Chinatown Goodness at Via Cafe

Spent a wonderful afternoon wandering and taking photos around Chinatown in Los Angeles with my friend Julia recently. Found it to be rather inspiring. Between all the people and street vendors in the area and all the unique store fronts and different smells and sights, it really did feel like we were transported from the usual L.A. scenes. You can see some more on my flickr page and soon on my film blog as well.



Julia had recommended that we stop off at the Via Cafe afterwards for dinner which is mostly Vietnamese Pho style, but some dishes were a bit more fusion from other countries/regions. I wish I had snapped a shot of the menu, because I can't remember what the specific dishes were other then lemongrass grilled chicken with cold rice vermicelli noodles and the sauce to add to it.



It was really really good and tasty. Just right after a afternoon of walking and shooting. All the flavors blended so nicely. It was almost refreshing do to the lightness of it with the veggies, yet had enough proteins and lots of different textures. Really enjoyed it. This is the second time Julia has taken me for Pho and there is something addictive about it. Served in a large bowl, it almost looks like more then I could eat, but I finished it off practically slurping the bits left over. Didn't leave me feeling overly full or heavy either. Everything was served and prepared rather quickly. Nice little place with funky art and friendly service. I think my dish was under $8, which seemed like a good deal to me considering the quality of the meal. Next time you're in Chinatown, I highly recommend checking them out. They're located in the Chinatown square.

Crepes Bonaparte

Caught up with one of the other crepe trucks recently. Crepes Bonaparte. They definitely have a theme of sorts. The girls working the truck all had little hats and scarves and such. Its cute. The way the truck is set up, you can watch them make your crepe which is kinda cool. I decided that I wanted to try a simpler crepe, and went with the Plain Jane, ham and cheese with egg. I didn't specify the doneness of the egg, I assumed it was a light scramble of sorts, don't know why. Well, it was more like an over easy egg, which I do happen to like, just wasn't expecting it in a crepe like that.







Over all, I enjoyed it. It was a good size and filling, the crepe itself was thicker then I normally expect, which was good for sopping up egg, but felt a little bit to much for the amount of ham and mozzarella. That said, still enjoyed it. It was a good all around, kinda traditional style crepe. I would definitely eat from their truck again, I find myself more interested in their basic traditional style offerings.

Follow them on twitter here and check out their site here.

Komodo

Finally got a chance try out Komodo for lunch. I had heard some good things about their menu, especially the shrimp. I got the fish taco and the blazin' shrimp taco.



The fish and grapes taco was really good, fried cod tossed with grapes and pickled onions. Had a bit of that sweet tart/tangy quality to it.



The blazin' shrimp with Indonesian spices and a sour cream sauce on the greens was quite good and pretty damn spicy. The sour cream sauce helped cool and balance the heat of the shrimp.



There was plenty of flavor in items that I had. Would definitely eat from their truck again. Food was done quickly, service was friendly. My only real grumble would be the tortillas, a grilled or even a crunchy option would be very welcome. These were cold and uncooked. Will have to see if I can request that next time. You can follow them on Twitter here or get more info from their site.

The Shrimp Guys

The Shrimp Guys, originally uploaded by LeandroF.

The Shrimp Guys food truck, or trailer, well its towed by a regular truck. Anyways, heard some good things about their shrimp and had a chance to try them out. I ordered the 5 piece garlic and butter shrimp with a scoop of rice for 5 bucks, they have a 8 piece with 3 scoops of rice for 8 I think, pretty good value either way. Their was no shortage of garlic or butter, really tasty. Although you really need to eat them fast, shrimp does not hold heat for long. I enjoyed it though, service was friendly and fast and I would definitely hit them up again. They had a coconut lime dish that I know I'll be trying next time. Follow them on twitter here and check out their web site here.

Crepe'n Around

Crepe'n Around, originally uploaded by LeandroF.

Been a big fan of crepes for many years, goes back to getting married and spending 2 weeks in Paris. Getting a tasty crêpe de jambon et de fromage from one of the many street vendors quickly became a favorite of mine. The Crepe'n Around truck is helping fill that need. I've eaten at their truck twice now and both times were great.

The first one I tried was the Maple Braised Pork. Wow, oh wow was this good. It was quite literally a full course meal wrapped in that crepe. The pork is maple braised with apple chutney, toasted walnuts, and mixed greens with a honey-dijon sauce. Very satisfying and a wonderful balance of flavor and textures. 

The second visit I had the ham and brie crepe. This was an updated version of the traditional ham and cheese crepe. This one had brie with caramelized onions and whole grain mustard. Another nice combo of sweet and savory. I really liked the addition of the grain mustard and the onions were just right. Really enjoyed it. Need to try a sweet crepe next time.

Both times the service was great and friendly (and fast too). I'm finding myself craving their crepes now. I highly recommend checking them out. Check out their web site here and you can follow them on twitter here.

Gourmet Genie To Go

Recently tried a new food truck for lunch, Gourmet Genie To Go. Everything is Mediterranean style, kabobs, pita wraps and some taco fusions. Also, its all organic and comes from local sources or farmer's markets, which is always a plus in my book. Spent a little time talking with the owner/chef Max. Really nice and friendly guy. I always like it when chefs take a little time to chat with their customers.

I tried three different tacos, chicken, fish and lamb. I quite enjoyed all three of them.

The fish, which is mahi mahi, was dense and firm in texture, but still flakey. Grilled with sweet onions, topped with pine nuts and instead of white sauce, he used tahini sauce. Nice twist on the classic fish taco. 

The lamb was terrific. The lamb was grilled and lightly seasoned with hints of savory and sweet with Italian parsley, red onions some jalapenos and juicy grilled cherry tomatoes. Very satisfying.

The chicken taco was really good. Lightly seasoned and grilled and served with a cabbage salad on it, gave it a refreshing crunchy texture. In fact all of the tacos had a nice balance between taste and texture.

  

For dessert I had the date rolls and the birds nest. The date rolls had a thick buttery exterior with a date paste which had a very light sweet taste. The birds nest is similar to baklava with the layers of phyllo dough, but with toasted pistachios on top and a light honey type of glazing to it. Nice textures.

I definitely recommend checking the Gourmet Genie out, terrific food, great prices and service. They tend to make the regular stops on the West side, T-Lofts, MTV and 31st and Ocean Park, plus lots of others. You can follow them on Twitter here and check out their website here.

Plaisir

My wife heard about a new French cafe that recently opened near the Trader Joe's in West Hollywood. We had planned an afternoon at the Melrose Trading Post (flea market) which gave us a good excuse to stop by and grab some food to go.



We were greeted by Daniel, a co-founder who was really nice and friendly. We chatted with him while we oohed and awed all the tasty looking Parisian snacks. He offered us some samples of their mousse which was really good as well as this wonderful home made lavender ice cream that had this great blue hue and was very light in taste. There were quite a few other ice cream choices, but we decided to save the ice cream for one of our next visits.





We got a ham and cheese croissant and a lemon bar to go. The croissant seemed larger then your standard breakfast size. It was very flakey and buttery with a little bit of chewy pull to it, in others words great. The ham was sweet and a little salty and went really well with the gruyere cheese all warmed lightly. It was really simple and good. Just big enough for us to split. I know I'll be getting this again.



We saved the lemon bar for later. I think this was one of the best lemon bars I've ever had. Nice, thick and dense lemon filling that was sweet and tangy, but not overly sweet despite the powered sugar on top, which I did like. Also had a thick buttery crust to it that rounded it out. Definitely big enough for two people to split.



You can find more info on their site here and follow them on twitter here. I highly recommend checking them out, made for a nice Paris like afternoon. I know we'll be going back.