Vahalla Table

As I may have mentioned before, the wife & I may live in the OC, but we don't particularly enjoy it. As you can tell from the previous posts, we usually spend our time in LA. The reason is because we feel that OC lacks culture. Everything feels fabricated. Today's location is an example of such. Vahalla Table is located in a place called "The Camp". It is a small outdoor mall that blends hipsters (like those found in Silverlake) and tree huggers (like the ones found in Santa Monica) in Costa Mesa. We had to try this place because it would be nice to have a fancy sausage joint closer to home. See my Wurstkuche post.

We started off with the Duck Sausage Tacos. The sausage had great flavor, but it could have used a sauce. Maybe a little salsa or a hit of pico de gallo.

The belgian fries were okay at best. I don't know if they beer brine these fries like the spot in LA. But, it didn't have the same crunch as Wurstkuche. They do have a bunch of dipping sauces to choose from. We went with the spicy ketchup. This happened to be ketchup mixed with sriracha sauce.

The sausage I went with was the Korean Beef BBQ sausage with carmelized onions. Before I get to the sausage, I do want to mention that their rolls get soggy pretty quickly. On with the meat talk... This particular sausage was quite tasty. It really makes you feel like you're eating at a korean bbq joint with the grill in the center of the table. It had that distinct flavor of soy sauce and chilis with a hint of sweetness.

On a side note, they do have a great selection of bottle beers, specialty sodas (Mexican Coke... aaahhhh), and wines. Would I go back? More than likely. I hope the other sausages are up to par with my first sampling. They're just as pricy as the LA spot. Only real advice to make them a real hit... Step your belgian fries game up.

Vahalla Table

2981 Bristol Street

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

(714) 549-2960

www.vahallatable.com

I'm from LA Trick

Umami Burger

During a visit to the Nike Montalban Theater, my sister and I decided to have lunch at nearby Umami Burger. It's a trendy little place that some friends of mine think rivals Father's Office. It's a pretty bold statement. So, I had to give it a try.

I give them bonus points right off the bat for having mexican Coca-Cola. If you don't know, you better ask somebody. Mexican Coca-Cola always comes in the distinctive glass bottle. It is cola made exclusively (you guessed it) in Mexico. What makes their formula unique is that they make the soda with real cane sugar. Believe me... it makes a difference.

To be honest, I can't remember the name of my sister's sandwich. I wanna say they called it an Earth burger or something to that effect, but don't quote me on that. I call it a sandwich because it is some veggie patty concoction. Can't be a burger if there's no animal flesh. That's enough about that "sandwich".

I went with their signature Umami Burger.

When it arrived, my first impression was "fancy schmancy". It has tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, and a cheese crisp (parmesan I think). I'll give them credit for the beef patty. It is cooked medium and is very juicy. The bun is lightly toasted and isn't too filling. As a matter a fact, the entire burger is on the small side. So, the whole thing isn't very filling. The Umami is a great gourmet burger, but there is one particular reason why I give my nod to Father's Office. Umami puts some sort of sweet barbecue like sauce in this burger. The sauce is a little too sweet for my taste. I personally don't like my burgers tasting like there's candy in them. But, that's just me.

Our side order was the Tempura Onion Rings. The concept sounds tasty. They were actually pretty boring. I guess I should have went with something like sweet potato fries.

So, my first impression wasn't the greatest. But, they do have a "Triple Pork Burger" on the Santa Monica location's menu. I can always dig on some swine. But for now, Father's Office remains the #1 seed on my rankings chart.

Umami Burger

Space 15 Twenty

Hollywood, CA 90028

(323) 469-3100

www.umamiburger.com

I'm from LA Trick

King's Hawaiian Bakery & Restaurant

Here's a place that my wife & I have been frequenting for years. Many Southern Californians already know this place quite well. But, if I'm going to do this blog about food with my cousin, I have to include King's.

King's has a very casual vibe. It even has this cool fish tank that you can sit around if you want.

They always start you off with the signature Hawaiian sweet rolls. This is the same bread that comes in the round tin that you've eaten for years. It's only in haole dinner roll form.

On this visit, we decided to have some fried rice. This particular fried rice has onions, eggs, char siu pork, and of course... BACON. At King's, they have two varieties... regular and kim chee. We went with the kim chee. If you haven't guessed already, this place is all about island comfort food. This particular dish has a lot of distinct flavors going on at the same time. You have smokiness from the char siu, spiciness & vinegary from the kim chee, and the goodness of that bacon.

I went with the oxtail soup for my main dish. It comes with large pieces of braised oxtail in a broth that has a soy sauce/ pho vibe. I did find some anise in the bottom of the bowl. They also throw in some napa cabbage and water chestnuts. On the side, they give some minced ginger and spicy mustard to throw in. I personally just threw in the ginger. The oxtail can be a little fatty, so be forwarned if you're some sort of pansy health-nut. The meat is really tender and delicious. I could have had two bowls if my wife wasn't there constantly reminding me about my cholesterol issues.

And with most Hawaiian dishes, it came with a scoop of mac salad and scoop of steamed rice.

The wife went with the Deluxe Saimin. This one comes in a broth that I think is similar to a typical wonton soup. It includes char siu, green onions, scrambled egg, nappa cabbage, spinach, carrots and kamaboko. Kamaboko is basically fish cake (I'm not a fan). It also comes with a teriyaki chicken skewer and the standard issue mac salad & steamed rice.

For dessert, we had the Chocolate Mac Nut Coffee and a slice of their Chocolate Dobash Cake. I asked what dobash meant or where it came from. The server didn't really know. But she did tell me that the tasty cake is a chocolate chiffon cake with chocolate pudding.

King's is also a full service bakery. If you're lucky, they might have some malasadas in stock. They sell out really fast.

If you're curious what cake to try... always go with the Paradise Cake. It has three layers: Guava, Passion Fruit, and Lime. It's amazing. It would have been our wedding cake, but they couldn't deliver our cake on our particular wedding date (It happened to be mother's day weekend).

They also have some great pies such as Mac Nut Cream Pie.

Okay, I'm getting on the phone to tell the wife we need to go back ASAP. Daddy is Hungry.. again.
Till next time kids...

King's Hawaiian Bakery & Restaurant
2808 W. Sepulveda Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90505
(310) 530-0055
http://www.kingshawaiianrestaurants.com




I'm from LA Trick!!!

Wurstkuche

This weekend, we headed to the Art District in Downtown LA.

We heard about this interesting sausage restaurant called Wurstkuche.

They specialize in exotic sausages that are grilled to perfection and served with some ridiculous fries.

The line can be pretty long at times. But once you get close, you'll see the wiener cooler.

The menu is pretty straightforward. Pick your sausage and a couple toppings.

The variety of game meats make these sausages "exotic".


From what I was told, these fries go through a two day process which includes brining in beer.

They also have an extensive beer and soda menu.
I went with this "botanically brewed" cola. It tasted like the coca-cola that you get in glass bottles from mexican restaurants. You know, the stuff made with real cane sugar... the good stuff. But, it also had a hint of ginger. Being that this little bottle was close to $5, I could have done without the ginger taste. Too bad there wasn't a mexican joint nearby where I could have picked up the mexican cola.

Anyway, let's get to the grub.

I went with the Rattlesnake, Rabbit, and Jalapeno Sausage with grilled onions. The meat itself was mild in flavor. I couldn't tell you what rabbit and/ or rattlesnake tasted like. They put a great deal of seasoning in the sausage. So, I'm guessing the meats didn't really taste like much on their own. I did not pick up any sort of gamy taste in this sausage.

The wife had the Mango Jalapeno Sausage with grilled onions and hot peppers (pepperocinis). This sausage was very sweet due to the mango. I'd call it a dessert sausage. If you're a guy who doesn't like sweets with his meats, this isn't for you.


The fries are on another level. They have this crispy texture on the outside, and a soft fluffy texture on the inside. The brine gives them such a unique flavor. I'd suggest trying them with out any of the sauces the first time around. We picked the chipotle aioli which was very zesty. It has a slow burn that creeps up on you.

The dining room has a modern hofbrauhaus vibe where you have many community tables.

The sausages are definitely tasty, but many of them may be more of a novelty than anything else.


I'll be curious to find out what their "classic" sausages (like brats) taste like.

Wurstkuche
800 East 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013-1820
(213) 687-4444
www.wurstkucherestaurant.com




I'm from LA Trick

Philippe's French Dipped Sandwiches

On President's Day, the wife and I were invited to lunch with our LAPD buddy.
He took us to a Los Angeles staple.

Philippe's has been in Downtown LA for over 100 years. They claim to have invented the French Dip Sandwich.

You start off by getting in line. We were lucky because we only waited about 15 minutes or so.

Once you get to the counter, you are greeted by these little old ladies who take your order. They reminded us of the stereotypical school lunch ladies.

The menu is extensive, but I'll focus on what we ordered.
There are four french dip sandwiches to choose from... Beef, Pork, Lamb, and Turkey.
I went with the pork and the wife went with turkey. Then you can decide if you want it single dipped or double dipped. We both went for the double dip. If you can't handle slightly soggy bread, stick to a single dip. The pork sandwich is nicely seasoned, not very salty (considering it was dunked in au jus). The roll (from what I understand is homemade just like everything else in the store) was light and fluffy (the parts that didn't get au jus on it) and had a nice crunch on the outside. In all honesty, the sandwiches are on the small side. I probably could have knocked out three of these things.

We also had their "straight" chili. No, this has nothing to do with which team it plays on. It just means beef chili without beans. It was pretty loaded with ground beef and was mildly spicy. One knock I had was that it was a little oily. I'm guessing they use some fatty ground beef. But hey, it adds to the flavor, right?

They are also famous for their mustard. To be honest with you, I thought it was like a bottle full of straight horseradish with a dab of mustard. Use this stuff with caution. It can make a grown man cry (not that I did).

As you can see, the wife went a little overboard. Her sinuses were cleared for the rest of the day.
I did sample her turkey sandwich. Even with the dunk in the beef au jus, it was a little on the dry side for me. I also heard people say they thought the beef sandwich was salty, especially if it has been dipped. I tried my friend's beef sandwich and I thought it was great. It was a damn good roast beef sandwich. I would probably go beef the next time we head out there.

We finished off the lunch with their homemade apple pie. It had a nice flaky crust and filled with large chunks of apples. Simple and not too sweet... very nice.


Philippe's French Dip
1001 N Alameda St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 628-3781
www.philippes.com




I'm from LA Trick

Tan Cang Newport Seafood

So the wife and I decided to have lobster for Valentine's Day. Rather than cooking one and eating it american style... you know with drawn butter and all that jazz. We took a trip to Little Saigon.

This place serves it up Chinese/Vietnamese Style. It's what you would see at a Chinese or Vietnamese wedding. But, since it was just the bosslady and I, we ordered a "small" lobster.
The sauce is filled with shallots, green onion, that soy sauce glaze (if you've been to any true chinese joint... you know what I mean), and lobster roe.

They give you the entire lobster... not just the tail like in those American joints. Some of you probably had lobster on Valentine's day as well. Let me guess, it was boiled then served with butter. Sorry, but our lobster was better than yours... nah nah nah nah nah!!!

After we devoured it, we figured that we were done. The waiter informed us that we were suppose to take the remaining sauce and lobster roe and mix it with the steamed rice. Here's our waiter making my breakfast for the next morning.

Here's the kicker, they only charge $12.00 a pound!!!
How much was your Valentine's Dinner Lobster?


Tan Cang Newport Seafood

4411 W 1st St
Santa Ana, CA 92703

(714) 531-5146

www.tancangnewportseafood.com





I'm from LA Trick