Previously on Adam Riff™:
- Last post on Los Angeles, and unsurprisingly, it's about food. (2011)
- Eater's Digest: Los Angeles (2013)
I have a formidable backlog of food notes on New York City and Los Angeles dating back to May 2014 that I desperately need to clear. Some restaurants I tried have closed. Some dishes I tried are no longer available.
Phase one:
West Los Angeles (May 2014 – June 2016)
800 degrees / abigaile / b sweet dessert bar / the cannibal / cassia / cognoscenti coffee / coolhaus / diddy riese / dk's donuts / east borough / father's office / guerrilla tacos / gjelina take away / honey's kettle / huckleberry / humble potato / izzy's deli / komodo / loqui / mercado / mesa brazilian eatery / plan check / poke me / pono burger / quicksand / salt and straw / santa monica yacht club / sidecar doughnuts / stan's donuts / sweet lady jane / sweetfin poké / tacos tu madre / tlt food / the wallace
Twenty Spot Munchie Box (Abigaile)
waffle bacon burger, "50/50" with wiz, mexican coke float
A $20 brunch play on a Jack in the Box Munchie Meal. The "50/50" is fries and tots.
As Schulzies closed, I believe that (B Sweet Dessert Bar) is the westside's sole bread-pudding-ería, with a rotating menu of 40+ flavours.
Chicken Matcha Mousse (The Cannibal)
roasted plum, almonds, oats
^ Green tea-flavoured liver.
Chicken Parm Sausage (The Cannibal)
tomato conserva, burrata
^ A chicken sausage [might have been two] curled into a disc, breaded, and deep-fried.
Lamb Tartare (The Cannibal)
green apple, aged goat cheese, charred leek
—Served covered in shaved goat cheese. [Shaved goat cheese? Shaved goat cheese.]
Cochinita Pibil Head Tostada (The Cannibal)
pineapple
Cacio e Pepe Chips (The Cannibal)
kennebec potatoes, canola oil, parmesan, pepper, salt
Charcuterie Platter (Cassia)
salted pork, sichuan lamb ham, singaporean candied pork, vietnamese meatloaf, smoked curried duck, cabbage relish, grilled bread
^ Asian charcuterie.
Vietnamese "Sunbathing" Prawns (Cassia)
fresno chiles, garlic, vietnamese hot sauce
—A fine chilled appetizer. $24 for five, though…
Vietnamese Pot Au Feu (Cassia)
creekstone farms short rib stew, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, bone marrow, grilled bread, bird's eye chile sauce, walnut-mustard
—And this… $46 for two chunks of short rib and some bone marrow? I had a Vietnamese pot au feu in Vegas that was cheaper – VEGAS! And that one contained filet mignon and foie gras!
Pho Baguette (East Borough)
12" french baguette, beef brisket, onion, bean sprouts, fresno chili, hoisin sriracha aioli, side-car pho broth
^ A Vietnamese variation on a French dip.
Phorrito (Komodo)
thinly-sliced rib-eye, bean sprouts, cilantro, onions, thai basil, jalapeño, lime juice, rice noodles, sriracha, hoisin sauce
^ A Vietnamese variation on a burrito.
Turkey Banh-Mi-tloaf Sandwich (Quicksand)
far east-inspired turkey meatloaf, asian slaw, pickled cucumbers, sriracha aioli, ciabatta
—An American variation on a bánh mì.
Bánh Mì Chicken Taco (Komodo)
marinated chicken, hoisin aioli, crushed roasted peanuts, jalapeño, pickled shredded daikon, carrots, cilantro
Java Pork Taco (Komodo)
indonesian pork rendang braised in coconut milk, tomato cucumber salad, green onions, fried shallots
Fish N' Grapes Taco (Komodo)
deep-fried alaskan cod, fresh concord grapes, roasted almonds, sour cream salad
Asian fusion [and other] tacos. Nothing to write home about.
Sweet Potato Taco (Guerrilla Tacos)
almond chile, feta cheese, fried corn, scallions
^ I'm not a fan of sweet potato, but this food truck taco is scrumptious. It's the only permanent taco on the menu for good reason.
Pollo Primo (Loqui)
tortilla, cheese, guacamole, onion, cilantro, salsa
—If you're willing to spend $5 on a taco, then this is a bang-up chicken taco. Its steak counterpart oddly includes beans.
Striped Bass Ceviche (Santa Monica Yacht Club)
coconut water, cilantro, jalapeño
^ Served in a young coconut.
Soft Shell Crab (Santa Monica Yacht Club)
singaporean chili sauce, cilantro, pea shoots
^ That sauce is a god dream.
Pastrami Ice Cream (Coolhaus)
caramelized organic pastrami swirled in sir kensington's "special sauce"
—Sir Kensington's Special Sauce is a mayonnaise-based condiment. THE BASE OF THIS ICE CREAM IS MAYONNAISE.
"Fast Food" Ice Cream (Coolhaus)
salted tahitian vanilla bean ice cream with milk chocolate malt balls and shoestring french fries
—The shoestring french fries in the scoop I tried have since been replaced by french fry crisps.
Spicy Pineapple and Cilantro Sorbet (Coolhaus)
pineapple sorbet infused with fresh cilantro and serrano chili peppers
Pistachio Black Truffle Ice Cream (Coolhaus)
sicilian pistachio and black truffle mushrooms
All five flavours of Salt and Straw's June 2016 "fermentation series," ranked:
5. California Avocado and Cardamom Ice Cream with Fermented Carrot Custard (Salt and Straw)
—It didn't taste like much.
4. Fish Sauce Caramel Ice Cream with Palm Sugar (Salt and Straw)
—It tasted too much of fermented anchovy sauce.
3. Sourdough Ice Cream with Chocolate and Strawberries (Salt and Straw)
—I wanted more chocolate.
2. Dill Pickle Sorbet (Salt and Straw)
—More like cucumber water sorbet with pickle juice.
1. Cacao Nibs and Red Miso Ice Cream (Salt and Straw)
—Like cacao nibs and carob ice cream.
(DK's Donuts) has EVERYTHING: donuts, cronuts, waffle-donut hybrids,
donut pizzas,
cronut grilled cheese sandwiches,
GLAZED cronut grilled cheese sandwiches,
donut cookie dough sandwiches…
The Office Burger (Father's Office)
caramelized onion, applewood bacon, gruyere, maytag blue, arugula
—I don't see what all the fuss is about.
(Pono Burger)'s dining area is a historic World War II-era Quonset hut.
Kuawa Crunch Burger (Pono Burger)
organic beef patty, hook's 1 yr. cheddar, housemade organic russet potato chips, organic green leaf lettuce, housemade coleslaw, housemade spicy guava rum sauce
—For a burger featuring potato chips and a spicy guava rum sauce, my only remark is that it eats cleanly.
Organic Russet Potato Fries (Pono Burger)
organic fresh thyme, organic parsley, kosher salt, housemade aioli
—(PB)'s fries, though… Yum!
Michael ordered this:
'Alekina Burger (Pono Burger)
organic beef patty, housemade chimichurri sauce, organic avocado, don juan chorizo, organic sweet potato nest
ORTS
Yellowfin Tostada (Guerrilla Tacos)
white miso, avocado, chile del valle, seaweed, micro herbs
Chipotle Beef Brisket Sandwich (Quicksand)
thinly-sliced smoked beef brisket, caramelized onion, melted white cheddar, chipotle aioli, soft roll
Chocolate Chip Cookie (Proof Bakery via Cognoscenti Coffee)
Choriqueso Dip (Mercado)
melted cotija, parmesan, oaxaca cheese, white wine, house chorizo, poblanos, mushrooms, fresh chips
Shichimi and Garlic Parmesan Fries with Nori (Humble Potato)
MISSED CONNECTIONS
Avocado Milkshake (Humble Potato)
P.I.G. "Pop Tarts" (Abigaile)
smoked pork confit, bacon, gruyere, wrapped in golden pastry crust
General Tso Pig's Head (The Cannibal)
broccoli salad, moo shoo pancake
Paniolo Burger (Pono Burger)
organic beef patty, english oak-smoked cheddar, niman ranch bacon, housemade 100% kona coffee bourbon bbq sauce, housemade organic buttermilk beer-battered onion rings
—"100% Kona coffee bourbon BBQ sauce."
Red Velvet Churros (Tacos Tu Madre)
cream cheese frosting
"Netflix" Ice Cream (Coolhaus)
white cheddar popcorn-infused base, doritos