Hey everybody, Happy Christmas and New Year to everyone! I haven't seen most of you all in a minute (for reals) and I hope you all have had a warm and lovely holidays. A lot of great things happened this year.
To reflect on simple and good things and to honor the year 2011, I have decided to make a Top Eleven (and a half) list of my favorite meals of the past year (in some kind of order I guess, not necessarily from cheaper to more expensive, as I did not have to pay the big bucks for some of these if you'll read.)
11. Las Cazuelas, 5707 North Figueroa Street, Highland Park (L.A.), CA
Great mix of Mexicano and Salvadoreno food. You can share three pupusas (awesome if you had not yet had them with the salsa roja and pickled cabbage...go now, anywhere they serve them), a coctel de camarones (shrimp cocktail) and platanos fritos (fried plantains) for LESS THAN $18. I AM FULL each time.
10. Folliero's 5566 N. Figueroa St., Highland Park (L.A.), CA
This spot literally is two blocks from Cazuelas. A couple of things: this might be, pound for pound pricewise and tastewise, the best pizza in the area. I love ordering anchovies and dicing them up into the clam pasta with white sauce. AND THEY DON'T CHARGE a corkage fee for wine. Folliero's, how I adore thee.
(9 1/2. At home, I made Tortilla Soup a couple of times, and it is a fave. It is cheap to do and takes anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour to prepare. Also, there is soup for days afterward. Here is the recipe from Bigoven.com: link
9. also loved anytime my fiancee made arroz caldo, a filipino stew comprising rice and chicken, ginger and onions, lots of lemon and some potatoes. Then you top it with chopped green onions and fried minced garlic. It is so damn good, but I can't divulge her recipe; we can say that she prefers to use chicken thighs as they don't dry out and get tough and stringy like chicken breast sometimes can. Click for a picture and description of this yumminess. Some Asian countries know this dish as congee.)
8. Gaja Moc 2383 Lomita Blvd, Lomita, CA
Japanese plates can be enjoyed here. The Okonomiyaki here is great, especially for the reason that you cook it yourself on a (VERY) hot grill in the middle of your table. Their food is so tasty and there are many options to choose from. I also savored the takoyaki. I will be coming back here very soon.
7. 15.quince grill and cantina 363 Main St., Jerome, AZ
Earlier this past spring I visited parts of Arizona with the school. I took the kids to a former mining town (once one of the richest in the whole world during boomtimes) called Jerome. Now it is an artist's enclave that sports one of the best Mexican restaurants I have ever had the pleasure of trying. Killer salsa verde!!! Also incredible crucifix art, which is probably no longer up, but I bought one for my mom. Want to visit here in the winter time. Streets are so steep.
6. A Ri Rang Tofu House 529 E Valley Blvd., Ste 128, San Gabriel, CA
This was the second Korean tofu soup place I had been to. The girlfriend (at the time she was not yet betrothed to me) suggested, and you might as well consider me a delighted little Korean girl at one of these places. The soup is steaming, bubbling hot when it gets to your table, and the little plates of chilled banchan offer little different counterpoints to this awesomeness. OMG for reals KK.
5. Bacaro LA 2308 S Union Ave, near downtown Los Angeles, CA
Just a cool, cool place that serves all kinds of wine and beers while really focusing on serving great food. Just go look at the reviews from this link. The servings are tapas-style (standouts include the burger--it has a fried egg atop it, the mac and cheese, and the chicken piccata-style dish) though this is an Italian-inspired place. Don't go expecting huge portions and enjoy the huge tastes.
4. The Park Restaurant 1400 Sunset Blvd., Echo Park (L.A.), CA
I officially proposed to my fiancee here (just for good measure, she said "yes" twice that day). They have a thing for Friday dinners called Supper Club which included four courses (dessert is one of them) that were all completely solid. I had the Caesar salad, some nice veggies, a Chilean Sea Bass and a scrumptious dessert for only 20 bucks! I think this deal is 15 dollars on Tuesday nights!
3. Kous Kous 3940 4th AV #110, San Diego, CA
Went here twice in the past year. If you have never tried Moroccan food before, make this a first stop with complete confidence. The Moroccan mint tea will chill you out, or you can get your krunk on with one of many signature cocktails they serve. There is a family meal with three or four courses that is just BOMB. BOMB.
2. Mon Ami Gabi-Paris Hotel and Resort 3655 Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV
If I knew a French dude who could cook up a steak and french fries like that, I would want him to be my homey, too! One of the few times she and I ate red meat this year, and it was totally worth it. Only qualm was that we thought we'd reserved an al fresco (outside) table to watch the jumping water show across the street at the Bellagio, but had to settle for listening to the music and catching glimpses of it from inside. Flourless chocolate cake was impressive and I had to be wheeled around Vegas for the rest of the night. Couldn't even play Pai Gow no mo'.
1. Saison 2124 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA
Three things:
First, they are a 2 Michelin star-rated restaurant. Second, the fiancee's brother works there; thus, our entire meal was comp'ed. Last, it was the single most interesting and memorable dining experience I have ever had. It was a 15-course meal (and red, red wine) and just about knocked us out. In a good way. youtube video
SO... there is it! I hope you enjoyed the list. I have to go exercise now.
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