.

(The lovechild of Hashbrown and Pancake)

I did think though, that there wasn’t enough ramen but, apparently, you can order the stew with extra noodles. Service is great (cheerful ahjumas) and so is the atmosphere (i.e. NOT lovey-dovey). We were stuffed and it still came to only about $16.00 a person. That’s right, $16.00 and I’m probably happier and better-fed than the couples who are doling out $154.00 for their February 14th meal.


**Special Mention: Props to Sunny for her multi-talents. CHiK night saw her exercising her mad skilllllz in eating, driving, AND translating! Yep, she’s a keeper.

FOOD: 4/5
SERVICE: 4/5
ATMOSPHERE: 3/5

CHUNJU HAN-IL KWAN ($$)
3450 6th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90020
(213) 480-1799

Susina Bakery: SO FULL

(So many a happy time)

Current time: 3.26am

I am still effin’ full from what I ingested over six hours ago. What the F? Let me run through the list of what I ate today so I can try to make sense of this (all times are approximates):

9:00am – Banana, Bowl of Kashi Almond Flax with cinnamon and soy milk
12:00pm – Coffee, Banana nut muffin
7:00pm – Whole wheat pita filled with sweet peas and thai peanut sauce
9:00pm – Coffee and Susina Carrot Cake

?!?! It’s definitely NOT like me to be as grossly full as I am now from that. It’s the “peas’ syndrome. It’s been horribly horrible since Tuesday night. The hummus (blended chickpeas) + Lebanese mousaka (eggplant, tomato + chickpeas). Then tonight with sweetpeas. I guess I didn’t learn my lesson from Shaherzad night (i.e. hummus + babaganoush + dolmeh).

Ergh, I want to go to bed but I really can’t because I feel like a water balloon (that’s right…a bloated balloon FILLED with more filling water). But I will still do one of my favorite LA institutions justice and write up a review even though she (yes, “she”) is partly responsible for my current discomfort.

SUSINA. HOW I LOVE YOU. I get a fluffy, happy feeling every time I step into this place. Desserts are AMAZING and the staff are so uber friendly that I can’t help but break into gigantous (yes, made-up word) smile whenever I interact with them. Tonight was my 12347820832th time at Susina and I’m still not tired of it.

My first time, I got the Molten Lava Cake ($6.00). Hmmm…I DID really like it. BUT I had a bite of Sunny’s Americano cake ($6.50) and was a little jealous I didn’t get that instead. Second time was my favorite – the sentimentally-sweet WHOLE Bear Cake that they got me for my birthday. It was fucking HUGE (don’t believe me? See photo below). It was sooooooooooo good. It stayed chocolately moist even after days in the fridge.

(awwww...they sat through LA traffic for this)

(How big was the cake exactly? Let's just say that Sunny can fit her whole head into the cakebox)

Third time saw me with the Coconut Cake ($6.50). Last slice…and I wasn’t surprised given how amazingly coconutty and moist it was. Fourth time, at B’s Hong Kong film screening. Got the coconut cake again (I was just too enamored) and got a small box of cookies for B. And tonight? A HUGE CHUNK O’ Carrot cake ($6.50) and the Sun got the Berry Blossom ($6.50). Oh, I only wish I wasn’t as full as I was so I could’ve enjoyed the C-cake more. Had a bite of the Sun’s cake. OMG – I’m in love.

(Carrot Cake, Coffee, Berry Blossom Looming in Background)

And, because I felt bad for totally ditching the Debs, I brought home a small box of Susina’s special HAND-PAINTED Valentine’s cookies. Mannnnnnn, these must be the world’s most-expensive cookies ($4.50 PER COOKIE) but, the funny thing is, given the craftsmanship, I thought it was completely worth it!

(Worth-its-weight-in-gold HAND CRAFTED cookies)

Yes, Susina makes me like Los Angeles.

FOOD: 5/5
SERVICE: 5/5
ATMOSPHERE: 5/5

SUSINA BAKERY ($)
7122 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 934-7900
http://www.susinabakery.com

The Bowery: Impatience is a Virtue

I love New York fare. Simple comfort food like a fatty slice of thin-crust pizza or a giant cup of thin crunchy fries put a smile on my stomach. But my favorite is the NY take on Bistro fare which turns elegant French cooking into a laid-back weeknight dinner.

My stomach’s been pretty impatient lately and, even though I’m jetting off to NYC next month, it’s been craving said Bistro food. So, when Janet let me pick the dinner spot for tonight, I suggested heading out to the Bowery on Sunset. Plus, the weather in LA has been cold, rainy and gloomy lately and isn’t that the best kind of time for Bistro comfort food?

The Bowery is sandwiched between Magnolia and Fabiolus Café and, like its neighbors, is a to-go spot for a lot of Angelinos “in the industry.” And by “in the industry,” I mean people who apparently don’t have to go to work – the place was PACKED when we arrived at 7pm (on a Wednesday!) We were brought to the one single empty table and, though we tried to catch up, we soon gave up trying to fight the battlefield of conversation around us. Having said that though, the Bowery is cute as hell. It definitely looks like some small neighborhood Bistro in Manhattan. Leather sofas and dark wooden tables dot the low-key dining area and a giant chalkboard with the restaurant’s wine selection hangs next to the long bar. Absolutely beautiful. On a side note, the restaurant was extremely dim though and, while I like that atmosphere, it does no good for the photos, especially since I am always too embarrassed to use flash in a restaurant. Oh, life is so difficult.

After a lengthy period of menu-perusal, Nancy and Janet both decided on the Bowery Burger ($9.00) while I opted for the Moules Frites ($12.50), subbing the regular fries for Sweet Potato Fries. My order appeared in the form of a (very) generous serving of steamed mussels, glistening happily in a spicy tomato broth. The broth was great, especially with the large slices of garlic and onions. The mussels were well-cooked – not mushy at all and every mussel was sand-free :) ! The star of the show was the fries though. Even though they weren’t as “sweet” as I would’ve liked (I’ve been spoilt by the sweet potato fries from Barney’s Gourmet Hamburgers), they were right on the mark texture-wise. It was really quite amazing – perfectly crunchy on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside. The best thing was that they kept their crunchiness right to the end of the meal! I polished off my whole plate of fries. Damn straight, I’m a champion – Nancy and Janet got an order of fries to split and they still had some left over…or maybe I’m just gross. Overall, the moules frites were enjoyable but not absolutely amazing. But considering that it’s only $12.50 for a big fatty bowl of mussels and fries, it’s probably one of best deals in Hollywood.

(Moules - sweet potato - Frites)

Service was spot on. The burger arrived a little too rare for Janet’s taste and the waitress had no problem asking the kitchen to up the fire on her burger. Our server was really attentive and friendly – there’s definitely none of that “I’m-an-aspiring-actor” attitude at the Bowery.

I enjoyed the Bowery and my stomach is happy from the New York-ification. While the Bowery doesn’t make it to my “must-go” list, it’s definitely high up on my “go-to” list.

FOOD: 4/5
SERVICE: 4.5/5
ATMOSPHERE: 4.5/5

Bowery ($$)
6268 Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 465-3400
http://www.theboweryhollywood.com

Sunnin’s Lebanese Café: Friends

“I am willing to expand my white girl taste buds for ya ♥”

The wonderful woman who wrote the above words is one of the reasons I haven’t gone completely crazy in Los Angeles. This is someone who will put her P.F. Chang-appetite on hold because she knows I have a “thing” for food. That’s a big deal for me and it’s just one of the reasons why I love her as ridiculously much as I do.

We went ethnic for the past few Tuesday-night-Dinner-extravaganzas and we followed through with that pattern last night as we moseyed along to Sunnin’s Lebanese Café. I definitely have a soft spot for Middle Eastern food and I’ve been wanting to try Sunnin’s for a while. The place was packed (as usual) with a healthy mix of poor grad students, Middle Eastern diners and a good handful of old ladies. We quickly added ourselves to the mix and looked through the menu.

Of course, we ordered a large side of hommos ($4.50) and, because the people who work at Sunnin’s are pure angels, the hommos came with free baskets of pita bread. Yes, that was not a typo – basketS…as in, they swoop with more pita the moment they see your own basket emptying up. The hommos was a pile of creamy deliciousness. This is actually my first time trying Lebanese hommos – it’s a lot smoother and milder than Greek styled hummus. Being a MSG-raised Hong Kong-er, I personally prefer the stronger types of hummus but I still lapped up Sunnin’s version like nobody’s business. The two of us went through two baskets of pita and were close to finishing all the hommos and yes, we are now attractively bloated and gassy.

(I love the above)

Along with the hommos, Alyssa ordered the Chicken Kebab plate ($7.75) and I settled on a large Mousaka ($5.50). The mousaka was definitely different from what I was used to; unlike the Greek mousakas, the Lebanese version is not arranged in layers but is served, literally, as a glop. On top of that, it’s served cold instead of piping hot. But, differences aside, did I like it? It’s eggplant! OF COURSE I liked it! And plus, the Lebanese mousaka is vegetarian which makes me incredibly happy since none of the Mediterranean places I’ve looked up seem to serve a beefless version of this fantastic dish. I polished off my moussaka – more chickpeas, more bloatage. Nice. Well, it was worth it.

("Mousaka" is code for love-in-eggplant-form)

Prices are great. Service is fantastic (the owner is super friendly). Food is :) I definitely love Sunnin’s. Determined to continue with the glam-ness of our chickpea bloatage fest, we spent the rest of the night with cheapass rum and VH1 reality TV. I love friends. …Oh yes, and I might even really go to the beach just for her.

FOOD: 4.5/5
SERVICE: 4.5/5
ATMOSPHERE: 3/5

SUNNIN'S LEBANESE CAFE ($)
1779 Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 477-2358
http://www.sunnin.com