Restaurants

The Minty onstage at the Hollywood Bowl If you’re like me, you’ve been going through the Hollywood Bowl concert guide and picking out which concerts you want to see. And if you’re really like me, you’ve been thinking about picnics. It’s always fun to bring stuff but I really enjoyed having food from Patina Catering delivered to the seats last year. We supplemented the dinner with the Minty Popup bar drinks and friends brought dessert. This year there are more dining options at the Bowl. There are new wine and popcorn bars opening and the menus have been updated for catering. I was invited to a media preview of the season and got to sample sliders, ramen and even soup as well as some cool desserts. LA Phil Music Director Dudamel speaking about the upcoming Hollywood Bowl season I’ve had tickets to the Bowl and LA Phil for years and somehow have never seen Dudamel conduct. I must change that this summer and later for the LA Phil 13/14 season. hip offerings like veggie ramen Being a noodles lover, my favorite thing I tried that night was the veggie ramen. Although there was no soup, it was quite good on its own. And probably better to eat  while outdoors. The mushrooms in it was the best part. potato soup It was amazing to be on the stage of the Bowl trying all these treats. new popcorn and wine bars sweet ending I noticed the desserts were very modernist. Everything from eye-catching liquid nitro treats to adorable lollypops. Now to decide which shows I’m going to… Hollywood Bowl catering by Patina Restaurant Group Checking out fried chicken and cocktails from Patina at Hollywood Bowl 2012 Markets and Concession Stands Order your picnic baskets online or call 323-850-1885 Hollywood Bowl 2301 N. Highland Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90068 © The Minty 2012 Filed under: calendar, cocktalian, concerts/ shows, events, food, foodie alert, minty life, music, restaurant reviews, theatre, wine tasting Tagged: bowl, patina catering, patina restaurant group, picnic, picnic basket, the hollywood bowl, the minty, wine

siu mai I recently revisited 888 Seafood Restaurant in Rosemead. I go back and forth on the dim sum carts vs ordering off a menu issue. While I concede the food appears to be freshly steamed when you tick off items from a menu, there’s no fun in it. I know I’ll just order all my favorites and leave. Part of the victory of ordering from the dim sum cart ladies are the surprises they might have for you. That’s why whenever someone asks me about dim sum, I point them to 888. For this meal, I ordered up the usual siu mai (pork and shrimp dumplings) and har gow (crystal shrimp) to start. har gow Both were standard and good but I still wanted more dumplings. shrimp egg rolls 888 has these great shrimp egg rolls that were still faintly hot when they hit our table. Crispy wrappers really make it. shrimp & leek dumplings I spotted the dumplings cart going around and ordered everything the dim sum lady had including the shrimp and leek dumplings, spinach and shrimp and scallops dumplings. I tend to like the dumplings with leeks because seafood really goes well with anything in the onion family. But straight scallops or spinach is good too. Shanghai pork buns inside of the Shanghai buns I normally avoid buns so I don’t fill up but the Shanghai buns looked good this particular day. I thought it was funny one of the buns had an almost octopus-looking grill mark on it. Yep, that’s the one I ate. The buns were stuffed with a combination of pickled vegetables and pork. I ate these plain but you could dip a bit in black vinegar if you like. veggies tofu wrap The dim sum lady was pretty funny when she warned me the veggies wrapped in dried tofu wrapped was actually vegetarian– some versions come with ham. I didn’t mind until I tried to pick  one up. These had absorbed the broth and looked awkward. It didn’t affect the taste other than being really soupy. daikon  cakes While looking for chicken feet (never came around), I got one of the dim sum cart ladies to grill the daikon cakes I love so much. These can be filling so you might want to wait until the end to have these. scallops dumplings As usual we over-ordered which to be honest, I do with a la carte ordering but fortunately dumplings heat up well for snacking later! shrimp & spinach dumplings I swear 888 used to have more dumplings but I was satisfied with the ones that I got after eating at Ocean earlier in the week and found their dim sum lacking. Perhaps dim sum houses in Chinatown during the week don’t carry as much. SGV all the way! egg tarts The egg tarts were the best I had in a long while. They were still warm and just melted in your mouth. On a side note, I have also now been to two restaurants including 888 where the ladies are wearing half-masks. I guess it’s like the salad bar sneeze guard. Although someone mentioned maybe they’re protecting themselves from the public rather than the other way around. Mini Dim Sum Guide in LA including the SGV CBS Seafood Elite Lunasia Monterey Park Palace NBC Seafood Ocean Seafood Sea Harbour Shanghai No 1 888 Seafood Restaurant 8450 E Valley Blvd., Ste 121, Rosemead, CA 91770  —  (626) 573-1888   © The Minty 2013 Filed under: dessert, food, foodie alert, minty life, restaurant reviews Tagged: 888, 888 seafood restaurant, chinese, chinese food, dim sum, rosemead, SGV, the minty

pho noodles soup with brisket While looking for a lunch spot in Pasadena a couple of weeks ago, I came across Abricott Cafe, a cafe with a mixture of Asian and American comfort food dishes. I couldn’t decide if I should get a burger- I was eying the lemongrass chicken burger (they have a regular burger, too) or explore the Asian side. In the end, I opted to try the Asian stuff such as the chicken wings which reminded me a bit of Korean fried chicken. It came with a side of rice. I asked for the kimchi fried rice but it normally comes with white or brown rice. wings I was meeting someone and thought they’d share the food with me but things happened and I ended up having to eat all the wings. I suppose I could have packed it and the rice up but I didn’t like the rice that much. And I can handle a few wings right? kimchi fried rice Well, no. I had also ordered the pho which came with thick pieces of brisket. It was the best brisket I’ve had in a bowl of pho in recent memory. Abricott is set up so that you order at the counter and they bring you the food. But you can get your own water and condiments. I didn’t see the hoisin and hot sauces at first and tried the broth plain. I liked it that way but wished for some bean sprouts for the soup. It already came with basil in the bowl. Next time, I’m going to restrain myself from ordering so much. But now the question is curry or the croque madame? Salad– the trout and papaya salad looks great –or banh mi? And breakfast is served until 3 p.m.? Oh man, I really need some dining partners to break down this menu! Abricott Cafe 238 S Lake Ave., Pasadena, CA 91101  –  (626) 796-1613   © The Minty 2013 Filed under: food, foodie alert, minty life, restaurant reviews Tagged: abricott, abricott cafe, asian fusion, korean food, lake, Pasadena, the minty, vietnamese food

Apricots. Photo: Domenica Marchetti for NPR Post by Domenica Marchetti, Kitchen Window at NPR Food (6/19/13) Get recipes for Strawberry-Apricot Pie, Broiled Apricots With Honey Mascarpone, Apricot-Anise Jam and Cheryl’s Apricot Frangipane Galette. Apricots are the finest of summer’s fruits, with dense, juicy flesh and delicate, velvety skins. Piled in baskets in farmers market stalls, they seem to glow in the early morning light. The prettiest ones have a celestial blush and a sweet, floral fragrance. That’s why it is so disheartening when you bite into one only to find it is mealy and flavorless. I can’t count the number of times this apricot lover has been the victim of just such an injustice. You probably have been, too. I grew up eating apricots by the kilo during summers spent in Italy. I could not get enough of their intense flavor, of prying them open and biting into their sweet-tart meaty interiors. I liked them better than I liked gelato (OK — maybe that’s a stretch, but not by much). Finding worthy apricots this side of the Atlantic has been a challenge, especially since I am not in California, the source of about 95 percent of commercially grown U.S. apricots. By the time they make their way over to Virginia, where I live, I suspect any celestial qualities have been jostled out of them. Having been burned many times, I am now reluctant to pay upwards of $6 a pound at fancy grocery stores for apricots that don’t deliver. In recent years I’ve had some luck at my weekly farmers market, where the locally grown apricots, in season in late June and early July, are flavorful and juicy, if not quite as spectacular as those I remember from my childhood. It took the apricot a long time — centuries — to get to my market. It’s an ancient fruit, the origins of which can be traced back to pre-biblical times. It was first cultivated in the mountains of Northeastern China as early as 2200 B.C., according to food historian Waverly Root. From there it traveled to Mesopotamia (it was said to grow in the hanging gardens of Babylon) and the Mediterranean. Spanish missionaries are credited with bringing the apricot to California in the 18th century. Apricot trees require a temperate climate to thrive, Root says, with a cool winter allowing for a dormant period. However, the tree blooms early and is highly susceptible to frost, which can make it difficult to cultivate. There are many varieties of apricots, with colorful names such as Lorna, Ambercot, Blenheim and Goldbar. Some are large and plush and uniformly orange-colored and some are small, with a rosy cast. Then there are the new hybrids such as red velvet, with its near-black skin — actually a cross between an apricot and a plum. Apricots are best when picked ripe from the tree. While it’s easy to tell if an apricot is ripe, it can be tough to tell whether it’s good. Look for fruits that have a deep orange-gold color rather than those that are pale orange or yellow. They should be plump and firm, with just a little softness to them. If they’re hard, they’re not ripe; if they’re squishy, they’ve gone too far. Ripe apricots have a lovely, unmistakable floral fragrance, so give it the sniff test. Having said all that, there have been times, usually in grocery stores, where I thought I was buying decent apricots and have been sorely disappointed when I took a bite. You’re likely to have better luck at a farmers market that sells locally grown fruit. Taste a sample if you can; it’s really the only way to know for sure. Besides being delicious, apricots are packed with nutrition — vitamins A and C, plus fiber and potassium. In the kitchen, they are versatile, and as much as I love them (the good ones) raw, cooking them caramelizes their sugars and deepens their flavor, making them even more delightful. They are as comfortable sidled up to a roast as they are nestled in a sweet pastry crust. In

THE MISSION—Last we heard, Local Mission Market, the newest venture from the Local Mission Eatery and Local's Corner team, was held up and aiming for a summer opening. Now they're doing a last-minute push for opening funds, via Kickstarter, and hoping to raise $50,000 by way of some giveaways. [Zagat] RICHMOND—The Richmond district, after much debate and haggling with the SFMTA, is finally getting a year-round farmers' market starting this Sunday, June 23. It will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. along Clement between 2nd and 4th Avenues. [SFoodie] SOMA—S&R Lounge, the new lobby bar and upstairs lounge at the Hotel Zetta from the Park Tavern/Marlowe crew, is now open to the public. The Cavalier, their adjacent restaurant in the hotel, is due in August. [Inside Scoop]

Changes are underway at Craftsman and Wolves this week. The contemporary patisserie, known for the Rebel Within among other idiosyncratic treats, is testing out some new menu items tomorrow, June 20: cupcakes. As the patisserie celebrates its first anniversary, chef William Werner says there has been a strong demand for the things, so he's giving it a go. "We've been listening to the guests and just trying to figure things out... we're going to make some transitions and adjust the concept a little bit," says Werner. Expect flavors like "Carrots and Wolves" (a cocoa carrot cake with brown butter cream cheese and a carrot macaron), and "the Hasselhoff" (a soft caramel cake with milk chocolate ganache and toasted coconut). Werner also shares with us a possible re-design of their logo. (Wink wink?) [EaterWire]

Corn male flowers! I was recently asked by a good Japanese friend of mine to re-design her roof garden she had built some ten years in the view of creating a tree and flower space above her new apartment building. The plan is to transform at least half of it into a vegetable and fruit tree garden. I may not talk about the many reasons behind this project as this is part of a confidential venture, but I can at least describe my work as a journal. I certainly hope to share views with like-minded souls in Japan and abroad! 2013 May 26th The corn has grown steadily and pollinated. Looking forward to the first crop! First tiny tomato flowers. More radishes are appearing around the corn and the first tomato flowers have appeared. 2013 May 27th Cabbage Filderkraut The Cabbage Filderkraut have started bundling up. The hibiscus have come through from seeds in their container. The first tomato flower has opened. The paprika, putszagold peppers and okra do not seem to improve in spite of their improvised wind breaker. The first small turnip/ko kabu has made its way to the sunshine. The thin trees inside the big pots near the private entrance are blooming as well as those I had transplanted from the tree beds into pots. Cute little flowers! 2013 May 28th I received a new batch of organic seeds from Tane no Mori Co in Saitama Prefecture: ?????????????/Bright Lights Chard ?????/Tres Fine Maraichere Endive ????????????????/little Gem Romaine Lettuce ????????????/Golden Globe Turnip ?????????????/Merveille des Quatre Saison Butterhead lettuce ????????/Lolla Rossa Lettuce ??????????????/Silvia Romaine lettuce ????????/Noir du Tessin Corn ?????/Pac Choi ?????????/Wild Roquette ??????????/Arugula roquette ?????????????/Stowell’s Ever Green Corn The fennel and new bitter ourd/goya are at last growing to satisfaction but the fennel is deadly slow! The blackberries are slowly turning red. The peas stay stunted by the corn. They don’t seem to like each other! 2013 May 29th Only one suyo cucumber is growing solidly on the green curtain. The mannou leeks are slow but fine in their container. I wonder if they like the heat. I doubt it. I discovered five small bunches of very cute strawberries with white flowers called Beni Akane Ichigo/??? which can be cultivated both for their fruit from March to November and as decoration plants! The blackberry tree is really doing well and sprouting flowers at its base! They look very much like cherry blossoms! I was asked to look after the big loquat tree grown outside on the first floor! I will have to start harvesting it in earnest next week or soon after! 2013 May 30th 2013 May 31st The chard are doing well in their pot but I suspect they’ll do better in the fall! All kinds of seeds I planted inside the space left by the harvested lettuce are starting to appear with spinach being the first. I also transplanted some Stick Senior Broccoli seedlings in the same spaces, too. The carrots are really doing well in the back right triangular vegetable raised beds. The mini white celery in the middle are slowly appearing although they do not seem to like the full sunshine. I started thinning/clarifying the carrots with cute little beauties as a result! RECOMMENDED LINKS FOR ROOF GARDENING Containerized: My Garden Blog Gardens by Mike Palmer (Dorchester, England) Best New York Gardening Blogs Battery Rooftop Garden Blog (UK) Green Roof Growers (Chicago) Mitsukoshi Roof Top Garden – Ginza by Tokyobling’s Blog NYCFARMER’S BLOG The Tattooed Gardener Town and Country Gardening My Botanical Garden by Tamara My Food and Flowers Vienna Roof Garden Leaf and Twig Ekostories by Jack Yuen My Food And Flowers The Japans Photography Art Plus LOSTINTHOT Spy Garden RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES BULA KANA in Fiji Kraemer’s Culinary blog by Frank Kraemer in New York,Tokyo Food File by Robbie Swinnerton, Green Tea Club by Satoshi Nihonyanagi in Shizuoka!, Mind Some by Tina in Taiwan, Le Manger by Cami

It's been a little over a year since food blogger Zach Brooks of Midtown Lunch launched 'Food Is The New Rock,' a collaboration with KCRW DJ Chuck P that produces a podcast exploring the interse...

By now our lovely regular readers are familiar with Voice Places, the listings engine behind all of LA Weekly's restaurant reviews and calendar picks. Today that engine got a lot more powerful, w...

Struggling Southern-California based diner chain Johnny Rockets has been sold to a private equity firm, as the OC Register is reporting. The company, as you may recall, closed its Marina location last year—it became a Super Duper— and closed its Upper Fillmore location earlier this year—it's now Glaze Teriyaki Grill. They have one remaining S.F. location at 81 Jefferson Street at Fisherman's Wharf. [OC Register via AP]