Lowkey BBQ

NPR sends out a featured restaurant every week via text message. Smoke City Market in Van Nuys was that restaurant a few weeks ago. It was also a coincidence we were car shopping, so Smoke City was right in the center of all the dealerships on Van Nuys. It's a small place, and I wouldn't have found it if it weren't for NPR (and Google Maps on my iPhone).

You walk in, and it seems like a place you'd find in the South. A quiet, dimly lit room, long bench-tables with beer buckets on top holding supplies, and people munching over wax paper brings an mysterious, yet enticing sensation. There seem to be only two people working as it's not crowded today. A pretty cashier and a big husky guy behind her at the carving station. Yes, they cut the meat to order by hand: impressive. You look over the menu high above the counter, and you don't know what "Texas Caviar" is. But not to worry, she explains what it is, and of course, you get it. It's black eyed peas with diced roasted peppers and herbs in a sharp, vinegar-y dressing. Get the Pastrami, just do it, and he'll start to slice your meat right as the words come out of your mouth.

Interestingly, they serve the meat plain with just some slices of white bread. They tell you to eat with your hands and add only their homemade barbecue sauce if you want something else on the meat. Of course you can have their slides, but don't go making a fancy sandwich with the meats. Savor the quality by eating it plain.

I'll definitely return to enjoy the cool serenity of, if you think about it, a pretty minimalist establishment. However, I can tell you now that I'll be back before my 4 year lease is up.

Fresh Out da Sea

You would not expect to find some of the freshest and most traditional sushi in a Studio City strip mall.  Well Chef Nozawa or "The Sushi Nazi" as he's known, serves traditional Japanese classics at his restaurant Sushi Nozawa.  You receive no menu, you must ask for one.  If you opt out of the menu, (which you should) you get the Nozawa's special: "Trust Me".   Nozawa prides himself on providing the freshest fish possible by going to the Fish Market every day in the very early morning.  Whatever looks best to him that particular day ends up on your plate that night.

Signs all over the restaurant simply say "Trust Me" and so that is what we did.  The first course was a raw tuna salad in a light vinaigrette.  Also worth noting is the house made wasabi and ginger.  The second course came swiftly following the first, as Nozawa watched vigilantly to see when we finished our previous course.  Next came slices of Yellowtail and Toro over hot sticky rice.  What's also different about this place is that the rice is always served hot.  If your chopstick skills aren't up to par, your hands will suffice.

Ginger and Wasabi

Yellowtail and Toro Sashimi

Raw Tuna Salad

Only midway through, 2 Crab Handrolls and 4 pieces of Albacore sashimi arrived.  The crab was  not overpowered by the sauce.  That's a trend Nozawa sticks to; he serves his fish raw with little to detract from the fish itself.  He wants the quality of the fish to shine through.  Yet another course, 2 Toro Handrolls and 4 Halibut sashimi were delivered by the only waiter at the restaurant.  Delicious as always.  After we cleared our plates, our server asked us if we wanted another course; Matt was ready to quit, but Ethan pushed him into one more course.  Probably the best sashimi of the night came here.  We were graced with Black Cod sashimi and Scallop Handcone.  We weren't hungry enough to fully enjoy the rich Scallop Handcone after 4 full courses, but the Black Cod was simply awesome.

Toro Handrolls and Halibut Sashimi

Scallop Handcones and Black Cod Sashimi

It's up to you how much to order, but beware of the price.  You won't know how much it is until your bill comes at the end, and "trust us" it's expensive.  However, like we said in our last post, it's worth it.  Quality comes at a price and you're sure paying premium here.  There are no fancy flavors or colorful plates here, just extremely traditional sushi served the way it's meant to be.

Pay For Quality

After watching the news and seeing that Carmageddon was actually a blessing in disguise, causing less LA traffic than normal, we decided to head to Santa Monica's Huckleberry.  We arrived in the back lot where parking is free and abundant.  Heading through the back door, we were swamped with people.  The line was long, however it only took a few minutes to order.  While waiting in line, you can see all the delicious pastries in display cases enticing you.  Although most probably tasty, they were definitely marked up based on location and prestige.  We opted for 2 moderately priced donut holes; they sure were well-made.

Our ratatouille and fried egg sandwich arrived at the table, just after we snagged a table in the bustling dining room.  The ratatouille was filled with fresh vegetables and it really let the quality of the produce come through.  An egg on top added some protein and richness.  The thick bread on the bottom was crunchy and freshly baked, a nice touch.  A hearty and energy-packed fried egg sandwich was a great way to start the day.  It had nicely cooked sunny side up eggs that added creaminess to the sandwich along with the aioli.  Niman Ranch bacon added a nice saltiness and crisp texture to the sandwich, and the gruyere was nutty and melted.















Huckleberry serves up a terrific breakfast that showcases fresh ingredients and simple flavors.  The cost of ingredients inflates the prices beyond a casual breakfast, but for a special occasion or treat, Bob Barker would agree The Price is Right!

The Lonely Trucks

We were looking around twitter trying to find a good food truck to eat at, and we saw that 4 trucks were going to be at the same location in Culver City.  We made sure to leave enough time even if there was traffic and the food trucks were packed.  We had experienced 1.5 hours with Nom Nom and Grill 'em All trucks in the past.  Well, there was no traffic and there was close to no one at the food trucks.  By that we mean there were maybe 10 people at most eating from the 4 different trucks when we first got to the large parking lot for Centinela Feed and Akiba Temple #badbusiness.

Nom Nom, The Munchie Machine, José O'Malley's, and Crepe'n Around.  We started with bahn mi from Nom Nom.  The pork and lemongrass chicken bahn mi were both good as always.  We didn't eat at Crepe'n Around or The Munchie Machine, although The Munchie Machine had a creative hangover/dank menu.  Trying to find out the attempted play on words of the truck's name Matt's sister asked the guy at Crepe'n Around "What's the pun?"  The befuddled Mr. Crepe answered her question with another question: "Are crepes fun!?"  Realizing he clearly couldn't formulate a simple answer to a seemingly simple question, she walked away laughing.

We wanted to try food from another truck, so we decided on chili and a beef quesadilla from the gringo truck (José O'Malley's).  Don't be thrown off by the overly tacky light up signs and flags that top the truck; the food is enjoyable.  It's nothing special or creative, but it tastes good.

Even though there was not much energy, we always like a food truck adventure.

Picca(chu) Peruvian

It's a Wednesday night and we call Picca to see if we can get a reservation.  But damn, no tables 'til 9:45.  However, word on the street is that the bar is usually open a cool place to dine.  So, we made our way to Picca for some small plates of Peruvian cuisine.  When we arrived, there was even a 20 minute wait for the bar.  This place was straight poppin' on a hump day.  To pass the time, we J-walked to Ralphs to browse and get the nice deal of 2 for 1 Hi-Chew.

By the time we checked back in at Picca, there were two seats available at the bar.  There were two bars at the restaurant: the one we sat at offers a close-up view of the kitchen.  We grazed over the menu and picked 6 dishes from the various categories ranging from ceviches to main plates like paella.  Ethan asked the waiter if 6 dishes would be enough, but he suggested that 8-10 would be just right.  We were sure to order a variety of different flavors and proteins.

The first dish to come out was lightly fried chicken with a tomato salsa and a pepper sauce; decent but wouldn't order again.  The first misstep of the night occurred here: it was the service.  At a tapas restaurant like this, timing is crucial to a diner's experience.  With many dishes, they must flow out in a regimented fashion with equal time in between each one.  Our chicken came out then we waited far too long only to have 3 dishes come out at once.  Those 3 were the ceviche criollo, papa rellena, and tuna tartare.  The ceviche was fresh and spicy seabass with a crazy duo of corn.  One way was corn kernels that had been roasted and the other was choclo... whatever that is.  The papa was perfectly filled with boiled egg and braised beef, much more memorable than the average tuna tartare.

Ceviche

Fried Chicken

Papa Rellena

After an appropriate wait time between dishes, we got the beef filet skewers and a quail egg-potato skewers.  The beef was good not great, although the sea urchin butter was classy, but the quail egg skewer was different and delicious.  Next came the star of the night: the seafood paella.  The rice was flavorful and the seafood was abundant and delectable.   The second but more easily corrected error was the waiter forgetting that we ordered mussels after he so strongly recommended for them.  We had to wait until they finally made them, but they were worth the wait.  Possibly too salty/garlicky, the broth was smooth and redolent.
The dessert options seemed unoriginal, so we returned to Ralphs to grab some Cincinnati native Graeter's Ice Cream.

Paella!

Skewers

Mussels

Straight from Cincinnati: Graeters!

The winners overall here are the adventurous dishes.  Don't settle for dishes you can get anywhere like beef filet or tuna tartare.  This place is serving up some unique peruvian food with an upscale twist.  With the need to order plentifully, we ended up spending close to $45 a person after tax and tip and still could've eaten more.

The best overrated burger?

Yes, I'm talking about Umami Burger. It seems as if the hype is dying down, but why all the craze? L.A. is filled with gourmet burger joints, and Umami is just another fish in a sea of burger restaurants. The menu is not all-that creative, the restaurants are small and every burger is $10 or higher. However, they have location, they execute their food well, and they draw a crowd. For that, I give them credit.

The Santa Monica Umami has a great parking lot that's free, so you'll never be without a spot. It's walking distance away from the 3rd Street Promenade, so you can stroll over while waiting for a table (which you surely will be).

The outside area is pleasant. Long tables are usually shared with random guests to maximize the amount of customers eating at once. Waiters and waitresses are attentive and our order was promptly taken. The food came out quickly, although one friend didn't get his soda, and he had to ask again for it. I tried something new that seemed to fit my criteria for healthy food, since burgers are always fatty (but good). I went with the Ahi Tuna Burger and to my liking, the flavor nor the full feeling after eating a burger was compromised. The spicy aioli sat beneath a monstrous lightly seared tuna burger. The fish was fresh and cooked rare, just how all quality fish should be cooked. The burger also had some pickled asian veggies that added a crunchy texture against the soft fish and bun.

I suppose Umami is not trying to be the most creative or be the most high end place out there, so credit is to be given for their success in L.A. Many new burger places fail quickly for all sorts of reasons, but Umami has managed to understand the trend and conquer it.

Sit down with a mediocre glass of wine, order a $12 burger smothered in everything truffle except raw truffle itself, and convince yourself this really is The Fifth Taste.

What's good, Downtown?

This was an unexpected excursion.  Our intention was to go to Woodspoon, Giada's pick on "Best Thing I Ever Ate," for the chicken pot pie.  When we drove by, it was boarded up.  As it turns out, they're closed on Sundays and Mondays.  So, we thought of Philippe's since it's in the area and picked by our homeboy Wolf Puck.

So we walked through the wood chips to the counter and were greeted by a jolly lady.  "Two beef dips, one with Jack cheese, two chilis with beans, a side of slaw and two lemonades."  She told us the total and brought our 20 to the cashier behind her to get our 50 cent change.  By the time she was back with the change (they don't take credit card) the food was promptly on the counter.  If you want a real snag, order the regular coffee for 9 cents or decaf for a whopping 15.

We found a side booth downstairs and sat down to start with the classic sandwich.  The chili was rich and the beans brought some nice texture.  The cole slaw was perfectly dressed with just enough mayo to keep the cabbage moist... key for any good slaw.  The slaw cooled down the signature Philippe's spicy horseradish mustard that we added to the French dip.  This sandwich is known to be the first French dip, and boy do they do it right.  The au jus is salty but doesn't overpower the meat or drench the bread.  The meat of course is moist and lean yet still super flavorful.

We craved something sweet after the savory meal, so we browsed through Olvera Street only two blocks away.  The toy shops were closing, but Mr. Churro remained poppin'.  We walked down the stairs to the small shop and were greeted by the aroma of freshly baked sweets.  We hooked ourselves up with one churro relleno con cajeta (filled with caramel) and one traditional churro.  The total came out to $5.  This may seem like a steep price, but these aren't your standard amusement park churros... these are grandes and deliciosos!  Here's the inside scoop on Mr Churro: if you spend $15, you get a free traditional churro when you check-in using Yelp.

This adventure downtown was unanticipated, but surely a lot of fun!  Woodspoon, in the words of Arnold Schwarzenegger, "I'll [We'll] be back."