The Foodie Traveler: Pithy Comments from a Cynical but Passionate Foodie and Wine Lover: Recent Comments

Comment on Save the Taco Truck! (MMM Tongue Tacos)

SimpleEater — Tue, 06 May 2008 09:31:58 GMT

What a great experience this was for us too. We found our taco truck (El Matador) on the great taco truck map. http://tacohunt.blogspot.com We pretty much gorged ourselves on chicken and asada ("carne asada is not a crime!" as the rallying cry goes). Wanting just a little bit more, we sampled another asada taco from the truck parked right next to it, Mi Teresita. A perfect taco; juicy meat, cilantro and cute side dishes of grilled onions and radishes. Oh and Al Pastor is marinated/seasoned pork. Tasty.

Comment on Citrus at Social: The Chef was so busy playing with the food he forgot about the flavor & quality

Foodie Traveler — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 18:08:52 GMT

Delighted to be of service

Comment on Citrus at Social: The Chef was so busy playing with the food he forgot about the flavor & quality

jerry snyder — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 18:01:05 GMT

Andrea, I am glad you reviewed Citrus because I was seriously thinking of going there, and now it is scratched.
Jerry

Comment on Capo: This is much better than having to fly all the way to Italy

Scot — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 07:30:46 GMT

I couldn't agree more. Next to Bastide, this is my second favorite restaurant in Los Angeles. The quality of all the ingredients was extreme. One of my favorite dishes was the Burrata and salad accompaniment. There was a fresh beet, and cauliflower, mixed in with extremely fresh greens. I also thoroughly enjoyed the rigatoni with a tomato-truffle bolognese sauce. I could have licked the dish. It was that good. This meal was fresh and wholesome. I felt like I was back in Italy at a local restaurant eating and drinking the local delicacy. I can't wait to return.

Comment on Citrus at Social: The Chef was so busy playing with the food he forgot about the flavor & quality

Scot — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 07:11:52 GMT

A few more comments. I also did not like these fries. They had a similar flavor to the potatoes that sometimes get cooked with turkey at Thanksgiving. However, the texture was not right and it did have a rancid note. Over all a poor application of butter. As for the tator tots, you had to consume them quick, while they were piping hot. Otherwise, they took on that same rancid character the fries did. The Mosaic, although it looked really awesome, was very flat. This item would fool any foodie, only seeing it in a picture. However, the flavors just seemed to blend together and it was difficult to identify the fish from the meat. Over all, the place had a cool vibe, but the food left all of us very disappointed.

Comment on Fraiche - Wow, I am really impressed

TaraMetBlog — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:54:11 GMT

I really like Fraiche but I hate that I can never get a reservation the day of, only bar seating. The atmosphere and wines are great though.

Comment on R23 - Love the Cardboard Chairs. The Sushi? Not What I Was Expecting

FoodieTraveler — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 12:19:59 GMT

Actually, never been to Nishimura. I meant that I should have tried that one instead of R23 b/c of the poor fish quality. I haven't been to Nishimura or the Hump for the exact reason you mention, I typically get annoyed by pretentious sushi places. I am not a fan of Matsuhisa and Sushi Roku is one of the worst. We did not care for Morimoto in philly, either. I will still stand by Shibucho and they are anything but pretentious. Urasawa was great (see earlier blog posting) but not worth the money. We also spend a lot of time at many of the hole in the wall but very authentic sushi places in Torrance and Gardena near the Japanese auto headquarters that cater to nationals. We have really come to appreciate authentic Tokyo-style Edo Sushi, which has the purist of flavors and texture, and is unadulterated with mayo, jalapenos, and fried junk. Also, you might be interested to know what goes into high quality fish. Part of the reason the stuff from japan is (often but not always) better despite "being from the same ocean" is how the fish lives, it's diet, how it is killed, stored, frozen, and how old it is before it is served. Many people do not know that with certain fish like tuna, it is similar to beef steak in that it has to be aged to let the best flavor and texture come to light. This is because as the enzymes break down and actually make it more flavorful. When you go into a fine sushi establishment and order the freshest daily fish, you aren't eating fish that was caught the same day, or even the day before. If you're eating good sushi, the fish is at least a few days old. Excellent sushi chefs know all this, and will only serve what meets the highest standards. When people complain that fish tastes "flat" it could actually be caused by being too fresh. (Or by being farm raised, another problem)

Comment on R23 - Love the Cardboard Chairs. The Sushi? Not What I Was Expecting

Felix — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 11:54:45 GMT

The reviewer is surprised that the fish is not from Japan? Apparently she is not aware that most "Japanese" fish served as sushi comes out of the same oceans as "American" fish and that Japan buys a great deal of their sushi quality fish from American and Europe. I have had dinner at excellent sushi bars in Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Niigata and I can tell the readers that R23 serves very good sushi. My wife (Japanese) also thinks the sushi is *very* good. None of the Japanese I know who have eaten there have anything but great things to say about their hamachi or toro, or in fact their sushi in general. If the fish were "Japanese" it would mean that they were first flown to Japan and *then* to L.A. and would not be fresh. The reviewer favors Nishimura? Wow. The fish is mediocre (my wife agrees) and the prices sky high. The atmosphere at Nishimura is strictly for the highly-pretentious class.

Comment on Paperfish - Impress Your Date, but not a Foodie

tmp00 — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 09:24:02 GMT

Well, thanks for saving me a load of cash..

A Patina group restaurant serving mediocre food at sky-high prices? Who saw that one coming?

Comment on Pilgrimage to Alinea

FoodieTraveler — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:39:54 GMT

Heh. You only turn 40 once. It was that or skydive, and I have bad ankles. ;)